(From the KOG IT Department: Sorry the post is late.)

Reformation Sunday

A Foretaste of the Coming Harvest

Pentecost begins with a rush–the rushing, life-giving wind of God’s Spirit. Now the latter part of the season of Pentecost centers on the lush green of growth and glorious yellow of harvest. We are constantly reminded that God has inexorably linked the experience of grace to the life and work of human beings.  It is ordinary for the community of faith to be about the work of God’s reign.  It is extraordinary that this labor bears the very power of the cross and resurrection.  This part of the Pentecost season pushes us to see our work as sacramental, an incarnational expression of Christ’s own life, death, and resurrection.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

We remember our baptisms, confess our faithlessness, 

and hear God’s faithful promise of forgiveness

Pastor:  Blessed be the holy Trinity:

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

who forgives all our sin,

whose mercy endures forever.

People:  Amen. 

Pastor: God of all mercy and consolation,

come to the aid of your people,

turning us from sin

to live for you alone.

Give us the power of your Holy Spirit

that, attentive to your Word,

we may confess our sins,

receive your forgiveness,

bear with one another in love,

maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,

and grow into the fullness of your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord. 

People: Amen. 

Pastor: Let us confess our sin in the

presence of God and of one another.  Reconciling God, 

People: we confess that we are a rebellious people,

following our own desires rather than listening to your call.

We have counted ourselves better than others,

failing to seek justice and care for the neighbour in need.

We have sought earthly treasures,

neglecting your gifts of word and sacrament.

For the sake of Christ Jesus,

forgive our sins,

strengthen our faith,

and lead us by your Holy Spirit

to joyful service in your name.  Amen. 

Pastor: In the mercy of God,

I declare to you the forgiveness of all your sin.

In baptism, you have been crucified with Christ;

it is no longer you who live,

but Christ who lives in you.

People: Amen.

GATHERING

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S CALL WITH PRAISE AND PRAYER,
AND PREPARE TO HEAR GOD’S WORD OF LIFE

GREETING

Pastor: Sisters and brothers, you have been called to freedom in Christ.

People: Let us live in that freedom and be lead by God’s Spirit.

Pastor: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

People: And also with you.

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.

First Reading:  Jeremiah 31: 31-34

A New Covenant

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. 

Psalm 46God is our refuge and strength,
   a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
   though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
   though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
          Selah 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
   the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
   God will help it when the morning dawns.
The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
   he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our refuge.
          Selah 

Come, behold the works of the Lord;
   see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
   he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
   he burns the shields with fire.
‘Be still, and know that I am God!
   I am exalted among the nations,
   I am exalted in the earth.’
The Lord of hosts is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our refuge.
          Selah 

Second Reading:   Romans 3:19-28

Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For ‘no human being will be justified in his sight’ by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

But now, irrespective of law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. 

Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. 

Gospel Reading:  John 8:31-36

Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, “You will be made free”?’ 

Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 

SERMON

[click on the link below]

HYMN OF THE DAY

“For By Grace You Have Been Saved”

NICENE CREED  (recited on festival Sundays)

Pastor: Let us confess our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed.

All: We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made,

of one Being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation

he came down from heaven;

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary 

and became truly human.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again

    in accordance with the Scriptures;

he ascended into heaven

    and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,

and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.

who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

TODAY IN OUR PRAYERS

Bill, Carol, Curtis, and Christine Buchkowsky, Teri Peterson, Wayne Turner, Janet Gregory, Marge McMillan, Kyrie Parimi, John Beaven, Doris Turner, Hilda Anderson, Linda Wolfe, Naomi, Bev Gregory, Dale Robinson, Bryan Matschke, Audrey Hedlin, Liz Sand, Robin Stamm and baby Constantine, Mona Neher, Carl Rausch, Joanne, Bill, and Jocelyn Adams, Oma Ywo, Joan Schock, Jennipher Karst, Jody Giesbrecht, Hannah, Wendell and baby Russell Francis, Helen Neher, the family of Norm Gregory, the family of Mary Anderson (Evelyn Robson’s mother), the family of Joel Zimmerman, the family of Roger Nostbakken, the family of baby Maverick Gallant (Bev Gregory’s great-grandson), and the family of Ray Johnson (the brother of Doris Turner).

We remember the missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada, the children and people buried in unmarked graves at residential schools and First Nation lands, and all those who have suffered the trauma of residential schools, the people of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Ukraine, the coup in Sudan, South Sudan, the terrorist bombings in Afghanistan, Yemen, Venezuela, Somalia, Libya, Mozambique, Hong Kong, the Palestinians and Israelis, the civil war in Ethiopia, Myanmar, Belarus, Tunisia, the gun battles in Lebanon, the Rohingya Muslim refugees and the ethnic Karen of Myanmar, all at the Mexico/United States border seeking refuge, the people of Haiti suffering from earthquake, hurricane, and political disasters and the 17 kidnapped persons, all those caught in the path of hurricanes Grace, Ida, Nicholas, and Pamela, the residents of La Palma threatened by volcanic eruption, and those in Bali recovering from earthquake, the people of India suffering from monsoon flooding, the people of Iqaluit dealing with contaminated drinking water, those in the United States, Canada, and throughout the world caught up in racism and injustice and the resulting violence, and those throughout the world, in Canada, in our province, and in our community still threatened by the coronavirus.

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE OF FAITH

 [The congregational response after each petition is:“CAUSE YOUR FRUITS OF LOVE TO ABOUND.”]

Pastor:  With confidence in God’s saving grace, let us pray to the Lord of the Harvest for the Church, the world, and the needs of all people everywhere, saying, “God, in your goodness,” and responding, “Cause your fruits of love to abound.”

Petitioner:  Loving God, through the water of our baptism, through the nourishing food of your Supper, and through the power of your Word, we celebrate in prayer and praise the heart of our faith – the Gospel of Christ.  Forgive us and reconcile us to yourself and to one another that we might build up the body of Christ, continue our witness to your truth that liberates us from sin, and by your Spirit persist in your love for the world.  God, in your goodness…

Petitioner:   Faithful God, we give you thanks for creation and its gift of a completed harvest.  Nourish the earth to provide enough food and clean water for all.  Forgive us our carelessness with the earth and transform our lives of consumption into lives of gratitude. Give us a renewed commitment to care for and to nurture your creation, that the wonders you have made will be available for generations that follow.  God, in your goodness…

Petitioner:  God of reconciliation, amid our struggles and disappointments insure that your guiding and reforming gift of grace is directing us as faithful partners in ministry that our life together might be filled with great love for those around us.  Make this congregation a place of forgiveness and reconciliation.  Send us forth to persist joyfully with greetings of grace and peace on our lips.   God, in your goodness …

Pastor:   God our refuge and strength, you are a very present help in trouble.  We pray for the sick, the desperate, the anxious, the depressed, for those who face constant pain or even death, for those in treatment for addiction or disease, and for those who mourn.  We remember especially before you ….  Grant them peace and healing, for you are their refuge and strength and their source of hope.   God, in your goodness…

Petitioner:  God of justice and wisdom, the nations of the world are broken by terror and hostility within and without.  Plant the seeds of justice by the movement of your Spirit in the nations of this world.  Accompany refugees, displaced persons, and all who wander without homes.  Shelter them from all harm.  Graciously tend to the victims of terror. Guide the feet of all leaders of the nations into the way of peace.    God, in your goodness…  

Petitioner:  Good and gracious God, we remember all who have served and those who have died in war and conflict.  Give us a vision of life in which justice and peace are not distant dreams, but a present reality.  Sustain the efforts of all, past and present, that we might create a world where swords are beaten into plowshares and there shall be no more war.  God, in your goodness…

Petitioner:  God of freedom, we pray for all communities of faith, their ministers and their ministries, especially St. David’s/Trinity United Church and Resurrection and Trinity Lutheran churches.  We give you thanks for all the ways that you keep reaching out to us reforming and conforming us to the Good News of our freedom in Christ.  Where we are in error, direct us; where we are true, strengthen us; where we are divided, reunite us.   God, in your goodness …

Pastor: Teach us to pray, O God, and grant us wisdom in our asking, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

People:  Amen.

