SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR SEPTEMBER 20, 2020 Pent. 16 (Boyd)

FIRST LESSON:  EZEKIEL 33:7-9

THE WORD OF THE LORD

⁷ “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. ⁸ If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. ⁹ But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

HERE ENDS THE READING OF THE FIRST LESSON

PSALMODY:                   PSALM 119:33-40

P  Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.

C  Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.

P  Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.

C  Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!

P  Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.

C  Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared.

P  Turn away the reproach that I dread, for your rules are good.

C  Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!

THE SECOND LESSON:  ROMANS 13:1-10

THE WORD OF THE LORD

13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, ⁴ for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. ⁷ Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

⁸ Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹ For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

HERE ENDS THE READING OF THE SECOND LESSON

THE GOSPEL:  MATTHEW 18:15-20

¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

HERE ENDS THE GOSPEL READING TODAY

Our new Pastor Chris hard at work on his first day. We are all so honored to have him guide us on our journey. Thank you Pastor Chris!

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 P15  

THE FIRST LESSON: JEREMIAH 15:15-21 

THE WORD OF THE LORD 

15 O Lord, you know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance take me not away; know that for your sake I bear reproach. 16Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. 17 I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for you had filled me with indignation. 18 Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail? 19 Therefore thus says the Lord: “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them. 20And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the Lord. 21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.” 

HERE ENDS THE READING OF THE FIRST LESSON 

PSALMODY PSALM 26 

P Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. C Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind. 

P For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness. C I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. 

P I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked. C I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O Lord, 

P proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds. C O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. 

P Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, C in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes. 

P But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. C My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the Lord. 

THE SECOND LESSON: ROMANS 12:1-8 

THE WORD OF THE LORD 

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. 

HERE ENDS THE READING OF THE SECOND LESSON 

THE GOSPEL: MATTHEW 16:21-26 

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 

HERE ENDS THE GOSPEL READING TODAY 

Please join us on August 30th, this Sunday as we have the distinct honor of installing Pastor Christopher Boyd as our new Pastor at Resurrection Lutheran Church on Catawba. We are all excited and are looking forward to a new adventure with Pastor Chris.