Year A – Proper 22
Full-text of the Appointed Lessons (RSV and NRSV), with instructions for lectors
October 4 – 19 Pentecost – RCL
ILLUMINATION for the First Lesson
19 Pentecost (Proper 22), Year A, October 4, 2026
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
Moses receives God’s Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai; the people are afraid of what this means for their lives and habits.
A reading (lesson) from the Book of Exodus:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: God spoke all these words…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” Now when all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled; and they stood afar off, and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will hear; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to prove you, and that the fear of him may be before your eyes, that you may not sin.”
New Revised Standard Version
God spoke all these words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.”
ILLUMINATION for the Alternate First Lesson
19 Pentecost (Proper 22), Year A, October 4, 2026
Isaiah 5:1-7
God faithfully tends the field of his people, even though we stray. In the midst of our disobedience, we face consequences.
A reading (lesson) from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: Let me sing for my beloved…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
Let me sing for my beloved a love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He digged it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry!
New Revised Standard Version
Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!
ILLUMINATION for the Second Lesson
19 Pentecost (Proper 22), Year A, October 4, 2026
Philippians 3:4b-14
Paul urges the Philippians to focus on what lies ahead in their lives in Christ rather than either resting on their laurels or fearing their past sins.
A reading (lesson) from the Letter of Paul to the Philippians:
(Lead in with) RSV: If any other man thinks…; NRSV: If anyone else has reason…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
If any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
New Revised Standard Version
If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
ILLUMINATION for the Gospel Lesson
19 Pentecost (Proper 22), Year A, October 4, 2026
Matthew 21:33-46
Jesus issues a warning in the form of a parable to those, in his age and ours, who would disregard God’s compassionate provision.
A reading (lesson) from the Gospel according to Matthew:
(Lead in with) RSV: Jesus said, “Hear…”; NRSV: Jesus said, “Listen…”
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc. If read by an ordained person as the eucharistic gospel, conclude with The gospel of the Lord.
Revised Standard Version
Jesus said, “Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. But when they tried to arrest him, they feared the multitudes, because they held him to be a prophet.
New Revised Standard Version
Jesus said, “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.
October 4 – 19 Pentecost – BCP
ILLUMINATION for the First Lesson
19 Pentecost (Proper 22), Year A, October 4, 2026
Isaiah 5:1-7
God faithfully tends the field of his people, even though we stray. In the midst of our disobedience, we face consequences.
A reading (lesson) from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: Let me sing for my beloved…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
Let me sing for my beloved a love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He digged it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry!
New Revised Standard Version
Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!
ILLUMINATION for the Second Lesson
19 Pentecost (Proper 22), Year A, October 4, 2026
Philippians 3:14-21
Paul urges the Philippians to focus on what lies ahead in their lives in Christ rather than either resting on their laurels or fearing their past sins.
A reading (lesson) from the Letter of Paul to the Philippians:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: I press on toward the goal…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature be thus minded; and if in anything you are otherwise minded, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brethren, join in imitating me, and mark those who so live as you have an example in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.
New Revised Standard Version
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. Only let us hold fast to what we have attained.
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.
ILLUMINATION for the Gospel Lesson
19 Pentecost (Proper 22), Year A, October 4, 2026
Matthew 21:33-43
Jesus issues a warning in the form of a parable to those, in his age and ours, who would disregard God’s compassionate provision.
A reading (lesson) from the Gospel according to Matthew:
(Lead in with) RSV: Jesus said, “Hear…”; NRSV: Jesus said, “Listen…”
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc. If read by an ordained person as the eucharistic gospel, conclude with The gospel of the Lord.
Revised Standard Version
Jesus said, “Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.”
New Revised Standard Version
Jesus said, “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.”
Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
The Living Word | Lectionary Preaching Aids
Exploring the Texts
“We are tenants in a vineyard. God, the owner, has a rightful claim to the fruit of the vineyard. We reject, abuse, and kill emissaries of the landowner who come to collect some of the fruit of the vineyard. We want the vineyard as our own.”
Science, Humanities, and Fulfillment
“God has given freedom for a purpose: to see God in nature and to read God in the Word. This calling lifts the heart, brightens the eyes, and is exceedingly valuable and sweet. Could there be anything better?”
“We’re just as capable of being wicked tenants as the chief priests and elders to whom the parable was first told. And the vineyard can just as easily be taken away from us if we fail to render to God the fruits that are his due.”
Preaching Today
Donald Waring: The Best Laid Plans
“Perhaps Matthew was using hindsight, alluding to the destruction of the Temple, and warning all the Schlieffens of the world to make better plans. But parables are funny things; they are what you make of them. In reading and puzzling over this one, I see something else. I see good news, not just good advice.”
