August 17, 2025 – Tenth Sunday after Pentecost / Proper 15

Lectionary Readings

Semicontinuous
Isaiah 5:1–7
My vineyard has yielded wild grapes; now I will break down its wall. 

Psalm 80:1–2, 8–19
Have regard for the vine you planted, O Lord; save and restore us! 

Complementary
Jeremiah 23:23–29
Who can hide from me? My word is like fire, says the Lord. 

Psalm 82
God stands in judgment; rise up, O God, to judge the earth! 

Hebrews 11:29—12:2
We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses; Jesus perfects our faith.

Luke 12:49–56
Jesus warns of division and trouble to come: I came to bring fire. 

— Gathering —

Opening Sentences

In a world where lies surround us,
your word is like fire, God nearby!
In a world full of false prophets
and empty promises,
your word is like fire, God nearby!
In a world where words don’t have meaning,
your word is like fire, God nearby!
We are here, ready for our faith
to be kindled by your word.
We are here to worship the God
who is nearby!

Prayer of the Day

God of the ages,
when we face raging fires and imprisoning chains,
give us the faith of our ancestors.
When we encounter the edge of violence,
give us the faith of our ancestors.
When we are persecuted and tormented 
by the evils of this world,
give us the faith of our ancestors.
When we have to go about in disguise
because we can’t be ourselves,
give us the faith of our ancestors.
When we wander in deserts and mountains
and hide in caves and holes in the ground,
give us the faith of our ancestors.
Even when we know we may not see
the fruit of our labor,
even if we can’t reach the promised land,
give us the faith of our ancestors.
We give thanks that perseverance 
will one day bear fruit,
that we don’t run this race alone,
and that our ancestors go with us
now and always. Amen. 

Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song

Thanksgiving for Baptism

At the baptismal font:
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
O Lord our God, we give you thanks
for the grace that is at work in us
through the gift of our baptism—
the sign of your threefold name,
the communion of your faithful people,
the promise of your glorious realm.
By the power of your Holy Spirit,
poured out upon us in baptism,
let your grace and peace grow in us,
until we gather at your heavenly throne
to give you thanks and praise forever;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession and Pardon

At the baptismal font:
Gathered before the throne of God’s infinite mercy,
let us lay aside every weight
and the sin that clings so closely,
confessing our need for grace.

Loving Creator,
with a gardener’s tender touch,
you planted your people to bear good fruit,
but we bear wild grapes.
With a welder’s fierce fire,
you fashioned your people to glorify you,
but we are riddled with impurities.
In your generous mercy, O God,
regard the vine you planted:
save and restore us.
Reform the vessel you crafted:
cleanse and refine us.
Give us life, O God,
that with our whole being,
we may worship you rightly.

Lifting water from the font:
Jesus endured the cross
and disregarded its shame
for the sake of the joy that was set before him.
That joy is our salvation.
His joy is our freedom.
Believe the good news:
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

— Word —

Prayer for Illumination

At the lectern or pulpit:
Faithful God, how blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Sanctify us by your Word and Spirit
so that we may glorify you
in the company of the faithful;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture

Before the readings: 
The Word of God is near. 
Deuteronomy 30:14

After the readings: 
The Word of God is with us, 
on our lips and in our hearts 
for us to observe. 
Thanks be to God. 
Deuteronomy 30:14  

Sermon

Ascription of Praise

After the sermon:
In the name of Christ, our all in all. Amen.
Colossians 3:11

Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song

Affirmation of Faith

The life, death, resurrection,
and promised coming of Jesus Christ
has set the pattern for the church’s mission.
His human life involves the church
in the common life of all people.
His service to men and women
commits the church
to work for every form of human well-being.
His suffering makes the church sensitive
to all human suffering
so that it sees the face of Christ
in the faces of persons in every kind of need.
His crucifixion discloses to the church
God’s judgment on the inhumanity
that marks human relations,
and the awful consequences
of the church’s own complicity in injustice.
In the power of the risen Christ
and the hope of his coming,
the church sees the promise
of God’s renewal of human life in society
and of God’s victory over all wrong.
The church follows this pattern
in the form of its life
and in the method of its action.
So to live and serve
is to confess Christ as Lord.
Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.32–33