A Heart to Succeed

August 16, 2026 Matthew 15:10-28 12th Sunday of Pentecost A Heart to Succeed Blessing of the BackPacks Year A Prelude Greeting Call to Worship Leader: As summer days fade and school bells ring, we gather in this sacred space. People: We bring our growing minds, our big questions, and our eager hearts. Leader: We bring the heavy loads we carry—of books and supplies, of hopes and anxieties, of tests and new beginnings. People: God meets us here, promising to walk with us into every hallway, classroom, and playground. Leader: Let us worship God, who gives wisdom to the student, strength to the teacher, and grace for every step of the journey. All: Open our hearts to learn, our hands to serve, and our spirits to grow! Amen. (Google Gemini, inspired by Words for Workers) Invocation Gracious and Healing God, in your presence, we find the fullness of joy, love, and life. Expand our vision and write a new way forward upon our hearts. We seek your wisdom and guidance. We need your comfort and conviction. We trust your provision and power. As we come near to you, we affirm your goodness and the goodness within us. Receive our presence and our dreams of the world you help us make possible. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Song This is a Day of New Beginnings UMH 383 Blessing of the BackPacks Blessing the Backpacks & students Pastor: I invite all students: - kindy, primary, secondary and adults who are studying to come to the front. If you have brought your school bag you can bring it with you. Parents you can also come with your children. Pastor: This week school is commencing for 2023. Today we have gathered together to ask for God’s blessing for these students. We especially acknowledge those who are beginning school or kindy for the first time. We offer prayers and blessings in support of them. Pastor: I invite you to join in at the appropriate time with the following: PRINT THIS PART POSSIBLY AS AN INSERT As we begin this new school year, we give thanks that God has given us the ability to learn many things in many ways. Adults: Learning takes place in school, in church, in our family, in our community, and in the world. Kids: Learning is a gift from God. We ask God’s blessing on this new school year, that it may be a time when we appreciate and fully engage in God’s gift of learning. Adults: We ask God to bless our schools and teachers. Kids: We ask God to bless our classmates and friends. Adults: We ask God to bless our principals, counsellors, librarians and other school staff. We ask God to bless those who prepare our lunches, those who drive us to school, and those who keep our schools clean and safe. Adults: We give thanks to God for books and computers and all the tools that help us learn. Kids: We give thanks to God for the gift of learning! DO NOT PRINT THIS PART Friends, will you please stand as you are able and raise your hands up high in that ancient posture of blessing... Now, imagine all the love, support, and encouragement pouring out of you - from the tips of your toes to the top of your head and out through your fingertips - onto all these lovely folks beginning a new year of learning, growing, and getting to know a little better God’s Sophia, God’s Holy Wisdom… Lift your hands and your hearts, and let us pray: Loving God, be with these people - students, teachers, administrators, custodians… Be with them and help them as they begin a new year of learning, teaching, growing, and serving… May their minds and their pencils be sharp; may their lunches never be forgotten at home; and may their Pink Pearl erasers help them to remember that mistakes are okay - in fact are the most important part of the process… God, thank you for glue sticks and homework folders and laptops and crisp new notebooks waiting to be filled; thank you for schools and libraries and teachers; thank you for gift of curiosity and for your Wisdom that is all around… God of Wisdom, bless these backpacks… We pray this and everything in the name of your Son, who left his parents so he could sit and learn at the feet of those rabbis in the temple… We pray this and everything in the name of Jesus, Amen. (Taken from various websites) Scripture Matthew 15: 10-28 Sermon A Heart to Succeed Keep Showing Up in Faith A Back-to-School Sermon There is something about the beginning of a new school year that feels hopeful. The school supplies are still new. The notebooks have not yet been written in. The crayons have not been broken. The backpacks are clean, the pencils are sharpened, and everyone has a chance to begin again. Success in school does not come simply from buying the right supplies or beginning with good intentions. Success requires persistence. It requires getting up, showing up, trying again, and refusing to quit. The same is true of faith. In Matthew 15, Jesus teaches us that persistent faith and a clean heart are essential—not only for school, but for the whole journey of life. What Comes Out of the Heart At the beginning of our passage, Jesus says: “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” The religious leaders were concerned because Jesus’ disciples were not following their traditional rules about washing their hands before eating. Now, this was not primarily about hygiene. Jesus was not telling children to stop washing their hands before lunch! Please continue to wash your hands. The leaders were concerned about ceremonial cleanliness. They believed that certain outward practices determined whether a person was spiritually clean. Jesus challenged that understanding. He said that what enters the mouth eventually leaves the body, but what comes out of the mouth begins in the heart. Evil thoughts, lies, insults, cruelty, jealousy, and hatred all begin inside us. In other words, Jesus says, “Do not be so concerned about looking clean on the outside that you neglect what is happening on the inside.” That is an important lesson as we begin a new school year. You can have a clean uniform and an unclean attitude. You can carry a new backpack while holding on to an old grudge. You can have perfectly sharpened pencils while using your words to tear someone down. Education can fill the mind with knowledge, but we also need Jesus to fill the heart with grace. The heart matters because what is in our hearts will eventually come out through our words and actions. When frustration enters the heart, angry words may come out of the mouth. When jealousy grows in the heart, gossip may come out of the mouth. When prejudice settles in the heart, exclusion may come out through our behavior. But when the love of Christ fills our hearts, encouragement can come out of our mouths. When gratitude fills our hearts, praise can come out. Keeping a clean heart does not mean that we never make mistakes. It means that we regularly allow God to examine us, forgive us, and change us. Before we begin each day, we might pray: “Jesus, clean my heart. Help me think what is good, speak what is kind, and do what is right.” That may be one of the most important back-to-school prayers we can offer. The Faith of an Outsider After teaching about the heart, Jesus travels to the region of Tyre and Sidon. There he meets a Canaanite woman. Matthew identifies her as a Canaanite for a reason. She belonged to a people who had long been considered enemies and outsiders. In 2011 – it is hard to believe that was 15 years ago. I attended the World Methodist Conference which took place in South Africa. Bishop Chacour’s talk One of the most compelling speakers of the week – was Bishop Elias Chacour. Bishop Chacour is a Palestinian Christian. Canaanites is an ancient name for present day Palestinians. Bishop Chacour told of a story of why he could hate the jews for what they did to his family – and why he cant afford to hate them. He told a story of how racism is alive and well in his world. And in spite of it he is a faithful Christian. He told us that in many ways he was just like Jesus – being born in the same land. Jesus is just a person Interestingingly enough – Matthew 15 tells a story of how He and jesus are not brothers. They may look alike, they may have been born in the same land. But one of them was born a jew and the other a Palestinian. Jesus makes it very clear that his mission is to the lost sheep of the house of isreal and no one else. If you read the entire book of matthew, you will find that of all of the miracles that he does to transform lives, there are only 3 times that he reaches out to those who are not jewish The Canaanite woman’s wit The story of the cannannite woman might seem a little strange to us as Jesus tells her that he cant give the food to the children to the dogs. Is he really calling her a dog? The jews thought of all gentiles (anyone who was not like them as dogs). Hebrew scriptures particularly tell Jews, not to associate with cannonites. They were to claim the promisland and to totally destroy all cannonaites. Not to get to know them, not try to understand them, not to relate to them. But to kill them without question. So it was the least he could do to call her a dog. Jewish religion is concerned with being clean. The only person capable of true cleaniliness are jews. Everyone else is dirty – thus dogs. Faith That Refuses to Leave This is where the conversation gets difficult. Jesus tells her that it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs. We should not ignore how uncomfortable these words sound. Jesus is naming the boundary that existed between Israel and the Gentile world. He gives voice to the very barrier that others believed should keep her away. But the woman does not turn away. She answers: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” She believes there is enough mercy in Jesus for her daughter. She seems to say, “Lord, I know there is enough goodness in you. I know there is enough healing in you. I know there is enough mercy at God’s table. I will not leave because I believe you are able to help my child.” Jesus answers: “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter is healed. We should remember that as school begins. The student whom others overlook may have something important to teach us. The child who sits alone may need someone to make room at the table. The person who comes from a different background may reveal something about God that we have failed to see. We must not allow pride, or popularity to determine who deserves our kindness. If Jesus welcomed the persistent cry of someone others called an outsider, then the followers of Jesus must make room for those who are ignored, excluded, or pushed aside. We are all born baby Bishop chacour himself said that many people find it hard to believe that he could be Palestinian and Christian. And yet he is proud of his heritage. As a matter of fact, the canannites would have been dogs to the jews, but they became some of the most loyal and faithful Christians in history. Since many Palestinians are muslim, bishop chacour said that many people ask him if he was born Christian. He explains to them that no, he was not born a Christian – he was born a baby. A newborn baby – fresh and innocent from heaven. He has to be taught how to walk, how to talk and how to be a Christian. Just like any other baby born anywhere in the world. Matthew 15 is not a story of Jesus’ cultural identity – it is a story of what it means to be faithful. Stay faithful to the God that stays faithful to us God never abandons us – faith is making a decision to never abandon God. The Cannaanite mother understood the messiah better than both Jesus and the disciples. this woman comes to Jesus crying: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” We do not need impressive words to get God’s attention. We need an honest heart that is willing to call upon the Lord. But after this woman calls out, Jesus is silent. That may be the most difficult part of the story. She asks for help, but there is no immediate response. She keeps crying, until the disciples become annoyed and ask Jesus to send her away. She could have given up. She could have thought, “Jesus did not answer the first time, so there is no reason to ask again.” She could have allowed the disciples’ attitude to drive her away. But she stays. She comes closer, kneels before Jesus, and says: “Lord, help me.” This is persistent faith. Persistent faith is not pretending that everything is easy. It is continuing to trust when life is difficult. It is praying when the answer has not yet come. It is coming back to Jesus even after disappointment. Persistence Is Part of Learning We all need persistence. We sometimes talk as if successful people are simply more intelligent or talented than everyone else. But success often comes from being willing to keep working when something is difficult. You may have a difficult day. Get some rest, pray, and begin again tomorrow. This applies to adults as well. Teachers will have days when the lesson does not go as planned. Parents will have days when they wonder whether they are doing enough. School staff will face problems most people never see. Churches may pray for young people and wonder whether their efforts are making a difference. Do not give up. A Clean Heart and Persistent Faith This passage gives us two back-to-school essentials: a clean heart and persistent faith. A clean heart helps us choose what is right. Persistent faith helps us continue when doing what is right becomes difficult. We need both. God calls us to keep our hearts centered in love and our feet moving in faith. Keep Coming Back to Jesus The Canaanite woman teaches us that persistent faith is not about having all the answers. It is about knowing where to go with our questions. She kept coming back to Jesus. When there was silence, she came back to Jesus. When the disciples wanted her to leave, she came back to Jesus. When she encountered a barrier, she came back to Jesus. That is our invitation at the beginning of this school year: keep coming back to Jesus. Bishop Swanson’s story of standing firm Last Friday – we attended evangelistic services at the churches throughout the area. I visited Kwamushu church, in a township. The church is so full of young people, that they cant fit them all in once church. Our preacher for the service was bishop james swanson – the bishop of dallas. His sermon was on faith – and how important it is for us to stand fast. He told a story of how he graduated in the top of his class and always believed that he would go to college. But because he was black, his counselor never even told him to go to college. He thought it was like high school. When it was time for school to start, you showed up, registered and showed up for class. So on the first day of school, he kissed him mother goodbye, took the bus and got in line to register for classes. When the clerk told him that he had not been accepted, the he could not register, he refused to get out of line. He had told his mother he was going to college, and he was determined not to disappoint her. He told the clerk that he was not getting out of line until she registered him. Finally he talked to someone in the admission office. It took him a year to take the ACT, send in his application and do all of the other things he needed to so. But he did get into school, and he was given all the scholarships he needed to pay for it. He went from a unknowing black student in the south – to a bishop of the united Methodist church. All because he had a need, patience, persistence and faith. Faith is a commitment to stay loyal to the promises of God no matter what, no matter how, no matter who. God never gives up on you – so why should you ever give up on God? Jesus can save anybody from anything. But we have to remember that God wants to save anybody. When you are excited, come to Jesus. When you are afraid, come to Jesus. When you succeed, thank Jesus. When you fail, come back to Jesus. From the perspective of faith, success means becoming the person God created you to be—learning, growing, loving your neighbor, using your gifts, and remaining faithful through every challenge. So, as we begin this new school year, let us ask God for clean hearts and persistent faith. May our hearts be filled with kindness. May our mouths speak encouragement. May our hands be ready to help. May our minds be willing to learn. And when the year becomes difficult, may we remember the woman who would not give up. And, above all, keep coming back to Jesus. Because there is still mercy at God’s table. And there is still enough love in Jesus for every child, every family, every teacher, every school—and every one of us. Amen. Song God of all Learning (Sung to the Tune of Morning has Broken UMH 145) Words used by permission of author, Carolyn Winfrey Gillette) Pastoral Prayer for the beginning of the