More Healing

Good morning.

In our gospel reading this morning that we heard Kevin read,

which is again in the book of Luke,

we heard Jesus confronting the powers of darkness

and confronting a broken world.

He cast out a demon.

He miraculously healed people.

And I think from the outset,

we need to be aware of two possible errors to avoid.

The first is to find it so strange that we just write it off.

And it is strange.

It's peculiar.

We don't encounter miracles in the supernatural every day,

if at all.

And the knowledge that we've gained as an advanced society

tells us that none of that is possible in the first place,

that the supernatural world doesn't really exist.

And if you feel this way,

I'd ask you not to dismiss what we've read

or what we'll talk about for two reasons.

The first is you and I agree, I think,

that there's a lot of wisdom to be found in non-Western cultures,

wisdom that our culture has forgotten.

And in many of these cultures,

they are completely open to the idea

that there are personal forces behind the veil.

So while you and I might find it odd,

we would do well to be listeners.

The second reason I'd like you not to dismiss this

is because what we're reading in the book of Luke

is an eyewitness account to a person,

to the life of the person of Jesus.

And so we need to start with him,

who he was,

and what he and who he claimed to be.

If the spirit world does not exist,

then Jesus is merely a motivator or an encourager,

and these stories lack substance.

But Jesus claimed to be so much more

than an encourager or a motivator.

He claimed to be the very son of God.

All right, that's the first error,

just to write it off.

The second error, which might be more tragic,

is to be too familiar with these stories.

And when we're too familiar,

we tend to just gloss through them,

not pay attention.

This is like me, I think.

I love the book of Luke.

The book of Luke presents Jesus

as having compassion and a heart for the outsider

and for the outcast.

And so we read all these amazing accounts

of Jesus calling a tax collector of all people, Levi,

of Jesus calling out and saving Zacchaeus.

We read about the Good Samaritan.

And so with passages like this,

I tend to go, okay, exorcisms, healings,

let me get to the good stuff.

And I fail to be amazed.

I fail to be amazed at who Jesus is

and what he's done.

So let's descend with Jesus

to the city of Capernaum.

Let's encounter him

and his power

and his authority

and his compassion.

And let's discover what's available to us

as we have a personal encounter with him.

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

Almighty God, we long to see you.

Jesus, we long to see you in the synagogue.

We long to see you along the shores of Galilee.

We long to see you in Peter's house.

We long to encounter your power.

We long to encounter your authority.

We long to encounter your compassion.

So as we look at this passage together,

Lord, let the healing streams abound,

make and keep us pure within.

Amen.

So you maybe remember last week,

we were in Jesus' hometown of Nazareth.

And in Nazareth,

he delivered a sermon from the scroll of Isaiah,

which he identified as his mission statement.

To proclaim the good news for the poor,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

to bring sight to the blind,

and freedom for those who are oppressed.

And though they were impressed with his preaching,

they soon turned against him

when he told his fellow Nazarenes of God's grace,

for the outsider,

for Gentiles,

for nations that Israel detested.

They turned against him,

marching him up a hill,

attempting to throw him off a cliff.

Jesus leaves unharmed.

And in verse 31,

we read that he went down to Capernaum.

Now this would have been about a 40-mile hike,

winding through hill country,

through valleys,

alongside rock cliffs,

lots of greens and browns,

quite lovely.

From 1,200 feet above sea level,

where Nazareth sits,

down to 686 feet below sea level,

to the Sea of Galilee,

to this fishing village called Capernaum,

which sits on the northern shore

of the Sea of Galilee,

about two miles from where the upper part

of the Jordan River flows into the lake.

And he visits the synagogue there.

And today you can visit the ruins

of a second century synagogue,

which probably was built over top,

the same spot where the first synagogue sat.

So you can visit probably the place

where Jesus preached these words

and confronted the powers of evil.

Inside the synagogue,

you would have found fishermen,

merchants, craftsmen, laborers,

and their wives,

all participating in the psalms

and blessings and prayers,

the reading from the law and the prophets.

And you were eagerly awaiting the sermon

from this carpenter

who was causing such a stir

among the towns around this inland sea.

Now, imagine yourself there, would you?

Imagine yourself there

and imagine you have some sort of ailment

or illness, sickness

that only you know about.

