James 2:1-9; 14-17
Mark 7:24-37
Children’s Message
Last Sunday, some of you will remember that we were talking about the wonderful Creation that God made. And I asked you what was your favourite animal, or plant, or place in the Creation.
This morning I want to find out what other favourite things you have:
What’s your favourite colour?
What’s your favourite food?
What’s your favourite activity?
What’s your favourite subject in school?
Do you have a favourite person? Maybe a best friend?
I wonder… Do you think that Jesus had favourite things too?
Do you think Jesus had a favourite person?
Do you think Jesus had a best friend? (Maybe Peter?)
There were people that Jesus spent more time with, for sure. His disciples who decided to leave their homes and go out on the road with Jesus spent lots of time with him, listening to his teaching and learning his ways. And I expect that Jesus loved them a whole lot!
There were other people Jesus met who maybe caused him more trouble – the Pharisees who challenged what Jesus taught, and other leaders who didn’t like how so many people were following Jesus.
And Jesus met people who were very different from him. He met people who lived in different towns, who had different customs, and sometimes different religions and beliefs about God.
Mika and Timo are going to read a Bible passage for us now. It’s about two of the people that Jesus met on his journey. As they read the story, I want you to listen carefully for a few things:
Who were the people Jesus met?
What did they ask for from Jesus?
What did Jesus do for them?
Healing Story #2
31 Jesus left Tyre and went up to Sidon before going back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns.[d] 32 A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him.
33 Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue. 34 Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened!” 35 Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly!
36 Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news. 37 They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.”
Who did Jesus meet? A man who was deaf (couldn’t hear) and because of that he couldn’t speak very well either.
What did the man ask for? He asked for healing. Actually, a bunch of people in the crowd brought the man and asked Jesus to heal the man.
What did Jesus do? Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit on his own fingers and touched the man’s tongue. He prayed, “Be opened!” and then the man could hear perfectly and speak well too.
Healing Story #1
24 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre.[a] He didn’t want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn’t keep it a secret. 25 Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil[b] spirit, 26 and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter.
Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia, 27 Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews.[c] It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
28 She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates.”
29 “Good answer!” he said. “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.
Who did Jesus meet? A woman, a Gentile woman (not a Jewish person like Jesus)
What did the woman ask for? To cast out a demon from her daughter.
What did Jesus do? At first he started to say that he couldn’t help because his main job was to help his own people, the Jews. But then, she asked him again, and he did it. He made the demon go away, and the little girl was okay again.
Do you think Jesus had favourite people? People that he liked better and wanted to help more?
Most people around Jesus had favourites. They liked the people who were like them… the people who lived in the same town, spoke the same language, had the same religion and the same customs.
When someone from their group was unwell like the man in our story, other people wanted to help him and bring him to Jesus.
No one helped the woman when her daughter was unwell. She had to leave her daughter alone to go and ask Jesus for help. And even then, she had to beg because usually Jews like Jesus wouldn’t care about Gentiles like her.
But Jesus decided not to have favourites. He knew that God’s love is for everyone, so he helped the woman by sending that demon away from her daughter.
I wonder if we can be like Jesus in that way…
Can we decide not to have favourite people? Or even if we do have a best friend, can we remember that Jesus wants us to love and care for anyone who needs our help?
Reflection: God Doesn’t Pick Favourites
When we were going over that hymn at choir practice on Thursday night, Chloe asked “How many verses are we going to sing?” And then Shirley in the office asked “How many verses do you want me to include?” So I looked at the verses to try to pick the best ones and leave off the rest, and I couldn’t do it.
I didn’t want to leave out the paralyzed man, or Jairus’ daughter, or Bartimaeus. I didn’t want to leave out the people with leprosy, or those who were blind or deaf either. So we sang all the verses, without picking favourites.
But it’s easier to avoid picking favourites when it comes to singing, and harder to avoid picking favourites when it comes to people.
We naturally gravitate towards people who are similar to us. They’re easy to talk to because we have things in common. We don’t have to worry about whether we speak the same language, or have the same cultural expectations, whether our differences are related to race, generation, or economic status.
Have you noticed that people from different generations sometimes use different words that other generations don’t understand? I’m from Gen X, so I know words like “bogus, psych, dude, and gnarly.”
I’ve also learned some Millenial words like “cancelled, woke, adulting, and all the feels.” But Gen Z has come up with some new ones that confuse me. Things like: “FOMO, sus, cheugy, fam, big mad, and snack.” And I’m sure I have no idea what the Gen Alphas are talking about!
Even if we have to work a little harder to understand each other across our differences, I love the fact that the church is for all of us – every generation, every culture, every colour, every background.
When we come into the church, we’re not required to dress like, or talk like, or act like the Baby Boomers or the Silent Generation who came before us, but our goal is to welcome one another just as we are.
Another difference between people that can be difficult for us is the fact that we don’t all have the same amount of money. Some of us have well-paying jobs and own nice, comfortable homes. Some of us have to live more modestly, renting accommodation and budgeting carefully to make ends meet. And some of us really struggle to pay the bills and have enough to eat.
Our different experiences and situations can make it more difficult to relate to each other sometimes. We make assumptions that the richer folk must be selfish and stuck up, and we might think those who are dealing with poverty must be lazy or irresponsible. Whether or not we say anything inappropriate out loud, often we judge one another silently and subtly pick favourites in the people who are most like us.
The Apostle James, writing to a group of early Christian Churches encouraged the followers of Jesus to build inclusive Christian communities by being careful not to show favoritism and to truly love their neighbours as themselves.
James 2:1-9, 14-17
My dear siblings, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favour some people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
14 What good is it, dear siblings, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
As we enter into a busy season in the life of our congregation, this is a good moment to pause and think about how we live together in loving Christian community with all of our diversities.
It’s not just about declaring that “God’s Love Includes Everyone,” but we also need to be committed to enacting that loving welcome. And that takes all of us working together to make sure that every person is treated with dignity, respect, and care. We need to pay attention so that we notice and respond to anyone among us who has a need – whether for a meal, a prayer, a listening ear, or a gentle hug.
Let’s give thanks for the ways that we are already doing these things as a church family, and commit ourselves to keep on growing in love for one another within this beautiful, diverse, community of faith.