“Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”  While this was intended as a humorous and sometimes employed catchphrase referring to the periodic foolishness of college days, it captures dead-on the solitary cry of the human soul.  Sadly and truly, the joke’s on us.

Today we have before us the following: a home that is people-packed around Jesus and impenetrable; a paralyzed man on the outside whose access is hopelessly blocked and screened out; and four true friends willing to incur the cost of tearing the roof off in order to see what happens when the power of their friendship carefully lowers a paralyzed soul to come face to Face with the power of forgiveness.