Rebecca Miller
The 15th Sunday after Pentecost
September 1, 2024
Sunday Sermons from St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, Carmel Valley CA | saintdunstanschurch.org
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
The readings for today collectively invite reflection on love, righteousness, genuine faith, and inner purity.
Song of Solomon 2:8-13: A poetic celebration of love, depicting the arrival of the beloved, bringing joy and renewal as the winter passes and the time of singing arrives.
Psalm 45:1-2, 7-10: A royal psalm praising the king’s beauty, grace, and righteousness, highlighting the divine blessing and the joy of the king’s court.
James 1:17-27: An exhortation to live out one’s faith through actions, emphasizing that every good gift comes from God and urging believers to be doers of the word, not merely hearers.
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23: Jesus challenges the Pharisees and scribes on their focus on external rituals, teaching that true defilement comes from within, from the heart’s intentions and actions.
Collect of the Day:
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.