Grabbing
her by the hand, Jesus lifted Peter’s mother-in-law out of bed. Sitting upright, she felt the dangerous fever
that had been keeping her down melt away.
Her body cooled, her head cleared, and immediately she rose to her feet
with a smile involuntarily brightening her face. In that instance, she passed from burdensome
weariness to a lightness of being that made her want to jump, to dance, to
share her newfound energy with the world and those around her. God’s healing made her want to serve.
It was
the #1 result of our “Asset mapping” planning meeting last fall – it was the
ministry with the most post-it notes on the wall and the most people voting
with their feet to stand beside the project that they would most want to help
with. Caring. This is what our church should be doing, they
said. We should be looking after each
other, keeping in touch with those who are sick, visiting those in the hospital
or homebound, taking meals to those who are incapacitated, providing
transportation for people having trouble getting around. Sure, that stuff happens here and there, now
and then, as friends and neighbors care for the ones they know, but what about
the others? What about the people on the
margins of the congregation who we haven’t seen for many Sundays and who we
don’t really know how they’re doing?
What about the people who fall through the cracks?
Jesus
was just passing through Capernaum. He
wasn’t going to settle down in that city and start a hospital, though he did
hold a public healing session there.
Word had spread, and the populace came and brought their sick and
disturbed friends and family members, and Jesus spent the evening praying over
them and curing them. Physical maladies
were healed, demons were cast out, broken lives were put back together. But in the morning, after a high-level
conference between the Son of God and his Abba, Jesus told his disciples it was
time to move on.
Some may
have felt that it was unkind of Jesus not to stay and take care of the sick who
remained in Capernaum. He could have
spent years there just tending to the needs in that one city. He could have spent a lifetime there. But just like Peter’s mother-in-law, who
wasted no time helping others after God restored her health, Jesus left behind
a host of people who had received healing who were in the perfect position to
help the others. They may not have the
ability to restore sight to the blind, or to make the lame walk. They may not be able to banish a fever with a
single touch the way Jesus could. But
they could sit with, tend, pray for, and care for those around them. They could engage in caring ministry, and be
extensions of Christ’s own healing presence.
We who
have known the touch of Jesus in our lives, who have been lifted up in many
ways by the love of our savior, are called to caring ministry. As Christians, we understand that all people
have value and are loved by God, especially the vulnerable and weak among
us. Because of the care and well-being
given us by God, we are able to share our time, prayer, knowledge, and
resources in service to those in need.
We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). We are able to care because we’ve been so
well cared for ourselves.
I’m not
entirely comfortable with the word “wholistic” because it often gets applied to
some flaky concepts in the non-traditional health field. But the basic idea is sound – our body, mind,
emotions, soul and spirit are all linked.
We are each one being, one whole, but at the same time none of us is
entirely whole when any of those things is off balance. Care for others, or for yourself for that
matter, involves looking at the whole and finding ways to bring it together and
maintain balance. Peter’s mother-in-law
was no doubt very much like many in our congregation. I imagine she was a doer, a go-getter, used
to keeping the household in order, more comfortable with taking care of others
than being taken care of. Her fever
slowed her body down, made her feel miserable, and kept her from doing the
things she loved to do. And the more
those things remained undone, the lower her spirits sank. The lower her spirits sank, the less able she
was to fight off that fever, and down and down she spiraled. Until Jesus.
This is
where Caring Ministry comes in. Even
without miraculous powers, ordinary people like you and me can release the power
of God’s love by standing by people who are sick and in distress. Simply by supporting them, spending time
with them, helping them with little chores and tasks, we can make a big difference. And what price can you put on making a new
friend?
Karen
Erickson and her husband Paul, who recently joined Atonement, have been leading
the newly formed Caring Team. They have
met with the team twice already, and are well on the way towards laying the
groundwork for some important caring ministries. The caring team also touches on Parish
nursing ministries, Stephen’s ministry, Eucharistic ministry, and a host of
other areas where we have room to grow as a church. Parish nursing involves bringing health and
wellness awareness and resources to our members. Stephen’s ministry is an in-depth training
program for people who want to work closely one-on-one with people in
crisis. Eucharistic ministers bring
communion to our homebound or hospitalized members on a regular basis.
A
Christian man was traveling on an airplane.
The lady sitting next to him asked him what he did. “I work with a world-wide, multi-national,
multicultural organization,” he said.
“We have outlets in every country, and every major city. We run hospitals and relief agencies. We care for people – body, mind and spirit,
and we specialize in personal development and self-improvement.” “Really!?” his seatmate exclaimed with
genuine wonder. “What is it
called?” “The church,” he said.
We are
all privileged to be part of this amazing global network of servants. We have been cared for by a God who made us
and a Savior who shed his blood for us.
We are called to reach out and carry that love to all in need. If we don’t care for them, who will? As we contemplate how the ministry of caring
will be a part of our lives, we require a wisdom and guidance that will not
steer us wrong. A high-level conference
with our Abba seems in order.
Peace,
Pastor Scott
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