Perhaps my commonest experience of healing
is people asking for prayer for others
In these days of electronic communication
I even get a steady stream of requests
for our parish to pray for the sick
It may be Manilla, or Edinburgh, Tocumwal
or somewhere on the Mississippi...
...we are happy to join our prayers with other.
It is important that we not think
that sending as many emails
or asking as many prayer groups
or individuals to pray
is what makes for effective healing.
this story points us in rather a different direction.
People bring a paralysed man to Jesus
and lower him down through the roof
so that he can get close to Jesus.
There is a degree of controversy about what is going on.
The readings from the Hebrew Scriptures (Is 43 & Ps 41)
point us to the fact that healing
is ever with us and that it is God's will
to heal and forgive
St Paul reminds us that in ministry
it is important that we are firm and committed
we join our commitment to God's action
and say "Yes!".
Against this background
the simple, if not dramatic story
gives us a process
about how we bring others to Jesus.
Corporate
Indeed the first thing we note
is that this is what freinds do.
We support each other.
Sometimes we are slow to respond to this call
but this story reminds us
that relationship
also establishes
responsibility.
It may be that we have to be reminded of this.
relationship
true relationship
will mean not just that we have fun together
but at times our primary responsibility
is to be there to carry and support.
few days and full of trouble
In Job we are reminded that we live short lives
that are "full of trouble"
perhaps this is poetic licence
but it is not without some import.
Things do not always go in a straight forward way
what do we do at the hurdles?
In a shallow world
we could drop everything and give up.
Or we can persist.
There are logistical questions:
How do we get our friend to Jesus?
Answer: We will need more than one of us to do it
How do we get through the crowd?
Answer: We will need to be creative
How do we get through the solid roof?
Answer: certain traditional obstacles may need to be dismantled
I don't want to suggest this is the defined process for all problems
rather to note that
part of our commitment
will be to engage with the solution completely
Half-hearted wishful thinking will not be sufficient.
God is inviting us to act radically on our faith
and part of that movement will be
to develop the skill to act decisively and co-operatively.
At the feet of Jesus
The key part to the whole process will be
getting the sick person to Jesus.
This is both figurative...maybe a healing service is a good idea...
but what is critical
is that friends trying to enable healing
are seeking to get the sick person
to encounter the risen Lord.
In this story the forgiveness of sins
needs to be proclaimed.
It is our responsibility
to make sure that that happens.
How can we help the sick
to take the next step towards Jesus?
It may be that we need to open ourselves up
and witness of Jesus's love and kindness to us.
It may be that our action needs to help them teeze out
what Jesus is challenging them to be and do.
We do not sit back and say nothing...
Having carried the sick person to the place,
destroyed the roof and lowered them down,
we need to ensure that the possibility
of real encounter with Jesus
is not thrown away
because of our own timidity.
This is where Paul is encouraging us
to minister with confidence. Let your Yes be Yes!
We are not neutral participants.
Do we allow some people to have less than the best because we have been timid about sharing and encouraging the encounter that is critical?
The encounter with Jesus himself.
Conclusion
The reminders then that we get in this story are simple but strong
- Healing is a cooperative exercise. We have a responsibility to care for those with whom we are in relationship
- Sharing in healing requires commitment to see it through and deal with obstacles
- and finally to always remember, encourage and promote that we are bringing people to Jesus and to do everything we can to promote genuine encounter. It is Jesus who heals and who must be allowed to speak the word. We need to take this seriously
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