ISAIAH 35:4-7a

MARK 7:31-37

10:30a.m Sermon with the children

September 7, 2003

(I invite the children aged three and older to come forward and sit at my feet in front of the altar rail.)

Has anyone here ever been sick or hurt? (Show of hands.) These things happen, and we don’t always know why they happen. But we do know that God wants us to be well, healthy and happy and whole.

That means we should see a doctor or other helper when we need to and we should pray to God for healing, knowing that God loves us, wants us to be well and happy, and that there is nothing ever that can happen to us that will scare God or stop God’s love from coming to us.

Now I’d like us all to use our imaginations. Do you like to do that, to see a story in your head? Let’s close our eyes and imagine that we are there in the time of Jesus. It’s a beautiful, sunny day like today and we’re out in the country, on a big field covered with grass. There are lots of people sitting in a big group, with just a few people standing up. Suddenly, we see that one of the people standing up is Jesus, and we run to get right up front next to him to see what’s going on. A man is standing in front of him who can’t see. Jesus touches the man’s eyes and says something. The man shouts, “I can see! Thank you, Jesus.” The next person is a man who can’t hear or speak; Jesus touches the man’s ears and tongue and says something, and the man shouts, “I can hear you! Thank you, Jesus!” Then a mother carries up her little girl who’s very, very sick. Jesus touches her and the little girl smiles, gets all better and jumps for joy! Then Jesus looks right at you and says, “This is the way it’s going to be for everyone who loves God when I come back to earth.” And now we open our eyes and remember that Jesus is helping people get better right now too.

(The Rev.) Francis A. Hubbard

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church