James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17, Mark 7:24-37In the accounts of Jesus’ ministry in Scripture we encounter many stories of healing. In one of them from the Gospel of Mark, Jesus heals a man who is deaf and also has a speech impediment. Jesus touches the man’s ears and his tongue and says to him: "Ephphatha” which means, “Be opened.” Ephphatha. Be opened. What a wonderful expression for healing. We can also think of those words as Jesus’ message to us: Ephphatha. Be opened. Broaden your horizons. Stretch the boundaries of your world, your interests, your compassion.
Ephphatha. Be opened.
Open your ears. Listen to the world. Pay attention to the voices that cry out, but often go unheard. The voices of the marginalized, the unseen and ignored. They want to be recognized. To be regarded as worthy of love. To be treated with respect.
Ephphatha. Be opened.
Open your heart. Jesus commands us to love our neighbor. Neighbor means everyone, including people who are different from us. People who annoy us. People whom we might prefer to avoid. These are all people whom God loves. We should show them our love too.
Ephphatha. Be opened.
Stretch the boundaries of your comfort zone. In the week ahead, I invite you to take a risk. Make a commitment to at least one new action that will broaden your horizons. Pay attention, really pay attention, to a news story about issues in a developing country. Reach out in an act of kindness to a stranger or a person you consider diasagreeable. Listen with your heart to someone’s need. Make a promise to pray for that person—and keep that promise.
Ephphatha. Be opened.
Peace,
Deacon Sue
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