Proper 18B/Ordinary 23B/Pentecost 16

Proper 18B/Ordinary 23B/Pentecost 16 September 5, 2021 FOR POETRY PEW CLICK HERE FOR A BEAD AND A PRAYER CLICK HERE A LITURGY FOR WORSHIP —Use As Much Or As Little As You Choose— Centering Prayer In Preparation Center us now, O God, in your presence in this place, as we lift up our heart's desires, our soul’s deep needs, our hungers, fears and failures. Speak gently to our heart of hearts the words of you seek us to hear. Move within our hearts and minds and spirits to be filled with awe and ready to serve you and worship in the beauty of sacredness. Opening Words  If it were not for God, we would not be here. If it were not for God, we would have so cause to worship. If it would not be for God, we would have no ability to love or have faith or to live in hope. If it were not for God, there would not be anyone...anything...just emptiness. O God, as we worship you to offer our praise and thanksgiving as living witness to your Sovereign Being...your Divine Presence...your Reconciling Movement. You are our God and we are your people! Opening Prayer  We come to you, O God of wonder, because you first came to us. You have known us long before we came into this world, and you have searched for a relationship with us and with all your children. Draw us back into the wonder of searching for a deeper connection with you. And in that searching, may we come to better know ourselves as we truly are, and as you would want us to be. For we long to be part of your peacemaking and justice establishing Kin-Dom's work. Blessed are You, O God, and blessed is your Kin-Dom, now and forevermore. The Gloria  Glory be to God on high and on earth peace, goodwill to all. For God is the Holy One, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal. And in God's mercy we have life and are being made whole in God's healing embrace. Thanks be to God! The Collect For The Day O God, you are present to and caring for those whom we would consider outside of your beloved people. You hear the cry of those in poverty. You hear the cry of the oppressed. You hear the cry of those who are helpless. You hear the cry of the lonely. You hear the cry of the displaced and immigrant. May we hear their cry and come to their aid as your people of justice and peace. Prayer For Illumination O Wisdom, our Light and our Source of truth: Open our hearts and minds that we may hear anew the Word you speak to us this day. May your Word bring us to understand and engage is the mysteries of your Divine Essence and to know clearly what it is that you call us to do. Amen. Hebrew Bible Lection Proverbs 22. 1-2, 8-9, 21-23 A good name is better than great wealth, the esteem of others, than gold and silver. The wealthy and the poor share a common bond: YHWH is the creator of us all. Calamity is the fruit of iniquity; the reign of terror self-destructs. A blessing comes to the generous when they give of their bounty to the poor. To teach you what is right and what is true, so you can give apt replies to those who question you? Don’t cheat the poor or take advantage of their poverty, or intimidate the needy in court. For YHWH will defend their cause, oppressing those who oppress them. —Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. Psalmody Psalms 124, 125 “If it had not been YHWH who was on our side”—let Israel now say— “if it had not been YHWH who was on our side, when enemies attacked us, they’d have swallowed us alive! When their anger burned against us, the flood would have swept us away, the water would have drowned us, the raging torrent would have engulfed us!” Blessed be YHWH, who has not let us fall prey to their teeth! We are free like a bird from the trap! The snare has been broken and we are free! Our help is in the Name of YHWH, who made heaven and earth. Those who trust in you, YHWH, are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but endures forever. As mountains surround Jerusalem so you surround your people, both now and forever more. For the scepter of corruption won’t last over the land allotted to the upright, to spare the upright from the temptation to use their hands for evil. Do good, YHWH, to the good, to those who are upright in their hearts! But those who turn aside on their crooked roads, YHWH, you will lead them away. —Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. Epistle Lection James 2. 