October 12, 2025 – Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost / Proper 23

Lectionary Readings

Semicontinuous
Jeremiah 29:1, 4–7
Build houses and plant gardens in exile; seek the welfare of the city. 

Psalm 66:1–12
Make a joyful noise to God, who brought us out to a spacious place. 

Complementary
2 Kings 5:1–3, 7–15c
Elisha tells Naaman to wash in the Jordan; he is cured of leprosy. 

Psalm 111
I give thanks with my whole heart; great are the works of the Lord. 

2 Timothy 2:8–15
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead; that is my gospel. 

Luke 17:11–19
Jesus heals ten people with leprosy; only one returns to give thanks.

— Gathering —

Opening Sentences

Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of God’s name; 
give God glorious praise.
Say to God:
How awesome are your deeds! 
Because of your great power, 
your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth worships you;
they sing praises to you,
sing praises to your name. 
Come and see what God has done: 
he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of wisdom; 
all those who practice it have understanding. 
God’s praise endures forever. 

Prayer of the Day

God of power and might,
you show us the wisdom of humility, 
reveal the healing you have in store,
and bless us in our working and planting. 
Release your Word within us, 
that we may live brimming with gratitude 
for the full, abundant life
Christ gives to all. 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:
God promises mercy
for all those who repent.
Trusting in the grace of Jesus Christ,
let us confess our sin.

Compassionate Christ,
you send us to cure the sick,
but we blame the sick for their choices.
You ask us to restore the unclean,
but we separate them into high risk pools.
You compel us to raise the dead,
but we insist some are beyond help.
In your patient and persistent mercy,
forgive us, O Lord.
Teach us to heal without condition
and help without limitation.
Enable us to love one another as you love us,
that as recipients of unmerited grace,
we may freely shower care upon all people.

Lifting water from the font:
In the name of the One
who restores the lost,
raises the dead,
and reigns on high,
I proclaim to you that your sins are forgiven.
Believe the good news of the gospel:
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven,
healed, and made whole.

— 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:
Sacred writings, our instruction in salvation 
through faith in Jesus Christ. 
2 Timothy 3:15

After the readings: 
The words of Scripture, inspired by God. 
Thanks be to God.
2 Timothy 3:16

Sermon

Ascription of Praise

After the sermon:
Blessed be the Lord our God. Amen.
Luke 1:68

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