Daily Lectionary for August 14, 2010
Psalm 94
Judges 16:1-14
Acts 7:30-43
John 5:1-18
John 5:1-18
This passage speaks of a pool in Jerusalme - Bethzatha - where folks go to be healed. One man has been ill for thirty-eight years. Jesus asks him if he wants to be made well. The sick man answers that he has no way to get to the pool when the water is stirred up. When he tries to get to the water someone else gets there first. Which is kind of a curious and complicated answer. On the one hand he must want to be made well - he keeps coming back to the pool. On the other he seems to have no expectation that it will happen - he seems resigned to the reality that when the water moves he will not be the first person to reach it. Jesus heals him, but I want to stay with the beginning of the story. There is something instructive about the man's behavior. He was going through the motions of what healing could look like, but had no belief that it could actually take place. Jesus changed all that. Encountering Jesus jolts us out of a life with low expectations and going through the motions. Following Jesus keeps us from returning to those ruts.
Preaching the first of three sermons in a row out of Hebrews tomorrow. Basic premise - we're going positive - "Encouraging Words From Hebrews". The gospel from todays set of readings gives a great example of why we need to listen for the encouragement Scripture offers. Life can too easily become a chore that comes complete with anxiety and fear. Texts like tomorrows from Hebrews are reminders that we are a part of something much larger than what happens in any one particular day. That's encouragement to take a second look at what each of those days offers.
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