Land’s End Benefice
16th August 2020 Ordinary Time Eucharist
Please join in with the words in bold. The bold with underlining is to mark the sections. You may remain seated throughout or sit or kneel or stand when we usually do so in church.
The Eucharist
The Welcome
The president greets the people
We are all one in Christ Jesus. We belong to him through faith,
heirs of the promise of the Spirit of peace.
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, we want to hear your voice.
Teach us to quiet our minds and our hearts,
teach us to listen in silence for your Word.
Teach us to discover your living presence
within our own weakness and vulnerability.
We thank you for giving us the gift of faith
and chances to share this.
Jesus, you never call us to work, worship or live alone.
Thank you for our sisters and brothers in this church,
in our community and family.
Guide us all and help us to do you will,
to share your love, and to build your kingdom. Amen.
Invitation to Confession
Heavenly Father, for using our speech to deride others
Forgive us Lord, and give us generous hearts.
Lord for choosing to remain silent when our speech may help others
Forgive us Lord, and give us generous hearts.
Holy Spirit, for not using our voices to share the Good News of our faith Forgive us Lord, and give us generous hearts.
Absolution
The God who loves you, knows you by name and calls you his own,
Forgives your sin, and has faith in you to resist temptation to sin,
God’s mercy is generous towards you, be freed from your sin
In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Collect
Let your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of your humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions make them to ask such things as shall please you; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, Amen.
Psalm 67 We stand to say together:
1 God be gracious to us and bless us ♦
and make his face to shine upon us,
2 That your way may be known upon earth, ♦
your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;♦
let all the peoples praise you.
4 O let the nations rejoice and be glad, ♦ for you will judge the peoples righteously and govern the nations upon earth.
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;♦
let all the peoples praise you.
6 Then shall the earth bring forth her increase, ♦
and God, our own God, will bless us
7 God will bless us, ♦
and all the ends of the earth shall fear him
In the face of Jesus Christ your light and glory have blazed forth,
O God of all the nations; with all your people, may we make known your grace and walk in the way of peace; for your name's sake. Amen
Gospel Reading
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew 15.10-28 Glory to you, O Lord.
10Then 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 offence 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 went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22A 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.
At the end the reader may say
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Reflection
“It is what comes out of the mouth that defiles”, says Jesus. Moments later we read the same Jesus saying “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs” referring to a woman in real need, who comes with great courage and hope that this Messiah, this great man could give her hope for a better future. Was this not Jesus’ mouth defiling? Is this not a cruel and thoughtless response from the loving caring leader we follow?
Responses from theologians over the years has differed on this text. From those who believe Jesus did not mean this, he was joking with the woman, to those who prefer to ignore his words to focus on how the “foreigner” could see his power despite not being one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Or to remind us that persistence in prayer is to be encouraged! These extremes miss some important points.
First if Jesus is human, then he will make mistakes, sometime hurt people and he will have to learn to admit when he gets things wrong and try to put it right. We see this happening in this story when the woman boldly challenges him. If we cannot allow ‘our Jesus’ to get something wrong, are we not denying his humanity?
Secondly the woman’s “bold challenge” gives us a template for how to respond to God. We do not have to hide behind piety or fear, but we can speak freely about our feelings, our disappointment or anger. Surely this is a much healthier way to be in relationship with God than to attempt to hide our true feelings from the almighty all knowing and all powerful God?
So on one hand we are told what comes out of the mouth defiles, and on the other hand we are to understand that being challenging and not accepting what others offer when this is not want is needed or wanted is OK.
The challenge is the context and the intent. The woman challenges Jesus not for herself but her child, she is not trying to win a fight, or to put Jesus ‘in his place’ (!) but she is the voice for the weak and the needy, she is the one who stands for the person who use their own voice.
One of the things I have experienced in the Cornish communities is sometimes I have felt defiled by words that have come out of mouths, often by church members. How quick we are to complain and how quick to anger too. It is a great sadness to hear from folk how hurt they have been by what has been said or gossiped about them or those they love. And I know that I am not immune to being one who hurts either.
If we are to be a church that is to reach out in love to encourage others to faith, then what we say and how we say it are vital. Not just in church but in all our life. How we say things does matter. This does not mean that we must pretend everything is perfect when obviously it is not! Instead it means we need to be more thoughtful.
Before we complain, when was the last time you recognised the work and commitment that the person has shown before you complain about/to them?
Before we complain, do you know what it cost that person to get up today, do you know what pains and worries they carry, do you know what bravery it took to go out today, to face the world and try to do their best?
Before we complain, what way are we willing to compromise or work together for change? What ways are we to blame for our actions or inactions?
Before we complain, is the issue that you are not getting your own way rather than it is something that you would prefer was different?
Before we complain check, is this fair, is this just, is this honourable, is this gossip, will this build the body of Christ up?
Before we complain check, how does this help in showing our faith to the world? How does this encourage others to explore faith in our church?
