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Since all Sunday worship video posts contain several hyperlinks, this misdirect is happening frequently.
You can still view them from the SPAM (JUNK) box. You can also move them to the INBOX, or mark them as NOT SPAM.
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST- September 6, 2026
Prayer of the Day
O Lord God, enliven and preserve your church with your perpetual mercy. Without your help, we mortals will fail; remove far from us everything that is harmful, and lead us toward all that gives life and salvation, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20
[Jesus said to the disciples:] 15 “If your brother or sister sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If you are listened to, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If that person refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost August 30, 2026
Prayer of the Day
O God, we thank you for your Son, who chose the path of suffering for the sake of the world. Humble us by his example, point us to the path of obedience, and give us strength to follow your commands, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
Gospel:Matthew 16:21-28
21 From that time on, [after Peter confessed that Jesus was the Messiah,] Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it proXit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?
27 “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
A bit of commentary this week Sometimes knowing details helps us focus in on the message that Jesus’ life has for the church (the entire Christian movement, that is).
21:”From that time on”—Many commentators identify Peter’s affirmation that Jesus is the Christ as the key turning point in Matthew’s Gospel (Jack Dean Kingsbury, being one such expert). After “this time” Jesus begins to show the disciples the events that await Jesus. One wonders if the words “and on the third day be raised” sunk in at all for disciples then. After all, can we truly get our heads around those words even now?
22 Peter is the disciple who is like a ‘stand in’ for all the others; saying what others are thinking and doing what they might hesitate to do. Traditional commentary also holds that Peter is a ‘stand in’ for disciples/the church in present day. Like it or not we have much in common with Peter and have much to learn from both his better moments and his disastrous failings.
Peter took him (Jesus) aside. The language is rather tame here. The words used for both Peter’s action and Jesus response paint a picture of a very highly charged emotional moment—likely with some lapel grabbing and shouting!
23 “Get behind me, Satan” The turn from “blessed are you, Peter” and on this rock I will build my church (lots of debate exists about whether the Rock is Peter or his profession that Jesus is God’s chosen Messiah) to “get behind me Satan” is jarring! The word Satan is derived from a word used to describe “throwing” as in accusations and even taunting. Another helpful synonym would be “adversary”. Peter’s agenda and Jesus’ are clearly opposed to each other in this heated exchange.
You might recall Jesus ordeal in the wilderness in which the “adversary” tries to get Jesus to sell out his identity and mission. “if you ARE the Son of God….” Peter’s objections remind us that there is plenty of resistance to the sort of Messiah Jesus is—historically, many expected a Messiah to be a military and political deliverer, dispatching occupying empires…such figures included the Macabeus brothers, whose revolt eventually failed.
24-Let them take up their cross suggests that following Jesus comes with a price. Our contemporary idiom about cross bearing (dealing with everyday struggle) really isn’t apt.
25-26 “Those who want to save their life will lose it”. There are multiple meanings for the word life and different words for the concept. Biology has borrowed one word (zô e—as in zoology) to describe life. Another word for life psyche describes the soul or self. So to lose one’s life might involve zoe (biological life) or psyche (our sense of self or integrity of who we truly are). The word Matthew uses is “psyche”.
27-28 Refers in part to the last judgement. What of those in Jesus own generation who see HIS glory? Matthew (and Mark more so) emphasize that the true mark of Jesus as Messiah is his suffering and rising on the third day. For a member of the violent opposition (the Roman executioner) to affirm Jesus as God’s begotten serves as buttress to the idea that Jesus’ glory culminates with his execution and resurrection.
Following a Messiah whose mission includes death (failure in the eyes of the political/military/religious establishment) and resurrection requires a rejection of the present empire and its false promises of endless prosperity and progress. Following such a Messiah involves living in hope of resurrection that God always gets the last life-giving word. For the here and now means living in God’s commonwealth (a rough quote of the pastor Josh Scott).
