Pax et Bonum

The Online worship resource for St. James Parish

June 3, 2009

The cross is the only ladder high enough
to touch Heaven’s threshold.
---G.D. Boardman---
O God of peace,
Who has taught us that in returning and rest
We shall be saved,
In quietness and in confidence shall be our strength:
By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray
To your presence,
Where we may be still and know that you are God;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN
---Book of Common Prayer---

More of the Same

This week we continue with the theme of Endings and Beginnings, which are right in front of us on our calendar. Today was Moving Up Day at the academy, when children moved from one grade to the next. Tonight is the Graduation Dance, and Graduation is on Friday. All the families involved in this event will then move into the next phase of their lives, and discover with their child the joys and challenges of High School.

And Sunday, we say goodbye to Art and Erica, who have been with us for three years, and have become a deeply loved part of our community. It is bittersweet for us to say goodbye, since Art moves into a church that holds wonderful opportunities for him.

As the summer continues, those of us in charge of programming begin to plan for next year. What endings and beginnings will next year hold? No doubt some that will be welcomed, and some that will remind us of our resistance to change. No matter what the future holds, God is in both endings and beginnings. Christ calls himself the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. As Debra writes later in this Pax, Christ meets us at those crossroads of our lives, ever present with healing balm for our souls.

Dear Lord Jesus Christ,
My longing is so great that I cannot express it in words.
I know not how to ask.
See my heart.
What more shall I say?
My suffering is greater than all my complaining.
I cannot counsel myself with reason
Nor comfort myself with my own courage.
Comfortless, helpless, and forsaken,
I am completely at loss.
My God,
You will not abandon my hope.
You will hear my prayer
And satisfy my desires.
I will pray and wait for your grace.
Hear me and fulfill my hope. AMEN
---Martin Luther---
The Promise of Healing
A Series on the Healing Stories in the Gospel Narratives

What do you want me to do for you?

This summer I want to spend our time together in the midweek meditation pondering the healing stories in the Gospels. We are living in a time of great uncertainty, and of course, underneath the uncertainty lies a deep well of fear.

But Jesus has a different message for us today, just as He did for the world of His time.

Let's look closely at the story of Blind Bartimaeus:

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' 48Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!' 49Jesus stood still and said, 'Call him here.' And they called the blind man, saying to him, 'Take heart; get up, he is calling you.' 50So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51Then Jesus said to him, 'What do you want me to do for you?' The blind man said to him, 'My teacher,* let me see again.' 52Jesus said to him, 'Go; your faith has made you well.' Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
Mark 10: 46-52

I want to consider three parts of this story

I like to call this the "recognition cycle of healing" as presented in the Gospel of Mark. Healing for Bartimaeus begins with hope-enough hope that he is willing to shout out even when told to be quiet. But look at what it is he is shouting: 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!'

The title, Son of David, is a messianic title. There is something about Jesus' presence that causes even a blind man to recognize a deeper reality about him.

Bartimaeus' prayer, an ancient form of supplication, begins the exchange in its proper context. Bartimaeus is asking the source of mercy for mercy.

Jesus responds to this supplication with a question, allowing Bartimaeus the dignity of articulating the deepest desire of his heart.

The desire is made manifest in the interaction between the saving power of Jesus and the unswerving focus of Bartimaeus' faith.

Bartimaeus believed that God, through Jesus, could and would heal him. In this way, Bartimaeus participated in his own healing.

The good news I take away from this story is that God desires-in all things- a deeper relationship with me. In the healing of Bartimaeus, I experience Jesus as redeemer and friend. The story reproduces the shape of the cross in the relationship between Bartimaeus and Jesus.

On the side of a dusty road, on the way to Jerusalem, a cross was constructed of human interchange. Desire rises up from a blind beggar and is met in the air by Jesus-the son of heaven. Their embrace causes sparks to fly between them. Sacrifice and love hold the two arms together. Jesus sacrificed his forward movement to pay attention to someone that others wanted ignored. Bartimaeus gave up life as he knew it.

This gives a new meaning to the idea of bringing all my hopes and fears to the foot of the Cross, doesn't it?

What do you want the Son of Mercy to do for you?

Blessings,
Debra

Daily Morning Prayer

Daily Morning Prayer

This Week at St. James

Prayers Etc.

For those on our prayer list:

For Matt Rogers, Postulant in the Diocese of Maryland.

For those who are deployed and their families.

In Closing:

Eternal God,
You have been the hope and joy
Of many generations,
And who in all ages has given me
The power to seek you
And in seeking you find you,
Grant me, I pray you,
A clearer vision of your truth,
A greater faith in your power,
And a more confident assurance of your love.
---John Baillie---

Pax et Bonum,
Loree+

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