Among Us and Through Us
Mark 1:29-39[1]
I’ve been here long
enough for you to recognize that I have certain phrases that I use every week
in worship. What you may or may not realize is that I do that on purpose. Each
of them makes a theological point that I believe is important for us to be reminded
about regularly. One of those phrases occurs in my prayer after the sermon:
“Eternal father, creator of all the heavens and the earth, continue to bring
your kingdom among us and through us.” There’s quite a bit packed into that
short prayer, and it would take more than one sermon to discuss all of it. What
I’d like to focus on today is the prayer for God to continue working “among us
and through us.”
Everything we do as a
community of faith rests on what God is doing among us and through us. Jesus defined
what God is doing with the phrase “the kingdom of God.” After all we’ve heard
and learned about this, it may still elude us. The kingdom of God refers to
everything God is doing in this world to right all the wrongs, to free all who
are oppressed, and to fill the lives of those who are afraid or who have lost
hope with the joy of a whole new way of living. We may think of it as
“salvation,” but it’s not just something that affects us spiritually. It’s
about transforming everything and everyone so that God’s will may be done “on
earth as it is in heaven.”
As I mentioned last
week, Jesus not only preached the message that “the kingdom of God has come
near,” he also enacted it. We saw that Jesus had the authority and power to
bring the presence of God’s kingdom into people’s lives. This week we see an
extension of that ministry in that Jesus heals not just Peter’s mother-in-law,
but also “all who were sick.” Our lesson for today tells us that “the whole
city” of Capernaum was gathered at the door after the sun went down, marking
the official end of the Sabbath day. And while we’re told that Jesus healed
“many,” we ought not make too much out of the contrast between “all” and
“many.” Very likely, “many” was just another way of saying he healed them all.
Mark’s Gospel is
notably brief in recounting Jesus life and ministry. And this episode is no
exception. We’re left to wonder what happened. Did he simply “speak the word”
and perhaps “wave his hand” over the whole crowd, and they were instantly
cured? We might be tempted to think so. But that wasn’t the way Jesus typically
operated. Luke’s account of this event says it this way: “he laid his hands on
each of them and cured them” (Lk. 4:40). The idea is that Jesus healed each and
every person who was brought to him, perhaps ministering to them until the wee
hours of the morning!
Now, some of us might
have just as many questions about the reports in the Gospels regarding Jesus’
healing miracles as we do about the idea that he expelled the powers of evil. We
may wonder why Jesus healed people like Peter’s mother-in-law, but didn’t heal
a loved one for whom we may have prayed. I don’t know why our cherished friends
and family have to suffer, sometimes for a long time, and may never find
healing. Despite the fact that we’re all familiar with various traditional
“reasons,” I’ve often said I don’t think there is any way to truly answer the
question “Why?” It’s one of those mysteries that rests in the hands of the God
who reigns over all our lives with grace, mercy, and love.
What I do know is that
the miracles of healing that Jesus performed in his ministry had a purpose.
Just like his power to set people free from the evil that afflicted them, so
also his ability to heal those who were ill brought the presence of God’s
kingdom into their lives. While we may not see “spectacular” miracles today, I
would insist that Jesus is still at work among us, bringing the kingdom of God
into our lives. And when the kingdom of God comes into our lives, we are
transformed by God’s grace, mercy, and love so that we can live new lives of
faith, hope and love. God’s work in our lives enables us to become people
through whom God works in the lives of others. The presence of his kingdom
“among us” leads to the impact of God’s kingdom “through us.”
Our Gospel lesson has
a surprising ending. After a night of using his power and authority to release
the people of Capernaum from all the ills and the evils oppressing them, Jesus
spent several hours alone in prayer. Peter and the others finally “chased him
down” to bring him back to the crowd that was doubtless waiting for him back in
town. But Jesus knew he had more important work to do: to “go on to the
neighboring towns” to preach the good news of the kingdom there. He knew that
he had a task to fulfill, and that was to bring the presence of God’s kingdom
to all who would receive it.
We here today are
among those into whose lives Jesus has brought the presence of God’s kingdom.
We have experienced the transforming power of God’s grace, mercy, and love. And
we are on the path of discovering what it means to live new lives of faith,
hope, and love. But I would say most of us tend to take for granted the
presence of God’s kingdom in our lives and the impact that has on our world.
While the transformation we witness in the lives of those around us may not
seem “miraculous” in comparison with Jesus’ ministry, I would say it is real
nonetheless. When take a closer look, I think we will see that God not only
continues to work “among us,” he’s also working constantly “through us” to
bring his grace, mercy, and love into the lives of those we encounter.
[1] ©
2021 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 2/7/2021 for
Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
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