• Welcome
• Worship
• Meet Our Staff
• Sermons
• Photos
• Our Labyrinth
• Useful Information
• Links & Resources
• Find Us

Sunday
spoken eucharist - 8 am
bible study - 9 am
sung eucharist - 10 am

Wednesday

services begin at 7 pm

healing service (1st, 3rd)

evening prayer (2nd,4th)

eucharist (5th)

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of the story of love of God and love of neighbor is at the beginning, throughout, and at the end always a Gospel of Inclusiveness. 

The message of salvation, the story of overcoming fear and death, the tale of hope and new life … is for us who claim to be followers of Jesus, a telling of the story that always ends in the welcoming and open and affirming arms of God.

There is no one who deserves to be outside the gate, left in the cold, abandoned by the community, unloved, unclothed, uncared.  The story of Jesus not only does not allow it, but again and again – as we see in this morning’s Gospel Portion – tells of the tearing down of barriers and fences and gates and walls that humanity builds in fright and from a sinful need to protect and preserve.  Jesus does this in his time so that we who follow him might learn to do the same in our time. 

Jesus walks into places that are ritually unclean to meet the very ones who are most deserving of God’s love and then as if that is not enough, he honours them by his touch.  He moves among the least of society to open the door of freedom and usher in the smallest so that they may sit and dine next to the greatest.

In today’s reading from Mark the Storyteller of Jesus’ Life, we find Jesus not in the familiar towns and countryside of the Galilee, walking and teaching along the lakeshore, but at the Mediterranean, near the ancient Phoenician city of (in Hebrew) Zor (in Greek) Turos (in the translation we read this morning) Tyre … about 20 miles north of Akko in modern Israel, and about 20 miles south of Sidon in modern Lebanon. 

In the story we are told that Jesus seeks anonymity.  Jesus is, after all, in non-Jewish territory.  It happens however, that he cannot escape notice and an unnamed Woman who is both Syrian and Phoenician and quite Gentile comes up to him and bows down at his feet and asks him to heal her daughter who is at home and filled up with a troubled spirit.

What happens?

A rather nasty exchange between Jesus and the Woman.  At first, it seems as if he doesn’t want to be bothered with this non-Jew, and in fact you can read the story pretty well that way, complete with reference to dogs.

But, what happens?

The non-Jewish Woman does not give up and replies in such a way that we can imagine everyone in the room gasping at her boldness and audacity.  Let me freely translate and edit a bit her remark … “Sir, and I use the title with a bit of question … Sir, I don’t really like being called a dog, and my daughter is not canine … and by the way, you see the dogs in this house, under the table next to your feet?  Those dogs are eating up the crumbs that the little children have let fall to the floor.”

I can imagine a great stillness, an immense silence, with all eyes fixed upon this Galilean Teacher.  He could have this Upstart Female reproached, maybe even slapped … at the very least removed from the house.

And, what happens?

Jesus nods his head in apology and says, “You know, you are right, and you and your daughter are indeed worth more than what I have inferred.  Your daughter is healed.”

And we are told the woman left and went home and found it so.

My favourite exegete, The Rev. Professor William Loader, of Murdock University in Australia, puts it this way:

“The story illustrates the new inclusiveness of the gospel. Faced with human need Jesus is persuaded that people matter most. No one can be excluded. All must be given food. None can be treated like dogs. The story celebrates this reality. There are many ‘dogs’ in our community who know what it is like to be shut out, told to wait, given second best. Calling them cute puppies or ‘the blessed poor’ does not address the issue, as long as they are treated like dogs. They have been treated as dogs so much so that it had become natural to treat them that way and to ignore their plight and our often naive prejudice - until the Syrophoenician woman gives them a voice. Jesus listened to that voice. Those voices are still to be heard, for those with ears to hear.”[1]

Θ

It seems a poignant thing to reflect upon the Story of the Healing of the Syrophoenician Woman’s Daughter story this morning just three Sundays after the conclusion of the Churchwide Assembly of our Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.[2]  Four of us from our congregation were privileged to be present for the week-long event held at the Convention Centre in Minneapolis.  Beverly served as one of the Voting Members from our Rocky Mt. Synod, Jim Bailey served as our Congregational Representative, Paul Burguieres our guest, and I served as a Registered Visitor.

