SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Do Not Begrudge God’s Generosity
September 20, 2026
AS WE GATHER
On the surface, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard seems wrong. Shouldn’t the worker receive the wages he or she deserves for his or her time and labor? It offends our sense of fair play that one who worked less should receive the same as one who worked more. If you only focus on the perspective of the laborer, that might seem true, but if you focus on the generosity of the vineyard owner, you get a very different perspective. God’s mercy is not the reward for our labor but a pure gift of grace given to those who deserve none of His kindness. When you begin to look at this parable from that perspective, God’s abundant generosity becomes clear. The Lord does what none of us would do—forgives all our sins, no matter how great, and bestows upon us the mercy and salvation we did nothing to earn and could never deserve. How can anyone begrudge Him such generosity?
+ PREPARATION +
HYMN Baptized in Water CH 465
Baptized in water, sealed by the Spirit, Cleansed by the blood of Christ, our King.
Heirs of salvation, trusting His promise, Faithfully now God’s praise we sing.
Baptized in water, sealed by the Spirit, Dead in the tomb with Christ, our King.
One with His rising, freed and forgiven, Thankfully now God’s praise we sing.
Baptized in water, sealed by the Spirit, Marked with the sign of Christ, our King.
Born of one Father, we are His children, Joyfully now God’s praise we sing.
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: Almighty God,
People: Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of all things, and judge of all people, we confess to You that we have sinned. We have turned away from one another in our thinking, speaking, and doing. We have done the evil You forbid and have not done the good You desire. We do repent and are truly sorry for these our sins. Because of the obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us, forgiving us all that is past and granting us the Holy Spirit to guide us into the future.
Pastor: God has promised forgiveness of sins to those who repent. The Lord keep you in His grace and favor and bring you to everlasting life. Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
+ WORD +
HYMN OF PRAISE We Are God’s People CH 399 vs 1 & 3
We are God’s people, the chosen of the Lord, Born of His Spirit, established by His Word.
Our cornerstone is Christ alone, and strong in Him we stand;
O let us live transparently and walk heart to heart and hand in hand.
We are the Body of which the Lord is Head, Called to obey Him, now risen from the dead.
He wills us be a family diverse, yet truly one; O let us give our gifts to God and so shall His work on earth be done.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. Lord God, heavenly Father, since we cannot stand before You relying on anything we have done, help us trust in Your abiding grace and live according to Your Word; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Isaiah 55:6–9 (“Seek the Lord while He may be found.”)
6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
EPISTLE Philippians 1:12–14, 19–30 (“Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.”)
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 20:1–16 (Do you begrudge the Lord’s generosity?)
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
HYMN Take My Life and Let it Be TLH 400
Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice and let me sing Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect and use Every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine, It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own, It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure-store;
Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all, for Thee.
SERMON
NICENE CREED
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made: who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
GREETING/ANNOUNCEMENTS
OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ and for all people according to their needs.
O Lord, Your mercy is beyond our comprehension, and Your generosity is more than we can understand. Give us grace that we rejoice to know the abundance of Your grace and testify to Your goodness in a world that hopes simply for justice. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O Lord, You have planted Your church like a vineyard in this world. Give us grace that we bring forth the fruits of Your mercy in our lives and so give honor to Your holy name. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O Lord, You made all things and order them by Your Word and Your will. Bless our president and the members of Congress, our governor and legislature, all civil servants, and all justices and magistrates that their labors may honor You and serve us. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O Lord, You created man for woman and woman for man, gave them the gift of marriage, and blessed them with children. Sustain all husbands and wives, all parents and children, the single, and those whose desire for marriage and children has not been realized. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O Lord, deliver the sick from their illnesses, the troubled from their afflictions, and the dying from their fear. Give grace to heal according to Your will, and comfort to those who mourn. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O Lord, teach us generosity that we may supply the hungry and those in need from the gifts You have supplied to us. Bless all those who protect and defend us: police, firefighters, those who serve the medical arts, and relief workers. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O Lord, help us that we may be well-prepared to receive the Sacrament of Christ’s flesh and blood and to keep in holy lives what we have tasted. Grant that what we here receive be fulfilled in the eternal feast to come, when, reunited with the saints who have gone before, we enter with joy into the eternal day. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O Lord, You do not forget anything You have made, and You supply us with grace sufficient for this day and all our needs of body and soul, even as You deliver us to everlasting life. Keep us content in Your mercy that we trust in Your promise always. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend ourselves and all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
People: Amen.