Gospel Text for Sunday 5 September 2021

 Mark 7:24-37        Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Reflection        Oh dear, what are we to do with this dark and disturbing version of Jesus?  How dare he liken the Syrophoenician woman and her daughter to dogs? But Jesus is just being Jesus, a radical reformer of the Jewish tradition, compelled to care for the Jews, whom he understands to be the children of God. As a faithful Jew Jesus is especially concerned for the people of his tribe who are suffering because of the misuse of power by religious and political officials, the people with the power. 

And what happens? “Ephphatha,” be opened.”  When Jesus deigns to withhold his healing power from the Gentile woman and her daughter essentially the woman demands that he be open, open his mind and heart to see humanity in the face of foreigners like her.  The Syrophoenician mother demands that Jesus neither consciously nor  unconsciously participate in cruelty to the powerless, precisely what his ministry is meant to be. “Be opened,” and immediately Jesus puts down his blindness, prejudice or unconscious bias, we do not know which. What happens? Jesus beholds the holiness of the foreign mother and daughter. They are healed and he is released, free to continue his ministry. 

Let me suggest that before Jesus could bring his ministry to the Decapolis, the land of the Gentiles, he had to be opened, “Ephphatha.” Jesus’ mind and heart had to be opened and released from the demons of unconsciously, unwittingly or unintentionally withholding or misusing his power and thereby participating in cruelty to the powerless? And, immediately after Jesus is opened, he continues his ministry beyond the boundaries of his tribal identity, unconstrained by unconscious bias, opening the ears and releasing the tongue of the deaf, mute man. “Ephphatha.” 

It is time, way over due, for every single one of us to be opened, “Ephphatha.”  It is time to lay down the demons of our preference, prejudice and politic and be opened to the holiness of every human being. In so doing we will exercise our power rightly on behalf of the powerless and we will be released from the demons that undermine our well intentioned ministries.

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Gospel text for Sunday 24 November 2019

Mark 12:41-44        He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’ 

Reflection        There is nothing comfortable about being people of faith because it means standing up, saying “Yes,” and stepping out having absolutely no idea where we are going, never mind how we will get there. This in not merely uncomfortable, it feels fraught with danger. Ah, but we are people of faith. We hale from a long line of foolishly faithful risk takers. This is our story.

Consider our twelve times twelve great grandfather Abram who was later named Abraham which means “the Father of many nations.” An ordinary married man, at the ripe young age of 75, Abram stands up, says yes answering God’s call to leave his country to go to he had no idea where and be the father of many nations even though he and his wife Sarai had no children. For twenty five years he and Sarai wander somewhere between Syria and Egypt receiving repeated promises from God that his “seed will inherit the land.” What kind of faith does it require for Abraham to wait until he is 100 years old for his son Isaac to be born and then without hesitation obey God’s command to sacrifice him?  Which ultimately he is not required to do because God substitutes a ram. This is a story about faith.  There is nothing comfortable about being people of faith because we are asked to say yes and get moving and do what seems impossible. 

Or think about Jesus rising up from the baptismal waters of the Jordan river, hearing a voice from heaven, “You are my son, with you I am well pleased,” stepping out of the river and immediately being driven onto the desert where he fasts for forty days and then is tempted to create bread out of stones to relieve his own hunger, leap from a pinnacle and rely on angels to catch him and kneel before Satan in return for all the kingdoms of the world. All three temptations represent the use of power for personal gain, and how does Jesus respond? He puts his faith in God rather than himself. Jesus turns to the words of scripture rather than succumb to temptation. There is nothing comfortable about being people of faith because we are asked to resist temptations to hedonism, egoism and materialism.

Which brings us to the widow in Luke’s text. In the presence of a crowd of people putting large sums of money into the temple treasury a poor widow rubs two small coins together before putting “everything she has to live on” in the treasury. Immediately we protest, “How could she do that? This is neither reasonable nor far-sighted. Surely God does not want her to give up everything and starve.” But wait. The poor widow only gave up two coins. Surely she knows she has something more to live on, in fact something she no doubt is very much aware she depends on. Her faith, her faith in God with her. There is nothing comfortable about being people of faith because we are asked to rely on God for our lives.

Abraham, Jesus and the poor widow have no idea how they are going to do it but they definitely know what they intended to do. Each one choses to live by faith, not by fear. Each one of them is prepared to be surprised by God.

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Gospel text for Feast of the Epiphany 6 January 2019

Matthew 2:1-12        In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, 

"In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.’"

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Reflection        This is the Feast of the Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas during which we receive the sum of all the possible gifts.

12 drummers drumming

11 pipers piping

10 lords a leaping

9 ladies dancing

8 maids a milking

7 swans a swimming

6 geese a laying

5 golden rings 

4 calling birds 

3 french hens

2 turtle doves and 

a partridge in a pear tree.

When  we add up all the gifts during the twelve days of Christmas we discover 364 gifts are given - one for each day of the year, except Christmas. Why? Let me suggest that Christmas is the day we receive the gift that surpasses all gifts. The gift of return to innocence, innocence as represented by the newborn child wrapped in rags and tucked into a feeding trough.

Epiphany is a dramatic and unmistakable realization that something that really, really, really matters is going on.  It dawns on us that something more, something worth seeking that reason fails to satisfy, initiates our journey. And so we join the wise men seeking the meaning, value and benefit represented by the innocent newborn.

What do we find along the way? Potentates who strive to use the wise men, or us, for their personal gain (think Herod calling the wise men to his court), manipulating people with their invitations to positions of privilege and promises of worldly gain. We find rulers who are willing to misuse their power to exterminate anyone who threatens their command (think Herod ordering all boy children in Bethlehem under the age of two to be killed).

Throughout history wise men (and women) have traveled vast distances to seek something more than worldly powers can offer. I believe the wise ones are seeking the true gift of Christmas, innocence. Innocence like that revealed to us in the newborn wrapped in rags in Bethlehem, the gift of Christmas that surpasses all others is the meaning, value and benefit of innocence.

Something deep inside us stirs when we watch our children’s Christmas pageant and sing “O little town of Bethlehem.” That sweet nostalgic sense is our yearning to return to the empty, open, receptivity of innocence. This is the unsurpassed gift of Christmas, a gift born on the breathe of an infant, drenched in the love of God and unsullied by the travesties of time. Innocence.  And because we are innocent as the newborn wrapped in rags and tucked into a feeding trough we are open and available to receive all of the gifts of the Spirit.

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