MORRIS-ROSENFELD ECUMENICAL SHARED MINISTRY
ORDER OF SERVICE FOR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2023
19TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST / CREATION TIME 5 / THANKSGIVING SUNDAY
Due to copyright limitations, we are unable to print the words to many of the songs. However, our musicians have chosen music to fit the scriptures. We invite you to look up the words in your worship book and ponder them. If you do not have a worship book, ponder the words of one of your favourite hymns and listen for God’s voice. Those who have the internet may find the songs on YouTube.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Dr. Michael Binder of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, is fond of saying, “Generosity is what God wants for us, not from us.”
BEFORE WE WORSHIP, WE REFLECT…
How do we define an abundant life? Is it by how much we have? Do we define it in comparison or contrast to what others have? Too often, our definition of an abundant life keeps us turned inward because it is characterized by the amount of money we have in the bank, the number of friends by our side, or gadgets in our pocket.
Today’s readings provide us an opportunity to redefine what constitutes an abundant life. Each reading orients our perspective outward and gives us pause to consider the correlation between an abundant life and a life lived in faithful relationship to God.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge we gather and worship on Treaty 1 Territory, the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.
Gracious God, we pray for the courage to be our best selves and to give of our best selves. Help us to heal each other, to be allies to those who most need allies. We pray for the health and well-being of all people and of this place. Guide us, Heavenly Spirit, on new and different paths, paths of love, understanding, compassion, and commitment to serving others, loving all those known to us, and known only to you, your children in whom your Spirit resides. Amen.
CALL TO WORSHIP
The heavens are telling the glory of the Lord; and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.
All around us are signs and wonders, fingerprints of the creator. Praise be to God!
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it; the world, and all who live in it.
All around us we find life; all the created world is related to us. Praise be to God!
Come, let us dwell in God’s work of art! Here in this wondrous world we are not alone. We share this life with the heavens and the earth…
With the waters and the land, with trees and grasses, With fish, birds, and animals, with minerals and creatures of every form, and with all our brothers and sisters. Praise be to God!
God is good and everything God makes is good.
Praise to the creator of all that is, seen and unseen! Amen.
CHILDREN’S SONG: Thank You
CENTERING PRAYER
Generous God, we are so grateful for all that You have done. You have given us life, health, strength, and purpose. You have gone before us every day and protected us in all our endeavors. You have ensured that we have enough food to eat and a place to lay our heads. You have surrounded us with friends and family and we want to say thank You for them. Every good and perfect gift that we have comes from You and we give You glory. May we always be grateful for Your blessings, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
MISSION & SERVICE: Geeta’s Story
When Geeta’s husband died, she not only lost her life partner but also her home. Because she was no longer married her in-laws wouldn’t allow her to stay in their multi-generational residence.
Geeta is just one of an estimated 72 million women in India who are not married—nearly double the entire population of Canada. In India, most women are expected to marry and live with their husband and his family. Unmarried women, even those who are widowed, are often seen as dishonourable. Like Geeta, they may suffer abuse.
Fortunately, Geeta was able to flee to her parents’ home with her two younger children, but many parents will not allow their newly single daughters to return.
While Geeta and her younger children stayed with her parents, her in-laws stole her jewellery, changed the locks, and kept her two older children from her. That’s when she turned to Mission and Service partner Astha Sansthan’s Association of Strong Women Alone (ASWA) for help.
ASWA supports thousands of single women from low-income backgrounds in Rajasthan to defend their rights. The organization has also shared their advocacy methods and experiences with other groups across India.
Thanks to ASWA’s help, Geeta’s in-laws ultimately had to give back her jewellery, unlock her home, and return her older children to her care.
Today, Geeta is living peacefully with her children in her part of the house.
Your generous support of Mission and Service provides life-saving advocacy. It is one way your gifts address crushing inequality and help build a better world for all. Thank you!
CHILDREN’S CHAT
Today is Thanksgiving Sunday. I don’t know about you, but I like to take some time on this day to think about all the people in my life, family and friends, that make my life joyful and filled with love. I like to take time to think about all the wonderful things God has done for me – and say thank you to God. I like to take time to think of all the places in and outside of Canada that I have been, the beauty of each city and countryside, the people I have met, even the animals I have seen – and give thanks to God.
