Psalm 133 | Grace Episcopal Church (Sheldon, VT)

Easter 2B April 11, 2021

Posted on April 11, 2021 by Beth Crane

Acts 4:32-35
Psalm 133
1 John:1:1-2:2
John 20:19-31

Our gospel for today is always the gospel for the Second Sunday of Easter. The Easter season lasts for fifty days. During Lent, we could not say “Alleluia!” because Lent is a solemn time of penitence. Now, our worship is full of alleluias.

Every Sunday on this day, we read this wonderful gospel. It is the evening of the day of resurrection. Just this morning, the women or Mary Magdalene alone, depending on which gospel we are reading, made their way to the place where Jesus was buried and found the tomb empty. If we are reading John’s account of the Resurrection, Mary Magdalene actually meets Jesus. In Mark’s account, which we read this year, an angel tells the women that Jesus is risen.

That evening, the followers of Jesus are gathered. The doors are locked for fear of the authorities. It was only three days ago that these people witnessed the death of Jesus and they know that soldiers could come and arrest them at any time. They are still afraid, and with good reason.

There is something I never quite noticed before; it is a sign of great courage that they are all gathered together. Yes, Peter denied Jesus three times, and, yes, not all of them had the courage to stand at the foot of the cross, but most of them have come to be with the other followers of our Lord. That took courage.

There they are, gripped by fear. Suddenly, quietly, Jesus is there. No walls or locks, no tyrants who are willing to kill in order to keep control, no amount of fear can keep him away from them. And what is his first word? “Peace be with you.” Shalom be with you.

Into the center of their their fear, into the heart of their fear, our Lord places his shalom, his peace, his vision of a kingdom of wholeness, harmony, peace, and love, in which everyone will have enough to eat, clothes to wear, good work to do, his shalom in which all people will be cared for, his shalom in which the creation and everything in it will be made whole.

Only Mary Magdalene had actually seen him. The other women had heard that he had risen, But now they are seeing him, now they are feeling his presence, the peace and love radiating out from him and filling their hearts with relief and hope.

Then he breathes on them just as God breathed the Spirit into Adam, and he says, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven, If you retain the sins of any they are retained.” He is giving them and us the ministry of reconciliation. He is calling us to bring God’s peace and healing to the world.

When Thomas arrives, they tell them they have seen the Lord. But he cannot believe it. He tells them he is going to have to put his hands in Jesus’ wounds in order to believe.

Jesus always tries to help us strengthen our faith, and he demonstrates that trait in his treatment of Thomas. A week later, they are gathered again, and Jesus appears. He invites Thomas to touch his wounds. But Thomas does not ned to do that. He bursts into a prayer of adoration: “My Lord and my God!”

And then our Lord says, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” And that blessing from Jesus is for us and for millions of others who were not in the house with his followers on that first Easter evening and the visit a week later.

During the Easter season, all of our readings come from the New Testament, or Greek Scriptures, because they were written in Greek. This reminds us that we are an Easter people, a people of faith, hope, and love.

In our first reading, from the Book of Acts, time has passed. Peter and John have healed a man who has been lame from birth. When asked how they could do this, they say that it is through the power of Jesus of Nazareth. Many people have witnessed this healing and have heard Peter speak. The authorities are afraid that Peter and John will draw a large following, so they arrest them. Our passage for today comes just after Peter and John are freed.

The text tells us that the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem “were of one heart and one mind.” That is an excellent definition of Christian community. The text says, “great grace was upon them all.” Scholars tell us that most of the early followers of our Lord were not wealthy. They were ordinary people. And yet, they walked the Way of Love. They took care of each other. In these two readings, we see how the presence of the living Christ moves his followers from locking the doors in fear to being a vibrant community walking the Way of Love.

During this pandemic, we have seen a great deal of fear. There are also people who think Covid 19 is not real. For those of us who follow the science, it is clear that this virus is very real and highly adaptive. Now, we are trying to get everyone vaccinated while we continue to follow the health measures so that we can limit the incidence of mutations. The experts are advising us to continue to be careful. Let’s keep running the race until we get to the finish line.

My impression of our Grace community is that we have not been governed by fear, but we have paid attention to the science and common sense, which I think is a good thing. However, even though we have not been paralyzed by fear, we can be galvanized and energized by the presence of our living Lord. We can be so thankful for his presence.

Risen Lord, thank you so much for being with us every step of the way, for leading us through this challenging time. Help us to hang in there for the long haul. Help us to share your love with everyone we meet, a word of comfort here, a box of food there. Help us to be rooted and grounded in you, your living presence. And help us to continue to walk the Way of Love and to be your Beloved Community. In your holy Name. Amen.

Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons | Tagged: 1 John 1, Acts 4, John 20:19-31, Mary Magdalen, Psalm 133 | Leave a comment »

Pentecost 11 Proper 15A August 16, 2020

Posted on August 16, 2020 by Beth Crane

Genesis 45: 1-15
Psalm 133
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Matthew 15: (10-20) 21-28

In our opening reading today, we continue the story of Joseph. Last week, we looked on as his brothers plotted to kill him and then decided to throw him into a pit and eventually sold him to slave traders who were going to Egypt.

When they reached Egypt, the human traffickers sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer in the Pharaoh’s army, the Captain of the Guard. It is a fast-moving story. Through many trials and tribulations, Joseph finally becomes the head assistant to the Pharaoh himself. His steady rise to this high office is due to his high moral caliber, his integrity, and his God-given gift of interpreting dreams. Joseph is now in charge of everything the Pharaoh has.

One of the dreams has to do with seven fat cows and seven lean cows. Joseph tells the Pharaoh that the seven fat cows mean that there are going to be seven years in which there will be record high harvests and the seven lean cows mean that there will be a famine.

Joseph brilliantly fills granaries full of grain during the fat years so that everyone will have something to eat in the lean years.

Joseph has now been in his high position for several years, and his brothers have already come to Egypt asking to buy grain. He has not let them know who he is and they have not recognized him. Now they are back again, and he is having great difficulty in controlling his emotions. He wants to cry at the sight of them. They threw him into a pit and then sold him to human traffickers for twenty pieces of silver, but he is not holding any grudges. He could have had them killed. He could have turned them away. But he did not do that. Now, here they are again. Joseph sends everyone else out of the room.

He bursts into tears and cries so loudly that everyone in the palace hears him, and then he tells his brothers who he is. And he gives them his interpretation of the meaning of all his struggles. God sent him to Egypt so that he could save his family and save the life of his people. He tells them to go back to their father and invite everyone to come and live in Egypt and not only survive, but thrive.

Then he hugs Benjamin and Benjamin hugs him, and they all shed tears of joy at being together again and hug each other and have a good cry and an even better talk. After all those years. And then the family comes and settles in the land of Goshen.

The story of Joseph and his brothers can teach us so much. They threw him into a pit. He could have died at any point along the way. Things didn’t start out well in Egypt. He spent some time in jail over a misunderstanding. But he never lost his faith; he always acted ethically; and he was a faithful steward of the Pharaoh’s and Egypt’s and God’s abundance. He saved a nation. And he forgave his brothers. Mercy and forgiveness are one of the themes in our readings for today. In spite of everything Joseph loved his brothers and forgave them. In spite of all the challenges and near tragedies in his life, he felt the hand of God leading him to save his family and his people, God’s people.

In our gospel for today, we have another unforgettable story. Jesus is in Gentile territory. A woman comes to him and begins to shout, “Have mercy on me Lord, Son of David, my daughter is possessed by a demon.” In those times, people thought a demon was causing diseases such as mental illness and seizure disorders. At first, Jesus does not answer. He is considered a rabbi and in those days rabbis were not supposed to speak with women. He is Jewish and in those days Jews did not speak to Gentiles. His disciples tell him to send her away. Jesus says that he was sent only to his own people, the “Lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Now the women kneels at his feet. “Lord, help me,” she begs. For the second time, she is addressing him as the Savior. Though she is a Gentile, she knows who he is.

And then our Lord says something that almost shocks us. “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs. Biblical scholar Charles Cousar writes, “The use of the term ‘dogs,’ even though metaphorical, is hardly a label of endearment. It was regularly applied, with some condescension, to Gentiles. The woman has every right to take offense.” (Cousar, Texts for Preaching Year A, p, 450.)

Jesus is showing his humanity. The Church teaches that Jesus is fully divine and fully human. In his time, people thought that Gentiles were inferior. In his humanity he is looking down on someone of a different ethnicity and religion.

But this woman has a laser focus on only one thing—making sure that her child is healed. She may be a Canaanite, but somehow she has deep faith in God and a profound understanding of God. And she answers, with calmness, reason, and enduring perseverance, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

Jesus recognizes the depth and strength of her faith. “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter is healed. Because of the faith and persistence of this devoted mother, Jesus is beginning to realize that his mission is to all people, that he is sent to bring good news, healing, forgiveness, and love to everyone.

And that is what we are called to do—to bring the love of God and Jesus and the Spirit to everyone. We are the Body of Christ in the world. We are called to be his hands reaching out to welcome people, his eyes looking at people with love, his mouth speaking words of hope and encouragement. There are no barriers. As Archbishop Tutu says, “God has a big family.” Amen.

Let us pray together the Prayer for the Power of the Spirit.

Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons | Tagged: Benjamin, Charles Cousar, Genesis 45, Goshen, Joseph, Matthew 15, Potiphar, Psalm 133, Romans 11, Texts for Preaching Year A | Leave a comment »

Pentecost 11 Proper 15A RCL August 20, 2017

Posted on August 20, 2017 by Beth Crane

Genesis 45:1-15
Psalm 133
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Matthew 15: 21-28

As we reflect on our opening reading today, we need to recall that, in last Sunday’s lesson, Joseph’s brothers had planned to kill him and then threw him into a pit and then sold him to a group of human traffickers for twenty pieces of silver. Those twenty pieces of silver might make us think of the price Judas received for betraying our Lord—thirty pieces of silver.

The slave traders took Joseph to Egypt. After many trials and tribulations, some bizarre challenges that would have totally flummoxed most other people, and much help from God, Joseph has risen to a high position in a powerful kingdom. He is second only to the Pharaoh in the land of Egypt.

Famine is stalking the land, but Egypt has plenty of grain stored, thanks to Joseph’s wise planning. Joseph’s brothers have come to buy grain. This is their second visit to this great man, and they have done something he asked them to do on their first trip. They have brought their brother Benjamin with them. They do not recognize Joseph. But he has recognized them. He sends everyone out of the room except himself and his family because he is not going to be able to control his tears.

He asks if his father is all right. They cannot answer him. They are speechless because they are so shocked that this great man is losing control of his emotions. Then he tells them who he is. And he also tells them that he holds no grudge against them because he feels that God has led him to this place so that he can help his people to survive. Joseph tells his brothers to bring the whole family to the land of Goshen, where there is plenty of food. Then he gives a big hug to his beloved brother Benjamin, and they cry tears of joy because they thought they would never see each other again. Then they all have a good talk.

This is one of the great scenes of reconciliation in the Bible. Joseph had as much power as a king in one of the great kingdoms of that time. He could have killed or tortured all his brothers. But he used his great power for good. All those years he focused on love, not hate. He felt God had brought him to this point so that he could help his people, save then from famine, and preserve them for even greater things in the future.

Our reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans focuses on God’s mercy to us.

In today’s gospel, we have one of the most extraordinary encounters in our Lord’s ministry. Jesus is in the coastlands of the Mediterranean Sea. He has gone into the territory of the Gentiles. This is unusual because he had said that he was here only to minister to his own people.

A woman calls to him for help. She is a Canaanite. She is not a Jew. She is not part of the flock he has felt called to minister to. But she has a dire need. Her daughter is tormented by a demon. In those days, this is the way people described certain illnesses, often mental illnesses or seizure disorders. This woman is desperate.

His disciples urge him to have nothing to do with her. She is a woman. Rabbis were not supposed to speak with women. And she is a Gentile, Rabbis were not supposed to speak to Gentiles. The disciples tell him to send her away.

So he tries to explain, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” In other words, I am supposed to minister only to my own people. You are not one of those people. That’s why I cannot help you. And we can picture him turning away and getting ready to leave.

But she comes and kneels before him. This is a position of supplication and respect. “Lord, help me, “ she pleads.

Something is stirring within Jesus. I think he is sensing that his whole vision is going to change in a major way, and I think he is upset by this. At any rate, his answer is shocking, almost angry, “It is not fair to take the children’s food—that is, the food intended for Jewish people, God’s chosen people—and throw it to the dogs.” The word “Dogs,” then as now, could be used as an insult.

Here she is, pleading for the health and life of her daughter, and Jesus throws this slur, implying that she is inferior. Most of us would have given up at that point. But not this courageous woman, this woman who can think on her feet at light speed, this woman who is about to expand Jesus’ vision of his mission by quantum leaps: “Yes, Lord,” she says, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

Could you at least be like the master who lets us dogs eat the crumbs under the table? This Canaanite woman, this person who is not one of the chosen people, who is of the wrong gender, who is beyond the pale, who is at the bottom of the social ladder, who is an outsider if ever there was one, changes our Lord’s understanding of his ministry. Now he knows that he is called to minister to all of us. He has had inklings, but this woman suddenly becomes a theology professor.

This woman has the faith and feistiness to hang in there and get her point across and Jesus, the teacher, the rabbi, the eternal Word, God walking the face of the earth, has the humility, in his humanity, to be taught by a mere Gentile woman.

He sings her a hymn of praise, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter is healed instantly.

And all of our walls, of status, education, race, gender, sexuality, education, politics, economics, religion, all of our walls come tumbling down.

He is Lord of all, and we are all part of his family. Amen.

Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons | Tagged: Canaanite woman, Genesis 45, Joseph and his brothers, Matthew 15, Pentecost 11, Psalm 133, Romans 11 | Leave a comment »

Second Sunday of Easter April 12, 2015

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Beth Crane

Acts 4:32-35
Psalm 133
1 John 1:1-2:2
John 20:19-31

Today’s gospel takes us back to the beginnings of our faith. It is the evening of the resurrection day. Mary Magdalene has run back and told the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” But they have not yet seen him.

The doors are locked because they have watched Jesus die and they are afraid of what the authorities might do. Suddenly, Jesus is with them. “Peace be with you.” he says. He shows them his wounds so that they will know that is it really Jesus. They are beside themselves with joy.

Then he breathes the Holy Spirit into them and he gives them the ministry of reconciliation. Here they are, locked in the room because of their fear which is entirely justified, and now he is sending them out into the world again to bring his healing, to build his shalom, his kingdom of peace and harmony in which everyone is safe and can have a good and useful life.

But Thomas has not been there to see this. Many people have called him “Doubting Thomas,” but I am not sure that is accurate. I have always thought of him as a practical, rather scientific person. He has to have proof. He has to see it to believe it. Not that he is necessarily a doubter.

One of my favorite scholars and preachers, Herbert O’Driscoll, has an interesting view of Thomas which I think could well be true. O’Driscoll does not see Thomas as a doubter but as the kind of person who, “when he makes a commitment to someone or something, makes a total commitment.”

O’Driscoll continues, “Now his heart is broken by the ghastly death of Jesus, his world is collapsed, and he is determined never to give his heart to anything again, never to trust life again, never to give his love again. But when our Lord stands in front of him, Thomas gives himself totally once more.”

There is so much truth in this. When something devastates us, it is natural to try to protect ourselves. All of the disciples are hiding behind locked doors. Yet Jesus walks through the walls of our fear and calls us to go out into the world and knit that broken world back together again. That is what the ministry of reconciliation is all about.

Our other two lessons deal with how that is happening in the early Christian communities. In our reading from the Book of Acts, the community is of one mind and heart and soul in Christ. They share everything in common. They take care of each other. No one goes hungry. Everyone has what he or she needs. This is a wonderful vision for all of us.

In our reading from the First Letter of John, we are hearing from someone who has been in the presence of Jesus. Think how that must have been in the early Church. The apostles traveled around to teach and preach and heal. Think what it was to meet someone who had actually sat with Jesus and shared meals with him. and learned from him. Someone who might have had his feet washed by Jesus. Someone who had touched Jesus.

John is calling us to walk in the light of Christ, which means that we are called to be loving individuals and a loving community. We can picture communities of followers of Jesus springing up all over during the first century. From those little shoots, the Church has grown. And here we are, all these centuries later.

May we walk as children of the Light. Amen.

Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons | Tagged: 1 John, Acts 4, Easter, Herbert O'Driscoll, John 20, Psalm 133 | Leave a comment »

Pentecost 10 Proper 15A RCL August 17, 2014

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Beth Crane

Genesis 45:1-15
Psalm 133
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Matthew 15:21-28

Last Sunday we began reading the story of Joseph. Joseph is Jacob’s favorite son. He is a dreamer. He also has visions. One of his visions indicates that he is going to be more powerful than his brothers. This does not exactly make him popular with them. On top of that, Joseph has been given a very special coat of many colors. or, as one musical puts it, his “amazing technicolor dream coat.” His brothers do not like that at all.

One thing leads to another, and they talk about killing Joseph. Reuben convinces them not to do that. Finally, they throw him into a pit and sell him to some traders. The brothers dip his many-colored coat in goat’s blood and tell their father that Joseph is dead. The traders take Joseph to Egypt.

After some ups and downs, Joseph rises to a position second only to the pharaoh. There is a famine all over the area, and, under Joseph’s guidance, Egypt has carefully stockpiled food for seven years in order to be prepared for the seven years of famine which Joseph had predicted from the pharaoh’s dream of seven fat cows and seven lean cows.

After many more dramatic events, Joseph’s brothers, including his beloved brother Benjamin, have come to buy food to take home to the family in Canaan. The brothers have no idea that this powerful man, with whom they have already had some dealings, is their own brother Joseph, but Joseph is now overcome with feelings.

Joseph weeps loudly and tells his brothers who he really is. He tells them that he forgives them for what they did many years ago, and he says that God sent him ahead of them to provide for them and their families. He tells them to go home and get their father and all the family and bring them back to Egypt and he will take care of them.

Then Joseph and Benjamin, both sons of Jacob’s beloved wife, Rachel, hug each other and cry, and kiss each other. These biblical stories can be grisly, but they can also be tender and moving. Here we have a tale of sibling rivalry gone to extremes and forgiveness in return. What a powerful example Joseph sets for us. After all his brothers did to him, he sees the hand of God in every step of the journey and he is also able to stand on the side of love and forgive his brothers.

Our gospel for today is one of the most compelling stories in the ministry of our Lord. Jesus and the disciples are in the district of Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile area. also called Phoenicia. A woman from the area, a Gentile, starts to shout, “Have mercy on me, Lord. My daughter is sick. Please cure her.”

Jesus does not answer. He thinks his ministry is only to people of his own faith. This is getting embarrassing because she continues to shout. The disciples want him to send her away. So Jesus tells the woman that he has been sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. She is persistent in her need. She comes and kneels in front of him, beseeching. “Lord, help me.”

And then he says that line which makes us wince. “It is not right to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” He thinks his mission is not to her people. But she is so desperate, and she sees something that our Lord himself does not yet see, She knows that he has come to help and welcome everyone. So she says those words that change Jesus’ understanding of his ministry: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

Think of this. This woman helps Jesus to a clearer understanding of his ministry, Jesus has the humility to listen to her, to hear what she is saying.

That is why he tells her that her faith is great. Her daughter is healed that instant. Jesus comes to an entirely new understanding of his ministry in this encounter with a mother who is desperate to have her child healed.

This woman realizes that the new faith is for the whole world., that Jesus’ love and healing are for everyone. As Archbishop Tutu says, God’s family is a very big family indeed, and this Canaanite woman is one of the first people in the gospels to recognize that fact.

Joseph could have been bitter, He could have been cruel to his brothers. He could have put them all in prison. He could have done terrible things to them, But he did not. He may have been a dreamer, but he was also very gifted and deeply spiritual, He rooted himself in God’s compassion and extended that compassion to his brothers.

This Canaanite woman had a vision of what God was doing on earth. God was reaching out to all people. Jesus had the wisdom and humility and openness to listen to someone who was not highly respected in his culture. Women were at the bottom of the scale.Gentiles were in the same position. But Jesus listened.

Gracious God, grant us the gifts of compassion, faith, persistence, humility, and wisdom. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons | Tagged: Genesis 45, Joseph and his brothers, Matthew 15, Psalm 133, Romans 11 | Leave a comment »

Pentecost 9 August 14, 2011

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Beth Crane

Pentecost 9 Proper 14A RCL August 14, 2011

Genesis 45: 1-13
Psalm 133
Romans 11: 1-2a, 29-32
Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28

This morning, we continue with the story of Joseph. We recall that Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, who envied him because their father, Jacob, loved Jacob best and gave him an extraordinary coat. When Jacob reached Egypt, he rose to an important position second only to the Pharaoh, and he man
aged all the business of the kingdom on the Pharaoh’s behalf.

The Pharaoh had had a dream which signified that there would be seven years of good crops and seven years of famine. Under Joseph’s direction, grain had been saved from the seven good years to carry the kingdom through the famine.

