In this week’s Gospel reading from Luke 5, we hear a great story about some friends bringing (literally carrying) a paralyzed man to Jesus for healing. No matter what obstacles they faced, nothing was going to stop them from bringing their friend into the presence of Jesus. What a great example for us!
This week’s Scripture readings are 1 Thessalonians 5:11-28, Psalm 103:1-8, and Luke 5:17-26. Christ the King worshipped outdoors this week, so the opening illustration was slightly different. This is the version I preached at Living Hope.
Here’s the sermon podcast audio and the livestream from Living Hope.
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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Before we get into this Gospel story from Luke, I want to let you know I have a fantastic sermon illustration idea.
Some of you were here a few weeks ago when it was pouring rain and the roof was leaking back there. We think we have it fixed for now, but at some point in the not-too-distant future, we’re going to need to redo the roof.
So here’s my idea: Once we have the money—I’m not sure where that’s coming from, but once we have the money and we’re ready to do the roof, the Sunday before we start we’ll read this story and we’ll get a few people up on the roof to cut a hole during service and lower someone down. That’ll be a sermon illustration you’ll remember!
Anyway, there are a lot of stories in the Bible of Jesus miraculously healing people, but I think this one is my favorite. Picture the scene: Jesus is teaching in a house, and people from all over have come to hear him.
This story is fairly early in Jesus’ public ministry, but he’s already well-known for his teaching about the kingdom of God. And people know when he teaches, he also often heals people. Luke says people “had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem…and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.”
It’s a great opportunity, right? Instead of waiting to see a doctor and paying a bunch of money, come see Jesus, and maybe he’ll lay his hand on you and you’ll be healed. Last month, I tried to set up an annual physical with my doctor, and the scheduling person cheerfully informed me they had an opening for mid-February. Modern medicine is great, but it’s not perfect. You can see why this crowd’s gathered.
In fact, so many people have gathered, that when some men come carrying their paralyzed friend on a stretcher, they can’t get in. It’s too crowded.
Some of the crowd are there for healing; some of the crowd are there to learn from Jesus, to hear his message about the kingdom of God, and some of them are religious leaders who are suspicious of any new teacher, anyone popular who’s not under their authority, but whatever reason everyone’s come for, the point is the house is full.
But these men refuse to give up. They care too much about their friend. They are not going to let anything stop them from bringing their friend to Jesus.
I love this story, because these men are a great example of faith. They want to get to Jesus, not for themselves, not out of greed, not for what he can do for them, not out of fear, but out of love for their friend.
I wonder how often you and I have that same passion for introducing our friends to Jesus?
Because these men are doing the greatest thing anyone can do for their friend. You and I are here because someone did that for us. Maybe a parent, maybe a pastor, maybe a friend; someone introduced us to Jesus.
Back in the fall, when we were working on our new mission statement for our congregation (which is? Alive in Faith, Loving God and Neighbor, Living Hope.) In those listening sessions, I heard some of your stories about how you came to this church.
One person said they came because their kid played soccer and another kids’ parents invited them to come check out their church. Another person said they moved to the area and found out a neighbor needed a ride to church, so she started to drive her and then kept coming. I like that one because it works both directions, right? The one receiving the ride was also the one doing the inviting.
Someone else started coming because a college friend told the pastor she was a musician and the pastor showed up at her door to ask her to come share her musical gifts at church.
Other people came because they moved here and this was the closest welcoming Lutheran church, but that just means the invitation was earlier in life. Someone brought you to Jesus.
If you were baptized as a baby, someone literally carried you to the font for baptism—probably not on a stretcher, but someone was responsible for getting you here. Carrying you to grace.
Who has God put in your life who could use some help meeting Jesus? Sorry, that sounds a little threatening. I don’t mean “meeting Jesus” as a euphemism for death. But who do you know who might be wrestling with some spiritual questions right now?
Do you know anyone who is looking for community? An American Psychiatric Association survey says, “Four in 10 [American] adults (42%) say they experience loneliness at least once a week, including 16% that experience loneliness every day.” 48% said they are more anxious than they were last year.
Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Our reading from 1st Thessalonians tells us to “Encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all.” Who do you know who could use some encouragement?
And I don’t just mean people outside the church; I was trying to think of some examples to go with this story, and I thought of my father-in-law, who was hit by a car while out walking the dog about two decades ago. They were still going to my home church in Fond du Lac at the time even though they’d moved to Bonduel, an hour and a half away, but while he was in the hospital, a group from church drove up there and built a wheelchair ramp in his garage. That’s living out the love of Jesus.
You have stories about this church coming together to care for people too. This is what we do as the body of Christ: We carry one another. We support one another.
These men who carried their friend to Jesus refused to let the crowd stop them. Instead, they climb up onto the roof, make a hole, and lower him down on the stretcher into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus.
And notice verse 20: “When Jesus saw their faith.” Not the man’s faith; the faith of the friends who brought him. The friends who trusted Jesus could help, who knew what the man needed was to be in the presence of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man on the stretcher, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” The man doesn’t ask; he simply receives.
That causes a whole controversy with the religious leaders there about who has the authority to forgive sins, and it turns into evidence that Jesus is the messiah—is God-with-us—and Jesus does heal the man physically as well. He’s living out verse 3 from our Psalm: “[The Lord] forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Undeserved grace.
But in the story, none of this happens without the friends’ persistence, without the friends’ faith, without their care for their friend. And that’s where we come in.
As we’ll sing in a moment, we are called to be servants to one another, to be as Christ to one another, sometimes to allow others to carry us into Jesus’ presence.
I’m going to ask you to pray with me, but before we pray I invite you to think of someone you know who is in need today. Maybe it’s someone in need of physical healing, or perhaps someone going through a tough time, grieving, transitioning to an empty-nester, someone overwhelmed by everything happening in the world.
Or maybe you know someone who might need a community, maybe someone who doesn’t know the good news that there is a God who loves them. Someone you can help bring to Jesus, maybe for the first time, or maybe just reminding them of the love they already know.
Think of someone you know, and make a commitment first to pray for them this week. Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring them healing and comfort and joy. And then I challenge you to reach out to that person. What would it look like to help carry them?
Maybe that looks like inviting them to church—there are invite postcards on the back table for the sermon series we’re starting next week.
Maybe it looks like sending them a note of encouragement, or picking up the phone to remind them they’re not alone, asking them if there is anything you can pray for for them. But think of someone specific, and let’s pray together.
God of grace and mercy, we pray for the people in our lives who are in need of hope today, for those who are in need of physical healing, or just encouragement. Surround those on our hearts and minds with your Holy Spirit. Give them forgiveness, grace, and your living hope.
Thank you for the people in our lives you have used to bring us to you. Thank you for the forgiveness and love you have given to us. And God, give us the strength and will to help the people in our lives who need to know you, no matter what obstacles might get in the way. Make us, make this church a community where all are welcome, a community where your love is proclaimed and lived out. In Jesus’ name. Amen