A Mirrorball
This sermon was delivered by a current CPE student, Meghan Garvey, who is completing her clinical time at St. John’s Senior Living and Care on August 18, 2025 in Rochester. Though raised in a Christian context she is in the ordination process in the Unitarian Universalist tradition. She was offered the opportunity to reflect on the story of the Canaanite woman in the Christian New Testament. Now you have an opportunity to enjoy it as well.
I don't know if the news has hit St. John's yet: Taylor Swift announced a new album last week. Anticipation seems to have taken over just about every corner of the internet! So I've had Taylor on my mind a fair bit, including while I was preparing this sermon. This might sound goofy, but even as I opened my Bible to get into the word for this week, I started to hear the lyrics of one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs “mirrorball”.
“I want you to know
I'm a mirrorball
I'll show you every version of yourself tonight
I'll get you out on the floor
Shimmering beautiful
And when I break it's in a million pieces”
Now, I promise I am not about to compare Taylor to Jesus Christ. I simply couldn’t believe how wonderfully these writings aligned. For from text today, I want you to know, Jesus is a mirror ball. He shows us every version of ourselves in him. He gets us out on the dance floor… of discipleship. Shimmering beautifully. And when he breaks, it's in a million pieces of reflective Christian truths, as we see in the story of the Canaanite woman.
In our text today, while focused on his life’s work, Jesus is unexpectedly approached by a woman not of his faith community. A woman in dire pain, desperately seeking out Jesus as a possible healer for her beloved child. She makes the bold choice to shout toward Jesus for help in her crisis. Something that was probably not easy for her to do. Something that was controversial for her to do. But out of love for her daughter, she seeks out Jesus anyway. And in that moment, how does Jesus reply? Well, not in the way we might expect. He doesn't answer her.
At first, we might be thinking, “oh maybe he just didn't hear her”… but we quickly lose that plausible deniability, as the disciples blatantly encourage him in this response. The disciples go on to whine “Lord, the stranger from another community is annoying us! Ignore her!” Jesus goes on to make a point of dismissing her. He says “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” “I've not got time for you, ma’am. I'm busy.” Oof.
The Canaanite woman bravely gives Jesus a chance to change course as she comes toward him anyway; “Lord” she calls him, “help me.” Jesus doubles down; “it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Oof. He refers to her and her daughter as dogs?! He says “why should I take the precious resources I’m trying to give to my community and give them to you?” OOF.
In the end, it is the persistent courage of the Canaanite woman that helps Jesus shift course, as she approaches him a third time; “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Lord, I will take even the crumbs to care for my precious child. This poor woman has to say this before Jesus humbles himself and chooses to heal the daughter instantly. Jesus doesn't look very Christ-like here, now does he? Or does he?
When it comes to the story of the Canaanite woman, I want you to know, Jesus truly is our mirror ball. He shows us every version of ourselves in him. Our text today really forces us to hold with reverence the humanity of Jesus. That’s the thing about fully divine and fully human beings; they are going to have human moments, by design! And those moments have a lot to teach us! In this human moment with the Canaanite woman, Jesus offers us a wholly-divine lesson: there is no human on earth who is above making mistakes. It is an inevitable part of being human. In this profoundly human exchange, Jesus really sees and reflects us. Jesus shows us a distracted, grumpy side. An annoyed side that is so caught up in his task that he briefly forgets the bigger picture of his ministry and uses words he does not mean, to the point where the person he has hurt has to reflect it back to him. Who among us hasn't had an experience like that? Here, Jesus offers an essential guide for how to handle the mistakes we inevitably make. In our most human moments, just like Jesus modeled, it is our Christian responsibility to gracefully humble ourselves and come correct.
In today's text, Jesus models for us that while it is human to make mistakes, we turn ourselves back toward the Divine when we allow people to hold us accountable for those mistakes, and that they are right to do so even if we don't necessarily like how they approach us for that accountability. That we are called to keep our hearts open to all who hold us accountable to our professed values of love, justice and mercy. To remember that everyone in our lives can offer a holy reflection to us if we let them, and that only through moving with such humility are we truly able to embody our faith.
Jesus truly is our mirrorball. He shows us every version of ourselves in him. He gets us out on the dance floor of discipleship. Shimmering beautifully. And when he breaks, it's in a million pieces of essential Christian truths. May we go forth today allowing the modeled humanity of Jesus and all those around us to be our mirrors, to empower us to see our actions truthfully, to live our faith with humble accountability, and to remember we remain divinely loved every step (and misstep) of the way. Amen.
