17th Sunday after Pentecost

October 1, 2017
Holy Communion at 8:30 and 11am


Prayer of the Day
God of love, giver of life, you know our frailties and failings. Give us your grace to overcome them, keep us from those things that harm us, and guide us in the way of salvation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

Scripture readings
Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32
Psalm 25:1-9
Philippians 2:1-13
Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon 
"By Faith Alone"
Matthew 21:23-32

What do you think? That’s the question posed by Jesus in today’s parable. Which of the two sons did the will of the father? The son who said he would work but didn’t, or the son who said he wouldn’t but did? In the end, the chief priests and the elders miss the point (again!). Neither son did the will of the father. And that’s just the point. None of us have done the will of God our Father. It is not by our effort or attitude that we are saved. The only one who has fulfilled the Father’s will is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the end, it is by faith in God’s grace that we are saved. Thanks be to God for the Son who has emptied himself that we, in spite of ourselves, may be saved.

In our prayers we remember the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Between services, at 9:45am

Children and youth

Sunday School students (grade 1–4) meet in the third-floor school commons for opening worship. Preschool and kindergarten students meet in the JK classroom on the lower level. Pre-Confirmation  and Confirmation students meet in their classrooms. 

Teen Talk meets in the Youth Room. Enjoy the new coffee bar and breakfast treats.

Adult Education

Katharina and Martin: The implications for the Lutheran Reformation, Karl Reko. The marriage of the former monk Martin Luther and former nun Katarina von Bora had implications for marriage and family life during the Reformation.

Living Faithfully: Community Organizing, Anthony Clark.  Clark is a teacher at OPRF high school and a Congressional candidate in the Democratic primary in 2018. He is also the founder of the advocacy group Suburban Unity Alliance, which was created in the summer of 2016 to raise awareness of discrimination and bring diverse suburban communities together.

The Grace Church Library is open and staffed on Sundays from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Look for books related to Adult Ed topics as well as many other subjects. The library is also open for self-service during the week.