Sunday June 27, 2010
Galatians 5:1, 13-25 (CEV)
Luke 5:17-26 (NLT)
For a Time Such As This
The Lord be with you
And also with you
Let us pray . . .
Merciful, Loving, Healing God, you who show your power and might through your deeds in the world in us and through us. . . We thank you for your power of love that redeems and save us. We pray for your Spirit to be here with us this day, shower your love and grace upon us as we hear the word that you would have for us this day. May we show your love to those around us as we step out in faith and be doers and not just hearers of your word. Speak Lord . . . your disciples are listening.
Have you ever done something that you normally wouldn’t do just because you felt it was the right thing to do at the time? Done something that was needed and stepped out in faith to complete it? Have you ever been told that it was something that couldn’t be done but in the end you were surprised by the results that it produced? Have you ever said “I don’t care what you say . . . I think it can be done and I’m going to try, even if it means I will fail, I’m still going to try anyway. You never know.”
In the Epistle reading from Galatians this morning we are told that there is a fight within us. . . sort of a battle between good and evil so to speak. . . a fight that, through the grace of God and the love of Christ, we can be victorious. Society would have us give into the powers of the flesh instead of the power of love in Christ Jesus. It is a battle that will rage on until the return of Christ, when He sets everything right again. It is the flesh that breeds greed and discontent whereas the Spirit breeds blessing and peace. The flesh says no but the Spirit says “think of the possibilities.” The flesh says it can’t be done but the Spirit says “step out in faith.” With all this warring going on inside us it is difficult to go on in faith but as the Epistle states “Christ has set us free” and in that freedom we are free to choose which side to pick.
One of humanities problems is that we tend to take our eye off the ball . . . we lose our focus on what is right, good and perfect and slip back into darkness and the destructiveness of sin. We overreact to things around us. We need to remain open to the Spirit in our lives as we live out the Good News of God’s love for us and in us. When we focus on Jesus we walk in step with the Spirit. It is what empowers us to walk together, encouraging and enabling others to better live out God’s perfect love. (We are not just our brother’s keeper but we are also our brother’s/sister’s enabler)
We are in the middle of a Capital Campaign for a lift that we will be building for our church . . . and this has really gotten me thinking about what God would have us do as a church for our brother’s and sister’s in this community and beyond. We are stepping out in faith to share the Good News. I was reading my bible and came across a story that reminds me of exactly what we are doing. It is found in Luke 5:17-26. The story is called “Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man” and it reads:
17 One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus.
18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, 19 but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
21 But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 23 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 24 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man[a] has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
25 And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”
These men knew that their friend needed the healing that only Jesus could provide. It was not the man’s faith that healed him but rather the faith of his friends that brought him to the throne of grace. It was their extravagant love for him that caused them to do an extravagant thing for him. They risked their own life, went up on a roof, made a hole and lowered him down in front of Jesus. They didn’t let the crowd or society’s elite stop them. They knew what had to be done and just did it! A human need was met and these 4 men let nothing get in their way. And not only that. . . God’s unconditional, extravagant, love was shown in the fact that Jesus asked nothing of the man on the mat. He didn’t ask for the man to confess, he didn’t ask the man to atone for his sin, he didn’t even ask for anything in return. Jesus just did it but not without the faith of these men knowing their friend needed Jesus and that Jesus was the answer to the world’s sickness and suffering. We too are acting like these men. . . full of faith in knowing by opening our church to those who cannot come in we are inviting them to lay their burdens down on the altar and coming to the throne of grace for mercy, healing and redemption. . .the faith we have is for a time such as this. (I feel like Esther when Mordeci told her that “If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”) For a time such as this. . .
• It is our faith and stories that we can share with, that faith that we have because of the things that we have been through on our journey of this life that is for a time such as this.
• We will not be afraid in a time such as this to show the extravagant love that has been shown to us by God.
• Our hole in the roof for those who cannot reach the healing touch of Jesus because of the crowd called society is for a time such as this.
• We are all gifted for a time such as this.
• We are blessed for a time such as this.
Beloved child of God. . .
1. Are there people you know that need the healing touch of Jesus?
2. Why aren’t they receiving this healing?
3. What is it you can do to show that extravagant love to them as the four friends in the story that can bring them to the saving and healing grace of God?
4. What’s stopping you?
Let us raise the roof and show that extravagant love to those around us that need the healing Balm of Gilead. Let us show our faith in a time such as this. What we can or cannot do is set by our mindset. The four men had a mindset that was in one accord and look what happened. . . a sinner was forgiven, healed and went away praising God.
In closing I would like to share a poem by one of our own (I know. . .You all know who I am talking about but I don’t want to embarrass them this morning. . .OK. . .it’s my husband Ray. . .sorry Ray)an it is called “Carrying Their Neighbor”:
Some men of the community knowing the power of Christ
acting on their faith bringing the man to him
Carrying their neighbor that he would enter in
that he could be healed by Christ able to walk again
Finding a barrier the way blocked to Christ
opening up the roof that he may enter in
All of God’s children needing our help
to reach the Christ that they may enter in
Amen. . .
Luke 5:17-26
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Worship Theme: “How do we know when it’s our time”
and sermon, “For a Time Such As This. . .”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
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“God’s
Whisper” blog
Suncook United Methodist ChurchSuncook, NH
June 27, 2010
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
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