This series begins the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost in Kingdomtide amidst the transition of the liturgical calendar and carries us through the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost in Kingdomtide.

“Joy: The Flip Side of Justice” is a three-week journey to the understanding that when we as God’s people seek justice for God’s children and God’s creation, we will be able to experience true and lasting joy. The scriptures for these weeks lead us to different examples of how to exact justice in our daily lives rather than wait to deliver grand gestures. These weeks will help you discover that justice should be present even in seemingly small moments and lead you and your congregation to discover the joy that is sure to follow.

Week 1: Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, August 11

A common theme in our Scripture lessons for the next three weeks is justice. We don’t often think of joy and justice together, yet if we look for joy in these passages, we will find it. Joy is found when we, as the people of God, put our faith into action by pursuing justice and championing the oppressed.

Week 2: Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, August 18

This week’s lessons continue to underscore the theme of justice. The Isaiah passage is known as “The Song of the Vineyard.” The seven verses are more of a parable than the poetry of a song. The prophet tells of a vineyard planted with “choice vines” and yet it yields “wild grapes,” or what the NIV calls “bad fruit.” The vineyard failed to live out the purpose for which it was created.

Week 3: Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, August 25

We continue our three-week series on “Joy: The Flip Side of Justice.” Again, as with preaching notes of the previous two weeks, we focus our attention especially on the readings of the older testament, though we allude to all the readings. This week’s reading includes verses from the beginning of the book of Jeremiah as well as Psalm 71.

Return to Worship Theme Lessons For Youth.