Friday Morning

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening (Collect for Purity)

Almighty God: to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of my heart through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ my Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – John 5:1-17 (NLT)

Jesus Heals a Lame Man

Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”

“I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”

Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”

But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”

“Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded.

The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.

So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”
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Morning Reflection:

Why did Jesus single out this man for healing when there were crowds of sick people all around him? And why are some people healed in this life, and others are not? Those are the questions that came to my mind in today’s reading.

There’s not much to go on regarding the man’s faith, other than he did what Jesus told him to do – picked up his mat and began walking. But repentance and trust appear to be lacking, especially when he deflects the religious leaders criticism and sends them to Jesus.

Today’s reading doesn’t address my questions directly, but the last verse offers a clue –

“My Father is always working, and so am I.” – John 5:17

+ God the Father is always at work – with everyone, everywhere – there are no boundaries on his mercy, loving-kindness and justice.

+ God the Son, works the same way 24/7 – working out the Father’s will in the lives of the specific people he encounters.

The answer to my questions lies in understanding God’s sovereignty –

There are no limits to God’s rule. This is part of what it means to be God. He is sovereign over the whole world, and everything that happens in it. He is never helpless, never frustrated, never at a loss. And in Christ, God’s awesome, sovereign providence is the place we feel most reverent, most secure, most free. – Desiring God.org

Stay tuned, tomorrow’s reading will give us more to go on…
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Morning Prayer:

Sovereign God: Today’s reading is another example of how little I understand your ways and your works. Thank you for the assurance that you are always at work, whether I recognize it or not. My hope is in you – your loving-kindness, your mercy, and your justice. When I bring my requests to you, strengthen me in the conviction that you are working out all things for your purpose and for my good. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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“This I Believe” (The Creed) – Hillsong Worship

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen