**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
Genuine repentance and pretentious piety stand in stark contrast in the gospel and all around us. All creation stands in need of God’s forgiveness. Keep the faith. God’s people shall be accounted righteous for Jesus’ sake. Our God is merciful to sinners. For this we worship and glorify God forever.
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.
Almighty
God have mercy upon you, ☩
pardon
and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm
and strengthen you in all goodness,
and
keep you in eternal life;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Gathering
Song – Give
to Our God Immortal Praise (ELW #848)
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.
Holy
God, our righteous judge, daily your mercy surprises us with everlasting
forgiveness. Strengthen our hope in you, and grant that all the peoples of the
earth may find their glory in you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Readings
A reading from the Book of Joel (2:23-32)
O children of Zion, be glad
and rejoice in the
Lord your God;
for he has given the early rain for your vindication,
he has poured down
for you abundant rain,
the early and the
later rain, as before.
The threshing-floors shall be full of grain,
the vats shall
overflow with wine and oil.
I will repay you for the years
that the swarming
locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army,
which I sent against you.
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the
name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt
wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I, the
Lord, am your God and there is no other.
And my people shall never again
be put to shame.
Then afterwards
I will pour out my
spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall
dream dreams,
and your young men
shall see visions.
Even on the male and female slaves,
in those days, I will pour out my spirit.
I will show portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.
The
word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm
65
Praise
is due to you,
O God, in Zion;
and
to you shall vows be performed,
O you who answer prayer!
To
you all flesh shall come.
When
deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.
Happy
are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We
shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.
By
awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you
are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
By
your strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.
You
silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
Those
who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you
make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
You
visit the earth and water it,
you greatly enrich it;
the
river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.
You
water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening
it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
You
crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
The
pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
the
meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.
A reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Timothy (4:6-8,
16-18)
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 to
me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his
appearing.
At my first defence 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 for ever and ever. Amen.
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 Luke (18:9-14)
Glory
to you, O Lord.
He 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.”
The Gospel
of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
“God, I thank you that I am not like other people: proud, haughty, self-righteous, or even like that on-fire-for-Jesus Christian. I bow my head when I pray silently, and I cover the amount on my envelope with my thumb when I slip it into the offering plate”.
Have you ever prayed that prayer? Or had those thoughts?
“God, how could you love someone like me. I am not like those other people who have it all together, who give more than I do, who volunteer more than I do, who are better people than I am. Have mercy on me, because that’s all I have”
What about this prayer and these thoughts?
It is easy to hear this parable and think that it is a lesson about the value of humility. There is the Pharisee, incorrectly dividing the world into categories. Thankfully we are not like him. And there is the tax collector. He knows what this is about, he is a good Lutheran. All sin. The only hope he has is for God’s mercy.
To modern listeners, the details of this parable go by so quickly. We don’t know what it was like to stand in the temple of Jerusalem. The term Pharisee is derogatory today. It can seem easy to identify the villain here because we have not heard the standard prayers of the Hebrew faith.
But understanding the context, as always, is very important. The temple of Jerusalem would have been grand sight to behold. It was big and it had rules. The people believed that it was where God lived – in the inner sanctum, the holy of holies. The temple was the place where you had to earn every inch of God’s favour. Whether you were a Pharisee or tax collector, you knew where you stood in the eyes of God when you were inside the temple.
The Pharisee knows that he is righteous. He prays a Benediction that every Jewish man was to pray each day. Thank you God that I am not a Gentile, a sinner, or a woman. The Pharisee modifies the prayer, but the point is still the same. He is genuinely thankful for who he is. The pharisees see those around him and looks down on them.
The tax collector, on the other hand, knows that he cannot expect anything from God. His job requires him to break the rules of Judaism. To charge interest, to handle money with graven images on it, even to steal or assault. He is not righteous and his only hope is God’s mercy. The tax collector is so wrapped up in himself, that he doesn’t see the world around him.
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector are both quick to divide people into categories and be judge on God’s behalf. The Pharisees judges himself righteous, the tax collector judges himself unrighteous. And we are often guilty of the same.
Whether we are thanking God for not being thieves, rogues, adulterers or tax collectors, or whether we are thanking God because we are not arrogant, self-righteous, or prideful, the issue is the same. We divide humanity into categories, justified or unjustified, saved or unsaved, loved or unloved.
Human beings are constantly looking for the ways that we can identify who is in and who is out. We might not be standing on the street corner, boldly thanking God in prayer for our certain salvation. But have we looked down on others, the homeless, those in financial trouble, those who struggle with addiction, those who come from broken families, even those who are sick, and we thank God that we are not them. “Therefore by the grace of God, go I”. Or how often have we been the ones thinking that we are worthless compared to those around us. That we unworthy, while everyone else seems so perfect. Whether we are intentional about it, or whether we do not know that we are doing it, we too place ourselves in the same categories that the Pharisees and the Tax Collector do.
Now, here is the thing about that kind of thinking. It is a trap.
And so it the parable today.
The parable that Jesus tells today is a trap that makes us identify ourselves with either the Pharisee or the tax collector. But this parable is not about pride or humility, and it is just as much not about Pharisees or tax collectors.
The parable is about the storyteller.
The parable is about Jesus.
While we are busy trying to make things about us, God is reminding us that it is God alone who justifies. God alone decides who is good enough for the Kingdom.
According to the law, the Pharisee came into the temple righteous, and left the temple righteous. But Jesus says something about the tax collector that should grab our attention,
“I… tell… you, this man went down to his home justified”.
There is nothing that the tax collector did, rather it is Jesus who says that the man is justified. It is Jesus who decides.
In the world of the Jerusalem temple, there were those were in and those were out. But everything changes with Jesus.
Through birth, life, death and resurrection, Jesus comes to tear down the categories we try to build. Whenever we try to make categories, God will stand on the other side, because God wants all to be included, all to receive grace, all to be loved. God has only one category for all of us. We belong to God and God alone.
We are not good enough to save ourselves, and nor are we too bad to be loved by God. God is the one who decides who is in and who is out, and God says, you are in.
The parable that Jesus tells is not a parable on how to act, or who to be like or how to pray. This is a parable about God. A parable that shows us God’s motives and shows us the way that God chooses to act in the world. That shows us that God wants to be with and care for the least, the lost, the sinners and the alone. God wants to care for us… because we are the least, the lost, the sinners and the alone.
Neither the Pharisee, nor the tax collector, nor us, want to see or admit, that being justified, that being saved is something that God does for us. Yet, that is what is told to us today. The trap is laid that we try to divide humanity into saved and not saved. And it is God who alone who knows the way out. Through love and mercy God chooses humanity. God who chooses those who truly cannot be righteous on our own, God comes to us as Christ who lives and dies, with us, with imperfect and flawed human beings, God sends us the Holy Spirit to bring us into the resurrection and into new life.
Perhaps our prayer today should be:
“God, we thank you that we ARE like other people: Pharisees and tax collectors, sinners and saints. We are justified by your righteousness; we are saved by your love.”
Amen.
Hymn of the Day – My Hope is Built on Nothing Less (ELW #596)
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
God of mercy, you are in the midst of us and we are called
by your name. Inspire your church to serve and love all people with the
unceasing grace you extend to us. 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. Help them to live by faith and walk by the light of your gospel.
Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of all creation, you formed a world where even the
sparrow finds a home. Preserve the beauty and diversity of all creatures with
whom we share the earth. Lead us to protect all living things.
Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of peace, you are an ever-present help in time of
trouble. Rescue families and nations torn apart by violence and warfare. We
pray especially for the people of Ukraine. Unite all people toward common goals
of reconciliation and peace for every person.
Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of hope, you stand with the suffering and give strength.
Comfort your people filled with fear or anger, anxiety or shame. Bring healing
to all who are sick in body, mind, or spirit.
Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of restoration, you call us to trust in you and not
ourselves alone. Make our congregations communities of humility and repentance,
ready to encounter you in love and follow in your ways.
Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of eternal life, to you be the glory forever. We give
you thanks for all who have fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the
faith, and now live with you.
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 – For
the Fruit of All Creation (ELW #679)
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
We
give you thanks and praise, almighty God,
through
your beloved Son, Jesus Christ,
our
Saviour and Redeemer.
He
is your living Word,
through
whom you have created all things.
By
the power of the Holy Spirit
he
took flesh of the Virgin Mary
and
shared our human nature.
He
lived and died as one of us,
to
reconcile us to you,
the
God and Father of all.
In
fulfilment of your will
he
stretched out his hands in suffering,
to
bring release to those who place their hope in you;
and
so he won for you a holy people.
He
chose to bear our griefs and sorrows,
and
to give up his life on the cross,
that
he might shatter the chains of evil and death,
and
banish the darkness of sin and despair.
By
his resurrection
he
brings us into the light of your presence.
Now
with all creation we raise our voices
to proclaim the glory of your name.
Holy, Holy, Holy
Thanksgiving at
the Table
Holy and gracious
God,
accept our praise,
through your Son our
Saviour Jesus Christ;
who on the night he
was handed over
to suffering and
death,
took bread and gave
you thanks,
saying, “Take, and
eat:
this is my body which
is broken for you.”
In the same way he
took the cup,
saying, “This is my
blood which is shed for you.
When you do this,
you do it in memory of me.”
Remembering,
therefore, his death and resurrection,
we offer you this
bread and this cup,
giving thanks that
you have made us worthy
to stand in your
presence and serve you.
We ask you to send
your Holy Spirit
upon the offering of
your holy Church.
Gather into one
all who share in
these sacred mysteries,
filling them with
the Holy Spirit
and confirming their
faith in the truth,
that together we may
praise you
and give you glory
through your
Servant, Jesus Christ.
All glory and honour
are yours,
Father and Son,
with the Holy Spirit
in the holy Church,
now and for ever.
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
“I
am the bread of life,” says the Lord.
“Whoever
comes to me will never be hungry;
whoever
believes in me will never thirst.”
Taste
and see that the Lord is good;
happy are they who trust in him!
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
our guide,
you
have fed us with bread from heaven
as
you fed the people of Israel.
May
we who have been inwardly nourished
be
ready to follow you all our days;
we
ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Blessing
The
peace of God, which passes all understanding,
keep
your hearts and minds in the knowledge and
love
of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord:
And
the blessing of God, the Almighty, ☩ the
Son,
and
the Holy Spirit be amongst you and
remain
with you always.
Amen.
Sending
Song – Let
Us Talents and Tongues Employ (ELW #674)
Dismissal
Go
in peace, with Christ beside you.
Thanks be to God.
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