Winburne Presbyterian Church

Winburne Presbyterian Church We are referred to as "The Little White Church on the hill." We are apart of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) organization.

08/24/2026

Sunday, August 23, 2026
CURWENSVILLE & WINBURNE Presbyterian Churches
13TH Sunday after Pentecost P-16, 21ST Sunday in OT [A], Color GREEN
Know this, as we welcome each other to worship today,
it takes a village to build the realm of God. It takes each one
of us to play our role and work together to build the kingdom.
WELCOME!
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CALL TO WORSHIP:
Hear O Israel! I am calling! Are you listening? We are here and we are ready. Beloved Children, who do you say that I am? You are our rock and our redeemer. Our trust is in you. Our hearts, minds and souls belong to you! I created you, named you and have a calling for your life. We give thanks with our whole hearts for your steadfast love!
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1ST HYMN:
PRAYER OF INVOCATION:
Gracious God, we present our very lives as holy and living sacrifices to your purposes. During this time of worship,
we seek the renewal of our minds and the strengthening of our spirits. Show us your will, that we may know what is good, acceptable, and perfect in your sight. Amen.
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CALL TO CONFESSION:
You call out to us, Lord, but we struggle to listen.
As we come before you with our hearts open,
quiet the noise of the world, of our pressing thoughts and fears, so that we may hear your Spirit fully.
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PRAYER OF CONFESSION:
God of truth, like a moth that gnaws at wool,
our brokenness eats away at our souls. We allow the cacophony of greed, selfishness, apathy and ignorance to drown out your voice as you call us to
see the suffering in our world and respond to the needs of your children. In our busy lives,
we convince ourselves that there is no time to help, no space for prayer and no need for justice.
Forgive us. Remind us that only when we slow down and breathe deeply of your Holy Spirit and holy Word can our ears hear your voice. Inspire us to greater love for you and for one another. Amen.
~Moment of Silent Prayer Meditation to contemplate these words and how they apply to us personally and as a community of faith. ~
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ASSURANCE OF PARDON:
(Based on Isaiah 51:4 and Matthew 16:19)
The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me.” Jesus promised, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom.” We know love and forgiveness because God first loved us and has been calling out to us forever, “You are my beloved!” May we respond to such abundant grace with deep gratitude for God’s unending forgiveness. God loves me, heals me, strengthens me and calls me by name. Through Jesus I am made whole! Thanks be to God!
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àSCRIPTURES:
àRomans 12:1-8: [“PRESENT YOUR BODIES AS A SACRIFICE,
”PAUL URGES THE CHRUCH AT ROME.]
1I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of
God — what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver,
in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
àMatthew 16:13-20: [JESUS ASKS HIS DISCIPLES, “WHO DO PEOPLE SAY THE SON OF MAN IS?” PETER RESPONDS WITH A GRAND STATEMENT OF FAITH.]
13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.
18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not
prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. ><
àThe word of God >< for the People of God >< Thanks be to Godß
Prepare our hearts and minds for the hearing of your Word, Holy God. Open us to your truth. Today’s Good News Message approved by God is not of my own but brought to you from various Daily Devotionals, selected pulpit resources, and dependable internet.
resources.
àPRAYER: God of light, your wisdom is right here, in this very room, speaking truth to us in love. We pray for you to open our eyes, our ears and our hearts so we may drink in all that you have for us to learn today.
Our Greatest Need
If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist;
If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer;
But our greatest need was forgiveness,
so God sent us a Savior.
So for the next few minutes lets listen to God’s word.
No Man Can Write a History
In the Library of Congress there are 1,172 reference books on William Shakespeare, 1,752 on George Washington, 2,319 on Abe Lincoln, and 5,152 on Jesus Christ. Perhaps H. G. Wells best summed up the runaway difference in interest. "Christ,"
he wrote, "is the most unique person of history.
No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth. "So fast forward to
Thinking of South Dakota and one thinks of Mount Rushmore. It has been mentioned in the news several times of late. But, carved into the mountainside are the heads of some of the great leaders of the United States. It’s ironic that this monument is in the heart of an area sacred to the Lakota and Dakota people whose ancestors possessed the land centuries before George Washington’s family, for instance, came to America.
Thousands of Americans visit Mount Rushmore each year. It is impressive and a breath-taking place.
Many come away with tee shirts reading,
“God Bless America,” small flags, and other patriotic symbols. Perhaps they feel a rush of pride and make resolutions to be better Americans in the future.
The famous writer Dr. Samuel Johnson once said, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”
He wasn’t saying that patriotism is wrong.
He might have also have said, “the church is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” Just as many people seek to hide behind the cross as others do around the flag. It’s a good exercise to ask the question,
“Who do people say I am?”
Is my religious life an attempt to be recognized,
to hold power, or to cover up my “past” —
or am I living into the faith? The writer of the part of Isaiah speaks to all this in these words:
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you………;
Many of the lessons during the past few weeks have spoken of the tension that exists between what the Bible often calls “the world” and the Christian community. It is not easy for us to understand the radical nature of Jesus’ claims.
“Who do people say the Son of Man is?” asks Jesus in Matthew’s version of the story. As we read these words, we are rather like people who read the last chapter of a book before starting at the beginning. We are so familiar with the ending that we can use words like Christ, Messiah, Lord, without a second thought. It’s easy to say “Jesus Christ” after we hit our fingernail with a hammer, or repeat it offhandedly in the same way as we might say,
Gee golly, gosh, “Bubba Smith.”
The story about Jesus asking his disciples the loaded question, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
is set in the far northwest part of the Holy Land.
It was an area where Jews mixed with Gentiles and where Roman rule was immediate and not exercised through local Herodian kings.
Peter’s revolutionary answer challenged not only the
religious establishment but also the power of
Caesar. àJesus replied:
“I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
This famous passage has been used in many ways.
It is a pity that all too often it has served as a “proof text” to justify exactly the sort of power Jesus opposed. The power Jesus claims and gives to his followers has nothing to do with force, coercion, dominance, or “control.”
Just before his Ascension, Jesus gave his followers a number of instructions. He told them that they would receive power — same word as dynamite — to be witnesses. A witness is literally a life-giver.
Power to give one’s life doesn’t sound like the power we are used to. Power is used to command,
to control, to “get things done.”
The rock of Simon Peter’s faith, the rock from which we are all hewn, is the extraordinary idea that God loves wildly and extravagantly and that God forgives with the same generosity. The key to the kingdom is the authority to say, “God has forgiven you,”
and to say to those who use power to hurt others,
“Go to HECK!” You have heard the other words used.
Jesus knew the risk of telling about this sort of
“power.” There are plenty around who want to keep
people in their place; keep people down.
“What’s the use of being respectable, upright, responsible, and thrifty,” these people might say,
“if the church is open to the riff raff?”
Empowering the poor threatens the authority of those “born to rule.” When we slide into such attitudes we forget that we are part of the rock. Jesus didn’t tell Peter and the disciples to form some kind of “pure” cult for respectable folk.
He told them that the rock of faith,
the key to the kingdom, is the simple message, LISTEN, we are ALL empowered to proclaim and share.
God loves us, liberates us, forgives us,
and gives us a new “self-image.”
We are now granite, hewn from the Rock,
radiant faces on the kingdom’s Mount Rushmore, symbols and pictures of empowered living.
This message is more powerful than all the armies and weapons in the arsenals of the powerful.
You have been trusted with “the greatest story ever told,” now made alive in your own experience.
When all else seems to be failing, remember this:
we are named—we are named rock—part of Christ’s church—and we are named servant, gift to the world. In that way, we are named as Christ’s own—forever.
What are those keys that Jesus gave to Simon Peter and what are those keys he has given to you today?
The keys of the kingdom are the glorious Gospel of
àJesus Christ. Amen.
APOSTLES CREED:
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only
Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate was
crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell,
the third day He arose again from the dead, He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God,
the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge
the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy catholic church , the communion of the saints,
the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Preparation for PRAYER: Starting each new month, we endeavor to start a new prayer list. 4 weeks on and removed, and, if needed the names will be placed back on the
prayer list for another 4 weeks or until it is requested to be removed. Nursing home
and homebound folks will remain weekly. As in person worship continues in our church
buildings, we are still the church standing the need for prayer.
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[W] Franko Urbaez, Tim Williams, Reba Shoulders, Melanie Thomas, Jason McMillen, Jerry White, Bertie McMillen, Eleanor Lutz. [C] Franko Urbaez, Bobby McClure, Janet Bietz, Mike Cutler, Matt Buhler, Cathy Sease, Ed Shilling, Brenda Wiggins, John Crance, Extra Prayer for George Waring, Audrianna Rauch, Joe Roberts, Brielle Hoover, Renee Lindenberg, Garry Kephart, Mark Lunger, Scott Moore, Melanie Thomas, Ed Litz, Tonda Beard, Dave Breakey Lynne Gaul, Bonnie Sabol, Randy Spencer, Margie Yescavage, Kathy Addleman, Arya Buhler, Tom & Gerri Erb, Jeanne Eshelman, Betty Cochrane, Carolyn Irwin, Mine' Edwards and Caroline Bonsall.
àFrom our Presbytery: Milroy Congregation, Rev. K. Joy Kaufmann, Moderator, Huaihaat Church, Elder Mr. Tan, Sue Docherty, Virginia and Lee Rainey, Kathy Braun recovering from a broken arm, Congregations searching for a pastor. Those who have experienced loss and all who are suffering from the ills of our world and society.
Birthday Greetings for: à😊😊 à😊😊 😊 AUGUST 2026: Edith Sease (10), Jeff Gates (10), Matthew Condon (11), Nancy Condon (20), Betty Crance (20), Jeanne
Eshelman (24), Harry Merritt (29), Penny Kyler (30).
Lord, listen to your children praying, Lord, send your Spirit in this place,
Lord, listen to your children praying, send us love, send us power, send us grace!
àPrayers of the people and the Lord’s Prayerß
God of Wisdom, you continually call out to us because you love us and desire what is best for us. You ask us to be your hands and feet so that each of your children is held, nourished and supported within a caring community. We are grateful for the community of friends surrounding us today.
Your tender whispers have brought us into your house, and you rejoice in our connection and companionship. Although you reach out to each of us, we know it can be difficult to feel your love when we are suffering. You ache at the sound of our cries, and your comforting assurances surround us.
Help us to hear the cries of our neighbors,
especially those who cry alone. May we be a blessing to those whose tears have run dry from hunger,
hopelessness and fear. We pray for communities wounded by violence, division and injustice.
Grant wisdom to those entrusted with leadership and courage to those working for peace. Open our eyes to the needs around us, and keep us from turning away when compassion requires something of us. Remind us that no act of mercy is too small and no person is beyond the reach of your love.
Through Jesus, you have shown us the way of love: to feed, heal, welcome and serve. Grant us the courage to lean on you as we answer your call to come alongside those who are hurting,
offer comfort and pray without ceasing. Guide us in your ways as we pray the prayer you taught us:
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LORD’S PRAYER:
“Our Father,” who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from
evil: For Thine is the Kingdom and the power,
and the Glory, forever. Amen.
As we worship together in person. The work of the church continues, and your tithes and
offerings can be left at the door or can be sent to the church treasurers or the Financial
Treasurer of your respective churches.
àCALL FOR THE OFFERING:
Paul wrote that we are the body with many members,
each with a different function. Our gifts are myriad,
yet our calling is common: to return to God that which we have received according to God’s grace.
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àPRAYER OF DEDICATION:
God of Abundance, we have received blessings from you and today we hear your call to share our time,
our talent and our treasure with your beloved community. May these gifts bring your light,
love and hope to all who need them.
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àCLOSING HYMN:
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àBENEDICTION:
(Based on Isaiah 51:7)
“Listen to me … you people who have my teachings in your hearts,”
wrote the prophet Isaiah.
As you move out from this sacred space, may God’s Word guide you to the people you need to meet and the places you need to be. May the God of all creation bless you and keep you. May Jesus Christ make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Holy Spirit lift up her countenance upon you and bring you peace as all of God’s children say, à“Amen!” ß
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When we recognize Christ for who he really is, we find the peace and security to see ourselves for who we really are. Moving forward on our journey, let us share the peace of Christ this day with one another.

08/17/2026

August 16, 2026,

CURWENSVILLE & WINBURNE Presbyterian Churches

12TH Sunday after Pentecost P 15, 20th Sunday in OT [A] Color GREEN

God’s grace and presence lie hidden in moments of abandonment and loss. As we welcome each other to worship this day,

the time we feel most alone is the time we are most closely held.

WELCOME!

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CALL TO WORSHIP:

(Psalm 67)

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. The earth has yielded its increase; God has blessed us. May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.

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1ST HYMN:

PRAYER OF INVOCATION:

Eternal God, heal the wounds that block our unity as your beloved children. Ease the hurts and betrays that block us from embracing the balm of your forgiveness. Cast out the fears that prevent us from seeking our peace and reconciliation. Even when our hearts are pierced with anguish, send us friends who will bring us solace,

through your loving Spirit. Amen.

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CALL TO CONFESSION:

(Romans 11:32)

The apostle Paul says that we are “imprisoned in disobedience,” but that God is merciful to all. We live amid the tension of knowing that the Lord is quick to forgive and recognizing that we need to be forgiven. We also live amid the tension of knowing that, through Christ, all things are being made new and recognizing that our broken world needs to be transformed. From the discomfort of this tension, let us offer a prayer of confession.

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PRAYER OF CONFESSION:

(Romans 11, Isaiah 56)

Merciful God, your world cries out. The fruits of our disobedience are harming your creation.

You tasked us to be good stewards of your creation and we have fallen short. You challenged us to love God and love our neighbor, and we have failed to show that love. You promise to bring all people joyfully together in a house of prayer on your holy mountain. We find ways to stay apart.

Bring us together, O Lord. Empower us with a spirit of love for you and love for all our neighbors.

Help us live lives of service to you so that all your children will know your peace. Forgive us when we fall short and continue to transform your world, leading us to your promised kingdom.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

~Moment of Silent Prayer Meditation to contemplate these words and how they apply to us personally and as a community of faith. ~

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ASSURANCE OF PARDON:

(Romans 11:29)

Paul writes: “I ask, then, has God rejected his people?

By no means! For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” God has shown us mercy and God will be merciful to all. Hear and believe this good news: in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Amen.

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àRomans 11:1-2a, 29-32: [PAUL ASKS THE ANGUISHED QUESTION THAT HAUNTS EVERY COVENANTAL CRISIS: “HAS GOD REJECTED HIS PEOPLE?”

HIS ANSWER IS EMPAHTIC -– NO!]

1I ask, then, has God rejected his people?

By no means! I myself am an Israelite,

a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2aGod has not rejected his people whom he foreknew, 29for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, 31so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. 32For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

àMatthew 15:(10-20) 21-28: [A GENTILE WOMAN CRASHES THE PARTY – A CANAANITE, NO LESS, FROM ENEMY TERRITORY.]

10Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: 11it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” 12Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 13He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” 15But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? 18But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles.

19For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.

20These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

21Jesus 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.

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àThe word of God >< for the People of God >< Thanks be to Godß

Prepare our hearts and minds for the hearing of your Word, Holy God. Open us to your truth. Today’s Good News Message approved by God is not of my own but brought to you from various Daily Devotionals, selected pulpit resources, and dependable internet.

resources.

PRAYER: (Isaiah 56:1)

“Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice and do what is right,

for soon my salvation will come and my deliverance be revealed.” So hear our prayer today, God of every time and place, may your Spirit move among us so that the words we hear and the words we speak will be to your glory, will lead towards justice, and will reveal to us your salvation and deliverance. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Faith isn’t something we conjure up on our own – it’s our turning toward the God who firsts turned toward us. Faith is what happens when you hear the good news and dare to believe it’s not just for the insiders, not just for the well-behaved and the properly credentialed, but for you. Even if others try to push you to the margins, faith keeps drawing you back. Sometimes our response to God’s response to us is holy stubbornness that keeps reaching for Jesus, trusting that he’s already reaching for us,

outsiders and all.

In today’s passages we encounter the prickly theme of “choosiness.” àDoes God have favorites?

Is there really a chosen nation, a chosen people?

If God is the Creator of us all, how can this be?

Not easy questions to confront or to answer.

Not when we now know what terrible acts have been perpetrated by those who believe that God is on their side – and that includes both Christians and non-Christians.

In the extraordinary New Testament story we read this morning, we encounter a side of Jesus that affronts our modern sensibilities and certainly our political correctness. The words Jesus uses to argue with the Canaanite woman are not ones we expect from his mouth. So, what’s this all about?

Let’s take a closer look at the story and its setting as Matthew describes it. Jesus has been teaching and walking across the country followed by large crowds.

He heals the sick, forgives sins and challenges the established thinking on God. To everyone who thinks that God is satisfied with external piety he brings the enormous challenge of his spirit and his personal knowledge: God looks into the heart.

God is not pleased with mere observances;

God requires a new way of thinking, of praying,

of being. And now tired and needing to escape the crowds, Jesus moves north out of Israel into what we know as Lebanon, the ancient cities of Tyre and Sidon. Mark tells us that Jesus entered a home, probably belonging to friends, and asked them to keep his visit secret. In Matthew,

we see him entering the region,

probably followed only by his disciples,

and immediately a woman accosts him,

not with a polite request, but with shouting.

There are many characteristics of this woman that fill us with admiration: She must have heard about him even before he entered her city because she is ready. What she heard about him, she believed.

She is not a Jew, yet she is using language that is familiar only to Jews of the time.

She calls him “Son of David.” She is absolutely certain that Jesus is who he says he is.

Unlike his own people,

who doubt him and try to trip him at every conversation, she takes it as a given that he alone has the power to heal her little daughter.

And because she loves her daughter she will beg, ask and shout until his power gives her what she wants: the healing of her child.

In her pleading, her shouting, she asks first for mercy and then for healing. Apparently,

Jesus keeps on walking, but she follows.

She doesn’t give up. Jesus, however, is silent.

Even his disciples, embarrassed at her shouts,

ask him to respond, to send her away.

They, too, are certain that because she is not a Jew

she doesn’t have the right to ask him for anything.

Now Jesus says something not to her or to them:

It’s obvious that he is examining a question in his own mind: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This is his mission as he has known it up to this moment. And he has worked at it every moment of his days – to bring his people back to God. The woman hears his words,

but she is the kind who is not deterred by national and religious differences. She will not let them keep her from seeking help. Now Jesus uses language that separates those who think they are God’s chosen from those whom they consider outside God’s grace.

The Israelites are the children, and the outsiders are the dogs. In our age and our culture this is heavy language. We don’t exactly know what it meant at that time and in that context, but we know it was not complimentary. Bread is the essence of life.

It must be given to the children.

The mother, however, does not budge. “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the masters’ table.” This poor outsider understands that God’s mercy is so great that even the tiny bit that escapes from the chosen ones is enough for healing and for doing good. This is what faith means.

She knows who he is and she knows that only Jesus can heal her daughter. The rest does not matter:

She is a supplicant. She is not proud;

she is determined.

And Jesus responds to this faith instantly.

In those few minutes, he recognizes that his mission has expanded. A poor woman has shown him this much: He did not come just for the children of Israel. His mercy extends to everyone. Full of admiration, he responds first to her great faith,

and then to her wish for her daughter:

“Your faith is great. Your daughter is well.”

Thus it is that we all benefit from that woman’s faith. An outcast becomes a catalyst. This is the wonder of the gospel stories. The Good News comes from unexpected places. A woman ignored and considered a nuisance becomes an object of admiration by Jesus
himself. Instead of sending her away,

he expands his mission from the limits of Judaea to the rest of the world. The encounter does not happen within the land of the chosen but outside it,

in the pagan realm of Tyre and Sidon. Once again, God brings good out of what has seemed evil.

The dogs enter the same realm as the children.

They now eat from the table and not just from the crumbs that fall from it. We owe this woman a great deal. And the prophecy of Isaiah concerning foreigners is fulfilled: They, too, can minister to the Lord. The Incarnation is vivid in this story,

as is the theology of kenosis – the ‘self-emptying’ of our will to become receptive to God’s will.

Jesus learns something from a humble woman and

from a mother’s love. This is a story to be honored, to be proclaimed and to fill us with gratitude.

“Lord have mercy on me,” she cries.

And the Lord shows mercy to one considered an outcast. God’s mercy covers all of us.

“Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David,”

was the cry of this pagan woman whose prayer was heard and whose faith was rewarded.

We echo her prayer today:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Amen.

APOSTLES CREED:

I believe in God the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only

Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate was

crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell,

the third day He arose again from the dead, He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God,

the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge

the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost,

the holy catholic church , the communion of the saints,

the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Preparation for PRAYER: Starting each new month, we endeavor to start a new prayer list. 4 weeks on and removed, and, if needed the names will be placed back on the

prayer list for another 4 weeks or until it is requested to be removed. Nursing home

and homebound folks will remain weekly. As in person worship continues in our church

buildings, we are still the church standing the need for prayer.

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[W] Reba Shoulders, Melanie Thomas, Jason McMillen, Bertie McMillen, Eleanor Lutz.

[C] Bobby McClure, Janet Bietz, Mike Cutler, Matt Buhler, Cathy Sease, Ed Shilling, Brenda Wiggins, John Crance, Extra Prayer for George Waring, Audrianna Rauch, Joe Roberts, Brielle Hoover, Renee Lindenberg, Garry Kephart, Mark Lunger, Scott Moore, Melanie Thomas, Ed Litz, Tonda Beard, Dave Breakey Lynne Gaul, Bonnie Sabol, Randy Spencer, Margie Yescavage, Kathy Addleman, Arya Buhler, Tom & Gerri Erb, Jeanne Eshelman, Betty Cochrane, Carolyn Irwin, Mine' Edwards and Caroline Bonsall.

àFrom our Presbytery: Milesburg Congregation, Rev. Tom Poole, Moderator, Phonthara Church, Elder Mr. Sinuan, Kathy Colebank, Sue Docherty, Virginia and Lee Rainey, Janet Kephart, Kathy Braun recovering from a broken arm, Congregations searching for a pastor. Family and friends of Rev. Dick Berggen who passed away on July 26, 2026. Family and friends of Elder Pearl LeCrone who passed away on August 7, 2026. Those who have experienced loss and all who are suffering in many ways from these days and times. Birthday Greetings for: à😊 😊 😊 JULY 2026: Tyler Simcox (16), Jeanne Merritt (18), Pat Merritt (19), Denise Simconx (23). à😊 😊 😊 AUGUST 2026: Scott Thomas, Jr. (3), Michael Errigo (7), Bobbie Sopic (9), Gary Jewart (9), Edith Sease (10), Jeff Gates (10), Matthew Condon (11), Nancy Condon (20), Betty Crance (20), Jeanne

Eshelman (24), Harry Merritt (29), Penny Kyler (30).

Lord, listen to your children praying, Lord, send your Spirit in this place,

Lord, listen to your children praying, send us love, send us power, send us grace!

àPrayers of the people and the Lord’s Prayerß

(Isaiah 56, Psalm 67, Romans 11, Matthew 15) Let us pray.

You created the world and all that is in it, O Lord,
and declared “it is good.” Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. You gather your people together, you equip us to join your work in making all things new, you lead your church with visions of your kingdom, and you lift up prophets who speak the truth. Sometimes your prophets are church leaders who wrote letters, sometimes your prophets speak from captivity, and sometimes your prophets are mothers seeking safety for your children. Alongside the pleading mother of Matthew’s Gospel, we pray that all of your children who are in pain will know the comfort of your presence,

that all of your children who are in harm’s way will know safety, that all of your children who are tired will find rest, and that all of your children who are anxious or afraid or uncertain will know your peace.

O Lord there are people in this world who wield great influence and power. Guide them in your way of peace, help them bring people together, help them make sure that our needs are met, that all who hunger are fed, that those without a place to live are sheltered, and that wars and fighting will cease.

Let the peoples praise you, O God! This hour we ask all of this in faith, and in hope, and in love, and in the name of your son, the Prince of Peace who hears us and calls us, leads us and cares for us,

and who teaches us to pray, saying,

LORD’S PRAYER:

“Our Father,” who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth

as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from

evil: For Thine is the Kingdom and the power,

and the Glory, forever. Amen.

As we worship together in person. The work of the church continues, and your tithes and

offerings can be left at the door or can be sent to the church treasurers or the Financial

Treasurer of your respective churches.

àCALL FOR THE OFFERING:

God has called his people together from the beginning, equipping each of us with talent, blessing each of us with gifts, and being a part of each of our stories.

As we bring our offerings of time and talents,

as we give back from what we have been given, and as we continue to share our testimony with one another,

we express our gratitude to God. Let us give of our offerings with thanksgiving

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àPRAYER OF DEDICATION:

(Isaiah 56:7)

Holy God, you tell us that “offerings will be accepted on your altar, for your house shall be called a house of prayer.” Thank you for all that you have given us. Continue to guide us as we dedicate these offerings and our lives to you. Amen.

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àCLOSING HYMN:

BENEDICTION:

(Psalm 67, Isaiah 56)

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way be known upon the earth, your saving power among all nations.” And as we go from this time together, may the same God who invites all people to God’s holy mountain continue to bring you joy, may the same Holy Spirit whose power moved through Jesus to heal the Canaanite woman’s daughter continue to guide and keep you,

and may the light of Christ that has been shining from the beginning continue to shine through each of you until we are all gathered together once again. Go in peace. Amen

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Jesus extends the hand of peace and saving love. In this same spirit,

let us share signs of Christ’s peace and love with one another and all those we meet in the name of Christ!

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Winburne, PA
16879

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9am - 10am

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