Do not fear, only believe.

Father, may these spoken words be faithful to the written word and lead us to the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Events in the news recently have been hard to overlook. There are many people who are afraid of the impact of America’s new president on not only his country, but on the world. His choices and legislations have landed like a large stone hitting the glassy surface of a lake. The ripples from his actions are not only spreading but turning into large waves. People who thought that their home was America have been subjected to border forces declining their return to their country. Suddenly life has become uncertain and fearful, especially for those who are in need.

Some of you here will understand what it feels like to be in desperate need. As a child I was bullied constantly at secondary school, I was made to feel like I didn’t belong anywhere, that I was too ugly to be able to part of normal society. I felt awful. I was lost, lonely, upset, and desperate to be relieved of the situation I was in. Desperate to be healed from that living nightmare. 

In the Gospel today, we see a Man who is desperate for Jesus’s help to heal his daughter and we see a women who is desperate to be healed from her endless bleeding. We see two people who are healed by blind faith. The woman grasps the hem of Jesus’s robe because she knew and believed that he would save her from her suffering. The leader of the synagogue Jarius, who was taking a huge social risk by meeting Jesus, pleaded for Jesus to lay his hands on his daughter to make her well. Even after Jarius was informed of her death he still agreed to Jesus coming to help his daughter.

Jesus says to Jarius, “Do not fear, only believe”. This is a strong message to take away from this gospel today, for Jesus says this to all of us. With the changing atmosphere in the political world today, this message from Jesus is important. Let us not be ruled by fear, but just believe. Believe in the power of prayer, in the power of reconciliation, in the power of the gospel, in faith, hope, and in the power of love. Jesus calls us to love and that is what we should do. 

Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and run with perseverance the race that is set before us. Let us spread the Good news when at the moment there doesn’t seem to be any good news in the papers at all. Let us stand up against oppression, racism, and hate. And let our love be the light in the darkness for those who are in desperate need of help and support during this unstable time. 

Do not fear, only believe.

Amen