Lutheran Lectionary for 06 September 2026 (15th Sunday after Pentecost)

0:30Welcome to the Lutheran Lixinary Podcast from Confident Faith. I am Corey J. Moller, a contributor here at Confident Faith, and I will be your reader today. This 15th Sunday after Pentecost, the 6th of September, in the year of our Lord 2026, in the time of the Church. Our readings for today are Ezekiel chapter 33 verses 7 through 9, Psalm 32 verses 1 through 7, Romans chapter 13 verses 1 through 10, and Matthew chapter 18 verses 1 through 20. We will close, as always, with the Lord's Prayer. Today's first reading comes from the book of Ezekiel, and we will be reading the

1:3233rd chapter verses 7 through 9. And you, Son of Man, I have given you as a sentinel to the House of Israel, and you shall hear a word from my mouth. When I say to the sinner, by death you shall be put to death, and should you not speak so that the impious might take heed from his way, the lawless one himself shall die by his lawlessness, but his blood I will seek from your hand. But you, if you announce to the impious his way, to turn back from it, and he does not turn back from his way, he shall die by his lawlessness, and you have delivered your own soul. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Today's reading from the Psalter is from the 32nd Psalm, and we will be reading verses 1 through 7. Blessed are they whose lawless deeds have been let go, and whose sins have been covered over.

2:37Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will in no wise reckon sin, and whose mouth there is no guile. For I kept silent, and my bones were worn old from my crying out the whole day. For day and night your hand was made heavy upon me. I turned into wretchedness when a thorn was stuck in me. My sin I made known, and my lawlessness I did not cover. I said I will declare out against myself my sin to the Lord, and you let go the impiety of my heart. For this every pious man will pray toward you, in a well-placed season, yet in a flood of many waters they shall not draw near to him. You are my refuge from the crushing that encompasses me, my exaltation, ransom me from those who have ringed me round. Glory be to the Father, and the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forevermore. Amen.

3:45Today's epistle reading comes from the Book of Romans, and we will be reading the 13th chapter verses 1 through 10. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority, then do what is good, and you will receive as approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the evil-doer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God,

4:45attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them, taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Oh no one anything except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and any other commandment are summed up in this word. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. This is the word the Lord. Thanks be to God. Today's Gospel reading comes from the Book of Matthew, and we will be reading the 18th chapter verses 1-20. At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said,

5:50truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin, for it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes. And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels

6:54always see the face of my father who is in heaven. What do you think if a man is a hundred sheep and one of them is gone astray? Does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother, but if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a heathen and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything

7:59they ask, it will be done for them by my father in heaven, for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. This is the gospel of the Lord. Praise be to thee, O Christ. I now invite all of you to join me in reciting the Lord's Prayer, one of the most ancient prayers of the church. I do encourage you to say it aloud if you are somewhere be reasonable to do so, but praying it silently is, of course, also fine. The Lord knows what is in your heart. Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom,

9:04and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Go in peace and grace to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whatever calling has been given you, or tasks that before you. Until next week, God be with you.