Sunday Sermon - 22 September

I had a chat with someone this week about our Church’s lectionary with the question being asked - Why do we have to read the same passages over and over again?  The bible is a big book with a lot of options.  And then, the question is begged, how are these passages even chosen?  Sometimes it appears that they don’t have any connective purpose whatsoever.  Here I am, looking at this first reading in particular and thinking, seriously?  

“A capable wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.”

Then the passage goes into all the work she does from daybreak before the household wakes.  It speaks of her dignity, wisdom, and kindness in teaching.  

The passage ends with the statement that her faith in the Lord is more important than beauty and charm and that she deserves - no, has earned - to share in the fruits of her labour and she is worthy to be praised.

Interpretations of passages such as these can be manipulated to selfish ends.  A misogynistic, sexist might say this is scriptural proof that a woman’s place is in the home, serving her husband and taking care of her family but this passage does not stand alone for we still read from James and the Gospel of Mark.

James speaks of service and humility before God and the importance of being bearers of peace.  Just like the woman of Proverbs who serves her household, she keeps the peace, and is led by her faith.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that he must suffer, die, and rise from the dead. Right after this, they get into an argument about who among them is the greatest. Jesus then says that now famous line "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all."  Jesus then brings a child to him, to make his point -  a child, an innocent, yet accomplished, yet tarnished by the selfish and self-interested demands of life - this is who the people of God are called to be.  

This is what connects our readings today:

A woman, a peacemaker and a child.  A woman, a peacemaker and a child. 

Earlier this week, I was watching television and a promotion, maybe for TIFF, came on about a new movie called The Last of the Sea Women.  The logline for this movie reads:

In The Last of the Sea Women, an extraordinary band of feisty grandmother warriors wage a spirited battle against vast oceanic threats. Often called real-life mermaids, the haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island are renowned for centuries of diving to the ocean floor — without oxygen — to harvest seafood for their livelihood. Today, with most haenyeo now in their 60s, 70s and 80s, their traditions and way of life are in imminent danger. But these fierce, funny and hardworking women refuse to give an inch, aided by a younger generation’s fight to revive their ancestral lifestyle through social media. Peering into what drives haenyeo young and old, this moving documentary zeroes in on their tight-knit friendships, savvy independence and infectious sense of empowerment. The story unfolds into an uplifting tale of women taking on world powers to protect their beloved ocean and inspire a new generation.

Now this story itself is a worthwhile example of how women, inspired by a will to serve and survive, seek to make the world a better place but actually, the reason I’m caught by The Last of the Sea Women is because of its producer, Malala Yousafzai. 

Malala, who you have probably heard of, is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17. She was an advocate for girls’ education in her homeland of Swat Valley in Pakistan. This area was controlled by a local Taliban regime which had banned girls from attending school. When Malala was 11 years old, she started to write a blog under the fake name of Gul Makai in order to keep safe from the Taliban.  In her blog she wrote about her life as a young female under Taliban rule and her yearning to be educated.

In 2012, at the age of 15, Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt. She survived, was not deterred, and continued her mission with even more force.  She eventually moved to the UK, established a fund to support the education of young women throughout the world and remains a strong advocate for this cause and the cause of peace.  I envision this Sunni Moslem child, now woman, as the embodiment of all that we are to learn from today’s readings.

A woman, a peacemaker, a child.  

Proverbs calls us to serve God through acts of love and humility and yes, sometimes - often - this love is self-sacrificing, like the love of a woman, like the love of a mother.

James calls us to be peacemakers in a world that seems to suffer ever more violence.

Jesus calls us to humility, to set aside our desire “for greatness” and come before him - before God - as a child, vulnerable but powerful in faith. Knowing that, as long as we lead by love, we are serving God. Just as Malala does, just as we are called to in our own smaller way, to make a positive, loving difference in our world.

Although our lectionary continues to repeat itself on a three-year cycle and although the reading selections and combinations don’t always seem to make sense at first glance, God’s message shines through when we quiet ourselves, when we open our hearts and minds and allow the Holy Spirit to inform our thoughts.  

For me, today, Malala was the embodiment of what God was saying through scripture. She was the woman, the peacemaker, the child. As I’m up here, preaching away, God’s spirit coming to you through scripture, may take your thoughts on a different journey, on your journey, and that’s okay - it’s actually good.  Allow the Holy Spirit to come to you and listen for God’s message. As you do, you will experience God’s grace.  

A woman, a peacemaker, a child.  

Who is the child upon Jesus’ knee for you?  

Who is your Malala?