Our Hearts Desire
Readings:
Hebrew Scripture: 2 Samuel 1; 1, 17-27
Psalm: 130
Epistle: 2
Corinthians 8:7-15
Gospel: Mark
5: 21-43
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
The word of knowledge about my heart’s desire
What is your heart’s desire?
– think about it
2. Mark today is all about hearts desire
·
basic level
Jairus – heart’s
desire daughter live and become woman she is on verge becoming
unnamed women – heart’s
desire – after 12 long years of suffering under others - healed and restored to
life in her community
·
within Marks gospel
o
3rd of 3 stories place Jesus as fulfilment ultimate hears
desire
§ end of time – when bad
people get comeuppance
§ God’s reign peace justice
begins
calming of storm – we
will see links
healing possessed on
other side – dark lands of gentile – God’s mercy and goodness is at work even
there
this story when then
goes back
Jesus is one defeats all powers evil, brings healing and hope and life
for all, defeating even death.
3. This story
no matter where stand whether Jesus actually healed and raised people
from dead or not
don’t want get tied
down that
remarkable story
for a start- Jairus and women are not Jesus normal clientele
– ministry mostly with poor,
orphaned and widowed, very sick – people have been seen beyond God’s love and
mercy and have been excluded from community
Jairus – leader of synagogue
– one ruling elite
women had disposable money
spend for 12 years worthless medical advice – well beyond means average
Israelite and certainly those Jesus usually deals with
so he and his disciples
return
into crush humanity (Greek makes this very clear)
2 astounding things happen
first Jairus comes before him and abases himself in front
of all these people looked down on for so long
suffers humiliation for his daughter
then women enters crowd – although she is unclean
Comes alone at risk family name
Deliberately reaches out and touches garment
of man
Hoping beyond hope
Unlike disciples last week filled
with fear and frozen into inaction
She
overcomes her fear, has faith and acts.
Trusts in God’s love, goodness and
mercy
her
action heals her
not
Jesus
her
faith and action
Tell disciples very tired at
this point with all this sailing and crowds and so on
Jesus says “someone touched me” and they almost mock
They are disciples
He is their master and they mock?
um, really, in this crowd.
come on!
Jesus is insistent
She risks all and owns up and
confesses all
takes fate into own hands
this woman spent last 12
years mercy others hand
male hands
determinedly charts own
course
How does Jesus respond?
Gently restoring her to life
Life as full member this society
No longer sick, unclean, on the
edge.
What Jesus does again and again?
4. The girl
Face of that example of
faith, of trust – messenger comes
She
is dead
There
is no hope
Leave
this man and his strange ways
Come
home and grieve
Jesus ignores them and again
reframes statement last week
Do not fear, have faith,
trust.
Then, unlike todays healers
who gather crowd and broadcast of TV across the globe so that God (and they)
can be glorified
Jesus leaves the crowd and
most of the disciples
takes
father
and
3 closest disciples so that mentor them
Evicts the startled mourners
Invites dead girl to get up
And restores her to the
normal routines of life – feed her
do not treat her differently
she is fully restored
And then says the craziest
thing of all
Tell no-one!
You don’t think having this
girl who was dead walking around, living life, getting married won’t be a bit
of a give-away???
5. So what
Not just story from long ago
We are invited into this
story
where are we?
disciple
crowd
woman
father
mourner
what is Christ the Word
inviting us to today through this story
Trust that you are held in God’s mercy, goodness and love
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