Worship Info and Bulletin for August 20, 2023

Worship August 20, 2023 – The 12^th Sunday after Pentecost

Worship will include a blessing of the backpacks or other school bags for all of our students, teachers, and school staff persons.

The bulletin for this week may be found by looking under "downloads" at the bottom of this post. 

Overview – We Are Beggars, This Is True

“We are beggars; this is true,” are reported to be Martin Luther’s last written words. Christians are “beggars” for God’s grace, undeserving but graced nonetheless. A beggar’s faith focuses not on what is given or accomplished or believed, but on what is received: the healing and sustenance desperately longed for and needed.

In today’s gospel, the Canaanite woman is such a “beggar” for Jesus’ healing for her daughter. She is denied a place at the table at first, but she will accept even “crumbs” in the faith that Jesus’ healing power and love are intended even for her. As a Gentile outsider, she inhabits the margins of Jesus’ mission to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Jesus’ eventual response to her beggar’s faith reveals that the love of God even encompasses the margins.

Marginalized or not, we are all beggars before God, as Paul reminds the Romans—all “imprisoned in disobedience” and dependent on God. Thus, our sense of “insider” and “outsider” crumbles in the face of our common need and God’s abundant mercy to all. Instead of dividing people between those who have a place at the table and those who get crumbs, we have an opportunity to share hospitality with our fellow beggars.

It can be challenging to see ourselves as beggars. Today the Canaanite woman becomes our model, as she persists with both humility and audacity. As disciples of Jesus and “beggars” for God’s grace, we live the same paradox of humility and audacity, boldly coming to Jesus and humbly acknowledging our need. Even though crumbs from God’s table would be enough for us, we are offered instead the abundance of Jesus’ own self in bread and wine and invited to share this abundance with insider and outsider alike.

How to watch via livestream or on demand:
Join us Sunday mornings at 10am as we broadcast live directly on our website: clcathens.org/live. (Note: If you don’t hear audio, make sure that it is not muted.)  Sign into the chat and participate with others who are watching. 

If you miss the livestream or want to watch something again, you can find the video on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/clcathens and on our Facebook page (facebook.com/clcathens).

Thank you for joining our worship today and thank you for your generosity.  Please know that your financial support for the ministry of Christ Lutheran is greatly appreciated. Consider giving in one of the following ways:

• Mail your Sunday offerings to: Christ Lutheran Church, Attn Wanda Weinberg, 69 Mill St., Athens, OH 45701
• Donate on our website, click on "Give" on the top right and follow through the prompts.