Embedded Files
. . . As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord . . . Joshua 25:15b
Proper 14 Yr C
Otterness, Tom, 1952-. Educating the Rich on the Globe (1997, freestanding sculpture, New York) [retrieved July 19, 2025].
Published date 08062025
Editor's note: During the season of Pentecost, churches that use the Revised Common Lectionary have two options. One, often called "semicontinuous" or "Track 1", provides more detail about the Old Testament stories. The other, called "complementary" or "Track 2", more closely marries the Old Testament lesson to the gospel reading.
Introduction
Introduction
Some writers may point to the materialistic nature of this gospel; isn’t it more about confidence in the Lord’s promises to us? And especially when it is paired with the Old Testament in which God assures Abram that Abram will be the father of many descendants.
Start by thinking about "if only". Britannica says "if only" is a wish or hope. "If only" the owner of the house had known. "If only" he hadn't been speeding. "If only" she hadn't been drinking. The gospel passage begins with "do not be afraid", "be ready", and "the master is coming", then continues with "if only." So, if I knew thieves were coming, I would be ready for them? Does that translate into because I know thieves could be coming, I should prepare for that occasion? Do this mean I'm trying to protect my resources? I really don't think so.
In general, I try to reduce concepts to their simplest forms. So, my first conclusion is I'm wasting my anxiety worrying about what is already in "the plan". My second conclusion is not to think that I have nothing to do but wait—I am to prepare myself or keep myself in readines. My third conclusion is I am confident that the master will return. When I consider the gospel along with the letter to the Hebrews, I conclude these pieces of scripture are about faith—my faith in the Word, my trust in my God.
So, “if I had only known” should become “I know” because my God has told me so, because I have faith. How much more blessed could it be? Comments welcome.
Luke 12:32-40
Luke 12:32-40
Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. . . . Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; . . . if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.”
From sermon4kids.com: “Playing a Treasure Hunt game is fun and books about pirates and hidden treasure may make for exciting reading, but building treasure in heaven is very serious business. Let’s ask God to help us to search for the right kind of treasure.”
Scripture: August 10, 2025 (Proper 14, Year C)—Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 (image); Psalm 50:1-8, 23-24 (image); Genesis 15:1-6 (image); Psalm 33:12-22 (image); Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 (image); and Luke 12:32-40 (image). A visual/audio journey.
Collect: Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reflection:
Track 1: What does it mean to be ready for Christ’s coming? In what sense is the coming of the kingdom like “a thief in the night” (Luke 12:39)?
Track 2:
What does it mean to “desire a better country . . . a heavenly one” (Heb. 11:16)? How does looking forward to a heavenly home change the way we live on earth?
(excerpted from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year C, Volume 2 © 2013 Westminster John Knox Press)
A visual/audio journey. Thanks to Stephen Herchak for reading.
Images enhancing
the scripture
“Educating the rich on the earth” by Tom Otterness
“Sunrise” by Margret Hofheinz-Döring
“God as architect and builder“, The Frontispiece of Bible Moralisee
"Abraham's farewell to Ishmael" by George Segal (scroll down)
Music founded
in the scripture
“Rejoice, rejoice believers” tune Llangloflan
“Stay awake, be ready“, delightful children’s presentation
“Christ be our light” by Bernadette Farrell sung happily by Notre Dame folk choir
Other voices
about the scripture
“Ready or not, here I come” by Cathy Lessman
I go down to the shore in the morning
and depending on the hour the waves
are rolling in or moving out,
and I say, oh, I am miserable,
what shall—
what should I do? And the sea says
in its lovely voice:
“Excuse me, I have work to do.”
© Mary Oliver
“Can we get a grown up view of faith” by Bruce Maples
"The Secret of the Easy Yoke" by Fr Johnny Tuttle
Movies representing some part of the scripture
“The Sixth Sense” (1999, PG-13), psychological thriller, “. . . the interrogators have made up their minds . . .”, Review 1, Review 2
“Double Jeopardy” (1999, R), “a film that celebrates doing all the wrong things for all the right reasons”, Review
Image credit: Photo by Leonard von Bibra on Unsplash
For families: Study guide and activities (former guide), group activity, snacks, kid video—"This little light of mine"
For children: See family guide/activity above (another activity); bulletin games; craft;
For middlers: See family guide/activity above (another activity); bulletin games; craft
Coloring pages: Luke 12; another Luke 12
For youth: Read the gospel assigned for this day: what stands out in this gospel reading? In our time, what would it look like to be “dressed for action”, to “have lamps lit”? How does “trust” impact your thinking? Send comments to FaithatHome2020@gmail.com.
Image credit: Photo by TopSphere Media on Unsplash
Central to today’s liturgy is the gospel call to live always in expectation of the Lord’s return. That stance of waiting enables us to put all other aspects of our lives in the correct order. Material needs become not irrelevant, but secondary to our life in relationship to God in Christ. Jesus calls us to live as though he is at hand. The Eucharist is the repeated foretaste of the coming of the Lord to take us into the kingdom.
Track 1: We will spend several Sundays reading through the concluding portion of Hebrews. This section deals with the call to faith that we have in Christ. Our forebearers in the faith, especially Abraham and Sarah, are presented as models of this faith, which is described as the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen. It is in remembering that God was faithful to our ancestors in faith that we are equipped for our own time of waiting.
Track 2: We will spend several Sundays reading through the concluding portion of the Epistle to the Hebrews. This section deals with the call to faith, which we have in Christ. Our forebearers in the faith, especially Abraham and Sarah, are presented as models of this faith, which is described as the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen. It is in remembering that God was faithful to our ancestors in faith that we are equipped for our own time of waiting.
The first reading relates God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah, old and childless, to give them an heir and produce from them a new people. For the first time, the Scriptures express what will become central to the Gospel proclamation: righteousness depends on faith.
As we gather to celebrate the Eucharist, we are upheld in our expectation of Jesus’ promise to take us into his kingdom by the memory of our mothers and fathers in the faith whose hope was fulfilled by God.
From The Rite Light: Reflections on the Sunday Readings and Seasons of the Church Year. Copyright © 2007 by Michael W. Merriman. Church Publishing Incorporated, New York.
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