Opening Prayer:
Holy God, creator, sustainer, and redeemer of all things. You sent your only Son into the world to show us the ways of your love and you sent your Holy Spirit to dwell within us. Open our hearts and minds to your living Word and the boundless love that flows from your divine presence. May your grace transform us so that we might grow together as your holy people and proclaim your glorious Kingdom. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
STF 255 – The Kingdom of God
The kingdom of God
is justice and joy,
for Jesus restores
what sin would destroy.
God’s power and glory
in Jesus we know;
and here and hereafter
the kingdom shall grow.
The kingdom of God
is mercy and grace;
the captives are freed,
the sinners find place,
the outcast are welcomed
God’s banquet to share,
and hope is awakened
in place of despair.
The kingdom of God
is challenge and choice,
believe the good news,
repent and rejoice!
His love for us sinners
brought Christ to his cross:
our crisis of judgement
for gain or for loss.
God’s kingdom is come,
the gift and the goal;
in Jesus begun,
in heaven made whole;
The heirs of the kingdom
shall answer his call,
and all things cry glory
to God all in all.
By Bryn Rees (1911-1983)
Words © Alexander Scott.
One Licence Song Number: 28013
Bible Reading
Mark 7: 24-37
The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith
From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ But she answered him, ‘Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.’ So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Jesus Cures a Deaf Man
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’
Time to reflect:
In the reading that we have today we see Jesus’ interaction with two people who faced prejudice and discrimination. The first is a Gentile woman of Syrophoenician origin whose daughter is said to be troubled by an unclean spirit. The second is a deaf man whose disability means that he is unable to communicate with those around him.
Jesus response to the gentile woman would seem to be harsh. Commentators on the text have differing interpretations on what Jesus is doing here. On the face of it, Jesus’ response appears to echo what he is recorded as saying Matthew 15:24: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Yet the woman’s faithful and tenacious response reveals a deeper truth about the Kingdom of God; that God’s love and restorative power is for all people and crosses all social, cultural, and ethnic boundaries. From this encounter with Jesus, the gentile woman not only receives the healing that she requests for her daughter but she also teaches about the inclusive love of God for all people.
In the second encounter, Jesus heals a deaf man with a speech impediment, whilst inside gentile territory. The man’s healing enables him to hear and communicate with those around him, which empowers him within his community. Once again, a healing enables a restoration to someone who existed on the margins of his society who would have been inequitably treated as an outsider.
At the beginning of this new connexional year this passage on Jesus’ healings reminds us that God’s Kingdom is for all people and especially for the stranger, the outsider, and those on the margins of society.
Jesus’ ministry of liberation and restoration is a sign that God loves and cares for every human being made in the divine image and likeness. At a time when our society is afflicted by extreme nationalism, racism, and xenophobia, this passage reminds us of our calling to share the inclusive love of God and resist harmful attitudes and action that would oppress and disregard human dignity and worth. The passage also reminds us of our reliance on the grace of God for our spiritual healing and restoration; grace that is offered to us freely and unconditionally as a divine gift. This is a gift made available to all people through Jesus, who died and was raised for the redemption of the whole of creation. So let us proclaim and celebrate God’s inclusive love and witness to it in our words and our actions.
Prayers of intercession
You are invited to pray silently for:
The needs of the world…
The Church and its calling…
Loved ones going through difficult times…
For peace, justice, and reconciliation…
In Jesus name.
Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
Please use the version that you prefer
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.
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours
Now and for ever.
Amen.
StF 251 – Jesus Christ is waiting
Jesus Christ is waiting,
Waiting in the streets;
No one is his neighbour,
All alone he eats.
Listen, Lord Jesus,
I am lonely too.
Make me, friend or stranger,
Fit to wait on you
Jesus Christ is raging,
Raging in the streets,
Where injustice spirals
And real hope retreats.
Listen, Lord Jesus,
I am angry too.
In the Kingdom’s causes
Let me rage with you.
Jesus Christ is healing,
Healing in the streets;
Curing those who suffer,
Touching those he greets.
Listen, Lord Jesus,
I have pity too.
Let my care be active,
Healing just like you.
Jesus Christ is dancing,
Dancing in the streets,
Where each sign of hatred
He, with love, defeats.
Listen, Lord Jesus,
I should triumph too.
On suspicion’s graveyard
Let me dance with you.
Jesus Christ is calling,
Calling in the streets,
”Who will join my journey?
I will guide their feet.”
Listen, Lord Jesus,
Let my fears be few.
Walk one step before me;
I will follow you.
By John Bell (b.1949) and Graham Maule (b.1958).
Words © 1988 WGRG, Iona Community, Govan, Glasgow G51 3UU, Scotland. Admin: Wild Goose Resource Group.
CCLI Song Number: 2960834
Final Prayer
God, Protector of the widow,
the orphan and the stranger –
in a world where many know despair,
you raised your Son Jesus to give hope for humanity and renewal to the earth.
Continue to strengthen and unify your Church
in its struggles against the forces of death in the world, where violence against creation and humanity obscures the hope of the new life you offer. This we pray in the name of the Risen Lord, in the power of His Spirit.
Amen.
Resources for The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and throughout the year (2011), http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/documents/p2/2010/WOP2011eng.pdf jointly prepared and published by The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and The Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches. Accessed at RE:Worship: https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2020/01/prayer-for-church.html
