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THE SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER June 1, 2025 Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto Our Opening Hymn: “Son of God, Eternal Saviour” Lutheran Service Book 842 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LFe8b2U7wc The Invocation Page 184 Divine Service III – Pages 184-202 Lutheran Service Book Pastor: Halleluiah, Christ is risen! Congregation: He is risen indeed. Halleluiah! Confession and Absolution Page 184 The Introit – Psalm 61:3, 5-8; antiphon: verse 1 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations! May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him! So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day. 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 my cry, O God, listen to my prayer. Kyrie (Lord Have Mercy) Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us. Gloria in Excelsis (Glory to God in the Highest) Page 187 Our Collect Prayer: 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 Opening Hymn is: “Son of God, Eternal Saviour” Lutheran Service Book 842 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LFe8b2U7wc Our Bible Readings: First Reading – Acts 1:12-26 Psalm 133 (antiphon: v.1) Epistle –Revelation 22:1-20 The Verse: 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 – John 17:20-26 The Apostles’ Creed – I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. Our Hymn of the Day: “Christ Is the World’s Redeemer” Lutheran Service Book 539 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxcGD3ti2QE 1 Christ is the world’s Redeemer, The lover of the pure, The font of heavenly wisdom, Our trust and hope secure, The armor of His soldiers, The Lord of earth and sky, Our health while we are living, Our life when we shall die. 2 Christ has our host surrounded With clouds of martyrs bright, Who wave their palms in triumph And fire us for the fight. This Christ the cross ascended To save a world undone And, suffering for the sinful, Our full redemption won. 3 Down in the realm of darkness He strode in victory, And at the hour appointed He rose triumphantly. And now, to heaven ascended, He sits upon the throne Whence He had never departed, His Father's and His own. 4 Glory to God the Father, The unbegotten One, All honour be to Jesus, His sole begotten Son, And to the Holy Spirit -- The perfect Trinity. Let all the worlds give answer: Amen! So let it be. The Sermon – On the night before He was crucified, our Lord poured out His heart in prayer to God His Father. We have the record of that prayer in the Gospel of John. It’s called the High Priestly prayer. It’s beautiful and heart rending, but it’s also instructive for us – we can learn a great deal from our Saviour’s words. And it’s clear that God wanted us to know these words and take them into our minds and hearts. The Holy Spirit gave the recollection of it to the Apostle John. We’re accustomed as Christians to praying for our needs and for others, but here in this passage God in human flesh is praying for us. Jesus prayed not only for Himself, that he would not waver from the task of redeeming the world by giving His life, He prayed for His disciples and for those who would believe in Him through their word. And He prayed for us, that we would all be one. Of all of the things Jesus could have asked for that night, what He wanted most was for unity to exist among those who believed in Him. A unity reflected in the one between God the Father and the Son. Was Jesus' prayer answered? Yes and no. Yes, the true holy Christian Church is united, and always will be. That is to say, those who confess they are poor sinners, and believe that when Jesus Christ died on the cross, He paid the price for their sin . . . Those who believe God’s only Son, Jesus, was raised by God the Father for our justification, and that through our Saviour’s resurrection, they are offered eternal life in Heaven . . . Those who believe these things are Christians. They are united by a faith the Holy Spirit worked within them using God’s means of grace: His Word and Sacraments. They are united by a common confession: one hope, one faith, one holy Christian Church, one Baptism for the remission of sins, and one life without end. They are united by what God has done for us on that first Easter. We are one with all true Christians everywhere around the world, and even with those whose worship is in Heaven above. Yet at the same time, many of the people Christ died for continue to answer ‘no’ to Jesus' prayer for unity. Unfortunately, everyone knows the Christian Church on earth has divisions. There are different denominations, and their names go into the hundreds. Even within these groups, there are divisions. Why does this happen when Christ prayed that we should all be one? When God regards all who receive Jesus as Saviour as one flock? This disunity exists because of disregard for the things of God. Many do not cherish God’s sacred Word, and so they allow it to be compromised. In the last 100 years, there has been an effort to bring the churches back together. It is called the "Ecumenical Movement." And the problem with it has been the way it attempts to bring about unity. Rather than coming together in accord on the truth of God’s Word, many have simply agreed to disagree, falsely concluding that theological differences don’t matter. It reminds me of couples who want to stay married and date other people. The relationship cannot survive. Some churches merge and intermingle beliefs that are not Biblical, that are not part of God’s Word And that is not the kind of unity Jesus prayed for. He prayed we would be one just as He and the Father are one. Jesus shares a common essence with his Father. They also shared the same will. What God the Father wanted for us, Jesus also wanted. The Father loved His people and His Son. When He asked the Son to die for His people, the Son accepted the Father's will, even though it would lead to the cross. The Father and the Son share one will. They are truly united. This is not the case between God and many of us today. God reveals His will in His Word, the Bible, but many ignore or dismiss it. We’ve seen this with regard to faith in the plain Word of God, and the way the Bible tells us we’re saved, and that’s by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in our Saviour Jesus Christ, alone. Yet some who say they’re Christians, believe what is not in the Bible. They say we’re saved, in part, by what we do. Faith and good works, faith and obeying the Law, are both considered by them as the grounds for our salvation. But the Apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 2:21, said, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Jesus Christ died for nothing!” We also see disregard for the Bible and the Words of Jesus Christ among those who dismiss or diminish the Sacraments. There are popular denominations today where the Lord’s Supper is not offered, or considered just something that’s occasionally nice to do. That is not what Christ told us though. He said, “Take eat, this bread is my body. Take drink this wine is my blood. Do this as often as you eat and drink of it.” The Reformer, Martin Luther, wrote that where the Sacraments are not practiced, honoured and believed, it is simply not the Christian Church. He knew the Apostle Paul had written, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” (1st Corinthians 11:27-30) Those in denominations that deny the real presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper should closely listen to the Apostle’s divinely inspired words. We see disunity again today when it comes to God’s view of marriage as the lifetime union of one man and one woman. We see churches that consider themselves Christian marrying people of the same sex because they consider this ‘politically correct,’ and essentially tell God He’s wrong. We see disrespect for the Word of God when the termination of the life of unborn children or the elderly is tolerated, even promoted. And we see disrespect for God’s Commandments to love Him and love one another. The early Church fathers agreed that where there is no love within the Church, the Holy Spirit is not present, and where the Holy Spirit isn’t present, that is not the Church. Hate and bitterness are not Christian virtues. When a Christian disregards the Word of God, which is God’s means to give us life, we have a responsibility to that person. We should lovingly attempt to lead them back to God’s Word. Love, patience, and forgiveness are at the core of our faith, and it’s fortunate that God applies this in His love, mercy, and forgiveness for us. But sometimes what should be patient love in the Church turns into self-righteousness or even political maneuvers. It was the self-righteousness, jealousy, and hatred of the Pharisees and Sadducees that led them to arrange the murder of Jesus. And that is why love and loving concern should be shown within every congregation when someone may be drifting from the faith. If one of our children or our friends were taking illegal drugs and about to ruin their health, future, and possibly lose their life, we would love them enough to speak with them, and try to counsel them. So, it should be, within the family of God. This loving action should extend beyond the walls of our Church. When whole groups of Christians are departing from the Word of God, when they weigh down souls with requirements for salvation that God has not made, when they say that the Sacraments are meaningless rituals, we should not hold our tongues out of fear or apathy and allow them to further divide God's Church. We must stand for the Word of God, and boldly defend it, while speaking truth with love. We are to be one in God’s Word, and in His Church. This is Jesus' prayer. When we’re divided, we are called to reconciliation. However, if after much effort this isn’t possible, those who dismiss God's Word are to be left to their own abandonment of God. True believers can then go on in the Word, in love for God and one another, and pray for the lost. Jesus' prayer for unity has in part been answered. We are to strive for unity, but not at the expense of the truth of God’s Word. Not to seek harmony with those whose rebellion against God leads others astray. We are to make disciples by baptizing and teaching others to observe all things Christ has commanded, both His Law and Gospel. And so, the High Priestly prayer of Jesus calls us to action. We pray that the Word of God will overcome divisions, that we will not merely agree to disagree, but share the true unity that following Jesus brings. We should support the Church that witnesses the truth of the Bible in the Lutheran Confessions, The Book of Concord. We pray that the Holy Spirit will come to those who deny God’s Word, those who have no love for God or other human beings, that they be recalled to the eternal truth of the Triune God. So may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, remind you of our Saviour’s great love, and keep you in unity with our risen Saviour Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen. The Benediction – The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen. Our Closing Hymn: “O Lord, We Praise Thee” Lutheran Service Book 617 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikoWdhP-7sM Text: Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) 1. O Lord, we praise Thee, bless Thee, and adore Thee, In thanksgiving bow before Thee. Thou with Thy body and Thy blood didst nourish Our weak souls that they may flourish: O Lord, have mercy! May Thy body, Lord, born of Mary, That our sins and sorrows did carry, And Thy blood for us plead In all trial, fear, and need: O Lord, have mercy! 2. Thy holy body into death was given, Life to win for us in heaven. No greater love than this to Thee could bind us; May this feast thereof remind us! O Lord, have mercy! Lord, Thy kindness did so constrain Thee That Thy blood should bless and sustain me. All our debt Thou hast paid; Peace with God once more is made: O Lord, have mercy. 3. May God bestow on us His grace and favor To please Him with our behavior And live as brethren here in love and union Nor repent this blest Communion! O Lord, have mercy! Let not Thy good Spirit forsake us; Grant that heavenly-minded He make us; Give Thy Church, Lord, to see Days of peace and unity: O Lord, have mercy!