First United Methodist Church
June 30th, 2024
Rev. Lauren Hall
Cultivating Joy Through Discipleship
Today’s Scripture is pretty straight-forward. We encounter two people who are healed: the poor woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years and the 12-year old daughter of Jairus, a leader of the synagogue. Most of us can probably relate to Jairus. When a loved one is sick, we will often turn to Jesus and prayer even if we already have doctors involved. But the hemorrhaging woman? Her situation is a little different.
Our passage says, that on his way to help the little girl, Jesus was interrupted by a desperate woman who was broke. She had “endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse.” (Mark 1:26)
Because modern medicine would most likely have a solution to her condition, it’s hard for me to imagine what she was going through. So I try to think of situations in which a person in today’s world might suffer for twelve long years. Some conditions and situations that come to mind are people who struggle with substance use disorders, people who suffer from PTSD, and children who endure physical or sexual abuse. You may think of some others, but the point is that this poor woman had been sick for twelve long years. She had been to every doctor around. She spent all her money on treatments that did no good. She was out of options. And, to make matters worse, she was considered unclean because of her illness, so she was even isolated from her family and friends. She was very sick. And she was very alone.
But she had heard about Jesus. She heard that he can heal the sick. And that he loves even those who are unclean. He had recently touched a leper and made him clean. And she believed that Jesus could do the same for her.
Let’s allow that to sink in for a moment. Substitute in a different word for “unclean” if you wish.
She had heard about Jesus. She heard that he can heal the sick. And that he loves even those who are unclean. And she believed that Jesus could do the same for her.
So, she found him in the crowd, touched his cloak, and was immediately healed. Jesus didn’t say no to her. Jesus didn’t exclude her because her hemorrhaging made her smell funny. When he felt his power flowing out from him, he stopped and took notice. He could have just allowed the healing to take place and continued on to heal Jairus’ daughter.
But Jesus wanted more for her. He wanted her to have peace. He wanted her to be restored to her community. When he asked, “Who touched me?”, he wanted to have a personal relationship with her so that she could experience the loving nature of the Kingdom of God.
She approached Jesus trembling in fear. Jesus looked at her with love.
He called her daughter and claimed her as God’s own child. And he gave her peace. “Your faith has made you well” he said; “go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
And this is, to me, what is powerful about her story. This poor, desperate woman found more than just healing that day. She was restored to her beloved community. And she was given peace. The peace which this world cannot give her and did not give her. The peace which only comes from Jesus.
To me, this is the greatest miracle of this passage. Not just to be healed of disease, but to be claimed as God’s beloved child, and given peace. Jesus commissioned us to make disciples of all nations – to open our hearts and open our doors so that we can welcome people with love into a community that is different from the rest of the world – a community in which each individual follows Christ by faith and actively seeks to better understand and embrace for themselves Christ’s nature and character.
This is not as easy as it sounds. Having moved around a lot, both as a child and with a child, I have experienced firsthand the change that occurs when a person feels that they belong. Belonging is different than acceptance or tolerance. Belonging is when one truly feels as though one is valued and loved.
You are part of the Church, which means you are called to both work on your own discipling and to work to help others on their discipling journey. Although we often view discipleship as the things we do to grow in our relationship with Christ, helping others develop in Christ can bring us great joy as well. As Jesus demonstrated in his encounter with the bleeding woman, creating an atmosphere of love and peace, or belonging, is an important first step.
As we prepare to celebrate our nation’s independence, I am reminded of the fact that our Founding Fathers very much saw themselves as creating a new tomorrow through a nation that aspired to allow people to live in peace. They wrote these words in our Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
During the revolution we were aided by France. On our 100th anniversary, they rewarded us with the Statue of Liberty, which was dedicated by President Grover Cleveland in 1886. The words at the foundation of the statue did not come to us from France but were put there by our own government in 1903:
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
That was our self-image as a nation. President Ronald Reagan would often remind us of that image and speak of the torch upheld on the Statue of Liberty as “a beacon to all the oppressed and poor of the world.” He also famously spoke of another light, when he quoted from John Winthrop’s speech to the Pilgrims in Massachusetts, 'We shall be a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world.'
Winthrop and Reagan were of course referring to Matthew 5:14 – “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp-stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
The tomorrow envisioned by our founders was one where America and its citizens would be the light of the world, a shining city on a hill, a beacon of hope for the oppressed, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. It was to be a place with a golden door that welcomed the homeless and tempest-tossed. Our collective self-image was one of the most beautiful and Christ-centered visions for a nation in world history. Because of this we have a right to celebrate on July 4th. And as we celebrate, let’s consider our future through the lens of our mission and ask ourselves, individually and collectively, “What tomorrow are we creating today?”
I pray that we will always be a light of Christ’s love in this world and that people can enter through our doors and find healing and peace. Let us pray…
Gracious and loving God, as we gather this morning to worship you, to find peace and to find directions for our lives, bless us with wisdom tempered with compassion. Remind us that we celebrate freedom because others who have gone before have stood for principles of hope. Do not let our pride of country overwhelm the needs that still abound within our walls and our land. Give us the courage to commit ourselves to offering the freedoms we cherish to others. Where there is hatred, help us to bring your words of love. Where there are injustices, help us to correct unjust systems and become advocates for the voiceless and powerless. Where there is apathy, empower us to bring the good news of your gracious transforming love. Be with us this day and all our days as we seek to follow you. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN.
Invitation to Discipleship
As you go out into the community this week, go knowing that you have with you the hope and promise of God, the wholeness of life with Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, and share this love, grace, healing and peace with the world. Amen.
