Isaiah 40:21-31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30 Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Mark 1:29-39 29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34 And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. 35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37 When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 38 He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” 39 And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Conversation with the children
Who has a grandma and grandpa?
When you go to their place do they do different things? What do they do differently?
Who gets out juice and cookies or cake? Why?
Who makes coffee or supper?
What does grandpa do?
Sermon
He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and she began to serve them.
In recent times our world has been changing and to us it seems odd that Simon’s mother-in-law on rising from her sick bed immediately begins serving the guests he brings home. We know that even after recovering from a fever it takes time for a person to regain their strength. To us it seems strange that the people of this story especially Jesus never questioned their culture. Even he does not protest and with the other men he also waits for her to serve.
When we think of our modern culture…we have not drastically changed the roles of men and women… Almost wherever we go…and where people are served food… most often women are doing it. After church later we will have lunch…and we all know that women have made it. They will serve it and likely they will clean up after lunch is complete. On a rare occasion the man of the house will help his wife make sandwiches…and may carry them into the church… However, his wife decides what to bring… gathers the groceries …and gets everything ready so her husband can help if he wants to. But during lunch…the women stand at the counter making sure there is enough…they pass sandwiches, cake and cookies… they bring coffee to top off the first cup. Sometimes men sweep the floor. But even when men contribute…men are usually under the supervision of their spouse.
Now we are less than a week from the “Taste of the World Feast”. Again the women are leading the way… During the last two years…the men have assisted with this fund raiser… serving food and clearing plates… This year the women have been working feverously…and have come up with a new plan. Rather than their usual roast beef meal that we all enjoy…this year they have planned a feast which will have foods representing the diverse culture found in our community. There will be food from various nations …Ukrainian, Scandinavian, German, English, and even some Oriental foods. As is usual the church men are waiting for their instructions…maybe hoping that none will come… To this moment the women have been so busy developing the new plan… that they have not yet identified a definite role for us… Even though gender roles are changing… important meals are still usually planned and served by women.
Knowing what we know…today I can imagine how Simon’s mother-in-law must have felt… when her son brought the friends… home after the Sabbath service at the synagogue. She has heard about the marvelous things Jesus doing…casting out demons, and his teaching. She may have even thought that it would be good to have him visit….but not today when she is feeling so poorly. I can hear her saying to Simon; “You should not have brought him today. I am sick and have not made any fresh bread I cannot even get out of bed to prepare any tea for him. What will he think of me?”
As he did before and as he will continue…Jesus breaks the rules of the Sabbath. He heals a second person on that Sabbath day. However, in this story we see something different about Jesus than we have to this point. Until now all of his healings have been public affairs, performed before crowds. But this healing has happens in the privacy of Simon’s home. We witness a compassionate Jesus; who neither wants, nor needs an audience to perform his healing. He actually prefers to be an anonymous healer. His concern is for the person… rather that his own glory… or whether he breaks rules. Jesus cares about those who need his healing… not whether we deserve healing… He does not consider whether we have done good or bad. He freely heals without questions about whether we are worthy.
After she gets off her sick bed…we can see Simon’s mother-in-law returning to her good old self. I can imagine her scurrying around making biscuits and brewing tea… all the while apologizing to Jesus about not having anything ready for him…when he first arrived.
After this eventful day people, Jesus’ fame grows… and because of it people, who are sick begin to crowd around Jesus. They come seeking his healing touch. They press in on him… giving him no peace until he has seen and touched them.
The people of the Bible are not unlike us. Similar to our healers… the effectiveness of their healers is varied… And similar to us they are also in constant search for: “Who is the best doctor?” And when cures seem impossible… when their ailments becomes so advanced and their physicians no longer are able to help… like us… they are quick to chase down another medical cure.
If the medical profession has exhausted all it avenues for healing…as a last resort, we turn crowding into Jesus’ doorway wanting a miracle cure. Expectantly, we gather for our own purpose… for what we want…and need. We gather in anticipation of Jesus doing just this one thing for us… We worry that if we ask for too much of God… So we limit our request saying; “I just ask for…or… If you just do this one thing…or…I will not ask after this”, hoping that our request is not too big.
While we worry that our request is too large for God…in truth our requests are all too often far too small. In today’s passage from Isaiah we are asked; “Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood? The Creator of the ends of the earth does not faint nor grow weary.” It is possible though that our God only becomes weary waiting for us to pray… or …when we do by our tiny expectations. While God knows and understands all that we need…and is ready to give it…we continue struggling on our own…relying on our own strength. But on our own… even the young and strong grow weary.
To us whose expectations are small…and to us who rely on our own strength… God calls on us to listen to the good news. The good news for us is; “God gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless.” “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
After healing late into the night…Jesus knows how to renew his strength. In the morning, while it is still very dark, he goes out to a deserted place, and there he prays. He does not worry whether his prayers are too much for God he does not worry that he will tire God. He freely prays and his strength and purpose is renewed… he is ready for a new day of proclaiming good news to the neighboring towns.
As Jesus waits on God… let us wait on our God for everything. Let us pray for renewed strength. Let us rise up as eagles and not grow faint. And let us proclaim the good news that God sends us out to do. Amen
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