Call to worship
Faithful God, come walk with your people
for in you alone are our hope and mercy
and we put our trust in you.
Faithful God, come walk behind us, beside us, before us
for you alone are our shelter and direction
and we put our trust in you.
Faithful God, come seek and find and lead us into grace
for you alone are the light in our darkness
and we put our trust in you.
Faithful God, we know you are near
the sound of your footsteps sets us dancing
help us to praise and worship you.
Candle lighting
We gather as children of God:
Many faces, many stories,
And yet we are all part of God’s family.
So we light the candle
and remember
that God who is Mother and Father
to us all is here with us.
A moment to pause
A chance to come to quiet as we prepare to listen to scripture
Gospel 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, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin.
She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 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.”
But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go–the demon has left your daughter.” So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
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. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue.
Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
Pulling some threads
This week’s gospel reading is so rich with layers that it’s had me going in many different directions. I didn’t even get to the second healing story, I got so caught up with the conversation between Jesus and the woman.
I was struck by the otherness of the Syrophoenician woman – here she is, woman, non-jewish, uninvited and insistent. She might be bowing down and saying ‘sir’, but she is staking a claim on grace that is not going to back down. And for me, this connects with the Black Lives Matter movement, with the same bold insistence that partiality and bias and privilege do not fit in any way with grace and love and justice.
I was struck by the fierce determination of a mother’s love to risk, to plead, to challenge for the sake of a vulnerable and cherished child. And for me, this connects with my own experience of my parents – perhaps more on my mind because this Sunday is Father’s day.
I was struck by the sharp barb of Jesus’ reply, insulting her – really there’s no way to soften or re-frame that – and the clear wisdom of the woman’s response that doesn’t argue against the insult, but uses it as leverage to crack open the closed circle of The Chosen People. And for me, this connects with the issues of worthiness, belonging and inclusion.
I’d love to have conversations around each of these three threads because they are each rich and multi-layered and because I’d love to hear your experiences of and thoughts on these. But since it is father’s day, we’ll focus in on that middle thread and explore together some of the aspects of a parent’s dedication and determination.
Small group connections
In the reading, the woman is standing in the gap for her child – she is a passionate advocate, a faithful petitioner, a resolute guardian. I wonder if you remember an occasion where one (or both) of your parents stood in the gap for you? Share the stories.
Has there been a time when you have been the one standing in the gap – perhaps for a friend or for a bigger issue or cause? What happened and what was that like for you?
This kind of stance can be deeply inspirational and effect great change in a life and in a community. Are there other stories that come to mind of those who have stood in the gap – perhaps stories in scripture, in your family history, or in the wider community on the world stage? What, if anything, can you take into your own life and awareness from these stories?
And for your ongoing reflection during the week: does anything from these reflections connect with and help to expand or reform your image of God? ‘Father’ is perhaps one of the most frequently used names for God – what does the image of a father mean to you and the way you relate to God? How has that changed over time as you have grown and deepened in your faith journey?
Prayers of the people for the peoples
Blessing
May God bless you.
May you be holy and strong and creative
May you know the joy of Jesus
May you dance in the wildness of the Spirit’s breath.
May God’s glory continue to grow in you
gently, powerfully, tenderly.
May you be cradled in warmth and healing
May you be held in God’s wisdom and love.
An Iona blessing
