I have no one
“I have no one”
Our Gospel reading on Sunday was from John 5:1-18. In it, Jesus comes to a pool outside Jerusalem called “Beth-zatha.” Several in need of healing are there because legend had it that on occasion an angel would stir up the waters of the pool and the first one in would be healed. Healing was competitive.
Jesus comes upon a man who simply can’t compete. His illness is such that he cannot get up and get into the water first. When Jesus asks if he wants to be healed, the man answered him “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and wile I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.”
In response, Jesus tells him to stand up, take his mat, and walk. The man doesn’t need to get into the pool for healing because the man has Jesus.
As Easter’s Community Care Pastor, there are many phrases in the Bible that break my heart and the man saying “I have no one” is one of those phrases.
First—if you are reading this and you feel like you’ve been forgotten, if you feel like no one cares, if you feel like you know what you need to be well but no one will help you… know that Jesus sees you. You mean the world to Jesus and you mean the world to all of us at Easter Lutheran Church.
Second—we have a mission, don’t we? The man says “I have no one” to help him into the pool, but as Christians we have a mission to make sure everyone has someone who will be there for them. We are the ones. We are God’s living, moving, healing, and caring presence here on earth—you and me. As Jesus followers we have a mission to seek and search for the lost, those who have been cast aside and/or forgotten.
It is a big calling, it is an overwhelming calling, and often I am not sure where to start. So how about we start with something specific:
There are people in our midst who have been forced to leave their home countries due to the threat of violence, war, or famine. This group of people are called refugees who, for no fault of their own, have found themselves completely dependent on the good will of others in a country that is not familiar.
But they are not alone. They have someone. They have us. Here are two specific ways we can carry on the work of Jesus Christ:
1. Donate needed items. A Target Registry can be found here: https://www.target.com/gift-registry/gift-giver?registryId=49eee9a0-88ef-11eb-a21b-6784386fddad&type=CHARITY. More information about needed items can be found at https://www.easter.org/localpartnerships.
2. Volunteer to mentor an individual or couple who are new to Minnesota. Being a refugee can be very lonely. After 90 days, refugees are still in need of safe and caring people to practice the English language with, to help them get involved in and learn about the community, and to occasionally have dinner with. If interested, please email Rhonda at rdoran@easter.org.
Personally, I am very much looking forward to being paired as a mentor.
If not through refugee support, I hope and pray you will listen to ways God calls you to “be the one” for others this week.
In Christ,
PB