Rev. Steve Ellis
The Episcopal Church of Saint John the Baptist welcomes all to worship God and to share Christ’s love in the world. We are a parish family committed to provide liturgy, Bible study, music, counseling, and Christian education for children, youth, and adults, and to equip all our members for life and for service to others.
Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
First Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31 – Have you not known? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to live in;
who brings princes to naught,
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
To whom then will you compare me,
or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
mighty in power,
not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
Psalm: 147:1-12, 21c Page 804, BCP
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 – If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
Gospel: Mark 1:29-39 – Jesus left the synagogue at Capernaum, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Sermon for 1st Sunday Family Service (Children in front row all have crayons and paper)
Will you draw me a picture? Imagine with me and then draw a picture. I have two ideas, maybe you can choose one and draw it.
Imagine a man whose life is hard – maybe he doesn’t have a job, or he’s lost a lot of money, or he got in a lot of trouble, and he’s really lost his hope, he’s so discouraged, lost his courage to get out there and keep at it. He has a lot to say about how bad things are, but he doesn’t have much hope. Maybe he’s still praying for hope, though . . .
And here’s another man, his name is Simeon. He’s an old man, and he’s seen a lot of discouraging things in his life. Harsh people have invaded his country and taken over. Foreign soldiers are mean to the people and don’t understand or much care as they police the people. But Simeon hasn’t lost hope. A funny thing has happened with him. He goes to the temple every day as he gets older and older. He says that God has promised him that he won’t die until he meets the Messiah. People make fun of Simeon. But he makes them think. What if Simeon is right? What if God knows how hard our lives are and really cares?
Simeon is living in a different story than the first man. And one day Joseph and Mary bring baby Jesus to the temple, and Simeon rejoices, because his eyes have seen the savior God has prepared for all the world.
So can you draw me a picture of the man who has lost his hope? Or a picture of Simeon? Either one. I would like to see the pictures after church, will you bring them to the door?
They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. Those who wait on the Lord / that is, give their attention to the Lord. They are living in a different story than other people. The story of God’s salvation. The story told by our creeds, by our Bible. To “wait on” the Lord is to look to the Lord as you go about your day, to trust the Lord with each situation. Help me remember, Lord, that there is nothing going to happen today that you and I, together, can’t handle.
Jesus acts funny in today’s story. One day he does all this talking with big crowds of people, and healing people, and it is wonderful. But the next day the disciples can’t find him. Crowds are gathering, but where is Jesus? Gone.
He’s out in the country, alone, praying. Jesus is waiting on the Lord. The disciples come and they are very upset. Crowds means Jesus has to be there. But that isn’t what his prayers told him. He says they have to go to other villages. He’s done his work in this one, time to move on. He doesn’t do what other people expect or what he himself expects, he just wants to know what God expects. He has a freedom that is pretty amazing.
Jesus knows God is up to something, working its way down through history. Just like Simeon, he is in that story. He doesn’t believe the discouragement or the cynicism or the fear around him, he is giving his attention to God.
