Lent
February 20, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 9:28-43

On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.’ Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.’ While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God.

 There are many stories of Jesus’ healing people. Children, like the boy described here, may have been outcast in their communities because many believed that such illness, or all illness for that matter, were caused by evil spirits that had taken over the person. This child apparently had epilepsy, which probably is still fraught with society’s judgment even though we now have a clearer picture of causes and much better treatments.

Currently we are seeing an increase in babies born with microcephaly, a birth defect that results in a small head as its main identifier but includes other challenges. Its cause has been traced to a mosquito bite carrying a virus the mother experienced during pregnancy. She may never have had any symptoms. Yet the children will live with the stigma of a small head forever.

Jesus loved them all no questions asked. He is a tough model to emulate unless we can let go of all those fears and prejudgments that cause us to identify people as something lesser than we are. All of us suffer from some traits deemed to be imperfection by someone. Jesus calls us to see each persons as a child of God made perfect by God’s love that is our goal for life also.

Help us accept each other As Christ accepted us;
Teach us as sister, brother, Each person to embrace.
Be present, Lord, among us And bring us to believe
We are ourselves accepted And meant to love and live.*

Prayer: God erase the fears and prejudices from our hearts and minds that cause us to be unwelcoming to anyone. Let your love for all be ours in our times of weakness. Amen.

First verse of hymn Help Us Accept Each Other words by Fred Kaan see at http://www.hymnary.org/text/help_us_accept_each_other

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.