The Wounded Healer (Psalm 18:1-6, 43-50)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
By French painter Georges Rouault (1871-1958)

I love you, Lord;
    you are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
    my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
    and my place of safety.
I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and he saved me from my enemies.

The ropes of death entangled me;
    floods of destruction swept over me.
The grave wrapped its ropes around me;
    death laid a trap in my path.
But in my distress I cried out to the Lord;
    yes, I prayed to my God for help.
He heard me from his sanctuary;
    my cry to him reached his ears…

You gave me victory over my accusers.
    You appointed me ruler over nations;
    people I don’t even know now serve me.
As soon as they hear of me, they submit;
    foreign nations cringe before me.
They all lose their courage
    and come trembling from their strongholds.

The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock!
    May the God of my salvation be exalted!
He is the God who pays back those who harm me;
    he subdues the nations under me
    and rescues me from my enemies.
You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies;
    you save me from violent opponents.
For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations;
    I will sing praises to your name.
You give great victories to your king;
    you show unfailing love to your anointed,
    to David and all his descendants forever. (New Living Translation)

King David, the psalmist, had no problem with publicly expressing his great feeling of love for God. His desire was to be thoroughly devoted to the Lord; and he confidently discerned God as the source of his strength.

What’s more, David freely recognized God as the One who brought him deliverance. David cried out in distress. In his despair and desperation, he looked to the Lord, and God responded.

This is in contrast to those who complain about God and consider the Lord as distant and uncaring – if existing at all. David’s experience was that of being heard by God. And he wanted everyone to know, so that the faithful may be encouraged.

David didn’t want people becoming discouraged because of the bitterness of others who accuse God of being unconcerned.

The psalmist was not just talking about some mundane request, like asking for parking spot close to the building. David was in a life-and-death situation, stressful beyond imagination. Things were not looking good for him.

It seemed that the insolent, who think God isn’t watching, believed they could act unjustly and do whatever they wanted. Sadly, their lust for power and control blinds them to the larger reality of an invisible God who sees, and who responds at just the right time.

David wanted people to remember and not to forget about the saving actions of God. Because by keeping in mind who God truly is, then we can have confident trust, and will live in a way that is right, just, and good.

“Our service will not be perceived as authentic unless it comes from a heart wounded by the suffering about which we speak.”

Henri Nouwen

A good, right, and just life is always the appropriate response to divine mercy and deliverance. We are saved from evil, so that we might live in the spiritual freedom of purity and peace. And David gave God some due praise, adoration, and thanksgiving for rescuing him from his enemies.

Since David went through all of the adversity, hardship, stress, and suffering of dealing with unjust people, he was in a position to be a wounded healer for us.

A wounded healer is not someone who endorses a victim mentality. Rather, this is a person who has been profoundly hurt – physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually – and comes through the experience with an ability to be present with others and help facilitate healing in those who suffer.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5, NIV)

We all suffer and face various hard circumstances. And we are all changed by the hurtful encounters. But we don’t all respond the same way to that adversity. The difficult experiences of pain lead us to become either bitter or better.

If we have a wounded healer in our life, there is a good chance that we will be able to move through the hardship and come to a place of gratitude for what the Lord has done for us and how God brought us deliverance.

“As followers of Jesus we can also allow our wounds to bring healing to others.”

Henri Nouwen

Deliverance may not end up looking like anything we anticipate. If we are stuck on particular outcomes and have a singular expectation, then we may very well miss the Rescuer when the ship of salvation shows up.

Yet, if we can remain open to and aware of God – as well as of what’s going on inside us – then we shall likely experience healing for our deep wounds of pain. And we will embrace the scars it leaves as a reminder of the Lord’s deliverance.

It could be that things don’t change, at least like we want. In such times, perhaps the greatest healing that can take place is to be healed from the need for healing.

The Lord shows unfailing commitment and steadfast love to the faithful, to those who seek God. We shall find the divine in all circumstances, that is, if we seek God with all our heart.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13, NIV)

Pain cannot be taken away unless we enter into it. So, it only makes sense to me, that we have a guide like the psalmist to lead us, and a Savior like Jesus to rescue us.

“Wholeness is not achieved by cutting off a portion of one’s being, but by integration of the contraries.”

Carl Jung

May you be patient in suffering, as Christ was in his earthly pain.

May the Lord be near you in your time of weakness and wondering.

May God sustain you by divine grace, and grant you courage not to have a failure of faith.

May you know healing of both body and soul.

And may you always believe that what happens to you in this present life is of little account if you hold Christ in eternal life. Amen.

Don’t Fear, Believe! (Mark 5:21-43)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Jesus heals the daughter of Jairus, by Hyatt Moore

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him, and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue, named Jairus, came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and pleaded with him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” So he went with him.

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians and had spent all that she had, and she was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Immediately her flow of blood stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 

Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my cloak?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

While he was still speaking, some people came from the synagogue leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the synagogue leader, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the synagogue leader’s house, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him.

Then he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl stood up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this and told them to give her something to eat. (New Revised Standard Version)

Christ Healing the Hemorrhaging Woman, by Ivan Rutkovych, 1698

Hopeless. That’s how two people felt in today’s story. One of them a woman, and the other the father of a little girl.

To have a sense of hopelessness is perhaps one of the worst feelings a person could ever have; it is to suffer with the despair that your suffering isn’t going to end.

It was still early in Christ’s earthly ministry. Jesus had already performed amazing exorcisms and healed people. His fame was spreading, and crowds began to form everywhere he went.

The Hemorrhaging Woman

The woman had suffered for 12 years with hemorrhaging. She went through a string of doctors with no answers to her malady. Her condition drained her not only bodily, but also emotionally and financially. Despite everything she tried, not only did things not get better, but they got worse.

She likely didn’t get out much because of her situation. But even if she did, the woman would have to literally remain on the margins of the community because of all the blood. In other words, she was unclean, and anyone who touched her would be, as well.

I see many folks in my line of work who have had an adverse health condition for years. Some of them have had a debilitating illness for so long that the sickness is what now defines them. Their daily schedule is ruled by doctor appointments and therapy sessions. Their health maladies have taken over their identity.

Despair and desperation are close cousins. The woman’s desire to gain back her life aroused the courage to seek out Jesus. And she believed that by resolutely getting through the crowd of people, that even if the edge of his cloak could be touched, restoration would happen.

True faith leads us to act in a way that seems irrational to others.

The woman pushed and wormed her way close enough to Jesus to touch just the edge of his cloak… and the effect was immediate. She felt it in her body. The woman was cured with but a simple touch.

Then the woman became afraid, realizing that Jesus was aware that someone touched him. And a woman, no less, who had a hemorrhaging issue. Christ looked around, trying to find out who did it.

The extreme awareness of Jesus contrasts with the blatant unawareness of his disciples. They dismissed their Teacher’s investigation because of all the people who clamored around him. But Jesus was determined to find the person who touched him.

The woman realized she could not hide what she did, and what happened. With her robust faith in Jesus, she was willing to face any consequence for touching the rabbi. She was so scared that she trembled as she talked to Jesus. The woman revealed her story to him of who she is and what brought her to this point.

Genuine faith and healing always brings light, because grace and redemption will have its way in this fallen dark world.

Whereas we might expect a religious leader to respond with disdain or shock, and likely a firm rebuke, Jesus honored the woman by calling her “daughter.” He truly saw her, and publicly bestowed blessing and peace upon her.

Jesus confirmed and affirmed the woman’s healing in front of everyone. She was hopeless no more.

The Sick Young Girl

Christ continued his journey to young girl’s house. Her faither, Jairus the synagogue ruler, appealed to Jesus to come and heal her. She was at the end of life. As the father of three daughters myself, I can easily imagine the despair and desperation of Jairus concerning his precious little girl’s condition.

Somehow he knew there was only one hope for his daughter; Jairus needed Jesus because there was nothing he could do, or anybody could do, to save her. And once he got to Jesus, his poverty of spirit was evident, his humility palpable.

Jairus fell to his knees and became a spiritual beggar. He pleaded with Jesus to come and lay healing hands on his dear girl.

But his hope morphed into hopelessness; while on the way, Jairus received the devastating news that his daughter had died. All is lost… or is it?

Jesus didn’t think so. He simply gave a hopeful reassurance, “Don’t fear. Believe!” To the unbeliever, those words must seem cruel – giving a father whose child has died false hope. But for God, nothing is impossible. In God’s kingdom, death never has the last say on a person’s life.

It’s hard to have faith and hope whenever everyone else is mourning and crying and grieving. Arriving at the house, Jesus said yet another possibly cruel thing: “The child’s not dead but sleeping.” Christ understood that she was not all dead, just mostly dead.

The nervous and stressed laughing of the people in the house did nothing to deter Jesus. He was supremely confident about what would happen – a future that no one else could yet see.

A simple command, just a few words, was all it took. Taking the girl’s mother and father into the room, I imagine Jesus saying with a combination of authority and compassion, “Little girl, get up!”

Since Christ’s authority knows no bounds, the girl immediately got up. She was alive – so alive that it’s as if nothing ever made her ill to begin with.

Only a Story?

You may think this is only a story. Perhaps you believe there’s nothing to this, other than an ancient follower of Jesus trying to make his Teacher look like a healer, a savior.

For me, the story confirms what I know and believe to be true from my own experience as a church pastor, hospital chaplain, and follower of God: The impossible happens with Jesus. Christ is more powerful than anything life throws at us. Jesus is enough.

Amen. Soli Deo Gloria.

Victory Over the Power of Evil (Luke 4:31-37)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

He went down to Capernaum, a village in Galilee. He was teaching the people on the Sabbath. They were surprised and impressed—his teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative, not the quibbling and quoting they were used to.

In the meeting place that day there was a man demonically disturbed. He screamed, “Stop! What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you’re up to. You’re the Holy One of God and you’ve come to destroy us!”

Jesus shut him up: “Quiet! Get out of him!” The demonic spirit threw the man down in front of them all and left. The demon didn’t hurt him.

That knocked the wind out of everyone and got them whispering and wondering, “What’s going on here? Someone whose words make things happen? Someone who orders demonic spirits to get out and they go?” Jesus was the talk of the town. (The Message)

During his earthly life and ministry, Jesus was a Deliverer and a Liberator; he came to save people from their guilt and shame, and to free the world from the clutches of evil.

And so, it was inevitable that Jesus would come into conflict with the forces of darkness.

In today’s story, Jesus had a confrontation with an unclean spirit, that is, a demon who is an ally of the devil. The particular demon was not only speaking for himself, but also for his fellow band of wicked spirits.

Christ’s ministry put him in direct opposition to the hosts of Satan. The nub of the issue for the demon was whether Jesus had come for their immediate destruction. Jesus, however, wasn’t in the habit of answering questions from demons.

So, Christ rebuked the demon, told him to get out of the person he was influencing. And that is exactly what happened. The writer, Luke, pointed out that this demonstrated Christ’s authority, that it even includes the power to command unclean spirits, and out they go.

And that is how the liberating and saving ministry of Jesus began.

In the Gospel of Luke, this account of Jesus being confronted by a demon happens just after Christ’s 40 days of being tempted in the desert, even by Satan himself. So, the entire demonic realm was alert to beginning ministry of Christ. They went after Jesus right away, perhaps trying to trip him up before he could get any ministerial momentum.

Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath in the town of Capernaum. We ought not to be surprised that a demonized man was among those observing the Sabbath. The wise believer will be savvy to this reality.

Furthermore, we aren’t told who the man was or of any symptoms he may have had. Apparently, he presented himself as a normal Jewish villager. So, we ought not to think that anyone being demonized will necessarily demonstrate madness or illness of some sort.

The demon was perhaps more aware of who Jesus was than anyone else there on that Sabbath Day in Capernaum. He acknowledged Christ’s power and mission. Jesus indeed came to destroy the power and influence of evil in the world.

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

James 2:19, NIV

Since Jesus Christ is the rightful authority over all, that means Satan and his wicked spirits are not; and they must submit to that true and real power.

Truth and doctrine are not only about objective facts and right belief. Even though our thinking is important and critical, there is more to it than that: Orthodoxy (right belief) requires orthopraxy (right actions).

A right truth that is only described is not the whole truth. In reality, a false witness and a liar may state the truth, but not entirely, withholding important information; thus, impairing any sort of right action from taking place.

Gaslighting relatives, oppressive bosses, and tyrannical rulers who tell some truth, and even support some good things, are still gaslighting and oppressing others with their narcissistic brand of leadership.

Truly, believers in and followers of Jesus can sometimes be duped into supporting evil leaders who use all sorts of unjust tactics, just because that leader tells the part of truth I want upheld.

Jesus saves; he is Savior of the world – but that is only part of the truth. We must also ask: What has Christ come to save us from? Not just our mistakes, mess-ups, and sins. Christ came to deliver us from the very power of evil that supports injustice and unrighteous behavior to begin with.

If we merely view Jesus as our personal Savior from hell after we die, then we will likely focus almost exclusively on heaven. But if we see all the freedom we need from unhealthy behaviors and unjust ways, then we view Christ as so much more than a fire insurance policy.

We need a more expansive understanding of Christ’s cross. Yes, Jesus died for our sins. Yet, he also died to conquer evil; Christ made it possible for us to become liberated from the shackles of systemic sin and structural evil, as well as personal guilt. In other words, Christ came to topple all evil, and not just human foibles.

And this was why the dark powers of Satan, and his demons, were so afraid of Jesus. They knew their time was short. There is yet another power that has a hold on us today – and that is the reality that many people no longer believe in demons and devils and dark forces.

Since we are a technically advanced people with great understanding of medical science, we now know all sorts of things which cause physical and mental illness. Ancient people did not know about human hormones and chemicals, and the impact of genetic codes on our health. They had no idea about bacteria and viruses, microbes and hygiene.

Therefore, we can jettison all this mumbo-jumbo about demons, right?… Not so much.

Even with all of our modern (and postmodern) explanations for the body and brain, we are still finding ourselves having to contend with the mystery of evil, and the malevolent suffering it causes us.

We modern folk can certainly provide a lot of insight into the cause and effect of particular symptoms a person has according to their biology. And yet, that doesn’t take away the presence of malevolent forces on this earth.

Even with all of our understanding, evil still resides within organizations, institutions, and even faith communities. The meanness and malevolence, the injustice and the ingratitude, and the profound violence (both verbal and physical) which one human being can exact on another is still here – and some would argue that it’s worse than ever.

Knowing something isn’t the same as doing it. If that were true, then education ought to deliver us from evil. Even some intelligent and objective people, who are fluent in facts and figures, still use their calculations for evil.

No matter our creeds or convictions, whether we are religious or not, all of us seem to have a collective sense that this old world of ours is profoundly broken.

All the research dollars in the world has not produced a solution to fix evil. And even if we could completely understand evil, that isn’t the same as ridding ourselves of it.

What’s more, those who put all their trust in changing things through modern means (which means without God) have been some of the worst offenders of producing wars, political tyranny, and gross injustice.

To put all of this perhaps more succinctly in the form of question: We know and understand a lot in combating disease, disaster, and death; but does all of that insight do away with the evil of it? Are things less tragic now?

I argue that is has not. Evil is still evil. Chronic pain, homelessness, poverty, injustice, and health inequities are still wreaking their evil on people.

I believe that evil really does exist, even if it has different language today than it did in the ancient world.

There is real opposition, conflict, and confrontation from evil today. The victory Christ has achieved over the forces of evil has a 2,000 year track record of helping people experience renewed lives, even when their bodies are wasting away.

In the end, the victory of Jesus Christ shall become evident to all the world. Overcoming evil doesn’t come from us, but from God. We can and we must deal with evil in this world. But we are not the Savior or the Liberator.

We need faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us. Amen.

For the Love of God, Not Money (2 Corinthians 8:1-7)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 

For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 

And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 

But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. (New International Version)

I’ll be honest: As a preacher and pastor, I don’t much like talking about money. Yet, money is always an issue, especially in churches.

Although there are contemporary pastors and churches who deal with millions of dollars, the vast majority of believers and faith communities struggle from Sunday to Sunday. Money is a topic that has to be addressed and talked about.