The famine also affected Canaan. Jacob sends his sons to buy food in Egypt, but he keeps his beloved Benjamin with him, for he fears for his safety. The brothers arrive in Egypt. They come before the powerful man who is in charge of selling the grain. Joseph recognizes them, but they have no idea who he is.

Joseph accuses them of spying. The brothers tell him their family story. They tell about their old father, who is waiting at home with their youngest brother. They tell how another brother was killed years ago.
Joseph nearly breaks into tears in front of them. He puts them in prison. Three days later, he tells them that they can have grain if they will leave one brother as a hostage and bring their youngest brother back to Egypt.

The brothers are scared, and they speak in their own language, thinking no one can understand them, since Joseph has spoken to them through an interpreter. Of course, Joseph understands every word. The brothers are saying that none of this would have happened if they had not sold Joseph into slavery. Again, he has trouble not bursting into tears.

Simeon remains as hostage, Joseph instructs his steward to place the money that the brothers have brought to pay for the grain on top of their packs. At their first stop, they find the money. This puzzles them. When they get home, they tell Jacob the whole story.

The famine continues, and now they have to return to Egypt with Benjamin. Once again, they meet with the governor. They have brought back the money that was left in their packs plus additional funds to buy more food. They have also brought a small present from their father.

This time, the governor, Joseph, invites them to a meal at his home. They introduce Joseph to Benjamin and give him their gift. Joseph has to leave to collect himself. At the meal, the brothers notice that they are seated in order of their ages. Also, Benjamin gets an especially large portion.

They set off for home, but Joseph has set a trap, He has instructed his steward to place Joseph’s cup in Benjamin’s pack. The steward catches up with the brothers, accuses them of stealing his master’s cup, and finds the cup in Benjamin’s pack. They all go back to appear before Joseph. He says that Benjamin must stay. Judah offers to stay instead. He explains the whole story to Joseph, emphasizing that, if Benjamin does not go home, it will kill Jacob.

Now Joseph begins to break down. He tells them that he is their long-lost brother. He tells them not to be distressed or angry with themselves for selling him into slavery. He says, “God sent me before you to preserve life.” He tells them to go home and bring back their father and the whole family, and they will live in peace under his protection and will have plenty to eat. The brothers go back to Canaan and tell Jacob this tale of incredibly rich blessing. Jacob can’t wait to go to Egypt and see Joseph and Benjamin again.

What a beautiful story! Herbert O’Driscoll writes of the tale of Joseph, “One of the loveliest things in life is to encounter a person who has every reason for being bitter and vengeful, but who refuses to be either. Instead, they remain generous, forgiving, accepting.” Joseph refuses to hang on to any resentment about what his brothers did. He and God have worked it out.

Paul, a Roman citizen, a Jew, a Pharisee who now follows Jesus with all his heart and soul and mind and strength, makes it clear that he knows that God does not reject his people just because they are not following Christ.

In the gospel, Jesus tells us that it is more important to pay attention to what goes out of our body than what goes into out body. Dietary laws are not as important as the attitudes with which we speak. Are we speaking love and peace, or are we speaking hatred, dishonesty, and other negative thoughts and feelings?

Jesus meets a Canaanite woman. Her daughter is ill. She needs help. Jesus at this point is misunderstanding the scope of his ministry. He thinks he can help only the Jewish people. She begs him. He gives a distinctly unloving answer: “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She is not deflected from her mission. She refuses to be excluded. “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.” Coolly, calmly, with laser focus, she becomes the agent through whom Jesus realizes his ministry is to all people. “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Jesus is fully human as well as fully divine. He thinks his ministry is limited. This Canaanite woman is not one of God’s chosen people. He should not even be speaking to her. She is a woman and she is not a Jew. But he does respond to her, and she becomes the teacher! And he has the humility to learn from her!

Joseph has a deep faith. He could have consumed himself in hatred of his brothers. But no, he saves his whole family. Paul knows that God loves all people. Jesus could have just walked past this woman. He didn’t. She could have been crushed by his sharp remark. She was not. He could have been too arrogant to listen to her point. He was not. She leads him into this powerful truth about his ministry. All of these wonderful holy examples, Joseph, Paul, and the Canaanite woman, show us the kind of courage and compassion we are called to show forth in our lives and journeys. May God give us the grace to follow their example. Amen.

Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons | Tagged: Genesis, Herbert O'Driscoll, Joseph, Matthew, Psalm 133, Romans 11 | Leave a comment »

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