When Jesus entered a house, he didn't want anyone to know he was there. Yet he couldn't escape notice, and people flocked to him. Let us too come to him today and receive his blessings and his healing touch.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes we don't notice you.
Lord, have mercy.Jesus, sometimes we fail to be aware of your amazing power.
Christ, have mercy.Jesus, sometimes we don't care very much about you.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Mark 7:24-37
From there he 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, [25] but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. [26] Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. [27] 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." [28] But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." [29] Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go--the demon has left your daughter." [30] So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. [31] 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. [32] They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. [33] He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. [34] Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." [35] And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. [36] Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. [37] They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
Story:
Jesus wasn't sure whether he should carry his ministry beyond Judaism, but the Syrophoenician woman was so determined to save her daughter that she convinced Jesus. He healed her daughter and went on to heal other gentiles in due course.
This is a story about a boy who isn't regarded as "one of us", but who eventually receives the help and acceptance he needs.
He's Not One of Us
Henton knew he was different soon after he started school. His name marked him out, and it wasn't long before rather cruel jokes about "Henny Penny!" accompanied by clucks and squawks and arms flapping like wings, followed him all day long. Henton would have liked to run away, but he had difficulty in running. His legs wouldn't move as he wanted them to move, and he staggered and lurched from side to side even when he was walking.
The teachers tried to help. They called the whole class together and explained that Henton was "disabled" and would have his own helper with him all the time, and that all the children should be kind to him. Henton was so embarrassed that he wished he could disappear into the ground. He didn't want to be thought of as "disabled". He hated his helper. He only wanted to be like the others. And he didn't want anybody being kind to him because they were sorry for him.
He needn't have worried. A few of the children were curious and wanted to inspect his legs and a few more tried to be kind, but Henton soon got rid of all of them. Most of the children ignored him, but a significant handful continued to regard him as a huge joke and to plague him whenever he managed to escape from his helper.
Henton grew tough. He learned to spit and curse, and when he was sure he wouldn't topple over with the effort, to kick viciously. Sometimes he would throw a huge tantrum even in class, and had to be taken out by his helper. They said he had "special needs", but he could see by the look on the teachers' faces that they didn't really know what to do with him.
Henton became very alone. He hated school, he hated his family and he hated himself.
One day, a strange man appeared at school. He came into class and began to talk about sports. Henton switched off immediately. He couldn't play any sports, so he knew that as usual, the talk had nothing to do with him. He fidgeted and sharpened the point of his pencil ready to plunge it into the girl who sat in front of him, when his helper wasn't looking. But just as he was about to reach forward with his pencil poised, he heard his name.
"...and Henton," he heard the man say. Henton had no idea what had been said before, but there was an immediate cry of anguish from the class.
"Not Henton! Not Henny Penny!"
"Why not?" asked the man.
"Because - because - he's not one of us," spluttered the boy who was the best runner in the class. "He'll spoil everything. He's no good. He'll make us lose."
Henton immediately plunged his sharpened pencil into the girl in front of him, who screamed. The class erupted into chaos and Henton got in a good few kicks and spits and curses before his arms were pinioned to his side by the man. Henton expected to be taken off into the side room where he always went when he disrupted the class, but this time the man lifted him bodily to the front of the class, keeping him pinioned so that he was unable to move. He continued to spit and curse, but it was difficult when the rest of him couldn't move, and the man took no notice anyway.
Eventually Henton subsided and began to listen to what the man was saying.
"Henton is coming," the man said, firmly. "He will take part in the races."
Henton was horrified. Races? What races? How could he take part? He wasn't one of them.
"What's more," the man was continuing, "Henton will win. You'll see."
The man took Henton away and began to train him. It was the happiest time of Henton's life, and he soon looked forward to his daily training session - in the swimming pool. How glad he was that he'd learned to swim. Even with funny legs he could swim reasonably well, but he'd never thought of swimming as a sport.
When the gala began, Henton was allowed to start his race in the pool. Because his legs were so weak he wore flippers on his feet, and he was soon streaking down the pool. He won his race easily and the whole class cheered and cheered.
When he staggered onto the podium at the end to receive his gold medal, there was another cheer from Henton's class and nobody said "Henny Penny" or squawked or flapped their arms.
After that, Henton's life changed. He was always different because his legs never worked liked other people's, but he was accepted in class and he began to make friends. He still threw the occasional tantrum, but they became fewer and fewer when he began to be ashamed of his friends witnessing his behaviour.
And he worked so hard at his swimming that he became swimming champion of the school and eventually represented his country in the Paralympics. Then he knew that at last, he was "one of us."
Activity:
You need:
A CD player
Suitable music
Play a series of musical games, such as musical statues (everyone dances around. When the music stops, they must remain completely still. The person who moves first is out), musical chairs (you need enough chairs for everyone minus one. When the music stops, the one without a chair is out. Remove one chair each time the music is played, until only one person is left), musical bumps (everyone jumps to the music. When the music stops, they must sit on the floor. The last person to sit down is out), pass the parcel (wrap up something small like a packet of sweets in lots of layers of paper. The children sit in a circle and pass the parcel round. When the music stops, the one holding the parcel unwraps one layer).
If you can bear to do it, try to make sure that the same person is out first in each game and quietly observe his/her behaviour. If you're passing the parcel, don't let the music stop to allow this person to unwrap. You might also be able to ensure that the same person wins each time. After the games, ask the one who was always out what it felt like. Ask the others if they noticed that the same person was out each time. Ask the winner what it felt like. Ask if the others noticed that the same person won each time, and how fair that felt.
Point out how uncomfortable it is for people who are habitually left out, and tie it in with today's Bible story, where Jesus made sure that he attended to the needs even of the woman who didn't "belong", and so included her. To make sure that the children realise you were only making a point in the games and that God includes all of them, it might be a good idea to run the games again, this time making sure that everyone is included! If you play "Pass the Parcel" again, this time wrap a sweet in every layer, so that everyone gets a sweet, and suggest that the final prize is shared out between them all.
Ask the children whether they have ever felt left out and why. Ask them what it felt like and whether they are still left out. Ask them whether they have ever excluded other people, or would like to exclude other people and what that might make those other people feel like. Point out that Jesus made everybody "one of us" instead of "one of them" because he loves all of us, no matter what we're like. The children should draw or write about some of this, or draw a picture of Jesus healing the Syrophoenician woman's daughter.
Intercession:
Inclusive God, sometimes we in your church fail to welcome strangers until we know them. Help us to include everybody just as if we've known them for years.
Inclusive God, our world is in a mess because people belong to different groups which exclude each other. Some people are excluded because of the colour of their skin. Some people are excluded because of their religion or their culture. Some people are excluded because of their ideas. Help us, as Christians, to spread inclusiveness, so that everybody we know is warmly included in our human family.
Inclusive God, help us to look around at school or college or work and identify those who are kept on the edges. Help us then to make the effort to include them, even if it costs us credibility and patience.
Inclusive God, some of our friends and families are excluded because they're sick. We hold them in your presence now, asking you to bless them and to heal them just as you healed people in the days of the New Testament. We name them before you now:
Blessing:
May you care for those who are left out,
may you comfort those who are lonely,
and may you never be left out
or lonely yourself.
And the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you now,
be in your homes and in your families
and with all those whom you love
and for whom you pray,
now and always.
Amen.
