Father Nissen's message, Feb 15

Father Nissen's sermon is based on the Gospel of Mark, chapter 1, verses 40 - 45:

A leper came to him [Jesus], beggin on his knees, "If you want to, you can cleanse me." Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, "I want to. Be clean." Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy. Jesus dismissed him with strict orders: "Say nothing to anyone. Take the offering for cleanising that Moses prescribed and present yourself to the priest. This will validate your healing to the people." But as soon as the man was out of earshot, he told everyone he met what had ahppened, spreading the news all over town. So Jesus kept to out-of-the-way places, no longer able to move freely in and out of the city. But people found him, and came from all over.

We are told today that Jesus heals a person with a skin disease. he was called a "leper" and today we would say heas Hansen's disease. People with that condition were strictly segregated from society.

We are told Jesus broke the barriers, touched him, and healed him.

Actually, the man had TWO ailments --he had a skin disease but he also lonely and desperate!

May we send people to our doctors, and equally important, may we invite the lonely and people who are not like us--people "who are different"--into our church, so their loneliness may be healed.

Recently the Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas had a training on racism with the hurts and divisions in our society. Jesus calls us to reach out in love to those who feel rejected and isolated. Our touch can be healing and reconciling. St. Andrew's Church will grow if we do this.