Accompanying lectionary: http://www.ecsssj.org/member/show_lit.php?myid=26
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.
Over the past week, there has been a story in the newspaper about the trouble the USC football coach is having with jerseys. It seems that the coach made a promise to an incoming freshman that he could have the number 2 on his jersey. But the problem was that the number 2 was no longer available – it had been retired. One way that sports teams honor their really great players is by retiring their numbers, which means nobody will ever wear it again. Apparently, the last guy to wear number 2 was one of the most incredible players the Gamecocks have ever had, and so they retired his number. So the coach contacted the former player, and asked for permission “unretire” his number. But the guy refused. Now this seems a little silly: Here's this guy who was probably a pretty good ball player in college, and who's now making a gazillion bucks playing professional football. But he's so stuck on his former glory that he can't let go of a silly number. As a matter of fact, he has made an idol of the number 2.
This happens to most of us at one time or another – we get stuck in the past. We get comfortable and we idolize the way things were. Things are going along great, then something happens – something that causes us to move on. But instead of continuing to move forward in our lives, we think back to a time when everything seemed perfect, everything was going just the right way. Maybe it happened when we're in college, like that football player. We're so full of expectation of how life is going to be, the job we're going to have, the house we're going to buy, that we can't help but be disappointed a little and we make an idol of that dream. Maybe it happens in our jobs – the economy shifts and we have to take a lesser job for lower pay. And we can't help but think back to how great things were in the old days. Maybe it happens in our relationships – money gets tight and the kids need clothes for school. And we think back to how great life was for just the two of us. Maybe it happens in church – people move away or their lives change and they stop coming. And those who are left behind think back to how we used to do things way back when, like Wednesday night suppers, or a particular Sunday school class, or an after school program. Now there's nothing wrong with a little nostalgia and remembering the “good old days.” But when we are spending all of our time and energy reliving the way things were instead of where God is calling us to be today, we get stuck, and we make idols out of the past.
In today's gospel, Jesus teaches his followers that discipleship means moving forward in mission. Our story picks up right were last week's left off. Jesus leaves the synagogue after casting out the demon and he goes with his four friends to Simon's house. I imagine it's been a long morning already and they were looking for something to eat. But Simon's mother-in-law is sick. So Jesus touches her and she is immediately healed and quickly begins serving them.
Before he knows it, Jesus is famous. After casting out a demon in the synagogue and healing Simon's mother in law from fever, people come from all over town looking for the same thing. We all want to be healed. And after an entire day of healing, he retires to rest and in the wee small hours of the morning he begins to pray. When his friends find him, they want him to come back – What are you doing sitting here? Folks are looking for you! You're a hero! The whole town loves you! But they don't understand that the only reason Jesus heals is to reveal the power of God. And he knows that in spite of his success in Capernaum, God is calling him to move on.
Now I ask you to consider three things as you think about this lesson. The first is that this story is not about sexism in 1st century Palestine. In fact, it is quite the opposite. As a someone who grew up in a community of middle eastern people, I can tell you that even today, the honor of serving guests of distinction belongs to the most senior woman of the household. If the President of the United States came to visit my parents, nobody would set foot in the kitchen without my mother's express permission, and she would have reserved the honor of serving his dinner for herself. So what Jesus does when he heals Simon's mother in law is that he restores her dignity; he restores her honor; he restores her to her rightful place in society. She is no longer a sickly, dependent widow, but once again the head of the household. For Jesus, healing means wholeness in body, mind and spirit. It means being restored to God and to our fellow human beings.
The second thing to consider is that there are times when God calls us to new ministries and new mission, no matter how good things are or have been. There are times when we need to move on, no matter how wonderful things used to be in the past, or how comfortable we are in the present. Jesus' call to discipleship for Simon, Andrew, James and John wasn't a call to stay at home, where their success was virtually guaranteed. It was a call to proclaim God's kingdom all over Judea, a call to move out of the comfort of the familiar into the discomfort of doing something new for the sake of proclaiming the gospel. So it is with us. We are called to try new forms of ministry as we reach out to the people of Irmo. We are called reach out beyond just our family and friends, to the hundreds of people who whizz by our front door and never even think of stopping. Our ministry is to those people, who couldn't care less that we are here.
The third thing that I would like you to think about is that we are called to live our our discipleship throughout the entire week. Jesus healed on the sabbath, and then moved his disciples out of town on the very next day. Discipleship doesn't end with worship on Sunday, it continues throughout the week. It is a full-time job. Does that mean we should be here in this building every day, praying and listening to witty sermons? Of course not. But it does mean that God wants us to live out our week in a way that's consistent with how we live on Sunday. It would be great if you could begin each day with prayer and maybe a little scripture reading, and with Lent coming up, maybe some of you would like to give that try. But what is more important is that we live our lives every day of the week remembering our baptismal vows: to continue the Apostle's teaching and fellowship; to resist evil; to proclaim the Gospel by word and example; to seek Christ in all persons; and to strive for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being.
Jesus heals by restoring us to God and to our fellow human beings. He calls us to serve those we do not even know, in ways we may not fully comprehend. He calls us to 24/7 discipleship, connecting what we do on Sunday with how we live the rest of the week.
Thanks be to God.
