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Isaiah 35:4-7a, James 1:17-27, Mark 7:31-37
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, West Valley City, UT
The Rev'd W. Lee Shaw
This past week I had an all too short visit (about 10 minutes) with my friend Gwyneth Murphy, who with her husband Dan has moved to New York City. I happened to be wearing the St. Stephen's shirt that Marjorie Ball designed with our logo and mission statement outline. She looked at it and said, “So, St. Stephen's is now doing designer clothing?” Then she read off the words around the logo: “welcoming, confident community, diversity of gifts, all are equal in Christ, mutual respect, shared ministry, joyful worship.” Then she nodded and said, “Yes.”
I had two thoughts as she did this. First, yes, this is my parish! And secondly, an awareness that Gwyneth recognized it as this parish, this place, you. I often go back to our Mission Statement and am grateful for the work the vestry took in composing it from their experience of community and worship at St. Stephen's.
Much of our life as Christians concerns how we treat one another. Our Mission Statement holds up “mutual respect, welcoming, and all are equal in Christ.” This both defines and reflects our commitment to one another. This is also part of what we heard in the Epistle of James today. Our religion and spirituality are reflected in how we treat one another, if we treat one another poorly our “religion is worthless.” It is really about what difference religion makes in our life.
I feel it is so important for us to be continually aware of what we say and how we respond to one another. There is a rabbinical saying that before every person proceeds 10,000 angels crying, “The image of God approaches.” If we could but remember that in how we interact with each other. If we could but remember to treat each other with profound respect as a child of God, a child who is made in the image of God. For me, that is part of what our Mission Statement points to and reflects in this community.
Our Gospel story today shows yet again how friends came to Jesus and “begged” him to heal a person they deeply cared about. What wonderful friends this man had for them to come to Jesus on his behalf to seek healing and wholeness. They clearly had a profound respect and deep affection for their deaf friend. I am confident we each have friends for whom we wish we could walk up to Jesus, tug at his sleeve and personally ask him for healing and wholeness for our friend. How blessed these “friends” were to be able to do this for this man.
What joy these friends had when their friend came back healed and whole. They were “astounded beyond measure,” so much so that they totally ignored Jesus' words to them and told the story to more and more people.
With Jesus it is always about more than the healing of a person. In three years of ministry and with all the recorded healings of people known and unknown to us, I seriously doubt if Jesus had a significant impact on the general public health of the Judea of his day. He did set up clinics, he did not process people to maximize benefits, he did not systematize his approach to reach the full potential of the public health needs of the populace. Clearly he was not a one man Department of Health.
His acts of healing were a sign of the reign of God breaking into their lives and changing them forever. Change not just in health status. Change in life status. Jesus gave hope to a suffering world. Jesus showed that one person can make a difference. And that person is not him, that person is the one he healed. That person can now make a difference in his or her world in so many ways, including bringing others to Christ as the friends of the deaf man so “zealously” did.
I am bold enough to believe that Jesus has in some way touched you. Jesus has in some way has said to you “Be opened” and you have responded in faith. And this morning this faith is shown by your presence in this community of faith. Now, what do you do with that faith? Now what?
Well, that is the topic of several other sermons, but let me suggest just a couple as starters. First, remember that before every person you meet are 10,000 angels proclaiming, “The image of God approaches.” As a classmate of mine said, if we really believed what we say and preach, we would genuflect in front of every person we meet.
Secondly, an Episcopal priest, John Westeroff said, “Stewardship is what you do after you say I believe.” What is the stewardship of your faith? What is the stewardship of your community of St. Stephen's? What is the stewardship of your life?
Yes. Stewardship. “All things come of thee O Lord. And of thine own have we given thee.” We are approaching that season of renewed awareness of gifts received and gifts given.
We have some wonderful opportunities and wonderful challenges of community life at St. Stephen's and we need each of you to take part in sharing the stewardship of our common life. You can make a difference in the life of St. Stephen's as you respond in kind to how Jesus has touched you, opened you and brought you here.