1st Sermon of Internship

Sermon for Sunday, August 17, 2008
Pentecost +14
Text: Matthew 15:10-20, 21-28

"God help me."

How many times have you heard that? Does it even have meaning anymore, or is it a catchphrase – a line quoted by actors who want to emotionally ‘sell’ a moment – or even just an empty expression, like people who will use the name of Christ to convey exasperation or anger?
Even in churches sometimes, it seems like the expression ‘with the help of God’ becomes just another line of the liturgy that we repeat ad infinitum without really paying attention. It’s part of our baptismal liturgy, our wedding liturgy, and even this morning as I was installed as Vicar, my vow was "I will, and I ask God to help me."

God directly intervening in life to help people is an idea that we often brush off onto the more exuberant expressions of the Charismatic churches – mainline churches tend to want to talk more about God helping people through the actions of others, rather than God helping people directly. Sometimes, it seems like it cuts down on the disappointment when our wishes aren’t granted.

Of course, not everything we wish for coincides with the will of God. But how do we reconcile that with the stories in the New Testament, where those who seek out God are healed, cleansed, forgiven, and relieved?

Glossy Christian pop culture often points out that ‘if’ you have faith, then obviously you will receive from God whatever you ask, and if you don’t get what you want you don’t have ‘biblical’ faith – faith that obviously leads you to do whatever Jesus tells you to do, through the Bible.

But is faith as simple as doing what the Bible tells you?

During my undergraduate years, I heard Pastor Wally Gartke tell a story about a man who was a deeply dedicated Evangelical christian. This man lived and breathed the Bible. Ask him a question, and he could quote chapter and verse, an answer to a unbiblical question. In fact, this is largely how he made decisions in his life.

If he had a big decision to make, he would take his Bible, hold it, pray over it, and them open it seemingly at random to a page. The first verse he saw, he would interpret as God’s will in his situation as to how he would act.

For those who are interested, this is called bibliomancy.

So, the story goes that this young man met a young woman, and things progressed as they’re bound to. After a while though, the relationship started to hit a rocky patch, so the man sought solace in Scripture.

So he took his Bible out, raised it above his head, and prayed. Then, placing it on the table before him, he opened it, and read aloud the first passage he saw: "Genesis 9:21," he said, "Noah drank of the wine, and drunk, lay uncovered in his tent."

Perplexed, he tried again.

So again, he took the Book, raised it, prayed over it, and again he set it down and opened it. "Matthew 27:5: Judas took a rope and hanged himself."

By this time he was certain that he wasn’t sincere enough in his searching. So he took more time to prepare himself.

So again, deep breath, prayer, and he set the Book down on the table, and opened it. "Luke 10:37," he read, "Jesus said: go thou and do likewise."

Trying to always be perfect and follow Jesus to the letter isn’t an easy task. To turn the words of the Savior into a religious system is to shoehorn them into a mould for which they were not intended. Living faith isn’t faith in the Bible or in a religious system, it’s a faith in the saving grace of Christ. But even the disciples lose sight of this. As do we.

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She’s poor. She’s ragged. She’s disgusting and dirty, and desperate. Her little girl is tormented by a power so evil that none of the gods of her ancestors can’t seem to help her, nor any of their gods. So she turns to the One that she’s heard about, or maybe even heard herself, because her exclamation is not directed to a learned teacher, but to a Savior:

"Have mercy on me Lord, O Son of David!"

And Jesus says not a word. The disciples stop, look at each other. They’re uncomfortable, being seen with the revered teacher while this woman from Canaan caterwauls at their feet. She’s outside of their system, off their radar, and they don’t care.

And what is Jesus doing? He not saying a bloomin’ thing! There are uncomfortable looks between the men. Nudges. Then, finally, one turns to Jesus and, red with embarrassment, says "Jesus! She’s causing a scene! People are looking, man – tell her to go away!"

Naturally, they don’t want anything to do with her. She’s unclean. She’s dirty, filthy, and worse yet, she talked to Jesus like she actually believed in him. She’s not even a proselyte – a converted follower of the Jewish law.

The traditional interpretation of this passage is that Jesus is being rude or dissmissive to the woman. But change the tone of the story at this part, and you have a different exchange. You don’t have a rebuke, or an argument. She sees in Jesus what the disciples only catch little glimpses of – they see a man, she sees a Savior. So in their exchange, the greatest gift of God’s grace is illuminated for all to see.

Her faith is to see that grace through Christ can move and change our own reality. Her reality at home a demon with which she contests every day. As much as her daughter is a prisoner in her own body, her mother is caught in a nightmare. So in her despair she calls to the Savior.

"Lord, help me!"

Jesus stops, looks at each of his disciples. Twelve men, casting glances at each other like schoolboys afraid somebody will see them talking to the girl with braces. Looks at the woman, kneeling on the ground before him, pleading for the soul of her little girl.

"I wasn’t sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." After all, all of his disciples are Jews, aren’t they?

But again that insistence, that certainty: "Lord, help me!"

Looking again at the disicples: "but it’s not good to take the bread I offer and give it to those who are unclean."

And her reply: "but your bread is so good I only ask for a little bit."

She broke the code. In all the lectures, lessons, parables, and preaching that Jesus has done for the disciples, this one desperate woman sees.

"great is your faith! Your daugther is healed!" For grace is for all who see, who believe, and who ask.

"Lord, help me." How many times have you prayed that same prayer? Have you knelt at your bedside, the bedside of your parent, the bedside of your child, and begged God to be with you? When all channels are exhausted, when every prayer written in the worship book has been prayed, and all learned scholars and teachers have gone, when you are alone in your life, how many times have those words escaped your lips? And known that you had nothing left?

"Lord, help me."

And maybe you’ve heard the Savior’s reply: "I am with you".

For Christ is always with us. In our long, dark night of our souls Christ is with us. We are not forsaken, because Christ himself bears our burdens and offers us peace, and rest. This is the faith that the same Christ who suffered and died for us suffers with us now, and even as he rose from the dead so too will our sorrows be ended in newness of abundant life.

When we walk with Christ, he doesn’t lead us to a religion, to a system, to a certain doctrine. Through a a very personal invitation he leads us to the means of his grace, to a cup that overflows, to bread that gives life abundantly, and to a font overflowing with the water of life.

Through that invitation we exchange our own burdens for the freedom of life in Christ, we find our sins are forgiven, we come together as a community to share in that good news, and we are sent forth to proclaim that good news to a world that is desperate to hear it.

As we journey together in these next months, it is my prayer that we may walk beside each other, and help each other learn more about that invitation.

That we may together take up the yoke of the Savior and learn from him, so that we may all find rest for our souls.

May God help us all.
May this be so among us, Amen.