SERMON 506
2 SAMUEL 1:17-27, PSALM 130, 2 CORINTHIANS 8:7-15,
MARK 5:21-43
PENTECOST 4, JULY 1, 2, 2006
LAMENT, TRUTH,
LIFE, HEALING AND CHALLENGE ARE BUT A PRELUDE TO LASTING JOY
Beloved in the Lord, grace
and peace be unto you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, and from the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life.
Each of our lessons has
enough material to fill many sermons. Just listen to some of these memorable words: How the mighty
have fallen; If you were to mark iniquity, O Lord, who could stand? Little
girl, get up! Who touched me? Now finish doing it! Our theme then is LAMENT,
TRUTH, LIFE, HEALING, AND CHALLENGE ARE BUT A PRELUDE TO LASTING JOY!
We begin with the word of
lament. “How the mighty have fallen!” These words were spoken by David after
the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan, David’s closest friend. Jonathan
had once saved David’s life from the hand of his father Saul, recognizing that
David was to be King rather than he himself. David mourned that great loss.
Who among us have not
suffered great loss in our families and mourned also the loss of our leaders?
Who will forget 9/11 and the lamentations for the many dead?
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, we
see the young Hamlet in deep mourning over the tragic and sudden death of his
father. He was also in great shock when he discovered that his mother had
married his uncle who had become king, only two months after his father’s
death. He was later confronted with his father’s ghost who told Hamlet that he
had been murdered by the uncle who was now king. Hamlet was beside himself in
anguish. We all remember the words when he learned of his mother’s sudden remarriage:
O, that this too too solid flesh would melt
Thaw, and resolve itself into
dew!
Or that the Everlasting had
not fix’d
His canon ‘gainst
self-slaughter! O God! God!
How weary, stale, flat and
unprofitable,
Seems to me all the uses of
this world!
Fie on’t! oh fie, fie! ‘Tis
an unweeded garden,
That grows to seed, things
rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely. That it
should come to this!
But two months dead! Nay, not
so much, not two.
So excellent a king.
“How the mighty have fallen!”
You remember that the writer to the book of Ecclesiastes writes a lament too,
not over the fallen mighty, but over life itself. After trying everything he
came to the understanding that there was only one conclusion to it all.
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the teacher, “Everything is meaningless.
Even Jesus lamented over
So have been some of the
laments of men and women throughout the ages. Pope John Paul told us in his
book, “Crossing the threshold of hope,” that it is impossible to find true joy
in this world. Without God there is no joy, only the appearance of happiness,
and even that lasts for but a little while. You remember the words of
We move now from lament to
the word “truth.” The hymn writer said that “Once thou enter’st the heart, then
truth begins to shine.” The Psalm for the day declares, “If you Lord were to
note what is done amiss, O Lord, who could stand” Philosophers and teacher have
often declared that there is no meaning to be found anywhere. But the Psalmist
is not satisfied with that solution. There is more to life than despair and
lament. So where is joy and meaning to be found? The Psalmist finds it in the
strangest of all places. He acknowledges that it is he himself that is out of
tune, that it is his own deeds that are amiss. It is those who are created in
the image of God who have fallen away from God. This is the truth. And, there
is forgiveness to be found. There is forgiveness with God that he may be
feared. This is the word of truth. This is where joy and contentment begin.
We move now from the words
lament and truth to the word of life. Jesus said to the daughter of Jairus,
“Little girl, get up!” Jairus was a lay person who had the administrative
responsibility for his synagogue, such things looking after the building and
supervising the worship. His daughter was very ill and he threw all dignity and
pride aside and went and found Jesus. He fell at his feet begging him to come
and heal his daughter. At that moment the news came that Jairus no longer had
any need of Jesus for his daughter had died.
