Worship on Remembrance Sunday
10:00 am         November 09, 2025
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs     Service led by: Major (Padre) Kenneth MacRae
Music Director: Binu Kapadia     Vocalists: Sam and Ann May Malayang
Welcoming Elder: Jane de Caen     Children’s time: Padre Ken
Reader: Tracy Childs
We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

The National Anthem: O Canada vs 1

Memorial Message

O God, we remember . . .

We remember today that you are the giver of every good gift, and one of your gifts is peace. You have blessed us with freedom, and you have met all our needs.

O God, help us never to forget your gifts.

We remember those who gave their lives in two world wars, the Korean War and other countless conflicts. We know that their sacrifice is part of your gift of peace and freedom.

O God, help us never to forget the price they paid.

Lord Jesus Christ, you said that people have no greater love than to lay down their life for their friends. You laid down your life for us, and you call us your friends. Those who were killed or maimed or scarred in wars laid down a piece of their lives for us. Some their whole lives.

They did as you did.

O God, help us to live lives worthy of their sacrifices and also yours.

We remember that you alone are the source of peace and justice. We pray with all our hearts for peace in our times. Bring true peace to those places where conflicts continue to smolder.

O God, bring an end to hatred and senseless violence, and give peace in our time that last long after we are gone.

We remember, God, that homes and workplaces, schools and streets are not always places of peace. Yet you have offered us the way of peace through the love of Jesus Christ.

O God, help us to accept your offer and to find another way, the way of Love, the way of  the healer and great physician – Jesus Your son.

We hold up before you, all those who work for peace: For you have said, “Blessed are the peacemakers”.

O God, help us to be peacemakers and peacekeepers in our homes, our communities and our world.

. . . may we ever pray: Lord God of Hosts: Be with us yet,

In Flanders Field
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)

Last Post
1 minute of Silence
Reveille

Act of Remembrance
They shall grow not old,
as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them.

RESPONSE: We will remember them.

Call to worship
L: On this day of memories, we gather to sing and to pray;
P: we remember the past and look to the future.
L: On this day when the guns and cannons fell silent,
P: we come before you, God, seeking your peace.
L: On this day of hope in the face of terror,
P: we come before you, God, believing in your promise.
L: Let us worship God together, in peace

Opening praise: Great are you, Lord

Prayers of Adoration and Confession

Loving God, this morning and on Remembrance Day we pause to remember those who have sacrificed so much in defence of our nation. We remember those who never made it home and are thankful for those who did come home. Some have had their body, minds or souls forever damaged by the destruction of war, or the horrors that they have seen and experiences. We gather as a congregation to give praise to you who knows all about sacrifice. We praise you for Jesus Christ, who out of love for all of us, went to the cross, and died for us so that we might have eternal life through him. We thank you for that love that has been shown to us in many different ways through family, friends, teachers, and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Lord, we confess that we have not always returned that love to others. We still live in a world where there is much hatred and bigotry. We live in a world of terror where people like to do harm to people and to make others live in fear. And we are not people who tend to not forgive others easily. Help us to seek justice, without releasing undue anger or violence. Forgive us for the times when fear has paralysed our acts of love and kindness. Give to us the courage and the wisdom to know when we must stand up to help those who are weaker than ourselves. Guide us in knowing what is your will for our life. This we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

Response: We come to ask your forgiveness

Assurance of God’s peace

In John 14:27 Jesus states, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.”

Let us receive the mercy that Christ freely gives to us and be at peace with the Lord.

We listen for the voice of God

Music Open our eyes, Lord” (445)

Children’s time

The youth made a wreath with a lot of poppies and want it presented during the children’s story.

Wreaths: Date back to ancient Greece and Rome and were worn as crowns by victors and symbolized both victory and death. Today wreaths are laid to honor the sacrifices of armed forces members who have died in the line of service.

In the services, you will often (almost always) see a military member leading a civilian up to place the wreath. They stop and salute.

Today, lets pretend you are in the military and I’m going to teach you how to salute, with the help of my good friend Sgt Dave Smith.

Now a few tricks to learn.

• The one who is the lower rank salutes first. He is a Sgt and I’m a Major.
  He starts and has to keep saluting until I salute him back.
• Right hand, straight
• Marching – start with left foot

Saluting and marching.

• Dave can instruct
• Start left foot, etc
• Have the children present wreath and salute

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Song: The kingdom of God is justice and joy ( 787)

Scripture readings: Genesis 34:11-31; Psalm 17:1-9;
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5,13-17; Luke 20:27-38

Response: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet

Message: Justice vs Vengeance

Have you ever had a strange idea or thought that you cannot get rid of?

You are trying to get to sleep and your mind is thinking, “How do dragons blow out candles?”

I used to love the show Home Improvement with Tim Allen.

He would get this strange idea to add more power to basically everything.

Everyone needs a supercharged v8 lawnmower.

He would add Christmas lights to him home that could guide in airplanes.

It was a funny show.

*****
Well over a month ago I had Brad contact me about doing today’s service.

In my daily devotions at home, I had just read Genesis 34.

We read this text this morning about how brothers got revenge against the people who had raped their sister.

They were able to convince a city that every male should be circumcised to give honour to their faith.

Long story short, while the men were recovering, the two brothers went into that city and killed all the males.

My mind had this strange thought that this would be a great text for Remembrance Day.

*****
Immediately my mind also thought, “This is a stupid idea!”

I could preach on peace.

I could preach on love thy enemy.

I could preach on how anger needs to be turned into calmness and understanding.

I could preach on many great texts in the Bible.

But no….my mind kept thinking…a text where 2 people killed a city of men would be great.

So after 2 weeks of trying to get rid of this thought, I said, “Fine! I’ll write a sermon on Genesis 34 and see where this goes.”

Disclaimer: If anyone is triggered by this story, please see Brad or myself. The Bible is not always about nice and wonderful events.

******
Genesis 34 begins with a story about a horrible crime.

Dinah, the daughter of Jacob- who would later be called Israel, was out to visit other women in the countryside.

While she was walking around, Shechem – the son of a Prince, raped her.

The Bible is more tactful with the wording.

In verse 2 it reads, “He saw her, he took her and lay with her and violated her”.

This is a story of rape which is a crime beyond words.

He raped her because he saw her and wanted her.

There was no mention that he tried to talk to her, or court her, or attract her in a good way.

He raped her.

Only after the crime had been committed did he go to his father the Prince and try to make some arrangements with Jacob to marry her.

******
Sadly, the first part of this story is very familiar to us.

On any given day people are being violated in body, mind or soul.

I have talked to women who have been raped.

Their horror is beyond my counselling skills, but I will be the friend who directs them to the police, and to the right counsellors who are trained to help people who have been sexually violated.

There are other acts of violence in the world.

The war continues between Russian and Ukraine and people have been killed or injured.

There is a truce between Palestine and Israel, but the feeling of betrayal or vengeance is strong on both sides.

In the United States ICE are picking up people at random and treating them shamefully.

No due process at all.

We may have been victims of financial fraud.

We may have been mugged.

We may have been bullied at school, or harassed in the work place.

Sadly, there are a lot of horrible things that happen in this world.

******
The next part of the story in Genesis we can also understand.

When the brothers of Dinah heard about their sister being violated, vs 7 tells us that they were grieved and very angry.

This is very normal.

There are times when I struggle with Bible verses

In James 1:19-20 we are told “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”

It is natural for us to experience anger in life.

When we see injustice, we should feel anger.

The emotion, in and of itself, is not wrong.

It is always what we do with that emotion that is important.

If our anger motivates us to seek justice, to help the weak, to comfort the downtrodden than that is good.

It is when our anger motivates us to get revenge, to seek an eye for an eye that it gets dangerous.

A car cuts us off traffic so we chase the car down and cut it off in a dangerous road race, is not a smart idea.

*****
When the brothers of Dinah heard what happened to their sister, they were angry, which is perfectly fine.

But then they decided to get revenge.

Before we get into the vengeance part, we also have to understand what happened after Dinah was violated.

There does not seem to be any remorse from Shechem after his act of violence.

Instead, he convinces his Father, the Prince, to go talk to Jacob about the possibility of his son marrying Dinah.

Think about how that woman must have felt.

She was raped and now the rapist wanted to spend more time with her.

No apology.

No punishment by the father of the one who raped Dinah.

There wasn’t even any discussion by the father with Jacob as to “What can be done to make up for such a crime.”

The Father simply tried to negotiate with Jacob about the price of the young woman.

The son even said

Vs. 12. Sheckem (The one who raped Dinah) who was there for the negotiation asks of Jacob, “ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife.”

******
The gull of Sheckem to ask for Dinah must have infuriated Jacob and the sons.

This is where the story gets a bit weird.

The sons came up with a plan, that Jacob was not aware what the sons planned to do.

The brothers of Dinah said, “Well we can’t have our sister marry anyone who is uncircumcised.”

Now we know that circumcision was part of the covenant that God made with Abraham.

It was a blood covenant that every male went through to be part of God’s family.

Every Jew, to this day, as part of their faith gets circumcised.

*****
I was talking to a friend of mine who works as a chaplain in a prison in New Brunswick.

Sometimes the prisoners want special treatment.

Geoff told me that one day a person was tired of the normal prison food and declared himself Jewish so he would get different meals.

So Geoff, sat down with the person to discuss the sincerity of his faith.

Geoff then began to talk about the bris ceremony that all Jewish males must comply with.

The prisoner, nods his head and then asks, what is the bris ceremony.

Geoff explains that in order to be Jewish, to be in compliance with the Jewish faith, a special ceremony is held where the foreskin of your penis is cut off.

For some unbelievable reason, the prisoner no longer wanted to be Jewish.

Go figure!

******
What is interesting about his text, is that the brothers convinced the Father, the son and all the men in that city to get circumcised.

This was nothing to do with religion.

This was not about convincing these people that they needed to become Jewish and part of the covenant with God.

It was all part of a revenge plot.

These men were told, “Well if you want to marry with our women, you have to become circumcised.”

And they did it!

The Prince convinced all his people in that city to be circumcised because if they did this, they would be able to intermarry with the Jewish people and eventually all their livestock, their property and their animals would eventually be theirs!

It was all about greed.

By being circumcised the men would get to marry the Jewish women and eventually get all their wealth.

******
On the third day after all the males of the city got circumcised that Simeon and Levi decided on their own to go into the city and kill every male they could find.

Two men against a whole city, but none of the males were up to defending themselves.

When Jacob heard what happened, he was not happy.

At the end of chapter 34 we can read that Jacob was worried that other inhabitants of the land would hear what happened in that city and rise up to kill Jacob and all his family.

Jacob was thinking the big picture.

But the sons merely defended their actions by saying, “Should he treat our sister like a harlot?”

******
In case we have any doubt that what these brothers did was wrong, go to Genesis chapter 49.

As Jacob was nearing death he gathered all his sons near him to give blessings or curses.

In verses 5-7 we can read:

“Simeon and Levi are brothers- their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.”

******

So what lessons are we to learn from this?

Are we to simple forgive and forget, which is not a Biblical phrase.

No.

Forgiveness does not mean an absence of justice.

Forgiveness does not mean there should be no consequences for our actions.

The question remains, how do we balance the concept of justice, with our desire for revenge.

*****

As part of the Canadian Armed Forces, we are personnel trained to be violent.

We are not a social club.

We are not a feel-good club.

We are trained to kill.

We are trained to mess with the enemies’ minds.

HOWEVER, and this is a big HOWEVER, we have ROE’s

Rules of Engagement.

There are things we can do.

There are things we can’t do.

For example,

• we are only to target opposing Forces and Military objectives, not civilians.
• We are not allowed to attack those who surrender. We are to Disarm and Detain them.
• We are to treat all detained people humanely in accordance with the Geneva convention.
• Torture is prohibited.

As a nation, we usually abide by what is called the Just War Theory.

There are two components of the Just War Theory.

• The right to go to War
• The right conduct within war.

When we consider if we should go to war we need to consider:

• Just cause: War is permissible to confront a significant wrong.
• Legitimate Authority” Only duly recognized leaders or governments can declare war.
• Right Intention: What are we hoping to obtain? Are we hoping for peace, or justice.
• Last Resort: War should only be entered into if all other peaceful alternatives have been exhausted. (Diplomacy, sanctions, seizure of assests)
• Probability of Success: Is there a reasonable chance of success to avoid unnecessary loss of life.
• Proportionality: The anticipated benefits of the war much outweigh the potential harm it may cause.

In Genesis 34, the two brothers failed some of these moral criteria, which didn’t exist back then.

They may have had right case, but they were not the leaders of their people, so they took vengeance into their own hands.

There was no desire to seek repentance, or reparation for the persons crime.

This act of violence was not a last resort issue; it was the only thing told to us in this chapter.

There was no proportionality.

If the brothers sought to kill only the rapist, perhaps this wouldn’t have been too bad.

They decided to kill all the men of that city.

Many of these men would have had no connection to the rape of Dinah.

*******

We often need to apply these same principles to our own life.

A bully punches in at school.

Lets burn down his home.

Perhaps that is a little too much.

Our boss makes inappropriate comments to us.

Let’s get him or her fired.

Or perhaps we should go to human resources and do guided mediation and perhaps get an apology and have the person learn from their mistakes.

******

When we are wronged, talk to someone.

Hopefully that person will temper our anger.

Hopefully we can figure out how to get justice without going overboard in revenge.

We have to be careful about rash decisions.

There is wisdom when we are told to “sleep on it”.

Perhaps don’t send that ugly email telling off our boss, or friend who wronged us.

Write it but don’t send it until you sleep on it.

******

Seek justice.

Seek repentance from people who have wronged us.

But don’t lose your soul, in the desire for revenge.

******

So what have we learned.

There is injustice in the world.

We have desire for revenge, but we need calm minds to figure out what is an appropriate and just response.

Even when justice is done, there can be a lingering feeling of injustice on the part of the one who has been wronged, and lots of emotional distress from those entrusted to carrying out acts of violence.

On this Remembrance Day Sunday, we need to pray for peace and for justice.

We need to pray for appropriate and balanced responses to international crimes and for harms committed in our own country.

We need to pray for people among us, who are also struggling and need our help, comfort and advice.

We need to continue to pray for those who are serving and for veterans who are often placed in harms way and have to live with their actions.

******

This is easy for me to preach, but like you I have been wronged in the past and I have thought about revenge.

Thankfully, God helped to temper me.

We need to be there for people, to help, to comfort, to assist people in getting justice.

Listen to their anger and frustration.

But don’t give in to that anger that may lead you down a dark place.

Ultimately, there will be times when we feel justice is not found in this world.

That is when we can only hope and pray, that God will enact justice and if need be vengeance.

In Deuteronomy 32:35, it is written, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,”

That may be small comfort to us, but it may be all we get at times.

May God guide our actions as individuals and as a nation. Amen.

Song: The kingdom of God is justice and joy” (787)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

Prayers for ourselves and others

Gracious and holy God, we thank you for this opportunity of prayer, where we can confide in you not only our joys in life, but also our fears and worries. We pray for our country. It is indeed a beautiful place to live. We are bordered by oceans whose waves represent your tireless energy. We have mountains that testify to the height of your love for us. We have plains that seem to stretch out to infinity that reminds us of the eternal life you have for us. And you have filled this land with a very diverse people that reminds us that you love people of all colour, of all race, sex or age. We know that our country is not perfect. We know that we are a little scared about the direction our country is headed for we are not a country that is getting closer to you, but farther away. Guide us in your wisdom. Give your blessing upon the leaders of our country, as they lead with love, compassion and a sense of fairness.

We pray for the people in our country, who have been affected by the horror of war. There are many refugees who have come to our land to escape the insanity of violence that exists in many countries. May our country be a safe haven for those who have lived in fear of their life. We pray for the men and women who are serving in our armed forces today. Watch over them and bring them safely back to their loved one. We pray for the leaders of other countries and hope that reason and love will prevail in the midst of all this turmoil.

Lord, you are aware of the battles that we face in our own lives. We can battle the various diseases or injuries that plague our weary body. We can battle the frustration or depression that can haunt us and cripple our activities. We can be battling our grief and we wrestle with our loneliness, and the separation of one we dearly love and miss. And we can be having a spiritual battle, as we struggle to know what to believe or not to believe when it comes to our faith in you. Give to us your strength and courage in our time of need. Give answer to our many questions in life, and give to us the faith to trust you when some of our questions are left unanswered.

Song: Make me a channel of your peace (740)

Sending out with God’s blessing
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
The love of God
And fellowship of Holy Spirit
Reside with us now and forever more. Amen

Response: Benediction (as you god)

Music postlude

————————————————————————-

Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).

The Rev. Kenneth MacRae retains the copyright (© 2025) on all original material in this service. As far as he is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.

Worship on All Saints Sunday
10:00 am November 02, 2025
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs     Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Linda Farrah-Basford     Welcoming Elder: Heather Tansem
Reader: Godfrey Esoh, Sr.

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you.

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.
P: They shall mount up with wings as eagles;
L: They shall run and not be weary;
P: They shall walk and not faint.
L: In the company of all God’s saints and pilgrims, come and worship.
P: We come with prayer and praise to find our strength renewed!

Opening praise: This, I believe

Prayers of approach and confession

God of every age and every life, we celebrate your gifts: your wisdom that teaches us, your grace that reaches us, your Spirit that nudges and guides us, and your comfort that holds us in our grief and fear. In the mystery of your love, we trust that we remain connected to those who have walked this way before us; even as we miss them, their lives still instruct and inspire us. May their example stir us to generosity, kindness, and courage in our own time.

We also come with honesty and humility. You have been faithful, even when we have strayed. We confess the ways we have turned toward easier things: we have sought comfort instead of challenge, convenience instead of costly love. We admit to fleeting enthusiasm that fades quickly and promises made without thought. We confess the times we judged rather than listened, isolated rather than reached out, and clung to control instead of trusting you.

Forgive our small‑mindedness, our selfish choices, and the ways we have failed to be the church you call us to be. Help us to repent where repentance is needed — to apologize, to repair relationships, and to act with renewed humility. Give us the courage to embrace costly discipleship: to stand with the vulnerable, to speak for justice, and to love our neighbours as ourselves.

Send us out with eyes open to the needs around us and hands willing to serve. Let the hope that sustained those who’ve gone before sustain us now. May we be a blessing to our neighbours, a place of welcome for the weary, and a living sign of your grace in our community — until the day we join the great company of saints in one eternal hymn of praise.

We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, who binds us together with the saints past and present, and through whom we find the courage to begin again. Amen.

Response: We come to ask your forgiveness, O Lord

Assurance of God’s forgiveness

Even though we all fall short and make mistakes, a more profound truth holds: God’s love in Jesus forgives us. Receive that forgiveness now, and go in peace, with God, with yourself, and with one another.

We listen for the voice of God

 Song: Holy, holy, holy (299: vss1,3,4)

Scripture readings: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4,11-12; Luke 19:1-10

Response: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet 

Message: “Zacchaeus”

At the time of Jesus, there was a very complex caste system in place (who was important, who was lower on the totem pole, and so on). Women had their place in society; men, another; married people, one place; unmarried, another. There were the engaged, the divorced, the well and the sick. There were divisions between the north and the south…even the twelve tribes. There were the priestly class who attended the temple rituals, the scribes who were experts in the law, and the people who made copies of the scriptures. There were strict conservative but respected Pharisees and the liberal educated Sadducees, all with their own rungs and degrees in the social world. There were the wealthy, considered blessed by God, and the peasants, considered ordained by God to a lowly position. There were the Essenes, mystics in the desert, refusing to pay the temple tax… and there were the Zealots who hoped for war and political upheaval.

Again, each had its place in the social system. Coats and cloaks also held status, much as a nice car does today. A good, clean cloak meant a good family, a large ring, and both might be able to function a kind of credit card.. But despite the complex caste system that existed within Judaism and the very well-ordered structure in place… at the time, there were really only four groups of people that truly mattered in the minds of most Jews. At the top, there were Real Jews called “children of Abraham”, below them, there were (the half Jews) those “heretic-Samaritans” with their “phony Bible” and their “phony temple” who claimed to be the real Hebrews and… below them, there were the Gentiles (which depending on how it’s said means either just “a different nation” or Barbarians). There were the traders (those rare people who were born Jews – born Children of Abraham – but who sold out to the Roman oppressors for wealth and privilege.

And in the ancient world of Israel, there is no doubt… There were few more despicable than a Roman tax collector (the very symbol of Roman oppression)… except maybe a Jew turned traitor, doing the Romans’ job for them and collecting taxes for the enemy.

Jericho… At this time, Jericho was a magnificent city. The city had planted giant “sycamore-fig” trees along the main roads with great, low-slung and thick branches stretching out from each side (forming shade for weary travellers). Respected Jewish business people filled the city as they slowly strolled the cobblestone boulevards (ever careful not to come too close to those people lower than them in social standing). Real Children of Abraham (Jewish men of respect) walked slowly as a sign of their status (they never ran—only children ran). The streets bustled with traffic, but like everything else, all was very orderly.

The city of Jericho was and is the oldest known city in the world (now approximately 9,000 years old) and had planted Sycamore trees not just for their beauty, but also for a kind of social justice. You see, sycamore trees, with thick branches, rough bark, and gushing, sticky sap, also produced a small, bitter fig that would ripen almost without any care, even with little water. The homeless and vagrant travellers mainly used the trees. They provided free food (though they are, in truth, not the people’s first choice). Nevertheless, it was considered to be free food for the poor (the only kind of people low enough on the social pyramid who might be willing to climb one of these sap-covered trees). Wealthy, well-respected Jews might walk beneath large branches for shade, but they would never be caught dead touching one of them. Besides, expensive robes (a symbol of one’s high status) were easily torn. Most people owned just one or perhaps two sets of clothes. What true respectable “Child of Abraham” would be willing to do anything that might get thick, sticky sap all over his new cloak or get it torn to shreds by jagged bark?

Tax Collectors also wandered the streets (those traitors with their pockets heavy with blood money). Men who taxed not only their neighbours but also the temple itself… meaning that they raided the treasury yearly as a tribute to the Romans, who in turn left the Hebrews relatively to themselves and were allowed to keep their own religious system so long as it bowed to Roman authority.

Unlike today, tax collectors at this time made no salary. Yet, they were among the wealthiest people in the ancient world. They hobnobbed with the Romans and made their living through lies… telling people the taxes were higher than they actually were to line their own pockets with the added charges. And along these streets strolled the worst of them all. Luke tells us of this man. His name was Zacchaeus, and as Luke says, he was the “chief tax collector”. Now this could mean either one of two things: 1) That Zacchaeus was either the head of the ancient Roman version of Revenue Canada, or more likely 2) That Zacchaeus was simply the man who charged the highest rates (selfishly collecting most of the money for himself, the “Chief” or “highest” tax collector).

This is where our story begins.

Zacchaeus (whose name ironically means “innocent”), a traitor with a Jewish name, stealing from the poor to give to the rich… (the lowest of the low) came to know that Jesus was coming to town. Although we are never told why, this man, Zacchaeus, wanted more than anything to see Jesus; we are told that he was eager to do so. We are shown that he’s desperate too, but it seems he just was not tall enough to see beyond the large crowd. And that is where our story gets very strange, because Luke says that this wealthy man ran (as businessmen did not), pushed his way through the crowded streets, and, finding no suitable place in sight due to being “comparatively short from others”, climbed the very symbol of the poor and lowly (the sycamore tree) to catch a better look.

And there, probably with his expensive cloak covered in sap and snagging on the crisp, hard bark, he climbed unbecomingly up the branches of that bitter tree, like a silly child, to catch a glimpse of Christ as he passed by. With all those people present, hoping upon hope that they might get to catch a glimpse of this famed man from Galilee… There in front of all those people… Zacchaeus made a fool of himself. The crowd… especially, those on the top rung of society… the True Children of Abraham, must have loved it. Oh, how they must have relished seeing that traitor shuffle his stubby little legs up the trunk of that tree. It would be so embarrassing for him.

Those fantastic Germans have a word for how this would be seen. Schadenfreude is a German term for “Joy in Damage”. Specifically, it means taking delight in seeing someone else’s trouble or receiving their “just desserts”.

Pause for a second. Who are the traitors in our lives? How would you feel if you saw them embarrassed? Do you dream of the day you will get to revel in seeing someone you don’t like get their just desserts? Is that who we are to be?

And then in verse 5 it says, “When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus (innocent?), come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

Out of all the people travelling that road that day… at that exact moment. Jesus calls out the lowest of the low of the Hebrews. The streets are full of respected people… Pharisees, Sadducees, priests, Levites, rich, Scribes… Real “Children of Abraham”… and Jesus chooses to speak to this short, disgusting traitor! While the Pharisees foolishly looked down on the Sadducees and the rich arrogantly looked down on the poor, and the men wrongly looked down on the women, Jesus picked perhaps the only person in the whole crowd whom most people could absolutely agree on. Everyone probably agreed that they all hated him. And Jesus then says to this person, “Zacchaeus, I’m coming to your house today”.

How does Jesus know Zacchaeus’ name? Is the “wee little man” famous? Maybe Jesus doesn’t call him by name – not exactly anyway. The name means “innocent”. Maybe Jesus says, “You there! Innocent man”, “I’m coming to your house today”.

What would the crowd have thought? Well, in verse 7, we find out exactly what they thought. The crowd that gathered in those bustling streets, all of the sudden, becomes a mob. Though they had gathered to see Jesus (this Holy Man?), they now turn on him. They say, “He has gone to be the guest of this sinner?” The people are disappointed and sickened. The wealthy and the blessed, the real, actual, religious and respected people came out to see this Holy Man they had heard so much about, only to find that he wants to hobnob with a small, tax-collecting, Roman sympathizing… traitor (now behaving like a child or an animal hanging out in some dirty tree).

In response, Zacchaeus comes down from the tree and accepts Jesus’ offer. But perhaps he also accepted that he wasn’t living the way he hoped to. For whatever reason, Zacchaeus stands up and announces to the whole crowd his repentance and restitution. Because Jesus has blessed him, something changes. And so Zacchaeus declares that in response, he will give half of all his possessions to the poor and more than that, if he has defrauded anyone, he will pay them back four times what he stole.

And at that, Jesus does something that would make the crowd even angrier. Jesus declares Zacchaeus forgiven and restored, saying, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost.”

In this moment, all the caste systems fall away. People cease to be a part of this group or that group, worthy or not. The physician has come to rescue the sick, regardless of who they are, whether loved or hated, good or bad. In this, Zacchaeus moves from eager curiosity to personal encounter, to repentance, and restitution, and Jesus affirms that he is restored and saved. Perhaps just as importantly, he, too, is loved.

The thing is, we read this story as if it happened 2,000 years ago. However, that’s just the first step in understanding it. We forget that we, too, have a caste system: people worthy of respect and people not. People of good stature and those without; good people and those who are traitors to their own nation and to humanity. There are people we want to see blessed, people we believe are worthy of forgiveness, and people we hate and hope to see “get what they deserve”. This story actually takes place billions of times with billions of people every day. And each of us has a role to play.

One of the things that stops us from thoroughly examining a text like this is the simple problem of the banality of evil. We assume we are either Jesus or the crowd, but rarely think of ourselves as the monster in the story.

Most people, when reflecting on a story like this, automatically assume that they would be the good guy in the story and subsequently demonize the other characters. We wrongly assume that we are the good guys because we are all the authors of our own stories, and we don’t like admitting when we are less than the best. When we read this story, we think “of course Jesus came for someone hated by others”. We don’t think, “Of course, Jesus loves that person I loathe”. We think, “Of course, Jesus can see this man’s true value as a child of God”. But would we really believe that if we hated Zacchaeus as much as we hate (fill in the blank) from our own time and own lives?

We watch Schindler’s List and cast ourselves as the saviour in the shadows, scribbling names on a list to defy the darkness. But history whispers a harsher truth: in the camps’ shadow, most of us would have been (while not the monsters) probably still, the silent clerks, the averted eyes, the ordinary souls who let the trains roll on; proving that heroism is rare, and complicity is the human default. But honestly, who are we in the story? If every time I read a Bible story, I agree with the good guys, I’m probably not reading it deeply enough. In truth, I suspect we probably play all the roles of all the characters at one time or another.

WHO ARE WE IN THIS STORY?

JESUS – the one who sees those people all around us that others reject (not just the poor and lowly but also the haughty and the traitors, comes to them with arms outstretched, sits down with them and tells them they are loved?

ZACCHEUS – the one that’s lost. The one who is willing to drop everything and race to God. The one willing to climb out on that tree limb, no matter how embarrassing, to catch a glimpse of Jesus, no matter what the cost?

Or… are we THE CROWD – the ones that saw God’s care for the outcast of society and instead of caring for them too, turned on God for being too good to the people we think are evil?

WHO ARE WE IN THIS STORY? Maybe it depends on the moment. But more importantly, who are we called to be?    Amen.

Song: Amigos de Cristo/ Friends of the Lord (476)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

Prayers of the Saints

Let us pray to the God of all creation, who hears the cries of the oppressed and the weary.

We pray for those facing ongoing issues in the Middle East: for those working on hostage negotiations, and for the bodies of Israel’s concert goers to be returned, and for the families of the latest 61 Palestinians who have died in conflict as well as the resulting exacerbated Peace Talks negotiated by the State Department.

We pray for the innocent caught in the deadly police operation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in what is the most deadly police crackdown in the country’s history.

We ask for an end to the Sudan Genocide as well as outbreaks of disease, causing even more pain and strife in a part of the world already suffering from extreme violence.

Our mind Lord also fall upon those threatened or harmed by the movements of Hurricane Melissa moving through the Caribbean and particularly in Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

On our hearts are also those facing flash floods and landslides in Vietnam, and for the families of those still missing. Similarly, we also think about our sisters and brothers in Kenya, where torrential rains have killed many people and destroyed homes and much-needed agriculture.

Closer to home, we pray for our teachers and educators, as well as for school staff and all those affected. While differences of opinion will continue to be expressed, we pray for a resolution that makes sense where both sides feel heard and the most vulnerable are most cared for.

For the needs of this congregation and those we hold dear. We pray especially for those among us facing illness, grief, or hardship: for Iris and Adrian and Ruth and others who have said goodbye to a treasured Father and constant fixture in life.

God of boundless compassion, receive these prayers as offerings of trust in your eternal promise, through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.    Amen.

Passing the peace

The Sacrament of Holy Communion

Invitation

Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. In a week marked by violence in Rio and Gaza, by landslides in Sudan and floods in Vietnam, by trade wars and trembling peace talks: Jesus still says: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden. These gifts of bread and wine are signs of his promise: that no darkness is beyond redemption, no grief beyond his reach.

Happy are we who are called to his supper.

Song: You satisfy the hungry heart  (538; vss1,2 ,3, 5)

The Apostles’ Creed (539)

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. AMEN.

The Communion Prayer

It is truly right and our greatest joy to give you thanks and praise, O God of the covenant, maker of heaven and earth.

You formed us in your image, set us in a garden of abundance, and walked with us in the cool of the day. When we turned away, you did not abandon us; you spoke through prophets, sent judges and kings, and promised a day of justice and peace.

Therefore, we praise you, joining our voices with choirs of angels and with all the faithful of every time and place, who forever sing to the glory of your name:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

You are holy, O God of mercy, and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Born of Mary, he shared our life; he ate with sinners, healed the hurting, and welcomed the outcast.

Remembering your boundless love revealed in his life, death, and resurrection, we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice and celebrate the feast of victory.

Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts of bread and wine, that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ, and that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.

By your Spirit unite us with the living Christ and with all who are baptized in his name, that we may be one in ministry in every place. As this bread is Christ’s body for us, send us out to be the body of Christ for the world.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour are yours, almighty God, now and forever. Amen.

Sharing of the Bread and Wine

On the night before he died, our Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks to you, Our God, broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take, eat; this is my body, given for you.’ Do this in remembrance of me.

When supper was over, he took the cup, blessed it, and shared it with them, saying: Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me.

Song: Eat this bread (527).

Prayer after Communion

Almighty God, we give You thanks for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, truly present to us in this holy meal. By Your Spirit, You have fed us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation, renewing our faith, binding us to Christ, and uniting us as one body in Him. Forgive us where we have strayed, strengthen us where we are weak, and send us forth in the power of Your love to live as faithful disciples in a world that needs Your grace. All glory be to You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Song: I’m gonna live so God can use me (648)

Sending out with God’s blessing

May the God who gathers the saints — past, present, and yet to come — keep you in hope.

May Christ, the firstborn from the dead, hold you in courage to love and to serve until we also raise from death.

May the Spirit strengthen your hearts with peace, deepen your compassion for one another, and give you confidence that nothing in life nor in death can separate you from God’s love in Jesus Christ.

Go in faith, beloved, to live as people of resurrection — carrying the memories of those who have gone before, sharing their witness, and making room for the saints yet to be. Amen.

Response: Benediction (as you go)

Music postlude

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The Communion liturgy is based on the liturgies of the PCC’s 1991 Book of Common Worship. Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).

The Rev. Brad Childs retains the copyright (© 2025) on all original material in this service. As far as Brad Childs is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.

Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.

Worship on Reformation Sunday
10:00 am October 26, 2025
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs     Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Vivian Houg     Reader: Leah Eisen
Welcoming Elder: Darlene Eerkes   Children’s time: Brad

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: From the routines of work and school, home and play,
P: we have come to worship God.
L: With the weight of the world heavy on our hearts,
P: we have come to worship God.
L: In the midst of our fears and our hopes,
P: we offer our prayer and praise in Jesus’ name.
L: For we trust in God’s power and presence,
P: so let us worship God with heart, mind, soul and strength.

Opening praise: Here I am to worship

Prayers of approach and confession

Creating God, the mountains you raised reflect your strength and majesty.

Sunrise and sunset frame the day with your light and joy.

Fields bursting with grain and trees coloured with autumn glory ing of your steadfast love.

Pictures from the depth of space give a glimpse of your infinity, yet in Christ you have walked the humble earth.

You alone are worthy of our praise.

You alone give us hope.

Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of Life, we praise you, and join our voices to those of every precious thing to wonder at your mystery and majesty.

Merciful God, You created human beings with gifts of intelligence and imagination.

Yet we confess we often use these gifts to exploit your creation and put others in their place.

So often we think that we are great when we are small. Or we claim smallness when you set a challenge before us. We convince ourselves that our sin is not nearly as great as others, yet, every sin offends your purpose for us.

Forgive us, we pray, and grant us a truer picture of ourselves.  Amen.

Response: I will trust in the Lord

Assurance of God’s peace

Friends in Christ, God is gracious. Christ has promised that those who humble themselves will be exalted. Having confessed our sin, let us trust the good news of the Gospel. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Thanks be to God.

We listen for the voice of God

Response: Jesus we are gathered (514)

Children’s time

Theme: Don’t think too highly of yourself. Proper 25 (30) Year C Object: “Yertle the Turtle” by Dr. Seuss. Scripture: For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 18:14b (NIV)

Have you ever known someone who thought they were much better than everyone else and deserved special treatment? Dr. Seuss wrote a story about a turtle who was like that. Perhaps you have read the story. The title of the story is “Yertle the Turtle.” Yertle was the ruler of a little pond on the island of Sala-ma-Sond. All of the turtles at the pond had everything they needed and were quite happy. They were happy, that is, until Yertle decided that his kingdom was too small. “I am ruler of all that I see, but I don’t see enough. My throne is too low down,” complained Yertle. So Yertle lifted his hand and gave a command. He ordered nine turtles in the pond to stand on each other’s backs so that they could become his new and higher throne. He climbed up onto the backs of the turtles, and he had a fantastic view. But Yertle still wasn’t satisfied. “Turtles! More turtles!” he called from his lofty throne. Yertle swelled with pride and a sense of importance as turtles from all over the pond came to climb on the stack of turtles that made up Yertle’s throne. At the very bottom of the stack was a plain and ordinary turtle named Mack. He struggled under the weight of all the turtles until finally, he decided that he had taken enough. That plain little turtle named Mack did a very plain little thing. He burped! His burp shook the throne, and Yertle fell right into the mud! And now the great Yertle is King of the MUD. When you think too highly of yourself, you often wind up taking a big fall, don’t you? In our Bible lesson today, Jesus tells a story about a man who thought he was better than everyone else. In the story that Jesus told, two men went to the temple to pray. One of the men was a Pharisee, a religious group that was very strict in obeying the law of Moses. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I’m certainly not like that tax collector over there! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of all my income.” The tax collector stood at a distance and would not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he bowed his head in sorrow, saying, “Oh God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.” Now, which of these two prayers do you think was pleasing to God? You are right—the prayer of the tax collector. Jesus said, “The tax collector, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will be exalted.” When we are tempted to brag about ourselves, we need to remember that other people are not impressed… and neither is God! Prayer Dear Father, we pray that you would help us to remain humble so that we would not think more highly of ourselves than we ought. So now we pray the prayer Jesus’ gave his first disciples to pray. Our Father… The Lord’s Prayer (535 )

Song: Spirit of the living God (400)

Scripture readings: Joel 2:23-32; Luke 18:9-14; and 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18

Response: Glory to the Father            

Message: Wolves: Imagined and Real

There is a massive rivalry in college basketball between the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky.

The story is told that at one of the games between the two schools, an elderly woman was sitting alone with an empty seat next to her. Soon, someone approached her and said, “Ma’am, I have rarely seen an empty seat in this Arena, let alone at a game between these two teams. Can I please ask… Whose seat is this?” Immediately (and with pride) the woman responded that she and her late husband had been season-ticket holders for 28 years, and that the seat had belonged to him. “Well,” said the man, “Couldn’t you find a friend or relative to come to the game with you? It’s not good to be alone, and I’m sure someone would love to be here with you tonight.”.  “Are you kidding me?” the elderly woman replied. “I’m not alone. God’s here in this seat with me. Besides, my friends and family are too busy for me. They’re all at my husband’s funeral.”

Everyone has felt abandoned at some point. Sometimes we do it to ourselves. Sometimes it’s just the rotten way the world seems to have turned out. But it’s never really, actually true. You can’t be alone.

The year was 67 A.D., and the Apostle Paul was virtually alone. Today, when someone goes to prison, it’s because they’ve been found guilty of a crime and sentenced to a set period of incarceration to “pay their debt to society,” but in First Century Roman culture, imprisonment was really just the a place you went while awaiting your trial. Prison wasn’t punished. It’s just where you went before they decided how best to punish you. For the most part, once your trial was over, your time in prison would be pretty short. After a trial came to completion, you would be either set free, released into slavery to pay off debts, forced into maritime service, beaten, have a body part chopped off or be executed. The different lengths of time Paul spends in prison throughout his life reflect how geographically far Paul (a Roman citizen) was from the legal Roman judges. Other long imprisonments were likely the result of executive decisions to delay sentencing to avoid backlash from followers of popular figures. In other words, they might let Paul rot in prison because giving him a sentencing could mean his followers would start a revolt.

By the end of 2 Timothy, we know that Paul has finally had his trial. Though 1, 2 Timothy and Titus were all written at essentially the same time, we also understand that this was the last trial Paul faced. And while he never explicitly states the punishment he will soon face, we do know the general tone of his trial. It’s all just a matter of time, really. His fate was sealed, and Paul knew it. He writes, “⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” In short, Paul sees his life like the drink offering the fathers of his faith used to splash on the side of the altar after the animal sacrifice had been killed in dedication to the Lord, just before it was cut to pieces and burned.

Sometimes the wolves we fear are very real.

Paul’s death was already decided and already underway. Paul knew death was coming. And he felt alone.

One odd thing about life, however, is that just how alone we feel is often a matter of our own attitudes.

As the story goes, an organization in conjunction with the state of Montana offered a bounty of five thousand dollars for every wolf captured alive. The year was 1976, and two hunters named Sam and Jed decided to head for the hills and make some quick money capturing wolves. Day and night, they scoured the mountains and forests searching for their valuable prey. But it always seemed like the wolves were just out of reach. Then, in the evening, exhausted after three days of hunting without any success, they both fell asleep with the flap open in a small tent near an even smaller fire.

During the night, Sam suddenly woke up to find that he and Jed were surrounded by a pack of 30 or so wolves, with flaming red eyes and bared teeth, snarling at the two hunters and preparing to pounce. Sam nudged Jed, who woke up with an immediate look of terror on his face. “Jed… get up.” Sam said, “We’re gonna be rich!” And today we know this story – because Sam was right.

The fact is, sometimes in life, when we are surrounded by what appears to be many difficulties, as if it’s just us against the world, facing impossible odds, we may in fact be surrounded by opportunities and blessings (without even realizing it). Sometimes, when we think of something as a crisis, we can choose to be frightened and run—or to stand firm and be courageous. Sometimes it’s just a matter of perspective.

Many years ago American President John F Kennedy famously and incorrectly popularized the idea that the Chinese word for Crisis also means Opportunity. It’s a good sentiment, but it’s not quite correct. The word Kennedy referred to actually means “a dangerous point of change”.

Sometimes are worries (our wolves) are very real and very dangerous. Sometimes. Not all the time. Sometimes, a pack of wolves is really just a pack of wolves.

As Paul writes to his trusted protégé Timothy, he recalls a list of friends who left him with no one to speak on his behalf. Prisons didn’t feed people. These were the people who previously cared for Paul and who were meant to speak at his trial. But they had almost all abandoned him. Demas had previously been a co-worker with Paul in the Church, but, fearing he might also be sentenced to death, he left Paul just before the trial began, rather than standing up for him. Luke, who would later write this gospel, had previously gone on a mission, but the trail was called before he returned, and now there was no point in coming back. In case you didn’t know, the gospels were actually written after Paul’s books. They come first in the order of the New Testament, but were the last part written down.

Crescens and Titus had left Paul, too, for continued ministry in the months before. They didn’t know the trial would come so suddenly. Their friend Tychicus was in Ephesus doing the good work Paul called him to, as was Timothy. They didn’t exactly abandon him, but it still wasn’t the same as having them with him. Mark had split from Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey (something that at first made Paul very angry), but later Paul came to terms with it. Interestingly, though, had Paul known that Mark was in the process of writing the first gospel at the time of Paul’s trial, Paul no doubt would have felt differently about Mark’s absence. But that’s just it… he didn’t know. All Paul knew was that Mark wasn’t there when Paul felt like he needed him the most.

As Paul sat in the damp, foul, and cold cell, with no personal possessions, he wrote to Timothy asking him to bring a coat and his favourite books (especially parchments—most likely portions of the Hebrew Bible). In essence, like a person in the hospital getting a day pass to go home for a holiday, Paul just wanted a visit—to see a friendly face, to feel, and to have just one last day when things could feel normal again and like being home with his loved ones. And then Paul recalls to his beloved friend the name of the only person who stayed with him during his trial. He says that a man called Alexander was there. But there was a problem. Alexander was a wolf. Alexander, who had at one time been a student of Paul’s, did come to the trial. But instead of speaking out for the defence, he spoke on behalf of the prosecution. And in the end, not a single voice stood up for Paul at his trial.

With no one to speak in his defence, one witness running for his life and a final one turning on him, Paul was doomed before the trial even began. He was, in fact, precisely what he said he was: “already being poured out”. His last offering before his God would be his very lifeblood. And like Jesus, he would die deserted by his friends.

But in his loneliness, there was also a feeling of completion and support and providence, as if Paul saw the “footprints in the sand,” so to speak, carrying him along the way.

There is an old story from the Swahili-Arab and Congo Free State War. It’s probably not historical so much as it is a parable, but it’s not without grounding. In any case, the story goes like this: There was an African King who grew up with a close friend. The friend had a rather annoying habit (or a rather lovely habit, depending on your view) of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and always remarking in the same way. As the story goes, good or bad news, this man would always say, “This is good!”

One day, the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. Because the King was the King and the friend was just a friend, the friend would load and prepare the guns for the King. However, on this particular occasion, it seems either a mechanical error occurred or the friend actually did something wrong when preparing one of the guns. Either way, after taking the gun from his friend, the King fired to see a puff of smoke, a splash of blood, and to smell the smell of burnt skin. When the King looked down, he saw the mess left behind by the gun. Where his thumb once was, now nothing remained but air. His thumb was blown clean off in a backfire

After examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” To which the King replied, “No, No, No! No, this is not good!” and immediately called for the guards to take his longtime friend away and put him in jail.

As it happens, about a year later, the King was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. During the short two-year war, this particular region became known for cannibalism (usually having to do with the Congolese taking Swahili-Arab war prisoners for food or at least pretending to do so to instill fear in their enemy). The King was captured and taken to their village. There, they tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. But as they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious about such things, they never ate anyone less than whole. So, untying the King, they took his clothes and sent him on his way.

As he returned home, the King was reminded of the events that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went right away to the jail to speak with his friend. “You were right,” he said, “I’m sorry.” “It actually was good that my thumb was blown off.” And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just transpired.”

“And so,” the King said, “I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.” “No,” his friend replied, “This is good!” Again, the King in anger yelled out, “What do you mean, ‘This is good’? “How could it be good that I sent my best friend to jail for a year?”

“If I had not been in jail,” said the friend, “I would have been with you, and I’d be dead instead of here with you right now. This is good.”

In a very unusual way, the message here unfolds… You can choose to see life as a seemingly random grouping of events, or you can choose to see a purpose behind what seems like adversity at the time.

I’m sure that if any of us care to reflect on the tragedies, the heartaches, the ‘bad times’ in our lives, that we, too, will discover that we have really grown or developed during that period of time, even though the reflection may still cause us discomfort in some way. Even terrible tragedies can grant us strength.

It is in this way that we slowly gather experience and wisdom, and even though we may think or feel that it is unfair, at least in some small way, “This is good”.

For Paul, his last offering was already being poured out. He was about to die. There was, of course, no way that “this” could be “good” in any way. It was the end, and he was alone.

Or was he?

Paul writes, “At my first defence, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. But may it not be held against them. ¹⁷ For the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength”.

For the Apostle Paul, the world was full of wolves. At times, those wolves turned out to be opportunities, and at other times, obstacles to overcome and learn from. At other times, at this time, those wolves turned out to be real. But in all things, Paul never lost sight of the providence of God. Through the good times and the bad, the seat next to him was never truly empty. And neither is the one next to you. We can never be alone. Amen

Song: Those who wait on the Lord (662: vss 1-4)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

Prayers of the people

Good and generous God, receive our humble gifts, offered in hope and gratitude. Make something of them, and of us, so that the world will be surprised by your love and what we can offer them in Jesus’ name.

Just and merciful God, we lift our eyes to you in hope and gratitude. When the world around us seems troubling, we are grateful for your steadfast love.

Thank you for your Spirit at work in all times and places, calling out the best in your people, showing us when we must repent, opening paths to reconciliation where we have offended.

With the humility of the tax collector in Jesus’ story, may we seek your justice and know your mercy.

We pray for justice for the earth:

Protect those creatures and habitats that our way of life is threatening.

Protect those communities and island nations most at risk from climate change.

Open our eyes to see how we can live more responsibly and change our hearts to know we must.

         Hold a few seconds of silence.

We pray for justice among the nations:

Create more generous sharing of resources between countries with good harvests and those depleted by famine.

Where resources are extracted for export, protect brave advocates for fair wages and environmental protection.

And where there is aggression and intimidation between nations, raise up the willingness to make peace and settle differences fairly.

         Hold a few seconds of silence.

We pray for justice in our court systems:

Guide those who judge and defend to serve with integrity, that those who are accused may receive fair trials, and that those who have been wronged or harmed are restored to fullness of life.

Grant those who are convicted humane treatment so that your Spirit may lead them to rehabilitated potential.

         Hold a few seconds of silence.

We pray for justice in the work place:

May those who work for others be treated with dignity and earn a fair wage.

May all who create that work earn a fair return.

Create equity and respect between those of different backgrounds and identities and guide young people to opportunities to develop their gifts.

         Hold a few seconds of silence.

God, we all need some kinds of healing in our lives:

We remember before you those struggling with illness of body, mind or spirit, those waiting for diagnosis or treatment, and all whose health challenges are invisible to others.

         (Keep silence for 15 – 20 seconds)

Your Spirit prays within us, O God, even when we cannot find the right words, so hear us this day, and answer us in ways that encourage our faith and change the world for the good, for the sake of Jesus Christ

Song: I, the Lord of sea and sky (592)

Sending out with God’s blessing

Go in humble confidence, trusting in God’s love for you, yet sure you have still more to learn and to give. And may grace, mercy and peace from God who creates, redeems and saves us be with you all, now and always. Amen.

Response: God to enfold you

Music postlude

————————————————————————-

Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).

The Rev. Brad Childs retains the copyright (© 2025) on all original material in this service. As far as Brad Childs is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.

Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.

Worship on Students and Colleges Sunday
10:00 am October 19, 2025
Minister: Rev. Brad Childs     Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Fionna McCrostie     Welcoming Elder: Gina Kottke
Children’s time: Lynn Vaughan     Reader: Andrea Gartrell

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you.

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: God promises us justice,
P: and teaches us persistence.
L: God promises us compassion,
P: and teaches us not to lose heart.
L: God promises to be with us
P: and teaches us to tend to each other.
L: So let us worship our God of comfort and challenge,
P: We will offer prayers and praise to our God of hope and healing.

Opening praise: I lift my eyes up

Prayers of approach and confession

Awesome and eternal God of grace and beauty and power,
you created our minds to know you better.
You formed our hearts to love you better.
You crafted our voices to speak and sing your praise better.
Fill us with your Holy Spirit, so we may celebrate your glory and worship you in spirit and in truth better each day.

You offer us covenant and write your word on our hearts.

Together we are the body of Christ, and each one of us has the responsibility, the desire, to respond to you in word and deed and love.

Yet, while you are beside us, within us, above us, all around us we still manage to ignore you.

We still forget to contemplate you.

We are pleased to be in your family, but when membership in the family of God requires something of us we often find ourselves feeling busy with other things.

We are satisfied to receive your gifts but when it comes to passing on your abundance and acknowledging that all comes from you,

We can and will still hesitate.

We are happy to say an occasional prayer to you who are always with us, but we spend little time listening to you.

Instead, we tend to treat you like a gene we will call on to serve us rather than the other way around.

Help us to be your people as you are our God –

Help us to love you like you love us.

Help us to make you and your ways our first, last, always and only and forgive us when we fail to do so. Amen.

Response: I will trust in the Lord

Assurance of God’s forgiveness

The Holy One will not abandon us: the Beloved is our grace, the healer of our lives. Though we sometimes grow weary, take heart, for our God remains with us and forgives us. Thanks be to God for such mercy and grace. Amen

Musical offering: Dayspring Singers

We listen for the voice of God

Response: Jesus, we are gathered (514)

Children’s time

God and Prayer: Clothesline story

Hold out your clothesline using both hands so students can see.

When we talk to God, we can imagine that we have a “line” directly to him. It’s sort of like this clothesline.

Give one end to the child sitting nearest to you. Hold onto the other end yourself.

Tell her: Close your eyes. God holds one end”; Our prayers are at the other end.

Shake the rope and ask the student holding the other end with her eyes shut:

Can you feel me at the other end of this rope? Yes.
Because I’m alive and active! I’m God! You can’t see me, but you can sense me moving in your life!

Tell the student to open her eyes, then shake the rope. Close your eyes.

Now I can feel you! When you pray, it’s like you shake God’s rope. There isn’t a prayer that he doesn’t hear, see or feel. If you really, really wanted something from God, how hard would you shake this rope? Let the student shake the rope hard.

And for how long? Until she got an answer.

If we really really want something from God, we have to be like the old widow in the story we’ll hear about later in the service and at Sunday School. We have to be persistent.  It’s like we have to “pin ourselves” to God with our prayers and not let go of him until we get an answer.

Using a clothes pins, pin an index card with suggested prayers written on them to the clothes line.

When we “pin” ourselves to God with our prayer requests – when we’re really persistent and pray all the time – it’s like our prayers stay constantly before him. He constantly feels, sees, and hears our needs and desires. And he’s always answering our prayers, whether the answer is yes or no, with our best interest at heart!

Let us pray:
Dear God,
Help me keep praying every day, even when I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait.
Give me a heart that doesn’t give up,  and to trust You always to know what is best for me.
Thank You for listening, every time I pray — thank you for the love You have for me.
And now, we pray the prayer that You taught us, …

The Lord’s Prayer  (535)

Song: How firm a foundation (685)

Scripture readings:  Genesis 32:22-31 & Luke 18:1-8

Response: Glory to the Father

Message: “Persistence”

In his video “Name” by Rob Bell, he says, “I was meeting with my counsellor recently and somewhere in the course of our time together, we were discussing some issue in my life, and I asked him, ‘Is it normal for people to…’ and he immediately interrupts me. And he says, ‘Is it normal for who?’ And I said, ‘Well, is it normal for people to…’ and he interrupts me again. And he says, ‘Wait, wait, we’re not here to talk about other people, are we? We’re here to talk about you—your identity and what the next right thing is for you to do. So the better question is: is it normal for you?”

Why do you think we so often worry about what everyone else is doing, saying, or feeling? Should it matter to us what’s “normal” for everyone else?

The stories of Jacob and Esau and the Story of Jacob’s wrestling match are very odd, but the background is pretty simple. See, the whole thing starts back in Genesis chapter 25 when the twin boys are born. In the story, Esau (which means “hairy” – so he must have been a pretty cute baby all covered in “red hair” to deserve that moniker) is born first. Then it recalls, “his brother next came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel, and so he was named Ya’acob (Jacob)” which literally means “Leg Puller” (and figuratively means Trickster or Deceiver). The implication from the story is that Jacob, from his very birth, was a trickster who wanted to be someone he wasn’t, so much so in fact that he’s depicted as a newborn (trying even then) to pull his brother back into the womb so that he could be the firstborn.

The next time we see the two, Esau is working hard in the fields, honing his hunting skills, while Jacob hides out in the tents all day. Next, Jacob scams his brother out of his birthright (still believing he should have been born first) by selling him some leftover food referred to in the text only as “red stuff” (which doesn’t sound very appealing but was probably just red lentils). Next, Jacob fools his blind father into giving him Esau’s blessing. In short, Jacob didn’t want to be Jacob. He tried to be Esau.

When Esau finally discovers what’s happened, Esau vows to kill the little “leg puller,” and so their mother sends Jacob away to live with relatives. There, Jacob doesn’t get much better. Jacob pretty much continues his old ways and tricks his way into a very wealthy life. Eventually, Jacob is found to be embezzling from his family’s business partners and is sent away (of course, they go—but not before his wife steals some things from the main house first). You get the idea. Ja’acob is a jerk.

When our story for today comes, Jacob is doing something hazardous. He’s crossing the Jabbok, a very fast-moving swell of a river (referred to as a “broken leg”) that feeds the Jordon. More importantly, though… It’s the edge of his brother Esau’s land. The river is the border. Jacob is going home. And he isn’t wanted.

That night, Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the broken leg river. After he had sent them across, he sent over all his possessions. Jacob had planned to send five waves of gifts to Esau, hoping Esau would accept the gifts and so also him onto the land without killing him. Next, Jacob sends 220 goats, 220 sheep, 30 camels, 40 cows, 10 bulls and 30 donkeys. It seems Jacob would do anything to be anybody else but Jacob at that moment. But Jacob was such a good guy, of course, that he also made a plan just in case it didn’t work. The old leg-puller planned to split his family into two parties so that if Esau (who by now was very wealthy and very powerful) did decide to kill him, Jacob and the other half of the family might be able to get away while Esau was busy killing off the first group. What a lovely fella, huh?

Well, that night, Jacob got up by himself, crossed the river, and was utterly alone and vulnerable. And there he was, confronted with a man who grabbed him, and the two became involved in a struggle. There, Jacob wrestled with what the scripture says was “a man” until daybreak came. Then, according to the story, when the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was instantly dislocated, leaving our old friend “Leg puller” with his hip out of joint on the broken leg river.

A lot of questions abound. For example, just what does it mean that the man could not overpower Jacob and yet at the same time seems to have had the power to knock a hip out of the socket with just one finger? There are other questions as well. For example, many believe that this man is just like the man outside the city of Sodom (who spoke to Abraham), who, it turned out, was actually an “angel of the Lord”. Some Christian groups believe very strongly that it’s really the pre-incarnate Jesus who wrestles with Jacob. They also see Jesus involved in the creation story, for example, when God says in Genesis, “Let US create man in OUR image.” Some people point out that Jewish Midrash (ancient commentaries) claim that this is an angel who must return to the morning choir of YHWH at daybreak in order to sing the Father’s praises. Certain other commentators, however, claim it’s actually the Canaanite river god, while others say it’s Jupiter, citing a similar story and a nearly identical quote from a Jupiter story. No matter what view you might take, it is hard to ignore the idea that this “man” is not exactly typical but is instead presented as superhuman in some way.

In any case, then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Then the man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered.

Now you have to understand… In the ancient Near East, your name was more than just words. Name was identity. Your name was reflective of your character, your substance, I mean, the very fibre that made you, you. Your name tells who you are and what you would be.”

Many Bible names are meaningful — they describe something about the person’s character or situation, or express a hope or prophecy about that person’s life. (Yitzchak) Isaac means “he laughs” because Sarah laughed at the idea of having a son. Yishma’el (Ishmael) means God hears me and describes how God hears his Mother, and the boy is saved. Samuel means “heard by God” or “answered prayer,” because Hannah’s prayer was answered. Elijah means “the Lord is my God”, and Elijah stands as one prophet of the Lord against a multitude. Yisra’el (Israel) means “prevails with God” because he overcame struggle. David, referred to as the “Man after God’s own heart”, means “beloved”. Abraham — “father of many”, Sarah — “princess,” Moses means “one called out”, Aaron “exalted”, Solomon, “peace bringer”. Jeremiah, “God awakens”, Ezekiel, “God gives me strength”, Daniel, who the kingdom tries to put on trial and execute – his name means “Only God is my Judge”, Paul means “humble” because he was proven wrong about Jesus, Peter means “Rock”, Joshua (How Jesus is pronounced in Aramaic) means “The Father Saves”. The names are like little clues as to how the stories will turn out in the end.

