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Mark Wheeler
Mark 1:29-39
02/04/2024
"Bread, Bapt & Beyond – Sacraments and Worship 5"
Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church
Good morning Friends! Welcome to worship here this morning! This Community of Church welcomes everyone who enters with us – and we invite you to dive as deeply as you are comfortable into this time of worshiping our Almighty God!
We may feel like our life is full of Chaos, full of dis-order, covered in fear – and it probably really is – but it is from this Chaos that our Sovereign God Creates Order and offers Faith.
Genesis 1:2 says that "the earth was formless and empty (KJV says 'void', Amplified Bible adds 'chaos'), darkness was over the surface of the deep, and God was hovering over the waters." Then the story moves directly to God saying, "Let there be…", and Order became the reality!
Today is also our fifth Sunday in this between Christmas and Lenten series on Worship and Sacraments – what do we do on Sunday mornings, and why do what we do it, and how that impacts how we live every day! Bread, Bapt and Beyond!
We have talked about Communion – Jesus is the Bread of Life – we partake of this everlasting-life-bread every time we come to Jesus, every time we start to believe in Him.
Today we celebrate Communion again. We have looked at the Sacrament of Baptism – the water of life!
And we have been walking our way through the first chapter of Mark's Gospel – and experiencing how Baptism and Communion give meaning to every day!
Bread, Bapt and Beyond – a look at the Sacraments that demonstrate and perform the grace of God, and the worship that develops from them.
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To invite us into that experience, Pastor Kathy calls us to worship from Psalm 147:
5-7 And our Prelude of Praise and Worship ––– #356 … All Creatures of Our God and King – Vv 1-3
8 Good morning Friends! Welcome to worship at Lidgerwood!! Shalom Aleichem! May the PEACE of Christ be with you!
Welcome, friends, from around the world, to this worshipping community!
Be filled with God's Holy Spirit presence and power, in your homes, through your phones and computers, in this building here, and in your lives. Pray with us … and hear and be transformed by God's Word.
9 This morning our Chancel Choir leads us in this Sacramental Communion anthem: "We Come to Your Table"
10 Children's Message
11 Pastor Kathy opens our Prayer time in Confession and Thanksgiving
12 Gloria Patri
13-16 Moment of Silence in honor and memory of our Members and Loved Ones who have gone to Paradise ahead of us - Praises, thanksgivings, adorations, concerns and prays [The Lord's Prayer]
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18-20 Song of Devotion and Preparation to receive God's Word – #353 – For the Beauty of the Earth – Vv 1-3
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We have invested the last month of Sundays in the First Chapter of the Gospel According to Mark – so as we begin today's study here are a couple of important things to remember:
- Mark is the only Gospel that has no Christmas mention. Matthew and Luke tell the stories about the angels and the shepherds and the magi; John doesn't really give a birth narrative, but he says that the Son of God became flesh and moved in with us. Mark does not say anything like that – Mark's Gospel concentrates on Jesus as the Servant of God – Isaiah's Suffering Servant prophecies – and, from that perspective – who cares about a Servant's birthday? So he just doesn't mention it. Instead, this Gospel begins simply with a description of the book – which is the second point to nremember;
- Mark is the only book in the Bible that announces itself as a "Gospel" (Mark 1:1), "the good news, the gospel, about Jesus…" Again, there is no word in Mark about the birth or the youth of Jesus. He starts right in with this "Good News" of Jesus' Baptism as the beginning of His ministry. It is the fulfillment of the "messenger" promised by the prophet Isaiah 40:3; a promise stated again by John the Baptist's own explanation of Jesus' Baptism, that his Baptism was with water, but "Jesus will Baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:8).
Let's hear the Word of God, today from Mark 1:29-39 …. ----
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29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
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35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, "Everyone is looking for you." 38 And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out." 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
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When I was 23 years old, I went home from work a little early, left my Church's Elders' Meeting that night as quickly as I could, and went to bed. This was three weeks before I was to get married, so my future in-laws invited me to their couch where I would not suffer alone. Between Tuesday night and Friday morning, I went from a very healthy and strong 148 lbs to an extremely emaciated and weak 126 lbs! (I have made up for that 22 lb weight loss since then!)
When I finally went to the doctor on Friday, gaunt, skin and bones, and very frail, the doc took some tests just because that's what's required, but he knew right away – this kid has Diabetes.
Three weeks before our wedding! Really God?! Why?! What did I do to deserve this?! What did Jennifer do to deserve this?! Literally at Death's Door! From healthy and virile to sickly and emasculate!
Why God?!
And still the question lingers: why? I know that I am not alone in asking that question – why do we get sick? And as people of faith, as Christians, I know that many of us ask a similar question: why does God allow us to get sick? And especially in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, with some people getting very mild cases of the virus, while others are being hospitalized and even dying from it. Why?
Today's Gospel reading brings us to this question, and helps us, I believe, to think about it in new ways, to find order in the midst of what seems chaotic.
Last Sunday Kathy masterfully read the story of Jesus casting an unclean spirit out of a man. But He has not yet healed someone who is actually sick. Until today's passage.
He goes to Simon Peter's house after leaving the synagogue, and there He finds Simon's mother-in-law in bed with a fever. And Jesus goes to her, and takes her by the hand and lifts her up, and the fever leaves her.
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Look at this aerial view of ancient Capernaum. The squarish building on the right (just below the tree) is the Synagogue, and the octagonal building more toward the left is where Simon Peter's mother-in-law's house was (that's a church built on top of the ruins of her house – the church has a glass floor so you can look down into the house!). Simon Peter, a fisherman, lived nearer the Lake, but it is literally a stone's throw from the Synagogue!
By that very evening the word got out, and everybody was bringing their sick to Jesus. And He healed them. And He cast out their demons. And all of this tells us very clearly and very powerfully that God does not want us to be sick.
If we are sick, or if a loved one is sick, it is not because God wants that to be the case. Jesus could not resist healing those who were sick. And He made the healing of sickness a sign of the presence of the Kingdom of God, and an important aspect of His ministry on earth.
God does not want us to be sick. And when God's Kingdom comes in its fullness, all sickness will be banished forever. As the Book of Revelation puts it, when God's Kingdom comes in its fullness:
God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
So Why Do We Get Sick?
God does not want us to be sick. And one day, God promises us that sickness itself will die. But what about now? We still get sick. Why?
The first thing to remember is that even when we are sick, God still cares for us. In fact, more than ever. God cares for us as parents care for their child.
Martin Luther once wrote that:
When a child is sick or suffers from some trouble, it is sicker to the parents than to itself; its trouble strikes the parents harder than the child because the child is not its own but belongs to the parents.
Any parent who's ever had a child take ill knows this is true. On our prayer list is little Brynlee, but included in those prayers are her parents and grandparents and great-grandparents, and extended family!
In the same way, whenever we are sick, God cares for us. God cares for every single one of God's children, no matter our illness, or how we got it.
But the question remains, why doesn't God just heal us? Just as Jesus took Simon's mother-in-law by the hand and lifted her up. Why doesn't He do that for us?
To answer that question, we really have to back up and ask, why do we get sick in the first place? Why is there sickness in our world? And the answer to that is the same as the answer to the question, why is there death in our world? And we have a clear, biblical answer to that: There is death in our world because there is sin in our world. And sickness is really just a sign of our mortality. Before there was sin in this world, there was no sickness or death. The cause of sickness is the same as the cause of death. It is the result of the sin and brokenness in our world – not necessarily our own sin – maybe, perhaps that's the case, but our whole created order has turned "chaotic" because of sin-in-general (what some theologians call "original sin", our sin-nature!).
Whether we are sick or not, we all will die. There is no way of avoiding it. We can live a healthy, safe life. And we might live longer than we otherwise would have. And our quality of life might be better, physically. But we will still die.
Sickness and death is a consequence of humanity's sin.
This does not mean that God punishes us for specific sins by making us sick. I don't believe that. But it does mean that without a Savior, death awaits us all.
So, why does God allow us to be sick? When you stop and think about it, a better question might be, why does God allow healing? Why does God's Son heal anyone who is sick? Why do any of us enjoy the health that we have? And the answer is of course that God loves us. And so, even though we as humans brought sin into the world, God sent his Son to take care of that sin by dying on the cross.
Sickness and death do not have the last word in our life. God does. And that last word will not be sickness or death, but will be life … in Jesus' name.
Jesus heals those in Capernaum to offer a clear sign that God cares for us. But that is not the full reason that Jesus came. In today's Gospel reading, it is very telling to see what happens after Jesus heals all those who were sick. It would have been easy for Jesus to stay there, and continue that healing ministry in Capernaum. But that's not what He does.
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Instead, He gets up early the next day, and goes to a deserted place to pray. This is a view of Capernaum and the countryside surrounding it, a view from the Sea of Galilee. And when His disciples finally find Jesus, to tell Him that everyone is searching for Him (most likely because they are hoping to have their loved ones healed), Jesus says to them, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do."
That is what Jesus came to do. To proclaim the message of the Gospel. And the message of the Gospel is bigger and more important than simply healing the sick. The message of the Gospel is that the time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is coming to us through Jesus. That's the message that Jesus came to proclaim. It's so much bigger than the healing even of many who were sick. And today, the message of the Gospel is also bigger than the healing of we who are sick.
