Proper 15
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle A
The church year theological clue
The phrase used in the title for the day, "after Pentecost," reminds the church and its preachers that the journey to Christ the King Sunday is roughly half-completed. The Holy Spirit is still at work in the church, bringing people to the Lord, undergirding the faith of the believers, and inspiring the people of God to devote themselves to good works and loving service in the name of Jesus Christ. Of itself, the church year "theological framework" has little direct influence upon the worship and preaching of the church; the near-Advent of fall (September is at hand), with the promise of new beginning in all phases of church life, places emphasis upon pastoral and practical theology in the weeks ahead. One's preaching ministry should go into high gear, theologically, because it is around Labor Day that the new year of the church is really about to begin.
The Prayer of the Day (LBW) - The traditional and classic Collect for the Day gives way to a new, and rather simple, Prayer of the Day, which might be fitting on any Sunday. It addresses the God who has "given great and precious promises to those who believe." The petition, however, is attuned to the Gospel for the Day, Matthew 15:21-28, the healing of the Canaanite woman's daughter by Jesus: "Grant us the perfect faith which overcomes all doubts, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." There is more of a theological/hermeneutical clue in this prayer than there is in the church year framework. The emphasis is on the gift of faith that only God can give people, rather than on the healing miracle which Jesus accomplished, according to the Gospel for the Day.
The Psalm of the Day - Psalm 67 (E, L); 67:2-3, 5-6, 8 (R) - The Roman, Episcopal, and Lutheran churches also assign this psalm to the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Series C, primarily as a song of thanksgiving, on that occasion for the resurrection of the Lord about to be completed in the ascension. It is a psalm that was originally giving thanks for a successful harvest ("The earth has brought forth her increase; may God, our own God, give us his blessing" - v. 6), but is used in Pentecost to remember all the blessings which God has poured out upon his people. It is also a psalm that, in older translations, will be very familiar to regular church-goers:
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee!
Since the psalm is only seven verses in length, the thanksgiving theme can hardly be lost if it is said or sung as a responsory to the first reading by the people and, as the psalm prayer suggests, directs attention to the blessing God offers all people in Jesus Christ.
The Psalm Prayer (LBW)
Father, through your power the earth has brought forth its noblest fruit, the tree of the cross. Unite all people in its embrace, and feed them with its fruit, everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 78:1-3, 10-20 (C) - As a responsory, this psalm speaks to the whole history of Israel, as well as to the specific situation in the first reading, Exodus 16:2-15, which is the account of the near-rebellion faced by Moses and Aaron when food was scarce in the wilderness:
They tested God in their hearts, demanding food for their craving. They railed aginst God and said, "Can God set a table in the wilderness?" (vv. 18, 19)
Since the reading recounts how God did just this by providing meat and manna for the people, this psalm seems more functional as a kind of introit rather than a responsory to the first reading. It does, of course, open up a larger question about what God is able to do today, in the light of the miracle in the Gospel of the Day, which enables it to be used as an appropriate responsory to the first reading.
The readings:
Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 (R); 56:1 (2-5), 6-7 (E); 56:1, 6-8 (L)
This reading has been chosen because it points to the way that God has offered himself and his blessings, to all people - and, in the Gospel for the Day, to a humble Canaanite woman of great faith - in Jesus Christ. It has to do (v. 1) with the post-exilic response of God's people in doing works of justice and righteousness in the expectation that the salvation of God - in the Messiah - will soon come. But it also looks to the role of "foreigners" in the worship of the Temple, stating that if they love the Lord, keep his laws and the covenant, they will be accepted in the Temple; their sacrifices will be pleasing to God. The intention of God - "for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples" - was connected by Mark to the very cleansing of the Temple by Jesus. This reading connects with the Gospel for the Day and supports Jesus' action in healing the daughter of the Canaanite woman of faith.
Exodus 16:2-15 (C)
A month and a half had passed since the Israelites had left Egypt; they were now in the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Sinai, and provisions obviously were nearly depleted. They seem to have forgotten that what God had done in gaining their release from their bondage in Egypt, the ten plagues and the crossing of the Red Sea, were far behind them. They wanted to know where God was as they passed through the wasteland; would he, could he, help them? They had been much better off in Egypt, at least, some said they had all they needed to eat; their bellies were full back there in Egypt. Yahweh informed Moses what he would do - how he would provide meat and bread for them every day; Moses ordered Aaron to inform the people and, true to his word, God sent them quail for meat and manna - "the bread of the angels" - for their daily bread. The quail they recognized and gathered for their dinner, but when they saw the manna on the ground, they asked, "What is that?" Moses replied, "That is the bread Yahweh gives you to eat." God answered their question through his servant, Moses, in a way that satisfied their hunger and their doubts.
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 (R, E, L); 11:13-16, 29-32 (C)
Paul seems to have given up on the mission to convert the Jews to Christ, and he is convinced that the primary thrust of his ministry is with the Gentiles. There are, of course, at least two difficulties with his outlook: his sense of the impending return of Christ was myopic, because he believed that the return of Christ was close at hand; and he thought he could make the Jews jealous by offering, as Matthew puts it, "the children's bread to dogs." That salvation and eternal life are irrevocable gifts from God is quite evident to Paul; after all, he has clearly articulated the doctrine of justification by faith through grace in this same letter. Although there is a hint of "greater good because of evil" in his "God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all," he is really talking about the condemnation that comes to those who break the Law; no one can keep the Law perfectly, thus God offers mercy to all people in Jesus Christ.
Matthew 15:21-28
The plea of the Canaanite woman to Jesus, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon," is one of the touching incidents in the ministry of Jesus. But Matthew makes several changes from the similar story told by Mark, the most important of which is his acknowledgement of her faith, "O woman, great is your faith!" Matthew shows his audience, Jewish Christians, that it is the woman's faith that made her prayer acceptable to Christ; he doesn't make as much of the miracle as does Mark, but simply asserts that the healing in Jesus' words, "Be it done for you as you desire" took place on schedule - immediately. Her continual cry of "Lord, help me" reached the very heart of Jesus and her faith moved him to appreciative and compassionate response, because it came out of a gift that God had already given, her faith. This Gospel picks up the thread of God's concern for all people in the first and second readings and other propers for the day and his desire to gather them all to himself in his Son, Jesus Christ.
Sermon suggestions:
Matthew 15:21-28 - "A Long Distance Miracle."
Four decades ago, an inner-city Episcopal Church in Philadelphia was engaged in a weekly healing ministry that took the shape of two worship services. One was at noon and the other late in the afternoon of the same day, Thursday. Dr. Alfred Price, the pastor of the congregation, had long been impressed with the various healings that had been accomplished by Jesus in his ministry, and by Jesus' statements that "whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give you." He learned the healing power that comes from God during a congregational crisis in which the choir became a hot-bed of discord; in desperation, one Sunday morning he called them together, formed a circle, had them join hands, and prayed for peace and harmony. The rift in the congregation was healed, and everything began to change for the better. Since that prayer/healing service "worked" it led to the development of the healing ministry and the regular healing services in which people came to the altar rail during a liturgical service, hands were laid on their heads and they were prayed for, with the result that many miraculous healing occurred; some people, however, were not cured of their maladies. The rector said that he did not possess the healing power; it came from God and was channeled through him to the sick or infirmed persons; faith, or the lack of it, seemed to have very little to do with the healing, faith didn't work the healings that took place; people some distance away, who were prayed for by request, often were healed, many of them didn't even know the prayers were being requested, and raised, on their behalf. The healing services, which were begun in the 1940's, continue to be held in many Episcopal and other denominational churches to this day, because many pastors and their people have faith that God can - and does - heal his children of their various illnesses and infirmities. Any person of faith, regardless of denomination or lack of it, is welcomed at such healing services.
1. This is the story of a long-distance healing. It was accomplished by Jesus at the request of a distraught mother - a persistent, non-Jewish woman, whose child was "demon-possessed." Jesus healed the girl without even seeing her or touching her, but the heart of this Gospel is not the long-distance miracle; it is the faith of the Canaanite woman. How could she have such faith? Where did she get it? After all, she was not one of God's chosen people.
2. God is the source of faith, as well as life. He gives faith in himself to all people who will accept it. It is his intention that the good news should be preached to all people, so that all might know him to be a God of love and believe and trust him with all their hearts. Chris-tians and Jews do not have a corner on faith; God means all people to know him and live by faith in a hostile world.
3. God respects genuine faith which clings to him in hope. God gives people faith which enables them to stand up to impossible odds in life, because he has love and compassion for his people; he is the sole source of all faith and hope. Human beings cannot bring themselves to believe and trust in God by their own initiative any more than they can make themselves love God and his Son, Jesus Christ. God never turns his back on those who believe and trust him in good faith; to do so would be to reject the gifts that he has given to his own. He brings healing of one sort or another to those who pray to him in faith.
