Lectionary 18/10/2026
- Proper 24 /Ordinary 29 - Year A
Lectionary Readings
Related Products
Let us thank God
Let us thank God
by Marjorie Dobson
Prayer: Let us thank God Let us thank God for those who led us to our own faith by their words, prayers and example. Let us thank God for the faith of those people who have supported and encouraged us when life has not been easy. Let us thank God for those who were ready to help …
Gazing on the Gospels Year A - Proper 24 Year A
Gazing on the Gospels Year A - Proper 24 Year A
by SPCK - Judith Dimond
Proper 24 - Year A Meditation on Matthew 22: 15-22 Gaze on the threatening circle tightening around Jesus that we see in these passages. Jesus has walked into the lion’s den and is challenging the Pharisees and the Temple authorities face to face. Here we are entering the longest…
Lent for Everyone Year A - Monday: Week 5 in Lent Year A
Lent for Everyone Year A - Monday: Week 5 in Lent Year A
by SPCK - N T Wright
WEEK 5: MONDAY Matthew 24; focused on 24.15 –28 Browsing in an old library the other day, I came upon a book of cartoons from the late nineteenth century. They were political satires, commenting on the affairs of state of the time. Several different politicians were lampooned; al…
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - Proper 24 Year A
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - Proper 24 Year A
by SPCK - N T Wright
Ordinary Time - Proper 24 Exodus 33.12–23 1 Thessalonians 1.1–10 Matthew 22.15–22 The multiple echoes of Exodus 33 bounce around the New Testament. The first letter to the Thessalonians, held by many to be the first surviving Christian writing, offers another reminder that the go…
Lectionary Reflections Year A - Proper 24 Year A
Lectionary Reflections Year A - Proper 24 Year A
by SPCK - Jane Williams
Lectionary reflections - Year A Ordinary Time Proper 24 Isaiah 45.1–7 1 Thessalonians 1.1–10 Matthew 22.15–22 The question as weapon is one of the oldest techniques in controversy. You will hear it used to perfection most mornings on the radio. The art is to find the question to …
Such a scandal, Cyrus chosen
Such a scandal, Cyrus chosen
by Andrew Pratt
Hymn: Such a scandal, Cyrus chosen Proper 24 year A Isaiah 45: 1 – 7 Such a scandal, Cyrus chosen, could he set God's people free? God's anointed they would call him; source of grace and liberty? Who would choose the chief oppressor, tyrant who'd repress and kill, giving him the …
When the glory of the presence
When the glory of the presence
by Andrew Pratt
Poem: When the glory of the presence Proper 24 year A Exodus 33: 12 – 23 When the glory of the presence of the ground of all our being leaves transcendent worth and wonder, enters in the realm of seeing, are we blinded by the dazzle? Is this presence binding? Freeing? How do we d…
Confounded
Confounded
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Confounded Proper 24 year A Matthew 22: 15-22 All he needed was a coin to confound their connivance. Pharisees would not show their faces, so sent their disciples to distract him and the Herodians to harrass him. But malice and menace was their motive and entrapment was the…
Poem:Sing a new song
Poem:Sing a new song
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Sing a new song (This piece should be spoken with a lilting rhythm and could be done by one person with a change of tone for each of the two speakers. But it has been marked to be read by two people, following the same rhythmic pattern. Will need rehearsal!) A. Sing a new s…
Acts for Everyone Part 2 - A Year in Corinth
Acts for Everyone Part 2 - A Year in Corinth
by SPCK - N T Wright
A Year in Corinth Acts 18.1-11 This morning, knowing I was going to be thinking about Corinth, I helped myself to a big bowl of Greek yoghurt and honey for breakfast. It still takes me straight back to the little streetside cafe where, in the early 1990s, I first tasted that simp…
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - The Gospel Comes to Thessalonica
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - The Gospel Comes to Thessalonica
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Gospel Comes to Thessalonica Thessalonians 1.1-5 I hesitated long over the decision. I had to make up my mind whether to admit to the university a student whose grades were not quite as high as we would normally require. She was clearly intelligent, and capable of hard work, …
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - The Thessalonians' Faith
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - The Thessalonians' Faith
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Thessalonians’ Faith Thessalonians 1.6-10 ‘Well,’ I said last week when my son came home from a movie, ‘did you enjoy it?’ I knew the answer as I asked the question. The movie was OK, but not that great. If he’d really enjoyed it, I wouldn’t have had to ask. He would have com…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Paying Taxes to Caesar
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Paying Taxes to Caesar
by SPCK - N T Wright
Paying Taxes to Caesar Matthew 22.15-22 It was election time. The politicians were out campaigning. The journalists were everywhere, interviewing people, taking photographs, setting up debates. Radio and television seemed full of it all. But this time round everyone seemed jumpy.…
LWPT Meditations - Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A
LWPT Meditations - Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A
