St. James Lectionary Bible Study for 10 19 2026

Bible Study Companion Guide
The Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
October 19, 2025
 
Setting the Table: A Word for Study and Spirit
This week’s readings gather around a single thread: the persistence of faith rooted in divine promise. Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant written not on tablets of stone, but on the human heart. The psalmist rejoices in God’s law as living wisdom. Paul urges steadfast teaching amid deception. And Jesus, through the parable of the persistent widow, calls us to pray without ceasing and never lose heart. Together they form a tapestry of faith that endures, wisdom that guides, and prayer that perseveres.
 
Psalm — Psalm 119:97–104
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Key Theme: Love for the Law as Love for God’s Wisdom
The psalmist delights in God’s instruction — not as restriction, but as a pathway to clarity, justice, and freedom. God’s Word is alive, forming character and conscience.
Reflection Questions:
1. Where do you experience God’s Word as “sweetness” in your life?
2. How might the practice of meditation on Scripture renew your faith?
3. What “false ways” or distractions do you feel God inviting you to turn from this week?
Devotional Practice: Read Psalm 119:97–104 slowly aloud each morning. Each day, choose one verse to carry with you as a breath prayer. Example: “Your word is a lamp to my feet.”
 
First Reading — Jeremiah 31:27–34
“I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.”
 
Key Theme: The New Covenant of Inner Transformation
Jeremiah proclaims hope in the aftermath of exile: God is planting again, not tearing down. The covenant moves from external observance to internal embodiment — from ritual to relationship.
Reflection Questions:
1. What does it mean for God’s law to be “written on the heart”?
2. How might this inner covenant reshape how we view justice, mercy, and community?
3. In what ways is St. James and your community being invited to live this covenant visibly today?
Spiritual Practice: Spend time in silent prayer, asking: “Lord, what part of Your covenant have You already written upon my heart?”
 
Second Reading — 2 Timothy 3:14–4:5
“Proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable.”
Key Theme: Steadfast Teaching and Sacred Endurance
Paul exhorts Timothy to cling to what he has learned — to Scripture, to faith, and to the sacred trust of preaching truth even when it is inconvenient. This is a charge to courageous faithfulness amid shifting times.
Reflection Questions:
1. What teachings from your faith journey remain your anchor in uncertain times?
2. How can the Church “proclaim the message” faithfully amid modern skepticism?
3. When have you needed to “be persistent” in truth even when it cost you?
Pastoral Reflection: Faith is not passive agreement — it is active endurance. We teach, we witness, and we hold fast because the Word that formed us continues to transform us.
 
Gospel Reading — Luke 18:1–8
“And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Key Theme: The Power of Persistent Prayer
The widow’s story is not only about justice but about holy resilience. She refuses to surrender hope, even to an unjust judge. Jesus lifts her as a model of prayerful persistence that reflects the very heart of God.
Reflection Questions:
1. How does this parable challenge our understanding of prayer and justice?
2. What areas of your life require the persistence of the widow’s faith?
3. Where might God be calling our congregation to advocate like this widow — for justice that reflects heaven’s mercy?
Contemplative Practice: Hold one injustice or deep longing in your heart this week. Each day, name it aloud before God. Listen for how persistence transforms despair into deeper trust.
 
 
Weaving It Together: Living the Word
These four readings move us from God’s promise (Jeremiah) to our practice (Luke). They teach that: God is faithful to write newness within us, Scripture is our nourishment and guide, Ministry requires perseverance in truth, and Prayer is not just asking — it is staying. When our hearts are aligned with the heart of God, justice, wisdom, and prayer become one act of faith.
 
Closing Prayer
Holy One, write Your Word deep within us. Teach us to delight in Your wisdom, to persist in hope, to speak truth in love, and to pray until justice and mercy kiss. Shape our hearts as living tablets of Your covenant.
Amen.
 
Prepared for reflection and study at St. James Presbyterian Church, Harlem, NYC
Rev. Derrick McQueen, Ph.D., Pastor