1-10, 14-17 My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Redeemer, the Beloved-Anointed-One of God? Suppose there should come into your assembly a person wearing gold rings and fine clothes and, at the same time, a poor person dressed in shabby clothes. Suppose further you were to take notice of the well-dressed one and say, “Sit right here, in the seat of honor”; and say to the poor one, “You can stand!” or “Sit over there by my footrest.” Haven’t you in such a case discriminated in your hearts? Haven’t you set yourselves up like judges who hand down corrupt decisions? Listen, dear sisters and brothers: didn’t God choose those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kindom promised to those who love God? Yet you’ve treated poor people shamefully! Aren’t rich people exploiting you? Aren’t they the ones who haul you into the courts, and who blaspheme that noble Name by which you’ve been called? You’re acting rightly, however, if you fulfill the venerable law of the scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you show favoritism, you commit sin, and that same law convicts you as transgressors. Those who keep the whole Law except for one small point are still guilty of breaking all of it. My sisters and brothers, what good is it to profess faith without practicing it? Such faith has no power to save. If any are in need of clothes and have no food to live on, and one of you says to them, “Goodbye and good luck. Stay warm and well-fed,” without giving them the bare necessities of life, then what good is this? So it is with faith. If good deeds don’t go with it, faith is dead. —Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. Gospel Lection Mark 7. 24-37 Jesus left Gennesaret and went to the territory of Tyre and Sidon. There he went into a certain house and wanted no one to recognize him, but he could not pass unrecognized. A woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She approached Jesus and fell at his feet. The woman, who was Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, begged Jesus to expel the demon from her daughter. He told her, “Let the children of the household satisfy themselves at table first. It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied, “Yes, Rabbi, but even the dogs under the table eat the family’s scraps.” Then Jesus said to her, “For saying this, you may go home happy; the demon has left your daughter.” When she got home, she found her daughter in bed and the demon gone. Jesus left the region of Tyre and returned by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Ten Cities. Some people brought an individual who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and begged Jesus to lay hands on that person. Jesus took the afflicted one aside, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the deaf ears and, spitting, touched the mute tongue with his saliva. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and, with a deep sigh, said, “Ephphatha!”—that is, “Be opened!” At once the deaf ears were opened and the impediment cured; the one who had been healed began to speak plainly. Then Jesus warned them not to tell anyone; but the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. Their amazement went beyond all bounds: “He has done everything well! He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!” —Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. ________________________________________ Meditation On the Gospel Lection Yes, we heard it right. The words are right there. Jesus calls the Syro-Phoenician, and in turn, all of the Syro-Phoenician people, dogs. What are we to do with this text? Jesus, whom our theology indicates is perfectly divine and perfectly human. He is the one of whom it is said that he is without sin. How could a sinless, perfect being, refer to another human person as being a dog? Most commentaries are little help in this matter. So are many sermons. They take a broad stroke and reduce Jesus' rude and insulting language to be less offensive. I just cannot settle for such. The words Jesus speaks are words that we have to wrestle with. They cannot be dismissed as a less than best translation, or a word said with a wink (as if to provide an object lesson for his disciples — they must have been there). Such an interpretation is as offensive as the words themself. Could it be that Jesus was in process? Was Jesus open to and experiencing a better gospel? Did the Syro-Phoenician provide a transforming event in the life and faith of the exorcist and healer? I believe that is probably the best way to understand the verbal transaction. Jesus calls the woman a dog, being congruent to the culture of that time and place. And, just as Jesus expresses that bias (Syro-Phoenician people were not considered kosher ... yet alone a non-kosher woman approaching a male with a request in that context) the woman counters his statement. The point here is that Jesus listened to what she had to say. Jesus redeemed the Hebrew bias giving her personhood. Jesus was open to and accepting of change, especially when that change brings one closer to knowing and experiencing God's love. You might call this a turning point in Jesus' ministry. It was an event for Jesus that changed his mind and brought him closer to the truth of God's all-inclusive love. And, we have a Syro-Phoenician person being the source of that change, and just as importantly, a woman. Thanks be to God that women are used by God to help shape the character of others. To her one could say, "Well done good and faithful servant." ________________________________________ Credo God in the Spirit revealed in Jesus Christ, calls us by grace to be renewed in the image of our Creator, that we may be one in divine love for the world. Today is the day God cares for the integrity of creation, wills the healing and wholeness of all life, weeps at the plunder of earth’s goodness. And so shall we. Today is the day God embraces all hues of humanity, delights in diversity and difference, favors solidarity transforming strangers into friends. And so shall we. Today is the day God cries with the masses of starving people, despises growing disparity between rich and poor, demands justice for workers in the marketplace. And so shall we.  