Loving God, you come to us in Jesus and speak to all our deepest needs, calling us to come and to follow and to be healed.  By the power of your Holy Spirit, help us to hear your voice and to answer your call, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    One of the most common questions to ask, especially when you have been called upon to preach, is “what is the good news in this passage of Scripture?”  Sometimes it is harder to find than others, but quite often the good news can be summed up in one word: Jesus.  In today’s gospel from Mark, the good news is, indeed, Jesus, but it is addressed especially to those who are tired, or searching, or in need of healing.

    First of all, for those who are tired, there is a marvellous invitation that we hear from Jesus.  He says to the disciples, and also to us, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while” (Mk. 6:31).  This is especially good news for those who – like the disciples – have been giving and teaching and healing and travelling and stepping outside of their comfort zone, and who have had so many people around that they can’t even find time to eat.  It is to these people that Jesus says, “Come with me and rest.”

    For those of you who have ever attended a Christian retreat, you have some idea as to what Jesus has in mind.  It is time away from the usual demands and distractions.  It is time for refreshment of body, mind and spirit - often in an outdoor setting.  It is time for prayer and for worship and to be alone or to be with others.  If you have never attended such a retreat, and the opportunity comes your way, I absolutely encourage you to do so!  Yet, even if you can’t attend a retreat, there are ways to come to Jesus and rest.

    It’s kind of like taking a mental holiday with Jesus, and there are plenty of images in today’s Scripture readings that would be helpful.  For example, imagine yourself going to a deserted place with Jesus and simply taking some time to rest in his love and compassion.  Or, imagine yourself lying down in those green pastures and resting beside the still waters as God restores your soul and Jesus, the Good Shepherd, watches over you (Ps. 23).  Simply taking some time to imagine yourself in God’s presence in this way can be like a mini-retreat, even without leaving home.  It is a way of being renewed in order to be able to be of service to others.

    As was mentioned earlier, there is also good news in today’s gospel for those who are searching.  In fact, in the gospel there are people who are very actively searching – they know that Jesus has something that they need, and they are going to great lengths to find it.  These people see Jesus and his disciples getting into a boat in order to cross the lake, and they are so desperate to see Jesus that they hurry along the shore on foot in order to get there ahead of him (Mk. 6:32-33).

    When Jesus comes ashore and sees these people, he has compassion on them because they are just like sheep without a shepherd.  They are searching for God.  They are searching for healing.  They are searching for a Saviour – a Messiah.  They are searching for guidance for their lives.  And so Jesus takes the time to teach them – about what God is like – about how people are to live together under God’s rule – about repentance and forgiveness – about salvation and eternal life.

    It is just like the promise that we find in the gospel of Matthew:

Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.  For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened (Mt. 7:7-8).

For those who are truly searching, God does not hide.  Instead, God is revealed in the pages of Scripture, in Word and Sacrament, and in the lives of believers.

    In the compassion of Jesus for the people who are like sheep without a shepherd, we see the compassion of God for all people.  In fact, often it is God who actively searches for us, just like the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep behind in order to go and search for the lost one (Lk. 15:1-7).  And so, for those who are searching, there is good news: Jesus is just waiting to reveal God to you!

    Finally, there is a word for all those who are in need of healing.  All through the gospels, the power of God to heal through Jesus is quite obvious, and today’s gospel is no exception.  When Jesus lands at Gennesaret, people rush around in that whole region in order to bring those who are sick to Jesus.  The picture that we get is of Jesus walking through the marketplaces and the sick people reaching out to touch the fringe of his cloak.  “And all who touched it were healed” (Mk. 6:56).  In the gospels, there are so many who are healed, but what about today?

    As believers, our prayers for healing are always in the name of Jesus and sometimes even by the power of his precious blood.  We pray for healing with the laying on of hands and anointing with oil, just as was done in the New Testament (Jas. 5:14).  Today, the power of God and the name of Jesus have just as much power to heal, and there are many in this congregation who have experienced the power of prayer to bring healing.  Some have even experienced miracles of healing.  Yet, sometimes our prayers for healing don’t seem to be answered in the way that we would like, and we begin to wonder what is going on.

    If it is any consolation, people in the New Testament didn’t always get healed right away, either.  Paul had his “thorn in the flesh” that he asked God to take away from him, and God’s answer to him was “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).  There was a reason that Paul needed to put up with this particular ailment, whatever it was.

    At the same time, we need to recognize that we don’t always grasp God’s wisdom or reasons.  Many seem to think that they are being punished in some way when they get sick, but is this really true?  In the gospel of John, there is a whole conversation about the man who was born blind that asks whose sin caused his blindness.  Jesus replies that it wasn’t anybody’s sin who caused it.  Instead, “he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him” (Jn. 9:3).

    Illness is no fun, as many of you know from experience.  However, as human beings that live in a damaged creation in the midst of other sinful human beings, getting sick is something that is going to happen.  As with many other things, God could put an absolute stop to it – but it would require removing all of the human beings from the picture.  Instead, God makes his healing power known through Jesus Christ and invites us to come and to seek that healing.

    Whether we are among the tired, or the searching, or the sick, or the broken, the invitation comes to us through the gospel to come to Jesus Christ.  He brings with him rest for the weary, compassion for those who are lost, healing for the broken-hearted, forgiveness for the repentant, and reconciliation for those who are estranged.  He also brings with him the power of God for health and salvation, and even the gift of eternal life.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Lectionary 16 (B)                            Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
July 19, 2009                            Psalm 23
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2009 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved