Prelude 
Call to Worship                                           Matthew 4:4
One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
 
Hymn   450      Be Thou My Vision          Text: Irish poem
                                                                   Music: Irish ballad       
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me save that thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
 
Be thou my wisdom and thou my true Word;
I ever with thee and thou with me Lord.
Thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tower,
Raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
 
Riches I heed not, nor vain empty praise.
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.
 
High King of Heaven, my victory won.
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
 
Reading from Scripture           Mark 8:27-38
Mark 8:27-38
Peter’s Declaration about Jesus
27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ 28And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ 29He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ 30And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’
 
The Morning Message            “Who do people say that I am?”
 
That was a loaded question Jesus asked his friends. As we have traveled through the scriptures of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, we learn the importance attached to the name of Jesus. When he is born, Mary and Joseph call him, “Jesus,” which in Hebrew is “Yehoshua,” because he will save his people from their sins.
 
Cruden’s Bible Concordance lists 198 names given to Jesus, each one packed with meaning.
 
Like many of you, I’m sure, we get pictures and videos almost every day of our grandchildren. One of my favorites is of our youngest when he was just a few months old. Sturdy enough to propel himself in his exer-saucer, we hear his father call his name, “Thomas!” and his little round head turns in the direction of the iPhone video-ing the moment. A smile forms on his chubby little face. “Thomas!” dad calls again, and the smile grows. “Is your name Thomas?” and his little body just starts to bounce for all its worth, his bright eyes locked onto his dad’s in this grand moment of recognition.
 
Our names are important. Your name is important. If I hear your name, I am immediately on alert, asking questions, like, are you in the hospital? Should I give you a call?
 
It is with this kind of attention that I read the paper. One night last winter, I settled in with a cup of tea and the Herald-Dispatch. As I turned to the obituaries, I noticed the name of a dear friend, Robert, and shook my head in disbelief. Surely this couldn’t be right.
 
While our kids were still at home, we saw Robert and his wife regularly. But we saw less of each other now that our nests had emptied. In recent years, Robert and his wife had moved to Ohio to be closer to their daughter and her family. We understand that, don’t we?
 
The funeral home visitation was that night, so I rushed upstairs and got myself put together enough to make a visit. I tried to reach Ed while I drove. He was at a music conference out of town with students. I knew this news would hit him hard. I finally reached him as I was walking into the funeral home. I could hear the grief and disbelief in his voice. I detected a note of guilt that we had lost contact with this couple. I was feeling it, too.
 
When we confess our sins each week in worship, we ask God to forgive us the wrongs we have done and those things we have failed to do. I was feeling the full awful truth of that in those moments.
 
I waited behind a long line of friends, neighbors, and colleagues to speak to the family. Then I was wrapped in a warm embrace that closed the gap that absence and neglect had created.
I started to apologize to Rachel that I was so completely out of the loop and so sad about her husband’s death. She gave me one of those looks that said, “You need to hear the rest of the story.”
 
And so I did. I learned that for nearly the whole time they had lived in Ohio, her husband had been battling a brain tumor. He underwent surgery and radiation treatment to no avail. He suffered two massive strokes. The illness devastated his body and his mind. For his loved ones, his death was a blessing. His suffering and theirs, had ended. He had been received into the mercy and everlasting arms of God.
 
My friend described their lives as being consumed by Robert’s illness. There was no time for much of anything else. The pastor and members of the church they had joined were very supportive and helpful, present with them through the whole ordeal, just as their friends here would have been.
 
And then she said, “I want to tell you something. You will understand.”
 
One Sunday, she explained, “Our pastor spoke about finding our purpose. And I spent a good deal of time thinking about that. What is my purpose? What is Robert’s purpose?”
 
Now, I would have said she had found her purpose in being a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and for more than thirty years, an outstanding teacher. And her husband’s purpose could be found in much the same way through his family connections, and as a mechanical engineer. They were both valuable community members and faithful Christians.
That’s a lot of purpose in my estimation.
 
As she was contemplating the question about purpose, she went to the facility where Robert was a patient and found herself at the nurses’ station. She said she hadn’t planned it, but, she heard herself ask if they had ever thought of holding a worship service there. The nurse said no, but, sounding interested, asked Rachel if she knew of a church that might be approached.
 
Rachel said she pointed out the window. “See that church across the field? I go to that church. I’ll ask the pastor about it. The next Sunday, a worship service was held for patients, family, and staff. And from one spontaneous inquiry, a relationship was born and has grown beyond a single worship service.
 
She said that was confirmation that she and her husband were exactly where they were supposed to be. Their lives still had purpose. Robert’s very altered life still had purpose.  In fact, they had a fresh purpose, even at 70 years of age.
 
Why do I tell you this story? After all, you heard it last year during Lent. Because time and life are God’s to give and our lives have meaning and purpose before we are aware of it and beyond our awareness. And because any discussion of life eternal life must address the five letter word Nicodemus didn’t utter: death. I may have a thought or two that will help ease your mind about it.
 
Nicodemus asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life, how he could be born again. Surely, he couldn’t literally be birthed from his mother’s body again.
 
That is a powerful, blunt question. It strikes at the heart of the matter. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, one of the most devout Jews of his day. He was one of the most highly educated people of his community. He was important, respected. His life had purpose.
 
It was nighttime when Nicodemus sought Jesus out.  It was believed that the most serious, most dedicated study was undertaken at night. So, here he was, a faithful Jew, a law scholar, asking Jesus about life after death.
 
What does our reformed tradition tell us about life after death?
 
We start with what we know of Jesus’ experience. The Jesus story is our story, too.
We will follow him.  Through the witness of Scripture and our confessions it is understood that we are destined, when we die, to follow Jesus into God’s presence.
 
In Second Corinthians 5:8 we read these comforting words:
“We do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” Sometimes we interpret that verse as “absent from the body, present with the Lord.”
 
We also take counsel from our confessions. The Scots Confession declares, “The chosen departed are in peace, and rest from their labors, not that they sleep and are lost in oblivion as some fanatics hold, for they are delivered from all their fear and torment, and all the temptations to which we and all God’s chosen are subject in this life.”
 
Westminster is even more precise, declaring that “the bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption; but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God.” Of course, we would amend that to include women.
And the verse I read at every funeral service : “If we are buried (in baptism) with Jesus in a death like his, we will also be raised in a resurrection like his. Romans 6:5.
 
If there is a Presbyterian narrative about life after death, this is it: When we die, our souls, or spirits, go to be with God, where we enjoy God’s glory and wait in anticipation for the promised day of the kingdom fully revealed.
 
Say this with me: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”
 
This is the gospel in a nutshell, isn’t it? It is the most-often quoted verse in the Bible. And this was the ultimate answer to the deep and probing questions Nicodemus brought to Jesus.
 
That verse announces that the story of our salvation begins with God and God’s love. God initiates a relationship with us out of love. God sent his Son to live among us, to be one of us, to close the gap between God and ourselves, to save us. Behind everything is the love of God.
 
In the Letter of First John we read, “God is love. Those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.”
 
This is not the image of God to which some cling. Some Christians cling in fear to the image of God as judge and monarch whose subjects adhere to a strict code of conduct in order to please him.
 
But the God Jesus describes that night to Nicodemus, is the Father whose greatest desire is to have all his children home.
 
Augustine said, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us to love.”
 
And that is the essence of what my long-time friend shared with me that night at the funeral home. God had loved them in West Virginia. God loved them in Ohio. God loved them in the hospital, and God loved them in the nursing home. And God loved them so much that the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ shone through  their suffering, to bring comfort and courage to others of similar need.
 
And if that was the purpose at the end of Robert’s life, then God’s kingdom did come.
 
Intercession for Lent
Jesus, remember us when you come into your kingdom.
Hear our confessions:
For your church around the world, we ask for new life.
For all who carry out ministries in your church, we ask grace and wisdom.
For those who have accepted the spiritual disciplines of Lent, we ask inspired discipleship.
For Christians of every land, we ask unity in your name.
For Jews and Muslims and people of other faiths, we ask your divine blessing.
For those who cannot believe, we ask your faithful love.
For governors and rulers of every land, we ask your sober guidance.
For people who suffer and sorrow, we ask your healing peace.
Holy God,
Your Word, Jesus Christ, spoke peace to a sinful world
and brought humanity the gift of reconciliation,
by the suffering he endured.
Teach those who bear his name to follow the example he gave us.
May our faith, hope, and charity
turn hatred into love, conflict to peace, and death to eternal life.
We lift our prayers to you now for the health and well-being of our church members, families, and friends in their particular circumstances.
As the pandemic wears on, may we all access vaccination.
May we work for equal attention and care for all your children,
praying in the way Jesus, our brother, taught us saying, Our Father…Amen.
 
Blessing
Go now, and live before God in openness and integrity.
Set your minds on the ways of God,
not clinging to your own life,
but taking up your cross to follow Jesus.
And may God give you a share in the eternal covenant;
may you be found faithful when Christ comes again in glory;
and may the Holy Spirit strengthen you in faith and courage,
and lead you in the way of righteousness. Amen.
 
Postlude

Prelude


Call to Worship       O Lord, As You Were On Your Way      Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
O Lord, as you were on your way to where you’d one day die,
you wanted time to rest and pray, to hear God’s word to you that day.
So soon, the three became aware of such a wondrous sight.
Your face shone bright beyond compare, just like a glimpse of heaven there!
Your clothes were dazzling white; your glory came to light.
 
Hymn                         Spirit, Open My Heart                            Text: Ruth Duck
                                                                                                Music: Irish Melody
Refrain.
Spirit, open my heart to the joy and pain of living.
As you love, may I love, in receiving and in giving.
Spirit, open my heart.
 
God, replace my stony heart with a heart that’s kind and tender.
All my coldness and fear to your grace I now surrender. Refrain.
 
Write your love upon my heart as my law, my goal, my story.
In each thought, word, and deed, may my living bring you glory. Refrain.
 
May I weep with those who weep, share the joy of sister, brother.
In the welcome of Christ, may we welcome one another. Refrain.
 
Prayer of Confession
God of compassion,
in Jesus Christ you reveal the light of your glory.
But we turn away, distracted by our own plans.
We confess that we speak when we should listen,
and act when we should wait.
Forgive our aimless enthusiasms.
Grant us wisdom to live in your light
and to follow in the way of your beloved Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
 
 
 
 
Assurance of Forgiveness
Though we were blinded by sin,
God’s saving light has been beamed into our hearts
that we may see the radiant mercy of God
in the face of Jesus Christ.
Sisters and brothers, your sins are forgiven. Be at peace.  Amen.
 
The Gospel Reading         Mark 9:2-10
The Transfiguration
2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ 6He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’ 8Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus.
The Coming of Elijah
9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean.
The Morning Message   Sermon for Feb. 14, 2021   Transfiguration Sunday
 
We were headed to Boston for spring break. Ed and I and about forty high school choir students and assorted parents. But it’s a long way from Ona, West Virginia to the place where everybody knows your name.
 
So, we stopped for the night right outside New York City, enjoyed a great Italian meal, and turned in. The next day we would go into the city, though it was raining buckets, where we would pay our respects at the 9/11 Memorial and ascend the 102 stories to the Observation Tower of One World Trade, enjoying the Big Apple’s skyline from the tallest building in the western hemisphere.
 
Truth be told, I would have preferred staying on the ground, at the 9/11 Memorial. There was something gravid and mysterious about that place where so many lost their lives that tragic September day. A few moments felt too short a time to acknowledge the depth of pain and suffering.
 
 
But, I joined the others and up we went, by elevator and stairs, finally reaching the first observation deck. The enthusiastic tour guides had us all anticipating the big reveal. You see,  when you get to the observation deck, there are ceiling to floor windows, like Windows on the World, the famous restaurant that once topped the World Trade Center. Shades cover the windows to add to the suspense. At the moment of greatest suspense, the shades rose slowly to reveal…
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. We were shrouded in fog so dense you could see nothing of the great throbbing city below. No Statue of Liberty beckoning to the tired and poor, no Empire State Building or Rockefeller Center or St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We knew they were there. We had seen some of them from the busy Manhattan streets.
 
But, in that moment, all we could see was a solid white wall of fog. We were so high up, it was like being enveloped in a cloud. And being in a cloud is disorienting.
 
Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up the mountain to pray. But, once the cloud descends, they find themselves terrified and confused. The dazzling white of Jesus’ clothes no longer shines so brightly. Moses and Elijah, the pillars of the law and the prophets, there just moments ago, vanish. Being in the cloud, lost in the fog, disorients. No longer weighed down with sleep, their senses grow more acute. What would happen next?
 
And then came the voice, adding to their terror. “Look. This is my Son, my chosen, listen to him.”  God was closer than Peter, James, and John ever expected. Present, yet invisible.
The story of the transfiguration is very odd, isn’t it? I’m not sure what to do with clothes that glow or the appearance of long-dead heroes, or hearing a booming voice from heaven. I’m even less sure how to make sense of it for a congregation who has assembled to worship and to find inspiration for the coming week.
 
But, I do know about prayer. And, I do know about going away to a beautiful or far-off secluded place in search of solace or direction or a sense of the Holy One. I know the importance of gathering a few friends around me so I won’t have to face my terrors alone. I know about being dead-dog tired but my feverish, fretful child needs to be in the comfort of my arms. I do know what it’s like to be in a fog, literally and figuratively, trying to find my way home.
 
And I know about mountain-top experiences. Moments so distinctive that we will never forget them. Moments of clarity or beauty or profound community that serve as the signposts of our lives. For those of us who are in a community of faith, those mountain-top experiences are almost certain to have a spiritual perspective.
 
 
 
 
This is why we had pancakes after church about a year ago. By the way, Teague True re-named them, “Kuhn Cakes,” and that’s how they will forever be known. We had a fund-raising brunch to help the children and youth of this church have those mountain-top experiences. Literally. Bluestone Camp and Conference Center is in Hinton, West Virginia. It is the site of the presbytery’s summer camping program. It is a place set apart- for fun and recreation, for swimming and canoeing, for hiking in the woods, singing around a campfire. All un-plugged. No electronics. It is a place of prayer, and study, and lighting the sparks of faith. It is a place of the beloved community. And endless games of ping pong.
 
Montreat is a Presbyterian conference Center, a college and a town in Western North Carolina. Close to Asheville. The first time I visited Montreat, our driver pulled into the parking lot and said, “You all are from almost heaven. This here…is heaven!” And he was right.
 
When not under Covid restrictions, Presbyterian youth from all over the country make the journey to Montreat for one of several weeks of summer youth conferences. You haven’t lived until you see a thousand teen-agers gathered around the entrance to Anderson Auditorium, ready to rush the place...to worship God.
 
Daily worship with outstanding leaders, one of which was to be Cliff Haddox last year, small groups to explore the scriptures and ideas they prompt, recreation, music, all kinds of special interest opportunities. Rock-hopping. Meeting people. Making life-long friends.
 
Back in the day, you could see Montreat’s most famous residents, Ruth and Billy Graham, driving around in their beat up old Volvo wagon with a dog of two hanging their heads out the windows.
 
Surveys show that the single most important factor in a young person choosing to attend theological seminary is attendance at summer camp or conference. It is formative. To be in a place set-apart, with distractions reduced to a minimum, immersed in the faith, with sufficient time for rest and recreation, provides space to ponder the deeper concerns of life, establish priorities, make decisions, solve problems.
 
When Jesus took his friends up Mt. Horeb, he was coming to the end of his earthly ministry, but he had not yet completed his work. His greatest work, his magnum opus, was yet to come. Did he ascend the mountain to inquire of God about his next steps? To gather courage? To pass the torch of ministry to Peter, James, and John?
 
