Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, AD 2025
Aug 31, 2025 • Rev. Christopher Antonetti
Today we have an excellent example in the lectionary of a pairing between the gospel reading and the Old Testament. At first, it may seem like a parable of Jesus isn’t very like Cain and Abel, one of the oldest accounts from the book of Genesis. We can look closer and see that Jesus is pulling a very similar theme to what he had Moses record thousands of years before. We have in both two men coming to pray, one is heard by God, and one is not. The one who seems greater in the world’s eyes is humbled, and the one who seems lower is exalted. For both, we can say, he who exalts himself, will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Abel is righteous before God. The tax collector is justified.