Matthew15::Defecation and Dog Food

Matthew 15

          Okay, did today's reading make anyone else chuckle like it did me?  I admit that I have a sense of seventh-grade humor and any time certain words are said, I laugh a little.  Sorry to burst the bubble that I am a well-sophisticated gentleman.  I just am still getting used to the language of The Message and don't really expect to read about "defecation."

          Now, here is what bothered me this morning.  In the middle section of Chapter 15, Matthew recounts a story of a Canaanite woman who comes to Jesus begging for him to heal her daughter who is stricken by a demonic spirit.
          Jesus ignored her.

          What?  Why in the world would he do this?  I mean, I know why I would it, but why would Jesus do such a thing?  He brushes her off to his disciples.  They can't stand her and they can't handle her.  She's sandpaper to everyone.
          Then she comes back to him and he tells her that for him to help her would be like taking bread from a child's mouth and throwing it to the dogs!
          Her response to Jesus is priceless.  She agrees with him and says "but beggar dogs do get scraps from the master's table."  He is taken aback by her response and heals her daughter immediately.
          I am going to have to wrestle with this a little today.  I may come out with a limp at the end of this, but I don't have a good "pastor-answer" for this.  If you have one (pastor-answer that is), keep it to yourself, but if you have some honest thoughts about what Jesus might be meaning hear post away!

Core Practice :: PRAYER

We pray to God to know Him, to lay our requests before Him and to find direction for our daily lives.

Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.

I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.

If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;

but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.

Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!

-Psalm 66:16-20

It's no surprise to anyone that prayer is a core practice of the Christ-life, but the three purposes of prayer in the creed remind us what prayer is really about. First things first: we pray to know God. That alone can change everything where prayer is concerned. Prayer is a dialogue between God and his people--not just a laundry list, a religious duty, or a last resort.

I'm not great at prayer that looks like: sitting quietly, early in the morning or late at night, in a room with my eyes closed, for long periods of time. Some people are, and they impress me. I will probably fall asleep or struggle as my mind wanders all over the place. Understanding prayer as an ongoing conversation between God and me has helped tremendously. I can (and do) pray in all kinds of times and places. In addition to helping me as a pray-er, it's helped me realize that God isn't compartmentalized into only one part of my life. In other words, it's easier for me to "find direction for my daily life." Praying in the morning starts something that can keep going all day in every place and circumstance.

Resource: My favorite book on the subject is a little classic called The Practice of the Presence of God by brother Lawrence. He discovered the greatest secret to living in the Kingdom of God here on earth: "practicing the presence of God in one single act that does not end."

Prayer is related to the following core beliefs: Personal God, Identity in Christ, Salvation by Grace.

Kids Q&A:

Kids' creed: "I love God by talking to him daily"
Hand motion: praying hands

Why do we pray? The kids' creed has the best answer: because it's a way to love God. God wants us to talk with Him. It makes him very happy just to hear from us. And doing it daily establishes a habit kids can carry into old age.

What does prayer sound like? When do you pray? What do you pray about? Kids learn the most about prayer by hearing others pray. Mealtime is a great place to start. Expand mealtime prayer beyond giving thanks for your food. Pray conversationally. Pray about anything and everything.

Why do we say, "In Jesus' name we pray"? This may be a question for older kids, but an important one. By saying those words, we acknowledge the core belief of Salvation By Grace, that Jesus is our only way to God.

Mark 14

You kind of knew this was coming, right? I mean, everything leading up to our reading today was pointing toward a showdown of sorts with the religious establishment. This man, Jesus, just didn't do what he was "supposed" to do. Today's chapter begins with a woman lavishing Jesus with expensive perfume. The disciples were angry with her because if she didn't want the perfume, she could have sold it and made money to give to the poor. Jesus saw her act very differently. She gave her best, not her left-overs. Are we as diligent with our best? Are we so diligent with our best time? With our best money? With our best gifts/talents? I can't say that I always am.

Jesus then declares that one of the twelve is going to betray him. It's funny that the disciples ask themselves if it is them that will do this. They were not even confident enough in their own thoughts about Jesus to know whether or not he was speaking about them. I can't say I would have been any clearer, though.

What must communion have been like on that night? The last time that communion would be observed as a forward looking event would be that night. Since then, we have all participated in communion as a remembrance of what Jesus went through, not what he would go through. Everything is about to change.

Falling asleep while praying? C'mon guys. What were you thinking? How familiar these three guys had become with Jesus. He was not "God in a Bod" to these guys, he was Jesus. Sure there was something different about him, something special, but that much consistent contact with some breeds familiarity. Whether Jesus wanted them to experience the sorrow he was feeling, or he wanted them to keep watch for the one who would betray him is not clear, but it doesn't really matter. They fell asleep on the job. Is there any correlation to our lives today?

Then they come. They come to take Jesus. They are accompanied by Judas, one of the twelve. I've read this story before, I've read Mark before and I've even seen The Passion of the Christ, but today this part of the story sucker-punched me in the gut. In the past twelve months, I've lost two grandparents and walked with friends as they've lost parents. I don't know if it's because I am closer to pain right now or just spending the past 14 days with Jesus, reading his story. Either way, I wasn't quite ready for what I felt this morning. I am actually not ready to move to Chapter 15.