September 6 Fourteenth after Pentecost
Lectionary
Lectionary readings from Vanderbilt Divinity Library online
(http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/BPentecost/bProper18.htm)
A
good name rather than riches.
Do
good, O God, to those who are good.
Faith
without works is dead.
The
Syrophoenician womans faith challenges Jesus.
Call to Worship
Psalm
125:12
Spark
Contact
children, teachers, janitors, and bus drivers before this Sunday and invite
them to a back to school time in the service. Prepare for this by gathering
small, pocket-sized rocks and painting an equal sign on each rock.
With Children
Begin
the service (after the Wisdom call to worship) by acting out the James passage.
Someone who is richly dressed enters the sanctuary and is warmly greeted by
elders and/or choir members. They fuss and overdo the welcoming. Then someone
who is poorly dressed enters. The others ignore the person, or say curtly, You
can sit back there, I guess.
Talk
with the children about the drama. What would it feel like to be the rich
person? The poor person? Do you think that happens today? Where and how? Does
it happen at school?
Invite
the children, teachers, and other school-related participants to move to the
front. With reverence, give each person a rock. Explain that the equal sign
indicates that in Gods Wisdom we are all equal. Pray for them as a
congregation in their holy task of learning, guiding, and teaching.
Sermon Starter
For
at least part of the sermon time, let folks know that we are going to listen
for Wisdom in one another. Break into pairs, making sure that each child is
paired with an adult.
Read
the gospel lesson and say that here we have an astonishing thing: Jesus is
learning from the woman. Imagine how she must have felt at the beginning
what
courage it must have taken for her to go to Jesus. Explain the barriers of
race, language, religion, and gender that were against her; dont try to
explain away Jesus response to her request. Rather, emphasize her
courage/desperation and his willingness to be taught. This is a sign of his
oneness with Godthe willingness to be open to pain and to learn. We are at our
most God-like when we learn from one another, and sometimes from people we
wouldnt have imagined learning from. Invite the pairs to share their reactions
to this passage, and have them share one important thing they have learned from
someone else in their lives. We are listening for the voice of Wisdom in one
another.
Hymns
VU
702 When a poor one
VU 892 Who
comes from God
MV 104 Know
that God is good
VU
265 Creating God, your fingers
trace
VU
603 In loving partnership
VU 627 Now
there is no male or female
VU
287 Wellspring of wisdom
VU
595 We are pilgrims
MV
62 There is room for all
MV
145 Draw the circle wide