A Promise for a New Day

Februarry 25, 2018 Modern Promises of God Romans 4:13-25 Second Sunday of Lent Children’s time Getting Stronger Every Day Romans 4:1-25 Exegetical Aim: We grow strong in our faith as we give glory to God. Props: A feather, a rock, a dictionary, a chair, and a heavy table. Have the objects placed on the table, except for the chair. Lesson: Which one of you is the strongest? (response) Let’s see who is the strongest. I’ve got some things for us to lift. I’m going to start us off with this. Who thinks that they can lift this feather? (response) Choose the smallest child. So you think you can lift this feather? Let’s see you do it. Be careful! Don’t hurt yourself. As the child picks up the feather: That’s great! Okay, you can lift a feather! But I don’t believe any of you can lift this rock. (response) Repeat the challenge with the appropriately sized children for the dictionary and the chair. After the chair, proceed to the table. We do have some strong people here. You even lifted the chair. Not everyone can do that. But there’s one more thing. Who thinks that they can lift this table? (response) Choose the strongest child and instruct him or her to lift one leg of the table off the ground. Wow! That’s a heavy table. To lift that table leg takes a lot of strength. How did you get to be so strong? (response) Eating right, exercising, working hard, and playing are all ways to make our muscles real strong. Application: We now know that you have strong bodies. Let me ask: Are you strong in faith? (response) The Bible says that there was a man named Abraham who always believed God no matter what happened. That means he had a lot of faith. And do you know how he became strong in faith? (response)In the book of Romans it says that Abraham became strong in faith, as he believed God. In other words, the more he trusted what God told him the stronger he became in faith. Eat right and exercise so your bodies will be strong, but remember to trust in God so that your faith might grow strong. Let’s Pray: Dear Father, we praise you today and ask you to make our faith stronger. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Children's Sermons, by Brett Blair Romans 4:13-25 Common English Bible (CEB) Abraham’s promise is received through faith 13 The promise to Abraham and to his descendants, that he would inherit the world, didn’t come through the Law but through the righteousness that comes from faith. 14 If they inherit because of the Law, then faith has no effect and the promise has been canceled. 15 The Law brings about wrath. But when there isn’t any law, there isn’t any violation of the law. 16 That’s why the inheritance comes through faith, so that it will be on the basis of God’s grace. In that way, the promise is secure for all of Abraham’s descendants, not just for those who are related by Law but also for those who are related by the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us. 17 As it is written: I have appointed you to be the father of many nations.[a] So Abraham is our father in the eyes of God in whom he had faith, the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that don’t exist into existence. 18 When it was beyond hope, he had faith in the hope that he would become the father of many nations, in keeping with the promise God spoke to him: That’s how many descendants you will have.[b] 19 Without losing faith, Abraham, who was nearly 100 years old, took into account his own body, which was as good as dead, and Sarah’s womb, which was dead. 20 He didn’t hesitate with a lack of faith in God’s promise, but he grew strong in faith and gave glory to God.21 He was fully convinced that God was able to do what he promised.22 Therefore, it was credited to him as righteousness. 23 But the scripture that says it was credited to him[c] wasn’t written only for Abraham’s sake. 24 It was written also for our sake, because it is going to be credited to us too. It will be credited to those of us who have faith in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over because of our mistakes, and he was raised to meet the requirements of righteousness for us. Footnotes: a. Romans 4:17 Gen 17:5 b. Romans 4:18 Gen 15:5 c. Romans 4:23 Gen 15:6 Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Lent is the time for us to look at our lives and our relationship with God. So I wanted to pass out a special gift to remember our relationship with God. All of our scriptures are important this week. Mark says for us to take up our cross and follow Jesus. So I wanted to make sure everyone had a cross to keep in your pocket, wallet, or somewhere where it will remind you daily of the gift of Jesus. As we enter into lent, I want to tell you about the importance of a very special word – a word that we have all heard, but today I want us to think about what it really means. That word is Hallelujah – praise God. During the season of lent, many churches honor the tradition of hiding the hallelujah’s until Easter. True Lenten music, which we don’t really hear lot because it is so slow and depressing. And you will never hear a hallelujah. Until Easter – Easter music is very upbeat, loud and fast and uplifting- and the way to tell a true Easter song is that it will have lots of hallelujah in it. When I was in Oak Park, I would argue with my music director who was raised catholic. She would insist that we had to hide the hallelujah for lent, and I would tell her that we couldn’t take away the hallelujah during a recession, because some people needed their hallelujahs. You see there is a difference between a jewish hallelujah and a Christian Hallelujah. Hallelujah - hallelu means praise and jah means God. I don’t know if you all are familiar with the popular song by Leonard Cohen – hallelujah. There is a line in there where he is talking about Samuel – and he says she tied you to the kitchen chair, she cut your hair and you said the hallelujah. In the jewish understanding – hallelujah is what you say when you are at the end of your rope, you have lost everything, and you have nothing else to say or do – but say hallelujah. Or praise God anyhow. The Lord giveth, the lord taketh away – blessed be the name of the Lord. A muslim would say allahu akbar meaning God is greater. Allahu means praise God Akbar means greater. You see Hallelujah is a victory cry in the midst of battle. For the Jews and the Muslims, You cry hallelujah before giving up, to show that you may have lost – but God always wins. - Our victory is always in God, because of God and the name of God is to be lifted up in the midst of all circumstances. That is why as Christians we save our hallelujahs for Easter. Our victory is in the resurrection of Christ. Christ overcame all of our troubles by overcoming death. Hallelujah – praise God. If you look in the hymnal there is a song from India called Jaya Ho - it is a victory song. Claiming victory in God. Even they used the name of Jah – God. During lent we praise God in spite of our problems, when Easter comes we will claim victory over our circumstances I want to point out one thing in our scripture today – it is about Abraham and Sarah. God made a promise to them that they would have descendants as numerous as the sun. considering the fact that sarah was 90 years old when God made that promise – she was faithful, but not very confident it would happen. When the victory in God happens and they become parents both she and Abraham changed their names to show their new roles in life. What we may not realize is that God also changed God’s name as God’s role changed amongst the people. Early Israelites would have known God as Elohim. Mothers named their children after attributes of God such as Israel, Michael, Gabriel. But as the Israelites became unified as a people, and became aware of other people and other gods, and wanted others to know that their God was stronger and kept them together. God changed God’s name to Jehovah – or Jah. That is why Mary named her baby Jah shua – meaning Jah saves instead of Elisha meaning El saves. Jesus is the latin derivative of Joshua. Elijah ‘s mom thought she would cover both bases and give her baby both names of God. So when we say Hallelu Jah – we give praises to Jah. So when Easter comes – we will all be running up and down the isles shouting hallelujah! Or maybe not, we are still Methodist. But I wanted you to know what we mean when we say hallelujah. We praise God – we claim victory in the resurrection of Christ. But in the meantime, on this second Sunday of lent let us remember the promises of God. God will make a way out of no way, God will open doors that are closed, God can bring life out of death. There was a lady who lived in a nursing home, and at 80 years old she kept telling her nurse that she was expecting a baby. Of course the nurse dismissed her and paid her no mind, there was no way a woman that old could have a baby. One day her granddaughter came to visit with her newborn daughter. The woman asked to be taken in her wheelchair throughout the halls with the baby. She wanted to tell everyone that she had had her baby – that god has kept god’s promise. God made the impossible possible. God did it for her, God did it for Abraham and Sarah, God did it for Christ, surely God will do it for us. And when that day comes – we can shout hallelujah – praise God. Amen. Hiding the Hallelujah Many of the white churches have a tradition, that for lent, you are supposed to hide the alleluia for lent. Alleluia is just the Greek version of hallelujah, since they don’t pronounce an H at the beginning of a word, and there is no y, so Jah is spelled with an I. Alleluia is a victory cry- when we cry alleluia or hallelujah – we are saying that Jesus Christ is our victory over sin and death. The thought is, that in lent, there is no victory, and there is no triumphant Christ. So we are supposed to hide the alleluias until Easter, and then fervently bring them back again on Easter morning. Lenten music is naturally slow and sad, and liturgical music – music that is intentionally written for the season – has no alleluia’s in it, and churches go through this elaborate rituals on the first Sunday of lent in order to put the alleluia in a box and bury them so that they won’t be said in church. Interestingly, I have never been in a church that formally hid their alleluias. In my last church, my church musician and I used to fight constantly every lent, being that she was raised in the Catholic Church she would insist that I had to hide the alleluia’s. And I would tell her that during a recession, we can’t take hallelujah from people. What is the use of asking people who are already suffering, to suffer more by suppressing their alleluias? The Difference between a lent hallelujah and a easter hallelujah Besides, there is a big difference between a lent hallelujah and a Easter hallelujah. There is a big difference between a Jewish hallelujah and an Easter alleluia. (I ended up firing my musician, but that was because she was the church accountant- not because of our differences, we fought about everything). Hallelujah – I just think that is a wonderful song, all by itself. What a beautiful word. But why did the Israelites say that word – hallelu jah – praise God? The Jehovah names of God Lately, we have been talking about the names of God. Your English bible will intentionally make it easy for you, and anywhere God’s name is mentioned – they will refer to God as God. But in the original Hebrew bible, God had many names, coming from many traditions. The name I have focused on is Jehovah. Jehovah is a Christian pronunciation of the sacred 4 letters of God’s name. A Jewish person would never say Jehovah, because they believe that it is not man’s place to call God by name. But I am using Jehovah because there is a tradition of using the names of Jehovah. I counted about 50 different Jehovah names for God in the Old Testament. Examples of some: in Gen. 22 – Jehovah Jireh – God my provider – psalm 3:3 Jehovah kabodhi – The Lord is my glory, in 1 Chronicles 29 – Jehovah Nissi – the lord is my banner; in psalm 19 – Jehovah Tsori – the lord is my strength. Isaiah 5:3 Jehovah Rophe – God is a healer, Isaiah 9:6 – Jehovah shalom – the lord is my peace. God is all of those things to us. But here is the thing, the reality is that in a world of sin there are no provisions, people are hungry. There is no glory- people are struggle, there is no strength, no healing, and no peace. So you can’t use those names. All that you have is jah – just plain God. No attributes, no names. Just God in his most basic plain form. And yet still worthy to be praised. When life has stripped you of everything, when you have lost your peace, your strength, your shield, your armor – the one thing that no one can take away from you, not even the devil – is your praise God, your hallelujah. Hallelujah is your battle cry in times of despair. A Muslim would say – allahu Akbar – God is greater! They say it for many reasons, but we hear it when they are protesting – or killing someone on behalf of God. It is as if they have given up all hope of peace in a sinful world – and they praise God as they give up the ghost. Except our god says that thou salt not kill, and that there is never a reason to kill yourself if indeed God is greater. Hallelujah is your cry – which I may be defeated, that in a sinful world I may pass away – but God will never fail. And as a child of God – my life, my victory, my well being is centered around God – and not me. If you look at the Methodist hymnal – there is a song Jaya Ho – from India. Even the Hindus use praise God as a victory cry. Even the rocks will cry out You see, my thing is, even if the Catholics, and the Lutherans, the Methodist and the Presbyterians refuse to say hallelujah, it really doesn’t matter – because my Pentecostal cousins are always going to say praise the Lord. They may not say it to me, but every time they great one another they say praise the lord – so that is every day – even in lent. And it really doesn’t matter, because if the Pentecostal forget one day to day praise the lord – the bible says that God doesn’t need man to say hallelujah, because if we forget, that even the rocks will cry out – and say hallelujah. God is the creator of all things – and worthy to be praised. Even in a sinful world. But for Christians – our great victory cry comes on Easter morning – When Christ rose from the dead – he conquered all of our enemies – the devil, sin, death, sickness, disease, hunger, hatred. On Easter morning, we won’t have to cry hallelujah in a time of despair – but in a time of joy and celebration. When Jesus wins, if my life, my hope, my faith is centered in God – I win. We win. Invitation to christ I want to pass out these nails for us to keep with us during lent. The nail is a reminder that we still live in a world of sin. But it is also a reminder that the Jesus went to the cross for us once and for all – so that sin, our sin and others does not have to bury us alive. God is always with us, and whatever stands in the way can be nailed to the cross. The rest of scripture reminds us that in baptism we die with Christ, in baptism we rise with Christ. In our commitment to Christ- we share in Christ victory. This is your chance to claim the victory.

