Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
- First reading and Psalm
- Deuteronomy 34:1-12
- Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17
- Alternate First reading and Psalm
- Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18
- Psalm 1
- Second reading
- 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
- Gospel
- Matthew 22:34-46
Gospel reading from Matthew
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked Jesus a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question:”What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”
He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”‘? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?”
No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Sermon
This Sunday, being Reformation Sunday, Pastor Stevensen’s message was based on the following scriptures:
- First lesson: Jer 31:31-34
- Second lesson Rom 3:19-28
- Holy Gospel: John 8: 31-36
Pastor reminded us that God had made a covenant with the Israelites, a two-sided covenant which in time they broke. As written in Jeremiah 31, God made another covenant, a one-sided one, in which His people were chosen to be united with Him. God makes the same covenant with us in forgiveness of our sins. The Catholic group with whom we share our building, are critical of our beliefs. They are living out a two-sided covenant. Christians became divided as to what God does for us, What happened? Constantinople fell to the Muslims. Christians fled the city, one of whom was Martin Luther. We are dependent upon God. Pastor often gets calls for help. This is adverse to the one-sided covenant. At GM where he worked higher-level employees were given cars they were expected to drive, and if driven enough miles, were given the cars. One manager became irate when he missed given a car by only 8 miles, and he asked why was he not reminded. Pastor urges his students to keep up with the lessons. But people do not keep up. In the spiritual realm it is different. We learn what Paul learned. God expects only our love. He is looking out for us.
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