4. Jesus performed a miracle - but the real miracle of the story is the great faith of the woman, who kept begging Jesus to heal her daughter because she had faith in him as one who had come from God and had power to heal. That miracle - faith - is one of the good gifts that God has given us so that we might live confidently in the world and be of service to God and other human beings. Faith - great faith - is the long-distance miracle that God gives to the world. Receive it and exercise it, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 56:1, 5-7 (R); 56:1 (2-5), 6-7 (E); 56:1, 6-8 (L) - "For All People."
1. A prophet's perception: God wants all people W know and believe that he is God, the only God; he wants to bring them into the kingdom.
2. A prophet's pronouncement: God's "holy house" is meant for all people; he has built, through his servant Israel, a "house of prayer for all peoples."
3. A prophet's plan: God will gather a peculiar people - the children of Israel, and the "outcasts," to himself. This is the mission that Jesus has given to the church in the world.
Exodus 16:2-15 (C) - "A Heavenly Hand-Out."
1. Times were tough in the wilderness. Things were so bad that some wanted to return to Egypt, but there was no going back. God knew what his people were suffering in the wilderness.
2. God kept the faith. He stepped into the picture, just as he had done in Egypt and at the Red Sea; he gave them bread and meat, just enough for each day of their journey. It was enough; it never ran out.
3. He has prepared a table for us. He knows our need and feeds us with his Word, with bread and wine, the body and blood of one who said, "This is my body, given for you ... This cup is the new covenant of my blood, shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins." "Take and eat," says the Lord, "Take and drink." This food and drink will sustain you forever; it will never run out.
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 (R, E, L); 11:13-16, 29-32 (C) - "The Gifts of a Good God."
1. God's call and gifts are intended for all people. The Jews first heard the gospel, but it was soon preached to the Gentiles, too; God wanted it that way.
2. Good because of goodness. There is some truth in those lines of Frederick Faber's hymn, "Greater good because of evil, Larger mercy through the fall," but the central theme is, with Paul, "There's a wideness in God's mercy...." The cross of Christ tells us that.
For the love of God is broader
Than the measures of man's mind,
And the heart of the eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.
3. Repent and receive the gifts of God. Forgiveness and eternal life come to those who repent of their sins. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All people must repent - every day - and receive the gifts anew. Forgiveness lasts a lifetime, but it has to be renewed daily.
4. Share the gifts. Each of us is called to do just that, according to Jesus Christ. There are enough for all.
The phrase used in the title for the day, "after Pentecost," reminds the church and its preachers that the journey to Christ the King Sunday is roughly half-completed. The Holy Spirit is still at work in the church, bringing people to the Lord, undergirding the faith of the believers, and inspiring the people of God to devote themselves to good works and loving service in the name of Jesus Christ. Of itself, the church year "theological framework" has little direct influence upon the worship and preaching of the church; the near-Advent of fall (September is at hand), with the promise of new beginning in all phases of church life, places emphasis upon pastoral and practical theology in the weeks ahead. One's preaching ministry should go into high gear, theologically, because it is around Labor Day that the new year of the church is really about to begin.
The Prayer of the Day (LBW) - The traditional and classic Collect for the Day gives way to a new, and rather simple, Prayer of the Day, which might be fitting on any Sunday. It addresses the God who has "given great and precious promises to those who believe." The petition, however, is attuned to the Gospel for the Day, Matthew 15:21-28, the healing of the Canaanite woman's daughter by Jesus: "Grant us the perfect faith which overcomes all doubts, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." There is more of a theological/hermeneutical clue in this prayer than there is in the church year framework. The emphasis is on the gift of faith that only God can give people, rather than on the healing miracle which Jesus accomplished, according to the Gospel for the Day.
The Psalm of the Day - Psalm 67 (E, L); 67:2-3, 5-6, 8 (R) - The Roman, Episcopal, and Lutheran churches also assign this psalm to the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Series C, primarily as a song of thanksgiving, on that occasion for the resurrection of the Lord about to be completed in the ascension. It is a psalm that was originally giving thanks for a successful harvest ("The earth has brought forth her increase; may God, our own God, give us his blessing" - v. 6), but is used in Pentecost to remember all the blessings which God has poured out upon his people. It is also a psalm that, in older translations, will be very familiar to regular church-goers:
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee!
Since the psalm is only seven verses in length, the thanksgiving theme can hardly be lost if it is said or sung as a responsory to the first reading by the people and, as the psalm prayer suggests, directs attention to the blessing God offers all people in Jesus Christ.
The Psalm Prayer (LBW)
Father, through your power the earth has brought forth its noblest fruit, the tree of the cross. Unite all people in its embrace, and feed them with its fruit, everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 78:1-3, 10-20 (C) - As a responsory, this psalm speaks to the whole history of Israel, as well as to the specific situation in the first reading, Exodus 16:2-15, which is the account of the near-rebellion faced by Moses and Aaron when food was scarce in the wilderness:
They tested God in their hearts, demanding food for their craving. They railed aginst God and said, "Can God set a table in the wilderness?" (vv. 18, 19)
Since the reading recounts how God did just this by providing meat and manna for the people, this psalm seems more functional as a kind of introit rather than a responsory to the first reading. It does, of course, open up a larger question about what God is able to do today, in the light of the miracle in the Gospel of the Day, which enables it to be used as an appropriate responsory to the first reading.
The readings:
Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 (R); 56:1 (2-5), 6-7 (E); 56:1, 6-8 (L)
This reading has been chosen because it points to the way that God has offered himself and his blessings, to all people - and, in the Gospel for the Day, to a humble Canaanite woman of great faith - in Jesus Christ. It has to do (v. 1) with the post-exilic response of God's people in doing works of justice and righteousness in the expectation that the salvation of God - in the Messiah - will soon come. But it also looks to the role of "foreigners" in the worship of the Temple, stating that if they love the Lord, keep his laws and the covenant, they will be accepted in the Temple; their sacrifices will be pleasing to God. The intention of God - "for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples" - was connected by Mark to the very cleansing of the Temple by Jesus. This reading connects with the Gospel for the Day and supports Jesus' action in healing the daughter of the Canaanite woman of faith.
Exodus 16:2-15 (C)
A month and a half had passed since the Israelites had left Egypt; they were now in the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Sinai, and provisions obviously were nearly depleted. They seem to have forgotten that what God had done in gaining their release from their bondage in Egypt, the ten plagues and the crossing of the Red Sea, were far behind them. They wanted to know where God was as they passed through the wasteland; would he, could he, help them? They had been much better off in Egypt, at least, some said they had all they needed to eat; their bellies were full back there in Egypt. Yahweh informed Moses what he would do - how he would provide meat and bread for them every day; Moses ordered Aaron to inform the people and, true to his word, God sent them quail for meat and manna - "the bread of the angels" - for their daily bread. The quail they recognized and gathered for their dinner, but when they saw the manna on the ground, they asked, "What is that?" Moses replied, "That is the bread Yahweh gives you to eat." God answered their question through his servant, Moses, in a way that satisfied their hunger and their doubts.
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 (R, E, L); 11:13-16, 29-32 (C)
Paul seems to have given up on the mission to convert the Jews to Christ, and he is convinced that the primary thrust of his ministry is with the Gentiles. There are, of course, at least two difficulties with his outlook: his sense of the impending return of Christ was myopic, because he believed that the return of Christ was close at hand; and he thought he could make the Jews jealous by offering, as Matthew puts it, "the children's bread to dogs." That salvation and eternal life are irrevocable gifts from God is quite evident to Paul; after all, he has clearly articulated the doctrine of justification by faith through grace in this same letter. Although there is a hint of "greater good because of evil" in his "God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all," he is really talking about the condemnation that comes to those who break the Law; no one can keep the Law perfectly, thus God offers mercy to all people in Jesus Christ.
Matthew 15:21-28
The plea of the Canaanite woman to Jesus, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon," is one of the touching incidents in the ministry of Jesus. But Matthew makes several changes from the similar story told by Mark, the most important of which is his acknowledgement of her faith, "O woman, great is your faith!" Matthew shows his audience, Jewish Christians, that it is the woman's faith that made her prayer acceptable to Christ; he doesn't make as much of the miracle as does Mark, but simply asserts that the healing in Jesus' words, "Be it done for you as you desire" took place on schedule - immediately. Her continual cry of "Lord, help me" reached the very heart of Jesus and her faith moved him to appreciative and compassionate response, because it came out of a gift that God had already given, her faith. This Gospel picks up the thread of God's concern for all people in the first and second readings and other propers for the day and his desire to gather them all to himself in his Son, Jesus Christ.
Sermon suggestions:
Matthew 15:21-28 - "A Long Distance Miracle."
Four decades ago, an inner-city Episcopal Church in Philadelphia was engaged in a weekly healing ministry that took the shape of two worship services. One was at noon and the other late in the afternoon of the same day, Thursday. Dr. Alfred Price, the pastor of the congregation, had long been impressed with the various healings that had been accomplished by Jesus in his ministry, and by Jesus' statements that "whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give you." He learned the healing power that comes from God during a congregational crisis in which the choir became a hot-bed of discord; in desperation, one Sunday morning he called them together, formed a circle, had them join hands, and prayed for peace and harmony. The rift in the congregation was healed, and everything began to change for the better. Since that prayer/healing service "worked" it led to the development of the healing ministry and the regular healing services in which people came to the altar rail during a liturgical service, hands were laid on their heads and they were prayed for, with the result that many miraculous healing occurred; some people, however, were not cured of their maladies. The rector said that he did not possess the healing power; it came from God and was channeled through him to the sick or infirmed persons; faith, or the lack of it, seemed to have very little to do with the healing, faith didn't work the healings that took place; people some distance away, who were prayed for by request, often were healed, many of them didn't even know the prayers were being requested, and raised, on their behalf. The healing services, which were begun in the 1940's, continue to be held in many Episcopal and other denominational churches to this day, because many pastors and their people have faith that God can - and does - heal his children of their various illnesses and infirmities. Any person of faith, regardless of denomination or lack of it, is welcomed at such healing services.
1. This is the story of a long-distance healing. It was accomplished by Jesus at the request of a distraught mother - a persistent, non-Jewish woman, whose child was "demon-possessed." Jesus healed the girl without even seeing her or touching her, but the heart of this Gospel is not the long-distance miracle; it is the faith of the Canaanite woman. How could she have such faith? Where did she get it? After all, she was not one of God's chosen people.
2. God is the source of faith, as well as life. He gives faith in himself to all people who will accept it. It is his intention that the good news should be preached to all people, so that all might know him to be a God of love and believe and trust him with all their hearts. Chris-tians and Jews do not have a corner on faith; God means all people to know him and live by faith in a hostile world.
3. God respects genuine faith which clings to him in hope. God gives people faith which enables them to stand up to impossible odds in life, because he has love and compassion for his people; he is the sole source of all faith and hope. Human beings cannot bring themselves to believe and trust in God by their own initiative any more than they can make themselves love God and his Son, Jesus Christ. God never turns his back on those who believe and trust him in good faith; to do so would be to reject the gifts that he has given to his own. He brings healing of one sort or another to those who pray to him in faith.
4. Jesus performed a miracle - but the real miracle of the story is the great faith of the woman, who kept begging Jesus to heal her daughter because she had faith in him as one who had come from God and had power to heal. That miracle - faith - is one of the good gifts that God has given us so that we might live confidently in the world and be of service to God and other human beings. Faith - great faith - is the long-distance miracle that God gives to the world. Receive it and exercise it, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 56:1, 5-7 (R); 56:1 (2-5), 6-7 (E); 56:1, 6-8 (L) - "For All People."
1. A prophet's perception: God wants all people W know and believe that he is God, the only God; he wants to bring them into the kingdom.
2. A prophet's pronouncement: God's "holy house" is meant for all people; he has built, through his servant Israel, a "house of prayer for all peoples."
3. A prophet's plan: God will gather a peculiar people - the children of Israel, and the "outcasts," to himself. This is the mission that Jesus has given to the church in the world.
Exodus 16:2-15 (C) - "A Heavenly Hand-Out."
1. Times were tough in the wilderness. Things were so bad that some wanted to return to Egypt, but there was no going back. God knew what his people were suffering in the wilderness.
2. God kept the faith. He stepped into the picture, just as he had done in Egypt and at the Red Sea; he gave them bread and meat, just enough for each day of their journey. It was enough; it never ran out.
3. He has prepared a table for us. He knows our need and feeds us with his Word, with bread and wine, the body and blood of one who said, "This is my body, given for you ... This cup is the new covenant of my blood, shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins." "Take and eat," says the Lord, "Take and drink." This food and drink will sustain you forever; it will never run out.
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 (R, E, L); 11:13-16, 29-32 (C) - "The Gifts of a Good God."
1. God's call and gifts are intended for all people. The Jews first heard the gospel, but it was soon preached to the Gentiles, too; God wanted it that way.
2. Good because of goodness. There is some truth in those lines of Frederick Faber's hymn, "Greater good because of evil, Larger mercy through the fall," but the central theme is, with Paul, "There's a wideness in God's mercy...." The cross of Christ tells us that.
For the love of God is broader
Than the measures of man's mind,
And the heart of the eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.
3. Repent and receive the gifts of God. Forgiveness and eternal life come to those who repent of their sins. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All people must repent - every day - and receive the gifts anew. Forgiveness lasts a lifetime, but it has to be renewed daily.
4. Share the gifts. Each of us is called to do just that, according to Jesus Christ. There are enough for all.