Be Lifted Up

Mark 1:29-39 Being Lifted Up February 4, 2018 Fifth Sunday of Epiphany Year B Children’s sermon… In the morning, a great while before the day, he rose and went to a lonely place; there he prayed. (v. 35, RSV) Object: a clock. Lesson: Good morning, boys and girls. I want to talk with you today about talking with God. How many of you do that sometimes? (Let them respond.) All of us need to talk to God, as much as we can. We need to do it every day. Sometimes we do it here in church, don't we. Can you think of some times during worship when we talk to God? (Help them identify some times, including the prayers and the Lord's Prayer.) Do you have to use special words when you talk to God? No, you can use just ordinary words, just the way you talk to a good friend. In fact, God likes that kind of talking from us the very best of all. He likes it because it shows him that we really love and trust him and want to be his children and stay close to him. What kinds of times should we talk to God? (Discuss it.) We don't want to talk to God only when we are in trouble, or only when we want a favor. You wouldn't talk to your best friend only when you wanted to get something, would you! Instead, we want to talk to God whenever we have something to share, even if it doesn't seem very important. Do any of you have any special times when you talk to God? (Talk about this.) Sometimes we have trouble finding a good time in the day to stop and be quiet and talk to God. Here is a clock. You see how many minutes there are in an hour? There are sixty of them. It would be good to save a few minutes out of every hour to talk to God. And there are twenty-four hours in the day. That means there are 1440 minutes in a whole day. Of course, we are sleeping some of those minutes. But even if we just count the minutes we are awake, we have over 800 minutes every day. So it shouldn't be hard to find some minutes to use to talk to God, should it! And yet, some people never find any time. Today's Bible story tells one way Jesus sometimes talked to God. He got up early, before the sun came up and went out in a lonely place to talk to God. Why do you suppose he did it that way? (Let them answer.) Right. Nobody could interrupt him then. That's a good way to talk to God, when it's quiet and we're alone. Don't forget to talk to God today. CSS Publishing Co., Mark 1:29-39 Common English Bible (CEB) Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law 29 After leaving the synagogue, Jesus, James, and John went home with Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed, sick with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. 31 He went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she served them. Jesus’ ministry spreads 32 That evening, at sunset, people brought to Jesus those who were sick or demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered near the door. 34 He healed many who were sick with all kinds of diseases, and he threw out many demons. But he didn’t let the demons speak, because they recognized him. 35 Early in the morning, well before sunrise, Jesus rose and went to a deserted place where he could be alone in prayer. 36 Simon and those with him tracked him down. 37 When they found him, they told him, “Everyone’s looking for you!” 38 He replied, “Let’s head in the other direction, to the nearby villages, so that I can preach there too. That’s why I’ve come.” 39 He traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and throwing out demons. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible There was a preaching professor who gave his students the assignment of preaching a sermon based on the first chapter of Mark. This chapter is an interesting chapter- there are at least 50 different lessons in this one chapter. If you want to understand the bible, all you have to do is read this one chapter. It will tell you everything you need to know about what it means to be a Christian, who Jesus is, and why Jesus id the savior of the world. In the verse that we are reading today – 29-39 there are 4 major lessons. I will touch on them today – but I want to focus on 2 that I think are important for us. The first lesson is the most important. – that is the healing of Peter’s mother in law. There are 14 stories of Jesus giving healing in the gospels. This one is actually the second one in Mark chapter 1. By this time Jesus has recruited all twelve of his disciples. They are still near the sea of Galilee, and they go to synagogue in Capernaum. Jesus heals a man in the service. At the end of the service all 13 of the men are hungry and want something to eat. So Peter invites them back to his house, not realizing that the lady of the house is sick in bed, and not up to fixing lunch. The scripture says that she is sick with a fever. Our scripture calls this lady Peter’s mother in law. But that does not mean she is Peter’s wife’s mother. In those days families were pretty close together. But a grown man would always stay in the house of his father. The women would leave their family to stay get married. If something happen to Peter’s wifes mother, she would not come to live with her daughter, she would remain in her husbands house. So this woman was Peter’s aunt in law. She was Peter’s father’s brothers wife. She was living with Peter’s father because she lost her husband. now I am sure that you are thouroughly confused. But she was the lady of the house. The flu has ravished our whole country this year. It has also affected our community and our church. We know that when we are sick with the flu, and we have a fever, we just don’t feel like doing anything. Even those who are used to being busy can be sidelined by the flu. But if she is sick in bed, then what are these 13 hungry men supposed to eat. Luckily, one of them has the gift of healing. So Jesus makes her better, and she gets out of bed and fixes lunch. All of the scholars assure me, that this is not just a story about hungry men, needing the woman of the house to get up and feed them. It is much deeper than that. We have all been sick before, and when we are really sick you can tell that is not just a body thing, it affects your mind and your spirit. You cant do anything. But being really sick can also affect your social standing. We as a society tend to isolate sick people – we want them to say away from us. We also tend to make them useless – we don’t want them to do anything. And if people are really sick, we strip them of their titles, their duties and everything else. The good news is that when Jesus heals a person, you will notice that Jesus not only restores their body – but he restores their humanity. He gives them their place in society back and makes them feel like a person. The fact Peter’s mother in law immediately got out of bed and fixed lunch meant that she was grateful to have her humanity restored. She recognized Jesus as the messiah – she didn’t say anything – she repaid him in service. It is not Easter- but this story is the first step for us understanding what resurrection is. Scripture says that when he healed her, he told her to rise up. Jesus says this to all of the people that he heals in the book of Mark. Scripture always says that helifts them up. Once they are healed, not only are they feeling much better, but they are restored to their place in society – they get to go back to work, to reconnect with their family, to be the person they were before they got sick. Can you imagine how many people in this community who would give anything to be restored back to the person they were before they got sick? How many people would love to be a whole and complete person? That type of restoration is the power of resurrection. You cant get that type of healing from the hospital. That is a healing of mind, body and spirit. Once Jesus gives that power to Peter’s Mother in Law – the whole town starts to knock on their door – asking to be healed in that way. That leads us to the second point of this scripture - Jesus walks aways from it all and goes out to spend time with God. When in the business of healing and helping others, you have to take time to be restores and healed by God. There is a story that goes back to the industrial revolution. In a factory that made wool suits. On every sewing machine in the factory – there was a sign which said – if the thread gets tangled call the foreman. On her first day of work, one lady go the thread hopelessly tangled. The harder she tried to get it untangled, the more tangled it got. The foreman happen to be passing by and asked her why she did not call – she said that she was trying to untangle it herself. She wanted to do her best. The foreman told her that doing her best, was calling the foreman for help. God tells us the same thing- in order to do our best work – we have to rely on God just as Jesus did. Take time in our daily lives to spend with God, to be renewed, restored and resurrected. Sunday’s totally drain me. After church I am totally brain dead, so I have to sleep relax in order to work on Monday. The third lesson in this scripture – When Jesus is gone, the disciples tell him that everyone is looking for him. But he tells the disciples that he must not stay in one place, that the journey to heal the world must continue. The final lesson – Peter’s mother in law recognizes Jesus, but she does not verbally say who he is. But scripture also says that the demons recognized him as the messiah, but Jesus would not allow them to speak. All throughout the book of Mark, Jesus will reveal himself as the messiah, but will tell people not to say anything. This is called the messianic secret. Jesus knows that you cant understand who he is, unless you understand resurrection. You cant understand resurrection unless you understand sickness, suffering, and death. And it is not Easter yet, so the resurrection does not make sense. We are still looking for the messiah. In the meantime we must listen, pray, spend time with God, and look for our opportunities to serve and say thank you, Amen. Illustrations…… All Our Strength The story is told of a little boy and his father. They were walking along a road when they came across a large stone. The boy looked at the stone and thought about it a little. Then he asked his father, "Do you think if I use all my strength, I can move that rock?" The father thought for a moment and said, "I think that if you use all your strength, you can do it." That was all the little boy needed. He ran over to the rock and began to push on it. He pushed and he pushed, so hard did he try that little beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. But the rock didn’t move — not an inch, not half an inch. After a while, the little boy sat down on the ground. His face had fallen. His whole body seemed to be just a lump there on the earth. "You were wrong," he told his dad. "I can’t do it." His father walked over to him, knelt beside him, and put his arm around the boy’s shoulder. "You can do it," he said. "You just didn’t use all your strength. You didn’t ask me to help." The world in which we live tells us that it is all up to us. It tells us that we have to be strong and independent. It tells us we can’t and shouldn’t count on anyone or anything else. And yet, what faith tells us and what Jews and Christians have known forever is that we have a ready resource in God, strength for those who ask. Donald M. Tuttle Resources for Life’s Daily Battles There is a story that comes out of World War II. After the Battle of the Bulge, a German officer was describing the capture of an American unit early in the fighting. This unit had in its possession a box which contained a cake. What was remarkable about the cake is that it had been sent to an American soldier from Boston and it was still fresh. This German officer described his feelings when he realized that the Americans had