Good day,
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 |
Services for the next few months will be in person or on YouTube and accessible from an email link or our church Facebook page. Services for November are shown below: 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 |
The Twentieth Sunday after
Pentecost
|
Prelude, Welcome, and Information Hymn
#556 Morning Has Broken |
|
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 84:
1-7 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts! My soul
longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living
God. Even the
sparrow finds a home, and the
swallow a nest for herself, where she
may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King
and my God. Happy are
those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. (Selah) Happy are
those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go
through the valley of Baca they make
it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go
from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion. |
|
The Lord be with you. And
also with you. Let us pray. Holy God, our
righteous judge, daily your mercy surprises us with everlasting forgiveness.
Strengthen our hope in you, and that all people of the earth may fine their
glory in you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. |
Reading:
Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22
A reading from the book of the prophet, Jeremiah
Although our iniquities testify against us, act, O Lord, for your
name’s sake; our apostasies indeed are many, and we have sinned against
you. O hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why should you be
like a stranger in the land, like a traveler turning aside for the
night? Why should you be like someone confused, like a mighty warrior who
cannot give help? Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us, and we are
called by your name; do not forsake us!
Thus says the Lord concerning this people: Truly they have
loved to wander, they have not restrained their feet; therefore
the Lord does not accept them, now he will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins. Have you completely rejected Judah? Does your heart
loathe Zion? Why have you struck us down so that there is no healing for us? We
look for peace, but find no good; for a time of healing, but there is terror
instead. We acknowledge our wickedness, O Lord, the iniquity of our
ancestors, for we have sinned against you. Do not spurn us, for your
name’s sake; do not dishonor your glorious throne; remember and do not break
your covenant with us. Can any idols of the nations bring rain? Or can the
heavens give showers? Is it not you, O Lord our God? We set our hope
on you, for it is you who do all this.
The Word of the Lord
Reading:
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
A reading from the second letter to Timothy
As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of
my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on
that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May
it not be counted against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me
strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the
Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord
will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To
him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel
Verse:
Alleluia! All who exalt
themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.
Alleluia! (Luke 18:14)
Gospel Reading: Luke 18:9-14
A reading from the Gospel of Luke
(Jesus) also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that
they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to
the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The
Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am
not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax
collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But
the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was
beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell
you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all
who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be
exalted.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise
to you, O Christ.
Sermon
(added at the end of the document)
Hymn
#600 Out of the
Depths…
Thanks and Offertory
Prayers of the Church:
Gracious God, it is in you that we put all our
hope. Hear our prayers for the world, the church, and for all people according
to their needs.
[Short
pause]
God in our
midst, help us to know ourselves as you know us and to realize that you love
us. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God in our
midst, we pray for all who suffer for the sake of your Son and who suffer
because they are faithful. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
God in our
midst, be with all who suffer from storms and continue to bless all engaged in
recovery and rebuilding. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God in our
midst, open the minds and hearts of all involved in negotiations over our
school system. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
God in our
midst, hear the cries of all who want peace in Ukraine and Russia as well as all
who suffer the terrors and dangers of war anywhere. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
God in our
midst, grant healing and health to all who still struggle with the COVID-19 virus. Strengthen
as well all who work for healing in any way. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
God in our midst, we long to hear the Good News, Look with favor on all who minister in the name of your Son. Bless our bishop, Bishop Michael Pryse, his staff, and the support staff at the Eastern Synod office. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God in our midst, 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, Rose
Gotzmeister}
Great God who
is always with us, hear all our prayers this day and every day. With trust in your
mercy and love, we commend to
you all for whom we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn #208 Praise to You, O God of Mercy
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
Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits and blessings which
you have given us. For all the pains and insults which you have borne for us.
Merciful
friend, brother, and redeemer, may we know you more clearly, love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
Hymn
#815 I Want to
Walk as a Child of the Light
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 in person or on YouTube and accessible from
an email link or our church Facebook page. Services for October and November are
shown below: 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) |
(Jesus) also told this parable to some
who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with
contempt
·
As we begin
this, I’d like to make a few things clear. The Pharisee in the parable is an
example and not an indictment of all Jewish people. This something worth
remembering. There’s been more than enough anti-Semitism in our history and,
for that matter, our church to shame anyone.
·
Also the two
men went up to the temple to pray,
“up” since Jerusalem and the temple are the highest points in the religious
understanding of the Jewish people.
·
So what is
the Pharisee an example of? This particular character is an example of
self-righteousness. His prayer is filled with comparisons to other people and declarations
of the great things he’s done… as if God did not know that already.
·
The tax
collector was a despised agent of the Roman occupation. Such tax collectors
could be corrupt and grasping. Yet here he prays for mercy as it appears he has
a conscience.
·
The point
here is noting where the two men’s trust lies. The tax collector appears to
trust in God while our Pharisee example trusts in himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like
other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax
collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’
There is nothing wrong with his fasting and alms; those would be things to be
encouraged. The self-righteousness, on the other hand, is a failing.
·
The cure for
self-righteousness is not always easy to see. Calling someone out for that
often makes people dig the trenches deeper. The real remedy is based on where
we put our trust. Our trust needs to be placed in God rather than ourselves.
·
Luther’s reform
pointed away from self-trust and self-satisfaction, centering on God and God’s
grace in Christ. Sad to say though, Christians continue to fall into the pit of
self-righteousness and self-satisfaction. (“Look at me! How good I am!”) If we
are truly saved by grace, then there’s lots to be happy about, but nothing to
be self-righteous about.
·
Nadia Bolz-Weber,
the tattooed Lutheran pastor in the US, recently wrote of her disengagement
with her fundamentalist upbringing: …maybe the
opposite of religious fundamentalism isn’t strident atheism or liberalism.
Maybe the opposite of fundamentalism is . . . humility.
·
In the
history of the early church, we have Anthony the Great, one of the first desert
monks in Egypt, who died around the year 356AD. His biographer, Athanasius of
Alexandria, records Anthony as saying this about his spiritual life: I saw the snares that the enemy spread out over the
world and I said groaning, "What can get through from such snares?"
Then I heard a voice saying to me, "Humility.”
·
Francis of
Assisi said “What we are before God is
all we are and nothing more.”
·
There is sadness
in a sort of false humility in which a person might feel that they are beyond
redemption and beyond the mercy of God. Again the focus is on the self and not
God.
·
True humility
is realizing just who we really are. It is not a self-hate or a constant
degrading of the self. It is a realization of all we are, good and bad. It is
also a realization of our need for God and our dependence on God. Proverbs 9:10
tells us The fear of the LORD is
the beginning of wisdom… “Fear of the Lord” goes beyond being
scared and includes respect and awe, a word in our language that is often
misused and cheapened. A sandwich might be great, but they’re rarely “awesome”
while standing on the ocean’s shore or looking at the night sky can be
experiences of awe.
·
Such
experiences of humility, fear of the Lord, and self-knowledge can be part of
the experience of justification. The tax collector was humble enough to know he
needed God’s mercy and he turned his attention to God. It is there that the
gift of true humility lies.
I tell you, this man went down to his
home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be
humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Services for the next few months will be in person or on YouTube and accessible from an email link or our church Facebook page. Services for October and November are shown below:
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 Nineteenth Sunday after
Pentecost
|
Prelude, Welcome, and Information Hymn
#624 Jesus, Still
Lead On |
|
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 121 I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my
help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven
and earth. He will not
let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor
sleep. The Lord is
your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right
hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon
by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he
will keep your life. The Lord will
keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore. |
|
The Lord be with you. And
also with you. Let us pray. O Lord God,
tireless guardian of your people, you are always ready to hear our cries.
Teach us to rely day and night on your care. Inspire us to seek your enduring
justice for all this suffering world, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and
Lord. Amen. |
Reading:
Genesis 32:22-31
A reading from the book of Genesis
The same night (Jacob) got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and
his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and
sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had.
Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When
the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip
socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then
he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let
you go, unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And
he said, “Jacob.” Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob,
but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have
prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said,
“Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob
called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my
life is preserved.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping
because of his hip.
The Word of the Lord
Reading:
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
A reading from the second letter to Timothy
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed,
knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known
the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith
in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped
for every good work.
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living
and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge
you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or
unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in
teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound
doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers
to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth
and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering,
do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel
Verse:
Alleluia! The word of God is
living and active, able to judge the thoughts and intensions of the heart.
Alleluia! (Heb. 4:12)
Gospel Reading: Luke 18:1-8
A reading from the Gospel of Luke
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to
lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither
feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who
kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For
a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God
and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I
will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually
coming.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And
will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?
Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant
justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on
earth?”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise
to you, O Christ.
Sermon
(added at the end of the document)
Hymn
#742 What a
Friend We Have in Jesus
Thanks and Offertory
Prayers of the Church:
God of all, you are the just judge who grants
justice to all who ask. Hear our prayers for the world, the church, and for all
people according to their needs.
[Short
pause]
God of justice
and mercy, it is your mercy we await. Keep us faithful in all things until we
stand before you. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of justice
and mercy, we pray for your justice in all things around us and trust in you to
grant it. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of justice
and mercy, continue to bless all who suffer from storms and bless all engaged
in recovery and rebuilding. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of justice
and mercy, be with all who work with their hands, their voices, or their minds.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of justice
and mercy, grant a just peace to the peoples of Ukraine and Russia and to all
who suffer the terrors and dangers of war anywhere. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
God of justice
and mercy, give merciful healing and health to all who still to struggle with
the COVID-19 virus. Strengthen all who work for healing in any way. Lord, in
your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of justice
and mercy, 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, Rose
Gotzmeister}
God of justice
and mercy, help us all to listen to your truth which is your mercy. Trusting in
that mercy and love, we commend
to you all for whom we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn #775 Jesus, Priceless Treasure
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
Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits and blessings which
you have given us. For all the pains and insults which you have borne for us.
Merciful
friend, brother, and redeemer, may we know you more clearly, love you more
dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
Hymn
#790 Day by Day
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 in person or on YouTube and accessible from
an email link or our church Facebook page. Services for October and November are shown below: 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) |
I tell you, he will quickly grant
justice to them.
·
The Old Testament
reading and the Gospel reading today have a similar theme – persistence.
·
First we see Jacob
standing alone, facing the warband of his brother at the ford of the Jabbok,
having sent his household away. That night, he wrestles with “a man” until daybreak,
when his opponent tries to leave. Jacob refuses to let go and is changed
forever. First, the “man” cheats and punches Jacob in the hip, dislocating the
joint, leaving him with a limp. (There’s no hitting in wrestling, despite what
you see on TV.) Second, Jacob asks for blessing and is given a new name,
“Israel” as one who had prevailed against both God and humans. In the
scripture, a new name means a new person. We know and Jacob/Israel comes to
know that he has been wrestling with God and he persisted in both the struggle
and the request for a blessing.
·
In the
Gospel, a judge – who really is so much not
unjust as completely impartial – will not hear the widow’s complaint. He
refuses to show favoritism to any one, human or divine. However he defers to
the widow, not out of justice or mercy, but that she may not wear me out by continually coming. (The
original is so much better: The judge defers to the widow because she might
“give me a black eye.”) So this judge gives in because the widow is, in short, annoying.
·
Jesus goes on
to tell his listeners And will not
God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay
long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them.
If a completely impartial judge of civil law would give in to a persistent
widow, will not a loving, compassionate, and merciful God not hear prayer and
act?
·
This is what
the parable is about; Then Jesus
told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. As
funny as it might be, the story of the judge is the vehicle for the message,
telling the disciples to persist in prayer, not because God needs convincing
but because we need to be constantly in that relationship with God that prayer embodies.
·
The story of
Jacob/Israel wrestling with God tells us a few things:
·
That God is
willing to wrestle with us.
·
That in the
struggle, God is quite real.
·
That this
encounter will lead to a changed life. (We might ask “when will my life
change?” All I can say is look at our own histories and life stories; I’d bet they
are full of changes.)
·
The Jewish
people have a long history of wrestling with God. They are the People of Israel
- for
you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.
Their stories and the words of the prophets show. Jesus’ story shows it as
well, since he suffered in agony in the garden of Gethsemane. In this parable,
Jesus might be reassuring his disciples of God’s presence to them even in times
of persecution and loss. In truth, none of those things can separate us from
God’s love and care.
·
Christians
have contended with God in their own way. Luther suffered physical health
issues because of his stance on the Word of God. I’m also reminded of the
Spanish mystic and teacher, Theresa of Avila. While assisting with the effort
of freeing her mud-stuck carriage during a downpour, she received a vision of
Jesus, telling her “This is how I treat my friends.” Theresa replied “Maybe
that’s why you don’t have so many!”
·
We don’t need
to be anything but ourselves at prayer, so long as we are persistent. We might
struggle and we can still be sure from the beginning that the one we pray to is
compassionate and merciful, even before we ask!
I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them.
