Song “Come people of the risen king”
Song ”All creatures of our God”
Song ”Let your kingdom come”
For morning Light
we humbly thank you
And offer our praises to you
Open our heart and minds
And give us your presence
In our lives today
Song “There is a hope”
The Lords Prayer in our own language
Song ”Spirit pour out”
Matthew 15:21-28
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Reflection
The focus of Jesus' ministry is the Jews, but in this story he meets the Canaanite woman who is not a Jew. She may well have been black. She is unclean. But its all irrelevant to Jesus and to God. It’s the same with us today. Whether the people we meet are Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh or whatever, God does not care. Matthew reminds us that the issue of a person being ceremonially clean or unclean. The woman has faith in Jesus and that’s enough not any religious credentials.
This story is important because it marks a change. The Pharisees (who are nit pickers about religious credentials) don’t really understand their religious texts or the meaning behind them, unfortunately like many in churches today. They are actually offended by Jesus and the disciples, which says it all.
This woman is a pagan, not a Jew. The focus moves to someone outside Israel, a descendant of the ancient enemies of Israel. So like the English and Germans, people in Hong Kong and mainland China, Sikhs and Muslims. Shias and Sunnis.
Jesus has left Galilee and gone to the border district of Tyre and Sidon. So she lived in the border region and came out of her home to meet Jesus. God cares about people on the borders and how many of us feel that’s where we are.
Jesus keeps silent and the disciples get it wrong again and ask that she be sent away.
Jesus answers her question by saying that he had come to save the lost sheep of Israel, the perishing Jews. Did he initially get it wrong or was he teasing out the situation?
The woman came and knelt before him, an action of reverence.
Jesus says is it right to deprive the children ie the Jews of food and toss it to the dogs, a house dog or a street dog. The children are the Jews, the non-Jews are dogs, which is very discriminatory.
The woman is determined, focussed and disagrees with what Jesus has said, explaining that actually the dogs do get to eat, the scraps that fall from the table. Did her persistence change his mind? Obviously so! Her daughter was healed.
So this short story teaches us we are not to be discriminatory, religious observance is irrelevant, persistence is everything and faith can even change the mind of God! Wow!
Song ”Your kingdom knows no end”
Our Prayers
We pray for people and situations we are concerned about including the desperate people crossing the sea in dinghies, continuing deaths from Covid 19, the ongoing unrest in Belarus, Hong Kong and Syria, the rise of fascism, the government, the Rohinga Muslims, Muslims being persecuted in China, protection for key workers and adequate PPE, protection for Black and Asian people, for people on low or no incomes, for those with underlying health conditions and those over 60, care for those who are alone and those suffering with depression, protection for asylum seekers and refugees and ensuring that food is reaching the vulnerable and global warming.
Ending with…May we not fail you. Amen
Song ”It is well with my soul”
The blessing of God be upon you
On those you love and those you meet
This day and forevermore. Amen
With thanks to the Iona Community and apologies this cannot be translated into Cantonese
五旬節11 2020
歌曲“破曉起”
https://youtu.be/i21bWG10uiA
歌曲“復活國王的人們”
https://youtu.be/LNlP8Sy23XE
歌曲“我們神的萬物”
https://youtu.be/4-T6IfMKB5Q
歌曲“讓你的王國來”
https://youtu.be/pqPk7roZsHo
對於晨光
我們謙虛地謝謝你
並向您稱讚
敞開心heart
並給我們您的光臨
在我們今天的生活中
歌曲“有希望”
https://youtu.be/y8_FKo1KzqU
上議院的禱告用我們自己的語言
歌曲“精神倒出”
https://youtu.be/xSRiJKWORUA
馬太福音15：21-28
21耶穌離開那個地方，回到了提爾和西頓地區。 22那附近的一位迦南婦人來到他那裡，大聲喊道：“大衛的兒子，主阿，求你憐憫我！我的女兒被妖魔纏身，遭受了極大的痛苦。” 23耶穌沒有回答。於是他的門徒來找他，並催促他，“把她趕出去，因為她一直在追我們。” 24他回答說：“我只被送往以色列的失喪羊群。” 25女人來了，跪在他面前。 “上帝，救救我！”她說。26他回答說：“把孩子的麵包扔給狗吃是不正確的。” 27“是的，主，”她說。 “甚至狗也吃掉主人桌子上掉下來的碎屑。” 28耶穌對她說：“女人，你有信心！您的請求被批准。”那一刻她的女兒被治癒了。
反射
耶穌事工的重點是猶太人，但在這個故事中，他遇到了不是猶太人的迦南女子。她不干淨。但這與耶穌和上帝無關。今天與我們一樣。無論我們遇到的人是穆斯林，佛教徒，印度教徒，錫克教徒還是其他人，上帝都不在乎。馬修提醒我們，一個人在禮儀上是乾淨的或不干淨的問題。女人對耶穌有信心，這還不夠宗教信仰。
這個故事很重要，因為它標誌著一個變化。不幸的是，法利賽人（他們是宗教信仰的採摘者）並不真正理解他們的宗教文本或它們背後的含義，不幸的是，像今天的許多教堂一樣。實際上，他們被耶穌和門徒得罪了。
這個女人是異教徒，不是猶太人。焦點轉移到以色列以外的人，這是以色列古代敵人的後裔。像英國人和德國人一樣，香港和中國大陸的人，錫克教徒和穆斯林也是如此。什葉派和遜尼派。
耶穌離開了加利利，前往提爾和西頓的邊界地區。因此，她住在邊境地區，出了家與耶穌會面。上帝在乎邊界上的人們，我們當中有多少人覺得自己在這裡。
耶穌保持沉默，門徒們再次犯了錯，要求將她送走。
耶穌回答她的問題，說他是來拯救正在滅亡的猶太人以色列的綿羊。他最初是搞錯了還是在逗弄這種情況？
女人走到他面前跪下，這是一種敬意。
耶穌說剝奪孩子（即猶太人）的食物，然後扔給狗，室內狗或流浪狗是正確的。孩子是猶太人，非猶太人是狗，這是非常歧視的。
女人堅決，專心並且不同意耶穌所說的話，並解釋說實際上狗確實可以吃了，是從桌上掉下來的殘渣。她的堅持改變了他的想法嗎？顯然是這樣！她的女兒被治癒了。
因此，這個簡短的故事告訴我們，我們不要歧視，宗教信仰無關緊要，堅持就是一切，信仰甚至可以改變上帝的心意！哇！
歌曲“你的王國無止境”
https://youtu.be/kkwMK5XzsCo
我們的祈禱
我們為令人關注的人和局勢祈禱，其中包括絕望的人在小艇中過海，Covid 19的持續死亡，白俄羅斯，香港和敘利亞的持續動亂，法西斯主義的崛起，政府，羅欣加穆斯林，穆斯林在中國遭受迫害，保護關鍵工人和適當的個人防護裝備，保護黑人和亞裔，收入低或沒有收入的人，具有基本健康狀況的人和60歲以上的人，照顧孤獨者和抑鬱症的人，為尋求庇護者和難民提供保護，並確保糧食到達脆弱和全球變暖的境地。
結束於……願我們不辜負您。阿門
歌曲“我的靈魂很好”
https://youtu.be/zY5o9mP22V0
上帝的祝福臨到你
在你所愛和相遇的人身上
這一天，直到永遠。阿門
