Looking into the lectionary - When ruling elders preside at Communion 🍷

Matthew 22:15-22 21st Sunday after Pentecost 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time October 18, 2026 As Christians, we live with one foot in our world and one foot in the kingdom of God. We are called to act as citizens of the kingdom of God, a kingdom that doesn’t run on greed, popularity or hierarchy. But we also live in our world with traditions, rules and experiences that run counter to kingdom living. We are called to share what we have in abundance, making sure that everyone has enough. Yet, we are not fully confident that others would be as generous with us if the tables suddenly turned. We are called to have mercy and not judge others based on worldly definitions of worthiness. Yet, our world champions the independent spirit that can pull themselves up by their bootstraps. We are called to live lives intertwined with others. Yet, we wonder if this is the worst group project ever. In Matthew 22:15-22, the Herodians and the Pharisees, two groups that generally did not get along, come together to face a common enemy. Both factions are very concerned about Jesus’s influence and seek to trap him. By asking him about taxes, Jesus will either champion the ways of the Roman Empire, risking his popularity with the Jewish population who disfavored the taxes, or champion the ways of the kingdom of God, putting him at odds with the Roman authorities. Perhaps you have felt this tug before as well. Do you live according to the rules you’ve learned on Sunday, even if that makes living comfortably and getting ahead in the world Monday through Saturday more difficult? How much do you resist your community’s rules for an ideal life that sometimes seems so out of reach? How much do you push back against the community practices or governmental policies when they seem out of line with Christian discipleship? First, it is important to note that Jesus recognizes the trap set for him. This is not an easy question for him or for us. As Christians who straddle these two kingdoms, we must be mindful about our answers. ... Thank you to this week's writer, Rae Watson. Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. Want the worship resources for October 11, 2026? You can find them here. A practical guide to new and noteworthy Advent resources for worship, small groups, congregations and individual devotion. Today at 1 pm ET!  Register to receive the recording.

Order of worship — October 18, 2026, by Rae Watson You have youth. They just aren’t in your pews. by Phillip Blackburn What are our worship songs teaching us? by Shea Watts When ruling elders preside at Communion by Joel Moody

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... The Communion Table can be a place of healing Julia Burkley offers another perspective on Communion and eating disorders, reflecting on how the table became a place of safety, sustenance and healing in her own recovery. What do youth want and need from the church?  Three young Presbyterians speak with clarity and hope about belonging, authenticity, faith, doubt, community and the future of the church. —  Alex Wells, Sabrina Wilson, and Gracie Varn Fighting hunger one grant at a time Presbyterian Hunger Program approves $1.2 million in funding for life-sustaining work. — Darla Carter Board of Pensions launches resources and support for Post-Retirement Medical Plan transition Engagement opportunities are being offered over the next few weeks. — BOP A new season at UPSem: Entering class grows 45% Union Presbyterian Seminary is welcoming a growing student body this fall as students begin a new academic year across its Richmond and Charlotte campuses. — UPS Haitian pastors in Ohio and many others face deportation with end of Temporary Protective Status The Trump administration terminated TPS for both Haiti and Syria this summer. — Layton Williams Berkes Two educators on the future of lay ministry Christy Williams and Brittany Porch reflect on the shrinking path for nonordained Christian educators and youth workers — and what the PC(USA) risks when it fails to invest in those called to faith formation. Pre-order our Advent 2026 devotional!

Copyright © 2026 Presbyterian Outlook, All rights reserved.

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for October 04, 2026

Revised Common Lectionary Readings (Three-Year Cycle)

Lectionary Readings for Sunday, October 4, 2026

First Reading Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 1Then God spoke all these words: 2I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3you shall have no other gods before me. 4You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 7You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. 8Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 12Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 13You shall not murder. 14You shall not commitadultery. 15You shall not steal. 16You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. 18When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, 19and said to Moses, “;You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.” 20Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.” Psalm Psalm 19:1-14 1   The heavens are telling the glory of God;           and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. 2   Day to day pours forth speech,           and night to night declares knowledge. 3   There is no speech, nor are there words;           their voice is not heard; 4   yet their voice goes out through all the earth,           and their words to the end of the world.      In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun, 5   which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,           and like a strong man runs its course with joy. 6   Its rising is from the end of the heavens,           and its circuit to the end of them;           and nothing is hidden from its heat. 7   The law of the LORD is perfect,           reviving the soul;      the decrees of the LORD are sure,           making wise the simple; 8   the precepts of the LORD are right,           rejoicing the heart;      the commandment of the LORD is clear,           enlightening the eyes; 9   the fear of the LORD is pure,           enduring for ever;      the ordinances of the LORD are true           and righteous altogether. 10  More to be desired are they than gold,           even much fine gold;      sweeter also than honey,           and drippings of the honeycomb. 11  Moreover by them is your servant warned;           in keeping them there is great reward. 12  But who can detect their errors?           Clear me from hidden faults. 13  Keep back your servant also from the insolent;           do not let them have dominion over me.      Then I shall be blameless,           and innocent of great transgression. 14  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart           be acceptable to you,           O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Second Reading Philippians 3:4b-14 4bIf anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Gospel Matthew 21:33-46 33“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ 39So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” 42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? 43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. 44The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” 45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, October 5 and Sunday, October 11, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday, October 5, 2026 - That we have the courage to address the  violence present in our society. 
• Tuesday, October 6, 2026 - That we remove social barriers preventing people from thriving as Jesus intended.
• Wednesday, October 7, 2026 - That we resist forces seeking to divide us.
• Thursday, October 8, 2026 - That those in business, government and media would resist exploiting human fear or greed to shape public opinion. 
• Friday, October 9, 2026 - That churches fulfill their purpose as lighthouses for Christ.
• Saturday, October 10, 2026 - That we affirm the principles on which the country was founded. 
• Sunday, October 11, 2026 - That those in the arts would be open to biblical worldviews and principles.

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, September 27, 2026

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service ...: On Sunday, September 27, Brenda Haws led our worship service. She used  Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 and  Philippians 2:1-13, and her sermon title ...

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, September 20, 2026

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service ...: Jesus reframes the ten commandments from a list of external rules into matters of the heart. He taught that true righteousness is not merely...

Sunday's Message (The 10 Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus: Do Not Covet)

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: Sunday's Message (The 10 Commandments Through the ...: Jesus reframes the ten commandments from a list of external rules into matters of the heart. He taught that true righteousness is not merely...

Looking into the lectionary - What do youth want and need from the church?

Matthew 22:1-14 20th Sunday after Pentecost 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time October 11, 2026 My wife and I recently received a “Save the Date” postcard for an upcoming wedding. While no RSVP was requested at this time, we let our friends, the parents of the groom, know we marked our calendars. Imagine the consternation of our friends if, having already indicated our intention to attend the wedding, we declined the official invitation at the last minute with some feeble excuse. Our friends would likely not respond in the same manner as the king in Matthew 22, but they would understandably be disappointed, perhaps angry, and possibly at a loss — seeing as how I am to officiate the wedding! Despite the hyperbole of Matthew 22:1-14, most of us can understand, if not sympathize with, the king’s reaction. It’s not as if the final invitation came as a surprise. The story tells us that “He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet” (v. 3) and “Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited…” (v. 4). The time to get ready for this wedding banquet was between the first and second invitations. Dinner’s ready, the oxen and fat calves have been slaughtered, everything’s ready. Come to the wedding banquet! The party’s on! Inexplicably, those who had been invited begged off with what they surely thought were reasonable excuses. Even more dumbfounding, they insulted the king by not taking the invitation seriously and mistreating and killing his slaves. In turn, the king turned from being a gracious host to a man bent on revenge. On top of that, the king confronted and banished one of the guests from the second list because he didn’t have appropriate wedding attire. What a difficult parable, especially when introduced: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son” (v. 2). As always, context plays a crucial role in understanding and interpreting this parable. Matthew places this story in Holy Week, during which Jesus’s authority is directly questioned and tested by the religious leaders (see especially Matthew 21:23-27). In response to that challenge, Jesus tells four parables against the chief priests and Pharisees: the parable of the two sons (21:28-32); the parable of the wicked tenants (21:33-44) (note the similarities between this parable and the parable of the wedding banquet); and the two parables in today’s gospel lesson (22:1-10 and 11-14). Also, it is important to remember that Matthew’s intended audience was a Jewish community increasingly divided over the question of Jesus’s identity and authority. Thank you to this week's writer, Philip Gladden. Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. Want the worship resources for October 4, 2026? You can find them here.

Order of worship — October 11, 2026, by Philip Gladden Six ways young Presbyterians are finding leadership roles by Mary Mabry Communing without bread by Rachel Sutphin What do youth want and need from the church? by Alex Wells, Sabrina Wilson, and Gracie Varn

A practical guide to new and noteworthy Advent resources for worship, small groups, congregations and individual devotion. Join us on October 5 at 1 pm! IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Meryl Streep as Narnia’s Aslan: Why some evangelicals call it blasphemy News that Streep will play Aslan in "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew" has sparked casting debates similar to those over "The Odyssey." But for evangelicals, the concerns go deeper than culture wars. — Bob Smietana Discussion guide for September 2026 issue In each issue of the Outlook, we include a discussion guide to further reflect on the issue. We recommend using this guide in your Bible study, small group or book club. It's our invitation into a faithful conversation. PRRI study explores correlation between religious views and stance on immigration policies Results suggest those who believe in divine election and duty to support Israel are more likely to support certain anti-immigrant policies. — Layton Williams Berkes Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation announces Tamron Keith as its Chief Financial Officer Keith currently serves as director of Financial Planning and Effectiveness in Presbyterian Life & Witness. — Jim Quiggins Collaborative youth ministry: One model in Oregon  Sean P. Williams and Kate Satterstrom share how four churches built a collaborative youth ministry that has thrived for nine years. Invested Faith Announces 20th Class of Fellows These four social innovators are working to address systemic issues of injustice in their communities while building sustainable financial models. — Invested Faith

Copyright © 2026 Presbyterian Outlook, All rights reserved.