We don’t know. It was quite clear that Peter wanted to stay on the mountain. He was already talking about building booths for Moses, Elijah and Jesus, as if he could contain them there and be enshrined in their glory. He was reluctant to return to the ordinary and common things of life.
 
This is normal. I can certainly relate. For many years, I took groups of young people to Montreat. We stayed in a stinky old un-air-conditioned house on Mississippi Road every year. The raccoons and the bears took turns turning over our trash cans and scattering the contents. A dozen kids in one house for a week is a challenge. But, it was also a little slice of heaven. It was hard to head home, to pick up on the regular routine, to feel the absence of one another.
 
We don’t know exactly why Jesus took his friends up Mt. Horeb that day. But, when they came back down the mountain, Jesus had his face set toward Jerusalem. Toward the demands of his passion. And the glory of his resurrection.
 
A.H. McNeile once wrote, “The Mountain of Transfiguration is always more enjoyable than the daily ministry or the way of the cross.” But it is given to us to strengthen us for our daily tasks and to enable us to walk the way of the cross.
 
Susanna Wesley had a prayer that went like this:
“Help me, Lord, to remember, that religion is not to be confined to the church or closet, nor exercised only in prayer and meditation, but that everywhere I am in Thy presence.”
 
Even here, in our living room.  Even in yours.
 
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
O Lord, our God,
you are great indeed, clothed in majesty and splendor,
wrapped in light as with a robe.
In the solitude of a mountain height,
you revealed your glory in Jesus Christ
even as he faced his crucifixion.
We praise you for this glimpse of the mystery of our redemption.
Transfigure us by your Spirit,
and let your love shine in all we do and say
that all the world may see the radiance of your light,
Christ Jesus, your Son,
Who guides all creation to the fullness of your glory.
We lift up those in our community of faith, our friends, and family members who are in need of healing and wholeness, all those in need, the forgotten, lost, and abused,
and pray for the coming of your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
We pray as Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father…Amen.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Blessing                                                           Nathan Nettleton, Laughingbird.net
Go now, and speak of what you have seen of God.
Do not cling to the holy moments when heaven overshadows you.
But, as the Lord lives, listen to Christ and follow him from the places of revelation to the places of mission.
 
And may God shine the light of glory into your hearts.
May Christ be with you and never leave you.
And may the Spirit renew the image of God within you.
 
Postlude
​

Prelude
Call to Worship                    from Psalm 147
How good it is to sing praises to our God.
For God is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
God heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.
God is our Lord, and abundant in power.
God’s understanding is beyond measure.
 
Hymn           God, You Give Us Recreation             Text: Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
                                                                                   Music: Traditional Dutch melody:
                                                                                   There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
God, you give us recreation, rest and play when work is through.
Game and sport and celebration, times that challenge and renew.
In the days we spend together, in the feasts that we prepare,
in the times of joy and laughter, may we know your loving care.
 
Yet, O Lord, we see you crying for the ones who know no rest.
For your children, hungry, dying, for the homeless and oppressed.
May we, as your sons and daughters, share with open heart and hand,
‘til your justice flows like waters to the poor throughout the land.
 
Bless, O Christ, our gifts of caring, for we know without a doubt:
soup and bread are meant for sharing, hands are made for reaching out.
Even in our times of playing, may we keep the vision clear:
keep us serving, loving, praying, welcoming your kingdom here.
 
Prayer of Confession
Isaiah exclaims, “Have you not seen? Have you not heard? “The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. God does not faint or grow weary,” but comes to us to renew our strength and restore us to right relationship with God and others.
 
O God. Our creator, sustainer and redeemer, we confess our feelings of anxiety and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic and other events and challenges of these days. We look for help, but, sometimes it seems you are far away. Remind us that you are most present to us in our time of need. Restore in us a sense of your comfort and care. Renew our strength so that we might mount up with wings like eagles to carry out each day’s purpose.  Amen.
 
Assurance of Pardon
The God who fashioned the stars and the moon has come close to each of us with mercy and love. Hear the good news of the gospel: We are forgiven and freed to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint. Know you are forgiven and be at peace.
 
Old Testament Reading            Isaiah 40:21-31
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
   Has it not been told you from the beginning?
   Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
   and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
   and spreads them like a tent to live in;
who brings princes to naught,
   and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
   scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither,
   and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
To whom then will you compare me,
   or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
   Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
   calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
   mighty in power,
   not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob,
   and speak, O Israel,
‘My way is hidden from the Lord,
   and my right is disregarded by my God’?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
   his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
   and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
   and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
   they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
   they shall walk and not faint.
 
Gospel Reading                      Mark 1:29-39
Jesus Heals Many at Simon’s House29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32 That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34And 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.
A Preaching Tour in Galilee35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ 38He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ 39And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons
 
The Morning message   “Have you not known? Have you not heard?”
 
I always get a tingle up my arms when I hear those questions. It’s like a cosmic, “Where have you been? Have you been living under a rock?”
 
Isaiah 40 begins what Bible scholars call Second Isaiah. This passage has been described as a pre-trial narrative containing a strong defense of God. This section precedes the “trial” of the next eight chapters of Isaiah, where humanity is “tried” as in a courtroom. In this pre-trial narrative, God is presented as the one who needs no introduction.
 
God is the master designer, creator of all that is, whose power and authority have no limits. The one who is the very definition of benevolence, who reaches out to the weak, faint, and powerless to renew and strengthen. Surely, we all know this. Surely, we can all bear witness to God’s glory.
 
Someone I love is a lawyer. Early in her career she appeared with a client before a judge. The nature of the proceedings and the reputation of the court left her stumbling for words. The judge swiftly chastised her, “Young lady, are you an attorney?” Then represent your client!”
 
If you were to stand before the court, if you were to testify to the mighty acts of God, what would you say?
 
When this text appears in the lectionary, I always think of my friend, whose hyper-active adolescent son was to appear before the session with his confirmation class. This was the moment of truth, the hour when they could be questioned on what they had learned about church history and theology, the moment when someone would surely ask if you have to be baptized to get into heaven and why Presbyterians don’t normally applaud in worship.
 
Unconvinced that his son was ready for this inquisition, he took the boy to a nearby stadium and walked up and down, back and forth, all afternoon, quizzing him.
 
That night, washed and combed and dressed in their go-to-meeting clothes, the class was assembled before the session. One by one, the elders asked a question of the young people. With each question, my friend grew more nervous.
 
Finally, it was his son’s turn. An elder of many years service looked at the boy and asked, “Young man, can Jesus do anything?”
 
It required only a one-word answer. “Yes.”
Examination passed.
 
Have you not known? Have you not heard? Those who wait upon the Lord shall be filled with strength. They will stand before stern judges and not be reduced to tears. They will be given uncommon endurance, even surpassing the fitness of young athletes. They will succeed in their work even when their mom or dad doubts them.
 
In our gospel text, we are witnesses to the power Jesus wields over sickness and death. Fevers were common in Galilee. The Greek translation of the text indicates that the sick woman was seriously ill. She was near death. When Jesus ministered to her, she was healed immediately. That’s a common theme in Mark: things happen immediately.
 
And after she was healed, she got up out of her bed and began to serve the people gathered in her home. Apparently, she didn’t need six weeks to recuperate like I did following major surgery. She didn’t benefit from the gift of nourishing food lovingly made by friends and family. If we would look around the house, we wouldn’t see a bouquet of flowers picked from her neighbor’s garden.
 
No. She resumed her role and responsibilities right away- cooking, cleaning, serving.
 
I’m not advocating that any of us jump up out of a sick bed to make dinner for a crowd. Because I think that misses the point.
 
God gives and gives and gives and does not grow tired or weary. One good deed, one life redeemed, one relationship restored gathers steam. Strength builds upon strength. And, if we want to understand that kind of strength, we will find it by waiting upon the Lord. That can be translated into waiting upon or serving or taking care of God’s world and God’s people. Peter’s mother-in-law regained her strength in performing household tasks in service to Jesus and her family.
 