Today is the day God deplores violence in our homes and streets, rebukes the world’s warring madness, humbles the powerful and lifts up the lowly. And so shall we.  Today is the day God calls for nations and peoples to live in peace, celebrates where justice and mercy embrace, exults when the wolf grazes with the lamb. And so shall we.  Today is the day God brings good news to the poor, proclaims release to the captives, gives sight to the blind, and sets the oppressed free. And so shall we. —From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church © 2016. Call To Healing As a people and as individuals we created in the image of our Maker, we are recreated by our Redeemer, and we are one in our Sustainer. Yet, we are broken. We know the frailty. We know the pain. We know the feeling. We know the reality. We come to God for healing asking for the forgiveness of our wrong-doings. Let us approach our God in humbleness of spirit. Prayer Of Brokenness Just God, you are even-handed in your justice and in the day of judgement will not play favorites. We confess that we are not so fair in our dealings. We are often unduly impressed by the powerful and the clever and excuse in them what we would condemn in the powerless and ignorant. Forgive superficiality and neglect of people needing advocacy and friendship, through the friend of sinners, Jesus Christ. Amen. Assuring Words Of Reconciliation Sisters and brothers, God, the great Healer, brings healing and wholeness to our lives. In God, we are forgiven. In God there is healing. In God their is reconciliation. Thanks be to God! —Scifres, Mary; Beu, B. J.. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2021. (altered) Prayer Of Intercession For the Church: that God will heal our deafness so that we may hear God’s invitations to service and recognize the cry of those who are suffering... For a spirit of listening: that God will free us from the noise that blocks our ability to hear the Word of God, prepare our hearts to receive that Word, and help us to put God’s vision for tomorrow into practice today... For a deepening of compassion for others: that we may feel the pain and the longings of the poor, the physically and mentally challenged, and of the marginalized so that we may accompany them on their life’s journey... For a spirit of welcome and hospitality in our assembly: that all who join us for worship, community, or service may experience the love of Christ and a warm welcome... For all who have experienced abuse, discrimination, or hatred: that God will heal their pain and renew their spirits... For all who work with the poor and homeless: that they may continually see Christ in all whom they meet... For all who have hearing or speech problems: that we may affirm them as sisters and brothers and help them to use their gifts fully for God’s glory... For all world leaders: that they recognize the dignity of all people regardless of status, wealth, or social position and seek to meet the basic needs of every person... For all who are fearful and anxious: that they may find hope and courage in God's Word and the fellowship of this community... For all recovering from Hurricane Ida: that God will protect them from further harm, renew their energy, and speed the assistance which they need... For all suffering from the power of nature: that God will guide and assist the people of Haiti as they recover from the earthquake and hurricane and send beneficial weather to all the areas that are struggling with wildfires... For those fleeing violence, particularly the people of Afghanistan: that God will protect those in danger, lead them to places of safety, and help them to find a warm welcome in their new communities... For a greater recognition of our call to be stewards of God's creation: that we may experience a new relationship with the created world that God has commended to our care and work to promote the wise use of its resources... For all healthcare workers: that God will keep them safe, renew their energy, and work through them to bring healing and strength to all who are ill... For all who labor whether at home or in the workplace: that God will guide them as they provide healing, nourishment, safety, or resources and renew them in mind, body, and spirit for the good of all who depend upon them... —Joe Milner, St. Francis Xavier College Church St. Louis, MO, Copyright © 2021 The Prayer Of Jesus (paraphrase) Almighty God, like a Parent you care for us as your children. From heaven's splendor you reach out to us like a Mother and a Father. How holy is your Name. Your will be fulfilled in us, here and now, as it is in the realm of hosts. Provided for us, we pray, all that we need this day. In your great mercy and compassion, forgive us, free us, and heal us...as we seek to do the same for those who are part of this human family. Put us not to a test, for who among us can stand always faithful, but keep us from evil and all the harm it reaps. For yours is the Kin-Dom, the Omnipotence, and the Radiant Glory; now and forevermore. Amen. Prayer Of Thanksgiving And Dedication Generous God, we give thanks to you for your kindness toward us. Thank you for loving us all and calling us all your children. Help us to recognize our kin and to give our lives to peaceful family relationships with all creation. Free us from our self-centeredness and from fear of strangers so that we may meet the Savior in broken humanity—even our own. We pray in the name of God's Beloved and Anointed One—Jesus, the Christ. Amen. Sending Forth We came to worship. We go to serve. Our worship continues, as our work is our prayer. Our service continues, as our praying is in each day's breath. Help us to be good and courageous stewards of your love. Dismissal With Blessing As you have been fed, go to feed the hungry. As you have been set free, go to set free the imprisoned. As you have been received–give. As you have heard–proclaim. And the blessing which you have received from the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sustainer be always with you. Amen. POETRY PEW "The Syrophoenician Woman" And I remember the first slap that followed the slur how soft were the fingertips, so slick with oil and sweat the burning mark seemed to reassure both ‘Know your place’ and ‘This, too, shall pass.’ And I remember my daughter’s night thrashing in morning for a fortnight now, rooster’s call never signaling mercy. How demons use her eight-year-old hands to pluck the hair from her head in clumps, how she feeds the possessed shredded curls to rats. He who is without sin cannot call me a dog and mean it, so Master, use me for your lesson. Slay me with the hate of your people. I will play the role, stay bowed at your feet, breathing their unearthly dust as I say, ‘But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.’ And I remember my daughter’s kicking in my womb, first suckle like new lover’s tongue, first smile my salvation. And my faith is great. —Mariam Williams, a Kentucky writer living in Philadelphia. She recently completed her MFA in creative writing and a certificate in public history from Rutgers University-Camden. Her poetry has been published in Ninth Letter, The Feminist Wire, Cosmonauts Avenue, and bozalta. Mariam is currently working on a chapbook that retells stories of silenced and condemned women of the Bible, and on a memoir that explores intersections of faith, family, and feminism in life. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ "Syrophoenician Woman" “’Grant, Lord, her prayer, and let her go; She crieth after us.’ Nay, to the dogs ye cast it so; Serve not a woman thus. Their pride, by condescension fed, He speaks with truer tongue ‘It is not meet the children’s bread Should to the dogs be flung.’ The words, because they were so sore, His tender voice did rue; His face a gentle sadness wore, And showed He suffered too. He makes her share the hurt of good, Takes what she would have lent,  That those proud men their evil mood May see, and so repent, And that the hidden faith in her May burst in soaring flame, From childhood deeper, holier, If birthright not the same. ‘Truth, Lord; and yet the dogs that crawl under the table, eat The crumbs the little ones, let fall – And that is not unmeet.’ Ill names, of proud religion born – She’ll wear the worst that comes; Will clothe her, patient, in their scorn, To share the healing crumbs. The cry rebuff could not abate Was not like water spilt; ‘O woman, but thy faith is great! Be it even as thou wilt.’ Oh, happy she who will not tire, But, baffled, prayeth still! What if He grant her heart’s desire in fullness of her will.” —George MacDonald A BEAD AND A PRAYER CROSS We are here in the presence of God and in the shared presence of one another. The Spirit of God makes us one. One people. One ministry. One mission. Let us worship as one. INVITATORY We can trust God. God is like the mountain: rock solid. God loves all the people: the poor, the disabled, the outcast, the stranger. We can depend on God. God feeds the hungry, heals the sick, and restores relationships. Praise our Loving God. CRUCIFORM God of abundant life, you want the best for your people around the globe. You bring healing, wholeness, and new life to all your children. On this day, may our eyes be open to the presence of Christ in one another. May our ears be open to the needs of our community. May our hands be open to serve the forgotten. And may our hearts be open to receive your Holy Spirit along this journey of faith. In your most Sacred Name. Amen. —Scifres, Mary; Beu, B. J.. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2021. WEEK I ■ A good name is better than great wealth, the esteem of others, than gold and silver. ■ The wealthy and the poor share a common bond: YHWH is the creator of us all. ■ Calamity is the fruit of iniquity; the reign of terror self-destructs. ■ A blessing comes to the generous when they give of their bounty to the poor. ■ To teach you what is right and what is true, so you can give apt replies to those who question you? ■ Don’t cheat the poor or take advantage of their poverty, or intimidate the needy in court. ■ For YHWH will defend their cause, oppressing those who oppress them. —Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. CRUCIFORM God of love, you show your people how to be truly rich in faith, through the gifts you give when least hoped for or expected. Come to your people today with words of both judgment and mercy, that we may be fed from the bread of life. We pray this in your holy triune name: O Blessed Trinity Divine. Amen. WEEK II ■ “If it had not been YHWH who was on our side”—let Israel now say— “if it had not been YHWH who was on our side, when enemies attacked us, they’d have swallowed us alive! ■ When their anger burned against us, the flood would have swept us away, the water would have drowned us, the raging torrent would have engulfed us!” ■ Blessed be YHWH, who has not let us fall prey to their teeth! We are free like a bird from the trap! ■ The snare has been broken and we are free! Our help is in the Name of YHWH, who made heaven and earth. ■ Those who trust in you, YHWH, are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but endures forever. As mountains surround Jerusalem so you surround your people, both now and forever more. ■ For the scepter of corruption won’t last over the land allotted to the upright, to spare the upright from the temptation to use their hands for evil. ■ Do good, YHWH, to the good, to those who are upright in their hearts! But those who turn aside on their crooked roads, YHWH, you will lead them away. —Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. CRUCIFORM Just God, you are even-handed in your justice and in the day of judgement will not play favorites. We confess that we are not so fair in our dealings. We are often unduly impressed by the powerful and the clever and excuse in them what we would condemn in the powerless and ignorant. Forgive superficiality and neglect of people needing advocacy and friendship, through the friend of sinners, Jesus Christ. Amen. WEEK III ■ My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Redeemer, the Beloved-Anointed-One of God? Suppose there should come into your assembly a person wearing gold rings and fine clothes and, at the same time, a poor person dressed in shabby clothes.  ■ Suppose further you were to take notice of the well-dressed one and say, “Sit right here, in the seat of honor”; and say to the poor one, “You can stand!” or “Sit over there by my footrest.” Haven’t you in such a case discriminated in your hearts? Haven’t you set yourselves up like judges who hand down corrupt decisions? ■ Listen, dear sisters and brothers: didn’t God choose those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kin-Dom promised to those who love God? Yet you’ve treated poor people shamefully! Aren’t rich people exploiting you? ■ Aren’t they the ones who haul you into the courts, and who blaspheme that noble Name by which you’ve been called? You’re acting rightly, however, if you fulfill the venerable law of the scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ■ But if you show favoritism, you commit sin, and that same law convicts you as transgressors. Those who keep the whole Law except for one small point are still guilty of breaking all of it. ■ My sisters and brothers, what good is it to profess faith without practicing it? Such faith has no power to save. ■ If any are in need of clothes and have no food to live on, and one of you says to them, “Goodbye and good luck. So it is with faith. If good deeds don’t go with it, faith is dead. —Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. CRUCIFORM Generous God, we give thanks to you for your kindness toward us. Thank you for loving us all and calling us all your children. Help us to recognize our kin and to give our lives to peaceful family relationships with all creation. Free us from our self-centeredness and from fear of strangers so that we may meet the Savior in broken humanity—even our own. We pray in your most Blessed Name. Amen. WEEK IV ■ Jesus left Gennesaret and went to the territory of Tyre and Sidon. There he went into a certain house and wanted no one to recognize him, but he could not pass unrecognized. A woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She approached Jesus and fell at his feet. ■ The woman, who was Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, begged Jesus to expel the demon from her daughter. He told her, “Let the children of the household satisfy themselves at table first It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” ■ She replied, “Yes, Rabbi, but even the dogs under the table eat the family’s scraps.” Then Jesus said to her, “For saying this, you may go home happy; the demon has left your daughter.” When she got home, she found her daughter in bed and the demon gone. ■ Jesus left the region of Tyre and returned by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Ten Cities. Some people brought an individual who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and begged Jesus to lay hands on that person. ■ Jesus took the afflicted one aside, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the deaf ears and, spitting, touched the mute tongue with his saliva. ■ Then Jesus looked up to heaven and, with a deep sigh, said, “Ephphatha!”—that is, “Be opened!” At once the deaf ears were opened and the impediment cured; the one who had been healed began to speak plainly. ■ Then Jesus warned them not to tell anyone; but the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. Their amazement went beyond all bounds: “He has done everything well! He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!” —Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. CRUCIFORM For the Church: that God will heal our deafness so that we may hear God’s invitations to service and recognize the cry of those who are suffering... For a spirit of listening: that God will free us from the noise that blocks our ability to hear the Word of God, prepare our hearts to receive that Word, and help us to put God’s vision for tomorrow into practice today...  For a deepening of compassion for others: that we may feel the pain and the longings of the poor, the physically and mentally challenged, and of the marginalized so that we may accompany them on their life’s journey... For a spirit of welcome and hospitality in our assembly: that all who join us for worship, community, or service may experience the love of Christ and a warm welcome... For all who have experienced abuse, discrimination, or hatred: that God will heal their pain and renew their spirits... For all who work with the poor and homeless: that they may continually see Christ in all whom they meet... For all who have hearing or speech problems: that we may affirm them as sisters and brothers and help them to use their gifts fully for God’s glory... For all world leaders: that they recognize the dignity of all people regardless of status, wealth, or social position and seek to meet the basic needs of every person... For all who are fearful and anxious: that they may find hope and courage in God's Word and the fellowship of this community... For all recovering from Hurricane Ida: that God will protect them from further harm, renew their energy, and speed the assistance which they need... For all suffering from the power of nature: that God will guide and assist the people of Haiti as they recover from the earthquake and hurricane and send beneficial weather to all the areas that are struggling with wildfires... For those fleeing violence, particularly the people of Afghanistan: that God will protect those in danger, lead them to places of safety, and help them to find a warm welcome in their new communities... For a greater recognition of our call to be stewards of God's creation: that we may experience a new relationship with the created world that God has commended to our care and work to promote the wise use of its resources... For all healthcare workers: that God will keep them safe, renew their energy, and work through them to bring healing and strength to all who are ill... For all who labor whether at home or in the workplace: that God will guide them as they provide healing, nourishment, safety, or resources and renew them in mind, body, and spirit for the good of all who depend upon them... —Joe Milner, St. Francis Xavier College Church St. Louis, MO. INVITATORY Good and generous God, you have blessed us with favor and counted us as your people. Freed by your grace, let us extend your generosity to others, sharing our bread with the poor, pleading the cause of the afflicted, and receiving all who assemble in your name with the warmth of your love and the richness of your hospitality. Blessed are You and blessed in your Kin-Dom, forevermore. Amen. CROSS As you have been fed, go to feed the hungry. As you have been set free, go to set free the imprisoned. As you have been received–give. As you have heard–proclaim. And the blessing which you have received from the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sustainer be always with you. Amen.