Now, don't get me wrong. God still heals many in our day. Many times through doctors, medical research, and medicine. Other times, through more obvious miracles. But the Kingdom of God means more than that. It means an end to all sickness and all death, an end to all suffering and all pain and all mourning. No more tears. Only joy. That's what God intends for us. And that is why Jesus came.
But the only way for Jesus to do all that is on the cross. That is where the final healing takes place. On the cross. And in the forgiveness of our sins. That's why Jesus didn't just stay in Capernaum, but left there to proclaim the message of the Gospel throughout Israel, before going to the cross for us all.
Let's take a quick look at life!
26 Do you know whose desk this is? (No,,, not mine! It is Albert Einstein's desk!) From what looks like Chaos to you and me was perfect Order to one of the most brilliant geniuses to ever have walked this planet!
27 This is M.C. Escher's Relativity Lattice – it is an impossible collection of staircases that seem like they make sense, until they don't! (It's kind of like the Parking Garage downtown!) There is Order in the Chaos!
28 One of the world's most famous optical illusions – Who here sees a beautiful young woman? Who sees an old "hag"?
29 A week and a half ago, it was either DFW airport of PHX airport, the Gates were listed on the overhead sign as A, B, C, E, D! I couldn't find a picture of that, but I did find this map of Boston's Logan International Airport – do you see what I see? Terminals A, B, C, E (where is D?)
30 Or O'Hare in Chicago, Terminals 1, 2, 3, 5! What?
I am certain there is Order here – but it appears like Chaos to me!
31 Most of you have probably seen this before today – but some have trouble seeing that it says … "JESUS". Do you see it?
32 Does this help? (Look at the "void" between the "lines"…)
My point here is that our Almighty God of all Creation always creates Order out of what appears to be Chaos! And that is why Jesus invites us today to believe this Good News. Because whether we are sick or well, depressed or happy, rich or poor, deserving or not, God offers to us ultimate healing through the forgiveness of our sins. Through the death and resurrection of his only-begotten Son.
We are invited to trust and believe. Believe the Good News that God cares for us all, and has a plan to bring an end to all sickness and death in our world.
To put it another way, today's gospel reading is just a preview of that glorious day to come, when Jesus returns. On that glorious day, we will all receive the same gift that Simon Peter's mother-in-law received, the day Jesus found her in bed with a fever. Do you remember what Jesus did for her? He took her by the hand and lifted her up. And that is exactly what Jesus will do for us all, in the Resurrection to come on the Last Day. He will take each of us by the hand, and lift us up, and welcome us into his arms of eternal grace and life.
That is why Jesus went to the cross for us. There is no greater promise, and no greater gift. This is what is commemorated at our Lord's Table as we celebrate Communion.
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I invite our Communion servers to come forward – from the chaos of financial uncertainties, from the chaos of medical diagnoses, from the chaos of families falling apart, from the chaos of fear and pain and anger. And come to the Table of our Lord's Peace and grace and mercy and presence and love.
In our tradition – we invite anyone, of any age, and any level of faith development, everyone who has been Baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit to partake of the "feast" of the Lord's Table – you do not have to be a member of this church or even Presbyterian. Come to Jesus. Believe in Jesus. The Bread of Life is for you.
As we prepare our hearts and souls for this ritual of Spiritual refreshment – proclaiming the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, and declaring our faith in Him – announcing our Baptism – let's sing our –
34-36 Communion Hymn #353 – For the Beauty of the Earth! – Vv 4-6
37 Our Servers will bring you the bread and the cup – instructions for receiving and passing – and Pastor Kathy will lead us in this Sacrament of Holy Communion.
38 Receive our tithes and offerings as symbols of our very lives and livelihood, given as response to Your life given for us! Bless it, and by it bless the world around us. In Christ's name, Amen.
Offering (4449 N Nevada St., Spokane, WA, 99207; or click HERE, or text 833-976-1333, code "Lidgerwood")
39-40 Expedition Song #356 – All Creatures of Our God and King! – Vv 4-5
41 Benediction:
May we Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Be filled with God's Holy Spirit. And give glory to God, today, and forever! Amen.
"May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace."
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Announcements
- Special Called Elders' Meeting with all our newly elected Church officers – Right after worship – right over here by Scott.
- Breakfast Fellowship – On Saturday, 9am, at Frankie Doodles.
- Furnace Fundraiser
Resources:
Laurence, James; First Lutheran Church, Albemarle, NC; https://mypastoralponderings.com/2021/02/06/more-than-healing-my-sermon-on-mark-129-39/
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