In the beginning of today’s Gospel reading, we hear pretty quickly of a woman in distress. Her daughter is sick and dying and only one person can help her: Jesus Christ. She seeks him out in the region of Tyre, and after pleading her case, Jesus likens her and her people to nothing more than dogs. A human response born out of a prejudiced culture. That’s the trouble with the wholly divine and wholly human Jesus Christ, sometimes he can be a jerk just like the rest of us.
Now as the story goes, the woman here overcomes the prejudice that Jesus is exemplifying and he does heal her daughter. Great! Jesus eventually does what we all strive to do which is see people for who they are as a person rather than where they’re from or their social standing. Why does it matter to us today?
My message from this morning was focused very much in the crying of Syrian mother’s for their children washing up on beaches. We can do better, world, I know we can.
I invite you to have a listen to today’s message and, if you like, I’ll include a link to the text, though I sometimes go off-script.
For the audio of today’s message click here.
For the text of today’s message click here.
Keep the people fleeing terror in your hearts and prayers. Remember that as hard as it might seem for any one of us to effect large change, together we can better this world.
Peace,
Rev. Richard