school year Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment (DO NOT PRINT) Since 2024, the Wilmington Sharefest group has supplied Kleenex, zip-lock bags, disinfecting wipes, baby wipes, and paper towels for all students, regardless of income. These are what we call “communal” supplies each student is asked to supply at the beginning of the school year. This year the total cost is around $8000 and we are close to raising the funds. The Sharefest group would like to take this one step further and ask the parents receiving this benefit, especially those who are in an average or stronger financial situation, to donate funds that would be used not to reimburse our expense rather to purchase very basic supplies like paper, pencils, and crayons. These would be made available to the Principals in each of the schools to be distributed when requested by teachers, who are in the best position to know which students are truly in need. If you would like to donate to this cause, you can make the check out to the church and put “school supplies” in the memo line. The funds will be sent to Sharefest Will County to purchase the supplies mentioned. If you have questions, please talk to Steve Francis. Offertory Prayer Gracious God, you pour your blessing upon your people like dew upon the earth and oil upon the head, flowing beyond all boundaries we would draw. We thank you for the gift of unity—good and pleasant, beautiful and life-giving—meant not only for us, but for the healing of the world. Receive these offerings as signs of our desire to live together in your love, to practice radical welcome, and to share your abundance with all your children. Let what we give today flow outward in compassion and service, that our life together may reflect your kindom of peace, justice, and joy. Amen. (Psalm 133) (United Methodist Board of Discipleship) Announcements Closing Prayer for YouTube Our Lord and Savior, Thank You for bringing us together to begin this new school year. As we close our time today, we give You praise for the opportunities, friendships, and learning ahead. Bless our students with curious minds, confidence, and calm hearts. Bless our teachers, staff, and families with strength, patience, and joy. Protect us as we go our separate ways, and guide our steps through every day of this new season. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. (Inspired by First Baptist Church of Sevier) Community Time - Joys and Concerns Benediction Dear Lord, Thank you that you promise us That when two or more come together in Your name You are with us. Thank you Lord that you have been with us throughout this service, and that you are with us right now. Inspire us as we leave this place To love and serve You always. In the name of Jesus. Amen. (Lord’sPrayerWords.com) Additional Illustrations Sermon Opener – Great Is Your Faith – Matthew 15:(10-20), 21-28 What would you think if I told you that on your tombstone would be inscribed a four-word epitaph? Well, you might respond, it would depend on who would write this epitaph--an enemy or a loved one. It might also depend, you might say, on how well this person knew and understood you. If a newspaper critic wrote of a concert pianist the four words: "He was a failure," you could always say: That was his opinion. But if one of the world's great musicians wrote, “He was a genius,” then you are apt to take the remark more seriously. There was a character in the Gospel who Jesus once described with four immortal words: Great is your faith. She was a Canaanite woman who came from the country to the north of Palestine, a country hostile to the Jews. She was presumably married, she had at least one child; but that’s all we know about her. We don't know whether she was a good woman or a bad woman. We don’t know her name. All we know of her is that in this single encounter with Jesus he spoke to her this four-word epitaph: Great is your faith. Only four words but they are enough to make her immortal. We can trust these words as being true because the expert on faith spoke them. Jesus searched for faith, as a gem collector would fine jewels. He did not always find it in his disciples. On no occasion that we know did he ever say of Peter, James, and John: Great is your faith. More often the words he spoke to them: You of little faith. On only one other occasion did Jesus praise a person for their faith. Interestingly, that was a Roman soldier stationed in Capernaum. We regard this Canaanite woman with more than just an academic interest. She awakens in us a feeling of admiration, perhaps even envy, because she stands where most of us would like to stand… The Rabbi's Apprentice - Matthew 15:(10-20), 21-28 In 1797, prominent German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote a poem called “Der Zauberlehrling,” in which an apprentice of a master sorcerer is left alone with chores to do. Invoking magic that he was not yet properly trained to use, the apprentice commanded a bucket and broom to do his work. Because he could not properly control them, everything got quickly out of hand, and chaos ensued. Finally, the master returned and restored order to the mess. Walt Disney famously employed the plot of the poem in his musical “Fantasia,” starring Mickey Mouse as the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” While we laugh at the apprentice’s antics and enjoy the presentation, this fantasized idea of the role of “apprentice” may affect our idea of discipleship more than we realize. In our faith journey, we often think of ourselves as out there on our own doing our best to deal with