Dr Seuess’ story the sneetches highlights something that seems to be part of every human being.
The desire to be different and to use that difference to show how we are better than others.
In the sneetches it was we have stars and you don’t.
Then later on it was don’t have stars but you do.
And each one us can feel different and better than others
because we have some thing that they don’t.
And when do this we are constructing boundaries that not only help us feel better than others,
but also separate us from others.
Throughout my younger life my parents always encouraged me to mix with a variety of groups.
I can clearly remember at one time the discussion of two of these groups.
One of these groups consisted mainly of trades people.
The blue collar, hard working class.
They would say things like those politicians, those doctors, those accountants, those lawyers they don’t live in the real world…I always wondered what world they thought they lived in.
They don’t know what the real world is like.
They don’t know what hard work is like, how to live it tough.
This group was using their differences to suggest they were better than another group.
And around the same time I was mixing with some professionals most of whom had university degrees, were well educated and had a global perspective on life.
They would often suggest that those working class people didn’t know too much, that they didn’t understand life.
And they too were used their differences to say they were better than others..
And when we reflect on our lives we can see that each of us has boundaries in our lives.
That we are different from others.
And these boundaries often prevent us from truly welcoming others.
Today I would like you to reflect on what boundaries, what differences in your life that stop you from welcoming others.
Ask yourself the question, what boundaries exist in my life that stop me from being truly welcoming to others?
What makes you feel better, feel superior to others?
What makes you feel that other people are not up to standard?
Each of us will have some sort of boundary.
The interesting thing is that most of us will have some difficult in identifying these boundaries.
We find it difficult to see the boundaries partly because as the old saying goes it is easier to see the speck in someone else’s life than the log in our own.
It is mostlikely easier for many of you to pick my faults, to see how I am not so welcoming than it is for me, than your own.
Because I do this or that.
Some of you probably have a whole notepad of things.
Other times it is easy to justify our boundaries.
“For instances one of the big catch cries we hear at present is be weary of strangers.”
And this often translates to, don’t invite any strangers into your life.
Now is this living according to the gospel.
And this is one of the reasons it is important to regularly consult God’s Word.
To regularly read the scripture is important.
When we do and use God’s Word as a mirror to our lives we can how we fall short of His standards.
When I read the scriptures and I feel I am not doing something right.
It is not something I am too distraught about.
Instead I often go wow…wow this is God at work helping me.
I see it as God helping me.
The Holy Spirit at work helping me grow.
It encourages me to confess our sin.
It encourages me to ask the Holy Spirit to help me.
And today’s Gospel reading is an interesting one in highlighting boundaries.
It is an interesting reading because it has some peculiarities that you would not think are from Jesus.
For those who see Jesus as the meek and mild Jesus, the never offending anyone Jesus then you will be offended, confused.
It also has some other things in it that we need to explore further so we can understand them further that are not quite evident from this reading.
And so as I read today’s reading again and look at some of the boundaries that may exist. I would like you first to ask your self the following:
When am I or have been like the disciples?
When am I or have been like the disciples?
Also ask yourself when am I like that Canannite Woman?
When am I like that Canannite Woman?
When am I like Jesus?
When am I like Jesus?
Reading from Matthew chapter 15 verse 21.
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly."
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs."
27 "Yes it is, Lord," she said. "Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table."
28 Then Jesus said to her, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Who do you relate to?
Do you relate to all three?
Maybe you relate to one more than another?
Each of these characters highlight something about us.
Something about we are and who we are to become.
At times each of us are like the disciples.
It is easy to be like them.
At times we can have our own priorities, we can even think we know what God wants us to do and how we are to do it.
Then all of a sudden, God places someone in our life who needs help.
And this interrupts our life.
And we act like the disciples.
Go away we say.
One of the frustrating things for our pastoral care assistants is that people ring up needing helping.
Unfortunately this is usually late at night, or at inconvenient times.
What about you?
When people come into your life needing help, what do you do?
Do you act like the disciples?
Do you say go away, do you seem them as a nuisance, a pest?
That’s what the disciples did.
And most of us from time to time fall into that trap.
To see people who come into our lives needing help as a nuisance and to send them away because it doesn’t suit us.
That’s what the disciples did.
And often we can be like the disciples.
We can place boundaries, significant obstacles to people receiving God’s love and help through us.
However I challenge you when people frustrate you because they interrupt your life think of them differently.
Think that God has brought them into your life, because they need help.
And through you God wants them to be exposed to His love and generosity.
