Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise

This is a special musical performance of I've Got Peace Like A River which is a family choir special performance from Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Perhaps some of you, at some point in time, have heard the 11th Commandment.  It goes something like this, “Thou shalt not make any changes in the way we do things around here.”  Or, similar words like, “But, we have always done it this way before!”  Quite honestly, when this 11th Commandment is observed, when conventional thought and action are never challenged, when we are not open to being changed and being made new, there is hardly ever any growth.

As we hear the Jesus story we know that throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, he continually challenged conventional religious structures, religious thinking and religious practices.  And, the example in today’s gospel lesson is no exception. Jesus’ words in today’s reading not only challenge us, they are also disturbing.

As this gospel reading begins, Jesus is speaking to the crowd about tradition and conventional religious practices. He is speaking to all who hold tradition and ritual in high esteem and consider themselves to be the “in crowd” – the socially accepted crowd. This was a community preoccupied with dietary laws about what would defile and hurt the body, laws that dictated what could and could not be touched or eaten. Jesus has just confronted the people about their exclusionary practices, their clean and unclean requirements and, he has just turned conventional thinking on its head. He challenges the people regarding the importance of their strict dietary laws that place a high premium on the purity of the individual. You see, Jesus is much more concerned about the heart and the stuff that comes out of us as we live in relationship to others. He is concerned about the stuff that can defile, hurting others and hurting the world.  Theologian, Dock Hollingsworth, describes what Jesus is saying in this way:

Yesterday’s lunch is gone forever. Jesus asks, “Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes into the sewer?” It is a crude image. The sewer has carried away any mistakes we may have made by putting into our body things that the dietary laws call unclean. However, the careless words, the evil, the lies, and the fornication continue to be harmful. Our words and actions have the power to defile and hurt and the pain of those choices is not washed down the sewer like yesterday’s lunch (p. 357, Feasting on the Word).

By confronting the people about their exclusionary practices, their clean and unclean issues and requirements, Jesus has just turned conventional religious thought on its head. And, I think he turns much of our conventional religious thought on its head as well.

Throughout history there have been many times when the church has used tradition in perverse ways. In light of Jesus’ words to us today, we should ask ourselves, what practices do we hold dear? What really doesn’t matter? What traditions do we deem so vitally important they end up excluding others? How does the way in which we do this thing called church tend to push people away?  The truth is, some of our practices and traditions really are not that important. Jesus’ words remind us that religious faithfulness is ultimately shown by the way we speak and live out the radical hospitality and love of Christ as we live in relationship to others.

What is so captivating about today’s reading is that Jesus challenges and disturbs the religious community about their “clean” and “unclean” status, and then finds himself in a position where the tables are turned and he is confronted by a clean/unclean issue. Quite frankly, we see him acting in a manner that is very uncomfortable, disconcerting and truly painful to watch.

Jesus travels into Gentile territory and is approached by a very bold, in your face Canaanite woman. She is a foreigner and tradition labels her unclean. She confronts Jesus, asking him to heal her demon possessed daughter. And, Jesus’ actions and words to her seem arrogant, racist, and just plain mean. First, he ignores her and then he insults her by using an ethnic slur, calling her a dog. I don’t like this side of Jesus. His words are degrading. Yet, I think we need to wrestle with this story. There is nothing we can or should do to water it down except honestly face Jesus’ response. Is it just possible that we see a greater glimpse of Jesus’ humanity in this story? I think that for most of us, we say we believe Jesus was “truly human” but, we do not want him to be too human. The fact of the matter is the gospel writer does not clean up this story. Instead, he shows us a very human side of Jesus.  Pastor Gary Charles, when describing this scene writes:

Jesus enters into “unwashed” territory of untouchable foreigners, a despised “toxic waste area.” Jewish religious tradition had “proven to be a ‘holy’ fence” for these foreigners, keeping them on the outside. And, not only is this woman an unclean foreigner, she is doubly despised because she is a woman.

Jesus’ initial actions and disturbing words to this bold woman are descriptive of conventional religious thinking within the Jewish community of that time. And, we must wrestle with something. Does Jesus respond out of his humanity and the socialization he has experienced throughout his thirty some years of life? Can we see him as fully human in his response? Is he so fully human that this very bold woman who approaches him and is not willing to back down ends up changing him and his own thinking and understanding of his mission in this world?  Most scholars think this to be the case.  Furthermore, the writer of Matthew’s gospel is telling the Jesus story to a Jewish community that wanted to exclude foreigners and Gentiles, all those they considered “other.”  It is quite likely the audience Matthew’s Jesus is addressing had some growing up to do and this bold, in your face, unclean foreign woman enabled that.

This bold woman, an enemy of Israel, who is not willing to give up and go away has faith, great faith. She ministers to Jesus and, in doing so, becomes a voice from beyond the boundaries. Jesus recognizes her faith, and her bold action is instrumental in bringing about divine healing and the release of God’s grace for the “others” in this world.  From this point on in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus’ mission continues to become larger, expanding to the point that it includes the whole world.

We who make up the body of Christ need to always be struggling with the questions we discover in today’s reading.  We must ask:

• What does it mean for us to follow Jesus into the “toxic waste areas” of the world?
• What does this mean as we address the evil of racism in our country and ourselves, and respond to the horror we have witnessed over the past week?
• What does it mean for us to fret less about how “we have always done it this way” and listen more to the cries of those tradition considers “unclean” or “unwanted”?
• How have we let our “traditions” become external barriers, blocking access to the overwhelming grace of God?

Jesus was changed that day!  Can we also change, be continually changed and made new? Are we as willing to be more welcoming to those who are different, those we consider the “others” in this world? Can we allow our conventional religious perspectives to be changed so God’s grace can become more fully realized in this world?

The promises of God are true and God’s mercy is for all. Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, we discover God deeply loves this entire world in all its brokenness. And, as Pastor Charles says, we should “never tire in giving thanks that, in Jesus, God’s covenant promises stretch the length of the cross for all nations and all people.”

Perhaps some of you, at some point in time, have heard the 11th Commandment.  It goes something like this, “Thou shalt not make any changes in the way we do things around here.”  Or, similar words like, “But, we have always done it this way before!”  Quite honestly, when this 11th Commandment is observed, when conventional thought and action are never challenged, when we are not open to being changed and being made new, there is hardly ever any growth.

As we hear the Jesus story we know that throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, he continually challenged conventional religious structures, religious thinking and religious practices.  And, the example in today’s gospel lesson is no exception. Jesus’ words in today’s reading not only challenge us, they are also disturbing.

As this gospel reading begins, Jesus is speaking to the crowd about tradition and conventional religious practices. He is speaking to all who hold tradition and ritual in high esteem and consider themselves to be the “in crowd” – the socially accepted crowd. This was a community preoccupied with dietary laws about what would defile and hurt the body, laws that dictated what could and could not be touched or eaten. Jesus has just confronted the people about their exclusionary practices, their clean and unclean requirements and, he has just turned conventional thinking on its head. He challenges the people regarding the importance of their strict dietary laws that place a high premium on the purity of the individual. You see, Jesus is much more concerned about the heart and the stuff that comes out of us as we live in relationship to others. He is concerned about the stuff that can defile, hurting others and hurting the world.  Theologian, Dock Hollingsworth, describes what Jesus is saying in this way:

Yesterday’s lunch is gone forever. Jesus asks, “Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes into the sewer?” It is a crude image. The sewer has carried away any mistakes we may have made by putting into our body things that the dietary laws call unclean. However, the careless words, the evil, the lies, and the fornication continue to be harmful. Our words and actions have the power to defile and hurt and the pain of those choices is not washed down the sewer like yesterday’s lunch (p. 357, Feasting on the Word).

By confronting the people about their exclusionary practices, their clean and unclean issues and requirements, Jesus has just turned conventional religious thought on its head. And, I think he turns much of our conventional religious thought on its head as well.

Throughout history there have been many times when the church has used tradition in perverse ways. In light of Jesus’ words to us today, we should ask ourselves, what practices do we hold dear? What really doesn’t matter? What traditions do we deem so vitally important they end up excluding others? How does the way in which we do this thing called church tend to push people away?  The truth is, some of our practices and traditions really are not that important. Jesus’ words remind us that religious faithfulness is ultimately shown by the way we speak and live out the radical hospitality and love of Christ as we live in relationship to others.

What is so captivating about today’s reading is that Jesus challenges and disturbs the religious community about their “clean” and “unclean” status, and then finds himself in a position where the tables are turned and he is confronted by a clean/unclean issue. Quite frankly, we see him acting in a manner that is very uncomfortable, disconcerting and truly painful to watch.