the resources to fly over cakes from home even in the midst of a global war. He said that he knew then, that they would never defeat an enemy that had such resources for the waging of the battle. You and I have a resource that can help us in life’s daily battles, if only we will make room for it. It is time alone with God. It is one-on-One communication with the Creator and Sustainer of life. King Duncan, www.Sermons.com We Will Be Made Whole How can you know when you have been healed? Seems like an odd question. For many, the answer is obvious: when the pain is gone, the fever has come down, and the disease is no more. But the Gospel gives a better answer. “The fever left her,” we are told of Peter’s mother-in-law, “and she began to serve them.” As she was healed, she immediately began to serve others. When we are ready to help others in their need and focus once again outside ourselves we will know that we too have been cured. We will no longer be slaves to our hurts and resentments. We will at last be made whole. And we shall live. Frank Hegedus Where's Jesus? Where Do You Look for Jesus? You have perhaps heard the story of an elderly man who was quite ill who said to his wife, "You know, Sarah, you've always been with me - through the good and through the bad. Like the time I lost my job - you were right there by my side. And the war came, and I enlisted - you became a nurse so you could be with me. Then I was wounded, and you were there, Sarah, right by my side. Then the Depression hit, and we had nothing - but you were there with me. When our son got into trouble and we didn't know what to do, once again you were right there by my side. And now, here I am, sick as a dog, and as always, you're right here beside me. You know, Sarah, you're bad luck! Traditional, www.eSermons.com The Beginning of Healing “When we think about the people who have given us hope and have increased the strength of our souls, we might discover that they were not the wardens or moralists, but the few who were able to articulate in words and actions the human condition in which we participate and who encouraged us to face the realities of life. Those who do not run from our pains but touch them with compassion bring healing and new strength. The paradox is that the beginning of healing is in the solidarity with the pain. In our solution oriented society it is more important than ever to realize that wanting to alleviate pain without sharing it is like wanting to save a child from a burning house without the risk of being hurt" (p. 43, Reaching Out). Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out, p.43 The Social Healing The other day while visiting someone in a nursing home I stepped out of the elevator and into a room where frail men and women were slumped in wheel chairs in a posture that made my neck hurt looking at them. Their chins were on their chests or their heads were leaning limply on one shoulder. Some were drooling. All the chairs were lined up in front of a television showing a soap opera and the sound was much too loud for anyone, even those hard of hearing. It was a miserable sight. But then something unexpected happened. A young girl, maybe 7 or 8 years old, stepped away from her mother who was visiting someone else. With her mother's encouragement this little girl placed her hand upon the hand of man slumped in a wheelchair, numb, the living dead. She looked at him and smiled as she said her name. "What's your name?" she asked. And, I believe I witnessed a healing taking place in the living room of that nursing home. The man tilted his head up slightly and looked at her. His face broke into a smile and he said his name. Then the little girl went from person to person in each wheelchair offering the same healing touch and the same welcoming benediction. No one tossed a wheelchair out the window and no one danced a jig, but I believe we all experienced, for a moment, the restoration of the community of life where everyone has a place. This is the social healing that Jesus brings through people like this little girl. Roy W. Howard, The True Purpose of Healing Who Can Help with This? Back when I lived in Illinois, I once went to a neighboring parish to participate in a healing service led by Emily Gardiner Neal. She was an Episcopal deacon who for many years exercised an extraordinary ministry of healing. Near the end of her long life, she helped establish the Episcopal Healing Ministry Foundation, which is based in Cincinnati. At the service I attended, Deacon Neal invited people to come forward so that she could lay hands on them and pray with them. This is a typical part of healing services in our church, and the response that day was enormous. After ministering in this way to a large number of people, Deacon Neal grew weary. Many others were still waiting to come forward. With a trace of impatience in her voice, she addressed those of us clergy who were present. "Aren't there some priests here who can HELP me with this?" I, for one, was startled by this request. Deacon Neal was the one conducting the service, the one who had come a long distance to do so, the one with thirty years' experience in this ministry. And she wanted help! I felt that I had been impolite without meaning to be. I had left this elderly woman to do all the work, while I remained in the background, looking pious. Apparently several of us priests reached the same conclusion. In a flash we were at the altar rail, assisting Emily Gardiner Neal in the ministry of healing. Today's Gospel asks this question: "Won't you help me with this?" Jesus is concerned for our health, our complete health. He wants us to experience healing - first, to the degree it is possible for us to do so in this life; then, completely in the life still to come. And he wants us to become his agents in the healing of our neighbors, a healing that can happen when we serve one another. Charles Hoffacker, www.Sermons.com