Sermon August 16, 2026
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The First Reading: Isaiah 56:1-8
Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. Happy is the mortal who does this, the one who holds it fast, who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it, and refrains from doing any evil.
Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and do not let the eunuch say, “I am just a dry tree.” For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.
The Gospel: Matthew 15:10-28
Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just 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.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
The Sermon
In 1967, the Beatles were commissioned to provide Britain’s contribution to a TV program called Our World. It was the first major live television program transmitted internationally by satellite. Fourteen countries participated, and the program was transmitted to roughly 24 countries, with an estimated 400 million viewers worldwide.
Today, this might not sound too impressive, but back then it was a huge deal. So, the Beatles had to come up with a song that was simple enough to be universally understood. It needed to cross languages, cultures, borders, and differences. At the same time, it was supposed to have some depths and a message that would resonate with people all over the world. And so, John Lennon wrote “All You Need Is Love”.
It sounds quite simple. But then again love is rarely simple. We know from scripture that in fact it can be quite demanding. 1 Corinthians 13, one of the most beloved passages, tells us that love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. None of the above is simple.
Our readings from Isaiah and Matthew could be summarized as ‘All you need is faith.’ They both proclaim that God is accessible for absolutely everyone, no matter what anyone’s background may be. All you need is faith. Again, that sounds simple and quite obvious. But it wasn’t obvious at the time when those words were spoken.
People in Isaiah’s time were wrestling with the question of who really belonged to God. The Israelites had a deep understanding of themselves as God’s chosen people. Their history, their covenant, their worship, their identity, all of it was bound up with the God of Israel. And then comes this astonishing word from God: the blessings of God are not going to stop with the ancestors of Abraham. Foreigners who believed in God would be welcomed just the same. God’s house would be called a house of prayer for all peoples. All you need is faith.
In the gospel, Jesus encountered a Canaanite woman who asked Jesus for help on behalf of her child. We are used to Jesus being the compassionate one, the person who noticed those everyone else overlooked. And yet here, Jesus seemed to have struggled with the concept of God’s universal mission when he so rudely brushed off the woman. Apparently, he was focused on his immediate mission, teaching and caring for those closest to him.
The woman, however, refused to accept the boundary even though she had pretty much everything going against her: she was a woman, a Gentile, a Canaanite. Yet, she kept asking. She somehow had a notion that Jesus could and would do something for her daughter, that there could be mercy despite the limits that were placed around her. She made her case with a kind of courage and persistence that was impossible to ignore. She made it quite clear that there was no limit to mercy, that there was enough to go around. All you need is faith.
This seemed to have been a teaching moment for Jesus when he recognized the woman’s faith. And so he adjusted his actions.
Consequently, God does not require us to arrive with a perfect resume. God does not ask us to have the right family tree or the right education or the right social standing. God does not ask whether we have always gotten everything right.
We may carry regrets. We may have questions. We may feel that we don’t know enough, believe enough, pray enough, or understand enough. But God’s house is a house of prayer for all peoples, no matter what anyone’s background may be. And so, the message is remarkably simple: You are welcome. You are welcome with your questions, your doubts, your imperfect faith, your complicated life – because you are loved.
God’s inclusiveness and welcome is relevant especially in our times when people are more and more separated from each other ideologically, politically, economically, and religiously.
The Beatles needed a song simple enough for the whole world to understand. Perhaps the Gospel gives us something just as simple, yet profound and true. All are loved. All can come to God. All you need is faith. And when that faith takes root, what grows from it is exactly what the Beatles were singing about all along. Love. Amen.
And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.