Breaking Protocol
Good morning Scripture reading: St. John 5: 1-9 Worship song: Oh, It Is Jesus Meditation: At the Pool of Bethesda, a large crowd of people with disabilities gathered, hoping for healing from its waters. They believed that when the water was periodically stirred, the first person to enter would be cured. However, this created a system where the fastest and most able had an advantage over the most helpless. In this hopeless environment, a man who had been an invalid for 38 years was trapped by his own limitations and the helplessness of those around him. When Jesus found him, he bypassed the popular belief about the water and offered immediate grace, commanding the man to rise, take up his mat, and walk. This story illustrates that our salvation comes from the Lord, not from rituals or human efforts, and that God's power is not bound by our circumstances. He showed compassion and brought the man wholeness, proving that God's p...