**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
loves us all, both big and small,” a child’s verse declares. The sins of the
world are covered. We are able to stand tall before God our righteous judge
because in the person of Jesus “salvation has come to this house” – to our
house today. In Christ Jesus God seeks us out to save us.
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed
be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
who
is eager to forgive
and
who loves us beyond our days.
Amen.
Dear
friends, together let us acknowledge
our
failure to love this world as Jesus does.
God
of mercy and forgiveness,
we
confess that sin still has a hold on us.
We
have harmed your good creation.
We
have failed to do justice,
love
kindness,
and
walk humbly with you.
Turn
us in a new direction.
Show
us the path that leads to life.
Be
our refuge and strength on the journey,
through
Jesus Christ, our redeemer and friend.
Amen.
Beloved
of God:
your
sins are forgiven ☩ and
you are made whole.
God
points the way to new life in Christ,
who
meets us on the road.
Journey
now in God’s abiding love
through
the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Gathering
Song – Blessed
Assurance (ELW #638)
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
Canticle
of Praise
Prayer
of the Day
Let
us pray.
Merciful
God, gracious and benevolent, through your Son you invite all the world to a
meal of mercy. Grant that we may eagerly follow his call, and bring us with all
your saints into your life of justice and joy, through Jesus Christ, our Savior
and Lord.
Amen.
Readings
A
reading from the Book of Jeremiah. (31:31-34)
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
The
word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm
46
God
is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore
we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of
the sea;
though
its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its
tumult.
There
is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God
is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
The
nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The
Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Come,
behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the
earth.
He
makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
‘Be
still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.’
The
Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
A
reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans. (3:19-28)
Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those
who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world
may be held accountable to God. For ‘no human being will be justified in his
sight’ by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge
of sin.
But now, irrespective of law, the righteousness of God has
been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness
of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no
distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are
now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective
through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine
forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove
at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one
who has faith in Jesus.
Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.
The
word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel
Acclamation
The
Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy
Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. (8:31-36)
Glory
to you, O Lord.
Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you
continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth,
and the truth will make you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are descendants of
Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, “You
will be made free”?’
Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
The Gospel
of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
I come to you in the
name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Reformation
Day commemorates the day that Martin Luther went to the Castle Church in
Wittenberg, Germany, and posted his Ninety-Five Theses. Luther’s action was no empty
performance – he was a respected pastor and teacher.
His
public declaration brought him into direct conflict with the people and
communities he knew and loved. The effects of the resulting schism of the
western church and the development of Protestantism would reverberate well into
the future.
But
this isn’t what Luther wanted. He wasn’t looking to leave the Roman Catholic
church. He just wanted people to live less sinful lives, and to follow the
gospel with the love and compassion that God, through Jesus, was teaching.
Coming
into this side of the pandemic (I’m not calling it over, because it’s not), we
hear a lot of conversations about how the church is reforming, changing into
something new. But we still don’t know what that “something new” is going to
be.
Luther
wanted to re-form the church so that we would know that we are saved by the
grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
This
re-formation didn’t only happen 500 years ago. It wasn’t a static event. It is
still happening today, it happens every day when we choose to acknowledge our
faith in Jesus and to proclaim the gospel in the way that we live each of those
days – by living in right relationship with God.
Not
only right relationship with God, but right relationship with each other. One
of the ways I see the church reforming is in that relationship with one
another.
I
don’t just mean the person beside you, or even your physical neighbour. We need
a right relationship with everyone.
I
just finished a course called “Holy Rage to Holy Hope”. The purpose of the
course was to talk about the polarization that exists in American politics and
religion by learning how you can bridge the divide.
We
explored what it means to live out our calling as a prophet, public leader, and
change agent in our congregations and community. We pondered how to help our
faith communities deal with difficult topics such as racism, sexism, Christian
Nationalism, etc.
The
goal was to become equipped to teach our members how to carry out civil conversations
with others who have opposing opinions, and to help congregations become
centers of healing that can help bridge the divisions that currently exist.
While
the course was based on American politics, there were plenty of comparisons to
relationships in Canada, especially with our Indigenous relations and our queer
siblings. There are also links to our readings today.
Verse
32 of the Gospel reading talks about knowing the truth. But what is the truth?
In
this course, we discussed how history is being erased. Too often we hear people
deny events in the past. For example, the fact that queer people never existed
before now, or that the holocaust never happened, or how the relationship
between Indigenous people and settlers began, or the fact that the church and
government have joined together over and over to commit genocide in the name of
the bible.
It
is frequently stated that history is written by the victor. So, when John talks
about knowing the truth, we need to pay attention to whose truth we are
hearing.
One
thing I took away from reading the textbook accompanying the course was the
importance of engaging in storytelling with those different than myself. Doing
so helps build relationships and bridge difference between people.
Storytelling
is the sharing of personal stories about life, family, and culture. Faith
communities can give people a voice to share their stories by providing safe
spaces to do so.
Stories
carrying meaning and values; they can be healing; and they reveal the truth of
our past. Listen to each others’ stories is an important step in reconciling
with one another, and in reconciling our relationship with God.
Now
God knows we are not, nor will we ever be, perfect or, more accurately,
sinless. We are all sinners. But despite that, God still gives us mercy and
grace, especially through our faith in Jesus Christ.
God
justifies those who have faith in Jesus, and through Christ, God expresses a
commitment to reconciliation. God put Jesus forward to show off God’s desire to
set things right in the world.
When
the Gospel and faith in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are lived out,
God will be manifested in the global world. God desires the human family to be
characterized and defined by a love of people.
We
all desire a world where peace and unity will be the heartbeat and spirit of
life. Yet, each generation has come to contend with war, hatred, evil, and
wickedness.
The
human family is in need of Jesus.
The
human condition, as portrayed in words, actions, and conduct, will always need
the good news of Jesus Christ.
That
said, being in the Church for a long time or being born in a Christian family
does not mean that one is saved by God.
Paul’s
claim in Romans is that culture cannot offer us salvation, and neither can our
status redeem us. Instead, our deplorable state as humanity finds its rest in
justification by faith.
As
sinners lost in flesh, and unable to meet godly standards of righteousness, God
provides Jesus as the only route out of the human predicament. Jesus, in this
case, is the only alternative to having a relationship with God and with other
human beings. It is through the power of the Gospel that true reconciliation is
enacted
On
the cross, God extended salvation and compassion to all people, and the Church
should also develop avenues of serving the world in a manner that aligns with
the events of the cross.
Salvation,
like resurrection, is an everyday need and experience, hence, the ministry of
teaching about the Gospel should be an ongoing practice.
Paul
teaches us that false understanding of God leads to dangerous results
manifesting in the mistreatment of ordinary people, and children. Many
dangerous events in the 21st century have been done in the name of the Bible.
Colonization and invading other people’s land have been done and continue to be
done in the name of the Bible.
As
Pastor Jennifer mentioned in her sermon last week, we have missed the mark. All
humanity, including Christians, have missed God’s mark.
We
are called to unconditionally love all of God’s creation, as God loves us, with
no strings attached. We are interdependent because our existence begins with
God.
So,
what must the people of God do in a world so full of injustice?
We
must re-form ourselves, and the church.
We
must re-form our relationship with each other, and with God.
We
must make loving one’s neighbour a priority over doctrine and liturgy.
As
Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:12, it is better to break the Sabbath than to fail
in loving our neighbours.
Today
is Reformation Sunday. It is a sacred day to remind and call people to embody
the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Paul’s
articulation of the saving event in Romans should summon us all to commit
ourselves to God’s mission and ministry for justice, mercy, reconciliation, and
relationship.
Church
attendance without a commitment to justice, spiritual formation, and mercy is
an insult to God’s heart.
Reformation
Sunday should respond to Paul’s theology and summon people to a life of
forgiveness and Global love.
Never stop loving.
In the
name of God, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hymn
of the Day
– Just As I Am, without One Plea (ELW #592)
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
In gratitude and humility, let us join together in prayer on behalf of all of God’s creation.
Silence
Keep
your church steadfast in your word, reforming God. Deepen our faith and
increase our love in Jesus’ name. Further ecumenical dialogue and partnerships and
equip us for unified witness and service in the world.
Hear
us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Come
to the aid of the poor, especially those suffering food and water shortages or
loss of homes due to natural disasters. Halt the exploitation of the earth’s
resources and lead us to seek justice and rescue the oppressed.
Hear
us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Guide
leaders of all nations, almighty God. Heal divisions, build trust, and remove
barriers that prevent collaboration and cooperation. Bring neighborhoods,
cities, and countries together to work for the common good.
Hear
us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Save
from trouble those who struggle with hunger, homelessness, or addiction.
Strengthen the overworked and give hope to those who do not have enough work.
Console those who are burdened by illness or grief.
Hear
us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Reveal
yourself to all who seek you. Empower the hospitality ministries of this
congregation to welcome others to your feast of love. Foster generosity in our
stewardship ministries to both our congregation and community.
Hear
us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Gather
the faithful at the table of your eternal banquet. We give thanks for those who
have witnessed to your gracious presence, especially Martin Luther and all who
strive to reform and renew the church.
Hear
us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
With grateful hearts we commend our spoken and silent
prayers to you, O God; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Peace
The
peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Offering
Hymn – O
Jesus, Joy of Loving Hearts (ELW #658)
Offering
Prayer
Let
us pray.
God
of constant love,
you
have guided your people in all times and ages.
May
we who offer you our praise today
always
be ready to follow where you lead;
we
ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
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 Bread of life, our Table, and our Food,
you created a world in which all might be satisfied by your
abundance.
You
dined with Abraham and Sarah, promising them life,
and fed your people Israel with manna from heaven.
You
sent your Son to eat with sinners
and to become food for the world.
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 life given for us
and his rising from the grave,
we await his coming again to share with us the everlasting
feast.
By
your Spirit nurture and sustain us with this meal:
strengthen us to serve all in hunger and want,
and by this bread and cup make of us the body of 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.
Christ
invites you to this table.
Come, taste and see.
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.
God
of the abundant table,
you
have refreshed our hearts in this meal
with
bread for the journey.
Give
us your grace on the road
that
we might serve our neighbors with joy;
for
the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Blessing
May
God who has brought us from death to life
fill
you with great joy.
Almighty
God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless
you now and forever.
Amen.
Sending
Song – Praise
My Soul, the God of Heaven (ELW #864)
Dismissal
Go
in peace, with Christ beside you.
Thanks be to God.
