Christy Waltersdorff

Revive Us Again... to Go Forth to Serve

Matthew 15:21-28 Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon Text

One of the things I love about the Bible is that it always catches us by surprise. Just when we think we know the stories; just when we think we have it all figured out; just when we think we understand who Jesus is; God grants us new insight, something previously overlooked catches our attention, opens our eyes and takes our breath away.

Are you familiar with the story from Matthew 15? This is one that caught me by surprise. It is not an easy story to hear. A woman comes to Jesus and begs him to heal her daughter. This is a familiar biblical scene. People come to Jesus all the time for help- either for themselves or for a loved one. But in this case, the response from Jesus is not what we expect. Instead of saying, "Yes, I will help you," Jesus calls her a dog and tells her that other people are more important than her sick child.

In a few brief verses Jesus insults two of my favorite groups- dogs and kids. What's going on here? Why would Jesus say such a thing? Can this be the Jesus I know and love?

As always, when attempting to understand a biblical story, it is important to look at it within the context of the time and place. Earlier in chapter 15 Jesus is challenged by the religious leaders because his disciples do not follow the letter of the law when it comes to the rituals of the tradition. Then Jesus challenges his disciples because they just don't seem to understand what he is telling them.

Following these two encounters Jesus needs some time away so he travels to a foreign land, an unclean land, Gentile territory. He just wanted some peace and quiet.

But peace and quiet is not what he found, instead, he was found. A woman, a Gentile, a non-Jew approached and asked for his help. This woman has no business speaking to a Jewish man, especially a teacher. But she does.

She's like an illegal alien marching into the oval office demanding to see the president, or a bag lady requesting assistance from Bill Gates. She doesn't belong and she is not welcome.

What is most amazing, though, is that she addresses Jesus in a way that even his disciples have not yet figured out. She addresses him as the Messiah. She says, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David." Jesus' response to her plea is silence. So she keeps at it. Finally the disciples complain to Jesus, "Make her go away, she's bugging us."

Jesus finally speaks and what he says is unsettling, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." In other words, "Sorry lady, but you'll just have to wait in line." Jesus had a very clear agenda. He knew what his message was and who was to receive it. His message of salvation was first and foremost for the Jews. From his encounter with the religious leaders and the response of his own disciples, it was pretty clear that the chosen ones were not hearing his message.

He still had so much work to do with the Jews. It wasn't yet time to open up his mission to the outsiders, the Gentiles. But this desperate mother wasn't having any of that and she dropped to her knees at Jesus' feet and pleaded, "Lord, help me."

Instead of being moved with compassion as we would expect, Jesus surprises us again with, what I think is one of the most shocking statements in all of scripture, "It is not fair", he says, "to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."

In those days, the Jews knew that they were the children of God, they were God's chosen ones. They believed that all those outside of the Jewish circle were of no value. They were scum, they were subhuman, they were unworthy of God's attention. Calling someone a "dog" was one of the most insulting things you could say. It was an ethnic insult.

Instead of being humiliated and put-off by this terrible slur against her, however, the woman comes right back at Jesus. She will not let him off the hook. She takes him on. She keeps right on nipping at his heels, and she says, "Even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the table." She argues that with all of God's amazing bounty, there should be even just a crumb of grace for her daughter.

She is the only person I know of in the whole New Testament who argues with Jesus, and wins. Only three times in the Gospel of Matthew does Jesus minister to outsiders-- and this is one of them. Overwhelmed by her faith and her trust in him, Jesus cries out, "Woman, great is your faith. Let it be done as you ask." Instantly, her little girl is healed.

This woman, with her tenacious faith, her wit, and her love for her daughter, shows that the power of God to save can cross seemingly insurmountable boundaries. This Canaanite woman wrenches a blessing from Jesus. She steps out from behind the walls of exclusion and stakes her claim on the mercy and generosity of God. As an outsider she understands what the Jews cannot yet grasp, that the good news belongs also to the outsiders.