This is still true to some extent today. When Tracy and I were thinking about names for our children, we had a rule. The name had to sound good with the prefix Dr. or Judge. No one wants to see Judge Barbie Childs or Doctor Candy Childs. Naming Jacob Trickster, it might have described his very first act, but it also set his path for him as a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you name your son “Dirtbag,” you’ve pretty well determined the kind of life he’s going to live.

What is your name? Have you ever thought of your name as a reflection of who you are? We each have this unique path, a calling, a life that God has given us, and Jesus invites us to be our true selves and yet we get sidetracked, we get distracted, we get hung up on how we’re different from her or we aren’t like him, and we end up asking the wrong questions.

Do you have the sense of a unique path in your life? Are there ways in which you tend to get distracted from “your path” because of what others do, say, or think of you?

There is this well-known story in the book of John. After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Master, you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” He then asked a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Master, you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Shepherd my sheep.” Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, “Do you love me?” so he answered, “Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I’m telling you the very truth now: When you were young, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old, you’ll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, “Follow me.” And that’s where we usually end the story. But that’s not actually the end of it.

Here’s the part of the story that is very seldom told. “Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved (John) following right behind. When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, “Master, what’s going to happen to him?” Jesus said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you? You — follow me.”

Peter has just been asked by Jesus to care for the disciples after Jesus leaves. Jesus asks him three times, giving Peter a chance to undo the three times he had just denied knowing Jesus. And Peter’s first thought is… well, what about Him; what’s this other guy have to do? Basically, Jesus responds, “What business is that of yours?”

How often do we get caught up in the lives of everybody else, while trying to live any life but our own?

You and I have pasts, families we come from, things we’ve done, mistakes we’ve made, and where we’ve been and what we’ve done have helped shape who we are today. So, we have to embrace our story, our history. You don’t have to be proud of every single piece of it, but you must claim it because it’s yours.

What do you think it means for people to claim their own history? Have you claimed yours?

We have limits. There are all sorts of things we aren’t. There are all kinds of people that we aren’t. Maybe this is why Jesus says to love your neighbour as yourself. How could I ever love and embrace myself, let alone someone else, when I’ve never come to terms with who I am and then who I’m not?”

What are some of your limits? Are you okay with your limitations, or do you still sometimes wish you had the abilities and circumstances of others? How often do you hear God directing you where to go and respond, “Well, what about that person?”.

Proverbs 14:30 says, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”

Some people live their whole lives according to the expectations of others. Whether it’s authority figures or family members, it’s as if there’s this script that has already been written by someone else, and all they’re essentially doing is just acting it out.

Are there things in your life that you do or you did because it’s “expected” of you? If so, do these things get in the way of you doing what you really feel you should be doing? How much time do you waste wishing you had that thing or that body or that bank account or that gift? How often are you like Peter, looking over at John’s life, wishing you had it?

Jacob would do anything to escape who he was. His whole life, he wanted to have the things that others had. From the day he was born, he wanted to be anyone else but who he was.

There’s this moment by the side of the river as the night cold air begins to depart, and the smell of the water starts to rise with the sun, and Jacob faces this man who has asked him perhaps the question of his life, ‘What is your name?’ and Jacob answers him, ‘I’m Jacob.’ He’s struggled and he’s been broken, and for probably the first time in his life, he’s done pretending, and he takes off that mask he wears, and he says, “Jacob”. And it may not seem like much, but that’s a massive moment in the story and a massive moment in life for him.

He said, I’m Jacob. Not… I’m “Ben Yitsak” (I’m the son of the famous Isaac). Not “I’m Ben Yitsak, Ben Ab-raham,” I’m the grandson of Abraham.  “Not even, don’t mess with me, this land we’re on belongs to Esau my twin brother. No. The mystery stranger who is probably the Angel of the Lord says, what’s your name? And he replies, “Deceiver”. “I’m Deceiver”. I’m leg puller!”

I love that.

He owns his name and who he is.

There is this amazing line in Jeremiah 9:4 where Jeremiah say, “every brother deceives” (some translations put it “Everyone sins”) But the word Jeremiah actually uses is the name Jacob. He writes, “every brother Jacobs”.

Here, and perhaps for the first time, the old leg-puller isn’t trying to be Esau anymore or anyone else for that matter. Jacob has wrestled and overcome. Not because he beat the man, because that clearly didn’t happen, but because he struggled with life (even his own errors in it) and would not give up.

And that’s when it becomes clear that the man Jacob wrestled with is really Devine. Because this man sees more in Jacob than Jacob’s father did, more than Jacob saw in himself, he saw a person (not destined to be a leg-puller or a trouble maker) but a person who struggled on. And so God changed Jacob’s name. In short, this stranger changed how Jacob saw himself. So God said, You are not just a Deceiver anymore. So God renamed Jacob Yish-Ri-El (wrestles with God) instead.

Do you think you could live in a way where you’re not comparing yourself to people who have more than you, who dress better than you, who have things you don’t, or who can do things you can’t? Or here’s a much better question. Do you think you can ever fully be you if you’re always concerned about having someone else’s life?

Job 5:2 says, “Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.” I grew up in an evangelical church. And by the way, that is in fact the way that Martin Luther’s original followers and the first Presbyterians referred to themselves. But anyway, I grew up in a very evangelical church, and we often used words like “born again” and “saved,” and let me be clear, there is nothing wrong with those terms. Those terms come straight from the Bible. Jesus uses those terms. But I do think those terms are used in a far too specific a way.

Because I think we need to be saved from all kinds of things, and I believe the Saviour isn’t just a magical figure that saves us by pulling us up out of the fire and brimstone. I think the saviour of the universe saves us from all kinds of things. In fact, I think sometimes we need to be saved from all the times we haven’t been our true selves.

All the times we’ve tried to be someone else. All of the lies we’ve believed about who God made when God made us. All the names other people give us. All the times we’ve asked the wrong questions: ‘What about him? What about her? What about them?’ And we’ve missed the voice of Jesus saying, Don’t worry about who they are. You be my follower. ‘You, follow me.’”

And I’m not spouting cultural self-help here that says all you need to do is be you. All you need to do is discover yourself. I don’t buy that. But I do think it’s pretty hard to be a better version of you (to be the person God wants you to be) if you’re wasting all your time trying to be somebody else.

We all wrestle with all kinds of things. We all, at one time or another, seek to be that which we are not. We all wear masks from time to time. We all try to be something we’re not – forgetting that God wants to love us and help us be better us, not make us something we’re not.

May you do the hard work of the soul to discover your true self. May you wrestle and struggle on; till your hips are out of joint and yet soldier on anyway. May you find your unique path —the one God has for you, not your neighbours. May you forget what others have or what names others give us. And in the process, may you find yourself comfortable in your own skin, knowing that’s the Your God loves and wants to mold you. Amen

Song: We have this ministry (590)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

Prayers of the people

Creator God,
you call us to love and serve you with body, mind, and spirit
by loving your creation and our sisters and brothers.
Open our hearts in compassion and receive these petitions
on behalf of the needs of the church and the world.

We pray for those who experience your call to serve, and feel inadequate and afraid.  We pray for those who seek wisdom in living day to day; encourage them to seek that wisdom in your word and laws.  We pray for those who seek to serve fully as disciples of Jesus Christ; enrich them with your compassion and love for all.  When we experience doubt, God, encourage us to continue to wrestle with you and with our confusion and misunderstandings.  Enable us to be persistent, faithful followers of Jesus.  We pray for those who are suffering, physically, spiritually or mentally, God.  Enable us to dispense hope and comfort to them.  We pray for our own congregation; empower us to become ever more unified in our passion to honour you as your children and serve as disciples of Jesus Christ in bringing to completion your kingdom.  We pray for Students in our Theological College as they seek our ministry in your name as well as students who have grown up in this church and seek to claim their own lives now and grow in who you want them to be. We pray specifically for our own Rom, studying at Presbyterian College, for his health, well-being and knowledge.  Amen

Song: When we are living (630)

Sending out with God’s blessing

¹² May the Lord our loving Father, make your love for one another and for all people grow and indeed to overflow, just as the Father’s love does for us. ¹³And may God make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before Him on the day Jesus comes again with all his holy people to be presented unto the Father. Amen. (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, New Living Translation)

Response: God to enfold you

Music postlude

—————————————————————————————

Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).

The Rev. Brad Childs retains the copyright (© 2025) on all original material in this service. As far as Brad Childs is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.

Worship on Harvest Sunday
10:00 am      October 12, 2025
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs     Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Lynn Vaughan     Welcoming Elder: Renita MacCallum
Children’s Time: Brad     Reader: Godfrey Esoh, Jr.

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you.

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: We come as guests invited to a table.
P: We come to celebrate with friends and neighbours.
L: Jesus Christ, our Friend and Saviour, invites us to gather.
P: We gather with his friends around the world.
L: We gather with his friends around the world.
P: We worship God in gladness, for God’s faithfulness endures forever.

Opening praise: Forever God is faithful

Prayers of approach and confession

Gracious and Loving God, we gather in this season of thanksgiving, struck by the colours of the leaves, the last warm breezes, birds flying south in formation.

Such beauty speaks to us of your goodness, and your desire to provide what each of your creatures needs.

As we gather, renew our sense of gratitude for every good gift you offer us.

Especially we praise you for the gift of Christ Jesus who teaches us how to walk in the world you love and offers us grace and compassion to share with those we meet.

Receive our love and gratitude in his name, and by your Spirit, empower us to live gratefully each and every day.

Living and loving God,

We acknowledge that we enjoy life with an abundance many nations cannot imagine.

Yet, we confess we do not always recognize the blessings we share.

We worry about our futures, and ignore the present needs of those around us.

Forgive us our fears and narrow vision and our failure to care for creation as you intended. Amen.

Response: I will trust in the Lord

Assurance of God’s pardon
The mercy of our God is from everlasting to everlasting.
Hear and believe the good news of the Gospel:
In Christ Jesus, we are forgiven and set free to begin again.
At this time of Thanksgiving, let us give special thanks for God’s most generous love.

We listen for the voice of God

Response: Jesus we are gathered (514)

Children’s time and the Lord’s Prayer (535)

Song: For the fruits of all creation (802)

Scripture readings: Psalm 100 & Philippians 4:4-9

Response: Glory to the Father

Message: Encouraged

One day in 1939, George Bernard Dantzig, a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, arrived late for a graduate-level statistics class and found two problems written on the chalkboard. Dantzig jotted them down in his ledger in a rush to catch up, and the class went on as usual. Three days later, Dantzig turned in the problems and apologized to the professor for not finishing them sooner.  But there was a bit of a problem.

Paul and his young friend Timothy visited the city of Philippi on Paul’s second missionary journey in 51AD. Philippi is on the north-east end of Greece, twelve kilometres from Neapolis. It was to be the sight of the first Christian Church in Europe (contrary to popular opinion, of course, Christianity is not a religion of the West, it is actually a Near-Eastern religion). In any case, ten years later, after the Church had flourished and grown, Paul wrote a letter to them encouraging them. While Paul writes to them, telling them how much he loves them and to keep strong and be positive, he himself is in prison again as he writes.

And yet, Paul writes, “⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about these such things.”

In short, Paul says, “you should never underestimate the power of a faith and a positive attitude”. He says, “when we face challenges, keep your eyes on the positive things”.

Paul’s not alone in this. At the turn of the 19 century Danish author Isak Dinesen wrote, “God made the world round, so we would never be able to see too far down the road.”

I like that. And it’s true. Things get really hard sometimes, but no matter what happens this one thing remains true… we have no idea what’s coming up just around the curve. The world is round.

For Paul, troubles were real, and they were going to keep coming.

This letter was written at nearly the same time as Timothy and so we know from the archeological information we have that Paul actually did get executed. When he wore this, he was at the Fortress Antonia awaiting a trial with Caesar and was executed shortly after.

Paul was killed under the rule of Nero in either May or June of 68AD. But here’s the thing. That’s 6 years after Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians, thinking he could die any day. He thought life was over but he got six more years.

The truth is nobody has a guarantee of tomorrow. But it does us no good to live in the shadows. It does us no good to waste our time on things that make us angry or bitter – we can’t just wait around for doom and gloom. Paul knows he is going to die and that it could be any day. But he says, we should put our minds on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, whatever is excellent; whatever is praiseworthy. In the words of Marvel’s Director Nick Fury, “Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.” We need to put our minds (as much as possible) on the good. And we need to go on living like the world intends to spin on and like it’s round.

Eighty-six-year-old Joy Johnson, a veteran of 25 New York City marathons, died in 2013. Johnson was the oldest runner in that year. She fell at the 20-mile marker in the event. But she got up to cheers from the crowd, all the while making lazy bags-of-skin like me, feel like we’d better get back to the gym. Yeah, she fell, but she crossed the finish line at about eight hours. She did it, and she did it for the 25^th time.

Joy Johnson died that same day. But she died with her shoes on.

After the race, she returned to her hotel room, lay down with her shoes still on, and never woke up.

Amazingly, Johnson didn’t run her first marathon until she was sixty-one years old. Before that, she had never really been into any particular sports. In fact, the only hint of the sport around her house was the verse from Isaiah 40:31 which hung on the kitchen wall in her family farm house in rural Minnesota: “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

Ironically, the career gym teacher, Joy Johnson, was almost a complete stranger to personal exercise until she took a three-mile walk in 1986. Then she started jogging, and after a while, competing in 10-K races. By 1988 (just two years into running), she had competed in her first New York City Marathon. Three years later, she recorded her best time at age sixty-four with a time of 3 hours and 55 minutes.

A few years ago she told a reporter about her exercise regimen. She would wake up at 4 A.M., drink her coffee, while reading her Bible, and then set out on an eight-mile pre-dawn run. “When you wake up, it can either be a good day or a bad day,” Ms. Johnson said. “I always say, ‘It’s going to be a good day.’ And then I put my shoes on.”
The devout Christian ran every day but Sunday so she could attend church. Johnson sang hymns to herself to pass the time while running. According to Johnson’s daughter, “She was always a happy runner—and besides her faith and family, this was something she loved the most.”

I suppose this could serve as her epitaph. Joy Johnson died with her running shoes on!

What would you choose as your epitaph? Will people look back and say, Well, she tried, but she sure was grumpy. Will they talk about the last conversation you had… Will it have been a pleasant one? Was it a complaint session? Will they say, “boy of boy, he was really upset that last month”. Or might people say that you had your mind on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, whatever is excellent; whatever is praiseworthy”?

For me Joy Johnson is a pretty inspirational person. Now don’t get me wrong about this, I have no plans to start running marathons anytime soon (though to be honest, that’s less about my hate of cardio and more about my fear of the terrible clothes runners always wear – I would be embarrassed).

What impresses me is that Joy stayed positive until the very end. The world is round, and she didn’t know what the coming days were gonna look like. She just decided “It’s going to be a good day”. She “died with her shoes on”.

She managed to keep positive in a world where that’s often a very hard thing to do.

Troubles are real. They are. And we sometimes face seemingly insurmountable odds. And sometimes, like Paul, our very lives are at stake, and we truly are – in the last of our days. Other times, like Paul, we are gifted with a few more unexpected years, and sometimes, like Joy, like with Paul, like with everyone, that dark cloud catches up to us. But we should not be deterred. The world is round. We don’t know what’s around the corner. But what we can know, we can know just who is with us while we travel the road.

In Phil. 4:13 Paul writes, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

As one author put it, “Common sense is seeing things as they are, but doing things as they ought to be.” Or as Chuck Swindoll put it, “The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 per cent how we respond to what happens to us.” 300

Rom. 12:12 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” And in the same way, Jesus himself in Mark 11:22-25 said, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.”

In simpler words, “Don’t let things drag you down. Don’t put your mind on things that don’t benefit you or harm others.” Don’t spend your life being dragged down by the ridiculous doom and gloom of the news, telling us every day the sky is falling, but every day having a new reason for that because it didn’t happen the day before, like they said. Don’t fill your life with conversations that don’t lift people up.

Instead, put your minds on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, whatever is excellent; whatever is praiseworthy.” No, not one of us knows when it might be our time to go, but we can all make the ever-important choice to live life with our shoes on. Let’s put our minds on the positive because when we do, Jesus says, we can move mountains. He says we can do the impossible.

When George Dantzig handed his assignments in that day, George had no idea there was a problem.

George Dantzig later recounted what had happened in a 1986 interview for the College Mathematics Journal: “It happened because during my first year at Berkeley, I arrived late one day at one of Dr. [Jerzy] Neyman’s classes. On the blackboard, there were two problems that I assumed had been assigned for homework. I copied them down. A few days later, I apologized to Dr. Neyman for taking so long to do the homework — the problems seemed to be a little harder than usual. They had taken me all weekend, and I asked the professor if he still wanted it. He told me to throw it on his desk. I did so reluctantly because his desk was covered with such a heap of papers that I feared my homework would be lost there forever. But about six weeks later, one Sunday morning about eight o’clock, [my wife] Anne and I were awakened by someone banging on our front door. It was Dr. Neyman. He rushed in with papers in hand, all excited: “I’ve just written an introduction to one of your papers. Read it so I can send it out right away for publication,” he said.

For a minute, I had no idea what he was talking about.

To make a long story short, the problems on the blackboard that I had solved, thinking they were our homework, were in fact two famous unsolved problems in statistics generally referred to as “unsolvable”.

Dr. Neyman had put them up on the board to make a point. They were supposed to be examples of problems the world’s greatest mathematicians worked on for lifetimes, and yet had still gone unsolved for generations. I had no idea. I just thought they were hard so I put my mind to it. The two problems took me about 6 hours. Later, when I asked my advisor about the direction for my doctoral thesis, he just looked at me like I was crazy. He pulled my two “homework” assignments out of a file, punched holes in the pages and placed the four pages in a binder in front of me. “This is your Thesis and not a single mathematician on earth can challenge it”.

That was my Doctoral thesis. It was already done. And my advisor was correct – it went through uncontested.” (1001 Illustrations)

You know what I think. I think George Dantzig solved those problems, because he didn’t know they were “unsolvable”. He had a mind focused on the positive, and that changed absolutely everything. The greatest minds in math and statistics had worked on them for generations, but they had always assumed they would likely fail. George had no such fear. And so, he did what countless could not in two 3-hour segments of homework in between doing dishes and chatting over dinner with his wife.

What are we to be focused on? Where should our minds be?

Joy was right. Danzig was right. Paul was right. Jesus is right.

We should all be focused upon the light and not the dark (from the moment we put our shoes on in the morning) we should start by thinking “this is going to be a good day”. Our minds should be on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, whatever is excellent; whatever is praiseworthy.”

The world is round; we don’t know what tomorrow brings. But I know this: I plan to die with my shoes on, full of faith and thinking positive. Amen.

Song: Great is thy faithfulness  (324)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

Prayers of the people

Gracious and generous God, we offer our gifts in gratitude for all we receive from your hand. Bless and multiply them, just as Jesus multiplied a few loaves and fishes to bless others. Use them so others can taste your love in our community and in your world, through the grace of Christ our Lord.

Generous God, on this Harvest weekend, we thank you for all things great and small,

for moments of wonder and for ordinary exchanges that fill our lives with meaning and offer us a sense of wellbeing. May our friends see in us the signs of a grateful heart.

God of all goodness,
Receive our prayers.

Generous God, as we give thanks for the harvests of the earth and all the goodness that sustains us, we pray that you will show us how to live respectfully in creation and protect all that is precious to you.

Wherever harvests have been disappointing, show us how to share what has been produced so that no one goes hungry.

God of all goodness,
Receive our prayers.

Generous God, we pray for the good of your world and the common good in our community.

Where there is strife and hostility between peoples and nations, inspire leaders to show wisdom and courage in their decision making.

We pray for people and places hard hit by flood or fire, tornado or hurricane, epidemic or earthquake

(Hold silence for ten seconds)

May neighbours with resources maintain generosity and compassion for the long work of reconstructing lives and livelihoods.

God of all goodness,
Receive our prayers.

Generous God, we pray for our neighbours and those of our number who are facing health challenges or difficult times for any reason …

(Hold silence for ten seconds)

And we pray for family and friends under stress or in sorrow whom we name in silence before you …

(Hold silence for ten seconds)

Make us generous in compassion and understanding for each one.

God of all goodness,
Receive our prayers.

Generous God, in Jesus Christ we have met your generous love and mercy. Today we bring these expressions of our Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving offerings

Everyone to come forward with an offering. And we will begins signing a song of celebration once everyone is in place.

Song: We are marching/Siyahamba (639)

Sending out with God’s blessing

Go on your way rejoicing this day, and let your gentleness be known to others.

Keep on doing the things you have learned from Christ Jesus our Lord, and be grateful.

May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in the coming days through the grace of Jesus Christ and the company of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Response: Sing Amen

Music postlude

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Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).

The Rev. Brad Childs retains the copyright (© 2025) on all original material in this service. As far as Brad Childs is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.

Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.

Worship on World Communion Sunday
10:00 am October 05, 2025
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs     Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalists: Peter and Cheryl Sheridan     Welcoming Elder: Lynn Vaughan
Reader: Vivian Houg

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: We come as guests invited to a table.
P: We come to celebrate with friends and neighbours.  
L: Jesus Christ, our Friend and Saviour, invites us to gather.
P: We gather with his friends around the world.
L: Come and worship with hearts full of God’s praise and promise.
P: We worship God in gladness, for God’s faithfulness endures forever.

Opening praise: Bless the Lord, O my soul

Prayers of approach and confession

Gracious and Generous God, you spread a banquet table and make room for all to come: friend and foe, healed and sick, hopeful and hopeless.

You feed our desires with goodness and fill our longing with steadfast love.

We worship you with grateful praise, together with all your people, here and everywhere, who break bread at your table and who share the cup.

We celebrate our life together in Christ  and offer our love and loyalty to you, O God,

source of all goodness, through Jesus Christ, who shares our flesh, and your Holy Spirit who prays within us.

God of mercy and mystery, when you invite us to your table,  you ask us to come with clean hands and open hearts.

You ask us to come in peace, seeking reconciliation with you and with each other.

In this silence, we hand over to you the broken relationships, disagreements and disappointments that keep us from living in your peace.

Free us from the burdens we carry which we share in this silence. so that we may be a source of peace in this troubled world:

Assurance of God’s forgiveness

Hear and believe this good news! Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old life has gone; a new life has begun. Know that you are forgiven. HAveTheCourageTo Forgive one another, and be at peace – with God, with your neighbour and with yourself.

We listen for the voice of God.                   

Song: Those who wait on the Lord (682)

Scripture readings: Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 & 2 Timothy 1:1-14

Response: Glory to the Father 

Message: A Good Deposit

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dear son:

Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) is the apostle who once persecuted the early church, then encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus and was radically changed. Instead of trying to kill the followers of Jesus, Paul becomes a follower of Jesus, if not the very chief follower of Jesus.

As soon as Paul met Jesus, Dr. Luke notes in Acts 9:20, Paul began preaching in the synagogues in Damascus. After three years, Paul notes in Galatians 1:15-18 that he was requested to appear in Jerusalem before James, Jesus’ brother, who was the official leader of the apostles. Notably, among Jesus’s family, only Mary had not openly rejected Jesus. Before the resurrection, James had not believed.

Within seven years, Paul had been commissioned by James as an authority of the Church and began a major missionary journey. He had founded new congregations in Antioch of Syria, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Galatia, Colossae and Laodicea.  He became a teacher, missionary, leader, planter, waterer, and principal author of at least 30% of the word count and 48% of the books we hold to be in the New Testament.

Note that Paul claims to be an apostle called by God. He is not ambitious but called, saying: “My authority comes not from ambition but from God’s call.” In other words, if God can use someone like Paul, with such a dark and disturbing past, then no past is too broken and no future too risky for God to work through you. Through weaknesses, we see God’s strength.

So, why is the book called ‘Timothy’? Well, Timothy is Paul’s young protégé; a trusted coworker who grew up in a mixed Jewish-Greek background and served in churches Paul planted (most notably Ephesus). Paul calls him “my dear son,” indicating a mentoring, father-and-son relationship: Paul taught, guided, and entrusted Timothy with leadership, setting him up as the minister of this local congregation in Paul’s stead.

If you’re older, look for a Timothy to mentor; if you’re younger, be open to a Paul who invests in you. Sir Isaac Newton wrote, “Each one of us stands on the shoulders of those who came before us.” I can feel that. How about you?

Paul writes to Timothy, who is leading the church of the Ephesians, which was a large and influential city on the Aegean Sea in today’s Turkey. The letter is intended for the entire congregation, but also serves as a personal message to a friend. We need to be cautious here, not to assume that life was vastly different in the past. The letter was written to a real community with real struggles — just like our people’s churches today. The advice is practical and personal.

Paul writes, “Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.  Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.  I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

To Timothy, “I constantly remember you in my prayers,” and “recalling your tears, I long to see you.” Timothy is pastorally close to the people of this congregation and is in tears on their behalf. They’ve shared deep feelings, likely because of hardship, conflict, and persecution. And some have stopped attending. But also because it’s a family church where just a few friendly families come together to worship.

And so I love this next part. Paul names Lois and Eunice as the origin of Timothy’s “sincere faith.” Timothy was introduced to Jesus by his mother and his grandmother, Lois and Eunice. Paul met Timothy because his mom and grandma took him to church, where Paul was the leader. Sadly, Timothy’s father does not seem to attend Christian worship, and he is an example now, albeit not for the best reasons. Because of that, I want to take a moment to give respect to all of you mothers and grandmothers who make it a point to bring your kids and grandkids into a life of faith and to the youth who arrive with them. Yet I also wish to note that faith is most often learned at home — in bedtime prayers, stories, examples, debates, arguments, questions and more. If you’re a young person, honour those who shaped you; if you’re older, invest in the next generation. Small daily acts matter more than grand programs and more than church services.

Paul moves on and writes, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.  So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.”

Paul’s point in 2 Timothy 1:6-8 is no daring or reckless bravado, but faithfulness born of God’s Spirit. I’m paraphrasing, but Paul says, Don’t be timid about the gifts God has given you; don’t hide them out of fear, shame, or self‑doubt. Use them. Teach, serve, encourage, lead. “The Spirit … does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self‑discipline” (v.7). The Spirit gives boldness to act, love to reach out, and the discipline to persevere. Don’t shrink back because you feel unworthy; rely on the Spirit’s power. You can do nothing alone, and the good news is you also can’t ever be alone. Paul says, We laid hands on you in ordination. The Spirit is with you. And most of all, Paul reminds his friend, Don’t be timid about the testimony of Jesus the Lord. And don’t change what you were told.

Speak up about Jesus, live the gospel openly, worship without embarrassment, and pray at the restaurant. Faith is not meant to be private when people around us can find peace from what is not withheld. And while some people are claiming that Timothy’s church follows a disgraced and arrested man in prison -Paul. Paul says, I’m in jail for sharing my faith.

And yet Paul is largely alone. He has Luke with him but everyone else ran. Paul reminds everyone saying, This is a religious persecution. Please don’t be ashamed of me. Be willing to be me. And then he offers young Timothy some advice, saying, ‘You don’t have to have all the skills you need.’ God has them; you only have to be faithful in your belief in His power to overcome our weaknesses.

I wonder… is there one thing in your life that you’ve been shrinking from (a conversation, a service, a truth to speak)? Then take one small step this week. Be courageous and know God is with you. Don’t ever be timid about your faith.

Next, Paul writes, He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am.

Paul says not to be ashamed of the gospel or of being identified with Christ and His messengers. That includes: speaking up for Jesus (the testimony about our Lord), being known as a follower (even if it costs reputation), and sharing the same suffering or hardship that the gospel sometimes brings. In short: don’t be ashamed of your faith, the message of Jesus, or those who suffer for it.

“He” who can guard what’s entrusted, Paul states, is Jesus Christ. Paul expresses confidence that the Lord he has trusted can protect or preserve what Paul has entrusted to him—Paul’s ministry, teachings, Timothy’s faith, and the gospel mission—until “that day” (the final day of Christ’s return / final judgment).

Remember, Paul and the other apostles generally believed that Jesus would return within their own lifetime. And while Paul has been in prison before, this is unique. Usually, he has been under house arrest awaiting an introduction to plead his case. Here he is in a dungeon, states that he is chained to the wall, and is fairly sure they are going to execute him. His tears for Timothy are at least partly due to the fact that Paul will never see his young friend again. And as far as we know. He didn’t.

With that Paul concludes, “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Because Jesus is trustworthy, we can boldly hold and share the gospel without shame, confident that what we entrust to him is safe. What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”

Paul’s central point comes out: Don’t stray from the pattern.

At this point, I’m reminded of the time I visited the old Army-Navy store on Whyte Avenue and purchased a pair of remarkably inexpensive pants. When I got them home and tried them on, I discovered that one of the pockets was sewn in the wrong place. It was folded back on itself, and you couldn’t put anything in it. I’m sure that at the factory, the pattern was fine, but somewhere in the manufacturing process, something went wrong, and the pants deviated from the pattern that had otherwise produced thousands of perfectly good garments. Because it didn’t follow the same pattern, the pants were useless.

Paul says to keep the pattern of his teaching and “Guard the good deposit!” What is the “good deposit”? The deposit is the gospel Paul preached — the apostolic teaching about Jesus: his life, death, resurrection, and the way of salvation and faithful living that flows from it.  It includes the core truths and the practical form of Christian life Paul modelled and taught (what Timothy “heard” from Paul). It’s “good” because it brings life, not just information; it’s trustworthy, vital, and meant to be passed on.

Guarding isn’t mere storage. It means preserving the truth’s integrity (sound doctrine), defending it against distortion, and embodying it in life and ministry. Practically, guarding includes teaching faithfully, correcting error gently, living out the gospel in love, and passing the faith to others. It’s active stewardship: watchful, disciplined, and responsible care for what has been entrusted to us.

The gospel can be diluted or distorted. If the pattern isn’t followed, then the germ of where everything starts is off, and the gospel will end up being a useless version of something otherwise good.

Paul is about to die, believes Jesus is returning any day and is in tears, worried that people are going to give up on Jesus just before he comes back. He’s afraid the church is going to end up with a crooked sewn-in and useless pocket like my old pants.

By contrast, we are called to keep the message whole and to live it out so others see its truth. Guarding the deposit means both protecting doctrine and practicing compassion — sound teaching that is shown by loving action. The ‘good deposit’ is the life‑giving gospel we received; guarding it means teaching it faithfully and living it boldly — and the Holy Spirit gives us the wisdom and strength to do both.

May you hold fast to the gospel just as you received it and may we all remain faithful no matter what the world around us says or does. Amen.

Song: I know not why such wondrous grace (683)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

Prayers of the people

God of hope, amid all the concerns in the world around us, we turn to your Word.

Send your Holy Spirit to still our thoughts and speak your wisdom to us. Fill us with the humble confidence we meet in Jesus Christ, your Living Word.

Around this table, we celebrate God’s generosity to us in Christ and in creation. We present our offering in gratitude for all God has given. Your offering will now be received.

God, you are the giver of every good and perfect gift. Our gifts may not be ideal, but bless them with your Holy Spirit to spread your goodness in the world, for the sake of Christ, our living Lord.

Gracious and generous God,

You spread a welcome table and set a place for everyone — friend and stranger, the confident and the fearful, those who are healthy and those who are hurting.

You feed our hungers with goodness, satisfy our restless longings with your steady love, and call us to share what we have with others. 

We come to you in gratitude and wonder, joining our voices with Christians across the world who find life at your table.

We celebrate the gift of being together in Christ, and we offer you our loyalty and our love, O God, source of every good thing.

We give thanks for Jesus Christ — who took on our flesh, who ate with outcasts, and who taught us to welcome the poor — and for your Holy Spirit, who prays and works in us day by day.

Merciful God, of second chances and small mercies,

You invite us to come to your table with open hands and honest hearts.

You ask us to come in peace, to be reconciled to you and to one another, and to let go of bitterness and blame.

Teach us the small practices of peace: a quick apology we’ve been putting off, a phone call to someone we haven’t been kind to, offering a cup of water to a neighbour, or a short prayer for the person who annoys us.

Show us where we can perform a small, practical act of kindness this week — pay a debt of gratitude, return a borrowed item, or sit with someone lonely.

In a moment of silence, let us bring the real, everyday things that weigh on our hearts:

– the small quarrels that fester in our families, the words left unsaid;

– the worry about money, work, bills, and the future;

– the embarrassments and regrets we try to hide;

– the health concerns that wake us at night and the appointments we dread;

– the relationships strained by distance or silence;

– the silent fears of those we love;

– the ways we have refused to help, or failed to notice, someone at our gate.

As we hold these things before you in silence, give us practical courage to act: to send the message, make the call, set the meeting, or to offer a simple meal. Free us from the burden of striving to be perfect and help us take the small steps that heal.

(Silence)

God of patience and power,

We thank you for not waiting for us to be perfect before you meet us. You meet us where we are: tired, confused, fearful, hopeful. Because you are with us, we can try again.

Fill us with the Spirit’s steadiness — not impulsive bravado, but patient strength, calm resolve, and brave compassion. Give us the discipline to make small, daily choices that shape our character: five minutes of quiet prayer, one kind word to a family member each day, a weekly moment of giving, and a habit of listening more than speaking.

Help our church to be a place where this daily discipleship is practiced. Show us simple, concrete ways to care for one another this week — a meal train for someone who’s ill, a ride to an appointment, a note to a grieving family. May our shared life here become a reflection of your generous table, where everyone feels welcome.

We pray for those who cannot be with us now: those who are sick at home, those serving far away, those who cannot join because of work, and those who feel estranged from faith. Reach them, Lord, with your presence and practical help. Guide us to be your hands and feet.

Lord, as we prepare to share this meal, grant us the humility to admit our faults and the boldness to act in love. Teach us to practice reconciliation in everyday ways so your peace grows among us and in the neighbourhoods we return to.

(Silence)

Passing the peace

The Sacrament of Holy Communion

Invitation

In the early hours of this morning, while all was quiet and dark here at home, the sun was rising on the other side of the world. And with the dawn of this new day, God’s people began gathering for worship amid the sounds of drums, pipes, stringed instruments or pianos and organs.

And now we, too, join in this worldwide chorus of those who call upon the name of the Lord. On this World Communion Sunday, we remember especially that the scriptures are fulfilled as “people will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

So come, not because you must, but because you may. Come not because you are strong, but because you seek God’s strength. All who trust in Jesus are invited to join in the feast that God has prepared.

Song: Jesus calls us here to meet him ( 528)

                                              We lift them up to the Lord.

Holy God, Holy One, Holy Three,

You are the source of all that exists.

You are beyond the galaxies, deeper than the oceans;

You pour down rain and bring forth the fruit of the earth.

You carry us through deep waters and hold us in the darkest night.

So, with all your creatures, great and small, with angels and archangels, with saints and servants in every generation

Holy is your Son Jesus, O God;

Walking this earth, feeding the hungry, calling the lost, noticing the forgotten, healing those who reached out, teaching those who sought wisdom, he revealed your kingdom among us.

Today, we thank you for all Jesus shared with us to show us that you are always with us in times of plenty and times of pain.

Holy God,

When the sounds of our rejoicing fall silent,

We remember those who cannot rejoice today, who face times of pain, fear, or upheaval.

We think especially of those whose countries have been overwhelmed by earthquake, flood or storm, by conflict, drought or famine.

Draw near to them in the power of the Spirit to strengthen and sustain them through Christ’s compassion and ours.

Holy Spirit, come now and settle on us and on these gifts of bread and wine.

May they become for us Christ’s body and lifeblood, healing, forgiving and making us whole.

So may we become Christ’s body, the Church,

loving and caring throughout the whole world until that day when all creation feasts with you in the fullness of your mercy and peace that we savior today in the name of our Saviour.

The Lord’s Prayer (496: sung)

Institution

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
And when he had given thanks for it, he broke it, and said,

‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’
In the same way, he also took the cup, after supper, saying,

‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, You proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Sharing of the Bread and Wine

This is the body of Christ broken for you.

This cup is the blood of Christ shed for you.

Song: One bread, one body

Prayer after Communion

Loving God, Christ our Lord, Holy Spirit, you have nourished us, body and soul, in this meal.

We have heard your love, so send us out to speak it.

We have seen your love, so send us out to show it.

Your passion has fed us, so send us out to share it.

And let all things be done for your glory. Amen.

Song: Sent forth by your blessing (775)

Sending out with God’s blessing

Go from here to serve God, your strength renewed and your faith reassured, for you are part of Christ’s body, embracing the world in his name.

And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Response: God to enfold you

Music postlude

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The Communion liturgy is based on the liturgies of the PCC’s 1991 Book of Common Worship. Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).

The Rev. Brad Childs retains the copyright (© 2025) on all original material in this service. As far as Brad Childs is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.

Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.

Worship on Orange Shirt Sunday
10:00 am September 28, 2025
Minister: Rev. Brad Childs     Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Linda Farrah-Basford     Welcoming Elder: Darlene Eerkes
Children’s time: Vivian Houg     Reader: Helen Ross

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: Here God gathers us, calling us to remember and to act with truth.
P: We remember the children who were taken, and we hold survivors in our prayers. 
L: Here Jesus stands among us, calling us to acts of mercy and repair.
P: May we listen, learn, and respond with humble hearts.
L: Even now, the Holy Spirit moves in our midst, giving courage to confess and strength to reconcile.
P: Fill us with hope and inspire us to faithful and just action.
L: Let us worship the God who calls us to healing and to love.
P: Let us praise God and commit to the way of reconciliation.

Opening praise: I surrender all

Prayers of approach and confession

Creating God, beauty and harmony mark your creation.

As the seasons change, we see you are still at work in the world, transforming hearts and situations.

We praise you for all you do to repair injustice, to bring peace to places of war, working for goodness to prevail in all nations.

You offer us new possibilities day by day, and so we place our trust in your redeeming power.

Renew our energy for the mission this autumn  nd open our eyes to new opportunities to reach out in Jesus’ name.

Through the power of the Spirit, make us participants in your work, bringing justice and joy into the world you love.  Amen.

Compassionate God, you open your heart to those in need, and to your aching creation.

We confess we often turn away so that we do not have to see pain, suffering, or injustice, right before our eyes.

We don’t like to feel uncomfortable or pressed into service.

Forgive us, and give us courage to love others as you love us and reach out with the care we have witnessed in Jesus. Amen.

Response: Glory, glory hallelujah

Assurance of God’s pardon

The prophet Micah declared that God requires of us three things: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God. To all who repent, who act for justice and seek to serve God and neighbour in kindness, God offers forgiveness and peace. The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Musical Offering: Dayspring Singers

We listen for the voice of God

Response: Jesus we are gathered (514)

Children’s time

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

  

Song: There’s a spirit in the air (764: vss 1,2,3,5

Scripture readings:  1 Timothy 6:6-19 and Luke 16:19-31

Response: Behold the lamb of God

Message: “Godliness with contentment”

The biggest question about the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, for people who study the New Testament, is: Is this story a description of an event Jesus is relaying (meaning we have a literal description of eternal punishment), or is this a parable – a story told to convey a particular lesson?

To be clear, this is a pretty weird story that Jesus told. Is Jesus talking about an event, or is he creating a lesson?

The style of story he is using is not wholly unique. There are Egyptian (Setme) and Hebrew stories (Bar Ma’jan) that are pretty similar to this one. These are stories about reversed fortunes in the afterlife. They were a fairly well-known archetype and exist all over the world. Not surprisingly, however, I believe this one is unique and has many layers to it (if it’s just a parable that is). Maybe it’s not.

The story comes to us from Luke, who was a physician and a kind of early feminist. His accounts of Jesus are packed with calls to care for the ill, women, foreigners and the poor.

If Jesus is relaying an event to us, then this is a story we have to see as a literal depiction of Hell. And while the story certainly does speak to an eternal destiny, this story begins the same way that most of Jesus’ parables do – with a nameless character introduced by the phrase “de tis en” (δέ τις ἦν) / “There was a certain [rich] man” which was sort of like saying “once upon a time”.

It sounds like a parable. If this is a parable, as many might argue, that introduction makes perfect sense. At no other place in the entire bible does a character in a parable have a name. And there is the rub. The rich man is simply described as “wealthy.” He has no name – just like a parable.

But Lazarus has a name. It’s Lazarus. Characters in parables don’t have names – ever!

Again, if naming Lazarus means this isn’t a parable, then we know what Hell looks like. If it’s a parable, then it’s our only example out of about 50 parables where a name is given.

I know I’ve said this before, but all parables are intended to be strange. Farmers don’t indiscriminately throw seeds onto poor soil, mustard plants don’t grow into giant shade-providing trees, Samaritans are never good, wealthy Hebrews don’t run to give jerk kids new credit cards, and Kings don’t get stood up for parties and invite the homeless instead. Parables are always odd. But this one is stranger than the strangeness Jesus tends to add to his parables. Yet, still, please keep in mind that just like my name, “Brad,” means “broad meadow” – and can be traced to its root, Barak, which means “blessed”… names have meaning.

Well, Lazarus means God Helps. And so, you have to ask: Does this guy have a name, or does Jesus create a character name destined to be helped by God? That’s different. Still, and let’s make an assumption here: why does Jesus give his guy a name? But we shall return to that later.

BRIGHT COLOURED CLOTHES WERE NOT NORMAL. That’s a new thing. Creating dyes is a challenging, expensive, and rare process.

First, it’s worth noticing that the rich man is dressed in purple and fine linen. Now purple is the colour of royalty. It came from a rare and expensive Phoenician dye made from mollusks. Fine linen is actually a reference to an inner tunic and is probably best understood to be underwear. More to the point, it’s the same kind of underwear that we are told Moses and Aaron wear for priestly garb (which is one of my favourite things in the Hebrew bible. I love that it explains exactly what Moses and Aaron’s underpants look like, “purple with fancy pink embroidery”. Even with limited information available, it appears that this robe is worth around 50,000 Canadian dollars, though it could be more. The cheapest estimate I found suggested a minimum cost of what translated to $28,000 – at least.

In contrast, Lazarus is said to be lying (and so is likely not able-bodied) at the outer gates of what is assuredly a large estate home (“Pylona is used”). And much as one might expect, Dr. Luke makes sure to record the fact that this Lazarus is also “covered with sores,” meaning that he is in absolute degradation. He is longing for table scraps from the rich man’s table, and dogs are licking his sores. And while I have a couple of pets at my house, and maybe you do too, dogs were not pets at this time.

This rather nasty image is also quite frightening because dogs were not kept as pets. Instead, they were dangerous scavengers (1 Kings 14:11), and so what is happening here is that the dogs are tasting their soon-to-be meal and checking to see if he can fight them off (which apparently, if they are licking him, he can’t).

Next, we are told that Lazarus, called “the beggar,” died and that the “angels carried him to Abraham’s side.” Notice it doesn’t say he was buried. Probably he was not. Most likely, the implication here is that the dogs eventually devoured the body. The narrative, however, quickly switches to a description of a heavenly feast where the guest of honour, Abraham, reclines on a pillow, just as Jesus does at the Last Supper. Next, we are told that the rich man also died and was buried. And then the story makes an odd turn. It says the rich man is tormented in Hades. Not hell mind you, but Hades.

The ancient Hebrews had traditionally held a view of the afterlife that stated that under the earth was Sheol, the realm of the dead. The idea was that it was where everyone went after they died, and it was a pretty dull place where nothing particularly remarkable or awful happened. There was good and some bad, but nothing like heaven or hell, exactly. This is the understanding of the afterlife that the Pharisees had. The Sadducees, by the way, did not believe in any afterlife. However, we will return to that later.

In the New Testament, when Jesus speaks of Hell, he almost always uses the word Gehenna. He gives it a name, and he uses the name everyone else does. But the thing is. The word he uses is a real place. It was an ancient site of child sacrifice turned “burn pit” outside the city, where they later dumped sewage and waste and constantly set it ablaze to be rid of it. Saying “Gehenna” or “Hell” in the New Testament is like a Ukrainian mother telling her kids that if they do a bunch of stupid things, they’ll end up in Chernobyl in the afterlife.

Gehenna / Hell is a real place, on earth, right now. It’s known today as the valley of Hinnon, and there is a lovely little park there. But it wasn’t in Jesus’ time.

Still, if you want to, you can visit the actual Hell that Jesus spoke of. You need a plane ticket. But you can go, and it will be pretty nice.

At the time of Jesus, it was the perfect word for Jesus to use to describe a place that was the opposite of a Kingdom of life. But oddly, Jesus doesn’t use the Gehenna here. Instead, this Hebrew and travelling Rabbi strangely uses a decidedly Greek word and concept – that being Hades.

Hades is, in fact, much more akin to the concept of Sheol, where both good and evil reside. And it’s a lot closer to what older Jewish religious leaders might have considered the afterlife to be like. Hades was thought to be the dark counterpart to Mt. Olympus, located somewhere beneath the ground, but it was also a place where people were sent to be thrown into the fire. It’s like Jesus is dumping his typical illustration and understanding of heaven and hell and using an older one. Why?

The rich man is in torment, but not too bad a torment, obviously, because… he talks. Right away, he calls out to Abraham from far away. How the rich man recognizes a guy that’s been dead for two thousand or more years is beyond me, but he recognizes him. Clearly, both Lazarus and the rich man are Jewish. And so the rich man calls out to Abraham and asks Abraham to send Lazarus to give him a drop of water (which I can’t imagine would do much), although he claims to be “in agony.”

Interestingly, Abraham rejects him while at the same time accepting him. Abraham calls the rich man “son,” a term of endearment and recognition. He is, in the day’s popular jargon, a “son of Abraham.” It is not questioned whether the rich man is Jewish or not. He is. It’s a question of whether or not he is a good son of Abraham. “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.”

Next, Abraham throws out this crazy line saying, “Besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to here. Now I understand why someone would prefer to leave the side with the fire on it for the side with the dinner party, but I’m at a loss to understand why anyone would want to hang out on the side of the place that’s associated with torment. So this is another odd part of the story.

In any case, the rich man answers back, begging, “Father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them so that they will not also come to this place of torment.”

Once more, Abraham rejects this, saying that they have Bibles, but they are just ignoring them. “They have Moses and the Prophets,” he says.

And then with one last impassioned plea, the rich man says, “But if someone rises from the dead, they will repent,” and for one last time, Abraham replies, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

Now for a bit of history. In Jesus’ day, there were four main Jewish denominations. There were the Essenes, who lived in the desert and sought to separate themselves from Rome, as well as from the temple, which was under Roman control. John the Baptist is almost certainly one of these. Think of them sort of like the Amish. Next, there were the Zealots. The Zealots wanted the violent overthrow of the Roman government, and they carried daggers with them wherever they went, just in case they got a chance to kill a Roman. The apostle Peter was one of these. Next, there were the Sadducees. Sadducees were the liberal elitists. They believed in moral teaching and rejected the oral traditions. They also hobnobbed with the Romans and were the liaison between Rome and the Hebrews. They looked after the temple and ran the courts and political positions. And fourth, there were the Pharisees. These were the religious conservatives, the ones who took care of the money for people with low incomes and the most respected group of their time. But above all these, there were the High Priests.

But remember, at the time of Jesus, the Jews had been conquered. The temple now sat on occupied land. And while Rome was alright with letting them do their thing to some extent, they also took over the official religion of the Jews.

Annus was the first Jewish High Priest after Rome’s takeover. And Annus was the first High Priest appointed by the Romans after the city of Jerusalem was occupied. Rome took over and installed Annus as a puppet High Priest who actually worked for Rome.

Now, Annus (the puppet priest) had one daughter who married a man named Caiaphas (who would later hand Jesus over to Pontius Pilate). After Annus was deposed, Caiaphas took over as Rome’s newly appointed High Priest, along with his five brothers (the sons of Annus), who divided up the daily responsibilities and political corruption geographically (into five tax areas). In their priestly work, Caiaphas and his five brothers wore a scarce set of clothes. They wore “purple and fine linen”. Oh yeah, and one more thing… If you would (I’ve been doing this a lot lately), please open your Bibles to John 12:9-11 (it’s page 991) for me. Now, this is, oddly enough, a story about another guy with the same name as our guy. This is a story about Jesus’ friend Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Suppose you would read along with me. It’s John 12:9-11, page 991.

It reads, ⁹ Meanwhile, a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he (Jesus) had raised from the dead. ¹⁰ So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus… as well, ¹¹ for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

When Jesus tells this story, he is sticking it to the religious leaders who may well have been “Sons of Abraham,” but they sure weren’t good sons. Jesus was saying that they wore creative clothes and ate great food, but hoarded the money meant for people experiencing poverty. He was saying that being “sons of Abraham” wouldn’t be enough. He was saying that they didn’t really follow the teachings of Moses and the Prophets. And he was also saying that they wouldn’t believe what the scriptures said about the Messiah either, even if someone named Lazarus came back from the dead to tell them. Jesus was saying that he was going to be coming back from the dead, too, and they wouldn’t believe that either.

That is what this story meant when Jesus told it to its original audience. Now, what does it mean for you?

I’m going to leave that last part for you to figure out. But I do want to make just one last point:

The rich man knows Lazarus’ name. And yet at no point in the story does he speak directly to Lazarus. He knows him, and yet even in death, he ignores him, does not speak to him, but instead only to Abraham about him, and he tries even in death to use him for his own personal gain – all without ever acknowledging him in the slightest.

Amen.

Song: When the poor ones (762)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

Loving God, we bring you our gifts, grateful that we have something to share, and glad to be part of a network of mission and mercy which circles the earth. Bless the ministries supported by Presbyterians Sharing as well as the mission of our congregation. Use our gifts to multiply their impact in the world you love through Christ our Lord.

Prayers of thanksgiving and intercession
… silence
L: God of all creatures great and small
P: Make us stewards of what is precious to you

God of mystery and wonder, we look around at the beauty of this world and the worlds beyond us, and sense that you have given each precious thing its place
and a way to sustain itself.
Thank you for the care you hold for your whole creation.
We also look around at the aching of the world and sense that many precious things are under threat.
Too many pieces of your creation have fallen out of balance with each other.
Show us how we can help restore that balance and protect what is at risk for the health of your whole creation.

God of all creatures great and small,
Make us stewards of what is precious to you.

God of energy and life, We look around at the peoples of this world and see your image and dignity in every variety of face and culture.
Thank you for the care you hold for all humankind.
Yet we look around at the people of this world and see the aching of the hungry and hurting; we hear the groans of parents whose children die in their arms and feel the tears of children whose parents die too soon.
We know neighbours who are suffering and hear of strangers who can’t imagine how to make it through tomorrow.
Awaken our generosity to offer what healing and hope we can to the lives you cherish in every neighbourhood and nation.

God of all creatures great and small,
Make us stewards of what is precious to you.

God of promise and possibility, We look around at places where people collide with each other
We hear the grumbling of nations locked into old rivalries and grievances.
We watch the jousting of leaders impressed more by polls than effective policies.
We worry about the future of our communities and our children.
We hear your call to do justice and live generously.
Guide us as citizens to act for justice that brings peace and well being to communities near and far.
Bless the ministries supported by Presbyterians Sharing across Canada and around the world, and grow in us the interest and intention to contribute to this outreach .

God of all creatures great and small,
Make us stewards of what is precious to you.

God of faithfulness and surprise,
We look at ourselves and sometimes doubt we can make a difference or have an impact.
Challenge us to recognise the kinds of power we do have:
The love and compassion,
The courage and commitment,
The laughter and friendship,
The generosity and mercy You inspire within us.
In all these gifts we know your power.
Through all these gifts, our lives have been changed.
Using these gifts in our lives, bring Christ’s love and mercy to the world you love. Amen.

Song: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus in the morning  (378: vss 1-5)

Sending out with God’s blessing

Go from our gathering with confidence in your hearts, for God’s Spirit goes with you to give you strength, God’s Son walks beside you to see you through each day, and God’s holy presence will bless you with grace and mercy now and evermore.  Amen.

Response: Go forth into the world

Music postlude

————————————————————————-

Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).

The Rev. Brad Childs retains the copyright (© 2025) on all original material in this service. As far as Brad Childs is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.

Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.

Many Dayspringers spent the weekend at Camp Kannawin on the shore of Sylvan Lake (160 Km south of Edmonton). There was an informal service of worship at 11 am on Sunday, 21 September.

Worship on the Fourteenth of Pentecost & Presbyterians Sharing Sunday
10:00 am      September 14, 2025
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs     Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Lynn Vaughan     Welcoming Elder: Sam Malayang
Children’s time: Brad     Reader: Iris Routledge

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: O God, you have searched us and known us.
P: You know when we sit down and when we rise up.
L: You discern our thoughts from far away.
P: Before a word is on our tongues, Lord, you know it completely.
L: Such knowledge is too wonderful for us, and so we humble ourselves in worship.
P: In this hour, search us and know our hearts, O God, and lead us in the way everlasting.

Opening praise: Come, now is the time to worship

Prayers of approach and confession

Storytelling God, we gather in your presence this day, called by the stories of your people over the centuries.

You are the source of wisdom we seek,

Your mercy eases the troubles that stir our hearts.

And we come to praise you, for your stories have the power to challenge us and change us.

Draw near to us as we draw near to you this day.

Tell us the stories that will change our lives, through the grace of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

We gather in Jesus’ name to hear the stories he told, to gain wisdom and to know your Spirit’s guidance.

Yet we confess that pride prevents us from hearing the good news and that we resist the power of your Word to change us.

Forgive what we have been, help us amend who we are and set us free to be who you have called us to be.

Response: Glory, glory hallelujah

Assurance of God’s grace

The Apostle Paul asked, “Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ – and Christ died for us; Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us.” Friends, believe the good news of the gospel. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and set free by God’s most generous grace.

We listen for the voice of God

Song: Jesus we are gathered (514)   

Children’s time

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Song: Tell me the stories of Jesus (348)

Scripture readings:  1 Timothy 1:12-17 & Luke 15:1-10

Response: Behold the lamb of God

Message: “Older and Younger Brother”

Jesus tells this story: he says that “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’

Parables are interesting. When I was a kid, my Sunday School teacher told me that Jesus told stories to make things easy for people to understand. Unfortunately, my Sunday School teacher was wrong. The word we translate as “parable” can also be translated as “dark sayings” as it is in the Psalms or as “riddle” as it is in Ezekiel.  In fact, when Jesus’ own disciples ask him directly why he speaks in parables, he answers, “Therefore I speak them in parables: because though seeing they do not see and though hearing they do not understand.” (Matt. 13:10) In short, Jesus doesn’t say “I tell parables because they are easy to understand”. He says just the opposite. He says, “I tell parables… because they confuse people”. Instead of easy answers that people can take and be on their merry way, Jesus tells stories that make people dig and question. He tells parables because they make disciples (students) who want to learn. The same is true for us today. Parables are still odd. If you read them closely, they will hit you the wrong way. They are full of oddities and exaggerations that don’t make any sense. Take the parable of the lost sheep. It seems crazy. Why would anybody leave 99 sheep behind to go chase after just one, and then throw a big party when he finds it? No one right?

Jesus then tells a second story. He says, ⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins^[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’” Again, this story seems odd. Who on earth would go searching the house for a single coin and then, when she finds one, spend a whole bunch of money throwing a party for her neighbours to celebrate a single coin? Again, no one is right?

Finally, Jesus tells this third story. In this one, a son leaves his father, goes out and parties all his money away. Then the son sees the error of his ways and comes running home to his father. In the story, the Father takes back his son. He runs to him, puts a robe on him and a ring on his finger, kills the fatted calf, and invites all the neighbours over. Again, he throws a party. But the older brother is angry. He’s been faithful. He’s been good. And so, he complains just as the Pharisees did about welcoming a sinner to a meal. But the loving father says, “‘My son, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” And in the end, we all see the error and selfishness of the older brother and the great love of the father. Who wouldn’t celebrate the return of a wayward child, right? We all would!

But there’s the rub. See, we’ve got it all wrong. That’s what parables do. If you want an easy answer, you can have one. It will just be the wrong one. However, hearing you won’t hear. But if you dig a bit… you’ll find much more.

Unfortunately, we are so far removed from the culture of the first-century Jewish storyteller that we answer all three of these questions incorrectly. We wouldn’t leave the 99. We wouldn’t spend a fortune celebrating our finding one simple coin. We would invite the son home. The original audience would completely disagree with us.

When we hear that the shepherd leaves the 99 behind to seek the one lost one, it seems ridiculous. When Jesus says, “Which one of you wouldn’t leave the 99?”. We’re tempted to say. “I wouldn’t”. But the original audience would have taken it as a given. They would say, “Of course I’d go after the lost one”.

The second story is the same. When we hear that this woman would spend a bunch of money celebrating the recovery of one small coin, we think it sounds nuts. When Jesus asks, “Who wouldn’t throw a party to celebrate finding one lost coin?” Again, we think, “I wouldn’t”. But the original audience wouldn’t have seen it that way. You see, when a Jewish woman got engaged, she would often be given a set of 10 coins, much in the same way women today are given an engagement ring. Basically, what’s happening here is like a women losing one of many small diamonds from her engagement ring. And so the actual value of the coin doesn’t really matter. The coin has sentimental value. She’s so happy to have found it that she’s more than willing to throw a party and celebrate. It’s not the coin that matters… It’s the meaning behind it.

And the third story is again the same. When Jesus presents a man who’s glad to have his son back and essentially asks, “Who wouldn’t throw a party after his wayward son comes home?” we say… “Of course, we would celebrate”. But again, that’s not how Jesus’ first audience would have seen this either.

You see in the story, the younger son comes to the father and asks for his meros or allotment. Quite literally, what he is asking for is for his inheritance… … … Now, refresh my memory for a second. When exactly does a son get his inheritance from his father? … … … He gets his inheritance… when his Father is dead.  What’s happened here is the younger son goes to his father and says, “I wish you were dead”, “Give me my money so I can leave and never see you again.” What he does is the ultimate insult. But it gets worse. See, at the time, there were two main ways of distributing an inheritance. 1) The first is this: the oldest son (the firstborn) would get the entire inheritance and then be charged as the new head of the household. 2) The second way it could be done would be like this: First, the oldest son would be given 50% of everything. Then the next youngest son would receive 50% of what’s left, followed by the next 50% of that, and so on, until it was all gone. In other words, in the best-case scenario here, the younger brother tells his father he wishes he were dead and then steals his older brother’s rightful portion of the inheritance and runs away with it. Next, the boy squanders his whole (scratch that, his father’s / brother’s) inheritance away… and in the end, this Jewish boy ends up dreaming about eating slop along with pigs (an unclean animal the boy isn’t supposed to be near).

It is at this point, in utter disgrace, the son goes home with his tail between his legs. And that’s when Jesus’ story makes its wildest turn.

See certain aspects of this story are important to note.

1) Jewish men… respectable men did not run. They would never be seen running. Running was for children at play. Men didn’t run. Poor men didn’t run. Rich men certainly didn’t run. Rich heads of households… definitely didn’t run. It was considered undignified. I once had a professor who said that this would be like seeing the CEO of a Fortune 500 company pick his nose and eat it at a shareholders’ meeting. It’s disgraceful. Original listeners to this story would have found it gross.

2) A robe signified a high social standing. Basically, a nice robe was looked at much like a car. Having a nice robe was as luxurious as owning a new S-Class Mercedes-Benz.

3) A ring (or sometimes a staff) was used to identify a person as a member of a particular family. If someone ran out of money or goods to trade with along a journey – but they had a recognizable family ring, they would be allowed to make purchases on a promise for a later payment. In other words, a family ring was like a first century Jewish credit card.

But Jesus says this son tells his father that he wishes he were dead. He steals from his brothers’ inheritance. He squanders his money away in debauchery, and he longs to eat with the pigs. And when he comes home… his father, “when the boy was still a long way off,” runs to his son, puts the workers to bring him a nice new Mercedes-Benz, and hands him a new credit card with no limit. And then he throws him a party.

When we hear today that the young son comes back and that the older brother complains, we’re tempted to see the older brother as the bad guy and the father as an example. But that’s not the way the original audience saw it. The original listeners would have seen the older brother complaining about his sinful brother being invited to the table as a righteous hero and the father as the butt of a bad joke.

When we hear these three stories, we tend to think: No, I wouldn’t chase after one lost sheep, No, I wouldn’t spend a bunch of money to celebrate finding a single coin, and Yes, I would have a party if my wayward son came home.

But Jesus’ audience would have answered every one of those differently. Yes, they would have gone after the lost sheep, yes, they would have celebrated the lost coin, and no, they would not have ever taken the sinful son back.

But that’s actually the whole point. Jesus isn’t telling three parables. He’s actually telling just one parable. They were never meant to be read separately as the lectionary had them done this morning. They are really just one story: as one theologian has called it, “The Story of the Three Losts”.

Remember, this whole thing (these three losts stories) are all a part of a response to the same statement. Verse 15 says, “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. ² But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” In response, Jesus tells this “dark saying” about three lost items: A sheep, a coin and a person.

Now, the Pharisees were the good guys. Today, we think of them as those bad people that Jesus was constantly correcting. But in reality, they were the most loved and respected religious leaders of their day; the example to everyone else. They were thought of as heroes. And even though there were official priests, the people sought the advice of the Pharisees most often instead. They were “the pious ones”. In short, they are the older brother (the good ones, the rule followers). But when they looked at Jesus and asked, “Why do you hang out with those people?” they crossed the line. And in response, Jesus points out the ultimate irony; Jesus says, “You people are the sinners. You care about things (like sheep) and you care about (status) and money (that are basically worthless), and when you find them you celebrate… … … but you don’t care about the one thing that really matters… the one thing you should care about… You don’t really care about people.

As Francis Schaeffer noted, “There is nothing more ugly than an orthodoxy without compassion”.

It’s easy to think about the parables as nice little stories with a nice little lesson. But they are not. They are hard to take. They are “dark sayings” with great depth. And if we let them, they will challenge us.

Author Craig Blomberg teaches that to understand the parables, you have to answer a straightforward question: Who am I in the story? But generally, I think the answer is always the same: “pretty much all of them”.

Sometimes I feel like the lost sheep, living my life on my own. Sometimes I’m the woman who lost something precious, who is desperately searching for that thing with deep meaning in my life. Sometimes I’m one of the 99 safely sitting in the fold. Sometimes I feel like the younger brother out squandering my life away. But maybe Blomberg is missing something. Maybe who we are in the story is a lot less important than who God is in the story and who we want to be?

More often than I care to admit, I’m more like the complaining older brother, usually righteous but ultimately wrong. But who God is – is who I want to be. I want to be the loving Father, the one who, instead of judging the sins of others or reliving the past, moves beyond it in order to celebrate the return of the lost.

So now the only question is: Who do you want to be? -Amen

Song: God forgave my sin/Freely, freely (774)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

Prayers of thanksgiving and intercession

Ever seeking God, we come before you in prayer, for you have sought us out and claimed us as your own.

Thank you for showing us how we are precious to you through the life and love of Jesus Christ.

In our prayers we name before you other precious souls and situations.

With your Spirit, seek them out.

God of mercy, draw near to all who need you.

We pray for those who feel lost in life:

those who are frightened or anxious,

those who are struggling with addiction or mental illness,

and those who are lonely or despairing:

(Silent pause for 10 seconds)

May your reassurance and comfort find them.

God of mercy, Draw near to all who need you.

We pray for those who have wandered away:

for those separated from their families by conflict or distance,

for those whose relationship with the church is broken or forgotten,

and for those who have given up on the future in despair.

(Silent pause for 10 seconds)

May your healing and mercy find them.

God of mercy, Draw near to all who need you.

We pray for those who feel forgotten:

for those who think that they are worthless or unloved,

for those who believe that their sins are too great to forgive,

and for those who are convinced that not even God can love them.

(Silent pause for 10 seconds)

May your love and grace find them.

God of mercy, Draw near to all who need you.

Ever watchful God, you keep seeking out wandering sheep and lost coins, lives of all who are precious to you.

Thank you for your attentive love and your patient compassion for us all.

May we rejoice with you when any lost soul is embraced, and never substitute our judgment of them for yours.

Make us servants of the mercy we meet in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Song: Immortal, invisible, God only wise (290)

Sending out with God’s blessing
Go in joy, knowing God rejoices over you;
and care for others, knowing God rejoices over them, too!
And may the blessing of the God who made us,
the Christ who mends us,
and the Spirit who gives us life
be with you now and always. Amen.

Response: Go forth into the world

Music postlude

Brad’s Notes: I love the parable of the Prodigal Son. It has been a favourite of Christians for untold years. But with that said, this parable doesn’t really belong to us (at least not anymore). This parable isn’t really ours. It used to be, but I’m beginning to believe that it was written for someone else.

Here is how it all went down:

The Pharisees come to meet this newly famous Rabbi called (Yeshua or Joshua in English). Yes. Jesus’ name is Joshua. The Greeks would pronounce it Iesous (Jesus in English). Immediately, the Pharisees discuss what they find out about this man. They narrow in on one thing. They complain, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them”. How, after all, could Jesus be any sort of Holy-Man or a teacher at all, if he shared meals with “unholy” non-Jewish people? In response, Jesus told the Pharisees three confusing stories. And like all parables (a word also translated as Riddles and “dark sayings”) these stories are a little confusing. If the parables of Jesus confuse you a bit, then you get it. They are supposed to be challenging to understand. But why?

Jesus tells three short stories, but they are actually just one story with one central point.

The first story Jesus told is known as The Parable of the Lost Sheep.

I bet most of us have heard this story. In it, a shepherd loses one sheep out of a hundred and then Jesus asks the crowd a question. He asks, “Which one of you wouldn’t leave behind the 99 and search for the lost 1?”.

Now, of course, the Shepherd is supposed to represent God the Father and Jesus himself, the 99 sheep doing what they are supposed to do are supposed to represent the Pharisees who accuse Jesus of fraternizing with sinful people. And the lost sheep is supposed to represent the so-called “sinners” Jesus has been accused of eating with. The whole story is supposed to let the Pharisees know that God accepts the lost; He seeks after the lost. But there is a problem. The crowd would have hated this story and found it wildly offensive.

Now, there is obviously some tradition of speaking of God as a shepherd in the Hebrew Scriptures, but it was generally taken with a kind of grain of salt. Psalm 23, for example, wasn’t particularly popular in the Jewish tradition because people also thought of shepherds as being very lowly and dirty. It’s also worth noting that David, a shepherd, wrote it, which likely made him less bothered by the image. But for most people at the time, the entire idea that God is like a shepherd would be at least a little insulting. In Jesus’ day, shepherds were outcasts of sorts. They were scorned in part because they smelled like stinky sheep. Now, I grew up around a couple of shepherds and remember visiting my friend Mike in grade school when they were shearing the sheep. Have you ever smelled wet sheep? I promise you not one person here would ever mistake the aroma of damp sheep for a bouquet of roses. Shepherds smelled like sheep, and remember, they didn’t go home at night to bathe. They basically lived in the pastures with the animals. David got the job in his family precisely because he was the youngest. It was the worst job in the family.

Shepherds were also seen as rootless wanderers. Sheep left to themselves will eat all the food in one location, including the roots (until there is absolutely nothing left but a wasteland). Other animals will also do this, but unlike cattle, the sheep will still stay on barren land and basically starve to death, unless someone or something makes them move on to greener pastures. Thus, the shepherds had few roots and often encroached upon other people’s lands. This made shepherds untrustworthy. In Jesus’ day, Shepherds were so untrusted that they were not even legally allowed to testify in court cases. They couldn’t swear legal oaths either or vouch for someone’s good character. People didn’t trust shepherds. And here, when people accuse Jesus of hanging out with unclean people. He responds by telling a story where the character standing in for God is a shepherd (someone thought of as impure), and the Pharisees are described as being a bunch of dumb sheep, and the so-called “sinners” are just another dumb sheep just like them. But Jesus has asked a question, what shepherd wouldn’t leave the 99 in safety to go after the one lost sheep – something they would do all the time? And the answer is, everyone would.

But Jesus isn’t done. Right away, he moves seamlessly into another story, almost exactly like the first one. In this one, he describes God as a woman who’s lost a vital coin (probably one that was a part of an engagement bracelet). Jesus did this more than once. And while that may not be a big deal to us, I’m sure the Pharisees loved this! Remember, at the time, women were not even considered a part of the people of Israel (the covenant people) unless they were married to a circumcised (covenanted) male or were still living under their circumcised (covenanted) father’s household.

In this story, God is a woman, the Pharisees are a bunch of coins, and the so-called sinners Jesus eats with are coins just like them.

I think it’s important to note that: You might think of this like a woman’s engagement ring, and one of the diamonds has fallen out. And so again the answer to Jesus’ question, who among you wouldn’t scour the house to find it and then have a party to celebrate finding it, comes with a simple answer. Just like with the sheep that everyone would go look for, Everyone would search the house for the lost wedding coin and celebrate finding it.

And this is where Jesus moves on to the reading from today. This is easily the most well-known of Jesus’ three responses to the Pharisees’ challenge. In this one, God is described as being a wealthy landowner. “Ah, finally,” the Pharisees would think, “now he is starting to make sense”. Here, Jesus uses the most typical rabbinic form of analogy for God (a wealthy upstanding Jew, like them), amazing how that works. Finally, the red-hot anger of the Pharisees would subside. Finally, he was talking like a respectable teacher.

But he wasn’t. In this story, the wealthy Jewish Patriarch acts about as undignified as a Jewish man ever possibly could.

His younger son, who has no right to do so, basically tells his father that he wishes he were dead so that he can get an inheritance. Then the boy receives this inheritance before his father’s death, which would never have happened even if the father were a massive pushover. In any typical Jewish home of the time, the boy would have more likely been “cut off” from his inheritance altogether and just as likely would have been beaten by the father’s workmen for the insult. But that doesn’t happen.

Then the boy immediately sells off his inheritance for cash (dividing his family’s land), runs away to live like the Gentiles (the very people the Pharisees accuse Jesus of eating with). The boy quickly wastes all of his money away on “wild living” and prostitutes in a Gentile land, loses everything and ends up wishing for the animal feed his new Gentile masters have him feeding to the pigs he is now caring for, even though they are unclean animals he’s not actually allowed even to touch.

The boy is a terrible son, wished his father dead, wasted his money, degraded himself and wants to go home.

The boy returns home, himself barely a Jew at all in the minds of the audience hearing the story, in the hopes that he can apologize and spend the rest of his days as an outcast servant in his father’s household.

But before he can even apologize, his father runs up to him (something Jewish men, especially respected Jewish men, do not do – children run). He then puts a new robe on his child, new sandals on his feet, and places a new ring on his finger, (essentially giving him a brand new credit card and a new car). He also throws a big party for him and eats with him, just like Jesus was accused of doing with sinners.

Now, at this point, what happens? The older brother shows up, making a big stink in front of all the guests, and insults the father for taking the younger brother back and sharing a meal with him. And the story ends with the little brother (the prodigal) back in the fold and restored to the family, eating with the father and with the older brother on the outside looking in.

Everyone is foolishly celebrating the return of this lost son – which they would never do.

But I bet that is when it really hit the Pharisees that Jesus is saying they are acting like the jaded older brother.

The religious leaders of the time came to Jesus and accused him of disrespecting God by eating with sinners. And in response, Jesus tells three stories whereby God looks nothing like the Pharisees ever would have imagined him. He tells three stories about three lost things being found and celebrated. He tells three stories where the Pharisees are represented by dumb sheep, a bunch of coins that didn’t happen to fall off the bracelet and a disrespectful, unloving child who believed he should be able to decide who God invites to eat at his table.

And with that, we all sort of cheer, don’t we?

The stories say, Hey, you would celebrate the return of the sheep. You would celebrate the return of a coin. But you would never celebrate the return of a person lost who made mistakes.

You care about animals and money but not people.

With this, we say, “Amen”. Amen. What is wrong with these pious people?

We like to see the Pharisees get what’s coming to them. And we like it, because when Jesus told these three stories, we were the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. We were the people Jesus had just invited to the table. We were not the fine upstanding, righteous Jews. We were the people the Pharisees didn’t want around. I wasn’t born to a Jewish family. You probably weren’t either. We are the good guys in the story. It’s meant to show the Pharasees that we also belong at the table with the King.

But there’s a problem.

There have been two thousand years between the time Jesus told this story and the time we read it this morning.

The Word of God is a living thing, not bound by the constraints of its original audience. Jesus had his audience, and the story meant one thing to them. When Luke wrote it down, he too had an audience, and it meant something slightly different to them. We, today, here and now, are yet another audience, and it means something a little different to us as well.

I was once told that anytime we read a parable, we need to ask ourselves who we are in the parable.

Well, for the last 2000 years, the Church has been pretty clear that we, the non-Jews, God has invited to worship the Jewish Messiah, the ones God opened the doors to and asked to His table, that we are the lost sheep, coin and child. And we have loved that.

But what was once the outcast is now the norm. Who has become the outsider we don’t want at the table?

A monumental shift has taken place. Somewhere in the last 2000 years, we transitioned from being the newly invited guests at the table to becoming the older brother trying to dictate who God will offer His meal to.

Now, in the story, Jesus never defends the actions of the “sinners” he eats with. In fact, the younger son is clearly a “sinner”. And yet he invites him in anyway. He doesn’t approve of everything he does, I’m sure, but he does love him. In fact, the Father loves him so much that he acts completely undignified at the very thought of having him back. He would do anything.

I suspect that each one of us will answer this differently, and yet I think we all need to ask it.

See… If we are now the Older Brother… If we have taken on the role of the Pharisees, then who is the younger brother… who’s the “sinner” we try to stop from coming to the table?

I’m not sure exactly who all the “younger brothers” are out there. But I can promise you this. This parable isn’t really ours anymore, whoever the “younger brothers” are… It’s theirs now. It was written for them.

————————————————————————-

Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).

The Rev. Brad Childs retains the copyright (© 2025) on all original material in this service. As far as Brad Childs is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.

Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.

Worship on the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
10:00 am September 07, 2025
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs     Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Vivian Houg     Reader: Maureen Cook
Welcoming Elder: Iris Routledge

We gather to worship God

Music Prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ  be with you
P: and also with you

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: Joy comes to those who follow God’s ways.
P: We will follow the Lord with joyful hearts!
L: Those who follow the Lord are like trees planted by the river, bearing fruit each season.
P: May our lives be fruitful and blessed by God!
L: Worship the Lord who leads us to joy and abundance.
P: Let us worship God now and throughout all our days.

Opening praise: Lord, I need you

Prayers of approach and confession

Our God you are the maser artist. The majestic mountains, the fresh crisp air, the shining stars, clapping waves and the very faces of those we love – all designed by your hand.

In your word, it says that every good and Perfect gift comes from above, and there is no doubt, while things aren’t perfect, you surely give us a lot of perfect gifts.

Lord, as part of your gifts to us, you also give us the ability to share with others and serve you, but sometimes our business gets in the way. We can have short tempers, ignore you, and take things for granted.

It’s easy and it’s common to go about our days without giving thanks, without remembering to share, without looking people in the eyes or treating everyone as equals.

Father, our temptations get the best of us, envy sneaks into our hearts, and we covet what others have.

Forgive us for the wrong choices we have made. Please help us to be humble, honest, and fair. Help us remember how blessed we are and encourage us to share those blessings with others.

The Christian life is not always easy, and we fall short each day in some way. Lord, bring forgiveness to us, help us to know it and allow us to carry the cross wherever it might please you. Amen.

Response: Glory, glory hallelujah

Assurance of God’s pardon

Everybody does wrong. Everyone makes mistakes. But our God asks us to admit our wrongs, to turn from them and look to Him. To all who follow Jesus, the blood that is not your own has taken all your wrongs away and set you free. Thank be to Jesus Christ.

We listen for the voice of God         

Song: Lead me, Jesus; I will follow (646)

Scripture: Philemon 1:1-25    (pg#215 NT(NRSV)

Response: Behold the lamb of God

Message: Counting Costs

When Yahaya Wahab’s father suddenly died, it was 2006. Yahaya was devastated. Many of us can imagine that and understand at least to some degree how things went in those first few days. It was all a haze.

Death is never easy to deal with, and there are a lot of other essential things that those of us left behind are often caught up in the moment, coping with. We may not always think of everything as being vital, but we do what must be done because it needs to be done. I have a lot of respect for how people do this when it’s very, very hard to do. People manage when they shouldn’t be able to, but they tend to operate, nonetheless.

Of course, it turns out, sometimes people do things far more important than most might think possible.

In any case, there are a lot of things a person has to deal with (many of them unexpected) when it comes to the death of a loved one.

You are trying to grieve, but other things (many other things) keep popping up.

Yahaya and his family were not particularly unique. Yahaya was hurting. His mind was fuzzy. But he did what he could and what he thought he had to do to take care of things. People can accomplish a lot when they are “up against a wall” like that. It’s incredible how much strength people muster when they don’t have any other options.

Like many of us, Yahaya fell into autopilot and got things done. He remembers little. And yet Yahaya had his father’s phone disconnected and paid the final bill along with many others. Several of you have been through something similar after the loss of a spouse or parent. Things become messy.

Yahaya paid 84 Ringgit (about CAD 25) to Telekom Malaysia for what he assumed would be the final telephone bill. He was then quite surprised to receive another letter in late April with yet another bill attached. In fact, Yahaya was utterly shocked to discover one more bill (though he had assumed it could happen, he believed if it did, it would be a matter of just a few more pennies). Instead, it contained a final bill with outstanding charges for $8 million, 640,000 Malaysian Ringgit. Now that might not mean much, and when I read it, it didn’t mean much to me. However, after conversion to Canadian currency, that amounts to (roughly) 2.6 million dollars Canadian, along with an automatically generated, quite threatening notice, demanding payment within ten business days. If not paid on time, the bill would carry with it an immediate threat of prosecution due to the substantial amount.

When contacted by reporters, Telecom Malaysia refused to comment, saying only that they were just made aware of the situation and that the automated system needed to be reviewed.

It wasn’t initially clear (reports the BBC) whether the monstrous charge was some crazy mistake or if the father’s phone line had been illegally used somehow after his death. What was immediately clear, however, was that the bill represented a debt that Yahaya would never be able to pay.

…

Congratulations everyone. If you are here today and you read along with today’s readings, you have now read at least one entire book of the bible. We have just all read along with the entire book of Philemon.

Philemon is a little-known book of the New Testament, and it’s only about 335 words. But that doesn’t mean it’s not essential. In fact, famous abolitionist and former Maryland slave, Fredrick Douglass, relied on a tiny copy of this book of the bible as one of his most potent arguments for ending slavery in the United States of America. Similarly, Martin Luther called Philemon “a masterly sweet example of Christian love.”

Paul dictated this short letter through his young protégé and secretary, an 18-year-old man named Timothy (as in the books of Timothy), from Paul’s prison cell in Rome; probably at the same time, he wrote Colossians. Paul wrote it to a man named Philemon.

Philemon was an early convert of Paul’s, living in the hill country of the city of Colossae (as in the book of Colossians) in what is now southern Turkey.

Philemon (it appears) was a reasonably wealthy man and had a substantial home. It is Philemon’s home that houses the congregation in Colossae. And that is where the letter to Colossians was sent. It was sent to the owner of the house where the “church” met – to Philemon.

While the letter to Colossians was sent to Philemon as a community letter for the whole congregation, Paul’s personal letter addressed to Philemon alone follows a particular form of Greek organization. He writes an introduction and an appeal, develops rapport, gives persuasion, and finally offers an emotional portion to his readers as part of his conclusion and then concludes with well wishes. It follows a particular form.

Paul starts,

“from Paul,

a prisoner

AND

from Timothy our brother,

TO Philemon,

our dear friend,

AND ALSO to Apphia, our sister (that’s Philemon’s wife)

AND to Archippus, a leader in the congregation.

I love the sort of sneaky way Paul does this.

This is really important because… this is a private letter for Philemon, but also, it’s not.

See, Paul includes Philemon’s wife and also sneaks in one of the elders of the church. And because of that, it’s a letter to Philemon, but it probably was read to the whole church.

It also makes sure to address Timothy, who was raised in the Colosse church. It’s Timothy’s hometown and the congregation his grandmother took Timothy to as a child.

Through Timothy, Paul says, ‘You are in my prayers. I thank God for you. I hear good things about you all the time. You are always doing the right thing.’ I’m paraphrasing a bit. And then Paul adds, “Your love has given me great joy and encourages me because of you, BROTHER (giving Philemon the same title Paul gives his precious protégé Timothy), have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.”

Paul is “sucking up” a bit. Or more accurately, Paul is “buttering up the bread.”

And then it gets a little odd. Paul adds, ‘While I am the Apostle Paul and the guy who introduced you to salvation in Jesus, and I could just order you to do something, I’m going to appeal to your good nature instead.’ I think it’s fair to call this a full-on guilt trip right here in the scriptures.

Now, remember I said this is a private letter addressed to Philemon. That’s true, and the letter also jumps back and forth with words like “you” and “I” in personal appeals, but it also speaks to the masses. Paul speaks to, but also through, one person, and to the entire congregation. That’s why Paul lists these other church leaders’ names at the front of the letter. He knows that if he includes other people in the address, that even if it’s personal letter and between himself and Philemon, others will also have to be invited to read it. In other words, this letter was likely read out loud during the worship service at Philemon’s house before the whole congregation.

The Jewish New Testament is a commentary series produced by the Jews for Jesus (or Modern-Day “Messianic Jews”). And in a reference to this verse, it states, “… this otherwise throwaway line is the archetypal Jewish guilt trip”. ‘I could make you do it, but instead I’m going to ask you to do something’.

BUT make no mistake, Paul is going to ask Philemon to do this favour, right in front of Philemon’s whole church with everyone watching.

Next, Paul gets down to the nitty-gritty – The Appeal. The letter reads, “I appeal to you for my son Onesimus (a name that means “useful or full of use”), who became my son, while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. I am sending him (who is my very heart) back to you. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I did not want to do anything without your consent.

Now here’s the backstory.

In the Roman world, there were three main types of enslaved people. The first group consisted of those whose citizenship belonged elsewhere, serving as permanent subordinates. Most of these were enslaved through warfare. The Spartans were responsible for a massive number of these types of enslaved people. They had few rights but were relatively uncommon.

By far the most common form of enslaved person was a second group made up of indentured servants. These enslaved people worked for masters (usually for around 7 but up to 15 years) to pay off debts. The vast majority of these slaves actually “sold” themselves into slavery to get out of debt, learn a trade or gain an education.

About 1/3 of the Roman world was made up of slaves, though in large cities like Athens, enslaved people may have accounted for up to 80% of the total population.

And then the third group of slaves. These were chattel-slaves and were considered property forever. This group was quite rare.

Onesimus is enslaved, and he is probably a part of this last group of enslaved people for life. He is perhaps the closest to what we might think of slaves today. And it appears that Onesimus has had enough of being a slave. And so, Onesimus decided not to be enslaved anymore. Onesimus chose to run away.

This is not a safe choice. A runaway caught was at the mercy of the owner. Whatever other punishment might be added to them, the most common response was branding on the face with a hot iron so that everyone would always be suspicious of the enslaved person, even if they later earned their freedom. It was also common to add two broken legs to the returned slave to keep them from making a second escape attempt.

While the details of this are somewhat unclear, it seems Onesimus is Philemon’s slave. The slave, Onesimus, has also stolen something of value, possibly money, before making a run for it. Somehow, perhaps on purpose, after running, Onesimus came into contact with the Apostle Paul in prison and began helping take care of Paul and also became a follower of Jesus along the way.

Now you have to understand, slavery is widespread; the whole known world runs on it, and basically nobody could even imagine a world where it didn’t exist. It’s sort of just accepted. It just is. Even in this letter, Paul never actually asks Philemon for manumission. He never says, “Philemon, Set Onesimus Free from slavery: Slavery is evil”. That doesn’t happen. And why would it? Most slaves were working off debt, learning a trade, and were happy to do so, gratefully awaiting the freedom they were later guaranteed to receive. Slavery at this time was very different from the slavery we typically think of.

But while Paul doesn’t entirely reject slavery per se, at the same time, Paul absolutely destroys the whole slavery system by his words.

As Paul speaks, Timothy writes. Timothy records, “I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that any favour you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. And then Paul hints that maybe God was behind this whole runaway slave thing from the beginning. He says, ‘Perhaps the reason Onesimus was SEPARATED from you FOR A LITTLE WHILE was so that you might later have him back forever, but no longer as a slave, but better than that, have him back as a dear (Christian) brother.

Paul lays it on sooooooooo think. Paul writes, ‘He is VERY DEAR TO ME but EVEN DEARER TO YOU’ both as a fellow man, AND AS A BROTHER IN THE LORD.

Can you picture this? Can you picture a congregation meeting in a wealthy, respected man’s house, many of whom are probably also slave holders? You show up for Sunday service, and in the sermon, you hear this letter read out loud. Can you see these otherwise good people who probably never even questioned slavery, just cringing as the sermon goes on?

Timothy scribbles it all down for Paul. ‘So, IF you consider me a partner, WELCOME HIM BACK AS YOU WOULD WELCOME ME [if I were not in prison]!’

And I really love this next part too. Paul signs the letter as a form of payment. It’s essentially a first-century check and an IOU all in one document. This would be legally binding in court.

At this point, just before the letter is sent, Paul takes the scroll away from Timothy, and in his own handwriting, he puts pen to parchment. Verse 19 reads, “If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back…”

It’s like he’s taken Onesimus’ impossible-to-pay 2.6 million dollars Canadian telephone bill and says, PUT IT ON MY TAB while laying down his limitless AMEX Century Black credit card.

And then with a bit more of that Jewish guilt, he adds… “not to mention” (though he mentions it) YOU OWE ME YOUR VERY SOUL”.

How on earth is this guy Philemon EVER going to look anybody in his own church in the eye again if Philemon dares touch a hair on Onesimus’s head?

Paul loves Philemon. He’s not just laying on flattery at the beginning. He loves him. He also needs Philemon to see that there is no caste system in heaven, no list of people who cannot be saved, and no such thing as someone who is just a slave.

Paul writes that he wants to visit Philemon’s home and congregation in Colosse, hoping to see Onesimus, who cared for him in prison, again soon. Paul also asks if he can stay in Philemon’s home with his family if he is ever released from jail. Paul then concludes this portion by expressing his confidence that Philemon will do the right thing (not necessarily in freeing Onesimus, but in something even more significant – treating Onesimus forever as a brother, and precisely the same way Philemon might treat the Apostle Paul himself).

Do you know how Philemon would treat the Apostle as a guest in his house? Philemon would be Paul’s servant. Paul’s asking the owner to serve the slave… The runaway slave!

Paul then ends the letter with more greetings from friends and a blessing. And then Paul hands the letter… to Onesimus.

Imagine that. Paul sends Onesimus back to hand-deliver this letter to Philemon, the master he had run away from.

In the Talmud, it says, “If one teaches his neighbour’s son the Law, that is the same as if he had brought him into the world”. Paul has brought both Philemon and Onesimus to Christ. He is their spiritual father, and they have to see each other as brothers from now on. Even if Onesimus remains a slave, and perhaps Onesimus remained a slave for all his life, his relationship with Philemon and with the church in Colossae would be forever changed. Now let’s see if this letter makes more sense now, than when we heard it earlier.

Philemon 1-21 (p.1106, NRSV)

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker— ² also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:

³ Grace and peace to you^[a] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, ⁵ because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. ⁶ I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. ⁷ Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

⁸ Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, ⁹ yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an older man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— ¹⁰ that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus,^[b] who became my son while I was in chains. ¹¹ Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.

¹² I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. ¹³ I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. ¹⁴ But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favour you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. ¹⁵ Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— ¹⁶ no longer as an enslaved person, but better than an enslaved person, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.

¹⁷ So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. ¹⁸ If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. ¹⁹ I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. ²⁰ I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.²¹ Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

²² And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.

²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings.²⁴ And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.

²⁵ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

… … …

I want to conclude with just one more piece of information. We can’t be sure what happened after this letter was read in the church in Colossae, but it’s doubtful that the letter would have been circulated or ended up in our scriptures if Philemon hadn’t done at least what Paul requested, if not more. And again, though we can’t be 100% sure it is the same man, Ignatius of Antioch, a famous leader of the early church, wrote a letter in the year 109 AD to the new Bishop of Ephesus, congratulating him on his new post overseeing a group of Christian congregations in Asia Minor (Turkey). The bishop was a man named Onesimus. Amen.

Song: The clay-stained hands of love (296)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

 

Prayers of thanksgiving and intercession

Good and generous God, in Jesus Christ, you came to us, promising us life in abundance.

We give you thanks today for the abundant gifts we receive in him – assurance of your love day by day; relief of mercy when we recognize our own failings; hope when things seem bleak; peace that comes when we trust in you.

These are the gifts that matter, O God, especially when the future seems uncertain:
Fill our lives with what matters, O God
Fill our lives with you.

Generous God, today we pray for all whose lives seem empty:

For those whose lives are empty of joy because the going is tough and friends seem far away… because sorrow surrounds them… because hearts are filled with disappointment…

Fill our lives with what matters, O God. Fill our lives with you.

Generous God, we remember before you those whose lives are empty of purpose and those who do not know the respect for their neighbours:
because they are without work…
because they face discrimination in their communities…
because they have made poor choices and cannot find a way forward…

Fill our lives with what matters, O God

Fill our lives with you.

Generous God, we remember before you those whose lives are empty of peace & hope:

because they struggle with illness or disability…

because they are powerless in the face of violence…

because old animosities rankle & opportunity for reconciliation is elusive…

Fill our lives with what matters, O God

Fill our lives with you. Amen.

Song: Let there be peace on earth

Passing the Peace

I would invite you all to share the peace of Christ with your neighbours “The peace of “Christ be with you”

“And also with you”

And to sing the words of peace as well.

The Sacrament of Holy Communion

Invitation

This is the joyful feast of the people of God! They will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God. According to Luke, when our risen Lord was at table with his disciples, he took the bread, and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him. This is the Lord’s table. Our Savior invites those who trust him to share the feast which he has prepared.

Song: Lift up your hearts (526: vss 1-4)

The Communion Prayer: The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.

     And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is right to glorify you, Father, and to give you thanks,
For you alone are God, living and true,

Dwelling in the light
From before time and forever.
Fountain of life and source of all goodness
You made all things
And fill them with blessings

You created them to rejoice in the splendour of your radiance.
Countless throngs of angels stand before you
To serve you night and day
And beholding your presence,
They offer you unceasing praise.

You commanded light to shine out of darkness,
divided the sea and dry land,
created the vast universe and called it good.
You made us in your image
to live with one another in love.
You gave us the breath of life
and freedom to choose our way.
You set forth your purpose
in commandments through Moses,
and called for justice in the cry of prophets.
Through long generations,
you have been patient and kind to all your children.
With a rush of wind and tongues of fire,
You fulfilled the promise of Christ
by sending your Holy Spirit
to form the church.

By that same Spirit you grace us with gifts,
empower us to proclaim your gospel
and to serve you in the world.
How wonderful are your ways, almighty God.
How marvellous is your name, O Holy One.
You alone are God.
Therefore, with apostles and prophets,
and that great cloud of witnesses
who live for you beyond all time and space,
We lift our hearts in joyful praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might,
    Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
             Hosanna in the highest.
    Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
             Hosanna in the highest.

We acclaim you, holy Lord, glorious in power;
Your mighty works reveal your wisdom and love.
You formed us in your own image,
Giving the whole world into our care
So that in obedience to you, our creator,
We might rule and serve all your creatures.

When our disobedience took us far from you,
You did not abandon us to the power of death.
In your mercy, you came to our help,
So that in seeking you, we might find you.

Again and again
You called us into a covenant with you
And through the prophets you taught us to hope for salvation.

Father, you loved the world so much
That in the fullness of time
You sent your only Son to be our Saviour.
Incarnate by the Holy Spirit
Born of the Virgin Mary
He lived as one of us, yet without sin.

To the poor
He proclaimed the good news of salvation;
To prisoners, freedom.
To the sorrowful, joy.
To fulfil your purpose, he has himself up to death
And rising from the grave, destroyed death
And made the whole of creation new again.

And that we might live no longer for ourselves alone,
But for Him who died and rose for us,
He sent the Holy Spirit
His own first gift for those who believe,
To complete his work in the world,
And to bring to fulfilment
The sanctification of all.

When the hour had come for him to be glorified
By you, his heavenly Father,
Having loved his own who were in the world,
He loved them to the end.

At supper with them, he took bread;
And when he had given thanks to you
He broke it and gave it to his disciples
And said, “Take, eat:
This is my body given for you
Do this for the remembrance of me.”

After supper, he took the cup of wine.
And when he had given thanks
He gave it to them
And said, “Drink this, all of you
This is my blood of the new covenant
Which is shed for you and for many
And for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it
Do this for the remembrance of me.”

Father
We now celebrate the memorial of our redemption.
Recalling Christ’s death
And the descent among the dead,
Proclaiming his resurrection
And ascension to your right hand
Awaiting his coming in glory
And offering to you
From the gifts you have given to us
This bread and this cup
We praise you and we bless you.
And now we proclaim the great mystery of faith.

    Christ has died.
    Christ is risen.
    Christ will come again.

Father, we pray that in your goodness and mercy, your Holy One
May descend upon us
And upon these gifts,
Sanctifying them and showing them
To be holy gifts for your holy people.
He is the bread of life and the cup of salvation
The body and blood of your Son, Jesus Christ.

Grant now that all who share in this bread and this cup
May become one body and one spirit
A living sacrifice in Christ
To the praise of your name.

Remember, Lord
Your one holy apostolic and unified Church
Redeemed by the blood of your Christ.
Reveal its unity
Guard its faith
And present it in peace.

Remember all who minister in your Church
Remember all your people
And those who seek your truth.
Grant that we may find our inheritance
With all the saints
Who have found favour with you in ages past.
We praise you in union with them
And give you glory
Through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Through Christ, and with Christ and in Christ
All honour and glory are yours
Almighty God and Father
In the unity of the Holy Spirit
Forever and ever.

Bless us, Lord, as we now recall your words to us in prayer,
Singing together your words…
The Lord’s Prayer  (sung 469)

Sharing of the Bread and Wine

For I received from the Lord what I also now pass on to you: That on the night Jesus was betrayed he took the bread, blessed it and gave it to his disciples saying Eat This In Remembrance of Me

In the same way after supper Jesus took the cup saying This is a new covenant sealed in my blood, Drink This In Remembrance of Me.

As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lords death, until he comes again.

Song: Behold the lamb

Prayer after Communion

Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us.

Grant that we may go into the world in the strength of your Spirit, to give ourselves for others in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.     Amen.

Song: I have decided to follow Jesus (570: vss 1, 2, 4)

Sending out with God’s blessing

Romans 8:38-39 – For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Response: Go forth into the world

Music postlude

Notes:

1. Philemon is a short letter from Paul (c. AD 60) about Onesimus, a runaway slave who met Paul, became a Christian, and was sent back to his master Philemon with Paul’s plea for forgiveness and reconciliation (Philemon 1:8-21). The letter implies conversion and reconciliation but gives no career history or later life details.
2. Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and some Western sources identify Onesimus with a later church leader, said to have become bishop of Ephesus and to have died a martyr. Feast day and veneration: Various traditions commemorate Saint Onesimus (commemorations vary; e.g., some calendars mark him on 15 February or on other dates in Eastern liturgies). The tradition offers a powerful narrative: the once–runaway slave becomes a “brother” and leader, embodying Paul’s teaching about reconciliation and transformation.
3. Only the short account in Philemon (no mention of episcopacy, death, or ministry role beyond return). Post-biblical sources: Identification as bishop of Ephesus appears in later martyrologies, liturgical calendars, and ecclesiastical tradition — centuries after Philemon—scholarly consensus: The identification is plausible as a pious tradition but not provable. There is no contemporary, first‑century documentation that confirms Onesimus became bishop of Ephesus. Tradition celebrates the theological message (reconciliation) in a memorable biographical way; historians treat the bishopric claim as an unverified later tradition.
4. Philemon powerfully shows gospel change — a slave becomes a brother. That message is secure in Scripture. Present the bishop‑of‑Ephesus story as tradition: “Church tradition holds…,” not as an established historical fact. Use the tradition devotionally: it’s an inspiring example of transformation and leadership possible in the Christian life, while acknowledging the historical uncertainty
5. For Further Reading
6. T. Wright or Douglas Moo — commentaries on Philemon (for biblical context and theology).

Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church — entry on Onesimus (tradition vs. history).

The Catholic Encyclopedia / Orthodox hymnals — notes on liturgical commemoration and tradition.

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The Communion liturgy is based on the liturgies of the PCC’s 1991 Book of Common Worship. Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).

The Rev. Brad Childs retains the copyright (© 2025) on all original material in this service. As far as Brad Childs is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.

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