Year A – Proper 25
Full-text of the Appointed Lessons (RSV and NRSV), with instructions for lectors
October 25 – 22 Pentecost – RCL
ILLUMINATION for the First Lesson
22 Pentecost (Proper 25), Year A, October 25, 2026
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
The leadership of the people of Israel is passed from Moses to Joshua; a new phase of the relationship between God and his people dawns.
A reading (lesson) from the Book of Deuteronomy:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: Moses went up from the plains…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to MountNebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. And the LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Bethpeor; but no man knows the place of his burial to this day. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him; so the people of Israel obeyed him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great and terrible deeds which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.
New Revised Standard Version
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain– that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees– as far as Zoar. The LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, `I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the LORD’s command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended. Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses. Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
ILLUMINATION for the Alternate First Lesson
22 Pentecost (Proper 25), Year A, October 25, 2026
Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18
God gives Moses the law for his people, establishing that all are to treat each other with compassionate justice and with steadfast love.
A reading (lesson) from the Book of Leviticus:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: The Lord spoke to Moses…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, You shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy. You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go up and down as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand forth against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD. You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor, lest you bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”
New Revised Standard Version
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the LORD. You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”
ILLUMINATION for the Second Lesson
22 Pentecost (Proper 25), Year A, October 25, 2026
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
The disciples’ ministry among the Thessalonians is defended by virtue of their humility and integrity amongst the gathered faithful.
A reading (lesson) from the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: You yourselves know…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
For you yourselves know, brethren, that our visit to you was not in vain; but though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the face of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from error or uncleanness, nor is it made with guile; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never used either words of flattery, as you know, or a cloak for greed, as God is witness; nor did we seek glory from men, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
New Revised Standard Version
You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
ILLUMINATION for the Gospel Lesson
22 Pentecost (Proper 25), Year A, October 25, 2026
Matthew 22:34-46
Continually determined to turn religious faith into an intellectual contest, the Pharisees again question Jesus. His answer silences all his opponents, who are both befuddled and afraid.
A reading (lesson) from the Gospel according to Matthew:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: When the Pharisees heard…
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
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet’? If David thus calls him Lord, how is he his son?” And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did any one dare to ask him any more questions.
New Revised Standard Version
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
October 25 – 22 Pentecost – BCP
ILLUMINATION for the First Lesson
22 Pentecost (Proper 25), Year A, October 25, 2026
Exodus 22:21-27
God’s covenant with the people requires those who follow him to show mercy to the needy, just as God has shown his people mercy.
A reading (lesson) from the Book of Exodus:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: God said “You shall not wrong…”
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
God said, “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you do afflict them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless. If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor’s garment in pledge, you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down; for that is his only covering, it is his mantle for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.”
New Revised Standard Version
God said, “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry; my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans. If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them. If you take your neighbor’s cloak in pawn, you shall restore it before the sun goes down; for it may be your neighbor’s only clothing to use as cover; in what else shall that person sleep? And if your neighbor cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate.”
ILLUMINATION for the Second Lesson
22 Pentecost (Proper 25), Year A, October 25, 2026
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
The disciples’ ministry among the Thessalonians is defended by virtue of their humility and integrity amongst the gathered faithful.
A reading (lesson) from the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: You yourselves know…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
For you yourselves know, brethren, that our visit to you was not in vain; but though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the face of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from error or uncleanness, nor is it made with guile; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never used either words of flattery, as you know, or a cloak for greed, as God is witness; nor did we seek glory from men, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
New Revised Standard Version
You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
ILLUMINATION for the Gospel Lesson
22 Pentecost (Proper 25), Year A, October 25, 2026
Matthew 22:34-46
Continually determined to turn religious faith into an intellectual contest, the Pharisees again question Jesus. His answer silences all his opponents, who are both befuddled and afraid.
A reading (lesson) from the Gospel according to Matthew:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: When the Pharisees heard…
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
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet’? If David thus calls him Lord, how is he his son?” And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did any one dare to ask him any more questions.
New Revised Standard Version
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
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
“A key moment in the lifelong process of Christian conversion occurs when we experience the paradox that even as we question God, God is questioning us. Even as we evaluate Christianity, Christianity is evaluating us. Even as we judge the Church’s tradition, the Church’s tradition is judging us. Indeed, the criteria and standards that we employ to call the tradition into question are themselves called into question by the tradition.”
“Jesus is the fulfillment of the two great commandments. His love of the Father is eternally responsive, immediate, and unrestrained. His love of humanity intends the salvation of all, so that each person and the human family together may, by adoption and grace, attain friendship with God.”
