Scripture text: Mark 2:1-12

"Puller or Being Pulled"

The other day I saw several of the large motor homes moving at quite rapid speeds down the highway…probably on their way south. Most of the small home on wheels was pulling along behind it an automobile. I remember the day when those home were called “house trailers” and were pulled along by a car. In the last twenty-five years it seems that there has been a reversal of roles. Once the car was the puller and the trailer was what was being pulled.

Here's how my mind works: I thought of the Scripture of the paralytic being carried to Jesus by several of his friends. That man left carrying the “stretcher” on which he was brought to Jesus and probably later in life’s journey was there to uplift or carry a friend in need.

Sometimes we are the one doing the carrying, the pulling. We are the good Samaritan, or good friend, or helper. Yet, there are times in life when we will need to be pulled along, carried because we can’t make it on our own. For many people it is hard to be the one being pulled along. We don’t want to be dependent on anybody or anything. It is fine to be the puller, but not so acceptable to be the “pulled.” I remember when I experienced a major illness that hospitalized me for over ten weeks. I hated being helpless and totally dependent on others. I had always been the caregiver— not the care receiver. Finally, I realized that all I could do was attempt to get well and say “thank you” to those people who pulled me through a very serious illness. Since then, I have done my share of pulling others through difficult times, but I've also come to realize that I sometimes need someone to pull me along or lift me up.

The Gospel highlights that being human is a "pulling" and "being pulled" experience. It affirms that we can’t make it alone. We are called to be in community so we can help each other as we travel along the highways of this gift from God called life.

Rev. Robert H. Naylor