**Please note this service is based on the format of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from
Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). Hymns and other prayers have been sourced
to give appropriate credit.
**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.
Introduction to the Day
Mercy. Mercy. Mercy. Joseph lives it in Egypt. Jesus preaches it in the
gospel. The Spirit guides us into merciful lives with the power of forgiveness
to reconcile what is fractured and divided. Such merciful living is the
baptismal blessing of having put on Christ. It is the gift of the life-giving
Spirit. It is a reflection of God’s glory revealed in Christ.
Thanksgiving for Baptism
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, the fountain
of living water, the rock who gave us birth, our light and our salvation.
Amen.
Joined to Christ in the waters of baptism, we are clothed with God’s
mercy and forgiveness. Let us give thanks for the gift of baptism.
We give you thanks, O God,
for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters
and by your Word you created the world,
calling forth life in which you took delight.
Through the waters of the flood, you delivered Noah and his family.
Through the sea you led your people Israel from slavery into freedom.
At the river your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Holy
Spirit.
By water and your Word, you claim us as daughters and sons,
making us heirs of your promise and servants of all.
We praise you for the gift of water that sustains life,
and above all we praise you for the gift of new life in Jesus Christ.
Shower us with your Spirit,
and renew our lives with your forgiveness, grace, and love.
To you be given honour and praise
through Jesus Christ our Lord
in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Amen.
Gathering Song – Arise, Your Light
Has Come! (ELW #314)
Greeting
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.
Kyrie – Kyrie Eleison
Canticle of Praise
– Glory to God
Prayer of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
O Lord Jesus, make us instruments of your peace, that where there is
hatred, we may sow love, where there is injury, pardon, and where there is
despair, hope. Grant, O divine master, that we may seek to console, to
understand, and to love in your name, for you live and reign with the Father
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Readings
A reading from the Book of Genesis 45:3-11, 15
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am
Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so
dismayed were they at his presence.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come
closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom
you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves,
because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the
famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in
which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to
preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.
So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to
Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry
and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made
me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the
land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your
children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.
I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to
come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to
poverty.’
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40
Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine
like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
Be still before the Lord, and wait
patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
Refrain from anger,
and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit
the land.
Yet a little while,
and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will
not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
The salvation of the
righteous is from the Lord;
he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he
rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
A reading from the First Letter from Paul to the Corinthians 15:35-38,
42-50
But someone will ask, “How are the dead
raised? With what kind of body do they come?” Fool! What you sow does not come
to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is
to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives
it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
So it is with the resurrection of the
dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in
dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.
It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a
physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first
man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the
spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is
from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as
is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the
image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.
What I am saying, brothers and sisters,
is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the
perishable inherit the imperishable.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation – Alleluia
The Holy Gospel according to Luke 6:27-38
Glory to you, O Lord.
“But I say to you that listen, Love
your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray
for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other
also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.
Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not
ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what
credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do
good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners
do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is
that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love
your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will
be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the
ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
“Do not judge, and you will not be
judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be
forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down,
shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give
will be the measure you get back.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O
Christ.
Sermon
Guest Preacher - Clarence Eisberg
General Robert E. Lee was once asked his opinion of a fellow officer who was widely known as one of Lee’s greatest detractors. The general responded that he thought the man a very fine officer. “But General,” his questioner replied, quite perplexed, “I guess you don’t know what he’s been saying about you.” “Oh, yes I do,” replied Lee. “But I was asked my opinion of him, not his opinion of me.”
Bertrand
Russell, a well-known British philosopher wrote; “The Christian principle, Love
your enemies is good. There is nothing to be said against it except that it is
too difficult for most of us to practice sincerely.”
In
Luke 6, when Jesus said, “Love your enemies” and He immediately added, “Do good
to them” so we wouldn’t miss the point. The world says: “Don’t waste time
loving bad people.” God says, “Love them anyway.”
Why?
If we don’t pray for our enemies, who will?
If
we don’t pray for our enemies, how will they every change?
If
we don’t pray for our enemies, how will we ever be free from bitterness?
Jesus
knows bitterness will destroy your life. Hatred, constant dislike of another
always leads to a bitterness in our attitude and makes us miserable.
Jesus
said: “Love your enemies.” Easy to say, hard to do. Maybe it was for our sake.
John
Stott in his book The Cross of Christ writes; “To live under the cross means
that every aspect of the Christian life is shaped and colored by it. It enables
us to develop a balanced self-image and directs our conduct to others,
including our enemies. We are to “be imitators” of God and exhibit both love
and justice.” Easy to say, hard to do.
Who
are my enemies? Jesus is not talking about enemies on the other side of the
world. He is talking about personal enemies who tend to be much closer to home.
In fact, home is the first place to look for our enemies. Jesus said, “A man’s
enemies will be the members of his own household” (Matthew 10:36). He mentions
three close relationships that can go sour. (father against son, mother against
daughter, mother- in- law against daughter- in- law)
We
all know families who have not spoken to each other in years. They might not
use the word enemy for a past family member but that is what they have become.
How often do families end up in court and refusing to speak to each other. It
could be a father and son, a mother and daughter, brothers and sisters.
Jesus
knows that people deeply hunger to be good but cannot find their way. How can
we “do good”. The beatitudes not only call us to “love our enemies and do good
to them” but calls us to be “peacemakers”. The instruction to be “peacemakers”
is qualified by the words of Jesus when He added: “if it is possible”. Sometimes
it is impossible because he or she is unwilling to live at peace with us.
So
how can we demonstrate heart felt love to those who would be happy if we
dropped dead. 1) greet them with kind words. It will disarm them 2) refuse to
speak evil of them. This is what General Lee refused to do. 3) Pray for them.
When
Martin Niemoller, a German pastor, was arrested by the Nazis in World War II,
he prayed daily from his prison cell for his captors. Other prisoners asked why
he prayed for those who were his enemies. He said: “Do you know anyone who
needs your prayers more than your enemies?” But what if you hate the person you
are praying for? Tell that to the Lord. He won’t be surprised. Then say
something like this, “Lord, I hate this person, but you already know that. I
ask you to love this person through me because I can’t do it in my own power. I
ask you for a love I don’t have and can’t begin to produce.”
“Doing
Good to an enemy” is never easy. When on the cross the Pharisees were hurling
insults at Jesus, he made no threats. (I Peter 2:22) Jesus could easily forgive
those who were crucifying Him on the cross. “Father forgive them for they know
not what they are doing.” But He is Jesus. We are not. Yet Jesus calls us to be
“perfect” and imitate Him.
In
his first letter the apostle Peter writes; We can not pull it off. Even this
beatitude to “love our enemy and do good to them” can not be a new “law”.
This
beatitude reminds us that this is the character of God, who loves us even while
we have broken His commandments. Thus we are “poor”, people who are utterly
helpless and completely dependent on the grace of God in Jesus and the power of
His Holy Spirit flowing through our lives. We have no power to love others
without His Spirit dwelling in us. That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote: “It is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)
In
human relationships when people are deeply hurt, even to the point of loosing
their job or family, the words “do good to them” is never easy. Just maybe God
can use the words of one who has become your verbal enemy to change your heart
and speak the same words He spoke on the cross. “Father Forgive Them”.
If
you believe in the sovereignty of God, you must believe that your enemy is sent
to you by God’s design so you can say with Joseph after his brothers sold him
into slavery. “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis
50:20).
“The
apple tree naturally and easily produces apples because of its inner nature.” This
is why the Apostle Paul writes that “our inner nature, must allow His Holy
Spirit to produce His love for those who would be our enemies. Didn’t Jesus
say: “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree bad fruit.” (Luke
6:43-45) Thus it is our responsibility to keep in step with His Spirit.
Actions,
doing good, reveal what is in your heart.
Love
and hate cannot coexist in the same place at the same time. If we love our
enemies, we will not hate them. It’s really as simple as that. Doing good to
your enemy will free you from bitterness.
Forgiveness
always helps us because it sets us free from fear and guilt and it sets us free
from anger and bitterness so that we can get on with life. It is a transforming
gift from God. What are the words Jesus concludes this beatitude with? “Be
merciful just as your Father is merciful.”
May
God who has forgiven us in Christ now teach us to walk in mercy and love toward
each other. Let the past be past at last.
Amen.
Hymn of the Day – How Good, Lord, to Be Here! (ELW #315, tune #454)
Creed
Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we
say the Apostles’ Creed:
I
believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator
of heaven and earth.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born
of the virgin Mary,
suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died, and was buried;
he
descended to the dead.*
On
the third day he rose again;
he
ascended into heaven,
he
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and
he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the
holy catholic church,
the
communion of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and
the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
The Spirit of the Lord is poured out upon us in abundance; so we are
bold to pray for the church, the world, and all that God has made.
Silence
You teach us to love our neighbors and enemies alike. Encourage your
church to follow the leading of your love, especially when it is risky or
difficult. Help us to show mercy just as we have first received mercy.
God of grace,
Hear our prayer.
Nurture fields that lie dormant, resting until it is time to bloom
again. Bless farmers and all who cultivate fields and urban gardens. Give
favorable weather for planting. Bring forth from buried seed an abundant
harvest, and guard against famine and disease.
God of grace,
Hear our prayer.
Look upon our world with mercy, that we delight in an abundance of
peace. Protect all whose lives are marred by war and civil unrest. Release
political prisoners and amplify the voices that challenge us to seek
forgiveness and pursue nonviolence.
God of grace,
Hear our prayer.
Your people cry out for mercy. Console hearts that long for forgiveness.
Mend broken relationships. Heal bodies that suffer chronic pain or illness.
Strengthen and deliver all whose spirits are troubled.
God of grace,
Hear our prayer.
You bind us together into one family. Teach us to forgive one another
and to resolve conflicts with humility and patience. Bless families of all
shapes and sizes, and show love to those who are lonely or grieving.
God of grace,
Hear our prayer.
Please take time to offer your own intercessions or pray in silence.
We praise you for the saints who have inherited the fullness of your
kingdom. As you have raised them to imperishable and eternal life, sustain us
in faith by the promise of resurrection.
God of grace,
Hear our prayer.
Since we have such great hope in your promises, O God, we lift these and
all of our prayers to you in confidence and faith; through Jesus Christ our
Saviour.
Amen.
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Hymn
of Thanksgiving – O God of Mercy, God of Light (ELW #714)
**Although
not physically at our church buildings to share our offering together I would
encourage you to set your offering of money aside so that it can be dropped off
or placed in the church once services resume, to mail your offering to the
church, or to make donations online. Please remember ministry is still taking
place.
Thanksgiving for the Word
Let us pray.
O God of justice and love, we give thanks to you that you illumine our
way through life with the words of your Son. Give us the light we need, awaken
us to the needs of others, and at the end bring all the world to your feast;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy
Spirit, be honor and glory forever.
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our
daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time
of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the
power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
Blessing
God, who leads you in pathways of
righteousness, who rejoices over you, and who calls you by name, ☩
bless your going out and your coming in, today and forever.
Amen.
Sending Song – On Our Way Rejoicing (ELW #537)
Dismissal
Go with Christ into a weary world. Share the good news.
Thanks be to God.
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