{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\fswiss\fcharset0 Helvetica;}{\f2\fswiss\fcharset0 Arial;}} {\colortbl ;\red255\green0\blue0;} {\*\generator Msftedit 5.41.15.1515;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\sl-280\slmult0\qc\b\caps\f0\fs24 FOURTEENTH sunday after pentecost\par proper 15\cf1\b0\caps0\par \par \pard\sl-280\slmult0\cf0\i\caps the lesson: \b\i0\caps0 Genesis 45:1-15\par \b0 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, \ldblquote Send everyone away from me.\rdblquote So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, \ldblquote I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?\rdblquote But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, \ldblquote Come closer to me.\rdblquote And they came closer. He said, \ldblquote I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, \lquote Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children\rquote s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there\emdash since there are five more years of famine to come\emdash so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.\rquote And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.\rdblquote Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin\rquote s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.\par \par \i\caps the response: \b\i0\caps0 Psalm 133\par \b0 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD ordained his blessing, life forevermore.\par \cf1\par \cf0\i\caps the epistle: \b\i0\caps0 Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32\par \b0 I 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. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.\cf1\par \par \cf0\i\caps the gospel: \b\i0\caps0 Matthew 15:10-28\par \pard\li360\sl-280\slmult0\b0 Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, \ldblquote 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.\rdblquote Then the disciples approached and said to him, \ldblquote Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?\rdblquote He answered, \ldblquote 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.\rdblquote But Peter said to him, \ldblquote Explain this parable to us.\rdblquote Then he said, \ldblquote 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.\rdblquote\par \pard\sl-280\slmult0 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, \ldblquote Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.\rdblquote But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, \ldblquote Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.\rdblquote He answered, \ldblquote I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.\rdblquote But she came and knelt before him, saying, \ldblquote Lord, help me.\rdblquote He answered, \ldblquote It is not fair to take the children\rquote s food and throw it to the dogs.\rdblquote She said, \ldblquote Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters\rquote table.\rdblquote Then Jesus answered her, \ldblquote Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.\rdblquote And her daughter was healed instantly. \cf1\par \pard\cf0\f1\par \f2\fs20\par }