Be Bold in Your Asking by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Kurt Young)

    I watched some of the political convention that was on television this week (so did Kurt this week, he took the picture that is with this post). Now as a church, we are not supposed to be partisan. I respect whichever political party you may be a part of. We are not going to go there today. But I was struck by the pictures of the crowds this week. The diversity of humanity was amazing. If you watched the convention, did you notice that? There were people of all ages and races. It was the salad bowl of America’s citizens. And the speeches were all about how folks care about bringing everyone one along, until everyone has certain basic things like housing, jobs, education and healthcare. We won’t be satisfied until everyone has those basic needs met. The message, as I heard it, seemed to encapsulate the best of Jesus’ theology. The beloved community of God is a community where everyone receives blessings and everyone is cared for.

    Well, in today’s scripture, we find a fascinating story, where a bold woman actually stands up to Jesus. She pushes him on the question of whether or not God’s blessings are for everyone. This encounter comes a bit early in Jesus’ ministry. Maybe he was still growing in his understanding of the fullness of God’s grace and love for everyone.

    Here is how the story goes. Jesus has traveled to a part of the country that is pretty far from Galilee where he lives. We think he is trying to get away for a break. He goes to Tyre. He goes into a house where he thinks he won’t be found, he wants to get some rest. This is an area where it’s mostly Gentiles, not Jews.  The Jews consider the Gentiles unclean.  The Jews are his people. The Gentiles are everyone else. The Jews don’t associate with Gentiles. They are “unclean.” Jesus thinks he can relax and lay low here, but word of his healing power has spread farther than he thought.

    There is this woman, a Syrophonecian woman, born in the Phonician part of Syria. She was a Greek and a Gentile. Her daughter has some kind of demon or affliction and she comes to Jesus and she begs, she begs Jesus to heal her daughter.

    Jesus is downright rude in his response. This is the first time we ever hear Jesus refuse someone who asks for healing. And his words are not kind:   "Stand in line and take your turn. The children get fed first. If there's any left over, the dogs get it."  The dogs!  Yep! He calls her a dog.

    Sweet, kind, compassionate Jesus calls a woman with a sick child a dog!  Now, I do not how this woman has the gumption to stand up to Jesus, but she does. She shoots right back at him with this: "Of course, Master. But don't dogs under the table get scraps dropped by the children?"

    She was fast.  I wish I could have a comeback like that. She will not let go.  She is a mother, and she WILL get healing for her child. You have seen the movies right? And heard the stories, about people with sick children who will do anything get help for their children? Sell the house. Walk across hot coals. We will do anything for our children.

    So this woman said to Jesus: “Hey, wait a minute! I thought God’s healing power and transformative love was for everyone?” I’ll take the scraps, I’ll take anything.  It’s as if the woman slapped Jesus in the face and HE GOT IT!

Of course! Of course, everyone is included in God’s family, your child is healed.
Of course, your daughter is healed. “Your daughter is no longer disturbed. The demonic affliction is gone." She went home and found her daughter relaxed on the bed, the torment gone for good.

    I love this story, because it shows the humanity of Jesus. For a minute, even he failed. He forgot that when God says EVERYONE, God means EVERYONE. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, not even being a “dirty Gentile”.  But when a mother reminded him, Jesus GOT THE MESSAGE. He remembered. And he healed the daughter of the woman.

    Jesus would have looked out on that convention floor this week, at the diversity of humanity and said, “Yes, all those people are my people, and they all need jobs, and health care, and all of their children need the best education possible.” ALL OF THEM. They all need the transformative love that God has to offer. So this is what that scripture has to say to us. We can’t be afraid to be BOLD to ask for what we need. God’s promises are for all of us.

    What do you need? The political parties are talking about big things – and systems – and the way to solve problems at the organizational level. And those things are really important. And here at The Village we care about justice and we work together to make the world better for every person.

    But Jesus also came into the world, to show God’s healing love to individual people. That is what that unnamed woman in the story reminded Jesus with her bold words. Jesus said to her, “One thing at a time, woman. I’m tired. Can’t I take care of the Jews first, and then I will get to the Gentiles.”

    But she did not care about categories of people. She just cared about her daughter who had some kind of affliction; a demon of some sort that controlled her life. She looked him in the eye and said, “Everyone needs God’s healing.”  Everyone individual needs healing. 

    And Jesus knew that of course, she was right. She told him what he already knew. But he was tired. He had had a long day. He wanted to rest. But she reminded him of what he came to this Earth to do. God’s healing power is for everyone.  There is no time to wait.

    So I ask you again: what do you need from God?If you were that woman, and had the chance to walk right up to Jesus and ask him, what would you ask for?

    Because you see, you don’t have to wait. That little girl could not wait. Her mother could not wait. They needed healing that day! That is why the woman was BOLD to ask Jesus.

    What is your affliction? What is your demon? Some of us have negative thought patterns that weigh us down. Some of us have habits or addiction that we just can’t break without God’s help. Some of us are lonely and discouraged, and we can’t get past it. Some of us are grieving and we need to put that behind us and step into a new life.  Some of us have afflictions that are not so obvious, but we still have something in our life we would like God to change.

    We can be bold, like the unnamed woman in today’s story, and Jesus will listen to us. God wants to heal us. God wants us to live free from these weights, these burdens and these afflictions. Do you believe me?  You look a little skeptical. God wants to give us hope. God wants to give us strength to live new lives.

    It may take some time, but when we give our afflictions over to God, the weight can be lifted from our lives. We can live in the freedom that comes from knowing that God loves each one of us, and heal us, not just some of us – ALL OF US.

    I want you to respond to this message with a ritual.  You can do it at home or where ever you are.  Think about what your affliction is.  Then hold it in your hands. Pack it like a snow ball in your hands. Close your eyes and just squeeze that burden hard between your two hands and feel the weight of it.  Just feel the weight of what that thing is.

    On the count of three we are all going to raise our hands to the ceiling and be bold to release our afflictions. ONE, TWO, THREE, give up now. “Be healed. Accept the power God gives you to walk in freedom and to live as God’s beloved people. Let it be so. Amen.”