"Healed in the House of Grace"
The Healing at the PoolJohn 5: 1 - 15
5 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] [b] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”
12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”
13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.
A Thought From the Pastor
I love the story of an underdog. I like when a person who has worked hard and kept a positive attitude, gets honored and rewarded. I am not comforable when this narrative gets reversed. In John 5, Jesus approaches the Bethseda Pool which translates into “House of Grace or Mercy” with an attitude so contrary to mine. I want Jesus to heal the person who has strong faith and says the right things. I want Jesus to choose the person with the right attitude. Jesus chooses a person who is broken, cynical, and in desperate need of rescue.
How can we have this message move out of the “church pews” and into our daily lives? I think the answer is is found by a simple question. Are you willing to receive this level of radical grace and if you have, how has it changed you and your daily walk?
We often live out our ideas and thoughts of how this world should be instead of letting the radical and transformational message of Jesus to affecct our thoughts and actions. Let’s stop waiting to “deserve the grace of God.” Let’s stop waiting for others to “deserve” our grace in life.
Take this week and extend love and kindness to someone who hasn’t done a single thing to earn your favor. Extend love to a family member who hasn’t “performed” as expected. Offer to help a coworker who you avoid because they always seem to let everyone down or gives excuses and bitterness towards people. We often wait for others to fix their attitude or prove their loyalty before we engage with them.
I think the only way we can extend the unmerited favor to others is to accept the grace of God in our lives and realize we didn’t deserve any of this because we are all flawed and broken with sin. We are all the man on the mat, broken, cynical and desperately in need of a rescue from Jesus that we could never deserve.
Receive grace, extend grace, and marvel at the gift we have been given through Jesus. If we have been given a gift we didn’t deserve, we cannot expect others to earn our kindness in return. Let the “House of Grace” that Jesus has brought into our lives change the way you approach yourself and others this week.
Prayerful Planning
- We will be having a “Fall Potluck” after church on Sunday, October 25th. Please pick up a flyer from the Welcome Center, see our website and mark your calendars for this fun and festive event.
- Please give a big hug to Ken and Hellan Hanauer as this is their last Sunday with our church family. Please cover their travels in your prayers and know that we will miss them dearly.
Plans and Events at PCOC
- 10/18 - Our food pantry is open today from 12:30 -1:30 pm
- 10/19 - Community Kitchen @ 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
- 10/21 - Women’s and Men’s Bible Studies @ 6:30 pm @ PCoC.
- 10/22 - Church Prayer Group @ 10:30 am @ PCoC.
- 10/23 - Bridge Street Church @ 6 pm @ 30 Bridge Street
- 10/25 - Fall Fellowship Meal right after church service.
What We Need
- A favorite fall dessert
- Coats
- Hats
- Gloves
- Scarves
- Winter boots
Coming Up at PCOC
- Winter Clothing Drive for Bear River Health and Harbor HallSunday, October 25 · 10:30 AM
Purpose For This Week
- Pray that we would accept the gift of God’s grace in our lives.
- Pray that we would extend the grace we have been given to others in love and kindness.
- Pray that our church can be a “House of Grace and Mercy”
Praise Reports & Prayer Requests
- Please pray for Tyler and Ashleigh and Ashleigh's boys Ayden and Jax who are downstate. Pray that God would work his will to bring this family together and that He would provide patience and direction in their life during this transition,
- Please continue to pray for Eric and Shana Hopkins and their family. God has blessed them with so much in regards to family, their business, but it all can be overwhelming. Please specifically pray for their family priorities to be focused on God and connection and recovery.
- Please pray for Trip and Lori Jones. Please cover their family in your prayers and that God continues to walk with them and that he keeps their family unified. Pray for continued blessing in their ministry and that God would protect and encourage them in their journey