The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
17 September
2023
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Prelude, Welcome, and
Information Hymn #842 O Worship the King |
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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
103:[1-7] 8-13 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is
within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget
all his benefits— who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your
diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you
with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so
that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works vindication and justice
for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the
people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow
to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his
anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who
fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he
removes our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion for his children, so
the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. |
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The Lord be with you. And
also with you. Let us pray. O Lord
God, merciful judge, you are the inexhaustible fountain of forgiveness.
Replace our hearts of stone with hearts that love and adore you, that we may delight
in doing your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. |
Reading: Genesis 50:15-21
A
reading from the book of Genesis
Realizing
that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears
a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to
him?” So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this
instruction before he died, ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime
of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please
forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when
they spoke to him. Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and
said, “We are here as your slaves.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not be
afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to
me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is
doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your
little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.
The
Word of the Lord
Reading: Romans 14:1-12
A
reading from the letter to the Romans
Welcome
those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarrelling over
opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while
the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who
abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgement on those who eat; for
God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgement on servants of
another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be
upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
Some
judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be
alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe
the day, observe it in honour of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honour of
the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in
honour of the Lord and give thanks to God.
We do
not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live
to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or
whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived
again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Why do
you pass judgement on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise
your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of
God. For it is written,
‘As I live,
says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.’
So
then, each of us will be accountable to God.
The
Word of the Lord.
Gospel Verse:
Alleluia! We have an
advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous; your sins are forgiven on account of his
name. Alleluia! (1 John 2:1, 12)
Gospel
Reading: Matthew 18: 21-35
A
reading from the Gospel of Matthew
Then
Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against
me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to
him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this
reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle
accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him
ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his
lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his
possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before
him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And
out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the
debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow
slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said,
‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him,
‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went
and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow
slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and
reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him
and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you
pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I
had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured
until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to
every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your
heart.”
This is
the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to
you, O Christ.
Sermon (added at the end of the document)
Hymn #777 Come to Me, All Pilgrims Thirsty
Thanks
and Offertory
Prayers
of the Church:
Compassionate
God, help us to follow your example of love and compassion. Trusting in that
compassion, we ask you to hear our prayers this day.
Compassionate God, Joseph
welcomed his brothers and forgave them for all they had done to him. In your
grace, grant us that same spirit. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
Compassionate God, We all
have weaknesses in our faith. Uphold and strengthen the faith you have given to
us in your grace. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, forgiving
others is often hard to do. Let us always rely on your mercy and forgiveness as
our strength and our example. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, continue
to strengthen all who work the land that so the hungry can be fed. Teach us to
value and protect your creation. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, your
compassion is seen in peace. Grant your peace where there is war - Ukraine, Russia, and Niger. Hold close all
who suffer the terrors and dangers of violence.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, many
still suffer from disease of body, mind, and spirit. Grant your compassionate
healing to all, remembering those suffering from the new strains of COVID-19. Continue
to show your compassion through all who work for healing in any way. Lord, in
your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, hear
our prayers this day for the people of British Columbia, the Northwest
Territories, the Maritime provinces, Florida, Morocco, and Libya who endure natural
disasters. We pray as well for all in rescue and rebuilding. Lord, in your
mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, we pray for the Jewish people who celebrate the new year this weekend in the festival of Rosh Hashana. Lord In your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, today
we remember and pray for St. Peter Church in Brodhagen and their pastor, Pastor
Rob Wiesner, who is installed today. Grant us grace to continue our faithful
service. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, we ask
you to hear our continual prayers for those we care for and for those who have
asked for our prayers … * Lord, in your
mercy, Hear our prayer. {*Gail Mauer, Deb Kirschner, Rose Gotzmeister,
Rick Cerna, Rose Ungar, Marjorie Weber}
Compassionate God, let your compassion be
shown in our lives. Today we turn to you in faith and ask you to hear our
prayers made in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hymn #462 Join We Now in Celebration
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
Almighty
God, grant that your holy word that has been proclaimed this day may enter into
our hearts through your grace, that it may produce in us the fruit of the
Spirit for witness and service in the world and to the praise and honor of your
name, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
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.
Hymn #543 Go, My Children, with My Blessing
Go in
peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to
God.
W
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Upcoming Services for
September & October (All services begin at 11:00am) September
24 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Pentecost XVII) October
1 YouTube (Pentecost XVIII) October
8 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Pentecost
XIX/Thanksgiving) October
15 YouTube (Pentecost XX) October
22 YouTube (Pentecost XXI) October
29 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Reformation
Sunday) {Please note – This may be subject to change in
the near future} |
Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if
another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As
many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell
you, seventy-seven times.
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My first thought is the
old joke: “I was told there’s be no math.” However the math here serves the
parable. We don’t have to do any real math.
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First Peter asks how
often a disciple should forgive. He suggests 7 time and Jesus responds with
either ‘77 times’ or ‘7 time 70 times’, depending on how you read that passage.
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Then there is the
parable of the unforgiving servant with its fantasy, tremendously exaggerated
amounts of debt. The one slave owes the other about 100 days wages, wages
appropriate for a farm worker of the day. The Roman denarius was considered one days’ wage so it represents 3 months’
pay for a farmhand. The slave with the huge debt to the master owes just about
375 tons of silver or 60,000,000 dinarii or in modern terms, $3.48 billion. (Now
in Jesus’ time, slaves were not simply field hands or household servants. This
was not “chattel slavery”, where slaves are simply property. They could be
government ministers, generals or military officers, and trusted officials with
great responsibilities. For example, Joseph, in our first reading, was the
slave official of Pharaoh and was responsible for what could be called a
national food program.)
·
Since the story is a
parable and not the nightly news, Jesus is making a point with such exaggerated
amounts. The idea that since we have been forgiven by God for all our offenses,
we should be willing to forgive others. Of course, there’s more to it than
that.
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The parable councils us
to forgive as we have been forgiven and it does it in a “parable” way, telling
us the story of a huge debt owed to a king by a slave. The man’s debt is
astronomical and the money he is owed by a fellow slave is nowhere near what is
owed to the king. Yet the first slave won’t forgive and has his debtor punished
in debtor’s prison. Once the king hears this, “the jig is up” as the old saying
goes. Justice comes down hard and the lesson is laid out for all who hear the
parable.
·
The parable tells of
mercy and it tells of justice. We may not like the parable’s idea of mercy
since it seems so “unfair.” Personally this reminds me of the outcry at the
United States president’s policy of forgiving educational debts for money
borrowed for post-secondary studies. Many people called it unfair because they
had already paid off their debt and they felt that those who still owed money
were freeloaders.
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Really, mercy always
appears unfair. Actions carry consequences and to escape those consequences
appears to be unfair. Justice is blind and mercy is all eyes. The demands of
absolute justice are merciless while the application of mercy can appear
unjust.
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The comparison of
justice and mercy is not the point of this parable. There would be no “Good
News” there. The point can be seen in the obligation the first servant receives
in being forgiven. He is to pass that forgiveness along to others. The
forgiveness he received puts him in forgiving relationship with others,
particularly with those who are indebted to him. For him to extend mercy is the
cost of being forgiven his debt.
·
In our own lives, we
have benefited from the generous mercy of God. That calls us to extend generous
mercy to others. We’re called to forgivers, not score-keepers. Justice and
accountability are best left up to God. We can recall the Lord’s Prayer: Forgive us our trespasses /sins/debts as
we forgive those who trespass/sin against us/owe us a debt. This
line does not limit our forgiveness or God forgiveness either. It doesn’t say
“forgive us to the extent that we forgive.” It says “Forgive us so we may
forgive others as you have forgiven us.” This takes us far beyond quid pro quo; it is an instance of God’s
grace and to forgive makes us instruments of God’s grace.
·
This reminds me of a
well-known prayer:
Lord,
make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
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