Four Best Friends

~~~ 1 Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22A ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ Mark 2:1-12 ~~~

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

I will forever give thanks for my friends.
Friends are one of the gifts given to us by God.
Friends can brighten up the darkest of days.
Friends can make you laugh when you feel like crying.
Friends find that soft place within your heart to take up residence.

They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.

Jesus was home where those who knew of him
crowded into one local's house.
The paralytic was not able to get to this house ahead of the crowd.
He had to rely on his friends to bring him.
Arriving late, the house was already bulging
with believers and non believers.

Friends share your heart's desires.
Friends come willing to support your dreams.
Friends do whatever it takes to bring goodness into the relationship.

These four faithful friends did not pick up their friend,
they grabbed hold of each corner of his mat.
They supported the weight of his whole body.
Perhaps more telling is that they supported his longing to be healed.

No obstacle was too great for these four friends...

...they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

These four friends broke through the rooftop barrier.

They destroyed someone else's property
allowing their paralyzed friend to get close to Jesus.

Jesus not only healed the physical pain of this man;
Jesus looked within the soul of this man.
Jesus saw the sins of his past days.
Through the power of his words
 Jesus healed and took away this man's sins.

No one in the house that day anticipated such a miracle.
Jesus cured this man from the inside and the outside.
Hi healing was both visible and invisible.

Jesus desires to do the same for you.
All who come to him will find healing and peace.

The paralytic picked up his mat.
That day he would walk, run, and dance with his friends.

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Cherish your friends.
They will come to carry you into the presence of God.
They will be there in your times of need.
They will be there to share you joy.

Blessings come through our friends.
Friends...
just one expression of God's goodness.

~~~Peace~~~

Is Jesus Your King?

Memorial of Saint Anthony

~~~ 1 Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22a ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~  Mark 2:1-12 ~~~

Be careful what you ask for....
The people came to Samuel asking him to appoint a king.
They wanted to be like every other nation.
They erroneously believed that having a king would solve their problems.

Have you ever wanted something so intently;
only later to discover it was not what you should have gotten?

Samuel tried to paint the most awful picture for the people
about how their lives would be worse if he granted their request.
The rights of the king
 who will rule you will be as follows...

No matter what Samuel said they continued to insist on having a king.

We too must be like other nations,
with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare
and fight our battles. 
There are good kings and there are bad kings.
Just as today we have good elected officials and bad officials.
Samuel had wisdom in trying to get the people to see that any person
 that he would choose to be king was not going to be a good kind of king....
rather this individual would turn out to be a typical king of that time.

A king who would mistreat his subjects, take advantage of their women,
put them to work for him plowing and harvesting.
They ultimately would not be happy.

On the other hand we have the picture of what a good king should look like.
A good king would look out for the well being of his subjects.
A good king would heal and protect.

A good king would forgive those who sinned against him.
A good king would teach the people
 and treat them with fairness and compassion.

A good king like Jesus would care about his people.
A good king like Jesus would rule with authority from God the Father.

But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth

Jesus was the good king that dwelt and walked among the common people.
When he was finally given the title of 'king'
they mocked him, spit upon him, and crowned him with thorns.

When the paralytic was healed by Jesus
 in body and spirit he picked up his mat and walked away.
All the people were amazed and glorified him.
Those kings before Jesus never treated anyone
 the way Jesus treated those who came
 to him or those who were brought to him.

So the question is what kind of king do you want?
The harsh brutal heavy handed one or
the kind fair forgiving compassionate one.

We remain astounded for the blessings God has given to us.
Thank God for your blessings today.
Jesus is the eternal compassionate King...the fair ruler...the healer
the one to be praised and adored forevermore. 

The Crowded House

~~~ Heb 4:1-5, 11 ~~~ Psalm 78 ~~~ Mark 2: 1-12 ~~~

 

I do not know about you, but I do not like crowds.

I never go shopping on Black Friday.

I do not stand in line for hours just for a bargain.

 

The mob mentality is a frightening concept.

And I would not want to knocked down and trampled upon.

 

This is pretty much how I picture the scene in Mark's Gospel today.

Standing room only...packed like sardines in a can...

the stagnant air inside the room...

the pushing and shoving...

one person breathing down the neck of the person in front of them...

 

This is the scene we have...all because Jesus was in town.

What were they expecting?

Why had so many come willing to be uncomfortable in a small room?

 

"...there was no longer room for them,
not even around the door..."

 

The roof of the house was even being destroyed in hopes of a man's healing.

It was crowded, dark, smelly from the body heat and yet more and more

pushed their way in just to hear Jesus preach.

 

The synagogue officials were not about to let this 'kid' barge in on their territory.

So they followed Jesus waiting for the opportunity to trip him up...

to catch him making big mistakes.

Well today he gave them more than even they were expecting.

The healing of the paralytic was one thing; but the forgiveness of sins

was way different.

 

 

Immediately Jesus caught them off guard...

he read their minds and their hearts.

 

"Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?"

 

Once again just as he had done in the temple before his

words and actions

have astounded the whole house.

 

What would you be willing to withstand a crowd for...

what would it take for you travel miles just to hear someone preach?

I personally have gone all the way to San Diego and Albuquerque

to hear someone I respected speak.

I know someone who traveled to Europe just to hear someone preach.

 

How far would you be willing to go to be healed?

Would you be willing to be destructive?

Would you wait in the doorway or would you force your way inside?

Just how far would you go?

 

Some food for thought just for today.