7/29/2019

September 2019 Lectionary Preview: God’s Pursuit, In Pursuit of God

by Rev. Dr. Neal Presa

In simple terms, stewardship is caring for what has been entrusted to you or what belongs to you. Hopefully, such custodianship is done wisely, towards the intended end for which it was given, all to the glory of God. When the Scriptures speak of God’s relationship with Israel, and by extension, God’s relationship with all of humanity, it is done in covenantal terms. God’s covenantal promise is often expressed in a variant of the following statement: “I am the Lord your God, and you are my people.” What is expressed in that claim is a stewardship of belonging: we and the Lord belong one to another. This means all that we have (time, talent, treasure) and all that we are, indeed, the whole of our life belongs to the Lord. With this claim of belongingness comes the sure and certain premise that we will stray from the relationship, as there will also be joy in being found and redirected back to the heart of the Lord. The lections from the book of Jeremiah and the Gospel according to Luke will be the focus for this preview of the September 2019 lectionary texts.

Please click on the image below to read the lectionary for that Sunday.

September 1: Jeremiah 2:4-13; Luke 14:1, 7-14 September 8: Jeremiah 18:1-11; Luke 14:25-33
September 15: Jeremiah 4:11-22, 22-28; Luke 15:1-10 September 22: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1; Luke 16:1-13
September 29: Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15; Luke 16:19-31
Rev. Dr. Neal Presa

Rev. Dr. Neal Presa

The Rev. Neal D. Presa, Ph.D. is Executive Presbyter of the Presbytery of San José. He also serves as Affiliate Associate Professor of Preaching at Fuller Theological Seminary, and Senior Fellow of The Center for Pastor Theologians. He is past chair (2020-2022) and vice chair (2018-2020) of the Board of Trustees of the Presbyterian Foundation. He served as Moderator of the 220th General Assembly (2012-2014), and he currently represents the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on the World Council of Churches Central Committee and Executive Committee, where he is moderator of the finance policy committee. He is moderator of the Theology Working Group for the World Communion of Reformed Churches’ 27th General Council (2025, Chiang Mai). He is author/(co-)editor of nine books and over 100 essays, journal articles, and book reviews, including the recent Worship, Justice, and Joy: A Liturgical Pilgrimage (Cascade, 2025), as part of the Worship & Witness series in partnership with the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship and with funding from the Louisville Institute. For two decades he served congregations in New Jersey and California, and as a senior administrative faculty and visiting professor/research fellow in theological institutions in the United States, Philippines, and South Africa. He is married to Grace née Rhie (a publisher of English books on Korean subjects) and they have two college age sons. Connect with Neal on social media @NealPresa or email Neal@sanjosepby.org.

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