The Sunday Lectionary and Prayers for Sunday, September 4, 2022 — Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

A Labor of Care for the Broken

The Sunday Lectionary and Prayers

Sunday, September 4, 2022 — Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Jeremiah 18:1-11; Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33

[Ordinary 23, Proper 18]

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

A Labor of Care for the Broken

Opening Prayer

As We Gather Here

(Words for the above video)

As we gather here in the harbour of your safety

We thank you for fellowship and family.

We ask that you will strengthen us, restore us and inspire us with your love.

Lord, would fill us with your peace

So that as we journey onwards

We would pour out your love and grace to others.

We ask that our souls would catch the wind of your spirit

so that we would take your promises to all the earth.

Amen.

The Collect (Book of Common Prayers)

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Call to Confession

We have watched those broken from life and war suffer before us.
We confess that you are a God of love and peace

Too often we have stood around returning veterans without extending a helping hand.
We confess that you are a God of love and peace

Sometimes we have looked down upon them because they labored in war.
We confess that you are a God of love and peace

Let us confess:
O God, You call us to live in a Just Peace Church, to work for justice for all and to seek pathways to peace so that we may end war’s destruction of human life and of creation. Yet we are part of a war that has gone on for too long. We have not found the words or the wisdom to guide our leaders into the ways of healing and peace.
Forgive us.

O God, you call us to minister to all your children, including soldiers fighting this war, and their families. We confess that we have not developed ministries to touch those who return from combat broken in mind and soul.
Forgive us.

Mold us into the people you need to heal returning warriors, military families, and societies battered from the war in the Middle East. We confess that we need to be put on your Potter’s wheel, so that we might minister love and healing in your holy name. Amen.

Assurance of God’s Love

God’s word assures us that everything we need to be disciples in the Potter’s House. God is able to place us on the wheel and shape us into vessels that will serve all people. We can leave this place with the assurance that we are being molded daily by the Potter and when we come forth we shall love like God. Let us give thanks to the Word of God!

First Reading

Jeremiah 18:1-11

The Potter and the Clay
18:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. 9 And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.

Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17 Domine, probasti

1  Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *
   you know my sitting down and my rising up;
   you discern my thoughts from afar.

2  You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
   and are acquainted with all my ways.

3  Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
   but you, O Lord, know it altogether.

4  You press upon me behind and before *
   and lay your hand upon me.

5  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
   it is so high that I cannot attain to it.

12 For you yourself created my inmost parts; *
   you knit me together in my mother's womb.

13 I will thank you because I am marvelously made; *
   your works are wonderful, and I know it well.

14 My body was not hidden from you, *
   while I was being made in secret
   and woven in the depths of the earth.

15 Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb;
   all of them were written in your book; *
   they were fashioned day by day,
   when as yet there was none of them.

16 How deep I find your thoughts, O God! *
   how great is the sum of them!

17 If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; *
   to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.

Second Reading

Philemon 1-21

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

To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, 2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon’s Love and Faith
4 When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God 5 because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. 7 I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.

Paul’s Plea for Onesimus
8 For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, 9 yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 10 I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. 15 Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

22 One thing more—prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you.

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

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

The Gospel

Luke 14:25-33

The Cost of Discipleship
14:25 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, 26 “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33 So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

Here ends the Lessons

Click HERE to read today's Holy Gospel Lesson message

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Lord, thank you that we are a family in Christ. Help us to share his love and legacy with everyone that we encounter this week. May we lavish Christ’s abounding goodness upon our families, friends and colleagues. Holy Spirit, come and equip us in our workplace, guide us in our school life, and inspire us in our neighbourhood. May we be your hands and feet to the needy, your words of affirmation to the oppressed and your arms of comfort to the lonely.

Thank you for choosing to use us to bring your kingdom here on earth.

Amen.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
What does Jesus mean when He says, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.”

“The Cost of Discipleship—What Can You Afford?” The Gospel Message for Sunday, Sept 4, 2022 — Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Our Gospel message comes to us today from the 14th chapter of Luke, beginning with the 25th verse.

Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself,  cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. (Luke 14:25-33, NRSV)

All mighty God, we thank you for your word and the way that you in it revealed to us who you are and what you’ve done for us in Christ. Now, as we open that word, we pray that your spirit may be present, that all thoughts of worry or distraction may be removed and that the Spirit will allow us to hear your voice. And so, oh God, fill us with your spirit through the reading and proclamation of your word this day. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

“The Cost of Discipleship—What Can You Afford?”

“What’s in your wallet?” With the great influx of credit cards into our economy and society, there is a question that seems to have become almost extinct. The current generation of young adults, and my generation for that matter, hardly ever seem to ask the question, “Can we afford it?” The scenario, more often than not, seems to go like this. You go into a store like Walmart, Circuit City, or Best Buy. You see a nice 60-inch television on sale for $450. You think, “I have that much credit on my card.” So you slap down the “plastic.”

Of course, there are also times in life when the question shouldn’t be “Can I afford it” but a related question, “What can I afford?”. That may be the question regarding some big situations in life. The old car is rusting out, and the engine is dying. There is no question you’ll have to get a different car; you will have to afford it. The question is, though, what can you afford? Or the circumstances of life dictate that you’ll have to get an apartment or even buy a house. Again, it’s not a matter of you can afford it, but what you can afford. Those are some pretty big issues in life, and they require that the questions be asked. But they are not the most important issue in life. Jesus spoke about that in our text today. The biggest issue in your life is your relationship with Jesus as one of his disciples. And being one of his disciples carries a price tag. Regarding that discipleship, Jesus asks you today… “What Can You Afford?”

When Jesus turned to speak to the multitude following him, he wanted them to ask themselves the question, “Can you afford to be a disciple of Jesus?” You see, a huge cost is involved in being a disciple or follower of Jesus. And He wants you to count that cost before you jump into this discipleship relationship. Jesus laid out the cost of discipleship. It amounted to this: Give Him everything! Give Jesus all glory and praise. When success crowns your efforts, to whom will you give the credit? Whose back will you pat? Will you sing your own praises, or will you acknowledge that all your abilities and blessings come from God? Give Jesus all your love. Everything you do should be an expression of love for Him. Don’t give more of your love to anyone or anything you give to Jesus. And the love you give to others should be an expression of love to Jesus. And regarding possessions? Give them all up for Him! The possessions you have can not be allowed to come between you and Jesus; therefore, give them up! Jesus simply summed it all up by saying that the cost of being his disciple is to give up your life to Him. And his question for those who express a desire to follow him is, “What can you afford? Can you afford to be his disciple?”

Those to whom Jesus put these questions were many people who had been drawn to him by the great blessings He had brought. They had heard about this Jesus. Many had come to Him with their problems, and Jesus had solved them. The ill and diseased had come for physical cures. The disabled had come for healing and wholeness. And Jesus granted those. But now He asked them how long they would stay with Him. If He journeyed 2, 3, 4, 5 days, or even a week without doing a miracle, would they keep following? When He reached Jerusalem and faced bitter opposition from the Pharisees and other religious leaders, would they stay with Him?

Today he puts those questions to this multitude that is traveling with him. You and I have been drawn to Him by the blessings He has poured out on us. But how long will you follow? If in His wisdom He doesn’t miraculously cure a loved one of a terminal illness, will you still follow? If in His wisdom He determines that it’s time for a loved one to leave this world, will you still follow? If in His love for you He thinks it wise for you to carry a burden right now, will you still follow? And if you are a disciple and meet some opposition in your life, will you still follow? And as He makes this total claim on your life, will you still follow? Can you afford to be a disciple of Jesus when this is the cost?!?

Those questions ought to just depress you and me. How many times have we turned away from Him already?! As I look into the “checkbook” of my life to see if I have the wealth of righteousness Jesus demands, I find a big fat zero! Already in our lives, how many times haven’t you questioned Jesus’ love and devotion to you when things got tough? How many times haven’t you and I had gigantic blessings just dropped into our laps by Jesus only to say, “I deserved it, and I ought to treat myself now?” How often do we fail to give God some of our precious time to study His word or come to worship because we first must treat ourselves to a bit of rest and relaxation? How many times have we greedily and stingily hung onto all those blessings instead of returning with thanksgiving a portion to Him who gave them? How often have you and I been unwilling to risk an earthly relationship by speaking the truth of Jesus to someone? We’re either afraid to mention sin to them, or we’re embarrassed to admit that we believe in a heaven and a Savior who gives us heaven. You and I don’t have what we need to be disciples of Jesus. We can’t afford it!

But the despair that comes from such an evaluation of our spiritual checkbooks is exactly what Jesus wants to bring out by asking if you can afford to be His disciple. You see, many of those traveling with Him believed they were doing something for Jesus and themselves by following. Many of them also seemed to be looking only for those temporary, earthly blessings of physical healing and satisfaction. But His blessings go far beyond our earthly ideas of what blessings are. Jesus’ blessings are eternal. And the cost of such blessings of eternal life is unaffordable for us. But not for Him! You see, Jesus brings us to that despair and hopelessness so that we’ll listen when he says, “All you who are weary and burdened,” that is all you who know and are bothered by your sin and guilt, and who knows where it leads, “come to me, and I will give you rest.”

Jesus then shows you that he also counted the cost of us being his disciples. He “calculated” that one innocent life given to God would pay for the perfect life that Adam had destroyed. So Jesus took on that life, lived it, and let it be punished. He gave it all up in love and praise to God on a cross. With that life, Jesus paid for ours. With that payment, Jesus made us His disciples. Could you can you afford such a payment? NO! You and I don’t have the spiritual resources to afford it. But Jesus does. He made the payment necessary to make you His disciple!

So, now the question has changed. No longer must we ask whether we can afford to be a disciple of Jesus. Now we have to ask, Can you afford NOT to be a disciple of Jesus?

Again, it’s necessary to estimate the cost (or perhaps benefits) of being a disciple of Jesus over against not being His disciple. Jesus tells us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). So, without Jesus’ life payment applied to your spiritual account, what can you afford? What can you and I buy for ourselves? Scripture is clear. Without the perfect innocence of life demanded by God for entrance to heaven, we buy nothing for ourselves but a one-way ticket to the suffering and punishment of hell. Our sin-stained living buys despair and hopelessness in our earthly lives. To put it in the terms Jesus used in his discussion, we try to build a building (a life in heaven) we can’t build, and we try to fight a war (battle against sin) we can’t win. Already in this life, without Jesus, we would be lost, wandering aimlessly through life, as many people do. And what about beyond this life? Without Jesus building and fighting for us, we would be eternally lost to the agonizing punishment of hell, as many people without Jesus are.

Only Jesus can afford the payment that rescues us for eternity. He has built the building for us. He has won the war for us. The question is important. What can you afford? Can you afford NOT to be a disciple of Jesus? The wealth of being a disciple of Jesus is something that you and I will never want to give up! We may not have all the material blessings this world has to offer, but you have the peace this world can’t give! You have the eternal security so many in this world can’t find! And you have an eternal home that no one in this world can build for you! We can’t afford not to be disciples of Jesus, who gives us all that!

So, he calls us to follow Him. He calls us to follow Him to his cross. There we see Him carry our sin and guilt. There He endured the anger of God for our failure to love Him by standing up for His truth. There Jesus took God’s punishment for our love of this world and all the things in it we think will give us such pleasure and security. He calls us to follow Him out of the grave into a new life. That new life is eternal, but it has begun already now. As we live on this earth, Jesus tells us it will involve carrying our own crosses. We carry those crosses with resolve and determination because it basically amounts to living at all times and in all circumstances in a way that will honor and glorify Jesus. Jesus put it in terms of hating anything that gets in the way of honoring Jesus in our life, whether that be people or things. It means giving up everything to and for Jesus. Was He calling those multitudes to empty their pockets of all their money and to give it to Him? When He calls us to give up everything, is He calling you and me to empty our savings accounts and to place that money and every paycheck into the offering plate? No!

But He is calling us to use every ounce of strength in our bodies, every penny we have, and every second of every day in a God-pleasing way. He calls us to offer a life of thanksgiving to Him for counting the cost of our salvation and paying it for us. He calls us to bring offerings that accurately reflect our thankfulness for the great price He paid to give us life eternally.

So many people aren’t Jesus’ disciples and therefore are not benefiting and will not benefit eternally from his payment for their sins. In addition, too many of His disciples take that discipleship and its earthly and eternal blessings for granted and risk losing them. And that point at which we are called to leave this world for our eternal dwelling comes suddenly. How important, then, that Jesus keeps asking us, and we keep asking ourselves, What can you afford?

Can you afford to be a disciple of Jesus? Can you afford NOT to be a disciple of Jesus?

Dear Lord, by your grace, our salvation is free. We don’t earn it. We don’t have to try. Yet, as we receive that salvation, we recognize that our lives will change, that there will be a cost in our discipleship. It’s not the cost of earning your love, which has already been given to us. But it is the cost of putting aside our old self so that we might be more fully devoted to you.

Help me, gracious Lord, to offer more of myself to you. Help me to give up those things to which I am clinging. Help me to renounce my sin and turn from it. Help me to let go of the possessions and securities that keep me from following you with abandon.

O Lord, may I be more and more your disciple each day, by your grace and for your glory. In your name, I pray, Amen.

Seeking God?

Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ

Scripture taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)® Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Sermon contributed by Rev. Christopher Raiford.
A disciple is not simply one who merely changes moral behavior in regards to the teachings of Jesus Christ, but in response to God’s work in him or her seeks a fundamental shift toward the ethics of Jesus Christ in every way. When it comes to discipleship Jesus reminds us that it is very costly.

The Morning Prayer for Sunday, September 4, 2022

 

The Morning Prayer
Sunday, September 4, 2022

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

— Titus 3:5–7 (NIV)

Lord our God, let your light shine in our hearts, the light that can gladden us and lead us until all our longing is stilled. May the higher nature born in us become ever stronger so that the lower and perishable nature does not rule over us. Grant that we may overcome and that our hearts may rejoice in being allowed to strive for the highest good because we are your children who can share in what is eternal. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Sunday, September 4, 2022

 

Verse of the Day
Sunday, September 4, 2022

2 Timothy 1:13-14

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.

What was the good deposit Timothy was to guard? The gospel. This was especially important in Ephesus, where Timothy was the pastor and where false teachers were changing and adding to the basic meaning of the gospel.

Read all of 2 Timothy Chapter 1

Listen to 2 Timothy Chapter 1

Scripture from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.