Service Readings

Service Readings for October 2008

October 5 – Pentecost 21 

Isaiah 5:1–7
Isaiah proclaims God’s judgment in images of a vineyard which did not produce the fruit God calls for. God seeks justice for all, especially the weak and forgotten ones. Instead the rich prospered and the poor were looked down on. Eventually the people of God were destroyed and their land given into the power of others. 

Philippians 3:4b–14
Paul is clear that all his reasons for righteousness do not matter. Being right with God is not something we do, it is entirely God’s work. In language that is usually translated much too gently, Paul places all his boasting in the category of “rubbish”. He is also clear that life is a pilgrimage to salvation, not a “once and done” situation.

Matthew 21:33–46
Jesus uses the image from our first reading to speak about how God’s people also rejected Jesus. To claim to be God’s people and forget those who are outsiders is to reject Jesus’ expectations.

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October 12 – Pentecost 22

Isaiah 25:1–9
Judgment is never the end of the story. It is a tool God uses to get out attention, but finally it will be God who acts to set all right. In these words we read of the time when God will swallow up death forever. For Israel, for us, the last word will be life.

Philippians 4:1–9
Like many of Paul’s letters, Philippians ends with instructions for the congregation and individuals. We read some of them in this section. Paul bases his practical advice on who God has been revealed to be in Jesus. For Jesus to be our “Lord” is for us to say that we will do what Jesus’ life commands us to do.

Matthew 22:1–14
In Matthew’s gospel words of judgment are always addressed to the church, Jesus’ people. This reading is a parable of new guests called to the wedding feast. The people originally invited were too busy to respond to the call to celebrate the joy of new life. Jesus’ words were a warning to Israel, but now are a warning to us to be faithful in service following the path Jesus sets for his church.

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October 19 –Pentecost 23

Isaiah 45:1–7
In this strange passage, God calls Cyrus, the Persian king, “Messiah” (the anointed one). But in grasping Cyrus’ hand, God is revealing that there is only one God, the one who is working through this Gentile king. God continues to be God, for us who are also Gentiles.

1 Thessalonians 1:1–10
Many scholars believe that 1 Thessalonians is the earliest of the writings in the New Testament. It was written after Paul and his traveling partners left the port city of Thessalonica, in the northern part of modern Greece. Paul addresses their anxiety about the difficulties they face from opponents, reminding them that Jesus’ resurrection means that ultimately victory belongs to Jesus’ people.

Matthew 22:15–22
The people of God live with life in two places: God’s Kingdom and the realm of civil government. This has always been a problem for God’s people as we learn in this section of Matthew. Jesus makes clear that we do have responsibility as citizens of the world, but we also much yield to God the things that are God’s. How we decide what belongs to which realm continues to be acts of faith for us in this day.

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October 26 – Reformation Sunday
(Rite of Confirmation at the 9:30 service)

Jeremiah 31:31–34
God promises to do new things by writing the law of love on our hearts. Having God’s love so intimately in our lives shapes us to be new people by God’s grace and actions.

Romans 3:19–28
Paul’s great theological exposition is the letter to the Romans. In this section he speaks of the human situation: No human will be justified (declared innocent) in God’s sight by works of the law. We cannot earn innocence. But we can believe and trust God’s promises in Jesus.

John 8:31–36
We call ourselves free people, but really live in bondage to several things, not least of which is our sin. We cannot free ourselves form this captivity, but Jesus steps into our story and does for us what we cannot do for ourselves, breaks the power of sin to have the last word about who we are.