Rita Steadman: Our Stewardship Prepares the Ground for God
“Practicing stewardship is a way to intentionally put God at our center, to correct and heal our sense of self, to acknowledge our relationship with him as stewards of this precious life he has given us. He asks for our first fruits as his stewards, not just what we might or might not have left over.”
Cathy H. George: We Learn to Pray by Praying
“Prayer is the many-faceted relationship between what is human and what is divine. It is a lifelong practice. One goal of prayer is to gain an increasingly transparent relationship between ourselves and God that unites with what is mundane and extraordinary in our daily lives.”
Classic Texts
Augustine: Tell Me Something of My God
“I asked the sky, the sun, the moon, and the stars, but they told me, ‘Neither are we the God whom you seek.’ I spoke to all things that are about me, all that can be admitted by the door the senses, and I said, ‘Since you are not my God, tell me about him. Tell me something of my God.’ Clear and loudly they answered, ‘God is the one who made us.’”
John Wesley: Will Not Last Always
“For this season, it may be for weeks or months, he causes them to “ride on high places” (Deut. 32:13), he bears them as on eagles’ wings (Ex. 19:4), above all the fiery darts of the wicked one. But this state will not last always; as we may learn from that single consideration, that the Son of God himself … was tempted even to the end of his life.”
John Calvin: The Mournful Spectacle
“We now perceive how useful that prediction is, which relieves godly minds from the terror that would otherwise be produced by the mournful spectacle. For nothing is more unreasonable than that the members should rise up against the head, the vine-dressers against the proprietor, the counselors against their king, and that the builders should reject the foundation of the building.”
Articles on the Ten Commandments
Christopher Yoder: Ten Words and a Consuming Fire
“And the Ten Words resound today, in my heart and yours. If we listen carefully — and we must (see Heb. 12:18–29) — we will find ourselves addressed in these Words. We will discover that ‘the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart’ (Heb. 4:12).”
Brandt Montgomery: Don’t Cheat on God!
“Not only is the seventh commandment an admonition against sexual promiscuity, it is also a call to focus our attention on God as our Alpha and Omega and the Almighty one. The purpose of God’s commandments is to draw us into seeing him as our one true love. The proof that this is God’s real nature comes from the fact that the constant unfaithful party throughout the biblical narrative is humanity; God remains completely faithful throughout the relationship.”
Abigail Woolley Cutter: The Sabbath: Fulfilled but Not Obsolete
“It taught Israel that God was the Creator, and that his people were mere creatures. God was ultimately their provider, and they undertook feverish activity for profit and self-preservation in vain. It also reminded Israel that God had rescued them out of slavery, and that they must in turn be merciful to their economic dependents.”
Articles on Law
Craig Uffman: Worship, Law, and ‘My Personal Jesus’
“The objective element of their worship was not on the human side of Torah — their performance of it — but on God’s covenantal promise to be present in their womb as they were shaped by it. As their communal life was shaped by God’s instruction, God would be in the midst of them. The objective element is the covenant of grace.”
Thabo Makgoba: Clean and Unclean
“What attracts me about our faith is the image of Jesus as a Palestinian of Jewish faith, breaking conventions, upturning the tables of the money-lenders, riding humbly into Jerusalem on a donkey, uninterested in secular power and empire, and simply preaching that all the law and the prophets hang on two commandments: love God and love neighbor.”
Chip Prehn: They Were Amazed
“What was sketched in the Hebrew Bible was a deep cooperation between the Creator and Israel, the beginnings of a joint venture of monumental importance for the history of the human race. The plot thickened wonderfully at the Annunciation.”
Articles on Inheritance
Paul (H. Matthew Lee): Our Great Inheritance
“What brings us to breathe life into the old book with our prayers and allow it to shape our minds, tongues, and spirits, is that in its pages we find religion. In it we find a tradition that has been hallowed by the lips and fingers of the generations before us; in it are the liturgies which animate Scripture into the grammar of prayer, a language that speaks with confidence about the transcendent otherness of God and with sobriety about our sins.”
Paul Wheatley: Destiny of the Beloved
“For Jesus this is an eternal Sonship. We, on the other hand, are adopted into this status, given by divine grace what is Jesus’ by divine nature. We are adopted into God’s family, fellow heirs of Christ’s inheritance, and with Jesus, our new identity is beloved.”
Sam Keyes: The Assumptions of the Assumption
“She is the new Eve, the new woman, the mother of all creation. She shows the glory of our inheritance. It is an inheritance that we can hardly imagine, much less comprehend. Even the angels are dumbfounded.”
