Good morning boys and girls!
Have your parents ever told you not to do anything or that you couldn't go someplace where you really wanted to go?
Well, Jesus certainly knows the feeling. The same situation happened to Jesus in today's Gospel reading. Some people tried to tell him to leave because his life was in danger, but Jesus refused to listen to them. Let me tell you the whole story.
Boys and girls, Jesus didn't listen to people who wanted to stop him, and he continued his work, including healings and miracles. He's still performing healings and miracles today. I know, because I'm speaking from personal experience. Let me explain.
My mother very rarely misses church on Sundays, especially when I'm preaching. Unfortunately, she's not here with me today, and it's for a very good reason. This past week she had a very serious operation called a knee replacement. That's an operation where the doctor puts you to sleep, removes a badly damaged knee and replaces it with a new one that is made out of either porcelain or metal.
I took her to the hospital and I waited for several hours while she had the operation. While I was waiting, I prayed several times for God to watch over my mother. I also prayed for a successful operation and for the doctors and nurses who were operating on my mother, especially since she is elderly and has several health problems. I asked him to watch over everyone and to keep my mother safe.
I'm pleased to tell you that God answered my prayers. He healed my mother by making sure that the operation would be a successful one. She is well on her way to getting better, but she has a long road to travel because it will take some time for her to completely recover. She will be coming home from the hospital sometime within the next few days, but she will have to have physical therapy for several weeks so she can learn how to use her new knee.
So you see boys and girls, Jesus is still hard at work in our lives today. He refuses to listen to people who want him to stop doing his work. He gave us the miracles of modern medicine that helped the doctors and nurses heal my mother. He is still busy answering prayers and performing healings today....and I for one am certainly grateful that he is.
Let us bow our heads and close our eyes for a moment of prayer. Dear God, thank you for your love. Thank you for your healing powers and miracles. Thank you for the doctors and nurses who take care of us when we are hurt or sick. Help us to care for others like you care for us. We ask this in Jesus' name, AMEN.
