Pastoral Prayer

A Thanksgiving Thought –

Liturgy from our Thanksgiving Worship

This was not from this week but last. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the beautiful final altarscape with the vessel completely returned to wholeness. We have been putting it together throughout our journey in Exodus and now that they have crossed the Jordan, it is completed.

Call to Worship – based on Psalm 22

Pastor: There are days God feels far away from us

People: God, my god, why have you forsaken me?

Pastor: There are days we wonder if God hears the groanings of our hearts.

People: God, why does it seem you are so far from me?

Pastor: There are times we may wonder if there is a God at all.

People: O God, I cry day and by night, but you are silent and I find no rest.

Pastor: Do not fear, beloved, God is as close as your breath. God is seeking the way of good in every moment. Trust in the Lord your God.

Invocation

Creator, Sustainer, and Protector, make yourself known to us. Do not be far from us, but gather our tears and allay our fears. Let us know you in our hearts. Let us hear you cry out, “ Peace!” in our soul as Jesus did in the storm. Help us to still ourselves and take respite from the world long enough to remember that you are God. AMEN

Preparing

Prayer of Transformation

Teilhard de Chardin offered the ideas that in all our dark moments, God is present. God is in the parting of the fibers of our being and penetrating the very marrow of our substance . . .

Stop.

Listen.

Absorb in the silence the active stillness of a God seeking to work in your heart.

Moment of Stillness

AMEN

Response to Stillness –

May the movement of God within and through you not only work to heal you, but may it heal the whole of the world.

Pastoral Prayer

On this Thanksgiving Sunday, when Christians everywhere proclaim Christ is King, may we give thanks for the people in our lives:

Those who brought us to life,

Those who cared for us when we were young,

Our teachers,

Our mentors,

Our bosses,

Our partners,

Our friends.

Let us give thanks for those who make our days easier:

our mail delivery person,

the person who makes us food or coffee,

the bank tellers,

neighbors,

garage mechanics,

the grocery check out person,

and the bagger.

Let us give thanks for those who seek to make our lives healthier:

our doctors,

physical therapists,

chiropractors,

dentists,

cardiologists,

nurses,

physicians assistants,

mental health professionals,

and nutritionists.

Let us give thanks for those we forget to acknowledge who make life go smoother:

the road workers,

the tree trimmers,

the traffic directors,

the civil engineers,

water treatment staff,

electricians,

plumbers,

carpenters.

We are thankful for all the people who give of their time and talents to make this world a better place. God, may you continue to inspire them in their calling and let them know how their work is truly a ministry in the world.

We pray also this day for those who are feeling down on their luck and for whom giving thanks seems more like a joke than a possibility. May you strengthen their reserves. May you move helpers into their lives. May you make level their path. May you give them concrete and palpable hope that there are those who see them and understand their need.

We pray also for those on our minds today. Hear as we lift their names to you:

(Have people speak the names of those who are on their heart)

We pray all of this in the name of Jesus, our King of Kings, and your son, who taught us to pray saying:

& Lord’s Prayer

Prayer of Illumination –

O Lord, speak to our hearts. Let your words move beyond our ears and take root in the deepest corners of our soul so that it might grow and transform our ways. AMEN

Invitation to share –

Today, we are invited to not only put in our weekly offering, but to dedicate the pledges that have been coming in for weeks. We honor the thoughtful consideration that has gone into deciding how much to pledge to the mission and ministry of this gathered body.

As the plates are passed, please put any final pledges in the plate. We give not out of necessity, but out of desire; not out of confidence, but out of humility; not out of what is left over, but boldly from our first fruits. We give knowing that we together with each other and with God truly can change the world.

Prayer of Dedication

God of the Ages, receive today both our offerings for the day and the promise of tomorrow. Unify us in spirit. Unify us in ministry. Unify us in mission. May you receive our pledges and our gifts. May they show honor to you, and may they go to serve all of the world in your name and to your purpose. AMEN

A Flexible Liturgy

Call to Worship – based on Psalm 19

Pastor: The law of the Lord is perfect;

People: it revives the soul.

Pastor: The decrees of the Lord are sure;

People: making the wise simple.

Pastor: The precepts of the Lord are right.

People: We rejoice in our hearts the ways of God.

Pastor: God’s ways are more precious than gold.

People: They are sweeter than honey dripping fresh from the honeycomb.

Invocation

Holy one, we seek to know you. Enlighten our eyes. Give hunger to our souls. Teach us and show us your ways. Let not just the words of your mouth and the meditations of our heart be acceptable to you, but let all that we do bring you honor and praise. Amen

Unison Prayer of Transformation

God of tangles and frayed edges, we lay ourselves before your seeking healing and wholeness. Patiently untangle our life. Hem our edges and mend the tears. See the beauty in our disarray and weave us even more fully into the wonder and beauty you imagined. Remind us that we are created by your hand and that your acts of creation do not end at our birth. Continue to act on us and in us. Let us become the masterpieces you imagine. AMEN

Assurance of Love

Pastor: God is always working on you, with you, and in you. You are a masterpiece in the making and you are beloved just as you are. Both are true. May you feel the love of God constantly around you, guiding you, sustaining you, and celebrating you.

Pastoral Prayer

Holy God,

Your children are crying. Hear their pain. Be attentive to their suffering. Recognize their fears. Hold them in their anxiety.

Search each person’ heart for that which they are holding onto.

Today, we hold all of humanity. We hold the young and the old and everyone in between. We hold those that live next door, those that live on the other side of the world and everyone in between. We pray for the care of all. We pray for their needs to be met. We pray for not only their survival but for their flourishing.

May warfare be quelled.

May food be plentiful.

May education be available.

May water be clean and the air fresh.

May kindness and compassion, love and care, infuse all.

We pray this for all;

And we pray specifically today for . . .

We pray all of this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together saying . . .

Lord’s Prayer

Prayer of Illumination

Holy and Gracious God,

You have gifted us with language. You gave us letters that we could combine to make words. Words that we could combine to make sentences. Sentences that we can put together to tell stories. Stories which get built up and retold to create our culture. As we hear our story today, let us hear at all levels. What did this story mean? What might it mean now? What can it mean in the future? Bless our hearing. Bless our understanding. AMEN

Prayer of Dedication

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Adonai. You have poured on us abundant blessings. We recognize that what we return is but a portion of what we received. We are so grateful for all that you have done; so receive these gifts as a token of our gratitude and a sign of our appreciation. As we give here in these plates, we give also through our lives. Accept it all with the honor with which it was given. AMEN

Blessing of the Animals Worship Liturgy . . .

Call to Worship- based on Psalm 25

Pastor: To you, Abba, I lift my soul.

People: In you, Amma, I trust.

Pastor: Let us take solace in you.

Pastor: Let us learn your ways.

People: Make straight our paths.

Pastor: Teach us truth and wisdom.

Pastor: Let us leave our troubles.

People: Revive our hopes.

Pastor: We wait for you.

Invocation

God of slow time, in our impatience we try to direct. We like to demand things in our time and in our way. In this time though, right now, encourage us to let go of the reins and listen for you. Amen

Prayer of Transformation

Holy God, You created us in your image. Help us to continue to develop and mature in that image. There is so much that draws us away from you and taints our reflection. Call us back to your dream and hope. Help us trim the waste and release the build-up on our original sacred form. Teach us to listen to your still small voice within and give us the strength to follow wherever you might lead.

In you,

Through you,

And for you,

Let us develop to the fullness that you imagine. AMEN

Assurance of Pardon

May you know God is always working with us, in us, and through us. God loves you just as you are and seeks to help you grow. May the love and acceptance of God offer you the nourishment you need as you continue to heal and bloom.

Pastoral Prayer

Today, O Lord, we lift the world in prayer:

The places of strife,

The places of civil war,

The places of poverty, hunger, and pestilence.

We pray for the places, where there is what seems to be an impenetrable chasm between the rich and the poor.

We pray for those places that turn a deaf ear to the needs of the people and only line their own pockets,

We pray for those places where the rule of law is being side stepped for the enrichment and comfort of a few,

We pray for people being displaced and disappeared for those being deported, and for those living in fear that they are next.

There is so much on our mind and our heart.

Search for that which we have forgotten to say.

We pray also for the individuals known to us who are in need today. Hear now as we name them.

We pray all of this in the name of your son and our teach, Jesus, who taught us to pray together saying:

& Lord’s Prayer

Invitation to share

We are invited now to share. It is not a demand. It is not a requirement. It is not a key to heaven. It is an invitation into the reciprocity of creation. Seeds are sown. Plants grow. Fruits are harvested. Meals are made and served. We are invited to participate in a system of grace, gratitude, and giving. May you hear the invitation and respond with joyous love and appreciation.

Prayer of Dedication

God of all that was, is, and ever will be, acknowledge the gifts that we have brought forth. Like the fall harvest, you have long ago planted seeds within us. They have grown and born fruit; and so, we return a portion to honor what we received first from you. May these gifts represent our gratitude and thanksgiving for all that you have done, and may they go forward to plant and assure a crop of the future. AMEN

NOTE: Permission granted for use for religious or educational purposes with citation.

The blessing took place in lieu of our chancel steps time. The kids helped to bless the animals. Each animal was given a certificate and a cookie if it was allowed by their owner.

The sermon was based on the story of Balaam’s Donkey Numbers 22:21-33. This reading does not appear in the lectionary and is rarely shared in Sunday School stories so often is unknown to a congregation.

From our Ghana Sunday Service

Our church has a partnership with a community in Kpenoe, Ghana. This partnership has been in existence since 2008. To learn more about the partnership, visit https://www.wolfeboroucc.org/ghana.

Each year we renew our covenant with them and celebrate our friendship. This liturgy comes from that service in 2025.

This is a picture from last year’s celebration in which we centered the idea of harvest and the blessing of sustenance as embodied in the Yam.

Call to Worship Based on Psalm 33 –

Pastor: Rejoice in the Lord

People: Praise the Lord with instrument and voice.

Pastor: Sing to God a new song.

People: Play with vigor and joy.

Pastor: The Earth reverberates with the steadfast love of the Lord.

People: Let us tremble and stand in awe of God.

Pastor: Our soul shimmers in response to the creator.

People: our souls wait for God and are glad.

Invocation –

Holy and awesome God, we celebrate your presence amongst and between us. We honor all of your creation. Open our eyes to see you in all the ways you make yourself known to us. Let us learn more about you as we learn about each other. Amen

Prayer of Transformation

Lord,

I open my heart to you.

Soften it where it has hardened.

Move it toward compassion.

When I seek to protect it, keep me open and attentive to what it says.

Remind me of the courage and strength it contains so that I may support spiritual siblings.

Keep me aware of its inner yearnings.

Remind me that a heart is not divisible, but exponentially expandable.

Open my heart, O Lord.

Let me be crafted by your hand and be as you need me in this world. AMEN

Pastoral Prayer

Holy parent of all,

As we pray today, we cannot forget the wider world: not only those places that we are familiar with, but the points and places we may never see, the people who look and speak differently than us. People of different cultures, histories, and faiths. We bring before you, O God, the whole of the world and the world itself.

We pray for the planet

and for the people of every nation who inhabit it.

We pray for the soil under our feet, the air in the sky, the water that flows through the land and sits in aquifers underground.

We pray for the swallow and the orca, for the spider and the sea cucumber.

We pray for the iris and the prairie grass,

for peat moss and the giant sequoia,

for all that lives and breathes.

We pray for the interaction and the interchange that each has with the other.

Let us all remember that each is connected to you and a reflection of you.

We also pray for those specifically known to us that need your love and care this day . . . (Lift up your arms and let the congregation fill it with the names of their loved ones in need)

And all those we don’t know to name or don’t know how to name.

We pray this all in the name of Jesus. Our brother, your son. Who taught us to pray together saying:

Lord’s Prayer . . .

To be mindful of the reciprocity of this relationship – this will be our words to invite giving:

Invitation to share

Generosity is a very important concept in Ghana. One of their precepts is that we share because we are blessed with things to share. Unlike our tendency to assure that we have “enough” first, people in Ghana say, “Because I have something. I need to share.” So let us with joy consider what we have and therefore, what we need to share. As you decide what that is, whether dollars or actions; talents or treasurers; may you dance up your gift. Letting the joy of gift carry you into the act of giving.

We will also be interspersing the idea of hand washing within the worship to remind us that it is not only us doing the giving and they the receiving, but that we both learn and grow by through our relationship. At multiple times during the worship will will enact a symbolic hand washing, remembering that one hand washes the other. And thus our Prayer of Dedication following the collection of the offering will be:

Prayer of Dedication

Holy One, you have given and we have received. We are blessed and so we pass on that blessing. We send out our blessings into the world so that others too may be blessed. Let us continue the washing of one another’s hands as we celebrate the many gifts that you have poured upon us all. AMEN

Here is the link to last year’s Ghana Sunday worship: https://youtu.be/UYfCHU4yU68?si=DtF65pIp8ANU7bUE

Liturgies continue

Call to Worship (Based on Psalm 118 )

Pastor: Give thanks to the Lord, for God is good.

People: God’s steadfast love endures forever!

Pastor: Be in awe of the wonders of God.

People: God’s steadfast love endures forever!

Pastor: Take refuge in God, rather than worldly princes.

People: God’s steadfast love endures forever!

Pastor: The Lord is our strength and our might. God is our salvation.

People: God’s steadfast love endures forever!

Invocation

Loving and gracious God, you are more than we can imagine. Help us to see your wondrous and diverse ways. Open us to the many ways that you make yourself known. Teach us to be generous and hospitable. In you and through you we seek to find our sacred center so that we can better walk in the footprints that your son first set. Give us hearts of compassion and spirits of courage as we work to bring to fruition your vision of heaven on earth. AMEN

Pastoral Prayer

Holy and Gracious God,

Your compassion is extravagant.

When your son came to show us what your love looked like in action,

We saw him care for all no matter their position or circumstances.

We watched him let interruptions become purposeful interactions.

We noticed how he took time to learn people’s names

And gather close to him those others had pushed away or ignored.

We remember his words even to the thief crucified beside him,

“Today you will be with me in paradise.”

To him no difference was too vast, no border too impenetrable, no person was unworthy.

Let us today pray for the vision you cast through your son.

Let us pray for people who are without homes and are left sleeping on the streets.

Let us pray for the people who will go without their HIV protocols because of bureaucratic savings.

Let us pray for people we pass everyday that don’t know where or how they will pay the rent or get food to feed their families.

Let us pray for the growing lines at the food pantry.

Let us pray for those who walk thousands of miles to seek hope

And for those in Gaza being squeezed harder and harder into smaller and smaller spaces.

Let us pray for those who are detained and incarcerated without proper due process.

Let us pray for the battered areas in our world that fade from our news cycles.

Let us pray for those imprisoned,

Those in recovery,

Those seeking help for physical and emotional suffering.

Let us open our hearts and offer to God all of those who we know to need God’s balm and care today:

God in your compassion gather your chicks under your breast and give them a safe place to rest. Infuse your love in the form of justice into the wider world encouraging us all to step in and heal the hurting as we can, where we can, when we can.

We pray this in the name of your son, and our brother, who taught us so well and who shared with us this prayer which we say together now:

Followed by the Lord’s prayer

Pastoral Prayer for Eco-Sunday

Eco-Sunday is a Sunday where our prime purpose is to celebrate creation and to commit to our care to it. This year we have guest speaker Rev. Jim Antal coming to speak. To prepare for his presence, we will be reading his book, Climate Church, Climate World.

Not only is our worship wound around this theme, but the Faith in Action Team of the church is hosting an Eco-vendor showcase where environmental action groups can come and share their information with us following worship.

For this service, I wrote the following Pastoral Prayer. If you choose to borrow it, you will want to find out what native nations lived (and live) on the land you inhabit. You will want to perhaps change the animal that is the “annoyance” like our black flies. As well, change out the NH granite, majestic mountains, and other NH centric notations like the loon’s cry.

You are welcome to use it for any religious or educational purposes, but please cite me as the author. All rights are reserved.

Pastoral Prayer

Creator, who continues to create,

Today we expand our thoughts and prayers beyond our traditional boundaries –

We pray for the people of this earth, especially the indigenous people of this land on which we stand today: the Abenaki and Pennecook

And also for the non-human inhabitants of this land.

We pray for the great loon whose cry haunts our lakes,

For the salamanders we sometimes find underfoot,

For the bold American Eagle we see fly overhead,

And for the trout and bass in the waters.

We pray for the water herself as she falls from the sky,

For the the water that gathers and flows down our hills,

For the streams and rivers and lakes

And all that find their home in them and from them.

We pray for the beautiful NH granite and the trees that grow so tall.

We pray for the majestical beautiful mountains that reach tall around us

And for the blessing of their many trails.

We give thanks for the frogs, and ducks,

And reluctantly even for the black flies.

In and amongst it all, we give thanks for you, O God, the creator of all that is was and ever will be; and thanks for a system which constantly seeks to right itself, and for those who have put their names, their reputations, and yes, sometimes their lives on the line to protect all that you have made. Continue to watch over the brave. Care for the weak and remind us all of our interconnectedness. We pray all of this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ who taught us to pray saying:

We follow this with the Lord’s Prayer.

More Lenten Prayers

Call to Worship
Pastor: In the tiredness of the day, Lord,
People: you are there.
Pastor: In the weakness of my soul, Lord,
People: you give me strength.
Pastor: In the chaos of the world, Lord,
People: you ground me and give me courage.
Pastor: You, O Lord, are our ever-present help. Let us rejoice and praise you.

Invocation
Holy One, Meet us here and give us insight to the world and to ourselves so that we can navigate our lives and interactions in a way pleasing to you and to the benefit of all. Help us find balance in the imbalance. Help us find calm in the storm. Be our anchor and our rudder. AMEN

Pastoral Prayer

God who created and cares for each one of us,

We reach to you today to leave at your feet the prayers we hold that are too heavy to bear. Prayers of the hurting, the persecuted, the tired, and the tormented.

We seek your balm to help offer comfort to those who live too often in discomfort.

We seek your peace to soothe the agitated and anxious.

We seek your healing to bring heath and recovery to those who are in physical and mental pain.

Bring healing, peace, and your balm to all who need – those who are both known to us and unknown to us. Search our hearts for the names of those we know, who need you this day and inspire us to care for those whom you know and we may not.

May your grace pour upon all who are in need.

And now let us pray in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together saying:

The Lord’s Prayer

Unison Prayer of Illumination

God, Sometimes we trust our eyes and our mind too much.

Sometimes we let what we believe we know override what you know to be true.

Help us to set down our preconceived perceptions and release our understanding of the world so that your truth may be revealed.

Let us release our expectations so that you can show us your way.

Let us open our heart and hear today’s sacred text. AMEN

Invitation to share

Peter showed Jesus his trust by stepping out of the boat. When do we step out of the boat? When do we begin to let go of control? When do we let “Jesus take the wheel” as Carrie Underwood once sang? One place we can do that is through practicing our generosity. We can open our hands and our hearts and trust that God will meet us there. As you open your hands today to release your offering to God, ponder what you have now made room for.

Unison Prayer of Dedication

God of Grace and hope, Too often we give limitedly, fearful of what giving too much might mean for us. Sometimes, we give just enough for people to notice so that we are seen as generous people. Today though, let us give what is right and good. Let us feel a bit of a pinch as we let go so that we can learn to trust and let us celebrate the fact that we are blessed to be able to give. Accept all that we give and encourage us to give even more through service. AMEN

More Lenten Prayers

Call to Worship: (based on Psalm 46)

Pastor: God is our refuge and strength

People: Our ever-present help in times of trouble

Pastor: When the mountains shake and waters roar,

People: we ground ourselves in the hope of our creator.

Pastor: When nations are in an uproar and kingdoms totter,

People: we receive our strength and courage from the one who created all.

Pastor: Come let us find our sacred center as we worship God together.

Invocation

Holy One, We’re gathered here a little unbalanced. The world feels askew. We’re gathered here a little imbalanced. We feel a little askew. Meet us here and give us insight so that we can navigate this world in a way pleasing to you and to the benefit of all. AMEN

Pastoral Prayer

Holy One,

As we tear down the walls of our heart and stretch the limits of our compassion,

we seek to hold in our prayer those who we often overlook or ignore.

