SERMON
Sixth Sunday after Easter
St. Simon's on the Sound
Episcopal Church
John 5:1-9
"During
the night Paul had a vision"… It sounds like the beginning of
a good mystery novel doesn't it? One of those books you might pack in your tote
bag and read on a lazy weekend afternoon, tucked under your beach umbrella,
sipping on something cool and taking an occasional dip in the waves to refresh
your sun-drenched body.
"During
the night Paul had a vision."
Of course, this intriguing
statement is in no way connected to a modern-day mystery novel. But it is
connected to what I believe to be one of the most incredible mystery stories of
all time. The mystery of how the Spirit led Paul, and so many others, as they
spread the good news of Christ throughout the Roman Empire. The mystery of the
Spirit.
Paul suffered every hardship
imaginable as he traveled a total of no less than 10,000 miles in four separate
missionary journeys that extended from Jerusalem all the way to the powerful
city of Rome – the seat of the Roman emperor. Determined to convert everyone on
his path to a way of life founded in Jesus Christ, Paul left behind a trail of
astounded and passionate disciples who formed small churches and established
the very beginnings of Christianity.
And, it all began when Paul had a
vision.
In today's reading from Acts Paul's
vision comes in the dark of night. He sees and hears a man from Macedonia standing at the foot of his bed pleading with
him to "Come over to Macedonia and
help us."
Paul reacted to this vision immediately;
he literally jumped into a boat and set sail. He was convinced that God had
called him to proclaim the good news to the people from Macedonia. To heal in
mind, body and spirit the people of Macedonia.
Ultimately, Paul landed in
Philippi, the leading city in Macedonia, where he would remain for some time.
It is in Philippi that Paul met Lydia a woman known as the dealer of purple
cloth. Lydia opened her heart to Paul's teachings, and came to believe deeply
in God. She and all her household were baptized in the Krenides River, a place
where they met regularly to pray. After her baptism Lydia welcomed Paul into
her household and offered him protection and hospitality during his time in
Asia Minor.
There is certainly a great deal
more to the story of Paul's adventures, and misadventures, in Philippi but I am
going to lay them aside for a moment to tell you of some other mysteries.
In 2013 I was lucky enough to
travel along with 24 others on a pilgrimage that followed Paul's footsteps
through Greece and Turkey. We started in Athens and worked our way up through
Greece. At the end of the first week we found ourselves in Philippi. We spent
time among the ruins of the ancient marketplace where Paul preached. We peered
into the cell where he was imprisoned until the earthquake destroyed the jail.
This was, you may remember, the site where Paul converted his jailer who then
convinced the Roman authorities to free Paul and his companions. We stood on
the preaching block in the ruins of the temple where Paul had preached the Good
News to crowds of Macedonians. And then, we departed for the place where Lydia
lived.
Just outside of Philippi in a
quiet glen cooled by long grass and ancient trees that offer deep shade stands
a small church in honor of Lydia. Just a few feet from the church is the peaceful
but rushing Krenides River. The river where Paul baptized Lydia. It was in that
spot – the spot where Lydia was baptized - that we sat quietly and read the
Acts passage about Lydia. It was at that spot that we held our noonday
Eucharist.
This day stands out so clearly in
my memory. As we sat in the cool glen and reflected on all that we had seen and
learned, Paul and Lydia were there with us. It became so clear that Paul and
Lydia were real – that the Spirit that dwelled within them and led them was
real – that the Spirit – our gift from God, our advocate, our guide in life is
real. Real, very powerful and very much there with us.
I, at least, and I think most of
the others were overwhelmed with the tactile and emotional feel of Paul and
Lydia's presence. The boldness and the strength of their faith. Their gift of
that faith to so many others.
That day the Spirit descended on
me in a way that I had never before experienced, and I knew in the deepest
region of my heart the power of Paul's vision. The power of the Spirit to call
us as disciples of Christ – messengers from God – to be among those brought to
us by the Spirit. To heal them in mind, body and spirit.
I had a vision of how God,
through the power of the Spirit, calls us to heal.
In today's gospel Jesus saw a man
who claimed to have been ill for 38 years. He was lying in one of the porticos
by the Sheep Gate near the northern wall of the Jerusalem Temple. Inside the
gates was a pool that was believed to be a place of healing. The pool's water
frequently bubbled up, and the bubbling waters appeared to sparkle. People believed that when
this bubbling up happened an angel of the Lord had come to stir the waters, making
the pool a place of healing. They believed that whoever entered the pool after
the waters were stirred would be healed of his or her malady.
As Jesus passed by the man who
lay on the ground clutching his mat, he sensed that he had been there a long
time. He stopped and asked him, "Do
you want to be made well?" The man answered, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is
stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of
me." In other words, the man was too weak -or, at least believed that
he was too weak - to make his way through the throngs who pushed and shoved to
get into the pool when the pool began to fill with bubbles.
Jesus responded to the man's
complaints with three imperatives" rise, take up your bed, walk. The man
did exactly what Jesus commanded him. He got up, took up his mat and walked to
the pool.
Let me take a moment to point out
what you may be thinking. The man did not ask Jesus for help. When asked if he
wanted to be cured, he just complained about his situation. Jesus did not speak
of faith to the man. He merely commanded him to get up and walk. Jesus did not
use the bubbling waters for healing, merely his voice.
Why did Jesus pick this man out
of all the others who were struggling to be healed?
It seems apparent that in his own
way Jesus had a vision. Somehow, he knew that this man needed to be healed.
And, with his words he healed him.
All this brings me to the
importance of our ability to recognize the Spirit when it appears in our lives.
To respond to the vision in the night, the "tap on the shoulder," our
call from the Spirit. To have the courage to respond, to engage, as did Paul
and Lydia and so many others, as bearers of the Good News, as healers in this
world of chaos. A world continually torn from peace and well-being through
terrorism, political strife, and divisiveness on every level.
Just prior to his crucifixion
Jesus commanded his disciples to follow in his footsteps, to live a
God-centered life. A life centered in
being open to the power of the Spirit as it inspires us and guides us through
visions – visions of all sorts – visions that urge us to go forth as healers of
a broken world.
Jesus said to his disciples, "Very truly, I tell you, the one who
believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater
works that these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12)
As disciples of Christ we are
called to be healers of mind, body and spirit. We are called to be healers that
operate within the frame of reference of a healer in Jesus' time. Not curers of
modern-day diseases, but healers of illnesses or states of being that lead to
loss of meaning of life. Illnesses or states of being that remove us from God's
community. Illnesses or states of being that isolate us from God.
Our role as healers is the
"why" of who we are as Episcopalians. Why do we "Go in Peace to
Love and Serve the Lord?" Why do we "Go Forth in the Name of
Christ?" Why do we "Go Forth Rejoicing in the Power of the
Spirit?"
We "go forth" inspired
and guided by the Spirit to heal – to reconcile all things to God – to bring
life, love and liberty to those who live in darkness; to those who live in
isolation from God's beloved community.
