Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Tuesday Afternoon at the Cafe: Who let the dogs in?




Truro's associate rector, Marshall Brown, hits it right out of the park with this one. A must-listen. Really.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You're right, bb, out of the park. It was odd he went back to the inapplicable definition of 'stray dog' at the end for a moment but we'll ignore that. In all other respects it's a wonderful exposition and it's the first time I have ever heard any preacher, man or woman, actually make the point that this woman did not perceive herself to be insulted (as either a stray dog or more likely, a lap dog) because her need was so great, her mind and heart were in a completely different place. Brown is right, when a mother knows she may lose her child she won't care, won't even notice how someone may address her in her consuming longing to receive the grace she needs at that time. His sensitivity on that is commendable. The apostles present at the scenario must have got some take-home message from the woman's behavior.
About 10 years ago in a 'biblical preaching' lay seminar I wrote a reflection on the same gospel in which I made this point about the mother's depth of longing connecting her with Jesus; now it is very good to come across it being proclaimed from a pulpit.