Readings for Sunday – 10/26/25

The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

THE COLLECT
Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity;
and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever. Amen
.
OLD TESTAMENT: Joel 2:23-32
O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he has given the
early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early
and the later rain, as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats
shall overflow with wine and oil. I will repay you for the years that the swarming
locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I
sent against you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of
the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never
again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I,
the Lord, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be
put to shame. Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young
men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. I will
show portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of
smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the
great and terrible day of the Lord comes. Then everyone who calls on the name of
the Lord shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those
who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the
Lord calls.
Reader: The Word of the Lord People: Thanks be to God

PSALM: Psalm 65
1 You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *
to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.
2 To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *
because of their transgressions.
3 Our sins are stronger than we are, *
but you will blot them out.
4 Happy are they whom you choose and draw to your courts to dwell there! *
they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house, by the holiness of
your temple.
5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation*
O Hope of all the ends of the earth and of the seas that are far away.
6 You make fast the mountains by your power; *
they are girded about with might.
7 You still the roaring of the seas, *
the roaring of their waves, and the clamor of the peoples.
8 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvelous signs; *
you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it very plenteous; *
the river of God is full of water.
10 You prepare the grain, *
for so you provide for the earth.
11 I You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *
with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.
12 You crown the year with your goodness, *
and your paths overflow with plenty.
13 May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *
and the hills be clothed with joy.
14 May the meadows cover themselves with flocks, and the valleys cloak
themselves with grain; *
let them shout for joy and sing.

EPISTLE: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my
departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I
have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day,
and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing. At my
first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be
counted against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that
through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles might
hear it. So, I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me
from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory
forever and ever. Amen.
Reader: The Word of the Lord People: Thanks be to God

THE GOSPEL of our Lord Jesus Christ according to:
Luke 18:9-14 People: Glory to You Lord Christ
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were
righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple
to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by
himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people:
thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I
give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would
not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be
merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified
rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who
humble themselves will be exalted.”
Reader: The Gospel of the Lord People: Praise to you, Lord Christ