Faith and healing, in memory of Kelly and Sloane.

My pastor is on vacation this week, so I'll be preaching for him this coming Sunday. I did the same over this weekend last year. I really struggled with that sermon, so I didn't watch TV or check the news all weekend, until just a few minutes before I needed to leave the house Sunday morning. I turned on the TV just for a second and the first thing I saw was Kelly's face. That's when I learned that she and Sloane had died. This coming Saturday will be the anniversary of their accident.

It would have been hard to preach anything that morning, but the subject of this sermon made it feel almost impossible. It took everything I had just to stop crying long enough to walk to the lectern. When I got there, I dedicated the sermon to Kelly and Sloane, and said a prayer that I could do what my preaching professor always told us to do: preach the word I most needed to hear. This is what I said:

Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.”

So he went with him. And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Faith and Healing: Mark 5:21-43
Preached at St. Andrew's UMC, Edgewater, MD on June 28, 2009

For much of this lectionary year, we’ve been reading from the gospel according to Mark. A few months ago, Pastor Dave spoke to us about Mark’s fondness for the word “immediately.” Mark’s gospel is short, fast-paced, and urgent. Jesus appears and immediately everything changes. This week’s reading is no exception. Take a look- we get three “immediately”s in just 22 verses. The woman touches Jesus’s cloak and “immediately her hemmorage” stops;” Jesus is “immediately aware that power [has] gone forth from him;” and finally, Jesus takes the dead girl by the hand and “immediately” she gets up and walks. Clearly, Mark wants us to pay attention to how quickly Jesus makes things happen. It works on me- When I hear these stories, it’s the immediacy of the healings that grabs my attention. Faced with tragedies as enormous as chronic, debilitating disease and the death of a child, Jesus just waves his hand, and poof! The problems disappear. The woman is healed; the child is alive. Immediately.

It sounds so simple, that sometimes it makes me sad and confused. How many people do we all know who suffer for months or years with horrible, chronic diseases like cancer? How many of us have lost someone we loved and then felt like the grief would never end? Like we might be sad forever? I don’t know about you, but when I read the stories of Jesus’s miraculous healings, I wish that there were more miracles to go around. And I can’t help but wonder- If faith is enough to make someone well, then why do good and faithful people suffer and die every day?

I admit, when I first read today’s gospel text, I wasn’t sure how to preach on it. I wondered what I really had to say about faith and healing. Yes, I believe that faith can sustain us through hardships; I’ve read the scientific studies showing that deeply spiritual people are happier and healthier; and I believe that prayer has a healing power far beyond our rational comprehension. But I don’t believe that faith alone makes the difference between who is sick and who is well, or between who lives to a ripe old age and who dies prematurely. To me, that kind of thinking comes way too close to blaming people for the bad things that just happen to them. I don’t want to do that. Nor do I want to discourage people from taking advantage of the many medical treatments available today- some of them so remarkable that they almost seem like miracles. When I was in a bad car accident 9 years ago, my parents called Pastor Dave to come and pray with me, but they also took me to the hospital, and I’m glad that they did.

So what do we do with this text? What can these ancient, almost magical stories teach us modern, scientific people about the relationship between faith and healing? With all due respect to Mark, I think that we might find some answers if we put aside those “immediately”s for a minute. When I take a closer look at these stories, I realize that the healings they describe are neither as immediate nor as simple as they first appear:

Take, for example, the woman with the hemorrhages: When she meets Jesus, she’s already suffered with her disease for 12 long years. Mark tells us that she “had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse.” Isn’t that something we can all relate to? When I read that line, I think of everyone I know who has ever gone through chemotherapy and radiation, where the cure seems worse than the disease. I think about the people I’ve known who suffer from depression and other mental illnesses. They often spend months or years trying different medications, dealing with terrible side effects, and wondering if any treatment will ever work for them. I think about the millions of obese people who try every diet, drug, and surgery available, but just can’t seem to lose weight. And I think about all of the people in this country without health insurance, living in poverty because of enormous medical bills. The way that Jesus is able to heal this woman is truly a miracle, but I think there’s another miracle in this story too. It’s a miracle that this woman is even willing to try yet another solution to her problem, and even more amazing that she actually believes that this one will work. It’s this first miracle, I think, which has something to teach us about the kind of faith that can make us well:

First of all, this kind of faith takes action. The woman with the hemorrhages is open to a miraculous cure, but she doesn’t just sit around and wait for it to come to her. With an open mind, she tries anything and everything to fix her problem. When one thing doesn’t work, she tries the next thing. Even when she’s exhausted by her efforts and a cure seems impossible, she continues to try. When she sees Jesus rushing through the streets, she doesn’t just sit back and hope that he’ll notice her. She reaches out and takes hold of the one person who she believes can make her well. The same can be said for Jairus, whose daughter is sick. He seeks out Jesus, throws himself at his feet and “begs him repeatedly” to help his child. Even when all hope seems lost, he heeds Jesus’s words, continues to believe, and continues to try.

This kind of persistent action isn’t easy, especially when we go a long time without seeing the results that we want. Perseverance like this requires hope- a deep, fundamental belief that, against all odds, things can change. The woman with the hemorrhages has been sick for so long that she must find it hard to remember a life without her disease. Yet, somewhere deep inside, she is able to imagine herself getting better, and this gives her a reason to keep going.

I’ve worked in various forms of counseling for about 8 years now, and, from what I’ve seen, its this kind of hope that makes the biggest difference in whether or not someone gets better. Recently, I’ve been counseling women who are victims of domestic violence. Many of these women have been in multiple abusive relationships, and most suffered some form of abuse as children. Often they see themselves as nothing more than perpetual victims, unworthy of real love and respect. When they reach out for help, though, things can begin to change. In the counseling relationship, these women experience the kind of care, respect, and understanding which they haven’t received in their other relationships. Gradually, some of them are able to see new possibilities for themselves. They can imagine themselves as strong, independent women who receive love and respect because they won’t settle for anything less. Once they have this vision of themselves, I know that they’ll succeed in making it real. Once they truly believe that a better life is possible, they won’t give up until they achieve it, no matter how long and difficult their journey may be.

It sounds so simple- just have faith and believe- but its can be one of hardest things in the world to do. I think that’s where our friends, families, and church communities come in. Our loved ones believe in us when we can’t believe in ourselves, and they also give us glimpses of what might be possible for us. When you heard today’s stories, did you wonder how the sick woman and Jairus became so convinced that Jesus could help them? The answer is that they were part of the Jewish community in Israel- the same community in which Jesus had already preached, taught, and performed other miracles. They didn’t have blind faith in Jesus- they heard what he had already done. They may have even seen it with their own eyes.

At the counseling center where I intern, we have several support groups. St. Andrews has them too. There’s an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting here at the church and Pastor Dave just started a new cancer support group. Support groups are places where people witness miraculous healing with their own eyes. In these groups, people struggling with similar problems share their pain, but they also share their hope. One of the reasons that AA and other 12-step groups are so successful in helping people with addictions is that they bring people in various stages of recovery together. When a person struggling with a substance addiction walks into their first 12-step meeting, they usually can’t imagine a life without alcohol or drugs. But at that meeting, they hear stories of people who have been sober for days, weeks, months, and even years- people who used to feel just as hopeless and out of control as they do now. In support groups, people learn that miraculous healing is possible because they see and hear evidence of it all around them.

Our church’s founder, John Wesley, understood the power and importance of group support in building faith. He organized the early Methodist communities into small sub-groups called classes, bands, and societies. In these small groups, Christians gathered regularly to share their journeys of faith. They prayed for and with each other, and talked about the ways they saw God’s hands at work in their lives. In these groups, many early Methodists found healing for the broken places in their hearts, minds, and spirits. Pastor Dave understands the importance of group support too- that’s why he reminds us so often that there are no “Lone Ranger Christians.” We need Christian communities where we can share how God works in our lives, and witness the wonderful things God does in the lives of others. When we come together as a church, we give each other the hope that we all need to persevere in the life of faith, so that when miracles do happen, we’ll be ready to receive them.

I think that the good news of today’s text is that miracles aren’t always simple or immediate, but they do happen. The people in today’s stories have to make long and difficult journeys in order to receive healing, and it might not happen exactly as they want or expect it to. Given a choice, I’m sure that the woman with hemorrhages would not have endured 12 years of sickness and lost everything she had before finding a cure. I’m sure that Jairus would have chosen for his daughter not to get sick and die in the first place. When that moment of healing comes, though, none of that matters. When these people finally feel the healing touch of Jesus, they forget all the struggle and pain, and simply feel awe and gratitude for the miracle they’ve received.

As we sit here this morning, I’m sure that each of us is need of some form of healing, whether from physical disease, mental illness, emotional pain, spiritual emptiness, or any number of other hurts. I’m also sure that, at one time or another, we’ve all wished for a miracle. The good news of this text is that it might not happen immediately or exactly how we want it, but if we persevere, believe, and support one another, our own miraculous moments of healing will come. Sooner or later, our faith will make us well. Amen.