The Reverend Ronald J. Kolanowski
February 8, 2009
The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Year B

Isaiah 40:21-31
Mark 1:29-39

Today’s readings remind us that “God’s ways are not our ways.” 

There’s an old story that goes like this.  An elderly man who was quite ill said to his wife, “You know, Sarah, you’ve always been with me – through the good and the bad.”

“Like the time I lost my job – you were there beside me.  And when the war came and I enlisted – you became a nurse so that you could be with me.  Then I was wounded – you were there, Sarah, right by my side.  Then the Depression hit and we had nothing – but you were there with me.  And now I am sick as a dog, and as always, you’re right beside me.  You know something, Sarah, you’re bad luck!”

There is something in us that wants to blame somebody for things that go wrong – when things don’t go as we had hoped, often those we blame are the same people we looked to for answers.

In the reading from Isaiah the Jews find themselves exiled in Babylon.  They are depressed.  They lost their land and homes.  They were taken from their families.  Life did not turn out as they thought.

What does Isaiah say?  God is omnipotent and powerful – “God brings princes to naught and makes rulers of the earth as nothing.”

In the gospel we continue the story of Jesus in his ministry in Galilee.  He’s a local boy who’s making a name for himself.  We find him in his home base of Capernaum healing and casting out demons.  His ministry is taking off.  He’s  popular, so much so that the whole town is gathered at Peter’s doorway.  By our standards, he is successful – everything is going right.

In the midst of this success Jesus does something that seems strange – he takes off to a deserted place in the middle of the night.  The disciples go looking for him and Jesus says to them, “We’re moving on.  We’re done here.”  This must have sounded strange.  Things were going well, there was lots to do and Jesus says, “We’re moving on.”  This doesn’t make any sense – at least to our worldly way of thinking. 

What person do you know who starts a business, gets it going, is successful and picks up and moves the business?  Our ways tell us that we should keep going:  “Bigger is better.”  Most of us wouldn’t move, we would grow the business and make it more successful.

What can we learn from these readings?  Why are we presented with this strong image of God given to a people who were depressed, downtrodden, and exiled to a foreign land?  Why in the face of success does Jesus pick up and move on without finishing the work that he could have done in Capernaum? 

These readings remind us that God’s ways are not the world’s ways.

I can imagine the Jews asking themselves, “If God loves us and is so powerful, why did he take everything from us and allow us to go into exile?  If we are God’s people how could he let us lose our homes, our families and our way of life?”

I can imagine the disciples asking themselves, “Why on earth does Jesus want to leave now?  We’re just getting going here.  There are lots of people left to heal.  How can he ignore them and move on?  Where are we going next?  This seems like a bad move.”

I think all of us ask these kinds of questions from time to time. 

Why did God let me get old and have these health problems?
Why did God let me lose my job?
Why am I alone and depressed?
Why did God let me get addicted to alcohol or drugs?
How could God have let my child die before me?  I was supposed to go first.

My question has been, “Why did God let me have a stroke?  After all, I’ve got small children and this congregation to care for.  Life was so good the way it was.  If God is so just and loving, how could he let these things happen?  After all, I’ve been a good person.”

At the end of a busy day in Capernaum, Jesus went off to a deserted place by himself to be alone with God and wrestle with what to do next.  I can imagine Jesus asking God similar questions:  “Why is there all this suffering in the world?  How can I cure everybody, relieve all the suffering in the world, if I can’t even take care of the problem in this one small town of Capernaum?”

I can imagine God saying to Jesus, “My ways are not the ways of the world.  You cannot heal everybody.  You can’t solve all their problems.  It’s time to move on and let them solve their own problems.  It’s OK to let go.”

So Jesus says to his disciples, “Let’s pack up and move on.  We can’t solve all the problems here.  I have to proclaim the message elsewhere.”

I believe God speaks to us today if we listen:  “Your ways are not my ways.  You can’t solve all the world’s problems.  Some parts of life are simply difficult.  I cannot promise you that life will not be hard.  I cannot promise that you will not feel defeated, or angry or hurting or frustrated or alone at times.” 

“What I can promise is that I will walk with you.  I will be nearer to you than you dare imagine.  I am literally with you in every breath you take.  The pain you feel, the hurt, the loneliness I feel too.  You are not alone.”

Isaiah told the defeated Jews, “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

God doesn’t promise that the road will be easy.  Instead he sends his Son – who suffers and dies to let us know the God understands our suffering…our pain and promises to walk with us each and everyday.  In the end God leaves the choice to us.  We can either choose to let him in or not.  It is up to us to let him walk with us in the midst of our pain, our doubt, our fear, in the midst of depression and loneliness.  God offers to be with us in the deserted places of our lives.  May we strive to allow him to walk with us that we might be transformed through his grace and become a source of light and strength for one another.  Amen.

© Copyright 2009 by the Reverend Ronald J. Kolanowski