Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost 2025

Join us on September 28, 2025, for Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:00 a.m. at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church (216 E. Chandler Blvd, Burlington, WI) as we celebrate the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost.

You are cordially invited to join us for worship in person or online through Live Stream, Video Replay, or Podcast.

Theme: “A Life Poured Out in Love”

Join Us Electronically for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost 2025

Live Stream & Replay

• Join us live at 9:00 AM on September 28, 2025.
• The service will also be available for replay using the same link provided afterward.

Podcast

• Our service, including sermons and hymns, will be posted on all major podcast platforms within 24 hours.

---

Collect of the Day for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost 2025

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

---

Readings for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost 2025 (Track 2)

Old Testament: Amos 6:1a, 4-7

¹Alas for those who are at ease in Zion, and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria, ⁴Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall; ⁵who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music; ⁶who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! ⁷Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile, and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.

Psalm: Psalm 146

¹ Hallelujah!
  Praise the Lord, O my soul! *
        I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
        I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
² Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *
        for there is no help in them.
³ When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *
        and in that day their thoughts perish.
⁴ Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *
        whose hope is in the Lord their God;
⁵ Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *
        who keeps his promise for ever;
⁶ Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *
        and food to those who hunger.
⁷ The Lord sets the prisoners free;
  the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; *
        the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
⁸ The Lord loves the righteous;
  the Lord cares for the stranger; *
        he sustains the orphan and widow,
        but frustrates the way of the wicked.
⁹ The Lord shall reign for ever, *
        your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
        Hallelujah!

Epistle: 1 Timothy 6:6-19

⁶Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment;⁷for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; ⁸but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. ⁹But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. ¹¹But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. ¹²Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

¹³In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you ¹⁴to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. ¹⁶It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. ¹⁷As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, ¹⁹thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

Gospel: Luke 16:19-31

¹⁹“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. ²²The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ ²⁵But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. ²⁶Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ ²⁷He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ ³⁰He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

---

Reflection on the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost 2025 readings

These passages remind us that wealth and comfort can become dangerous when they blind us to the needs of others. Amos warns against those who live in luxury while ignoring the suffering of their people.

The psalm reminds us that our hope should not be placed in power or possessions, but in the Lord, who lifts the lowly, feeds the hungry, and cares for the vulnerable.

Paul urges us to pursue godliness with contentment, generosity, and good works, emphasizing that true life is found not in riches but in Christ.

In Jesus’ parable, the tragedy of the rich man is not his wealth itself, but his failure to notice Lazarus at his gate.

These readings encourage us to open our eyes and hearts. We should pay attention to the needs around us, place our trust in God instead of wealth, and live generously. It is through sharing, serving, and loving that we truly embrace the life that is worth living.

---

📍 216 E Chandler Blvd, Burlington, WI
🎥 Live Stream & Replay Available
🎧 Podcast on All Major Platforms

All are welcome. Come as you are, beloved of God.