Jesus travels into Gentile territory and is approached by a very bold, in your face Canaanite woman. She is a foreigner and tradition labels her unclean. She confronts Jesus, asking him to heal her demon possessed daughter. And, Jesus’ actions and words to her seem arrogant, racist, and just plain mean. First, he ignores her and then he insults her by using an ethnic slur, calling her a dog. I don’t like this side of Jesus. His words are degrading. Yet, I think we need to wrestle with this story. There is nothing we can or should do to water it down except honestly face Jesus’ response. Is it just possible that we see a greater glimpse of Jesus’ humanity in this story? I think that for most of us, we say we believe Jesus was “truly human” but, we do not want him to be too human. The fact of the matter is the gospel writer does not clean up this story. Instead, he shows us a very human side of Jesus.  Pastor Gary Charles, when describing this scene writes:

Jesus enters into “unwashed” territory of untouchable foreigners, a despised “toxic waste area.” Jewish religious tradition had “proven to be a ‘holy’ fence” for these foreigners, keeping them on the outside. And, not only is this woman an unclean foreigner, she is doubly despised because she is a woman.

Jesus’ initial actions and disturbing words to this bold woman are descriptive of conventional religious thinking within the Jewish community of that time. And, we must wrestle with something. Does Jesus respond out of his humanity and the socialization he has experienced throughout his thirty some years of life? Can we see him as fully human in his response? Is he so fully human that this very bold woman who approaches him and is not willing to back down ends up changing him and his own thinking and understanding of his mission in this world?  Most scholars think this to be the case.  Furthermore, the writer of Matthew’s gospel is telling the Jesus story to a Jewish community that wanted to exclude foreigners and Gentiles, all those they considered “other.”  It is quite likely the audience Matthew’s Jesus is addressing had some growing up to do and this bold, in your face, unclean foreign woman enabled that.

This bold woman, an enemy of Israel, who is not willing to give up and go away has faith, great faith. She ministers to Jesus and, in doing so, becomes a voice from beyond the boundaries. Jesus recognizes her faith, and her bold action is instrumental in bringing about divine healing and the release of God’s grace for the “others” in this world.  From this point on in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus’ mission continues to become larger, expanding to the point that it includes the whole world.

We who make up the body of Christ need to always be struggling with the questions we discover in today’s reading.  We must ask:

• What does it mean for us to follow Jesus into the “toxic waste areas” of the world?
• What does this mean as we address the evil of racism in our country and ourselves, and respond to the horror we have witnessed over the past week?
• What does it mean for us to fret less about how “we have always done it this way” and listen more to the cries of those tradition considers “unclean” or “unwanted”?
• How have we let our “traditions” become external barriers, blocking access to the overwhelming grace of God?

Jesus was changed that day!  Can we also change, be continually changed and made new? Are we as willing to be more welcoming to those who are different, those we consider the “others” in this world? Can we allow our conventional religious perspectives to be changed so God’s grace can become more fully realized in this world?

The promises of God are true and God’s mercy is for all. Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, we discover God deeply loves this entire world in all its brokenness. And, as Pastor Charles says, we should “never tire in giving thanks that, in Jesus, God’s covenant promises stretch the length of the cross for all nations and all people.”

This was a special musical performance at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan by Pastor Ellen Schoepf of Pathetique Sonata, Opus 13 Adagio Cantabile by Ludwig Van Beethoven.

Fear!  Fear is a vital response to physical and emotional danger.   And, if we didn't feel it, we couldn't protect ourselves from legitimate threats. But often we fear situations that are far from life-or-death, and thus hang back for no good reason.  Sometimes, fear can actually be paralyzing and it can keep us from living into the fullness of life, living into life that truly matters.   Yet, exposing ourselves to our personal demons by facing our fears is the best way to move through them and past them.  In today’s gospel, we hear a story that not only addresses the fear that can literally overpower us, but we also hear a story of the even greater power of promise, telling us of a loving presence that will never let us go.

At last, Jesus has finally been able to send the crowds away.  He has convinced his disciples to get in a boat and cross the lake ahead of him. Finally, he has found time to retreat and spend some time in prayer.  As we look at today’s gospel reading, Jesus is not a superhero who has retreated to his bat cave. He is not a ghost out to haunt the already terrified. He is a man. Fully God, fully human. He is the Son of God, though those around him don't yet recognize him. His ship of faith is being battered by the rejection of his hometown folks and the beheading of his cousin John the Baptist by Herod. He knows his time is coming. Crowds of needy people have been constantly pressing in on him.  And, he needs some time alone.

