Lectionary Readings — Proper 24 — October 18, 2026
Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22
Call to Worship (based on 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10)
Leader: Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
People: We give thanks to God, remembering the work of faith, the labor of love, and the steadfastness of hope.
Leader: The gospel has not come to us in word only,
People: but in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction.
Leader: May we receive the word with joy, even when it costs us something,
People: so that our lives become an example worth following.
Leader: For we have turned to God from every idol,
People: to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven.
All: Lord Jesus, you rescue us from the wrath to come. Let our faith work, our love labor, and our hope endure, that our lives might sound forth your praise in every place. Amen.
Opening Prayer (based on Psalm 99)
Let us pray:
The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble. He sits enthroned above all things, and he is exalted over every nation on earth. Holy is he.
Father,
We come this morning into the presence of a King who is mighty and who loves justice. You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness. We remember this morning those who have called upon your name and found you faithful — those who kept your decrees and the statutes you gave them. You answered them, Lord. You were a forgiving God to them, even as you held them accountable when they strayed.
We confess that we are prone to forget your holiness. We grow casual with what ought to make us tremble, and familiar with what ought to draw us to worship. Renew in us, this morning, a right reverence for who you are — not a fear that drives us away, but a holy awe that draws us near, the way it drew your people to worship at your footstool.
Exalt yourself in our hearts today, O Lord our God. Let us worship at your holy mountain, for you, the Lord our God, are holy. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our great King and our forgiving God. Amen.
[NOTE to Paid subscribers — scroll down for the full manuscript sermon]
Sermon Outline: "A CHURCH WORTH TALKING ABOUT"
Based on 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
I. The Evidence of a Genuine Gospel (vv. 2-5)
II. The Example of a Godly Church (vv. 6-8)
III. The Expectation of Christ’s Return (vv. 9-10)
Full Manuscript Sermon Below for Paid Subscribers
