Dancing with Our Circumstances

August 16, 2020 Matthew 15:10-28 Year A 11th Sunday After Pentecost Dancing with our Circumstances Prelude Welcome Opening Prayer Merciful God, we boldly pray to you, confident that you will not reject us. In spite of our human failings, your love continues to draw us together. Be with us today, as we rejoice in the power of your love. Sing with us today, as we proclaim the good news of your grace. Dance with us today, as we celebrate the unity we share in Christ. How good it is to be together! Hallelujah! Amen! Stewardship Moment Invitation to the Offering (Psalm 133) Our hearts are overflowing with your love, O God: like precious oil that cascades down on the beards of old; like the rains that shower down upon your creation. Guide us now, as we share with others the abundance of our joy. We pray that you will give us the vision to use our blessings to offer hope to others. In Christ's name we pray and act. Amen. Offertory As God has so richly blessed us, let us return a portion of these blessings to God, asking that these gifts may be used in service to others through the ministries and mission of this church. Let us receive our morning offering. Prayer of Dedication God of abundance and joy, we thank you for the many blessings you have poured on our lives. Receive these gifts, lovingly given, and bless them in your service. AMEN. Invitation to the Word (Genesis 45, Psalm 133) Seeking unity, we come to the scriptures. Open our hearts to hear and live your word. Acknowledging our discord, we come to the scriptures. Open our hearts to hear and live your word. Realigning our lives with God, we come to the scriptures. Open our hearts to hear and live your word. Scripture Matthew 15:10-28 Common English Bible 10 Jesus called the crowd near and said to them, “Listen and understand. 11 It’s not what goes into the mouth that contaminates a person in God’s sight. It’s what comes out of the mouth that contaminates the person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended by what you just said?” 13 Jesus replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be pulled up. 14 Leave the Pharisees alone. They are blind people who are guides to blind people. But if a blind person leads another blind person, they will both fall into a ditch.” 15 Then Peter spoke up, “Explain this riddle to us.” 16 Jesus said, “Don’t you understand yet? 17 Don’t you know that everything that goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? 18 But what goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that’s what contaminates a person in God’s sight. 19 Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adultery, sexual sins, thefts, false testimonies, and insults. 20 These contaminate a person in God’s sight. But eating without washing hands doesn’t contaminate in God’s sight.” Canaanite woman 21 From there, Jesus went to the regions of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from those territories came out and shouted, “Show me mercy, Son of David. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.” 23 But he didn’t respond to her at all. His disciples came and urged him, “Send her away; she keeps shouting out after us.” 24 Jesus replied, “I’ve been sent only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel.” 25 But she knelt before him and said, “Lord, help me.” 26 He replied, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and toss it to dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord. But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall off their masters’ table.” 28 Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith. It will be just as you wish.” And right then her daughter was healed. Sermon A story came across the wires from the Reuters news service about a family of ducklings that fell down a sewer grate in Vancouver. Their mother did what any parent would do. She got help from a passing police officer. The mother duck grabbed the policeman by the pant leg while he was on foot patrol. The policeman shoved what he thought was just a goofy duck away, but she persisted, grabbing his leg again when he tried to leave, and then waddling to a nearby sewer grate where she sat down and waited for him to follow and investigate. The policeman came to where she sat and saw eight little baby ducklings in the water below. Police removed the heavy metal grate with the help of a tow truck and used a vegetable strainer to lift the ducklings to safety. Mother and offspring then departed for a nearby pond. That mother duck did what the Canaanite woman did. She persisted in seeking help until she got it. And that is just what Jesus wants us to do. Be persistent in getting the help you need. Do not be intimidated by authority figures. And remember, we have a Friend who can help us even when human endeavors fail. Christ is waiting to help you today. King Duncan, Worried About Her Child, www.Sermons.com A Mother’s Faith Augustine's mother, Monica, was a fervent believer who prayed constantly for her son's salvation. She devoted her whole life to praying for Augustine's conversion. At one point, when Augustine was becoming devoted to the Manichaean philosophy, Monica begged a holy man to speak to Augustine, and show him why their beliefs were not true. The holy man refused because Augustine was known to have a great intellect, and would likely try to savage the holy man's arguments. The holy man assured Monica that he, too, had once been a Manichaean, and that Augustine was too smart to deceive himself much longer. At this, Monica began to cry. The holy man sent her away, saying, "Go, go! Leave me alone. Live on as you are living. It is not possible that the son of such tears should be lost." The holy man was right. After many years and a fierce inner struggle, Augustine was touched by a revelation in Scripture, and became a Christian. When Monica learned of her son's salvation, she remarked that she had nothing left to live for, for the greatest desire of her heart had been fulfilled. Nine days later, Monica died. And the son she had spent her life praying for, went on to affect the whole world. Monica never quit asking. "Live on as you are living," said the holy man. "It is not possible that the son of such tears should be lost." You are concerned about someone you love? Keep on asking God for help. Don't let your tears quench the flame of your faith in God. It may seem like God is ignoring you, but I assure you that is not the case. Don't give up. Keep asking. And keep on trusting. King Duncan, When You Need Help, adapted from Ruth Bell Graham, Prodigals and Those Who Love Them. These are two stories of mothers who would do anything for their children. In our lesson for today, we hear of another mother who set out to help her daughter, who was having some emotional disturbance. She is so excited when the only person who she could think of to help, comes to her community. This man is Jesus, her only help in a situation like this. In Matthew 15 she remains nameless. But a sermon in the middle ages tells us that the women’s name was Justa. Her daughter was named Bereniece. They were called Canaanites. They would not have called themselves cannaanites. But for the Hebrew society, these were people who were displaced when the Hebrews claimed the land and the property. They people of Tyre and Sidon would have hated thing that was not their unique household. Interestingly enough, this was the only time in Matthew that jesus travels outside Isreal in gentile company. It had gotten to the point in his ministry there was no place that he could go to get some peace and quiet. Everywhere he went the crowd gathered for healing. Things are no different here in Tyre and Sidon. This woman sees him and calls out Lord, Son of David. So she too has heard of his reputation as a healer. When she calls him Lord, it is hard to tell if she was serious, or if she was just being condescending or if she really has faith in him. Jesus was good at joking and throwing jokes himself. But apparently, neither of them are joking now, because he calls her a little dog. Jews has strong opinions about dogs. For them dogs were not friendly house pets. You would never have a dog in your house, they were filthy, nasty pest that ran wild and were always begging for food. Jesus didn’t like dogs, he didn’t like her and he really did not appreciate her request for help. Jesus explains that his ministry is only for Jews, not her or her daughter. This is a story of Jesus being human. As a matter of fact, Jesus contradicts his own teaching. He is just telling a story of how we have to be careful about our words and how they can hurt people. And here Jesus is calling this woman a dog for asking for help. You Have Judged Yourself A story related to this text [summarized from Sunday and Holyday Liturgies, Cycle A, by Flor McCarthy] has a group of the very pious waiting in heaven for the judgment. As they are waiting and complaining about the wait, they begin to see some of the "sinners" they knew on earth coming into the waiting room: a corrupt politician, an itinerant woman who had been convicted of shoplifting numerous times, a prostitute, a drug addict, a man who spent most of his life in prison, etc. With each of these arrivals, the feeling of hostility increased in the first group. They glare at the others. They talk among themselves. Within a short time, words were spoken to those others, "What makes you think you're going to get in with that evil, sinful life you lived on earth?" "We’re relying on the mercy and grace of God. What makes you so sure you're going to get in?" "Our good lives, of course." They turned their backs to the others. Time began to drag on for the first group. They began to complain to one another. "If those other people get in, there's no justice. After all the sacrifices we've made. It's not fair." The Lord arrived. He turned towards the first group, "I understand you've been wondering why there has been no judgment." "Yes!" they cried out. "We want a judgment. We want justice." "The judgment has already taken place. You've judged yourselves. By judging these, the least of my brothers and sisters, you have judged yourselves. In rejecting them you have rejected me. You have shown yourselves unworthy of the kingdom of God." [pp. 151-3] Hare says something similar in his conclusion to this section: "We are defiled, Jesus tells us, by the unloving words that spring so readily from our mouths." [p. 176] Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes ________________________________ This is the only woman who is ever able to outsmart Jesus with his own words. She takes the insult and and says even the dogs eat crumbs from the children’s table. She is motivated to persist with her request by her love, her faith, her cheerfulness and her persistence. Faith is sometimes a persistent creativity