Pentecost 20 October 15, 2023
The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost October 15, 2023 Matthew 22:1-14 A Story of Foolish Rejection! 1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared…
Pentecost 19 October 8, 2023
The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost October 8, 2023 Matthew 21:33-46 A Story of Reckless Patience! 33“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 34When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35“The tenants seized his servants; they beat…
Pentecost 18 October 1, 2023
The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost October 1, 2023 Matthew 21:23-32 A Story of Spiritual Insincerity! 23Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” 24Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25John’s baptism—where…
Pentecost 17 September 24, 2023
The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost September 24, 2023 Matthew 20:1-16 A Story of Perplexing Generosity! 1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3“About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, ‘You also go and work in…
Pentecost 16 September 17, 2023
The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost September 17, 2023 Matthew 18:21-35 The Church God Wants: A Church that That’s Quick to Forgive! 21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement,…
Pentecost 14 September 3, 2023
The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost September 3, 2023 Matthew 16:21-26 The Church God Wants: A Church that Takes Up Its Crosses! 21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.…
Pentecost 13 August 27, 2023
The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost August 27, 2023 Matthew 16:13-20 The Church God Wants: A Church that Really Knows Jesus! 13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the…
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost August 20, 2023
The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost August 20, 2023 Matthew 15:21-28 The Church God Wants: A Church for All People! 21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” 23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out…
Pentecost 11 August 13, 2023
The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost August 13, 2023 Matthew 14:22-33 What Is a Christian? Someone Who Overcomes Doubt with Faith! 22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because…
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost August 6, 2023
The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost August 6, 2023 Matthew 14:13-21 What Is a Christian? Someone Who Trusts God to Provide! 13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and…