“Uncertainty, A Lifelong Reality”
Sermon Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler –
August 9, 2020
Centenary United Methodist Church Psalm
105:1-7; Matthew 14:22-32 As with many Scriptures, we can refuse to
believe what was written but often we cannot deny what the episode is
teaching us.
Only in the text of Matthew do we find Peter's desire to come to him
on the water. Jesus told him to get out of the
boat. Peter did so
and was initially managing quite well as long as he was concentrating on
Jesus' invitation to come to him.
However, the winds and the waves interrupted what
he was doing with fear and uncertainty.
As Peter was sinking, he called out, "Save me, Lord!"
This lesson is an illustration of how quickly our trust can be
replaced with the fears associated with the uncertainty created by what
is happening. We can remember a similar episode that was teaching
the same lesson. We can recall the strong storm that overtook a fishing
boat with Jesus and some of his disciples on board.
The men awakened Jesus who commanded the wind and the waves to be
still. Suddenly there was a great
calm. We can take the viewpoint that Jesus had the
ability to control weather patterns.
However, in doing so we can miss the lesson. Fear of sinking with
Jesus on board introduced doubt and uncertainty into the disciples'
lives. Their trust in Jesus' presence was not helpful.
In both of these episodes, Jesus asked, "Why were you so
frightened? Do you still
have no trust in me?" (Mark
4:40) A time came in my life where I needed to take
better care of my health. I
began to exercise every day by running early in the morning.
Later I switched to exercising on a treadmill and a stationary
bike. Using these machines
became boring and monotonous until I bought earphones and began to
listen to audio tapes. These tapes took me into other worlds of well-known
men and women who had conquered the distractions caused by living in a
very stimulating world. One of these personalities was a world-renown
physician, Dr. Bernie Siegal, who wrote books, and was often invited to
be the guest-speaker for various medical associations.
He was a pioneer in connecting the importance of a person's
daily attitudes to the general well-being of their bodies.
Thousands of years ago, Jesus was teaching the same thing. Dr. Siegal's best-known books have compelling
titles, Love, Medicine and Miracles, The Art of Healing,
and A Book of Miracles. His
experiences are among the most fascinating and profound that I have ever
heard. His words kept me
riveted to the point where boredom and monotony were no longer present
during my exercise routines. One example dealt with a gardener, who was having
sharp pains in his abdomen. After several tests, Dr. Siegal learned that
his new client had cancer that had metastasized to most of his internal
organs. Such markers would
suggest that he did not have much time to live.
The man asked what he should do
and Dr. Siegal said, "I would recommend surgery, radiation, and a
regiment of chemotherapy."
To Siegal's surprise, the man said, I don't have time for any of this right now.
This is my busy season.
I am a gardener and my clients depend on me.
What do you recommend for a person in my situation?
Dr. Siegal responded, "You've got to do what you've
got to do. Why don't you
book an appointment now and come back to see me in six months?" Siegal
knew that the man would succumb to his condition long before his next
appointment. Six months went by and the gardener showed up and
was sitting in the waiting room looking quite fit.
Siegal could not believe it!
He checked with his staff to see if this was the same man whom he
had seen six months earlier.
It was. He sent the man for
more tests. The test all
came back negative. There
was no trace of cancer in his body. Dr. Siegal concluded that the man's mind literally
set his sights on the clients that needed him and that his body
responded by cancelling the cancer.
His mind healed his body. The gardener had little or no
understanding of what was meant by surgery, radiation, and
chemotherapy nor had he grasped the implications of waiting another
six months. Dr. Siegal likened any spontaneous remission
to a teenage boy who lifted a car that had fallen off its jack, pinning
his father. Without
thinking, the boy rushed to his father's aid, lifted the car and freed
him. There is no way that a teenager can lift a car, but he saved his
father's life by doing so. Most of Siegal's stories are totally outside the
normal boundaries set by medical knowledge. He is the only physician who
coached a client to conquer ALS. This
terminal condition was named after a well-known baseball player who died
from it. Lou Gehrig played
first base for 17 seasons for the New York Yankees. Think about this.
Remember the woman who hemorrhaged for twelve years.
