Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, November 11, 2018

Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, November 11th, 2018

In the Ninth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew, we hear a certain ruler come to Our Lord in desperation on behalf of his daughter.  St. Matthew tells us that Our Lord immediately arose and followed the man to his home.  While on the way there, St. Matthew informs us,  a woman with "an issue of blood twelve years, came behind Him and touched the hem of His garment." (St. Matthew 9:20)  When Our Lord realized what was happening He turned to the woman and told her:  "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole." (St. Matthew 9:22)  " . .  . Thy faith hath made thee whole . .  ."  Certainly, we look to a wide array or assortment of things in hopes of them making us "whole," don't we?  I refer to it as "the grass is always greener" syndrome, truth be known.  If I could just get that promotion at work that I want so badly, I will be happy.  If I could just pay off these bills that are killing me, I could be happy.  If I could just buy a house in this particular neighborhood, everything would be great.  If I can just make it to the weekend, everything will be fine.  etc. etc. etc.   You get the picture.  As I way, we come up with a wide array of things that will cure us, will help us, will solve our problems.  But as we saw a little bit ago, it is our faith that truly makes us whole.  In the passage appointed from this ninth chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, we see the ruler, the woman and even two blind men, all coming to Jesus to cure them or their loved one.  We see these individuals desperate for a cure.  Without a doubt, they came to Our Lord in seek of healing.  And in each case Our Lord did not disappoint.   Our Lord cured each one.  Our Lord gave them the anointing that they sought.  

Yet in each of these cases mentioned in this short passage from St. Matthew, we see that "faith" turns out to be the key component.  In the case of the woman that touched the hem of Jesus' garment, Our Lord commends the woman for her faith and He says to her:  "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole" (9:22).   And then fast forward to the two blind men seeking to be healed, Our Lord told them:  "According to your faith be it unto you." (9:29)  We place our "faith" in many people.  We place our "faith" in products which we use.  We place our "faith" in situations which we hope will give us happiness or peace.  And yet it seems time after time we find that the "faith" we place in these things ends up disappointing us:  people end up disappointing us; products fail or simply do not do the job; situations which we hoped would bring us peace and contentment only do so for a short time.  We need to place our faith in God.  We need to have faith that God will cure us.  We need to be content and satisfied with God and let everything fall into place.  " . . .  Be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole . . ."  Only God can make us whole but it is our faith that leads us to God.  It is our faith that allows us to know that God can solve my problem.  It is our faith which allows us to see God for who He truly is.  So often, as human beings we place misguided "faith" in people and things that only ultimately disappoint.  Yet, in God we will never be disappointed.  In God, we have our strength.  In God, we have the victory.  We should always turn to Him and stay close to Him.    

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships each and every Sunday at 9:30 AM.  Please take time to join us as we gather together to worship Our Heavenly Father as a family.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.