Giving and forgiving God, you created the good earth and blessed it.
Give us glad and generous hearts, that we may rejoice and give thanks for
the abundance of your creation, the depths of your mercy, and your care for all.
Click on either the picture above or the following link to access the October 8, 2023 Live-Stream Worship Service:
The Lessons: (Link to the Readings)
First Reading: Deuteronomy 8:7-18
Moses calls the people who are about to enter the promised land to renew the covenant God made with their ancestors. Through this covenant God gives life and asks for obedience. God’s commandment is neither burdensome nor too far off, but dwells in the people’s hearts.
Psalm: Psalm 65
“You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.” Psalm 65:5
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
2nd Corinthians 9:6–15 contains Paul’s explanation of benefits and opportunities tied to generous giving. The key point is that godly giving is a Christlike act of grace. God does not intend giving to be done as an obligation, or under a cloud of legalism.
Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
In the text for today, after the healing of the ten lepers, the focus narrows to one of the ten, who alone turns back glorifying God and prostrating himself at Jesus’ feet thanking him.
“Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with celebration! Come before him with shouts of joy! Know that the Lord is God — he made us; we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep of his own pasture. Enter his gates with thanks; enter his courtyards with praise! Thank him! Bless his name! Because the Lord is good, his loyal love lasts forever; his faithfulness lasts generation after generation.”
Psalm 100:1-5