I have to say at the onset that never have I been more proud of our Synod’s Voting members, who were at the microphones on every issue proclaiming the Gospel of Love and Hope.  Never have I been more proud of our ELCA who – under the loving leadership of our Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson – met, held conversations, prayed, worshipped and voted with integrity and care.

We will provide one or two opportunities for all of you, members of our congregation and guests and visitors and friends as well, to meet and hear and see the highlights of the gathering.  There are this morning on the Zaguan Table three documents for you to take home and read: a Letter from Presiding Bishop Hanson, a Letter from our Synodical Bishop Allan Bjornberg, and a Press Release from Lutherans Concerned/North America (the Reconciling in Christ group to which our congregation, along with hundreds of others, belongs).

Our Church, gathered in Assembly, worked to live out the Gospel of Inclusiveness by among other things:

• Adopting a full communion agreement with the United Methodist Church,

• Approving a proposal to raise $10 million over three years to support the church's HIV and AIDS strategy,

• Approving continued development of an initiative to fight malaria, particularly in Africa,

• Approving development of a social statement on the topic of justice for women, to be considered by the 2015 Churchwide Assembly,

• Calling for comprehensive reform of U.S. immigration policies and processes, called for suspension of immigration raids until reform is enacted, and asked for a message on from the ELCA on immigration this year,

• Affirming the cooperative ministry of the ELCA and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod with regard to Lutheran Disaster Response,

• Resolving to advocate for a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine,

• Adopting "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust," the ELCA's 10th social statement, and

• Adopting four Ministry Policies to make it possible for people in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as associates in ministry, clergy, deaconesses and diaconal ministers in the ELCA.
   

Θ

The last two items were, I know, the biggest news items of the Assembly.  And, I’m certain that you heard about the tornado which touched down three blocks from where we were meeting when the Sexuality Social Statement was being voted upon, that Bp. Hanson assured all of us that we were indeed in the safest place, and that soon we would be joined by folks from the outside of the building who becoming Lutherans for a Moment would join us in safety, and that he prayed for the well being of all those who were taking care of us and ensuring our safety in the storm.

I don’t know that you heard that on Wednesday of that week, during the vote the tornado hit part of the building (which we never felt), damaged part of the roof of the convention centre, went across the street, damaged the steeple of Central Lutheran Church, removed some trees from it’s property, took down the tent which housed a place where breakfasts and lunches were being sold to voting members, and placed the folding tables set up there to the top of the Convention Centre roof.

And, I don’t know that you heard that when the vote ended, the sun came out with incredible brightness.  And the vote?  Exactly 2/3 (the required amount) for the Statement to pass.

The Ministry Policy Resolutions that followed were adopted on Friday, and the ELCA changed its policies to ensure that our church is and will be a welcoming, inclusive, loving, filled with the Gospel of Jesus Church.

The press release by Goodsoil[3] says it best: 

“At the same time, the church has demonstrated an understanding of the necessity for the bound consciences of its members to be respected by all.  Congregations that wish to call a qualified minister in a committed, long-term, same gender relationship may do so without hindrance.  And, congregations that do not wish to do so cannot be required to ever do so.”

Θ

Sadly, there were and are those who saw and see things from a different place, a different reading of Scripture, a different telling of the Gospel of Inclusiveness.  Threats were audibly made that they will indeed leave the ELCA, and I’m certain that some might.  But you need to know how absolutely committed the Presiding Bishop, the Bishops, the ELCA, this congregation of ours and myself are to living together as brothers and sisters in Christ with different opinions and understandings, but with full respect and reaching out to one another in love so that the Church may be what it is called to be … the Body of Christ in this world.

I am certain that the Syrophoenician Woman in our story those many centuries ago did not know what effect her words and actions would have, in making the Gospel open and welcoming to all; nor could she realize just what it might be like in the church which followed after Jesus.  But she is, for us today, the voice that spoke and still speaks so that the love and hope and inclusiveness of the Gospel will be for all people.  And the One to whom she spoke, is asking us to be the fulfillment of that Gospel in our world.

Thanks be to God.

+ Deo Gratia.  Amen.

The Rev. Benjamin Larzelere III, Pastor