11 October - Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost – Year A

The Faith Action Programme would like to thank Rev Dráusio Gonçalves, Minister of Dundee Northeast Church, for his thoughts on the 20^th Sunday after Pentecost.

Priority Areas Month

October 4-10 is Challenge Poverty Week and October 17 is the United Nations' International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Church of Scotland Priority Areas identify parishes with high concentrations of deprivation and provide support, networking and learning opportunities for congregations and communities. We would encourage you to explore ways in which your congregation can engage in anti-poverty issues at a local level.

Shoots of New Life

This month we are invited to look more closely for the shoots of new life emerging around us. Through the Season of Creation, Priority Areas and Challenge Poverty Week, we listen to people living and working in, and walking alongside, some of Scotland's most deprived communities – discovering their stories, challenges, resilience and hopes.

As the month progresses, we will ask where God is already at work: in creation, in our communities, around tables, in relationships and in the call to love our neighbours. Together, we will look for signs of hope, love, justice and possibility – the small but powerful shoots of new life already beginning to grow.

In these places, as in every place, God is present and active – through the love of Jesus, the grace of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

So, where are you noticing shoots of new life – and how might you help them flourish?

Introduction

October's Weekly Worship is shaped by a particular concern: the impact of poverty and how the Church serves in the face of scarcity. That theme sits naturally beside these readings. Isaiah speaks of a feast prepared by God for all peoples and of death itself being swallowed up. Psalm 23 speaks of enough: green pastures, still waters, a table prepared in the presence of threat. Philippians speaks of steadiness, mutual care and the nearness of the Lord. Matthew gives us the demanding parable of the wedding banquet, where invitation, refusal and response all matter.

In preparing material for this week, the first step was to read the passages together rather than separately, because they begin to interpret one another when heard in the same sitting. Isaiah's feast throws light on Matthew's banquet, while Psalm 23 gives a pastoral tone to both, and Philippians asks what kind of shared life can witness to God's future in the present. The reading of the texts in this way also helps a worship leader notice a tension that many congregations know well: God is generous, yet many neighbours live with hunger, debt, anxiety and exclusion.

That tension matters in places marked by deprivation. In such communities, talk of abundance can sound hollow unless it is joined to compassion, dignity and practical solidarity. Yet these readings do not invite denial; they invite hope. It's a hope that faces suffering honestly; these passages can be approached as a witness to God's coming future, already opening up new possibilities for communities under pressure. The service can therefore be shaped around this question: What does it look like for the Church to live as a sign of God's generous kingdom where scarcity seems to rule?

This approach may help worship leaders hold together biblical imagination and local reality. The prayers can name fear, shame, injustice and tiredness without becoming heavy for their own sake, and the music can make space both for trust and for communal courage. The overall aim is not to offer quick answers, but to help congregations see that Christian worship forms people who can receive God's welcome and then practise that welcome in the world.

[N. T. Wright, Simply Christian (London: SPCK, 2006)

Jurgen Moltmann, Theology of Hope (London: SCM Press, 1967)]

Isaiah 25:1-9

Isaiah 25 is a song of praise after judgment, but it moves quickly toward a public promise of restoration. The striking image is the feast: "for all peoples," rich food, well-matured wines, and the removal of the shroud that covers the nations. In a context of poverty, this matters because the vision is not private comfort for a few. It is shared joy, public dignity and the end of disgrace. The passage imagines salvation in social terms. God does not simply rescue isolated souls; God renews a people and opens a future where hunger, tears and shame no longer have the last word.

What first catches the attention here is that worship begins with memory: "You have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure." Isaiah's praise is not vague optimism. It is rooted in God's character and in God's long purpose. That makes the passage especially important for communities that have learned not to trust grand promises. Hope here is not wishful thinking. It is confidence that God's future is more solid than the systems that keep people down.

The feast is not merely about heaven after death, though it certainly includes resurrection hope in the promise that death will be swallowed up. It is also about the kind of world God intends. N. T. Wright often stresses that the Bible's hope is for God's reign to be known on earth, not escape from creation. Jürgen Moltmann likewise teaches that hope in God's future gives courage for faithful action now. So a worship leader may ask, "Where are the signs of this feast already appearing?" In foodbanks that restore dignity rather than dispense pity, in community meals, in debt advice, in neighbourliness, in a congregation that refuses to let anyone disappear in silence.

Another important question is how the passage handles suffering. It does not pretend that the shroud is unreal. It names tears and disgrace before it speaks of their removal. That honesty is pastorally vital. In worship this week, Isaiah can help congregations speak truthfully about grief, weariness and material pressure while still confessing that God's final word is life, not scarcity; welcome, not humiliation.

[N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope (London: SPCK, 2007)
Jurgen Moltmann, The Coming of God (London: SCM Press, 1996)]

Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is so familiar that it can easily become soft around the edges, but in fact, it is a hard-won confession of trust. The psalm does not describe a life free from threat. It speaks of dark valleys, enemies and the need for guidance. Its power lies in the quiet insistence that the Lord is present and active within such conditions. For communities living with low income, unstable housing, poor mental health or chronic uncertainty, that is not sentimental comfort. It is a claim that people are not abandoned.

The opening line, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want," can be heard wrongly if it is taken to mean that believers will never lack anything materially. Many faithful people lack much. A better approach is to hear the line as a statement of deep dependence. The psalm points to the God who leads, restores, accompanies and hosts. It tells us that our life is not secured by the market, by status or by self-sufficiency. In places where scarcity drives anxiety and competition, that is both comforting and challenging.

The shift from shepherd to host is especially fruitful this week. God prepares a table in the presence of enemies. The table is not set after danger has vanished; it is set in the middle of a world still marked by hostility. That links naturally with Isaiah's feast and Matthew's banquet. God's hospitality is not naïve. It is defiant. It creates a space where fear does not govern everything.

This psalm also helps shape the tone of the whole service. It invites simple, trustworthy language. It lets worship leaders speak of God's care without exaggeration. It may also encourage a practical question for congregations: If God sets a table, how might the Church do the same? That could mean literal food, shared time, patient listening, pastoral visiting, careful safeguarding of dignity, or making room for those who fear they do not belong.

[Walter Brueggemann, The Message of the Psalms (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984)]

Philippians 4:1-9

Philippians 4:1-9 turns from large images of a banquet and a pasture to the texture of everyday Christian life. Paul writes to a community under pressure and urges them to stand firm, to mend a damaged relationship, to rejoice, to pray and to think about what is honourable and just. The passage is grounded and practical. It does not deny anxiety; it addresses anxiety by placing it within a life of prayer, mutual support and disciplined attention.

One feature that stands out is Paul's refusal to separate spiritual life from communal life. Euodia and Syntyche are named because relationships matter to the witness of the Church. In places of deprivation, congregations can become overstretched and thin-skinned. Tired people can wound one another easily. So, this passage is helpful not because it tells people to calm down, but because it calls the Church to become a community where burdens are carried together.

"Let your gentleness be known to everyone" (v.5) is a strong line for this Sunday. Gentleness here is not weakness. It is the public shape of a people who know that "the Lord is near." In kingdom terms, this is what it looks like when the life of the age to come begins to take form in ordinary habits. N. T. Wright often points out that Christian holiness is not withdrawal from the world but the formation of communities that anticipate God's new creation. Paul is describing such a community.

The command to think about whatever is true, honourable, just, pure, pleasing and commendable can also be heard politically as well as personally. In a culture shaped by fear, outrage and despair, the Church is called to practise moral clarity without cynicism. Worship leaders may wish to explore how prayer redirects anxious energy into trustful action. The promise that "the peace of God... will guard your hearts and your minds" (v.7) is not an escape from hard realities, it is the gift that steadies people to keep loving and serving within them.

[N. T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters (London: SPCK, 2002)]

Matthew 22:1-14

Matthew 22:1-14 is the most difficult passage in this set, and it should not be handled carelessly. It is a parable of invitation refused, a city in turmoil, a room finally filled, and one guest without a wedding robe. The first task is to respect its sharpness. Jesus is not telling a gentle story. He is confronting resistance to God's reign and exposing the seriousness of rejecting the invitation of the kingdom.

The image of the banquet connects strongly with Isaiah, but Matthew adds conflict. Those first invited do not simply decline; they dismiss the king's summons because other priorities matter more. Some even respond with violence. In that sense, the parable is about the tragedy of refusing grace when it comes near. Yet the next movement is striking: the invitation goes out into the streets and gathers "both good and bad" (v.10). The hall is filled because the king wants a full house. That widening of the invitation is important for congregations seeking to serve in places where people often assume church is not for them.

The question of the wedding robe is harder. It is best not to use it to frighten people into religious performance. Within Matthew's Gospel, a more faithful approach is to see it as a sign that grace calls for response. The kingdom is free, but not casual. To accept the invitation is to accept a changed life. Kingdom theology helps here again: God's welcome creates a people whose way of living must fit the feast they have entered. In plain terms, the Church cannot speak of inclusion and then cling to pride, indifference or neglect.

This passage can therefore be preached as both comfort and challenge. The streets are open; the invitation is real; those who thought themselves outside are called in. But the gathered community is also summoned to live in a way that honours the host. For churches in places of scarcity, that may mean asking not only whom we invite, but what kind of shared life people meet when they arrive.

[N. T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 2 (London: SPCK, 2004).]

Sermon ideas

A sermon for this Sunday could be shaped around one main image: God's table in a hungry world. Isaiah offers the great promise of the feast for all peoples. Psalm 23 gives the personal and pastoral note of a table prepared in the presence of fear. Matthew shows that the invitation to the feast reaches into the streets. Philippians describes the kind of community that can live as if the invitation is true. Together, the readings move from promise to practice.

One way to preach this is to begin with a simple human truth: scarcity does more than empty cupboards; it narrows the imagination. People under pressure can begin to believe there will never be enough love, time, money, attention or hope. The gospel answers that lie, not by denying the pain of scarcity, but by showing the generosity of God. The kingdom of God is not an abstract idea but God's rule arriving in Jesus and calling communities to embody the hope for the future in the present. This sermon can therefore show that Christian hope is social, material and public. It concerns bodies, households, neighbourhoods and shared life, not only inward belief.

Jürgen Moltmann helps deepen that message. Hope is not optimism. Hope is trust in God's promised future strong enough to resist despair. So, the sermon can name food poverty, shame, loneliness and exhaustion plainly, while refusing to grant them final authority. Isaiah says death and disgrace do not win. Psalm 23 says fear does not get to narrate the whole story. Philippians says anxiety is met by prayer, gentleness and disciplined attention. Matthew says the invitation still goes out.

A practical shape for the sermon might be three movements:

• The feast God promises: A vision of abundance, dignity and joy for all
• The table God prepares now: Signs of the kingdom in prayer, care, food, friendship and solidarity
• The life God asks of invited guests: Receiving grace and becoming a community that reflects the host's generosity

For congregations that prefer a more participative approach, the service could invite people to reflect on three questions in pairs or small groups:

• Where do people feel scarcity in our community?
• Where do we already see signs of God's table?
• What one act of welcome, repair or generosity is God calling us to practise this week?

That kind of response keeps the sermon from becoming only commentary. It allows worship to become discernment for local mission.

In writing and delivering this material, it helps to keep the language concrete. Rather than speaking in slogans, speak of neighbours, meals, anxiety, tears, patience, invitation and courage. These readings are large in vision, but they are also local in effect. They call the Church not merely to admire God's abundance, but to become a trustworthy sign of it.

[N. T. Wright, How God Became King (London: SPCK, 2012); Jurgen Moltmann, Theology of Hope (London: SCM Press, 1967).]

Prayers

These prayers can be used in gathered worship with people of different ages and levels of confidence. They follow the brief's request for several short forms of prayer and can be led by one voice, or with short congregational responses if that suits the setting. In a place shaped by poverty and scarcity, it may help the worship leader to pray slowly, leaving small spaces of silence, so that the words do not rush past the realities people are carrying.

Gathering prayer / Call to worship

God of welcome,

You call us from many places and gather us at Your table.
You meet us in joy and in weariness,
in hope and in worry,
in plenty and in need.
Lead us by Your Spirit today,
so that in prayer, song, Scripture and silence
we may know Your presence,
receive Your peace,
and be made ready to serve Your world;
through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Confession / Repentance

Merciful God,

We confess that we do not always trust Your goodness.
When we are afraid, we cling tightly to what we have.
When others are in need, we can look away.
We have not always welcomed others as You have welcomed us.
We have allowed harshness, pride and tiredness
to shape our words and actions.
Forgive us.
Renew us.
Teach us again the way of kindness,
justice and generous love;
through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thanksgiving / Gratitude

Generous God,

We thank You for daily bread,
for shelter and friendship,
for those who care for others quietly,
and for every sign that Your love is still at work in the world.
We thank You for the promise of Your kingdom,
for the table You spread,
for the peace You give,
and for the hope that does not fail.
Receive our gratitude,
and make us grateful people in the way we live;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for others / Intercession
God of compassion,

We pray for people living with poverty,
for households stretched beyond what they can manage,
for those choosing between heat and food,
for those carrying debt, grief or silent shame.
Strengthen all who work to support others:
foodbank volunteers, community workers, teachers, health staff,
carers, ministers, neighbours and friends.

We pray for Your Church,
that it may be humble, brave and generous.
Keep us from easy words without loving action.
Show us how to set wider tables,
how to listen well,
and how to honour the dignity of every person.

We pray for places of conflict and fear across the world,
for those displaced from home,
and for all who long for justice and peace.
Bring comfort to the sorrowing,
steadiness to the anxious,
and courage to all who are close to giving up.
In Your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.

Blessing / Closing Prayer
God of hope,

Send us out in peace,
with hearts made steady by Your grace.
Lead us in the paths of justice and mercy.
Make us signs of Your welcome,
faithful in small things,
patient in struggle,
and joyful in service;
through Jesus Christ,
who calls us to the feast of Your kingdom. Amen.

Musical suggestions

God Welcomes All (GWA) is the new supplement to Church Hymnary Fourth Edition. This exciting new collection features over 200 hymns and songs in a wide range of styles by writers from Scotland and around the world.

The full music and words-only versions are now available; and digital resources, including the expansion of the existing Church of Scotland music website, will be published in due course, with streaming functions and further information on each song; backing tracks; and lyric videos. God Welcomes All is available to order from https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781786225573/god-welcomes-all

Our online music resource is on the Church of Scotland website; you can listen to samples of every song in the Church Hymnary 4th edition (CH4) and download a selection of recordings for use in worship. You will also find playlists for this week and liturgical seasons and themes on the Weekly Worship and Inspire Me tabs.

You can find further musical suggestions for this week in a range of styles on the Songs for Sunday blog from Trinity College Glasgow.

The selections below aim to hold together trust, hope, hospitality, and prayer.

• GWA 218 – "When hands reach out beyond divides" – Themes of hope, unity, and peace make it a strong option among musicians who know it.

• CH4 182 – "Now thank we all our God" – This gives strong language of gratitude without sentimentality and works well after the thanksgiving prayer or near the close of worship.

• CH4 251 – "I, the Lord of sea and sky" – This can serve well as a sending hymn because it responds to God's call with availability for service among the poor, the lonely and the burdened.

• CH4 253 – "Inspired by love and anger" – This is especially fitting for a service shaped by poverty and justice because it joins prayer, discipleship and social responsibility in plain, challenging language.

• CH4 462 – "The King of love my shepherd is" – A natural choice for Psalm 23; it can be sung after the psalm or early in the service to establish trust in God's care.

• CH4 706 – "For the healing of the nations" – Suitable for intercessions or as a response to the sermon, since it holds together justice, peace and the healing of public life.

• CH4 777 – "Kyrie Eleison" – A prayer response can be used after confession or between sections of intercession, especially if the service includes silence.

Reflecting on our worship practice

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the way we worship has changed and we need to reflect on the changing or newly established patterns that emerged and continue to emerge as a result of the disruption.

We can facilitate worship for all by exploring imaginative approaches to inclusion, participation and our use of technologies in ways that suit our contexts. This is not an exhaustive list, but some things we could consider are:

• Framing various parts of the worship service in accessible language to help worshippers understand the character and purpose of each part. This is essential for creating worship for all (intergenerational worship) that reflects your community of faith.
• Holding spaces for reflection and encouraging prayer to be articulated in verbal and non-verbal ways, individually and in online breakout rooms.
• In online formats the effective use of the chat function and microphone settings encourages active participation in prayer, e.g. saying the Lord's Prayer together unmuted, in a moment of ‘holy chaos'.
• While singing in our congregations is still restricted, we can worship corporately by using antiphonal psalm readings, creeds and participative prayers.
• Using music and the arts as part of the worship encourages the use of imagination in place of sung or spoken words.
• Use of silence, sensory and kinaesthetic practices allow for experience and expression beyond regular audio and visual mediums.

The following questions might help you develop a habit of reflecting on how we create and deliver content and its effectiveness and impact, and then applying what we learn to develop our practice.

• How inclusive was the worship?
  Could the worship delivery and content be described as worship for all/ intergenerational?
  Was it sensitive to different "Spiritual Styles"?
• How was the balance between passive and active participation?
• How were people empowered to connect with or encounter God?
  What helped this?
  What hindered this?
• How cohesive was the worship?
  Did it function well as a whole?
  How effective was each of the individual elements in fulfilling its purpose?
• How balanced was the worship?
  What themes/topics/doctrines/areas of Christian life were included?
• How did the worship connect with your context/contemporary issues?
  Was it relevant in the everyday lives of those attending and in the wider parish/ community?
  How well did the worship connect with local and national issues?
  How well did the worship connect with world events/issues?
• What have I learned that can help me next time I plan and deliver worship?

Useful links

You can listen to samples of every song in the Church Hymnary 4th edition (CH4) and download a selection of recordings for use in worship in our online hymnary.

You are free to download, project, print and circulate multiple copies of any of this material for use in worship services, bible studies, parish magazines, etc., but reproduction for commercial purposes is not permitted.

Please note that the views expressed in these materials are those of the individual writer and not necessarily the official view of the Church of Scotland, which can be laid down only by the General Assembly.