Lenten Musings #5

Today, I led worship at Sunday School. I enjoy leading for the kids, and apparently they enjoy it, too. I often wonder if when I am "leading worship" for them if I should be a little more reverent. I try to do songs that are fun, have actions, etc. I tend to shy away from the more sombre, introspective stuff. Is "worship" something different than singing songs, in this context? What I mean is, when you just sing a bunch of songs about God and have fun, does that count as worship? Or does there have to be some other component of "feeling something" or whatnot? Just wondering.
We had a birthday party for our oldest daughter. It was a Snow White theme. It was lots of fun. I like throwing big, fun parties. I always hope that people don't think we're trying to show off. I just figure, "how often to you get to go to a big, fun party?" I hope that people enjoy themselves and feel valued by being there. Our daughter had a great time. Even though she acted shy, I know she loved all of the fuss and attention.

Mark 5
The first half of the chapter is about Jesus casting out "Legion" from a man in the Gerasenes. What I always find interesting about this story is the reaction of the "townspeople" upon seeing what Jesus had done. It says they "pleaded" with Him to leave their area. Why? Most of the people up to this point were astonished, and crowded around Jesus. They brought their sick and demon possessed to Him to be healed. But not these guys. They want Jesus gone. It strikes me as odd. Perhaps they were a little scared. Perhaps they were OK with the status quo and weren't interested Jesus stirring things up for them. I don't know.

The second half is about of the chapter is about 2 people who go out of their way to contact Jesus. I imagine we're supposed to notice the contrast with the first half, but I've never really noticed it until now. Both Jairus and the "woman" believe that if they can get to Jesus, things will be OK. Both of them are rewarded for their faith. The woman has no real interaction with Jesus until after she is healed. So, is it her faith that heals her? Obviously, it is not solely her faith, but it must act as somewhat of a conduit for the healing out of Jesus' power. In Jairus' daughter's case, it is not her faith (she is, after all, dead) but that of her father that heals her. But in this case, Jesus is obviously the healer. Does the faith of Jairus impact the healing at all? You would think Jesus could raise this girl from the dead without any help. But somewhere in there, God wants us to have faith in Him. I have often thought about this. I think that one of the reasons God wants us to live by faith is because sometimes that's all we'll have. I've gone through points where I pretty much just hold on by faith. Hoping that somehow things will turn out (for the most part, they have). When you always live by faith, it makes it that much easier when you have to live by faith.