The Fifth Sunday After Epiphany - The Rev. Colette Hammesfahr

The Fifth Sunday After Epiphany 

Mark 1:29-39 

 

Have you ever dropped a rock or pebble in a still lake or pond? Or have you ever watched the effect a dripping faucet has on a bowl of water sitting in the sink? After the kerplunk of the rock or after the drop from the faucet hits that still water, it creates a ripple effect. Small circles that start in the center of the impact, roll out further and further from the center of impact, getting larger and larger. As I was thinking about this week’s Gospel, that image came to mind for me.  

In last week’s Gospel, we learned about Jesus’ first act of healing. Jesus was in the synagogue teaching when a man possessed with an unclean spirit entered the temple. He ordered the unclean spirit to come out of the man, and the man was relieved of the spirit. Kerplunk – the rock was dropped in the calm lake.  

Now, today, where we pick up in Mark’s Gospel, it’s still the same day. Jesus has just healed the man, and his disciples, Simon, Andrew, James, and John have witnessed this miracle of healing. Simon’s mother-in-law is very sick, and they take Jesus to see her. Jesus goes to her, takes her by the hand and lifts her up. There are no words. There is no prayer. There is no command. Just a simple, compassionate gesture. A gesture of power and love.  

The woman stands up and is healed. Imagine this picture of Jesus taking her by the hand, sending ripples of healing through her, and transforming her life. And in response, the woman gets up and serves. Imagine how that touch of Jesus, this being healed by Jesus, changed her life. It gave her life. And just as the ripples of healing went through her, the ripples continued as she stood up to serve.   

And now, after the healing in the synagogue and the healing in Simon’s house, word has gotten out. Massive crowds began to gather at the door of Simon’s house. People looking for healing and comfort from their own ailments…from their own demons.  

Even though Jesus has been at the synagogue since early morning, as the sun is going down, he does not turn the people away. Full of compassion, Jesus cures the sick and casts out demons. Jesus’ initial act of compassion in the synagogue that morning has multiplied into ripples of healing.  

I wonder if any of you have thought about the effect you have on others. What happens when you lend a helping hand, when you offer words of encouragement, when you share God’s love with others?  

I read a story the other day…I don’t know if it’s true but it’s good example of the impact we can have on others. One night, a man was standing on a bridge and he dropped a pebble over the railing to see how long it would take to hit the water.  

As he watched the ripples spreading out across the water, a pickup truck stopped on the bridge next to where he was standing. The man read the name painted on the side of the truck. It read, “Jack’s Nursery.” Jack, the man driving the truck had his head bowed down and was breathing heavily.  

The man asked Jack if there was something wrong. “Yes,” said Jack, I think I am having a heart attack. I was at work and all my employees had left for the day. I’m trying to get to the hospital.” Knowing that the hospital was ten miles away, the man on the bridge offered to help the Jack get to the hospital. He jumped behind the wheel of the truck and drove as fast as he could to the emergency room at the hospital.  

When they got to the hospital, Jack was immediately taken in for treatment. The man from the bridge waited throughout the night with Jack, since there was no one else to be there with him. The doctors were able to save Jack’s life. They told the man that Jack would have died if he had arrived just a few minutes later. 

A week passed. Jack was getting well. Several of his employees came to visit, as did the man from the bridge. While everyone was gathered around his bedside, Jack took the hand of the old man and said to his employees, “This dear and gentle man saved my life, even though we were perfect strangers. And I want you to know, he created a ripple effect in all of our lives. By saving my life, he saved my business. By saving my business, he saved the jobs of thirty families. We all owe him so much.” 

There was silence as all eyes turned toward the man. He gave a gracious smile, but there were tears in his eyes. He gently leaned over the railing of the bed and whispered to Jack, “I have to tell you something, Jack. You saved my life. Just about the time you drove up in your truck, I was about to jump off that bridge. Now I know how important every life on earth is to every other. It is just as you said, Jack, the ripple effect.” 

Just like the people in our Gospel reading, Jesus’ ministry has had a ripple effect on our lives. It started in the waters of our baptism. With that water, through Jesus, we were filled with the Holy Spirit.  

I wonder if any of you have thought about the effect you have on others. Jesus’ compassion and actions of that day spread like wildfire. Jesus’ compassion and actions changed lives.  As individuals and as a faith community, we can have a great effect on those around us. Every time we volunteer, every time we invite someone to church, every time we care, love, and pray, it’s like a rock being dropped in a calm lake. It causes a ripple. Just like Jesus’ ministry, we are called to transform lives.  

What will be your rock this week? Where will you drop your rock this week? Where will you make a ripple?  

I will leave you with this…As the sun sets, and the ripples subside, a reflection of live in the eventide. May our lives be stones in this sacred space, creating eternal ripples of His boundless grace.  

Amen.