Hearing Our Siblings' Cries
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For September 5, 2021:
Hearing Our Siblings’ Cries
by Chris Keating
Mark 7:24-37
Two aspects of Mark’s account of the interaction between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman demand immediate attention. First and foremost, Jesus’ disturbing replay needs some theological consideration.
Secondly, this bold mother deserves a name, if only to simplify the task of remembering how to spell “Syrophoenician.” She also deserves to be heard, which is exactly what Jesus learns as she stands her ground in pleading for her daughter. She challenges Jesus’ rejection, turning his invective against him. Her yearning to be heard is a reminder that Jesus’ proclamation of the Gospel is a word intended for all people.
It turns out the woman is not the only one in this chapter who yearns to be heard. As Jesus continues his travels, friends of a deaf man intercept Jesus. They intercede for him to be cured. Proving that a little bit of spit can cure anything, Jesus opens the man’s ears — and releases his tongue so that he spoke plainly.
Both the woman and the man find their voices in response to the presence of God. It is a powerful image, and perhaps even especially so this Labor Day as the turmoil in Afghanistan continues. Women’s rights organizations, refugees and journalists are pleading with the world to hear the cries of Afghani women and children. These groups and others are pleading on behalf of women who fear the Taliban’s ruthless past will bring a terrifying future.
As one writer has said, “Some of (the women’s) voices have been pushed underground with the Taliban takeover, but they haven’t been silenced. In private chat groups or on social media like Twitter, Afghan women discuss their fears, find support, share reports of what’s happening in the country through the Afghan diaspora, and speak about defending hard-won opportunities for women and girls.”
Like the exhausted, frightened, yet unmoving Gentile woman, their voices deserve to be heard.
In the News
Chaos continues in Afghanistan as the August 31 deadline for withdrawal of United States troops continues. The pace of the airlifts has increased in recent days, with approximately 82,000 persons having fled the country since August. In public, the Taliban has taken a more moderate stance to governing, including promising amnesty to members of the former government’s security forces, and plans for an inclusive government.
But fear of the Taliban’s vengeful past remains, especially among women who have experienced greater levels of freedom during the 20 years that the Taliban has not been in power. More than 21% of the country’s civil service employees are women. It is uncertain how the new Taliban regime may adjust to these realities, though the United Nations has documented incidents of intimidation and abuse.
Following reports of women being flogged and beaten for leaving home without a male chaperone, some women are speaking out from underground locations.
“We need women to speak up about our rights: about women’s rights, educational rights, what we will lose,” Pashtana Durrani told The New Humanitarian. “Nobody is speaking on behalf of Afghan women.” Durrani is a young woman who runs an NGO focused on education and healthcare for women and girls. Durrani recounted that as soon as the Taliban took over, some women working in banks were told to go home. Physician Fahima Rahmati said that the fears of women are increasing.
“Women are afraid. It's not a secret. Women can’t go to work. The Taliban will not let women and girls go to school. This frustrates me as schools and universities are the only way for a country to grow. For all these years, most of the offices were occupied by women, but now the Taliban will only allow a few medical personnel to work. Afghan women are strong, but this is defeating,” Rahmani said.
Durrani, not unlike the Syrophoenician woman, believes Afghan women need resolve in speaking out against the Taliban.
“All we can do right now is fight back by speaking out loud,” she said. “All these men are fighting for power. They are power-hungry, greedy, and corrupt, without consideration for the people they govern. Feeling abandoned, it’s my right to fight back – for me, one whole generation of women, and generations to come. Nobody’s going to fight on my behalf. My political rights are at stake; my educational rights are at stake. Everything that I have stood for, and my father stood for, is gone. I have to stand, and I have to fight back.”
She and Rahmani are willing to take the risk to speak out. “I want to be heard,” said Rahmani, “I want the whole world to listen.”
Nobel Peace laureate and activist Malala Yousafzai agrees, adding that the task is urgent. “We will have time to debate what went wrong in the war in Afghanistan,” Malala wrote in an editorial, “but in this critical moment we must listen to the voices of Afghan women and girls. They are asking for protection, for education, for the freedom and the future they were promised. We cannot continue to fail them. We have no time to spare.”
Human Rights Watch issued a call for the world’s response to the plight of women in Afghanistan, adding simply, “We owe it to them.”
Behishta Arghand, a television journalist, understands the urgency of the situation. A few days after the Taliban took over the country, Arghand interviewed a Taliban leader on television. She challenged him about reports that the Taliban was conducting house to house searches for dissidents. Hailed for bravery, Arghand is now in hiding, staying in a house without television or internet, and unsure of what the future holds. “If I am alive,” Arghand said, “I will do a lot for my home. My country needs my generation.”
The voices of her siblings are crying out, boldly pleading with the Taliban and with the world. Like the woman who confronts Jesus, they are working hard to be heard.
In the Scripture
Jesus’ fame and reputation continue to generate interest, even when he intentionally stays on the down low. Throughout Mark, his public acts are often balanced by withdrawing to private spaces, but even the walls of houses or the emptiness of lonely places fail to offer respite from attention. “Yet he could not escape notice,” Mark 7:24 notes, teeing up the encounter with the desperate mother.
She approaches with respect and humility, perhaps aware of her tenuous position. She is the definition of an outsider breaking boundaries. She breaks with respect and convention, transgressing national, racial, gender, and religious boundaries. Even more scandalous: she is a mother of a demon-possessed child. Still, as Alyce McKenzie notes, she dares to approach Jesus.
Her daughter’s condition demands that the woman cast aside conventional practices. Boldly, yet respectfully, she intrudes into a space where rejection was likely. Like the Afghan journalist who dared to confront the Taliban, this unnamed Gentile woman speaks where others might have remained silent.
Mark is reminding his largely-Gentile audience that the power of the Gospel knows no geo-political or religious boundaries. But even more than that, Mark demonstrates the bold risks faith requires. While she remains nameless, the woman is given a voice. In response, as Amy C. Howe and others remark, Jesus appears caught with his compassion down. (Howe, “Pastoral Perspectives,” in “Feasting on the Word,” Proper 18).
Scholars debate Jesus’ response, but his words are more than a wink and a nod intended to make a larger point. He’s not engaging in rhetorical whimsy but instead answers her request with an insulting invective. His rude words are in stark contrast to his warnings in 7:15 that the “things that come out are what defile.” Or maybe they are an illustration of that text. It’s unclear, confusing, and even upsetting.
Yet the woman is not taken aback. Instead, she bests him with her own rapier-sharp retort. The woman’s words are essentially an exegesis of what Jesus has just told his own followers. As Loye Bradley Aston observes, she instructs Jesus that “social conventions should not stand in the way of helping those in need.” (“Feasting on the Word,” Proper 18).
The addition of the healing story in 7:31-37 is a further reminder that the reign of God breaks across boundaries and that God’s compassion is poured out. In some ways it is the reverse of the previous story. Here the man is healed so that he may speak; where previously it was the woman’s bold speech which leads to her daughter’s healing. In both cases, the cries of God’s people are heard. In response all are amazed and astounded, while the disciples still do not comprehend (8:21, “Do you not yet understand?”)
