mamabishop: Sunday, September 20th, 2022 Proper 20

The Collect

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Old Testament Jeremiah 8:18-9:1

My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick. Hark, the cry of my poor people from far and wide in the land: "Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King not in her?" ("Why have they provoked me to anger with their images, with their foreign idols?") "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored? O that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that I might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people!

Psalm 79:1-9

1 O God, the heathen have

come into your inheritance;

they have profaned

your holy temple; *

they have made Jerusalem

a heap of rubble.

2 They have given the bodies

of your servants as food

for the birds of the air, *

and the flesh of your faithful

ones to the beasts of the field.

3 They have shed their blood like

water on every side of Jerusalem, *

and there was no one to bury them.

4 We have become

a reproach to our neighbors, *

an object of scorn and

derision to those around us.

5 How long will you

be angry, O LORD? *

will your fury blaze

like fire for ever?

6 Pour out your wrath

upon the heathen who

have not known you *

and upon the kingdoms

that have not called upon your Name.

7 For they have devoured Jacob *

and made his dwelling a ruin.

8 Remember not our past sins;

let your compassion be swift to meet us; *

for we have been brought very low.

9 Help us, O God our Savior,

for the glory of your Name; *

deliver us and forgive us our sins,

for your Name's sake.

The Epistle 1 Timothy 2:1-7

First of all, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all -- this was attested at the right time. For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

The Gospel Luke 16:1-13

Jesus said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.' Then the manager said to himself, `What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.' So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, `How much do you owe my master?' He answered, `A hundred jugs of olive oil.' He said to him, `Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.' Then he asked another, `And how much do you owe?' He replied, `A hundred containers of wheat.' He said to him, `Take your bill and make it eighty.' And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. "Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

When I lived and served as Interim at St. Peter's in Sitka, Alaska, I have the opportunity to learn to bead with an expert. Sarah met with a handful of us and taught us some of the basics. She showed us what to buy at the local Benjamin Franklins and ordered other pieces online. Beading requires a focus on the little things, the small details, the stitching, the evenness of the stitching and keeping the beads flat. I remember more than anything how we laughed and laughed. Such intricate work, with many mistakes by the learners, and yet we have such fellowship and joy. I am reminded of these moments, when Jesus says "whoever is faithful in very little is faithful also in much." Learning to bead with Sarah taught me that when we focus on the small tasks given us, God blesses us with joy and fullness.

A Litany for Sunday

Loving Creator, in every season

you teach us and help us to grow

we do not always listen to you

but you are always speaking to us.