SCRIPTURE: Mark 7:24-37
TEXT: 29Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” THEME: God’s mission goes beyond our reservations. INTRODUCTION This is the second sermon in the series named “Life Beyond”. Last week we saw how what Jesus brings, can go beyond the traditions we practice. This week we find that Life with God is not just for our relatives or natives but extends beyond our cultural, region, and racial boundaries. SCRIPTURE Jesus moves into the Roman Providence of Syrophoenicia. He didn’t want to be noticed, but a woman whose daughter had an unclean clean spirit immediately hears about him and goes to the house where he was staying to ask him to cast the demon out of her daughter. When our kids are sick, we are desperate. And when medical options have been exhausted, desperate hope makes us look towards to other sources of healing. This Greek mother, from a Roman Providence did not let any of that prevent her from putting her hope in a Jewish Rabbi who had been doing miracles and casting out demons. Finding out that he is in her village, she begs at Jesus’ feet, to cast the demons out of her daughter. Jesus reply is insulting, “The Children of God first, then to everyone.” He even positions her in the status with the dogs who eat the crumbs that fall off a supper table. But love and desperation has opened her eyes to what Jesus can do for her daughter. Jesus’ ministry may have been focused on the Jews, but that doesn’t mean that others have not heard, witnessed and believe in what God was doing through Jesus. The truth of God in Jesus is found in every crumb of truth. What Jesus can do is not limited just to the Jews, but is for all people. She has seen through Jesus’ guise as he says to her, “for saying that you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” He didn’t have to lay hands or see the girl, all he had to do was speak the words and it was so. Breaching spiritual, racial, gender, and religious plains. This is a break through as now the Gospel is no longer just for Israel’s children, but for all. One of the fears the Community may have about our Wailuku Mission Housing project, is that if we are allowed to do this on our property, then what is to stop other churches from trying to do the same on their properties. Creating a density to Wailuku Town that would cause it to lose its charm. The difference being, a church sensitive to our community and our neighbors, not a developer creating affordable housing, whose goal is not profits, but servicing our neighbors in desperate need of housing, and creating an in road to making living on Maui possible for locals, by breaching the high cost of housing. The other comment I heard about this concern was. “Isn’t this what is needed?” Then Jesus left for Tyre through Sidon, when a man who is deaf and with a speech impediment is brought to Jesus. There is no clever banter to convince Jesus to act mercifully, that has already been done. Jesus takes him aside in private and opens his ears and releases his tongue. Immediately He could hear and speak plainly. Jesus tells his friends, his family, the observers not to tell anyone, but they are so excited for their friend/relative/ stranger, they zealously proclaim what Jesus has done. Astounded beyond measure they cannot contain themselves or be prevented from talking about the excellence of Jesus. A natural enthusiasm that crosses the boundaries of self-control with joy, amazement, gladness for what God has done for others, being witnesses of God’s great works. When we see God at work, we have to tell somebody. This is a natural part of our nature to worship. APPLICATION We are included in the life Jesus brings with God. Jesus helps us to be transformed and for our situations to be changed with healing. Jesus expands the boundaries of God’s love to all. A multiracial worshipping community. Inclusive mission field. How does Jesus’ expansiveness of ministry open up our boundaries for ministry? How are the boundaries of our church expanded to include others who come from different backgrounds? I think our theology is evolving and other churches’ theology may not serve them in the future, but even though we may have a growing understanding of what it means to be a Christian, we are to be gracious, accepting and tolerant with others because if what we believe does not get translated into how we treat others then we are meaningless. Thinking about this, the sermon could have been entitled “Beyond Reservations”. Jesus moves beyond his initial reservations of helping the Syrophoenician Mother until he had that humanizing chat with her. I was listening to Krista Tippet’s interview with Mexican writer Luis Alberto Urrea, in this Pod cast he talked about Borders as Liminal Spaces. We create these borders with our fear, hate and dehumanization of the other. But when asked about how move beyond these boundaries of religion, voting, and sexuality, he said, it is with empathy and love. It begins by just talking to human beings. Then we will discover, everybody has a dream, everybody has people that they love. And everybody has pain. His hope for the world is to be like Star Trek, Where the stranger in the dark is waving a hand to say hello and not to harm. To be able to appreciate someone else’s culture, music, cuisine, or even to listen about their religion and discover what is interesting about it. A world where we evolve into enjoying each other more. On Friday the Preschool called me about a man who had laid down on the sidewalk in front of my office, who said that he was mugged. While evacuating the students on a fire drill they called the police and 911. I was the first one on the scene. As I neared the top of the steps I said, “Hi, can I help you, are you alright?” He said, are you the Pastor? I said yes, then he told a story of being mugged and robbed. How he was hurt and needed food, protein, shampoo, and clothes. I told him that I would check the food pantry. He had been there before and he showed me his Id. I rummaged through the cupboards and got him some canned meats, beans, and water and He gratefully took the bag and said he was going to join the party in front of the State Building. As he walked away, a police officer appeared from Aupuni street and when he saw there was no incident he left. Sometimes all we have to do is listen to someone’s story. The Love of Christ engages us in conversation. CONCLUSION We all have our reservations about somethings, situations, people, others. Even though we have those reservations, we can move beyond them and find out what’s going on, what the story is, and then we can choose how we want to respond. I don’t agree with the mask less freedom fighters who were having a party in front of the State building, but I can identify with their fear of wanting to protect children, and how they don’t like it when someone is telling them what to do. I think they are going about it the wrong way but they are afraid, and maybe just by listening to their story we might discover a bit of humanity to enjoy. Our mission is not to colonize them into the Star Trek Federation, but to let them evolve on their own without our telling them what to do. Maybe by our example, of exploring their religion, listening to their dreams, tasting their food and identifying their pain, we might find something to enjoy about their humanity and be inspired to something different with God.
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