Trinity 24 2018 Fr. Michael Cawthon

Pressures of life can lead us to a losing of faith

or

they can cause our FAITH to grow…

Satan’s goal for each one of you: is for you to abandon your God – to die spiritually.

The evil spirits that mold and shape this world fails each time our faith is strengthened.

The secular world is steered by humanistic values thus these are the values that dominate our culture;

Humanism, the belief of science and human values which are established void of Religion,

WILL ALWAYS lead to the STRONGEST AND POWERFUL dominating.

Thus we watch people get pleasure out of the domination of others (by bullying & intimidation),

taking advantage of those weaker, and then glorying in their evil.

In the end they often determine what is important, and unfortunately, what is not.

Compare these traits of the secular world with those of Jesus, who promoted and helped the weak and the helpless.

I doubt if Jesus in those days was very popular with the establishment, he was even run out of some towns.

In reality, the opposite was true.

Instead of seeking power and forcing influence, he taught obedience and humility, not as a ruler, but as a servant,

he even washed his servants feet.

Instead of manipulating, he simply speaks the truth as in Jhn 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

While Jesus rejected the pressure of this world, He stressed peace and love, for to do so, is to have true peace and true freedom.

We all seek peace and freedom,

so let us join with Jesus this day and walk briefly in the shoes of a disciple:

On this day a “ruler” appears

(whom most commentators believed was a ruler of a synagogue, named Jairus – Ji rus)

and his daughter had died, and he comes seeking Jesus

giving us a good example; that times of trouble should drive us to Jesus (not away from Him.)

And when Jairus finds Jesus, what does he do?

HE WORSHIPPED him, and I picture him humbly on his knees, bowing his head, and showing all imaginable respect.

Jairus continues to teach us by worshipping:

that to receive mercy from Christ

that we should give honour and glory “and hearty repentance” to Him.

Let us now move nearer and hear;

for I can only imagine his cry and pain as he speaks of his daughter as “even —   —  now is dead”

and yet still he still begs “do come and lay thy hand upon her…”

and we hear him continue and say:

“AND SHE SHALL LIVE.”

Here Jairus, the “ruler,” continues to teach us that it is never too late to come to Jesus…

why go to a physician (Jesus) after the death?

Recall the words of Jesus as He told Martha before raising her brother Lazarus from the dead…

“I am the resurrection and the life …

Believest thou this?” Jn 11:17-44

Today Jesus asks of us: “Do we believe as Jairus did in the Gospel, and as did Martha and Mary whose brother had died?

Jairus, Martha and Mary show us the faith for which we should strive.

Most would expect such a heavy request from Jairus, for Jesus to follow him, that it would lead to some debate or some type of questioning;

however, we simply watch as our Lord arises, without blinking an eye, and He follows Jairus;

let us arise and followed him along with his other disciples

(often Jesus wanted his disciple’s to observe him, for he knew that they would be the preachers of his doctrines,

so he wished them to see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears.)  So let us…

As Jesus continues to follow, a woman now appears and simply

“touches the hem of his garment.”

Suddenly all are shocked and surprised, as this women had

“an issue with blood for over twelve years…

This condition, according to Jewish Law made her unclean,

(from other Gospels we learn that this woman was poor and piteous

for she had become impoverished trying to find a cure for her distemper, but nothing had worked.)

The blood issue had made her ceremonial unclean; meaning she was shut out from the courts of the Lord’s house.

But this woman cared not:

instead of giving up – she makes herself get up!,

for NOTHING was going to cut her off from her Lord.

As she approached making her way to touch Jesus garment,

let us listen and hear her whispering to herself, saying under her breath,

“If I may just touch his garment, I shall be whole”

David writes in Psalm 133:2 of

“precious ointment…running down unto the beard (of Aaron) … that went down to the skirts of his garments”

And now … we see this woman of FAITH … reaching out to touch the garments of Jesus.

Following her touching of the hem; Jesus turns,

his heart had to be full of joy and I would bet you that he even had a grin upon his face.

AND NOW LET US HEAR AS Jesus honors her…as he calls her

“Daughter”

and HE tells her to be of good comfort,

THY FAITH HATH MADE THEE WHOLE.

DID YOU HEAR WHAT HE just told her? …

BY … THY FAITH …

ARE YE MADE WHOLE….

THY  FAITH:

Without faith in Jesus Christ there is no wholeness within this world.

For it is through Faith that you will receive the Joy for which you hunger and seek,

It is through Faith that you will find the balance and fullness of life that you are seeking.

Faith in Christ allow you to obtain that peace for which we pray each week.

It is through faith in Jesus Christ that you will ever – ever

know the God of Abraham, the God of Issac, the God of Jacob.

It is through Jesus and HIM ONLY, that you can know your Creator, your God…

Jesus sends his grace and peace to his church (Rev. 1:4)

“from him which is, and which was, and which is to come” ….

Jesus invites us, you and I, and He reassures us (Rev. 1:17)

“Fear not, I am the first and the last.”

From His lips we hear the truth:

“these things saith the first and the last,

I AM HE THAT LIVETH, AND WAS DEAD, AND BEHOLD, I AM ALIVE

FOR EVERMORE”…

Jesus is plain, and SIMPLE and clear, as He Says:

“I AM THE ALPHA AND OMEGA,

THE BEGINNING AND THE END,

THE FIRST AND THE LAST” (Rev 22:13)

When YOU AND I say “I believe” –

WE ARE TELLING JESUS

“I BELIEVE IN YOU”

Let us recall true Faith…

in the heart of the Gospel of John Chapter  17 –

we read, the often called Priestly Prayer, as Jesus speaks:

“I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world” (v6) …

“While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name” (V12)

I made known to them your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them (v26)

In Matthew 11:27 we are told “No man knows the Father, but he to whom the Son will reveal him”

By the word of Christ God is revealed to us;

by the Spirit of Christ God is revealed in us.

Faith in the name of Jesus who is above all, the first and the last…this is the faith of Jairus and of the woman Jesus calls “daughter”…

As Jairus daughter lived, and the woman was healed…both miracles came through their Faith…

It is the will of Christ that His people be healed…

The miracles of Jesus throughout scripture confirms

that the “I AM” in the Exodus story of the “Burning Bush”

is the same by which these miracles occur…

These miracles are shown and given to strengthen our faith

through these events Jesus shows us who “He IS”…

Thousands of years have passed and we still struggle with

Faith as being something that is beyond our ability

to fully understand.

That is why it is Jesus who tells us:

Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed…

My friends, believe (and do His will) and you will finally live.

The hour cometh and now is……