20th Sunday after Pentecost • Year C

Historical Collect

Forgive the faults of your people, O Lord, that our slavery to sin, into which we fell in our weakness, may be overcome by your liberating work; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Gelasian Sacramentary, 7th Century)

Thematic Collect

Merciful God, all of humanity stands in need of your gracious forgiveness. Preserve us from shallow self-righteousness and make us humble of heart that we might live lives that show forth the fruits of genuine repentance; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.

The Common Thread

The first reading does not answer all of our questions so we must look to the rest of Scripture for those answers. Hebrews 11:4 says that Abel’s offering was given in faith, so we may understand that Cain trusted in his offering instead of having faith in God. God did not accept Cain’s offering. This angered Cain, a sin that he refused to repent of, instead taking matters into his own hands by killing his brother. Consequently, he was severely punished—such that Cain feared imminent death. Nevertheless, we see that God still cared for Cain and protected him by putting a mark on him. We do not need to know what that mark was because we know a greater sign. God marks repentant sinners with the sign of the cross, delivering them from the punishment of death (Rom 6:23). Therefore, we may keep the faith in full assurance that the Lord will always be merciful and stand by poor sinners like us. 

First Reading • Genesis 4:1–15

“My religiosity is superior to yours!” This is the boast of many churchmen going back to the days of Cain. Instead of heeding the simple teaching of God, Cain became angry and slew the one whose sacrifice pleased God. Now there was only one person whom God would love the most. Instead of doing what God desired, Cain threw gas on the kindling sin at his door. And his house was consumed by his religious anger.

Psalm • Psalm 5:1–12

The boast of religion is everywhere. Recently, a church woman spoke of what a good person she is and how her husband is also a good Christian. As if this were not already problematic, she then went on to say what poor Christians so many in her church are. Not only were her words untrue (for no one is good; no, not even one), they are blasphemous. Only the Lord is good. Taking his place of honor may not have been the woman’s intention, yet there she seated herself all the same. She may as well have gone ahead and patted herself on the back when she should have beat her chest and cried, “Be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Beyond all this, her statements were boastful, and the boastful will not stand before the eyes of the Lord (v5).

Second Reading • 2 Timothy 4:6–8, 16–18

The Apostle had been rebuked on the road to Damascus because of his self-righteous religion. And so, he learned to trust the Lord’s touch, even when it blinded him. The Pharisee learned to trust in God’s righteousness instead of his own. In the end, this was Paul’s good fight; it was how he finished the race.

Paul did not keep the faith through righteous acts of the law. He did not fight the good fight by being good. He finished the race by trusting the One who made him good and righteous. He never trusted his own religious goodness or righteousness again. Instead he trusted the Only Righteous One—until the end of his days.

Gospel • Luke 18:9–17

Look to the child. Your own righteousness may not be trusted. Our conceit is that only adults can be spiritual but the teaching of Jesus states otherwise. See how the disciples rebuffed their own Master by rebuking those who brought him infants. They were content instead with prayers and fasting and tithing when they should have trusted in the touch of Christ alone. We too must learn the way of the child by trusting the righteous touch of the Lord, instead of our religious ways.