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Comfort the Afflicted
By Pr. Lisa Rygiel

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran theologian who was executed by the Nazi regime, wrote, “We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself” (Letters and Papers from Prison, Fortress, 2015). Driving a spoke into the wheels of injustice—this is challenging and risky work. Sometimes we walk in justice and humility, and other times we harm our neighbors and surrounding communities. Lord, have mercy on us. And yet God still sends faithful prophets and teachers to encourage us and spur us to good works in Jesus’ name.

In contemporary culture, humility is a countercultural value. Many of us love to be honored, lauded, and exalted by others. But in a strange turn of events, Jesus reminds us that those who are exalted will be humbled and those who are humbled will be exalted. Indeed, our God of justice and might will lift up all who are being ground under the wheels of injustice.

Each community of faith is situated in a specific context chosen by God. In these contexts, whether inner city, suburb, or rural area, we are called to stand with people who are poor, downtrodden, and marginalized; to bandage wounds; and to work against injustice. May the words and deeds of our faith communities and the larger church fulfill our baptismal vows to bring greater justice and peace to all the earth!

Devotional message based on the readings for November 1, 2026 reprinted from sundaysandseasons.com.

If you are interested in learning how to serve the unhoused members of our community, please feel free to join the next Coalition for the Unhoused Community Meeting

Date: 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5
Location: Trinidad Housing Authority, 422 East 1st Street, Trinidad
Topic: Warming Center Training / Preventing Overdoses with Narcan
Guest Instructor: Zakk Shapiro, Trinidad Ambulance District and Blueskies United
Snacks: Mutiny coffee and snacks are provided.
Bring a friend!

24th Sunday After Pentecost, Nov. 8

Announcements

  • Fellowship: Join us after worship Sunday for our coffee and conversation in the Fellowship Hall. All are welcome.
  • Zion’s Book Club: Our Adult Study continues at 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday in the Fellowship Hall. Our next study is on Tuesday, Nov. 10 in the Fellowship Hall as we continue our discussion of the book, “What if Jesus was Serious about Prayer”.
  • Memorial Service for Jan Ratliff: The celebration of life for Jan Ratliff will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov.14, at the First United Methodist Church, 216 Broom Street, in Trinidad.
  • We’re Getting Ready for Thanksgiving: Plans are underway to support the many tasks that are needed for our annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner. This year, we will contract the cooking and carving of turkey and ham but need help with many other food items. We need people to help prepare potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans and pies. We need on Thanksgiving Day with food service, meal delivery, dinner service, and cleaning up, among other tasks. If you can help, please contact Norine Hazen or Pr. Lisa. They can direct you to the people who are heading each task. If you know someone who needs meals delivered, share that information with Jo Moss.
  • We’re Here for You: For pastoral care, Pr. Lisa has office hours from 9-10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and by appointment. Call Zion’s at 719-846-7785 or send an email to zionsluth@gmail.com.

 

E-Formation

The readings appointed for the Sundays in November deal with the end: the conclusion of the liturgical year, one’s own death, the end of the earth as we know it, and even the “dying” of vegetation around those of us who live in the northern hemisphere. At the end of everything is God, and in the readings, we encounter this God already arriving for us, with the promised feast begun in our meal of bread and wine.

Matthew 25:1-13
For millennia humans have told disaster stories about the end. Christians too speak of the coming of the end of things. Yet Christians also see in the resurrection of Jesus Christ the end of the old and the beginning of the new. Thus, we are already the bridesmaids who enjoy the feast, for when praying in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36-46), Jesus kept awake for us.

Amos 5:18-24
The Amos passage is chosen to emphasize Matthew’s repeated call for justice. Amos’s imagery of being chased by wild animals contrasts with Matthew’s imagery of the wedding banquet: throughout the Bible, God is known for both justice and mercy.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
The lectionary’s appointing 1 Thessalonians during November brings Paul’s eschatological predictions to the same Sunday as the parable of the bridesmaids. We who no longer accept a three-tier universe can use this description as a metaphor for the total transformation of the entire cosmos at the arrival of God. Life from God will conquer death.

Zion's Lutheran Church
zionsluth@gmail.com
719-846-7785