Sunday October 4, 2020
Eighteenth Sunday of pentecost
From His field shall in that day All offenses purge away,
Give His angels charge at last In the fire the tares to cast,
But the fruitful ears to store In His garner evermore.
The vineyard is frequently used in Scripture to denote a special place in God’s creation. To have a vineyard and enjoy its fruit is a blessing. When the prophet Isaiah speaks of the goodness of the Lord, he says that God’s favored people “shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit” (Isaiah 65:21). Vineyards were planted with a fruitful harvest in mind. We are the Lord’s planting, and we eagerly await our harvest home.
Old Testament:
Psalm:
Epistle:
Gospel:
READINGS
Isaiah 5:1–7
The vineyard of the Lord is judged
Psalm 80: 7-19
Philippians 3:4b–14
Paul witnesses to the congregation at Philippi
Matthew 21:33–46
The parable of the tenants in the vineyard
COLLECT
It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, for the countless blessings You so freely bestow on us and all creation. We bless You for having planted us in Your vineyard and for keeping us in Your abiding care. Above all, we give thanks for Your boundless love shown to us when You sent Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into our flesh and laid on Him our sin, giving Him into death that we might not die eternally. Because He is now risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, all who believe in Him will overcome sin and death and will rise again to new life. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify your glorious name, evermore praising You