When I was a child, I remember sitting at "the kids table.” When we ate dinner at the home of my grandparents, the adults all ate together at the kitchen table. The children were in the living room at a card table, affectionately nicknamed “the kids table.” We would longingly look toward the kitchen, hoping that one day we might be able to join them. 

In our gospel lesson for Sunday, we discover a Gentile woman who is excluded and labeled an outsider. Her conversation with Jesus, a Jewish rabbi, is troubling, but signs of the kingdom eventually shine through. 

Shirley Erena Murray a hymn writer from New Zealand wrote a powerful hymn, For Everyone Born. She wanted the words “in a context which relates directly to the Gospel, but without excluding those who are not of the Christian faith...”

Verse 1. For everyone born, a place at the table, for everyone born, clean water and bread, a shelter, a space, a safe place for growing, for everyone born, a star overhead.

Refrain: And God will delight when we are creators of justice and joy, compassion and peace; yes, God will delight when we are creators of justice, justice, and joy!

Please read Matthew 15:21-28 to prepare your heart for worship. 

I look forward to celebrating Holy Communion at The Lord’s Table with you. There is a place for you at the table, for Jesus invites all to come. 

Peace,

Pastor Cathy