So, even though there are plenty of abuses out there when it comes to money, it’s good to gain a more biblical, reasonable, and compassionate view of financial resources.

Holy Scripture does not condemn economic wealth; but it does warn us against the love of money, and centering our lives around it. Perhaps Jesus said it best:

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be loyal to the one and have contempt for the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Jesus (Matthew 6:24, CEB)

Jesus clarified the issue of money as a matter of our values and commitments. To possess money in and of itself is neither good nor bad; it’s whether money is the master you serve, or God is, with money being a tool to serve the Lord.

In writing to Timothy about how to instruct the Ephesian Church concerning money, the Apostle Paul framed the issue this way:

But people who are trying to get rich fall into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful passions that plunge people into ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some have wandered away from the faith and have impaled themselves with a lot of pain because they made money their goal. (1 Timothy 6:9-10, CEB)

Financial resources are tools to be used, not only in providing for oneself and one’s family, but also to do good and to think of the common good of all people.

And that is exactly what the Apostle Paul was intent on doing. He was gathering a collection for the believers in Jerusalem. So, he took some space (2 Corinthians 8-9) in writing to the Corinthian Church for addressing this issue, as well as money and wealth in general.

Paul unabashedly called upon the Corinthian Christians to give, and considered it their obligation to do so.

The Apostle broached the subject by challenging the Corinthians to follow the example of the Macedonian churches. Paul fully embraced his training in rhetoric in using the technique of comparison to evoke competition between Corinth and Macedonia.

He did so by alluding to the generosity of the Macedonians. Even though the Macedonian believers were themselves experiencing a severe ordeal of affliction and even poverty, they voluntarily gave quite generously.

What’s more, the Macedonians gave well beyond their means. Paul didn’t ask them to do that; and nobody expected it of them. If anything, the churches in Macedonia could have probably received a collection of money and resources themselves. Yet, instead, they stretched themselves financially and gave.

The motivation to give from such meager resources, and in such a difficult situation, was an overflow of the believers’ hearts. In other words, they really wanted to give, so they did. The Macedonian Christians discerned that their true calling was to give of themselves to the Lord, and therefore, to also give of themselves to the Apostle Paul.

So then, Paul encouraged the Corinthian Christians to demonstrate their own commitment and loyalty to both God and to the Apostle. Titus would show up in Corinth to receive the collection, and Paul expected them to be generous – mainly because he knew they could do so, and therefore, ought to do so.

Paul established the church in Corinth. He spent a good deal of time there amongst the people and the city. He knew them well. And Paul was often frustrated with them, even sometimes using sarcasm to get his point across.

I wonder if he was a bit sarcastic, appealing to the Corinthians’ sense of pride in their city and their wealth. After all, the Corinthians excelled in everything else – such gifted people! (or so they always thought). Surely, they would also take full advantage of this opportunity to excel in giving, and be as generous as they possibly could!

Throughout my years of pastoral ministry, I have found in every place I’ve been, ironically, that those with little give much; and those with much give little.

Indeed, the wealthy are able to give much more than the poor. But I have never seen a rich person give everything they have for a cause, whereas many times, I have seen a person in poverty give everything they have for another. That’s also the observation Jesus made when folks were giving their offerings at the Temple:

Jesus sat across from the collection box for the temple treasury and observed how the crowd gave their money. Many rich people were throwing in lots of money. One poor widow came forward and put in two small copper coins worth a penny.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I assure you that this poor widow has put in more than everyone who’s been putting money in the treasury. All of them are giving out of their spare change. But she from her hopeless poverty has given everything she had, even what she needed to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44, CEB)

Indeed, money is very much needed in this life. And money isn’t everything. Economic wealth, financial resources, and money are temporary. God and relationships are permanent. Life is eternal, at least for those who haven’t centered their lives around money as their god.

Money is to be used for good in this world. It is a tool. So, let’s use it with wisdom and a generous heart, putting it in it’s proper place in our lives.

Lord of our lives, teach us how to use our money and our possessions. Deliver us from stinginess and wasteful extravagance; inspire our giving with the spirit of true generosity. Help us always to remember your generous love for us, that we may be wise and faithful stewards of the good gifts you have given us. Amen.