Sunday
10/25/15 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s
Sermon Title: “Teacher, I want to see”
Old Testament
Lesson: Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22)
New Testament
Scripture: Hebrews 7:23-28
Gospel Lesson:
Mark 10:46-52
Friends, brothers and sisters, I want to welcome you once
again, on this the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost. Twenty-Two Sundays
after the Holy Spirit moved so long ago, and the Christian Church was born.
Many of us know that the Christian Church has existed for
nearly Two-Thousand years. During this time span the Christian Church has
changed the world in many amazing ways. While this is true, there have also
been times of corruption, and times where some Christian leaders were not being
true to their calling from God.
For this reason, the United Methodist Church and many other
Protestant Churches recognize Reformation Sunday this Sunday. The formal
Protestant Reformation began with Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran
Church. Martin Luther was originally a Roman Catholic Monk, who was devoted to
God and to the Roman Catholic Church. Yet, Martin Luther observed some
behaviors and some actions that were taken by some of the church leaders in the
early 1500’s that were far from Godly. His efforts to change these wrong doings
in the church, led to him and followers forming a new Christian Church. Out of this
initial Reformation movement, we then had the Church of England, or the
Episcopal Church, or the Anglican Church, which then spawned the Methodist
Church. Today we have numerous Protestant Churches and other Christian Churches,
including many Non-Denominational Churches.
On this Reformation Sunday, I think that it is important
that all Christian Churches seek to love and be in fellowship with one another.
Reformation Sunday for many Protestant Churches then, is about shedding light
on our history. While we in the United Methodist Church are one of many
different Christian Churches, we are all united in Jesus Christ. While the
Protestant Reformation led to the creation of many new Christian Denominations,
I am hopeful that in this era of great ecumenical Church outreach that we will
one day be able to reassemble some of our Christian Denominations. I am hopeful
that one day, a greater consensus can be reached, and perhaps our many
Christian Denominations can become re-united together. For we all one in Jesus
Christ.
This morning though, my message will be brief, as we have
“Woven and Spun” with us. My message this morning is called “Teacher, I want to
see.” With this said, I would invite you all, if you are willing to, to close
your eyes for a few moments. As you close your eyes, I would invite you to
think of time in your life that you felt completely broken inside. Perhaps you
were experiencing financial hardship, the loss of a job, the loss of a loved
one, or perhaps you were just struggling in some other way. For many of us,
times like these, are ones where we feel blind, hopeless, and like we are in a cold
and a dark place. I would ask that as you keep your eyes shut that you try to
remember what it felt like to be in that place emotionally. What emotions did
you feel when you were in that place? Further, when you were in that place
emotionally, did you ever feel like that you would never come out of it?
As we are keeping our eyes closed, I want to us to then
think about the outstretched arm of Jesus Christ. Imagine that in that time
that you were suffering so much, that Jesus, that God, reached out to you. How
would it feel in that moment, that moment of pain and agony, to have Jesus Christ
reach out to us?
* Please open your eyes *
You know some people that come to Christian Churches on
Sunday mornings, whatever the denomination is or isn’t, feel broken. Some of
those people might present themselves as having it all together, but maybe
inside they are screaming or crying. Are we aware of these possibilities to
reach out to them? Are we aware that people might come into our churches on
Sunday morning that might seem together, but need the healing outstretched arm
of Jesus Christ?
In the Gospel lesson from this morning, from the Gospel of
Mark, Jesus and his followers entered into the City of Jericho (Mark 10:46a,
CEB). Jericho is a city located near the Jordan River, in what is now called
the West Bank of Israel/Palestine.
Jesus and his disciples then proceed to walk through the
city. The gospel then says in Mark 10:46b, “As Jesus was leaving Jericho, together
with his disciples and a sizable crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, Timaeus’
son, was sitting beside the road” (Mark, 10:46b, CEB). Now remember a few
moments ago, when I had you close your eyes. Imagine what it must be like to be
a “blind beggar” (Mark, 10:46b, CEB)? Imagine how that must feel? The gospel
reading then says speaking of Bartimaeus, “When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth
was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!” (Mark
10:47, CEB). Now generally speaking, someone does not ask for “mercy,” if they
are doing well (Mark 10:47, CEB). It would seem then, that Bartimaeus was truly
suffering.
Yet as Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus Christ, the gospel
says, “Many scolded him, telling him to be quiet, but he shouted even louder,
“Son of David, show me mercy!” (Mark 10:48, CEB). I wonder if we have ever had
a visitor come to church, or if we have ever encountered someone in general,
who was suffering greatly, and instead of helping them, we turned our faces
away from their suffering. You see, part of what makes the Christian faith so
great, and is that we are offered healing and transformation through Jesus
Christ. This healing is not always physical, but often it is spiritual. Some of
the people we encounter on Sunday morning, or in general, need God’s healing.
Are we open to God’s grace working through us, as to offer healing in others
though?
I was at a great training in Syracuse on Thursday morning for
Hospital and Institutional Chaplains. I heard a great quote at this training that
I want to share with you. Here it is, “We cannot cure everyone, but we can heal
everyone.” For God’s grace and love is available to all people. We must be open
to it though. We must be open to the suffering and the concerns of others. For
when we care about the church visitor, or a person in general, then they feel
loved, heard, and validated. Don’t we all want to feel loved, heard, and
validated? This then also makes them much more likely want to be part of a
church like this, because they say, “those people really love and care about
me.” This then brothers and sister, is how we at the core of it grow the
church, and when we do this well, our churches grow and grow.
In the gospel lesson for this morning, it says in Mark 10:49
in reference to Bartimaues, “Jesus stopped and said, Call him forward.” They
called the blind man, “Be encouraged! Get up! He’s calling you” (Mark 10:49,
CEB). The gospel then says of Bartimaeus, “Throwing his coat to the side, he
jumped up and came to Jesus” (Mark 10:50, CEB). You see a minute ago,
Bartimaeus was in agony, and he was feeling all alone. Yet Mark 10:50 says, “he
jumped up and came to Jesus” (Mark 10:50b, CEB). You see Barimaeus in that
instant had hope. What happens when the people that come to our churches, or
that we encounter are given hope from us, through God? Imagine going to visit a
church, and feeling loved and filled with hope.
This gospel reading then ends with Mark 10:51-52 that says,
“Then Jesus said to
him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My
teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go;
your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed
him on the way” (Mark 10:51-52, MRSV).
You
see what Jesus Christ really wants from us is faith in him. Faith in him, and
enough faith to reach out to others who are feeling broken, hopeless, and like
there in a dark place. Jesus Christ offers us healing, and has taught us to
heal each other. We either do this, or we don’t.
So this week my sisters and brothers, if we see
any “Bartimaeus’” let’s offer them a healing hand, and offer them the hope and
the love of Jesus Christ. For if Jesus Christ is truly the way, is truly the
savior of the world, we should be passionate about that. This is because with
Jesus Christ, “We cannot cure everyone, but we can heal
everyone.” Amen.
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