This Sunday, we continue our series: "A People," drawing from the lectionary texts.

This week, we explore what it means to be A Deferring People. Christian virtue is characterized by a kind of humility. Our strength, identity, value and significance comes from somewhere else. Namely, it comes from God.

Christians are constantly remembering and reorienting to the fact that we are dependent on God; we take our cues from God. We, therefore, must not primarily be concerned with things that are temporary--positioning for power, how we are seen in the eyes of others, material wealth and status, etc.--but with things that last.

Our prayer of the Church for this upcoming week:

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.