The Love of God that Reaches us

Aug 18, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Crumbs From the Master’s Table

A Canaanite woman’s desperate cry reveals how Jesus’ love crosses every boundary. Though initially silent, Jesus honors her bold persistence, showing that even outsiders receive grace. His harsh-seeming words become an invitation to deeper faith, proving God’s love isn’t limited by human categories. The story echoes Elijah’s care for a Gentile widow centuries earlier, proving God’s heart for the neglected never fades. True nourishment comes not from scraps but from claiming our place at His table. [10:41]

“Yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus replied, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And her daughter was healed from that moment. (Matthew 15:27-28, CSB)

Reflection: Where have you hesitated to approach Jesus because you felt unworthy? How might His silence toward the Canaanite woman actually be an invitation to press deeper into His love?

Day 2: When Love Crosses Checkpoints

Jesus travels to Tyre and Sidon—regions hostile to Jews—to meet one desperate mother. His journey mirrors Elijah’s ancient visit to a Gentile widow, proving God’s love isn’t bound by geography or tradition. The disciples want to send her away, but Jesus stays present even in silence. His presence in “enemy territory” reveals a love that pursues the forgotten for 850 years and counting. True love doesn’t wait for convenience; it crosses borders to heal. [12:31]

When Jesus left there, he withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.” (Matthew 15:21-22, CSB)

Reflection: Who in your life feels like an “outsider” to God’s love? How can you actively reflect Jesus’ boundary-crossing compassion this week?

Day 3: Haircut Conversations and Stolen Nourishment

A hairstylist’s probing question exposes the difference between working for God and being loved by Him. It’s easy to reduce faith to sermons prepared or verses skimmed, forgetting that love feeds us first. Like the woman who challenged the pastor mid-haircut, God often speaks through unexpected voices to call us back to relationship. Nourishment comes not from religious busyness but from letting His love hold us captive. [04:59]

“But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.” (Revelation 2:4-5a, CSB)

Reflection: When has spiritual “work” drained your joy? What one step can you take today to sit with Jesus instead of striving for Him?

Day 4: Silent Love That Still Speaks

Jesus’ silence toward the Canaanite woman feels like rejection—until it becomes the canvas for her faith. His quiet presence mirrors the love of a spouse who stays near during conflict, refusing to abandon. God’s silence isn’t absence; it’s the space where our persistent trust grows. Even when heaven feels quiet, His promise remains: the table is set, the bread is real, and we’re no longer dogs but children. [16:44]

“I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b, CSB)

Reflection: Where has God’s silence made you doubt His care? How might His presence be actively at work even in the stillness?

Day 5: Faith Fades, Hope Ends—Love Stays

Sermon prep and miracles will cease, but love outlasts every spiritual gift. The Canaanite woman’s story isn’t about her faith but Christ’s enduring love that met her across cultures and centuries. Love built creation, walked into Gentile towns, and died on a cross—not as a temporary fix but an eternal promise. When our faith becomes sight and hope becomes reality, love will still hold us. [19:42]

“Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13, CSB)

Reflection: How does knowing love outlasts your current struggles change your perspective? Where can you lean into God’s eternal love instead of temporary fixes today?

Sermon Summary

God’s love stands before everything, even before creation, because love did not evolve with God. God did not just say, “I love you,” from far away like somebody who calls once every two years. Creation itself shows the Father’s love in action, because the beauty and goodness of what he made says he was present, careful, and full of love.

Human sin steps in when people say, “I got this now.” The problem is not only that sinners sin, but that sin comes from being sinners. That inheritance cannot be escaped by behavior, because the root is deeper than the actions.

Matthew 15 brings a Canaanite woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David.” Jesus’ silence feels hard, and his words about the children’s bread and the dogs sound shocking. The text does not explain every detail, and where the Bible does not give details, there is no need to invent them. Yet the woman keeps kneeling and keeps asking, because she knows something about mercy.

First Kings 17 shows that this same region had already seen God’s compassion through Elijah. Elijah had gone to a Gentile woman, outside Israel, and God had shown life and mercy there. Jesus goes to that territory again, not because he lost his GPS, but because he crossed the checkpoint on purpose. After about eight hundred and fifty years, God comes back to say again, “I love you,” and this time it is not only a prophet, but Christ himself.

The disciples want the woman sent away because her crying bothers them. That sounds too much like the church sometimes, when certain personalities, needs, and cries become inconvenient. Jesus’ silence, though, does not mean Jesus is absent. He is present, acting, and listening even when no word comes right away.

The Canaanite woman accepts even crumbs from the Master’s table, but Christ gives more than crumbs. God’s people are no longer strangers, but family. At the table, Christ gives not leftovers, but his own body and blood, still bread and wine, yet joined to his promise to be present. Faith and hope will one day give way to sight, but love will endure forever, carrying God’s children through this life and into the next.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s love was before creation God’s love is not a mood that came after people needed help. God’s love was already there before anything existed, and creation became one of the first ways that love took shape. The Father does not merely announce love from a distance; he shows up, provides, forms, and gives beauty where nothing was. [02:19]
2. Sin comes from a sinful root Sin is not only a list of wrong things done during the week. Sin comes from a deeper inheritance, a condition that produces the actions. That truth humbles every attempt to self-fix, because the problem is not just behavior management but the need for mercy from outside the self. [06:50]
3. Jesus crosses the checkpoint Jesus goes into Tyre and Sidon, into a place where he was not expected to belong. That movement shows that mercy is not trapped inside familiar borders or comfortable religious circles. Christ goes beyond the valley on purpose, finding the outsider and making clear that God has not forgotten the nations. [12:10]
4. Silence does not mean absence Jesus’ silence with the Canaanite woman feels painful because silence from someone loved can feel like rejection. Yet the text shows that silence is not the same as abandonment. Christ remains present, and his quietness does not cancel his mercy or stop his work. [16:17]
5. Crumbs become the real bread The woman asks for crumbs, but Christ gives more than crumbs to those brought near by mercy. The stranger becomes family, and the table becomes a place of promised presence. Christ gives himself, not leftovers, so even in seasons that feel silent, his people are being fed.

## [17:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:35] - Rejection, Neglect, and God
[02:19] - Love Before Creation
[03:30] - Neglecting the Father’s Presence
[04:05] - A Haircut and a Deep Question
[06:14] - Creation Declares God’s Love
[06:50] - Sin Comes From Being Sinners
[07:55] - The Canaanite Woman Cries Out
[09:46] - Hard Words and Holy Silence
[10:41] - Tyre, Sidon, and First Kings
[12:10] - Jesus Crosses the Checkpoint
[13:45] - God Remembers the Gentiles
[15:01] - The Disciples Want Her Gone
[16:17] - Silent, But Still Present
[17:18] - From Crumbs to the Real Bread
[18:41] - Love Endures Forever

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 15:21-28
When Jesus left there, he withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.” Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples approached him and urged him, “Send her away because she’s crying out after us.” He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came, knelt before him, and said, “Lord, help me!” He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment her daughter was healed. [07:55]

1 Kings 17:17-24
After this, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness got worse until he stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, “Man of God, what do you have against me? Have you come to remind me of my iniquity and cause my son to die?” Then he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upstairs room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, please let this boy’s life come into him again!” The Lord listened to Elijah’s voice, and the boy’s life came into him again, and he lived. Then Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upstairs room into the house, and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive.” Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God and the Lord’s word from your mouth is true.” [11:06]

1 Corinthians 13:13
Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love. [18:46]

Observation questions

In Matthew 15, what does the Canaanite woman do after Jesus is silent and after the disciples want her sent away?
What details in Matthew 15 show how desperate the woman is for mercy? [08:15]
In 1 Kings 17, what happens to the widow’s son, and what does Elijah do in response?
What contrast is made between crumbs under the table and the bread Christ gives to his people? [17:37]

Interpretation questions

Jesus goes into the region of Tyre and Sidon on purpose. What does that suggest about the reach of God’s mercy, especially toward outsiders? [12:20]
The Canaanite woman keeps asking for mercy even when the moment feels painful and confusing. What does her persistence reveal about the way faith speaks to Jesus in hard moments? [12:54]
Jesus’ silence does not mean absence. How might that help explain seasons when prayers seem unanswered, but Christ is still present and working? [16:36]
If sin comes from a sinful root and not only from sinful actions, why is behavior change alone not enough? What kind of help is actually needed? [06:50]

Application questions

Where has there been a quiet “I got this now” attitude toward God lately—in work, money, family, stress, or decision-making? What would it look like to depend on the Father there instead of pushing him to the side? [02:19]
Creation shows that God’s love is active and present. What are a few ordinary places in life where that love has been easy to overlook recently? [06:12]
The disciples were bothered by the woman’s crying. When do other people’s needs start to feel inconvenient? What kinds of people are easiest to keep at a distance in the church or in daily life? [15:11]
The Canaanite woman kept saying, “Lord, help me.” What burden right now needs to be brought to Jesus with that same simple prayer? What would persistence in prayer look like this week? [08:44]
Silence from Jesus can feel painful. When has God seemed silent to you, and what helped—or could help—you remember that silence is not the same as abandonment? [16:17]
Christ gives more than crumbs; he brings strangers into the family. Is it easier for you to live like someone begging for leftovers or like someone welcomed to the table? Why? [17:45]
Faith and hope will one day give way to sight, but love endures forever. What would it look like this week to live as someone being carried by God’s lasting love rather than by fear, pressure, or self-reliance? [19:16]

Sermon Clips

63s

#BreadNotCrumbs

“``And then he he not only say, but he demonstrated his love on the cross. And and today, you don't get the little crumbs off the table. You get the real bread and Because you are no longer strangers. You are family to him. You are his children. He gives himself, not whatever is in the table, not dead fish, not kind of ground grain, but his own body and blood. He promised to be present. We don't change that. That's nothing. It's still bread and wine, but he promised to be with us as we do this. That's a beautiful promise. Because when we eat, we do are reminded that even if he's silent, he's providing for us. He's providing to everyone.”

59s

#SilentButPresent

“But, see, just because Jesus was silent, it doesn't mean he was not acting. He was showing us that even in his silence, he's still present. He's present there. He's present with you right now here. He promised to be with us. He was present with, you know, when he created everything, story continues all the way to our eternity. His love will endure how long? Forever. So I pray that that as we continue to know about his love and that he continue to be persistent in showing us, you know, this woman was persistent persistent, but there's no one so persistent like Jesus, like God. He over and over again is showing you and me how much he loves us.”

73s

#EternalLoveMatters

“One thing I realized even later on is faith, hope, and what else? Love. You can have faith to move mountains. You can have all kinds of faith. You can speak in a different language, whatever it is. You can have a lot of talents, but if you have no love, you're nothing. You can have all the hope you want, have no love, nothing. And law will endure forever. Your faith will be over one day, you know that? What is faith? It's it's the hope of the things we don't see. But when you see Jesus, do you need faith? Not anymore. You're gonna see him face to face. And you don't need no more hope, but you we will need eternal love. And that eternal love is what's gonna hold us and carry us through this life and the next life.”

51s

#GodReachesEveryone

“And you think that that Paul is the only one that's reaching out to the Gentiles? That Paul is the only one that said, well, Paul is the one that's reaching out to them. No. Elijah even went to the Gentiles and reached out to them, to the people that didn't belong there. And from that time of Elijah to the time of Jesus, eight hundred and fifty years about, eight hundred and fifty years for you and me to be aware, look, I haven't forgotten about this. I'm gonna do it again. I'm gonna show you again once again, but this time is not a prophet. This time is gonna be myself who's gonna be there. It's gonna declare to you I love you, and I'm gonna do what nobody else can do.”

60s

#ActionsProveLove

“But god is so loving that even from the beginning, even before creation, before god create everything, he he was love. Love didn't just evolve with him. Love was always powering him. In fact, even before the following creation, the way he created everything demonstrates his love. I don't know if you ever been in I don't know, people that tell you I love you, I love you, I love you, but they're never there. They don't show any action of their their love for you. And it's kind of pointless to hear, I love you, but you're never here. It's like a dad that will call you once in a while, once every two years, say, I love you. So I I wanna remind you that this heavenly father that you have has constantly demonstrated his love for you.”

49s

#BeyondBordersLove

“Well, that means that Jesus crossed the checkpoint. That Jesus is not just in the valley. He went beyond the valley. And what that means is that he didn't belong there. He was not supposed to be there with this community. These are not Jewish community. These are not Israelites. And he is there. And I wonder why the the the woman was so persistent. I think I know why why she was. She knows the story about the town and the prophet. In fact, she knows so much that she she even mentions to Jesus, son of David.”

62s

#HeCameForAll

“And I wonder why the the the woman was so persistent. I think I know why why she was. She knows the story about the town and the prophet. In fact, she knows so much that she she even mentions to Jesus, son of David. She knows the stories. I bet you she remember the story about Elijah. Elijah was from my town. He was there. He came over there, and he did this miraculous thing. And what's the whole point about this? This woman knows that Jesus is going beyond. He's not just going there. Oh, I lost my GPS. He just got died. He's going there for a purpose. He's to tell the people again, once again, I love you. And remember what Bell read that he was coming for all the peoples.”

58s

#DontDismissTheHurting

“I don't know if you've been in in situations where you have cry allowances, Lord, help me. And maybe it's a cancer. Maybe it's a it's a family that is ill or a family member. What is it depends where you are. All of us have cried out, Lord, have mercy. And if you have not cried out, just wait for a couple days. Jesus goes to this territory, tells him. But what amazes me, a couple of things. One is that the disciples kinda got bothered by it. Tell that woman to go away and just give her whatever she wants, I don't want her here. Doesn't that sound like the church sometimes?”

44s

#LoveHoldsUs

“You can have all the hope you want, have no love, nothing. And law will endure forever. Your faith will be over one day, you know that? What is faith? It's it's the hope of the things we don't see. But when you see Jesus, do you need faith? Not anymore. You're gonna see him face to face. And you don't need no more hope, but you we will need eternal love. And that eternal love is what's gonna hold us and carry us through this life and the next life.”

74s

#OurBrokenInheritance

“But then something not gonna happen. Is that humans decided to do their own thing. I got this. You you you created that, I got this now. And what happened? That's what got us here in trouble. That's why we made that's why we sin. Sometimes we think that what makes us a sinner is because we sin. That's not the case. You know that? What makes you a sinner is because you're a sinner. What makes you sin is because you're a sinner. Which one is first? You cannot escape, you and I cannot escape our our inheritance of sin. It's not the the the behavior you have that condemn you is who you come from. In fact, that was written. It's an inheritance. It's a promise when we believe.”

52s

#LoveOnTheCross

“He's present there. He's present with you right now here. He promised to be with us. He was present with, you know, when he created everything, story continues all the way to our eternity. His love will endure how long? Forever. So I pray that that as we continue to know about his love and that he continue to be persistent in showing us, you know, this woman was persistent persistent, but there's no one so persistent like Jesus, like God. He over and over again is showing you and me how much he loves us. And then he he not only say, but he demonstrated his love on the cross.”

52s

#BusyButNeglectful

“Sometimes we just don't like the people. We just reject them. Sometimes we are so busy that we don't have a desire to be around people. We just wanna be by ourselves. And and if we are honest, I think that's what we do with god many times. We reject him. We don't deny him his power, but we do reject him with our actions. We have other priorities. And sometimes we think that, you know what? You you saved my life. I got this now. I I can make money. I can sell a house. I can do all these things. Right? But god is so loving that even from the beginning, even before creation, before god create everything, he he was love.”

61s

#GodRemembers

“And from that time of Elijah to the time of Jesus, eight hundred and fifty years about, eight hundred and fifty years for you and me to be aware, look, I haven't forgotten about this. I'm gonna do it again. I'm gonna show you again once again, but this time is not a prophet. This time is gonna be myself who's gonna be there. It's gonna declare to you I love you, and I'm gonna do what nobody else can do. I don't know if you've been in in situations where you have cry allowances, Lord, help me. And maybe it's a cancer. Maybe it's a it's a family that is ill or a family member. What is it depends where you are. All of us have cried out, Lord, have mercy. And if you have not cried out, just wait for a couple days.”

49s

#LoveNeedsAction

“I don't know if you ever been in I don't know, people that tell you I love you, I love you, I love you, but they're never there. They don't show any action of their their love for you. And it's kind of pointless to hear, I love you, but you're never here. It's like a dad that will call you once in a while, once every two years, say, I love you. So I I wanna remind you that this heavenly father that you have has constantly demonstrated his love for you. And, unfortunately, you and I have neglected his love, have forgotten his love. The way we live, the way, I mean, we confess, and all the ways that we deny him.”

63s

#ProvisionInSilence

“Because when we eat, we do are reminded that even if he's silent, he's providing for us. He's providing to everyone. So, I pray so you go from this place, you know that. You know that he will con constantly show you how much he loves you. He has done it from the beginning in many, many ways. It's amazing. One thing I realized even later on is faith, hope, and what else? Love. You can have faith to move mountains. You can have all kinds of faith. You can speak in a different language, whatever it is. You can have a lot of talents, but if you have no love, you're nothing. You can have all the hope you want, have no love, nothing.”

70s

#ChurchDontExclude

“Jesus goes to this territory, tells him. But what amazes me, a couple of things. One is that the disciples kinda got bothered by it. Tell that woman to go away and just give her whatever she wants, I don't want her here. Doesn't that sound like the church sometimes? Doesn't that continue to be the same story for us too? don't like that kind of personality. And this is the worst thing that I see here. Jesus silent. hate it when somebody's not talking to me. Have you ever not talking to your to to your loved one? Have you ever been, like, I'm not talking to you today. You know? I I I yeah. Don't look at me like that, Gladys. I know she she has done it. She has given me the look. Don't talk to me. And it's horrible not to talk to someone you love. It's horrible.”

69s

#SilenceIsNotAbsence

“hate it when somebody's not talking to me. Have you ever not talking to your to to your loved one? Have you ever been, like, I'm not talking to you today. You know? I I I yeah. Don't look at me like that, Gladys. I know she she has done it. She has given me the look. Don't talk to me. And it's horrible not to talk to someone you love. It's horrible. But we have to remember beyond that. This is the thing that will encourage me. I know she loves me. I know she I know she will, you know, she will she will get over here in a couple of days. Maybe I had to say, hey, you want some flautas? Yeah. You want taquitos albacore? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Now things change. But, see, just because Jesus was silent, it doesn't mean he was not acting. He was showing us that even in his silence, he's still present.”

46s

#LoveForAllPeoples

“And what's the whole point about this? This woman knows that Jesus is going beyond. He's not just going there. Oh, I lost my GPS. He just got died. He's going there for a purpose. He's to tell the people again, once again, I love you. And remember what Bell read that he was coming for all the peoples. And you think that that Paul is the only one that's reaching out to the Gentiles? That Paul is the only one that said, well, Paul is the one that's reaching out to them. No. Elijah even went to the Gentiles and reached out to them, to the people that didn't belong there.”

47s

#CreationSpeaksLove

“At that moment, I have undivided attention. I was sitting there. I I was choking with their thing that you put in there. I I had no place to go. And if I go, I will be with one side shave, the other side not shave. But not only I was getting antibody attention, she was getting my antibody attention thinking, what is she thinking of? And I wanna tell you that god has, in many ways, shown you that he loves you. Creation declares that. The beauty of creation says this, he just didn't do things for for the heck of it. He did it because he loves us.”

59s

#RejectedYetKnown

“have you ever been rejected? Or have you ever been neglected? Have you ever felt like an outsider, like you've been alone there? I I think we all of us have felt that that like that for many reasons. Sometimes we just don't like the people. We just reject them. Sometimes we are so busy that we don't have a desire to be around people. We just wanna be by ourselves. And and if we are honest, I think that's what we do with god many times. We reject him. We don't deny him his power, but we do reject him with our actions. We have other priorities. And sometimes we think that, you know what? You you saved my life. I got this now. I I can make money. I can sell a house. I can do all these things. Right?”

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St. Paul Lutheran Church Harlingen, Texas This sermon · AI assistant

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