The Nineth Sunday after Pentecost | August 10 2025 | 10 a.m. | St. Dunstan's |Carmel Valley | CA

The Nineth Sunday after Pentecost | August 10, 2025 | 10 a.m. | St. Dunstan's |Carmel Valley CA This Sunday’s readings strike a powerful chord between divine judgment and merciful invitation. Isaiah opens with a searing rebuke of hollow religiosity, rituals without righteousness and calls for a radical return to justice and compassion. Psalm 50 echoes this divine scrutiny, reminding the faithful that true worship is not in sacrifice alone but in thanksgiving and obedience. Yet the tone shifts in Hebrews and Luke, where faith becomes the lens through which hope is kindled. Abraham’s journey, marked by trust in unseen promises, sets the stage for Jesus’ tender exhortation: “Do not be afraid, little flock.” The Gospel invites readiness, not out of fear, but out of joyful anticipation of the kingdom already being given. THE COLLECT Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.