Scripture: Isaiah
40:21-31 • Psalm
147:1-11, 20c • 1
Corinthians 9:16-23 • Mark
1:29-39
In this week's gospel, Jesus, without a word, takes her hand, and "lifts up" Dorcas, Peter's mother-in-law, who has been ill. Immediately she gets up, and without a demand or request, begins serving others. She understands Jesus, his mission, and call to discipleship when the crowds, his disciples, and yes, us, misunderstand what Jesus is about.
What is Jesus all about? What are we called to do, as a church, and as individuals, all beloved of God? See The Rev. Kate Huey's "Called to Healing" reflection.
"Love not expressed,
love not felt," P.C. Ennis writes, "is difficult to trust....God knew the
human need for nearness. Jesus is the incarnation of God's love, which makes it
all the more demanding (if frightening) to realize that for some people, we are
the only Jesus they will ever meet" (Feasting on the Word Year B, Vol.
1). What if your church, and the people within it, are "the only
Jesus" some people will ever meet? Would they recognize him?
Is healing miraculous, to be expected as popular prosperity preachers profess? Is it, and Jesus' healing presence, something more? What if the miracles we pray for do not happen? See The Rev. Debie Thomas' "Mystery, Not Magic." Where is Jesus in all of this? What should we pray for? What are we, as Christians, called to do, to be?
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