St. Andrew Presbyterian Church
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Worship Guide - Year B, Ordinary 23 (Proper 18)

9/2/2021

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Picture
The rich and the poor have this in common: 
​the LORD is the maker of them all.
~Proverbs 22:2


Yet another spike in infections and, tragically, deaths. The schools are open, but the hospitals are full again—dangerously so—sparking widespread concern and anxiety for what is and what may come. To the surprise of few, the ICUs are populated with COVID patients, the vast majority unvaccinated.

It’s all over the media—social and otherwise: We are experiencing a crisis of empathy, or so we hear. Empathy is like a pie, there is only so much to go around, or so we hear.

Even Jesus is wrung out, the pie plate empty. He goes to Tyre and hides away in a house there, looking for some respite, not wanting “anyone to know he was there” (Mark 7:24). But this is a futile hope, of course. A Syrophonenician woman full of anxiety for her daughter offers, perhaps, a mirror to his own soul. And by the end of the story this one whose empathy was on on empty is now out in the open more than ever, getting dirty—fingers in ears, spitting, touching tongues. What fire is this?

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head,” said Nelson Mandela. “If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” Ephphatha is Jesus’ own original, Aramaic language.
Ephphatha, be open.
​
Is empathy really so fragile, so scarce a resource?

​Let us come together to worship God. Enter into worship.

We are gathering again in person. Thanks be to God! If you can't join us, you can watch the service in real-time 10:00am Sunday morning (PST) or view it upon completion by clicking on the video graphic to the left.
We continue to keep our financial commitments to our mission partners and staff. If you are not yet able to join us, thank you for remembering to send in your financial pledges and offerings or donating here. ​
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  • Home
  • New Here?
    • Belonging Here
    • Contact Us
    • Directions
  • Who We Are
    • Stories
    • About Our Ministries
    • Leadership
    • Staff
    • Manantial de Vida Congregation
  • Worship
    • Worship in Absentia
    • Sermons
    • Audio excerpts
    • Aftertalk
  • News
    • On our Minds
    • Newsletter
  • Give
  • Get Involved
    • Choirs and Music
    • Social Groups
    • Community Service
    • Missions >
      • NICHE
      • Gulfport Mississippi 2008
      • Honduras 2012
      • Honduras 2015
      • Honduras 2018 >
        • NPH 2018 photos
    • Christian Formation
    • Sustainable Living
    • Worship
    • Youth Group
  • Calendar
  • File Cabinet
    • Donations - Electronic
    • Clerks Drawer
    • Elder/Deacon Resources
    • Policies and Procedures
    • Personnel and Budget Drawer
    • Media
    • Members & Metrics
    • Our Discernment Process
    • SHALOM
    • Directory & Deacons' Lists
  • Coronavirus Updates
  • Bridge Ministries Sunday