Pastor Sherry’s message for February 4, 2024

Scriptures: Isa 40:21-31; Ps 147:1-11, 20c; 1 Cor 9:16-23; Mk 1:29-39

Some time back, the devotional booklet, Our Daily Bread, ran the following story:

“A father took his small son with him to town one day to run some errands. When lunchtime arrived, the two of them went to a familiar diner for a sandwich. The father sat down on one of the stools at the counter and lifted the boy up to the seat beside him. They ordered lunch, and when the waiter brought the food, the father said, “Son, we’ll just have a silent prayer.” Dad got through praying first and waited for the boy to finish his prayer, but he just sat with his head bowed for an unusually long time. When he finally looked up, his father asked him, “What in the world were you praying about all that time?” With the innocence and honesty of a child, he replied, “How do I know? It was a silent prayer.”

(As repeated on the website, www.sermoncentral.com, 2/2/2024.)

Isn’t that just like a little kid? So literal: “If it’s truly silent, even I don’t know what I’m praying.” Whatever was on his mind and heart, I’m sure that it brought a smile to God’s face.

I believe that Jesus is taking us—and His disciples–to school today on the necessity of prayer. Prayer is talking to God or conversation with Jesus.

Technically, it’s our pleas or our praise directed to God, through the intercession of His Son, Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s see what our readings today have to add to this topic:

A. Our Gospel is from Mark 1:29-39—In it, Jesus gives us a great model for prayer. Remember, Biblical scholars believe Mark is actually Peter’s Gospel. Peter was too busy doing ministry, so he has his apprentice, John Mark, write down for him Peter’s experiences with Jesus. (I did this once for a friend from seminary. He was pioneering in bringing drug dealers, addicts, prostitutes, and pimps to Christ on the south side of Jacksonville, Florida. He had a substantial collection of hair-raising stories about such folks coming to Christ. I offered to write them down for him as he was too busy doing the work of ministry himself. I wrote, he edited, and we published a book called, Gospel Chains: Inspirational Stories of Changed Lives through Chains of Relationship, Anglican Revitalization Ministries, 2022. Peter was trying to win over a Roman audience to Christ. He focuses on something Roman soldiers would relate to and appreciate: the authority of Christ.

He reports in Chapter 1 that Jesus successfully overcomes the temptations Satan presents to Him. He then returns to Capernaum to recruit his first disciples, and to worship in the Synagogue there. As Jesus is teaching and preaching in the synagogue, a demon manifests in a man in the congregation. Jesus muzzles it with a minimum of fuss and casts it out of the man. The worshippers of Capernaum were amazed—and so too would have been the Romans—that Jesus has authority over the spiritual realm.

And so we find Him in today’s passage, leaving the Synagogue with James and John to visit at Simon Peter’s house. Let’s focus on 3 noteworthy points: First, Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law. This indicates that He has authority over physical illnesses. Second, the word travels after Sabbath just as you might expect in a small town—Jesus has freed a demonized man and now He has healed Peter’s wife’s mother. Imagine if our church offered a service in which we prayed for folks from Wellborn (which I hope we will begin doing later this year). Next imagine that many were healed due to our intercessory prayers for them. Needless to say, the very next time we offered prayer, people would crowd in, bringing their sick 2nd cousins, neighbors, and friends for healing. Verses 33-34 state it this way—The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but He would not let the demons speak, because they knew who He was. Somewhere reputable I read that the 4 Gospels list 31 healings. But the truth is that Jesus healed many, many more than Scripture describes. The Apostle John writes at the end of his gospel (21:25)—Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would have room for the books that would be written.

The 3rd important point is that Jesus, the Son of God, also operated under authority—that of God the Father. Verse 35 tells us—Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. (I used to wonder, “Wasn’t He worried He might be assaulted by bad-actors, by Himself in the dark?” Then I realized, “Of course not. He’s God! Who could mess with Him and win?”). We do not know how often He did this, but I would bet that He checked in with His Father daily. Bu doing so, He nurtured their relationship, plugged back into His power-source, and He got His directions, His marching orders for the next step.

When Peter and the others look for Him, because a morning crowd has formed, they urge Him to return to the house to meet these additional needs. But Jesus does not bow to their demands; He’s not a people-pleaser. He asserts instead (v.38) Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come. Capernaum may be His headquarters, but He will not be limited to ministering there only—the mission the Father has given Him is broader than what the disciples considered. This fact, too, would have appealed to a Roman military audience, as they too served a mission greater than one duty station warranted.

B. Our Isaiah lesson (40:21-31) reminds us of God’s limitless power. Peter and John Mark—if they had thought of it–should have attached this reading to the Gospel account to impress the Romans. It is the Christian God who sits enthroned above the earth, not the Roman panoply of arrogant and merciless master-manipulators. Verse 23 tells us—He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. God the Father (and God the Son) (v.26) made and named the stars. God the Father (and God the Son) created (v.28) the length and breadth of the earth. It is He and Jesus who set things into motion and it is He and Jesus who sustain all things.

Furthermore, (v.29)—He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. We renew our strength when we abide with Him. Jesus knew this and so sought the Father in prayer. Have you ever noticed how un-frazzled you become after a time of prayer? Seeking the Lord calms and relaxes us.

We are also renewed when we hope in the Lord! Now Roman soldiers would have loved to have known that secret. This would have eliminated the need to use drugs to stay awake. They would have had no need to rely upon substances to increase strength. Evidence has been uncovered that indicates the Nazis used drugs to amp themselves up before an offensive action. We also know that the Hamas terrorists, who stuck Israeli kibbutzim on October 7th, were strung out on some drugs that gave them energy for days with no sleep, and also lowered their inhibitions so they could commit the atrocities they did. We don’t need to resort to such as God is willing to renew our strength in righteous causes. To quote Psalm 62:6, the Lord is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. Additionally, Roman soldiers should have become impressed to learn that our God truly is the Commander in Chief, sovereign over all the earth!

C. Psalm 147:1-11 reiterates essentially the same message as the Isaiah passage: Verse 5 states—Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit. Verse 3 promises, like Isaiah 61:1—He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He is both all-powerful and yet extremely compassionate. Verse 11—The Lord delights in those who fear Him [look to Him with awe], who put their hope in His unfailing love. It just makes sense to worship and to pray to an all-powerful God who loves us and cares for us.

D. And in our 1st Corinthians passage (9:16-23), the Apostle Paul wants us to know that his relationship to God compels him to preach the Gospel far and wide. Paul admits he is as winsome as he can be in an effort to appeal to all to accept the truth of the Good News of Jesus Christ. He did not want any impediments to exist in him that would inhibit spreading the Gospel to those who had not heard it. He doesn’t mention prayer per se, but we know he was a mighty man of prayer. He prayed for the wisdom and stamina to travel and to deliver the message. He ended many of his epistles by asking God to bless those who labored with him in this great endeavor around the Mediterranean Sea basin. I think we can safely assume he sandwiched all of his efforts at kingdom building with prayer.

Our readings today are telling us that daily prayer for us is a necessity. We need to communicate with the Lord to understand His will for us. We need to abide with or stay connected to Him to have the power to do His will. We need to pray to Him so as to remain attached to Him.

Firm attachment to the Lord renews our strength. Residing in God’s pocket (I like to think of myself as settled into His breast pocket where I can hear His heartbeat) allows us to soar like eagles. Amen. May it be so!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams