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Father Andrew Lang |
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A Faith that Acts © 2000 Alcress Communications Last week, I spoke of the faith that overcomes adversity. In the great battle between David and Goliath, the seemingly defeated David won, because he realised that he had God on his side. This morning, I would like us to think of the reading from Mark's Gospel and in particular the middle section of the story. Can you imagine the situation. Here was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. Her condition meant that she was ritually unclean and so outcast and cut off from her society. She had tried everything to solved the problem. Many physicians had tried and all had failed and perhaps as the text suggests, she had suffered much as they tried out new ways to solve the problem. For twelve years she had been a nobody and someone no-one wanted to know and now she had heard that a healer was coming - Jesus of Nazareth, and she was too embarrassed, to ashamed to approach him. So she happened upon a plan. It would be enough for her to just touch his garment and it would be all that was required. Can you see her? Moving through the crowd towards Jesus and reaching out her hand to touch. As those around her noticed her, they would move apart and let her through fearful of her uncleanliness. Not wishing to be contaminated. So she edged on towards her goal with a singular mind, ignoring the judgment of the crowd and their disgust. And she touched him and all became well. Can you imagine her relief and the freedom she suddenly felt? All she wanted to do was to disappear back into the crowd when the healer turned and spoke "Who touched me?" and he looked at her in a way that she thought she could not hide and so reluctantly she acknowledge their unseen transaction and told the truth. He dismisses her without anger - "Go your faith has made you well" It is a great story with the different dynamics of Jesus and the woman, Jairus the disciples and the crowds. But is more than just a story to enjoy. In this woman's story there is a message for us as God's people today, here in Cressy and in Bracknell. Healing came because of this woman's willingness to seek out Jesus. The question was not what she believed, but rather what she was prepared to do about it. As we go back to her culture, her approaching a man, a teacher and a religious figure while unclean was a social no-no. It was the sort of things that was never done. She broke nearly every social rule and ran the risk that she could loose even the small place she had in that society. It is about as bad as an AIDS sufferer going and giving blood to a child. (or perhaps even worse). So her risk was great. She put her trust in her faith and the rest, shall we say, is history. It seems to me that the most significant problem that we have in our church is our lack of willingness to take the risk of faith. It is easy for us to say each week…. We believe….. as we will do today, but the proof is not in the recitation, but in the action that stems from it. It is clear that we are facing a hopeless situation as a parish. Everything is difficult. Stipends are going up. GST adds around 10% to our costs. The farms are in trouble, both with the lack of good rains and the reduction of contracts from the processors. And the people are leaving the district… Do I need to go on? Like the woman, though we may try this and that until we exhaust the possibilities, or we may like here have to put our faith into action. This is more that just as a collective group in the parish, but as individuals as well. Perhaps like this woman, we may feel that we have no alternatives left. We feel that we have exhausted the possibilities that are before us and there seems to be no other way forward than to trust in Jesus. To put what we believe into action, that we are called as God's people to get on with the task, witnessing to his purposes before us. But isn't this just the point of the story. Let us look beyond the apparent problems before us. Let you and I look beyond what seems to be impossible. Let us reach out and touch Jesus. It seems to me that the Gospel story is telling us to get on with the things that we ought to be doing. To focus on the problems rather than on the task which each of us has been commissioned to do, is to fail to act on our faith. Our biggest witness to the community and to each other is to demonstrate our trust in the Lord through our faith in action. Anything less is a denial of who we are. And if you didn't believe in God's power to act in the hopeless situation. Remember that after this demonstration of faith, Jesus continued on to raise a child from the dead. What I am asking of you and myself is together to put our faith on the line as together we move forward. Let us focus on Jesus.
AMEN . | ||
| A Faith that Acts Ordinary Sunday 13(B) Preached at Cressy, Bracknell, July 2, 2000. Author: Father Andrew Lang. © 2000 Alcress Communications | ||
| The act of writing a sermon is a complex process which involves both the inspiration of God and the drawing together of the ideas and thoughts of God's people. Whereas every attempt is made to identify the sources of ideas, often the good ones remain fixed for years and while knowledge of the source fades, the image or idea lingers. I apologise for those ideas of others presented here with out acknowledgement and will rectify the same if advised on the email address below. Similarly, I do not feel a proprietry right to this material and I am happy for it to be passed on to others should it help them on their faith journey. I only ask for acknowledgement of the source. | ||
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