There are two kinds of people
of this world: those who criticize and say things cannot be done and those who
go ahead and do what needs to be done. Jesus ignored the comment that he should
be bothered no more and encouraged Jairus to keep on believing and not be
afraid. Jesus did what others said could not be done and Jairus went along
hoping against hope that he would not be put to shame. They met with laughter
and derision but walked without fear into the room where the twelve year old
girl lay dead. “Little girl, get up!” was all that Jesus needed to say and she
did.
When God comes to us in Jesus
Christ this is indeed the beginning of life. Jesus took her by the hand. He
does that still. He comes in the power of the Spirit to every man and woman and
invites them to get up. He comes to those in slavery to one or many of the evil
habits and addictions of the day. We may be powerless. We may even be dead to
God. Jesus has the power with but a word to bring us back to a life in God and
to eternal life. Jesus has the power to help us overcome every chain and
bondage that prevents us from coming back to God. Jesus has the power to bring
us back to life and joy no matter what lamentations we are voicing, what chains
may bind us.
Jesus said, “Little girl, get
up!” His voice rings down through the centuries. We hear it still. “Get up!” he
tells us and when we do just that at his command, we discover that new life and
new joy come to us. He does not call us “little girl”. He calls us by name, our
own name, and tells us to “Get up!” Whoever you are and wherever you are, “Get
up and follow me!” You will never be the same again. You will never want to be
the same again. “Get up!”
From lament and truth and
life we turn now to the word of healing. “Who touched me?” She was in trouble.
She had bled for twelve years. She had tried everything, consulted everyone.
She was also ceremonially unclean and unwelcome in public anywhere. Any one who
touched her was also ceremonially unclean.
Where she got the idea that
all she had to do was touch him we do not know, but she was convinced that this
was her only hope for healing. The crowds were large. She would have to be
quick and nimble and get in and out without any one noticing her. She was not
to be deterred. Bless her, she got right next to Jesus and touched a piece of
his clothing as he walked by. Her faith in his ability to heal her, even
through his clothing, without his knowledge was rewarded. She stood there as
the crowd moved on with new strength coursing through her body. The bleeding
had stopped. All she did was touch him and her body had become sound.
“Who touched me?” The event
was not yet finished. Jesus was truly human in every way. Our lesson says that
he did not know who touched him. He did feel the energy leave, for one is not
healed as she was without energy and power of some sort being applied. She came
forward and fell at his feet and told him what had happened. It was through her
faith and his power, of course that she was healed. He sent her away in peace,
with full healing, marveling at her faith.
“Who touched me?” Jesus is
among us still in the spirit to be sure. He does not suffer from human
limitations any more. No one can come forward and touch him without him knowing
it. We touch him still. We touch him when we come forward to the supper. We
touch him when we call upon him in prayer, praise and thanksgiving. We touch
him when out of the depths we cry to him for help and healing and forgiveness.
We touch him when we minister to the needs of the poor, the hungry, the
homeless and the dying. We cannot touch him without him knowing it.
Jesus invites us to come
forward still and touch him. He tells us that he will take all our burdens on
himself. He tells us that when we touch him we will find rest for our souls and
joy unbounded.
We move now from lament and
truth and life and healing to the word of challenge. Paul tells the
We decided to abolish our
debt and our people have come forward and generously pledged all that we need
to get it done. By the end of this year when all the gifts have come in it will
be done. We will finish doing it so that we can do something else.
We ourselves have made
promises to others. We have made promises to God as to what we will do for God
and for others. God has been very generous to us and never withheld anything
from us. Jesus became poor so that we could become rich. So I ask you.
What promises have you made
to God? What promises have you made to others? Paul tells us, “Now finish doing
it!” Get it done! Finish it and do it well and with a generous and cheerful
spirit. That is also where true joy is to be found.
LAMENT, TRUTH, LIFE, HEALING,
AND CHALLENGE ARE BUT A PRELUDE TO LASTING JOY. “How the mighty have fallen!”
“If you Lord, were to note what is done amiss, O Lord, who could stand?”
“Little girl, get up!” “Who touched me?” “Now finish doing it!”
AMEN!