Jan 10, 2010 - Let Go Of It

Mark 5: 25-34

²⁵Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years.²⁶She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. ²⁷She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.’²⁹Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. ³⁰Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ ³¹And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?” ’ ³²He looked all round to see who had done it. ³³But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. ³⁴He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’

Rev. Steve May wrote some principles that helped us reflect last Sunday on OUR role in creating change in OUR life. There is no question that the Bible teaches you are the one responsible for the person you become. The Bible teaches that we're to pursue godliness. The Bible teaches that we're to work hard, making ourselves the kind of people God wants us to be. In order to become the kind of Christian he knew he should be, Paul said, "I beat my body and make it my slave." (1 Corinthians 9:27)

Today we reflect on more of Rev. Steve May’s work and insights that can help us learn  about certain things we simply cannot do for ourselves. For example, scriptures teach that we can't save ourselves. The Bible also teaches that we cannot, without God's help, make ourselves holy. It takes an act of the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out. Without his help, you cannot create lasting change in your life. If you really want to change yourself from the inside out, you've got to come to the point where you say, "God, I can't do it without you."

As you probably know, this is the first step in the Alcoholics Anonymous program (or any twelve-step group): I admit that I am powerless over alcohol and my life has become unmanageable. To root out sin in your life requires something you can't do for yourself. It's more than just a matter of determination; it requires an act of God.

We know the phrase “let go and let God”.  One congregation member and I had a discussion about what a straight-forward phrase it is, yet so challenging to put into practice on a daily basis.  That discussion prompted me to begin using the phrase as a breath prayer: as I exhale, pray “let go” and as I inhale, pray “let God”. This increases our conscious contact with God in tough times. It also helps us practice the presence of God throughout the day.

The person in today’s gospel reading from Mark is about a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. She had visited many doctors and spent all that she had, but instead of becoming better, she became worse. She assertively did everything she could in her power to help her healing. Then she heard about Jesus. She went to see him, and found him surrounded by a huge crowd of people. She worked her way through the crowd, until she was close enough to touch him. She kept telling herself, "If I can just touch the hem of his garment, I will be healed." When she finally got near him, she reached out and touched him; immediately she was healed.

The Bible says that Jesus felt the healing power go out from him, and he asked, "Who touched me?"

His disciples said, "With all these people pressing in on us, you want to know who touched you?"

Jesus kept looking until finally the woman came forward and said, "It was me." Jesus said,

(v. 34) ³⁴He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’"

For this woman to take hold of Jesus' robe and receive his healing power, she first had to let go of some things—things road-blocking her from wholeness.  Some of these things may be standing in our way, too, and we'll have to let go of them before we can reach out and touch the hem of his garment and experience his power.

Let's take a look at three things you must let go of in order to experience God's power in your life. As always, you invited to think for yourself if there are additional or different things that fit your unique situation better than what you’re hearing from me. For God speaks to us through worship, through words, and sometimes in between the words. Let God’s Spirit be in this moment together, and guide you.

First of all...

1. You must let go of your futile efforts.

Many of us know the famous serenity prayer, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Have you also heard of the senility prayer?

God grant me the senility to forget the people I cannot change,

The chance to run into the ones I don’t have to change, and

The eyesight to know the difference!

This woman had been bleeding for 12 years, and had tried in vain to be healed. The Bible says...

(v. 26) She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.

To create positive changes in life, at some point we have to admit what is and is not working. This person thought doctors could heal her, and she kept spending money on medical care, and she was no better off than she was in the beginning.

She finally came to a point where she said, "This isn't working. I can't do this on my own. I can't buy back my good health. I'm completely helpless."

Harvey McKay, the author of How To Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive, said this: "If you have a problem that money can solve, you don't have a problem; you have an expense."

Maybe we’re not trying to buy off our problems, however maybe we're trying to work them off. Or perhaps we think that if we keep everyone & everything under control, eventually the marriage will get better, your relationship with the kids will get better, the  job or health will get better, and on and on.

With the changing structures in our world today, we absolutely can depend absolutely on what has previously been absolute.  The income, insurance, housing, and health, that have been absolutes honestly cannot be depended on anymore. 

(Illust. Unhook your harness and let go)

Certain changes can only be made from the inside out, and it requires an act of God. Eventually, some people have to come to the point of helplessness; to hit bottom – whatever their “bottom” is.  Then realize that this is something which can't  be done on our own.  They’ve come to the end of their rope. You have to come to the point of helplessness. You have to say, "God, I can't do this on my own. I need your help."

To experience God's power in our life for lasting change, we must let go of your own futile efforts. Secondly,

2. You must let go of your shame .

When the woman touched Jesus, he insisted on knowing who touched him. Finally, the woman came forward and told her story. You see, it wasn't just that she had health problems. According to the laws and customs of the day, the type of illness she had made her ceremonially unclean. It would prevent her from having a natural relationship with her husband; it would have caused people who were religiously strict to shun her altogether. For =2 years, not only had she been carrying this illness in her body, she had also been carrying shame. No doubt she saw herself as unclean—as a second-class citizen.

I have a friend who's an alcoholic. For years he kept it a secret, and he finally began to have success at staying sober. One day he had a tooth-ache and needed to go to the dentist. In the past, his experience with pain medication was that it often affected him the same way physically as a drink of alcohol; more than once it triggered a relapse. So, as he sat in the dentist's chair that day, he found himself in a dreaded situation: he had to explain to his dentist, a high-profile member of his church, that he was struggling with an addiction to alcohol, and he didn't want to risk a setback in his progress. He feared judgment, but instead the dentist just smiled at him and said, "Don't worry. I know how to handle it. And by the way, maybe you should start coming to our AA meetings."

My friend later said, "Letting go of the shame I had associated with alcoholism, and being honest with myself and with God, was the most crucial step in my journey to full recovery."

The truth is, if you will let go of your shame and be honest with yourself, and with God, and with others about who you are, you can experience God's healing power in your life. This is what the woman in our story did.

(v. 33) But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth.  Vulnerable, with her illness and powerlessness totally exposed before Jesus Christ. He mercifully responds (v. 34) "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

The discovery is that when we stop trying to cover up and hide the truth, and we openly confess our weaknesses and inabilities before God, then we begin to experience his power in our life.

3. You must let go of your doubt and despair.

Doubt and despair keep us in the victim’s role.  And Jesus didn’t give his life for us so that we could still claim “poor pitiful me”.  The woman in today's story had faith that if she could just touch the hem of Jesus' robe, she would be healed. She let go of whatever doubts she might have had: "He wouldn't heal me; I'm just a common woman. He wouldn't heal me; I'm unclean. He wouldn't heal me; there are too many others who need healing." Whatever her doubts were, she let go of them, and she acted on her faith. She left the security and previous structures of safety in her house and went looking for Jesus. And she found him walking along the road, surrounded by a huge crowd. He was on his way into town to heal the dying daughter of an important religious leader. Maybe she was flooded again with doubt: "It's too late. He won't heal me now. I'm just a nobody. There are more important people than me who deserve his attention."

You see, what I find to be true in many people's lives is that they don't doubt God's ability to heal; they doubt his willingness to heal someone as "worthless" as themselves.

Though this woman had many reasons to give up and go back home, she let go of her doubts and despair to get closer and closer to Jesus. And then she was close enough to touch him. Knowing she might be discovered, knowing she could be subjected to public humiliation, she let go of her doubt and reached out in faith and touched his robe.

Sometimes we may doubt that we are worthy to experience God's power, God’s healing, God’s hope.  And that’s right! We’re not worthy – God is! God chooses to offer healing and wholeness because God is merciful, kind, all-loving.  As we let go of the façades and the false sense of security, as we admit we’re not in total control and we’re powerless to change it all ourselves, we begin to receive the power beyond our abilities that heals through forgiveness, hope, belief, and faith.

Romans 8:24 says, “For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?”

Some years ago, I heard about some mountaineers trying to scurry off of the mountain before the cold storm moved in. They hurriedly descended the mountain, even as the sun descended lowered in the sky. Coming to a cliff, they hooked up the ropes & harnesses. The first guy descended part way down the wall, but the rain and fog moved in so quickly, he was stuck on the side of the cliff.  In desperation, his friends from above feared he’d freeze overnight, so they instructed him to disconnect his harness, let go of the rope and fall to the ground below.  But fear had enveloped him liked the fog of night, and the climber remained attached to the rope.  The next day the climber was found frozen to death still attached to the rope that was suspended only 12 feet from the safety of solid ground below.

While it’s necessary to let go our own efforts to save ourselves, let go of shame, doubt and despair, I want to close with another phrase; a principle of holding on.  “Let go of the rope to hang on to the hope!” breath prayer exhale “Let go of the rope” now inhale “hang on to the hope!”

(Thanks to Steve May and his sermon Changing What We Are Powerless To Change)