Collect: Proper 17

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

. Jeremiah 2:4-13 . . . the prophet gives voice to the Lord’s bafflement with families of Israel, who have strayed far and no longer seek for God

Psalm 81: 10-16 . . . and exhortation to worship the Lord alone

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 . . . Christians are urged to live moral, hospitable, and charitable lives, recalling the faith and examples of their leaders, but especially the unchanging Jesus.

Luke 14:1, 7-14 . . . Jesus tells a parable about humility and teaches his host that he should invite the poor and inform to his feasts.

Sermon

“A church I served developed a clever evening of fellowship called ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?’,” begins the Reverend Amy Starr Redwine, pastor and head of staff at First Presbyterian Church, Richmond, Virginia. “The way it works is that someone offered to host dinner for a certain number of people, but the host/hostess did not know who was going to show up until they showed up at their door. But she says it was a small church, so there was no chance of someone unknown showing up at the door.