situations out of our control. But this is not the kind of “discipleship” or “apprenticeship” relationship that Jesus expected from his disciples in his lifetime, nor is it the one He expects from us in ours. In Jesus’ time, a disciple or apprentice to the faith was much like an apprentice in any other kind of learned skilled labor. You didn’t learn and then quickly strike out on your own. But a discipleship relationship was a years long endeavor, which involved literally following the rabbis every move, listening to him talk, watching him interact with others, listening and asking questions as he taught, sleeping, eating, and learning every hour of every day by his side. If you were a carpenter’s apprentice, you ate, slept, and worked side by side with the master carpenter. If you were a builder’s apprentice, you ate, slept, and worked side by side with the master builder. If you were an apprentice of the faith, you ate, slept, and learned/interacted side by side with the master rabbi.... A Mother’s Faith Augustine's mother, Monica, was a fervent believer who prayed constantly for her son's salvation. She devoted her whole life to praying for Augustine's conversion. At one point, when Augustine was becoming devoted to the Manichaean philosophy, Monica begged a holy man to speak to Augustine, and show him why their beliefs were not true. The holy man refused because Augustine was known to have a great intellect, and would likely try to savage the holy man's arguments. The holy man assured Monica that he, too, had once been a Manichaean, and that Augustine was too smart to deceive himself much longer. At this, Monica began to cry. The holy man sent her away, saying, "Go, go! Leave me alone. Live on as you are living. It is not possible that the son of such tears should be lost." The holy man was right. After many years and a fierce inner struggle, Augustine was touched by a revelation in Scripture, and became a Christian. When Monica learned of her son's salvation, she remarked that she had nothing left to live for, for the greatest desire of her heart had been fulfilled. Nine days later, Monica died. And the son she had spent her life praying for, went on to affect the whole world. Monica never quit asking. "Live on as you are living," said the holy man. "It is not possible that the son of such tears should be lost." You are concerned about someone you love? Keep on asking God for help. Don't let your tears quench the flame of your faith in God. It may seem like God is ignoring you, but I assure you that is not the case. Don't give up. Keep asking. And keep on trusting. King Duncan, When You Need Help, adapted from Ruth Bell Graham, Prodigals and Those Who Love Them. Learning to Be Like Christ A householder keeps faith, keeps care, of all those in his household. This is what the Canaanite woman learns from Jesus' example. And this is what she reveals back to him. In other words, Jesus "learns" to hear his own words through the ears of her faith. That's why ultimately Jesus declares, "Woman, great is your faith" - not, "You are very clever." This is how philosopher Dallas Willard puts it, as he defines exactly what is a disciple: "One of those who have trusted Jesus with their whole life, so far as they understand it. Because they've done so, they want to learn everything he has to teach them about life in the kingdom of God now and forever, and they're constantly with him to learn this. Disciples of Jesus are those learning to be like him" (Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ, 241). Leonard Sweet, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com Thinking of Nothing Else: Concentration The famous one-time Catholic monk, Martin Luther, was legendary not just for nailing a piece of paper to the door of his home church citing 95 things that needed to be changed about it. He wrote and lectured extensively to his students at the university as well. Some of his students were very good learners, and others were not so good. But a few of his students realized that some of the most valuable instruction that Luther gave was not in the classroom, but was in the dining hall over a meal and a few drinks. His students began taking notes on what Luther told them in that relaxed atmosphere, and they eventually published these notes in what was known as Martin Luther’s Table Talks. One such example of the profound insight and truth Luther gave his students happened one day after class in the dining hall and they were all sitting around eating their meal and talking on the subject of prayer. A student of Luther’s by the name of Viet Dietrich preserved Luther’s words for us: “When Luther’s puppy, Tölpel, happened to be at the table, looked for a morsel from his master, and watched with open mouth and motionless eyes, Luther said, ‘Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Otherwise, he has no thought, wish, or hope’” (Table Talks, May 18, 1532). Martin Luther’s puppy reminds me of the woman in today’s Gospel lesson from Matthew. Although this woman was a Gentile, from the region of Tyre and Sidon (modern day Lebanon), she couldn’t think about anything other than Jesus healing her daughter. J. Curtis Goforth, O.S.L., I Ain’t Too Proud to Beg Don’t Take No for an Answer A story came across the wires from the Reuters news service about a family of ducklings that fell down a sewer grate in Vancouver. Their mother did what any parent would do. She got help from a passing police officer. The mother duck grabbed the policeman by the pant leg while he was on foot patrol. The policeman shoved what he thought was just a goofy duck