2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-9, 13-15

MARK 5:22-24, 35B-43

Sermon – July 2, 2006

Have you ever heard or read a story which you liked so much that you wished you could get inside it and be part of it? (Show of hands; I raise mine.) Well today, let’s do it! We have a wonderful true story about Jesus we just heard, and I think it might help the grownups to understand it if we acted it out. We’ll need some volunteers (hands); someone to play the girl, someone to play her daddy, some people (boys or girls) to play Peter, James and John (Jesus’ helpers), and the rest of you to play the crucial role of “crowd.” I’ll play Jesus.

(We then act out Mark 5:22-24, 35b-43, Jesus’ raising of Jairus’ daughter from the dead.) Now, let’s think about this story. When the girl’s daddy asked Jesus to help, did Jesus say that kids were not important enough to him for him to bother to go to that family’s house? (“No!”) Did Jesus say that he couldn’t help because it was too hard? (“No!”) What did Jesus say? (Responses.) Did anyone try to tell Jesus not to bother? (“Yes.”) What did Jesus say to the girl’s daddy? (“Do not fear, only believe.”) Did anybody laugh at Jesus when he said the girl would not stay dead? (“Yes.”) What did Jesus do then? (He kicked them out of the house; they were not worthy to see the miracle because they laughed at Jesus.) What happened next? (Jesus touched the girl’s hand, spoke to her, and she came back to life.)

We learn from this that Jesus loves people, including all children; that he’s never “too busy” to pay attention to children; that he will go out of his way to help – even when it looks hopeless – and that he’ll kick out anyone who laughs at him, because only those who love, care and believe can get to see Jesus work miracles.

If we love, care, and believe, we will recognize some of the miracles Jesus continues to do today – sometimes himself, and sometimes by sending people who love him to help others! We can be his helpers today, too, and we can look forward with hope to the day when Jesus will come again in person and heal everybody!

(The Rev.) Francis A. Hubbard

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church

Monmouth Junction , NJ