Take Your Mat And Walk
Rev. Erik Swanson
March 15, 2026
You can watch the entire sermon here.
Five years ago, I went through a life-threatening health crisis — a brain bleed that left me with only faint memories of my first 48 hours in the hospital. When I became more aware, I realized how weak I was. Standing felt like a challenge, and walking required a walker. I asked my doctor what I needed to do to recover, and she told me to follow my prescribed exercises. When I asked if I could do more, she agreed — so long as I had help to prevent a fall. That moment shifted something in me. I realized this was my recovery, and I was going to fully engage in it.
Thinking About Healing And Faith
I began asking the nurses constantly to walk with me. I did squats, toe raises — anything I could. It became a moment where I truly partnered with God in my healing: lots of praying and lots of doing. That experience shaped how I now think about healing and faith. I find myself asking: when have I — or we — entered that space of both deep prayer and intentional action? And how do we truly partner with God in our healing?
Do You Want To Be Made Well?
In the Gospel story of the man by the healing pool, he had been waiting for 38 years, hoping to be the first into the water when it stirred. It raises a powerful question Jesus asks: “Do you want to be made well?” That question is more complex than it seems. Of course we all want healing — physical, emotional, spiritual. We long for miracles: diseases gone, strength restored, bodies renewed. Sometimes that happens, but often healing is slower, more complicated, and incomplete.
Complete Transformation
“Do you want to be made well?” means complete transformation of this man’s life. It means he would have to figure it out in a whole new way. And his answer could be seen as a reason or excuse more than a direct answer. Certainly it is not a clear yes or no. But Jesus puts it firmly on the guy. Get up, take your mat and walk. His decision. Continue there or go a different way. No hand waving, no burst of light. No words about healing actually. Nothing about faith healing or Jesus healing. Just the words to do what he says he wants to happen. Just the call to embody what he says he desires. Get up take your mat and go. And remarkably and hopefully encouraging all of us, he does it. He gets up and walks out of his wilderness and embodies new life.
This is a parable. This is a story to encourage us and inspire us. It does not mean that instant physical healing like this will happen to all of us if we just believe right or whatever. It is to inspire us that healing is possible and challenges us in how we are willing to work to get up, take our mats and walk. Are we willing to follow that call to do the work, to pray and listen, then make the changes needed for our healing?
We Have A Role To Play
I’ve come to believe that this is not due to a lack of faith or because God is absent. Our bodies are designed both to heal and to break down. Healing happens in many ways — through medicine, time, lifestyle changes, and sometimes in ways we can’t explain. But often, it requires our participation. We have a role to play: caring for our bodies, seeking help, and making changes when needed.
Engaging Fully With God
Healing also goes beyond the physical. It involves emotional and spiritual honesty. Am I willing to bring my anger, confusion, or sadness to God? Am I willing to ask for guidance, comfort, or clarity? Too often, I — and many others — hesitate to fully engage God in the reality of our lives. Yet part of healing is opening ourselves to that relationship, trusting that God meets us there.
A Call To Action
But partnership with God also means action. If I pray about stress, am I willing to change my habits? If I seek healing for my body, am I ready to adjust my diet, exercise, or seek medical care? The man in the story had grown accustomed to his condition. When Jesus tells him to “get up, take your mat and walk,” it’s a call not just to healing, but to transformation. And remarkably, he does it.
Responding to God’s Invitation
That story challenges me. It reminds me that healing isn’t always about instant miracles — it’s about responding to God’s invitation to step into a new way of living. Especially during seasons like Lent, I’m called to reflect: Am I willing to pray, to listen, and then to act? Am I ready to “get up, take my mat, and walk”?