For All the Saints: Friendship, Unity & Charity

                                                  Mark 1: 29-39

                                        Rev. Sharon James Fazel

“As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up.

Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. “

Did you hear that? Two things are revealed right off the bat in this text. Not only do we learn about Simon Peter (that’s Peter, later called “the rock” on whom the church will be founded), that he is married (how else would he have a mother-in-law?); but we also learn of Peter’s mother-in-law (who, like so many women in the bible is not named), that she is a “good Jewish mother.”  Here she is lying in bed feverish and unable to stand up; Jesus touches her; and immediately she gets up and starts serving her son-in-law and his friends! [sing in the tune of Tevya’s song from “Fiddler on the Roof”]: “Tra-di-tionnn! Tra-dition. Tra-dition. Tradi-tionnn!”

And, of course, before the evening is over, the word has spread, and people show up at Simon Peter’s door in droves! Listen:

“That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door.”

And Jesus heals them. So, clearly, this story in Mark, as is true in many of Mark’s stories of Jesus, is a story about marvelous healing. They are often called “miracle stories,” for obvious reasons. But – let’s agree to set miracles aside for a moment. Not for lack of belief in them, but more because if we look more closely, I think there’s much else to be learned from this story, regardless of miracles!

Let’s be good scientists as well as good theologians, and set forth our basic assumptions at the beginning of our discussion.  My basic assumption is this: the man Jesus models for us exemplary human behavior; and if we examine closely how he lived, and in particular how he treated his fellow human beings, we have a pretty good idea what our faith tradition asks of us in our own lives. So -- that’s my assumption. With that in mind, let’s ask ourselves what really happens in this story.

We know from last week’s text, which immediately precedes this week’s ,  that Jesus -- having gone to the synagogue at Capernaum to teach -- is interrupted in his teaching by a man with an apparent affliction which causes him to behave in a convulsive, disturbing manner. Jesus speaks quietly to the disabling spirit within the man, commanding it to leave, and the man becomes calm and well, once again. And the emphasis in the text of the story is on the originality and spiritual authority of Jesus’ teaching.

Then, immediately after that, Simon Peter takes Jesus home to his house, and we meet Peter’s mother-in-law. Whereas in the former story, Jesus simply spoke to the disabling spirit within the man, in this story Jesus took Peter’s mother-in-law “by the hand.” He touched her. And his touch brought healing energy to her. But by the time she was up and around and serving Jesus and her son-in-law, the word had spread, and Jesus spent the rest of the evening laying healing hands on a whole throng of ailing citizens, and silencing disabling spirits within others.

So – Jesus sets an example for us that human touch itself, when offered rather than forced, in a gentle and caring manner, can in fact be a healing influence. The energy of a loving touch is in itself, healing, when welcomed by the one to whom it is offered. Remember, the throngs chose to come to Jesus, and asked for his help.

Healing touch and energy therapies are in fact a bona fide study in physical medicine these days. Healing touch, Reiki and therapeutic touch are all energy-based therapies offered to patients here in Minnesota, at Woodwinds Hospital, Woodbury. There is powerful healing energy in human touch, when the practitioner’s motive is to heal, and the recipient invites the touch. Yet, if one or the other of those conditions does not exist, the prescription for healing is not at all guaranteed.

But here’s another part of this story that’s important for all of us in these unduly stressful times, and especially here in our First Congregational UCC of Anoka faith community, where people naturally and regularly care for one another in ways that Jesus himself did in this very story. Listen, once more:

“In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.”

Jesus, having spent all afternoon and evening giving of himself to others, knew when he needed to be renewed; and he took the time to do it.

How many of us have ever reached the point of saying to ourselves, “Enough is enough, I need to do something else for awhile; I need to re-fill myself”? And how many of us have said that to ourselves, yet ignored our own best counsel, and persisted relentlessly in the same pathways, expecting things to change, and wondering why they haven’t?

When is it time to break from our routines, and even from the presence of those who draw energy from us, and remove ourselves to a space and a place where we can connect spiritually with what feeds and fills us with healing energy?

Jesus gives us a good example here, because he does just that – he gets up early, while the disciples and the rest of the household are all still asleep, and he goes off to a quiet place by himself – not to flagellate himself for his mistakes, not to brood over his misfortunes, not to vent anger over how many people were grabbing at him over the last 24 hours,  and certainly not to drug himself into numbness or hype himself with artificial physical energy – but rather to pray, to meditate, to calm himself, apart from the static of others’s influence, and to listen for the still small voice of the Holy One. Jesus invites and awaits the healing touch of the Spirit. In doing so he heals himself, by renewing and replenishing himself with the energy he knows he will need in the days to come.

Which brings us to another important point about this story, where we see an example for ourselves today. When Jesus is found by his followers, he doesn’t say to them, “Okay – let’s go out there and heal some more people!” Although the Gospel of Mark is renowned for its “miracle stories,” I think it’s important to take note of what Mark’s gospel has Jesus say at this point in this story.  Listen again:

“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.”

Jesus, unlike one popular TV-healer-evangelist did some years ago, is not out to sell handkerchiefs with his handprint on it for a donation of only $25-$2500, claiming it will heal whatever body part people lay it over. In fact, Jesus doesn’t say a word about healing! He doesn’t talk it, he just does it. When he does talk in this same gospel, he says things like:

“‘And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.’ ”

Now, I don’t think Jesus is telling us to drink more wine, but he is using an analogy about filling ourselves up with something new, rather than with the same-old-same-old. That’s what he’s teaching. And it’s what he’s doing.

So – take what you will from these stories, but for me, there are three important things to remember from all this:

1) Healing between and among human beings often happens in caring, appropriate, and appropriately-welcomed touch. Appropriate physical contact with our fellow human beings is important to all of us.

2) Every bit as important as time spent with others -- even with those we love most – is regular time to ourselves: for renewal, refreshment, and spiritual reflection.

3) For those of us in healing or caring professions especially, but for all of us in any caring community, our focus needs to stay on renewing not only our spiritual energy, but also our mental energy, by continuing to learn. Not just new ideas, but new perspectives on old ideas! And we can always learn something new from one another, if we but listen to each other.

Two individuals who followed Jesus’ example, and were both later canonized as saints, are part of our service this morning. Brigid of Kildare was the 5th century founder of Ireland’s first women’s religious community and double monastery for nuns and monks. She championed education and the arts, and was known for her friendship, unity, and charity to the poor. She will be mentioned in this morning’s blessing of our “Knitting for Peace” Ministry, in honor of this past week’s celebration of UCC Women’s Week. 12th century Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, also an abbot, was likewise known for his piety & scholarship. He authored our theme hymn for today, “Jesus, the Very Thought Thee.”

So, now -- look around you. Look at the people across the pews in front and behind, all around you. There you see lots of 21st century saints. They sit among us.

Let us be in prayer together, shall we?

Church Office is open to
receive telephone calls:
763-421-3375
Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

The office is closed Fridays and national holidays.

E-mail:1stcongo@pro-ns.net

Fax: 763-421-3093