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THE TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY November 9, 2025 Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto Our Opening Hymn is 717 “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” Lutheran Service Book Confession and Absolution Page 184-185 The Introit Psalm 119:1; 38-40, antiphon: Liturgical text The whole world is in your power. O Lord, King Almighty, no one can gainsay you. For you have made heaven and earth; you are Lord of all! Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared. Turn away the reproach that I dread, for your rules are good. Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness 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. The whole world is in your power. O Lord, King Almighty, no one can gainsay you. For you have made heaven and earth; you are Lord of all! 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. Our Collect Prayer– O Lord, keep Your household, the Church, in continual faith and godliness, that through Your protection she may be free from all adversities and devoutly given to serve 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 First Reading Genesis 1:1-22 Psalm 8 Epistle Reading Ephesians 6:10-17 Gospel Reading John 4:46-54 THE APOSTLES’ CREED Page 192 HYMN OF THE DAY: 655 “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word” Text & music by Martin Luther https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFoVDvtSy1Y&list=RDvFoVDvtSy1Y&start_radio=1 THE SERMON – ‘Christ’s Life-Giving Word’ In the beginning, God spoke. His Word created light from darkness, order out of chaos, life from nothingness. “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was. (Gen. 1:3). The same Word that called the heavens and earth into being is the Word that took on flesh and dwelt among us. The same Word that fashioned galaxies is the Word that speaks forgiveness, life, and salvation to us today. Our readings this Sunday all revolve around that truth: God’s Word is not idle sound. It is living, active, powerful. It creates what it declares. It sustains what it promises. And it delivers what it proclaims. In John Chapter 4, we meet a desperate father who learns this lesson firsthand. His son is dying. He comes to Jesus with a request that reveals both love and weakness: “Sir, come down before my child dies.” He believes Jesus can help, but he limits what Jesus can do. He thinks Christ must be physically present to heal. Yet Jesus shows him — and us — that His Word alone is sufficient. Let’s see in today’s readings how God’s creative, sustaining Word calls us to faith, arms us for battle, and anchors us in Christ. The first Chapter of Genesis reminds us that the universe is not self-made. Not the product of chance, or chaos. It is the deliberate creation of the Triune God. The Father wills, the Spirit hovers, and the Son — the eternal Word — speaks all things into existence. John echoes this in the prologue to his Gospel. He wrote, “In the beginning was the Word… All things were made through Him” (John 1:1–3). The official stands before this same Word made flesh. The One who spoke stars into existence now speaks to him face-to-face. This is a comfort for us: the Word that created the world is the same Word that addresses you in Scripture, in preaching, in Baptism, in the Absolution, and in the Lord’s Supper. When God speaks, reality bends to His voice. The official’s request is understandable: “Come down and heal my son.” Any parent might plead the same. But his words reveal a faith that is not yet mature. He believes Jesus can heal, but only if He comes in person. He doesn’t yet grasp the full authority of Christ’s Word. Jesus responds with a rebuke: “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” This is not cruelty, but correction. Jesus is teaching the man — and us — that faith must rest not on visible proofs, but on the bare Word of Christ. How often do we fall into the same trap? We pray, but we secretly demand that God prove Himself on our terms. We want visible signs, immediate results, tangible evidence. We forget that faith is not sight. Faith clings to the promise even when the eyes see nothing. The official is pressed to trust the Word alone. And when Jesus says, “Go; your son will live,” the man believes. He takes Jesus at His Word and departs. That’s faith: trusting what Christ says is true, even before you see it. Paul reminds us in Ephesians that we live in a battlefield. Our struggle isn’t with flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil. And what is our weapon? “The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Notice the connection: the same Word that created the world, the Word that healed the official’s son, is the Word that equips you for spiritual warfare. You aren’t left defenseless. You’re clothed in the armor of God, and at the center of that armor is the Word — sharper than any two-edged sword, able to cut down lies, doubts, temptations. When the devil whispers, “God has forgotten you,” the Word replies, “I will never leave nor forsake you.” When your conscience accuses that, “Your sins are too great,” the Word declares, “The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” When death looms, the Word promises, “Because I live, you also will live.” Faith is not sustained by feelings or ‘inner strength.’ It’s created and maintained by the external Word of God, spoken into your ears, placed into your mouth, poured over your head. Psalm 8 marvels at the majesty of creation: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars… what is man that you are mindful of him?” Yet, the God who set the stars in place stoops down to care for sinful humanity. This is what the official discovers. As he journeys home, servants meet him with the news: his son is alive. The healing happened at the very hour Jesus spoke. The Word did not need to travel. It didn’t need to be reinforced by sight. It accomplished what it declared. And the result? “He believed, and all his household.” The Word healed the son’s body, but it also created faith in the father’s heart and in his family. The miracle wasn’t just physical, but spiritual, and lasting to eternity. So, it is with us. The Word of Christ sustains us in weakness, delivers from despair, and brings us into saving faith. All of this points to the greatest miracle: the Word made flesh who went to the cross. There, the Father withheld His aid from the Son. There, Jesus bore the silence of heaven, so that you would never be abandoned. There, He spoke the Word that secures our eternal salvation: “It is finished.” And on the third day, the Father raised Jesus from the dead. That resurrection is the guarantee that His promises are true. Just as the official's son lived because Jesus spoke, so you will live because Christ has said: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” I want to end the sermon with another example of faith. Martin Luther’s beloved daughter, Magdalena, died of plague at the age of 13. Luther was heartbroken and grieved heavily for some time. Then one day, he asked himself, did Magdalena cease to exist? The Bible tells us no, she was with Christ. Did God ever stop loving her? Again, the answer was no. Would God ever break His baptismal promise to this young believer? Luther faithfully concluded, never. And so, the Reformer finally realized that he was crying more for his own loss, because his daughter was at peace, in Heaven. Brothers and sisters, the lesson of this Gospel is clear: faith rests on the Word of Christ alone. Not on human wisdom or works, but on the sure and certain promises of God. So, when doubt surrounds you, when prayers seem unanswered, when the brokenness of this world appears insufferable, cling to the Word. For what Jesus says, He does. What He promises, He fulfills. And what He declares, He delivers. In Christ, the Word made flesh, you have life — now and forever. Amen. PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT Page 194 Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) Page 195 The Lord’s Prayer Page 196 Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) Page 198 Post-Communion Collect (Left-hand column) Page 201 CLOSING HYMN: 918 “Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer"