Looking at this Sunday's lectionary readings it seems there is the opportunity for some brilliantly inclusive, disability positive sermons and services. Also, there is the danger of some very ableist languages to be used.
What follows are only some initial thought, they might be helpful or extremely and wildly off base.
Mark 11:46-52
46 Then
they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd,
were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”),
was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard
that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of
David, have mercy on me!”
48 Many
rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of
David, have mercy on me!”
This is the experience of many living with disability disabled people,
calling out, asking for help, demanding change only to be told to be quiet. Bartimaeus has the best response though, faced with being told to be quiet he shouts
all the louder! Those living with disability Disabled people are getting tired of needing to
shout because people aren’t listening.
49 Jesus
stopped and said, “Call him.”
Jesus gives the best response to both the people shushing Bartimaeus and to Bartimaeus crying out. He acknowledges him, he listens to him and instead of entering
into a teaching moment with those trying to silence the blind man he tells them
to call him over.
So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s
calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his
feet and came to Jesus.
51 “What
do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
I love this comment from Jesus so much. There is no assumption on
Jesus part that what Bartimaeus wants is to be able to see. Bartimaeus is approaching
a man he has called “Son of David” a title which declared that this blind man
had insight about who Jesus was far beyond all but Jesus’ closest friends, it
was a Messianic title. Like Peter saying a couple of chapters before “You are
the Christ.”
Instead of immediately healing him Jesus asks, how can I help? A
simple but profoundly important question to ask those living with disability disabled people.
It contains no assumptions that you know what they need, it is not taking the
arm of a blind person and leading them, grabbing the handles of a person’s wheelchair
and steering it or leading an overstimulated person with Autism autistic person away from others.
It says, “I do not know so you tell me, what will make your situation easier?”
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” (some translations include "again.")
He doesn’t say “Heal me” fix the wrong, he doesn’t say “Forgive me”
fix the sin behind my condition. He says “I want to see” in the absence of
society changing to allow him to make a living without being able to see, his
only option was to be able to see (see again). Not just see either, the Greek word also
means to look up, to look to heaven (it is the same Greek word used when Jesus looks up to heaven to give thanks)
52 “Go,” said
Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he
received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
It is Bartimaeus’ faith that Jesus is the Messiah which gives him
the sight he wanted, and once enabled to take part in the mission of Jesus, Bartimaeus
follows him.
Jeremiah 31:7-9
This is what the Lord says:
“Sing with joy for Jacob;
shout for the foremost of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
‘Lord, save your people,
the remnant of Israel.’
Words from the prophet to a people returning from exile
in Babylon but could equally be to the church returning from its exile of COVID.
8 See, I will bring them from the land of the north
and gather them from the ends of the earth.
Through our services moving online and broadening our
reach, more people have connected with our communities than ever before, people
who have been in the past unable to join us because in person they did not feel
welcomed or able to come and now we are going back God is bringing them with
us. How will we respond? New people change things, people with different needs
will change things, people who speak, act of differently will change things.
Among them will be the blind and the lame,
This message of hope and joy is not that the "blind and the lame" (blind people and those with limited mobility would be better) will come seeing and dancing. It is not that they will be healed or need
to be healed, it is not that they will be changed or need to change. It is a
statement that God is calling God’s people and guess what, some of them are disabled!
expectant mothers and women in labor;
Make space for buggies and start a toddler group BEFORE
you have children. In Isaiah 54 the prophet tells the people that God wants
them to make their tents bigger for the people who are coming. This is the same
thing. Make the space now. Make the adjustments now. Don’t say, “We have no
mothers, we have no blind people, no people with disabilities disabled people” because you won’t unless
you make your doors wider, your print bigger, make space for people overwhelmed
by noise, change your language away from ableist stereotypes. Because then…..
a great throng will return.
9 They will come with weeping;
they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead them beside streams of water
on a level path where they will not stumble,
If we level the path in our churches (metaphor) it
benefits everyone
because I am Israel’s father,
and Ephraim is my firstborn son.
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