From the Pastor |
2 Samuel 1: 17-27 & Mark 5: 21-43
Have you ever noticed how much “us versus them” thinking has affected our world? Our society? Our churches? It seems to be a part of who we are as human beings. We love our friends and hate our enemies. We are accepting of those who are like us and separate ourselves from those who are different. We draw lines… creating boundaries… across racial, socio-economic, political, national, religious, sexual, and generational lines… withholding dignity, respect, compassion and generosity… preferring to “save” those things for people who are like “us”… not “them”. These divisions… this “us vs. them” mentality is what leads to so many of the problems in the world. It leads us to becoming violent against those we perceive as enemies. It causes us to celebrate the downfall of those we oppose. It can cause us to dent grace and service to anyone we may feel does not deserve or warrant it. We exploit… neglect or outright ignore those who are different or who cannot offer anything in return. The problem for us, as Followers of Christ, is that the Gospel message, and our readings for today, not only speak out against this behavior… but challenge us all to change. And you know how much we all love change! C.S. Lewis, is said to have been one of the intellectual giants of the early 20th century and was a very influential writer and theologian. One Day, he walked in on an academic discussion about what made Christianity distinctive from other religions of the world. The men present could not decide what truly set it apart from the rest. So, they asked Lewis what he thought. He paused only a moment and said, “That’s easy, it’s grace.” Grace is what truly sets the Christian religion apart from all others. Grace is unmerited favor… it is being granted something we simply do not deserve. Grace reveals the goodness of God, and the only condition of grace is that we show up and accept what God is giving. And Grace is what is we see in our readings today. You see… in our reading from 2 Samuel, David mourns the passing of Saul and Jonathon. Now it is not at all surprising that David mourns Jonathan. The two shared a close, loving relationship, but he also grieves for King Saul… the man who has persecuted and drove him from his home, but who spent years trying to kill him. His lament over Saul’s death is shocking. David even goes so far as to remind the people that Saul was their king… God’s chosen… even if he had fallen from God’s ways. He orders then to learn the song he sings and honor Saul. TO remember that his leadership had not been all bad. Talk about compassion… talk about Grace. Saul did not deserve David’s forgiveness… most of us would agree his actions did not deserve honor and respect. Yet he received these things from David. And that is the thing we need to remember. There are 2 dimensions to grace: 1. There is Vertical Grace. That is the grace that we receive from God… Grace that comes down from God to you and me. 2. There is Horizontal Grace. That is the grace we extend out to others. That’s right… we are not only recipients of grace… we are givers of grace as well. But WHO are we to offer grace to? That is where the Gospel comes in because Jesus demonstrates grace in our healing stories. These are not two simple stories of healing… one imbedded within the other. No, Mark has carefully assembled this dual story to make a point. That God’s grace is available to all people. Let’s look at both the women who received healing. The daughter of Jairus is a young… 12 years old… she is the daughter of a prominent leader of the synagogue. Her father is rich and powerful… and he comes to Jesus begging for him to bring healing upon hus daughter. She is a child of privilege who has her whole life ahead of her. Going to heal her at the father’s request is within the bounds of social propriety. However, when we look at the story tucked in the middle of this one… we see a completely different scenario. Here we find a woman who has been bleeding for 12 years. All of Jarius’ daughter’s life this woman has suffered. “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.” Now we have to remember that a, under the Jewish law, a woman is considered unclean for about 2 weeks of every month, the week of her menstrual cycle and the week following needed for purification. Any man who came into contact with her or anything she touched would also be rendered “unclean”. So this nameless woman is alone, destitute AND an outcast… and she is DESPARATE. She hears about Jesus and decides to take matters into her own hands… breaking the bounds of what was socially and religiously appropriate by daring to reach out in faith to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe. She had to be terrified when Jesus noticed and called her out for doing so. I mean… she could be stoned for such a transgression and she had no one to plead her case. He was not angered by this woman who, by the religious laws, had just made him “unclean” by touching him… instead “He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Then he went on his way and healed to daughter of Jarius. You see, Jesus… well… Jesus defied convention… he crossed every cultural boundary… he was a friend to women and honored children. He spent time with outcasts and sinners… with Samaritans and lepers. He offered grace to everyone who needed it no matter their background, status or position in society. Remember… grace is getting what we do not deserve. And as Christians we are called to offer grace to others… underserving though they may be… just as we have received grace from God… underserving though WE be. Grace is what makes us who we are as followers of Jesus. Grace is what motivates us to respond with love and joy and hope. However, Grace is dangerous. It pulls us away from business as usual. It goes against the status quo. Grace looks beyond our success, our appearance, our race or ethnicity… it ignores our accomplishments, and our failures… even our politics. Grace recognizes there is more to you and who you are than what you have done or left undone. Grace seeks unity and inclusion. Showing grace to others is about showing love and kindness and forgiveness to others even when they don’t deserve it. It is forgiving and mourning the death of one who has persecuted you as David did. It is offering help and healing to all even if society deems them unworthy. This is exactly the grace God has shown us. We are called to show grace to one another… especially to those who are undeserving. Our scriptures encourage us to put our trust in God. The God who offers salvation and forgiveness… mercy and love… even though we certainly do not deserve it… Our God who offers grace freely despite our tendency toward unfaithfulness, sin and rebellion. We are called to live with generosity, forgiveness, care and concern for others… no matter who they are or what they deserve. Called to share God’s grace, and love. Unfortunately, the truth is that our failure have led to so much division, suffering and insecurity in our homes, communities, and countries. By focusing on “us” and failing to offer grace, love and forgiveness to “them”… we have failed to live as Disciples of Christ… because Grace seeks unity and inclusion for all people. However, when we are willing to look past the differences and offer love, acceptance, forgiveness, generosity and understanding to those who are different, or unworthy… we offer grace and a glimpse of the loving, peaceful Kingdom of God. If we can be more like David and honor and respect those who have wronged us… when we act like Jesus and treat both rich and poor, deserving and undeserving with equal grace and dignity… when we are willing to share what we have with others… the world becomes a friendlier, more compassionate, more gracious, and more secure place for all. Just as we don't deserve God's grace, love and forgiveness, someone you know probably does not deserve yours. But that doesn't matter… offering grace, love and forgiveness is what we are commanded to do. Loving enemies, strangers and outcasts is never easy, but it remains a central call of the Gospel message, and a central mark of the truly Christ-centered life. SO… who needs your grace today? Amen.
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Yeon Shin
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