away, but she persisted, grabbing his leg again when he tried to leave, and then waddling to a nearby sewer grate where she sat down and waited for him to follow and investigate. The policeman came to where she sat and saw eight little baby ducklings in the water below. Police removed the heavy metal grate with the help of a tow truck and used a vegetable strainer to lift the ducklings to safety. Mother and offspring then departed for a nearby pond. That mother duck did what the Canaanite woman did. She persisted in seeking help until she got it. And that is just what Jesus wants us to do. Be persistent in getting the help you need. Do not be intimidated by authority figures. And remember, we have a Friend who can help us even when human endeavors fail. Christ is waiting to help you today. King Duncan, Worried About Her Child, www.Sermons.com Have Faith Anyway The place was a suburb of Detroit. The speaker, Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. The subject: "After Auschwitz, Can We Still Believe!" Jews and Gentiles alike filled the great synagogue to listen to the recollections of one who survived the furnaces of Dachau. Thin and fragile, Wiesel stood at the podium for nearly an hour telling one story after another of the horror and despair of those bleak days in the '30s. His stories were of people confused with their imprisonment and sometimes destroyed with their release. Painfully, silently, the audience relived the events of Wiesel's young life when he was the only surviving member of his family. Finally the stories ceased. His eyes dropped to the floor. There was no sound at all in that mammoth room for what seemed an agonizing eternity. Then he repeated the question, "After Auschwitz, can we still believe?" He shook his head slowly, sadly, "No, no,..." before concluding powerfully, "but we must!" Concerning whether or not to have faith, there is no choice. There was none for that Canaanite mom, none for Elie Wiesel, there is none for you and me. The message of this wonderful mother is "Chose to believe anyway!" You may not feel you are allowed to have faith, have it anyway. You may not feel God loves you, believe it anyway. You may come to understand that you are not included, include yourself anyway. Even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the master's table. David E. Leininger, Hang In There! You Have Judged Yourself A story related to this text [summarized from Sunday and Holyday Liturgies, Cycle A, by Flor McCarthy] has a group of the very pious waiting in heaven for the judgment. As they are waiting and complaining about the wait, they begin to see some of the "sinners" they knew on earth coming into the waiting room: a corrupt politician, an itinerant woman who had been convicted of shoplifting numerous times, a prostitute, a drug addict, a man who spent most of his life in prison, etc. With each of these arrivals, the feeling of hostility increased in the first group. They glare at the others. They talk among themselves. Within a short time, words were spoken to those others, "What makes you think you're going to get in with that evil, sinful life you lived on earth?" "We’re relying on the mercy and grace of God. What makes you so sure you're going to get in?" "Our good lives, of course." They turned their backs to the others. Time began to drag on for the first group. They began to complain to one another. "If those other people get in, there's no justice. After all the sacrifices we've made. It's not fair." The Lord arrived. He turned towards the first group, "I understand you've been wondering why there has been no judgment." "Yes!" they cried out. "We want a judgment. We want justice." "The judgment has already taken place. You've judged yourselves. By judging these, the least of my brothers and sisters, you have judged yourselves. In rejecting them you have rejected me. You have shown yourselves unworthy of the kingdom of God." [pp. 151-3] Hare says something similar in his conclusion to this section: "We are defiled, Jesus tells us, by the unloving words that spring so readily from our mouths." [p. 176] Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes Keep on Asking. Keep on Trusting. A young pastor sat beside a hospital bed in which his wife lay. It was nearing the time for them to become parents. Soon this young couple would bask together in the glow of the announcement: "It's a boy." Later, however, they would begin a desperate search for some specialist who could help the child. They were unsuccessful - little Ronnie was born mentally impaired. The entrance of this father into the school of suffering taught him many things. Recalling that first grief-fraught summer, Ronald Meredith wrote, "Grief teaches lessons that joy can never know. We discovered that there is a comradeship in pain." Unlike the Canaanite woman, Ronald Meredith did not see his son healed. But he has not quit trusting. He now looks forward to that great day when God's plan for us will be perfected. He believes that one day he will look at Ronnie and say, "Hi, Son," and for the first time Ronnie will respond, "Hi, Dad." They will need a lot of time to talk, for Ronnie has never been able to speak a word. The Canaanite woman saw Jesus heal her daughter immediately. It may be that Ron Meredith will have to wait until that day he and his son are united on that distant shore, beyond this world of limitations and adversity, when he will see his son fully healed - but he has not quit trusting....and neither should we. Keep on asking. Keep on trusting. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com