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THE NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST October 19, 2025 Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto Divine Service III – Pages 184-202 Lutheran Service Book OPENING HYMN: 940 “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” Confession and Absolution Page 184-185 Introit Psalm 74, verses 18-19, 20a, 21, 22a; antiphon Ps. 74:2a 2 Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! 18 Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name. 19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts; do not forget the life of your poor forever. 21Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame; let the poor and needy praise your name 20 Have regard for the covenant; 22 arise, O God, defend your cause. 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. 2 Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! 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 with thy spirit. Collect Prayer: O Lord, almighty and everlasting God, You have commanded us to pray and have promised to hear us. Mercifully grant that Your Holy Spirit may direct and govern our hearts in all things that we may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of Your name; 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: Our First Reading Genesis 32:22-30 Psalm 121 Epistle Reading 2nd Timothy 3:14 – 4:5 Gospel Reading Luke 18:1-8 THE APOSTLES’ CREED Page 191 HYMN OF THE DAY: 773 “Hear Us, Father, When We Pray” THE SERMON – Brothers & sisters, peace, grace, and mercy be to you through God our Father, and our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. There are times when believers can become frustrated within the faith, even angry at God, and fall away. Ironically, this often centers around prayer and whether the Lord hears and answers us. When a Christian prays and asks for something, but God’s reply is ‘no’ or ‘not yet,’ they may think this is because God doesn’t love them. And if they feel God has abandoned them, they can fall into despair, reject the faith, and lose the salvation our Saviour won for us on the cross. Christ in our parable in Luke is saying to us, ‘Do not give up praying to God.’ Although He may seem to ignore your prayers at times, He doesn’t; He hears them, because the Lord loves and is gracious towards you, His believers, His saints. He is no wicked judge who ignores the pleas of widows, or only grants them so they will go away. The merciful judge is your Heavenly Father, who desires to protect you against evil and the hurtful things of this world, as much as a loving Father protects His child. It may seem, at times, that the Lord overlooks us. We may want to throw up our hands in frustration and say, "What’s the use of praying at all?" But it’s at times like these that we need to maintain the relationship with our loving Father the most. To draw closer, and not close the door to Him. And it’s this relationship of love, trust, and faith that’s key here in these words of Christ. One of the reasons we may not ‘seem’ to have prayers answered is that we’re directing God in how to respond to them. We can be dictating to Him what we want. He often doesn’t reply to that in any way we like. But with God, it is not our will which must be done, but His good and gracious will that we seek. That means prayer is also a form of submission to God. As believing Christians, we’re called to be faithful and to be patient. In our present lives, we may feel as vulnerable as the widow in the parable and beg for help. Our powerful enemy can appear poised and ready to destroy us. Yet one of the most potent weapons of our true enemy, satan, is doubt — of God, of His love, and His faithfulness to us. Just as doubt can destroy human relationships, it can injure and strain our relationship with our loving Father as well. We can feel abandoned when in reality, we abandon our God who loves us so much He sent His Son to die for our sins. The enemies of Christ mocked Him. They jeered at Him on the Cross, saying in essence: ‘God has abandoned you despite your calling out to Him, Jesus.’ ‘He doesn’t hear you.’ But all this was from satan, who from the beginning kept questioning God’s Word, including the Word incarnate. He did it then, he does it today. But Jesus prayed constantly, often withdrawing by Himself to lay His petitions before the Father. That relationship of love was at the core of His being. Christ knew His Father loved Him, even in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus believed His Father heard and would answer, and would vindicate Him as the only Son of God on Easter morning. Through faith in Christ, our Saviour, we are also saved and vindicated. The pains, troubles, and heartaches we experience in this life will not last forever. They will be replaced by an eternal joy no one can take from you. The love and justice of God for His Son was the empty tomb, and Christ revealed as the Redeemer of the world. The same ultimate proof will be our empty graves one day. The Father raised Christ to show that His sacrifice on the cross was accepted before the Almighty… …and that the ultimate prayer request of believers – salvation – is granted. We become ‘just’ through the only truly ‘just’ man who ever lived – Christ. And this ends all the lies of the enemy. You may not see vindication in this life. Your prayers for specific things may not be granted quickly, or even in this world. But on the last day, your prayer for release from sin, death, and suffering will be fulfilled. As a Christian, the true glory of what Christ has made you cannot be seen until Jesus raises us on the last day. Meanwhile, He calls upon believers to remain united to Him in the loving relationship expressed in, and through, prayer and weekly worship. Most earthly fathers want to hear from their children and for them to stay close. This is especially true of God the Father. We speak to Him in prayer, and He speaks to us in return, through His sacred Word, His sacraments, and His presence in the Church. He may seem to delay in His response to us because we think in human terms, in human time. Only in humility, trust, and faith do we understand that He will make all things right in His time. In the greatest rescue mission ever, God sent His Son to atone for our sin with His Blood. He has loved you this much, even before you were born. So, He commands us to pray, not because He needs to hear our prayers, but because He wants to hear them. Unlike the unrighteous judge of the parable, we are never a bother to Him. When we are joyful, He is as well. When we hurt, He does also. So, in the midst of trouble and trials, remain united to God in prayer. Remain faithful to His Word and the true Church, where His Word is preached and the Sacraments offered. May God grant you a faith that always clings to His promise – “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. THE PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT Page 194 Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) Page 195 The Lord’s Prayer Page 196 The Word of Our Lord Instituting the Lord’s Supper Page 197 Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) Page 198 The Distribution Nunc Dimittis – The Song of Simeon Page 199 Post-Communion Collect (Left-hand column) Page 201 CLOSING HYMN: 722 “Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me”