"How to get Unstuck" - Mark 2:1-12 - February 23, 2003

Throughout my ministry I have had to deal with a variety of people who are struggling. People end up in situations which seem to have no solution. Listening helps but it doesn’t always set them free. How do we help people who are stuck?

Early in my ministry I was asked by one of my youth to come to her home on a cold, snowy, wintry night. Her father was severely depressed. He wasn’t communicating and the youth’s mother was afraid he might take his life. When I arrived he was laying on the floor, his head under the bed. The family was terrified and didn’t know what to do. There were guns in the home, including a loaded pistol which was a few feet away from where the man lay on the floor. Without hesitation I removed the weapons from the home and locked them in the trunk of my car.

I knelt down beside the man and began talking with him. He seemed to appreciate another man’s voice and slowly began to respond. I learned that he had just been laid off at work. I also learned that he was attempting to leave the house, probably on his way to a local bar. In the process his car got stuck in a deep snowdrift in the driveway. It took awhile for me to ascertain what all was happening. After about an hour he sat up and made his way to the couch.

I called a church member who lived nearby. He came over with his tractor and pulled the man’s car out of the snow. Now that the man’s car was free he began to come around and share more of his story. It was then I discovered that he was feeling guilty for losing his job. He felt that he had let his family down and he was worried about paying the bills in the future. By this time his wife and daughter were sitting with him, assuring him that they would survive and that there was no reason for him to feel he was letting them down. He thanked me for coming and I returned home.

I tell this story because it reminds me of the paralytic in the gospel of Mark. Here too was a man who was stuck, in his case, unable to walk. Fortunately, with the help of his friends, he is lowered through the roof to the place where Jesus is. Jesus heals him and the man walks away.

I believe this story illustrates several ways that can enable us to get unstuck. The first way is to overcome our pride and turn to friends for help. I requested that the farmer come with his tractor and with his help the man’s car was pulled free. The paralytic was carried by his four friends. They apparently had faith in Jesus to heal him and assisted in that effort by bringing him there.

When we are willing to turn to our friends for help we can experience liberation and yes, even healing. It means, however that we must be willing to trust in the resources of other people and admit we are not totally self-sufficient. By depending on others we recognize our limitations which opens the door for our freedom.

Secondly, like the man’s daughter who called for help, the paralytics’ friends were determined that he see Jesus. By making a hole in the roof and lowering him in they went to extraordinary lengths to make it happen. Imagine the looks on the faces of the people present when the man was being lowered through the roof. When people really believe in something or someone they will do whatever they can to make it happen.

In the movie Shawshank Redemption, Andy, played by Tim Robbins, spent years tunneling through a prison wall to set himself free. He was wrongly accused and was determined to acquire his own freedom since the judicial system had failed him. He also juggled the warden’s books for years in order to build up a bank account that would be waiting for him once he made his escape. His plan included every detail, like carrying civilian clothing in a cellophane bag so he would not be recognized as a prisoner after he made his escape.

When we live out a faith that goes to extremes liberation can be realized. It requires determination, risks and sometimes actions that don’t fit with the status quo. Going out of our way or going against the grain can set the stage for the spirit of God to work in our lives.

I said earlier that the man I counseled felt as though he had let his family down. Guilt and shame had caused a temporary paralysis. Without forgiveness and love he was stuck. The paralytic was stuck because of his illness. But what kept him even more stuck was his thinking that God was punishing him. In those days people believed that illness was God’s way of punishing them for something they had done wrong. Jesus knew that belief was prevalent and therefore "forgave" the man and set him free. "My son, your sins are forgiven." The result was amazing as he got up from his pallet and walked away. He was no longer stuck. The forgiveness of God set him free.

Many people are stuck because they have never heard the forgiveness of God. Guilt holds us back. Shame paralyzes us. Liberation is available to us all but we fail to receive the grace God gives.

Last Sunday evening there was a episode on "Becker," where one of his patients declined treatment. The man believed that his faith would make him well. On the other hand, Dr. Becker told him that without his medicine he wouldn’t live long. To prove his point Becker convinced the man to take some tests. The tests would prove that his body still needed medication. It just so happened that Becker had a severe pain in his neck. His patient told Becker he would pray for the pain to go away. As the story unfolds the man’s test results come back negative. He believes he has been healed. Becker has to accept the realization that the man’s faith is valid and that he is not totally in charge. When the episode ends, Becker’s neck is healed.

What isn’t said in the "Becker" story is the fact that Becker had to forgive the man for his determination and faith. He also had to experience forgiveness for himself for believing faith healing was impossible. When Becker finally accepted his own limitations both his patient and himself are healed.

God’s forgiveness liberates us from our guilt and shame. Liberation is also realized when we overcome our pride and seek help from our friends. Just as the paralytic man was set free anything is possible for us when we are determined to "go through the roof" with our faith.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio