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Weekly Bible Notes, 23rd February 2003

Second Sunday before Lent

Year B, Green

First Reading:	Isaiah 43:18-25	Jesus heals a paralysed man
Second Reading:	Mark 2:1-12
Commentary:	Whose house is it anyway?
Meditation:	Interruptions
Prayers:	for Sunday and the week ahead

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Opening Verse of Scripture桺salm 104:31,34

May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; may the Lord rejoice in His works. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the Lord.

Collect Prayer for the Day桞efore we read we pray

Almighty God, you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your image: teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things, now and for ever. Amen

First Bible Reading  Isaiah 43:18-25

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honour me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. 

"Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for me, O Israel. You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings, nor honoured me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with grain offerings nor wearied you with demands for incense. You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offences. 

"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.  (This is the word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God)

Second Reading: Mark 2:1-12 

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 

Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralysed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." 

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home. "

He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!" (This is the word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God)

Post Communion Prayer

God our creator, by your gift the tree of life was set at the heart of earthly paradise, and the bread of life at the heart of your Church: may we who have been nourished at your table on earth by transformed by the glory of the Saviour's cross and enjoy the delights of eternity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Commentary: Whose house is it anyway?

I'm in the middle of a service and all of a sudden the strange knocking sound coming from above me gets worryingly louder. It's as if someone's trying to break in through the roof. More alarmingly, the light fittings begin to shake, and dust, bits of insulation and plaster start to fall down from the ceiling onto the carpet below, which rapidly gets covered by a thickening film of greyish white dirt and larger pieces of building materials descending from the rafters above. Suddenly, with a loud crack, an entire section of ceiling comes crashing to the floor, bringing with it more clouds of dirt and debris that envelops the whole congregation in a mouldy smelling fog of dust and rubble. 

When the coughing stops and the dust begins to settle, lying on top of the broken ceiling panel is a dirty, crippled man, whose legs don't seem to be working properly and whose bandages and plasters barely cover his weeping wounds and blood encrusted scars. He's lying on a battered old St John's stretcher that's clearly seen better days, with tatty bits of rope and webbing attached at various points to both man and stretcher so that they could be lowered down through the gaping hole in the roof with some chance of staying together. Looking down from this same gaping hole are four equally surprised faces, eyes bright white, set in the middle of grey, dust encrusted faces. 

'Er?卻orry, stutters the crippled man', not quite knowing how to react in the circumstances, 'There didn't seem to be any other way in. I tried to get in at the door but couldn't get through.' The words begin to rush out, as if he's anxious to get his side of the story in before the enormity of what's just happened sinks in and normality returns. 

'We did try knocking', explains one of the grey faces above, 'but we couldn't get a response'. 

'We'll pay for the damage', stutters another, eyes blinking rapidly to clear them from the dust still floating in the air. 

Pay for the damage! Do they know how much that roof cost? Tried knocking! The doors just over there, it's a bit crowded but surely they could have just come in like everyone else. Besides that, don't they know who we've got speaking this morning? Of all the times and all the places they had to pick now! Have they no consideration for anyone else? What a mess, in more senses than one! It'll take a miracle to sort this out. 

The speaker gets up, exchanges a few words with the crippled man, has a brief conversation with those around him, says something else to the cripple and sits back down. More amazingly, the cripple gets up, stuffs the old St John's stretcher under his arm and walks off. No problem walking through the door now it appears! But what about our roof! Who's going to pay to get all this mess sorted out, the cleaning, the building, the decorating, it'll cost a small fortune. What authority has the speaker got to just let the cripple walk out through the door? Its fine for the speaker, he'll be somewhere else next week but I think someone's missing the point here. 

Perhaps the point is that a miracle did happen. Those who are crippled are enabled to be whole. God Himself has broken in through the roof of this world through His Son Jesus. Broken in that His Kingdom may come and our relationship with God restored. Broken in that that we may have healing, hope and wholeness. Broken in that He, through us, might make a difference.

Meditation: Interruptions

Jesus was busy teaching; then he was interrupted. How frustrating. Just imagine it! Interrupted by human need. This passage lends itself to drama. Perhaps that is what some of us and our congregations need: to be interrupted by human need to remind us what we are about. In the minds of the many 'paralytics' of need in our societies: what do they have to do to be heard? After Bill Loader

Hymns (Mission Praise)

1. The Kingdom of God, 651; 
2. Give thanks with a grateful heart, 170 & For I'm building a people of power, 151; 
3. Through all the changing scenes of life, 702; 
4. Father hear the prayer we offer, 132; 
5. Jesus the name high over all, 385

Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead.

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