September 6 Proper 18
Words are power – written and spoken words alike: a sign that says Stop! brings a 10 ton truck to a screeching halt. Spoken words accompanied by gesture are weighty. I mentioned my quiet frail grandmother in a recent sermon. She stepped up beside me one day (I was about thirteen), put her hand squarely but lightly in the middle of my back and said, Be glad you are tall and always stand up straight. I can still feel her hand and hear her words.
In our Epistle reading today, James describes the powerful meaning inherent in telling someone where to sit or where not to sit. The words of some people carry more weight than the words of others – Jesus’ words have become the most powerful. Now and then someone is so passionate in her mission, like the Syrophoenician woman, that no words, not even harsh words spoken by Jesus can deter her.
Dr. Joanna Seibert, a deacon at Trinity Cathedral sees women like the Syrophoenician woman every day at Children’s Hospital — mothers who will go to any lengths and approach any nurse, aid, administrator or doctor to get care for her child. These mothers are single minded and they don’t take no for an answer.
Even impatient, rude, or disrespectful behavior does not deter them. Like the Syrophoenician woman, they take no rebuff personally. All they care about is getting care for someone they love.
Change the details to fit your life. Perhaps your passion is for people who don’t have enough to eat. Your children may resent giving some of their allowance to Rice Depot. Your father may call you a naïve “do gooder.” Your neighbor may say everyone ought to pull himself up by his own bootstraps, like he did.
or
You are a new second grade teacher full of energy and enthusiasm creatively teaching math, nutrition, cooperation, and even a little science by taking the children on an imaginary grocery shopping trip. The kids are excited when they’re in your class. Some of the other teachers may be scornful, calling it play. The principal is worried about achievement tests.
or
You’re a quiet person. You have a demanding job with long hours. You like to crash in front of the TV or read a book when you get home. You’ve moved into a neighborhood with lots of social activities. A neighbor calls and asks, Why don’t you like us?” When you assure her you do, she invites you to yet another party. What do you do when people expect you to think and behave like they do, or someone is jealous or misunderstands you or ridicules you? What do you do when your child or parent is desperately ill? What do you do when you are tired and need some time alone.
Apparently Jesus was so tired he wanted to escape from people in need. The gospel reading says he went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. He had fed 5000 people before he crossed the lake to Gentile territory. He tried without success to slip away from there for prayer and time alone.
Instead he encountered and healed the demoniac. Next he was confronted by some Pharisees about his disciples’ behavior. He had chastised them for putting religious tradition before God’s commandments, before escaping to the house for some privacy. That’s when the Syrophonician woman barged in with her plea. Confronted with yet another person in need, Jesus reacted. “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”
Up to now Jesus’ ministry had been to the children of Israel, not to the Gentiles whom his religious tradition thought of as no better than dogs. Jesus’ words contradicted everything the woman had heard about Jesus. Joanna and I both agreed. If someone, especially Jesus, spoke to us as he did to her, we would mumble an apology and get out of there as fast as we could go. That would be the end of it for us and we would have missed the blessing. We would have missed the blessing because Jesus changed his mind.
Instead of running away, the woman stood her ground and argued. “Even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” She challenged Jesus to expand his mission and ministry to all people everywhere and Jesus heard her. Her words cut right to the heart of what he had said to the Pharisees about not putting religious tradition before God’s commandments.
Jesus was “brought up short” when the woman failed to behave according to tradition. He was rude to her, but she argued with him instead of running away. She did not care what was said to her. She was on a mission to save her child.
In a few minutes Haley Garber will receive the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Along with many other powerful words, we will say, “We welcome you into the household of God.”[2] In this household of God, we believe we have some powerful words about life. We believe these words will cause our spirits to soar instead of shrink away.
Even when these words, or promises as we call them, cause us to give away our pride, like the Syrophoenician woman, they will bring us for greater gifts than respect. They will give life to our children and to us and to other people we cannot imagine as we stand here today. We will promise to respect the dignity of every human being without regard to how we are treated by them, even if they call us names or ridicule us for being naive.
We promise we will seek and serve Christ in all persons and persevere in resisting evil. God’s help will be available to us to do all these things we promise as we continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers. These are powerful words, life changing, relationship changing, and earth changing words. It takes the courage of someone like the Syrophoenician woman to even attempt them, but many of us in this household of God have had glimpses of what it’s like to live resurrected lives brought back from the ashes of addiction, persecution, loss, grief, prejudice, discrimination, fear, loneliness, poverty, and hunger of all kinds.
We want to share this resurrection life with Haley and her family, with everyone here, and with everyone we meet — this resurrection life shown to us and shared with us by Jesus whom we know to have been tempted as we are and yet heard the words he had said, repented, and reclaimed the life giving power he had been given by God. Amen.