THE LORD OF LIFE

“The Lord of life”  2 Sam 1:1, 17 – 27 / Ps 130 Ps 30 / 2 Cor 8:7 – 15 / Mk 5: 21– 43

I wonder how many of you cry. Cry when hurt and in pain, in distress and not knowing what to do, in sadness and loneliness, in sorrow and bereavement. While some try to hold back tears because of fear, shame others are stopped from crying. However tears are a result of emotion. It invites sympathy, a loving embrace, and a response from an onlooker. It is also a sign of desperation.

Our gospel reading has two miracles. Both of people in desperation for healing and restoration. One a woman subject to bleeding and the other a father who wants his daughter to be healed.

We have a woman who is desperate for healing.  She is desperate because she has gone to all the possible doctors spent all her money and all that was left was the life in her. With every moment and day she was getting bad. Social and religious stigma prevented her from mingling and standing with the crowd. Her desperation leads her to come and touch Jesus’ cloak. “if I touch his clothes I will be healed” (5:28). The faith of the woman is tremendous.

Every individual on this earth can face any kind of sickness. Many people can identify with the woman here who has spent all she has on doctors and has not got better. Maybe even asked Jesus the question, why?

However serious the sickness is, however dangerous the sickness could be for a person’s life, Jesus has power over every sickness that human beings face. He has the power to heal and release from sickness.

Sickness cannot be equaled to a person being possed by evil spirits. We find this kind of foolish thinking here in these areas. When Jesus says come to me, I give life to it’s full, todays Christians go all over the places – to soothsayers and magicians trying to find a reason for their sickness.  In such situations rather than giving room for God’s power to be at work in your lives, you open the door for the evil one to take possession of you, and it binds you.

Yet the power of Jesus delivers you and frees from all sicknesses. It maybe through physical healing and it also can come through death.

In the second miracle Jesus heals a small girl who has died. In the midst of crying and sadness, Jesus says the most unbelieving words, she is not dead, she is sleeping”. Only for the people who were gathered around him to laugh at him.

Yet Jesus only wanted them to believe. And then he raised her from the dead.

In both these miracles we see Jesus give the needy – life. Jesus by his compassion, look down upon the woman and the dead child and heals them and restores them to wholeness of life. He stamps his authority as the author and the Lord of life.

He stamps his authority as the Lord of life by sharing his life giving his life to those who were in need of life. He shared his life with those who believed that in him was life and by coming to him they will find restoration.

Paul emphasizes to the Corinthian church to give. He says give cheerfully. We are reminded to help care for other’s needs.  When you care for other’s needs you take part in the mission of Jesus. You also give life. For that we need to stop and think. “What can I do?”, “What can I give?”. After thinking you need to go out and do with enthusiasm உற்சாகம். Paul says all you need is the willingness (2 Cor 8:12). When you are willing to give, then what you have and how much you have does not matter.

In the early church we see that (Acts 2:45) they sold what they had and gave to those who were in need. It was willingness to help, to share, to see that every brother and sister had. And so the church which is the body of Christ becomes the hands and feet of Christ too.

On Sundays we say a meaningful prayer after the offering. But are we actually giving ourselves, do we give generously. Look at the excuses, look at the justifications. This is why it is said, Christians are the biggest liars. They sing and pray what they don’t ever mean to do or live. Where do they say this lie, in church and during worship.

This life giving mission of Jesus is what the church is also called to do. To listen to the needy, to empathise with the suffering – to get into the shoes of those who are suffering, to feel the touch of the desperate, and wipe the tears of the crying. For this the church needs to stop and think, “What can I do?”, “What can I give?”.

Can I set apart my time that I can go sit for a few hours a week with someone who is old and lonely, clean their house, help them prepare their food, help them buy their things.

Can I give my talents; I am good in maths and science and English. Can I give my talents to someone who is struggling to study?

Very often in churches we want to build our church, this is our church, I am a pillar of the church, we want things done our way, but we forget that the church belongs to Jesus, as the head he gave his life for them so that they too might do likewise.

To give life, there needs to be sacrifice. In 2 Corinthians we read that Christ even though he was rich, became poor for the sake of all (v9). Jesus himself gives the answer “I came that they might have life, and life to the fullest”.

The mission of giving life is about sacrifice, sacrificing what you have, your time your wealth your resources everything so that there will be quality – all have the same.

The mission of giving life is about paying immediate attention to the needs of those who come to you. In our gospel reading Jesus did not scold the woman because he was on the way to the house of Jairus. He gave immediate attention to their needs.

Today the words of Jesus “do not be afraid, only believe” must echo through our lives. These words of Jesus, should be the life assuring and life giving words of the church too. Words which leads the church to act.

When the church sets out to do what Jesus did, in love and compassion, the church meets the needs of the people, and when needs are met there is life.

In the early church, when an offering was taken, it was placed next to the elements of the sacraments. Both were blessed. And both were distributed. The bread and the wine to renew life in Jesus, the offering to give life to the needy. The church was life giving.

This day, we who have experienced Jesus as the lord of life, meaningfully offer ourselves at the table of the Lord, to be life giving instruments who brings Jesus into this world by being transformed into his feet, his hands, and his eyes.