Untitled Sermon (26)

The Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

A free bird leaps

on the back of the wind

and floats downstream

till the current ends

and dips his wing

in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and

his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill

for the caged bird

sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn

and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill

for the caged bird

sings of freedom.

1st round of Check-in

How is your semester going?

Intro today

Racism Does Not Equal Gospel

A lot of easy passages, this is not one of them

What we are really going to talk about is accountability

Reading Scripture

Matthew 15:21–28 “21 Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.”

Mark 7:24–30 “24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30 So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.”

Questions

Who is the woman? What do we know about her?

Who is Jesus, what do we know about him?

What does Jesus say to her at first?

What does Jesus say secondly?

To some the woman is humble and desperate, to others she is empowered and wise, how do you see her and why?

Where are the disciples in all of this?

A couple of facts

She is the only woman in Matthew described as having great faith

This is the Only time that we see Jesus being taught by someone and that someone is not properly supposed to be teaching him anything

She challenges the boundary between Jew and Gentile, insiders and outsiders. Her response opens the door to broader inclusion.

As a Gentile, she stands in for all who are “outside” traditional religious boundaries—and her story becomes a sign of the gospel’s reach beyond Israel.

It is after this moment that Jesus’ Ministry is marked by inclusion

Commentary

The most prevalent theory explains that Jesus was testing the woman’s faith and his disciples’ character via his silent behavior and theological responses. This theory finds its basis in focusing on what Jesus does not do, rather than what he does. Throughout Matthew and Mark, Jesus never directly sends the woman away. In Matthew, he remains silent to her cries until the disciples tell him to send her away. He has the power to dismiss her, but Jesus instead allows the woman to remain in his presence to question him. Her persistence also further glorifies Jesus by accentuating his all-knowing power and kindness towards children later in the Gospels.

- https://religion.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Anne-Katherine-Edwards-Whos-in-Charge-Here_How-Traditional-and-Feminist-Scholars-Explain-the-Story-of-Jesus-and-the-Canaanite-Syrophoenician-Woman.pdf

Closing Commentary Piece:

The Canaanite woman is persistent, bold, a damn good mother, and an unnamed figure that though insulted and verbally abused, changed the course of Jesus’ ministry and opened his heart. And she also speaks to us today saying that she should not have had to do that. She should not have had to be insulted and ridiculed and made to educate a bunch of men in order for her daughter to be made well. May we also name this woman as a pillar of our faith to remind us that we must hold ourselves and the church accountable to further the kin-dom of God while never placing the oppressed in a position to do that accountability for us. Jesus was held accountable and it changed the trajectory of his mission, will we do the same thing without traumatizing the other? Because the mission of our church is at stake and our siblings of color, our siblings who are queer, our siblings who are this Canaanite woman, are tired.

- https://justiceunbound.org/the-canaanite-woman-and-the-accountability-of-jesus/

Accountability in our culture

Introduce Peggy Ma

Final Round of Check-in

What is still on your mind?