! 1! We All Need Healing Sermon by W. Dreyman Lectionary 16 Mark 6:30-34, July 19, 2015 Holy Trinity Church, Hasbrouck Heights

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1 ! 1! We All Need Healing Sermon by W. Dreyman Lectionary 16 Mark 6:30-34, July 19, 2015 Holy Trinity Church, Hasbrouck Heights I wonder what the historical Jesus looked like. I m certain it was not like a Renaissance painting, as beautiful and moving as that might be. It was probably not like the modern examples of Jesus laughing, or the romantic blue eyed, blond haired Jesus that still exists in a few of our churches. I have a crucifix made in Tanzania that portrays Jesus as an African. That may be closer to the truth than the blond haired Jesus, but I still don t think it s quite right. Yes, he must have had darker skin. I imagine his hands must have been rough from his years as a carpenter (read stonemason or house builder). He must have been a sturdy guy. He was comfortable with working men, like the fishermen he called to be his first disciples. When I think of the way the historical Jesus might have looked, I don t think of him as dressed religiously. Yet, that is the way he is described in the gospel reading for today. Maybe it s not that obvious, but when Mark writes: wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed (6:56) he is describing religious garments. It is not the first time we have read about the fringe of his cloak. A few weeks ago we remembered a woman

2 ! 2! who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years and her touch of the fringe of Jesus cloak was all that was required to result in her healing. Her faith had made her well, Jesus said. In ancient Israel, men wore four-cornered outer tunics with tassels, or tzitziyot, tied to the four corners. This outer garment became known as a tallit, and eventually evolved into a prayer shawl. The Book of Numbers explains the fringe, or tassels that were worn by Jewish men to remember all the commandments of the Lord and to obey them (Numbers 15:37-41). Yes, Jesus dressed religiously. His garments made it obvious to the crowds that greeted him, whether Jew or gentile, that he was faithful to the Law and the Prophets. It was obvious that Jesus was Jewish. And, miraculously, the mere touch of one of Jesus tassels brought healing even to the gentiles of Gennesaret on the other side of the sea. On June 17 th, the same day as the shootings at an African Episcopal congregation that killed 9 people during a bible study in Charleston, SC, another church was attacked. The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes in Tagbah, Israel on the Sea of Galilee was burned by a group of young Israelis. Scrawled on the wall was red Hebrew graffiti warning that idol worshippers would be killed. This location is close to where Jesus was healing the sick and ministering to people in need, as

3 ! 3! Mark has written. The gospel passage jumps over the feeding of the 5,000 that the Church of Loaves and Fishes is built to remember. It is a simple building, modestly constructed in a land of religious spectacle, as one author puts it. On the floor beneath the altar is a mosaic of the loaves and fishes that dates back to the 5 th century. These were not Muslims who set the fire and wrote the words in red. They were Jews. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the incident and declared that hate and intolerance have no place in Israel. Last year, a group of mostly Jewish youth attacked the Church of the Multiplication s outdoor prayer area along the Sea of Galilee, pelting worshippers with stones, destroying a cross and throwing benches into the lake. Add to these attacks on churches the killing of 5 Marines and the wounding of two others by a young Muslim man, and the guilty verdict that was announced over the young Christian man who killed 12 and wounded 70 when he showed no mercy in a movie theater in Aurora, CO, and it leaves me shaken. What is it like for you today? Are you shaken by this kind of news or is it just more of the same old stuff? It s a summer Sunday and I wanted to keep this message light. Yet, the violence continues. Does Jesus have a tassel to spare, to touch: to make a way for healing in the world today?

4 ! 4! Of course, it is not just the shooters or burners that need healing. We notice them, which might be the biggest reason they act out with such violence. Perhaps you ve heard the quote before: It s better to be wanted for murder than not to be wanted at all. There are no simple answers. Racial differences, religious issues and the complex reality of the psyche of the killers all comes to bear. Yet, the fact is we all need healing. We each require restoration from things that trouble us. Some of us grapple with emotional pain that we struggle to understand. Others have fallen into a deep pit of anger and resentment. Still others have physical ailments that persist. Does Jesus have a tassel to spare, to touch: to make a way for healing in the world today? Ron Rolheiser has become an important voice to me. He wrote this past week on healing. Let me share a little bit of what he wrote with you: All of us live with some wounds, bad habits, addictions, and temperamental flaws that are so deeply engrained and long-standing that it seems like they are part of our genetic make-up. And so we give into a certain quiet despair in terms of ever being healed of them. 1 He goes on to address how experience teaches us this and how resolutions or willpower are never enough. We try to change, but find that these things are so deeply ingrained that we are powerless over them, however great or small they may be.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1!Ronrolheiser.com!! Healing!!A!Theory!July!13,!2015!

5 ! 5! Rolheiser notes there are many approaches to healing. There is psychology, counseling and therapy. These can be effective and helpful, but even psychologists will tell you it often is not enough. Sociology also has insights into healing. Healthy interaction, the author writes, with family, friends, community, and church can be a wonderfully steadying thing in our lives and help take us beyond our lonely wounds and our congenital missteps. 2 He goes on to talk about how helpful 12-Step groups may be to us, noting that self-understanding and willpower cannot conquer addictive process; that a higher power is found in ritual, communal support, honesty, admittance of our helplessness, and turning things over in life to a power higher than ourselves. He writes: Recovery programs are invaluable, but they too aren t the answer to all of our problems. 3 Finally, he says, there are ways that grow out of spirituality. Going to church as a kind of healing; emphasizing the forgiveness of sins; entering into prayer and meditation; letting oneself be prayed-over by some group or faith healer: or undergoing long periods of spiritual guidance under a trained director. There is value in all of these approaches and Rolheiser admits: perhaps the full healing of a temperamental flaw, a bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2!Ibid.! 3!Ibid.!

6 ! 6! habit, an addiction, or a deep wound depends upon drawing water from each of these wells. 4 He concludes with a reflection on John of the Cross, a mystic who lived in the 14 th century. He writes: In his last book, The Living Flame of Love, John proposes a theory of, and a process for, healing. In essence, it runs this way: For John, we heal of our wounds, moral flaws, addictions, and bad habits by growing our virtues to the point where we become mature enough in our humanity so that there s no more room left in our lives for the old behaviors that used to drag us down. In short, we get rid of the coldness, bitterness, and pettiness in our hearts by lighting inside our hearts enough warm fires to burn out the coldness and bitterness. The algebra works this way: The more we grow in maturity, generativity, and generosity, the more our old wounds, bad habits, temperamental flaws, and addictions will disappear because our deeper maturity will no longer leave room for them in our lives. Positive growth of our hearts, like a vigorous plant, eventually chokes-out the weeds. If you went to John of the Cross and asked him to help you deal with a certain bad habit in your life, his focus wouldn t be on how to weed-out that habit. Instead the focus would be on growing your virtues: What are you doing well? What are your best qualities? What goodness in you needs to be fanned into fuller flame? 5 Maybe that is why we have sent our youth and adults to Detroit; to show them a way of living out the gospel, rising up to affirm our love for one another. Have you checked out what they ve been up to; 30,000 of them worshipping, singing, and serving throughout the city? Thursday, Friday and Saturday they took turns riding 240 buses per day to serve non-profits throughout the city. Detroit folks are beside themselves with delight. Because of their bright orange, red, green, and yellow shirts, the city of!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4!Ibid.! 5!Ibid.!

7 ! 7! Detroit is being described as an explosion of a Skittles factory. I can t wait to hear about what they have learned and how they have served. The problem of suffering and death is with us. That is clear enough after this past week. We grieve with those who have experienced losses. Nevertheless, I m convinced that the risen Christ has the power to heal. Some of us may even experience something miraculous. Maybe what is happening out in Detroit is part of that miracle: a way of touching the fringe on Jesus cloak! Amen.