Oftentimes, we explain or rationalize healing stories in the Bible by qualifying them. We say things like disease was misunderstood, that the science that informs us today did not exist, so that is why these stories appear so dramatic. A simple medication, like penicillin, would come along in time and save millions of lives. Healing would eventually come by way of human invention and the stories of miraculous healing would cease.
 
But, the fact remains that Jesus was a healer and that was one reason people were drawn to him. Fast-forward two millennia, and healing may well come by other means, rendering the witness of scripture a relic.
 
Or, does it?
 
Twelve months ago, we heard reports of a disease that was about to sweep over the whole world. Little was known about it, but, it seemed no one was immune. First world or the two-thirds world. No difference. The disease may be of little consequence or it could lead to a horrible death.
 
Soon, there would be panicky trips to grocery stores to stock up on food and supplies. Paper products were rationed. Schools and churches and restaurants closed. Vacations were cancelled and playgrounds were roped off. We all donned masks.  We washed our hands til the skin was chapped and sore.
 
Life was turned upside-down. For once, I think Americans understood what it was like to be as vulnerable as our brothers and sisters in the world’s most impoverished places. It was a time of humility. We needed a dose of humility. It was a reckoning of sorts.
 
Conversation soon turned to finding a way to control the virus. We heard that scientists were working around the clock to develop a vaccine. There were starts and stops and angst and anxiety and accusations and all manner of shameful words and deeds in these many months.
 
Every evening we watched the news for a progress report. We had hope, like the rest of the world. Sadly, we witnessed the devastating effects of Covid, people who wouldn’t benefit from the vaccine, but whose experience with the disease would advance our understanding.
 
Plagues and diseases and famines were commonplace in Bible times. Disease was understood and often thought to be the result of anti-social or sinful behavior. People lived in fear of sickness and death. Sometimes they turned to folk remedies. These may or not be very effective and they could be harmful.
 
So, Jesus comes along and he heals this woman and the demon-possessed man and lepers and the lame. And what are we to make of them? Some say these accounts are metaphors to demonstrate the power and majesty of God. 
Hmm…
 
On Thursday, I took my mother for her second Covid shot. We went to the Saint Mary’s education campus and were directed along the drive-through process. It was well-organized and efficient. On that cold, cold day, those who waited on the public were pleasant. I would go so far as to say they were cheerful.  They were finding some pleasure in waiting upon the public. That went a long way to calm nerves. At least, in my mother’s case, I believe the gentle nature of the nurse who administered the shot reduced her pain.
 
As I inched my car through this set-up, one of a hundred cars in the lot, I thought of the paralyzed man that was lowered through the roof of a crowded house to be healed by Jesus. As I looked at the people in those vehicles, some of whom displayed obvious signs of poor health, like the oxygen my mother was using, I remembered Jesus telling long-suffering people to take up their mats and walk. Immediately upon receiving her shot, my mother turned to me and said she hoped how soon I would be eligible to receive mine. And I remembered that Jesus was once compelled by the love of a father to raise his twelve-year-old daughter from the dead.
 
The healing presence and power of Jesus is not a metaphor. It is not a relic. It is just as real and effective as it was in Galilee so many years ago, even if it’s delivered by a masked nurse leaning into my car with a syringe full of life.
 
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
God gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles,
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
 
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer                  Terri C. Pilarski, 2009
Holy and gracious God,
we give thanks for all the blessings of this life.
Help us to hear when you call,
And see where you lead.
May we respond to your prophets when they appear.
Loving God, fill those who suffer, struggle, or live in fear, with your peace.
Comfort those who weep, the broken, the shattered, the lost, with your hope.
God of our desire, bless us that we may be a blessing to those we meet. 
We pray as Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father…Amen.
 
Charge and blessing for Souper Bowl Sunday
Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game,
help us to be mindful of those
without a bowl of soup to eat.
 
Go out now to love and serve the Lord. Amen.
 
Postlude
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