by Susan Thorne
Meditation – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr A Exodus 33: 12-23 Thessalonians 1: 1-10 Matthew 22: 15-22 In the first Narnia story by CS Lewis – “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” – one of the children asks if Aslan (the lion who allegorically represents Jesus) is “safe”. “Of …
Exodus and Leviticus - Rock of Ages Cleft For Me
Exodus and Leviticus - Rock of Ages Cleft For Me
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Rock of Ages Cleft for Me EXODUS 33: 12-23 In the County of Somerset in the West of England there is a canyon called Cheddar Gorge (yes, where the cheese comes from). One day in 1763 a young minister was caught in a tumultuous thunderstorm in the cliffs nearby. The minister, Augu…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119:34, 36
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 119:34, 36
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 119:34, 36 Like the eye, the heart can wander. Sometimes it seems as if the eye has the heart on a lead! Like pushing a child on a tricycle and constantly needing to reset the direction with the handlebars, so the heart needs steering. We have to set the heart’s direction w…
PAUL AND THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD - Praxis and Symbol: Torag and Temple
PAUL AND THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD - Praxis and Symbol: Torag and Temple
by SPCK - N T Wright
Chapter TWO LIKE BIRDS HOVERING OVERHEAD: THE FAITHFULNESS OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL 3. Praxis and Symbol: Torah and Temple In worldview terms, ancient Jewish praxis and symbol ran closely together, precisely because the symbols were what they were. I was going to write that the Torah…
Paul and the Faithfulness of God - The Story Retold: Bible
Paul and the Faithfulness of God - The Story Retold: Bible
by SPCK - N T Wright
Chapter TWO LIKE BIRDS HOVERING OVERHEAD: THE FAITHFULNESS OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL (ii) The Continuous Story (b) The Story Retold: Bible The long tradition of retelling the story of Israel, not only on the large scale (as in the Pentateuch itself, the books from Joshua through to 2 …
Paul and the Faithfulness of God - The Theology of a Pharisee
Paul and the Faithfulness of God - The Theology of a Pharisee
by SPCK - N T Wright
Chapter TWO LIKE BIRDS HOVERING OVERHEAD: THE FAITHFULNESS OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL The Theology of a Pharisee It is not difficult to draw out from what has already been said the main lines of Pharisaic theology, bringing into brief and I hope sharp focus the larger and longer treatm…
PAUL AND THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD - Jewish Responses to Pagan Philosophy
PAUL AND THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD - Jewish Responses to Pagan Philosophy
by SPCK - N T Wright
3. Athene and Her Owl: the Wisdom of the Greeks Jewish Responses to Pagan Philosophy Before we do that, one final task remains. Granted that Paul grew up in the world of strict Pharisaic Judaism, what response might we expect him to have to the world of pagan philosophy? It would…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Yes, Yahweh Has Begun to Reign
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Yes, Yahweh Has Begun to Reign
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Yes, Yahweh Has Begun to Reign Psalm 96 Today’s news includes a report about forces in Yemen firing on people protesting the government and killing some of them. In Afghanistan, U.S. and Afghan soldiers have faced sharply increased attacks by insurgents from their base in Pakista…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - On Sacred Space, Sacred Acts, and Sacred Sound
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - On Sacred Space, Sacred Acts, and Sacred Sound
by SPCK - John Goldingay
On Sacred Space, Sacred Acts, and Sacred Sound Psalm 99-100 Yesterday I received what initially seemed a puzzling invitation to a weekly, early-morning prayer meeting, described as “sacred space for a variety of prayer traditions.” It seemed puzzling because I always thought of s…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Conflict between the Teacher and Israel
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Conflict between the Teacher and Israel
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Conflict between the Teacher and Israel Matthew 8—23 The intrusion of substantial non-narrative material in these sermons inhibits the movement of the plot. This mixture of Jesus’ ministry and his teaching produces a more measured air; instead of the breathless dash of Mark’s bou…
the greatest prayer - Prologue The Strangest Prayer
the greatest prayer - Prologue The Strangest Prayer
by SPCK - John Dominic Crossan
PROLOGUE The Strangest Prayer The Lord’s Prayer is Christianity’s greatest prayer. It is also Christianity’s strangest prayer. It is prayed by all Christians, but it never mentions Christ. It is prayed in all churches, but it never mentions church. It is prayed on all Sundays, bu…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Golden Calf and Its Aftermath
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Golden Calf and Its Aftermath
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
