Sermon preached at the Cathedral Church of St Augustine of Canterbury on the twelfth Sunday after Trinity
Tubbo the clown,
that great children's entertainer,
is performing his usual
magic tricks
at Janie's birthday party.
In the middle of his act
he takes Janie
and three of her friends
into a corner
away from the rest of
the audience.
With a cry of
"abracadoodles!"
there is a squeal of delight
from the girls.
A puppy!
A puppy has appeared
from nowhere
it seems.
Girls and puppy
race back to the audience
all eyes focused
on the confused
but happy little dog.
All eyes on dog.
Not on Tubbo
who wants to continue his act.
He stands there
trying to grab the audience's attention.
He wants
to show them
his greatest trick
of turning Janie's dad
into a six foot blancmange.
What's gone wrong?
[PAUSE]
"Don't tell anyone
about what you have seen!"
Does Our Lord
really expect that to happen?
Why do this incredible trick
of healing a deaf and mute man
and then tell people
not to tell others?
Just look at what is happening!
All eyes are on
the man who has been healed.
There's a kerfuffle.
People running about
"He hath done all things well;
He maketh both the deaf to hear
and the dumb to speak."
What is Our Lord thinking?
Surely God
in His infinite wisdom
knows this will happen.
So why allow it?
[PAUSE]
It's a fact
that you can't get a dog
to go in the direction
that you point to.
They don't look
at where you're pointing
they look at your finger.
They look at
what is doing the pointing.
It's the same thing here.
The girls are more interested
in the puppy
than they are in Tubbo.
Tubbo has certainly
succeeded in entertaining
his audience,
but not by his performance,
rather by the effects of his performance.
As a result,
the audience
miss out on seeing
a thirty-five year old
chartered accountant
from Market Harborough
being covered
in two gallons of pink dessert.
[PAUSE]
In seeing the formerly
deaf and dumb man
healed
in a literal act of creation,
the multitude
turns a miracle
into a magic trick.
They focus on the healing.
They don't focus
on the One Who heals.
They miss out
on what Jesus is pointing to.
The miracle is only a sign,
an indication
that God is with us
that He cares for us,
that He wants us to be saved
from our sins
and be reconciled to Him.
The miracle is there
for one man's physical good
and everyone's spiritual good.
[PAUSE]
After Mass,
we have our healing service.
Perhaps we shall see
a physical healing
as a testament of God's presence.
Whether or not we do
experience an immediate
and full physical healing,
our focus must be on Christ
because in Him
we shall all be healed,
saved, blessed
and know the power of his love.
Yes, we pray
for all our ailments to be taken away.
Yes we pray
for an end of our pain
and infirmity.
Let's keep that up!
But if our ailments
are taken away,
if our pain and our infirmity
are healed
that's not our focus.
Our healing can become
the distraction from Christ.
This is why many people
give up on Him
when they do continue in pain
despite praying that He take it away.
Yes, there are those in constant pain,
- constant agony -
who can only think of that pain.
We can help them
by praying not only
that the pain be taken away
but also that they may find a way
of being able to focus on Christ
despite that pain
and find blessing and comfort
in doing so.
[PAUSE]
The crowds that tell everyone
about Jesus
being a miracle worker
now focus the minds of others
on the miracles
not on the message.
But some are faithful
and listen.
This is how we know
that Our Lord tells the witnesses
to the healing
not to tell anyone else.
If no-one was faithful,
we would only know
The Amazing Jesus Barjoseph
in the same way as we would know
Tubbo the Incomparable
or the magnificent
Honi the Circle-drawer!
Who?
Precisely!
If we are faithful
then we know Our Lord
to be more than a miracle worker,
more than a teacher,
more than a healer
but our lover,
our hope,
our king,
our God
and our destination in life.
And that's worth more
than blancmange.
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