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Ordinary Sunday 20, Year A
South Sydney Uniting Church
August 20, 2017
Matthew 15:21-28
‘Crumbs’
Last Sunday Vicki offered to help with the distribution of the Bread of Life. I asked whether she’d like to carry the bread on a plate. “No, I like dropping crumbs,” she said. “I like making a mess. I think there’s something important about the messiness …” I think she’s right. God be with you …
(1) The messy crumbs can stand for the messy reality of caring for a child that is ill … or caring for anybody, and willing to do anything to help someone, even if it means crying, “Help me, Rabbi!” when people are staring and wishing you’d go away. Do we know some people dedicated to caring for others? … We can remember carers in our prayers and understand a little what they might be going through.
(2) The crumbs also stand for Jesus and the messy reality of learning as you teach. Jesus is the learner today. The best teachers (rabbis) are learners/students … We can think of the Canaanite woman – a bold, compassionate woman – as the Holy Spirit, showing Jesus his true identity as a healer, opening his heart to grace … We all start out somewhere, with very limited understanding of life (yes, even Jesus) … We can all be open to the Spirit of grace as we follow Jesus, ready when opportunities come to think differently, ready to act more faithfully …
And (3) the crumbs – we should remember this Gospel whenever we see the mess we make around the table – mean there’s more than enough bread, and more than enough love to go around, there’s bread/love to share … If we’re “living for life” (Jean Vanier), then these crumbs won’t let us forget those who are hungry – for food, for kindness, for meaningful work, joy, space.
Who might be asking us for help? Whom have we feared, misunderstood, excluded, neglected or insulted? Human-