**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
God
is the source of our nourishment. Jesus’ invitation to “take and eat . . . take
and drink” is a repeated one. In holy communion, in the word read and
proclaimed, in the assembly of the people of God, the dominion of God has come
near. Rejoice! Your name is written in heaven.
Gathering Song – O Jesus, Joy of Loving Hearts (ELW #658)
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.
Prayer of the Day
Let
us pray.
O
God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, you are the city that shelters us, the
mother who comforts us. With your Spirit accompany us on our life’s journey,
that we may spread your peace in all the world, through your Son, Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Readings
A
reading from the Second Book of Kings. (5:1-14)
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a
great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the LORD had given
victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. Now
the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land
of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my
lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his
leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land
of Israel had said. And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along
a letter to the king of Israel.”
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand
shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. He brought the letter to the king of
Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you
my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” When the king of
Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death
or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look
and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”
But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
The
word of the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
Psalm 30
I
will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
O
Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
O
Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those gone
down to the Pit.
Sing
praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For
his anger is but for a moment;
his favour is for a lifetime.
Weeping
may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
As
for me, I said in my prosperity,
‘I shall never be moved.’
By
your favour, O Lord,
you had established me as a strong
mountain;
you
hid your face;
I was dismayed.
To
you, O Lord, I cried,
and to the Lord I made supplication:
‘What
profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will
the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
Hear,
O Lord, and be gracious to me!
O Lord, be my helper!’
You
have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so
that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you
for ever.
A
reading from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians. (6:7-16)
Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap
whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from
the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the
Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at
harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity,
let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of
faith.
See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
The
word of the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
The
Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy
Gospel according to Luke. (10:1-11, 16-20)
Glory
to you, O Lord.
After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them
on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to
go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go
on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry
no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you
enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in
peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain
in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer
deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter
a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick
who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But
whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets
and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in
protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ ”
“Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects
you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
The Gospel
of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
May only truth be
spoken, and truth heard. Amen.
Following
the call of God is one of the hardest things a person can do. Often it means
leaving behind everything you know. Depending on when you hear or act on the
call, it could mean heading off to a seminary, moving family around, and
possibly leaving a career in which you had become quite established.
As
the twelve disciples were called to follow Jesus, he asked them to stop what they
were doing and follow him.
As
we heard last week, those who were hearing the call to follow were told to
leave behind their past, their family, their dying or dead relatives.
And
now that Jesus has his first twelve followers, he needs more ambassadors. He
commissions seventy more people to go and proclaim the good news…that the
Kingdom of God has arrived.
Following
the call of God is difficult and full of change, but it can also be dangerous,
even hostile.
Evangelism,
sharing the good news, is never meant to be easy or safe, and it could cost you
your life...like a sheep amidst the wolves.
And
Jesus is asking these seventy to leave everything behind – including their
sandals! At verse 3, he says, “I am sending you out like lambs into the midst
of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.”
At
the direction of Jesus, his seventy disciples are told to go out two by two
without any belongings other than the message they are to proclaim: that the kingdom
of God has come near.
Sounds
like a poorly planned trip!
These
new disciples are being sent out into the wolves with no resources – no purse,
no bag, no sandals and, most importantly, no guarantees about how they will be
received. All they have is the promise of Jesus to go with them, to do great
things through them, and to bring them home again.
Sometimes
new ministers feel that way. Three months after being ordained, I was sent to a
church and basically said “Here you go. Spread the good news. Call us if you
need anything.”
Luckily,
I didn’t have to go at it alone. And neither did those first disciples.
Jesus
sent out the disciples in pairs. Why? With two, there is always someone to be
encouraging if one of the pair is discouraged, to keep faith if one is
dispirited, and to carry on when one feels tempted to quit. This discipleship
thing can be hard, but it’s always easier with a companion.
These
pairs were sent out on a kind of internship, a training time while Jesus was
still with them. The mission was the same as Jesus’ own ministry: “cure the
sick” and “say to them, ‘the kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
Jesus
sends them “ahead of him to every town and place where he himself intended to
go.” He is on his way to Jerusalem and will probably travel through villages
where he has not been before. Rumors of what Jesus is doing have undoubtedly
spread into Samaria so the seventy emissaries will announce his coming by
giving people a preview of his own work.
It
is also a preview of the ministry Jesus gives us today. We go “ahead of him,”
bringing his message where we go.
So,
these pairs were called to travel around like town criers yelling “Hear ye!
Hear ye! The Kingdom has come!”, with the primary proclamation being simply “Peace
to this house!”
Jesus
does not tell them to do any sort of assessment before making this
proclamation. He doesn’t ask them to determine whether this house follows the
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or whether this house has kept the law or
whether this house is likely to receive the good news Jesus brings. Jesus
doesn’t ask them to do a risk assessment or pre-judge whether this house will
be worth their time.
In
fact, he says specifically not to go from house to house looking for the best
meal or the best people.
And
notice how Jesus only tells them what they should do and doesn’t say anything
about measuring their success. If people don’t accept your message, he says,
shake their dust off your feet and move on.
In
our congregations it’s difficult to avoid measuring success. We mark our progress
with membership figures, giving levels, budgets, annual reports, and so on.
It’s very easy to measure our work by these figures — and that’s how many
people will measure our ministry — but that’s contrary to this text.
The
seventy declare success on their return to Jesus because of how many people they
spoke to, and how many made the choice to follow Jesus. But he seems neither impressed
nor surprised.
Jesus
doesn’t want them to rejoice at how many people they spoke to, or how many
followers they gained, or, in our case, how many people come to church.
We
are not to rejoice about our success in our various ministries, but to rejoice
“that your names are written in heaven,” that is, that we are part of this
kingdom of God which we are proclaiming.
All
of this movement, from the coming of Christ, the work of the church, the
sending of pastors, the pastor who proclaimed the word to me so that I might believe,
to the people who helped me get through school and placements, all to come to
this moment, right here, where I get to tell you your name is written in
heaven.
And
what a great joy that is!
And
now it’s your turn. As a representative of God, I am sending you out into the world
to proclaim the good news that the Kingdom of God is here, right now, and that
your name is written in heaven.
To
quote St Teresa of Avila:
“Christ has no body on
earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes
through which the compassion of Christ looks out to the world.
Yours are the feet with
which he is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands
with which he is to bless others now.”
Hear
your call. Know that while you might feel unprepared, Jesus has given you everything
you need.
You
will have a companion with you. You have a simple script – you are to declare
peace wherever you go.
The
harvest is plentiful – there are people who are ready right now to hear the
message you have to bring. But we need to go out there, to go outside our walls
in order to share our message.
Be
the town crier. Be the evangelist, the emissary, the messenger, the one
speaking on Jesus’ behalf.
And know that you are never alone.
Amen.
Hymn
of the Day
– Will You Come and Follow Me (ELW #798)
Apostles’
Creed
Let us declare the faith of our baptism as we say together
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
United in Christ and guided by the Spirit, we pray for the church, the creation, and all in need.
Silence.
Lord
of the harvest, you send your church into the world to proclaim Christ’s new
creation to all. Renew the church as it carries out your mission of peace and
healing. We pray for the National Lutheran Bishop Susan Johnson, the Anglican
Primate Linda Nicholls, the Interim Indigenous Archbishop Sidney Black, the MNO
Synod Bishop Jason Zinko, the Diocese of Rupert’s Land Bishop Geoff Woodcroft,
and all clergy and lay leaders within our parishes. Foster our relationships
with partner synods and local ministry partners, that our visions and actions
are Spirit-led.
God
of grace,
hear our prayer.
Your
creation abounds with flowing waters and diverse creatures. Guide the work of
climate scientists as they develop and advocate ways to restore earth’s natural
balance. Motivate humankind to adopt lifestyles that protect and sustain the
earth.
God
of grace,
hear our prayer.
You
guard the nations; let no leaders exalt themselves, but lift up the most
vulnerable and work for the good of all. Send your Spirit to eradicate classism
and inequity, violence and war, poverty and hunger.
God
of grace,
hear our prayer.
You
desire abundant life for all. Instill in us gratitude, generosity, and
persistence in working toward freedom for all people. Help us to acknowledge
our biases and to work towards right relationship with all those who are
different than us.
God
of grace,
hear our prayer.
Mothering
God, you care for all people in need. Nourish those who are hungry. Restore
employment to those who have lost work. Heal those who are sick, and comfort
all who are dying or grieving.
God
of grace,
hear our prayer.
We
remember the saints who proclaimed your reign on earth and now rest in you
(especially Thomas the Apostle, whom we remember today). Make us faithful in
our witness to Christ’s new creation.
God
of grace,
hear our prayer.
God
of every time and place, in Jesus’ name and filled with your Holy Spirit, we
entrust these spoken prayers and those in our hearts into your holy keeping.
Amen.
Peace
The
peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Offering
Hymn – Jesus
Loves Me! (ELW #595)
Offering Prayer
Let
us pray.
God
of abundance, you have set before us a plentiful harvest. As we feast on your
goodness, strengthen us to labor in your field, and equip us to bear fruit for
the good of all, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Dialogue
The
Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let
us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Preface
It
is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that
we should at all times and in all places
give
thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,
through
our Savior Jesus Christ;
who
on this day overcame death and the grave,
and
by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.
And
so, with all the choirs of angels,
with
the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, Holy, Holy
Thanksgiving at
the Table
Holy
God,
our Maker, Redeemer, and Healer,
in the harmonious world of your creation,
the plants and animals,
the seas and stars
were whole and well in your praise.
When
sin had scarred the world,
you sent your Son to heal our ills
and to form us again into one.
In
the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do
this for the remembrance of me.
Again,
after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do
this for the remembrance of me.
Remembering,
therefore,
his acts of healing,
his body given up,
and his victory over death,
we await that day when all the peoples of the earth
will come to the river to enjoy the tree of life.
Send
your Spirit upon us and this meal:
as grains scattered on the hillside become one bread,
so let your Church be gathered from the ends of the earth,
that all may be fed with the Bread of life, your Son.
Through
him all glory and honor is yours,
Almighty Father, with the Holy Spirit,
in your holy Church,
both now and 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.
Invitation to Communion
This
is the table of Christ. It is made ready for those who love him, and for those
who want to love him more. Come, whether you have much faith or little, have
tried to follow, or are afraid that you have failed. Come. Because it is
Christ's will that those who want to meet him, might meet him here. These are
the gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
Sharing of the Eucharist
Table
Blessing
The
body and blood of our Lord
Jesus
Christ strengthen you
and
keep you in his grace.
Amen.
Prayer
After Communion
As
we have feasted around the table, let us pray.
Life-giving
God, through this meal you have bandaged our wounds and fed us with your mercy.
Now send us forth to live for others, both friend and stranger, that all may
come to know your love. This we pray in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Blessing
The
God of peace,
Father,
☩ Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless
you, comfort you,
and
show you the path of life
this
day and always.
Amen.
Sending
Song – This
Is My Song (ELW #887)
Dismissal
Go
in peace to love and serve your neighbor.
Thanks be to God.
No comments:
Post a Comment