Sermon, Pente +16 (Year B)

 The scriptures this morning invite us to grapple with how we apply our faith to our lives; how we take Sunday Morning with us the rest of the week.

And it can be hard: Because not every situation makes sense when we look at the world through the eyes of faith.
And not every faith teaching seems to ‘fit’ with what we hear is happening in our communities and in the world.

The challenge of course, is that there’s no easy answer. Because sometimes, life just doesn’t make sense. Things happen that are beyond our comprehension, and beyond our control.
But: our faith reminds us that there is constant opportunity: to be intentional about finding ways to live in the world using our faith as the primary lens that we’re looking through.

…and even that can seem challenging – when the world around us isn’t with us in the faith paradigm.
Yet we aim to do the best that we can; to take action. As individuals, as families, as a church – as a whole community.

We are called to take the gifts that have been given to us, and find ways to put them into action; to take the Good News of God and let that influence and inspire who we are and what we do in the world.

And the scriptures assure us that our faith inspires our works, and those works matter. What we do matters. Proverbs reminds us of our what should be important: reputation over riches, generosity over greed, humble hospitality over hubris.
James writes a letter articulating that drawing lines between people is divisive and unfair; and this should cause us to examine our own judgements, favouritism, and acts of mercy.

So: we are called to act.

How awkward then that the Gospel seems to show Jesus taking the opposite stance.
And not only that he is NOT acting with mercy, but he seems to be responding to a woman’s pleas with a hardness of heart that is just SO uncharacteristic.
He calls her a DOG.
Not a loveable pet; but a wild animal known to be problematic, destructive, and unwanted.

Well: I think that may have been on purpose.
Not just because Jesus needed a day of rest: for tiredness is no excuse for cruelty.
And not just because the woman was Syrophoenician, one of “those people” that society said were unclean: because cultural differences never override humanity.

I think Jesus’ really inappropriate treatment of the woman was meant to challenge the disciples: to stand up for what is right.
For when Jesus speaks to this woman he is clearly out of order.
He is not just rude: for rudeness is an unintentional act that hurts someone else.
Jesus knows that what he is saying is hurtful: and with the intention to cause hurt, he says she is unworthy of him.
That’s mean.

And this is where the disciples ought to have taken action: to intercepted, interrupted, interjected: to have stopped the meanness right away.

Yet they didn’t. They were bystanders: likely surprised, but not enough to take action. Not enough to challenge their friend and teacher on his hurtful, nasty, cruel comments.
And so, by their silence, they were compliant.
They maintained the status quo of power imbalance; the societal norm of racism; the accepted ambivalence of inhumanity.

Yet: and I suspect that Jesus, as the Christ, knew the woman was not going to give up easily –
The woman uses her voice, and retorts with a humble reminder of humanity, and of dignity.
That even the least, the last, the left-behind of society – the dogs under the table – eat the crumbs from the master’s table.

And this is a component that influenced a prayer – called the Prayer of Humble Access – that can be prayed before coming to the table of grace; the altar of God:
We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, Trusting in our own righteousness, But in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy So much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord, Whose property is always to have mercy:

For the woman requested mercy; and she received it.
And the deaf man, rejected by society, had mercy requested by his friends; and he received it.
And the disciples, those one-time bystanders - learned the lesson of humble access and received the blessing of mercy:

And it stirred them to action; to extend the grace of mercy that they have learned from Jesus.

So today: we are faced with a world that cries for mercy; from those with voices and platforms, and from places without access to ears that would hear.
So we are called to listen:

To the communication of the natural world, opening our hearts and minds to the impact of humankind on non-human species, finding ways to act with love and mercy in consideration for the entire eco-systems, respecting generations yet unborn, and intentionally acting to mitigate and minimise our destructive behaviour.

We’re called to listen to the needs of the brothers and sisters in our midst, those in our communities who are unemployed and underemployed; who lack adequate shelter; who do not know the source of their next meal; responding with gifts of compassion, assistance, and advocacy – challenging broken systems and holding governments and ourselves – as society - accountable.

We’re called to listen to the voices of loneliness; finding ways to befriend those who are isolated and isolating. We’re called to listen to the cries of fear; from those for whom the return to school has left them with trauma; that they may re-learn to know safety and peace, and work towards environments without bullying and violence.

We’re called to listen to those who ask our help.


And to respond, with mercy: not to sit idly by, immobilised by the enormity of the world’s challenges: for we know we can’t solve everything; but we can do *something*.
All of us are equipped to make the world a better place. To speak for the voiceless. To advocate for the downtrodden. To stand up to the pejorative powers that would denigrate and decimate.

All of us can respond, stirred into action by our faith: loving deeply and profoundly in ways that are helpful, healing, and edifying.

Stirred up, indeed.
So we pray:
Stir up our hearts, O God, that we may live with compassion and love and grace; opening our hearts to embrace everyone as your beloved child.

Stir up our souls, O God, to act with joy and peace and faithfulness; patiently journeying alongside those whose hardships we have not known.

Stir up our minds, O God, that with reason and kindness and patience we will inquire and discern news ways to promote life for all God's creatures.

Stir up our strength, O God, as we face each day with courage and righteousness and prayer, removing barriers and seeking new pathways to a holy life.

Stir us up, O God, that we may delight in knowing you, that we may act for justice and peace, and that we may be empowered to proclaim Your Good News in all that is possible when we live out our faith.