to bring about good. Her persistence ministers to Jesus. And of course Jesus ministers to her – her daughter is healed immediately. Jesus then gives her an honor that he didn’t even give to his own disciples. He says that she is a woman of great faith. Jesus only gives that honor to one other person. As a matter of fact, remember last week Jesus said that Peter was a man of little faith. Jesus is trying to help those in his inner circle, but they still have no faith. And here this woman literally off of the street, believes in him so much that she demands healing. Pray for Yourself In 1989, former President George Bush, our current president's father, was entering St. John's Episcopal Church to attend a worship service. A homeless man, William Wallace Brown Jr., stopped him and asked for prayer. The President's answer must have shocked onlookers. He replied, "No. Come inside with us--and pray for yourself." From that day forward, William Wallace Brown Jr. regularly attended St. John's Episcopal Church. This man in ragged, smelly clothes sat in the pews alongside the rich and the powerful. At offering time, he put a dollar in the collection plate. One usher reports that many of the rich members also gave only a dollar to the offering. These people were humbled by Mr. Brown's examplSe of generosity. King Duncan, The Gates of Hell Someone looking for crumbs of love becomes a special guest at the table. This story is a wonderful example for us of discipleship. Jesus has been teaching his followers about discipleship. He is teaching them to be obedient, to care for others, but this lesson is about acceptance of others not like us. The disciples tell Jesus to get rid of the woman. But once Jesus learns the lesson to accept others, he teaches that to the disciples and to us. But finally there is one more important lesson that this story teaches us – we have a God who listens to our lives and responds. We have heard of a God who is unchanging, unmoving, removed from our lives. But that is actually not the God of the bible. The people of God constantly questioned and challenged God. They constantly argues with God, they constantly plead their case. They constantly begged God for mercy and understanding. And God would listen and respond accordingly. If you read the stories in the bible, God constantly decides, acts, listens, and has a change of heart and mind. Just like Jesus in this story. God is flexible, understanding and forgiving. God is always dancing with the situations of life and the prayers of the people. Dancing in the Wind - Matthew 14:22-33 We live in an embattled time. Conflicts in politics, problems with economics, and a global pandemic have put the icing on the proverbial cake of usual issues. Most of us already feel we are up to our necks in alligators. Now we have entered hurricane season to boot. How much more can we take? How much longer can we fight? Let’s face it. We are a tired, fatigued, tense, and nervous bunch right now. Just when we think we’ve ridden the final wave another rises up and heads right toward us. What shall we do? When I think of prepping and preparing for adverse conditions, I think of athletes. Athletes train themselves not only physically, but mentally and spiritually, in order to accomplish ever more rigorous feats. Runners in particular have an entire body of literature on how to excel in this endorphin-boosting sport. I like to call their oeuvre “runners’ wisdom.” A lot of runners’ wisdom is simply common sense. Drink water before you run. Warm up and stretch. Push harder every day but don’t overdo it. Wear good shoes. Trust what your body is telling you. Let your instincts guide you. But one of the best articles I found written by Jonathan Beverly of “Runner’s World” is about how to run in a headwind. Beverly explains that most of us, when we are running against the wind, tend to work harder, push more, bear down, tense up. This causes tension, fatigue, and exasperation. Instead, he explains, we must do exactly the opposite: lean in, relax, and allow the wind to dictate the pace. We must “dance in the wind.” Beverly learned this lesson not from other runners but from hawks he saw flying above the fields. He noticed that the raptors did not struggle against the headwinds, but they used the wind to do a kind of mid-air dance. They circled, they swooped, they twirled, they dove. They relaxed and played in the wind. Their goal was not measured progress but play and enjoyment. They were masters at seizing the moment and “going with the flow.” Adapting to the wind. Adapting to life. Like Jonathan Beverly, we too could learn some lessons from the birds when it comes to dealing with the hurricanes and wind-gusts of life... If Jesus can be open to the moment, willing to change, willing to adjust to new conditions, willing to transform and to be transformed, then so can I learn to dance with the conditions of life and learn and be willing to learn a new lesson and accept a new person. Only four words but they are enough to make her immortal. We can trust these words as being true because the expert on faith spoke them. Jesus searched for faith, as a gem collector would fine jewels. He did not always find it in his disciples. On no occasion that we know did he ever say of Peter, James, and John: Great is your faith. More often the words he spoke to them: You of little faith. On only one other occasion did Jesus praise a person for their