Monday, July 9, 2018

Faithfulness in Unexpected Places

Faithfulness in Unexpected Events  

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Mark 5:21-43 

David survives the battle where both Saul and his son Jonathan are slain. This makes David, the apparent King of the land. He could selfishly celebrate his newly acclaimed leadership. Instead, David as the leader, calls for the community to mourn for the losses sustained in the war. Victory for David is not achieved without costs. 

David and Saul struggled personally and professionally. Saul did his level best to hem David in, as part of his entourage, as a son-in-law, but still David maintained an independent public personna. The story of David and Jonathan closes in David’s final public declaration of love. As Jonathan fought to the death, in an attempt to preserve his relationship with his father; Saul, meets his own death, conflicted and wounded in body and soul.  

In Mark’s gospel story, Jesus is being pulled in multiple ways all at once. He sets off to do one thing, and is pressed on to do another. No sooner does he redirect his attention, when someone is straining to use his power for their own needs or healing. 

Jesus returns from the events of the storm and in the Golan Heights on the east side of the Galilean Sea, only to be begged by the leader of the synagogue. There is no subtlety intended here. Jesus has been rejected by multiple levels of the “establishment,” and still, when confronted by personal pain, they look for Jesus. More than simply look for Jesus, here the synagogue leader fell at his feet. 

Humility before the power of God is a consistent theme in this portion of Mark’s gospel. In troubled times, when we presume we know too much, or expect head of the line privileges, we should be reminded that the God we know through Jesus, gives priority to those in pain. This theme is also apparent in the Old Testament, though the passages from the Old Testament that speak to protecting the stranger and the alien and the poor, are in disfavor in the culture today.    

Richard Rohr writes, “Jesus critiques and reorders the values of his culture from the bottom up. He ‘betrays’ the prevailing institutions of family, religion, power, and economy (i.e., controlling resources) by his loyalty to another world vision which he calls the Reign of God. Such loyalty cost him popularity, the support of the authorities, immense inner agony, and finally his own life. By putting the picture into the largest possible frame, Jesus called into question all smaller frames and forced a radical transformation of consciousness upon his hearers. Most seemed unready for this paradigm shift, including his inner circle.”

Our times are awkward. Voices on the far right seemingly exalt in attacking the poor and community resources for the poor. Nearly 41 million people in the US population now live below the poverty line. One in five children do not get enough to eat. While the US Ambassador to the UN cries foul at the suggestion that studies need to address the reality of poverty in America, attacks against programs that protect the poor, and health insurance for the poor, and even simple feeding programs, are targeted. 

Distractingly, the voices on the far left resort to name calling and demonizing. In a day and an age when facts are more readily available than at any time in human history, the daily noise appears to be devoted to characterizations and personal attacks.  

I try to be aware of the issues talked about at the extremes, and then try to seek the facts. It takes some genuine effort at times. But we know, relationships are like that. We have to do our best to listen, and be prepared to enter the give and take of negotiations in order to preserve a relationship with respect for the other. 

Jesus could easily brush off Jairus. We have read how the authorities are already looking to bring Jesus to defeat. The entire plot line of Mark’s telling of the Jesus story is driven by the determination to destroy Jesus based beginning with the first verses of Chapter 3. Still, Jesus is moved to compassion for the pain of the man who seeks his help for his sick daughter. So while it is pretty common to speak of the “preference for the poor,” we might acknowledge the theme is to recognize Jesus’ compassion for those who suffer. At the Offertory I will sing you, “One Great Day” a meditation on those who live with chronic pain, and those who love them. 

As Jesus agrees to go to the leader’s daughter, they push through the crowd. The picture here is of a mural displayed in a chapel of the women’s center being constructed at the ancient site of the town of Magdala. Mary Magdalene is from the town of Magdala on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee. All we see is the hand of the woman, reaching out just to touch the hem of the robe of Jesus in the midst of a crowd. To be on the ground within a crowd, is a very vulnerable position. It is a very graphic depiction of a woman in need of mercy. It is the same posture as the synagogue leader, and the demoniac in the previous encounter in the gospel, only this woman is not given an audience and is in danger of being crushed by the crowd. 

The woman reaching out to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe as he pushes through the crowd, is a case study in humility and need. There is no apparent attempt to get attention. There is no posturing. She is sick. She has spent all the money she can in order to seek healing at the hands of ancient physicians, who are unable to relieve her suffering. 

As she reaches out to touch “the hem of his garment” Jesus is aware of power passing from him to her. No one has seen her. No one knows what has happened. Still Jesus interrupts his march to the house of the leader to speak with this woman. 

She comes to him, likely in fear of being berated, perhaps this holy man will chastise her for taking without permission, or payment. Instead, Jesus commends her faith and sends her on her way. 

Now word comes that during the delay, the daughter has died. Jesus tells the leader, “Do not fear, only believe.” 

That is so hard to do. It is so hard to stare frantically at the spread sheet and believe that a community of faith can continue, while the financial news is distressing. 

It is so hard to trust that the power of God includes restoring life, where liveliness seems to have been spent. “Do not fear, only believe.” 

So we believe that it makes a difference that we care. We believe it makes a difference to greet the visitors and talk with them in Fellowship Hall after the worship service. We anticipate the arrival of the new pastor. We believe that God has plans for this congregation. 


We will take communion together this morning. We will be aware of the presence of Christ within and among us. We will allow the sights and scenes of worship to supersede cold objective reasoning, if only for awhile. We will rest our hearts on the promises of a good and generous God, and try again, to be good and generous for another week, another month, another year. And in the model of the Christ, we will look for God first, where there is pain, Amen.  

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