For those not familiar with an Anglican Service there are 4 Scripture readings before the Message. Today's assigned readings are: Deuteronomy 15:7-1, Psalm 112, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 and Mark 5:21-43
In 1871, ...tragedy struck Chicago... as fire ravaged the city.
When it was finally extinguished ... the fire had taken over 300 lives... and had left 100,000... homeless.
A man by the name of... Horatio Gates Spafford ...was one of those ...who tried... to help the people of the city... get back on their feet.
Spafford... a Chicago lawyer, ...had invested heavily... into the downtown area, ... and he too ...lost all of his properties ...as a result of that fire.
More tragically, ...Spafford had also suffered the loss ...of his only son... just a year earlier.
Still... for two years after the fire ......Spafford assisted ......the homeless... the impoverished, ...... the grief-stricken.
After these two years, ...Spafford and his family decided to go to England...... and join D. L. Moody ...on one of his ...evangelistic crusades.
After the crusade ...they were going to take a family vacation ...and travel Europe.
Horatio Spafford ...was delayed ... due to business, ...but he sent his family ...on ahead.
He would catch up with them ...on the other side... of the Atlantic.
Their ship... the Ville de Havre, ...never made it.
Off Newfoundland, ...it collided with an English sailing ship, ...the Loch Earn, ...and sank... within 20 minutes.
Though Horatio's wife, Anna... was able to cling to a piece of floating wreckage... one of only 47 survivors among hundreds.
Their four daughters ...Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie ...had all perished.
Horatio received a horrible telegram from his wife, ...only two words long ... "Saved alone."
Spafford boarded the next available ship ... in order to be with ......his grieving wife.
When the ship passed near the spot ...where his daughters died ...... (Slow Down)... Spafford penned ......these precious words:
When peace, ...like a river... attendeth my way,
When sorrows... like sea billows... roll.
What ever my lot... Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well... it is well, ...with my soul.
Tho Satan should buffet... tho trials should come,
Let this blest assurance... control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed... His own blood ...for my soul!
Beloved...Every one of us ......has been impacted by tragedy... By trials.
Both individually... And as a community.
Whether it be discourse...illness, or infirmity... we have all ......all...experienced pain.
We have all experienced... the trials ...of life.
Beloved...We live... in a broken world.
We will all experience trials... though I pray... not to the level... of Haratio Spafford.
In our Gospel text today... we are confronted with a father...... who is experiencing ...a trial... a tragedy.
Jairus ...heart is broken ...... and in the midst of his tragedy...... he turns ......... to Jesus.
That day, ...death showed up at the house of Jairus ...... death had come ...for his 12-year-old daughter. (Pause)
We are told that this man Jairus was a "ruler of the synagogue".
He was a man... of prominence...... in the community.
He was a man ...who had much.
But at this moment ......, none of it...... none of it mattered!
When Jairus spoke... people listened.
When Jairus walked into a room...... everyone would stand... in recognition.
But, now... Now...he finds himself in a place ...... where none of that ...matters!
Sickness and death ...could care less about who you are...... what you possess ...or the position ...that you hold.
I can assure you... that Jairus would have traded everything...... for the power ...to change ...the moment.
Life became very defined ...for him!
Death had come to the house of Jairus...... and it had come...... for his "real" treasure.
That "little daughter" the one that Dr. Luke describes in his telling ...as his "one ...and only daughter"!
(Strong) Beloved...Hell could care less about who you are ...... and what ...you have done.
When tragedy and death come calling...... you better know the one... that is greater than self.
You better know the one... who saves.
Life comes into crystal clear focus ......when tragedy comes forth!
What you think matters now.
What you think is important...will cease to matter then.
I remember very clearly ...a conversation with my grandfather ......when he was in the hospital ......dying of cancer.
He said ... "Jeffy, ...all the problems ... I have faced in life ......were nothing... compared to this;
I would give up all my money; ......I would give up all the things... all that I own ......to only have ...my health back. (Pause)
I had the opportunity ... to pray the sinners prayer with my grandfather ... in the hospital ...a few days before he died.
Trials ... Put life into perspective.
Beloved... Trials define us.
They speak ......to the maturity of our Faith.
The name Jairus means ... (Slow) "He whom God enlightens".
Notice how this man... this man of position and power ...came before Jesus.
The Scriptures tell us ... He ... "fell at His feet".
In other words, ...this man of prominence ...humbled himself ...in the presence ......of the Lord of Glory.
Beloved...In order to be transformed by the Holy Spirit ......you must ... you must ... humble yourself.
You must humble yourself...You must put pride... ...into submission.
One of the greatest truths found in the Scriptures is this: ...... "The way up... is down!"
The way up... Is to empty yourself ... of self...and allow Jesus ...to fill you ...a new.
Jesus is clear...He is crystal clear... to be great in God's kingdom... you must be ...a servant... to all.
You must be clothed... in Grace.
When we come to the place ......where we see our own in-ability ......and (Point-up) His ability,
Then ... and only then... are we in a position...... to receive fully...... from Him.
When Jairus came to Jesus, ...He fell down before Him ...and makes his petition to the Lord,
BIBLE "My little daughter is at the point of death. ...Come and lay your hands on her, ...so that she may be made well ......and live." END (Mark 5:23)
(Slow) Beloved ... What a statement... of faith!
Each of us...must reach the place in our lives where we know ...... that while we cannot, ... (Point Up) He can! ... He can!
Jesus is moved by this man's faith... and goes with Jairus ...to his house.
Beloved...Is your relationship with Jesus... Is your faith in him ......rise to that level?
Are your eyes upon Jesus?
If you are focused on the king of kings ... If you are focused on the Lord of Lords...
Then nothing... No thing ... No Trial... can bring you down.
Jair-us, ...falls at the feet of Jesus' ... and begs him ...to come ... To come... and save ...his daughter.
The Scripture simply state...... "And he (Jesus) went with him."
The late Henri Nouwen, ...a great prophesier, and minister, ...said ... that he often became frustrated ......by the many interruptions ...to his work.
He was teaching ...at Notre Dame.
He had a heavy agenda ...each day ......and did not like ......to be disturbed.
Then one day ...the truth ...of true ministry dawned on him ...that ...the interruptions ...were ......his work.
Beloved... "Life is what happens to you ...while you are making ...other plans!" (Repeat)
And often we will find ......that the interruption... is usually of greater consequence ... of greater importance......than the thing ......that we were doing.
Jesus said... I did not come to be served... but to serve.........How can we ......do less.
This encounter with Jairus ... puts into perspective... the importance ... of the one ...among the many.
Jesus left the crowd ...to minister ...to a single person... Jairus.
Jesus was never too busy ...then or today...to respond to the needs ...of the individual... Of the one ... Never!
His public ministry ...of only three short years ...was constantly centering ...on the person... on the individual:
A woman ...with an issue of Blood.
A blind man ...by the side of the road,
An epileptic youth... brought by a distraught father,
A troubled tax collector ......worried about his spiritual life,
A widow ...weeping over her dead son.
As you and I ......look at the needs of the world...... 7 1/2 billion people, ...many of whom are perishing daily......we can become ...overwhelmed.
We want to help, ...but we hardly know where ...to begin ...or where to stop.
The temptation ...is to despair, ...... to wring our hands ...and feel that anything we might do... would be of little... or no significance.
Quite the contrary.
Beloved...... Reach out... Reach out ...to the hurt and to the broken ......that God places ...in your life.
Where your ability ...and the world's need intersect.........Is where you are most needed ......and where we are called ...to be a light... Of grace. (Pause)
The author... Loren Eisely ... would go to the ocean ...to do his writing.
He had a habit ...of walking on the beach ...before he began ...his work.
One day, ...as he was walking along the shore, ...he looked down the beach ...and saw a human figure ...moving ...like a dancer.
He smiled to himself ...at the thought... of someone who would dance... to the day, ... so, ...he walked faster ...to catch up.
As he got closer, ...he noticed that the figure ...was that of a young man, ...and that what he was doing ...was not dancing ...at all.
The young man was reaching down, ...picking up small objects, ...and throwing them ...into the ocean.
He came closer still ...and called out ..."Good morning! ......May I ask ...what it is ...that you are doing?"
The young man paused, ...looked up, ...and replied ..."Throwing starfish back into the ocean."
"I must ask, then, ...why are you throwing starfish ...into the ocean?"
To this, ...the young man replied... "The sun is up ...and the tide is going out.
If I don't throw them in... They will die."
Upon hearing this... Eisely commented, ..."But, young man, ...don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach ...and there are starfish ...all along... every mile?
You can't possibly ...make a difference!"
At this... the young man bent down, ...picked up yet another starfish, ...and threw it... into the ocean.
As it met the water, he said...... "I made a difference...... to that one!"
O' Beloved... We are called to be like Jesus ...to be a star thrower.
When those around you are hurting...when those around you are burdened ... Show them Grace... Show them Mercy...Show them Jesus.
Be a star thrower.
And Beloved...When you are experiencing pain...when you are experiencing trials...... be not afraid.
Rise up... in the power of Jesus... and Become... a star thrower.
Jesus shared this truth...BIBLE "Inasmuch as you've done it to one of the least of these, ...you have done it unto me"? END Mathew 25:40
Jairus little girl is ...no longer sick, ...... she is dead!
And at this tragic moment, ......it is interesting to see how faith... reacts.
Jairus has placed his faith in Jesus, ...and even in the face of death, ...his faith does not waiver... ...even in the middle of such tragedy!
(Slow) Jesus says to Jairus, "Be not afraid, only believe!"
Beloved ...What a word of faith!
Jesus is saying to him... "Don't believe... what you hear, (Mark 5:35).
Don't believe... what you know, (Mark 5:38-39).
Don't believe... what you see, (Mark 5:40).
Instead Trust Me ... Believe in Me!"
And that is what faith ... Is saying to us ...today!
Every instinct and every indicator may say... "The situation is hopeless!"
But faith ... Faith looks to ... trusts in ... Believes in God
A God ... who is greater than anything ...we can hear,
Greater than anything ...we can know ...
Greater than anything ...we can see!
Beloved...Those who lacked faith in Jesus ...were excluded ...from entering the room ...of this young girl.
They were excluded from seeing First hand ...the power from on high.
Faith believes the incredible.
Faith sees the invisible.
And Faith receives the impossible. (Repeat)...... (Long Pause)
For Beloved... you are a star thrower.
Spafford's ending verses ... speak to those ...who are mature faith... and seek to be Christ like.
My sin... O the bliss ...of this glorious thought,
My sin, ...not in part... but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, ...and I bear it no more:
Praise the Lord,.. Praise the Lord... O my soul!
(Sing)
And, Lord, haste the day ...when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds ...be rolled back... as a scroll.
The trump shall resound ...And the Lord shall descend,
"Even so"... it is well with my soul.
God promises that when trials come... That with him ...we will go through it.
And ... Not remain... in it.
Beloved... it is my hope and my prayer ... that in the midst of every trial ... that in the midst of every tribulation... you can declare in Faith.
That ..."Even so... it is well ...with my Soul"
Amen and Amen!
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