God.

Peter and John walked on the temple grounds and told a man to get up and walk.

I would love that.

To walk along the hospital hall, to step into a room, to say “get up and walk.”

Or to say, “Cancer, go away” or “Broken heart, be made whole” or even “Peace be with you.”

We try it, of course. And we wish for it. And we long for it.

But almost all the time, it feels like nothing happens.

It feels like you aren’t fixing things.

Even when we try to have enough faith.

I don’t think that healing depends on how much faith we have.

We confess.

We confess that our trust of you depends on you keeping your side of the bargain we told you we were making with you.

We confess that we aren’t comfortable with the possibility that our actions might be sin, and that our actions are in the way of your working.

Not because you are mad at us, or disappointed with us,

But because our actions and our thoughts, when they don’t align with yours, don’t turn out well.

And yet we acknowledge that our good behavior doesn’t fix things.

God

John says that we are called your children.

A man who lived and touched your hand and heard your voice.

A man whose brother was murdered because of relationship with you.

A man who was persecuted and exiled says that your great love has been lavished on us and you call us your children.

Either his understanding of your love is confused or ours is.

I bet it’s ours.

May we hear you today, enough of a word to heal our hearts.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.