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THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST July 27, 2025 Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto Our Opening Hymn is: “Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord” Lutheran Service Book, 497 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgN_4NecZVg Text: Martin Luther (1483-1546) Confession and Absolution – Page 184 Lutheran Service Book The Introit – Psalm 119:145-149, antiphon: Psalm 50:15 Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord! I will keep your statutes. I call to you; save me, that I may observe your testimonies. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise. Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O Lord, according to your justice give me life. 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. Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. The Kyrie (Lord Have Mercy) Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us. The Gloria in Excelsis (Glory to God in the Highest) – Page 187 The Collect Prayer of the Day – O Lord, let Your merciful ears be attentive to the prayers of Your servants, and by Your Word and Spirit teach us how to pray that our petitions may be pleasing before You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Our Bible Readings – Old Testament: Genesis 18:17-33 Psalm 138 (antiphon verse 3) Epistle: Colossians 2:6-19 Gospel: Luke 11:1-13 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: “Our Father, Who From Heaven Above” Lutheran Service Book, 766 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZnbOj_r8LQ Text and music: Martin Luther (1483-1546) The Sermon – ‘Prayer’ Dear Brothers & sisters, peace, grace, and mercy be to you through God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. In today’s Gospel passage, the Apostle Luke invites us to join Christ’s journey to Jerusalem and the cross, and also takes us on a tour of the Christian faith and life. A very important part of that life is prayer. It’s central. We know this from the words of Jesus, and from the life of the Apostle Paul. Martin Luther once said he could do nothing if he didn’t start his day with prayer. But often we neglect this daily conversation with God that He wants, this relationship that He desires to have with us. As a Pastor, Luther knew this. And as a Pastor who loved his congregation, he didn’t want them to just feel guilty. He wanted his parishioners to think about God’s Word. And since Luther was also a character, one time he said he wished he could pray like his dog watched him eat sausage. Our neglect of prayer can stem from different reasons. The power and pull of the worries of this world can interfere with our faith. It can dim the knowledge we have from the Bible that God is the beginning, the end, the source of all good, and that God’s only Son is our Saviour. But if we’re candid and open with ourselves, we’ll admit at times our failure to pray is because we feel those prayers go unheard, unanswered. We read the words of Jesus, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” And we secretly ask ourselves, why, at times, does this not appear to be true for me. Am I doing something wrong? Am I wrong? Am I not “holy or good enough” to merit what I’m asking for? Is there something I need to do in order to get right with God before He’ll bless me with everything I ask for? Or simply put, do all prayers get answered. It’s unfortunate, but when struggles and questions like these arise, and they do, many people are quick to toss prayer aside like it’s some “lucky” rabbit’s foot that lost its power. We may think at times that prayer doesn’t work, at least not as we want it to, when we want it to. We know, without asking for a show of hands, that everyone here has, at one time or another, prayed for something and not received the result they asked for. And it hurts. We ask God, why do You say, “ask and you will receive.” At times, we feel we’ve prayed for an egg and seem to be left with a scorpion. But that brings up an interesting question. When we pray, whose plans are we really concerned with – ours, or God’s? We know the right answer – it was given by Jesus when He said “Father, Thy will be done,” and not, “My will be done.” We also know the human truth that plays out in our prayer lives at times – a teenager I know calls this the Burger King prayer, “I want it MY way, right away.” Now, in faith we confess we understand that God, our loving heavenly Father, does NOT always say “yes” to each and every request. We accept that. We know that God is not some “genie in a lamp” who simply exists to grant our every wish and command. In faith we understand that God also answers “no” to our prayers. And that ‘no,’ or ‘not yet,’ is also an answer. That’s a fact that’s very easy to teach and share with others when they’re struggling, but it can be a bitter, jagged pill to swallow when we’re on the receiving end. Saying “no” to someone you love; we certainly understand that reality in everyday family life. We’ve had to say ‘no’ either as a parent, or one who looks after or teaches children. We remember hearing it in our own childhoods. As adults we understand that not everything a child asks for is good for them. Have you said “no” to your children or someone else’s at times? Why have you done it? My guess would be you said “no” out of caring, understanding, out of love because that’s what needs to be done at times. Of course, it doesn’t make them happy. They may even throw a temper-tantrum and call you names. They’ll tell you and anyone else who will listen that they hate you. They’ll make a dramatic “woe is me” scene, storm off and slam the door behind them. It happens. But you’re not called by God only to be a friend and servant to children, but to be a parent, or caring adult mentor. And nobody ever said being a good parent or mentor is easy! The child may be unhappy with you because you had to say ‘no’ even when you would have liked to say ‘yes.’ They’re upset…but they’re safe. They’re protected. Someday, when they mature, they may have the wisdom to finally recognize and give thanks for your love – a love that was willing to say “no” to them for their own good and well-being. One day they may say ‘no’ to their own children, and finally understand what they put you through. My friends, this is the same reality in our relationship with our heavenly Father. Martin Luther said there is no such thing as “unanswered prayer.” No prayer is ever ignored or unanswered. When we don’t get our desired result, it means our loving heavenly Father has either said “not yet,” or “no” for our own good, or perhaps someone else’s. “But Pastor,” you may say, “what about the whole ‘ask and receive’ thing Jesus was talking about?” Jesus Himself said, “everyone who asks will receive.’” Well, what Christ said is absolutely true, and Jesus meant every word of it. He still does. However, what is a faithful child of God to be concerned about – their will or the will of our heavenly Father? Are you hearing echoes of Christ’s faithful prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane? “Father, if it be Your will, take this cup of suffering from Me.” How many times have we said that in our own lives? But Jesus adds, “Yet not what I will, but what you will.” If you remember, Christ prayed that prayer three times the night before His crucifixion. Even He wasn’t entirely happy about hearing the answer “no.” However, in faith, perfect faith, He did listen to His Father because He trusted that His Father knew what was best for Him, and for His people – that best thing being Christ crucified for our salvation, and the salvation of the whole world. I’d like us to think about that for a moment. The answer to Jesus’ prayer was not only ‘no,’ which is hard enough in itself to accept at times, but that ‘no’ answer for Jesus also included pain, suffering, and death on a cross. God’s answer to His own Son’s prayer for deliverance was the path to Calvary. Now, does this mean that God the Father is a hateful, vengeful God? Absolutely not! In fact, just the opposite. God said ‘no’ to His only Son, Jesus, because He loved us, and so that we could have everlasting life. He said ‘no’ to Jesus so He could, in turn, say ‘yes’ to us being declared innocent of our sins and forgiven, redeemed in Christ’s blood. And make no mistake: the only way to complete forgiveness and everlasting salvation is very narrow, and leads right through the cross of Jesus. There are no shortcuts or alternative routes. As baptized children of God, our most important concern must be Jesus, and our faith in Him and what He’s done for us. As children of faith, we know the worries and concerns of everyday life in this fallen and sinful world must take a necessary back-seat to proper fear, love, and trust in God above all things. This is what Jesus is talking about in verse 13 of our Gospel reading when He speaks of the Father giving the Holy Spirit to those who ask. Notice that our heavenly Father’s answer to the faithful prayer is not temporary, or material in nature. What I mean by this is that God doesn’t try to shut us up when we knock on the door late at late like the neighbour in the story. We may pray, “Lord, I’ve lost my job, or my health is failing. Help me, Lord. Deliver me. Preserve and protect me.” But when we pray this God doesn’t respond by saying, “Here’s a winning lottery ticket. That should solve all your problems. Now please go away and be quiet.” That’s not how God works. That’s how we sometimes think things should work. We try to solve problems – even spiritual ones – not by getting at the root cause, but by simply throwing money or goods at the problem until it goes away. And unfortunately, that’s what we sometimes want from God. That’s what we at times simply pray for – relief from whatever worldly ill is temporarily in front of us. But simple, worldly solutions don’t always fix our difficulties. Usually, another one pops up to takes its place. Especially when the problem is a trust issue; a trust in God above all things. Material wealth and worldly happiness is not necessarily God’s answer to faithful prayer. Because God’s answer to faithful prayer is faith – strengthened and renewed saving faith. His answer is in a faith that’s renewed and strengthened by His Holy Spirit. The Spirit who enables us to bear each and every cross that comes our way. The Holy Spirit who enables us to recognize His good gifts in our lives – big, small, temporary or eternal – and thank God for His grace, forgiveness, and love. For His gifts that we receive despite our sins, and for the sake of our Saviour. Brothers and sisters in Christ, may your Heavenly Father grant you the humble, simple, saving faith of a child. So that no matter what you face in this life, no matter what crosses you bear, you too may always call on your Father with the blessed assurance of trust. That you know wholeheartedly, He not only hears you, but answers according to His good and gracious plan for you and all His people — a Godly plan that begins and ends with the crucified and resurrected Son of God, Jesus. May God grant you a life lived in faith – faith that talks to God just as a child unashamedly and openly talks to their father. May you be blessed with a faith that holds fast to the fact Your heavenly Father loves you, and knows what’s best for His children. This is why we do well to pray as Jesus did – and as He taught us – for such prayer is the way by which our lives are shaped into the life He gave for us. May the peace that truly passes all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. Amen. The Service of the Sacrament – Page 194 The Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) – Page 195 The Lord’s Prayer – Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. The Words of Christ’s Institution of the Lord’s Supper – Page 197 The Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) – Page 198 The Distribution The Nunc Dimittis (Song of Simeon) – Page 199 The Post Communion Collect (Right-hand column) – Page 201 The Benediction – Page 202 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: “Be Still, My Soul” Lutheran Service Book, 771 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqDSZHDhenY