St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Welland, Ontario, Canada

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost.

October 19, 2025 Prayer of the Day
O Lord God, tireless guardian of your people, you are always ready to hear our cries. Teach us to rely day and night on your care. Inspire us to seek your enduring justice for all this suffering world, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.

Gospel: Luke 18:1-8
1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my accuser.’ 4 For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Reflections: Exhortations to pray might feel too burdensome when the prayers just don’t come. Retired U.S. Bishop H. George Anderson recalls his experience of being widowed and sitting in the congregation, too sad and worn down to pray. He told editors of the Lutheran Magazine that he drew strength from the prayers of others and for a long while he found solace sitting among people praying when he could not.

For millennia monastic communities would pray into the night and in the early hours believing these prayers supported the world. Those praying trusted that their prayers sustained nursing mothers comforting fussy babies, calmed anxious souls for whom sleep would not come, comforted those who were dying and protected night workers seeing to public safety and the common good.

Sometimes just knowing others are praying does a weary soul good. Studies like one conducted decades ago by the journal of Spirituality and Health suggest that patients who knew someone was praying for them fared better during hospitalizations and surgeries.

So if you’re praying, remember others who simply can’t. If you feel you’ve lost heart and can’t pray, may you find comfort knowing others are praying in your stead and for your sake—the scripture says God’s Spirit prays for us when our words fail.

Long ago, I asked a devout person about the pattern she followed praying especially because she was homebound. Gwen prayed the Lord’s Prayer every morning again at noon and finally as she prepared to sleep. I can’t imagine gentle Gwendolyn being vexing in her consistent prayers like the woman in the parable… who if you read the literal translation…. was giving the unrighteous judge a black eye with all of her appeals for justice.

What would happen if faith communities prayed the Lord’s Prayer with Gwen’s consistency and the widow’s urgency? Might we be the ones changed somehow? What might happen to us as we discover the Lord’s Prayer is truly anti-empire?

How might our worldview shift when we pray with the widow’s insistence that God enables us to live under God’s governance, that God for provides daily bread and helps in our relationships and that God alone can truly deliver us from evil?

To lose heart is to lose hope; we pray the loss isn’t permanent! May prayer kindle hope…hope that is said to have two daughters; anger at injustice and inhumanity and courage to be just and humane. May communities that embody and share hope continue to be the answered prayer for the rest of us. Amen.

Sunday Attendance  today 16 – last year 21

Sermon 🔉 (audio only)

Transcript of  Sermon (PDF format)

Worship Guide

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost October 12, 2025

Prayer of the Day Almighty and most merciful God, your bountiful goodness fills all creation. Keep us safe from all that may hurt us, that, whole and well in body and spirit, we may with grateful hearts accomplish all that you would have us do, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.

Gospel: Luke 17:11-19 11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten men with a skin disease approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’s feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? So where are the other nine? 18 Did none of them return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.

Reflections: ” If Jesus’ words never strike me as strange, if Jesus’ words never cause me some sense of unrest, if Jesus’ words never trouble me, then I can be sure of one thing: I can be sure that I am missing something important. Professor Eric Baretto, Princeton Theological Seminary, NJ, US

True as these words are for me, I am merely repeating a more eloquent statement of my experience offered by Professor Eric Baretto from Princeton Seminary in the U.S. Words that churn up things for us include…

a region between, as in the margins or a border land

lepers—-even St. Francis was creeped out by leprosy before his spiritual awakening

Samaritan—-

and finally, Did none of them return to give glory to God except this foreigner?”

We find Jesus walking among people exiled because of a skin condition thought to be contagious—they have been deported to a border place neither here nor there and consigned to a life belonging nowhere. In this land for nobody, God shows up and heals everyone—including a Samaritan which means this one is doubly outcast. And Jesus marvels at his faith even calling him a foreigner. Takes one to know one.

Jesus’ history was as a refugee fleeing Herod’s infanticide. Jesus’ ancestral tradition harks to prophets reminding the returned exiles to extend hospitality to those now displaced. Jesus’s heritage to the time of Moses insists we remember our own wilderness wandering and displacement and that we exercise empathy toward the outsider.

On a Thanksgiving weekend, if you’re looking for things to be thankful for, consider rejoicing that God shows up in the no-where places and brings healing to those living on the margins. Rejoice that God’s table, as Jesus demonstrates in this nowhere land is one that extends both in size and in breadth of those invited to it.

If you’re looking for a grateful response, consider committing what some purported Christians denounce as sinful; lean into empathy for those who are displaced, shut out or marginalized for any reason. Yes, exercise that sinful empathy and if I might riff on Luther’s words, when you do, ‘sin boldly’ and believe more boldly still in God’s scandalous forays into the margins where God heals and embraces indiscriminately and lavishly. Thanks be to God.

Worship attendance today ->14,  last year ->11

Sermon 🔈 (audio only)

Transcript of Gospel and Sermon (Pdf text format)

Worship Guide

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost-October 5, 2025

Prayer of the Day Benevolent, merciful God: When we are empty, fill us. When we are weak in faith, strengthen us. When we are cold in love, warm us, that with fervour we may love our neighbours and serve them for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.

Gospel: Luke 17:5-10 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
7 “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? 8 Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me; put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? 9 Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’ ”

Reflections: In the mid 1980’s late night tv aired a program featuring muscle-bound, bombastic gym rats performing feats of physical strength they attributed to the Holy Spirit. These spandex swaddled members of the Power-Team appeared powered more by steroids than spirit and they reduced faith to parlour tricks as part of their late night schtick for their form of religion.

Living in a time a friend of mine used to call ‘global weirding’, requires wonder working faith of a different variety if we are to have any hope of…well… anything.

Martin Luther reminds us that faith is a relationship rather than a ‘thing’ we carry in our pockets and purses—or cross body bags if you like.

Union Presbyterian Seminary professor John T Carroll’s words about the faith we need feel like balm and smelling salts all in one. Professor Carroll writes in Working Preacher that

”We need faith that, despite the evidence of sight and sound, what we do matters; that we can make a difference for good; that God isn’t done with this world just yet. Perhaps the key is not the size of faith but its tenacity and durability (see also Luke 18:8b). We might do well to join the apostles’ plea for more robust faith, and add to it a resolve to embody our faith in persistent, courageous action.

How does such faith connect to Jesus’s parable about the slave—a parable almost too difficult to read or hear because the very idea of one person owning another is repugnant for its inhumanity?

Again Professor Carroll’s insight is inspiring and instructive. Who among us would serve our servants? Jesus, that’s who. To quote the professor, “Jesus’ followers are to emulate that model, rather than conform to the usual quest for superior position and power (22:24–27). Persons and communities of faith are called to obedience of a different kind, serving the One who alone is sovereign.”

Disciples like Francis of Assisi—whom the church commemorates this week— renounced his wealth by literally stripping down and giving his clothing back to his merchant father. Francis chose poverty and even celebrated it and he devoted his life to care for the poor and for creation—how’s that for uprooting mulberry trees and chucking them into the drink?

Years ago our denomination communicated our shared mission with the words “in service to others”. Church is the rare institution not in it for themselves but for the sake of those who aren’t even part of it. Or at least that’s what we’re supposed to be. Imagine all the good Jesus’ followers could bring to the world empowered by a durable and tenacious faith the size of a mustard seed. Jesus’s words can be accurately translated as “if you had such faith….and you do….”. With such faith we the church could do such wondrous things like persistently and courageously loving all our neighbours. Amen

Attendance today >16 – last year >15

Sermon 🔊 (audio only)

Transcript of Gospel and Sermon (PDF text format)

Worship Guide

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost September 28, 2025

Prayer of the Day
O God, rich in mercy, you look with compassion on this troubled world. Feed us with your grace, and grant us the treasure that comes only from you, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.

Gospel: Luke 16:19-31 [Jesus said:] 19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24 He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus in like manner evil things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27 He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house 28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

REFLECTIONS: Granted, the setting for ‘act two’ of the parable is the afterlife. The point of this parable is very much about this life considering that it follows Jesus’ loan shark story. Jesus tells these stories to his followers so they reflect on their relationship with ‘stuff’.

The impoverished Lazarus is the only person in a parable who has a name—and it translates as “God helps”. For this poor Lazarus ONLY God helps.

Rich dude is too preoccupied keeping Party Central lubricated and fed to even SEE Lazarus suffering right there at his gate. God sees. God knows. God helps. Hereafter, Lazarus’ suffering is relieved as he rests in the bosom of Abraham, father of us all.

Hereafter, rich and terminally obtuse dude languishes in torment.

He begs Abraham to enlist Lazarus as errand boy to bring him respite. Get the irony? The law and prophets call on rich boy and us to relieve the suffering of others or at least not to make it any worse.

Ever the wheeler dealer, rich dude asks Abraham to conscript Lazarus to be a Marley’s ghost messenger to warn his siblings. No sale.

Where does that leave us?

What if Professor Barbara Rossing is right that we are the siblings of the rich guy? “We are those five siblings of the rich man. We who are still alive have been warned about our urgent situation, the parable makes clear. We have Moses and the prophets; we have the scriptures; we have the manna lessons of God’s economy, about God’s care for the poor and hungry. We even have someone who has risen from the dead. The question is: Will we — the five sisters and brothers — see? Will we heed the warning, before it is too late?”

Some studies suggest that the richest among us are the least generous and often the poorest among us are the most generous. Images of starving children in Gaza break our hearts— We watch people in town load up repurposed shopping carts with trash bags stuffed with all their earthly possessions and wonder how we might help. So I know we see the suffering at our gates.

Our churches give your contributions to the Hope Centre and Port Cares. Individuals give generously to international relief agencies like CLWR. Our bishops advocate to government leaders on behalf of the poor. There are instances where we’ve have shown kindness to people sleeping at our gates…or doorstep. Our actions are in keeping with tradition of the children of Israel heeding calls for generosity and compassion. Our generosity comes from Jesus’ example and preaching to remember the poor.

Yet, Greed remains voracious and poverty relentless. So maybe our warning comes new every day. As Jesus would say, if we have ears let us hear. If we have love and compassion let us live that out. Maybe our kindness and push for justice now are little echoes or hints about the grand and glorious feast in the kingdom in the hereafter.

Or as professor Rossing puts it,

-In Luke’s wonderful imagery, Abraham’s bosom awaits to enfold us in loving arms now and after our death. (Source: Working Preacher, Luther Seminary, St. Paul MN, US)