St. Paul Evangelical, Hummelstown
Pentecost 10
Matthew 15:21-28
August 17, 2014
“COMPASSION INFORMED JUDGMENT”
Grace, love and peace be to you, my brothers and sisters, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
My dog knows that if she stares at me long enough, and in the right way, while I
am eating, she can coax me to give her a piece of whatever I am eating. This is
usually at lunch. Her favorite treat is cheese which is easy to break. Naturally, I
do not give her anything that is not good for her like chocolate (I am a hypocrite
when it comes to that flavor). Nor do I give her more than a few pieces of the
things she can eat safely. (Again, I could do with fewer pieces at mealtime also.)
She knows by now that I am a sucker for anything with a cute, furry face. Thus
she knows how to communicate her desire for a piece of whatever I am eating by
giving me the bug-eyed, helpless, lovable little tramp look until my softie heart
melts. My pet also knows how to keep her distance and not get pushy. We have
played that scene a few times and she remembers to stay back until I give her a
nibble. The only time she accepts “no” for answer is when the food is gone and I
hold up both hands, empty, and say, “No more.” She reluctantly accepts that
message and lays down for a nap.
When we brought her home for the first time the “master/pet” relationship had its
boundaries. There were things she could and could not do, and she has learned
most of them. But when it comes to food, something I can easily get for myself,
well, there’s that face…and “loveableness” wins out. How can I say no to that?
Sometimes compassion trumps judgment. That does not mean “anything goes.”
It means that there are times when we need to listen to our hearts as well as our
heads when we are faced with difficult decisions to choose compassion over
judgment.
It is also not as easy as it might sound. I think anyone here who has ever been
annoyed, upset or even angry knows what I am talking about. Regardless if
someone cut you off for a parking space or if you are having an argument with a
co-worker or your significant other or anyone else, most of us are acquainted with
that rumbling in one part of our gut to just vent our anger while the desire in
another part of that same gut is asking, “What is the real problem here? Is there
some other way to deal with this?” You have a choice between boiling over and
looking for a creative way of dealing with a crummy situation. What do you?
A case in point here is in our gospel for this morning from 15th chapter of Matthew.
It is a puzzling story about an encounter between Jesus and a Canaanite woman.
We see that she was flat out desperate to save her daughter from demonic
possession. She shouted “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is
tormented by a demon.” He ignored her. The disciples wanted Jesus to send her
away because she kept yelling at them. So he said his mission did not include the
likes of her.
But she threw herself at Jesus’ feet (she did not simply “kneel” – a weak
translation from the original Greek), shouting for him to have mercy on her and her
child. Her pride was on up on the shelf. She didn’t care about humiliating herself
before Jesus and anyone else who may have been around. She had only thing on
her mind: the cure of her daughter. And again Jesus refused, insulting her and her
daughter in the process. And while she agreed with him about what is fair and not
fair…she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their
masters’ table.”
And with that remark, Jesus could not deny her any longer. He commended her for
her great faith and told her that her request was granted.
Down through the years a lot of people have asked why Jesus would make a
desperate woman, a mother no less, humiliate herself by falling at his feet, begging
him to heal her daughter who was suffering a horrible ordeal and even then refuse
her.
We don’t know. Some have said, “Oh, he was testing her.” You have heard me
say before that God does not conduct experiments to find out what he already
knows. Others have said, “Well, he wanted to help the woman experience the
real depth of her faith.” The one thing we cannot do is try to psychologize any
biblical text where the motivations of the characters are not described for us. We
have to take this story, strange as it is. We have to let the mystery of this strange
encounter between Jesus and the Canaanite woman stand on its own.
But I think a lot of us can identify with the struggles of the woman who is trying
desperately to get Jesus to do something very important for her, only to be met
initially with silence and refusal. It is frustrating to go to God who sees all,
knows all and does all, time and again in prayer, asking for help or healing for
yourself or someone, for an answer to a disturbing or puzzling question, asking
God to do something about a situation and seemingly come away empty handed.
Ever been there? Puzzling sometimes, isn’t it? Even frustrating. Ever wonder if
it might be you, if you are the reason your prayers are not getting answered the
way you hoped? I spent a lot of my youth wondering about that very question.
How about you? If so, you have a lot in common not only with the Canaanite
woman, but also a lot of other Christians over the centuries.
God is who God is and does what God decides to do. For some reason God has not
chosen to reveal the contents of his mind to anyone – or at least not to me. But if
there is anything we can learn from this story, it is that while we may not always
understand what God is up to, God, nonetheless, honors our struggles to have
faith, to trust, to believe that God indeed knows us and cares about how hard it is
for us sometimes to get through one day and into the next – to keep coming back
to God in prayer. No matter what the situation looks like, our pleas for God’s
attention and mercy for ourselves and others do not disappear into the thin air or
fall on deaf ears.
God decides for mercy over judgment. Grace over abandonment. Loving
inclusion over cold rejection. Jesus on the cross is God’s promise of these
things. It does not matter who you are or for whom or about what you are
praying. Keep praying. Don’t stop believing. Don’t try to second guess God.
All that being said, now, come to the Lord’s Table! Eat, drink and be blessed!
Everyone is welcome! There are no outcasts. There is no ambiguity about what is
taking place. This is where God’s love and grace meets and feeds your soul.
Accept the love and take what Jesus offers you in his body and blood in and
through the bread and wine of Holy Communion. Live in a moment of
compassion over judgment.
Amen – To God Alone Be the Glory!
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – AUGUST 17, 2014
Let us pray in confidence for the church, the world and all who are in need.
O Lord, your house is indeed a house of prayer for all peoples, all outcasts and
everyone else who loves your name. Reach into our hearts and focus our attention
on this time of worship. Lord, in your mercy…
R: hear our prayer.
Precious Jesus, you ask us to walk with you, to be just and do what is right so that
we may live in peace. Today we ask you to guide and protect all international
organizations who risk their lives so that your desire for a peaceful world may be a
reality. Lord, in your mercy…
R: hear our prayer.
Turn your face to those in need of healing in body, mind and spirit, especially
everyone whom we name in our hearts. Strengthen their faith and ours and fill us
with hope as we humbly bow our heads before you. Lord, in your mercy…
R: hear our prayer.
O God of welcome, open our hearts to the visitors among us, and to their gifts and
questions. Use us to fill them with your welcoming presence. Watch over those
who are absent from us this morning and bring them safely home. Lord, in your
mercy…
R: hear our prayer.
As you gather the faithful who have died into your eternal home, remind us of
everything they have taught us. Thank you for their presence among us, especially
our brother Crispin Foster. Lord, in your mercy…
R: hear our prayer.
Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your
mercy, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen