Jeremiah 31:7-9 Psalm 126 Hebrews 7:21-28 Mark 10:46-52
Last week I led a session at Wollaston Theological College, for those training for ordination. I had one hour to talk about the role of the church in the world. A whole hour! I began with my favourite question – one you will almost certainly have heard me ask before. I asked them ‘what is the one thing you would stand up in court for, go to prison for, even die for?’ And we took time to consider that, and to explore what the role of the Church might be in these situations. And we talked about immigration and poverty and injustice, but then, as I read this week’s readings, I realise what we were really discussing was what it is we refuse to stay silent about. What is the thing that breaks our silence and makes us speak out?
Human trafficking, child sexual abuse, the environment, homelessness, addiction, education, lack of access to services, loneliness, care for the sick and elderly. What are the issues, what will we do, what should the church – God’s people collectively – do?
Often, the focus of the story of Bartimaeus is the miracle of the restoration of his sight. And that is remarkable. Miraculous. But that isn’t the thing that caught my attention most this week. It was all the noise!
In the Old Testament reading we have people singing aloud, raising shouts, proclaiming (you can’t do that quietly), giving praise, and weeping. In our Psalm there is laughter and shouts of joy and then we meet the blind man, sat on the roadside. Or rather, we walk past the blind man on the side of the road. Totally pass him by and don’t notice him at all and Blind Bartimaeus begins to shout out, ‘Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me’! Many order him to be quiet – but this is the thing he will break his silence over, and he cries out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’
The crowds are moving, the people are noisy and the voice that rings out above it all asks for mercy. People try to shut him up and Jesus stops. He stands still and he says, ‘call him here’ and they do.
The blind man refuses to stay silent when he knows his healing is available to him. He refuses to keep quiet, regardless of custom or tradition or respect. He cries out his own protest shout. And while we reflect on him breaking his silence, I wonder again what I might break my silence over. What is your Bartimaeus moment? When will we find ourselves standing alongside our own Bartimaeus and speak out for the sake of that man. What is it that will do away with our excuses of being too shy, not brave enough, not educated enough? What will open our hearts enough so our voices will follow?
And that leads me to ask the question, what will the church – worldwide – refuse to stay silent over? What loud calling voice do we need to hear from the church in the world, right now?
This past week I received an email from an organisation called ‘Palestinian Christians in Australia’, asking for the church in Australia to speak out against the genocide in Palestine. They wrote,
This past weekend, we commemorated one year since the Church of St. Porphyrios was hit by an Israeli airstrike, killing 22 and injuring 18 members of our community. Hundreds of Palestinian Christians remained sheltering [in churches] in Gaza. They have been there since October 2023, with nowhere to escape. Close to 200 have valid visitor visas for Australia. But the Australian government has not adequately supported them to leave Gaza, and now their visas are due to expire.
We are inviting Christian leaders around Australia to advocate with and for us.
In direct response to this advocacy, the government has pledged just over $477,000 to Palestinian Christians in Australia to house families arriving from Gaza. We are thankful for God’s faithfulness, the Church’s support, and the government’s provision… But thousands of the Australia Palestinian community’s family members remain trapped in Gaza, suffering famine, destruction and bloodshed. We are calling for the Australian Church to join us once again, as we say, more must be done.
We are inviting you to join the coalition of Christian leaders, as we call on the government to:
- Grant emergency humanitarian visas to thousands of Palestinians in Gaza.
- Provide sustained diplomatic pressure on the Israeli government about border crossings to allow safe evacuation from Gaza
- Provide assistance once these families arrive in Australia.
We are looking for churches to endorse the campaign…
And that makes me want to stand, like Bartimaeus did, and cry Lord Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us…
Last week, I preached that sometimes we need to say yes to God and then stay silent. And that remains true. It is also true that sometimes we need to say more – not just in prayer, but in word and action, in letters, in protests, in court or parliament, online and in person. Sometimes we don’t have the luxury of remaining silent. Sometimes speaking out leads to healing and freedom. Sometimes speaking up shines the light on that which is wrong and brings about change.
The words of the collect at the start of the service captured it beautifully when we prayed, ‘Jesus Christ…you heard the cry of the blind beggar when others would have silenced him. Teach us to be attentive to the voices others ignore, that we might respond and heal and welcome, for the sake of the gospel.’
So, in a few moments of silent reflection, let’s consider the question I began with; ‘What is the thing that will break your silence and makes you speak out’. There are those who are waiting for your voice. Amen.
Holy Adventures 