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We Are Everyday People - September 8, 2024

This Sunday, we will explore a powerful passage from Mark 7:24-37, where Jesus encounters two individuals who are often overlooked by society—a Syrophoenician woman and a man who is deaf and unable to speak. In both of these encounters, Jesus shows us something profound: no one is beyond the reach of God's love. 

As we reflect on these stories, we will be reminded that we, too, are "everyday people" in need of God's grace. Just as Sly and the Family Stone sang, "I am no better and neither are you," Jesus teaches us that we are all equal in God's eyes. None of us are more deserving or less worthy of God's love than the next person, and as followers of Christ, we are called to be open to the needs of others—especially those who may feel unworthy, excluded, or as an outsider.

This week, I invite you to meditate on the stories of the Syrophoenician woman and the deaf man and then ponder these questions: 

  1. Have you ever felt unworthy, excluded, or an outsider?  
  2. What boundaries might we be placing in our own lives that keep us from extending God's grace to others and how might God be calling us to be more open to those we tend to overlook or exclude?

 I look forward to exploring these questions with you this Sunday!


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