And it's nearly debilitating,

but you're still able to keep it a secret.

These fishermen and merchants and craftsmen

have no idea about your illness.

They don't know about your constant pain

because you don't reveal it to people.

If you do, you would be considered unclean,

would be considered an outcast.

You would be cut off from the community.

It's not hard to imagine that, is it?

Many of us right now

are hiding something about ourselves

that we would rather not have revealed

or else we would feel cut off.

We would be afraid of being cast off.

So you're standing there

alongside your fellow villagers

waiting for this Nazarene to preach.

He does not disappoint.

He said things in a way

that you had never heard before.

And everyone there, including yourself,

are thunderstruck with amazement.

I mean, take yourself back into the present.

Can you remember a time when you were dumbfounded?

When you jumped out of your seat,

perhaps because of an amazing sports play

or a ripping solo

or a crazy plot twist

in your favorite television show.

I mean, do you remember how that felt?

Like exhilarating, right?

Now imagine being in a whole group of people

experiencing that.

You're feeling this right now

in this crowd,

in this synagogue,

in this fishing village.

And in the middle of all this,

shrieks him in.

Ah!

And it doesn't sound entirely like a man.

Ha!

What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?

Have you come to destroy us?

I know who you are,

the Holy One of God.

And all eyes turn to Jesus.

This feels like a showdown.

Now you've heard of exorcisms happening before,

you being a turn-of-the-millennium Galilean.

But you, and most people you know,

you've been skeptical

because of the hocus-pocus

that would surround such an event.

You heard about one exorcist in Palestine

who would put a ring

under the possessed person's nose.

And then the exorcist would recite

this really long spell.

And then there would be a basin of water

staged nearby.

And then there'd be a splash.

Aha!

That's the demon.

We got him!

But not this time.

It doesn't happen this time.

After the demon-possessed man challenges Jesus,

there's silence and stillness

in the synagogue by the sea.

Except for the sound of the lapping water

through the window of the synagogue,

the sound of the Sea of Galilee

lapping up against the shore,

and maybe the cry of a seagull.

And Jesus says,

be muzzled.

That's what he literally says.

Be muzzled.

Come out of him.

And with this word,

with this simple rebuke,

the man is thrown down,

the demon is cast out,

and the man is in his right mind.

The people around you respond,

what is this word?

For with authority and power,

he commands the unclean spirits,

and they come out.

That's right.

You sense it too.

Authority and power.

Authority,

because the teachers of the law

that you have always heard taught in the synagogue,

they taught in a style

that was mainly just quotes.

They would just quote their teachers

who were quoting their teachers,

and it was just a sermon full of quotation marks.

These teachers took a lot of pride

in being able to rip off all these quotes.

But man, was it boring.

It was labyrinthine,

and legalistic,

and joyless,

and weightless.

It was all secondhand,

and thirdhand.

It was a hand-me-down theology.

But Jesus would say,

you have heard it said,

such and such,

but I tell you,

I tell you,

it was fresh,

and it was clear,

like it made sense,

and it was alive,

and it would penetrate,

and convict,

and liberate,

and heal.

You knew authority when you heard it.

And along with authority,

came power.

Jesus' authority was challenged,

and Jesus imposed his will.

Have you come to destroy us?

The demon asked.

Us, that is.

The demon is saying,

have you come to destroy both me,

and this man?

Because you're not winning

without me taking this guy down.

I know who you are,

the demon shouted.

The Holy One of God.

Now, you recognize being,

again,

a turn of the millennium,

Galilean,

that this is a power play.

It was believed that if you could name something,

or have the true name for something,

or someone,

then you had power over it,

and you could control it.

That's what the people of this time believed.

In giving something or someone its true name,

you could have control over it,

but this was no contest.

It wasn't even close.

It wasn't a riveting contest

of mostly equals,

like Skywalker versus the Emperor,

or Potter versus Voldemort.

It wasn't even 91 seconds

of Tyson dominating Sphinx.

It was instant.

And the man isn't even harmed at all.

Everyone lives.

So not only are you thinking

that Jesus had authority and power,

but you see he has compassion.

Jesus departs.

You go home,

and you can't stop thinking

about his authority,

his power,

and his compassion.

The Holy One of God,

you remember the demon saying.

