Lessons for October 16, 2005 – Twenty second Sunday after Pentecost The first lesson Isaiah 45:1-7 This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, his anointed one, whose right hand he will empower. Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never again to shut against him. 2This is what the Lord says: "I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. 3And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name. 4"And why have I called you for this work? It is for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one. I called you by name when you did not know me. 5I am the Lord; there is no other God. I have prepared you, even though you do not know me, 6so all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things. (NLT) Psalm 96:1-13 L. Sing a new song to the Lord!Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! C. Sing to the Lord; bless his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. L. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. C. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be revered above all the gods. L. The gods of other nations are merely idols, but the Lord made the heavens! C. Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. L. O nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. C. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come to worship him. L. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him. C. Tell all the nations that the Lord is king. L. The world is firmly established and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly. C. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! L. Let the fields and their crops burst forth with joy! C. Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise before the Lord! L. For the Lord is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. C. He will judge the world with righteousness and all the nations with his truth. (NLT) The second lesson 1 Thessalonians. 1:1-10 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. It is written to the church in Thessalonica, you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May his grace and peace be yours. We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4We know that God loves you, dear brothers and sisters, and that he chose you to be his own people. 5For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know that the way we lived among you was further proof of the truth of our message. 6So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7As a result, you yourselves became an example to all the Christians in Greece. 8And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Greece, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don't need to tell them about it, 9for they themselves keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God. 10And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God's Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment. (NLT) The Gospel Lesson Matthew 22:15-22 15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" 21 "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." 22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away. (NIV)