People's Prayers: Prayers of the People: Openings ~ 15th Sunday after Pentecost '21 Yr B

For Sunday, September 5, 2021, Readings: Isaiah 35:4-7a, Psalm 146, James 2:1-10, [11-13], 14-17;

Mark 7:24-37

Say to those who are of a fearful heart, 'Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God…He will come and save you.'

[Isaiah 35:4a,c]

Put not your trust in rulers, nor of any child of earth…Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help…The Lord sets prisoners free…opens the eyes of the blind…lifts up those who are bowed down…loves the righteous…cares for the stranger…sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked.

[Psalm 146:2a, 7-8]

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ…What good is it…if you say you have faith but do not have works? [James 2:1, 14]

But she answered [Jesus], 'Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.' Then he said to her, 'For saying that, you may go ~ the demon has left your daughter'...Then looking up to heaven, [Jesus] sighed and said to him, 'Ephphatha,' that is, 'Be opened.' And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. [Mark 7:28-29, 34-35]

In the midst of all that is happening in our world at this moment, come the appointed readings for this week filled with hope, warnings, instruction, and questions. We are emphatically reminded that awareness, attentiveness, and good works are keys to how we live into the faith we claim, and we ignore them at our eternal peril. In taking easier ~ even unconscious/habitual ~ paths in giving favor to ourselves and only certain others, by not working on behalf of all our sisters and brothers, in following the laws we like and not the ones we don't, we are in sin and our faith will slowly falter and die.

Isaiah opens us with the hopeful message to all who are of a fearful heart by encouraging us to be strong and not fear, and then comes an immediate warning of God’s vengeance and recompense yet what follows is the comforting He will come and save you.

The Psalmist instructs us not to put trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth and then parallels the comforting words of Isaiah about the healings of the blind, the deaf, the lame, and others.

James then asks if I really believe....well, sure, when I'm consciously aware, attentively faithful, and when in church, more or less. I have to think about what I believe, sometimes. Yet at other times I'm absolutely certain. I suddenly realize how rarely aware of how unaware of God I am in the rush of the day, the list to be completed, life whipping by at warp speed. I am all-too-often lax in the action specified in the Royal Law of scripture to love your neighbor as yourself.

And then here is Jesus saying, "Ephphatha" ~ "Be opened." This miraculous phrase gives me a pause, a moment to breathe, an opening of my own to release me from the self-imposed binding of mindless selfishness. The writer of James is trying to open us all to act on what we say we believe; after all, aren’t actions borne out of consciousness, mindfulness, and faithfulness the keys to living out our faith in God?

Even the Syrophoenician woman opened herself ~ in an unexpected way for a woman of her time ~ to talk back to Jesus with quite a stunning retort. Jesus was in the middle of his ministry, and he was becoming well known for his healing and preaching, sought after by his Jewish followers. Being confronted by a non-Jewish [Gentile] woman asking for her child to be healed he told her, in effect, that Jewish people [the "children"] should be fed [healed] first as it wasn't fair to throw their food [healing] to the dogs [Gentiles]. Was he merely testing her or was he in turn also opened by her candor when she replied, Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs? Jesus replied, For saying that you may go, and her child was released from the demon.

As Jesus healed the man who was deaf and couldn't speak clearly, he also heals us. By these words we can open up to new insight, new awareness. We were created to live and act in faith, to reap the harvest of eternal life, to love and treat all our neighbors as if they were our own selves. Let us explore and re-discover the faith that becomes more conscious with every thought, with every kindness, and every action centered in Christ. It is true that the promises in Scripture of retribution for evil or an easy life for goodness aren't always seen or heard, yet even the tiniest crumbs of faith paired with good acts and obedience to God's law, will live and thrive and grow. A sentence from one of the post-Communion Prayers in the Episcopal Book of Common [page 365] sums it up quite beautifully: Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart. Ephphatha!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Lord our God, rouse us from the distractions of our own time, that we may turn crumbs of neglect into seeds of generosity that blossom into love for our neighbors and ourselves. Guide us to fulfill the royal law according to Scripture and use our work in this earthly life as a reflection of our abiding belief in You.

God of Hope and Compassion

RESPONSE: Transform our Faith into Action

~ O Lord our God, empower our voices to disquiet the satisfaction of those who profit from injustice, and help us turn aside such rulers of earth. Let us call for those who wield power in the halls of government on our Planet, in our Nation, and in our Community, to be true of heart, turn their trust to You, and work to ensure the dignity and humanity of all. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

God of Hope and Compassion