What is especially meaningful in this story is that this woman is willing to take even a crumb from Jesus, because she knows that even the crumbs are life-changing.

This is the day that the gospel of Jesus Christ blesses those outside the circle. Where the traditions of the elders and the religious law could see only an outcast, Jesus sees the woman's heart of faith. And this amazing story sets the stage for what is to happen following the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

If we look to the end of the Gospel of Matthew, in chapter 28, we find Jesus giving his farewell address to his eleven disciples. They have gathered on the mountain with him and he is preparing to ascend into heaven. As the disciples worship Jesus, some continue to have doubts. Even the sight of him, fresh from the tomb of death, did not remove all of their questions and uncertainties. On that mountain they wavered between adoration and indecision, between prayer and puzzlement. What I find most interesting is that they are not excluded because of their uncertainty. It is precisely to these followers, who are worshiping and doubting, that Jesus gives the Great Commission.

And this is the moment that erases all doubt that the old order has passed away and the new world of God is breaking out. Jesus basically says to his eleven disciples, "Remember how we always ministered almost exclusively to the Jews, the chosen people of God? Except for a few instances, including that persistent Canaanite mother, we reached out only to the people of Israel. Well, today is a new day.

Today I tell you that you shall go forth and make disciples of ALL nations. You shall go from here with my authority and my credentials. You will teach and you will heal and you will baptize in my name."

The Gospel of Matthew ends with these words of Jesus and so we don't know how the disciples responded to his last command to them. Don't you think they may have been a bit surprised by this?

Earlier in their ministry with Jesus, he commanded them to stay away from the Gentiles and the Samaritans and to go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But now, everything has changed. Now, in the light of his death and resurrection, the scope of Christ's mission is widened and deepened. And now, everyone is invited.

We know from reading further in the New Testament, particularly the book of Acts, that the disciples had a hard time with this. In fact, the first conference of the young church was to debate the issue of admitting Gentiles who did not first become Jews. Peter wasn't convinced until God spoke to him in a vision and reminded him that God shows no partiality. The Apostle Paul struggled with this inclusion throughout his ministry as well. I guess it isn't easy to teach old dogs new tricks.

Christ calls the disciples to expand the circle, to welcome in those who were previously unwelcome, to sit down at the table and eat with those they thought were unclean. Christ calls them to change their mind-set, to re-order their priorities. He calls them to open themselves to the revitalizing wind of the Holy Spirit. And daily they are to be aware of the constant presence of Christ with them.

Sisters and brothers, these words of Christ come to us now, just as fresh and new as the day they were first spoken on that mountain. We are the gathered people of God and we are commanded by Christ to go forth under his authority, with his credentials to make disciples, to teach and to baptize in his name. We are called to walk in his presence every single day.

Throughout our time together here at this 215th Annual Conference in Baltimore, we have been challenged to accept the call of Christ. We have been challenged to accept the revitalizing breath of the Holy Spirit and to go forth and serve in Christ's name.

Our time here has been busy - as Annual Conference always seems to be. Most of us have spent more time sitting in these chairs than we care to remember. We have listened to reports and voted on important issues.

We have agreed and we have disagreed. We have challenged one another and have been frustrated on more than one occasion. We have worshiped and prayed together. We have watched our children play, we have broken bread together, and we have laughed together.

And now it is time for us to leave this place and return to the world we know- our homes, our churches, our jobs, our families, our lives. Do you feel any different than you did when you arrived here last week, or yesterday or even this morning? Of course, you may be feeling a bit more tired- but that isn't what I mean. What I mean is, do you feel revived? Do you feel energized? Do you feel ready to do Christ's work in the world?

After hearing the command of Jesus the disciples stumbled down that mountain then they went out and did what he told them to do. But they didn't go out under their own power, they waited first for the arrival of the promised Holy Spirit. And that was another surprise- because the Holy Spirit arrived in wind and fire on the day of Pentecost. From the very beginning the Holy Spirit has moved in ways that we do not expect; ways that may make us feel uncomfortable.

