“An Epiphany of Sorts!”

Dr Richard Smith 04/02/2024

Readings - Isaiah 40:21-31, Mark 1:29-39

We have all had moments of Epiphany when all of a sudden a great revelation or realization comes upon us that changes the course of our life for the better.

My early life in England was one of bliss. I remember going to the local primary school and walking with friends through the farmland and local woods enjoying its beauty as it changed with the seasons. However, this all came to a sudden halt when we had to sit the Government’s 11+ exam to separate us into Sheep and the Goats. The Sheep would go onto Grammar School, then University as future managers of the British Empire (which was then post WW2 was fading fast). When I ended up with the Goats, my father arranged private coaching to help me gain entry into a Private School.

My coach turned out to be the wife of the local Anglican Vicar. Immediately on cessation of my coaching lesson I would cross the hallway in the vicarage, sit down and ask questions of the Rev John Yeo a feisty Welsh man who loved rugby and beer. He would sit back and freely share his Wisdom. He certainly was not a fundamentalist but a scholar in the Liberal tradition which I now realise shaped my approach to Christianity. So, what did the Rev John Yeo tell me some 69 years ago? (Fortunately, to jog my memory he had recorded it in a letter to my elder brother). He said:

1. …. reading the Bible is not easy as one needs to know something of the background. Both the OT and NT are concerned with a revelation to man of God by God. In the Old Testament, God is revealing himself to men precisely in that manner which they are capable of understanding. Revelation is progressive and the progress is made to inspired individuals (Prophets) who are far in advance of their time and generation. Their teaching takes time before it is accepted as part of the traditional religion.

Much of the world has yet to grasp the audacity of Jesus’ prophetic teaching that enduring Peace will only come with distributive Justice – when everyone gets a fair share of the world’s resources. Particularly relevant to resolving the War in Gaza.

2. Hence, we get different standards of ethics and morals in different ages and these are fundamentally in accordance with man’s conception of what God is. In the beginning God is merely a capricious force, knowing nothing of goodness and mercy or even justice. He is a despot who must be obeyed or take the consequences and his will is unpredictable and it is sufficient that He wills it.

3. At the other end of the Bible there is the final revelation of God in Jesus Christ and the conception of God is completely different from the first conception in the Old Testament.

That is why he told me the Bible presents so many apparent contradictions. It spends much time contradicting itself.

4. He said: In the racial History of the Hebrews, revelation is like a golden thread, we have to trace it and separate it from actual events, traditions, legends and folklore – no easy task.

5. He concluded with: It is not simply a dead book but a living revelation, the full implications of that revelation are not completely grasped by us today.

As new challenges emerge to our faith in God – a word we use for the spirit of goodness and truth that permeates our world, so our faith grows as we accommodate the ongoing revelation of the

Living God, whether we use that word God or other words such as the Sacred or Divine depending to whom we are speaking.

How then does this help our understanding of our scriptural texts for the Fifth and final Sunday of Epiphany?

In our reading from Isaiah, we have the magnificent vision of the transcendence of God as creator of the Universe where we are but like Grasshoppers against the backdrop of its vastness. A vision experienced by our Aboriginal people in their Dreaming which enabled their survival in this land for 5 millennia.

Yet we learn that the Creator is not detached from the needs of Creation, for the Psalmist wrote “the animals are fed, even the young chick of the ravens in their nests are provided for”. A wonderful vision of God being revealed in the ordinary processes that sustains all life on earth, increasing revealed to us through science and our own experiences of Mother Earth.

Our gospel reading from Mark tells about the God engaged with the human needs of the world as revealed in Jesus’s own life and ministry. Mark tells stories of a ministry of healing and exorcisms among the ordinary people, with Jesus of Nazareth both entering their houses and with people being brought to him. The first house he enters is that of a sick woman, where she is healed and resumes her task of serving others. (who many might conclude were men!).

Despite the popularity of his healing ministry, Jesus took time out for prayer and meditation to refresh his spiritual strength. His disciples did not appreciate Jesus’ need for such time out and went in search of him. His response was to lead them into other communities in Galilee to preach the message of the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God as evidenced by his ministry of healing, exorcisms and teaching.

Therefore, it is not surprising that our Christian tradition places a strong emphasis on compassion, love, and care for others, which has translated into various forms of healthcare and medical assistance. Throughout the history of Christianity, healing along with education has remained an important mission of the Church. Many local examples exist across the major Christian denominations which ultimately led midst great controversy to the introduction of our Universal Medicare Health system in 1984.

Historical Foundations:

Early Christian communities, particularly in the Roman Empire, established some of the first hospitals. These institutions were often associated with monasteries and operated with the primary purpose of providing care to the sick and needy. Monastic orders, such as the Benedictines, were pioneers in providing healthcare during the Middle Ages. Monasteries often had infirmaries where monks cared for the sick, and they developed herbal remedies and basic medical knowledge. Over time, hospitals became more secularized but retained their focus on healing and the religious orders on education as well.

Christian Medical Missionaries:

Christian missionaries have a long history of providing medical care and education as part of their mission. They have been instrumental in establishing clinics, hospitals and schools in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with limited resources.

Medical Education and Research:

What then can each us do to keep Jesus’ mission alive in the world? This has become an important function of the Floreat Uniting Church Creative Living Centre, a not-for-profit Charity that operates through the Boab Network’s outreach to the aboriginal people of the NW Kimberely where on coming to Perth for medical treatment they are

often in need of warm clothing. Most active at the moment is the Black Pearl Networks outreach to the Melanesians of West Papua who are discovering that learning English opens up many opportunities for employment, opening a business but also for health care through provision of clean water.

We are deeply thankful for the generous support of the Wembley Downs Uniting Church Congregation for these activities.

Probably the greatest gift each of us can give is to provide a child in the third world or our own country with an education – giving them access to knowledge with which they can create a better world.

Education and health are a priceless gift without which none of us would be sitting here today. Learning and expressing gratitude is an important life-giving spiritual practise that is easily taught and learnt.

For the Gospel of Jesus Christ transmitted to us down through the ages by our ancestors we give thanks.

AMEN