Matthew 15:25-28

“He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’” vss. 26-27

Most of the time in the gospels we read that Jesus outsmarted his adversaries and left them speechless. None of his opponents could stand up against his clever use of logic and scripture. But in his encounter with the Canaanite woman he was clearly outmaneuvered. He begins with an insult, clearly implying that the Canaanites were in the same category as dogs. But her clever, almost humorous comeback, impresses him. He recognizes her great faith and the woman’s daughter is instantly healed. It was instances like this that began the gradual shift in the direction of Jesus’ mission, and ultimately not only outsiders, but women, came to play an important role in the life of the Christian community. It’s a pattern that has continued to evolve through the centuries and we’re finally at a stage when we’re more likely to drop the labels and simply accept one another as gifted, much loved children of God. It’s still not easy though, and we regularly read of the old prejudices rearing their ugly heads in the church. In some congregations debates about sexuality and gender continue to rage. It’s just not easy to give people a place at the table when they’ve been considered outsiders for generations. Jesus figured it out–maybe someday his followers can too.

Thought for the Day: Which are the hardest prejudices to overcome?

Matthew 15:21-24

“But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’” vs 23

For the most part Jesus stayed away from the Canaanites, the original inhabitants of the land. He was a Jew, and the Jews considered these pagan persons to be unclean. He did the bulk of his teaching and healing in towns and villages that were exclusively Jewish. These were the people to whom he had been sent. But in this passage Jesus has traveled away from Galilee and has encountered a Canaanite woman who urgently demanded that he heal her daughter. We’re used to a compassionate Jesus and it may be a bit of a surprise that he ignores her. We forget how very Jewish Jesus was, and how rigid religious and national boundaries can be. Many of us know what that can be like. Some of us grew up in extremely intolerant households and were taught to stay away from people of other faiths or backgrounds. That was a huge issue in the early church and the Holy Spirit had to work overtime to finally overcome those prejudices. During his ministry Jesus did, very occasionally, surprise his disciples with his willingness to reach across boundaries, but only after his resurrection were the bulk of his followers willing to do the same. And some would say, we still have a long way to go!

Thought for the Day: Where have I experienced intolerance?

Romans 11:29-32

“For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.” vs. 32

Paul knew that the Jews and Gentiles had nothing in common on the basis of their heritage or religious background. But what they did have in common was disobedience. All people are created good and are in the image of God, and all people are broken. To put it bluntly, all people are sinners! That’s what we have in common with every person on earth, no matter what our ethnic, national, or religious background. We know this, not because of what we’ve been taught, but because of what we’ve experienced. After all this is how we connect and identify with others, it’s not on the basis of our goodness but because of our common brokenness. Even if sometimes we act as though we are more good than others, in our hearts we know we aren’t. And that’s good news! It’s because of our disobedience, our sinfulness, our brokenness, however we want to label it, that we can be confident of the overwhelming and universal mercy of God. Another way of putting it is this: there is absolutely nothing in our pasts, no sin or brokenness, that can define our future. In Christ, as a forgiven sinner, every day provides a fresh start for me to show off my intrinsic goodness! And that’s true for every one of us, Jews and Gentiles alike!

Thought for the Day: How is today’s fresh start going for me?

Romans 11:1-2a

“I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.” vs. 1

Paul knew his heritage and was proud of it–he could name his ancestors in a heartbeat. Some of us know what that is like. We proudly fly the national flags of our ancestors, and have spent years tracing our lineage back for hundreds of years. 

We gorge ourselves on foods like lutefisk and lefse (even if we don’t like them) to celebrate our heritage. For some it’s a point of pride, even to the point of being offensive–a few even claim superiority because of their genetic history. On the surface there’s nothing wrong with this–it’s fine to be aware of our ancestry. But sometimes it can get out of hand, particularly in the church. Some denominations have had a dickens of a time shedding the exclusivist baggage that goes with those national and cultural attachments. Paul knew that in Christ his racial background counted for nothing, and that he now belonged to a much larger family, one that included people of all backgrounds and nationalities. That’s a much needed lesson for those who continue to cling to those old customs and traditions. Our faith family is more spectacular than we have even imagined. It’s about time we discard those artificial distinctions and clothe ourselves in the unity of God’s universal and unconditional love.

Thought for the Day: What does my ethnic heritage mean to me?

Psalm 67:4-7

“The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.” vss. 6-7

The psalmist is right! God has indeed blessed humanity with this incredible planet. Even though it had been around for billions of years before we arrived, it has been a garden of delights for humans and we have been blessed as our species has spread throughout the globe. We’ve harvested and tilled, built towns and cities, mined enormous fortunes, and used every resource of the air, land, and sea that we could lay our hands on. So far as we know there’s no other place in the universe where we could possibly have prospered in such a fashion. And now some are saying, we may have gone too far! We’ve spread our garbage across the globe and made our mark in ways that cannot be erased. And it’s the invisible pollutants that are likely to do us the most harm: the radiation, the atmospheric changes, the warming seas. And we’re beginning to see the effects: massive flooding, intolerable heat, huge storms, and we’re unable to do anything but to keep on shooting and bombing. The psalmist prayed for God’s continued blessings–and that has again become our only hope. We know that the earth will survive–but we’d love to continue to live and prosper upon it. We’ll soon find out–the crisis is upon it. We don’t yet know how it will turn out!

