Recently, more email programs and internet providers are now labelling any posts, with hyperlinks, as Spam (suspicious email) and sending them directly to the email recipient’s SPAM (JUNK) folder.
Since all Sunday worship video posts contain several hyperlinks, this misdirect is happening frequently.
You can still view them from the SPAM (JUNK) box. You can also move them to the INBOX, or mark them as NOT SPAM.
All Saints Day Nov. 1, 2026
Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, you have knit your people together in one communion in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he began to speak and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
⏰Time change – Eastern Standard Time returns this weekend, so remember to turn your clocks back one hour before retiring this Saturday night.
✝️All Saints’ Day – Remember to bring a photograph of any loved one you would like to remember on All Saints’ Day. The photos will be placed on a table at the front of the worship space.
The family announces the passing of Erhard Schafrick (Welland, Ontario) on October 24, 2026. Erhard, born on October 22, 1935, was part of many shared moments and relationships throughout life. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Erhard Schafrick to show support.
He was predeceased by: his brothers, Waldemar, Herbert, Horst and Gustav “Gus” Schafrick (Amalie). He is survived by: his wife Olga Schafrick; his children, Peter Schafrick (Gina), Robert Schafrick and Linda Schafrick (Luke Edwards); his grandchildren, Stella and Maxx; his sibling Ursala Paul (Joe); and his sister-in-law Martha Schafrick.
If desired, memorial donations may be made the Alzheimer Society.
All attending the service are invited to bring a photograph of any loved one they would like to remember on All Saints Day. The photos will be placed on a table at the front of the worship space. All will be invited during the worship service to come to the display for moments of remembrance and reflection. Please remember to take your photo home at the conclusion of the service.
November 5, 2023
Reformation Sunday: Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost
Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, gracious Lord, we thank you that your Holy Spirit renews the church in every age. Pour out your Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in your word, protect and comfort them in times of trial, defend them against all enemies of the gospel, and bestow on the church your saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Gospel: Matthew 22:34-46
34 When the Pharisees heard that [Jesus] had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” 41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: 42 “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, 44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet” ’? 45 “If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” 46 No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Commentary—“toward a sermon”
The plan was to draw a line between Jesus’ reply about loving neighbour as oneself and the riddle Jesus poses about the relationship between the Messiah and the venerated King David. The value of reading other commentaries is to keep preachers honest…and to keep us hearers honest too.
Love God and love neighbour is so easy to say. It’s tougher to do. Maybe we know that love can be understood as what we do for the benefit of others. Can we always be sure we know what that good is? The challenge might be to help others when we can while paying close attention that we interact as equals. A couple of commentators suggest that humility is the thing that enables us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.
If we skim from the top of the riddle we see something suggesting humility shown by King David. The riddle isn’t meant as a change of subject we don’t think….more like amplifying what it means to love one neighbours as one self. We won’t totally unpack the riddle today. Instead we’ll consider what it really takes to obey the commandment everybody agrees is “the biggie”.
Maybe the repeated attempts to publicly embarrass Jesus betray a lack of love. Maybe the thing sociologists call the honour and shame code gets in the way of loving one’s neighbour. Public challenge riposte events were designed to define the social pecking order. Very much a win/lose sort of proposition. Tough to love ones neighbour as yourself when everybody is jockeying for position.
Ironically even when we try to be humble, we’re kind of proud of our virtue. You might recall the TV series Poirot starring Sir David Suchet. In one episode Poirot decides humility would be to his advantage and he announces that in his quest to cultivate some, “there will be nobody as humble as Poirot”.
When Jesus confers blessing on the humble, he uses a literal term…we could translate it “down to earth”. Maybe other word nerds enjoy the connection between the words “hummus”, “humility”, and “human”. The connection illustrates that we are creatures and we’re part of creation. We are entrusted with care of other parts of creation, because we’re related to it all. Kinship may well be at the heart of humility.
The writer and preacher Frederick Buechner says truly loving others requires a high level of self awareness. He says to love your neighbour as yourself requires you to love yourself as you love your neighbour. Our task, Buechner says, is that we share the self we love instead of keeping it in a “perpetual safe deposit box” (Buechner, Wishful Thinking a Theological ABC, page 87-88).
The riddle about the Messiah being Son of David and yet Lord over David presents a paradox. The early Christians heightened that paradox with a hymn that finds its way into the letter to the Philippians…In prose form…Jesus doesn’t regard equality with God to be exploited. Instead he becomes human…he takes on the form of a servant and even becomes obedient to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:5-11). From this place of moral authority Jesus calls on us as the church to love our neighbour. He embodies that love. He empowers us to love as we’ve been loved. Living these paradoxes and riddles might be what we mean about a church in constant re-forming as we learn and grow and start new every day.
**SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING – SUNDAY,OCTOBER 25th (after the service) FURTHER DETAILS IN THIS WEEK’S WORSHIP GUIDE**
Attendance this date -> 14 – Last year -> 14
Sermon 🔈 (audio only)
Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost—October 18, 2026
Prayer of the Day
Sovereign God, raise your throne in our hearts. Created by you, let us live in your image; created for you, let us act for your glory; redeemed by you, let us give you what is yours, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.Amen.
Gospel: Matthew 22:15-22
15 The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap [Jesus] in what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one, for you do not regard people with partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, “Whose head is this and whose title?” 21 They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed, and they left him and went away.
“Towards a sermon—commentary and reflections” Matthew is clear what the debate is not about. Also what it is about. Two factions, (the pro-government-when it suits us Herodians and the anti-empire-make deals to keep-the wolves- at bay Pharisees)usually at odds find common cause conspiring to publicly discredit Jesus by setting up a double bind, designed to trap him in his own words. Spoiler, the critics shuffle away, nonplussed because Jesus not only ‘threads the needle’ he reframes the entire conversation.
Flipping the ‘presenting question’ brings us closer to the core issues Jesus wants to talk about. Is it legal to NOT pay taxes? Mind you, an empire that never takes no for an answer wouldn’t take lightly any delinquency on paying taxes and tribute.
In effect, Jesus asks his interlocutors, “What’s in your wallet?”. The denarius coin bears the emperor’s likeness and his title. For the religiously inclined whose tradition forbids graven images and titles ascribing god-qualities to a conquering emperor, having Roman coins jingling in the change purse might create a tad of dissonance.
How long do you suppose Jesus paused while his critics inspected the coins they carried before he asked them to describe the denarius? In the same position, we might let the moment soak in a bit, right?
“So it’s Caesar’s likeness and title on this coin you carry?” The coin represents more than the metal from which its forged. To one degree or another, the coin’s message is that the empire owns its subjects.
Our own money buys us our daily food and shelter…money is like the passport that helps us participate in society. The currency we hold affords a bit of freedom; at least freedom to make some little choices like selecting Kraft Dinner over the generic store brand. If you have enough toonies to rub together you get to choose the neighbourhood you live in, the vehicle you drive, and in some cases to elect to have medical care overseas because of the lack of availability here.
Tempted as we might be to throw popcorn at Jesus’ opponents and to boo from the cheap seats, we might want to check our wallets and our gut at the same time…. Carrying the Roman coin, whether or not you like the empire is how you survive. Distasteful as the regime is, we can’t escape getting some of its stink on us. In short, you gotta pay to play.
Paying to play means we more or less accept the legitimacy of those who’ve set up the game. Our participation plunges us into some deeper questions like legality versus moral legitimacy. In some places slavery is legal. Racial Segregation, Sharia law, honour killings, public executions, and toting around your private arsenal of assault weapons is legal in places too. Pretty sure most of us would say any of these government sanctioned activities is morally bankrupt.
‘What’s in the wallet’ brings uncomfortable questions—to what degree do we participate in the empire and still keep our own moral integrity and live the tenets of our faith? How are we complicit with the empire because we go along to get along? How often do we comply because resisting bears too high a price tag?
Matthew’s community, like Jesus’ disciples and critics, had to wrestle with these questions. Jesus words about rendering to Caesar aren’t just a ploy. Nor does Jesus say that the emperor gets his cut and Jesus takes his—even Steven.
We don’t get off scot-free either. Maybe it’s good for trade that the waters near the arctic are becoming more navigable as ice melts. At what cost to the planet? Maybe the price of fossil fuel will decrease again. How does creation pay the tab? When resources dry up, how does that affect those who are already barely getting by?
What is the rendering to Caesar all about then? Maybe its the recognition that we’re in the world, but we don’t have to be of it, as Jesus says. Rendering to God means that the empire doesn’t get to dictate the tune we dance to in our moral, religious and ethical lives. God does. And Jesus spells out the tune and tempo where those who mourn are comforted, those who show mercy find mercy, those who wage peace are dubbed God’s children. Jesus’ final parable, which we will consider in a month or so also drives home the point that how we care for the ‘least of these’ reflects how we as community buy into to all Jesus is about.
How do Jesus’ mandates to love inform how we live in a day to day world where Caesar mints the coins and calls the shots? Maybe the Herodians and the Pharisees have something to teach us—we can take a minute on a regular basis and look at the denarius coin (or its equivalent) and reflect on who we are and whose we are.
bsc October 2026
Photo of volunteers installing leg protectors on chairs and tables in our Fellowship Hall (August 27/26) More photos can be…