Broadway Christian Church · Columbia, Missouri

Morning Worship · February 8, 2009

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany

Prayer of the Day

God, we know you have the answers to all of life’s most complex problems. Often, those answers are given through caring people like our Stephen Ministers. Today we celebrate this Broadway ministry. We ask a special blessing on all who serve others, and a blessing for those being served. In Christ, we are all your children, and we lift up our desire to help each other.   Amen.

Scripture

Mark 1:29-39

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered them, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Message

All Jesus Wanted to Do Was Preach the Gospel

Larry Gallamore

Every one of us has a job to do. The job I’m referring to is not the one you normally think of as your job – the office, business, school, profession, or the home. These jobs are only a small part of the whole – your place in the economic stream of life. Each of you has a far more important job concerning this matter of living.

This matter of living calls for your best and highest self.  It calls for the use of the talent God has given to you.  It’s a job that must, of necessity, include prayer, meditation, and communion with God.  In fact, the more you engage in the aforementioned, the better you will function in this job of living.

This job of living is your highest calling.  Once you discover the secret to life and living, you’ll want to share your life with everyone.  I’ve never seen a person who really knows how to live who didn’t want to serve others in some significant way.

Once you incorporate this wholesome idea of living into the substrate of your mind, people will flock to you.  They will not let you be.

Our story for today proves this important spiritual truth.  People gathered around Jesus in large numbers.  So much so that he had to seek out a place to pray.  Everyone was searching for him.  They knew he had the answers to life.  They had witnessed what he accomplished.  Everywhere he went, people were healed, relationships were strengthened, and individual lives were transformed.

Like the prophets of old – Abraham, Moses, Enoch, Isaiah, and all the rest – Jesus had a significant impact on the lives of others.  They all added to every life they touched.

Jesus went about confirming the Presence of God, proclaiming the Good News of God, and telling folks how to live the abundant life.  In fact, that’s all Jesus ever wanted to do.  His calling was to a higher consciousness of life that he is calling every one of us.  Jesus pointed people to a God that could radically transform their lives.  The people of his day, like the people of our day, were looking for a God that offered real life.  Jesus had answers to life’s most important questions.  His way of life was so contagious that everyone wanted to be in his presence.

As he went about confirming the Presence of God, people like Simon’s mother-in-law were healed.  The Good News got out.  You can’t keep things like that quiet.  The world at the time of Jesus was starved for good news.  All they had heard for years was bad news.  They were ready for a great spiritual awakening, ready for some “good news” from God, ready for God to become active in their individual lives.

Let me tell you; that’s exactly where our world is today.  We’re tired of bad news.  We’re fed up with the same old problems.  We’re tired of the bickering.  We realize we’re going nowhere by being angry with our brothers and sisters.  We’re tired of carrying around the hostility and anger in our minds.  We’re longing for someone to come along and tell us that God cares for everyone, that we’re all God’s children, that we can all have peace of mind, that we can all be one, that we can all be in unity, and that we all love each other.  Do you remember Jesus’ last prayer was that we all be one?  Have you ever witnessed a situation where a group of people were bickering and fighting, and God worked through one person in that group; and they all became one?  

Let me tell you of an example that I observed first hand.  We have four grandchildren.  Once in a while we have the opportunity to have all four at once.  All four of our grandchildren are unique.  They are ages 12, 7, 6, and 5.  We had them all a few months back.  They were playing and having a great time, and suddenly for some strange reason, a conflict arose.  I could hear them even though I was in another room.  I heard one say, “Now, I’m Macy.  I know the rules of the game.”  Another said, “Well, I’m Jacob.  I know the rules of the game.”  Another said, “I’m Hannah.  I know the rules.  You are all mistaken.”  I was waiting to hear from Seth, the six-year-old.  He was silent.  The others were really fighting and angry words were coming out of their mouths.  They were getting madder and madder.  A part of me wanted to go in and solve the problem.  Another wiser part of me said, “Be patient, let them work this out.”  

Two or three minutes passed.  It seemed like an eternity.  Finally, Seth, the only one who hadn’t been in the fight, which, I might add, is unusual for him – normally he’s right in the middle of everything – spoke.  He said, “Guys, now wait a minute.”  My first thought was, “Oh my God, he’s going to hit one of them.”  I continued to listen.  Seth continued, “Now guys, we all want to play fair.  We’ll get the cards out of the game box, and Hannah will re-read the instructions.  We will work this out.”  Now this was a six-year-old speaking.  My first thought was, “I do not believe this.”  And then Seth said something so profound I’ll never forget it.  God spoke through that child.  Seth said to the other children, “The right thing to do is to work this out.  We are all Gallamores.”  

Now isn’t that beautiful? “We are all Gallamores.” I know why Jesus said, “A little child shall lead them.”  Sometimes we adults forget we are all Christians.  We’re all God’s children.  I don’t care what comes along in our lives.  We can work it out.  That’s what Jesus did.  He went around working things out.  When you love others, you work things out. When you love others, your main task in living is to live so others might see Christ in you.  You live to serve others.  That’s what Stephen Ministry is all about: serving others.

Have you ever seen a person who lived to serve others?  I sincerely think that Simon’s mother-in-law lived to serve others.  Don’t you think that is what’s happening here?  As soon as Jesus healed her, she began to serve them.  I know what some of you are thinking.  She was in bed with a fever, and as soon as Jesus healed her, those lazy men expected her to get up and start serving them.  The Bible doesn’t say that.  It indicates she loved to serve.  Some of you have known people like her.  

My mother-in-law was like her.  My mother-in-law’s whole life revolved around service.  She was one of the greatest Christians I’ve ever known.  She played the piano for her church for 53 years.  She taught Sunday school for over 30 years.  She was the matriarch of her church.  She was one of the best cooks I’ve ever known.  When you came to her house to visit, you left five pounds heavier.  She was friends with everyone in her small town.  When we had her funeral a few years ago, even her Catholic friends said she went straight to heaven.  I forgot to mention she was a Baptist.

She was born to serve.  A few years before her death, she was in her 80s, and she was picking up elderly people to take them to church.  They were all younger than she was.  She took them to church on Sunday morning.  She picked them up for Sunday night and Wednesday night services.  She had some great stories to tell.  She told of driving across some lawns in her later years because she had turned too quickly and she said, “Not one of those younger women in the car refused to ride with me after that.  I think they loved the excitement.”

Life is exciting when you are serving others.  Age isn’t important when you are serving others.  When you are serving others, you never seem to fatigue because you are oblivious to what the world is saying.  Our world tells you if you are past 40, you are easily fatigued.  You are not supposed to engage in strenuous activities of any kind.  I’m glad most of you don’t believe that.  I’ve got some good news for you.  There are a lot of people past 40 who love to undertake new endeavors with the same enthusiasm as a 25-year-old.

We are celebrating Stephen Ministry today.  Let me give you an example of such a person.  I was pastor in Cape Girardeau a few years back.  We had a wonderful Stephen Ministry program there.  We had 30+ ministers trained.  One day one of our members in his 80s, who, by the way, was a retired high-ranking Army officer, asked one of our associate ministers if he could check out our Stephen Ministry program.  The associate said, “Sure.  We’ll be happy to assign you a Stephen Minister.  The retired Army officer replied, “You don’t understand.  I don’t need one yet.  I want to be one.  You’re signing up new recruits; aren’t you?”

This guy was like many of you.  He had been serving people for years.  He loved to serve.  He lived to serve.  I might add he served a few years as a Stephen Minister, and he didn’t hesitate to ask for one when he needed one.

Let me share a secret with you.  We are all God’s children searching for real life.  We’re all searching for Jesus.  Our biblical story makes this clear.  Simon and his friends were all searching for Jesus.  Everybody is searching for Jesus.  There are some on the wrong track that don’t know they are searching for Jesus.  They’ve taken a page out of the “Fool’s Handbook.”  A fool in the Bible is simply a person who hasn’t made use of the intelligence God has given them.  I’m not criticizing.  We’ve all been there.  

Did you know there is a “Fool’s Handbook?”  I didn’t know there was such a thing until a few years back.  I like to read, and I stumbled across a “Fool’s Handbook.”  It has only three chapters: (1) How to be unhappy; (2) How to fail in everything; (3) How to destroy your health and life.

Let’s just take Chapter One: How to be Unhappy.”  Here’s how it reads:

Sit down quietly where you are not likely to be disturbed.  Relax the body – and begin to think about yourself.  It does not matter very much what you actually think, as long as it is about yourself.  Think about yourself, and every time your thought wanders to something higher, bring it back gently but relentlessly.

If possible, think about the past.  Think over all the mistakes you have ever made, going right back to childhood.  Think of all the foolish things you have ever said or done.  Think over all the opportunities you have missed and the time you have wasted.  Especially think of all the occasions upon which you have been badly treated.  Consider carefully the various injustices of which you have been the victim and think how much better off you might be in various ways today if other people had only behaved properly in times gone by.  Remind yourself vividly of the unkind things that people have done to you and rehearse the incidents in detail, feeling as angry or hurt as you possibly can at each recollection.  Even if a particular person has never actually offended you, realize that he might have done so if he had had the chance, and tell yourself that he has probably talked about you anyway.

Do you see why all Jesus wanted to do was preach the Good News?  He wants to offer you real life.  He wants to give you a vision for your own life.  He wants to give you life without the struggles, without fear, without a sense of conflict.  He wants to live in your heart, your mind, and your soul.  The Good News is Jesus wants you to be happy.

So be it. Amen.

Benediction

God, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for his life and teaching. Let us stand on your promises! Let us be made whole, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Let us center ourselves in the Good News! Amen.