January 24, 2023 – “Be Opened”

“Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Mark 7:31-37

{“Two American tourists are driving through Wales. They decide to stop for a bite to eat in the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Baffled by the name, one of them turns to a local and asks, “Would you please say where we are—very slowly?” The Welshman leans over and says, very slowly, “Burrr-gerrr Kinngg.”}

“Be opened”, Jesus says – and the man’s ears were opened, and his tongue released. Often we hear of something like a new historical find or read a book we have never read before, and the world takes on a new look. I am currently reading a book titled “Entangled Life: how fungi make our worlds, change our lives and shape our futures” by Merlin Sheldrake. I had no idea how fascinating mushrooms and lichens could be – how connected things under the earth are — and so gives us a model for how connected humanity should be.

Or, according to the author of another book I am currently reading, we can thank coffee for expanding and opening the minds of so many people since the coffee bean was “discovered” in Yemen by some hungry goats. The author writes: “The discovery of coffee was, in its way, as important as the invention of the telescope or the microscope, without which we should know little of the incredibly vast and nothing of the incredibly small. For coffee has unexpectedly intensified and modified the capacities and activities of the human brain.” (Coffee: The Epic of a Commodity, H. E. Jacob)

How can we open ourselves up to hear the Gospel in new ways? How can the bible be opened to our hearing so that we might hear them with fresh ears? The best way to hear the Gospel is to hear it in multiple formats – to hear it preached – to engage it in bible study – to hear different interpretations – and to listen for the Holy Spirit as you seek guidance in understanding the scriptures.

Let us pray: Dear G-d, help me follow the teaching of Jesus who says “Be Opened” – let my ears hear….Amen.

Pastor Dave