September, 2020

September 6, 2020   Time after Pentecost---Lectionary 23

The prophet Jeremiah speaks of the incurable wound Of his suffering, yet finds in God’s words the delight 

of his heart.  When Peter doesn't grasp Jesus’ words about the suffering, Jesus tells the disciples they will 

find their lives in losing them.  Such sacrificial love is described by Paul when he urges us to associate with 

the lowly and not repay evil with evil.  In worship we gather as a community that we might offer ourselves for 

the sake of our suffering world.

 

Prayer of the Day

 

Congregation:   O God, we thank you for your Son, who chose the path of suffering for    the sake of the world.  Humble us by his example, point us to the path of obedience,   and give us strength to follow your commands, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Amen.

The Old Testament Reading---Ezekiel 33:7-11

God appointed Ezekiel as a sentinel for the house of Israel.  Ezekiel must faithfully convey God’s warnings to the people.  Remarkably, God—who is about to attack Jerusalem—gives a warning with the hope that repentance will make the attack unnecessary.

⁷So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. ⁸If I say to the wicked, “O wicked ones, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. ⁹But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.¹⁰Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: “Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?” ¹¹Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?

Psalm 119:33-40

³³Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, 

and I will observe it to the end.

³⁴Give me understanding, that I may keep your law

 and observe it with my whole heart.

³⁵Lead me in the path of your commandments,

 for I delight in it.

³⁶Turn my heart to your decrees, 

and not to selfish gain.

³⁷Turn my eyes from looking at vanities;

 give me life in your ways.

³⁸Confirm to your servant your promise, 

which is for those who fear you.

³⁹Turn away the disgrace that I dread, 

for your ordinances are good.

⁴⁰See, I have longed for your precepts;

 in your righteousness give me life.

September 6, 2020   Time after Pentecost---Lectionary 23

New Testament Lesson---Romans 13:8-14

The Obligation of Christians is to love one another and so fulfill the heart and goal of the law.  Clothes make the person as we

“put on the Lord Jesus Christ” and live today in light of the future God has in store for us.

⁸Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

¹¹Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; ¹²the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; ¹³let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

The Gospel Lesson---Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus offers practical advice to his disciples on how individuals—and the church as a whole—should show wrongdoers

 their need for repentance.

¹⁵“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. ¹⁶But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. ¹⁸Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

September 13, 2020   Time after Pentecost---Lectionary 24

In today’s second reading Paul questions why we judge one another, since we all stand before the judgment of  God.  Yet we do sin against one another, and Jesus’ challenge that we forgive seventy-seven times reveals God’s boundless mercy.  When we hear the words of forgiveness worship and sign ourselves with the cross, we are renewed in baptism to be signs of reconciliation in the world.

 

Prayer of the Day

 

Congregation:   O Lord God, merciful judge, you are the inexhaustible fountain of forgiveness.      Replace our hearts of stone with hearts that love and adore you, that we may delight in doing your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen

The Old Testament Lesson---Genesis 50:15-21

After Jacob’s death, the brothers of Joseph begged for forgiveness for the crime they had done against him.  You intended to do me harm, Joseph said, but God used this as an opportunity to do good and save many lives.

¹⁵Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?” ¹⁶So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died, ¹⁷‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.” ¹⁹But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? ²⁰Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. ²¹So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

Psalm 103:1-13

¹Bless the Lord, O my soul,

 and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 

²Bless the Lord, O my soul,

 and do not forget all his benefits— 

³who forgives all your iniquity,

 who heals all your diseases, 

⁴who redeems your life from the Pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 

⁵who satisfies you with good as long as you live

 so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 

⁶The Lord works vindication

 and justice for all who are oppressed. 

⁷He made known his ways to Moses,

 his acts to the people of Israel. 

⁸The Lord is merciful and gracious,

 slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 

⁹He will not always accuse,

 nor will he keep his anger forever. 

¹⁰He does not deal with us according to our sins,

 nor repay us according to our iniquities. 

¹¹For as the heavens are high above the earth,

 so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 

¹²as far as the east is from the west, 

so far he removes our transgressions from us. 

¹³As a father has compassion for his children, 

so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. 

September 13, 2020   Time after Pentecost---Lectionary 24

The New Testament Lesson---Romans 14:1-12

This Christian community has significant struggles with diversity.  Here Paul helps us understand that despite different practices

 in worship and personal piety, we do not judge one another.  All Christians belong to the Lord Jesus Christ who died for all of

 us and will judge each of us.

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. ²Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. ³Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. ⁴Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand. ⁵Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. ⁶Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God. ⁷We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. ⁸If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. ¹⁰Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. ¹¹For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” ¹²So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

The Gospel Lesson---Matthew 18:21-35

When peter asks about the limits of forgivingness, Jesus responds with a parable that suggest human forgiveness

 should mirror the unlimited mercy of God. 

21Then Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 22Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. 23“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” 

September 20, 2020   Time after Pentecost---Lectionary 25

Matthew narrates one of Jesus’ controversial parables, in which Jesus says the reign of God is like workers who get paid the same no matter when they start.  When God changes his mind about punishing Nineveh for their evil ways, Jonah is angry.  Yet God is gracious and merciful, abounding in steadfast love.  In baptism we receive the grace of God that is freely given to all.  As Luther wrote, in the presence of God’s mercy we are all beggars.

 

 

Prayer of the Day

 

Congregation:   Almighty and eternal God, you show perpetual lovingkindness to us 

       your servants.  Because we cannot rely on our own abilities, grant us your merciful 

       judgment, and train us to embody the generosity of your Son, Jesus Christ, our 

       Savior and Lord.  Amen

The Old Testament Lesson---Jonah 3:10--4:11

After Jonah’s short sermon in 3:4, Ninevites all repented and God decided to spare the city.  Jonah objected to this and became even more angry when God ordered a worm to destroy a plant that was providing shade.  The book ends with a question that challenges any who are not ready to forgive: You, Jonah, are all worked up about a bush, but should not I be concerned about a hundred and twenty thousand Ninevites who do not know the difference between their right and left hands?

¹⁰When God saw what the Ninevites did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. 

4But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. ²He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. ³And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” ⁴And the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” 

⁵Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city. ⁶The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. ⁷But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. ⁸When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” ⁹But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” ¹⁰Then the Lord said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?” 

September 20, 2020   Time after Pentecost---Lectionary 25

Psalm 145:1-8

¹I will extol you, my God and King,

 and bless your name forever and ever. 

²Every day I will bless you,

 and praise your name forever and ever. 

³Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

 his greatness is unsearchable. 

⁴One generation shall laud your works to another,

 and shall declare your mighty acts. 

⁵On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works,

 I will meditate. 

⁶The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,

 and I will declare your greatness. 

⁷They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,

 and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 

⁸The Lord is gracious and merciful, 

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 

The New Testament Lesson---Philippians 1:21-30

Paul writes to the Philippians from prison.  Though he is uncertain about the outcome of his imprisonment, he is committed to the ministry of the gospel and calls on the Philippians to live lives that reflect and enhance the gospel mission.

²¹For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. ²²If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. ²³I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; ²⁴but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. ²⁵Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, ²⁶so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. 

²⁷Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. ²⁹For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— ³⁰since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. 

September 20, 2020   Time after Pentecost---Lectionary 25

The Gospel Lesson---Matthew 20:1-16

Jesus tells a parable about God’s generosity, challenging the common assumption that God rewards people

 according to what they have earned or deserve.

   "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and he said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. 5 When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same. 6 And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why are you standing here idle all day?' 7 They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.' 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.' 9 When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage.*10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12 saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?*14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?'*16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

September 27, 2020

Jesus' parable about two sons who don't do what they say reveals surprises in the reign of God, such as 

prostitutes and tax collectors going before others into God's kingdom.  In the reading from Ezekiel the people 

question whether the ways of the Lord are unfair: instead they are to repent and turn to the Lord.  Paul urges us 

to look to Christ as a model of humility, looking to the interests of others above our own.  Nourished by the

 broken bread and shared cup, we offer our lives for the sake of our needy world.

 

Prayer of the Day

 

Congregation: God of love, giver of life, you know our frailties and failings.  Give us your  grace to overcome them, keep us from those things that harm us, and guide us in the way of salvation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Amen.

The Old Testament Lesson---Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

Ezekiel challenges those who think they cannot change because of what their parents were and did, or who think

 they cannot turn from their wicked ways.  God insistently invites people to turn and live.

18The word of the Lord came to me: ²What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”? ³As I live, says the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. ⁴Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die. ²⁵Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is unfair.” Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? ²⁶When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. ²⁷Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. ²⁸Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die. ²⁹Yet the house of Israel says, “The way of the Lord is unfair.” O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? 

³⁰Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. ³¹Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? ³²For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live. 

Psalm 25:1-9

¹To you, O Lord, 

I lift up my soul. 

²O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame;

 do not let my enemies exult over me. 

³Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;

 let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 

⁴Make me to know your ways,

  O Lord; teach me your paths. 

⁵Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; 

for you I wait all day long. 

⁶Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,

 for they have been from of old. 

⁷Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; 

according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord! 

⁸Good and upright is the Lord;

 therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 

⁹He leads the humble in what is right,

 and teaches the humble his way. 

September 27, 2020  Time after Pentecost---Lectionary 26

The New Testament Lesson---Philippians 2:1-13

As part of a call for harmony rather than self-seeking, Paul uses a very early Christian hymn that extols the selflessness

 of Christ in his obedient death on the cross.  Christ’s selfless perspective is to be the essential perspective we share

 as the foundation for Christian accord.

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, ²make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. ⁵Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, ⁷but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, ⁸he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. ⁹Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

¹²Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 

September 27, 2020  Time after Pentecost---Lectionary 26

The Gospel Lesson---Matthew 21:23-32

After driving the moneychangers out of the temple, Jesus begins teaching there.  His authority is questioned by the religious

 leaders, who are supposed to be in charge of the temple.

²³When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” ²⁴Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ²⁶But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” ²⁷So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 

²⁸“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. ³¹Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³²For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.