February 23, 2025 · Rev. Derek van Gulden · Mark 2:1-12
Rev. Derek van Gulden returns to a favorite story, the paralyzed man lowered through the roof by his friends, and with the scholar Eunjoo Mary Kim sees the presence and power of God at work: Jesus not only heals the man but makes him whole and brings him back into community. The challenge for the week: what roof would you break open to make yourself or others whole?
Transcript
Friends of God, will you join me in a moment of prayer? Gracious and holy God, this morning we ask you to. You move the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts by your loving hand. And help me this day not to be the instrument of my own or anyone else's oppression, but to be an instrument of peace in every step, in every breath, in every moment of every day. Amen.
Some of you who have been here a long time may remember one of my early sermons here back in two thousand and twelve was based on this piece of scripture. It is my favorite piece. I was blessed to be able to study the gospel of Mark with one of the two world scholars who broke that Mark was in storytelling form Way, way, way before it was written. And she would start each class by pulling a handkerchief or something else out, putting it on her head and becoming somebody else within the story. Would hear that day her final exam, which at first I thought, oh, this is easy. She said, I want you each to pick a piece of scripture from Mark. Using that, create a story from your own experience in your own vernacular. It was not that easy because you had to actually put it on paper. And as a storyteller, I don't put things on paper, but it was wonderful to step into that story. I won't redo it to you today because, well, I'm tired.
But On our trip home, one of the five different paths we had to take. We got waylaid in San Juan, Puerto Rico for a bit longer than we were told we would be, and so I had my iPad with me. I couldn't figure out why I brought it on vacation, but then I thought, well, let me look up and find something on Mark, and I came across this biblical scholar who I've read before, and I really like the way she puts things, and I'm going to try to say her name, but I apologize that it will not come out probably the way it is. Eunjoo Mary Kim.
And the one thing that stuck out at me from her writing about this piece was parts that we don't really think about. We think about Jesus being crowded in around the house he's at. We think about the four people that somehow got up on the roof, got the paralytic up on the roof, and then somehow cut a big hole in the roof, and then they would have to remove dirt or whatever else is there, and then unceremoniously dropped him and dropped, but lowered him down right at Jesus's feet. And then we hear Jesus looks up and sees their faith, sees their faith. And tells the man, depending on which version in English you read, because of their faith, you are forgiven or because of your faith. Together you are forgiven. Amazing piece.
I've been in a group for the last six months, and all we're doing is focusing on hope. And there is a member of this church who has asked me to talk more about it. And hopefully, Jack, this week, you and I can sit down and plan out some services with a little homework thrown in.
But the piece that Mary Kim wrote that just put this in a new light for me is after Jesus does all this. And as you heard Colonel Henry describe, start to go, well, who are you? How can you do this? And Jesus response is not to say, well, because I am. But he puts it in a different way, saying, is it easier if I say, take up your mat and walk away? So the world word healing or forgiven are not in that piece. But what we witness, as Mary Kim says, is the presence and power of God in, with, and through Jesus. The presence, the power. Of God are in, with, and through Jesus. If you notice three different ways of doing it. God the creator, God the Redeemer, and God the sustainer. This amazing part.
As I sat there and wondered in my own life, where have I heard words like that? And I kept thinking. My first day in seminary, which was now quite a while ago. Every piece of paper that I received, of all the different things I had to do and learn and figure out and this and that and what to wear or not to wear under the name of the seminary. They were the words justice, compassion, and reconciliation, justice, compassion and reconciliation. For a long time I have thought, that's exactly what we do. That's what we are called to do. Sometime over that time, I added love. But when people ask me what we are about, sometimes you'll hear me say, in this congregation we live the love and justice of Jesus through Scripture, story, service, and song. Which I think covers how we do things. But then I tend to say, well, they say, how do you do it? And I say through justice, compassion, reconciliation and love.
The part of the story that often doesn't get told or we miss is the fact that at that point that Jesus tells that person. Get up, pick up your mat, and go. Jesus is not only healing him from whatever ailed him. He is also healing him wholly, bringing him back in to community. We hear throughout Scripture, and if you read historically how things were during that culture, people that had diseases, whether they'd had them since they were born or they picked them up sometime in life, it was thought that they got those because they had sinned. And so they were pushed to the margins, like many people. When Jesus reaches out and tells that young man to stand up, pick up your blanket or whatever, and walk away. He is physically healing him and he is making him whole once again, making him whole. To me, sometimes that's the part we miss. Sometimes whenever Jesus is healing somebody or the disciples through Jesus is healing somebody. Or in these days we are healed through the Holy Spirit. Those people are not just made well, they are made whole again.
Maybe that's what we are called to do. Through the love and justice of Jesus, to make whole, those individuals, those communities and creation once again. Something to think about.
And I'll leave you with these words. It's a bit of a challenge between now and next Sunday. What roof would you have to break open? To make yourself or others whole once again. Amen.