Expecting Jesus to show up while we are in the wall

(I preached this sermon on Sunday, Feb 7, 2021 in response to the Gospel reading — Mark 1:29–39. You can see the entire service as well as the sermon at our church website — www.ststephenlc.org.)

Marathon runners are intimately familiar with a concept called hitting the wall. It usually hits somewhere between mile 18 and mile 22. Everyone experiences the wall differently, but the core of it is that everything hurts — physically, mentally, emotionally. You feel lost and hopeless. You’ve gone so very far, and yet you aren’t done yet. Your body…