Prayer: May we service you, God, and be strengthened for that service each time we gather in community to partake of the bread and wine. Amen.
Reading: Isaiah 5: 1-7 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: When I was growing up in the church, the first Sunday of October was always Worldwide Communion Sunday. It was a day set aside for Christians all over the planet to make it a point to take communion and remember that we are the Body of Christ. In my home congregation, communion Sundays meant that we had a few more worship services. One of those was a 4:00 p.m. “Quiet Hour” Communion. On Worldwide Communion Sunday, the youth of the church would have a soup and sandwich supper for members of the congregation who were “60 Plusers.” After the short 4:00 service, people would come to the Fellowship Hall for a light evening meal. When we read this passage about vineyards, I was reminded of the wine that is used to celebrate the Eucharist. It is one of two physical signs (bread, wine) that is part of this sacrament. When I was in seminary, one of my professors reminded us that sacraments are a physical sign plus a command (word) from God. This passage is titled “The Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard.” The next time you take communion, thing about how sharing in that sacrament strengthens you for service to God. May you not be “unfruitful” as you live out life as part of the Body of Christ. --Chad Hershberger
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