How about you? How will you give thanks to God today for all that you have and all the people in your life? How will you show your thanks? Loving others is a great way to say “thank you” to God!
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
God, the words you speak have power: power to create, power to disturb, power to heal. Help us to hear your Word for us today. Amen.
READINGS AND PSALM
First Reading: Deuteronomy 8:7-18
Times of abundance tempt us to forget God and rely on our own power and resources. But God is the one who took Israel out of Egypt, led and fed them in the wilderness, brought them into the land, and gave them power to be productive. To thank this God is to remember and proclaim God’s deeds.
7For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, 8a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. 10You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.
11Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. 12When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, 13and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, 14then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, 16and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. 17Do not say to yourself, “My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.” 18But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.
Psalm 65
1You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; to you shall vows be fulfilled.
2To you, the one who answers prayer, to you all flesh shall come.
3Our sins are stronger than we are, but you blot out our transgressions.
4Happy are they whom you choose and draw to your courts to dwell there!
They will be satisfied by the beauty of your house, by the holiness of your temple.
5Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation,
O hope of all the ends of the earth and of the oceans far away.
6You make firm the mountains by your power; you are girded about with might.
7You still the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the clamor of the peoples.
8Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvelous signs;
you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.
9You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it very plenteous; the river of God is full of water.
You prepare the grain, for so you provide for the earth.
10You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges;
with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.
11You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths overflow with plenty.
12May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, and the hills be clothed with joy.
13May the meadows cover themselves with flocks, and the valleys cloak themselves with grain;
let them shout for joy and sing.
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Christian fellowship involves sharing with those in need. Here Paul is gathering a collection for the church in Jerusalem from all the Gentile churches he helped found. We can be extravagant in our giving because God is extravagant in providing for our lives.
6The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 9As it is written,
“God scatters abroad, God gives to the poor; God’s righteousness endures forever.”
10 The One who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; 12for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. 13Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, 14while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that God has given you. 15Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!
Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
A Samaritan leper becomes a model for thanksgiving. He does not take for granted the kindness shown to him but takes time to thank Jesus and to glorify God.
11On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”
HYMN: VU 516 Come, You Thankful People, Come
SERMON:
My friend, Donnalyn, is blind in one eye. When you have sight in only one eye, you have no depth perception.
One day, Donnalyn was out riding her tricycle. As she crossed a street, she misjudged how close she was to the curb. She hit the curb at a good speed sending her, and the tricycle, sideways and onto the road. She landed near a bus stop. As she struggled to get up, she glanced at the people gathered at the bus shelter. Like a herd of cows, they just stood there – staring at her. No one asked how she was, no one came to her aid.
After a few more moments, Donnalyn managed to get on her hands and knees. Suddenly, a stranger came running from across the street to help her stand up. Once she was up, Donnalyn turned to the people at the bus stop and said, “And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it’s done!”
Perhaps a similar thought runs through your mind as you read of the one in ten who returned to give thanks for their healing. Perhaps one of the disciples wanted to call out to the disappearing nine, “This is how you thank God properly, people!”
Saying “Thank you”. We teach our children to say these words even if they are not thankful. I have been accused of teaching my children to lie, forcing them to say ‘thank you’ when they did not feel thankful. Perhaps the accusation is correct. Now that they are adults, I still expect my children to say thank you, even if they do not feel thankful. Why? Because I want them to respect the giver. I want my children to acknowledge the fact that someone thought about them, loved them, cared about them and was moved to give them something. Even if they are not thankful for the gift, I want them to acknowledge the person and the motivation of love.
There is so much going on in this story that it is easy to overlook the obvious. Jesus’ response to the lepers’ cry for mercy is to tell them to show themselves to the priests. Only as they are on their way to the priests do the lepers receive healing. True, the Samaritan is the one who returns and gives thanks, yet the other nine remain healed without having returned to give thanks. My point is that the healing of the nine was not contingent on their saying “thank you” to Jesus.
