Taking Home Faith 9.13.26

SEPTEMBER 13, 2026 SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST The people of God forgive. DAILY BIBLE READINGS These passages are related to the Lectionary texts for this Sunday. Sunday Monday Tuesday Matthew 18:21-35 Genesis 50:15-21 Romans 14:1-12 Do not judge another Wednesday 2 Chronicles 7:12-18 The Lord appears to Solomon Thursday Ephesians 1:3-14 Friday Saturday Sunday John 8:1-11 Psalm 103:1-13 Matthew 20:1-16 SCRIPTURE VERSE FOR THIS WEEK Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases. Psalm 103:2-3 (NRSV) PRAYERS AND BLESSING A Prayer for the Week: Gracious God, we praise you for your desire to forgive; help us to love and forgive as we are loved and forgiven through Christ our Lord. Amen. Mealtime Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest; let these gifts to us be blessed. Let there be a goodly share on every table, everywhere. Amen. A Blessing to Give: May God give you a merciful heart. © 2025 Milestones Ministry, LLC. All rights reserved. SEPTEMBER 13, 2026 HYMN OF THE WEEK Healer of Our Every Ill WEEKLY MILESTONES Take a moment to tell or think about a recent mountain high and/or valley low in your life. CARING CONVERSATIONS A parable about forgiveness Discuss in your home, small group, or use for personal reflections:  When someone says something hurtful to you, how do you react?  How does God’s merciful forgiveness make a difference in our relationships? Joseph forgives his brothers Spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus intercedes for a woman Thanksgiving for God’s goodness Parable of the vineyard workers DEVOTIONS Read: Matthew 18:21-35. Jesus presents a very unreal story to make a very real point. In Jesus’ day, each talent was worth more than 15 years of work and a denarius was one day’s wage. Therefore, one slave owed over 150,000 years of income while the other owed one hundred days of wages. The differences are extreme to make a point. God’s forgiveness of us is wildly out-of-this-world and wonderful. It leads the follower of Jesus Christ to sing or pray Psalm 103 that begins, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (v. 1). A concrete way to praise God is to “forgive your brother or sister from your heart” (Matthew 18:35) and do so again and again and again. Or, as Jesus suggests, do you want to consider the consequences of not showing a little forgiveness to others? That lack of forgiveness Jesus says, would destroy your life. Discuss: How does this story challenge the way you think about forgiveness, especially God’s forgiveness? Pray: Merciful God, give me faith to remember how kind and generous you are to me and to praise you by being kind and forgiving to others through Christ our Lord. Amen. SERVICE Jesus calls us to serve our neighbor in love. Based on the Daily Bible Readings and theme for this week, how can you extend a word of forgiveness to someone who has hurt you? RITUALS AND TRADITIONS The theme this week in the Bible readings is forgiveness. Genesis 50:15-21 is the story of Joseph forgiving his brothers for throwing him in a pit and selling him into slavery. Forgiving someone who has hurt you is not easy. Think of someone who needs your forgiveness. Write a note to that person. Take a moment to read your note silently. Hold your note as you pray the Lord’s Prayer. Pause for thought when you pray, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us,” then finish the prayer. Choose whether or not to send the note to them. In addition to Taking Faith Home, celebrate milestones in your daily life as an effective faith formation tool. Go to: www.milestonesministry.org