photo #6458813

THE SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER May 12, 2024 Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto OPENING HYMN: 650 “Holy Spirit Ever Dwelling” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0Uq-vkiAio The Invocation Page 184 Pastor: Halleluiah, Christ is risen! Congregation: He is risen indeed. Halleluiah! Confession and Absolution (Please stand) Page 184-185 The Introit (Psalm 27:1a, 4-5; 10, 14; antiphon Ps. 27:7) Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in. Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! Pastor: Halleluiah, Christ is risen! Congregation: He is risen indeed. Halleluiah! The Kyrie (Lord Have Mercy) Congregation: Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us. The Salutation – Pastor: The Lord be with you. Congregation: And also with you. Our Collect Payer: (Please stand) O King of glory, Lord of Hosts, uplifted in triumph far above all heavens, leave us not without consolation but send us the Spirit of truth whom You promised from the Father; for You live and reign with Him and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Our Bible Readings First Reading Acts 1:12-26 Psalm 1 Epistle Reading 1st John 5:9-15 The Verse (Romans 6:9; John 14:18) Alleluia. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. Alleluia. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Alleluia. Gospel Reading John 17:11b-19 Nicene Creed Page 191 HYMN OF THE DAY: 539 “Christ is the World’s Redeemer” https://hymnary.org/text/christ_is_the_worlds_redeemer THE SERMON – The Gospel reading today takes us back to the upper room in Jerusalem. This is the night before the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. The disciples are about to be scattered, and Jesus knows it. And so, He prays. What we hear in John Chapter 17, is known as the High Priestly Prayer. Jesus would be the only High Priest without sin, and the ultimate sacrifice for it. And yet, Christ’s concern is for His disciples, then, and now. The community of believers was about to withdraw into grief and fear. Yet what was foretold and long hoped for, the reconciliation of God and man, would now take place at Calvary. On that day of torture and shame, our sins would be shouldered by God in human flesh. And by His wounds we have been healed. Yet, the events of the passion would, at first, have other effects. Under pressure, Peter denies His Saviour three times. Later, after his restoration by the risen Christ, the Apostle goes on to a life of Christian witness. All the other disciples, except for John, would face martyrdom. The Church, today, is in a period of challenge. To many in our secular culture, the faith is completely unnecessary, and unwanted. The blessing of our Christian heritage has often given way to atheism or new age ‘spirituality.’ These are isolated, lonely roads that lead to eternal separation from God. Add to this a culture that worships money and pleasure above all else. And compound it with an educational system that largely denies the existence of God. The concept of absolute truth is often taken out of the classroom, and newsroom. Perhaps we don’t acknowledge it as we should, but one of the most important blessings we enjoy as Christians is the fellowship we share with our brothers and sisters in Christ. In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prayed that we would be one, as He and His Father are one. God’s will for His people is unity, communion, that we be one, both with Him, and in fellowship with one another. That we provide for one another that sort of community that staves off isolation, and ultimately fear. The Church is a sanctuary where we come together to bear one another’s burdens, as we’re forgiven, built up and sustained by the gifts God so graciously gives us. Here we have the blessing of Baptism in which we’re reborn, forgiven, brought into the Church, and united to our Saviour. Here God’s Law and Gospel are preached and taught Biblically. At the Lord’s table, we’re given the very body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins, just as He promised. These are gifts that sustain us now, and to life eternal. As we are able, we can share this truth with our brothers and sisters across Christendom. To the degree we can’t, our differences of confession, of belief being too great, we should still pray for them. And pray that we might stand boldly in a world that is often growing in opposition to Christ and His true Church. Especially in Western society, and in countries where Christians are being actively persecuted. Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension had another profound effect on the Church. There is the transition of Jesus being among us in the flesh, versus His being among us in Spirit, and in Word and Sacrament. Christ, in His state of exaltation, now fully exercises His divine powers. He is no longer self-limited by time or space. God the Father has given Him dominion over all things. The ascension has not taken Christ away, it has brought Heaven near. Our Saviour is omni-present in the universe He rules over, including the humble elements of bread and wine of the Lord’s Super. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Here in His High Priestly Prayer, He says, “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” The sin of those engaged in pagan and occult spiritually is that they look for God everywhere but where, and in whom, He has promised to be found. Christ tells us clearly that the only source of salvation and eternal life is in Him. Wanting to go one’s own way instead of listening to God is not new. Our first parents fell into this sin in the Garden of Eden. And that sin clings to all of us. Jesus says, “I am with you always to the very end of the age.” All the while, many see the state of the world and cry out, “where are you now, Jesus! Have you left us?” In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prayed that you and I would be sanctified, that is, we would be set apart, made holy by the truth, the Word of God. God, as we know, spoke the world into existence. Today, we hear the sound of God’s voice in His Word, the Bible. He calls us to unity. He calls you to receive salvation and peace through His only Son. To have fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ, the holy, Christian Church. He calls you to be fed with what Christ died to give you for the forgiveness of sins, His true body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar. He calls you to believe that He has risen from the dead, and that through faith in Him you will receive the gift of eternal life. As Martin Luther wrote, “O Comforter of priceless worth, Send peace and unity on earth; Support us in our final strife And lead us out of death to life.” May the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. Amen. PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT Page 194 (Our Communion Hymn is 636 “Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness”) Communion Collect (Right-hand column) Page 201 CLOSING HYMN: 708 “Lord Thee I Love with All My Heart” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK6TdX7QME4