Lectionary Readings — Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost — October 26, 2025
Joel 2:23-32; Psalm 65; 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18; Luke 18:9-14
Call to Worship (based on Luke 18:9-14)
Leader: We come before the Lord this morning, not trusting in our own righteousness, but seeking His mercy.
Congregation: "God, be merciful to us, sinners!"
Leader: We do not stand in pride, comparing ourselves to others, but humbly acknowledge our need for grace.
Congregation: "God, be merciful to us, sinners!"
Leader: We come not with a list of our achievements, but with empty hands and open hearts.
Congregation: "God, be merciful to us, sinners!"
Leader: For the Lord sees the heart. He knows our thoughts, our motives, our deepest needs.
Congregation: We cast ourselves upon Your mercy, O God.
Leader: He lifts up the humble and brings low the proud.
Congregation: We humble ourselves before You, Lord.
Leader: He justifies not the self-righteous, but those who cry out for mercy.
Congregation: Justify us by Your grace, not our works.
Leader: Come, let us worship the God who delights in mercy, who forgives the penitent, who welcomes the broken.
Congregation: We worship You, O God of grace. We praise You, O Lord of mercy.
All: For all who humble themselves will be exalted. Let us worship the Lord!
Opening Prayer (based on Joel 2:23-32)
Let us pray:
Gracious and faithful God, we come before You this morning with grateful hearts, for You are the God who restores what has been broken and replenishes what has been depleted.
We thank You that You are in our midst, O Lord—that You have not abandoned us in our seasons of drought and devastation. Even when the locusts of life have consumed our joy, our hope, our strength, You promise to restore the years that have been eaten away.
We praise You for Your abundant provision. Just as You send the early and latter rains in their season, You pour out Your blessings upon us, filling our lives with all we need. Your people shall never again be put to shame.
This morning, Lord, we confess that we have not always trusted in Your timing or Your provision. In seasons of scarcity, we have forgotten Your faithfulness. In times of plenty, we have forgotten our dependence on You.
Forgive us, O God, and restore us again. As You promise to pour out Your Spirit on all flesh, pour out Your Spirit upon us now. Let our sons and daughters prophesy Your truth. Let our old men dream dreams of Your kingdom. Let our young men see visions of Your glory.
We pray for this time of worship, that it would be a foretaste of Your abundant feast. Speak to us through Your Word and draw us into Your presence.
We lift up to You all who are walking through seasons of devastation this morning—those facing illness, grief, broken relationships, and life's overwhelming challenges. Remind them that You are the God who restores and makes all things new.
Pour out Your Spirit upon our community, our nation, and our world. Where there is division, bring unity. Where there is injustice, bring righteousness. Where there is despair, bring hope.
Make us agents of restoration in a broken world, carriers of Your Spirit to all we meet.
We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, through whom Your Spirit has been poured out, and who ensures that Your people will never again be put to shame. Amen.
Sermon Outline: [NOTE to Paid subscribers — scroll down for the full manuscript sermon].
[Note: All Scripture is taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.]
Sermon Outline: "THE TALE OF TWO PRAYERS"
Based on Luke 18:9-14
INTRODUCTION:
Jesus told this parable specifically to those "who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt." In first-century Palestine, the contrast between a Pharisee and a tax collector would have been shocking to Jesus' audience. The Pharisee represented the religious elite—respected, moral, and devout. The tax collector represented the despised outcasts—traitors who collaborated with Roman oppressors. Yet Jesus turned social expectations upside down in this powerful story about prayer, righteousness, and God's grace.
I. RIGHTEOUSNESS: The Problem of Self-Trust (vv. 9-12)
A. The Pharisee's Position
B. The Pharisee's Prayer Content
C. The Pharisee's Problem
D. The Danger for Us Today
II. REPENTANCE: The Power of Broken Humility (v. 13)
A. The Tax Collector's Position
B. The Tax Collector's Prayer
C. The Tax Collector's Posture
D. The Elements of True Repentance
III. REDEMPTION: The Promise of Divine Justification (v. 14)
A. Jesus' Shocking Verdict
B. The Principle of Kingdom Reversal
C. The Gospel Message
D. The Call to Response
CONCLUSION:
The question for each of us today is simple: Which person represents your approach to God? Will you stand before Him in the confidence of your own righteousness, or will you beat your breast and cry out, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner"?
Full Manuscript Sermon Below for Paid Subscribers
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