Whiteboard: The Canaanite Woman

I can never remember how to spell her name. In fact, it isn't her name at all. It is a geographical (or even theological) reference that we use to identify her, rather than her name since her name is never given in the text.

So we call her the Canaanite Woman...and I misspell it almost every time I write it (just there, Spell Check fixed it for me). I always end up with an extra "n" and at least one missing "a". I mean, what word has "a" for two consecutive letters?!?

Anyway, I don't like the reference we have for it, but I absolutely love the story. Matthew 15:21-28 gives us Jesus having an argument with the Cannanite Caananite Canaannite Canaanite Woman (misspelled it three times there). She has a daughter who is possessed by a demon, she asks Jesus for help and the argument ensues. And here is the thing...Jesus picks the fight! And what's more...Jesus doesn't win the argument!

Here is how I put it up on my Whiteboard this week, comic book style:

It is an amazing story that points us in the direction of the ever expanding nature of God's grace and the radical welcome that Christ extends to us...even if it takes a little argumentation and a clever turn of phrase from the Canaanite (I got it right that time!) Woman to get us there.

Come join us in worship this Sunday at First Christian Church as we dive deep with this passage from Matthew and explore the ways that God is expanding the table for each and every one of us!