Greetings on the eighth Sunday after Pentecost – August is upon us and the continuing journey of 2025 toward the fall.
Our invitation to worship is a prayer that calls upon God to cleanse our world and Church and to defend it from the pressures of being in our society. Our first lesson from Hosea speaks of the right judgement of the Israelites and yet the beginning of the restoration of God’s people by God’s grace. The Psalmist’s refrain invites humanity to give thanks to God because God is good to all. The New Testament reading Colossians relates the change in the mind and practice of the believers in Colossae once they met and accepted Jesus as savior. Our Gospel from Luke recounts the parable of the foolish rich man who tears down his full barns to build new barns to hold all of his harvests, yet he ends up making an account to God of his actions.
Our scripture today reminds us that our lives and ethic changes when we become part of the body of Christ and practice Christianity. When we become part of the body of Christ, we are empowered to build our ethic of service and caring for neighbor and loving God above all else. Our faith is not something which tells us to give people a pass simply because they confess – our life of faith demands service and action to change lives and hearts. Not just ours and other believers, but to change and build an ethic which lives faithfully in community and society.
How do we practice our profession of faith and ethical living with others, especially those not like us? How can you continue to change your life and the lives of others? I invite your comments,
Les+
Readings: Hosea 11:1-11; Psalm 107:1-9, 43; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21
Sermon link: https://audiomack.com/fatherles-2/song/pentecost-8-sermon-1
