Redeemer Lutheran and St. Theodore Canterbury

On Sunday, Aug. 16, the congregations of Redeemer Lutheran Church and St. Theodore of Canterbury Episcopal Church will celebrate the 12th Sunday after Pentecost at 10:30 a.m. Rev. Murray D. Finck will lead the Holy Communion service at 13564 St. Andrews Drive in Leisure World. All are welcome. Nancy Anderson is this month’s reader and Elaine Lee is the prayer leader.

Join the congregation for coffee, tea, cookies and snacks in Fellowship Hall after service. The congregations are still collecting food for those in need.

The congregation will host a new member reception on Sunday, Aug. 30, which is subject to change if there are scheduling issues for new members. Those who are interested in becoming members should talk with Rev. Finck or Kay Pushman. People can also fill out new member papers in the baskets on the counter in the back of the Sanctuary and turn them in on the offertory plate.

On Wednesday, Aug. 19, the Bible study will continue the series titled “The Life, Ministry, and Mission of Jesus.” It will focus on the story from all four of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In addition to the lessons, the group will watch episodes from the made-fortelevision series “The Chosen.”

People meet on the first and third Mondays of the month to help the congregation prepare crafts for the next holiday bazaar. The next meeting is Monday, Aug. 17, at 10 a.m., downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. There will be planned projects with directions, and all materials will be provided.

This week, the message on Sunday will be from Isaiah 56:1, 6-8 and Matthew 15:10-28.

In Isaiah, the prophet calls on Israel to maintain justice, and do what is right even to those who are foreigners in their lands. Isaiah goes on to say that the foreigners who love the Lord will be brought to the Lord’s holy mountain and welcomed.

In Matthew, Jesus encounters a Canaanite woman who begs Jesus to heal her daughter from possession by a demon. Jesus ignores her, but she persists. The persistence and argument she gave to Jesus moved him to fulfill her request as he recognized her faith.

The lesson in Isaiah reminded the Israelites that the Lord is not just for them but for all people who love and serve the Lord. The Gospel lesson has Jesus going outside his normal teaching and calling to assist the Canaanite woman who showed faith even though she was not of the house of Israel.