Father John McGinn, Rector
I know I have said this many times before, that my grandchildren bring me great joy. One of them, Henry is 2.5 and Collin is 3 and Abby is 4.5, and they all just started this week at the preschool so it has been quite a week for their mothers and the rest of us. We were hoping that they would all behave at the preschool.
I want to tell a couple of stories about children this morning.
A mother and her three year old son were playing in the front yard and there were squeals and giggles galore. Dad came to the door and asked them to play a bit more quietly so he could get his work done. The three year old put his hands on his hips and said “Daddy, I don’t do quiet!”
That is true of a lot of three year olds. They don’t do quiet. I know my three year old grandson doesn’t do quiet very well.
A cartoon shows a large van and on the side is the warning: DANGER: Explosives. Inside are two men. The driver of the van turns to his buddy and says “I used to drive a school bus, but I had to give it up because of my nerves.”
Many of you parents and grandparents will understand.
A man was getting a hair cut and he asked the barber when the best time would be to bring in his two year old son. Without hesitation, the barber replied, “When he is four.”
Children are a challenge, and one of the things you immediately notice about children is that they have a deep seeded need to be the center of attention. They love to perform for parents and grandparents. One of their favorite phrases is “Mommy/Daddy/ Grammy/Grampy look at me!” And one mark of emotional maturity is to not be the center of attention. To empathize with others and to give and receive. It is a sign of Jesus’ self assurance and spiritual depth that Jesus didn’t like to draw attention to himself. Until the last week of his life, Jesus generally kept out of the spotlight. Whenever he felt that his miracles were attracting too much attention, he moved on.
In today’s gospel, we hear that “Jesus left the vicinity of
Then he comes to a town where the people want something from him. And Mark doesn’t say if Jesus was planning on doing any works of healing in the region of the Decapolise. He may have still wished to remain out of the spotlight. But Jesus’ reputation had spread even to that distant place, and when he arrived there they brought to him a man that could not hear, and begged Jesus to place his hand on the man.
For people with disabilities, attention is a two edged sword. We tend to respond to those who are different by either ignoring them, or staring. Every disabled person can tell tales of being overlooked by others, and they can also tell tales of being teased, ridiculed, and fussed over. Did the deaf man want to speak to Jesus? Or was the crowd making him the unwilling center of attention?
People who are different from the norm, whether by their ideas or appearance, or ability, are often made to feel as if they were wrong. Note Jesus’ compassion in the passage. He could have scored huge points with the crowds if he had performed a spectacular miracle. But that is not what Jesus did. Verse 33 tells us that Jesus took the man away from the crowd, as if he is saying to the man “I know all this attention is embarrassing to you .Don’t worry, I won’t use you for a public spectacle. This is between you, me and the Heavenly Father”
I wish some modern-day faith healers were so compassionate. Those who parade hurting people before television cameras …
…we read as he took him away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears, and then he touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said, “"Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.” Mark goes on to tell us, “Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” The people were overwhelmed, as you can imagine. “. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
I think we all love miracles, don’t we?
Particularly miracles in which people are healed. There are some of you that have been witness
to a miracle, and it brings joy to your heart when you think about it. The doctor’s told you that you had 6 months
to live, but 5 years later you are still going strong. But miracles can present all kinds of
problems. I wrestled with the question
of miracles after the tsunami that struck
The story states that Reverend Sanders headed straight for the largest wave and stood up in the boat and said” I command you in the name of Jesus, to stand still.” He said the wave stood still for a few seconds. Long enough for the boat to go over the wave and out to sea before crashing down on the orphanage. If this is really what happened, and we have no evidence to the contrary, it certainly qualifies as a miracle.
Was it because he was a Christian, rather than Hindu, Buddhist or Muslim that his prayer was heard? I think not. God is not a banker who needs proof of religion before opening the safe of Devine Goodness. I believe the wave probably did stand still for a few seconds, because God has given us much more power over creation than we know. I believe that faith and prayer is one of the ways we can tap those incredible energies. It was not God’s caprice that made the wave stand still, but rather the same laws that caused the earthquake and the tsunami.
Did the wave stand still? I wasn’t there. I can’t tell you if it did or didn’t, but I do know that there have been events in the lives of many good people they will say are miraculous. People were healed. People were spared under amazing circumstances. It seems to defy the idea of a lawful universe, but miraculous things do happen. Having said that, I do need to say something else.
Our faith shouldn’t rely on miracles. We’ve already learned that Jesus warned about staking faith on signs and miracles. And many contentious Christians wrestle with the issue of miracles. Not because they question God’s power. No one questions God’s ability to perform miracles, God created everything. But if I give a glowing testimony of how God cured me of cancer, what does it say to the person who has preyed just as urgently and believed just as hard, but is not physically healed as I was. That is the hard part about miracles. What about the 150,000 souls for whom the tsunami did not stand still? There is no answer to that troubling question this side of heaven. And it might sober us a little to realize that all miracles are temporary.
Jesus brought his friend, Lazarus back from the dead, but eventually, he died again. We know that, because otherwise he would still be with us. Can you imagine how excited the news media would get about a 2000 year old man who is still alive? Very wrinkled, but still alive. If we had our way, none of us would die or ever face real hardship, but that is not how life turns out. Even if we do experience a miracle, it is only temporary.
The mortality rate for this world is still 100%. Our faith will eventually fail us if it is based on signs and miracles. Authentic faith is based on God’s love and His promise. Our faith is not based on God’s ability to perform miracles. Our faith is based on God’s love for us.
You can see how poor Jesus was throughout this period. He tried desperately to downplay his miracles. Time and time again, he told people to keep
their healing a secret. He was not sent
for healing, he was sent to tell people about the
We see in Jesus, God’s love and his compassion. God loves you regardless of your circumstance. A person in a wheelchair is no less love than a well coordinated athlete. The cancer victim is no less loved, than the cancer survivor. We can not explain the great disparities that exist in this life, but we know these disparities are not a reflection of how much God loves us. God loves all of us.
Here is God’s will for us: that we take our circumstances and use them for God’s glory. And often the real miracle comes when people take their difficult circumstances and use them as a stepping stone to a more fulfilling life. I believe the message for today is “Don’t listen to your circumstances, no matter how difficult they might be. Listen to a loving God who says to you ‘My beloved child, I haven’t forgotten you. I am always with you. I will never forsake you. Miracles are but a momentary phenomenon. My love for you is eternal.”
If you experience a physical miracle, rejoice in it, and be glad. That is not the basis of faith. The basis of faith is God’s love and promise. AMEN
Olivia Leone said, “The tape stopped in the
middle, and I am not sure how much is missing. I indicated the missing
time with "..." in the sermon.