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Proper 20
Closest to September 21 |
| Grant us, O Lord, not to mind earthly things, but to love
things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among
things that are passing away, to cleave to those that shall
abide; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen. |
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Lesson |
Amos 8:4-7(8-12)
Hear this, you who trample upon the needy, and bring the poor of the land
to an end, saying, "When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small
and the shekel great, and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals,
and sell the refuse of the wheat?" The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: "Surely I will never forget any
of their deeds. Shall not the land tremble on this account, and every one mourn who
dwells in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink
again, like the Nile of Egypt?" "And on that day," says the Lord GOD, "I will make the sun go down at
noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into
lamentation; I will bring sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness on every
head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it
like a bitter day. "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "when I will send a
famine on the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of
hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall
run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it. |
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Epistle |
1 Timothy 2:1-8
Instructions Concerning Prayer
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at
the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle (I am telling the truth,
I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. I desire then
that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or
quarreling. |
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Gospel |
Luke 16:1-13
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
He also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward,
and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. And he called him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you?
Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' And the steward said to himself, `What shall I do, since my master is
taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am
ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their
houses when I am put out of the stewardship.' So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, `How
much do you owe my master?' He said, `A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, `Take your
bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' Then he said to another, `And how much do you owe?' He said, `A hundred
measures of wheat.' He said to him, `Take your bill, and write eighty.' The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the
sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than
the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous
mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal
habitations. "He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he
who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will
entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will
give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and
love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and mammon." |
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