Revised Common Lectionary Readings for August 30, 2026

Revised Common Lectionary Readings (Three-Year Cycle)

Lectionary Readings for Sunday, August 30, 2026

First Reading Exodus 3:1-15 1Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” 4When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 7Then the LORD said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” 11But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” 13But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’:      This is my name forever,      and this my title for all generations.” Psalm Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c 1   O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name,           make known his deeds among the peoples. 2   Sing to him, sing praises to him;           tell of all his wonderful works. 3   Glory in his holy name;           let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 4   Seek the LORD and his strength;           seek his presence continually. 5   Remember the wonderful works he has done,           his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered, 6   O offspring of his servant Abraham,           children of Jacob, his chosen ones. 23  Then Israel came to Egypt;           Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham. 24  And the LORD made his people very fruitful,           and made them stronger than their foes, 25  whose hearts he then turned to hate his people,           to deal craftily with his servants. 26  He sent his servant Moses,           and Aaron whom he had chosen. 45cPraise the LORD! Second Reading Romans 12:9-21 9Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Gospel Matthew 16:21-28 21From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” 24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? 27“For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

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

WCC News: WCC joins prayers for peace and stability in Nigeria: “Many voices, one witness”

An ecumenical service in Abuja, Nigeria, on 26 August at All Saints Anglican Church drew church leaders from across the nation. World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay brought greetings and prayers on behalf of the global fellowship.  Church leaders from across the Nigeria took part at the Ecumenical service in Abuja, Nigeria, on 26 August 2026 at All Saints Anglican Church. Photo: Omotayo Akanbi/WCC 27 August 2026 Prayers particularly emphasized peace, security, justice, and the forthcoming 2027 general elections. Those gathered also prayed for families and all those experiencing suffering, hardship, and affliction. Archbishop Filibus Musa of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria offered a reflection entitled “Many voices, one witness,” expressing the joy of gathering. “This is important for us as Christians,” he said. “Christian unity does not require uniformity.” He noted that those gathered come from came from different traditions, histories, theological emphases, cultures, and languages. “Yet our differences need not become walls between us,” he said. “They can become gifts through which we hear more clearly what God is saying to the church and to the world.” Our world is fragile, and Nigeria is not exempted, Musa continued. "In the midst of all that is happening around us, what is God calling the church to be and to do?” he asked. “The Spirit calls us to be a witnessing people—to proclaim the mighty works of God and to make those works visible in the way we live together.” In a deeply divided world, Musa said, our unity itself becomes part of our witness. “This is one reason why the World Council of Churches matters,” he said. “It brings churches together so that our many voices can become a common witness that none of us can adequately offer alone.” Musa emphasized that the WCC reminds us that the church of Jesus Christ is larger than any one denomination, nation, or tradition. “We belong to one another because we belong to Christ,” he said.  Archbishop Filibus Musa of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria delivering the reflection during the Ecumanical service in Abuja, 26 August 2026. Photo: Omotayo Akanbi/WCC An ecumenical welcome address from the WCC president from Africa, His Eminence Most Rev. Dr Rufus Okikiola Ositelu, primate of the Church of the Lord (Aladura), was read by His Eminence Rev Dr Israel Akanji, a WCC central committee member from Nigeria. Ositelu expressed joy at Pillay’s historic visit to Nigeria. “We wish to express our profound appreciation to the WCC for the visionary decision to relocate the Africa Regional Programme Office to Abuja,” he noted. “This milestone has significantly strengthened the WCC's engagement with African churches and enhanced the visibility and accessibility of its ministry across the continent.” Ositelu further commented that Pillay’s visit comes at a critical moment in the life of Nigeria. “We are equally concerned by recurring incidents of afro-phobic attacks and the unfair treatment experienced by many Nigerians in parts of Africa, particularly in South Africa,” he said. “We therefore invite the World Council of Churches and the entire global ecumenical fellowship to continue standing with Nigeria in prayer and solidarity during this important period.” Ositelu said that churches felt encouraged to continue their common Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity.    “Once again, we warmly welcome you to Nigeria,” he said. “May Almighty God bless your visit abundantly, grant you wisdom and strength in your ministry, and continue to bless the World Council of Churches as it serves the global Christian community.” Prayers were also offered by Rev. Dr Daniel Abaya, a former student of the WCC Ecumenical Institute at Bossey and president of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria. A final prayer was offered by His Most Eminence Rev. Dr Bob Manuel, prelate of Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church Worldwide.  The service was followed by a meeting between the WCC general secretary and representatives of the WCC member churches in Nigeria, with each member church represented by five delegates. During visit to Nigeria, WCC general secretary expresses gratitude for churches’ powerful witness (WCC news story, 24 August 2026) WCC general secretary: “Women have stood at the heart of God's mission” (WCC news release, 21 August 2026) WCC general secretary to visit Nigeria to strengthen bonds (WCC news release, 19 August 2026) Photos from the WCC visit to Nigeria See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

WCC news: WCC to join Season of Creation prayer amid climate extremes

The World Council of Churches (WCC) will join the global Christian family in opening the 2026 Season of Creation, the ecumenical world's month of prayer and action for creation. Communities on every continent have already lived through record heat, wildfires, and flooding in 2026, many of them home to WCC member churches.  A flower in the Ituqui River near the Quilombo Bom Jardim, outside Santarem, Brazil. The Ituqui flows into the nearby Amazon River. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth Pictures 27 August 2026 “The season of creation, with the “Feast of Creation in Christ” on 1 September at the center, is a time of witness to God’s love and our human responsibility. Confessing God as the creator means a commitment for us as human beings to “tilling and keeping the earth” (Gen 2,15)” highlights WCC central committee moderator Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm. “In a time in which the destructive consequences of human-made global warming become increasingly apparent and cause much suffering, praying to God and doing justice to human beings as well as to the earth is inseparable.” The season will open on 1 September with a Global Prayer Service for Creation Day or for the Feast of Creation in Christ: 9 am in New York, 6 pm in Los Angeles, 4 pm in Nairobi and 9 pm in Manila, live-streamed. Along with many other church leaders, three voices will lead it: the Rev. David Coleman, environmental chaplain for Eco-Congregation Scotland; Maria Jose Tejedor, team assistant with ACT Alliance; and Dr Louk Andrianos, WCC consultant for creation care, sustainability, and climate justice. All three will draw on this year's theme, "Living Water" (Ezekiel 47:9, 12): "Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live . . . Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing" (NRSV). "Ezekiel saw water flowing from the temple until it reached the sea and made it fresh, trees on its banks bearing fruit for food and leaves for healing," said Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, WCC general secretary. "That is the promise this Season of Creation holds before the churches: where the waters of God's presence flow, what is dying can live again. Many of our member churches are among the communities already living this crisis, in drought and flood. For them, prayer and action are not two callings but one: the churches are called to become part of the river's healing, not to stand at the bank and watch." The World Meteorological Organization confirms 2026 as the warmest July on record. The year brought monsoon floods to Bangladesh, saw 700,000 evacuated in China, wildfires burning 250,000 hectares in Europe, and near 49°C heat in North Africa. On 28 July, UN climate change executive secretary Simon Stiell said the climate alarm was "blaring from every direction." The Season of Creation invites Christians worldwide to pray, learn, and advocate for creation. Worship resources, educational guides, and advocacy toolkits, including this year's Celebration Guide, are available in multiple languages online. Churches are invited to join the prayer service online and to take part in the Season of Creation activities through 4 October. Against that backdrop, the season forms one chapter in the WCC's Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025–2034), launched in Johannesburg in 2025. Watch the Prayer Service for Creation Day Season of Creation 2026: Living Water Care for creation and climate justice Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, August 31 and Sunday, September 6, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday, August 31, 2026 - That college students develop the gifts and talents given to them by God.
• Tuesday, September 1, 2026 - That companies and unions in America would flourish with new creativity and practice honorable work ethics.
• Wednesday, September 2, 2026 - That we celebrate the values on which our nation was founded.
• Thursday, September 3, 2026 - That workers be provided a safe workplace and paid a living wage.
• Friday, September 4, 2026 - That textbooks honor and reflect the godly heritage of our country and the contributions made by all the different groups.
• Saturday, September 5, 2026 - That we have the courage to deal with the violence within our society.
• Sunday, September 6, 2026 - That artists and entertainers avoid debauchery, pornography, perversion, and drunkenness in their craft.

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, August 23, 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 Murder )

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...

WCC News: Prayers for Ukraine affirm values of freedom, human dignity, peace

Prayers for Ukraine rang ’round the world on 24 August, from large ecumenical services to quiet reflections, all expressing solidarity and determination for justice and peace. The day also marked the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Ecumenical prayer service at St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv on 24 August 2026 marked the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence. Photo: Protodeacon Andriy Sydor/OCU 25 August 2026 An interfaith prayer service held at St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv was attended by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska, as well as heads of various churches and leaders of religious organizations. After a chamber choir performed the Lord's Prayer, representatives from various churches and religious organizations took turns offering prayers for Ukraine. They called for an end to the war and for just peace, for protection for the Ukrainian people, for the return of children, prisoners, and those missing in action, for the healing of the wounded, and for unity. Prayers were offered by Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Epiphanius, Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav, Head of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine Vitalii Kryvytskyi, Head of the All-Ukrainian Union of the Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists Valerii Antoniuk, President of the Union of Jewish Religious Organizations of Ukraine Yaakov Dov Bleich, Supreme Mufti of Ukraine Sheikh Ahmed Tamim, Bishop of the Transcarpathian Reformed Church Sándor Zán Fábián, and Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church Anatoliy Kozachok. His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, representing the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, expressed gratitude to God for “the gift of freedom, for the gift of a free, united, and independent Ukrainian state.” He appealed to Christ, the King of Peace, asking for “an end to the war, victory over the unjust aggressor, and the gift of just, heavenly peace for our homeland and for our people”. He implored to God for unity among the Ukrainian people. “Grant that we have unity and freedom, and that Your eternal divine love may reign in all things,” he prayed.  The ecumenical prayer took place as part of the World Day of Prayer for Peace in Ukraine, which the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations had called for. The gathering concluded with a joint performance of Ukraine’s spiritual anthem, "Prayer for Ukraine.” Metropolitan Epiphany, Orthodox Church of Ukraine, reflected on how Ukraine has fought for the truth, for language, for faith, for freedom, and for the right to freely make choices. “And for the last 12-and-a-half years, we have been forced to fight for the right to live on our own, God-given land, for the right not to depend on anyone and to be the masters of our own home, to determine the fate of our state, our people, our Church,” he said. "Therefore, the word ‘independence’ is inseparable to the words ‘struggle,’ ‘dignity,’ ‘freedom.’” The metropolitan noted that Ukrainian people are worthy of their independence. “Thirty-five years is a long time by human standards, but relatively short for the history of a nation,” he said. “However, we know that we have a glorious 1,000-year history of Ukraine-Rus’; we have strong roots and an ancient faith, our own culture and traditions, our native church, numerous saints.” He reflected that all the people, like cells in the body, make up the "body" of the state. “And as long as we hold together, as long as we care for each other, protect and defend, as long as we preserve the ‘soul’ of our people, our Ukrainian Church - the Ukrainian people will live, have the strength to fight and, with God's help, will prevail,” he said. “Great and One God, protect Ukraine!” Ukrainian churches appeal for Worldwide prayer as expression of solidarity (WCC news release, 13 August 2026) Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations: Prayer for Ukraine held at Saint Sophia of Kyiv PHOTO GALLERY: Ecumenical Prayer for Ukraine at St. Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv An interfaith prayer service held at St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv was attended by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska, as well as heads of Ukraine's churches and religious organizations. Photo: Protodeacon Andriy Sydor/OCU See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland