Lord, open our ears to hear Your Word, and open our lives to proclaim it, to Your praise and glory, in Jesus Name. Amen.
An old man was walking along the beach one day, early in the morning, when he noticed a young boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?" The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The tide is going out, so if I don't throw them back, then they'll die." "But the beach goes on for miles, and there must be thousands of starfish? You can't make a difference!" The young boy looked at the little starfish in his hand, then smiled and threw it safely into the waves. "Yes," he said, "there are thousands - and I can't make a difference to all of them … But I have made a difference to this one."
Making a difference. That's what the story of the starfish is all about. And that's what both of today's Bible readings also seek to impress upon us. In Mark's Gospel, we're told how Jesus made a life-changing difference to those who came to Him for healing. And in the Epistle of James, we are reminded that those who seek to follow Jesus are to be those whose faith and works are all of a piece, and whose lives make a real difference.
The story of the starfish is, in some ways, a parable for our times. Like the many starfish left high and dry on the beach, so we are daily reminded how countless human lives are helplessly struggling to survive in this beautiful but broken world. So often, the scale of this suffering seems overwhelming. And, in the face of such widespread misery and need, you and I may find ourselves wondering what difference can anyone make.
If that is the case, then perhaps we need to remember that there was also widespread suffering and misery in the world at the time of Jesus. People then were also no strangers to war, famine, disease, violence, and oppression. They, too, cried out for help, for rescue, for healing. It was into this unpromising situation that Jesus came, proclaiming the message about the Kingdom of God. And He didn't just do so with fine words, the powerful proclamation of a preacher or prophet. No, the Gospels testify time and again to the fact that the healing works of Jesus went with His healing words - that Jesus transformed lives, set them free from what oppressed them - whether it was the effect of sin, suffering, or Satan.
In Mark's Gospel, we find many accounts of how Jesus made a difference through His ministry of healing. Today we're given two examples: first, the healing of the demon-possessed daughter of a Syrophoenician woman; and second, the healing of a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. In both accounts, Jesus responded to the needs that were presented to Him - the desperate faith of a foreign Gentile woman who cried out to Jesus for a healing word on behalf of her daughter, and those who brought the deaf and mute man to Him, seeking His healing touch. And in both cases, we're told that Jesus healed those who were suffering. He made a difference to those lives.
Jesus healed the sick, He made a wonderful difference to those who sought His help. These works of mercy and liberation were a vital part of His ministry of proclaiming the Good News about the Kingdom of God. And Jesus also called His followers to go and do the same, in His Name, and with His authority. In the Introduction to In His Name - a new training course in the Christian healing ministry - we're given a clear reminder that prayer for healing must never be viewed as an optional extra for those who seek to be faithful to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ:
"When Jesus first sent his 12 disciples out to minister on their own, he 'gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases … to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick' (Luke 9). A little later he sent out a further 72 people, also instructing them to 'heal the sick and tell them "The kingdom of God is near you"' (Luke 10). ……… Prayer for healing has always been part of what we do as Christians. And yet there have been long periods when we have lost touch with the power of what is available to us in Christ. The 20th century was one of those times. A new emphasis on technological and scientific achievements led to a loss of confidence in all things supernatural. .. yet the more grown up and modern we seemed, the more people began to look for something not just to believe, but to experience. … Prayer for healing is back on the agenda, and is being explored by Christians in churches of all types and size" (In His Name Leader's Manual p 5, 6 - Alison Morgan and John Woolmer ReSource 2008).
Here at the Priory, we shall be doing our own exploration using the highly commended In His Name course, starting in October. Some of you may already have seen Kevan and Cynthia Tailby's article in this month's Priory Magazine (p 17) which gives further details. The course is open to anyone interested, as well as to members of the Priory's Prayer Ministry Team.
We're called to make a difference In His Name. And, if we're going to do that effectively, then we shall need to pay heed to the warning contained in today's Epistle. The Letter of James has received a mixed press down the ages. For example, Martin Luther described it as an epistle full of straw, in comparison with St. Paul's writings. Be that as it may, James does remind us that the golden rule "love your neighbour as yourself" has to be put into practice. Christian faith is not about talking the talk, but walking the talk. Faith must include works, if it is to be Christ-like. Where there is no evidence of loving action, there can be no real faith.
You and I are called make a difference the Name of Jesus. And wherever we find ourselves, there will always be opportunities to do so. Like the boy in the story of the starfish, we need to focus on what is to hand, and to remind ourselves that the little we do can and does make a difference. Here in the Malvern area, it is surely no coincidence that so many of the local caring agencies, and community organizations, have Christians - including Priory members - at the heart of their service for the common good. And then there is the Lyttelton Well on our doorstep, again with considerable support from the Priory and other local churches. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised. After all, loving service of others - whatever form it takes - has always been part of the DNA of those who seek to follow the Way of Jesus Christ, and who do so in the power of His Spirit.
At the end of this morning's Communion service, you and I shall be invited to pray these words: "Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory." Having received from the Lord in Word and Sacrament, and thanked Him for His gifts of grace, we ask of Him that we might go out and make a difference for Him, in the power of His Spirit. Our final marching orders make this clear: "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord". And as we commit ourselves to doing so "in the Name of Christ", then you and I affirm that we are part of that worldwide company of those who know that Jesus Christ has made all the difference to this world. And who also know that the Lord calls us to go and do likewise, in His Name.
John Barr
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