Lectionary citations

Isaiah 40:21-31 with Psalm 147:1-11, 20c AND
1 Corinthians 9:16-23 AND
Mark 1:29-39

Focus Scripture:
Mark 1:29-39

Weekly Theme:
Messenger of Good News

Focus Statement:
"Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do."

Questions: BR>Jesus is getting a reputation and a following. The talk is that he can heal people miraculously, and the crowds gather. Some of them are undoubtedly in need, in pain, hungry for his healing touch. Others may be there for the show; after all, it must be quite dramatic, quite memorable to see the dead raised, demons expelled, and the blind restored to seeing. And so "the whole city" came to his door. (We would be there, too, wouldn’t we?) Jesus’ response was full of compassion, and "he cured many." But Mark goes on, quickly, to show the other side, to paint a fuller picture. This Jesus was no celebrity-of-the-moment, any more than he was a magician (like some) or a rebel leader (like others). And, to him if not to the crowds or even to his closest followers, his purpose was clear. He was not about being a "sensation," or a success, or even popular. What he "came out to do" – his whole purpose – was to proclaim the message, the Reign of God. Key to that orientation was prayer, and once again, like his sojourn in the wilderness, he draws away to a deserted place, and he prays. Even though his disciples (clueless, as they remain throughout the Gospel) seek him out and try to get him to return to the crowd for some more impressive deeds, he pushes them, takes them in new directions, moving on in ministry to do what he came out to do, even if it’s not the most popular thing to do, even if it’s the very thing that will lead to his death.

What is the purpose of your church? For what is your congregation known? Is your church small and quiet, or large and famous? Does your church receive a lot of attention for what you do? Note that this passage, describing a private healing in a home, follows a public one. How is God’s power at work, within the life of your church, and beyond its walls? What are the perils of being well-known, as a pastor or a congregation? What are the blessings? How do prayer and quiet time happen in the life of your church, the re-charging of spirits and the reorientation of disciples who may have wandered or lost focus? What might be the problem with coming to Jesus for healing and seeing him only as a healer? As often happens, it’s a woman (unnamed, except in relation to a man) in the narrative who models discipleship, rising from her healing and quietly serving her guests (on the other hand, a task of some honor, as we today might want to serve a guest ourselves). What meanings do you hear in the line, "He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up?" Are we reminded there of resurrection, of new life, of our own call to lift up the poor, the broken, the oppressed, one another? If the church truly is the Body of Christ, how do we live out our call to be healers to those who are "gathered around the door" of our church, seeking God’s mercy? How do we live out our call to "proclaim the message," too? How are those two related in our shared life?

Isaiah 40:21-31

Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in;

who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel,

"My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"? Have you not known? Have you not heard? 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. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for 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.

and

Psalm 147:1-11, 20c

Refrain:
Great is our God, and abundant in power.

Praise God! How good it is to sing
praises to our God;
for God is gracious, and a song of
praise is fitting.

God builds up Jerusalem;
God gathers the outcasts of Israel.

God heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.

God determines the number of the stars;
God gives to all of them their names.

Great is our God, and abundant in
power,
whose understanding is beyond
measure.

God lifts up the downtrodden;
God casts the wicked to the ground.

Sing to God with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.

God covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
and makes grass grow on the hills.

God gives to the animals their food,
and to the young ravens when they
cry.

God has no delight in the strength of the
horse,
nor pleasure in the speed of a runner;

but God takes pleasure in those who
fear God,
in those who hope in God's steadfast
love.

Praise be to God!

and

1 Corinthians 9:16-23

If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.

For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

and

Mark 1:29-39

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
February 5, 2006
Mark 1:29-39

...Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her and she began to serve them. Mark 1:30-31

Today marks the beginning of Women's Week, a tradition celebrated by many of our churches in the United Church of Christ. Women's Week is that time each year when we have the opportunity to celebrate and affirm the leadership of women in our local churches. Today's theme is Messenger of Good News, and certainly among God's faithful children, women have been some of our most outstanding messengers of good news!

The Bible is filled with women who were messengers of good news—from Miriam to Mary. In today's gospel lesson from Mark, we read about a woman known only as Simon's mother-in-law. In this private healing at Simon's home, Jesus restores this woman so she may then go and serve others. The Greek word for serve, diaconeo, while often translated in English as "to serve," can also be translated as "to minister".

In today's message Jesus reached out and ministered to Simon's mother-in-law so that she might then reach out and minister to others. Her energy was restored allowing her to be of service to others. Is this not true in our own lives? Consider the messengers of good news who have ministered to you, moving you from brokenness to empowerment, allowing you to continue the cycle of service to others; thereby being a messenger of good new in the lives of those around you!

In ecumenical liturgical practice, there are normally three readings and one psalm at each Sunday service, in this order:

First Reading: Hebrew Scripture
Response: Psalm (or Canticle) from the Bible
Second Reading: Epistle (or Acts or Revelation)
Third Reading: Gospel

The first two lessons are normally read by laypeople, the Gospel by a Minister of the Word or a layperson. In Roman Catholic, Anglican and liturgical Protestant churches, it is uncommon for an ordained minister to read all of the lessons.

The psalm is not a reading but a congregational response following the lesson from Hebrew Scripture: it is normally sung with a refrain or recited by the congregation as poetry. Occasionally, a canticle is appointed in place of a psalm; it is sung or recited in the same way. The New Century Hymnal provides a complete liturgical psalter with refrains and music.

A hymn may be sung as an introduction to the proclamation of the Gospel.

During Ordinary Time (seasons after Epiphany and Pentecost) two alternative sets of OT readings with responsorial psalms are provided. The first option is a semi-continuous reading through a book of Hebrew Scripture; the second is thematically related to the other readings.