SERMONS

By Jennifer Jenkins, Guest Preacher
July 19, 2009

Mark 6:30-34, 50-56
You’ll notice that there are a few verses missing. This text sandwiches several very well known passages. The feeding of the 5000 and the calming of the storm – where Jesus surprises the disciples by walking on the water.

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

52 But the disciples hearts were hardened…

53When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. 54When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, 55and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

SERMON: “The Search for Dignity”

Last week’s sermon provided a very thorough analysis of the dangers of true discipleship. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus…and then paid the price – he was beheaded for the entertainment of Herod’s guests.

The lectionary text for today continues to unfold the meaning of true discipleship. So far, Mark’s Gospel has given us the picture of a tireless and confusing journey. From the time they were called away from their fishing boats, the disciples have been facing crowds of people with unmet needs. People begging for food, for sanity, for healing. They serve, they give, and they follow…and just when they feel like things are starting to make some sense, Jesus does something crazy – like walk on water.

Verse 52 states clearly, “The disciples hearts were hardened.” At first glance, this statement following Jesus’ miraculous walk across the sea of Genneseret seems out of place. But think about it from the disciples’ perspective. They serve and serve, flocked by needy people – the only tangible reward so far is death. Of course their hearts were hardened. In the contemporary world, we call this burnout.

Burnout is a phenomenon that often plagues people who spend their lives in service of others. Ministry is a profession that is wrought with burnout. (This is the primary reason we build Sabbatical into a pastor’s salary) The medical profession is full of this burnout phenomenon. (and they don’t do the Sabbatical thing). I currently work at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, where the nurses, doctors and social works, work tirelessly to treat and hopefully heal cancer patients. Of course, as too many of us well know, physical healing is not always possible.

The Medical Profession was built on the Hippocratic foundation to “first, do no harm”. The preservation of life was and is the primary medical goal, always keeping in mind “the good of the patient.” And most of the time, preservation of life peacefully coexists with the good of the patient. But it doesn’t take long for a medical professional to find the spaces where these two ideals conflict. These spaces are where burnout lurks, and dignity is often unrecognizable.

Dignity is a very loaded word. What do I mean by dignity? The American Heritage Dictionary first defines dignity as “The quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect.” The second definition, and my favorite, is of an “inherent nobility and worth”.

In the medical profession, treating someone with dignity generally means showing respect for an individual’s inherent worth. But lately, the term dignity has received the most press in reference to the patient’s values about death. Death, more than any other entity, threatens patients and professionals alike. Death in its many forms is the most obvious example that we are ultimately not in control. Death is our greatest enemy.

What happens when we feel threatened by an enemy? Psychologists describe the primal reaction to an enemy as “Fight or Flight”. We either fight death or we run away from it…and where best to see this played out, but in the medical system.

Dr. Ira Byock, a hospice physician, describes the result of this mentality in our healthcare system: “80% of Americans die in institutions, either hospitals or nursing homes…nearly 20% of Americans spend their last days in an Intensive Care Unit, often sedated or with their arms restrained so they will not pull out breathing tubes, intravenous lines or catheters….Pain commonly remains under-treated, even in otherwise excellent medical centers and by otherwise excellent physicians…Dying is inherently hard”. (Testimony on House Bill 304)

Is there even such a thing as dignified dying? If the term “Death with Dignity” just entered your mind, then you guessed the direction I am headed. Many of you may be familiar with Initiative 1000 – a law passed by the State of Washington this past November. Or maybe you aren’t familiar with it, understandably distracted by other very significant outcomes of November’s election. (First African American President in our history).

Either way, I-1000, ‘Death with Dignity’, was on the ticket, and is now a law in our state. As I chaplain working in a state hospital, I have been asked about my views on this controversial law. Is this something a Christian should do? Is this a sin? These questions come not only from the outside, but from cancer patients considering whether they will use the new law.

I’m not here today to get on a soap box about what is and is not sin. But I do believe this law is important for us to know about as we continue in search for dignity. Initiative 1000 is based on Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, which passed in 1997. 12 years later, the law in WA includes the following requirements; I-1000 requires that a person be a WA resident with six months or less life expectancy to access this law. After 2 physicians have determined a 6 month or less prognosis, the person can request a prescription for lethal medication. There is a 15 day waiting period from the time the person makes the initial request and the time they are able to receive the medication. If the physician has any inclination that the person is depressed or suicidal, then they are obligated to refer the patient to a psychiatrist. The person must have decisional capacity, and must be capable of ingesting the medication on their own. The person must also be advised to talk with their close family about their choice. If all of these requirements are met, then a person can legally end their life. To quote the law itself, “In a dignified manner.”

This law provides an alternative (though not the only alternative) to death in an institutional setting. Its supporters believe that it releases people from a medical-ized and over-treated death. Its opponents believe it legalizes suicide, signifying surrender to our greatest enemy. What ever you might believe about this law, one thing is for certain. It is not the ultimate solution in our search for dignity.

Let’s return to Mark’s gospel for a moment. Despite the hardened hearts of the disciples, good things continue to happen around Jesus. People flock to Jesus and his disciples, believing they will be healed of their illnesses. Communities of people bring the sick on mats, hoping for a cure. And the passage says that all who touched his cloak were healed.

But Mark does not describe these healings in detail. He does not say that one man’s cancer disappeared, or one woman’s lung disease vanished in thin air. The kind of healing Jesus offered was not what most physicians attempt in the hospital. The Greek word Mark uses for healing is Sodzo. Sodzo also means to save, deliver, protect, or make whole. These healings were a holistic matter– encompassing the spiritual, emotional, and communal aspects of living.

I would be willing to be that 100% of the people who Jesus healed, one day, eventually died. But they died having witnessed faith, hope and love in a brief encounter with Jesus. They experienced the healing of knowing that despite their ailments, they too were children of God. Full of “inherent nobility and worth”. Full of dignity.

In our world today, dignity is not easily found. Whether we are on the path of discipleship or the path toward dying, our inherent worthiness is easily lost: hidden behind the tubes, medications, and bedpans; or hidden behind the weariness we feel when meeting one more person in need

Our challenge as Christians is to rediscover the dignity of ourselves and others, even when this seems impossible. Perhaps this means expanding our definition of healing: allowing the emotional, spiritual, and communal to break into our understanding and practice. Perhaps this means acknowledging that dying and healing are not a contradiction in terms. For both healing and dying may just bring us closer to our own inherent worthiness. Closer to the one who calls us beloved, and will eventually call each of us home.

Amen.