Dear Saint George Family,

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We apologize that tech issues interfered with our ability to livestream last Sunday. We are working on it!

But in the meantime, I'd like to share with you my sermon from last Sunday.

Love and Blessings to each of you!

Bonnie +

The Rev. Bonnie Malone

St George Episcopal Church, Maple Valley, WA

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Expanding Ohana. The Canaanite woman persisting.

This is one of the most perplexing set of stories in scripture. We start with Jesus saying: It is not what goes into the mouth but what comes out of the mouth defiles. Be careful with your words.

Context is a “dispute” about hand washing. Hand washing was something being developed during Jesus’ time by his contemporaries. It was a way to decentralize the holy things that happened in the temple into the home.

Jesus is explaining, like any rabbi, and offering an expansive “why we do this.” Wash your hearts as you wash your hands. Pause before you speak!

Lao Tzu – ancient Chinese Taoist philosopher, 5th century BCE “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”

Or the four gateways for speech

Is it the truth?

Is it fair to all concerned?

Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

So, if Jesus believes the things that come out of our mouths need care, his behavior next is perplexing. He crosses over, near or into gentile territory, and encounters a Canaanite woman in need. His response is: Silence, then a statement that it is not his job description, then a slur! What’s going on in his heart!?

The Canaanite woman has deeper concerns on her mind. Her daughter is unwell. She needs help. Perhaps for this reason, even as she is ignored, then dismissed, then called a nasty name, she keeps her heart steady and her words persistently and even playfully on course. She is not the first Canaanite woman to play a great role in the story of God’s people. One of Jesus’ ancestors, Rahab, was a Canaanite.

In the end, Jesus and the Canaanite woman collaborate and change the course of Jesus’ ministry, widening it to include the Gentiles. Jesus either on purpose for the disciple’s sake, or because he is human and still growing, lets a slur slip out of his mouth, suggesting she is a dog. It was a nasty slur in Jesus’ day. But she persists, playfully bantering that even the dogs feed at the master’s table.

And then Jesus goes on not only to feed the 5 thousand we heard about a few weeks ago but 4 thousand gentiles in the same way.

Our gospel today invites me to wonder.

Where are the places I need care in my speech and the thoughts of my heart? Whom do I have a tendency to ignore, or dismiss, or even speak or think unkindly about? Am I sometimes so focused on a particular job, or the task at hand that I forget to bring love with me?

And… where are the places where I, like the Canaanite woman, might persist, “doggedly” praying and pursuing God’s help. The weary, urgent, desperate places of prayer. For health and healing, for broken relationships, for intractable problems and dilemmas, for people and situations where my compassionate heart leads.

In all these places, this gospel story, this holy encounter, reminds us that the barriers are coming down, the family of God is expanding, the grace of God is for everyone. For all the icky parts in my heart, I’m still welcome. For all the weary parts in my heart, I’m still seen.

Ohana is a Hawaiian word that means family. In Hawaiian culture, it includes blood relatives, adopted family members, chosen family and close friends. It means nobody is left behind or forgotten. The word comes from ʻohā, which is the shoot of the taro plant. The new shoots grow from the same main root and stay connected. Shared Life: Families live, farm, and work together to help each other survive. Chosen Bonds: Close friends and neighbors are often called ʻohana because love matters more than blood.

God of all, source of community, whose will it is that all your people enjoy fullness of life; may we be builders of community, Ohana, that we may delight in our differences and walk with each other, for you are in community with us, our God, our Ohana, forever. Amen