Consider religious groups claiming they know Jesus’ agenda—many of the claims are very ‘triumphalistic’ and couched in conquering and retribution language. Many pastors name Jesus as they seek to oppress women, people of colour, immigrants, LGBTQ people and anyone who disagrees with them.
The church’s true calling as it’s always been, is humility, service and loving God and neighbour. The church’s ‘fate’ or future is up to God; the one who now and again raises the dead.
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Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost August 9, 2026
Prayer of the Day
O God our defender, storms rage around and within us and cause us to be afraid. Rescue your people from despair, deliver your sons and daughters from fear, and preserve us in the faith of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33
22 [Jesus] made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee,] while he dismissed the crowds.23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terriLied, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
28 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Sermon:
Here’s a question to think on and don’t worry you won’t be asked to turn to a neighbour and share….
What life lesson has shaped you the most?
The Rev. Dr. Zina Jacque has asked this question over years of retreats at places like the Chautauqua Institute in New York. She discovered that in fewer than 5 percent of responses, the formative lesson was learned in easy or “good” times. Life Lessons nearly always come with a diploma from the school of Hard Knocks—or as a pastor of friend of mine calls it “The ol’ two by four shampoo”.
Lessons learned happen in those “fourth watch” times—times like a slave people make their daring “Passover escape” from Pharaoh’s Egypt. Times like predawn on the third day when the stone sealing Jesus’ grave was rolled aside.
For Jesus’ followers the life lesson happens in a boat—scholars point to key words Matthew uses to tell the story—the waves “torment” them— a word often used to describe tyrants tormenting subjugated people. The disciples give every once of physical strength, every shred of knowledge of the sea and every ounce of nerve they have. And the chaos wins. The disciples are defeated and in despair.
Then Jesus appears walking on the spine of the chaos monster—the sea, Matthew calls it, which brings to memory stories of Mot, Tiamot, Neptune; all beings that control the sea and mean harm to people.
Recall the Genesis story where God steps into chaos and harnesses it into creation, harmony and order; and then calls it Good, very Good. Jesus does what God does and announces himself in language God uses with Moses, “I AM”…Don’t let fear be the last word.
Peter’s response is part of the lesson maybe. Let’s just say his reaction is a mix of both faith and not faith…or as Richard Rohr likes to say, the opposite of faith isn’t doubt…it’s control. Peter risks a lot by jumping ship. He fabricates a proposition to test the teacher. For a second it looks like its working. Then Peter, the Rock, sinks…managing to gurgle out a “Lord save me” before he goes under. Jesus hauls him up and lands him gasping like a stunned mullet back into the boat.
Bear in mind that Matthew presents Peter as a stand-in for the disciples and the church….Peter says what the rest of us are thinking and does what the rest of us hesitate doing. So, church, what’s the lesson?
Hint here are two things the lesson is NOT. 1. Try harder. 2. Just keep your eye on Jesus. I doubt anybody would to all that trouble for such banal lessons.
There were two times I got in trouble with ICU nurses during my chaplaincy. My “caffeine saves button” from my rabbi friend offended someone so the spiritual care department instituted their “no Llair” policy. I still have that button and it has pride of place on my swag bag…briefcase. The other time I got in trouble was when a nurse opined that God never gives us more than we can handle. I said I wondered if that were true. Her reaction might have permanently blown my hair back.
To my relief, our bishop Carla Blakley reminds us that saying isn’t really in the Bible and the quote it’s based on is out of context anyway. Besides what if it were true? When you Linally hit the wall is that your fault? God’s fault?
The disciples get a near fatal dose of more than they can handle. And it’s here that Jesus shows up doing God—things.
Jesus gets a fatal dose of more than he can handle. On the Third Day, God does God-things. That’s the Good News-Gospel grounds for our praying the Prayer Jesus taught us. We echo those desperate words from the sea soaked Simon Peter, “Deliver us from evil”. amen.
St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Welland, Ontario, Canada 
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