Come To Jesus

Gospel

The Holy Gospel for the sixteenth Sunday of Pentecost, is written in the seventh chapter of Mark

24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth.

And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

27 And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Eph-pha-tha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Praise be to you, oh Christ -

Creed

We confess our faith in the words of the Apostles Creed

As you are all seated, adults, please encourage the children to come up to the windowsills and get a mug. This month, we are collecting for Lutherans for Life.

Children's chat

Kids, let me ask you a question: When you need help, who is the first person you go to for help? It could be more than one person. Name who you might go to when you need help.

When you need help, who is the first person you go to for help? It could be more than one person. Name who you might go to when you need help.

Let me ask you another question: Have you ever asked someone for help from someone else? For example, maybe a little brother or sister couldn't talk yet.

Have you ever been worried someone won't help you when you need it? Maybe homework? How to tie your shoe? Or perhaps you wanted something special and afraid to ask for fear of the word no?

In today's lesson, this woman wanted Jesus to help her, and she might have been worried he would say no! But guess what? He didn't say no. He said yes!

And another man couldn't ask Jesus, but others asked for him, and guess what? Jesus helped him! Whenever we are worried, guess where we can go? Jesus! He will always be there for us in our time of need! He will always listen to us. And how do we talk to him? By prayer! So, let's do that now!

End with a prayer…Lets Pray

Lord Jesus, we thank you for your help at all times. We thank you for the family and friends you gift us with to help us in our times of need. Most of all we thank you for always hearing our prayers and being in our hearts so that we know you are always close.

Amen!

Thank you for taking up the offer and for letting me talk with you today

Sermon

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, Heavenly Father - Amen.

Sermon Title - Come To Jesus

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, Heavenly Father - Amen.

To say I am so glad to finally be here today, among all of you in your presence, would be putting it rather mildly. Since I was here last in May, my family and I have gone through the careful task of packing up the house, saying goodbye to family and friends, and making a new home here in Salisbury. Through this transition, this church body has supported us in countless ways that have made everything so seamless, even in times of trial and on this homecoming weekend, I am happy to say to all of you that we (my family and I) are here among you and are finally home.

Many of you are here today, maybe returning or attending for the first time, and we welcome you and look forward to getting to know you better after services today.

I took a class last year that involved a heavy study of Mark's text. The instructor could have picked any book in the Bible, but he chose Mark's account. I read it so many times that my online Bible Gateway app has so many highlights and notes from reading it over and over and over again in the course of a semester that one would have thought I had memorized it. After reading this text dozens of times, I arrived at several conclusions.

My first conclusion was that the text sometimes seems rushed, moving the narrative from one miracle to another without much context as to why or how. It seemed to me, at least, to be a literary sprint from the baptism to the resurrection.

Another observation is that the text doesn’t spare one's feelings in matters of faith. In many parts of this text, Jesus points the disciples back to examine the measure of their faith, which was often lacking.

My conclusion is that Mark's account was written to convict and free the heart of the reader or hearer in a unique way.

For example, when I read a story, I can't help but imagine myself in the middle of it. Never the bad guy, mind you, but rather the one who is on the side of what is right. Why not? It's my imagination.

However, in Mark, instead of picturing myself as a disciple with perfect faith in the story, like Peter and others, I quickly forget all the beautiful things the Lord has done for us and identify with the twelve more than I care to admit. Like them, I might even forget to ask Him for help when I need it most, forgetting His presence is near, as near as the breath in our lungs.

Today, we continue our readings, and Jesus is “on the move,” as it went from region to region, performing miracles among His chosen children in Israel. His popularity is growing, and he tries to remain somewhat anonymous when he reaches the provinces of Tyre and Sidon. Weary from the road, he is sought out by a gentile woman who has a big problem: she has a child who is not well. This wasn't the run-of-the-mill cold/ and flu, although, in Jesus' time, it would have been quite dangerous as well. Instead, she had another type of malady. This child was possessed with an unclean spirit.

This type of thing, your local doctor could not cure or treat, and to imagine someone afflicted with such a thing is the stuff of horror films. In reality, the parent gets to watch helplessly the one they love the most slip deeper and deeper into a slow physical and spiritual death. I asked the kids earlier who they go to when they need help with big problems, and they, not surprisingly, went up the hierarchy of who they trust to solve their problems, depending on what they are.

This Syrophenician woman likely did the same thing. Although it's not stated that she may have gone to local physicians, history tells us that the Greeks had a few good ones, and she likely got no help.

Although Mark doesn't say it, it's a good bet she sacrificed to her local gods and idols as well. She heard no answers or found healing from the hollow and Stoney likenesses made up in the ancient world. Perhaps she had an anxious heart, as Isaiah said in this morning's reading.

I read this account, and I see a parent—not someone off in the ancient past, but a mom at the end of her rope—without hope, desperate, and nowhere to turn to. We can all identify with that. We have all been there, that moment like hers, where we hit our knees at the feet of our Lord and said, "Please help me! I'm in trouble, and I need you!"

Mark says she begged Jesus, and at that moment, He gave an answer that we may have some struggle with or take offense to. He said, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Mark didn't say she stood back and put up a fight or take offense for this. And if she didn't, how could I? Instead, she doubled down in agreement with Jesus, humbled herself even more, and likened her present condition to a dog happy with crumbs that fell off the table where the chosen children were seated.

Some might say that Jesus was testing her faith. But I do not think that was so. I believe this exchange was meant for us.

It happened so that those witnessing and in the immediate hearing, or future generations who read or heard the text, would see a faith so earnest and confident in the Lord. So that the words of Isaiah would echo into a future congregation:

Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

Mark gives us another lesson, though, of a man who could not hear anything and had difficulty getting others to hear him. Unlike the woman, he didn't seek Jesus; Mark writes that this man was brought to Jesus. I assume that these were concerned neighbors who decided for this poor man, and they begged Jesus to lay hands on him. Instead of Jesus publicly healing him, it's written that he takes the man aside privately and, with prayer, hands, and the word Eph-pha-tha, heals him. This man, who one could argue was a gentile as well, was healed with a single word by God. Most likely, he could not hear the word spoken or utter a word like amen, thank you, or anything… He had no active part in his healing; someone had brought him before the Lord, and he was made well in a moment.

This year, as a church family, we will grow together in new ways in Christ. Scripture will reveal new lessons for us all; some of them will not be easy. We will have new opportunities to love and serve our neighbors as we seek to keep God's two great Laws: To Love The Lord with heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

When we have family, friends, jobs, and health troubles, ask yourself where the best place to go for help is in times of spiritual strife. When we have a neighbor who has been deafened by the noise of the world and is without hope or words of their own, go with the help of others and speed them to the presence of Christ. Bring them to church with you, or bring them to an event here or bible study. Ask yourself, “What is there to fear in asking Jesus for help in times of need?” “What is holding me back from running straight to Him on behalf of our family and friends?”

This sanctuary is where Jesus is close to the brokenhearted, the scared, the lost, and the boldly confident in faith. He seeks to teach us not to be afraid to come to him.

When you leave today, be encouraged by the works of Christ because He works all things for His glory. Keep today's Psalm on your lips and in your hearts, and pray it often as a reminder of:

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

Amen