Worship resources for September 18, 2022

September 18, 2022 Fifteenth Sunday of Pentecost Luke 16:1-13 COMMENTARY I’m writing this the week after President Biden announced the federal government’s plan to forgive between $10,000 or $20,000 of college loans for low- to middle-income borrowers. This move has been hailed as faithful by some and unfair by others. So Jesus’ parable about debt reduction is timely — if only we can figure out how to interpret it. Even the best Bible scholars agree this passage is bewildering. Luke 16:1-13 is about money and its use. This text immediately follows the parable of the prodigal son, which also refers to an individual who “squandered” property. (The Greek diaskorpizō in both passages can be translated as “squander,” “waste” or “scatter.”) Here, Jesus warns the disciples that “You cannot serve God and wealth” (v.13) and condemns the Pharisees as “lovers of money” (v.14). As a whole, chapter 16 concludes with the story of the rich man and poor Lazarus whose fates were reversed after death. It’s clear that Luke has money on his mind. You can find the rest of the commentary on our website. An order of worship for Sept. 18, 2022. This liturgy is free to use. Jacob: trickster or improviser? — a Uniform Standard Lesson for Sept. 18, 2022, by Richard Boyce. If you want to be sad, be sad— Weekly Christian ed lesson by Joelle Brummit-Yale The Church of Scotland pays tribute to Her Majesty the Queen IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Open the barn doors In this excerpt from Mark Elsdon’s book We Aren’t Broke, he encourages a move from the fear and greed of scarcity to a recognition of God’s abundance. Measuring church vitality "If a church’s vitality is measured less by what it takes in (people or dollars) and more by what it gives out (meeting needs outside its walls), the downturn in Sunday service attendance could become a catalyst for greater vitality," writes Sheldon W. Sorge. Death without regret Ashley Brown spent a month with her beloved, dying grandmother before she passed. In this essay, she reflects on their conversations about death and the unending gift of love. The Tree at the Edge of the World A poem by Paul Hooker.  Unity among members of the World Council of Churches? Not in every case, Presbyterians on the ground report A statement on seeking justice and peace in the Middle East stops short of calling Israel’s actions against Palestinians ‘apartheid.’ — PNS PneuMatrix and Center for Healthy Churches form strategic alliance Pittsburgh Theological Seminary prepares for fall conference: Missional Leadership in a Time of Disruption The Rev. David Hunter McAlpin, Jr., among a string of five McAlpins to serve on the Union Theological Seminary Board of Trustees, dies at 94

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