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I Samuel 1:1, 17-27, II Corinthians 8:7-15, Mark 5:21-43
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, West Valley City, UT
The Rev'd W. Lee Shaw
It is good to be back with you. I greatly enjoyed and benefited from my time at the CREDO retreat looking at aspects of clergy wellness. This was a well spent week for me, even in hot, humid Virginia. One of the things that became clear the very first day was the importance and the power of community. Now, this was a gathering of clergy with many commonalities and so community was rather easy to forge. I found it to be very beneficial.
Our readings today look at relationships as individuals and in community. The grounding of our faith is relationship, relationship with God, with one another and in community. In our lesson from 2 Samuel we have David’s heartfelt lament and tribute to Saul and Jonathon, especially to Jonathon. To hear David’s grief one cannot doubt the intensity of the love between these two men.
Our letter from Paul to the church in Corinth goes to the issue of communal sharing and mutual responsibility. Paul has begun a relief effort among the churches to help the impoverished church in Jerusalem. He is commending them on their beginning in helping their fellow Christians and urges them on to fulfill the bonds of community with their fellow Christians in Jerusalem. This is much more than a stewardship letter, it is plea in a matter of life and death for people in Jerusalem. There seems to have been a misunderstanding, a rift between Paul and the Corinthians (not unusual given this church) and Paul is now pressing them onward for the sake of their fellow Christians.
One of the dangers of living in community is misunderstanding and assumptions. We see this especially with Paul and the church in Corinth, Greece. It is too easy to make assumptions, project biases, and just misunderstand one another in community, even a community of faith. As I have said many times quoting Parker Palmer, to live in community requires a continual act of forgiveness.
Even the best of intentions can be misunderstood. For example, three brothers invested in single venture and became very, very rich. They wanted to do something for their widowed mother. The eldest said he would buy her a BMW with a driver to take her wherever she wanted to go. The second, not to be outdone, said he would buy her a new home, large and well furnished. The youngest brother, knowing his mother’s faith, said he had met a man who had a parrot who had been trained to recite all of the psalms; he would give the parrot to her as his gift.
After the gifts were given, mom had some responses. First, the car is nice but too fancy and the driver is rude and drives too fast. The house is much too large for me and I feel lost in all those rooms. Finally to the youngest son: You always understood me and knew what I liked. Thank you for the chicken, it was delicious. It is so easy to be misunderstood in community.
It is also easy to be misunderstood one on one as the woman in the Gospel discovered. She just wanted relief from her misery. She had spent her money on physicians to no good end. She was desperate and in need. She knew, she believed fully that Jesus could heal her, but she was afraid of approaching him. So, from behind, in secret, quietly, she touched his robe and prayed for healing.
But it seems Jesus misunderstood. He felt someone had tried to trick him, avoid him, yet he felt the power of her faith. That for me explains his over reaction: Who touched me! He knew someone of faith had touched him and sought healing with out facing him, without seeing him. It seems he misunderstood the woman’s plight. When she did come forward, he saw her faith and realized her plight. Very rightly he said, your faith has “made you well.” When he saw and heard and felt her faith, then it all fell into place for him.
There is a lesson in all of these lessons for us, a lesson I feel very acutely at times. First, it is too late to tell someone you love them after they are gone. Tell them you love them now, today. Do not assume they know that already. Tell them.
Second, we have responsibilities to the broader community, even if we do not have a name or a face. When people are in need, we are called to help, without judgment. That is what being part of a broader community means, we are called to respond to the needs of others. For me, that means human as well as non-human needs. I give regularly to animal groups for dogs and cats who are not part of my life. I give to human rights and welfare groups for people who I will never know. We do so out of our commitment to serve others in Christ, even the non-human others.
Finally, the woman who touched Jesus’ robe gives me hope. I can come up behind Jesus in faith and still be blessed. If I feel I cannot face the divine in my life right now, I can come up from behind and still be blessed by the holy. It is not the eloquence of my prayers, but my faith that brings me to Jesus and Jesus’ healing touch to me.