The term ‘leprosy’ covered a variety of skin disorders in antiquity. What we would today call psoriasis or eczema would probably have come under the heading of ‘leprosy’ in Jesus’ day. True leprosy is caused by a bacterium and affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes. In Jesus day, someone with leprosy was banished to live outside the city walls or in the wilderness around a village or town. They could not be near their families and friends. Lepers had to rely on the generosity of others to exist, or whatever they could find at the local dump. To have leprosy in Jesus’ day meant ostracism, ridicule, condemnation, verbal abuse, disfigurement, muscle weakness and nerve damage.
Though it is not stated in the story, knowing what the life of a leper was like, it can be inferred that the other nine, once they were declared clean by the priests, would have been extremely thankful to Jesus. Not only was their skin restored, so was their family, social and work life, not to mention their dignity and status in society.
After praising God and thanking Jesus, Jesus says to the Samaritan, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” Hang on… the fellow is already healed, why would Jesus say that his faith has made him well?
John W. Martens, associate professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minneapolis, answers the question this way:
But how is evidence of faithfulness instead of thankfulness? Faithfulness is demonstrated in two ways. One, the Samaritan recognizes that mercy has come from Jesus, and returning to thank Jesus is a form of faithfulness to the mercy of God that has been made manifest; and two, the Samaritan’s thankfulness for his physical healing shows evidence of deeper, spiritual healing, which is our true salvation. It is here that the odd geographical phrase “between Samaria and Galilee” makes sense. The boundary lines between who might be saved, leper or clean, Samaritan or Jew, have been breached. The Samaritan’s return allows Jesus to demonstrate that no one, not a leper, nor a Samaritan, is beyond God’s mercy. Anyone can experience God’s salvation, shout with joy for it, praise God for it and walk along the same road Jesus is travelling. Between Samaria and Galilee, there is only the kingdom of God, in which salvation is available to all who call out for mercy and respond to God’s call with thankfulness and praise.[1]
The older I get the more God reminds me, again and again, that the whole point of our existence is relationships: the relationship between us and God, between people, between people and creation. The fact that we live and breathe is a gift. Even in the midst of dire times and sorrow, there is, if one looks with eyes of faith, moments, actions and expressions of mercy and thankfulness. In those moments is the realization that when we cry out to God, God not only hears us, God answers us. God embraces us and we respond to that embrace with praise and thanksgiving. Sometimes, perhaps most times, God’s merciful embrace comes to us through the presence of a stranger, and our eyes are opened.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how God’s mercy and grace is done!
Hallelujah and amen!
Hymn Of The Month: MV 173 Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hand
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Let us turn our hearts to God, our breath and life, as we pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.
Generous God, we thank you for the legacy and gift of the church. Make our proclamation clear, our generosity bold, and our community rich in welcome. We raise grateful hearts for the body of Christ where we find belonging. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Creator of the earth, the bounty of creation reveals your abundant love. Provide safety and shelter for all wildlife. Save us from the waste of natural resources. We raise grateful hearts for the earth, our home. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of all nations, make all tribes and lands places where justice and inclusion is realized and celebrated. Protect any who are vulnerable and feed all who hunger. We raise grateful hearts for civil rights and just leaders. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Healing God, you see us and are moved with compassion. Attend to those who are sick or dying, surround with love all who are lonely and despairing, and comfort those in need. We raise grateful hearts for your lovingkindness. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of the welcome table, you gather people to be shaped by your word. We pray for ministries that notice and respond to human needs: food banks, shelters, community resource centers; for the Lutheran Urban Ministry that hosts healing circles, drop ins and a place to be in community. We raise grateful hearts for these organizations. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of life, you raise those who have died to new life in Christ. We raise grateful hearts for the lives and faithfulness of all the saints. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
We offer our spoken prayers and those held in our hearts trusting in your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
SENDING SONG: VU 382 Breathe On Me, Breath Of God
BENEDICTION
May the strength of God sustain us; may the power of God preserve us; may the hands of God protect us; may the way of God direct us; may the love of God go with us this day and forever. Amen.