Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost
**Please note this service is based on the format of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). Hymns and other prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.
**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.
**This is for personal use at home as the church is unable to gather in
our houses of worship but together we can worship in our own homes.
Opening Prayer
Lord, surround your people with your presence. Do not let us stretch out
our hands to evil deeds, or be destroyed by the snares of the enemy, but bring
us to share the land prepared for the saints in light, where you live and
reign, God, now and forever. Amen.
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
who forgives all our sin,
whose mercy endures forever.
Amen.
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from
whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration
of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your
holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we
are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in
thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as
ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive
us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your
ways, to the glory of your holy name.
Amen.
In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and
for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of
the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the
entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Creator, and of the ☩
Redeemer, and of the Sanctifier.
Amen.
Gathering Song – My Life Flows on
in Endless Song (ELW #763)
Greeting
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion
of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Canticle of Praise – Glory to God (page #213)
Prayer of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Gracious God, throughout the ages you transform sickness into health and
death into life. Open us to the power of your presence, and make us a people
ready to proclaim your promises to the whole world, through Jesus Christ, our
healer and Lord.
Amen.
Readings
A reading from the Book of Proverbs 22.1-2, 8-9, 22-23
A good name is to be chosen rather than
great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.
The rich and the poor have this in
common:
the Lord is the maker of them all.
Whoever sows injustice will reap
calamity,
and the rod of anger will fail.
Those who are generous are blessed,
for they share their bread with the poor.
Do not rob the poor because they are
poor,
or crush the afflicted at the gate;
for the Lord pleads their cause
and despoils of life those who despoil them.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 125
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount
Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains
surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people,
from this time on and forevermore.
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on
the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous
might not stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
and
to those who are upright in their hearts.
But those who turn
aside to their own crooked ways
the Lord will lead away with evildoers.
Peace be upon Israel!
A reading from the Letter of James 2.1-17
My brothers and sisters, do you with
your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For
if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and
if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the
one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the
one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made
distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my
beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be
rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who
love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you?
Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the
excellent name that was invoked over you?
You do well if you really fulfill the
royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.” But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the
law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point
has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, “You shall not
commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit
adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak
and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment
will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over
judgment.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Children’s Message
(from Sermons 4 Kids)
What kinds of things come to mind when you think of back-to-school time?
One school supply that many of you need when you go back to school is a
box of crayons.
I have crayons at home, many crayons, and they’re all different sizes
and colors. Some are sharp and some are dull. Some have strange-sounding names.
Some are like new, and others have been used quite a bit. The wrappers are
fresh on some, while others are torn and dirty.
We can learn a lot from these crayons. Even though they may have
differences, they all fit very nicely in the same box.
That’s a good picture of the way the church should be. The people that
make up the church come in all sizes and colors, and some may even have names
that sound different from yours. Some are old and some are young. Some are
dressed in very nice clothes, while others may wear clothing that is dirty and
worn.
Have you ever noticed people being treated differently because they did
not look or act like others?
James, the brother of Jesus, wrote in the Bible that the followers of
Jesus should not show favoritism, or treat one person better than someone else.
He said, "My friends, if you have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, you
won't treat some people better than others.” James explained that if a rich
person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes to one of your meetings and
a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes, you must not give the
best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at
the side or sit on the floor. That is the same as saying that some people are
better than others, which the Bible says is wrong.
We must be careful not to show favoritism in our church or anywhere
else. We’re all God's children, whether we’re rich or poor, any kind of race or
culture or background, any gender, or any sexuality.
As James said, "You will do all right if you obey the most
important law in the Scriptures. It’s the law that commands us to love others
as much as we love ourselves."
Dear God, please help us to love one another as You have loved us –
showing us how every person is adored by You. We don’t want to play favorites
with Your people. In Jesus' name, amen.
Gospel Acclamation – Alleluia (page #216)
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark 7.24-37
Glory to you, O Lord.
From there he set out and went away to
the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was
there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an
unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his
feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to
cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed
first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the
dogs.” But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the
children’s crumbs.” Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go – the
demon has left your daughter.” So she went home, found the child lying on the
bed, and the demon gone.
Then he returned from the region of
Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the
Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech;
and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away
from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his
tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that
is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released,
and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he
ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond
measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear
and the mute to speak.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O
Christ.
Sermon
May only truth be spoken and only truth
received. Amen.
Today, I have borrowed a sermon from the Reverend Kathy Martin, Assistant to the Bishop in the BC Synod.
This
summer the effects of climate change have been ever so visible across our
country – droughts, floods and fires just to name a few.
There
have been high temperatures and heat waves several times over this summer.
Sadly,
as communities we’ve discovered how ill-prepared we are for these extreme
weather events.
Scores
of wildfires are running up and down the mountains of BC’s interior regions forcing
the closure of several major highways, displacing people and creatures great
and small, devastating natural areas as well as those formed and shaped and
built by our hands.
Fires
are inevitable, of course, and necessary. In time, they make way for new
growth: they redistribute nutrients moldering on the forest floor, change the
profile of the tree canopy so the sunlight can make its way through. The sharp
heat cracks open the cones, freeing the seeds and making way for a new
generation of trees.
But
first, when these fires appear, random, wild and out of control, all we see is
the devastation and the aftermath of this beloved landscape that is now changed
forever.
After
some time (and often much sooner than we expect) tiny shoots of new life emerge,
here and there, little clumps of green. From a distance the charred trees
remain the most visible feature of the landscape. We have to get closer, look
more carefully, if we want to see what is emerging out of the ashes.
In
our gospel reading, an exchange between Jesus and the mother of a young child,
is like a wildfire. In just a few moments it changes the landscape of Jesus’
ministry. The sharpness of the woman’s response cracks open assumptions of the
past, releasing seeds that will begin to flourish and make way for a new
generation of ministry.
Jesus
is in the region of Tyre, on the Syrophoenician coast just a little beyond the
borders of Israel. His schedule has been hectic with very little Sabbath time
to catch up with himself, to recharge, reflect and pray. He has been trying to
slip away for a bit of rest but everywhere he goes the crowds follow or figure
out where he is going and then even arrive there ahead of him.
Perhaps
that is why he goes into the territory of the Gentiles, to get a little respite
from it all, some distance from the people of Israel.
A
multi-national, multi-ethnic, multi-faith port city like Tyre was just the kind
of place his people would avoid like a plague. It felt like there was something
on every corner that would make them unclean; the wrong kind of people, the
wrong kind of cloth or animals, the wrong kind of practices.
Jesus
may have come to this region hoping for a little anonymity, but his reputation
has gone ahead of him, even here. He tucks himself up in a house, makes it
clear he doesn’t want anyone to know he is there, but he still can’t escape
notice.
Word
of his presence spreads like wildfire and a mother arrives, prostrates herself
at his feet and begs him to cast the demon out of her little daughter.
There
is no way to know what this really means. In Jesus’ time all kinds of illnesses
were assumed to be caused by evil spirits. We are told the woman is of
Syrophoenician heritage. This means she is Gentile, not Jewish like Jesus and
his followers. Her background, her culture, her religion are different than
his.
To
us, all these generations later, we think this is something that wouldn’t have
mattered to Jesus, wouldn’t have been something that deterred him from helping
someone so desperate for his aid. Her origins or faith background just
shouldn’t be the deciding factor, but in that moment for Jesus it was.
In
Tyre, surrounded by people he’d been taught to avoid, dismiss, and see as
unclean – in his weariness, in his yearning for just a few hours of anonymity he
utters these horrible words to an anguished mother begging for help for her
little girl. “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the
children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”
Wait?
What did he say?
His
response is outrageous, at least to us. Yet to the people of his day, to the
Gentiles hearing this story, Jesus’ comment wouldn’t even have raised an
eyebrow.
To
them it was a completely appropriate and reasonable response, no matter how we
might struggle with it now.
The
most dangerous prejudices are the ones that are unacknowledged, the ones we do
not realize we have. If we can’t see them, we can’t change them. We are all
shaped by the mindset of the world we grow up in whether we are aware of it or
not, whether we like it or not.
This
is true even for Jesus.
Yet
this woman, this mother, doesn’t back down. In her desperation she sees and
challenges his cultural and religious bias. “Sir, even the dogs under the table
eat the children’s crumbs.”
She
contends that there is a deeper truth about God that his past is obscuring, and
she challenges his refusal to help.
Her
words burn and in the sharpness of her response Jesus realizes that his call
goes far beyond the people he calls his own.
In
that moment a new generation of ministry begins to take root, one that will
flourish over the centuries and extend to the ends of the earth. A ministry
that will welcome all people, include all people, and open the door to all
people to enter into the love and grace of God.
I
wonder who you might encounter if you risked venturing into places in your
neighbourhood or community that you normally would avoid?
I
wonder if you might find someone who would interrupt your way thinking like the
woman did when she encountered Jesus?
I
wonder who might cause us as a church to re-evaluate our living, our
prejudices, our assumptions about the way the world works or ought to?
Maybe
we would discover that there are things that need to change, in our life
together as ELCIC and ACC, as Synods and Diocese, as this Lutheran and Anglican
expression of the church in Canada, the way they did for Jesus when he started
really listening to this Syrophonecian woman.
Over
and over, God’s call to us includes learning, having our assumptions challenged
and our ears opened to God’s grace.
It
means letting go of cultural prejudices, embracing insiders and outsiders, and
giving up the idea that there is not enough grace to go around.
For
these tiny morsels, the smallest crumbs, from the table are precious gifts and
a feast beyond our wildest imagining.
Amen.
Hymn of the Day – Praise and
Thanksgiving (ELW #689)
Creed
Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we
say the Apostles’ Creed:
I
believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator
of heaven and earth.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born
of the virgin Mary,
suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died, and was buried;
he
descended to the dead.*
On
the third day he rose again;
he
ascended into heaven,
he
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and
he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the
holy catholic church,
the
communion of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and
the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
Made children and heirs of God’s promise, we pray for the church, the
world, and all in need.
Silence
Holy One, you bring your people together in worship. Enliven your
church. Guide all evangelists, preachers, prophets, and missionaries who seek
to share your love through word and deed.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
You provide water for thirsty ground and sunshine to feed hungry plants.
Bless all who advocate for healthy forests, unpolluted air, and clean
waterways. Inspire all people to show care for the world you have made.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
You show no partiality. Increase justice in all nations. Encourage
leaders and governments to work with one another for the good of our common
world. Especially as we acknowledge Labour Day tomorrow, unite us in seeking
the health, safety, and dignity of all.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
You accompany those who are most in need. Shelter all fleeing violence
or persecution, protect any who are in danger, and sustain them through
uncertain and unstable times.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
You support the work of your disciples. Continue to nurture the
leadership and ministries of this congregation.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Please
take time to offer your own intercessions or to pray in silence.
You embrace all who have died in the faith and brought them into your
glorious presence. We thank you for their example and rejoice in their lives.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Receive these prayers, O God, and those in our hearts known only to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Hymn
of Thanksgiving – What a Friend We Have in Jesus (ELW #742)
**Although
not physically at our church buildings to share our offering together I would
encourage you to set your offering of money aside so that it can be dropped off
or placed in the church once services resume, to mail your offering to the
church, or to make donations online. Please remember ministry is still taking
place.
Thanksgiving for the Word
Let us pray.
O God of justice and love, we give thanks to you that you illumine our
way through life with the words of your Son. Give us the light we need, awaken
us to the needs of others, and at the end bring all the world to your feast;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy
Spirit, be honor and glory forever.
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our
daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time
of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the
power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
Blessing
May the blessing of the Holy and Undivided
Trinity be with you, in the Name of Love, ☩ the Glory of Love, and the Power of
Love.
Amen.
Sending Song – Day by Day (ELW #790)
Dismissal
Go in peace. Christ is with you.
Thanks be to God.
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