Peace to you on the 20th Sunday after Pentecost: we give thanks for the rain which is bringing renewal to our community.
Our invitation to worship is a prayer asking for, and reminding us that our faith, hope, and charity are gifts given us by God for use to build our community and spread through the world. Our first lesson from Joel is a song of hope to those who have been in exile, that God will bring them back from the destruction they feel. The Psalmist’s refrain reminds us that God’s action in our lives should bring praise from our lips for others to hear. The New Testament reading from Paul’s second letter to Timothy is part of Paul’s final discourse and tells of his conviction to the cause of the gospel. Our Gospel from Luke is the parable about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector praying in the temple.
We are asked to listen to the “old stories” with new ears and not simply believe we know the meaning of the story. As the Pharisee and the Tax Collector parable paints a picture which describes how they are alike, devout and pious, and how they are different, self-focused versus self-aware. The story of the Pharisee and Tax Collector offer an invitation to look at our life of faith and how we don’t use our faith to exclude people, because the difference between “us” and “them” isn’t nearly as wide as we imagine it is. We are invited to recognize that we need to give thanks for God’s grace as much as we give thanks for being able to be faithful believers in the world.
What could you do to help remember God’s grace and invite others to come to God, just as they are? Who needs to hear that message of hope? I invite your comments,
Les+
Readings: Joel 2:23-32; Psalm 65; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14.
Sermon link: https://audiomack.com/fatherles-2/song/pentecost-20-sermon-1
