The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity | Morning Prayer | Service Sheet and Audio

In his compelling sermon, Revd. Mark Fletcher delves into the Gospel of Mark to explore themes of vulnerability, faith, and forgiveness. Using the classic film “The Wizard of Oz” as an analogy, Revd. Fletcher speaks about how we often build facades to hide our true selves from others and God. He transitions into the Biblical account of a quadriplegic man healed by Jesus, emphasizing that the man’s physical condition is a metaphor for our spiritual paralysis and distance from God.

Throughout the sermon, Revd. Fletcher stresses that our facades often prevent us from forming deep connections with others and God. The quadriplegic man’s friends demonstrate faith through action by taking the risk of lowering him through the roof to meet Jesus. Despite the crowd’s reluctance to let them through, their persistence is rewarded when Jesus sees their faith and forgives the man’s sins before healing him. This underlines the idea that our actions can express our faith, and faith can lead us to forgiveness and freedom.

In the end, Revd. Fletcher challenges us to dismantle the barriers of pride and ego that prevent us from receiving God’s grace. As Jesus offered forgiveness to the paralytic man, He offers the same to us, the most precious gift that leads to eternal freedom and joy.