The fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost | Sept 14 2025 | 10 a.m. | St. Dunstan's |Carmel Valley | CA

The fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost | September 14, 2025 | 10 a.m. | St. Dunstan's |Carmel Valley CA This Sunday’s readings strike a powerful chord between divine judgment and radical mercy. The mood is one of sobering honesty about human brokenness, yet it crescendos into a celebration of grace and restoration. Synopsis of the Readings Jeremiah 4:11–12, 22–28 The prophet paints a desolate landscape—chaos, darkness, and trembling earth—as a consequence of Israel’s foolishness and moral failure. Yet even amid divine anger, God declares, “I will not make a full end,” hinting at mercy within judgment. Psalm 14 A lament over humanity’s corruption: “There is none who does good.” But it ends with a yearning for deliverance from Zion—a hope that God will restore joy to His people. 1 Timothy 1:12–17 Paul’s testimony is a beacon of grace. Once a persecutor, he is now a servant of Christ, transformed by mercy. His story becomes a living example of divine patience and love for sinners. Luke 15:1–10 Jesus tells of the lost sheep and the lost coin—parables that reveal heaven’s joy over one repentant sinner. God’s pursuit of the lost is relentless, intimate, and filled with celebration. THE COLLECT Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.