If we want to be revived, if we want our church to be revived then we must be open to the life-giving force of the Holy Spirit. When someone stops breathing or their heart stops beating, someone else performs CPR, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. It is impossible for you to perform CPR on yourself. You just can't do it. You cannot breathe the breath of life into your own lungs. You cannot do the chest compressions needed to get your own heart beating again. When we are in crisis we need someone to come and help us. We need someone who has the power to do what we cannot.

When our spiritual heartbeat begins to falter, when our faith cannot catch its breath- we have to realize that we cannot revive ourselves. When our church begins to lose its focus, when our attentions are turned inward, we cannot revive ourselves. It is then that we must be open to the breath of the Holy Spirit; trusting in the Spirit's power to renew our lives, our faith, and our church.

My challenge for us today is to throw open the doors of our hearts, to throw open the doors of our churches, to throw open the doors of our Annual Conference and to welcome the Holy Spirit.

We know that we are not yet the people God has created us to be. We know that our church is not yet the church God has called us to be. We think know which corners of our church need to be swept clean by the wind of the Holy Spirit.

We think know which parts of our own faith need to be purified by the Spirit's fire. Before we answer Christ's call to go out and to serve, we best start getting our own house in order. As a denomination there is much we can hold up to God with joy- but there are also areas of our church life that we try to keep hidden from God.

It takes courage to invite the Holy Spirit to move in our midst, because often the Spirit moves in ways that we do not expect. The Spirit moves in ways that may make us feel uncomfortable; ways that we may not like.

The Spirit of God pushes us and challenges us to increase our faith, to renew our relationships, to move on to a deeper level of commitment to Jesus Christ. Sometimes the Spirit calls us to welcome those we would rather not welcome, to break bread with those we deem unworthy, to share God's word with those we would rather not associate with, to open the doors of our churches to those we prefer not to invite in. Even Jesus found, in his encounter with the Gentile woman, that sometimes the Spirit pushes us to change our agenda. The Holy Spirit often forces us to become the people we were created to be. The Holy Spirit calls us to be new people. The Holy Spirit calls us to be the people of God.

If we allow the breath of the Holy Spirit to give us new life, then God will empower us to live in a new way, and then-- instead of pointing fingers at each other- we would make sure that our own lives point to the One who died on a cross and walked out of the tomb.

Instead of being so quick to judge and condemn others, both inside and outside the church, we would be even quicker to forgive, understand, and care for one another.

Instead of choosing our own issues, dividing into opposing camps and waging war against one another, we would seek the wisdom of the scriptures, welcome the insight of the Holy Spirit, and trust that Christ has enough love to go around.

Instead of coming to Annual Conference with our own agendas, we would come together with the agenda of Jesus Christ.

Instead of talking about others, we would talk with them.

Instead of assuming that we know "what Jesus would do," we would get to know Jesus.

Instead of crucifying our church leaders when they say something with which we disagree, we would get to know them as children of God, we would pray with them for our church.

Instead of imitating the culture of hatred, envy, violence, exclusion, and judgementalism that is running rampant in the world around us, we would imitate our gracious and loving God.

Instead of seeking our own power, own our recognition, our own way, we would seek the way of Christ through humility, service, and mercy.

Then, and only then, will we be ready to go forth and serve in Christ's name.

Then, and only then, will the power of the Holy Spirit fill us to overflowing.

Then, and only then, will God's great love and grace be seen in our lives.

Jesus said, "Go! Make disciples, baptize, teach, and remember, I am with you always."

My brothers and sisters, that call comes to us today, in this place, at this time.

Together we have heard the call of Christ.
Together, let us answer it.
Go!   Make disciples!   Baptize!   Teach!
And remember, Christ is with us always!
Thanks be to God!
Amen.