In this week’s scripture from the Gospel of Mark, we find faith and vulnerability as our central issues. This is a perfect reading for all the people that don’t have it all together. Guess what, that means all of us!
Yes, none of us really has everything together, but we do not like to admit it. If we admit it we feel vulnerable, and that is too scary, and too frightening for us. We think to ourselves; what if someone notices or tries to take advantage of us? We may also feel that the world is unbearable if we admitted that we are not on top of everything.
We as humans find it very hard to be vulnerable, because with it, comes faith and trust in something bigger than ourselves. We like to be in total control. In our relationship with God however, we need to just do the very thing we don’t want to do, and that is be vulnerable and have total faith and trust in God and Jesus. When we have that kind of relationship with God it also causes us to cross boundaries in our community to accept those we consider outsiders.
We see that vulnerability and cross over in the lesson from Mark. We see a woman find healing by touching Jesus’ cloak, and a girl is restored to life when he takes her by the hand. In both cases, a boundary is crossed. Neither of these acts in Jesus’ time was acceptable. However they took place because the people in the story both become vulnerable and show faith and trust in God. You see, because of love, Jesus breaks down barriers. He shows us it is OK to be vulnerable with God and with each other in the Kingdom of God, and in our very communities in which we live! This scripture dares us to be vulnerable and touch Jesus in our uncleanness and to live as a community that defines no one as an outsider, for we are all outsiders at times in our life.
Therefore, to be more vulnerable and have faith in God, I think there are three things we can do. We can change the way we think about vulnerability and admit that none of us has it “all together.” This will help us to share our true lives with each other and to share compassion for one another. The second thing we can do is work hard at being a community of people that don’t “have it all together.” We can welcome all into our community of faith to be vulnerable and allow others to help them and care for them. Then finally, as we are all fallen, we can reach out for Jesus, to receive his healing power of grace and forgiveness that he freely gives to all of us!
May God’s peace always be with you!
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