“On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of G-d.” (Luke 9:37-43)

“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child—our own two eyes. All is a miracle.”  (Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation)

When we are healed from a disease or sickness, is it proper for us to consider our healing to be a miracle from G-d? Our secularized world has progressed in science and technology so far that the thought of a miraculous healing being of G-d instead of being of man is considered by many to be absurd. Yet, does not G-d work through the hands of doctors and scientists in the discovery of cures and the miracles of science? Is our current generation so faithless and jaded that we are unwilling to be astounded by the greatness of G-d? 

As Christians we believe that everything is of G-d — everything was created by G-d. G-d is in the midst of everything. Creation continues to happen all around us. So do miracles. As Lutherans we believe that Jesus heals us daily of our sins and our transgressions. Are we not to believe that all things come from G-d – including the improvements of medicines, the techniques of doctors, the compassion of emergency workers, and the power of the Holy Spirit?

Pastor Dave

“He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of G-d.” (Luke 9:21-27)

“We often meet with crosses in the way of duty; and though we must not pull them upon our own heads, yet, when they are laid for us, we must take them up, and carry them after Christ.” I read this statement in one of the commentaries about this text from Luke. We do often meet crosses along the way as we serve the risen Lord. Some are laid in the path we are traveling – others are placed upon us without warning. How we respond when such a cross is encountered by each one of us is our decision. Sometimes we have the opportunity to deny that cross and walk on by. Other times we have no choice but to embrace it and endure it to the end.

What we must be careful of is that we do not purposely bring crosses upon ourselves in the service of Christ with the thought that this will prove to G-d how much we love Jesus. There will be some crosses we have no responsibility to embrace – they will be crosses others must bear. But when the time comes and a cross is laid upon us, to bear or to carry for others, we are called to do so willingly with Christ leading the way through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Dave