A Season of Healing

April 23, 2017

Stetson Memorial UMC

Sermon Series:

 “Mending Fences-Healing the Heart…”

“A Season of Healing”

Adapted from Marcia McPhee’

“On the Mend” Sermon Series

Psalm 16 HCSB

James 5:16-17 MSG

Matthew 17:1-5 GNT

Psalm 107:19-21 NLT

“A Season of Healing…”

The Lord be with you

And also with you

Let us pray (Prayer that God’s Word is heard through me or in-spite of me)

Please stand for the Gospel of Luke, chapter 5, verses 17-20. Listen to the word of God from His love letter to His beloved, you and I…

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man

17 One day when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of the Law were sitting there who had come from every town in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was present for Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a bed, and they tried to carry him into the house and put him in front of Jesus. 19 Because of the crowd, however, they could find no way to take him in. So they carried him up on the roof, made an opening in the tiles, and let him down on his bed into the middle of the group in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the man, “Your sins are forgiven, my friend.”

She walked into the room not sure what she was looking for or needed. People greeted her with smiles and they tried to make her feel as comfortable as they could. But she had been her before. She had been in this same setting and didn’t like the outcome. But she decided to give it one more try…there had to be a place where she could go.

But then it all started all over again. Their intentions were “good”, so they thought. But in her eyes their intensions were something that was dark and frightening. She was afraid to talk with them because she wasn’t sure just how to explain her feelings. So she silently sat in the corner.

The others just thought she was just “the quiet type”. They were proud of the way they had let this new comer in and they thought that they were open and loving…so proud of that fact. They were the “best” group in the area and no one could even come close to what and who they were.

Months past and the girl started to attend the group less and less. Some of the members noticed she was not there. They started blaming each other. “You weren’t very nice to her anyway. You didn’t offer her a hand when she said she needed help moving. I have seen this happen before in this group…I know it is his/her fault.”

The more they argued the more they couldn’t see the look in the eyes of the new comer every time she came to the group. She felt that she couldn’t trust the people of the group because every time she spoke to one person…they shared with another…then another until what she originally said was nothing like the end words.

The girl finally gave up and never went back again. She still looks today for a place where she can call “home”. She just wants to be in a place where she feels loved, safe, secure and valued. She is wanting a place and a people she can call family.

Good morning. This morning I want us to be interactive with each other. I need audience participation. So please play along as the Spirit leads…In the story I just shared with you, what stands out for you? Give time for answers. What stands out for me is the fact that she is still looking for a place to go.

We as Christians know the place to go…just as the men did when they lowered their friend in front of Jesus. In fact, they even carried him to the roof, made a hole in the roof and lowered their friend down…from the ceiling…for him to be where he needed to be to heal what ailed him.

We, as the Psalmist in Psalm 107 verses 19-21, know what happens when we call out to God. Let’s read this together…please turn to Psalm 107 in your bibles and read these verses together…

Psalm 107:19-21New Living Translation (NLT)

19 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,

    and he saved them from their distress.

20 He sent out his word and healed them,

    snatching them from the door of death.

21 Let them praise the Lord for his great love

    and for the wonderful things he has done for them

We cry out to God and He helps, He saves, He heals and He loves.

So, if we have this Truth, why do people turn away from our churches? Why do people think they are better off without the healing of Jesus? Interactive time. I really want to know what you think…

In the story from this morning, I see sort of a pattern here. This might help us to understand what happened in this group.

1.  Their intentions were “good”, so they thought. They wanted to be a group that was known for their lovingness…so to speak…they may have even tried too hard because they were proud of their status.

2.  So she silently sat in the corner. No one seemed to wonder why the girl sat in the corner. They didn’t go over and try to interact with her.

3.   They were proud of the way they had let this new comer in and they thought that they were open and loving…so proud of that fact. Maybe…just maybe…they were a little too proud of themselves. To the point that they couldn’t see the hurting right in front of their face.

4.   They started blaming each other. “You weren’t very nice to her anyway. You didn’t offer her a hand when she said she needed help moving. I have seen this happen before in this group…I know it is his/her fault.”  And now comes the blame game. Instead of finding the underlying cause of the issue, they just blamed each other.

5.  The more they argued the more they couldn’t see the look in the eyes of the new comer every time she came to the group. They were so enveloped in themselves that they forgot about what they were so proud of themselves for. They didn’t notice the damage they caused to the outside.

Now the girl did bring stuff to the group of her own:

1.  But she had been her before. She had been in this same setting and didn’t like the outcome. She already came with a very suspicious mind. She probably thought that all the groups were the same no matter where she went. Quite the defeatist attitude…

2.  But in her eyes their intensions were something that was dark and frightening. Still emotional baggage from before that probably was never addressed.

3.  . She was afraid to talk with them because she wasn’t sure just how to explain her feelings. It is hard to explain feelings of fear, mistrust, hopelessness, despair… But there needs to be a place where we can come together and talk about our feelings. That is why she still is searching…even today.

So why have I told you this story today? The reason I have shared this with you because we as Christ church need to have conversation of what ails us. What is hurting inside of us. What hold us back from living the life, individually and collective, that we are offered through Jesus. How will we do this you may ask yourself.

Over the next few weeks we will be talking about some of the things that ail us…that stop us from living that life in Christ. We will be mending fences and healing the heart with one another. And there may be no fences that need mending but we are all broken. What in us needs mending?

In the bulletin, you will find the breakdown of what we will talk about each week…what mending we will talk about. My hope is that we will have that conversation that will lead to healing. Not only that but after the service each Sunday, I invite us to have further conversation…living room conversation with each other in the green room with a little coffee…a little snack and I hope a whole lot of conversation and mending. We will put ourselves in front of Jesus where we can be healed. There will be a week that my friend Margaret will come for you to have conversation with her of what ails your heart.

Conversation is hard but it is vital if we want to be that vital congregation for Christ. We need to do a heart check to be the heartbeat of God in our community. James 5, verses 16-17 tells us:

16-18 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.

So, I ask that we prayerfully come together…as family…to heal what ails us. Let us become that group that the girl would feel comfortable. Remember, she is still out there looking. Maybe…just maybe…she will come through our doors.

Amen.