Jesus Heals a Paralyzed man (Mark 2:1-12)

Jesus Heals a paralyzed man (Mark 2)

Today, we’re back to the miracles of Jesus.  Today is one of my very favorite stories because it tells us about not only how wonderful Jesus was, but tells us about an amazing group of friends.

Do you know what it means to be paralyzed?  It means you can move—your arms, legs, neck, feet and hands won’t  go the way you want them to.  Our story today is about a paralyzed man, his friends, and the gift Jesus gave them.

Today, we begin in a town called Capernaum.  Jesus and his disciples had been traveling and speaking in many, many places.  So many people came to hear Jesus speak and to ask him to heal them!  When they were in Capernaum, there was a BIG crowd and they met in a little house.  It could maybe hold 50 people, but they were all shoulder to shoulder.

And the strange thing happened.  As Jesus talked, they could hear RIP, RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE, CREAK!

And suddenly there was a LOT of light!  Someone had peeled back the straw and hay roof!  And look!  Something was being lowered down! Down came a man on a thin mat.  He couldn’t move.  His 4 friends were on the roof carefully lowering him down to see Jesus.

The men didn’t have to say anything—Jesus knew why they had taken off the roof and were lowering their friend. 

Do you think Jesus was angry? NO!  Jesus saw that these men trusted him to heal their friend.  Not only did they bring him to hear Jesus, they carried him to the roof and lowered him down when they couldn’t get to see Jesus any other way.  

Jesus said: “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

People were puzzled—wait!  Didn’t they want the man to be healed?  Why was he saying the paralyzed man was forgiven?

Jesus spoke again, “ Why do you wonder these things?  Which is easier to say, ‘you are forgiven  or ‘Get up and walk!’  I want you to see that I have the authority and ability on the Earth to forgive your sins.”

But after this, Jesus turned to the man

“Pick up your mat, and walk home.”

The man got up, in full view of the crowd, and walked.  He walked through the crowded house, out into the street and towards his home, just as Jesus had said.

Everyone was amazed!  

So what did we learn?  Jesus heals us and forgives us.  Friends help carry us in our faith sometimes (here, it was literally!)

 Can you be a friend who helps others?  Prays for others?  Do you have any friends who are sick that we can pray for?

Jesus Heals a Blind Man (spark pp. 338-341)

Jesus Heals a Blind Man

Spark pp. 338-341

What do you think it’s like to be blind?  How would the world be different for you if you were blind?  (If no kid answers, ask Pastor Linda to talk about what it was like for her mom to slowly become blind). 

Last week we talked about Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine.  Today, Jesus turns from working miracles with things to working miracles in people!

Our story begins with Jesus and his disciples in Jericho.  People KNEW by now about this man, Jesus, and some of the amazing things people were saying he could do.  A HUGE crowd had gathered along the road to see and hear Jesus.

Under a big tree at the side of the road was a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. As he sat there, alone, he heard the people walk, walk, walking by and talking and whispering excitedly about Jesus. He was curious—could he get Jesus to help him?

WAIT—he heard Jesus.  He HEARD him in the crowd and coming down the road.  He knew what to do.  He wanted Jesus to heal his eyes so he could see again.  In a VERY LOUD VOICE that everyone could hear he shouted,

Bartimaeus:“Jesus, please help me!”

Some people who were walking with Jesus were getting upset—Bartimaeus was interrupting them and Jesus, and yelled back   “SHHHH!”“BE QUIET!” and “STOP BOTHERING JESUS!”

But Bartimaeus didn’t WANT to be quiet.  He knew Jesus could help him so he shouted even louder.  Can you shout with him?  Say “Jesus, please help me!”

Suddenly, Jesus stopped.  The people around Jesus grew so quiet that they could hear a bird singing in the tree—and a frog croaking nearby.  Jesus quietly, gently told one of his friends

Jesus: “Tell the blind man to come to me.”

