Rev. Judy L. Walker was installed as the Scranton/Wilkes Barre District Superintendent at Shavertown UMC on September 29, 2019. Following is her (edited) installation address.
MARK 10:46-52 CEBEveryone has a story.
Jesus and his followers came into Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho, together with his disciples and a sizable crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, Timaeus’ son, was sitting beside the road. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!” Many scolded him, telling him to be quiet, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, show me mercy!”
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him forward.”
They called the blind man, “Be encouraged! Get up! He’s calling you.”
Throwing his coat to the side, he jumped up and came to Jesus.
Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man said, “Teacher, I want to see.”
Jesus said, “Go, your faith has healed you.” At once he was able to see, and he began to follow Jesus on the way.
We all have stories about our lives; we have stories about our experiences; we have stories about our faith.
And we all travel on different roads and in different ways in order to accumulate the stories that make up our lives.
Things can happen to us and others that bring us great joy and just bring out of us that thanksgiving and praise. Other things happen that can leave us feeling spiritually depleted and weak. So many things – in our individual lives, in the lives of others, in world situations – can make our hearts heavy.
Even as we gather here this afternoon there are those of you that are celebrating life, and there are those of you that are feeling so overwhelmed that you wonder how you’ll be able to make it another day.
My life has been like most of yours; a series of ups and downs, highs and lows, celebrations and sadness.
And I know I’d certainly prefer to remember the good things, rather than the brokenness and pain.
That’s especially true in the life of faith, isn’t it? It’s much easier to focus on the good parts of faith: God’s love for everyone; God’s desire for our well-being; the hope we find in God. But faith doesn’t involve only the good parts.
Faith engages the hard parts too, things like suffering, sin, death, poverty, domestic violence, human trafficking, corporate corruption, climate change, hunger, and the list goes on.
When we look at the world, we see a world that is broken in so many places; we see systems and institutions that are broken. We look at our lives and the lives of so many around us and we see pain and hurt.
I believe faith not only invites us to remember the good promises of God for our lives and for the world, but it dares us to take those good promises that we know so well and not just know them, but use them, act upon them, to bring healing, restoration, transformation, and resurrection!
We might have to look at the ugly, hard things a long time before it happens, but eventually, if we continue to engage not just in the good, but in the hard parts too, we will see lives, and systems, and institutions, and yes, the world, transformed and hope restored.
So, how do we this? How do we engage the things that are painful and share the promises we know all too well in the midst of the pain? We begin with Jesus. Sounds simple doesn’t it? We begin with Jesus.
This is your installation message, Judy, couldn’t you come up with anything more profound?
That’s as profound as it gets! Whether we’re in Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Harrisburg, Altoona, York, Williamsport, Lewisburg, State College, across the Susquehanna Conference, or throughout the [global] connection, we begin with Jesus.
That’s how my faith life began. In one of the most painful times in my life I began with Jesus – after trying to do things on my own for 39 years. It’s where I had to begin to engage the pain and the hurt, and start the process of healing and transformation.
It started with a simple prayer. I remember the words like I prayed them yesterday (and maybe I did.) My prayer was simply: “I can’t do this alone. There’s got to be something or someone bigger than me out there, so God, if you’re there, I need help. I need you.”
And in that the moment, with that prayer, I began my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Although I had known who Jesus was for most of my life, it was at that moment that I finally accepted the mercy and grace of Jesus and made room in my heart for Jesus to make his home.
And my life has never been the same. I’ve termed my call and my journey in ministry a “whirlwind” because when Jesus got hold of me, or I should say when I got hold of Jesus, there wasn’t any stopping what he would do. Jesus could see in my life what I couldn’t. He could see something beautiful even in the midst of pain.
Friends, it all begins with Jesus. And that’s why we have to engage in those hard things, in the painful and broken places of this world.
Because we have a story to share:
It’s a story of hope,
It’s a story of healing,
It’s a story of transformation.
It’s a story of resurrection!
And it all begins with Jesus.
Bartimaeus’ story begins with Jesus. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, along with a large crowd, Bartimaeus called from the side of the road; in turning to see who was calling out, the crowd saw a blind beggar, certainly, in their minds, unworthy of Jesus’ attention. Some ordered Bartimaeus to be quiet, but he cried out even more “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
He was persistent. This was the opportunity of his life. So, in spite of what some were telling him, he called out — and Jesus heard him!
But then Jesus does something quite odd. Jesus doesn’t answer Bartimaeus directly, Jesus doesn’t go to him. Jesus tells the people to call Bartimaeus. So they called to the blind man, “On your feet! He’s calling you.”
So Bartimaeus jumped to his feet and went to Jesus.
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
Bartimaeus said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
I’m going to guess that Bartimaeus’ life was never the same.
Now there’s a couple of ways Bartimaeus’ story could have gone. Bartimaeus could have been silenced. He could have been intimidated by the crowd and could have lived out the rest of his life a blind man begging on the side of the road.
How often do we feel like we’re required to keep silent? How often are we asked to keep our voices down, lest there be some offense that would cause a disruption?
How often do we silence others, convinced that their cries for mercy aren’t worthy of God’s attention?
We keep silent. We urge others to do the same.
Not Bartimaeus. His persistent cries brought healing and hope to his life and [possibly] to many others along the roadside that may having been watching his story unfold.
Bartimaeus’ story could have gone yet another way. The people could have refused to call Bartimaeus to Jesus. Why should Jesus waste his time on a blind beggar? Would Jesus then have gone to him? We don’t know. I suspect so. Jesus often works around those who are unwilling.
But what Jesus asks of the crowd is a lesson for us all. “Call him.” Act on what you see.
Do you see what Jesus did there? Jesus empowered the people to have a life-giving part in Bartimaeus’ story. He wanted them to be involved. I think Jesus wanted them to see what he could see; the possibilities of healing and hope for this man’s life. YOU call him. Because I see him and I want you to see him, too. And I want you to see the rest of his story. I want you to see what happens when Bartimaeus comes to me with faith.
As we gather at different times across the connection, Jesus wants us to see the pain in the world, to see the brokenness, to see the hard parts. Jesus invites us to call others to him. Jesus invites us to enter their stories and calls us to be part of His life-giving work of bringing restoration, transformation, and hope.
How do we answer this call?
Quite simply, we begin with Jesus.
Prayer
Holy One, we do believe that your love extends to the whole world, to every person, and into every situation. We believe that you are everywhere present, working with all creation for its redemption. Help us to see, God. Help us to see with open eyes and open hearts. Help us to see the broken places of the world, the pain and the hurt that is felt around the world. And then, Lord, help us to see the possibilities; to see the beauty that can come from the ashes. And above all, Lord Jesus, help us to enter into the life-giving work you call us to do in your name. Amen.
