https://youtu.be/GG8hzY1OoM4
In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north,
but one great family bound by love
throughout the whole wide earth.
In him shall true hearts everywhere
their high communion find;
his service is the golden cord
close binding humankind.
Join hands, disciples in the faith,
whate’er your race may be!
Who serve each other in Christ’s love
are surely kin to me.
In Christ now meet both east and west,
in him meet south and north;
all Christly souls are one in him
throughout the whole wide earth.
William A. Dunkerley (1852-1941), alt.
In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north,
but one great family bound by love
throughout the whole wide earth.
In him shall true hearts everywhere
their high communion find;
his service is the golden cord
close binding humankind.
Join hands, disciples in the faith,
whate’er your race may be!
Who serve each other in Christ’s love
are surely kin to me.
In Christ now meet both east and west,
in him meet south and north;
all Christly souls are one in him
throughout the whole wide earth.
William A. Dunkerley (1852-1941), alt.
The Collect
Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Old Testament
Genesis 45:1-15
Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’ And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.
The Response
Psalm 133
Ecce, quam bonum!
1 Oh, how good and pleasant it is, *
when brethren live together in unity!
2 It is like fine oil upon the head *
that runs down upon the beard,
3 Upon the beard of Aaron, *
and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
4 It is like the dew of Hermon *
that falls upon the hills of Zion.
5 For there the Lord has ordained the blessing: *
life for evermore.
The Epistle
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.
The Gospel
Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28
[Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”]
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Old Testament
Genesis 45:1-15
Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’ And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.
The Response
Psalm 133
Ecce, quam bonum!
1 Oh, how good and pleasant it is, *
when brethren live together in unity!
2 It is like fine oil upon the head *
that runs down upon the beard,
3 Upon the beard of Aaron, *
and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
4 It is like the dew of Hermon *
that falls upon the hills of Zion.
5 For there the Lord has ordained the blessing: *
life for evermore.
The Epistle
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.
The Gospel
Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28
[Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”]
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Reflections from Pastor Autio
Matthew 15:[10-20] 21-28
[10[Jesus] called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand:11it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” 12Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 13He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” 15But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? 18But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 19For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. 20These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”]
21Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” 23But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” 24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 27She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
We live in a world of Canaanite wo(men) children and people. The proof of which is to be found in how we divide the world into categories. Sit back and reflect on how we describe and think about other people : Homeless, black, white, refuges , liberal, conservative, male, female, gay, straight, family , outsiders, us, them, worthy or bums, Sometimes the words we use are just a means of describing a particular situation regarding another person’s situation. Most of the time it’s more like the scenario illustrated in today’s Gospel reading. People are placed in categories so that we are able to deny their shared humanity with us. And in the denial, we are able to comfortably ignore them because they are nothing and nobody to us.
The Canaanite woman is not named, emphasizing her non-importance, even to the point of nonexistence. Yet she persists in making her voice heard. The words flowing from her mouth help to illustrate the parable Jesus has just taught to his disciples immediately prior to this encounter. What a person proclaims comes from the innermost places of their beings. The words which come out according to the text reveal often uncomfortable and unsavory truths about who we are as people.
This nameless outcast according to Jesus reveals her innermost being to Jesus and the disciples. She is a person of great faith and the courage to confront the prejudices of her time as illustrated by this encounter. The words of the disciples reveal something all together different than faithful hearts. The first words of Jesus are disturbing in that they do not reveal the Jesus we have come to proclaim. Where is the compassion? Where is the call to love all of that which God has created?
What are we to make of this Jesus we meet here? Perhaps the best we can say is that Jesus is holding up mirror here to make us see who we are. He is speaking out of his humanity here, with all of his flaws regarding how we disregard and ignore human need in those we see as “not us.”
Who are the dogs under the table? Refugees on our borders, refugees in huge camps around the world, homeless nameless people in our communities, people who experience injustice and violence because of their color, people in slums, people in high rise penthouses, people on middle class neighborhoods, people who are powerful and rich, people who are without power and influence, people who spew hateful words regarding their fellow humans, in short: people.
Matthew does not give us any explanation regarding what Jesus does here. All he provides is a story reveling the breadth of God’s grace. He reveals that no matter how many ways humans may seek to separate their fellow human beings into distinct categories, we are all in the same one: We are all beggars before God. But and mark this well: Even more than that, we are acknowledged as existing and of having value as persons. When that happens, when we understand that God cares for every one of us, regardless of our station in life, we too can and must care for all of our neighbors, and there is no choice but to do so. That is what Grace does to and for us.
We have nothing to give God for God’s grace to us, it comes to us because God choose to give it to us. And not just the crumbs from the table but the whole banquet is ours! Sit down and join all of your neighbors in celebration.
Matthew 15:[10-20] 21-28
[10[Jesus] called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand:11it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” 12Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 13He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” 15But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? 18But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 19For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. 20These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”]
21Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” 23But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” 24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 27She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
We live in a world of Canaanite wo(men) children and people. The proof of which is to be found in how we divide the world into categories. Sit back and reflect on how we describe and think about other people : Homeless, black, white, refuges , liberal, conservative, male, female, gay, straight, family , outsiders, us, them, worthy or bums, Sometimes the words we use are just a means of describing a particular situation regarding another person’s situation. Most of the time it’s more like the scenario illustrated in today’s Gospel reading. People are placed in categories so that we are able to deny their shared humanity with us. And in the denial, we are able to comfortably ignore them because they are nothing and nobody to us.
The Canaanite woman is not named, emphasizing her non-importance, even to the point of nonexistence. Yet she persists in making her voice heard. The words flowing from her mouth help to illustrate the parable Jesus has just taught to his disciples immediately prior to this encounter. What a person proclaims comes from the innermost places of their beings. The words which come out according to the text reveal often uncomfortable and unsavory truths about who we are as people.
This nameless outcast according to Jesus reveals her innermost being to Jesus and the disciples. She is a person of great faith and the courage to confront the prejudices of her time as illustrated by this encounter. The words of the disciples reveal something all together different than faithful hearts. The first words of Jesus are disturbing in that they do not reveal the Jesus we have come to proclaim. Where is the compassion? Where is the call to love all of that which God has created?
What are we to make of this Jesus we meet here? Perhaps the best we can say is that Jesus is holding up mirror here to make us see who we are. He is speaking out of his humanity here, with all of his flaws regarding how we disregard and ignore human need in those we see as “not us.”
Who are the dogs under the table? Refugees on our borders, refugees in huge camps around the world, homeless nameless people in our communities, people who experience injustice and violence because of their color, people in slums, people in high rise penthouses, people on middle class neighborhoods, people who are powerful and rich, people who are without power and influence, people who spew hateful words regarding their fellow humans, in short: people.
Matthew does not give us any explanation regarding what Jesus does here. All he provides is a story reveling the breadth of God’s grace. He reveals that no matter how many ways humans may seek to separate their fellow human beings into distinct categories, we are all in the same one: We are all beggars before God. But and mark this well: Even more than that, we are acknowledged as existing and of having value as persons. When that happens, when we understand that God cares for every one of us, regardless of our station in life, we too can and must care for all of our neighbors, and there is no choice but to do so. That is what Grace does to and for us.
We have nothing to give God for God’s grace to us, it comes to us because God choose to give it to us. And not just the crumbs from the table but the whole banquet is ours! Sit down and join all of your neighbors in celebration.
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