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| Image by Pexels from Pixabay |
“It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”
What in the name of good news is going on here?
This woman came to Jesus desperate for her daughter’s healing, and he calls her a dog?! This mama has no time for insults, she needs her daughter to be well! She summons all her wit and tenacity and has the audacity to talk back to Jesus. He, in turn, listens and heals her daughter.
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| Photo by Conger Design from Pixabay |
We have been hearing about Jesus the bread of life for the last 5 weeks. All this talk of bread has made me think about what we do at God’s table when the presider blesses and breaks the bread. [action of raising and breaking bread]
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| Photo by congerdesign, pixabay.com |
Let’s just name it. Today’s gospel sounds like Jesus is advocating cannibalism. Eat my flesh. Drink my blood. Eeww.
Dracula would be thrilled. His Jewish audience, not so much. His listeners take his words literally. Jesus, once again showing saintly patience, explains that the invitation to eat his flesh and drink his blood is an invitation to deeper and forever relationship with God. His life, his flesh, redefines the life we live in this world AND the next. Without the bread that feeds our souls, our spirits and our sense of God working in and through us will wither and die.
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| Photo by Rachel Claire, from pexels.com |
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| Desert Sunrise. Image by Thomas G., from Pixabay |
Dear friends of Jesus -
Good morning! And it IS a beautiful morning here in Galilee. I’m sitting near the top of a little mountain, breathing sweet cool air scented with bay and flowers. I am watching the sky turn from purple to pink to blue with the sunrise, and giving thanks to God for this new day.
It’s been about 6 weeks since our Teacher sent us out in pairs to practice what we have been learning. He didn’t let us take any food or money with us - only sandals and one tunic.
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| Photo by Cor Gaasbeek from Pixabay |
It’s officially warm in Seattle.
Research shows that when it gets hotter than usual and stays that way, there are more violent crimes, domestic disputes, and suicides. While it may not be a direct cause, excessive heat aggravates us. Fatigue from poorer quality sleep, inability to get cool, medical conditions, and dehydration can make us irritable and tempers flare. Thus, a shorter fuse from anger to violence.
We are in the midst of an epidemic of violence and intolerance that seems exacerbated by overly warm weather. Some voices in the public arena insist on using binary language: us/them, winner/loser, mine/not yours. These scarcity narratives typically exclude and reject any perspective that does not agree or submit to their own ideas, and disagreement is demonized.
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| Image from Pixabay |
Jesus has been away from his hometown, presumably, for many years. He’s in his early 30’s, and gaining some fame in Judea for his teaching about God’s inescapable reign of justice and love. His teaching is more than a bit radical for his day. The people of Israel live under harsh rules and inescapable violence of Roman occupation.
Jesus’ message that God’s kingdom, a place of freedom and justice, love and plenty, has come near, offers a breath of hope to all kinds of people. The love he embodies is so powerful that he heals people who are blind and lame. He casts out spirits - and people’s lives are made whole. And Jesus doesn’t care who you are - he heals everyone.
