Liturgy for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A (Matthew)
Introduction
Joseph, once sold by his own brothers, reveals himself to them in tears and says that God sent him ahead to preserve life.
Isaiah promises that God's house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.
The psalmist prays that all nations might know God's way and praise him.
Paul insists that God's gifts and call are irrevocable, and mercy is for all.
And a Canaanite woman will not let Jesus turn her away, and her daughter is healed because of her great faith.
This liturgy follows the Revised Common Lectionary for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (Year A) and is shaped by themes of reconciliation, welcome, and a mercy wider than we expect.
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Lectionary Readings for this Sunday
Genesis 45:1-15: We’ve read the story. Our hearts rend at what we see. Joseph, the once reviled and betrayed one, can no longer control himself before his brothers. He reveals his identity, weeps, and tells them that out of their betrayal, God has used him to preserve their lives.
Psalm 133: A song of ascents celebrating the goodness of kindred living together in unity, like oil poured out and dew falling on the mountains. This is a fitting connection to Joseph’s story.
Isaiah 56:1, 6-8 (alternate first reading): God promises that foreigners who join themselves to the Lord will be brought to his holy mountain, for his house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. God’s welcome extends to all.
Psalm 67 (alternate psalm): A prayer that God's way may be known on earth and his saving power among all nations, that all the peoples may praise him.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32: Paul affirms that God has not rejected his people, and that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. God's mercy is extended to all.
Matthew 15:21-28: A Canaanite woman pleads with Jesus on behalf of her tormented daughter. Her persistence and faith move him, and her daughter is healed. Mark includes this encounter, which often befuddles us: why did Jesus speak to her in this way?
The Isaiah, Psalm, and Matthew passages bring us to an important question that is on the mind of many these days: What Did Jesus Say about Immigrants? The kingdom of God is wider than we imagine and has no boundaries.
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Liturgy for this Sunday
Call to worship
One: God says, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
All: Come, all who seek the Lord, for the door is open wide.
One: Yes, let the peoples praise you, O God.
All: Let all the peoples praise you, for you are good, merciful, and loving.
One: Come, let us worship the God who gathers the scattered.
All: Come, let us worship the God who welcomes the stranger.
Call to worship
One: God has created all people in the image of God. No matter our family line or language, we are siblings in Christ.
All: Yes, brothers and sisters in the family of God.
One: How good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity.
All: Yes, let there be peace within us and through us in a world that is often fractured.
One: Come, let us worship the God who makes kin of enemies.
All: Come, let us worship the God who binds and brings together.
Opening prayer
Loving God, you welcome all people without question. We are thankful because that means we are welcomed too. In our worship service today, through the songs, silence, and sermon, may you open our hearts to be as wide as yours. Amen.
Prayer of confession
Merciful God, we have drawn the circle of your welcome too small. We have kept old grudges and called them justice. We have hesitated where you have already said yes. Forgive us, and enlarge our hearts as you have enlarged your mercy. Amen.
Assurance of pardon
He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:10-12
30 Assurances of Pardon from Scripture
Prayer for Illumination
Open our ears, God, as you opened your house to all peoples. Let this word unsettle the boundaries we have drawn, and teach us your wide mercy. Amen.
Benediction
Go, and welcome the ones you would have turned away. Go, and forgive as you have been forgiven. And may the God who reconciled Joseph to his brothers, and opened his house to every people, go with you now. Amen.
More benedictions and blessings
See also
Worship Resources
Calls to Worship
Opening Prayers
Prayers of Confession
Assurance of Pardon
Prayer of Illumination
Benedictions and Blessings
