“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Colossians 3:14 (NRSV)
Here is the link for Sunday, September 13, 2026 worship service: https://youtu.be/TOkrALCPBsM
Sunday, September 20 – Worship starts at 10:45 a.m.
Welcome Back Potluck Lunch to follow Worship – EVERYONE IS WELCOME
Scripture to Ponder & Prayer
Creation Time 2 in the Season of Pentecost
Texts this week:
Exodus 16:2–15; Psalm 105:1–6, 37–45; Philippians 1:21–30 & Matthew 20:1–16
To Ponder: Exodus 16:2–15 & Matthew 20:1–16
The Israelites complained in the wilderness because they were hungry and afraid. Their complaint was real. Hunger, insecurity, and uncertainty can easily overwhelm us.
That is still true today.
Many people in Canada are working hard and still struggling with rent, groceries, unemployment, and the rising cost of living. Food-bank use remains high. So, we should be careful not to dismiss every complaint as faithlessness. Sometimes complaint is the beginning of truth-telling.
The question is what we do with it.
There is a difference between complaining that keeps us stuck and complaint that moves us toward justice.
In Exodus, God hears the people and provides manna—not so that a few can hoard it, but so that everyone has enough.
In Matthew, the workers hired late receive the same daily wage. It sounds unfair at first. But Jesus invites us to see the situation differently. Those workers were not lazy. They said, “No one has hired us.”
They too needed food.
They too had families.
They too deserved dignity.
God’s economy is not built only on who worked longest or who earned the most. It is also concerned with whether people have enough to live.
That challenges us.
Why should anyone go hungry when there is enough food?
Why should people working full-time still be unable to afford basic needs?
Why should some consume far beyond what they need while others struggle for shelter, food, clean water, or meaningful work?
Creation itself is part of this question. The earth provides generously, but its resources are not meant for endless exploitation or for the benefit of only a few.
Perhaps God’s economy asks us to move from “What do I deserve?” to “What does my neighbour need in order to live with dignity?”
And perhaps faith means more than trusting that God will provide.
It also means becoming part of God’s provision.
To share. To speak against injustice. To care for creation. To notice those who have been left waiting in the marketplace.
And to work toward a world where there is enough—not only for some, but for all.
God provides. God calls us to share. God calls us to justice.
Let’s pray
God of enough,
open our eyes to those who struggle around us.
Free us from greed, fear, and indifference.
Teach us to share what you have given,
to seek justice for those left behind,
and to care for the earth that sustains us all.
Make us partners in your economy of grace,
where every person is valued
and everyone has enough to live with dignity. Amen.
Trinity United Church 