The Jesus Clinic

July 19, 2015                   

Mark 6:53-56

Prayer

One could get the sense from our story today that Jesus is a “Rock Star”… “After Jesus gets out of the boat people recognize him and they run to him bringing their sick & hurting family & friends.” Jesus has become so popular, people just want to see, then touch, and then healed from whatever ails them.

Think of some celebrity you admire. Say... Elvis... The Beatles... The Stones... look at how people go into a frenzy just to see them. They... especially the girls.... scrape and claw their way to the front just to get a glimpse. I remember back in 1972 the President of the United States came to Saginaw, Mi. He was coming to the airport, TriCity Airport, and thousands of people flocked to the airport just to see the President. Mind you... it was Richard Nixon and at that time he was pretty popular because of ending the Vietnam War. It was amazing just seeing the President of the United States. 

It seems Jesus has become this popular and wherever he goes he has to set up clinics just to be able to help people… and whenever he thinks he has time for a respite… more people make their way to him. It seems Jesus and his friends can’t catch a break….a time to catch their breath… and take some much needed time off.

The context of this story is that Jesus and his friends are coming off of a rather intense few days. Jesus has instructed his friends to go out on and evangelistic mission of which they are successful… they feed 5000 people… and they witness a rather interesting phenomenon… all the while trying to get some time off. And this is where our part of the story starts… they get into a boat and as soon as they reach shore… the Rock Star Jesus gets noticed. And without any time off or rest… “The Jesus Clinic”  is open for business and people flock to him.

I don’t know about you… but this would tick me off.

Your encroaching on my day off…

My long weekend with friends…

My vacation…

What about you… how would you feel?

I mean… can’t people wait till I get back?

Jesus however… doesn’t do this.

Jesus… without hesitation recognizes the need and meets them… engages them… reaches out to them. Jesus doesn’t do… perhaps what most of would do.

Our story doesn’t say what he does with the masses.

Our story doesn’t say that he healed, or cured, or touches anyone.

Our story doesn’t say he did any teaching or counseling, or feeding.

However… if I’m allowed to imagine for a moment… I imagine Jesus gathered them… did some teaching…touched those needing touching…and I would imagine Jesus even cured & healed at least a few.

I like what our synod bishop Don Kreiss said concerning this story in his message at the National Youth Gathering;

“Jesus… seeing the crowd and feeling compassion for them because “they were like sheep without a shepherd,” Jesus offers himself to them. Not as a spiritual leader, not as the Son of David, not as the long-awaited Messiah, but as a teacher. And he taught them “many things,” even though he doesn’t offer us a hint of what those things are. Here we see Jesus meet people lost and searching, and his first impulse was to teach them.”

I’m wondering if that’s our need today as well?

Is this what we’re looking for as we gather?

So… our questions today are… What is our need?.... And… How can the church help us/you/me live more abundant lives?

I’m not sure what your need is… but I’m pretty sure our need as Good Shepherd LC is to learn to share at a simple and basic way the story of God’s love and grace in our little corner of the world. You may ask… How do we do this?

I suspect you already know how to do this… because some of you are already doing it!

One way we are already doing this at least on a corporate level is by opening the doors of our facility to recovery groups in our community. Our facility provides a safe place for people struggling with addiction to gather and find support. In just the short amount of time that I’ve been here many of the people who come have shared how appreciative they are to have such a place to get support.

Another way some of you are doing this is by participating in the Beacon of Hope Food Pantry. A couple of weeks ago I saw firsthand how some of you helped & shared the story of God’s love & grace with people in need.

Another is a handful of you who participate in the STAGE Youth Ministry helping the few young people here at Good Shepherd get to know the story of God’s love & grace.

Bishop Kreiss went on to say… “While we can complain all we want, the truth is that Christianity has become one spiritual choice among many, and there is no reason to expect that our children will automatically make the same choices we did. What we can be sure of, however, is that without knowing the story of God’s love for the world and for us, fewer and fewer of our children will see any point to being part of the church.”

If we aren’t willing as a faith community to demonstrate with our lives by sharing God’s love & grace in our community… how are our kids going to learn the story?

Too many of us are sitting on the sidelines… waiting for that new young pastor to arrive… waiting for someone else because I’ve done my part… or any other excuses we can give….My friends... many more of us need to get in the game?

That’s why it’s important that 29,000 young people are in Detroit and believe me… they are going to make a huge impact that we must be ready for as the Lutheran church in Royal Oak.

If 29,000 young people can share God’s Love & Grace and impact a large city… I’m pretty sure 100-150 of us at Good Shepherd can make just as an impressive of an impact right here in Royal Oak.

In Closing....As Jesus climbed out of the boat he recognized there would be no time off… No long weekend with friends…. The vacation not starting at least for that day… that the rest he and his friends surly needed would have to wait.

He instead opens the doors to the Jesus clinic and does some teaching… some healing… some curing… some hugging… and some sharing of the story of God’s love & grace.