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| Jesus heals Simon's Mother in Law, Rembrandt sketch |
Today we continue the Epiphany season, and we’re actually
winding down. Did you know that in 10 short days, we start Lent? Yikes. So the
question is, where does God show up today?
Where do we have an “Epiphany” or a new realization about God, Jesus or
our relationship with God?
Today’s reading comes from the Gospel of Mark, which always
reminds me of the way a 2nd grader tells a story. And then he went here, and
then he healed someone. And then he prayed. And then he went there. I don’t
mean to suggest that it’s childish writing. Rather, I think Mark, like a second
grader has a very exciting story that he wants to get out with some urgency.
In any case, back to the story.
Jesus and his disciples enter the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s
mother-in-law is sick in bed with a fever. With our modern medicine and
doctors, a fever doesn’t sound too threatening. But then it was. There were no
antibiotics, no Advil or Tylenol. A fever was debilitating, and life
threatening. This fever kept her in bed. This was not a time or culture of
leisure. Staying in bed meant she was very sick.
We are told that when he heard of her fever, he came at
once, took her by the hand and lifted her up.
And in Mark’s abrupt language, it says, “Then the fever left
her and she began to serve them.”
The story goes on to say that in response to this, the whole
town crowded around the door, where he healed many. After a little respite of
prayer, Jesus and his entourage continued on to their next stop in their
whirlwind trip.
I’m going to focus on the first part of this story -
actually three short sentences - the part with Simon’s mother-in-law. It’s full
of God showing up.
Upon hearing she was sick, Jesus went immediately. It says
they told him about her. Someone or someones petitioned Jesus. They brought her
needs to him. And in response, he came.
Once he came, he
reached out, took her by the hand, and lifted her up. Now, lest you think this
is like he hoisted her up, heaved her up, or hauled her upright, the lifting up
Jesus does is the same language used to describe Jesus’ resurrection. Not only
did Jesus heal her, he brought her to new, resurrected life. Restored, renewed.
Free. Given how sick she was, the fact that she was actually stuck in bed, it
is fair to say she was resurrected.
The Collect today references this, “Set us free, O God from the bondage of sin and give us liberty
of that abundant life”. I’m not suggesting that this woman was freed from sin,
but I am saying that Jesus set her free from what was holding her back. Her
son-in-law was having people over. Of course she wanted to be up and about. Instead,
she was very ill in bed with a fever. Jesus lifts her up, restores her and give
her freedom.
This is one of the ways God shows up. God sets us free from
what enslaves us, from sin, from guilt, from fear. What are you enslaved
by? What holds you in bondage? Are you needing God to show up and
set you free from whatever it is? God
can do that. God does do that. We need to ask, and we need to meet him, when he
stretches out his hand.
To be clear, I’m not suggesting simply by asking your wishes
will be met. Part of the freedom that faith provides is a change in what we’re
seeking, what we’re asking. We can always petition God for what we believe we
need; for health and happiness of ourselves and loved ones, for a specific
outcome of a dilemma we are facing. But here’s the thing. If we have faith that
God’s will is the right will, God’s plan is better than ours, part of our
freedom comes from letting go of our prescribed outcome and instead seeking
peace in the midst of the drama.
I’ll give you a little example from my life. Right now, my
youngest daughter is struggling with “adulting”. I’m not quite sure where or
how this chapter will end. I don’t know if we’re still in the downward phase,
or if we’re climbing out. There are a whole lot of possible scenarios, and I’ve
played many of them in my head, repeatedly, and normally at some single digit
hour in the middle of the night. After a good amount of petitioning and prayer,
I came to realize that I was stuck in the bondage of that fear and anxiety
about the unknown, about the yet-to-happen, and maybe-never-will. My prayers
haven’t immediately fixed all of those problems. But I’m still feeling freed. The
freedom I’ve experienced with this has to do not with a magic fix to the
situation, or any certainty about what will happen. Rather, my liberty comes
from realizing that today, I absolutely can handle whatever comes my way. It
may be really good or really bad, and I’ll figure it out. I always do. The
freedom faith gives me is that God’s will be done; I don’t have to solve this;
I can’t. Along with not solving this, I’m not responsible for it, so I don’t
need to feel like I am. I can’t possibly script or predict or worry my way into
any more comfort. Instead, that creates a sort of bondage, worrying about the
unknowable and unfixable. But hand me a problem today, and I can fix it. Sure,
I’d love it if my prayers would immediately change the situation and I’d end up
with a perfectly happy, perfectly adulted child. And if that doesn’t happen, I
have faith that God’s will be done. Not easily. Not without doubt. Not without
me jumping back in all the time to try to “help”. But the freedom comes from the
faith that God has this. It’s a freedom from my own over-processing,
over-worrying mind. With Jesus’ outstretched hand, we can be set free from
whatever enslaves us.
Some of you may be listening to this, thinking that you’re
not enslaved, you don’t feel like you’re in bondage. And if so, that’s great.
Just remember when you get there, that God will show up if you need a hand up. It’s
almost like a get out of jail free card. Keep it in case you need it.
If you’re with me so far, and see how God can free us, free
you, great. If not, don’t worry. This story has more to offer. Back to the
mother-in-law. Once she was raised up from the fever, what did she do? She serves the disciples.
Some people hear this story and feel it’s yet another
example of male dominance, women subservience. And while that was definitely a
thing, and in some places it still is, I’d urge you to look beyond that, to not
dismiss this story because of that.
She serves the disciples. Yes, it means she served, like
waited a table. But it’s so much more. The word used for service has a strong
tie to discipleship. You see, the word used for her service is “diakonia”,
which is the source of the word deacon, and it’s the word used to describe how
the angels served Jesus. Her reaction and response to being freed? To serve. To serve Christ.
I know that feeling, that sense of being so filled with
gratitude of being loved by God that the response is to want to serve. This is
what differentiates well intentioned social service with Christian Ministry, in
my mind. We seek and serve Christ in others because we are overwhelmed by God’s
love, mercy, grace, liberty. It’s the least we can do.
I have a story about this. At the Saturday Community
Breakfast at St. Mary’s downtown Eugene, there’s a volunteer who’s in her 80’s.
She came, with some trepidation, to help make coffee for the 200 guests. But
she rolled up her sleeves and made pot after pot after pot of coffee. And she
kept coming back. A few weeks in, she asked why the guests had to use the
horrid powdered creamer. She explained that she liked half & half, so she
thinks they should get half & half too. So she comes with a gallon of half
& half, and serves. Holy service. Yes, making coffee. But it’s so much more.
This is like the volunteer at the pantry who came as a favor
to a co-worker. Months later, she still comes because she really enjoys it. Holy
service.
Serving Christ and serving Christ in others is how this
woman responded to her freedom. It’s how I respond.
Some have argued that this unnamed mother-in-law was the
first deacon, the first person in Scripture identified as responding to
Christ’s redemptive and freeing love and mercy with holy service. This is not a
story about a mother-in-law, relegated to serving tea and cookies. This is a
story about redemption, healing, freedom, Christ’s love, and ultimately our
response of holy service.
As we head into Lent, it’s a great time to think about where
you are in this story. Are you the person who needs to be healed and freed? Is
there something you need to be freed from?
If so, what is it? Spend time in prayer naming it. Name your bondage or
the sin that’s keeping you enslaved. As they say in Al Anon, Let Go and Let God.
Are you like the disciples who told Jesus about someone who
needed his mercy and power? Are there others in your world who desperately need
Christ’s love and redemption? Name them.
I’d even suggest making your own prayer list, in addition to the one you get
weekly at church. Name the people who need you to tell Christ about them, to
petition Christ on their behalf. And then spend Lent praying for them.
Or are you in a place where you feel loved, freed, forgive,
redeemed? If so, what’s your
response? What is your holy service that
you were put on this earth to conduct?
Mark Twain said that the two most important times of your life are the
moment you’re born, and the moment you figure out why. In response to the life
and gifts already given, what is your holy service? Your diakonia? It could be
emptying the trash, serving cookies, pursuing ordained ministry, serving at the
pantry. Think about. Pray about it. Talk to someone about it.
And finally, the story tells us that after Jesus heals many,
he heads off very early to be alone with God and pray. If all of this seems
overwhelming, or like you don’t know where to start, I’d suggest starting with
prayer, with some quality alone time with God. It’s from that rooted, deep
connection with God that we find perfect peace and freedom. It’s from that
peace and freedom that we are called into Holy Service of Christ and our
neighbor.
Amen.
