God’s Yes!

Mark 2: 1-12
Roger Lynn
January 31, 2021
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Yes, you can have the last piece of chocolate cake! Yes, you can go outside and play with your friends! Yes, you have been accepted into the college of your choice! Yes, the bank will loan you the money to buy your first house! Yes, your one true love will marry you! The word “yes” can be used in such wonderful and life-affirming ways. Sometimes it just makes us smile. Other times it can change our life forever.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where “yes” often seems to be in short supply. Whether in the form of war and hatred and bigotry, or hunger and disease and poverty, or tragedy and disaster and loss, there is much which surrounds us and fills our days which is life-destroying, rather than life-affirming. At times it is tempting to wonder if “yes” really even belongs in the human language or has become obsolete. There seems to be so much around us (and sometimes even within us) which is ugly and hurtful. How can a word like “yes” find it’s way back into our experience in any truly meaningful way?

But when we open ourselves to God’s presence in our lives and in our world, “yes” is precisely the experience which comes into focus! Despite all the darkness which at times seems to fill our world, God chooses to affirm and call forth the light which is within us. In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul declares Jesus Christ to be God’s divine and glorious “Yes!” to all of us – both affirmation and promise. It is as if God is saying, “I am sending Christ to you so that you can begin to understand just how much I believe in you!” What a powerful message for us to receive! God says “Yes!” to humanity! That is front page, banner headline news!

Jesus certainly proclaimed this message during his life among us – not only with his words, but also with his actions. In the passage which we heard from Mark’s Gospel this morning, we find Jesus confronting the religious authorities of his day. At the heart of this confrontation was the tension between authority and power which is based in rules versus authority and power which is based in compassion. For the religious leaders, rules defined their lives. In contrast, Jesus put people ahead of rules every time. Such an attitude often placed him in conflict with those in positions of power, but it is one of the ways in which the message of God’s “Yes!” is communicated to us.

A paralyzed man was brought to Jesus by four very determined friends. Even the crowd which had surrounded Jesus could not keep them away. Not even physical barriers such as a roof would deter them. Their friend was in need and they believed that Jesus could help, so they did whatever was necessary to bring the two together. And when the man is finally presented to Jesus, the first thing Jesus does is announce that his sins have been forgiven. This kind of language can seem less than helpful, in part because the idea that we are all sinners carries with it so much negative baggage it can begin to feel like it wholly and completely defines us. But I believe there is good news to be found in this story from Mark’s Gospel. Whether or not you think this heavy emphasis on sin and the need for forgiveness is helpful, such an understanding of the world was certainly central for the people of Jesus’ day. And directly linked with that view was an understanding that such forgiveness was closely regulated and not freely available. Then along comes Jesus, openly, freely, and liberally declaring the forgiveness of sins. The religious authorities were disturbed because they thought Jesus was being presumptuous in offering forgiveness, when in reality what he was doing was simply announcing that which was already true. God’s forgiveness (or love, or compassion, or whatever other “yes” word you might care to substitute) is freely offered to any and all who will open themselves to receive it. It is interesting that the crime which they thought Jesus guilty of – offering that which only God can offer – was far less dangerous than what he was actually guilty of – throwing open the doors to an expansive new understanding of who God is and how God relates to us. By comparison, the mere healing of the man’s physical paralysis was almost an after-thought. But whether Jesus was bringing wholeness to spirit, mind, or body, he was declaring that God’s “Yes!” is more powerful than any “no” which could possibly confront us.

So, what form does God’s “Yes!” take in our lives today? What are the specific messages of “no” which God is countering with the divine “Yes!” of God’s love and grace? Do you believe you are unworthy of love? God believes otherwise! Are you afraid to step out and risk experiencing some new opportunity? God is offering both courage and companionship. Is there some hidden shame from your past which is weighing you down and holding you back? God invites you to let go of old baggage and turn towards the light of God’s future which is waiting for you. Are there broken dreams or broken relationships which have left you wounded and paralyzed? God is calling you to a new wholeness and limitless new possibilities. Whatever specific shape the “no” in our lives takes, God’s “Yes!” is up to the challenge of transforming us. God stands waiting to affirm us in all of our glorious, messy, God-given potential. We can accept the limitations of the world’s “no” or we can accept the possibilities of God’s “Yes!” May we choose to agree with God, and say “Yes!”