Dear Friends,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus. This week is focussed on the theme of mercy.
I’ve included the resources for this coming Sunday (13th September). In the intervening week (Sunday 20th September), I suggest you may enjoy considering Matthew 16:13-20. Who are Jesus’ new community?
Our Harvest Celebrations this year will be as part of our services on the Sundays of 11th and 18th October. Details are posted in our news section.
With my thanks and prayers,
Steve
Resources for Sunday 13th September 2020
"Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance." (Jude 1:2)
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession
"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)
Holy God,
holy and strong,
holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he set our sins from us.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of his great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all them that with hearty repentance and true faith turn to him; have mercy upon us, pardon and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness and bring us to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Word of God
Our readings today are Romans 14:10-19 and Matthew 15:21-39.
Creed
We believe in Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross!
(Philippians 2:6-11 NIV)
Reflection: Mercy or Right?
Let’s think about people ‘not like us’. When I meet someone like me, conversation flows more easily, we have common interests, friendship comes naturally. But with someone not like me, I know I have to make an effort: to think of good questions to ask, to listen carefully because I’ll easily misunderstand. And the more different they are the harder work it is. We're just so different! It could be age, background, culture, nationality or anything.
In All Saint’s we’re very much aware of it as we’ve brought together people together from different churches and we’re working to get to know one another better. But in many ways we’re actually quite similar. In Gobowen there are only 3.4% of the population who are non-white But Britain is estimated to be 30% non-white in the next 30 years. In Selattyn the official statistics have not recorded any non-white residents.
Matthew’s first readers knew the challenge of living as church in diversity. The early church was a mix of those of Jewish and non-Jewish background. People groups who would not normally mix together were now united in a new community and family of a local church. Greeks, Scythians, Romans, Phoenicians, Macedonians and Jews, brought together because of their common faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth. By retelling the his testimony about Jesus to them, he is shaping their understanding of who they are, and of how these very different and hostile cultures became united in the local church. He’s teaching them how they got here from there.
It begins with a woman who is as much an outsider as you can imagine. She’s described as a ‘Canaanite’, which is an old fashioned term from more than 1000 years earlier. The Canaanites were the traditional enemies of God’s people who were displaced from the land in the days of Moses and Joshua. Matthew is showing us that she is not just an outsider to God’s promises but even comes from one of their historic enemies.
But here’s a bit of a puzzle, why is Jesus silent (v23)? The disciples find her persistence frustrating and ask Jesus to send her away. They might mean ‘can you heal her daughter quickly because she’s causing a nuisance.’ But they might just mean tell her to go away. Nonetheless, she doesn’t give up.
Jesus’ response is about his priority: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24). We need to remember that we are at the cusp of dawn for the gospel. Earlier, Jesus has sent his disciples to the “lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 10:6) and by the end of the gospel they are sent to “go… to all nations.” (Matt 28:19–20) Here we are in the middle. Jesus has not spent much time in Gentile territory and here is a someone coming asking for mercy with such boldness “Lord, Son of David…” Does she understand that the Son of David is the Jewish messiah? Does she realise that it is only right that he first needs to take the message to lost Israel? Is she presumptuous to ask so boldly?
Here is the contrast between right and mercy.
God’s promises of blessing and hope are not spoken to her. The promise of a Messiah to rule and restore meant defeating Israel’s enemies … who are her ancestors. She has no natural ‘right’ to God’s mercy.
It’s easy to forget that we too are naturally outsiders to God’s promises. There’s a saying, “God will forgive, that’s his job.” But God is not simply a mercy machine to salve our consciences. To cry for mercy is to acknowledge that we do not have a right to mercy but we deserve something else. Mercy is to ask for what we do not deserve. It is deeply humbling when we realise that what we need is mercy.
I think Jesus’ slowness to answer her cry is because he wants to reveal the depth of her faith.
She comes to him again and he replies, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” (Matthew 15:26) I’ll be honest that I find it a surprisingly rough way to speak to her: I know Israel described themselves as children of God and all other nations as dogs. It was common language at the time. The children have a right to be fed, and they are fed first. The animals are fed the leftovers. They won’t go hungry but they are fed second. But is Jesus saying that Gentiles are second-class citizens of heaven, only to have the leftover blessing of the feast of heaven?
No. I think it is about the difference between rights and mercy.
So consider those who do have a right. How have they responded to the offer of the feast of heaven? The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law have just been excluded (and they are held up as the cream of the nation). They are not the true vine of God’s people, but like useless weeds worthy of being rooted out (15:13). Their leaders are not the light and guide of the people, but blind and dangerous guides who ruin all who follow (15:14). The ‘children’ are offered the feast of heaven and refuse to eat. Soon all nations will be invited in. Jesus wants to check, does she come with arrogant presumption to be let in by right, or is she humbly seeking undeserved mercy?
So her reply reveals her deep and humble faith in Jesus to show undeserved mercy to her:
“Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” (Matthew 15:27)
She knows that she does not eat at heaven’s feast by right but only by mercy. In fact, the only people at the future feast of heaven will be there by mercy. None of us, not Israel nor us Gentiles have completely honoured God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
Perhaps that idea of crumbs falling from the table sounds miserly, as though we end up as second-class citizens in the Christ’s kingdom? Not at all! Jesus more than shows his willingness and compassion to include Gentiles like us:
The woman’s is praised for greater faith than any other follower so far and her daughter is healed instantly (Matthew 15:28)
Jesus heals such vast numbers that it is described just like the prophets foresaw the new Messiah’s kingdom (Matthew 15:29-31, Isaiah 35:5-6).
He has deep compassion for the crowd, to provide for their needs (Matthew 15:32)
He feeds them miraculously in the wilderness just as he did for the Jewish crowd in Matthew 14:13-21. Implying they too are promised to feast in the kingdom of heaven.
This is not miserly or reluctant but full and joyful. Whoever is included in the kingdom of heaven, it is not by right but will always be by mercy. God is under no obligation to show mercy but delights to bring both Jew and Gentiles to stand equally under Christ’s mercy.
For Matthew’s first readers this radical truth unites the early Christians. As brothers and sisters they have all received undeserved mercy. All are equal around the table of Christ’s feast, all are there by mercy; none are there by right.
And this is a radical truth for us too. We do not follow a western Christ, and all our Christian heritage in this country means nothing unless we stand humbly under Christ’s beautiful mercy. We have no right to demand his mercy but he delights to give it to us.
This changes our attitude to ourselves. I find it immensely humbling and comforting. This is the upside-down truth of the Christian faith, that the more humble our assessment of ourselves, the more joy, thankfulness and security we find in Christ. We have received total and unbounded mercy.
Also this helps our attitude to others. Because we are shown mercy, we share and show God’s mercy to others. This message goes to all nations and to people ‘not like us’ because it came ‘even to us.’ After all, if you look around church it is a mix of people that you wouldn’t normally see gathering together.
This is what mercy does. May God’s mercy continue in us and through us, to welcome others into this mercy and to unite us together in undeserved mercy.
Hymn
Prayers
Almighty God, whose only Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence: give us pure hearts and steadfast wills to worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
You may like to continue with your own prayers and the Lord’s Prayer using the following pattern, filling in what you would ask for them:
Gracious Father, we pray for our families …
... for those who live near us …
… for school pupils, teachers and other staff returning …
… for our key workers, leaders and government …
… for those who are sick or grieving …
… for the persecuted, broken and hurting …
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Conclusion
May the God of all comfort pour upon us the riches of undeserved and boundless mercy to rejoice in anticipation of the feast in the kingdom of heaven and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.