SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
TIME AFTER PENTECOST
EZEKIEL 33:7-11; PSALM 119:33-40; ROMANS 13:8-14; MATTHEW 18:15-20; EXODUS 12:1-14; PSALM 149
Conflict is a part of relationships and life in community. Jesus’ words in today’s gospel are often used in situations having to do with church discipline. The prophet Ezekiel tells of warning the wicked to turn from their ways, and Paul reminds us that love is the fulfilling of the law. We gather in the name of Christ, assured that he is present among us with gifts of peace and reconciliation.
SEPTEMBER 13, 2026
TIME AFTER PENTECOST
GENESIS 50:15-21; PSALM 103:[1-7] 8-13; ROMANS 14:1-12; MATTHEW 18:21-35; EXODUS 14:19-31; PSALM 114; EXODUS 15:1b-11, 20-21
In today’s second reading Paul questions why we judge one another, since we all stand before the judgment of God. Yet we do sin against one another, and Jesus’ challenge that we forgive seventy-seven times reveals God’s boundless mercy. When we hear the words of forgiveness in worship and sign ourselves with the cross, we are renewed in baptism to be signs of reconciliation in the world.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2026
TIME AFTER PENTECOST
JONAH 3:10-4:11; PSALM 145:1-8; PHILIPPIANS 1:21-30; MATTHEW 20:1-16; EXODUS 16:2-15; PSALM 105:1-6, 37-45
Matthew narrates one of Jesus’ controversial parables in which Jesus says that the reign of God is like that of a landowner who pays his workers the same wage no matter what time of day they began to work. When God changes God’s mind about punishing Nineveh for their evil ways, Jonah is angry. Yet God is gracious and merciful, abounding in steadfast love. In baptism we receive the grace of God that is freely given to all. As Martin Luther wrote, in the presence of God’s mercy we are all beggars.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2026
TIME AFTER PENTECOST
EZEKIEL 18:1-4, 25-32; PSALM 25:1-9; PHILIPPIANS 2:1-13; MATTHEW 21:23-32; EXODUS 17:1-7; PSALM 78:1-4, 12-16
Jesus’ parable about two sons who don’t do what they say reveals surprises in the rein of God. In the reading from Ezekiel the people claim the ways of the Lord are unfair, while God offers repentance and new life. Paul urges us to look to Christ as a model of humility, putting the interests of others above our own. Nourished by the broken bread and shared cup, we offer our lives for the sake of our needy world.