In the Sermon
Mark’s gospel routinely reminds us that God’s power is at work in the world, reaching across boundaries and bringing healing. Jesus’ healing touch is restorative and demonstrates the compassion and power of God. Because of that, his all-too human sparring with the woman is disappointing. It’s essential, no matter what else is said about this text, that the interpreter help the congregation wrestle with Jesus’ insulting rebuke of the woman.
We might wonder why Jesus’ manners have suddenly disappeared. If he is categorizing her as unclean, then Jesus is violating what he seems to have said a few verses earlier. Is he viewing her with suspicion, ranking her among the enemies of Israel? Is this, as commentators like William Barclay have said, an attempt at humor? Or is this some sort of test to check the earnestness of the woman’s plight?
The text is confusing, maybe even confounding. It’s useless to contend that Jesus meant anything else but what he said — calling a woman a “little dog” (or even worse) was no more appropriate in the New Testament than it is today. What is clear is that Jesus is moved by her laser-focused dedication to her daughter. Her riposte to Jesus demonstrates her fidelity to her child, and her utmost confidence that Jesus could bring God’s gift of healing.
Nelle Morton, a theologian, and church educator wrote of the powerful experiences of hearing the stories of women. As she listened to women speak of their experiences of being excluded from centers of influence in church and society, a thought occurred to her that she later unpacked in her 1985 book “The Journey is Home.” Morton relayed the experience of listening to a woman share a painful personal story in a small group. As the group listened, the story teller was astonished. “You heard me,” she told the group, “you heard me all the way.” Morton continues, “She looked directly at each woman in turn and then said slowly: “I have a strange feeling you heard me before I started. You heard me to my own story.”
Morton says something similar happened in similar gatherings of women. Then, I knew I had been experiencing something I had never experienced before. A complete reversal of the going logic in which someone speaks precisely so that more accurate hearing may take place. This woman was saying, and I had experienced, a depth hearing that takes place before the speaking – a hearing that is far more than acute listening. A hearing engaged in by the whole body that evokes speech –a new speech — a new creation. The woman had been heard to her own speech.”
Jesus heard the cry of that unnamed Syrophoenician woman. He heard her unto speech — a daring act of faithfulness that brought healing to her daughter. He heard the cry of the friends of the deaf man, cries which lead the man to clarity of praise. Our siblings in Afghanistan are crying out, pleading to be heard unto speech. So are the victims of Hurricane Ida, long-haul Covid patients, or the millions who may soon be evicted from their homes. A sermon this week might help attune the ears of God’s people to the plaintive laments of their siblings.
SECOND THOUGHTS
To Be Human is to Be Prone to Folly
by Quantisha Mason-Doll
Mark 7:24-37
I don’t know about you but I have a favorite Ecumenical council. In 451 CE The Council of Chalcedon was invoked by the Roman Emperor Marcian. The prominent reason for its assembly was to discuss the nature of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They landed on Dyothelitism, or the doctrine of two wills that is the theological driving force behind our discussion. For clarification, Dyothelitism is the thought that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine and at once in union with Godhead. To be human is to be prone to folly yet to be divine is to know how to take that foolishness and transform the world.
Our teaching for this day finds us once again in the gospel of Mark. As many know the Marken narratives have an overarching sense of urgency to the life and ministry of Jesus. It is also in the Marken gospel where we find a Jesus that is quick to answer with a sharp tongue. I remember during my early academic exploits thinking that Jesus in Mark was frustrated with those around him. I viewed this Jesus as a man that has worked in retail a few years too many and has no more patients to give. The story of the Syrophoenician woman and the way Jesus spoke with her is no different.
I think as a society there is this expectation that we treat each other with a common dignity governed by social norms, yet in actuality, this is not the case. We all have presuppositions that subtly influence the way in which we interact with the perceived other. I would hazard that these kinds of subtle differences are not a new social phenomenon but more likely something that has been ingrained in our nature since time immemorial. We fear the stranger, or more precisely, we fear the threat the stranger poses to our carefully constructed social identity. Jesus is culturally a Jewish man living in Roman-occupied land that is now present-day Israel/Palestine. The early stages of Jesus’ life and ministry are shaped by his cultural reality. This woman who confronts him while he seeks to have a moment of solace in the reign of Tyre is described both as a Gentile and as a Syrophoenician in origin. An astute reader or hearer of this text would identify that these adjectives hold more meaning than just describing this woman. She was this cultural and ethnic other that Jesus was most likely taught to fear or mistrust based on cultural baggage.
Before this defining moment in Jesus’ ministry, at least in the gospel of Mark, Jesus had very little interaction with people outside of the Jewish community i.e. gentiles. It is here with the Syrophoenician woman that we have a kairos moment that will shape the rest of Jesus’ ministry.
We as modern readers have the luxury of knowing how the story ends, yet Syrophoenician woman did not. She approaches Jesus as a person with nothing left to lose. She is humbled before the feet of Christ. She is met not with the kindness of the Lord but with insults to her person and character. At this moment this Syrophoenician woman fully understands how little Jesus thinks of her. She understands that in Jesus’ eyes a dog is more worthy of basic necessities than she and her child. While there is some debate on the subject of the roles of dogs in Jewish history and culture we can assume it is not good.
Historically, in a Jewish context, dogs were seen as semi savage creatures and were viewed with the same contempt as prostitution. The Syrophoenician woman does not allow for Jesus’ judgment or prejudiced inclinations to dissuade her from placing her trust in his abilities to provide healing for those in need. I think this understanding of Jesus might be hard for some to reconcile with, yet much how Jacob wrestled with the angels, we to must wrestle with this moment of the human folly of our Savior.
We do not know the full story of what happened between the Syrophoenician woman and Jesus in those quiet moments in that house in the land of Tyre, yet what we do know is that the Syrophoenician woman called out to Jesus and challenged him to be fully human and fully divine at that moment. She let her agony speak for itself and allowed for her faith in the human Jesus to be on full display. While she did not agree with the epitaph Jesus used against her she boldly challenges him with the question of why should it matter if she was worthy or not? She is saying that despite your best efforts children are clumsy and messes will happen. Just because food falls on the floor does not mean you should stop feeding someone.
Demanding justice looks strikingly similar to this meeting between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman. It is saying that you might have turned your back on me but I still place my trust in you that you are going to do the right thing every time. It is my understanding that after this point in the ministry of Jesus his interpretation of divine will expanded to encompass all that believe in him.
The Syrophoenician woman challenged Jesus to overcome the biases and inclinations that excluded those outside of his community. She asked him to acknowledge the human element that connects us all in the wider breadth of God’s creation. As we hurtle headlong into an uncertain future we must be sure to call out the places where our biases have blinded us from seeing an unmet human need. Christ was human. Christ was divine. Christ needed a reminder of both.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17
Faith that Leads to Works
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?” the epistle asks. For the Rev. Laurie Anzilotti, Covid has demanded a different kid of work from her. She has learned to express her faith in different ways during the pandemic, like many pastors and congregations.
During the early days of the pandemic, to escape the commotion in her home, she started leading online church services from her front porch. “One day, as she was conducting a funeral service from the porch, one of her four children came running outside shouting, “Mom, where are the hot dogs?!” The moment captured a common experience of the pandemic: the disruption and chaos that result when the public and private spheres of work and home collide. For Anzilotti, the vicar of St. Francis’ Episcopal Church, a mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, life at the height of the pandemic was messy, disjointed and occasionally awkward.”
“After the online funeral interruption, she instituted some changes, including a simple color-coded signal she set out for her family — a clipboard displaying a red paper when she was not to be disturbed, a yellow one when a brief interruption was OK, or a green one for, “I’m working, but I’m happy to entertain whatever question or conversation you want to have.” Solving the isolation and loneliness of her parishioners took more time. Eventually, Anzilotti started offering drive-in Eucharist in the parking lot next to the church. Church members remained in their cars and were able to tune in to the service on an FM radio frequency.”
“But her happiest innovation was a Wednesday noontime Eucharist service at a city park. She typically arrived around 11:45 a.m. to lay out a white tablecloth on a picnic table and distribute a psalm to those gathering around her. The short service included a Bible reading, a short lectio divina, in which Anzilotti asked participants what word, thought, phrase or image spoke to them from the reading. She then followed with prayers for the people and the Eucharist.
“It’s very simple, but it’s one of the most profound spiritual times of my week,” she said.
This summer, indoor services have resumed at St. Francis’. Most of Anzilotti’s kids are away at camp. Her husband and his 14 employees are back at work. But the Wednesday park Eucharist continues.” Faith leads us into new and different work for God all the time.
* * *
Mark 7:24-37
Courage
Sheer courage is one of the most remarkable characteristics of the Gentile woman who approaches Jesus about her daughter. It would be easy to talk herself out of talking to Jesus, a foreigner, a man surrounded by other men, and a long shot for her daughter’s healing. And yet she models remarkable courage. Her actions remind us that courage in service to a bigger life is possible for all of us. Kate Swoboda, who studies courage, says that, “Though courage is often thought of as an inborn character trait, it’s actually a way of being and a practice that can be learned for coping with difficulty. In other words, courage can become a habit…How do you manage fear differently? You can understand that it’s part of the human condition and aim to work with it rather than against it.”
If this woman had any doubts, we don’t see them in the story. Kate Swoboda says that courage is about understanding our doubts so they serve us, instead of derailing us. The Gentile woman has seemingly learned to do that, in her conversation with Jesus. “Many of us who are stuck in fear have an inner critic, constantly feeding us misinformation about our abilities and telling us we are doomed to fail. Often, we’re not even aware of that voice. Or, if we are aware of it, we try strategies to quiet or get rid of it—like ignoring the critic entirely, placating it by trying to do things perfectly (so there won’t be anything for the critic to focus on), or attacking it directly by saying to ourselves, “I’m not going to listen to you—shut up and leave me alone!” While these strategies can give us temporary relief, they don’t actually make the critic go away. Instead, we need to reframe the voice as a part of ourselves that’s trying to get our attention, and to learn to listen.”
The woman’s bravery in approaching Jesus calls us all to more courage in faith.
* * *
Mark 7:24-37
Being a Mother
When the Gentile woman approaches Jesus to plead for her daughter, she has layers of identity that divide her from Jesus – gender, nationality, religion. Still, for her, her calling as a mother, and the needs of her child, are paramount, as she seeks out Jesus.
Noted Buddhist teacher and author Sylvia Boorstein notices a similar anchor in her own family. “I find that when people say “What are you proudest of in your whole life?” it’s clear to me that I am most proud of the fact that my children — now, really adults, all of them now, three of the four of them are in their 50s, so that’s really a substantial credential — they’re all very, very nice people. That is my best. That’s what I’m proudest of. And my grandchildren are coming along, and they are very good people. I’m so proud of that. That’s the best thing. I don’t think I’ve done it — I certainly haven’t done it alone. I’ve done it with their father, and I’ve done it with their teachers and with our community. But they are, I think, my most important work in my life.”
She adds that, even with all of her training in maintaining equanimity, two words can ruin it all. “I tell people that I could have the most profound equanimity, and I am two words away from losing it completely. Then they say, “What are those two words?” I’d say, “Well, you have to understand that first the phone has to ring. Ring, ring and you pick up the phone, and a voice says, “Hello, Ma?” And it doesn’t sound right.” Just the words are enough to undo her. Knowing that, we can imagine the distress that the Syrophoenician woman is carrying when she calls out to Jesus.
* * *
Mark 7:24-37
A Mom’s Fierce Compassion
The Gentile woman who meets Jesus, and cajoles him into healing her daughter, is one example of the unique way that mothers see the world, full of a fierce mixture of determination and compassion. Diana Allen Castaic recalls a similar determination from her own mother, when there was a need. She remembers, “We lived in the Bronx, all seven of us kids and my single mom. It was mid-January and a huge snowstorm hit. The snow was so thick, the highways came to a complete stop. We lived a half of a block from the highway. The darkness of night was approaching. There were several cars stuck with people and their families and or pets inside. Mom stood up and said to my brother “I will open my house to the stranded people on the highway.” She said “please go to them and invite them to our house.” We had thirteen families come. Our living room was covered in sleeping bags, blankets and pillows. In the morning, we had three pots of coffee, one huge pot of hot chocolate, bacon, eggs and warm French bread. Everyone showed such gratitude. Mom’s act of kindness and humanity was so profound to me. She showed us all the selflessness of helping others.” Like the Gentile woman pleading for her daughter, mothers can accomplish amazing things.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:
Mark 7:24-37
There are two miracles stories backtoback in this morning’s passage. They begin and end with allusions to “The Messianic Secret.” As the reading begins, Jesus has left Galilee for Tyre, he wanted to get out of the spotlight, but Mark makes clear, he could not. At the end of the second healing, Jesus ordered “them” to tell no one that he had made the deaf-mute man hear and speak clearly. “Them” appears to refer to the people who brought the man to Jesus, but may have been his disciples.
Mark emphasizes repeatedly Jesus’ desire that his miracles be kept private. Perhaps that reflected his desire to avoid first century Palestine’s equivalent of celebrity. Maybe it was intended for people to have their own, personal experiences of him, rather than merely hearing about the miracles. Another explanation is that Jesus’ moment had not yet come, so he needed to keep miracles on the down low.
* * *
Mark 7:24-30
This passage may be the most troubling one in the synoptic gospels. Jesus snubs this woman whose daughter is possessed, and calls her and her people dogs. Elton Trueblood devotes an entire chapter to this pericope in “The Humor of Christ.” I’ll throw out a couple of the accepted, standard explanations for why Jesus may have responded to the Gentile woman as he did.
* * *
Mark 7:24-30
Another thing about the Gentile mother
She was willing to accept Jesus’ insult because her daughter’s health was more important. She put her daughter’s interest ahead of her own. Compare this woman to the courage of parents and school administrators who are insisting on physical distancing and masking in their classrooms.
* * *
Mark 7:24-30
Dogs or puppies?
The Greek term that the New Revised Standard Version renders as dogs, κυνάρια, is a diminutive. “Puppies” or “doggies” might be a more faithful translation. Would this passage feel less insulting if Jesus called the woman, and other Gentiles puppies?
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
One: When we trust in God we are like Mount Zion.
All: We cannot be moved but will abide forever.
One: God surrounds the people like a mountain chain.
All: Now and forever, God encloses us.
One: Do good, O God, to all who are good.
All: Do good to those who are upright in their hearts.
OR
One: God calls us to draw near and hear God’s word.
All: We are glad that God speaks to us and calls us.
One: God calls us to speak with one another, as well.
All: We will share with others the good news of God.
One: God wants us to share with all, even our enemies.
All: With God’s help we will open our lives to all.
Hymns and Songs
O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
UMH: 57/58/59
H82: 493
PH: 466
AAHH: 184
NNBH: 23
NCH: 42
CH: 5
LBW: 559
ELW: 886
W&P: 96
AMEC: 1/2
Renew: 32
All Creatures of Our God and King
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELW: 835
W&P: 23
AMEC: 50
STLT: 203
Renew: 47
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
UMH: 154/155
H82: 450/451
PH: 142/143
AAHH: 292/293/294
NNBH: 3/5
NCH: 304
CH: 91/92
LBW: 328/329
ELW: 634
W&P: 100/106
AMEC: 4/5/6
Renew: 45
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
UMH: 358
H82: 652/653
PH: 345
NCH: 502
CH: 594
LBW: 506
W&P: 470
AMEC: 344
Amazing Grace
UMH: 378
H82: 671
PH: 280
AAHH: 271/272
NNBH: 161/163
NCH: 547/548
CH: 546
LBW: 448
ELW: 779
W&P: 422
AMEC: 226
STLT 205/206
Renew: 189
Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life
UMH: 427
H82: 609
PH: 408
NCH: 543
CH: 665
LBW: 429
ELW: 719
W&P: 591
AMEC: 561
Be Thou My Vision
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELW: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Renew: 151
Open My Eyes, That I May See
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
Lord, Speak to Me
UMH: 463
PH: 426
NCH: 531
ELW: 676
W&P: 593
Come Down, O Love Divine
UMH: 475
H82: 516
PH: 313
NCH: 289
CH: 582
LBW: 508
ELW: 804
W&P: 330
Open Our Eyes, Lord
CCB: 77
Renew: 91
Give Thanks
CCB: 92
Renew: 266
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who speaks and worlds come into being:
Grant us the wisdom to listen to your voice
and to help others to find their voices;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because your words bring worlds into being. You word is powerful and good. Help us to listen to you that we may be wise. Guide us in helping others find their voices so that we may hear their wisdom. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, especially our use of empty words and the ways we stifle the voices of others.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have given us the ability to communicate with others and yet we so often fill the air with empty words. You gave us the ability to connect with other people and we use our words to divide and isolate. We try to squelch the speech of others even though that was a gift from you. Help us to hear your words once again that we may truly act as your children. Amen.
One: God desires us to know not only God but one another. Receive God’s grace and share that love with others.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory to you, O God, for all the wonders of speech that you have given us. You have blessed us with the gift of sharing thoughts and feelings.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have given us the ability to communicate with others and yet we so often fill the air with empty words. You gave us the ability to connect with other people and we use our words to divide and isolate. We try to squelch the speech of others even though that was a gift from you. Help us to hear your words once again that we may truly act as your children.
We thank you for all the blessings we have received from you. You have blessed us in so many ways. We thank you for community, family, and friends. We thank you for the gift of writing and reading. We thank you for your Spirit that binds us all together.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all who are in need. We pray for those who have not yet found their voice and for those whose voice has been stifled. We pray for those who work to make sure that people have the freedom to speak and share their lives with others.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Work is A Gift
Genesis 2:15
Dean Feldmeyer
Genesis 2:15 -- The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (NIV)
Possible visual aids available on the internet: pictures of Labor Day parades; pictures of Children working in developing nations; pictures of steel workers doing dangerous work; pictures of people working in factories, on construction sites, in offices, in hospitals, in restaurants or amusement parks; people smiling as they work.
* * *
Good morning!
Hey, tomorrow is a holiday and you don’t have to go to school and lots of adults don’t have to go to work. Do you know what the holiday is?
Well, it’s called “Labor Day.” What is labor? Does anyone know? Labor means “work.”
So, tomorrow is the day when we celebrate work.
Wait a minute! You mean we have a holiday when we actually celebrate work? Hard work? Work that makes you tired and sweaty?
Well, yeah. But there’s more to it than that! We also celebrate work that is fun. Did you know that some work can be fun? (Give example from your own experience or that of someone you know who actually enjoyed and looked forward to going to work.) Some people work at doing the things they love and some people work and earn money so they can do the things that they love when they aren’t working. But all work is a good gift from God, the Bible says.
Work is mentioned over 350 times in the Bible (NIV). And in nearly every case, work is considered a good thing.
For instance, in the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, we usually think of Adam just lying around, playing with the animals, and having fun, but that’s not what the Bible says. It says, in the second chapter of Genesis that God put Adam in the Garden of Eden to “work it and take care of it.” That’s right. Adam was supposed to work in the Garden of Eden and his work was considered a good thing.
So, we celebrate the fact that we can all work and our work actually makes our lives better.
We also celebrate that, here in the United States, there are rules about work that protect us. Like:
• We can’t make children work at jobs for money. We say, adults go to work and children go to school.
• We have an 8 hour work day and a 40 hour work week and if your job wants you to work more than that the employer has to pay you extra.
• We have a minimum wage. If you want someone to work for you, you have to pay them at least that much.
• We have safety standards. That means that our employers have to do certain things to make sure we aren’t in danger when we do our jobs. And, if you do work that is dangerous, you have to be paid extra or, what’s called, hazard pay.
Those are just some of the things that we celebrate on Labor Day which, I think, is pretty cool.
So, let’s remember on Labor Day that God has given all of us work to do and work is a gift that we should celebrate.
(End with a prayer asking God to help us experience our work not as a burden but a privilege.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, September 5, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
- Hearing Our Siblings’ Cries by Chris Keating — In this week’s Gospel the woman and the man find their voices in response to the presence of God. It is a powerful image, and perhaps even especially so this Labor Day as the turmoil in Afghanistan continues.
- Second Thoughts: To Be Human is to Be Prone to Folly by Quantisha Mason-Doll — As we hurtle headlong into an uncertain future we must be sure to call out the places where our biases have blinded us from seeing an unmet human need..
- Sermon illustrations by Tom Willadsen and Mary Austin.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children's sermon: Work is A Gift by Dean Feldmeyer.
Hearing Our Siblings’ Criesby Chris Keating
Mark 7:24-37
Two aspects of Mark’s account of the interaction between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman demand immediate attention. First and foremost, Jesus’ disturbing replay needs some theological consideration.
Secondly, this bold mother deserves a name, if only to simplify the task of remembering how to spell “Syrophoenician.” She also deserves to be heard, which is exactly what Jesus learns as she stands her ground in pleading for her daughter. She challenges Jesus’ rejection, turning his invective against him. Her yearning to be heard is a reminder that Jesus’ proclamation of the Gospel is a word intended for all people.
It turns out the woman is not the only one in this chapter who yearns to be heard. As Jesus continues his travels, friends of a deaf man intercept Jesus. They intercede for him to be cured. Proving that a little bit of spit can cure anything, Jesus opens the man’s ears — and releases his tongue so that he spoke plainly.
Both the woman and the man find their voices in response to the presence of God. It is a powerful image, and perhaps even especially so this Labor Day as the turmoil in Afghanistan continues. Women’s rights organizations, refugees and journalists are pleading with the world to hear the cries of Afghani women and children. These groups and others are pleading on behalf of women who fear the Taliban’s ruthless past will bring a terrifying future.
As one writer has said, “Some of (the women’s) voices have been pushed underground with the Taliban takeover, but they haven’t been silenced. In private chat groups or on social media like Twitter, Afghan women discuss their fears, find support, share reports of what’s happening in the country through the Afghan diaspora, and speak about defending hard-won opportunities for women and girls.”
Like the exhausted, frightened, yet unmoving Gentile woman, their voices deserve to be heard.
In the News
Chaos continues in Afghanistan as the August 31 deadline for withdrawal of United States troops continues. The pace of the airlifts has increased in recent days, with approximately 82,000 persons having fled the country since August. In public, the Taliban has taken a more moderate stance to governing, including promising amnesty to members of the former government’s security forces, and plans for an inclusive government.
But fear of the Taliban’s vengeful past remains, especially among women who have experienced greater levels of freedom during the 20 years that the Taliban has not been in power. More than 21% of the country’s civil service employees are women. It is uncertain how the new Taliban regime may adjust to these realities, though the United Nations has documented incidents of intimidation and abuse.
Following reports of women being flogged and beaten for leaving home without a male chaperone, some women are speaking out from underground locations.
“We need women to speak up about our rights: about women’s rights, educational rights, what we will lose,” Pashtana Durrani told The New Humanitarian. “Nobody is speaking on behalf of Afghan women.” Durrani is a young woman who runs an NGO focused on education and healthcare for women and girls. Durrani recounted that as soon as the Taliban took over, some women working in banks were told to go home. Physician Fahima Rahmati said that the fears of women are increasing.
“Women are afraid. It's not a secret. Women can’t go to work. The Taliban will not let women and girls go to school. This frustrates me as schools and universities are the only way for a country to grow. For all these years, most of the offices were occupied by women, but now the Taliban will only allow a few medical personnel to work. Afghan women are strong, but this is defeating,” Rahmani said.
Durrani, not unlike the Syrophoenician woman, believes Afghan women need resolve in speaking out against the Taliban.
“All we can do right now is fight back by speaking out loud,” she said. “All these men are fighting for power. They are power-hungry, greedy, and corrupt, without consideration for the people they govern. Feeling abandoned, it’s my right to fight back – for me, one whole generation of women, and generations to come. Nobody’s going to fight on my behalf. My political rights are at stake; my educational rights are at stake. Everything that I have stood for, and my father stood for, is gone. I have to stand, and I have to fight back.”
She and Rahmani are willing to take the risk to speak out. “I want to be heard,” said Rahmani, “I want the whole world to listen.”
Nobel Peace laureate and activist Malala Yousafzai agrees, adding that the task is urgent. “We will have time to debate what went wrong in the war in Afghanistan,” Malala wrote in an editorial, “but in this critical moment we must listen to the voices of Afghan women and girls. They are asking for protection, for education, for the freedom and the future they were promised. We cannot continue to fail them. We have no time to spare.”
Human Rights Watch issued a call for the world’s response to the plight of women in Afghanistan, adding simply, “We owe it to them.”
Behishta Arghand, a television journalist, understands the urgency of the situation. A few days after the Taliban took over the country, Arghand interviewed a Taliban leader on television. She challenged him about reports that the Taliban was conducting house to house searches for dissidents. Hailed for bravery, Arghand is now in hiding, staying in a house without television or internet, and unsure of what the future holds. “If I am alive,” Arghand said, “I will do a lot for my home. My country needs my generation.”
The voices of her siblings are crying out, boldly pleading with the Taliban and with the world. Like the woman who confronts Jesus, they are working hard to be heard.
In the Scripture
Jesus’ fame and reputation continue to generate interest, even when he intentionally stays on the down low. Throughout Mark, his public acts are often balanced by withdrawing to private spaces, but even the walls of houses or the emptiness of lonely places fail to offer respite from attention. “Yet he could not escape notice,” Mark 7:24 notes, teeing up the encounter with the desperate mother.
She approaches with respect and humility, perhaps aware of her tenuous position. She is the definition of an outsider breaking boundaries. She breaks with respect and convention, transgressing national, racial, gender, and religious boundaries. Even more scandalous: she is a mother of a demon-possessed child. Still, as Alyce McKenzie notes, she dares to approach Jesus.
Her daughter’s condition demands that the woman cast aside conventional practices. Boldly, yet respectfully, she intrudes into a space where rejection was likely. Like the Afghan journalist who dared to confront the Taliban, this unnamed Gentile woman speaks where others might have remained silent.
Mark is reminding his largely-Gentile audience that the power of the Gospel knows no geo-political or religious boundaries. But even more than that, Mark demonstrates the bold risks faith requires. While she remains nameless, the woman is given a voice. In response, as Amy C. Howe and others remark, Jesus appears caught with his compassion down. (Howe, “Pastoral Perspectives,” in “Feasting on the Word,” Proper 18).
Scholars debate Jesus’ response, but his words are more than a wink and a nod intended to make a larger point. He’s not engaging in rhetorical whimsy but instead answers her request with an insulting invective. His rude words are in stark contrast to his warnings in 7:15 that the “things that come out are what defile.” Or maybe they are an illustration of that text. It’s unclear, confusing, and even upsetting.
Yet the woman is not taken aback. Instead, she bests him with her own rapier-sharp retort. The woman’s words are essentially an exegesis of what Jesus has just told his own followers. As Loye Bradley Aston observes, she instructs Jesus that “social conventions should not stand in the way of helping those in need.” (“Feasting on the Word,” Proper 18).
The addition of the healing story in 7:31-37 is a further reminder that the reign of God breaks across boundaries and that God’s compassion is poured out. In some ways it is the reverse of the previous story. Here the man is healed so that he may speak; where previously it was the woman’s bold speech which leads to her daughter’s healing. In both cases, the cries of God’s people are heard. In response all are amazed and astounded, while the disciples still do not comprehend (8:21, “Do you not yet understand?”)
In the Sermon
Mark’s gospel routinely reminds us that God’s power is at work in the world, reaching across boundaries and bringing healing. Jesus’ healing touch is restorative and demonstrates the compassion and power of God. Because of that, his all-too human sparring with the woman is disappointing. It’s essential, no matter what else is said about this text, that the interpreter help the congregation wrestle with Jesus’ insulting rebuke of the woman.
We might wonder why Jesus’ manners have suddenly disappeared. If he is categorizing her as unclean, then Jesus is violating what he seems to have said a few verses earlier. Is he viewing her with suspicion, ranking her among the enemies of Israel? Is this, as commentators like William Barclay have said, an attempt at humor? Or is this some sort of test to check the earnestness of the woman’s plight?
The text is confusing, maybe even confounding. It’s useless to contend that Jesus meant anything else but what he said — calling a woman a “little dog” (or even worse) was no more appropriate in the New Testament than it is today. What is clear is that Jesus is moved by her laser-focused dedication to her daughter. Her riposte to Jesus demonstrates her fidelity to her child, and her utmost confidence that Jesus could bring God’s gift of healing.
Nelle Morton, a theologian, and church educator wrote of the powerful experiences of hearing the stories of women. As she listened to women speak of their experiences of being excluded from centers of influence in church and society, a thought occurred to her that she later unpacked in her 1985 book “The Journey is Home.” Morton relayed the experience of listening to a woman share a painful personal story in a small group. As the group listened, the story teller was astonished. “You heard me,” she told the group, “you heard me all the way.” Morton continues, “She looked directly at each woman in turn and then said slowly: “I have a strange feeling you heard me before I started. You heard me to my own story.”
Morton says something similar happened in similar gatherings of women. Then, I knew I had been experiencing something I had never experienced before. A complete reversal of the going logic in which someone speaks precisely so that more accurate hearing may take place. This woman was saying, and I had experienced, a depth hearing that takes place before the speaking – a hearing that is far more than acute listening. A hearing engaged in by the whole body that evokes speech –a new speech — a new creation. The woman had been heard to her own speech.”
Jesus heard the cry of that unnamed Syrophoenician woman. He heard her unto speech — a daring act of faithfulness that brought healing to her daughter. He heard the cry of the friends of the deaf man, cries which lead the man to clarity of praise. Our siblings in Afghanistan are crying out, pleading to be heard unto speech. So are the victims of Hurricane Ida, long-haul Covid patients, or the millions who may soon be evicted from their homes. A sermon this week might help attune the ears of God’s people to the plaintive laments of their siblings.
SECOND THOUGHTSTo Be Human is to Be Prone to Folly
by Quantisha Mason-Doll
Mark 7:24-37
I don’t know about you but I have a favorite Ecumenical council. In 451 CE The Council of Chalcedon was invoked by the Roman Emperor Marcian. The prominent reason for its assembly was to discuss the nature of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They landed on Dyothelitism, or the doctrine of two wills that is the theological driving force behind our discussion. For clarification, Dyothelitism is the thought that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine and at once in union with Godhead. To be human is to be prone to folly yet to be divine is to know how to take that foolishness and transform the world.
Our teaching for this day finds us once again in the gospel of Mark. As many know the Marken narratives have an overarching sense of urgency to the life and ministry of Jesus. It is also in the Marken gospel where we find a Jesus that is quick to answer with a sharp tongue. I remember during my early academic exploits thinking that Jesus in Mark was frustrated with those around him. I viewed this Jesus as a man that has worked in retail a few years too many and has no more patients to give. The story of the Syrophoenician woman and the way Jesus spoke with her is no different.
I think as a society there is this expectation that we treat each other with a common dignity governed by social norms, yet in actuality, this is not the case. We all have presuppositions that subtly influence the way in which we interact with the perceived other. I would hazard that these kinds of subtle differences are not a new social phenomenon but more likely something that has been ingrained in our nature since time immemorial. We fear the stranger, or more precisely, we fear the threat the stranger poses to our carefully constructed social identity. Jesus is culturally a Jewish man living in Roman-occupied land that is now present-day Israel/Palestine. The early stages of Jesus’ life and ministry are shaped by his cultural reality. This woman who confronts him while he seeks to have a moment of solace in the reign of Tyre is described both as a Gentile and as a Syrophoenician in origin. An astute reader or hearer of this text would identify that these adjectives hold more meaning than just describing this woman. She was this cultural and ethnic other that Jesus was most likely taught to fear or mistrust based on cultural baggage.
Before this defining moment in Jesus’ ministry, at least in the gospel of Mark, Jesus had very little interaction with people outside of the Jewish community i.e. gentiles. It is here with the Syrophoenician woman that we have a kairos moment that will shape the rest of Jesus’ ministry.
We as modern readers have the luxury of knowing how the story ends, yet Syrophoenician woman did not. She approaches Jesus as a person with nothing left to lose. She is humbled before the feet of Christ. She is met not with the kindness of the Lord but with insults to her person and character. At this moment this Syrophoenician woman fully understands how little Jesus thinks of her. She understands that in Jesus’ eyes a dog is more worthy of basic necessities than she and her child. While there is some debate on the subject of the roles of dogs in Jewish history and culture we can assume it is not good.
Historically, in a Jewish context, dogs were seen as semi savage creatures and were viewed with the same contempt as prostitution. The Syrophoenician woman does not allow for Jesus’ judgment or prejudiced inclinations to dissuade her from placing her trust in his abilities to provide healing for those in need. I think this understanding of Jesus might be hard for some to reconcile with, yet much how Jacob wrestled with the angels, we to must wrestle with this moment of the human folly of our Savior.
We do not know the full story of what happened between the Syrophoenician woman and Jesus in those quiet moments in that house in the land of Tyre, yet what we do know is that the Syrophoenician woman called out to Jesus and challenged him to be fully human and fully divine at that moment. She let her agony speak for itself and allowed for her faith in the human Jesus to be on full display. While she did not agree with the epitaph Jesus used against her she boldly challenges him with the question of why should it matter if she was worthy or not? She is saying that despite your best efforts children are clumsy and messes will happen. Just because food falls on the floor does not mean you should stop feeding someone.
Demanding justice looks strikingly similar to this meeting between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman. It is saying that you might have turned your back on me but I still place my trust in you that you are going to do the right thing every time. It is my understanding that after this point in the ministry of Jesus his interpretation of divine will expanded to encompass all that believe in him.
The Syrophoenician woman challenged Jesus to overcome the biases and inclinations that excluded those outside of his community. She asked him to acknowledge the human element that connects us all in the wider breadth of God’s creation. As we hurtle headlong into an uncertain future we must be sure to call out the places where our biases have blinded us from seeing an unmet human need. Christ was human. Christ was divine. Christ needed a reminder of both.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17
Faith that Leads to Works
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?” the epistle asks. For the Rev. Laurie Anzilotti, Covid has demanded a different kid of work from her. She has learned to express her faith in different ways during the pandemic, like many pastors and congregations.
During the early days of the pandemic, to escape the commotion in her home, she started leading online church services from her front porch. “One day, as she was conducting a funeral service from the porch, one of her four children came running outside shouting, “Mom, where are the hot dogs?!” The moment captured a common experience of the pandemic: the disruption and chaos that result when the public and private spheres of work and home collide. For Anzilotti, the vicar of St. Francis’ Episcopal Church, a mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, life at the height of the pandemic was messy, disjointed and occasionally awkward.”
“After the online funeral interruption, she instituted some changes, including a simple color-coded signal she set out for her family — a clipboard displaying a red paper when she was not to be disturbed, a yellow one when a brief interruption was OK, or a green one for, “I’m working, but I’m happy to entertain whatever question or conversation you want to have.” Solving the isolation and loneliness of her parishioners took more time. Eventually, Anzilotti started offering drive-in Eucharist in the parking lot next to the church. Church members remained in their cars and were able to tune in to the service on an FM radio frequency.”
“But her happiest innovation was a Wednesday noontime Eucharist service at a city park. She typically arrived around 11:45 a.m. to lay out a white tablecloth on a picnic table and distribute a psalm to those gathering around her. The short service included a Bible reading, a short lectio divina, in which Anzilotti asked participants what word, thought, phrase or image spoke to them from the reading. She then followed with prayers for the people and the Eucharist.
“It’s very simple, but it’s one of the most profound spiritual times of my week,” she said.
This summer, indoor services have resumed at St. Francis’. Most of Anzilotti’s kids are away at camp. Her husband and his 14 employees are back at work. But the Wednesday park Eucharist continues.” Faith leads us into new and different work for God all the time.
* * *
Mark 7:24-37
Courage
Sheer courage is one of the most remarkable characteristics of the Gentile woman who approaches Jesus about her daughter. It would be easy to talk herself out of talking to Jesus, a foreigner, a man surrounded by other men, and a long shot for her daughter’s healing. And yet she models remarkable courage. Her actions remind us that courage in service to a bigger life is possible for all of us. Kate Swoboda, who studies courage, says that, “Though courage is often thought of as an inborn character trait, it’s actually a way of being and a practice that can be learned for coping with difficulty. In other words, courage can become a habit…How do you manage fear differently? You can understand that it’s part of the human condition and aim to work with it rather than against it.”
If this woman had any doubts, we don’t see them in the story. Kate Swoboda says that courage is about understanding our doubts so they serve us, instead of derailing us. The Gentile woman has seemingly learned to do that, in her conversation with Jesus. “Many of us who are stuck in fear have an inner critic, constantly feeding us misinformation about our abilities and telling us we are doomed to fail. Often, we’re not even aware of that voice. Or, if we are aware of it, we try strategies to quiet or get rid of it—like ignoring the critic entirely, placating it by trying to do things perfectly (so there won’t be anything for the critic to focus on), or attacking it directly by saying to ourselves, “I’m not going to listen to you—shut up and leave me alone!” While these strategies can give us temporary relief, they don’t actually make the critic go away. Instead, we need to reframe the voice as a part of ourselves that’s trying to get our attention, and to learn to listen.”
The woman’s bravery in approaching Jesus calls us all to more courage in faith.
* * *
Mark 7:24-37
Being a Mother
When the Gentile woman approaches Jesus to plead for her daughter, she has layers of identity that divide her from Jesus – gender, nationality, religion. Still, for her, her calling as a mother, and the needs of her child, are paramount, as she seeks out Jesus.
Noted Buddhist teacher and author Sylvia Boorstein notices a similar anchor in her own family. “I find that when people say “What are you proudest of in your whole life?” it’s clear to me that I am most proud of the fact that my children — now, really adults, all of them now, three of the four of them are in their 50s, so that’s really a substantial credential — they’re all very, very nice people. That is my best. That’s what I’m proudest of. And my grandchildren are coming along, and they are very good people. I’m so proud of that. That’s the best thing. I don’t think I’ve done it — I certainly haven’t done it alone. I’ve done it with their father, and I’ve done it with their teachers and with our community. But they are, I think, my most important work in my life.”
She adds that, even with all of her training in maintaining equanimity, two words can ruin it all. “I tell people that I could have the most profound equanimity, and I am two words away from losing it completely. Then they say, “What are those two words?” I’d say, “Well, you have to understand that first the phone has to ring. Ring, ring and you pick up the phone, and a voice says, “Hello, Ma?” And it doesn’t sound right.” Just the words are enough to undo her. Knowing that, we can imagine the distress that the Syrophoenician woman is carrying when she calls out to Jesus.
* * *
Mark 7:24-37
A Mom’s Fierce Compassion
The Gentile woman who meets Jesus, and cajoles him into healing her daughter, is one example of the unique way that mothers see the world, full of a fierce mixture of determination and compassion. Diana Allen Castaic recalls a similar determination from her own mother, when there was a need. She remembers, “We lived in the Bronx, all seven of us kids and my single mom. It was mid-January and a huge snowstorm hit. The snow was so thick, the highways came to a complete stop. We lived a half of a block from the highway. The darkness of night was approaching. There were several cars stuck with people and their families and or pets inside. Mom stood up and said to my brother “I will open my house to the stranded people on the highway.” She said “please go to them and invite them to our house.” We had thirteen families come. Our living room was covered in sleeping bags, blankets and pillows. In the morning, we had three pots of coffee, one huge pot of hot chocolate, bacon, eggs and warm French bread. Everyone showed such gratitude. Mom’s act of kindness and humanity was so profound to me. She showed us all the selflessness of helping others.” Like the Gentile woman pleading for her daughter, mothers can accomplish amazing things.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:Mark 7:24-37
There are two miracles stories backtoback in this morning’s passage. They begin and end with allusions to “The Messianic Secret.” As the reading begins, Jesus has left Galilee for Tyre, he wanted to get out of the spotlight, but Mark makes clear, he could not. At the end of the second healing, Jesus ordered “them” to tell no one that he had made the deaf-mute man hear and speak clearly. “Them” appears to refer to the people who brought the man to Jesus, but may have been his disciples.
Mark emphasizes repeatedly Jesus’ desire that his miracles be kept private. Perhaps that reflected his desire to avoid first century Palestine’s equivalent of celebrity. Maybe it was intended for people to have their own, personal experiences of him, rather than merely hearing about the miracles. Another explanation is that Jesus’ moment had not yet come, so he needed to keep miracles on the down low.
* * *
Mark 7:24-30
This passage may be the most troubling one in the synoptic gospels. Jesus snubs this woman whose daughter is possessed, and calls her and her people dogs. Elton Trueblood devotes an entire chapter to this pericope in “The Humor of Christ.” I’ll throw out a couple of the accepted, standard explanations for why Jesus may have responded to the Gentile woman as he did.
- Some contend that Jesus was testing the woman to see if her faith was strong enough to persist in her request after being rebuffed. That she answered Jesus at all after he dismissed her proved she had sufficient faith to merit Jesus’ driving the demon from her daughter.
- Jesus really was enforcing the ethnic lines that divided Jews and Gentiles. The woman defeated Jesus in a battle of wits and her reward was having her daughter healed.
- Perhaps Jesus intended the disciples to be edified from his approach to the Gentile woman. (Matthew’s version of this story 15:21-28 makes a stronger case of this interpretation.) Rather than enforcing the accepted prejudice of Jews against Gentiles, Jesus uses the woman’s request to help his disciples see how petty they are. With this take Jesus intended from the beginning to heal the little daughter, and the woman wordlessly colludes with Jesus.
- This pericope is great example of Jewish humor. The woman, the needy one, the outsider, gets the better of the one in charge. It’s all the more satisfying when you realize that it’s a Gentile who embodies Jewish humor — at the expense of a Jew!
* * *
Mark 7:24-30
Another thing about the Gentile mother
She was willing to accept Jesus’ insult because her daughter’s health was more important. She put her daughter’s interest ahead of her own. Compare this woman to the courage of parents and school administrators who are insisting on physical distancing and masking in their classrooms.
* * *
Mark 7:24-30
Dogs or puppies?
The Greek term that the New Revised Standard Version renders as dogs, κυνάρια, is a diminutive. “Puppies” or “doggies” might be a more faithful translation. Would this passage feel less insulting if Jesus called the woman, and other Gentiles puppies?
* * * * * *
WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship:
One: When we trust in God we are like Mount Zion.
All: We cannot be moved but will abide forever.
One: God surrounds the people like a mountain chain.
All: Now and forever, God encloses us.
One: Do good, O God, to all who are good.
All: Do good to those who are upright in their hearts.
OR
One: God calls us to draw near and hear God’s word.
All: We are glad that God speaks to us and calls us.
One: God calls us to speak with one another, as well.
All: We will share with others the good news of God.
One: God wants us to share with all, even our enemies.
All: With God’s help we will open our lives to all.
Hymns and Songs
O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
UMH: 57/58/59
H82: 493
PH: 466
AAHH: 184
NNBH: 23
NCH: 42
CH: 5
LBW: 559
ELW: 886
W&P: 96
AMEC: 1/2
Renew: 32
All Creatures of Our God and King
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELW: 835
W&P: 23
AMEC: 50
STLT: 203
Renew: 47
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
UMH: 154/155
H82: 450/451
PH: 142/143
AAHH: 292/293/294
NNBH: 3/5
NCH: 304
CH: 91/92
LBW: 328/329
ELW: 634
W&P: 100/106
AMEC: 4/5/6
Renew: 45
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
UMH: 358
H82: 652/653
PH: 345
NCH: 502
CH: 594
LBW: 506
W&P: 470
AMEC: 344
Amazing Grace
UMH: 378
H82: 671
PH: 280
AAHH: 271/272
NNBH: 161/163
NCH: 547/548
CH: 546
LBW: 448
ELW: 779
W&P: 422
AMEC: 226
STLT 205/206
Renew: 189
Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life
UMH: 427
H82: 609
PH: 408
NCH: 543
CH: 665
LBW: 429
ELW: 719
W&P: 591
AMEC: 561
Be Thou My Vision
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELW: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Renew: 151
Open My Eyes, That I May See
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
Lord, Speak to Me
UMH: 463
PH: 426
NCH: 531
ELW: 676
W&P: 593
Come Down, O Love Divine
UMH: 475
H82: 516
PH: 313
NCH: 289
CH: 582
LBW: 508
ELW: 804
W&P: 330
Open Our Eyes, Lord
CCB: 77
Renew: 91
Give Thanks
CCB: 92
Renew: 266
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who speaks and worlds come into being:
Grant us the wisdom to listen to your voice
and to help others to find their voices;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because your words bring worlds into being. You word is powerful and good. Help us to listen to you that we may be wise. Guide us in helping others find their voices so that we may hear their wisdom. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, especially our use of empty words and the ways we stifle the voices of others.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have given us the ability to communicate with others and yet we so often fill the air with empty words. You gave us the ability to connect with other people and we use our words to divide and isolate. We try to squelch the speech of others even though that was a gift from you. Help us to hear your words once again that we may truly act as your children. Amen.
One: God desires us to know not only God but one another. Receive God’s grace and share that love with others.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory to you, O God, for all the wonders of speech that you have given us. You have blessed us with the gift of sharing thoughts and feelings.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have given us the ability to communicate with others and yet we so often fill the air with empty words. You gave us the ability to connect with other people and we use our words to divide and isolate. We try to squelch the speech of others even though that was a gift from you. Help us to hear your words once again that we may truly act as your children.
We thank you for all the blessings we have received from you. You have blessed us in so many ways. We thank you for community, family, and friends. We thank you for the gift of writing and reading. We thank you for your Spirit that binds us all together.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all who are in need. We pray for those who have not yet found their voice and for those whose voice has been stifled. We pray for those who work to make sure that people have the freedom to speak and share their lives with others.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
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CHILDREN'S SERMONWork is A Gift
Genesis 2:15
Dean Feldmeyer
Genesis 2:15 -- The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (NIV)
Possible visual aids available on the internet: pictures of Labor Day parades; pictures of Children working in developing nations; pictures of steel workers doing dangerous work; pictures of people working in factories, on construction sites, in offices, in hospitals, in restaurants or amusement parks; people smiling as they work.
* * *
Good morning!
Hey, tomorrow is a holiday and you don’t have to go to school and lots of adults don’t have to go to work. Do you know what the holiday is?
Well, it’s called “Labor Day.” What is labor? Does anyone know? Labor means “work.”
So, tomorrow is the day when we celebrate work.
Wait a minute! You mean we have a holiday when we actually celebrate work? Hard work? Work that makes you tired and sweaty?
Well, yeah. But there’s more to it than that! We also celebrate work that is fun. Did you know that some work can be fun? (Give example from your own experience or that of someone you know who actually enjoyed and looked forward to going to work.) Some people work at doing the things they love and some people work and earn money so they can do the things that they love when they aren’t working. But all work is a good gift from God, the Bible says.
Work is mentioned over 350 times in the Bible (NIV). And in nearly every case, work is considered a good thing.
For instance, in the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, we usually think of Adam just lying around, playing with the animals, and having fun, but that’s not what the Bible says. It says, in the second chapter of Genesis that God put Adam in the Garden of Eden to “work it and take care of it.” That’s right. Adam was supposed to work in the Garden of Eden and his work was considered a good thing.
So, we celebrate the fact that we can all work and our work actually makes our lives better.
We also celebrate that, here in the United States, there are rules about work that protect us. Like:
• We can’t make children work at jobs for money. We say, adults go to work and children go to school.
• We have an 8 hour work day and a 40 hour work week and if your job wants you to work more than that the employer has to pay you extra.
• We have a minimum wage. If you want someone to work for you, you have to pay them at least that much.
• We have safety standards. That means that our employers have to do certain things to make sure we aren’t in danger when we do our jobs. And, if you do work that is dangerous, you have to be paid extra or, what’s called, hazard pay.
Those are just some of the things that we celebrate on Labor Day which, I think, is pretty cool.
So, let’s remember on Labor Day that God has given all of us work to do and work is a gift that we should celebrate.
(End with a prayer asking God to help us experience our work not as a burden but a privilege.)
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The Immediate Word, September 5, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
