February 4: "Belonging"

THE WORD IN THE GOSPEL  Mark 1:29-39

After leaving the synagogue, Jesus, James, and John went home with Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed, sick with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. He went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she served them.

That evening, at sunset, people brought to Jesus those who were sick or demon-possessed. The whole town gathered near the door. He healed many who were sick with all kinds of diseases, and he threw out many demons. But he didn’t let the demons speak, because they recognized him.

Early in the morning, well before sunrise, Jesus rose and went to a deserted place where he could be alone in prayer. Simon and those with him tracked him down. When they found him, they told him, “Everyone’s looking for you!”

He replied, “Let’s head in the other direction, to the nearby villages, so that I can preach there too. That’s why I’ve come.” He traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and throwing out demons.

MESSAGE     “Belonging”

Because our worship service is so full this morning, and because we’ll be celebrating communion, this will be a short sermon. Can I have an amen??

As I was working on this sermon, which, of course, I’ve called “Belonging,” I was browsing Google for images for the PowerPoint. And I came across this one website that offered a package deal for a bundle of slick, professional images, videos, banners, bumper stickers, you name it, all based on the theme of “You Belong Here.”

Yes, for just $49.99, I could order this package and be ready to announce to everyone, by means of flashy images and videos and Facebook and Instagram posts, that “You Belong Here.”

Well, I resisted the temptation to shell out 50 bucks, but still, I do believe that belonging is important. It’s an essential part of what it means to be human. Knowing that we belong somewhere gives our lives a sense of purpose and meaning.

But finding a place to belong isn’t always easy. There are lots of obstacles that keep people from feeling like they belong anywhere. I truly believe that there are a lot of people in our world today who are drifting about without any sense of belonging, without any deep sense of meaning or purpose.

One of the messages of the Bible is that God longs for each of us to find that place to belong. Part of Jesus’ ministry was to help people do just that.

The gospel readings from last week and this morning describe acts of healing performed by Jesus.

Last week, we read the story of how Jesus healed a man who was tormented by a destructive spirit. We don’t know exactly what was wrong with the man, but a good guess is that he was suffering from some kind of mental illness. People in Jesus’ time didn’t understand mental illness, and believed that persons like this man were possessed by spirits.

In today’s reading, Jesus heals Simon’s mother, who had a fever. Then we learn that later that same evening, the people in the town brought to Jesus their friends and family members who were sick or who they believed were possessed with demons.

And, according to the text, Jesus cured the people who were sick with all kinds of diseases, and he cast out many demons.

But Jesus was doing far more than offering physical or mental healing to all these people. He was also restoring to them that all-so-important sense of belonging.

You see, according to the laws and traditions in Jesus’ time, anyone who was sick – in body or mind – was considered “unclean” and “unworthy.” They were to be treated like an outcast, like a nobody.

People who had physical or mental illnesses were often not allowed to live with their families, or go to the temple to worship, or even be a part of the community’s day-to-day activities. Instead, they were often shunned, ignored, and forgotten. They were cast out of the communities to which they had belonged. They were robbed of the security and joy of belonging.

So the healing that Jesus offered to people who were sick was much more significant than getting rid of a fever or casting out some kind of destructive spirit. When Jesus healed a sick person, he was also restoring that person to their community. He was restoring their dignity and their worth as human beings. He was offering them the healing of belonging.

God created us, as humans, to belong. It is one of the most fundamental aspect of being human: the desire and the need to belong. We are created to belong, first of all, to God, but also, to each other, in loving and supportive communities of faith; communities that strive to be God’s love to all people.

Part of our calling and challenge as those who follow Jesus is to offer the healing of belonging to all those outside our doors who feel that there’s no place for them to belong.

And part of that challenge is to identify those obstacles that keep people from feeling like they can belong somewhere: obstacles like physical or mental illness, yes, but also obstacles like economic status, skin color, education, or disability.

In the course of my ministry, I’ve spoken to people who feel they don’t belong in church because they don’t have nice clothes to wear, or because they have no money or skills to offer, or because they weren’t raised in the faith and so they don’t’ know very much at all about the Bible or God or Church, or because they’ve had checkered pasts that somehow exclude them from belonging to a faith community.

How can we reach out to people who believe – for whatever reason – that there’s no place for them to belong? By taking seriously the words of the apostle Paul in this morning’s reading. Paul writes,

“I make myself a slave to all people. I act like a Jew to the Jews. I act like I’m under the Law to those under the Law. I act weak to the weak. I have become all things to all people, so I could save some by all possible means.”

What Paul means is that he came alongside people where they were. He made space in his own life, setting aside his own biases, his own beliefs and opinions, so he could get to know people for who they were, so he could learn about them on their terms, not on his own. So he could better understand their needs and concerns and hopes. So he could help them belong.

When we can do the same – when we can get to really know and walk beside people – when we take the time to learn what might be keeping them from feeling like they belong – then we can work with them to overcome those obstacles and help them understand that, yes, they can belong . . . yes, they DO belong.

When Jesus healed people, he also restored a sense of belonging for those who were cut off from community.

And this is a part of the salvation that God offers us through Jesus. Salvation is not just about going to heaven or saving your soul or gaining eternal life. It’s also about being who God created us to be, and that means having a place to belong among the people of God. That is what life in the kingdom of God is like.

The healing of belonging. We have the opportunity to experience it right here this morning in the sacrament of holy communion, as we share this meal. And because we are nourished not just by the bread and cup, but also by our own profound sense of belonging to God and to each other, we can offer the healing of belonging to others.

That is good news. That is the gospel. And that is our mission.  Amen.