Isaiah 35.4-7a                                                                                                                                                        Carol A. Solovitz

Psalm 146                                                                                                                                                               Pentecost 14B

James 2.1-10, [11-13], 14-17                                                                                                                 September 10, 2006

Mark 7.24-37

For the Healing of All Creation

As I read today’s Gospel, it struck me that Mark tells us two very different kinds of stories together, both of them about healing.  We tend to appreciate the second story, the healing of the man who is both deaf and mute, more than the first one about the Syrophoenician woman and her sick child.  So I thought, maybe we can just skip this story and pretend it’s not in the Bible, because it shows a side of Jesus that makes us uncomfortable. I can’t do that, though.  Let’s see what we can learn from this unfamiliar side of Jesus.  It is hard to think about Jesus saying such harsh words to this desperate woman. To our modern ears, Jesus sounds racist and sexist. Wouldn’t it be nicer to edit his words and his attitude? Jesus sets some boundaries, and we are uncomfortable with such strict boundaries - especially those set by God. We prefer that God be about inclusivity and openness. We believe God's love is for everyone and just can't imagine God saying, "No." But here we see that God does set boundaries, choosing individuals and a people as God's own. Jesus makes clear that his current mission is to the Jewish people, but this woman's faith causes Jesus to cross boundaries and grant her request. And we are relieved. This is the Jesus we know and love – he’s a healer and not one who turns people away. He’s a lover and not a fighter.

Healing is so much a part of how we think of Jesus that it is painful to think of him as one who might choose NOT to heal, accept or forgive. However, as Christians who say we want to be like Jesus, think of the many times we refuse to do those things. Recently, Journey Films, a producer of films on religious and ethical issues, interviewed Father Lyndon Harris, an Episcopal priest who is promoting the development of a Garden of Forgiveness at Ground Zero – the former site of the World Trade Center in New York City. Journey Films also offered an on-line opinion poll asking, “Would you support a Garden of Forgiveness at Ground Zero?” They report that more than 2,500 votes were cast, showing that 98% of the responders are against the building of a Garden of Forgiveness; only 2% are in favor. What should be noted is that many of the people on Journey Films’ mailing list include pastors, seminarians, leaders of churches and synagogues, and people who have supported nearly two dozen films on subjects of faith and spirituality. One filmmaker, Martin Doblmeier, reported,

 

“After I interviewed Father Harris about his proposed garden, I went down to the Ground Zero

site and spoke with many people on the street about their sentiments for a Garden of Forgiveness.

My impression was people were almost evenly divided, so our own poll results were quite surpri-

sing.  What has become clear in the making of a film on forgiveness is that the word ‘forgiveness’

itself raises so many raw emotions in people.  Many Americans, no matter what their mind tells

them they should do, are simply not ready in their hearts to walk a path of forgiveness until some

justice has been realized.  Forgiveness always takes time, and in the case of 9/11 it may take a

very long time.”

 

In the process of healing spiritual and emotional damage, forgiveness is necessary. Abandoned or abused children need to forgive parents; neglected parents need to forgive children and grandchildren; crime victims need to forgive perpetrators; all of them may need to forgive God. You and I know very well that such forgiveness is far from easy. I have told you before about that terrible day fourteen years ago when my sister’s little boy was killed by her ex-husband’s father.  I talked to her just yesterday, and she gave me permission to share this with you.  You see, my sister still is a wreck; no matter how much she has tried to go on with living, her life is a mess. Recently, she told me that she thinks she might need to forgive the man who killed her son and 5 other family members, including himself. However, she cannot imagine ever being able to do so, even if it means having her own life messed up forever. In the same way, she struggles to forgive herself for not being there to protect and rescue her son – something that simply could not have happened even though she dreams about it. She continues to work on this long struggle, though, and we continue to pray for her. Forgiveness may be the road to healing, but it can take a long time to be ready to forgive.

When Jesus healed people, there were times when he told them first, “Your sins are forgiven.” He could do that; he was the Son of God. Jesus healed and forgave as God heals and forgives. In our reading from Isaiah 35, we hear of our God who longs to heal all of creation. Like the story of Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman, this reading can be uncomfortable, too. It begins with words regarding enemies of Israel, “Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense.’”  Now doesn’t that resonate against all your little Lutheran hearts?! We have been trained to focus on a gracious God, not a vengeful one. We want forgiveness and not recompense. We know what will happen if God gives us everything we deserve: We could not survive. How can we be strong and not afraid of such a God?

But look at the next sentence, “He will come and save you.” Oh, there is our gracious God! God will come and save us. In fact, God has come and saved us. God came as Jesus of Nazareth, whom we know as the Christ our Savior. And what does Isaiah say will happen when God comes to save us? Take out your Scripture insert and read it with me, starting with verse 5. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water.”

What a beautiful image! What a beautiful promise! This is the healing of all creation, and it what God has promised us even in our sinful state. In Romans 5, Paul says, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Yes, there are consequences to our behavior – our neglect of our children and our neighbors and our earth cause us great distress and, I believe, break God’s heart. But even as we grieve, God gives us hope for healing, the healing of all creation, through the new creations we become in Christ. 

Jesus was determined to stick to his mission, something that makes us uncomfortable and eventually takes him to the cross. In the end, this is good news. There on the cross, in his death and resurrection, Jesus embraces the whole world in his love. This morning, little Jay was received into the church through Holy Baptism. He is loved so much that he is given God’s great love and will become a new creation in Christ. We love baptisms because they give us hope and promise. We hear words of forgiveness and healing not only for the newly baptized but also for ourselves. And we are re-created in the image of God. Through the water and the Word, through the cross of Jesus, all things are made new. We are healed. We call today “Rally Sunday” because we rally together around the cross for a new school year.  But that is only half of it. We also are sent forth in our newness to share this good news!  Go now and tell!

LET US PRAY:  Lord Jesus, we sometimes don't understand your words and ways. But in your healing actions, you show your love for all creation, and in the cross we see your love is for us. Amen.