(There is a problem with the Prayers of the Church and how they are laid out. I'm trying to fix this problem, but for right now, it is beyond me. I ask for your indulgence.)
The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
|
Prelude, Welcome, and Information Hymn #655 Son of God, Eternal Savior |
|
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you. Psalm: Psalm 113 Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord; praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time on and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord! |
|
The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. God among us, we gather in the name of your Son to learn to love one another. Keep our feet from evil paths. Turn our minds to your wisdom and our hearts to the grace revealed in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. |
Reading: Amos 8:4-7
A reading from the book of Amos
Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat.” The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
The Word of the Lord
Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-7
A reading from the first letter to Timothy
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all—this was attested at the right time. For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel Verse:
Alleluia! Live your life in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ; strive side by side for the faith of the gospel. Alleluia! (Phil. 1:27)
Gospel Reading: Luke 16:1-13
A reading from the Gospel of Luke
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon (added at the end of the document)
Hymn #624 Jesus, Still Lead On
Thanks and Offertory
Prayers of the Church:
God of wisdom, you call us to be disciples of your Son, no matter the cost. As disciples, we offer our prayers for the world, the church, and for all people according to their needs.
[Short pause]
God of wisdom, help us to dedicate all we are and all we have to your Kingdom, now and always. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of wisdom, be with us in this life and guide us by your Spirit in all things. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of wisdom, guide our efforts to overcome violence in our society. Bless those who have suffered from such violence. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of wisdom, continue to bless those working in the fields for their safety and for a good harvest, Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of wisdom, be with the peoples of Ukraine and Russia and with all who suffer the terrors and dangers of war. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of wisdom, strengthen all who continue to struggle with the COVID-19 virus. Bless all who work for healing in any way. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
|
God of wisdom, we long to hear the Good News. Look with favor on all who minister in the name of your Son. Bless the congregation of St. Peter’s in Broadhagen and bless Pr. Laura Sauder as she takes a new call in Cambridge. Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer. |
God of wisdom, we ask you to hear our unspoken prayers for so many we are concerned about, both near and far… * … Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. {*Gail Mauer, Deb Kirschner, Diane Corns}
God of wisdom, make us wise in the way of your Kingdom. In that wisdom, we commend to you all for whom we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn #685 Take My Life, That I May Be
The Lord’s Prayer
Finally let us pray for all things as our Lord would have us ask:
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, forever and ever. Amen.
Closing prayer & Benediction
Father,
your word gives us light and life.
May we who have shared in holy things
bear fruit to your honour and glory,
in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
Hymn #793 Be Thou My Vision
Benediction & Sending
May the Lord bless us and keep us.
May the Lord’s face shine upon us with grace and mercy.
May the Lord look upon us with favor and X give us peace.
Amen.
Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God.
W
|
Services for the next few months will be on YouTube and accessible from an email link or our church Facebook page. Services for September, October, and November are shown below: September 25 Holy Communion, Church, 11:00am October 2 Service on YouTube, 11:00am October 9 Communion, Church, 11:00am (Thanksgiving) October 16 Service on YouTube, 11:00am October 23 Service on YouTube, 11:00am October 30 Communion, Church, 11:00am (Reformation Sunday) November 6 Service on YouTube, 11:00am November 13 Communion, Saxonia Hall,11:00am (All Saints/service of remembrance) November 20 Service on YouTube, 11:00am (Christ the King) November 27 Communion, Church, 11:00am (First Sunday in Advent) |
…the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.
· Maybe we might all admit that Jesus’ parable in this passage could be confusing. Is he praising the dishonest manager for his conniving plans to get himself in good with others? Do you think they’d hire him after seeing that he cheated his boss? Is the manager actually cutting out his percentage in order to impress the creditors and find favour with them?
· A better view of this might see that Jesus was not recommending the manager’s dishonesty as way of doing business; this is not a lesson on business practice or business ethics. It is a lesson on the Kingdom of God and those who belong to it. The corrupt manager (who is fictional, remember?) shows more discernment and energy than many who follow the Gospel. He is dishonest and making plans because he knows he’s about to get canned. The followers of Jesus might not be so savvy or “shrewd.” Some might not see that discipleship costs. Others might see it primarily as a path to social or political advancement.
· Discipleship has a cost. Following Jesus has cost some people their lives and it has cost others their reputation. Some have left their beloved homeland and lived in other places either for the sake of mission or for the sake of opening themselves up to new things. (Some Irish saints practiced such an exile, removing themselves from a loved place and living elsewhere as a form of discipline.) Misunderstanding, mockery, and being ignored might also be real as a cost of discipleship.
· One of these costs could also be a certain use of earthly good and even money. Jesus’ words could be interpreted to say that we are to use what we have in this age (our “worldly wealth”) in such a way that those who make their home in heaven (God, God’s angels, and God’s people) would gladly welcome us into their neighborhood.
· Paul wrote this to Timothy in his first letter: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil… (1 Tim. 6:10) It is a disordered relationship with money and things of this age that corrupts, even though they can be a gift from God meant to be well used. Like all of creation, riches (whatever that means) can teach us a lot about creation, relationships, and ourselves if we’re willing to learn.
· If we believe in grace and trust in God’s presence in our lives, we can hold that all things around us are a gift from God. Our faith – itself a gift from God – lets us see the gifts of God in whatever we might encounter.
· It is there that the shrewdness and wisdom Jesus speaks of come in. the Spirit of God can lead us to live in this world wisely, graciously, and gratefully. We might not be as savvy as many around us, but such holy wisdom is nothing to be devalued or scorned.
· Jesus calls his disciples the children of light and says I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. Creation is a gift of God that can be misused, but it is still God’s creation given as a gift. So is it to be used for selfish gain or for the glory of God? A disciple serves the Kingdom of God here and now with what they have here and now. To serve something less than the Kingdom would be a betrayal. In Jesus’ own words: No slave can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and wealth.
No comments:
Post a Comment