II Kings 4: 8 – 37; Psalm 142; I Corinthians 9: 16 – 23; Mark 1: 29 – 39
A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, February 8, 2009
Every kingdom needs a castle. The kingdom of God deserves not just one, but many castles, places where the king resides, places where the monarch’s character is known and experienced.
The kingdom of God is populated by countless numbers of castles, places where the king takes us permanent residence among us….these castles are our churches.
Trinity Church is one such castle. But, unlike an earthly kingdom in which a king might have many castles, which are visited from time-to-time, the heavenly kingdom that has broken into our world has royal palaces where the king may be known, where the king’s direction and leading may be experienced.
That is, after all, one of the principle reasons that the Church exists: to make known the kingship of Jesus Christ, to make known His teachings, to extend His rule over us and over all the world, one heart at a time, for our hearts are castles, too, places where God seeks to take up residence.
Today’s gospel reading relates to us the workings of the kingdom. In one sense, as a commentator I consulted said this week, the activities that Mark relates to us today are those of a “typical day in the kingdom.” Exactly so.
So, what are the typical activities of the life of the kingdom – or, put another way – what are the concerns of the kingdom of God? What is the character of God as we see it in the hallmarks of the kingdom that God ushers in?
Looking at our text (and remembering our text from last Sunday) we may see that they are the following:
- Healing (today’s text)
- Driving back the forces of evil (today’s text)
- Teaching and preaching (last Sunday’s text and today’s)
- Prayer (today’s text)
These are the hallmarks of the kingdom, those things that will make its presence easy to identify, those things that make it the unique gift of God in Jesus Christ that the kingdom is.
As we look at today’s text, we notice that it begins with the account of the healing of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. She is restored simply by the touch of Jesus’ hand, and is restored to an active role in the life of her family, as she (as the oldest woman in the household) assumes her rightful role within the society and culture of her time.
In due course, many in the area begin to hear about Jesus’ teaching, preaching, healing, and the casting out of demons. (This point is implicit in the text, for Mark tells us that the “whole city was gathered at the door.”) They come, bringing their problems to the Lord for resolution and deliverance.
Demons are cast out (just as they were in last Sunday’s text), and people are healed of their physical infirmities and illnesses.
Then, Jesus rises very early in the morning to go out to a lonely place to pray. We see from Jesus’ comment that the reason He came out to pray in the lonely place was to be prepared for the next phase of His ministry.
Turning to the idea of Trinity Church being a castle in the kingdom of God, how might the marks of the kingdom be seen here? What distinguishes this place, marking it as a place where the King of Kings and Lord of Lords resides among his subjects?
Simply these four marks of the kingdom: Healing, driving back the forces of evil, teaching and preaching, and prayer.
Let’s look, then, at some of the ways these marks of the kingdom are to be found here at Trinity:
Healing: Prayers for healing and anointing with holy oils (known as unction) are regularly offered and regularly received here at Trinity Church. In addition, our parish prayer list exists as a vehicle for everyone in the parish to lift before God those persons for whom prayer is requested. Using the parish prayer list as a guide to our daily prayers keeps those persons before our consciousness, and before the Lord. Through prayer, ancient wrongs and emotional and spiritual scars are healed, and people come under the protection of the Lord, shielded from the destructive powers of addiction.
Driving back the forces of evil: As was noted in last week’s sermon, when the Lord Jesus Christ confronts the powers of evil, we are freed from the grip (or the influence) of those forces, and we are restored to a personal, one-on-one relationship with God. Remember that Jesus Christ came (and comes) to restore to us the relationship that Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden before the Fall: they enjoyed a personal, face-to-face with God as they walked with Him in the cool of the evening. Theologically, that is the point of Jesus’ coming, to restore that broken relationship with God.
Teaching and preaching: Numerous opportunities for learning exist here at Trinity: Sunday School for children, Bible Study for adults, both offered on Sunday mornings. Our Wednesday morning Informal Discussion Group offers in-depth theological training, as well as a walk through the sacred pages of the Bible. Since Lent will soon be upon us, it’s time we mention the Lenten offerings that are planned for the month of March: Three successive Tuesdays will be the meeting time for a series on “Repentance and Restoration”. The dates for these offerings are March 3, 10 & 17. The devotional Forward Day by Day offers a chance to practice prayer as well as a brief lesson for each day of the month. Furthermore, your Rector is available just about any time for individual study, or simply to explore answers to questions that have arisen as a result of your own walk with God. Preaching (you may have noticed) has a particularly pedagogical character to it here at Trinity. More simply put, the sermons that you hear have a strong teaching aspect to them.
Prayer: If the old saying “An army marches on its stomach” is true, then for the Church, the saying could be modified to say, “The Church marches on prayer”. Notice how much of our worship together consists of prayer….most of it is. In addition, Trinity is a place that seeks to be a place of prayer, both corporate (when we come together to worship), and private (when we pray for one another, for the needs of this place, for the concerns of this community, for the welfare of the world, and for the occasion of offering to God our thanks and praise). Notice that Jesus, in today’s gospel, went out to a lonely (the Greek word denotes a “desert”) place, a quiet place, to pray. Traditionally, the desert was the place where one went to meet God. We today need that quiet place….That’s one reason that our Anglican worship places such a high premium on the quietness and stillness that is a requisite quality for worship….we do not seek to entertain here at Trinity. No, instead we remember the majesty and honor that the king who is in our midst deserves. That is why our worship maintains these qualities, which are necessary in order for us to be delivered from the noisiness of the world around us.
One final note must be made: If Trinity Church is a castle in the kingdom of God, one of many such castles, by the way, then it would be well for us to remember why this castle, Trinity Church, exists….
- Like an earthly castle, it seeks to do honor to the resident of that majestic place. Trinity seeks to do honor to the God who came among us as one of us in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
- But this castle also exists for the welfare of the subjects of the kingdom. That would be you and me. For, you see, we are also residents of the castle, made residents by the invitation of the king, our Lord Jesus Christ, whose coming among us was for the purpose of healing us, of driving back the forces of evil, for teaching us the ways of God, and for the prayer life that we share with Him.
Thanks be to God!
AMEN.