Jesus is praying, perhaps lifting up each of his fears and stuggles to God and exchanging them for faith, allowing the comfort and healing and power of God to fill his inner life, his heart, mind, emotions, and will. After all, this is what the Jewish scriptures tell us to do, to surrender all our lesser fears to our fear of the Lord, which means our reverence for God, for who God is and what God can do.  And, as Jesus then looks up and squints at the horizon he sees the disciples' little boat bobbing side to side, back and forth, up and down.

The disciples have spent nearly the whole night struggling to get across that blasted lake before Jesus shows up near daybreak.  The Sea of Galilee is not a massive body of water, never more than seven miles across when traveling east-west.  Yet, they’ve not been able to traverse it, for the storm has “battered” or “thrashed” their boat.  And, as for the churning sea?  In their worldview, it represents chaos and danger.  Then, they think they see a ghost.  Fear erupts because they anticipate how the story will probably end.  All night they have been threatened by the prospect that this chaos might devour them.  They saw themselves as disciples left to die at the mercy of more powerful forces.

Then, they realize this seeming “ghost” is Jesus, striding over the watery chaos.  And, astoundingly, Peter wants to step out there on that water.  Peter steps out of the boat and enters the tumult.  And, Peter flounders.  He flounders because he grows afraid.  Quite frankly, that fear is justified.  The storm is still powerfully raging and it is so intense it could sink the boat, let alone drown a single person.  He has perfectly good reason to be afraid.

And, so do we.  There are multiple reasons each one of us might face fear.  Maybe you fear loneliness after loss.  Or, fear losing stability as you face a fragile relationship.  Or, fear aging and all the issues that come with growing old.  Or, maybe fear the return of an illness, or the progression of present illness.  Or, maybe you fear for your kids and what they are experiencing or will experience.  Or, you fear facing a new chapter in life, or making a major life-changing decision.  Or, you fear the future of our congregation, or the direction of our country, or global security….   You name it!  There are multiple situations and reasons in our individual, congregational and communal lives that make us afraid.  And that fear can be paralyzing, debilitating, and make it difficult for us to move forward or even have any sense of confidence.  In fact, as professor David Lose says, “Fear is one of the primary things that robs the children of God of the abundant life God intends for us.” 

Well, in response to Peter’s fear, Jesus doesn’t simply urge Peter to buck up, be a man, be courageous, let go of his fear and focus on him.  Instead, when Peter begins to sink, Jesus literally catches him!  He grabs hold of Peter!  Jesus grabs him and saves him from drowning.  He grabs him and restores him to his vocation as a disciple.  And, guess what?  He does the same with us.  Jesus will not, he absolutely will never, let us go.  Jesus is never going to give up on us, no matter what we do!  The God we know is truly THE LOVE THAT WILL NEVER LET US GO!  In the depth of our fear, Jesus grabs us, holds on to us when we falter and restores us to where we can again be of service to him. 

Today’s gospel, good news word to us is a message that is not only about our fear.  It is a message that is the heart of the gospel message.  It is the gospel good news of grace which proclaims that God will never give up on us, that God is with us and for us, that God – in the end – will do what we cannot do for ourselves and save us.  This is a message that enables us to cope with life and with our fear because it is a message that enables us to transcend that fear.  We may not be able to defeat it, but we can face it, stand in the swirling disorder and chaos, and do what needs to be done even when we are afraid.  And, quite frankly, this is the nature of what it means to live out an active life of faith, to be willing to throw oneself into a disorderly world and expect to encounter Jesus there. 

I love what William Willimon says about this passage.  He writes:

If Peter had not ventured forth, had not obeyed the call to walk on the water, then Peter would never have had this great opportunity for recognition of Jesus and rescue by Jesus.  I wonder if too many of us are merely splashing about in the safe shallows and therefore have too few opportunities to test and deepen our faith.  The story today implies if you want to be close to Jesus, you have to venture forth out on the sea and [discover] his promises through trusting his promises, through risk and venture.

Getting out of the boat with Jesus and going to places where Jesus goes is the most risky, most exciting, and most fulfilling way to live life to the fullest, life that truly matters, life that is abundant.  Today’s gospel reading invites us to trust God’s promises and do just that.

This is a special musical presentation of Softly and Tenderly by Thompson by Tammy Heilman today at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.