Normalizing Miracles July 5, 2019 • The Rev. Cameron MacMillan  • BISHOP'S SERMONS

© Phakorn Kasikij

Proper 9

Sunday, July 7, 2019
Lectionary C

Luke 8:26-39

2 Kings 5:1-14; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 

Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16a) and we gratefully trust in his precious sacrifice. Jesus said, “Love one another” (John 13:34b, 15:12b), and we take that as foundational to the moral and social structure of our lives. But Jesus also says, “The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do” (John 14:12b), and many of us shrug our shoulders as to why we don’t seem to walk that out. 

What would it take to live a life of miracles? To walk in the anointing with which the early church of Acts flowed? If the Holy Spirit given to us today is the same one who was given to them in that great clothing of power from on high, should we not expect to see the same signs and wonders in our own midst? 

Bible scholar Gordon Fee wrote, “I think it is fair to note that if there is one thing that differentiates the early church from its [21st-] century counterpart, it is in the level of awareness and experience of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.”

As a disciple of Jesus in pursuit of a life of miracles—and starting to see them—I’ve found that there are a few things we can do to position ourselves to allow God to pour out this kind of grace in and through our lives: 

  1. Pursue a deeper life of prayer and fasting: Jesus seems to equate spiritual power and heavenly rewards with fervent prayer and fasting (see Matt. 6:6, Mark 9:25-29). Consecrating ourselves to God through fasting (not only in Lent), allows more space in us to be filled by heavenly power. 
  2. Persevere until we see breakthrough: What if Naaman the Syrian had stopped dunking himself in the Jordan after the sixth time? Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) says, God “is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.” Jesus taught his disciples to “pray always and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1b, NRSV). There’s something about perseverance in the face of failure that God seems delighted to honor. 
  3. Celebrate small miracles and testify publicly to them: Nothing generates an atmosphere of faith for miracles like personal testimonies. Church leaders should arrange regular times for public witness to the grace and power of Jesus in the lives of parishioners.

MacMillan

My prayer is that God would revive our hearts with a Spirit-filled faith, and that our churches would start to see more of the power and love of God on display! 

– Father Cameron MacMillan is is rector of Church of the Good Shepherd in Maitland.