This week's devotion is from Dcn. Tanya

Mark 2:1-12

1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door, and he was speaking the word to them. 3 Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves, and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic 11 “I say to you, stand up, take your mat, and go to your home.” 12 And he stood up and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Four friends cut a hole in the roof and lowered their friend down to Jesus! Think about the scene: A large gathering, entrances blocked, and crowds that made it impossible for a paralyzed man to reach Jesus. His friends carried him up to the roof, cut a hole in it, and lowered their friend down! It would have been easier for them to leave him home, saying, “Sorry, you can’t see Jesus today, but we’ll go see him and pray for you.”

The world, then and now, often places barriers between people and God, especially in houses of worship. This includes the blatant harm the Church has done by telling the LGBTQ community that they are not welcome at God’s table, but it also includes the smaller scale unwelcoming vibes that someone new gets when they’re told, “This is my seat.” In this reading, the barriers the paralyzed man faced were the crowd and the lack of space for him to be carried in. He wasn’t able to access Jesus unassisted. Some physical barriers at Calvary are obvious, and we have tried to accommodate for them, such as installing an entrance ramp years ago, but others are not so obvious. Our restrooms do not have the space to accommodate a motorized scooter—that’s a barrier; our entryway, where we gather for coffee hour, is often crowded, and some members don’t stay because that many people in a small space is overwhelming—that’s a barrier; fathers don’t have a changing table or a family restroom—that’s a barrier; up until very recently, assisting ministers had to go up a step to reach the pulpit, limiting people with mobility issues from serving—that was a barrier!

As a community, we have done a lot of work over the last few years to develop a welcome statement that includes all people. So, how can we work towards making God more physically accessible through our building? Let’s look back at our reading: Instead of leaving the paralyzed man outside while the friends went to meet Jesus, they carried him up to the roof, cut a hole in it, and lowered him down.  They modified a building to ensure that their friend could have access to Jesus! During this campaign, we have the opportunity to expand our welcome beyond a statement, removing physical barriers to ensure that our building is truly accessible! Instead of being the crowd blocking Jesus, we have the opportunity to be the friends providing access!

Jesus, your ministry taught us what it meant for all to have access to God.
You shared meals with outcasts instead of excluding them.
You healed those that others would have overlooked.
Help us to follow your lead ensuring that all who seek you,
may feel physically and spiritually welcome at Calvary! Amen.