EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Proper 11)
July 23, 2023
AS WE GATHER
The Christian life is lived as wheat among the weeds (Gospel). Both the world and the Church are populated with sinners. The only difference is that Christians realize they are forgiven sinners and have the hope of better things to come. It is in this hope that not only we but also the whole creation waits, longs, and “groans” for deliverance, “the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Epistle). This hope comes from faith in Christ whose suffering, death, and resurrection make our present suffering “not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” The Holy Spirit keeps this hope alive even in the midst of our groaning. “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
Bible Readings
OLD TESTAMENT READING: Isaiah 44:6-8
(Witnesses of God’s power.)
EPISTLE READING: Romans 8:18-27
(Longing for the glory that awaits.)
HOLY GOSPEL: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
(Await the hour of God’s judgment.)