THE GREETING AND SHARING OF PEACE

Pastor: The peace of Christ be with you always.

People: And also with you.

(The congregation greets one another with a gesture of peace, using these or similar words:
“Christ’s peace be with you.”)

THE OFFERING

(We worship God with the offering of our selves, our time, our talents, and our possessions.)

OFFERTORY PRAYER

Pastor:: Let us pray.
God of harvest,

People: to your table we bring wine and bread,

and gifts from the labor of our hands.

Receive the offering of our lives,

and feed us with your living bread from heaven,

that our lives may proclaim your care for all creation,

and that we may serve others in your name;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Pastor: Let us pray with confidence in the words our Saviour gave us:

People: Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

  on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those

  who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and forever. Amen.

BENEDICTION

Pastor: Almighty God, who makes all things new in Jesus Christ,

send you light and truth.

The providential hand of God protect you;

the life giving Christ accompany you;

and the sustaining presence of the Spirit

give you peace, now, and always.

People:   Amen.

CLOSING HYMN

“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”

[click on the link below]

ANNOUNCEMENTS

DISMISSAL

Pastor: Go in peace, renewed with Christ’s Spirit to love and to serve.

People: Thanks be to God.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

TODAY AT KOG 

THIS WEEK AT KOG

COMING UP AT KOG

• – Wednesday, November 24, Church Council meeting at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom

King of Glory will hold our regular in-person worship services—following the provincial protocols recommended—on a weekly basis at the regular time 6:30 p.m.  Of course, should there be any significant changes with regard to the pandemic situation the Church Council will revisit the issue.

September, October, and Year-to-Date Budget and Contribution Report for KOG

2021 Budget:  $49,536       Monthly Budget:  $4,180.50     Weekly Budget:  $964.73

2021income/expenses: –$1,304.87

August income/expenses: –$2,043.59

Weekly contributions for September:  September 5: $1,070  September 12: $570

September 19: $320  September 26: $0

Weekly contributions for October:  October 3: $520  October 10: $0

October 17: $320    October 24: $0  October 31: $370

One of King of Glory’s service projects for the year is support of the Alzheimer’s Society.  Church Council has designated the Sundays in November for  a free will offering to be collected for the Alzheimer Society.  Please give generously.

Congratulations and God’s richest blessings to Jennipher Karst, Jody Giesbrecht, Hannah, and Wendell on the birth of Russell Francis.  God’s spirit of health, well-being, and joy be with you all.

The website  for all seven ELCIC congregations in Saskatoon is now up and the address is https://saskatoonelcic.com/   It will be used now mainly for sharing information during the pandemic.

We acknowledge the officers and members of the Church Council:  Wayne Turner, Chairperson, Jennipher Karst, Vice-chairperson.  Lauren Sarich, Secretary, Pat Sarich, Co-treasurer, Karen McKenzie, Financial Secretary and Evelyn Robson, Kyle Sarich, Karen Larson and Don Sanders as Council members at large.  We keep these people and their ministry of servant-leadership in our prayers asking the Spirit to send them wisdom, guidance, and understanding.

Co-Treasurer position for King of Glory 

King of Glory is looking for a co-treasurer primarily responsible for documenting and filling out the forms for the province, the Canada Revenue Agency and the ELCiC.  They will work Pat Sarich whose primary responsibility is oversight of the budget and the bookkeeping with respect of receipts and expenditures.  Please contact Pastor Michael about this position.

Checklist and Guidelines for Re-opening Worship Services

Disinfect/sanitize worship space and entrance etc before the service

One person preps worship materials [pastor]

Six feet distancing  recommended

No sharing of pencils, pens, etc.

No serving of food or beverages

Try not to use the washrooms

Open doors and windows if possible

Use/wear face masks, but you may sing quietly recommended

Hand sanitizer available

No physical contact (e.g. sharing of the peace, no passing of offering plate)

Communion procedure: distribution in a way that maintains physical distancing

Disinfect/sanitize worship space and entrance etc after the service