The readings for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time teach us that the Lord will provide, as shown by the widow of Zarephath sharing what little she has with Elijah in the first reading. We open the service with “God of Day and God of Darkness” (# 859), followed by the Psalm “Praise the Lord, My Soul” (# 1186), which acknowledges that God is with the orphan and widow, among others, in their need. The preparation hymn, “The Cry of the Poor” (# 47), draws on the Gospel, where the widow in the Temple gives from her poverty and not from power, privilege, or excess. In the Communion hymn, “Gather in Your Name” (#936), we sing of God who in Jesus became a poor carpenter for us, offered Himself to take away our sins, and leads us toward wisdom, justice, and grace. Joyfully we close the service with hymn #984 “America the Beautiful,” asking God to shed His grace on America and “crown its good with brotherhood.”
