The 20th Sunday after Pentecost
October aa, 2026
Think on These Things
By Mary Mehala
“Before I start, I want to say that I am feeling hopeful this morning – there are some things that came up at work this week. I used to feel afraid, always thinking that “conflict with others” was the big bad boogeyman, mostly because of how I grew up and how we handled conflict: fighting, withdrawing, and isolating. And now, through and because of God, I have options, a way forward, a better way.”
Good morning, Seekers. I am so happy to be sharing this morning, so I am going to jump right in. As I reflected on this week’s scriptures, I think Paul offers us a place to begin. In Philippians 4:8, we read, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
The title of today’s message is “Think on These Things.” This message is the fourth in a five-part series on commitment. Next week, on October 18, many of us will decide to commit or recommit to another year of doing life together in Christ as we understand it. To me, recommitment season is an opportunity to reflect and to find resolve, and this morning I want to think out loud with you.
Here’s where my thinking started this week. When Paul says “think about these things,” the word he uses in Greek is logizomai. I am by no means a Bible scholar; I have an app called Blue Letter Bible that links me to the concordance, and every now and then I feel led to look up the meaning of a word. Some translations use the word “dwell” instead of “think.” I learned that it’s actually an accounting word. It means to count or take inventory. That really struck me. Paul isn’t just saying “think happy thoughts.” He’s saying, sit down and take stock. Count up what is good. When I did that this week, one thing that came to mind was my mission group. I have so many examples of my life being transformed by their wisdom and love, and I feel privileged to learn from them and offer my gifts in service to them and others.
But Paul takes it one step further. He asks them to practice whatever they have learned or received from him and promises that God’s peace will be with them. I have always found this scripture interesting because he wrote it while in jail. I can imagine someone reading this and asking, “If God’s peace was with you, why are you in jail? Are you saying that if I practice what you do, I will end up in jail too, but with God’s peace?” But Paul was dead serious, not pretending. I’m not intentionally advertising for Deborah’s class, but now I am really curious about “Arguing with Paul” because when I read this scripture, I want to argue with Paul. Anyway, here are a few things to think about with this scripture in mind.
First, take inventory. What has been true, good, and lovely in your life with this community this year? Maybe even write it down.
Second, think about one another. Is there someone here you’ve struggled with or simply overlooked? What’s good about them? Could you tell them?
And third, what do you want to practice next year, both in your own walk and in our life together? Who are you following?
In Exodus 32, we meet a people who have been miraculously set free. They walked out of Egypt, through the sea, into the wilderness. Moses had gone up the mountain to meet with God, but he had been gone a long time. The people began to feel afraid. Have you ever felt that God, your higher power, had left you? Forgotten you in your “wilderness,” wherever that may be for you? I know I have at times. I invite you to reflect and ask what your tendencies might be when you can’t see God in your life or circumstances. Recommitment season is also about seeking God even when you can’t see, and trusting that God is present.
So here is another thing to think on: What questions need settling in your heart, so that you can see that God is 100% committed to you, even when you don’t see?
Psalm 106 opens with “Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” But the psalmist then confesses that he and his ancestors have sinned. He retells the story of the golden calf. The people, he says, “forgot God, their Savior.”
This psalm is a beautiful, sober expression, born of deep reflection on self, community, and reverence for God. To me, it speaks to our inward journey: how we relate to ourselves, to God, and to others. The psalmist’s conception of God is of one whose love never wavers, who continually forgives and corrects, and who is ever present. The psalmist asks God to remember him when showing favor to Israel, then confesses the “sins” of his ancestors, but at the very beginning he also praises those who do what is right. I think commitment to our inward journey looks like Psalm 106: giving thanks and praising God, reflecting on self and who we are as a community, praying and declaring.
In this season of commitment, I invite you to reflect on your inward journey and recommit to yourself.
Lastly, Matthew 22. A king throws a wedding banquet for his son, and the invited guests won’t come. Some make light of it and go off to their farms and businesses. Some do far worse, killing the king’s servants. In response, the king destroys their city, and them as well. Then the king sends his servants out into the streets to invite everyone they can find, “both good and bad,” until the wedding hall is full. When the king comes in to see the guests, he notices a man who isn’t wearing a wedding garment. I’ve always wondered about this verse. Culturally, it’s often said that, at the time, the wedding host provided the wedding garment. No wonder the king was upset that the man wasn’t wearing it. Why attend the wedding and refuse the garment? The king throws him out. That ending is hard, and I won’t pretend it isn’t. But I think I can understand. If I were getting married and gave all my bridesmaids their dresses, jewelry, etc., and one showed up without them, I would tell them they couldn’t be part of my wedding party. I’d feel angry that this person didn’t even bother to wear what I gave them, yet accepted the invitation to be my bridesmaid.
For me, accepting an invitation from God means accepting the free garments. What garments did God so freely give? Elsewhere in Scripture, we are told to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, and to clothe ourselves with Christ. Why does it matter to clothe ourselves in these things? Aren’t these just outward garments? I don’t think so. When we dwell on these things and choose to wear them, we make ourselves vulnerable and open, which can be scary at times, but it also prepares us to be transformed. I think it’s a mystery. I recall how hard it was when I was married, and it ended in a divorce – I remember it like it was yesterday. But I chose not to badmouth him to my girls, to put on the garment of forgiveness, and to refuse to be bitter. I recall a dream I had at that time. I was walking in a neighborhood when I saw a big lion. It came toward me, then turned into a man. He laid his hand on my heart and began to pray for me. In the dream, the phone rang; I knew it was my husband, but I didn’t pick up. I chose to sink deeper into his hands, as if I were falling into them. I woke that morning feeling joyful and free, and all the weight of sadness left me. I felt no bitterness toward him. I also learned that forgiveness doesn’t mean letting people who harm you back into your life, but that’s another message for another time.
I was transformed, and it began when I chose to wear a garment of forgiveness. The miracle was instantaneous, but my prayer took more than five years to be answered. Transformation isn’t always immediate, yet it can happen instantly.
Commitment, then, is more than showing up. It’s saying yes to the invitation and letting it change us from the inside out. We come together in service, and that service also changes us.
The last thing to think on: What are you wearing this morning?
To summarize, here’s the list of questions that you might think on.
- Take your own inventory. What has been true and good and lovely in your life with this community this year?
- Think about one another. Is there someone here you’ve struggled with, or maybe just overlooked? What’s good in them? Could you tell them?
- What do you want to practice next year, in your own walk and in our life together?
- What questions need settling in your heart, so you can see that God is 100% committed to you?
- How do you express your commitment to God?
- What are you wearing this morning?
As you reflect on some of these things, may the God of peace rest upon you.
Amen.