KOG SERVICE FOR OCTOBER 2, 2022

The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Blessing of the Animals

JESUS, LIVING BREAD, RENEWING OUR HUNGRY WORLD

Pentecost begins with a rush–the rushing, life-giving wind of God’s Spirit. We also remember that Sunday is a day of rest. Rest is not meant to emphasize relaxation as much as it does renewal. The Church year season of Pentecost recognizes that God’s Spirit breathes into us life-giving re-creation. The readings for these months of Summer worship focus on who we are in Christ, what is the nature of faith, what is the living out of this faith, what the life of following Jesus is all about. The Bread of Life, like the manna in the wilderness, and like the bread on the Lord’s table, declares how near and involved our God actually is in our daily lives. Through Christ’s word and Spirit we have refreshment and renewal.

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: you seek peace and unity among us, but too often we choose walls of isolation. You seek to be one with your creation, but we turn away your loving Spirit. In your forgiving love, break down the barriers we create, that we might see more clearly your love for us, be reconciled with our neighbour, and trust more deeply your promise of eternal life. Amen.

Pastor: We who once were far off

have been brought near to God

through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

May our all-loving God through the Holy Spirit

grant you grace to forgive one another

as God in Christ has forgiven you.

People: Amen.

HOLDEN EVENING PRAYER

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Listen through the Magnificat. It ends at 10:40

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Benevolent, merciful God: When we are empty fill us. When we are weak in faith, strengthen us. We 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.

First Reading

Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
   and you will not listen?
Or cry to you ‘Violence!’
   and you will not save?
Why do you make me see wrongdoing
   and look at trouble?
Destruction and violence are before me;
   strife and contention arise.
So the law becomes slack
   and justice never prevails.
The wicked surround the righteous—
   therefore judgement comes forth perverted.

I will stand at my watch-post,
   and station myself on the rampart;
I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,
   and what he will answer concerning my complaint.
Then the Lord answered me and said:
Write the vision;
   make it plain on tablets,
   so that a runner may read it.
For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
   it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
   it will surely come, it will not delay.
Look at the proud!
   Their spirit is not right in them,
   but the righteous live by their faith.

Second Reading 2 Timothy 1:1-14 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

Gospel Reading Luke 17:5-10 The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ 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.

‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? 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”? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 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!” ’

SERMON

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HYMN OF THE DAY

“Build Us Up, Lord”

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Build us up, Lord, build us up; set in us a strong foundation. Lead us to do your holy will; form and shape your new creation.

Build us up, Lord, build us up; as we guide and teach each other, help us to share your love with the world: every sister, every brother.

Refrain: Growing in Christ, we plant seeds for the kingdom; we follow in faith what’s begun! Lord, set in our hearts the pow’r of your word to spread the news of your Son!

Build us up, Lord, build us up; let our lives reflect your glory. Cast away all our doubts and fears; help us tell the world your story.

Build us up, Lord, build us up; help us bear good fruit for you, Lord, give us vision and keep us sure. Grant us faith that’s steadfast and true. Refrain

TODAY IN OUR PRAYERS

Bill, Carol, Curtis, and Christine Buchkowsky, Teri Peterson, Wayne Turner, Janet Gregory, Marge McMillan, Kyrie Parimi, Doris Turner, Hilda Anderson, Linda Wolfe, Naomi, Bev Gregory, Dale Robinson, Audrey Hedlin, Mona Neher, Oma Ywo, Owen Peterson, Helga Halldorsdottir, Evaline Sanders, the family of Norm Gregory, the family of baby Mavrick Gallant (Bev Gregory’s great-grandson), the family of Katherine Meger (Joshua Bratvold’s great grandmother), the family of Lois Jenkins (Ann Salmon’s mother), the family of Helen Neher (Carol Sarich’s mother), the family of John Beaven (Bev Gregory’s brother), and the family of Carl Rausch. Lakeland Lutheran Church in Coldlake, AB whose building was damaged by fire.

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 victims, injured, families and communities of James Smith Cree Nation and the village of Weldon who have experienced tragic murders and stabbings, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the people of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, the Palestinians and Israelis, Ethiopia, Myanmar and the Rohingya Muslim refugees, Lebanon, all at the Mexico/United States border seeking refuge, the 100 million refugees and displaced persons, the people of Haiti suffering from earthquake, hurricane, and political disasters, Pakistan devastated by torrential rains and flooding, the people of Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Atlantic Canada and Newfoundland pummeled by hurricane Fiona, those in Cuba, Florida, and South Carolina buffeted by hurricane Ian. 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 and the omicron variant.

HOLDEN EVENING PRAYER

[click on the link below]

Begin listening at 10:40, The Prayers

CLOSING HYMN

“Many and Great, O God, Are Your Works”

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Many and great oh God are your works

Maker of earth and sky

Your hands have set the heavens with stars

Your fingers spread the mountains and plains

Lo, at your word the waters were formed

Deep seas obey your voice

Grant unto us communion with Thee

Thou star, abiding One

Come unto us and dwell with us

With you are found the gifts of life

Bless us with life that has no end

Eternal life with you

DISMISSAL

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

People: Thanks be to God.

BLESSING OF ANIMALS

Pastor: The animals of God’s creation inhabit the skies, the earth, and the sea.
They share in the fortunes of human existence
and have a part in human life.
God, who confers gifts on all living things,
has often used the service of animals
or made them reminders of the gifts of salvation.

People: Animals were saved from the flood
and afterwards made a part of the covenant with Noah.

The paschal lamb recalls the passover sacrifice
and the deliverance from slavery in Egypt.

A giant fish saved Jonah;

ravens brought bread to Elijah;

animals were included in the repentance of Nineveh;

and animals share in Christ’s redemption of all God’s creation.

Pastor: We, therefore, invoke God’s blessing on these animals.
As we do so, let us praise the Creator
and thank God for allowing us to care
for all the creatures of the earth.

Pastor: Let us pray.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, who in your self-emptying love gathered up and reconciled all creation to God. Innumerable galaxies of the heavens worship you. Creatures that grace the earth rejoice in you. All those in the deepest seas bow to you in adoration. As with them we give you praise, grant that we may cherish the earth, our home, and live in harmony with this good creation, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

People: Amen, amen. Shalom, Shalom

OUR COVENANT WITH ALL CREATION

People: Source and sustainer of life we cherish the myriad works of your hands. Water, earth, and sky are yours, as are all their inhabitants, wild and tame. We thank you for creatures that nourish and serve us, befriend, enrich, entertain, and protect us. We, who are made in your image, pledge to care for all your creatures well. We dedicate ourselves to your groaning yet wondrous creation to enable it to rally and to thrive so that it might reveal to all who come after us your wise, redemptive, and transfiguring love.

Psalm 148

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens

Praise him in the heights.

Praise him, all angels

Praise him, all his host.

Praise him, sun and moon;

Praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens,

And you waters above the heavens.

Let them praise the name of the Lord,

For he commanded and they were created.

He established them forever and ever;

He fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

Praise the Lord from the earth,

You sea monsters and all deeps.

Fire and Hail, snow and frost,

Stormy wind fulling his command.

Mountains and all hills,

Fruit trees and all cedars,

Wild animals and all cattle,

Creeping things and flying birds.

Kings of the earth and all peoples,

Princes and all rulers of the earth.

Young men and women alike,

Old and young together.

Let them praise the name of the Lord,

For his name alone is exalted

His glory is above earth and heaven.

He has raised up a horn for his people.

Praise for all his faithful,

For the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord.

Francis of Assisi’s Sermon to the Birds

My little sisters, the birds, many are the bonds which unite us to God. And your duty is to praise God everywhere and always, because he has let you free to fly wherever you will, and has given you a double and three-fold covering and the beautiful colored plumage you wear.

Praise God likewise for the food he provides for you without your working for it, for the songs he has taught you, for your numbers that his blessing has multiplied, for your species which he preserved in the ark of olden times, and for the realm of the air he has reserved for you.

God sustains you without your having to sow or reap. He gives you fountains and streams to drink from, mountains and hills in which to take refuge, and tall trees in which to build your nests. Although you do not know how to sew or spin, God gives to you and your little ones the clothing you need.

How the Creator must love you to grant you such favors! So, my sister birds, do not be ungrateful, but continually praise God who showers blessing upon you.

Hymn: All Things Bright and Beautiful

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All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful:

The Lord God made them all.

Each little flow’r that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colors,

He made their tiny wings.

The purple-headed mountains,

The river running by,

The sunset and the morning

That brightens up the sky.

The cold wind in the winter,

The pleasant summer sun,

The ripe fruits in the garden,

He made them every one.

He gave us eyes to see them,

And lips that we might tell

How great is God Almighty,

Who has made all things well.

BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS

People: Gracious God, in your love you created us in your image and made us to care for all the animals that live in the skies, the earth, and the sea. Bless our pets and all your animals, wild and tame. Help us recognize your power and wisdom in all the creatures that live in our world. Bless their variety and their own created beauty. Protect your creatures, and guard them from evil, and hear our prayer for all that suffer overwork, hunger, and ill-treatment. Amen.

Bless, O Lord, these creatures, and fill our hearts with thanksgiving

for its their being. Amen.

Pastor: Let us pray.

God created us and placed us on the earth to be stewards of all living things,
therefore let us proclaim the glory of our Creator, saying: