Collect: Proper 26

Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your gift that your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 . . . the prophet bitterly complains to the Lord about the injustice and violence in the world.  God answers that justice will come in time; meanwhile, the righteous will live by faithfulness and loyalty

Psalm 119:137-144 . . . an acknowledgement of God as source of all truth and righteousness and a prayer of understanding.

Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12 . . .  Together with Silvanus and Timothy, Paul greets the new disciples in Thessalonica.  He offers thanks to god for the increase of their faith under persecution and assures them of his prayers.

Luke 19:1-10 . . . Jesus answers a question concerning the chief command of the law by reciting the double commandment to love God and one’s neighbor.

The Sermon

The incomparable Barbara Lundblad, the Joe R. Engle Professor of Preaching Emerita at Union Theological Seminary in New York, is our featured preacher this week, and she is preaching the story of Zacchaeus