Reach Beyond Week 2 Mark 2:1-12

Pastoral Welcome

whether this is your first time worshiping or your 100th time worshiping with us I want to welcome you to this moment of Worship. I’m Pastor Lewis and I am joined here today in the sanctuary by Pastor Angie, Betty, Jen, Eric, Jose, and Kim. In the back at the sound board today we have Brett, Heather, and Dwight. Throughout this worship service you will see little glimpses into several people’s stories. Some through the sermon, some through, the videos and some through the songs and prayers. This Sunday we morning we remember what God has done through us and through this community, we reach beyond that to imagine together how we might be able to bring the healing that we have received out into the world.

Intro

Reach Beyond Intro

We as pastor’s gathered in a room month’s ago, so long ago that it was a time when we could gather together without masks to come up with an idea for the theme of this Capital Campaign, and likewise this sermon series

And we spoke of the possibility of never being in a place where we would have to choose between the ministries of a church or paying the mortgage of the church.

reaching beyond a mortgage, reaching beyond buildings to continue to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Last week was about Gratitude

We celebrated just a moment ago the gratitude luminaries, and that was such an encouragement to see what you all are grateful to God for.

This week we are talking about ministry and particularly the ministries of our church

Story of stories becoming important

I grew up in a church, and I didn’t think I really got why people came to the church. It was just something that was normal for me, and I didn’t know any different.

I didn’t fully understand life change that the walls of the church held, until I started talking to the people. To the individuals.

When I listened to peers of mine share their testimonies, and when I heard of people who been in the church for many years share the ways that their life had been changed, and when I heard my friends share of God’s love the whole picture of what this whole thing is became a bit clearer for me.

Stories are powerful, and it’s hard to disagree with someone’s story

And when I hear your story it is easier for me to connect it to my story.

So with that, let’s read someone’s story

And that is how the Gospel message originally spread through stories

If you read through the gospel stories many time you will see someone experience forgiveness or healing of some kind and they would go off and tell every one they saw what had happened. And many times those that heard were amazed.

Our scripture reading today is one of those stories. It starts out in Mark 2...

Transition to scripture

Mark 2:1–4 NRSV

1 When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. 3 Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.

This is the first little bit of this persons story, but in the set up to this story we see a whole awful lot of information

The man is paralyzed, and is being carried by four men

To be paralyzed in the ancient world meant that there probably wasn’t that much in the form of work and that this man would have probably been among the poor class and likely would have been left to begging for a living.

Then there are these four people that take notice of this paralytic, care about him enough to want what’s best for him.

They know what’s best for him is to be healed and I like to imagine they had at least a little bit of an idea that Jesus was able to heal people.

It is often the faithfulness of others that has brought us to Jesus

Most people that have been around the church long enough have one or more people that helped guide you to where God might be in our midst

I think particularly about those that have gone before us, even those who are no longer with us that through their faithfulness brought us to Jesus.

Get him to the right area code

For some of us that was our parents

Who said I need to get my child in the right area code of Jesus

When we recognize that we are the paralyzed person

When we recognize that others have been faithful to bring us to Jesus it helps us to become the four friends.

When we get more involved in leadership in the church we realize all of the work that has going into being faithful in bringing people to Jesus

Our church has a method to worship connect and respond, and we develop our programing around that method.

This image is powerful that there were too many people in the way to Jesus that the four men had to think of something that was creative something new

And as I am thinking about specifically our capital campaign I remember those that went before me, and through their faithfulness built each on of our three sites. Seeing the people that were out, there and trying with all they could to create an opportunity to experience God.

They were acting in faith in that very moment

They probably haven’t thought that far ahead here

but they knew one thing....

A couple of weeks ago we talked about faithfullness at the end of our why series and we talked about that when we are faithful, we participate in God’s work in our midst

Mark 2:5–11 NRSV

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.”

This is an interesting back and forth between Jesus and the Scribes (or people of the law)

In order to understand it we have to understand an assumption from the time and that is: if someone had a physical illness or disability it was a result of their sin.

That is something that at the time was believed

The man came here to experience healing, but what he got was soo much more

We might seek healing, but we receive forgiveness

Jesus is capable of something even greater

Many of us might have come to church looking for healing, maybe not physical healing

But looking for healing from broken relationships...

looking for healing from isolation....

looking for healing from confusion...

looking for healing from past trauma...

But for the man in the story and for us, I think there is something deeper beyond that we receive.

We receive

an understanding that God loves us

an awareness that we were never really in control

we gain an understanding that God already has forgiven us

Is church or ministry just a social club that heals yours pains?

We might answer what is easier to say the truth in short which is that God loves me, and I realize that, and embrace that, and I am transformed by that.

Or is it more impactful to just share my story

Mark 2:12 NRSV

12 And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Our stories this person’s story, my story, your story reveal what God can do.

Our stories show the impact of the ministry of this church

our stories reveal the forgiveness and the healing that we have received.

Our words change minds, our stories change lives

The stories reveal what God can do

“Some people may never go to your church, some people may never read your Bible, and your life might be the only gospel story that they get to read”

I am going to believe it or not end the sermon a few minutes early because there is absolutely nothing I could say that would be more powerful than the stories of our church.

In a moment you will see members holding up pieces of poster board and one side it says what life was like before they knew Jesus and on the other side it will say what life is like now that they know Jesus.

Let’s have a look...

Benediction - I wonder what that man might have written on his cardboard testimony. Would he write that he was just simply healed or would he write that he was truly forgiven.