SCRIPTURE: Luke 8:40-56

Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”

They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Sermon:

KNEE-D PRAYERS

My friend said her 2nd knee replacement surgery recovery seemed to have gone much better than the first. She told me she really believed it was the increased and incredible high number of prayers that she knew she had gotten. In addition to her family and regular friends, she felt more prayers (and heard of them) from her church community and our faith based community, especially with the increased communication and connections through our Facebook groups, etc.

Well wishes work.

Prayers petition God’s power.

And I’ve heard something like one prayer is a violin solo, but collective prayer, all together, is a symphony. 

Don’t you love that saying: those who sing, pray twice. That double of praise!

Prayers are golden to God’s ears. It is both that we believe in God and that we believe God CAN intervene, bless a situation, and that He can fix some bad ones and move mountains, or smooth transitions that aren’t so easily understood, to bring peace and acceptance to a situation. God hears the prayers for Him to be present.

I heard the flip side of our role in prayer – sometimes when we aren’t hearing God – to remember that the teacher is silent during the test…  Somehow I don’t always believe that one…  because I do believe that God does remind us – He is here – and He does want us to excel in our own progress. He WILL give us the cheat lines – cheating sin and death.

One of the funniest memes/facebook images that I ever saw was: “God can move mountains but sometimes He hands you the shovel”… yeah get moving… I hear that one all the time. But we should know that when we go through something – and we are motivated to move – God is there. Jesus will always be with us.

HEALING FAITH

We just heard about Jesus in the flesh on His way to see someone very sick – so sick… (WELL that was Jesus’s whole SPIRITUAL mission for the sickness of being lost – us all to be found)  and the person coming to Jesus, the leader of the synagogue had the faith and knew that Jesus was the One to make a difference – to heal his daughter.

TOUCH the Fabric – the make up of Jesus

THEN…………….. Jesus got “interrupted” by the sensation that someone in the crowd had just gotten healed in response to their faith – that we learned that a woman who was very sick found the hem of Jesus’s robe.

She had faith that if she just touched that fabric – not even him – that she would be healed… She had faith.

This woman was “unclean” from her illness –yet she KNEW what she had to do.  She had pre-knowledge of His Power –  faith in His Power – even before she met Him. What did Jesus do? He found her – not just so that He could meet her (Jesus knows everyone already) – Jesus found her so that she could know Him completely – not just the hem of his robe.  Instead of just Jesus’s robe being what she touched – He wanted her to know the feeling of Jesus touching her heart.

Do we feel like our problems are that worth giving it to Jesus? Really am I worth it? Well Jesus says we are… Are things worth “interrupting Jesus” – ?  Well – is it really an interruption? NO – Jesus came to serve  – to have that face to face experience – that trust –that love and forgiveness and hope.. “I went to Jesus to just see what was possible and Jesus turned around and said I AM Possible.”

An EARTHLY INTERUPTION  

Now – what about that first person who was bringing Jesus to the sick person – was he interrupted too! Yes – an interruption in earthly terms… The synagogue leader had to wait until Jesus was talking to the woman on the ground – Yes – that father had to wait however long to get Jesus back to HIS mission – to the original hope he had… that took COURAGE

Then when they were on the way, a messenger said oh no, your daughter has died. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore” – ugh – The man was upset but Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”  Don’t be afraid; just believe.” – isn’t that the best trust we can give to Jesus – that we believe.

RIGHT TIME – RIGHT PLACE

If we aren’t in the time to grab Jesus out of the crowd for a miracle – we DO have Him to grab onto in our hearts – the hem the whole the live and the love – what about those right place right time prayers? You can apply prayer first and foremost and then others might be praying for you to do something. Remembering that acronym from our friend – actually his neighbor –  P.U.S.H. Pray until something happens…   Sometimes you are the what happens… This happened to me Friday – I was leaving vacation bible school where we learned about Zacchaeus and Jesus as his friend – and that Jesus always loves us – Jesus is our friend. I had just taught about the Holy Spirit pushing Zacchaeus to do something in response to Jesus coming to him – and Zacchaeus decided to pay back those he cheated in taxes.

