A pleasant Good Morning to you.
Morning devotions led by Fr. Howard L. L. Bethel of St. Agnes Church Grants Town, New Providence. We hope you enjoy them, and we ask you to share them with your friends and family. Thank you very kindly.
Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas & The Turks & Caicos
Morning devotions led by Fr. Howard L. L. Bethel
# All our healing # # All our nations # # Nor be brave # # With one hand # # For the just # # And we # # Will share with # # All our beings # # And our love goes # # To a light # # Of all the nations # # Help us from # # And let them rise # A very pleasant good morning. Welcome to the Morning of Oceans, brought to you by the Anglican Diocese of the Bahamas and Turks and Cakers Islands for Wednesday the 4th day of September 2024. I am Father Howard Bethel, Assistant Curit at the parish of St. Agnes, located in Grandstown, Nassau, New Providence. Let us pray. Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things, graft in our hearts the love of your name, increasing us to religion, nourish us with all goodness, and bring forth the nasty food of good works through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. A reading from the Word of God written in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 4, verse 38 to 44. After leaving the synagogue, he entered Simon's house. Now, Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her. Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and had left her. Immediately, she got up and began to serve them. As the son was setting, all those caring for any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them. Moreover, demons also came out of many, shouting, "You are the Son of God." But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah. At daybreak, he departed and went into a deserted place, and the crowds began looking for him, and when they reached him, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said to them, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose." So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea. "The word of the Lord, thanks be to God." Words from Luke chapter 4 verse 39, which states, "Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and had left her. Immediately, she got up and began to serve them." A pleasant good morning, my brothers and sisters in Christ. As we look at our gospel reading this morning, I would like to draw your attention to the words of verse 39, where we witness a profound moment of compassion and authority as Jesus heals Simon's mother-in-law, who is suffering from a high fever. This passage embraces the essence of Jesus' ministry, which is his willingness to intervene in our suffering. You see, up until this point, Jesus had just begun his public ministry preaching in the synagogues and performing miracles. And this healing demonstrates and puts on display his power over physical ailments and his deep empathy for human suffering. It reminds us that Jesus is not only a teacher, but he is also a healer. You see, when Jesus stands over Simon's mother-in-law and rebukes the fever, we see a direct confrontation with illnesses. And it is at this point that we can resonate with the strong terminology used as the word rebuke signifies authority, as Jesus speaks to the fever as if it were an entity to be commanded. Therefore, this scene of sorts teaches us that no affliction is too great for Christ, no pain, no suffering, no hardship, nothing that we go through in this world is too great for Christ. You see, my brothers and sisters in Christ, he comes into our lives often when we feel most vulnerable, when we feel like all is lost, when we feel like we are on the verge of giving up and he brings restoration. He restores our souls and leads us beside the still waters. However, we find that Jesus does not stop there because first he heals Simon's mother-in-law and then we are told that all those who had anyone who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them. Again, many demons are cast out but not before identifying him as the Son of God. Now at this point, the people are convinced about his supernatural power because the things that he has done, the many miracles allow for no other explanation than that which was given by the demons themselves as they were being cast out, which is that this is the Son of God. But my brothers and sisters in Christ, the important point that I would like for you to notice this morning is that their response is to the miracles and the miracles alone and not to the fact that God has come amongst them, that God is in their midst. You see, we recognize this when he tells them he needs to go on to the other cities as well and they try to stop him. They are not interested in his mission, they are not interested in doing what he wants, they are just interested in what he can do for them as they want him to heal or their ills. You see, they have missed the point and if we recall the ISI passage that Jesus was reading in the synagogue earlier in this chapter, it tells of the Messiah who will come to rebuild the nation to its former glory. But despite this proclamation, despite the visible signs, all they can see is the possibility of getting their aches and pains fixed. All they are concerned about is what is taking place in their small corner of the world. All they are concerned about is what they can get, forgetting about the rest of the nation, forgetting about all those who are still in need. Their selfish actions wanted God just to stay there and help only them. And this is why, to me, the most significant part of this entire text comes in Simon's mother's in-law's response. You see, my brothers and sisters in Christ, what has settled to me in this miracle of Jesus is where the Bible says she got up and began to serve them. She ministered unto them and to some, this may really seem strange as she just was lying down sick, weak as she had a great fever. And Jesus comes into her house, stands over her and just rebukes the fever and it left her immediately. There's no record of any outspoken awe or surprise. There's no record of her jumping up and down in joy and celebration. No thank yous, no part in me is there is no record of anything but the fact that she gets up and ministers to them. Them being Jesus, Peter, James and John, she shows her appreciation for God stepping into her life by serving him. You see, healing is not just for our comfort but rather it is a call to action. Once we have experienced Christ's healing touch, we are invited to serve others. Our testimonies of healing and grace should motivate us to share that love in particular ways. Therefore, we cannot sit down and expect God just to show up only for us in our time of needs but we must be that living testimony going out and sharing the gospel to others. This is why it is important for us to recognize our need for healing just as Simon's mother-in-law needed Jesus, we must acknowledge our own struggles, whether physical, emotional or spiritual and invite Jesus into our lives. You see, we should bring our needs to him in prayer, trusting in his authority and compassion so that as we receive the touch of Christ, we can respond to his healing. We must let our gratitude for his grace manifest in our acts of service but we must ask ourselves some relevant questions. How do we respond to Jesus? Have we given ourselves to him wholeheartedly? Does our belief lead us to seek to follow his example of taking the good news to as many people as we can reach? Or are we like those town folks happy to have him help us? Happy to feel him in our respective homes, in our respective churches and don't want to share him around. You see, it is so difficult for us to be that voice crying out into wilderness preparing the way for God. It is so difficult for us to be that living testimony day after day, showing others how far our God has brought us from, showing others what God has done in our lives, showing others what he can do in their lives if we only believed in him, if we only trust in him, if we only follow him, if we only choose to serve him each and every day. So my brothers and sisters in Christ, as I close this morning and we resonate on the words of Luke 4 verse 39, let us remember that it is more than a historical account. It is an invitation to each and every one of us to experience Jesus healing presence in our very own lives. And as we reflect on this passage, let us remember that Jesus is ever ready to intervene in our suffering and he calls us to respond with love and service to others. So this morning, may we embody his compassion, bringing hope and healing to the world, a world in need by sharing his love with all that we encounter. Words from Luke chapter 4 verse 39 with states, "Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them. In his name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen." Thank you for listening in and we ask you share with your family and friends. Have a blessed day. [Music]