14th sunday

Sunday morning and Pastor Joan is getting ready to preach. She loves preaching. She hates the thought of giving up her pulpit while she is out having the baby. On the other hand she is really looking forward to the baby. This is part of her sermon:
In the last half of the gospel for today we meet a deaf man. Jesus takes him aside and heals him. I’m glad TV Evangelists aren’t using this as a model for healing services. Just think of all the spitting they would be doing not to mention the sighing.
The healing is a pretty much your ordinary healing. He couldn’t hear. Now he can. He couldn’t talk very well. Now he can Just your ordinary healing. But then Jesus orders them and him to tell nobody about the healing. He doesn’t ask. He orders!
Now If Jesus had just performed a miracle for you wouldn’t you obey Him? Wouldn’t you happily do what he ordered.
But instead they run around telling everybody.
The surprise here is that Jesus doesn’t take the healing back. The healed failed to obey. He shouldn’t be allowed to keep the healing.
I know Christians who think like that.
It’s Get saved! Get in Line! Get things right! Or lose it.
God doesn’t take back His miracles.
He doesn’t.
We would if we were God.
Thank God we aren’t God.
If you were in the hospital dying of cancer and Jesus suddenly appeared and healed you. Then he ordered you to tell nobody it was Him. Could you keep it quiet.
When the Doctor’s probed and tested. When they decided the chemo had worked at the last minute .Would you still keep silent.
When your atheist friend says to you that you should thank science for your healing. Can you still keep silence ?
When your little girl says daddy where was God when you needed Him? Will you hold it in?
When the Pastor asks people to share the little miracles in their lives can you sit on this big one ?
I really doubt it.
We are what we are as human beings.
We are broken, imperfect , sinners. But God never takes back his blessings.
When we fail he picks us up.
He forgives.
He restarts us.
Praise God.