**Please note this service is based on the format of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada with most of the prayers coming from untiallarefed.ca. Hymns and other prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.
**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.
Introduction to the day
Come, let’s praise God together! For God is great, and worthy of our praise! Let’s tell stories of the things God has done – mighty acts of power and love throughout history: for God is great, and worthy of our praise! Let’s remember how much he loves us and celebrate the care he continues to show to all of creation: for God is great, and worthy of our praise! Let’s worship God together!
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.
Our
God is close to all who call.
God
receives us as we are,
lifts
us up, and calls us again
to
be people of love and mercy –
salt
and light in a hungry, hurting world.
Receive
God’s pardon and peace;
your
sins are ☩ forgiven.
Thanks
be to God.
Amen.
Gathering
Song –
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.
Good
and gracious God, You are gathering
this
community from across the earth,
Asking
us to pour out our lives on
behalf
of those who hunger.
For
hope, For justice, for daily bread.
You
are asking us to see the earth as you do,
So
very, very good.
Trees
with fruit, bursting with seed.
Green
plants for food, for humans
and
for every living creature.
As a
holy place for everything that breathes
and
to whom you have given life.
Yet
we see the realities before us and
it
takes our breath away:
Those
whose bellies growl every day.
Those
who consume more than their fair share.
Breathe
new life into us.
As a
global community, as local congregations
Gather
us together so that we may remind
each
other of your intent for this earth.
Gather
us so that we may pour out our lives in Christ’s
name,
as Christ does on behalf of those who hunger.
Amen.
Readings
A reading from the Book of Isaiah (55:1-13)
Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the
waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and
without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labour
for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight
yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that
you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure
love for David.
See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and
commander for the peoples.
See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that
do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has
glorified you.
Seek the Lord while he may be found,
call upon him
while he is near;
let the wicked forsake their way,
and the
unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God,
for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways
my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways
higher than your ways
and my thoughts
than your thoughts.
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return
there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the
sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not
return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the
thing for which I sent it.
For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in
peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into
song,
and all the trees
of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the
brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
The
word of the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
Psalm
145:13a-21
The
Lord is faithful in all his words,
and gracious in all his deeds.
The
Lord upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The
eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
You
open your hand,
satisfying the desire of every living thing.
The
Lord is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
The
Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He
fulfils the desire of all who fear him;
he also hears their cry, and saves them.
The
Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
My
mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and all flesh will bless his holy name for
ever and ever.
A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians (3:14-21)
For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom
every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to
the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your
inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your
hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that
you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth
and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses
knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, 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 John (6:1-15)
Glory
to you, O Lord.
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of
Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him,
because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the
mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival
of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards
him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’
He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip
answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to
get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to
him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are
they among so many people?’ Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there
was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand
in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he
distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they
wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the
fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up,
and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten,
they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they
began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’
When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
The Gospel
of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Guest Speaker - Cass Smith
Good morning!
Question: what do you get when a minister is away for 10 of the last 14 days?
His partner doing the sermon on Sunday morning. 😊 All
joking aside, I’m Cass, Rev Theo’s partner. As today is World Food Day, Theo
thought it would be a good opportunity for me to come and speak with you. I run
a local Winnipeg Elementary school lunch program for grades 1 through 6. It has
approximately 215 students registered in it. I see firsthand what food
insecurity does to students and families and I’m hoping that by talking about
this everyone will understand how we can take small steps that will make a
large impact in our communities.
This
morning’s gospel is on the story of the fishes and loaves. It’s the story of
the feeding of the 5000 using only five barley loaves and two fish. Afterwards
they have a bounty of 12 baskets of leftovers to be used to feed others so
nothing will go to waste. Having grown up in the church this is a story that
I’ve heard countless times, though the message always focused on the miracle
that was performed by Jesus. Now I hear a different message in these words… we
are being called to ensure that there is enough food for all of our neighbours
and that none of it goes to waste.
World Food Day is a day
which is observed annually on October 16 to highlight the millions of people
worldwide, who cannot afford a healthy diet and are in need of access to
nutritious food. When we think about poverty and food insecurity it’s often
images of third world countries that come to mind. The 2022 theme for World
Food Day is ‘leave no one behind’ and that is why I’d like to focus on the
needs of people in our own communities.
According to Winnipeg
Harvest 62,000 people in Manitoba are food insecure and over 16,000 of those
are children. In Winnipeg specifically over 13.5% of children live below the
poverty line, which makes Winnipeg the third highest percentage of major cities
in Canada. This means that families are being forced to choose between paying
bills such as rent or hydro and feeding their children. It means that families
may not know where their next weeks food supplies are coming from, or even how
they are going to make dinner tonight.
The school where I work
has families with varying household incomes but the average family attending
the school and lunch program sits at or below the poverty level. While there
are many kids who have lunches full of warm meals, fruit, and snacks, it’s the
students who are struggling that stand out to me. In many cases their lunches
consist of whatever their parents have available to put together for them: a
piece of bread and some crackers or maybe cheese, or a large bag of chips, or
in some cases I have children who come to the lunch program but have no lunch
at all.
The problem with these
situations are that people who make decisions in governments and in social
work, and many individuals who have never lived in poverty often focus the
attention on the families being the problem. Why don’t they access the food
bank? Why don’t they make more money? Why don’t they buy healthy food? Let’s
debunk these misconceptions.
First, our food banks are
stretched so thin that families who need these resources to survive are
receiving so little it barely lasts a day or two. For a family of a single
parent and elementary school child, Winnipeg Harvest provides a liter of milk
if your child is under 12, one can of soup, one can of fruit or vegetables, a
loaf of bread, and then the rest depends on what donations come in. Sometimes
they receive meat, or a box of crackers or cereal, produce is dependant on what
they have received and it’s also one to two servings. Additionally, families
can only receive a hamper from Winnipeg Harvest once every two weeks. The food
they receive is meant to help feed a family and fill the gap but can only be
received one time every two weeks. I just want you to think about that for a
minute.
Well then why don’t they
make more money? Let’s get a little nerdy for a second and look at the numbers.
Currently the minimum wage in Manitoba is $13.50/hour. Even working full time
at 40 hours a week that’s a gross income of $1080.00 bi-weekly. After taxes and
other required deductions according to the Canada Revenue Agency website, the
take home amount would be about $881.00 every two weeks, or $1762.00 monthly.
Let’s be generous with
bill allowances here: say they have a two bedroom apartment, average $1223.00;
hydro, average $100.00; Winnipeg Transit, average 106.00; phone bill, average
$70.00; daycare, average $30.00 per day per child -- which totals $1529.00 per
month. This doesn’t take into account internet or cable, a streaming service,
kids activities… even without all those extras that leaves this family with $233.00
for incidentals and extras, and most importantly groceries. Even if we take
that full amount for groceries it breaks down to under $8.00/day for food. I don’t know what your grocery bills look like
each month, but Rev Theo and I have two growing kids who are 14 and almost 12,
and they could easily eat more than $200.00/month for groceries, especially
when we focus on healthy foods that nourish their bodies and minds.
Which brings me to the
third point: the affordability of healthy groceries. Rev Theo and I live in the
West End of Winnipeg close to downtown, which is considered a lower income area
and therefore the price points of groceries tend to reflect this. Yesterday we
went to the store to see what we could buy for $5.00, and this is what we have
to show for it.
First, we stopped at a chain grocery store near our house and purchased this 170g pack of Raspberries which was $4.99 on sale.
Then we went to the chain
dollar store down the street and purchased a full bag of groceries. However,
this is what we bought: a large bag of chips, a large bag of pretzels, a small
bag of corn nuts, a pack of four pepperoni sticks, a chocolate bar, and a 500mL
bottle of Pepsi for $5.00.
Just looking at difference in the amount of food that can be purchased is shocking. When you have only $5.00 to spend at a store do you buy the small pack of raspberries or the bag of ‘unhealthy’ groceries that will go further. When it is your only $5.00 for food, you look at the value and affordability of items in a very different way. How can we possibly blame families that have such a limited food budget for using their resources as effectively as they can?
Looking at these factors
is honestly overwhelming. I go to work each day and all I want to do see my
students fed well so they can be healthy and happy and successful. So they
worry about what kids should be worried about: who will I play with at recess?
Or what was my teacher talking about again? Children shouldn’t be worried about
not having enough food or any food for lunch or wondering where their next meal
is going to come from.
Statistics tell us that
this is a big problem. The numbers don’t lie but they are also easy to
overlook. The numbers do not adequately reflect the human experience. However,
my student’s stories do reflect the human experience. What they go
through every day is an injustice that is based in the history of systemic
racism and poverty. One person cannot change the world. I alone cannot
dismantle the systems that create this cycle of poverty and food insecurity.
However, together we can collectively make a difference.
This is where you come
in. Make regular donations to your local food bank either financial or grocery
contributions. Check if your schools offer food programs for students who face
these issues every day. As the Advent season approaches, there is even more
that can be done: sponsor a families Christmas hamper or ask your work to
sponsor a hamper, it doesn’t have to be you alone. Do a reverse advent calendar
in the month of November so that December 1 you can donate it to the food bank
and the families who need it will have it in time for the holidays. Most
importantly is that after Christmas, keep donating to help fill the gap.
So
how does all of this tie into our gospel reading today? Well, five loaves and
two fish created an abundance. When we look at what we can do it is not about
if we have 500 loaves and 200 fish it is about giving from our own abundance.
Share from what you have. If everyone who thought “How can I alone possibly
help?” made one small donation regularly, or donated their time to help, or got
up in front of a church group to talk about ‘the power of we’ could you imagine
the power of change that would inspire? That is why I asked Rev Theo to collect
for your local food banks today, because together we can do great things.
The World Food Day theme of ‘leave no one behind’ was essentially what Jesus said every time he gave instructions to his disciples:
‘heal the sick’… leave no one behind,
‘let the children come to me’ …leave no one behind,
‘feed the hungry’…leave no one behind.
It was and continues to be a
call to action to do what you can, what we all can do, in small ways every day.
Hymn
of the Day
– For the Bread Which You Have Broken (ELW #494)
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
When Jesus told the disciples
to give the crowd something to eat,
they found only a few loaves and two small fish.
But they brought what they had to Jesus.
Let us bring our prayers before the Lord.
We thank you, God, for the abundance
of food we receive from your hand.
We thank you for the progress that has been
made against hunger in recent years,
and we remember today those people at risk of
falling back into hunger and extreme poverty.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for all those directly affected by hunger,
especially those in the Sahel region of Africa.
For farmers whose livelihoods depend on natural,
economic, and political conditions beyond their control.
For parents who struggle to put food on the table,
and for children who go to bed hungry.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We ask your blessing on those working to save lives
and end hunger in the world,
especially now at a time when the high cost of food
makes meeting those needs an even greater challenge.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for the leaders of the nations,
especially our own leaders, that they will act
with wisdom, generosity, and compassion,
bring relief to those who are hungry now,
and help move us all toward a world without hunger.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Finally, we pray for ourselves,
that you will show us the ways your church
can be an instrument of grace to hungry people,
and give us the courage to act in your name,
sharing generously what you have so freely given to us.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Jesus blessed the five loaves
and the two small fish,
and it was multiplied,
and everyone had enough and more.
God, please accept our prayers.
We know you will multiply this small offering
beyond our imaginings,
and that one day soon,
everyone will eat and be satisfied.
We offer these prayers in the name of Jesus Christ,
the Bread of Life.
Amen.
Peace
The
peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Offering
Hymn – Eat This Bread (ELW #472)
Offering
Prayer
Let
us pray.
God
of mercy,
the
gifts we bring
are
so small in comparison
to
the vast needs in our world –
nowhere
near enough to save the
thousands
who are dying of
starvation
or malnutrition,
or
even to meet the needs of the
hungry
and homeless in our city.
Yet
we come with open hands,
bringing
what we can.
As
You once multiplied
the
five small loaves and two fish,
multiply
these gifts as well, so that, once
again,
the hungry may receive all they need,
and
more.
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
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.
Loving
God,
take
our hands, take our lives,
ordinary
as wheat or cornmeal,
daily
as bread –
our
stumbling generosity, our simple actions,
and
find them good enough to help prepare the feast
for
all your people;
for
the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Blessing
We
dare to dream of a world
in
which hunger is unknown:
where
scarcity is an illusion,
and
everyone has a place at the table.
We
dare to dream of a world
in
which generosity is the norm:
where
greed finds no foothold,
and
there is more than enough for all.
We
dare to dream of a world
in
which love rules:
where
compassion is the first response,
and
there is no place for bigotry.
We
dare to dream.
We
dare to pray.
We
dare to believe.
May
the blessing of God, Creator of heaven and Earth,
rest
upon you and upon all that God has made;
May
the Risen Christ Jesus
transform
your life and your vision,
so
that you may live in reconciliation with all things;
and
may the power of God’s Holy Spirit
move
over this whole Earth,
like
the breath of Spring,
to
renew the Earth and all its people,
so
that all creation may join together
in
praise to God’s holy name!
Almighty
God, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless
you now and forever.
Amen.
Sending
Song – Praise and Thanksgiving (ELW #689)
Dismissal
Go
in peace, with Christ beside you.
Thanks be to God.
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