The crowd called to Bartimaeus.  “Come!  Get up!  Jesus wants to talk to you!”

Bartimaeus was excited.  SO EXCITED!  He put on his old, dusty coat, jumped up, and moved in the direction of Jesus’ voice.

Jesus: “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus bravely spoke up, in faith and said:

Bartimaeus: “Please help me to see again”

Jesus didn’t even have to touch the man.  In a firm voice, Jesus said:

Jesus:  “Go, Bartimaeus!  Because you believe in me, your eyes are healed.”

And right then?  Bartimaeus SAW.  He saw Jesus.  He saw the people.  He saw the bird in the tree and the frog on the ground.  He SAW.  He was so happy, he joined the crowd and followed Jesus!

What did we learn?  Jesus healed people.  Maybe Jesus doesn’t need to heal our eyes of blindness, but Jesus does want to hear about our hurts, and will walk with us.  Are there any God sightings you’ve had this week?  Times God has been with you or heard your prayers?

Wedding at Cana for July 13th

Wedding at Cana

(Spark pp. 410-415)

Have you ever been to a party where they ran out of cake?  Or punch?  People aren’t very happy, are they, when there’s nothing to celebrate with!  Well, our story today is about how Jesus helped save a HUGE party from this kind of trouble. In fact, this is the first miracle Jesus does!

Like I said, our story starts at a party (play music in the background).  Jesus is there with his family and his friends—and it’s a wedding!  Friends are getting married, it’s a beautiful day and the food is great! They’re having a good time, dancing and singing, and saying to each other “this is the best party ever!” and then…

Then they run out of wine.  Oh NO!  You see, in bible times, you couldn’t drink water.  It was dirty and there wasn’t a good way to make it safe to drink.  They didn’t have a safe way to make juice unless they let it  ferment (sit there and wait for the germs to die off) and when that happens—volia!  Wine! BUT they’d run out.  No safe water or juice to drink, and it takes awhile to make wine so they were in trouble!

The servants are shaking every jar, hoping to find a little and whispering, when Jesus’ mom, Mary, over hears them.  And SHE knows what Jesus can do!  She knows he can help!

Mary: “Jesus, they have run out of wine—there is nothing to drink and people will start to get very thirsty very soon from all this singing and dancing.  Can’t you do something?”

Jesus: “What could I do?”

Mary shakes her head and sighs, and then says to the servants:

Mary: “Do whatever my son, Jesus, tells you to do.  I think he can help you.”

Jesus looked around and saw 6 very, very large stone jars sitting near the table.  They were usually used for washing, but sat empty near the table. 

Jesus:  “See these 6 stone jars?  Take them and fill them with cold water, up to the brim.”

The servants picked them up—they took 2 or 3 people to carry each one!  They went as fast as they could to the water pool.  Slosh, slosh, slosh!  They filled them with water. GRUNT. GRUNT.  They carried them back. They said, “We’ve done as you asked.  They’re full of water.”

What Jesus said next amazed them:

Jesus:  GOOD.  Now put some in a cup and give it to the person in charge of this party!”

WAIT—that’s water!  It’s not good or safe to drink—give it to the party guy?  Mary said to trust Jesus, let's say it together "Trust Jesus."  That's what we should do! so…slosh, slosh, slosh!  They filled a cup from the stone jars, and took it to the person in charge. 

When he tasted it, he smiled!  It was a miracle—they noticed it didn’t look like water or smell like water.  It had turned to wine!  In fact, the person in charge of the party took a glass to the groom, and congratulated him:

“My friend, taste this!  You have kept the BEST wine until now.  Most people serve the best wine first, but you have saved the best for last!”

Everyone started talking excitedly as the servants handed everyone a glass full of the new wine.  The music played, and everyone kept singing and dancing—it was a GREAT party, and stayed great, thanks to Jesus’ first miracle!

What did you learn?  Jesus took water (which they couldn’t drink) and made it into something wonderful to help fix their thirst—Jesus can transform us as well.

Mentoring Program--and how you can be blessed and nurished in this

Vibrant Faith-Based Family Mentoring Program

Though it seems like “Mentoring” is something you see everywhere lately (jobs, pop culture, the news, schools, just to name a few), and is very popular, it’s also something that’s been around for a very long time, as evidenced by apprenticeships, advisors, and multi-generational living situations.  Dictionaries define mentors as: friend, advisor, coach, guide, teacher, and role model.  Mentoring may mean all of these things—or different things—in the position you’re undertaking in this new endeavor.

Why develop mentorship relationships?

I could tell you about the recent (2010) Pew studies that indicate 30% of the 18-25 year olds in the US now have a church background, as opposed to 50% or more 20 years ago, but that’s only part of it  http://faithcommunitiestoday.org/sites/faithcommunitiestoday.org/files/A%20Review%20of%20the%20Young%20Adult%20Literature.pdf.

 One of the most distinctive characteristics of Millenials (those born between 1982-2002, roughly) is that they seek out authentic relationships (see Christian Smith’s Souls in Transition for more information) and one of the largest factors in whether or not someone stays at a church is relational—did they feel like they made a connection with someone?  Likewise, there’s indication that in those over 60,  close family and friend connections correlate strongly with higher perceived quality of life (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/business/retirementspecial/for-older-adults-close-connections-are-key-to-healthy-aging.html?_r=0)

The truth is that many of our young families (who have children 0-12 years old) feel connected with each other, possibly through KFW or other events, but have expressed a dis-connect with the church as a whole.  Those who do not attend KFW have often expressed to us a disconnect with “the folks downstairs.”  And this opportunity seeks to fill a gap.  It isn’t as intimidating as crossing the upstairs/downstairs line.  It isn’t about engaging with a large group of people—it’s a chance for one family or person to get to connect with another person or family in a casual atmosphere outside of church. 

There may be opportunities for all mentors and mentees to have a gathering or training, but the primary purpose is to build formal relationships (by which I mean that you will be paired with someone at the church) but in informal ways, to fit around busy schedules and your own shared interests and level of comfort.  

Initial Approach vs. Established Approach

In coming years, we hope to have a list of those willing to serve as mentors that can be paired with newcomers to the church, as a relational and faith development tool.  In the current/initial stages, we’re reversing things a bit.  As soon as I mentioned this connection idea, there were families in KFW who immediately expressed interest.  As soon as I asked about those they felt they might like to connect with (who were not blood-related but part of our church family), they knew people that they either had some relationship with that they’d like to strengthen or people they admired from afar that they’d like to get to know.  Hopefully I’ll be writing letters (or emails, depending on the individuals) shortly explaining the interest in mentoring and relationship building. 

Even if you’re not approached by someone as mentor or mentee, don’t be afraid to come and talk to me and join the process!

Okay, but what will it look like?

Not to be frustratingly vague, but it will look differently for different people.  Maybe some of you will have coffee once a month.  Maybe you’ll meet at a park or have dinner at each others’ houses.  Maybe schedules are so incredibly busy that you’ll become just phone friends or penpals.  The point is to encourage each other in the faith.  We’re seeking to do it across generational lines not only to bridge felt gaps, but also because there are times as young parents you have questions about teaching kids faith and what’s worked for others, and there are times that  young kids absolutely LOVE spending time talking to people they think/know are smarter than their parents.  While Tristan loved having his grandma here last week during VBS, it was Ms. Carol (Gray) and Ms. Nancy (Long--whose art projects he adored!) that he came home and talked about.  It’s as much connection as you’d like—or as little as remembering to pray for and check in with your mentor/mentee families when you see them or think about them. 

This isn’t meant to feel like an obligation so please know that if it feels like too much to do, you can always say “No.”  We’re just hoping to strengthen relationships within the church where there is some interest, but you’re not sure how to get started.