You remember how the world

was spoken into existence

by a Holy One

with authority and power.

And you realize somehow

you were in the presence

of the divine.

That realization occurs

just as you are acutely aware

of your own pain,

this illness that you've been feeling

that you carried into that synagogue.

This wound,

this yuck

that you've been hiding

out of fear.

And you know what you need to do.

You need to go see him.

And you know where to find him.

You heard he went to Simon's house.

Simon is a burly fisherman,

a fellow Galilean from Bethsaida

who currently lives

in your town of Capernaum.

It's the Sabbath.

So you wait until sundown

because it's a bit too far

to travel on the Sabbath,

the day of rest.

But you're so eager

that you leave

as the sun is setting

hoping no one will see you.

Right?

But then you get outside

and of course

everyone's thinking the same thing.

Maybe they won't see me.

I'll just get a head start.

It's like my friend

who grew up in Iowa

at a fundamentalist Baptist church.

They were strictly not allowed

to see movies.

So they would go to the town

30 minutes away

and in the theater

half the people were from their church.

So anyway,

everyone is doing the same thing.

As the sun is setting,

they're heading to Simon's house.

They're going to see Jesus

including a lot of people

you haven't seen in a while.

You're going there

and you haven't seen

some of these people

because they've been sick

for a long time.

You arrive at Simon's house

with this throng of people

many who are sick

and through a window

you see Simon's mother-in-law

and you knew she was sick

with a raging fever

and you had wondered

knowing the average lifespan

at this time

is around 40 years

that this might be it for her.

But there she was

up and about

serving with energy

and joy.

So you're feeling hopeful.

I think she may have been healed.

Jesus opens the door

but then you start to doubt

because some of these people

are like religiously

ceremonially unclean.

So I doubt this holy one

is going to come into our midst

but he does.

He does.

He doesn't stand from a distance

and say a healing for you

and a healing for you

and you get a healing.

He comes into the midst

of these people

very slowly.

He places his hands

on somebody

and then he places his hands

on somebody else

and then on somebody else

and people are being healed.

He's not afraid

to touch us.

You've never seen compassion

like this.

And finally

it's your turn.

Finally it's your turn.

What's the look

on his face?

Do you see the kindness

in his eyes?

Does he place

his hands

on your head

or does he place

them on your heart?

or does he wrap you

with an embrace

and not let go?

Where do you need healing?

Where do you need healing

right now?

What kind of griefs

need to be healed?

What kind of addiction

do you need to be freed from?

What broken relationship

do you find

needs to be restored?

What betrayal

have you been walking around

unable to shake?

What fear

do you need deliverance from?

What pits

of anxiety

or depression

or mental illness

do you need

to be lifted out of?

What shame

or disgrace

do you need

to be rid of?

What kind of physical illness

do you need relief from?

Brothers

and sisters

Jesus

had the authority

and power

and compassion

to heal you.

He has the authority

and the power

and the compassion

to heal you.

His

uncontested authority

and unlimited power

and unfathomable

compassion

means there is

more healing

available to you.

There is more healing

available to you.

Do you hear this?

There is more healing

available to you.

And it's an encounter

with the person

of Jesus.

His hands.

His embrace.

His countenance.

His heart.

That can bring

the healing.

You and I

probably think

of salvation

as merely

a spiritual event.

Perhaps

we need to think

of it more expansively.

After God

created the world

good and perfect

and man sinned

everything broke.

Our relationship

to God

because of sin

our relationship

with ourselves

our psyche

our environment

broke

including

our bodies.

So which of all

that did Jesus

come to fix?

Jesus came to earth

he died on the cross

and he rose again

so that you and I

could have access

to the Father.

That is of utmost importance.

We have access

to the Father

we have forgiveness

of sins

and we can be healed.

Soul

and body

together

that is rescue.

We are rescued

soul and body

together

the good news

of that Jesus

proclaimed

was forgiveness

he proclaimed

freedom

he proclaimed

healing

Jesus' healings

weren't in ends

to a means

they were in ends

themselves.

He had compassion

for the sick

and he comes

in person

as a person

to heal

and because of his power

and authority

and compassion

there is more healing

available to you.

Let's think of this

even more expansively

we read in the last

chapter of Revelation

Revelation 22 · chapter mention

chapter 22

that there is

healing for the nations

available

as Jesus makes

all things new

healing

for the nation

I mean that's a cosmic

concept

there's healing

available between

warring countries

there's healing

available between

races

there's forgiveness

available

reconciliation

repentance

justice

that are available

there's healing

available

even between

Democrats

and Republicans

do you believe it?

do you believe that?

because the world

needs you to believe it

and the world

needs you to be

praying for it

or do you

bore the angels

with your prayers?

or do you pray

for the impossible?

what feels impossible?

do you pray

for healing

on a cosmic scale?

how about

you shock

the angels

may it sound

scandalous

the way you pray

with boldness

that God would bring

healing to this nation

we read of healing

being available

when people

encounter

the person

of Jesus

so how do we

encounter

the person

of Jesus?

well I think

it's instructive

at the end

of this account

in verse 42

we read

and when it was day

Jesus departed

and went into

a desolate place

and the people

sought him

and came to him

and he would have

kept him

from leaving them

but he said

to them

I must preach

the good news

of the kingdom

of God

to the other towns

as well

for I was sent

for this purpose

you might remember

last week

that people

thronged Jesus

and kicked him

out of town

and tried to

throw him

off a cliff

this is the opposite

people like

mob him

and try to keep

him in town

they try to make

him stay

not only is that

instructive

I think that's

prescriptive

we encounter

Jesus

and we keep

him from leaving

when we have

what you could

call a rule

of life

it's a rhythm

of praying

and reading

and resting

that keeps

Jesus' authority

and compassion

forefront

in our minds

and in our

spirits

through the

rhythms of our

day

healing is

available when

we encounter

Jesus

when we gather

together at this

table

we believe Jesus

is really present

here

when we come

forward and share

this meal

and he heals

and he restores

our soul

healing is available

when we confess

our sins

to one another

in James 5

we read

is anyone

among you

sick

let him call

for the elders

of the church

and let them

pray over him

anointing him

with oil

in the name

of the Lord

the prayer

of faith

will save

the one

who is sick

and the Lord

will raise

him up

and if he

has committed

sins

he will be

forgiven

therefore

confess your

sins

to one another

and pray

for one another

that you

may be healed

you know

we have a

liturgy

for that

too

we have a

liturgy

of prayers

of repentance

and reconciliation

that you can do

with a priest

a confession

healing is available

supernaturally

we believe

that Jesus

still heals

supernaturally

and miraculously

tonight at our

sister church

Falls Church

Anglican

at 7 o'clock

you can go

to a healing

service

and anyone

is welcome

to attend

there will

be people

to pray

to pray

for you

there will

be songs

there will

be prayers

and healing

is finally

also available

through men

and women

made in the

image of God

fulfilling God's

mandate to

subdue the

earth

through the

vocations of

medicine and

science

counseling

healing

we can

find

healing

for

depression

anxiety

and mental

illness

so what

about you

what ailment

did you carry

into the

synagogue

what ailment

were you

concealing

from your

fellow villagers

what ailment

did you carry

as you walked

along the shores

of the sea of

Galilee

to Simon's

house

what pain

will you be

bringing

today

as you walk

down these

aisles

as you extend

your hands

in need

to be fed

at Jesus'

table

brothers and

sisters there is

more healing

available

there is more

healing available

he has made

all things

so he has

the power

to heal

he governs

all things

so he has

the authority

to heal

and he has

compassion

on all he

has made

especially his

daughter

especially his

son

so he has

the desire

to heal

in the name

of the father

and of the son

and of the

holy spirit

amen

father let

the healing

streams

abound

let the

healing

streams

abound

as we

encounter

you

lord

as we

encounter

you

among

your

people

as we

see

you

extend

your

grace

to us

through

embrace

through

touch

through

the

peace

of the

lord

lord

let the

healing

streams

abound

as we

partake

of this

meal

let the

healing

streams

abound

as we

sing

and rejoice

give you

praise

and thanks

for rescuing

us body

and soul

let the

healing

streams

abound

as we

go to

this

place

into

our

workplace

as we

rely

on your

holy

spirit

to be

reminding

us

constantly

every hour

of every

day

that we

are your

daughters

and sons

in Jesus

name we

pray

amen