February 5, 2012; 5^th after Epiphany
Isaiah 40:21-31; Mark 1:29-39

So, today in our scripture readings,

There is one of those troubling passages for our modern ears.

In fact, much of the early stories of Jesus’ ministry,

As recounted to us in the gospel of Mark,

Are filled with troubling passages which confound our modern ears.

The gospel story in Mark begins with the baptism of Jesus, by John,

Then follows with the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness.

As soon as Jesus emerged from the testing of that experience,

And he had begun calling followers,

He was faced with people who were in need of healing,

In one respect or another.

Jesus and his followers had travelled to the city of Capernaum,

And decided to stay there for a while.

They visited the synagogue,

And were accosted by a man who had what was called an unclean spirit.

On the heels of that experience,

They retired to Simon’s home.

But there they discovered that his mother-in-law was ill.

Taken to her bed with a fever.

We are told that Jesus took her by the hand,

Raised her up, and she was well.

But this is only the beginning of healing in the story of Jesus.

All sorts of people,

With all sorts of ailments came to Jesus in that city.

Diseases, as some of them were described.

Demon possession, as others were called.

This continued, until they decided that they needed to move on to another town or city.

But even with that, the call to Jesus continued.

Someone suffering from leprosy.

Then it was someone who was paralyzed.

And so on, and so on.

It seems, when you take the time to read through the gospel of Mark,

That Jesus had to do all of this healing,

And casting out of demons, and the like,

Before we ever hear him teach anything.

Now, that is interesting.

But I want to get back to these stories in today’s reading in particular.

So, I started to say that these stories are troublesome, and difficult for our modern ears.

Stories of spontaneous healing.

Because, well, we are skeptical, aren’t we?

These kinds of healings simply do not happen.

Try as we may, as fervently as we may pray,

They do not happen,

And if someone tells you that they do,

We are skeptical.

It seems to be that these stories are about miracles,

And I do not know what to do about that.

Maybe you have the same conundrum.

What do we make of these stories of miracles, and the supernatural?

They are a stumbling block for us.

So, I have decided that I am simply not going to deal with that part of the story.

I am not going to let that aspect of the stories stand in the way of my reading them,

Or allow them to be a stumbling block for me.

The other part of this story that I am not going to allow to become a stumbling block

Is the way this story comes across.

I mean, in particular, the story about Simon’s mother-in-law.

It’s too bad that we do not have a name for her.

When we read the story it almost sounds like the men-folk come home and they say to the woman of the house:

Get up out of bed, and make us some dinner.

That sounds so crude and vulgar.

There must be more to the story than that.

There is something here about healing.

And healing seems to be about restoration.

Being brought back to who you really are.

Who you are intended to be.

That state of being which is whole and integrated.

In the case of Simon’s mother-in-law, she got up and began to serve them.

I know there’s a lot of baggage with that.

Women and servitude.

I see that in the story, and I cringe at it.

But maybe look at it another way.

I remember visiting a woman on one occasion who had recently been admitted to a nursing home.

She had been very active all her life.

Lived on a farm, and did as much work in keeping that farm in operation as any other member of the family.

After retirement, and moving into town, she continued to be active in various things.

Family activities, community functions, church events.

She lived a long and vital life.

When she went into the nursing home the thing that she bemoaned was that she could no longer be of use.

Those were her words.

She couldn’t contribute, as she had always contributed.

Being able to contribute was how she knew she was whole, and integrated.

When she could be of use.

Maybe it was like that for the woman of the story who isn’t given a name here.

She was probably the mistress of the household.

And the one on whom the welcome of the home depended,

And the one who saw to it that hospitality was offered.

You could even say that she was hospitality personified.

And she was restored by Jesus.

So, that leads me to wonder: what does it mean for Jesus to offer healing to us?

What does restoration look like, and feel like for us?

Returning to wholeness.

I am wondering if there might be a connection here with the prophet Isaiah’s message.

Finding our place in God’s creation.

Finding our place in the greater reality which could be called God’s world.

“Have you not known, have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning of time?”

As I come back to this idea of healing,

And restoration.

Which seems to be the dominant theme of the gospel reading,

And indeed is an important gospel understanding for many people of faith.

Healing is about restoration to the person you were created to be,

Within the world that God has created it to be.

Wholeness, integrity, unity and connection and belonging.

Not alienation.

Somehow, in some manner,

Jesus offers healing to us.

Just as he offered healing to a fevered woman of Simon’s family,

Just as he offered healing many who had all sorts of diseases,

And cast out many demons.

That is another of those things with which I am unsure.

Does it matter what people called the afflictions,

Sometimes it seemed like disease,

Sometimes it was like possession by evil demons,

Sometimes it was torment.

Earlier this week, I was listening to the program called ‘Tapestry’ on CBC radio.

If you have the chance, give it a listen sometime.

This week the program centred on the experience of healing

And restoration

And return to who you are supposed to be,

Who you are created to be,

As one emerges from alcoholism.

In particular, as people work through the program of Alcoholics Anonymous.

One of the twelve steps in the program says: ‘we decided to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand God’.

The host of the program spoke first with a counsellor,

A Rabbi, in this case,

Who affirmed the absolute necessity of this step.

Giving oneself over to a higher power,

As part of the work of healing.

Of becoming whole,

Of becoming the person one is created to be.

It’s about releasing one’s ego to something greater, and outside of yourself.

Next, the host spoke to a group of agnostics who had formed their own group.

(In fact they had to form their own group, because they were de-listed from the area meetings list.)

For these alcoholics,

The god language was not helpful.

For them, it prevented them from doing the work that they needed to do

To bring about healing and sobriety.

As I listened to those interviews,

I wondered, outsider to the organization as I am, I wondered,

If perhaps these two divergent groups were indeed speaking a different language,

But sharing a similar message.

Healing, or restoration,

Needs to get you out of yourself,

And into the sphere of something larger.

And it also involves work on our part.

Difficult and challenging work.

To become all that we are created to be.

What do you suppose that it means for Jesus to offer healing to you?

Have you ever felt that was needed?

Did you ever feel in need of restoration to the person you were created to be?

Or are you still looking for that person?

Alcoholism is certainly a severe affliction,

Burden,

Torment, call it what you will.

But all of us, to one extent or another

Need to be restored to the person we are created to be.

A person of service.

A person who is oriented to others.

Community Prayer

Source of all, giver of all, eternal spirit, we join our hearts, and minds and thoughts to connect to one another, and to the world. We are thankful, grateful, and appreciative of the families, and the supportive circles to which we belong. We pray for the strengthening of the relationships that are life-giving and creative.

May we join your work of creating a new world, and of healing the hurts, and the sorrows of many.

We pray for peace among people who are experiencing violence. In homes, in streets, across borders and barriers. Among others, the people of Syria are close to our minds today.

We pray for people experiencing poverty, and financial struggle. We pray that we, and others, find ways to share the abundance you have given.

We pray for people experiencing illness, grief or loss. Our hearts go out as we remember lives lost tragically this week. When words fail us, let our presence and prayers be a source of encouragement and comfort.

Source of all, eternal mercy, loving One, we open our hearts, and we remember people in need, the world in need, and we name, in silence, those who need our prayers....

As we pray, we remember Jesus, and the world he loved. We say together the prayer we have learned from him.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.