faith. Interestingly, that was a Roman soldier stationed in Capernaum. We regard this Canaanite woman with more than just an academic interest. She awakens in us a feeling of admiration, perhaps even envy, because she stands where most of us would like to stand… Those 4 words – Great is your faith. In these trying words let us carry those 4 words with is. Let us pray…… Prayer Morning Prayer Lord, what a blessing it is to come together in this community of faith. We travel here from all walks of life, from different ages and stages, and are welcomed in your love and your presence! Today we bring before you the names of loved ones who are struggling with loss, with illness, with depression, with addiction, with alienation from those that they love. Be with each of them. Lay your hand of healing gently over their lives and pour out your balm of peace on them. Help us to reach out to be of service to each other in Jesus’ name. Lord, we also bring to you situations of celebration: birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, family gatherings, special occasions which lift us up and remind us of the goodness that there is in life. Breathe your spirit into these wonderful events that all who gather may rejoice and celebrate the blessings you have given each of us. Keep our hearts and minds open for your reconciling word for us; for we ask this in Jesus’ name. AMEN. Opening Prayer As summer draws to a close, we begin to focus our attention to the activities of autumn. For some it will mean preparing children for school; for others youth will be preparing to enter college or the work force or perhaps military service. Be with these precious ones as they embark on life’s journeys. Be with each one of us as we encounter life’s challenges. Open our hearts to receive your healing mercy and your transforming love. In Jesus’ name we pray. AMEN. Let us say the Lords Prayer together Moment of Reflection – My Hope is Built – UMH 368 Announcement If your family or someone you know is in need of school supplies, the Nazarene is supplying them again this year. You can call them and they will arrange a curbside pickup. Blessing to all of our children and teachers preparing for this new year. The health team has been monitoring the situation, and have decided that we will wait a few weeks before opening. We will not open on the 13th – but a little later in September. They want to make sure that we can be together in a safe way. Once again, this is one of those situations where you have to dance with the circumstances of life. We will also not host and rental events until at least January of 2021. Scripture for next week is August 23rd – Matthew 16:13-20 Benediction Benediction (Genesis 45, Psalm 133) It is time to take the party to the streets! Go out to celebrate our common kinship as children of God. Go out to tell the good news of Christ to every sister and brother. Go out to let the power of the Holy Spirit unite us around the world. Go out to continue this family reunion with all those who are longing to join the party. Go out and rejoice! Children’s Sermon Object: A saltine cracker in a plastic bag. Lesson: Helping others; sharing. This is a difficult text even for adults. In order to help the children make some sense out of it, I have brought a saltine cracker in a baggie. I begin by asking the kids, "Do you know what a crumb is?" No one is sure enough to describe a crumb to me, so I take the baggie with the cracker out of my pocket, hold it up and ask, "Is this a crumb?" "No!" I am told, "It's a cracker!" "That's right. It's a cracker. But what if I do this...?" With those words I crush the cracker (still in the baggie to contain the crumbs). "Now," I continue, holding up the crunched pieces, "do I still have a cracker?" "No, you have a bag of crumbs." "Aha!" I respond. "So, now we know what a crumb is. It's a piece of something -- a very small piece. Crumbs are what is left on your plate when you finish eating a piece of cake. Crumbs are what fall off the loaf when the bread is broken during communion. Crumbs are the little parts no one really misses or cares about, except ... I wonder, do any of you have a pet?" Many of the children indicate with nods that they do, so I begin asking what these pets might be. As luck would have it, every single one of the children present has a cat. Being particularly fond of cats myself, this would normally not be a problem. But this morning, in view of the lectionary text, we obviously needed to talk about dogs. "Do any of you have a friend who has a dog?" Several children indicate they do. "Are these dogs allowed to come in the house?" Again, the response is affirmative. "Well, if one of these dogs was in the house while the family was eating dinner and if a crumb of food dropped off the table to the floor, what do you suppose would happen to the crumb?" "The dog would eat it!" comes the instant reply. "Yes," I agree, "that's what I think would happen too. Now, we've already seen that a crumb is a very small piece of something, so small that usually no one wants it. But we weren't thinking about dogs. Sometimes dogs are very happy to have the crumbs from our tables -- the scraps no one else wants. "We're talking about this today because of a conversation Jesus had with a woman who asked him for some help. Jesus told her, 'It's not right for me to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.' Then the woman replied, 'Even