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House Calls
Epiphany 5 | OT 5
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| Mary Austin |
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In the lectionary gospel passage for this week, Jesus continues his healing ministry by leaving the synagogue and making a house call on Pete's mother-in-law. It's a striking image for contemporary audiences, because there was a time that many of our senior citizens remember when house calls from doctors and other professionals was fairly routine -- a fact that may be hard to understand for many of our younger members. But as team member Mary Austin notes in the next installment of The Immediate Word, the whole idea of making house calls is beginning to make a small comeback. Moreover, as Mary points out, it should never go out of fashion in the church, because Jesus is modeling the behavior that Christians should be about in every aspect of their daily lives -- offering healing and support to those in need. If we wonder about how to make the church more relevant in the 21st century, Jesus offers us an object lesson in his clarity of purpose and commitment. After healing Peter's mother-in-law, he's quite clear about what to do next -- make another house call: "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message also; for that is what I came out to do" (Mark 1:38). As a result of making a very real difference in people's lives, Jesus and his band of disciples are obviously relevant: we are told that "the whole city is gathered around the door" and "everyone is searching for [Jesus]." There is no better word-of-mouth advertising for the church, Mary reminds us, than when we go out into the world and make house calls for Jesus. Here's a preview:
House Calls
by Mary Austin
Mark 1:29-39
Once up on a time, the family doctor came to the house for medical visits, to deliver babies, and to see people as they were dying. Then house calls fell out of fashion, and no one made them any more -- except pastors and truant officers. Now, a small but growing number of doctors are returning to seeing people at home. Some don't have medical offices, and do everything in the person's home. A few attorneys are willing to come to your home to consult with you, and the mobile dog groomer brings the shampoo to you. You can even get a spray tan at home now.
We're returning to the practice Jesus shows us in this passage from Mark -- coming to the person where they are....
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