Healing spirit, healing faith

7/1

Ready for worship at Beverly Church....

On a hot summer day, I made my way to Beverly Church.  My reflections were intended for this holiday...

I've been trying to figure out...when the 4th of July lands on Wednesday, which weekend is the July 4th weekend? Maybe take the whole week off?

But I will take the opportunity to talk a little about the nation. It's been a hard week. Five journalists shot  to death in Annapolis, Maryland. I was surprised when I googled to check my figures as to how many journalists get killed every year. But usually in places like Mexico and Afghanistan. In our history, there have been 39 US journalists killed.  The first being in 1837, a Presbyterian minister and abolitionist, Elijah Parish Lovejoy, murdered by a proslavery mob in Alton, Illinois. ( Our Presbyterian General Assembly just concluded in St.Louis, in Elijah Parish Lovejoy Presbytery. More of that later...)

Yesterday thousands of New Yorker and people across the country marched to protest family separation. I remember the morning I woke up and had to say to myself, we live in a country that  separates families from children. We live in a country that  separates families from children. It's a hard fact to absorb. Marching is a first  step. 

I raise these things because  the gospel always comes to us in a context, and these things are defining our context, our daily lives. 

What we want to talk about to day is healing. And touch. The gospel gives us two different stories of healing. And both involve touch. And faith.

First...there's a synagogue leader. This would be a pretty significant person. Begging Jesus to come and lay hands on his deathly ill daughter and heal her. 

On his way,  a great crowd gathers around him. A second story intervenes. A woman  pushes her way thru and touches him and Jesus feels that 'power had gone from him."  This poor woman has had a flow of blood for 12 years. In addition to how physically painful this must have been, this would have made her ritually impure...cut off ...for all those years... kept outside..

I couldn't help but think of the story in the NewYork Times last week of women in Nepal who are forward to live in separate huts during these days (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/10/world/asia/nepal-woman-menstruation.html) out of a belief that they will bring some kind of disaster by their presence. Some have died in  these huts from a variety of causes.... untended fires, wild animals..

And I liked this part:
26She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse.
I mean most if us know what that's like....

She touches his garment even though...
She probably shouldn't be out in public in the first place
If she touched Jesus it would make him impure..but she does it anyways..
 And he compliments  her ...and heals her...because of her faith...

Now Jesus can get back to his main case. But he's waited so long, the girl is now dead. The folks are telling Jairus, "too late, time to move on..." And Jesus tells everyone to leave and that she's only "sleeping"...probably because what he's about to do is a private expression of love and compassion, not a public display to prove something (like with Lazarus) . It is in response to Jairus' faith, not the girls. (Talitha cum..which is to say, get up!..same phrase is used for resurrection...though it's more like resuscitation, she will die...than resurrection)...

The girl was 12...born the same year the other woman's problems began...

So what do we see here?
* Healing takes faith....in one case personal, in the other  on behalf  of...don't ever stop praying for other people...ever...

* . It can take agency....the woman acts on her own behalf...and has to not be afraid to break rules..

* it takes touch...real connection

In both cases, healing restores to community, to normalcy...get her something to eat...he says...the simplest of acts...

There's something about touch we Presbyterians have missed whether its ashes on Ash Wednesday or the touch of holy water...on the other hand, I love when we ordain someone and we all lay hands on each others shoulders and you can feel the power surge through..

Touch is doing something real....I was so proud at General Assembly..our church wanted to protest the bail system that frees the rich and sends poor unconvicted, usually people of color, to prison..sometimes for years..we raised over 47000 and marched to the court to literally free people...that's another kind of touch.it did something real....and a had a bigger message as well...we're going to need more of that to begin iur nation's healing...

On this weekend before the 4th of July, let's be brave enough to try...

And after our prayers and sharing communion, it's back out to the heat....


Gospel Mark 5:21-43

21When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. 22Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23and begged him repeatedly, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." 24So he went with him.

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 25Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." 29Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?" 31And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, 'Who touched me?'" 32He looked all around to see who had done it. 33But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."

35While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader's house to say, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?" 36But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." 37He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." 40And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!" 42And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.