Thought for the Day: How will things be for our great grandchildren?

Psalm 67:1-3

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.” vss. 1-2

 The psalmist hoped that when other nations saw how God had graciously blessed Israel they too would come to know the Lord as a source of saving power. These words remind us of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount, “Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to God.”  It is true that our lives are probably the most effective evangelism tool that we have. If we have our acts together, do not hide our brokenness, and exhibit unconditional love in all our encounters, people are going to notice. They see when we give ourselves to sacrificial service, and when they also see the presence of God’s gracious blessings, they will be attracted. It has even been said, “You are the only bible that some person will ever read!” Some might consider this to be an unwelcome pressure in their lives, but it is actually a blessing. Sometimes it’s hard to speak of our faith to others, and it comes as a relief to know that we only have to be authentic in how we live. We live in an age when people are paid huge amounts of money for being influencers. That’s how the world operates. And it works in the Church too–as we live out our faith, people are watching, and they will be blessed.

Thought for the Day: Who am I influencing?

Isaiah 56:1, 6-8

“for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.” vss. 7b-8

As the prophet revisited God’s plans for Israel after the return from exile in Babylon, he realized that the old exclusive vision had to be revamped. Israel’s God had been too small. Now the prophet looked toward a new Israel that would include the outcasts of every nation. It’s this inclusive perspective of God’s rule that has guided followers of Jesus from the beginning. Wherever they went with the gospel they went first of all to the outcasts, the poor and the misfits of society, and welcomed them to the family. As long as the Church has followed that pattern of outreach, as more and more people on the fringes learned about the unconditional love of God, blessings have been present in abundance. There have been times unfortunately, when the Church, having become rich and prosperous, has lost that focus on the downtrodden. Old prejudices and biases have risen to the surface and the poor and needy have come to be seen as a threat to economic stability. Times like that call for prophets like Isaiah, men and women who can call us back to the gospel and the mindset of Jesus. And what a blessing it is when they show up in our congregations and doors are once more opened to the outcasts.

Thought for the Day: Why is my congregation so homogenous?

Matthew 14:27-33

“Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.” vss. 28-29

One of our favorite tricks as believers is to test the reality of Jesus by asking to be able to do something we’ve never done before. Now sometimes when we ask such things, we’re amazed to discover that we are actually able to do it. Somehow, out of the blue, we begin to do what we’ve never done before. Peter actually walked on water. He was doing the impossible. Our stories are probably different, but still amazing in their own way. But one thing all the stories have in common–the impossible is not sustainable. We suddenly realize what we’re doing and, like Peter, start to sink. Somehow we’ve gotten out of our depth, out of our comfort zone, and reality takes over. We notice the wind, the people watching, become self-conscious, and revert to our old bumbling selves. This isn’t to say that we should never try difficult things, that we shouldn’t push ourselves to do well–accepting challenges is one of the joys of living, and sometimes we reach levels of competency that amaze even ourselves. But we do have our limits, and when we’re tempted to go beyond them, not even Jesus can keep us afloat. 

Thought for the Day: What happens when I get out of my comfort zone?

Matthew 14:22-26

“And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear.” vss. 25-26

This story of Jesus walking on the sea is both well-known and mystifying to believers. Thomas Jefferson found it unhelpful for the rational mind and did not include it in his cut-and-paste version of the New Testament. That inclination is probably not uncommon, and even if we don’t tear this story out of the bible, we wonder why it’s there. The problem with excising the miraculous portions of scripture is that we end up deleting the most interesting passages and missing amazing truths. The point of this story is not that Jesus could walk on water. We can debate that until the cows come home. It’s the reaction of the disciples that makes the story come alive. The sighting happened in the middle of a violent storm and they were already afraid. And when they saw Jesus they assumed they were seeing a ghost, they cried out in fear! They were quite a crew. They’d already seen him raise the dead, heal the sick, cast out demons, and feed thousands, why wouldn’t he show up in their time of need? We’re like that. We believe all kinds of things about Jesus, at least we say we do, and then when he shows up to save our necks, we doubt, and imagine it isn’t him! 

Thought for the Day: What terrifies me?

Romans 10:12-15

“But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?” vs. 14

Paul believed with all his heart in universal salvation, that there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles, and that God’s love extends to all. But he also feared that until people believed this, they would not experience God’s love, the peace that surpasses all human understanding. As a result he devoted his life to spreading that good news–he wanted everyone everywhere to know Jesus and hear the good news of resurrection. After Paul that same missionary spirit infected thousands of believers and they traveled to the ends of the earth with that message of grace and love. There were perhaps many who thought that by doing this they were saving people from the fires of hell, but it’s likely that most simply wanted people to know the good news of forgiveness and life and to experience God’s love and mercy. It really is a worthy calling. Jesus himself sent out disciples to bring healing and proclaim the gospel. Of course the missionary movement has had its dark side too–sometimes missionaries went as agents of colonialism and oppression. But at their best they have been, as D. T. Niles, a Ceylonese pastor put it, “One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.” Thank God for such faithful proclaimers of the Gospel!

Thought for the Day: What do missionaries do in 2023?