Trinity Episcopal Church
44 East Market St. Bethlehem PA 18018-5989 610-867-4741
Health Ministry Sermon - August 4, 2002
Scriptures:
Nehemiah 9:16-20
Psalm 78:1-29 or 78:14-20, 23-25
Romans 8:35-39
Matthew 14:13-21
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Every schoolteacher knows that if children are hungry, they're not going to be able to learn very well. And every medical missionary knows that one of the best ways to get people's attention is to heal their hurts. From the first, caring for the physical--in addition to the spiritual--wellbeing of people was Christ's concern. Last time you felt like throwing up or were in terrible pain, how well could you concentrate on the words the preacher was saying? Jesus never made that mistake.
What is happening in this Gospel story? Jesus is tired and unhappy. He's just found out that Herod has murdered his cousin, John the Baptist. He's been thrown out of his hometown and he wants some quiet time with his best friends to pray and grieve. But the crowds know what they need and they follow him-even out into the countryside. As always, he is moved by their poverty, hunger and illness, and he undertakes to do what he can do to heal them.
It's getting late and he hears that they are hungry, so he tells his disciples to feed them. FEED THEM? Without any planning? The disciples take an inventory, and they produce some of their own food-no little boy with a lunch this time. Jesus blesses it, the disciples pass it out, everybody eats and there's enough left over for a midnight snack.
The point of this story and a number of the other Jesus stories is that no one gets turned away or excluded from Jesus' concern-there's enough for everyone coming to him. Unlike some versions of the story, here the disciples don't argue with Jesus. They simply produce what they have and bring it to Jesus-scratching their heads a bit-and Jesus shows them how to make the massive picnic happen.
I have watched this parish over and over respond when God points out a need. You bring whatever resources you have, watch to see how God will apply them, then carry on with the work set before you-notice Jesus didn't distribute the bread. He had the disciples do it.
Sometimes Jesus was pretty sneaky when he preached - remember all the parables of the past few Sundays? I'm not as good a preacher as Jesus, though, so I'm going to get straight to the point. Let me tell you about how this sermon is leading into ways that we can minister to the needs of others who are hungry or in pain.
Four or five months ago, I stood in this pulpit and invited the parish to a discussion of the possibility of going back in time, to the days of the Early Church, where the Church community both out of necessity and out of love undertook to care for its members. We began with a wonderful gathering after Easter, where many of you showed up to find out what this might look like, and to share some of your stories and reveal some of your talents. Since then, all throughout this very hot summer, people have been meeting, thinking, writing and working toward beginning our Health Ministry this fall. We took a look at what people said they need most in the area of Health, and began with that.
People said they needed information, more than anything else. So we have planned a series of monthly programs on various health-related topics. The programs will be held in the parish hall at 2:00 p.m. on the first Saturday of the month. We have chosen to begin with the following topics: How to Visit People Who Are Ill or Dying; How to Talk to Your Doctor/Questions to Ask Your Doctor; Area Agency on Aging Services and Related Services for Seniors; and Hospice. We decided only to plan for the first part of the year, so we could have the flexibility to accommodate interests that develop during the fall. We are also prepared to offer additional sessions on topics that people would like to explore in more depth.
Because these sessions are scheduled for the first Saturday of the month, some people may wish to stay for the Saturday afternoon Eucharist, which includes healing.
Health is rooted not only in the body, but in our life in Christ. Some people are not able to attend the daytime Eucharists, or may want a service focused specifically on healing, so we have decided to offer a healing service one evening a month. The service will be held in the church, so there are no accessibility problems for people who can't go up the stairs to the chapel.
Some people wished there were a way simply to spend some time relaxing and strengthening ties with the parish community. So we decided to have a morning coffee club in the Soup Kitchen for a half-hour after Morning Prayer or the Wednesday Eucharist. And Fr. Nick and I plan to take that time also to enjoy being with you and catching up on what's going on in all our lives.
We are working on filling in a computer database, which has been created by one of our parishioners, so we can match the many talents you have with needs people have. We are planning for a health fair-probably in late February. We will be having a Health Ministry website, which will keep you abreast of the Health Ministry's programs and activities, and also link you to health-related information to be found on the Internet. People are making healing prayer beads. We're gathering materials for a health library. I feel like saying, "But wait, there's more!" Rather than keep on going, listing what is happening, I encourage you to read the newsletter, where we will write about all these exciting developments.
At 2:00, on September 7th, the first Saturday in September, we will kick off our program series with a visit from Diana Marshall, the bishop's wife, who is both a nurse and an attorney. Diana will be with us to share the Bishop's vision of a diocese-wide healing ministry, and to let us know what resources are available to us from the diocese and from the national church. I hope that many of you will be able to come out to offer her the kind of remarkable hospitality that is Trinity's hallmark.
Do you have any idea how unbelievably proud I am to be a member of a parish like this? With all our warts and all our own personal sufferings, we still listen attentively for God's call and respond to it to fill each other's needs. I truly understand how St. Paul could write to his fellow-laborers in the church, "I thank God for you."
I suppose that the main problem is that God keeps calling. There's never an end to the need. It used to depress me that there was so little that I could do. Poverty, disease, injustice and violence seem so widespread, what impact can my tiny efforts have? Jesus says, "Never mind. That's my business. You just bring what you have, even if it's only 5 loaves and 2 fish, and I'll show you how."
Some of you have already heard God calling, and have responded by filling out the form the Health Ministry sent in last month's newsletter. If you have misplaced your forms, there are extras in the Take-One rack in the hall. Even if you only have time to make one phone call a month, or pick up a prescription for someone who is ill and lives alone, that is a wonderful help. At the very least, filling out the form lets us know whom to call in case of emergencies-an important piece of information in a time when families are scattered all across the country.
We still don't know entirely where the Health Ministry is going-that will depend in part on what the parish decides it needs and wants. We have an exciting start and I have no doubt at all that with God's guidance, not only do we have enough to feed each other, but we will have baskets and baskets left over to share.
