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Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30

Worship
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Matthew 22:34-46
Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - A
Beverly S. Bailey
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series IV, Cycle A
Hymns
O God, Our Help In Ages Past (CBH328, NCH25, UM117, LBW320, PH210)
Lord Of Our Growing Years (CBH479, PH279)
On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand (CBH610, NCH598, UM724, PH10)
Un Mandamiento Nuevo/Jesus A New Commandment (NCH389)
O Jesus Christ, May Grateful Hymns (NCH212, CBH404, PH424)
Spirit Of God, Descend Upon My Heart (NCH290, CBH502, UM500, LBW486, PH326)
Eternal God, Whose Power Upholds (PH412)
Come My Way, My Truth, My Life (LBW513, NCH331, UM164, CBH587)

Anthems
Precious Lord, Take My Hand, Roy Ringwald, Shawnee, SATB
O God, Our Help In Ages Past, Alan Hovhaness, C. F. Peters, SATB
I Will Love The Lord, Michael Bedford, CGA, Unison/2--part
To The Glory Of Our King, Robert Leaf, CGA, Unison

Call to Worship
Leader:Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Men:Before the mountains were brought forth
Women:Or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
People:From everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Leader:Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
People:And prosper for us the work of our hands,
All:O prosper the work of our hands! Amen.

Call to Confession
God knows who we are and what we do even before we know it ourselves. And yet we need to stand before God as God's people and confess our sins together, knowing that we cannot be perfect people. Let us pray together, asking for forgiveness.

Prayer of Confession
Oh Lord, how long? Your people have been asking this question forever. The ancient Israelites asked it as Moses led them across the desert. The psalmists wrote of both personal and corporate sufferings. The early Christians asked it on a daily basis, and still there are people suffering. We ask it, God. How long must we be sick or have loved ones who are ill? How long must we grieve? How long must we send our young men and women to war? How long must there be people sleeping on the street, children starving, and men and women dying from fatal diseases? We know much of the world's suffering comes from people, O God. We turn our backs on others, thinking too much of ourselves. We waste resources and plunder the earth. We don't love each other as you would have us love. Forgive us, God. Help us to look around, see the injustices, and work toward peace in your world. How long, O Lord, will we need to be forgiven? Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness
Jesus was asked, "How many times should we forgive another?" and he replied seventy times seven. God forgives us every time we sin if we repent and turn to Jesus for strength. Jesus was born for us, died for us, rose again for us. Alleluia! Our sins have been forgiven.

Scripture Readings
Psalm 90:1--6, 13--17: The Pslam can be read in addition to either the Deuteronomy text or the Matthew text. Have the choral speaking choir read the Psalm; they should stand in a straight line across the chancel.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

All Voices: Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.

Voices 1--3: Before the mountains were brought forth,

Voices 4--6: Or ever you had formed the earth and the world,

Voices 7--9: From everlasting to everlasting

All: You are God.

Voices 1--5: You turn us back to dust, and say,

Voices 6--9: Turn back, you mortals.

All: For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.

Voices 1--5: You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;

Voices 6--9: In the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.

All: Turn, O Lord! How long? Have compassion on your servants!

Voices 1--3: Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Voices 4--6: Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.

Voices 7--9: Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.

All: Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands - O prosper the work of our hands!

Matthew 22:34--46: This passage has the Pharisees testing Jesus. It could be done by the choral speaking choir acting as the Pharisees, gathered in a semicircle around Jesus, like this:
4 5
3 6
2 7
1 8
J

All Voices: When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,

Voice 1: And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him,

Voice 8: Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?

Voice 2: Jesus said to him,

Jesus: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Voice 7: Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question:

Jesus: What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?

Voice 3: They said to him,

All Voices: The son of David.

Voice 6: He said to them,

Jesus: How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet' "? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?

Voices 4 and 5: No one was able to give him an answer,

All Voices: Nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Benediction
Leader: Share the gospel of Jesus Christ in all you do and say; share yourselves with those whom you meet. Don't let fear of the unknown overtake you. Be brave and loving in all circumstances, and know that God is with you always. Amen.

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Advent 3
30 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Advent 4
32 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
18 – Children's Sermons / Resources
10 – Worship Resources
18 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Christmas!
24 – Sermons
100+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Katy Stenta
George Reed
Christopher Keating
For December 14, 2025:

CSSPlus

Mary Kay Eichelman
Today I have rolled out the red carpet for you.  We are not famous people, movie stars or royalty, so maybe you have not had this kind of fancy treatment. But often for very important people, red carpet is actually put down for them to walk on.

