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See also All Saints Day.

Readings:
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
Habakkuk complains to God that justice is perverted and God’s help does not come, but then, as he waits for God’s answer, God’s word comes to him offering him a vision of the downfall of the proud and the vibrant life of the righteous.
Psalm 119:137-144
The psalmist celebrates God’s regulations, affirming their value and goodness for all time, and giving thanks for the strength they offer even in times of hardship.
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
Paul celebrates the faith, love and endurance of the Thessalonian Christians in the face of persecution and hardship, and prays for God’s strength to sustain and inspire them, so that they may glorify God.
Luke 19:1-10
In Jericho Jesus invites himself to be a guest at the house of a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus, in spite of the criticisms of people. As a result, Zacchaeus is transformed into a man of generosity and compassion.

Thought for the week
It should not surprise us that the Scriptures return often to the themes of repentance and forgiveness. One reason for this constant repetition is that these foundational ideas are harder to understand and practice than we may at first consider. For many of us, repentance has come to be viewed as a personal apology to God for things we have done wrong, and forgiveness is what God gives us in return. However the Biblical picture is far richer and more challenging than this. In the Bible, God’s forgiveness is given before we even know that we need it – that’s the miracle of Christ’s life, death and resurrection, and it is demonstrated in the Zacchaeus story which is the Gospel reading for this week.
But, when forgiveness touches our hearts, it automatically leads us into two responses. The first is that we respond in repentance – which simply means to change. We stop doing the destructive things that rob us and others of life, and we embrace a new, life-giving way of behaving, thinking and speaking. The second response is that we begin to extend God’s forgiveness to others, recognising that as we accept them in Jesus’ name, so God’s Spirit can work healing and transformation in them through us.
This week, we will meditate again on the profound gifts of forgiveness and repentance.(Summaries and thought for the week by John van de Laar)

Diana Butler Bass, October 2016: Zacchaeus seems to be a guy who thinks you have to climb up to see God, to get closer to “power.” What does Jesus do? Jesus says, “Come down.” And invites himself to dinner. This is a radical rejection of the Roman patriarchal system and replacing it with hospitality. It isn’t about going “up” to see God. It is about sitting at table.

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Readings:
Joel 2:23-32
God promises restoration from the judgement (what the locusts have eaten) and the outpouring of God’s Spirit on all of God’s sons and daughters.
Psalm 65
Praise for the God who answers prayer, who forgives sin, who formed the earth and who sends rain to bring an abundant harvest.
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Paul reflects on his faithfulness as he nears the end of his life and looks forward to the reward he will receive, assured that God, who rescued him in the past, even when others deserted him, will bring him safely into God’s kingdom.
Luke 18:9-14
Jesus tells a parable about a self-righteous Pharisee, who fails to find a right relationship with God, and a penitent tax collector who finds justification.

Gospel feelings resources here.

Jesus’ parable calls us to humble recognition of our need for God’s grace.
Two people came into the temple to pray.
A white man came up front and prayed,
“God, I thank you that I’m not black.
Thank you that I’m not a woman, or gay,
or was abused as a child.
I mind my own business,
and I believe in you.”
An undocumented immigrant woman
forced to work the street
stood at the back and prayed,
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
I tell you, she went home closer to God
than the other.
For all who are full of themselves
will be empty of anything else.
But those who make room for God
will shine with glory.
(Steve Garnaas-Holmes, Unfolding Light)
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Readings:
Jeremiah 31:27-34
A prophecy of restoration, of an end to generational curses, and of God’s new covenant with God’s people – written on hearts, not stone.
Psalm 119:97-104
A song of rejoicing in God’s laws and instructions and the way they guide and lead to life.
2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5
Paul encourages Timothy, in the name of the coming Christ, to remain faithful to the Scriptures and to teach God’s message faithfully at all times.
Luke 18:1-8
Jesus tells a parable of a poor widow who persistently asks a judge for justice, and he finally relents because of her persistence. Then he muses about whether, when he returns, he will find people of faith on earth.

Gospel Feelings resources here.
Sermon: Excellent reflection by Debie Thomas on the Gospel reading here. 

Patient God (based on Gospel reading)
Patient God,
you persevere in your care for us,
in spite of our lack of persistence,
lack of praying at all times.
Merge our inner spirits
with your will.
Teach us again and again
to pray always
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen
(Source:Bob Eldan)
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Readings:
Jeremiah 29;1,4-7
The people of Israel are in exile, but Jeremiah still asks them to seek the welfare of the city in whcih they live as foreigners. They are to live as God’s faithful people, no matter what the context.
Psalm 66:1-12
A call for all the earth to praise the God who rules over all, and for all nations to bless God.
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Although Paul is inprisoned for preaching the Gospel of Christ’s resurrection, the Gospel itself is not imprisoned. God offers life to those who die with Christ, and God remains always faithful, which is why Paul encourages Timothy to remind people of these thigns and to continue to serve and teach faithfully.
Luke 17:11-19
Jesus sends ten men with a skin disease to show themselves to the priests and they are healed as they go, but only one, a Samaritan, returns to give thanks.
(Summary of readings by John van de Laar, Sacredise)

The Road Through No-Man’s Land
Ten men united by dis-ease,
suffering both leprosy and
social rejection, bound together
by mutual repulsiveness,
inhabitants of no-man’s land.
Society, bound in its fear
of dread disease, convinced
of curse and sin, wallows,
in ambivalence, condemns
the hapless, piously
taking God’s name in vain.
One man, on a journey toward
his own rejection, penetrates
the impenetrable, crosses
into the “bad lands,”
mixes with the lowly
in the name of the most high.
Ten men, sent for examination
healed as they pass along the road.
Nine go, who knows where?
One, sensing unfinished business,
returns in thanksgiving,
departs in wholeness.
One man on his way to a cross
heals ten men with no destination.
One man gives thanks, receives life.
It all happened along the way;
in a place called “no-man’s land,”
that place of desolation
where dwells the kingdom of God.
(Source: William Dean, The House Blend, published 2008)

Lord God
Our lives are like the borderlands. We divide people into us and them. Insiders and outsiders. Friends and strangers. Those we love and those to be feared.
Our lives are like the village. We build walls around our serves and bar the gates. We let only those we want to inside. We judge others from the watch tower. We refuse entry and shut the gates to those we fear, those we are in don’t want to help, those different to ourselves, and those we don’t like. We protect ourselves from those we consider unworthy or outcasts.
Our lives are like those of the lepers, we find ourselves rejected and shunned by others. We stand outside. We find ourselves in need of healing and acceptance. We look for someone to love and care for us. To accept us.
May our life be like the healed leper receiving your Grace. May we be healed from the weeping sores of pride and selfishness. May the lesions of our apathy and fear be washed clean. May the scars of our ungratefulness and indifference towards others be replaced with new skin.
Lord God forgive and heal us. And as we express our thanks to you for the Grace you show us may we rise to follow you.
In Christ we pray. Amen
(Source: Glenn Elliott-Rudder, Facebook post on Preaching up a Storm, 2019)

PSALM 66 REDUX
(*Sing: Come all you people….)
The whole earth sings praise!
Wild wind whips glory,
babbling brook skipping sings,
green fields davening sway.
The smallest ears pick up the tune
that hums and pulses through all things.
(*Sing: Come all you people….)
Oh God, Mother of all,
let my life move with
the earth songs beneath my feet
and the star songs above my head.
Let my heart jig and caper like a young lamb.
Let my soul sing and sigh and signify.
(*Sing: Come all you people….)
No corner of the earth is apart from your power.
Everywhere a woman may roam,
she will see the signs and hear the songs:
Each day a new day.
Each moment an opportunity.
Each step, each listening step,
a step in hope’s direction.
(*Sing: Come all you people….)
How may I live my gratitude, but with humble attention,
with an ear quick to listen,
gaze penetrating to see, a heart ready to love, hands eager to bless,
with a mind slow to judge and probing to discern,
with feet that move in hope’s direction,
dancing earthstar songs of praise. So be it.
(*Sing: Come all you people….)
(Source: Psalms Redux by Carla A. Grosch-Miller)
Note: If you search Redux Psalms you can download the file of them.

*Suggestion to sing “Come all you people, come and praise your maker (X3), come now and worship the Lord” by Alexander Gondo (arranged by John L. Bell)at the spots marked with an asterisk. 

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