We pray for those who we have never seen: our neighbors far away.

We pray for those who are most different from us by language, culture, or faith.

We pray for those who we walk by daily, but perhaps do not notice – – –

the person who serves us coffee,

the one who rings us out at the grocery store or packs our groceries.

We pray for the bank teller and the telemarketer.

We pray for the farmer who seeded our dinner into the ground

and the truck driver who brought it near to us.

We pray for those who line our roads and empty our garbage cans.

We pray for the librarian and news broadcaster on the radio.

We pray for those who often go unseen – – –

the 911 dispatcher,

the night clerk at the 24 hour convenience store,

the school custodian,

the cleaning people in our office.

God, there are so many that escape our notice,

but we know they do not go out of your vision or care.

May you continue to pour your love upon them

and may you help us to stop and see and listen to their trouble or tragedy.

Let us remember our connection to the whole.

We also, O God, have those who we do know that we wish to lift up. Hear now their names:

<have people speak names aloud popcorn style>

Be with them in their time of need. Embrace them in your constant grace. Grant them the peace of recognizing your presence.

We pray all of this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together saying:

The Lord’s Prayer that is used in your setting.

Unison Prayer of Dedication

Generous God, Take these gifts that have been gathered. Bless them and return them into a wanting world. May these financial gifts be just one way that we seek to co-create with you. AMEN

Holy One,

The world is in need of prayers – not just our typical prayers for those who are physically ill or dying, but for an illness of the heart and a struggle of the soul.

There are too many who are grasping control and forgetting about compassion.

There are too many focused on greed and overlooking the simple rules about sharing that we learned even in the sandbox when we were young .

There are too many who are so focused on their own needs and desires that they are failing to see the suffering that exists, some of which they may have a hand in themselves.

God, today we pray for all people,

for all who need a softer heart,

a deeper conscience,

and wider understanding of your golden rules.

We pray for our own prejudices, frustrations, and anger.

We pray for others’ short sightedness, selfishness, and unwillingness to face the impact of their actions.

We pray that we all look to grow as individuals.

We pray that we are all willing to name our shortcomings.

We pray that we are all willing to grow.

We pray that we all are given strength to support the downtrodden,

voice to speak for the voiceless,

courage to stand up for their siblings.

We pray for changed hearts and transformed souls.

May your son’s teachings continue to teach us all,

and may he lead us into a world filled with deeper compassion and care

where we all look to each other’s care, even the stranger’s.

In this silence, let us lift up those who we know who need to be surrounded by and filled with God’s inexhaustible love and grace today:

Now let us pray in the words of your son –

Our Father / Mother / Creator*, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy Name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those

who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

*Use the words you are most comfortable with or try something you haven’t before to see how that fits or pushes against your theology (understanding of God). Take some time to reflect on your experience.

Pastoral Prayer – God as the one who catches us

Pastoral Prayer –

Holy God who fishes for humanity,

We pray this day that you throw your net into the world.

There are so many who need to be caught by you:

There are those harboring resentments and anger,

Those lost in old storylines of who they could be or should be.

There are those who feel tossed and turned on the sea of life,

And those drowning in the murky waters of half-truths and made up tales.

There are those who feel abandoned out in the wide waters,

And those who are struggling trying to navigate their current conditions.

There are those who need someone to hear their cries for help and throw them a lifeline;

And those who have thrown themselves in the sea believing that no one would miss them if they were swallowed by the depths.

There are those who are afraid to sail into deep waters;

And those who hesitate to even leave port.

So many need your presence, Lord, be with them and meet them where they are.

Today, we also have specific people on our mind that need your care. Listen as we say their names:

Invite people to say names one atop the other trusting that God knows already who is in need and what they are in need of.

In your mercy, care for all who are in need; those we have named and those who we have left unnamed, and even those we do not know to name. We pray all of this in the name of your son, who taught us to pray together saying:

& Lord’s Prayer

Our Father / Mother / Creator*, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy Name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those

who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

This was used along with our reading of Luke 5:1-11, which is a Lectionary reading for the 5th Sunday of Epiphany in Year C.