Great is Your Faith

Great is Your Faith

A Sermon by The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Sunday, August 16, 2020

Psalm 67; Matthew 15:21-28

 

I have seen the photo.  You may have seen it too.  Taken by W. Eugene Smith.  For his "Pittsburgh Project”, in the 1950’s.  It is a photo of a street sign, and a woody hillside, and a vintage Studebaker.  The street sign says Dream Street.  A street right here in Pittsburgh.  Smith, a professional photographer, was in Pittsburgh on assignment.  He took memorable photos of our city, 60 plus years ago.  In glorious black and white.  They live in memory.  They record the Pittsburgh that was.

I wonder what you would photograph today, if you were given an assignment to photograph Pittsburgh, to communicate what our city is, to the outside world?  Would it be famous landmarks?  Would it be ordinary people?  Would it be the way we live now, socially distanced.  Wearing masks?  Would it be the rivers; the hills?  The hospitals; the homes, the churches? Would it be the stadiums and theaters?  Would it be the Parkway and Route 28?  Would it be Amberson Avenue and Westminster Place?  Would it be Dream Street?

How do dreams match reality?  The woman who came to Jesus was a dreamer.   (Who had a very practical purpose). She dreamed of better things for her daughter.  She made the effort in spite of the fact that she was, according to many, unworthy of his attention.]

 

Christ himself takes us to the tottering edge of insult in his response.  Comparing a person to a dog.  Dog lovers would be fine with that.  We like it that over time we even start looking like our dogs.  But it wasn’t so in the time of Jesus.  Dogs were there, part of the landscape.  But other than those that worked, such as sheep dogs, they were mostly underappreciated. To compare a person to a dog; it would not sit well with you or with me.  It would perhaps put us off.  

That didn’t happen.  The woman’s dream was so vivid, so real, so necessary, that she responded respectfully and also humorously. Humble as they are, does do get some of the crumbs from the master’s table.  All she wants, all that will fulfilled her fondest wishes, all that would put her on Dream Street, are those few crumbs.  If you were a person of Jesus’ time and place, and someone was referred to as a Canaanite woman what were the emphasis would be a Canaanite woman or Canaanite woman? In either case, in Jesus time and place, both Canaanites, and a woman, we’re descriptive words that would have diminished who the person was. They would have a raced the realness of her. Her true humanity.

Now I know someone can say “well that just tells us where she was from and what gender she was.”  Yes, it does tell us that. Then again it tells us something else. Something that we should pay attention to whenever we are interacting with others.  In Jesus day, if you said “Canaanite woman” to fellow Jews, they would’ve thought of the most famous Canaanite woman: Delilah, who brought Sampson to such a sad end.  And you would have had within that, one word: Judgment. Judgment would’ve been negative.  Therefore, automatically, the person would have been unworthy of consideration. So, just by saying Canaanite woman, it’s a phrase that diminishes.  Moreover, we remember that the status of women in Jesus day was low.  Even if a few women managed to overcome that reality, it was still the reality. So, there she was; someone who is automatically classified as an outsider.

I wonder what the equivalent of that moment then, would be today? In other words, who might be an outsider, a person that others might refer to as unworthy?  A dog, even.  It sounds shocking doesn’t it?  But all too often, people are categorized in a way that dehumanizes them. It takes away their individuality. Their personhood. It is a practice that erases them. That puts them in a second-class situation.  Can we agree that we don’t want to do that? That we are at the point in our lives where we are beyond that.  Where our goal, is to see each person, really see them. To see them as having been created by God. As a child of God. As loved by God.  And therefore, worthy of our attention. And our respect. And being treated with dignity. And with fairness.

The woman with the dream is bold. She had plenty of chutzpah. She isn’t just courageous. There is an energy and an eagerness because along with it. I admire. I suspect that you admire her too. She’s really a force to be reckoned with. And she does it with an air of good humor.  The woman with the dream is wise. She has her eye on the objective. Which is receiving the healing that she knows that Jesus can give. If he so chooses.  So, the fact that Canaanites were not held in good regard, didn’t get in her way. She knew that. But: Any personal feelings that she might’ve felt, in the way of frustration, or anger, or disappointment, she put to one side. And having put them to one side, she moves forward in a way that led to a happy conclusion of her story.

That may not be a perfect model of how to get things done, but it isn’t a bad one.  The proof is in the results. Her daughter is healed. The dream becomes reality.  So, there’s several miracles that are going on. One of them is the healing of the daughter. But the other is the effectiveness of the mother. We will be wise to note this is an opening up of the reach of righteousness where Jesus is concerned. Yes, he came to care for the lost sheep of Israel. But his care extends further. And further and further as we continue into the role of Christians down through history and up until today.

It is fair to say that although there’s been setbacks, they have been bad situations, and there have been frustrations along the way, on the whole effect of true Christians upon the world has been beneficial.  Healing of individuals and society, have resulted. Dreams have become reality.  In this event – between the lord and the woman with a dream, we have a ‘signal’ of the unfolding, unheard-of grace of God.  Where there is neither Jew nor Gentiles. Where boundaries slip away. Where dreams are fulfilled.

How do dreams match reality?  

Here in Pittsburgh, Dream Street exists only on paper, today. 

You could go looking for it.  You might even get to the place where it was located.  The place is all gone to seed and covered with weeds.  Nobody lives on dream Street anymore.  Maybe that’s a shame. Because people still have dreams.  Their dreams seem, to them, impossible. Unless with wisdom and some good humor, they place them in Jesus’ hands.

I hope that this week, wherever you find yourself, you will find yourself helping others fulfill their dreams.  That you will see that that’s a part of your calling. You might even ask someone, “What is it that you really dream for, long for?” Rather than assume that you know. Ask them. And then listen. After they have told you their dreams, ask another question: How can I help you get to Dream Street?  Amen.

This is an original sermon by The Rev. D. John A. Dalles, Interim Senior Minister and Head of Staff of Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA .  It was delivered on the date indicated in the text. You are encouraged to read it and reflect upon it.  Please keep in mind that the sermon is Copyright © 2020 John A. Dalles.  Permission from the author is required to reproduce it in any fashion.