Eighth Sunday after Pentecost • Year A

Historical Collect

Let your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of your humble servants; that you may hear our petitions. In all things, help us to ask for what will please you; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Gelasian Sacramentary, 7th Century)

Thematic Collect

God of mercy, when this world seems overrun by the evil that surrounds us, remind us that your Son, Jesus, has conquered evil and death and triumphed over all. Help us to confront the evil that can reside within us and turn it over to your transformative grace and mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Common Thread

The Lord, the only God, is all we need. We need fear nothing in life, for his is a steadfast love. This does not mean there are no sufferings in the present time. It does mean that the divine Spirit helps in all our weaknesses. He even mediates for us before the Father when we do not know how to pray about our troubles. Indeed, the troubles of life will come. Eventually, judgment will come at the end of time, but then the righteous—those who trust in the Son of Man—“will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”

First Reading • Isaiah 44:6-8

One like a son of man echoes these words (Rev 1:17) of the only God. There is no other; there is none like the King of Israel and the Rock of Ages (Isa 26:4). He alone knows what is to come. He has declared it, and it will come to pass. So, we have no need of fear. He is our strong Rock (Psa 71:3).

Psalm • Psalm 119:57-64

What more do we need? Who else can fill our hearts with unfathomable joy? The Lord is our portion; he is all we need. May we be mindful of his goodness and keep his words. Yet, when we fail to do so, may we think again on his ways and “turn our feet” (a nice way of saying “repent”) back to his testimonies. One way to reflect upon God’s commandments, is to rise at midnight to praise God (Psa 119:62). The next time you wake up in the middle of the night and cannot seem to fall back to sleep, do not count sheep. Instead, say the Ten Commandments. Recite the Creed. Pray our Lord’s Prayer.

We may find it difficult to do this while sleepy, but practice will soon pay off. In the meanwhile, the church offers opportunities in services of prayer and study of the Scripture. Stopping by the Pastor’s Study for prayer and confession is another way to “turn our feet” to the joyous portion which is our Lord.

Second Reading • Romans 8:18-27

The Spirit gives us hope, reminding us in the face of seeming futility and bondage, that through the redemptive work of Christ, God is in control of the outcome. Though we cannot see the results yet, we may be very bold because of the hope within us (2 Cor 3:12-13). Our sufferings for the sake of Christ (Phil 3:10-11), paradoxically, make us even more confident of the glory that will be revealed in us (Rom 8:18) when we shine with the righteousness of Christ in glory (Matt 13:43).

Gospel • Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

All disciples must sow the Gospel seed, but the good seed that flourishes is sown by the Son of Man. Only he makes the seed grow; and this, he does while we rest (Mark 4:27). Our work is to sow throughout the “field of the world” (Matt 28:19-20) and trust him to deal with the weeds — and with the “evil one” who plants tares.