Foundry Community Church
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost - Year A
  • And Can It Be (Sagina)

      • Psalm 133ESV

      • Romans 11:1–2ESV

      • Romans 11:29–32ESV

  • All People that on Earth Do Dwell
  • God's Mercy Is Bigger Than Our Boundaries Matthew 15:21–28
    Matthew 15:21–28 ESV
    21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
    This is the Gospel of our Lord!
    ALL: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ!

    The Big Idea

    Faith refuses to let obstacles, silence, rejection, or uncertainty keep us from Jesus—and God's mercy refuses to stay inside the boundaries we create.

    Personal Introduction — “When Faith Refuses to Give Up”

    There have been moments in my life when I have prayed about something so deeply that I didn't know what else to say.
    Maybe you've been there.
    You pray the same prayer again and again. You ask God to change the situation, heal the relationship, open the door, protect someone you love, or give you an answer.
    And at first, you pray with confidence.
    Then you wait.
    And you wait some more.
    And eventually, you begin to wonder:
    “God, are You listening?”
    “Why aren't You answering?”
    “Why does it seem like You're silent?”
    I've discovered that it's easy to have faith when God answers the way we hoped He would.
    It's easy to trust when the door opens, the diagnosis changes, the relationship is restored, or the problem finally makes sense.
    But what happens when God is silent?
    What happens when Jesus doesn't respond the way we expect?
    What happens when the answer doesn't come—or doesn't come when we think it should?
    That's where today's Gospel becomes so powerful.
    Because Matthew introduces us to a woman who comes to Jesus with a desperate need.
    She cries out for mercy.
    And Jesus doesn't answer her.
    She is told to go away.
    She encounters something she doesn't understand.
    And yet she keeps coming.
    She keeps asking.
    She keeps trusting.
    She refuses to walk away.
    And eventually Jesus says something extraordinary:
    “Woman, great is your faith!”
    I believe there are some of us here today who need to hear this story because we're somewhere between the prayer we've prayed and the answer we're waiting for.
    And God's Word reminds us:
    Faith doesn't always understand what Jesus is doing; it simply refuses to walk away from Jesus.
    So today, let's look at what it means to keep coming to Jesus—even when we don't understand what He's doing.

    1. Genesis 45:1–15 — Grace That Breaks Through Betrayal

    Genesis 45:3 brings us to the emotional climax of Joseph's story.
    Joseph's brothers had sold him into slavery years earlier. They had betrayed him, lied to their father, and effectively destroyed Joseph's family life.
    Yet now Joseph has power over them.
    He could punish them.
    He could imprison them.
    He could get revenge.
    Instead, Joseph reveals himself and says:
    Genesis 45:3 ESV
    3 … “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?”
    The brothers are terrified.
    But Joseph interprets their history through the sovereignty of God:
    What they intended for evil, God had used for good.
    The remarkable thing isn't merely that Joseph forgives them.
    It's that Joseph sees God's redemptive purpose in a story that had once looked completely broken.

    The theological movement:

    Betrayal → suffering → providence → reconciliation
    Joseph teaches us that God's work is sometimes invisible while we are living through it.
    The pit didn't look like God's plan.
    The prison didn't look like God's plan.
    The years of separation didn't look like God's plan.
    But God was working.

    Connection to Matthew

    The Canaanite woman doesn't understand what Jesus is doing.
    Joseph didn't understand what God was doing.
    The woman experiences silence.
    Joseph experienced years of apparent abandonment.
    Yet both stories ultimately remind us:
    God's silence is not necessarily God's absence.

    2. Psalm 133 — Grace That Creates Unity

    Psalm 133:1 begins with the beautiful declaration:
    Psalm 133:1 ESV
    1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
    The psalm celebrates unity among God's people.
    But this isn't merely about people getting along.
    Biblical unity is ultimately a picture of God's blessing flowing through His people.
    The psalm uses the imagery of oil flowing down Aaron's head and garments.
    Then it speaks of dew descending upon Mount Zion.
    The imagery is abundant:
    God's blessing flows downward and outward.
    That becomes important when we place Psalm 133 beside Matthew 15.
    Jesus encounters someone who exists outside the normal boundaries of Jewish religious and ethnic identity.
    And yet God's mercy reaches her.

    The challenge for the church

    We can easily turn the church into a place where people who are already like us feel comfortable.
    But the Gospel continually pushes those boundaries outward.
    The question isn't:
    “Who belongs here?”
    The question is:
    “Who is God inviting us to welcome?”

    3. Romans 11:1–2a, 29–32 — Mercy That Refuses to Give Up

    Romans 11:1-2 addresses one of Paul's deepest theological concerns:
    Romans 11:1 ESV
    1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people?…
    Paul's answer is emphatic:
    Romans 11:1 ESV
    …By no means!…
    No.
    God has not abandoned Israel.
    Paul then makes a remarkable statement:
    Romans 11:29 ESV
    29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
    God is faithful to His promises.
    Then Paul summarizes God's redemptive work with a profound statement in verse 32…
    Romans 11:32 ESV
    32 For God has consigned (imprisoned) all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
    Paul's point isn't that everyone automatically receives salvation regardless of response.
    His point is that everyone stands in need of mercy.
    Nobody gets to approach God saying:
    “I deserve this.”
    Jew and Gentile alike stand before God dependent upon grace.

    That's crucial for the church.

    The Gospel destroys spiritual superiority.
    We don't get to say:
    “Those people need grace.”
    Because the Gospel says:
    “We need grace.”
    And because we have received mercy, we become people who extend mercy.

    4. Matthew 15:21–28 — Faith That Refuses to Leave

    Now we come to the Gospel.
    Jesus enters the region of Tyre and Sidon.
    This is significant.
    This is Gentile territory.
    And a Canaanite woman approaches Him.
    Matthew intentionally calls her a Canaanite, a designation loaded with Old Testament history.
    She represents someone who exists outside Israel's covenant community.
    Yet she comes to Jesus and cries in Matthew 15:22…
    Matthew 15:22 ESV
    22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
    Notice what she calls Him.
    Lord.
    Son of David.
    She recognizes Jesus in a way many insiders fail to recognize Him.
    And she has a desperate need:
    Her daughter is suffering.

    POINT 1 — FAITH COMES TO JESUS WITH THE NEED

    The woman doesn't pretend everything is fine.
    She doesn't clean herself up first.
    She doesn't wait until she understands theology perfectly.
    She simply comes.
    “Have mercy on me.”
    That's faith at its most basic level.
    Faith knows where to go when life becomes too much.
    She doesn't have the answer.
    She has Jesus.
    And that is enough to make her keep coming.

    Foundry application

    There are people sitting in our churches who are carrying things nobody else knows about.
    A broken relationship.
    A child who has wandered.
    A marriage that is struggling.
    A financial burden.
    A grief that hasn't gone away.
    A prayer that seems unanswered.
    The invitation isn't:
    “Figure it all out.”
    The invitation is:
    “Come to Jesus.”

    POINT 2 — FAITH KEEPS GOING WHEN GOD SEEMS SILENT

    Matthew 15:23 says:
    Matthew 15:23 ESV
    23 But he did not answer her a word….
    That's an uncomfortable verse.
    She cries out.
    Jesus doesn't respond.
    The disciples want her dismissed.
    She is experiencing silence from Jesus and rejection from His followers.
    Yet she keeps coming.
    This is where the passage becomes incredibly relevant to ordinary Christian life.
    Because sometimes God doesn't answer when we expect.
    Sometimes the heavens seem silent.
    Sometimes we pray:
    “Lord, help me.”
    And nothing appears to happen.
    The temptation is to interpret silence as rejection.
    But this woman doesn't.
    She continues to pursue Jesus.

    This is persistent faith.

    Persistent faith isn't faith that never struggles.
    It's faith that keeps turning toward Jesus in the middle of the struggle.
    Joseph had to wait.
    The woman had to wait.
    And sometimes we have to wait.

    POINT 3 — FAITH TRUSTS JESUS EVEN WHEN IT DOESN'T UNDERSTAND JESUS

    This is the hardest part of the passage.
    Jesus says:
    Matthew 15:26 ESV
    26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
    There has been much discussion about the meaning of the word translated “dogs.”
    The Greek term is a diminutive form that can refer to household dogs rather than the wild scavenger dogs commonly associated with Gentiles.
    That softens the imagery somewhat, but it doesn't remove the tension.
    Jesus is testing the woman's understanding of His mission.
    She responds:
    Matthew 15:27 ESV
    27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
    Her response is astonishing.
    She doesn't walk away offended.
    She doesn't demand her rights.
    She doesn't say:
    “If You're really loving, You would answer me differently.”
    Instead she says, essentially:
    “I know who You are, and even the smallest expression of Your mercy is enough.”
    And Jesus responds:
    Matthew 15:28 ESV
    28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
    “Woman, great is your faith!”

    Notice something important.

    Jesus doesn't praise her because she had perfect understanding.
    He praises her because she trusted Him enough to keep coming.

    5. THE SURPRISING CENTER OF THE STORY

    The woman came asking for healing for her daughter.
    But Jesus ultimately uses the encounter to reveal something much bigger:
    The kingdom of God is breaking through boundaries.
    Ethnic boundaries.
    Religious boundaries.
    Social boundaries.
    Gender boundaries.
    Cultural boundaries.
    The people who thought they were closest to God were being challenged by someone they thought was far away.
    And the person everyone expected to be excluded becomes an example of extraordinary faith.
    That is the Gospel's recurring pattern.
    Jesus keeps moving toward people others have pushed away.

    6. BRINGING ALL THE READINGS TOGETHER

    Now the four readings begin to sound like one sermon.

    Genesis 45:

    God can redeem what people intended for evil.

    Psalm 133:

    God desires His people to live in unity.

    Romans 11:

    God's mercy is greater than our divisions.

    Matthew 15:

    Faith keeps reaching for that mercy.
    And the Track 2 readings make the theme even clearer.
    Isaiah 56 says God's house will be:
    “a house of prayer for all peoples.”
    And Psalm 67 looks toward God's blessing reaching:
    all nations.
    So the unified message becomes:

    GOD'S MERCY IS BIGGER THAN OUR BOUNDARIES.

    WHEN FAITH REFUSES TO GIVE UP

    There are moments in life when you don't need another explanation.
    You need help.
    You don't need another theory.
    You need Jesus.
    That's where we find the woman in Matthew 15.
    She's desperate.
    Her daughter is suffering.
    She has heard about Jesus.
    So she comes.
    And she cries:
    “Lord, help me.”
    But Jesus doesn't answer immediately.
    She keeps going.
    The disciples try to send her away.
    She keeps going.
    Jesus challenges her.
    She keeps going.
    And eventually Jesus looks at her and says:
    “Great is your faith.”
    What made her faith great?
    She refused to walk away.

    1. BRING YOUR NEED TO JESUS

    The first lesson is simple:
    Bring your need to Jesus.
    The woman didn't hide her desperation.
    She brought it.
    Maybe that's where some of us need to begin today.
    Stop pretending.
    Stop carrying everything by yourself.
    Stop believing that you have to have everything together before you can come to God.
    Come to Jesus.
    Bring Him your fear.
    Bring Him your grief.
    Bring Him your family.
    Bring Him your questions.
    Bring Him your disappointment.
    Bring Him the thing you've been afraid to pray about.
    The woman came because she believed Jesus could do something.
    And that's where faith begins.

    2. DON'T CONFUSE SILENCE WITH ABSENCE

    Then something happens that many of us understand.
    Jesus is silent.
    She prays.
    Nothing.
    She cries out.
    Nothing.
    And yet she keeps coming.
    Why?
    Because she knows something about Jesus.
    Silence doesn't mean absence.
    Joseph learned that.
    Years before Genesis 45, Joseph couldn't see what God was doing.
    He couldn't see the future.
    He couldn't understand the pit.
    He couldn't understand slavery.
    He couldn't understand prison.
    But God was working.
    And years later Joseph could say:
    God was there all along.
    Maybe you can't see what God is doing right now.
    That doesn't mean He isn't doing anything.
    Maybe your prayer hasn't been answered.
    That doesn't mean God has stopped listening.
    Maybe you don't understand the season you're in.
    That doesn't mean God has abandoned you.
    Keep trusting.

    3. DON'T WALK AWAY FROM JESUS

    Finally, the woman teaches us what persistent faith looks like.
    She refuses to leave Jesus.
    That's the challenge for us.
    Because sometimes the greatest temptation isn't to stop believing in God.
    It's simply to stop pursuing Him.
    We stop praying.
    We stop worshiping.
    We stop serving.
    We stop gathering.
    We stop expecting.
    We slowly drift away.
    But this woman keeps coming.
    And Jesus ultimately says:
    “Great is your faith.”
    Not:
    “Great is your understanding.”
    Not:
    “Great is your circumstances.”
    Not:
    “Great is your comfort.”
    Great is your faith.

    8. THE GOSPEL CHALLENGE

    But there's another dimension to this story.
    We cannot miss it.
    The woman wasn't simply an example of persistent faith.
    She was someone the religious community might have considered an outsider.
    Yet Jesus welcomes her.
    And that means the church has to ask:
    Who are our outsiders?
    Who do we assume isn't interested in Jesus?
    Who do we quietly believe doesn't belong?
    Who makes us uncomfortable?
    Who doesn't look like us?
    Who doesn't speak like us?
    Who doesn't have the same background?
    Because the Gospel reminds us:
    God's mercy is bigger than our boundaries.
    The church isn't supposed to be a club for people who already belong.
    The church is supposed to be a people through whom God's mercy reaches people who haven't found their way home yet.
    The Canaanite woman came to Jesus desperate.
    She came with no leverage.
    No status.
    No entitlement.
    She simply came believing that Jesus was merciful.
    And she wouldn't leave.
    That is faith.
    Faith says:
    “I don't understand, but I trust You.”
    “I don't see the answer, but I will keep praying.”
    “I don't know what You're doing, but I know who You are.”
    “I may be disappointed, but I won't walk away.”
    And that's the word some of us need today.
    Don't give up.
    Keep praying.
    Keep seeking.
    Keep worshiping.
    Keep trusting.
    Keep coming to Jesus.
    Because you may not see what God is doing yet.
    But He is still God.
    And His mercy is still greater than your circumstances.
    And His grace is still greater than your failures.
    And His purposes are still greater than your understanding.
    So:

    BRING IT TO JESUS.

    STAY WITH JESUS.

    TRUST JESUS.

    And when you don't understand what He's doing—
    don't walk away from the One who has never walked away from you.
    Amen.

    10. THE ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

    I'd put this on the final sermon slide:
    “Faith doesn't always understand what Jesus is doing; it simply refuses to walk away from Jesus.”
    And the final Foundry challenge:

    **BRING IT. STAY WITH IT. TRUST HIM.**

    Foundry Community Church Striving to be the Church God described, desires, deserves.

    Communion Transition — “Come to Jesus”

    We've been talking today about a faith that refuses to give up.
    The Canaanite woman came to Jesus with a desperate need. She didn't understand everything Jesus was doing. She didn't have all the answers. But she knew where to go.
    She went to Jesus.
    And that's exactly what we do now as we come to the Lord's Table.
    We come with our needs.
    We come with our questions.
    We come with our failures.
    We come with our disappointments.
    We come with the things we've been praying about for a long time.
    And we come with one simple confession:
    “Lord, I need You.”
    The beautiful thing about Communion is that we don't come to a table we've earned a place at.
    We come because Jesus has invited us.
    We don't come because we're worthy.
    We come because He is gracious.
    We don't come because we've figured everything out.
    We come because He has given everything for us.
    The bread reminds us of His body, given for us.
    The cup reminds us of His blood, poured out for us.
    And both remind us of the greatest truth we could ever hold onto:
    Jesus didn't give up on us.
    So today, as we come to this table, let the words of the Canaanite woman become our own:
    “Lord, help me.”
    And then trust Him.
    Bring it to Jesus.
    Stay with Jesus.
    Trust Jesus.
    For the One who met her in her desperation meets us here today.
    Come to the table.

      • Matthew 15:21–28ESV

      • Genesis 45:3ESV

      • Psalm 133:1ESV

      • Romans 11:1ESV

      • Romans 11:1ESV

      • Romans 11:29ESV

      • Romans 11:32ESV

      • Matthew 15:22ESV

      • Matthew 15:23ESV

      • Matthew 15:26ESV

      • Matthew 15:27ESV

      • Matthew 15:28ESV

  • Leader: Brothers and sisters in Christ, we come now to the Lord’s Table—a place of grace, remembrance, and renewal. Here we remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, proclaim His victory over sin and death, and celebrate the unity we share as His people.

    Invitation to the Table

    Leader: Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
    This table is not the table of any church, but the table of our Lord Jesus Christ. All who trust in Him, repent of their sins, and desire to follow Him are invited to share in this meal of grace.

    Prayer of Confession

    Leader: Before we receive these gifts, let us confess our sins before God.
    All: Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart, and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
    Let us go before our Lord in Silent Confession…

    Assurance of Pardon

    Leader: Hear the good news: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
    In Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven.

    The Great Thanksgiving

    Leader: The Lord be with you.
    People: And also with you.
    Leader: Lift up your hearts.
    People: We lift them up to the Lord.
    Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
    People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
    Leader: Let us pray as our Lord taught us…

    The 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

    Words of Institution

    Leader: On the night He was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread. After giving thanks, He broke it and said:
    "This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
    In the same way, after supper He took the cup and said:
    "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
    For whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

    Prayer of Consecration

    Leader: Let us pray.
    Gracious Father, pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts of bread and cup. By Your Spirit, unite us with Christ and with one another, that we may be nourished in faith, strengthened in hope, and renewed in love. Make us faithful witnesses of Your kingdom until Christ comes again in glory. Through Him, with Him, and in Him, all honor and glory are Yours, now and forever. Amen.

    Distribution

    Leader: The body of Christ, given for you. Amen.
    The blood of Christ, shed for you. Amen.

    Prayer After Communion

    All: Gracious God, we thank You for feeding us with the spiritual food of the body and blood of Your Son. Strengthen us through this meal to love and serve You faithfully, to seek justice, to show mercy, and to walk humbly with You. Send us into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Christ's love. In His holy name we pray. Amen.

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–24ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–24ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–24ESV

  • Doxology
  • Blest Be The Tie That Binds
  • Now Unto Him
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