The Gospel of Mark was the first to be
recorded. So, it is interesting to note
what Mark first communicated to the faithful.
It was not primarily about Jesus’ “profound wisdom on prayer or social
reform, or that he was a master parable-teller.[1]” Instead, Mark first remembers and recounts
stories about Jesus the healer. In fact,
half of the first ten chapters of Mark portray Jesus as the One who made:
… people whole—the hopeless and
the helpless—in a way that nobody else could.
This was his authority; his word and deed had a numinous
congruence. He announced the Kingdom,
and showed, through healing, that it indeed was “at hand.”[2]
Jesus was somewhat of a
reluctant healer. He was concerned that
he would gain a reputation as the local wonder-worker[3]. Still, he did not rebuff those who approached
him. He met them where they were, and
healed their afflictions. In the
process,
it became increasingly clear
that he embodied the Spirit’s power to heal[4].
Albeit
from a different perspective, Paul takes a similar approach when dealing
with divisions in the Corinthian Christian community. Remember, he says:
I have become all things to all
people, that I might by all means save some
(I Corinthians 9: 22b).
These words make Paul sound like
a used-car salesman, perhaps a slimy self-ingratiating “con” artist. Quite the contrary, I think Paul saw the
necessity to meet people where they are, to understand their needs and concerns
in order to more effectively touch them with the love of Christ.
Today is the Fifth Sunday after the
Epiphany, and our annual day of reflection in honor of those in recovery from
alcohol, drug or other forms of addiction; and, it is a time to offer the
possibility of new life for those still enslaved to their addictions. Today’s Scriptures fit our recovery theme
very well, and speak to everyone seeking wholeness.
Let me connect the Scriptures and Recovery
by sharing insights from a priest-friend in
People who spend any time in the
rooms of Twelve Step recovery groups frequently hear someone express present or
past difficulty in getting “this God thing”.
I will interject here the first
two of the twelve steps to recovery. After admitting being powerless over alcohol,
or the particular addiction, the second step is to believe that a Power greater
than ourselves can restore “sanity.” For
Christians, this second step should remind us of Mark’s portrayal and
identification of Jesus as the healer.
Ron continues:
Those who do stay and find
recovery answer this challenge by finding “a God of their understanding,” the
one described in the Third Step, which is the decision to turn wills and lives
over to the care of God, as we understand God.
This third step permits wide
latitude in coming to grips with the “God thing.” And, this should recall for us Jesus and
Paul’s attempts to meet people where they are in order to help them deepen
their awareness of God’s power to touch, transform and heal their lives.
Please note that Jesus does not stay in one
place very long. He is off to the next
village and the next because he has a clear sense of mission, and he is eager
to meet more and more people where they are, literally and figuratively. He was eager to share the good news of God’s
love for all nations and people. He felt
compelled to talk about God, who sustains us when we turn to God, and who can
set us on a fresh path when we open ourselves to God. Jesus was relentless then, and he
relentlessly seeks us now.
The story of Jesus healing Peter’s
mother-in-law carries a significant message.
As soon as she is healed, she makes and serves lunch to Jesus and the
disciples. If we can get beyond a
literal reading of the story, we can see the metaphorical message.
What the story tells us … is
that healing (like all the gifts of God) is for service, not simply personal
satisfaction[7].
In this same vein, the Twelfth
Step has a service component, specifically to carry the good news of recovery
to others, and helping those who suffer from addictions or compulsions.
I saw this Twelfth Step in action some years
ago. I was consulting with a parish that
expressed the need to become better known in the community, and a desire to
provide ministries that met community needs.
An opportunity arose. Alcoholics
Anonymous contacted them seeking space for a Tuesday evening meeting. Almost everyone thought this was a good idea,
except one group of parishioners. They
had been making crafts for sale at the annual bazaar for years. The vestry was confused by their negative
response. The crafters worked in a
separate room with a door into the parish hall.
They could work in privacy, and not be disturbed. The proposed AA meeting would take place in
the parish hall. The crafters dug in
their heels. Tuesday was “their”
night. It also came out that some of the
crafters were embarrassed by the thought they would have to walk through the
parish hall in order to use the bathrooms.
The vestry was stymied. They did
not want to offend the crafters by imposing the AA meeting, but they did not
want to give up on doing something meaningful for the community at large. Finally, the Senior Warden said, “Don’t worry
about it, I’ll go talk to the crafters.”
A couple of weeks later, the Senior Warden
called to tell me the problem had been resolved. The physical manifestation of the solution
was a couple of those movable room dividers that allowed the crafters to go to
the bathroom without being seen. I asked
the Senior Warden what he had said. He
said that he told them that recovery programs like AA save lives, that through
AA he had turned to God, turned his life around—saving his life, his marriage
and his family—and fueled his passion for helping people find and understand
God in their way. Then, he asked them a
simple question, “isn’t that what we are supposed to be doing as a community of
faith anyway?”
There is an
Arabian proverb that goes like this: “All
of humankind can be divided into three groups:
those who are immovable; those who are movable; and those who move.”[8] I believe those who move, move because
they are deeply connected to God, because they trust in God, and because they
are able to wait on God for direction and meaning. If you feel, or if a loved one is in an
immovable place due to addiction or compulsion controlling your life, the first
step is to admit powerlessness over the addiction or compulsion. For some, the sense of being in an immovable
place has nothing to do with addiction or compulsion, but a sense of being
stuck or trapped. For you too, the place
to start is to admit your inability to overcome the barriers. The next step for all is to acknowledge a
higher power whom we call God, with confidence in God’s ability to restore us
to new life. We have to let go in order
to allow God to work in us and to heal us so that we might serve our neighbors,
and share the good news of God’s love.
As you
struggle to grow with God, remember Isaiah’s witness:
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint, and
strengthens the powerless.
…those who wait on the Lord
shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings
like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40: 28-29, 31).
You need not struggle alone. For some a 12 Step Recovery program is
definitely in order. To all, I say, come
to St. Philip’s to see and experience God.
Grow with God in community. Then
go and do God’s work in the world.
AMEN.