17th Sunday after Pentecost
September 20, 2026
Loving God and loving neighbor here in central Vermont
and to the ends of the earth—all to the glory of God.
We Welcome Our Visitors to Red Door Church!
Prelude
Rebekah Barnes
Welcome and Announcements
σ Listen for upcoming events and ways you can get involved.
Pastor Josh
Call to Worship—Based on Psalm 105:1-5
σ Confess what you believe about the Christian faith.
Pastor Josh
L: God calls us to worship and we respond. Oh, give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
C: Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!
L: Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
C: We will remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered. We have come to worship him!
Opening Prayer
σ Invite God to work in you as you worship today.
Pastor Josh
Worship Songs
σ Join with the congregation in praise to God.
The Proctors
Good Good Father
Verse 1
I’ve heard a thousand stories
Of what they think You’re like
But I’ve heard the tender whisper
Of love in the dead of night
You tell me that You’re pleased
And that I’m never alone
Chorus
You’re a Good Good Father
It’s who You are
It’s who You are
It’s who You are
And I’m loved by You
It’s who I am
It’s who I am
It’s who I am
Verse 2
I’ve seen many searching for answers
Far and wide
But I know we’re all searching for answers
Only You provide
Because You know just what we need
Before we say a word
Bridge
You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways to us
Verse 3
Love so undeniable I can hardly speak
Peace so unexplainable I can hardly think
As You call me deeper still
As You call me deeper still
As You call me deeper still
Into love love love
You Are My All In All
Verse 1
You are my strength
When I am weak
You are the treasure
That I seek
You are my all in all
Seeking You as a precious jew’l
Lord to give up I’d be a fool
You are my all in all
Chorus
Jesus Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Jesus Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Verse 2
Taking my sin
My cross my shame
Rising again I bless Your name
You are my all in all
When I fall down You pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all
The Heart of Worship
Verse 1
When the music fades all is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring something that’s of worth
That will bless Your heart
Pre-Chorus
I’ll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You’re looking into my heart
Chorus
I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You all about You Jesus
I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all about You all about You Jesus
Verse 2
King of endless worth no one could express
How much You deserve
Though I’m weak and poor all I have is Yours
Ev’ry single breath
Scripture Meditation—Jonah 3:10 – 4:11
σ Hear a reading from the Scriptures that relates to the sermon text.
Felicia Post
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”
5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”
Confession and Assurance—Based on Story of Jonah
Pastor Josh
L: Come now and confess your sins before the Almighty.
C: Father, we confess that we are very much like Jonah. We put our trust in the wrong things—our heritage or our paltry good works. Forgive us for being quick to see ourselves as better than others and for often not having compassion. Make us more like you, for we ask it in Jesus’ name.
L: Just as God forgave the Ninevites when they turned to him in faith and repentance, so too he has mercy on us today who do the same through Christ. Rejoice, for you are forgiven.
Congregational Prayer
σ Join together in prayer and lift your concerns to our gracious God.
Pastor Josh
The Lord’s Prayer
σ In closing, pray the words that Jesus taught us to pray.
Congregation
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Scripture Reading—Matthew 20:1-16
σ Read this portion of God’s word.
Pastor Josh
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
L: The grass withers and the flower fades.
C: But the word of our God will stand forever.
Sermon
σ Hear God’s word proclaimed and explained.
Pastor Josh Moore
Song of Response—Holy Forever
σ Respond to the preaching of the word with song.
The Proctors
A thousand generations falling down in worship
To sing the song of ages to the Lamb
And all who’ve gone before us
And all who will believe
Will sing the song of ages to the Lamb
Your name is the highest
Your name is the greatest
Your name stands above them all
All thrones and dominions
All powers and positions
Your name stands above them all
And the angels cry Holy
All creation cries Holy
You are lifted high Holy
Holy forever
If you’ve been forgiven and if you’ve been redeemed
Sing the song forever to the Lamb
If you walk in freedom and if you bear His name
Sing the song forever to the Lamb
We’ll sing the song forever and amen
And the angels cry Holy
All creation cries Holy
You are lifted high Holy
Holy forever
Hear Your people sing Holy
To the King of Kings Holy
You will always be Holy
Holy forever
Your name is the highest
Your name is the greatest
Your name stands above them all
All thrones and dominions
All powers and positions
Your name stands above them all
Jesus, Your name is the highest
Your name is the greatest
Your name stands above them all
All thrones and dominions
All powers and positions
Your name stands above them all
And the angels cry Holy
All creation cries Holy
You are lifted high Holy
Holy forever
Hear Your people sing Holy
To the King of Kings Holy
You will always be Holy
Holy forever
You will always be Holy
Holy forever
Benediction
σ Receive a parting blessing as you go into the world for Christ.
Pastor Josh
Postlude
House