October 15, 2006

Dying For a Drink

Healing Water

John 5:1-15

Opening Words: Did you know our physical bodies need about 3 quarts of water a day to operate efficiently. Water helps digest food. The blood, which is 90 percent water, carries nutrients to the cells. Water acts as a cooling agent on a hot day. Without water’s lubricating properties, our joints and muscles would grind and creak like unused parts of some old rusty machinery? Our spirits need water as well, the living water of Jesus! Without him our spirits become restless and parched. In the Gospel of John there are six wonderful stories about water. Each one reminds us how important Jesus is to our souls. It is for this reason I have called this sermon series Dying For a Drink. Today we look at the story of the healing of the cripple at the pool.

Before I begin this morning I have a little confession. It takes time to write a sermon. Sometimes the words come easily and sometimes they do not. Sometimes they do not come at all. That was this week. I was too distracted with other church activities to find God’s words for us today. So I went back to words I wrote back in 2004 and rewrote them for today. These were words I needed to hear again I hope these are words you need to hear again. I originally called these words Flat on Your Face. Today I call these words Healing Water.

It was the Summer Olympics 1984. Mary Decker of the United States and Zola Budd of South Africa faced off in the 1500 meter. The two runners were running side by side until their legs got intertwined on a curve. Mary Decker fell face down on the cider track. Cameras from a round the world began to click and the picture wasn’t pretty. The runner’s face was filled with ciders, blood, sweet, tears and pain. Her trainer came over to her and placed his hand around her shoulder. They talked for a few seconds and then he helped her up. She leaned on him and they walked through the infield together. With that story as a back drop let me ask you three questions today before we look at the scripture.

Question Number One: Has anyone here today ever fallen flat on your face and needed a little help getting up? Life was not met to be lived alone. Has anyone here today ever fallen flat on your face and needed a help getting up? Perhaps it was when you had surgery and came home from the hospital. You needed some time to recover. You needed help cooking or driving, so family or friends came in to help. Death has come to your house and you are forced to live alone. You call a friend just to hear a voice. You lost your job due to no fault of your own. A friend called to see how you are doing. There was the year the spring rains came and flooded the basement. It was only then you discovered you didn’t have flood insurance. Your brother came over to help you clean up the mess. There was the day that you discovered that Miller Time was all the time and your sister came to help you get through the twelve steps. Your favorite child just turned 33 and can't quite get her life together. She is still living at home. You are still paying her bills and watching her children. Your TV has become their TV. These should be good times in your life! The truth is her life has taken over your life! You call a friend for a little advice. There was the day you discovered your hospitalization wasn’t as good as it used to be. Your doctor’s appointments and your prescriptions aren’t covered any more. Your deductible has skyrocketed. You painfully call your children for help. The forms are so confusing. Has anyone here today ever fallen flat on your face and needed a little help getting up?

One of the reasons the Bible speaks to us is that so many in the Bible lived face down. The Bible is filled with people who struggled every day. Adam and Eve should have had a good life but they fell down. They disobeyed God and their sons could not get along. Abraham and Sarah should have had a good life but life knocked them down. For years they knew the pain of rocking an empty cradle. Esther should have had a good life but politics mudded the water. Jairus should have had a good life but death came to his house. The Bible speaks to all who have spent time face down. Has anyone here today ever fallen flat on your face and needed a hand getting up? That is question number one.

Question Number Two: When you have fallen flat on your face aren’t you glad you are part of the church? One of the greatest things about being part of a church is the fellowship. I am always amazed at the amount of love that exists within every congregation. We discover that one of our own has fallen down and we spring into action. I can talk all day and they will want to know about that special person in need. Everyone asks the same question "Is there anything that I can do?" I can promise you one thing. When you fall flat on your face the people of this church will be there to help you up. Can anyone disagree with me! We are family!

Question Number Three: What happens when someone outside our family falls flat on their face? Several years ago I officiated at a funeral for a twenty-four year old man. He was drunk walking down the middle of Wilson Avenue at 2:30 in the morning. He was hit by another drunk, who was driving a truck. There were a lot of unanswered questions. I am not going to try to answer those questions.

However, I will say two things. First, the people who were part of Shaun Summerville’s life had fallen flat on their face. Their grieving was sincere. Second, I will say there is a whole section of the population who are not like us. I could have not been more different than that grieving assembly. I stood there in my black suit, maroon tie and white shirt. They came with a different wardrobe. They came with body piercings. They came with tattoos. They came with short tight skirts on plus size bodies. They came with faded jeans riding low on their hips, exposing their underwear. Everyone, men and women, wore large jewelry. Everyone, men and women, had bleached hair. I am sure that that group had a better time on Saturday night than me but I felt better on Sunday morning. I will say they were very nice to me but they also knew I was not one of them. Their grieving was powerful and they had fallen flat on their collective faces. The question is, is the church prepared to help those people up?

The scripture lesson this morning is a story of grace. The fellow had been a cripple for years. He has done nothing to deserve a healing. Jesus just picked him out of the multitude of suffering faces at the pool that day. Jesus heals the man and the man goes home whole. Jesus helps him up and he tells everyone in his world what Jesus had done for him. What is the world saying about us?

One of the greatest preachers of the twentieth century Fred Craddock says, "One of the great questions of the twenty-first century church is whether we are going to show the world the grace of the Pharisee, who wanted to dismiss the woman, or the grace of Jesus Christ, who met her where she was." The scripture tells us: ALL HAVE SINNED AND HAVE FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD." But in your heart of hearts do you believe you haven’t fallen as far away as others.

One of the great preachers today in America is Tom Tewell of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. One Sunday after church is received a phone call. He had been waiting for that call. One of his parishioners, Dave, had died. He hurried to Dave’s house and beat the funeral director. Dave’s wife took Tom Tewell back to the bedroom, where Dave’s lifeless body was still in the bed. The entire family was present so Tom led them in a word of prayer. When he was done there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Daves' daughter-in-law, Diane shed the most tears. Tom Tewell looked at her and said, "You really loved your father-in-law." She motioned yes. Her husband, Steve said, "Tell him the story." Diane fought through the tears and said, "When I was a child I was abused by my father. I was afraid of my father and never even called him dad. I called him father. I married at a young age to escape my father. I found myself in an abusive marriage and escaped one night. I promised myself I would never marry again and I didn’t date anyone for nearly twenty-five years." Picking up her husband’s hand she said, "Then Steve started to ask me out. At first I said, ‘No.’ But Steve kept asking. In time I agreed and before long I met his family. They accepted me and my past. They helped us plan our wedding. I was a little uncomfortable on our wedding day because it was a second marriage. I remember standing in the back of the church alone. I was going to walk down the aisle alone until Steve’s dad walked up to me. He said, ‘Diane, we are so pleased you are going to be part of the family. As a matter of fact I consider you my daughter already. I will respect your wishes but I would consider it a real privilege to walk you down the down the aisle.’ He walked down the aisle and he kissed me on the cheek and said, ‘I love you.’" Diane said I responded by saying, “I love you too. Daddy." Dave found a way to communicate love to a woman who had fallen flat on her face. He treated her with respect and dignity.

There are a lot of people in our world who have fallen flat on their faces, who are not like us. May we have the faith to help them up.