Sunday Focus

16th August 2026

Hymn - Joyful Joyful We Adore You

Song - May The Peoples Praise You

Loving God,
You have shown us Your great mercy and compassion
and we have responded to You with faith and worship.
We have gathered here today to witness to Your compassion and love.
We are all different people and have come from different places,
yet through the gift of Your Holy Spirit, we are all known as Yours.

We confess that we have not been as generous with our love or grace as You call us to be. We have classed those who are Your beloved children as different, as foreign, as those not worthy to receive our love.
We have placed limits on our compassion and have been jealous of our resources.

Through this service today may we hear Your voice more clearly,
calling us to lives of extravagant generosity.
May we be encouraged to share freely from our abundance with others who need it.
May the gifts and graces You have given to us be used to witness to Your present kingdom to those You have placed around us.
And may our expansive love bring a glimpse of You
to those who need to see You most.

Amen

Song - Only By Grace

Bible Reading

Matthew 15:21-28

21 Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ 23But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ 24He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ 25But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ 26He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ 27She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ 28Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.

The theme of grace being extended to all is made clear in this healing story from Matthew's gospel. Here the person is neither a Jew nor a man, so does not have a lot going for them according to the standards of the time! At first, we can think Jesus is somewhat callous in His response to the woman, saying that He has come to the lost sheep of Israel. But this is, in fact, exactly what God has promised; salvation would come first to the Jews and from them would come salvation to the world. Jesus is simply being faithful to God's covenant.

By healing the woman's daughter, Jesus reveals God's heart to bring salvation to all. Who in our time do we consider unworthy – as "dogs"? Who do we deny grace to because they are not like us? If God is so generous with God's love and grace, why should we who profess to follow God be any different?

Hymn- I Know Not Why God's Wondrous Grace

Loving God,
We pray for those who are on the outside,
that they may we welcomed in, loved, graced, and accepted by others.

We pray for those who are outsiders due to conflict and war.
Those who have had to flee their homes and their way of life.
We pray that they find safety and welcome and are seen as beloved children of God.
As You open up Your Kingdom to all,
may we open up our lives to welcome and accept those who are the victims of aggression.

We pray for those on the outside of our society.
Those who are homeless, who struggle with addiction,
whose lifestyle places them in the category of the ‘other.'
In the life and witness of Jesus Christ we see the outsider being brought in,
the stranger being welcomed as a friend,
and so we pray that those whom society deem as outcasts can find a welcome place.

We pray for those who labour under illness of body, mind, or spirit.
Those who are unable to participate fully in community life due to their health.
Those who are shut in, those who watch from the margins,
those who feel they are not accepted or able to join in.
May they know Your love and Your healing and may they be restored to life.
We give thanks for those who tend to them, those who care for them,
for in their love, they show a glimpse of You and life in Your kingdom.

We pray for Your Church.
As those who are committed to follow You, may we actually do so.
May we model Your radically inclusive love, grace, compassion,
and forgiveness in all our ministries and mission.
As You welcomed the stranger, the outcast, the ‘other',
may our churches also.
May we be seen not as social clubs,
but as agents of reconciliation and grace
where all may find a welcome and a place at Your table.

We ask these things in Your name. Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.

Amen