Preaching Today
Christopher Yoder: How to Read the Bible
“…The Pharisees treat the Scriptures as something to be mastered. But Jesus the Master shows how the Scriptures resist our mastery, tending, rather, to master us. Jesus demonstrates that the proper posture to take vis-à-vis the Bible is a whole-hearted, loving, and wondering response to the God whose Word it is, to the Lord who speaks through it.”
Jonathan A. Mitchican: Jesus Teaches Us How to Love God
“David calls the Messiah his lord because the Messiah is the Lord God. By asking this question, Jesus is revealing to them and to us that he is God come in the flesh to rescue his people, to set them free from what oppresses them.”
Will Brown: Loving God As We Love Ourself
“Loving God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind, and loving your neighbor as yourself is the gateway through which we enter upon this offering and receiving of Christ’s body and blood that enacts and constitutes our salvation. The fact that the Lord tells us to love God with all of our heart, all of our soul, and all of our mind is a way of saying that our love of God should be all-encompassing.”
Classic Texts
George Eliot: The Death of Moses
“‘Lord, I obey; but thou rememberest
How thou, Ineffable, didst take me once
Within thy orb of light untouched by death.’
Then the voice answered, ‘Be no more afraid:
With me shall be thy death and burial.’
So Moses waited, ready now to die.”
John Chrysostom: To Give the Soul
“What is the gain? For, from the Gospel is gain, but to give our souls, is with respect to difficulty a greater thing than that. For merely to preach is not the same thing as to give the soul. For that indeed is more precious, but the latter is a matter of more difficulty.”
Augustine: At Our Side
“Where are you traveling if not to the Lord God, to him whom we should love with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole minds? We have not yet reached his presence, but we have our neighbor at our side. Support, then, this companion of your pilgrimage if you want to come into the presence of the One with whom you desire to remain forever.”
Articles on Burial
Mark Michael: Graveyard Homes
“Home is, of course, where you lay your head, and the ‘cemetery’ or ‘sleeping place’ is a distinctively Christian word for the burial ground. And this is perhaps why my son was most correct when he mistook that Virginia graveyard for our home. We are all destined to sleep in the earth, if not in this particular churchyard, then in one much like it. ‘Prepare to die and follow me.’”
Bryan Owen: Facing Death with Christian Hope
“Paul wants us to live without fear and free of the weight of grief. He wants to reassure us that those who have died remain in God’s care. And so he lays out a vision of hope in which death is no longer the end, but rather the doorway to new life.”
Calvin Lane: Christian Burial: Dividing Up Cremains and Other Troubling Habits
“Christians wanted to keep their dead close: these bodies, made in the image and likeness of God, would one day be raised up in the same way that Christ, the first fruits of them that slept, was raised incorruptible (1 Cor. 15).”
Articles on the Great Commandment
Christin Ditchfield Lazo: Love for the Law
“God’s law is where freedom is found. God’s Word is our source of wisdom. And his commandments are never arbitrary, meaningless, or burdensome; they always have a purpose.”
Ashley Null: Right Desire and True Gospel
“With these changes we see the apex of Cranmer’s liturgical revision. Divine gracious love, constantly communicated by the Holy Spirit in the regular repetition of Scripture’s promises through Word and Sacrament, inspires grateful human love, gently drawing believers toward God and their fellow human beings in the pursuit of lifelong godliness.”
Jerusalem Greer: The Way of Love – Go
“Part of practicing the spiritual discipline of Go… is to choose to follow Jesus’ lead and learn to release control of the narrative, crossing the boundaries that position us as experts and rescuers, and to join our neighbors as we really are, people with longings and needs, hungers and desires, lots of questions and too few answers.”
Articles on Prophetic Ministry
Esau McCaulley: A Church that Loves the Prophets
“Put differently, the prophets do not only inspire our social action. They challenge us to place that social action in the context of a lively faith in the God of Israel finally fully made known in the person and work of his Son.”
David Barr: Repentance and Blessing: The Political Posture of the Church
The Jeremiah passage pushes us to hold together a vision of the penitent Church as also the Church seeking out the welfare of her context — a Church living out her captivity and enduring correction while attending to the complex web of relationships and obligations that she does not choose for herself but yet is commanded to serve.
James Cornwell: False Prophets
“Do the words of a prophet point back to Christ, his Father and his Spirit, to their holy attributes and expressed will for humankind? Or do these prophet’s words seek to establish other unquestionable truths to make us free — and cast in the role of demonic children any who dare to question them?”
