Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
“I once was ill but now am found.”
Ten once were ill but now are healed.
So much emotion, so much feeling. How can one respond to such a miracle?
I once was ill but now am healed . . .
and I have the promise of respect in my community. DREAMS
I once was ill but now am healed . . .
and I have a new life ahead of me. HOPE
I once was ill but now am healed . . .
and I can’t wait to tell others! DISTRACTION
I once was ill but now am healed . . . and I am simply numb. OVERWHELMED
I once was ill but now am healed . . .
and I cannot imagine how my life will be different. FEAR
I once was ill but now am healed . . .
and I have so much to do! MULTITASKING
I once was ill but now am healed . . . and I am tired. EXHAUSTION
I once was ill but now am healed . . . and I have a healthy body! ENERGY
I once was ill but now am healed . . .
and I don’t understand what just happened. CONFUSION
But then one more, one more beloved, one whose feeling is rooted in a different soil:
I once was ill but now am healed . . .
and I am grateful! PRAISE AND THANKS TO GOD!
“I once was lost but now am found.”
We are all equally lost and all equally redeemed in Christ,
free from the power of death that robs us of eternal health.
We are all equally called to choose gratitude
as our instinctive response to Christ’s great gift of love.
How precious, indeed, does God’s grace appear when we first believe.
Thank you, Jesus!
Jenny Moran, pastor, Christ’s Community Church, Maple Grove, Minnesota