Are We Persistent Enough In Witnessing Our Faith?
Good Morning Friends,
When we undergo the chastening of the Lord, it is often because we are being loved by God. Jeremiah’s commission was about such disciplining and it was not greeted with joy. And yet at a time when the Babylonians were already at the gate of Jerusalem to execute God’s judgment against that city – and at a time when all other hope was lost – Jeremiah’s Little Book of Consolation is written. Today’s lectionary passage from this section of Jeremiah opens with the God reassuring all the families of Israel that the Lord will not cease to be their God, and they His people. Our New Testament passage gives us warrant to extend this to include all who are chosen in Christ from the foundation of the world. Here we find grace not just in the wilderness experiences of our own lives but at a table with Jesus. Together they demonstrate God’s everlasting love that continues to draw His people not because of their merits, but because of God’s grace, kindness and everlasting love. Honestly, it is easy to get complacent about this, so I wonder, Are We Persistent Enough In Witnessing Our Faith?
Scripture: At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus says the Lord: The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall take your tambourines, and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit. For there shall be a day when sentinels will call in the hill country of Ephraim: “Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.” For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, “Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel.”
Jeremiah 31:1-7 (NRSV)
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” 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.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 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.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Matthew 15:21-28 (NRSV)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.
Ephesians 1:2-4 (NRSV)
Message: The book of Jeremiah is mostly, but not exclusively, a book about God’s judgment. But there is a part about grace and love that we see played out in the story of the persistent Canaanite woman seeking healing for her daughter. Undoubtedly Jesus was praying when confronted with the situation of the Canaanite woman. He was always praying, and this situation was one that needed much prayer. Everything was wrong with that woman in Canaanite-Jewish relations. She was the wrong gender, the wrong religion, and the wrong nationality. But she still spoke up for her convictions because she believed that Jesus Christ could heal her daughter. She had within her the courage and boldness which nourished and strengthened her faith. To test her sanity, Jesus called her a puppy instead of the term dog that would have been common for the time. And the woman was not put off in the least. Then she comes back with one of the great lines in the Bible, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” So too, we are not to take things so personally. We are to realize our collective spiritual potential comes only when we step outside our comfort zone and trust. We are to trust that God has our best interest in hand, we can let go of our fears and prayerfully allow the new words of God’s grace to guide us forward in search of healing. Friends, God’s solution for the problem of our disobedient condition is meant for everyone. Thankfully Paul too was sent to bring God’s good news to those considered religious rejects. But the work is not yet done. We are to stand firm in the mercy our loving Lord has freely provided, but also be willing to share it.
Pray we keep praying. Pray we not give up. Pray we realize that all have disobeyed and should rightfully be rejected. Pray we realize with some sense of joy that our loving Lord delights to show mercy and so should we. Pray we come to see the truth of this life and the answer that God gives each one of us. Pray we not give up before God reveals the miracle of healing. Pray we lean into the moment with faith that God will provide a way for us to witness to God’s grace. Pray we not get caught up in the personal drama of life’s challenges. Pray we not worry for that just means we will suffer twice. Pray we realize that charity does not expect, and even pretend, that others should adapt themselves to it, but it is always ready to accommodate itself to others. Pray we are thankful that God adapted to us when He became human. Pray we learn the words to describe how to come down from the little pedestal of our personality so we might adapt ourselves to the mentalities, preferences, and needs of an ever-widening community. Pray we successfully overcome crises and hardships without fleeing from challenges or concealing problems. Pray right now along with the Holy Spirit that our words begin to transform our church, country and community into a house healed by new words of loving prayer.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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