Sunday 16th August 2020 | CRAIGMILLAR PARK CHURCH

Call to Worship (Psalm 67: 3-5)
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.

HYMN 182 Now thank we all our God

Prayer

God, our maker
the wonders of your creation,
the beauty of the earth,
the diversity of nature,
all speak to us of your glory.
The coming of your Son,
the presence of your Spirit,
the fellowship of your Church,
speak to us of your love.
We worship and adore you,
God of grace and glory,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God of mercy, God of love,
with humble hearts
we confess our sins.
We forget to love and serve you,
and wander from your ways.
We are careless of your world,
and put its life in danger.
We talk of our concern for others,
but fail to match our words with action.

Merciful God,
forgive us our sins
and bring us to everlasting life,
through Jesus Christ
your Son, our Saviour.

Heavenly Father,
be with us in each step of life.
When we forget you,
remind us of your presence;
when we are frightened,
give us courage;
when we are tempted,
give us strength to resist;
when we are anxious or worried,
give us peace;
when we are weary in service,
give us enthusiasm;
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Scriptures:

Isaiah 56: 1-8
This is what the Lord says:
‘Maintain justice
and do what is right,
for my salvation is close at hand
and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
Blessed is the one who does this –
the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it,
and keeps their hands from doing any evil.’
Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say,
The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.’
And let no eunuch complain,
‘I am only a dry tree.’
For this is what the Lord says:
‘To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant –
to them I will give within my temple and its walls
a memorial and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that will endure for ever.
And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord
to minister to him,
to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant –
these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.’
The Sovereign Lord declares –
he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
‘I will gather still others to them
besides those already gathered.’

Matthew 15: 10-28
Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.’
Then the disciples came to him and asked, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?’
He replied, ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.’
Peter said, ‘Explain the parable to us.’
‘Are you still so dull?’ Jesus asked them. ‘Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts – murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.’

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.’
Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’
He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.’
The woman came and knelt before him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said.
He replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.’
‘Yes it is, Lord,’ she said. ‘Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.’
Then Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed at that moment.

HYMN 198 Let us build a house where love can dwell

Reflection

Perhaps you recognise this: #MeToo. If not, then perhaps you’ll know this one: BLM. Both are recent movements centred on the call to justice and equality. Justice and equality are two values promoted by Jesus yet, at times, they seem to be strangely missing from the life of the church.
Our Gospel passage seeks partly to address these issues. It is located in the midst of a debate between Jesus and the Pharisees where the focus seems to be about what makes a person clean or unclean. In other words, they’re arguing over what makes someone acceptable to God. Is it following all the rules and traditions of the faith, or is it something more difficult to pinpoint? This is not a friendly encounter; there is offence and insult to be found. The Pharisees, accused of being focussed on rule-following, are described as blind guides leading others astray.
Our focus, though, is on a short passage that is very difficult. On the surface Jesus and the disciples seems to be acting out of character. They are seen to be dismissing a woman coming to him seeking help for her daughter. Other people coming to Jesus in similar circumstances have been met with compassion. The words of Jesus that He had been sent only to the ‘lost sheep of Israel’ seem flat. Jesus had chosen to come to a place where he would not have been able to avoid people from other ethnic backgrounds, so we have to wonder about what is going on.
The way in which you read this text affects what meaning you give to it. You could read it as speaking of a Jesus who is bound by ancient prejudice, only giving in to get peace from a woman who persists in her cause. You could read it as speaking of a Jesus who is demanding of real faith and persistence in contrast to a life of rule-following and tradition. If we turn to look at our reading from the prophet Isaiah we find support for the latter interpretation of our Gospel text. Here we find an affirmation of all who call upon God, irrespective of how they may be perceived by the dominant culture. For Isaiah, the Canaanite woman in the Gospel is welcome.
In the Gospel, the contrast between the Canaanite woman and the Pharisees passes without comment. It is stark and, no doubt, further offended the Pharisees. According to Jesus the Pharisees, for all their focus on purity, are defiled on the inside. Meanwhile the Canaanite woman, who was seen as impure, is spiritually alive and commended for her faith.
We began with mention of #MeToo, and BLM. These are relevant not only to wider society but to the church. If Jesus is correct in his words, then what makes a person ‘clean’ is not what comes from the outside but what arises from the heart. This means that we are not to judge based on external factors. It means that we are not to judge based on gender or skin colour. We live in a world that continues to see the rise of movements based on ethnic identity, ancient prejudices, and gender superiority. Our own land is not exempt. We, as the church, are called to share a different perspective. We have the opportunity to stand with those who are oppressed or devalued, and to proclaim that we all have value. Everyone is, after all, made in the image of God.
Both prophet and Christ in proclaiming that the Temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations refused to be drawn into ancient prejudices. We, the church, should be doing the same.
Amen.

Prayers

God of love and power,
we pray for your Church in this place
and throughout the world;
may the courage and faith of your people,
preach and live out your word.

We pray for the Queen and those in authority.
In the fulfilling of their duties,
may they be guided by your Spirit
and upheld by your grace.

We pray for our community, our country,
and the nations of the world.
Following the ways of truth and justice,
may they be free from bitterness and strife.
By the power of your love, may they live in peace.

We pray for all who are in trouble.
May those who are sick may be cared for.
May those who are lonely be sustained.
May those who are oppressed be strengthened.
May those who mourn be comforted.
May those who are close to death
know their risen Lord.

We give thanks
for those who have died in the faith,
especially those known to us,
who have entered into the joy and peace
of your nearer presence.
Grant that we may follow their example,
and come to share with them
the glory of everlasting life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who with the Father and the Holy Spirit
is worshipped and glorified for ever.
Amen.

HYMN 624 In Christ there is no east or west

Benediction
May the peace of God
which passes all understanding,
keep our hearts and minds
in the knowledge and love of God,
and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let us go in the strength of God.
And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be with us, and remain with us,
now and always.
Amen.