She said, "If only I can touch the hem of Jesus' cloak, I will be
healed." How would touching an article of clothing heal anyone? But she
touched the hem of Jesus' cloak and her hemorrhaging stopped. Jesus saw
her and said, "Your faith has made you well." (Matthew 9:22) A woman in my past was healed of cancer by having a
practitioner lay crystals on key areas of her body.
It is difficult to believe that crystals had anything to do with
her healing. However, her
belief in the miraculous healing qualities of crystals was as
ironclad as the beliefs of the gardener in Siegal's experience.
Dr. Siegal firmly believes that countless people have the potential to
heal themselves. Some of us may recall an experiment that was done
some years ago by surgeons.
They were asked to come into their patient's room and say: "Tomorrow is
your procedure. I would like
to have a prayer with you."
The doctor was instructed to take the hand of the patient and ask God
for God's presence and guidance during the surgery. The results got the attention of even physicians
who were agnostics. The cure
rate skyrocketed over the control group that had no prayers offered.
The experiment of having a prayer with the doctor helped to
remove the fear and uncertainty that many patients have the night before
the procedure. No matter how awkward it was for many physicians to
follow through, the practice of praying with a patient made all the
difference in the world to them. Dr. Bernie Siegal was well-aware
that our bodies are often a printout of what is going on inside
of us. Jesus once told a great teacher in Israel, "Unless
you change your attitudes, you will never live in the Kingdom of God."
(John 3:7) The Apostle Paul challenged his readers when he wrote, "Do
not seek your truth by looking for it in the world, but allow your
divine nature to transform you inwardly by a complete change of your
mind." (Romans 12:2) Only the wise listen to the still, small voice
within them that asks, "What are you doing here?" (1st Kings
19:13b) THAT is an excellent question that Elijah had to answer from God
who was asking. The world cannot take away our uncertainty and fear
simply by changing the scenery. Change
is the only constant in our world filled with people who are
slowly evolving spiritually. There is no magical formula for healing our bodies.
Everyone responds to their life-experiences differently.
My brother's wife had terminal pancreatic cancer.
She accepted her condition, obeyed the medical protocols, and
went on living. She
continued to teach Sunday school, sing in the choir, and communicate
that cancer will never win. Her trust in God's loving presence never
wavered. Mary Ann was
walking on the water and never became distracted.
She was totally aware of God's
presence even during her final week that ended on Palm Sunday two years
ago. She said: Cancer can only claim my body. That is where
cancer's contagion ends. My
spirit will keep on singing until I draw my last breath.
When that happens, I will be with God.
What could possibly be better than that?
We all have to die of something. People need to learn to sing
every day during the time that they have left.
Our task is to let our trust in God show up every
day in our physiology and in our spirit.
Every bad day
comes from a host of decisions that we make. Since we
are totally responsible for the attitudes that we display every day, let
us rejoice and be glad in each one that greets us every morning.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Merciful God, we thank
you for surrounding us with treasures that can be discovered and used by
everyone. Yet those
treasures are like a burning bush.
As Moses turned aside to seek your presence, so must we.
It is we who must search for your guidance.
It is we who must desire peace, kindness, and compassion when
there are moments when we experience the temptation to respond
otherwise. You designed us for growth while leaving the pace of that
growth up to us. With
grateful hearts, we come this morning celebrating our faith and our
journey with you. Amen.
PASTORAL
PRAYER
Loving God,
we are so thankful for our lives and the beautiful tapestry that can be
created when we allow our lives to happen through our kind and loving
choices. They have a way of weaving the threads of our bittersweet
moments into a work of art. So many times, we become caught in the midst of
an experience that we feel is so unjust and unfair, without ever knowing
how that experience might be preparing us for a more fulfilling future.
We are quick to judge our circumstances without knowing how one piece of
the puzzle fits so perfectly into another when we greet each moment with
gratitude. We marvel at how failure can lead to an open door, how
a fractured relationship can lead to one that heals, how a major change
in our lives may lead to the deepening of our trust in you.
Help us, O God, to trust your guidance in how we
interpret the unfolding of our lives. Only when we doubt your
presence do we find ourselves blind, lost, and overcome with a feeling
of being alone. Help us to remember that when others are
struggling with the challenges of living, we might help them to find
hope by allowing others to see how we are dealing with life's
uncertainties. We pray these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus, the
Christ, who taught us to say when we pray . . . |