Now the second person in today’s reading is the Canaanite woman.
An interesting thing is that the Canaanite represents pagan, heathen.
A person who is willing to worship anything but Jesus.
A person who is despised because her culture has traditionally lived in ways that were offensive to Jews and the followers of Jesus.
Canaanite’s were despised, they were looked down upon.
She is so remote from Jesus.
So remote.
And yet this Canaanite woman comes to Jesus desperate.
When have you been desperate for help?
When have you had difficulties?
Interestingly though Jesus doesn’t just snap his fingers and help her instantly.
Often when we are going through a drama, we have to wait for Jesus’ help.
I have had a number of occasions when I have pleaded with Jesus for help,
desperately needing his help,
I have prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed
and often it is over time that God gives help not instantly.
So being a Canaanite woman, may mean that there have been times in your life when you have felt rejected.
That you have felt unworthy.
And they may have been people come seeking help, who have felt rejected, not part of the group but are desperate.
That is what the Canaanite woman was feeling like, she was a Canaanite woman coming amongst a group of men.
The Canaanite woman also highlights something else for us.
It highlights our journey with Jesus.
As we discussed at the start of the sermon, when we read the scriptures and places these against our own lives we see how we are unworthy, where we fall short.
Except there is one twist in the story.
And that twist is that we do deserve to be in God’s presence, God’s family because of Jesus Christ.
Jesus died on the cross.
Jesus rose for you.
Our lives as a Christian is represented by the Canaanite woman because each one of us go to God needing his help, knowing only he can help us, even though we don’t deserve.
And God helps us.
Because the Good News at the end of the reading is that Jesus helped the Canaanite woman.
What about Jesus?
When have you been like Jesus?
Some of us have probably been like Jesus when he said, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs."
If we take that out of context we could easily misunderstand what Jesus was on about.
To understand this passage further we need to look a bit deeper.
The passage was written many years after the event.
That Matthew as a whole was written for a Jewish audience.
The problem is that many Jews assumed that the Messiah God was exclusively for the Jews.
That God was exclusively for Jews.
However this passage highlights that Jesus is the Messiah, that God is not for one specific group, but for all people.
Also we need to scratch the Greek a little.
In the Greek there are two words for dog.
One describes a dog that we would often call a mongrel.
A stray dog.
The dog roaming around the streets.
A dog that is unloveable.
That is not what Jesus is saying.
That is not the word that is being used here.
Another describes a puppy.
A dog loved by the family.
Do you know anyone who owns dogs.
I know of a couple who love their dogs.
Their photos of huge dogs that they are hugging.
The dogs are part of the family.
That is the type of dog Jesus refers to.
That gives us a hint that Jesus sees this woman as part of the family.
Jesus is talking as if the dogs are part of the family.
So what is Jesus revealing.
He reveals that He is the Messiah for all people.
Secondly he doesn’t listen to the disciples and say he hasn’t got time.
He listens to this woman, allows her to be persistent, and offers her help.
And then says something remarkable.
She has great faith.
One of the ironies is that in scripture
There are only two occasions where Jesus says someone has great faith.
One of those is the Canaanite woman and the other a tax collector.
Both are not considered by many as people who are spiritually strong.
And yet Jesus says they have great faith.
To the disciples he often says you of little faith.
But to the Canaanite woman he says, “you have great faith.”
And maybe they do.
One of the difficulties people many people have when they first are interested in being part of a Christian community,
With touching base with Jesus.
Is that they are scared to make contact.
One lady who is now with our parish, took over 12months from when she first contacted me to actually coming to church.
Why?
Because they are worried about being judged?
About being the Canaanite woman.
It is hard for us to help people who are outsider feel welcome.
And yet Jesus does it.
Jesus does it.
And remember that throughout our lives we are called to reflect Jesus’ love in our life
To include others.
That is working in tandem with God.
Not to be judgemental of others.
To welcome them.
And allow God to help you take risks…
To remove the boundaries that exist in your life.
Most of the boundaries we have are not physical boundaries.
They are prejudices.
They are assumptions we have about others who are different.
But remember this.
Jesus came into this messed up world to remove the barriers between you and God
To bridge that gap.
And in doing so he removed the barrier between each of us.
So we can live a life of loving others unconditionally.
This week keep in mind two things.
God welcomes you into His family, because Jesus says so.
And as you interact with the rest of the world,
encourage others to see Jesus love.
That Jesus has done what is needed so they can be part of His family, no matter how different they feel they are.
Amen
