June 21, 2026 11:15 A.M.
Welcome!
Introduction
God does not promise that the path of the disciple will be easy. Jeremiah feels the pain of rejection from those who do not want to hear what he has to say. Jesus declares that his words may bring stark division. Even so, we need not be afraid for God accounts for each hair on our heads. Though we may experience rejection, frustration, division, and death, God’s grace and love make us a new creation each day. Marked with the cross and filled with holy food, we are sent from worship to witness to Christ in the world.
(please stand for our opening song)
Hymn: How Firm a Foundation ELW 796
Confession and Forgiveness
P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, whose compassion endures forever.
C: Amen.
P: Let us confess our sin to God.
Silence is kept for reflection.
P: Compassionate God,
C: we confess to you all our sins. Our burden is heavy, and we cannot free ourselves. In your mercy, call us back to you. Your yoke is easy and your burden is light. Restore us to dwell in your peace. In Christ’s name we pray,
Amen.
P: Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” In the name of God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, your sins are forgiven. Rest in God’s love. Amen.
Prayer of the Day
Teach us, good Lord God, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, except that of knowing that we do your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
(Please be seated for the readings)
First Reading: Jeremiah 20:7-13
Jeremiah accuses God of forcing him into a ministry that brings him only contempt and persecution. Yet Jeremiah is confident that God will be a strong protector against his enemies and commits his life into God’s hands.
R: 7 O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.
8 For whenever I speak, I must cry out; I must shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. 9 If I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
10 For I hear many whispering: “Terror is all around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
All my close friends are watching for me to stumble. “Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him and take our revenge on him.” 11 But the Lord is with me like a terrifying warrior; therefore, my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. 12 O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous; you see the heart and the mind; let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Psalmody: Psalm 69:7-10 [11-15]16-18
Answer me, O Lord, for your love is kind. (Ps. 69:16)
7 Surely, for your sake I have suffered reproach, and shame has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my own kindred, an alien to my mother’s children.
9 Zeal for your house has eaten me up; the scorn of those who scorn you has fallen upon me.
10 I humbled myself with fasting, but that was turned to my reproach.
[11 I put on sackcloth also, and became a byword among them.
12 Those who sit at the gate murmur against me, and the drunkards make songs about me.
13 But as for me, this is my prayer to you, at the time you have set, O Lord: “In your great mercy, O God, answer me with your unfailing help.
14 Save me from the mire; do not let me sink; let me be rescued from those who hate me and out of the deep waters.
15 Let not the torrent of waters wash over me, neither let the deep swallow me up; do not let the pit shut its mouth upon me.]
16 Answer me, O Lord, for your love is kind; in your great compassion, turn to me.
17 Hide not your face from your servant; be swift and answer me, for I am in distress.
18 Draw near to me and redeem me; because of my enemies deliver me.
Second Reading: Romans 6:1b-11
In baptism we were incorporated into the reality of Christ’s death and resurrection. We have been made new in Christ through his death and resurrection to live freed from sin.
R: 1b Should we continue in sin in order that grace may increase? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, so we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8 But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Gospel: Matthew 10:24-39
Jesus warns his disciples that their ministry in his name will meet with opposition. However, he assures them that they need not fear for the truth will come to light. Life is found in Christ.
R: [Jesus said to the twelve:] 24 “A disciple is not above the teacher nor a slave above the master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered and nothing secret that will not become known. 27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32 “Everyone, therefore, who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword.
35 For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,
36 and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
…This is the Gospel of the Lord
C: Praise to you, oh Christ
Hymn: Ten Thousand Reasons ACS 1097
w/Pastor John Kearns
(please stand)
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen.
(please be seated for prayers)
Prayers of Intercession
Gathered together by the Holy Spirit, let us pray for the church and the needs of the world.
A brief silence.
Life-giving God, you have called your people to lose their lives for Jesus’ sake. Strengthen your church to follow you in the face of difficulty. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Creator God, you know every sparrow that falls to the ground. Protect migrating birds, endangered species, and their natural habitats. Empower us to care for your creation. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Sovereign God, you call us to act justly and love mercy. Protect those with marginalized identities to whom we have not shown the abounding love of Jesus. Bring an end to oppression and bigotry in all forms. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Sustaining God, you promise to provide for us. Help those living with disability. Comfort those experiencing any sort of illness or suffering (especially). God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Empowering God, strengthen us to live out our diverse callings. We pray especially for fathers and father figures, that they show your compassion and care. We pray for all for whom this day is difficult or painful. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Faithful God, we give thanks for saints who have claimed their baptismal promises. May we follow their example of faith and service. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Trusting you receive all our prayers, we commend our spoken and unspoken prayers to you, O God, through Jesus our Savior.
Amen.
(stand)
The Sharing of the Peace:
P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C: And also with you.
P: We Greet one another with the Peace of Christ
Hymn: If You But Trust in God to Guide You ELW 769
Communion
P: Loving God, we offer at your table the gifts of our hearts. Help us take heart in you and share freely of your love, so that all creation can taste your abundance. We ask this in the name of Jesus, through the Spirit abiding with us now and forever.
C: Amen.
P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you.
P: Lift up your hearts C: We lift them to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C: It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
P: It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God. You reveal your glory as the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: equal in majesty, undivided in splendor, one Lord, one God, ever to be adored in your eternal glory. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
P: In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
P: Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
P: For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
C: Christ has died: Christ is risen: Christ will come again.
P: To you, O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory in your holy church, now and forever. C: Amen.
P: Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
C: 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, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Invitation to Communion
P: Heaven has come near. Come, share in the feast!
(sit)
Distribution & video
Post-Communion Prayer
P: Compassionate God, through the gifts of bread and wine our hearts are filled with the abundance of your love. Strengthen us that we, through this holy meal, may share your love freely, as you have shared with us. We ask this in the name of Jesus, through the Spirit nourishing us now and forever. C: Amen.
Blessing
P: Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, ☩ one God, bless, heal, and hold you today and always. C: Amen.
Announcements
| Birthdays June 24 – Donald Becker Anniversaries June 23 – Monica & Eric Case June 25 – Gary & Danielle Nugent | Weekly Calendar Wednesday 10am – Bible Study at Immanuel 6 pm – prayer gathering Thursday 9 am – Quilting |
CLOSING HYMN: Children of the Heavenly Father ELW 781
Dismissal
P: Heaven has come near. Go, share the good news!
C: Thanks be to God.