the dogs get to eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.' "What she meant by saying that to him was that she didn't need very much. All she was asking for was what no one else would want or miss -- just a crumb. So Jesus gave her what she needed. "You know, sometimes we have things in our lives we don't want -- not crumbs exactly, but toys we don't play with anymore, clothes we've grown out of and don't wear anymore, things we might throw away that someone else might use. Things that seem like trash to us may be a real treasure to someone else. This story about Jesus and the woman tells us we need to be aware of how little it takes sometimes to fill another's need; sometimes just a few crumbs are enough." CSS Publishing Company, Inc, Cows In Church, by B. Kathleen Fannin Additional Illustrations Sermon Opener – Great Is Your Faith – Matthew 15:(10-20), 21-28 What would you think if I told you that on your tombstone would be inscribed a four-word epitaph? Well, you might respond, it would depend on who would write this epitaph--an enemy or a loved one. It might also depend, you might say, on how well this person knew and understood you. If a newspaper critic wrote of a concert pianist the four words: "He was a failure," you could always say: That was his opinion. But if one of the world's great musicians wrote, “He was a genius,” then you are apt to take the remark more seriously. There was a character in the Gospel who Jesus once described with four immortal words: Great is your faith. She was a Canaanite woman who came from the country to the north of Palestine, a country hostile to the Jews. She was presumably married, she had at least one child; but that’s all we know about her. We don't know whether she was a good woman or a bad woman. We don’t know her name. All we know of her is that in this single encounter with Jesus he spoke to her this four-word epitaph: Great is your faith. ________________________ The Rabbi's Apprentice - Matthew 15:(10-20), 21-28 In 1797, prominent German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote a poem called “Der Zauberlehrling,” in which an apprentice of a master sorcerer is left alone with chores to do. Invoking magic that he was not yet properly trained to use, the apprentice commanded a bucket and broom to do his work. Because he could not properly control them, everything got quickly out of hand, and chaos ensued. Finally, the master returned and restored order to the mess. Walt Disney famously employed the plot of the poem in his musical “Fantasia,” starring Mickey Mouse as the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” While we laugh at the apprentice’s antics and enjoy the presentation, this fantasized idea of the role of “apprentice” may affect our idea of discipleship more than we realize. In our faith journey, we often think of ourselves as out there on our own doing our best to deal with situations out of our control. But this is not the kind of “discipleship” or “apprenticeship” relationship that Jesus expected from his disciples in his lifetime, nor is it the one He expects from us in ours. In Jesus’ time, a disciple or apprentice to the faith was much like an apprentice in any other kind of learned skilled labor. You didn’t learn and then quickly strike out on your own. But a discipleship relationship was a years long endeavor, which involved literally following the rabbis every move, listening to him talk, watching him interact with others, listening and asking questions as he taught, sleeping, eating, and learning every hour of every day by his side. If you were a carpenter’s apprentice, you ate, slept, and worked side by side with the master carpenter. If you were a builder’s apprentice, you ate, slept, and worked side by side with the master builder. If you were an apprentice of the faith, you ate, slept, and learned/interacted side by side with the master rabbi.... _________________________________ Breaking down Barriers C.S. Lewis once wrote an essay entitled The Inner Ring. He says in the article that in any playground or office or church there are little groups or rings of people who are on the “inside”. And those who aren’t: those who don’t get picked at playtime, those who stand on their own in the lunchroom. Lewis says that the existence of such rings is not necessarily bad. We’re finite beings, and we can only have deeply intimate friendships with a limited number of people. But he says that the desire to gain status or self-worth by being part of an “inner ring” is deeply destructive. It causes you to constantly compare yourself with others, to feel anguish when you’re left out, and deeper anguish when someone close to you gets let in. Worst of all, once you’re in, you want to keep others out, because it’s the exclusive nature of the group that makes you feel good. Jesus’ disciples wrestled often with that desire to be part of the inner ring. They argued over who should have the seats closest to Jesus. They asked Jesus to bring down fire on pagan villages. They rebuked little children for coming in too close and wasting Jesus’ time. Jesus must have often shaken his head because he was constantly teaching about who was in and who was out, about God’s desire to bring into the inner ring of his love anyone who will come. One of the most intriguing stories about status is this one in Matthew 15:21-28. John Tucker, Breaking Down Barriers: Inclusion Don’t Take No for an Answer