The Golden Calf and Its Aftermath (Exodus 31: 18-34: 35) For forty days and forty nights Moses is on Mount Sinai, where he receives instructions from YHWH (24:18). The text does not specify how much time has elapsed, but during this time, the people approach Aaron and ask him to …
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book IV
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book IV
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Book IV (Psalm 90-106) Book IV opens with “A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God.” It is the only psalm in the Hebrew Psalter ascribed to Moses. Its words are a plea to God for mercy: “Turn [shub], O YHWH! How long? Change your mind [nakham] concerning your servants” (90:13, my trans…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Grace to You and Peace in God and Christ
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Grace to You and Peace in God and Christ
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Grace to You and Peace in God and Christ (1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10) Paul’s usual claim of apostolic authority (1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1) and his less acclaimed self-designation “slave of Christ” (Phil. 1:1; Rom. 1:1) are absent from his introduction. Instead, Paul simply n…
How shall we Worship
How shall we Worship
by Twelvebaskets Ltd
A composition image created by Twelvebaskets Ltd Original 'Sunset' by Doug Burke Original 'Freezing winter fog' by David Perry Image layering, blending and text by Twelvebaskets Ltd For details of composition images and accreditation see our Terms & Conditions
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Second Isaiah
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Second Isaiah
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Second Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55) The sixteen chapters that begin with “Comfort, comfort my people” comprise a complex but thematically continuous piece focusing on Jerusalem’s restoration as the Babylonian era ended. The prophet is self-effacing and barely visible, but certain aspect…
Isaiah for everyone - God the Creator of Evil
Isaiah for everyone - God the Creator of Evil
by SPCK - John Goldingay
God the Creator of Evil My wife used to lead a women’s Bible Study where some women who came for a while would commonly give the existence of evil as their reason or excuse for not believing in God and not staying. Her comment is that the existence of evil surely makes it more im…
glimpses of glory - Christmas Day - Year C
glimpses of glory - Christmas Day - Year C
by SPCK - David Adam
Christmas Day Almighty Father, we rejoice in the coming of Christ our Lord. We pray that, as he has taken on our humanity, through your grace and goodness we may share in your divinity, and so partake in the radiance of your glory; through him who came down for us and is alive an…
glimpses of glory - The Sunday Next Before Lent - Year C
glimpses of glory - The Sunday Next Before Lent - Year C
by SPCK - David Adam
The Sunday Next Before Lent Almighty Father God of grace and goodness, awaken us to your glory, that our lives may reflect your radiance, that we may share in your likeness, and in walking in the way of Christ our Lord may reveal your love to the world; through the same Christ ou…
52 Reflections on Faith - Transfiguration: shining with God’s love
52 Reflections on Faith - Transfiguration: shining with God’s love
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Transfiguration: shining with God’s love Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the whole world were to shine with the love of God? That sounds idealistic, doesn’t it? If anyone actually said that, you might wonder whether they had read the newspapers lately or were at all aware of what was…
The Act of Prayer Year C - Sunday Next Before Lent - Year C
The Act of Prayer Year C - Sunday Next Before Lent - Year C
by BRF - John Birch
Sunday Next before Lent Year C The Act of Prayer Praying through the lectionary EXODUS 34:29–35; PSALM 99; 2 CORINTHIANS 3:12—4:2; LUKE 9:28–36 [37–43] Opening prayer We meet today, Lord God, not as in the days of Moses when a physical barrier, the veil, separated the people from…
glimpses of glory - Proper 4 - Year C
glimpses of glory - Proper 4 - Year C
by SPCK - David Adam
Proper 4 Lord of majesty and splendor, the King of all creation, from you comes all wholeness, peace and well-being. We come with our needs and in our brokenness, seeking your help and knowing that you alone can make us whole. Come, Lord, and renew us; through Jesus Christ our Lo…
Fresh Thoughts For Sunday - Fresh Thoughts For Sunday Issue 190
Fresh Thoughts For Sunday - Fresh Thoughts For Sunday Issue 190
by Twelvebaskets Ltd
A selection of commentary, reflection and prayer ideas from various Christian authors and the full bible texts from the NRSV for this week's lectionary. NOW INCLUDING SERIALISED BOOKS FROM SPCK AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM BRF. Check below for details. Subscribe to Fresh Thoughts For S…
Vine Video - Spoken Word by Becki Stennett - Sunday 18th October
Vine Video - Spoken Word by Becki Stennett - Sunday 18th October
by Twelvebaskets Ltd
The Vine Video 18th October 2020 Spoken Word by Becki Stennett - (extra)ordinary Video is just over 4 minutes - the first 30 seconds are available as a preview. Click 'download' to view the whole video. Revd Becki Stennett, a presbyter in the Leeds (North and East) Methodist Circ…
Reflections on the Bible