What Faith!

The appointed Gospel reading for the Church’s Daily Prayer is taken from Mark:

 

When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ‘Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and take your mat and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the paralytic— ‘I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.’ And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’  (Mk. 2:1-12).

 

I have discussed this passage with a Church of the Nazarene friend of mine who lives in Boston on many occasions, and we always come away from this passage remarking, “What faith the paralyzed man’s friends had!”  Imagine the scene, Jesus is teaching.  The house is crowded.  You can’t even wedge yourself in, much less have 4 men carry in a man on a stretcher.  So what do the paralyzed man’s friends do?  They hoist their friend onto the roof, cut a hole in the roof and then lower him down. Imagine the reaction of the people inside when they heard and saw the roof being dismantled: “What in the --- is going on?”  Why do they do this?  So that their friend can come before Jesus.  Who are our friends?  How are we friend to others?  Is our relationship based in faith?  Is it based in Jesus?  Do we lift up our friends in prayer (or lower them down as the case may be)? There is forgiveness of sin out there; there is healing out there.  You and I are Jesus’ instruments to bring people before him.  All it takes is a little faith.

 

Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMIDNERS

 

Thursday, 20 March at 11 AM, the Seaside Seniors meet in Sutton Hall at St. Augustine’s for lunch and fellowship.  The theme is St. Patrick’s Day.

 

Wednesday, 19 March at 6 PM, the Lenten Series, Nick @ Night, continues at Grace.  The speaker will be the Rev. Wendy Wilkinson.  She came to the priesthood after decades as a professional orchestral trumpeter from Shaker Heights, Ohio. She received a graduate degree in Religious Studies at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio before attending Virginia Theological Seminary. Both she and her husband graduated from VTS in 2004. After graduation, the Rev. Wendy was the Director of the Spirituality Center at Holy Spirit Episcopal Church in Orleans, Cape Cod. When her husband, Mark, was called to be Rector at St Aidan’s in Virginia Beach, she found her ministry as the Episcopal Chaplain to Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. In January of 2013, she began her ministry as the Priest-in-Charge at Good Samaritan Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach. She continues to use her musical gifts and visit the Virginia Beach General Hospital with her therapy dog, Kuma. The Rev. Wendy and her husband, Mark, have two grown sons, Jeffrey who resides in Columbus, Ohio and James, who lives in Nagoya, Japan.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially, Pat, Karen, Patricia, Evelyn and Lee.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550