Zacchaeus was like the grinch whose heart grew three times that day. He realized he could and should do something.

So I was walking into the grocery store and this woman was conked out on the chair in front – like I was envious of a good power nap just then – but she was still there – same position – when I got out – and others had taken notice and the store people too. It was other people who mutually chatted with me included about doing something – and often we do walk away – and I first looked and wondered if she was dead – no – her color was great and she was breathing…  but the people told me and others – store people too – that she would not awake. It was not anything but living in the moment and I capped her Gatorade bottle as that was held on her lap. The other woman next to me said: “I wouldn’t leave my mother like this” – and the ambulance came just in a little bit. THANK GOD for paramedics and fire and police people – they are the answers to prayers that we have.

It was weird but in the moment that The woman on the chair snapped awake – it was the result of a seizure she said – but she was out over 20 minutes – and the woman next to me who said: “my God would not let me not do something” said she got Holy Spirit goosebumps… I didn’t get the goosebumps but I was aware and believing that that woman did – urging us to join in the concern – it was a combination of prayer and action.

This is when life interrupts your “regularly scheduled program” – and the Lord calls you to action.

Isn’t that what we are supposed to be doing – a combination of prayer and action. Opportunities abound – like at the store or home – at work and at moments where we hear bad news…  These “opportunities” seep into our life callings and making less barriers and more common spaces between situations… I remember being with a few scared kids on a girl scout camping trip – down at a revolutionary war fort by the airport – where we were staying overnight- and they did not want to go on the ghost tour – I ended up telling them that I did not believe in ghosts but I certainly believed in angels watching over them and us.    AMEN TO THAT!!!!

CRUSHING

The 12 disciples that day when Jesus was in the crowd, were like ‘we got lots of people crushing and touching you Master – how can you even try to single out one – but He did and the woman herself came forward. Jesus wanted to have that woman meet Him!

That crush of people also probably one of the reasons He retreated to teach a close core of disciples who would then teach everyone. The disciples would have done that: “don’t cause the crowd to crush you because we have a mission – like Taylor Swift travels in a rolling case thru the backstages of her show, they say…  Well Jesus did get out in a boat or top of a mountain – but rarely did He hide. Jesus had so many interactions with people, so many miracles that John tells us not enough pages in books could hold that info…  

Jesus knew that the miracles were almost distracting from teaching – an important reason He came – to teach about how to get closer to God – how to recognize that the time was in the present to be with God on earth. Some saw the miracles and thought of an earthly king that God had ordained like David.  And as some saw or heard of the miracles and thought of Jesus as evil – a magic man against God. 

And yet, these miracles were always pointing back to the glory of God – of “knowing God’s Plan and Will for us:” – knowing we NEED Jesus – like that woman touching the hem of Him – Healing – And Jarius – knowing to bring Jesus to his daughter. Jesus wanted people to KNOW Him deep in the core and they became the witnesses to others. They both knew Him and knew they had been changed – and knew it was something the Lord needed them to tell others.

But what about that “don’t tell others” – is that more of a “don’t bring commotion because it distracts people from listening” – “don’t cause yourselves to create waves for yourself – just let yourself stand as a testament to faith. Imagine those laughing mourners who must have later saw the girl alive” – wow…   Isn’t that us too –  “Let your actions show you are a changed person”… “Live a risen life – and acknowledge that you had nothing to do with it – but your faith in Jesus did, does and will do …  

There is a VBS video – of two twin young girls full of faith who learned their uncle did not believe in Jesus… They prayed and prayed and a year later – he came to Jesus – was baptized and how could he have known their impact – but God did…

Perhaps God is ‘Waiting on a prayer’ – as we are living on a prayer – it includes the Lord waiting to hear someone say: ‘I trust you Lord” –

AMEN and let us pray….

Lord – we know one soul already saved helps save another. You remind us that Iron sharpens iron – so prayers help praying.   Saving Grace is to be embraced.  “He who does the will of God abides forever.”  – may we always abide and know Your LOVE.

AMEN AMEN