Sun. Feb. 15, 2009 (Andre Pekovich)

The service from the lectionary focussed on healing and miracles, first with the healing of Naaman, an unbeliever from another Syrian province under direction of the prophet Elisha (2Ki 5:1-14); second with Jesus’ healing of the leper (Mk 1:40-45); and last, a psalm of grateful praise from one who, though undeserving, was healed (Ps.30). Andre Pekovich read three articles that noted miracles are provided to believer and unbeliever alike, not solely as answer to our heartfelt prayers, but as evidence of His superiority of will, His dispensation of authority to prophets, and to underscore the importance of the common people in His kingdom. God performs miracles not to document individual “special-ness”, but to build up the power of belief in His existence and to enable our role as ‘the healed’ to bring the possibility of belief and relationship with God to others who also require healing. How miraculous that our brothers in sisters in the ‘two-thirds world’ are so much more able to accept miracles in the spirit which they were intended than we in the Western world. [AP] [No audio posted]