Trinity Fellowship

Christ is the head of a new humanity. He is knitting together a kingdom of priests from all the corners of the earth. When the scribes and Pharisees reject what Christ is offering, He goes to the obscure corners to bring outsiders in. What started as a single Canaanite woman happy like a dog for crumbs has become a small city being fed a full meal, equal to that of the children. Christ starts with the lost sheep of Israel, but now He is bringing in outsiders as well. There is no end to Christ's mercy, so the charge is this – whether you are ministering to one or to many, God's grace is sufficient. He will supply your every need. As God's people in the world, may we be known for our humility, our gratitude, our peacefulness, and most importantly our reliance on the bread of heaven that only He can supply.

The Canaanite woman is a glorious example of what humility and perseverance look like when they are both present in the same person. This woman has been blessed with the insight to see past the physical display of Christ's miracles and into their meaning. She sees that flour and oil and bread and crumbs have to do with God's abundant provision and Fatherly care for those who are His. This Fatherly providence is so detailed that it is even concerned with placing this woman at the feet of Jesus in the same place where another woman was placed at the feet of Elijah. She knows that there is no wasted detail in God's design, and that there is no less mercy left over for one just because others have received mercy first. Even the dogs have enough from the children's food. So the charge is this – remember that there is no end to God's storehouse. We deserve none of it, yet we become heirs to it all when we are adopted into God's family. Do you understand this? Do you believe it enough to be specific and persistent, yet humble and teachable when you take your requests to the Lord?

The Saviour is almost here, so go home rejoicing and to rejoice. Enjoy food, gifts, and laughter with family and friends. And keep in mind what the Narnian Lion, Aslan, once said: "You do not look as happy as I intend you to be." All the joy to be found in baking, stocking stuffers, the laughter at old stories, and all the festivity are the first echoes of the rolling thunderous Joy which Christ, the Word made flesh, has ushered into this world. Now go forth to rejoice in the great love which God your Father has lavished upon you in sending His Son to be the Savior of the World, that you might dwell in Him, and He in you.

What starts as an aggressive examination of Jesus quickly turns into a trial of the emptiness of man-made religion. Not only has Jesus easily acquitted Himself of all wrong, but He has turned the tables and concluded a devastating case against the Pharisees. The standard of righteousness is not our own rules and ideas, no matter how new and exciting and compelling they seem, but the unchanging Word of God. The actual Law of God has weighed the human heart and found it wanting. The excrement that comes out of our hearts if far more putrid than the excrement produced by what goes through the stomach. As we grow in grace, the charge is to be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Rom. 12:2). The renewal of the mind roots us in the eternal truths of God's Word, and the transformation of our lives is made evident by the fruit of our lives, and by the new things which come out of our mouths.

God's people have had to walk through many struggles. In today's text we've seen another retelling of a familiar story in which God gives His people rest and bread, then sends them away before their enemies get to them. It has been said that you know who someone's God is by seeing who they cry out to when life gets hard. The one you expect to deliver you in your day of testing is your god – for some this is their bank account. For others it is the government. For others it is their intelligence. It could be a friend or a family member, but for Peter, it is Christ. Christ holds the power of winds and waves in His hands, and He will turn them back at precisely the right moment. He often comes to us in unexpected and even frightening ways. We must always look to Christ instead of to ourselves, but when these volatile seasons come our way, the importance of looking to Christ is highlighted. Left to ourselves we struggle and sink. Left in the hands of Christ, we will be rescued and brought to safety until the storm passes by.