Rx for the Sick
Maundy Thursday
April 16
II Corinthians 12:9
Illness is no fun. COVID changed the world, and it changed the Church. I have been surprised that after COVID there has not been an upsurge in attendance – thankful that in-person fellowship is restored, and humbled by the virus which ravaged the world. A Pew research study in 2023 did report an increase of people joining on-line (and thank the Lord for our tech people who took the opportunity to vastly upgrade our streaming presentation, which now looks and sounds very good). But as of March 2023, worship overall was down 3-8% nationwide. (And I note that the halo effect of self-reporting has probably inflated even those worship numbers to appear larger than they are.)
Even Apostles could get inflated heads, and even Apostles could also get sick or suffer. Saint Paul explaining enigmatically that God allowed a “thorn to remain” in his flesh to keep him humble writes,
Because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” (II Cor. 12:7-9)
So the blunt answer to Paul’s fervent prayer was “No.” That answer was qualified by an explanation: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” God many times allows illness or various “thorns in the flesh” to remain. In our present lives, this serves God’s Kingdom by making us Christ-like: “My Power is perfected in weakness.”
Philippians 2 tells us that Christ “emptied Himself” instead of being full of Himself. God is opposed to the proud. So He gives us the gift of humility through unremovable thorns. These thorns keep us both humble and close to the Lord. And they hurt! Jesus had an entire crown of them pressed into His head.
What really matters seems to be “grace,” God’s grace to us: “My grace is sufficient for you.”
Grace in Christ gives us forgiveness of sins, in-person fellowship with the Triune God in His abiding presence in our heart and spirit by baptismal gifts, and in-person fellowship in the sacrament of the altar. And ultimately, in-person fellowship with God in a restored glorified “THORN-less” body!
Oftentimes, God’s prescription for healing is grace…and grace alone. Boast worthy!
PRAYER:Father, thank You for the thorns of humility that You do not remove now. May Your grace be magnified. Amen.