John 5:1-15 - No one to help me.

He just lay there. Day after day passed. People came and went. Their ailments being so unkind that they were able to seek help themselves, while he lie alone unable to move.  The young man who was severely injured in a work accident, who had five children and a wife at home who relied upon him to earn a wage, was carried down to the waters by two brothers.  Praise God - he is healed!  The blind woman who traveled a long distance to reach this mystical pool and when the fresh scent of the stirred water flowed past, she stepped in and gained sight!  Praise God - she is healed!

Day after day the man lies there.  He hears the celebrations of those who pass by, which increases his faith that if he too were just able to touch the water when it was stirred, his pain would be relieved and he could get up and walk as well. Yet no one is there to help him. Some days he just can't hold back the tears. He has wailed uncontrollably before, but he has learned that groans and moans and sounds of pain, just draw words of hatred or pity from those passing by. He has cried out asking those who pass to help him.  But they are all too concerned about themselves or the person they are helping to chance letting this older man go in first.  So he has learned to just be there in silence.

Then one day, after lying there for thirty-eight long years, a peculiar man approaches him and acknowledges that he exists. What is this?  What does this man want?  There is nothing the man lying by the pool can give him.  And then Jesus speaks, "Do you want to get well?"

What kind of questions is this?  Does he want to get well?  Of course he does!  Why else would he be lying there!

Then the poor man replies, "Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool," and I cry.

John 4:38 - The unsung heroes of the faith.

I was thinking the other day about how we give greater honor to those whose stories have been recorded.  It is almost as if one's work doesn't matter unless it is published.  But, this isn't how it works in God's kingdom.  This morning I read Jesus' words as recorded in John 4:38, "I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."  Who are these other people?

In the church, we frequently rely upon the stories of the New Testament, for obvious reasons.  But, we also tend to tell the New Testament stories that are louder and take more space.  The disciples get a lot of attention.  Here, in John, Jesus acknowledges that the disciples have the easy job--they get to reap what others have sown. But look at what, or should I say, "who," Jesus is pointing to here.  Jesus is recognizing that many of his followers have worked quite hard to get people to the feet of Jesus.

Remember how long it took for you to get your neighbor to come to church.  Finally she came and heard the traveling music group share their gifts and personal testimonies.  Your neighbor heard and accepted Christ.  You rejoiced!  The music group left celebrating the number of people who changed their commitment to Christ.  What was it like when Jesus was strolling around in Jerusalem, Galilee, and the Judean countryside?  Did a similar thing occur?  Did it take a lot of work for a child to convince his father to go and hear the strange preacher down at the Jordan who would point the father towards the Messiah?

Those labors that are done in secret, that are not recorded in any blog, email, journal, or book for the world to see, are still seen by God.  In fact, I suspect that in some way, God recognizes those labors as being greater than the labors of those done in public.

Remember, behind every recorded hero of faith is a "cloud of witnesses" of unwritten heroes.  If you are one of those heroes...  THANK YOU!

Psalm 36:5-10 modernized - All praise is due God.

Your gracious care, O Lord, extends beyond our human race,

it enfolds plant life, animals, nature, and even angels!

Your covenant of love has no borders.

Jesus, Your perfection has grandeur greater than 

St. Helens, Mt. Everest, and the Alps combined.

The depth of wisdom to your judgments,

who can comprehend?

Through them you bring about life

for both humanity and the animal kingdom.

How great of value is Our Mighty One!

We find comfort and safety in Your wake.

Your supply is overwhelming,

You not only provide for our needs,

but delight in our pleasures as well.

You are our womb.

From within Your being,

we gain vision and sight.

Persevere, O Lord, in being our teddy bear,

the One who comforts and loves us

and invites us to be intimately known.

Share Your perfection with us,

and make our hearts right like Your own.

Amen.