Marginalized

Last Sunday our worship community discussed how to create a
safe place for people seeking to pursue ministry in the arts. (In
future articles, we will be looking at some of those character-
istics that make people feel welcome, cared for, and valued.)
In reflecting on that discussion, I realized how important this
quality is, given the culture in which many of us find ourselves.
We can be surrounded by people all day and still feel alone. Or
we might think that because we are in a certain life situation,
have a certain color of skin, or have arrived at a certain age
that we are not fully accepted, but have been moved to the
margins.

Marginalized: We’re all familiar with the concept in today’s
vernacular. It refers to those people or persuasions which are
out of the mainstream, less influential, or even completely
devalued. The dictionary lists, among it’s meanings, “the edge
of something, especially the outer edge or the area close to it;
the part farthest from the center- that part of anything, e.g., a
society or organization, that is least integrated with the center,
least often considered, least typical or most vulnerable.”
In Mark 7:24-37, we are presented with a dynamic encounter
between Jesus and one such person who dared to challenge the
notion that God’s grace be reserved for a select few. The writer
describes it this way: “The woman was a Greek, born in Syr-
ian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her
daughter. “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her,
“for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to
their dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under
the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Talk about chutzpah!
that in this dog-eat-dog world of ours, there will always be
those who are undesirables, inconveniences, even just plain
losers? In this Darwinian approach to the masses, what’s the
big deal when someone less educated, less attractive, perhaps
less spiritual than the mainstream goes under for the third
time?

Well, there is One who thinks that it is a big deal, and as our
Good Shepherd he relentlessly pursues those very kinds of
people. Those people like you and me. I think of the line from
the familiar hymn, “Come Thou Fount” – Jesus sought me
when a stranger, wand’ring from the fold of God. Talk about
your margins! While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. I
wasn’t just a little off-center...I was nearly over the cliff! As
were you. As was everyman.

May it never be an acceptable notion to any of us that we are
outside the margins of God’s love and redemption plan...ever!
And may it be equally intolerable that we would view even one
person we encounter as less than us or unworthy of the touch
of God. As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, let’s use
margins for writing papers, not classifying people.

-tad