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THE EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOSTChrist the Saviour Lutheran Church, TorontoPastor Tom SteersSeptember 22, 2024Divine Service III – Pages 184-202Lutheran Service Book OUR OPENING HYMN: 904 “Blessed Jesus, at Your Word” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhbTXFHv5Uc The Invocation Page 184 Confession and Absolution Page 184-185The Introit Psalm 37:5-7 (antiphon v. 4) 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Glory Be to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning,is now, and will be forever. Amen.4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. The Kyrie (Lord Have Mercy) Lord have mercy upon us.Christ have mercy upon us.Lord have mercy upon us. Pastor: The Lord be with you.Congregation: And with thy Spirit. Gloria in Excelsis (Glory to God in the Highest) Page 197 Our Collect Prayer: O God, whose strength is made perfect in weakness, grant us humility and childlike faith that we may please You in both will and deed; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.Our Bibe Readings:Old Testament Reading Jeremiah 11: 18-20 Psalm 54 (antiphon v. 4) Epistle Reading Philippians 2: 1-8 Gospel Reading Mark 9: 30-37 THE APOSTLES’ CREED Page 192 HYMN OF THE DAY: 851 “Lord of Glory, You Have Brought Us” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQW6b_eygNY THE SERMON --Jesus, God in human flesh, is on a journey with His disciples.He’s preparing them for His crucifixion, and resurrection.He’s also readying them for their service to Him, and others, after His ascension to heaven.But they don’t understand.And they’re afraid to ask.They’ve received the raw, full-strength Gospel, but are concerned with earthly things.At this point they want a worldly, political Messiah. Someone who will help them wave goodbye to the Romans and create an ‘earthly’ paradise.But Jesus is instructing them on the reconciliation of God with man through His payment for sin on the cross.What Martin Luther called the glorious exchange – our sins for Christ’s righteousness. The disciples’ response?They argue about which one of them is the greatest while walking along with the Saviour of the world.They were jockeying for positions of importance in God's Kingdom as they saw it. We can shake our heads, because it is so human.We could even be tempted to look down on them if it weren’t for the fact that, at times, we’re guilty of the same mistake.The temptation to see worldly power and influence as taking a front seat to God’s Word is always with us.The ego of the fallen Adam still lives within us, and we can be misled to see our ‘merits, abilities, good works,’ as the means, the way, by which we will be given a ticket to heaven.But that trip has already been paid for.It came at a cost we could never afford.In this world, believers are still forgiven sinners. The Apostle Paul said it clearly: 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, received by faith.This Gospel passage goes to the heart of the Christian faith.Because Lutheran theologians have written from the time of the Reformation five hundred years ago until today that there are only two religions in the world.A false one in which you save yourself by obedience to the Law and good works.And the true faith, Christianity, in which we are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. That’s the one Jesus is preparing His disciples to spread, and for us to believe and witness to today.Jesus asks the disciples what they’ve been arguing about. Embarrassed they keep silent.But Christ knew exactly what the debate was about, and the spiritual problem behind it.Jesus nailed this point home by taking a child in His arms and saying, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”He’s telling them that it is not about their abilities, their accomplishments but about receiving.Receiving His Word.Receiving spiritual children -- all those who will believe by the Word Christ gives the Apostles, and the Church.Receiving faith in their Saviour, not relying on or bragging about personal spiritual accomplishments.Receiving faith in the sinless, only Son of God who paid for their sins, and ours.Salvation is a gift.And for a gift to be a gift, it has only to be received.It can’t be paid for, because then its wages earned.A price we could never afford was paid for us by the One who still bears the marks of the atonement – the crucified and risen Christ.Simply put: Jesus is the Saviour, not us. There are false denominations today who teach that you must save yourself, in whole, or part.They teach that Baptism is your good work and decision, not as the Bible teaches that it is God’s good work in you.They falsely teach that the Lord’s Supper is a mere human ceremony, when both Christ and the Apostle Paul make crystal clear it is the true body and blood in the bread and wine, given for you.These denominations will teach that faith itself is a ‘human decision,’ and accomplishment to be proud of.Yet the Apostle Paul writes in Holy Scripture:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Paul makes clear, it is our neighbour who needs our good deeds, not God.These good works are evidence of a faith the Holy Spirit has worked in us through God’s means of grace – His Word, and the Sacraments Christ initiated and commanded – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.That is what Lutheran worship is about.Receiving the gifts of God: Word and Sacrament.Receiving the forgiveness Christ gave His Church to announce in the absolution.Receiving grace and eternal life. Today Jesus sits down and calls to us.He teaches about service, and love. He’ll give us another example from the cross on Good Friday.Unlike the disciples at the point in our Gospel passage, we know Christ died for our sins. We know He rose from the dead for our justification. God came down to this earth to serve us, and human beings beat Him, whipped Him, and hung Him on a cross. Nevertheless, Jesus served us perfectly. He deserved service from us, but He served us, with His life. Although He deserved to be first, He made Himself last for our sake When the final day comes, Jesus will serve you with a new, holy body that will rise from the dead, just as He rose, and that will live together with Him in heaven.To the crucified and risen Saviour of the world, be all glory, praise, and honour.Amen. PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT Page 194 Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) Page 195The Lord’s PrayerThe Word of Our Lord (Instituting the Lord’s Supper)Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) Hymn 962The DistributionNunc Dimittis (The Song of Simeon) Page 19Post-Communion Collect (Right-hand column) Page 201CLOSING HYMN: 664 “Fight the Good Fight”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCGofvHX4QU