“It is what comes out of the mouth that defiles”, says Jesus. Let us make a commitment together that from now on we shall avoid words that harm and words that defile, and instead use the words to build up, to encourage, to give life and to show love. That is how Jesus redeemed the mistake he made with the woman who persisted in asking for help for her daughter. And if it is good enough for Jesus, surely it is good enough for us.
Prayers by Bridget Hugh Jones
Loving heavenly Father, as you have given your people the gift of faith, make that faith powerful as a witness to your love….. let your church be constant in prayer, and a place of welcome and peace for everybody.
Lord in your mercy …hear our prayer
Forgive, O Lord, the sins that divide us. We pray that artificial barriers between people or nations may come down …..cleanse our thoughts of all that would demean others… We pray for all ethnic minority groups …for all who are judged because of their race ..creed …colour. We hold before you all refugees, all outcasts, all who feel rejected… God of compassion, your Son had his scope extended by the Canaanite woman’s persistence….challenge the boundaries that we set to our own charity and concern… open our hearts to embrace those easily excluded and despised.
Lord in your mercy …hear our prayer
Father, we pray today for the many places in the world where people are suffering from war…violence ..fear ..hatred .. and we hold before you particularly today the Lebanon, reeling from the violent explosion in Beirut and now staggering to restore some sort of normality. We pray for those bereaved ..wounded .. traumatised ..for the rescue services and the many people and agencies working to alleviate some of the desperate suffering. We pray too for those trying to form a government and for those in authority, that they may work to restore justice as well as peace.
Lord in your mercy …hear our prayer
Loving Father, we pray for our homes and families ..for all those we love and for all who love us, praying too for those whom we find difficult to love. As we continue to give thanks for the beauty of your creation, so we pray for all those who come on holiday here with us, that they may return to their homes refreshed and relaxed. As we struggle with the crowded roads and beaches, help us to be generous in sharing our corner of your world, and to be generous with our time.
Lord in your mercy …hear our prayer
God of compassion, we pray for the sick and suffering, and for all who care for them. We pray for those who are suffering because of the pandemic, for those who are sick, for those who care for them, for those working towards a cure, for those who have become anxious or depressed because of it. Give comfort to all who suffer with mental or emotional difficulties and give peace to all unquiet minds. In a moment of silence we pray for any known particularly to ourselves in need of your healing touch upon their lives.
Lord in your mercy …hear our prayer
We commend to your eternal care all who have died, for those who died in the night, for those who died alone, for those whose anniversary falls at this time. Grant us, with them, a share in your eternal kingdom.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
The Peace
Words of introduction to the peace are used concluding with:
The peace of the Lord be always with you
And also with you.
A prayer is said over the bread and wine
Blessed be God, by whose grace creation is renewed,
by whose love heaven is opened,
by whose mercy we offer our sacrifice of praise.
Blessed be God for ever.
The Eucharistic Prayer
The Lord is here His Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
It is always right to give you thanks, God our Creator, loving and faithful, holy and strong. You made us and the whole universe, and filled your world with life.
You sent your Son to live among us, Jesus our Saviour, Mary’s child. He suffered on the cross; he died to save us from our sins; he rose in glory from the dead.
You send your Spirit to bring new life to the world and clothe us with power from on high. And so we join the angels to celebrate and say:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Father, on the night before he died, Jesus shared a meal with his friends. He took the bread, and thanked you. He broke it, and gave it to them, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this to remember me.
After the meal, Jesus took the cup of wine. He thanked you, and gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you. This is my blood, the new promise of God’s unfailing love. Do this to remember me.
Great is the mystery of faith
Jesus Christ has died. Jesus Christ is risen.
Jesus Christ will come again.
Father, as we bring this bread and wine, and remember his death and resurrection, send your Holy Spirit, that we who share these gifts may be fed by Christ’s body and his blood.
Pour your Spirit on us that we may love one another, work for the healing of the earth, and share the good news of Jesus, as we wait for his coming in glory. For honour and praise belong to you, Father, with Jesus your Son, and the Holy Spirit: one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
We break the bread of life, and that life is the light of the world.
God here among us, light in the midst of us,
bring us to light and life.
Giving of Communion
Christ is the true bread which has come down from heaven.
Lord, give us this bread always.
St. Alphonsus Liguori in the 18th century:
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
The priest receives the bread and wine on behalf of the community
Final Prayer and Blessing
Faithful God, in baptism you have adopted us as your children,
made us members of the body of Christ and chosen us as inheritors of your kingdom: we thank you that in this Eucharist you renew your promises within us, empower us by your Spirit to witness and to serve, and send us out as disciples of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
A suitable blessing is given, and usually concludes with:
… and may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Live in the peace of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
Lord our God,
Amid the uncertainties of our human life,
May we pause and draw strength from you,
Trusting in your faithful love,
We ask through Jesus, your Son our Lord. Amen
The Celtic Primer
Copyright acknowledgement (where not already indicated above):
Some material included in this service is copyright: © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ, USA
Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2000