You would think Jesus, the Son of God, would have had the red carpet prepare the way before Him. Do you know what He had instead? He had a man named John the Baptist. It says in Mathew 11:19,

I will send my messenger ahead of you who will prepare your way before you.

Good morning, boys and girls. What am I holding? (Let them answer.) That's right, a loaf of bread. Did any of you eat toast for breakfast this morning? Or did any of you have wheat cereal? (Let them answer.) Bread and (name a wheat cereal) are made from wheat.

Let me ask you another question. Are any of you anxious to see what might be in some of your Christmas presents under your tree? (Let them answer.) You must have great patience to wait until Christmas when you may open them.

That's why I brought this loaf of bread this morning. I want
Leah Thompson
Object: a department store magazine/catalog (or clothing store magazine/catalog)

What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. (v. 8)

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
There wasn't much that Adrian was good at, except swimming. He learned to swim when he was little more than a baby, and he loved it. When he was seven he joined a swimming club. It was there that he first met Mr Stevens, the swimming coach.

StoryShare

C. David Mckirachan
Frank Ramirez
Contents
"Truckin'" by C. David McKirachan
"Heretic or Saint?" by Frank Ramirez


* * * * * * * * *


Truckin'
C. David McKirachan
Isaiah 35:1-10

SermonStudio

Elizabeth Achtemeier
This passage has many affinities with the prophecies of Second Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55), and it has often been attributed to him. But there are differences. In Isaiah 40:3, the "way" is for the Lord, here it is for the redeemed and ransomed (vv. 9-10). In Isaiah 51:11, the reference is to the return from Babylonian exile. Here in verse 10, that context is missing, and those who are returning to Zion are the members of Israel dispersed throughout the ancient Near East. Thus, this text is probably from a time after Second Isaiah and sometime after 538 B.C.
Russell F. Anderson
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS

Lesson 1: Isaiah 35:1--10 (C, E, L); Isaiah 35:1--6, 10 (RC)
Paul E. Robinson
Christmas has a way of bringing back memories. One that came to my mind as I was preparing this message was when my family would be driving home at night in the car and my father would lead us in singing a song. To all of us family members who remember those fun, cozy journeys toward home, there are many layers of meaning to the words. The song goes like this:

There's a long, long trail awinding,
Into the land of my dreams,
Where the nightingales are singing
And the white moon beams.
There's a long, long night of waiting
Dallas A. Brauninger
E-mail
From: KDM
To: God
Subject: Be Patient
Message: In the meantime, God.... Lauds, KDM

E-mail from KDM to God. Subject: Be patient. Message: In the meantime, God.... Lauds, KDM.
Susan R. Andrews
It was a painful experience for both of us. Jane was a young mother about my age. She had been on the pastor nominating committee that called us to New Jersey. And we had shared much laughter and friendship through the years. She also was on the session - and that cold November night she seemed edgy and distant. I soon found out why. Following the meeting, she waited for me out in the parking lot. And after I locked the church door, she simply lit into me. "How dare you!" she said. "How dare you push your own political viewpoints down our throats, and abuse your privilege as a pastor!
H. Burnham Kirkland
Theme: Prepare The Way

Call To Worship
Leader: To those wandering in darkness,
People: Christ came as the Light of the World.
Leader: To those who are at odds with others and themselves,
People: Christ is the Prince of Peace.
Leader: To those who seek the presence of the divine,
People: Christ is Emmanuel, God with us.
All: Come, let us anticipate the advent of our Lord.

Invocation
Robert S. Jarboe
(Distribute this sheet to the readers.)

Date:

Reader A:

Reader B:

Introit
(As the introit is being sung, Readers A and B come forward and stand by the Advent wreath until the music is finished.)

Litany
Reader A: Please turn to the Advent litany in your bulletins.
(Pause as they do so.)
Let all who take refuge in God be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
O God, spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
Inevitably it happens to any adult or any church leader toward the end of the year, or the time their driver's license expires. Despite the well-intended efforts to try to settle it through the mail, we end up in a long line at the local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office. Typically there is a little box with numbers one is supposed to take so they may be identified when the clerk calls for that number's turn in line. The wait can be very tedious. The workers and customers are both tired and anxious with each unique personal vehicle issue.

Special Occasion

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