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| Mass healing did not only happen in ages past, but what do we do once we are healed? |
© Seth Olson 2021
February 7, 2021—The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Video of this sermon may be found here.
Holy God, let my words be your words, and when my words are not your words, let your people be cunning enough to know the same. Amen.
The scene was frenzied! A mass of humanity descended from all over the area. What were they all doing here? Nearly a thousand people heard that healing was suddenly available to them! They hoped that this would change their lives. And, in this hopeful state it seemed like the whole city gathered there. What scene am I describing? No, I am not talking about the makeshift triage clinic of spiritual salvation that Jesus provided to Capernaum in today’s Gospel lesson, I am telling you about people unexpectedly receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
During the last week of January up in Seattle a freezer malfunctioned, so a nearby hospital had only nine hours to distribute over 800 vaccinations before they spoiled. Thanks be to God no vaccine went to waste! Back at the beginning of January, a hospital in California had to do the same thing—they gave out 830 shots in two hours! Then, there were the public health workers that were stranded in an Oregon snowstorm. The healthcare team from Josephine County went from car to car to ensure that their leftover doses did not go to waste. Healing—beautiful, miraculous healing is happening all around us! (For more on these stories click here.)This does not even touch on all the life-giving treatment that doctors, nurses, technicians, chaplains, and other hospital staff have continually provided over the last year!
We are witnessing the good news of communal healing from a virus that has taken far, far too many of those whom we love. Our own day’s mass healing calls to mind what happened in today’s Gospel lesson when so many were healed in Capernaum. As we discern how we continue following Christ during this time of hopeful healing, one specific life-giving transformation in today’s Gospel lesson provides us with inspiration. Let us take a closer look at Jesus’ restoration of Simon’s mother-in-law—from this one story we can observe how many were healed.
Right before Jesus arrived at Simon and Andrew’s home, he cast out a demon from a man in a Capernaum synagogue—this was last week’s Gospel lesson. This restorative work of the demon possessed man would have raised some eyebrows, as it was done on the Sabbath. In today’s lesson, Jesus doubled down on the importance of doing God’s work, even on the Sabbath, as he healed Simon’s mother-in-law who was sick with a fever. We might simply think that when Simon’s mother-in-law was sick, she was just missing out on fixing some sandwiches for her son-in-law’s buddies. However, in those days on the Sabbath women were not at synagogue praying when the men were. Instead, they were at home preparing a special meal. I will leave the troublesome implications of gender roles for another sermon, for now think about it this way: Simon’s mother-in-law was not able to fulfill a very meaningful calling on that day.
Simon’s mother-in-law could not do what she felt God was asking her to do. She could not fulfill her vocation of serving others. So, for the second time on this Sabbath day Jesus himself served others by bringing God’s healing into this world. What did this healing look like?
The text we just heard reads, “[Jesus] came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.” There’s another version, which states after taking her by the hand Jesus “raised her up” so that she could enter into service—this verb is the same as the one used to describe Jesus being raised from the dead. So, Jesus resurrected her.
This is foreshadowing of other healings, when Jesus will raise up children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends! This is also an echo that calls back from the future, it is a foretaste of Jesus’ own Resurrection triumphantly called forth by Our Heavenly Father.
Back to this healing, Simon’s mother-in-law was on the precipice of death, but then Christ Jesus brought her into new life. For us who seek healing in our day, I wonder, do we see restoration in the same light? Do we envision it to be like Resurrection? Over the last year, how many of us have felt as Simon’s mother-in-law did? If not us, we certainly have known others who have experienced this in the last twelve months. Today’s Gospel lesson makes it clear that a plethora of healings took place on the night that Sabbath ended, but Mark focused on this one in which Simon’s mother-in-law was raised up. I wonder, why? Once, she was raised what happened?
She began to serve them. I do not think I can overemphasize the importance of this witness to us. Yes, this seems painfully unrealistic—one does not immediately jump into caring for others after recovering from COVID-19. And yet, this is not simply about returning to work—this is about resurrected life!
This word service is not just a throw away term, nor was it one that rested solely on the to-do list of women in the 1st Century. Earlier in this very chapter, Mark described Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. Who served him? Angels. Then, later in this Gospel account, Jesus himself described his ministry in this way, “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.” What does it mean to take part in Christ’s reign in this world? What shall we do when we are healed? What does resurrected life look like? Service! We are to be like Simon’s mother-in-law, like angels, and like Jesus.
As a wise one recently put it, our resurrected life, our life in Christ is “not about what I get, but my response because [of what] I have received” (Joy J.Moore on the Sermon Brainwave Podcast this week). Simon’s mother-in-law understood she was restored to then fulfill her vocation of serving like angels did, like Christ would do. She had a vision of God’s call for her that helped her to see that it was not about what she got from Jesus, but how she would respond.
Regardless of who we are, where we are from, or what we do, part of our identity as followers of Jesus stems from service. We are to be like Simon’s mother-in-law, like angels, like Jesus. We are to take part in a resurrected life following the Son of Man who came not to be served, but to serve. Responding to this call, of course, is not easy. I certainly struggle with it at times.
You may know this, but all priests are ordained to be deacons first. This role, which literally means servant, comes with the following job description: “The ministry of a deacon is to represent Christ and his Church, particularly as a servant of those in need; and to assist bishops and priests in the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments” (The Catechism on page 856 in The Book of Common Prayer). Deacons have the painful, but crucial responsibility of putting the needs of the world front and center in the life of the Church. All priests and bishops started off as deacons. Why? So, they first learn to serve! When I was ordained a deacon, I did not like it at first. Who am I to speak for the world? But, over time all of us not just deacons or priests or bishops—all of us who take part in the resurrected life of Christ are called to serve and to speak up for the hurting in this world.
As though it were not enough to have the example of Simon’s mother-in-law prepping a meal for disciples, or angels waiting on Jesus, or Our Lord caring for his own disciples; we also have another example of service given to us today. Today is Scout Sunday! Our scouts provide examples of caring for our larger community. Whether they are earning merit badges for public service; building bridges, benches, or playgrounds in our area; or installing some AEDs that have already saved someone’s life—they exemplify service for us.
You do not have to be a scout to serve though. There are a multitude of ways for all of us to live a resurrected life of service:
- Bring water for Uniontown here to All Saints between 9:30-11:30 this Friday morning
- Volunteer to help at Community Kitchens on February 27th
- Bring food by All Saints for the Woodlawn Food Pantry
- Volunteer or contribute to relief efforts in Center Point and Fultondale
- Sign up to be on the Commons Crew to help set up for the outdoor 11:00 service beginning again in Lent
- Join a Care Team here at All Saints
There are some other ways to serve your neighbor—even if you are unable to reach out through any program at church.
- Wear your mask.
- Wash your hands.
- Keep physically distant.
- Get the vaccine when it is your time.
All of these are ways to say, “I care about you, my neighbor. I want to serve you by protecting you and your loved ones from the continued spread of this disease.”
We are called to serve like Simon’s mother-in-law preparing a feast for Jesus and his friends, like we are ministering to Jesus in the wilderness, like Jesus served his friends before his death. There are a multitude of ways to be a servant to one another. How will you take part in Christ raising you up, resurrecting you, so that you may minister to others? For we are all called to live a risen life of service to one another! Amen.
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