Michael Jackson died and a crowd gathered at the hospital where he had been taken this past week. When temporary positions were created through the federal stimulus package, hundreds gathered in Little Rock in hopes of getting work at the Department of Human Services. Every day at Crossroads Ministries, a homeless program in Atlanta , hundreds of people line up and wait for the doors to open so they can get vouchers for clothing, food, or transportation to and from job interviews. Many wait for up to three hours just to ask for a metro bus or subway pass. One round-trip ticket costs under $5.00 – but they are lucky if they have a single dollar bill in their wallets. So many wait only to be sent away empty handed. Bus fare is not given to people to go fill out applications. The cards are only given to provide transportation to and from an interview – and only if the interview can be verified. Just the hope of getting one or two cards is enough motivation for some people to wait.

Curiosity and need are two reasons crowds gather.

Jesus gets out of the boat and immediately a man approaches him pleading for help – his daughter is gravely ill, so Jesus goes with him. But as soon as he is sighted getting off the boat, a crowd has begun to form. They have all heard of this man Jesus and they are curious. He is a holy man, a man of God, who preaches the word with such assurance they know it to be true. He challenges the people’s understanding of God and opens their hearts. He cures the sick, chases out demons, and forgives sins.

The man that approaches Jesus is a leader in the synagogue, but that doesn’t matter to Jesus. Jesus hears his concern for his daughter and goes with him. The crowd follows. The people know it is special to be in the presence of Jesus – they can’t help but think if they follow him they will be witness to another of his miraculous deeds. Then, all of a sudden, Jesus stops and turns around. He asks them, who touched me?

This is almost laughable. The crowd is tightly packed around him – surely many people have bumped into him. His very own disciplines asked why he would even ask that question in a crowd such as this – but still this man Jesus studies the crowd around him. A woman comes forward in fear. She is trembling; she falls down at his feet and confesses it was her. She tells him that she has been ill for many years, many in the crowd step back. This woman is unclean! Because of her illness, Jewish tradition forbids her from touching a man. Yet, Jesus does not rebuke her for touching him, he is not upset. She tells him that when she touched him she was healed. He looks at her with a knowing look – he already knew that! But how? Then he says to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." The crowd wonders, who is this man that a person can be healed by merely touching his clothing?

Before anyone has a chance to fully consider what they have seen, a person arrives and announces the man’s daughter has died. There is no need for Jesus. Jesus hears the news and says, “Do not fear, only believe.” That is where the story ends for most of the crowd. Jesus only permits a few of his disciplines to go with him to the home where the man’s daughter has died.

Later, though, they all hear what happened. Even more remarkable than the miracle they did witness is the story of how Jesus told the people in the house that the child was not dead, but only sleeping. They laughed at him, but then he went into her room and commanded her to get up – and she did! This man Jesus has power over life and death! He told them not to tell anyone this – but how could they keep it to themselves?

Nearly two thousand years later, this story is still being told. It is the story of God’s love for each of us. Like the crowd that gathered that day, we are gathered. Many of us are curious – we have heard the stories of this man Jesus, his life, his crucifixion, and his resurrection and we want to know more. Many of us come in need. We are in need of forgiveness and healing. We need to be made whole, our lives are incomplete.

This is the human condition. We all sin and fall short of what God wants for us. God wants us to live in peace and in community. To live in community is to care for one another as Christ loves us. We know that God’s call is to service, for in the 25^th chapter of Matthew we read Jesus said, “ the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me (Mat 25:34-36 NRS).’” The people ask when they did this, so the king replies, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me (Mat 25:40 NRS).” We know that Christ wants us to care for each other, because Jesus stopped to heal those who came to him. We know, because Jesus raised the little girl from the death.

Here at St. Andrew’s we help feed those who are hungry. We give food to the food basket, we participate in Angel Food Ministries, and we have the vicar’s discretionary fund. As the vicar of St. Andrew’s, I represent the church for people who come to St. Andrew’s in need of help. I have been amazed by how many people come here. We keep track of those who come. Few come back a second time. Many are now being added to our prayer list. But our prayers are not enough. Hospitalizations, lay-offs, and inadequate wages to support a family are just some of the reasons people bring their shut-off notices and pleas for help with the necessities of life. Poor choices in life for most of us do not mean the difference between being about to pay our rent or buy groceries – but for many in this community they live hand to mouth and cannot afford to make a single mistake in managing their money. They don’t typically qualify for state assistance and churches are often their only hope of avoiding eviction. Many are from families who live like they do – one missed paycheck away from falling behind on their utility bills.

The woman who touched the cloak of Jesus was like many who have come to me. She was desperate – she had sought the help of many physicians and none had been able to help her. She was an outcast, she was unclean – Jesus was her only hope.

This past week I was unable to assist several families who came to us for help – my discretionary fund was empty. The ECW will be contributing money to this fund and I am thankful. Some people contribute specifically to the vicar’s discretionary fund – and I am thankful for that as well. On the fourth Sunday of each month, the loose offerings collected (up to $100) goes to the vicar’s discretionary fund. This is the fourth Sunday, so next week I will again be able to offer some assistance to people who turn to us in desperation. This fund cannot solve the problems of the working poor, but with it we can offer just a little bit of hope, a little bit of Christ’s love for each family we can assist – just as Christ offers hope to us. The hope that through his love we will be made whole.