The Scripture Lessons for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost are:
 
Exodus 3:1-15 and Psalm 105:1-6, 45b or
Jeremiah 15:21 or Psalm 26:1-8
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 16:21-28
 
Each of the four readings this week reminds us that God’s purposes may pull us in surprising directions. We might have our own plans, but God’s providence is bigger than our thinking. In Exodus, we see Moses taken away from the mundane world of shepherding to meet God in a fire. The psalm recounts how God’s people, under the leadership of Moses, were able to defeat mighty Pharaoh. In Romans, Paul teaches us to overcome evil with good, even offering deeds of love to our enemies. And in Matthew’s Gospel, we read how Jesus’ disciples simply cannot fathom that he has come to die for them and to show them an abundant life beyond their imagining.
 
This is the season of Ordinary Time. “Ordinary” doesn’t mean typical or humdrum. Rather, it comes from the word “ordinal,” meaning “related to a series.” Think of Ordinary Time as an ordered, deliberate, six-month step-by-step pilgrimage through the story of Jesus’ life. This year, Matthew is our guide. The liturgical color for the pastor's stole and paraments (cloth hanging from the pulpit and lectern) is green. This symbolizes growth in the church.

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Rev Amie