Sixth Sunday After Pentecost 7/5/26
SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
JULY 5, 2026
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, WELCOME TO ST. PAUL’S!
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THE ENTRANCE RITE
PRELUDE How Great Thou Art Setting Robert Linn
WELCOME
ENTRANCE HYMN Before You, Lord, We Bow LSB 966
1 Before You, Lord, we bow,
Our God who reigns above
And rules the world below,
Boundless in pow’r and love.
Our thanks we bring
In joy and praise,
Our hearts we raise
To You, our King!
2 The nation You have blest
May well Your love declare,
From foes and fears at rest,
Protected by Your care.
For this bright day,
For this fair land—
Gifts of Your hand—
Our thanks we pay.
3 May ev’ry mountain height,
Each vale and forest green,
Shine in Your Word’s pure light,
And its rich fruits be seen!
May ev’ry tongue
Be tuned to praise
And join to raise
A grateful song.
4 Earth, hear your Maker’s voice;
Your great Redeemer own;
Believe, obey, rejoice,
And worship Him alone.
Cast down your pride,
Your sin deplore,
And bow before
The Crucified.
5 And when in pow’r He comes,
Oh, may our native land
From all its rending tombs
Send forth a glorious band,
A countless throng,
With joy to sing
To heav’n’s high King
Salvation’s song!
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION LSB 203
In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared.
Since we are gathered to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of this altar, let us first consider our unworthiness and confess before God and one another that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen.
Almighty God, merciful Father, in Holy Baptism You declared us to be Your children and gathered us into Your one, holy Church, in which You daily and richly forgive us our sins and grant us new life through Your Spirit. Be in our midst, enliven our faith, and graciously receive our prayer and praise; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
KYRIE LSB 204
Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.
HYMN OF PRAISE – “Gloria in Excelsis” LSB 204
1 To God on high be glory
And peace to all the earth;
Goodwill from God in heaven
Proclaimed at Jesus’ birth!
We praise and bless You, Father;
Your holy name, we sing—
Our thanks for Your great glory,
Lord God, our heav’nly King.
2 To You, O sole-begotten,
The Father’s Son, we pray;
O Lamb of God, our Savior,
You take our sins away.
Have mercy on us, Jesus;
Receive our heartfelt cry,
Where You in pow’r are seated
At God’s right hand on high—
3 For You alone are holy;
You only are the Lord.
Forever and forever,
Be worshiped and adored;
You with the Holy Spirit
Alone are Lord Most High,
In God the Father’s glory.
“Amen!” our glad reply.
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. Gracious God, our heavenly Father,
Your mercy attends us all our days. Be our strength and support amid the wearisome changes of this world, and at life’s end grant us Your promised rest and the full joys of Your salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST LESSON (Be seated) Zechariah 9:9-15
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare that I will restore to you double.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 145:1-14 (Sung responsively)
I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.
The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
SECOND LESSON Romans 7:14-25a
We know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
ALLELUIA VERSE (Stand)
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL Matthew 11:25-30
The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the 11th chapter
Glory to You, O Lord.
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON (Be seated)
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen. Dear friends in Christ:
The concluding words of the Gospel lesson just read are often called Jesus’ “great invitation.” And that’s because with these words Jesus invites us to take the great and helpful step of coming to him and wearing his yoke.
We love these words of Jesus. And not just because we all love to get invitations. Rather, we love them because this invitation promises rest for our souls.
Rest is something we all need. And in today’s crazy, busy, and competitive world, rest is something we’re often craving, since it’s regularly in short supply.
During the summer months, many of us receive rest from a vacation. A vacation is an important kind of rest and one for which we normally plan with great delight. I just had a vacation with my extended family at a reunion, and it was a wonderfully restful time in all the best ways.
But vacations aren’t the only kind of rest we need. We also need rest in our daily and weekly routines.
The Lord God knows that we need these times of rest. And that is why he gave us the Sabbath command and instituted regular festivals for our calendar. Through these times of rest, we are renewed in body and soul.
When Jesus promises us rest, he certainly has the Sabbath and festival rest of the scriptures in mind. We know this because both were important to him.
But Jesus’ promise of rest includes more than this too. Later in the sermon, we will explore what this greater rest of his gives.
Before doing this, however, let’s first take note of what Jesus says right before his great words of invitation. His words in these verses could perhaps be called – to fit the theme – “a great prayer.” And that’s because in them we hear Jesus offering great and heartfelt thanks to his Father and mentioning great things.
The prayer begins with Jesus saying: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” A first thing to note here is that when Jesus says “these things,” he’s referring to the message that he summarizes in his next statement, which is: “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” These words tell how Jesus came to make the Father known and to carry out the Father’s will – both of which are great things, for sure!
To drill down on this further, when Jesus says: “all things have been handed over to me,” he is referring to the establishment of his kingdom. His kingdom is where God’s ways are carried out and where Jesus reigns as king. Jesus, we recall, spoke about his kingdom many times. And today’s Old Testament reading was chosen to reflect this emphasis on him as our king.
Although Jesus doesn’t specifically mention his kingdom in today’s verses, the topic carries over from a conversation which occurred earlier in the chapter. This is where John the Baptist’s disciples asked Jesus if he were the promised one to come. At that time, Jesus assured them that the “deeds of the Christ” – to use John’s words – gave the clear answer of “yes.”
But then Jesus explains that even with his deeds giving such clear witness, his kingly identity was being “hidden from the wise and understanding, and revealed to little children instead.” This is the message given in today’s reading.
These words of Jesus remind us that no one can determine Jesus’ true identity simply by observing him. Rather, the knowledge of his identity needs to be revealed to them. And God in his wisdom does reveal this knowledge. But to that point, it had only been revealed to fishermen and tax collectors and common everyday people.
Eventually, everyone would know of Jesus’ claim to be king. But until then, Jesus was surrounded by those he referred to as “little children.”
In our reading today, we see that Jesus gives thanks for this. And about this thankfulness, we all know that it’s nice to be around those who are humble and who live without pretense. We all appreciate such people. But the Father’s revelation to them was not about making things more pleasant for Jesus. Rather, it was about highlighting the importance of humility and simplicity in Christ’s kingdom. Jesus would later say: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 18:3).
Jesus’ words from today’s text share another important characteristic of the kingdom as well. When Jesus says: “unless you turn,” this reminds us that his followers need to turn away from those many other “kings” in our world that claim an attention and loyalty over that of Jesus. And we need to turn away from our sins too.
In the section right before today’s text, as Jesus concludes his conversation with John’s disciples and addresses a crowd of people, we see that Jesus “began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done.” The reason given for his denouncing is that these cities “did not repent.” Jesus said: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”
Jesus had done mighty miracles in these places. Even so, the people were unrepentant. They neither turned to Christ in faith, nor turned away from their sin.
Jesus’ denunciation of these cities teaches us two important things. First, it shows us that there is a link between turning from our sins and turning to a right faith. Jesus wants us to have the right faith of knowing him and acknowledging him as king, yes. But he also wants us to turn from our sins and live according to God’s commands. Those who concentrate only on one form of turning miss the full message of Jesus.
Second, the message of Jesus is primarily meant to turn individuals to this life of faith and is only secondarily concerned about the society in which these individuals live. Jesus’ kingdom – as he makes abundantly clear – is not an entity which everyone is going to embrace, nor is it one that will compel people to live by its rules. Rather, it is a message and fellowship to which individuals are invited and through which one is empowered to live and serve in their various communities with the Gospel in their hearts. It is a message and fellowship which can be lived out anywhere.
Still, in his denunciations, we see that Jesus chose to call out whole cities and not just individuals. And this should remind us that Jesus has a heart for our communities too.
Communities each develop their own ethos. And in these communities, some nurture faith in God while others discourage or even forbid it. Christ’s kingdom can exist in any community, yes, but some communities reflect Christ’s teachings better than others.
Since our nation is celebrating its 250th birthday this weekend, today is a good day to do a little thinking about how we are doing in this regard. To help us with this, let’s list some of the blessings and disappointments of our nation that seem rather evident.
First, we are blessed to live in a nation where we have freedom of religious expression. In this country, our praise is neither forbidden nor compelled, which fits well with Christ’s method of invitation and call.
We are also blessed in this nation to have a Christian heritage where many people follow the Christian faith with sincerity. All of us know many fine Christians and many fine churches that serve as good helpers and which make our communities better.
Furthermore, all citizens of this country are blessed to be able to participate in our nation’s governance through our right to vote and our opportunity to run for office – characteristics which mirror the participation practices of the church as outlined by the scriptures. We also have great freedom to pursue our desired activities and means of expression, and a high degree of safety and security compared to many places in this world. All these blessings are ones which Christ extends in his kingdom too.
However, our nation is also far from perfect, with many disappointments. And that’s because there are many people in this country who regularly steal from others – whether they have the law on their side or not. And there are many people who delight in slander and mockery. There are people among us who have no heart for the poor. And there are people who won’t control their unhealthy and God-forbidden desires. There are people who treat others badly out of their hate, people who always insist on having their own way, and people who choose violence to settle their differences or express their anger. And worst of all, there are people who are completely unrepentant, and people who refuse to forgive.
As we take stock in our nation and in our communities, we do well to remember that Jesus pronounced woe on cities he visited where the people didn’t repent. He did this to catch their attention and so that they might turn from their ways and live.
With this in mind, we should then ask God in prayer to bring true repentance to our nation, and to all the nations of the world. For the nations whose people can admit their faults and ask God for help in doing better are ones that will receive his blessing.
It was after his pronouncing of woe upon Chorazim, Bethsaida and Capernaum that Jesus then issued his great invitation to follow him. And as we noted earlier, this was an invitation given to individuals – anyone who would listen – and one that contained the promise of rest.
When Jesus gives this call to follow him, it is a call to both moral and religious following. Jesus expects God’s laws of personal conduct to be followed, and he expects all religious expression be done according to God’s guidelines.
Furthermore, in both moral and religious following, the law and the faith are to be followed according to Jesus’ interpretation. This is the interpretation set forth in the New Testament.
When we look ahead to the next two sections in Matthew’s Gospel, we see that they both pertain to Jesus’ interpretation of the Sabbath law. And this tells us that Jesus’ statement about rest in today’s reading is also about rest from the burdens of overly strict law observance.
When Jesus said: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” he was inviting the people to turn away from the prevailing religion of their day with its strict adherence to rules and its emphasis on building an earthly kingdom. Jesus knew that the essence of the Sabbath was not about what specific work could be done at what specific time but about rest for the body and soul. And he knew that there were other laws that needed reinterpreting too.
Jesus came to establish his new covenant and kingdom, which frees people from the burdens of a law-based religion and from trying to build heaven on earth. This is why he said: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Since a yoke is a tool for carrying burdens, Jesus’ use of this image indicates how his followers will still have burdens to carry. These are the burdens which come from both living in a difficult world and from the demands of God’s law. Remember that Jesus also said: “I have come not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.”
But the burdens of the law in Christ’s kingdom are easier than those which were imposed by the established religion in Jesus’ day. And they are easier than many of the religions in our day too.
Still, there is an even more important way to understand what Jesus says here about rest and ease. And that is to hear these words in reference to his forgiveness. Jesus’ yoke is easy in that being yoked together with him by faith means that our sins have been forgiven. This forgiveness then gives us the greatest of all rest.
This ease and rest are made possible because Jesus went to the cross and took our sins upon himself. There he died to pay the penalty of our sins, doing the work that we could never do.
And now he invites us to be yoked to him in faith so that together we can work in this world to spread the Good News of his kingdom and to serve as salt and light. In this kingdom we will learn to be “gentle and lowly in heart” like our Savior. And we will find rest for our souls.
Being yoked together with Jesus doesn’t always feel so easy, since we still have burdens to carry. But it is much easier than life without him. And that’s because Jesus always extends help to his people.
Jesus’ help is centered around his daily invitation to follow him. This is an invitation to trust him and to live according to his teachings. When we follow him in this way, we will find rest for our souls.
May God lead us to seek this rest always. And to appreciate it. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) How Great Thou Art LSB 801
1 O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed; Refrain
Refrain
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
2 When through the woods and forest glades I wander,
I hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze; Refrain
3 But when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in—
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin; Refrain
4 When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!” Refrain
APOSTLES’ CREED LSB, back cover
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.
OFFERING
Offerings support the church’s mission work – both here and through our many partners. Offerings may be placed in the box at the sanctuary entrance or sent to the church through our website or the mail. Fellowship Cards help us welcome new people and track participation. Please fill one out and place it in the offering box following the service.
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
O God, Your Son Jesus invited us to take up His easy and light burden and so find rest for our souls. Keep us mindful of the eternal rest of salvation that is found only in the work of Christ, so that we may gladly follow him with all our heart. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord of heaven and earth, You have hidden things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. Give to Your Church pastors and teachers who will faithfully proclaim these hidden things and make them known. May Your Word continue to flourish in this and every congregation, that we may we grow in faith and knowledge. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, fill our homes with Your Word and grace. Be the companion of those who are alone. Strengthen husbands and wives. Bless parents as they catechize their children. And let all these find refuge in You, that they be preserved from every plague and evil. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Almighty God, ruler of all nations, we thank You for the blessings You have bestowed upon the United States of America and her people for 250 years. We pray that You would grant her good and wise government and sustain her in peace and security, especially so that Your Holy Gospel may be confessed openly and received gladly by her people. Bless the celebrations of this milestone, that they may unite our country as a people and cause us to renew our commitment to the public good. Let all Christians give respect, honor and love where each is due, living as servants of Christ whose eternal citizenship is in heaven. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord God, be with all who are weary and heavy-laden with the tribulations of this life. Give comfort to those on our prayer list, all those who suffer illness, and those we name in our hearts before you at this time… Console them with the knowledge that Your yoke is easy and Your burden light, and that in You they will find rest for their souls. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Merciful Lord, bring your faithful people to gather around your table today so that they may be assured of their forgiveness through Christ’s body and blood. And then send them out into the world as your witness, renewed in both body and soul. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
All these things and whatever else You know that we need, grant us, Father, for the sake of Him who died and rose again and now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
OFFERTORY Let the Vineyards Be Fruitful (LSB 955)
Let the vineyards be fruitful, Lord,
And fill to the brim our cup of blessing.
Gather a harvest from the seeds that were sown,
That we may be fed with the bread of life.
Gather the hopes and the dreams of all;
Unite them with the prayers we offer now.
Grace our table with Your presence, and give us
A foretaste of the feast to come.
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SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT
PREFACE (Stand) LSB 208-210
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, for the countless blessings You so freely bestow on us and all creation. Above all, we give thanks for Your boundless love shown to us when You sent Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into our flesh and laid on Him our sin, giving Him into death that we might not die eternally. Because He is now risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, all who believe in Him will overcome sin and death and will rise again to new life. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:
SANCTUS LSB 208
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth adored;
Heav’n and earth with full acclaim shout the glory of Your name.
Sing hosanna in the highest, sing hosanna to the Lord;
Truly blest is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
LORD’S PRAYER
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.
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
PAX DOMINI
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Amen.
AGNUS DEI LSB 210
1 O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,
You take the sin of the world away;
O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,
Have mercy on us, Lord, we pray.
2 O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,
You take the sin of the world away;
Have mercy on us, Jesus Christ,
And grant us peace, O Lord, we pray.
THE COMMUNION (Be seated)
Those wishing to commune at the foot of the steps should come forward first. Those wishing to commune at the altar rail should come forward after these, front rows first, from both sides of the aisle. After receiving, all should return to their seats. A common dismissal will be given at the end.
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS Come, Let Us Eat LSB 626
1 Come, let us eat, for now the feast is spread,
Come, let us eat, for now the feast is spread.
Our Lord’s body let us take together,
Our Lord’s body let us take together.
2 Come, let us drink, for now the wine is poured,
Come, let us drink, for now the wine is poured.
Jesus’ blood poured let us drink together,
Jesus’ blood poured let us drink together.
3 In His presence now we meet and rest,
In His presence now we meet and rest.
In the presence of our Lord we gather,
In the presence of our Lord we gather.
4 Rise, then, to spread abroad God’s mighty Word,
Rise, then, to spread abroad God’s mighty Word.
Jesus risen will bring in the Kingdom,
Jesus risen will bring in the Kingdom.
What Is This Bread LSB 629
1 What is this bread?
Christ’s body risen from the dead:
This bread we break,
This life we take,
Was crushed to pay for our release.
O taste and see—the Lord is peace.
2 What is this wine?
The blood of Jesus shed for mine;
The cup of grace
Brings His embrace
Of life and love until I sing!
O taste and see—the Lord is King.
3 So who am I,
That I should live and He should die
Under the rod?
My God, my God,
Why have You not forsaken me?
O taste and see—the Lord is free.
4 Yet is God here?
Oh, yes! By Word and promise clear,
In mouth and soul
He makes us whole—
Christ, truly present in this meal.
O taste and see—the Lord is real.
5 Is this for me?
I am forgiven and set free!
I do believe
That I receive
His very body and His blood.
O taste and see—the Lord is good.
NUNC DIMITTIS LSB 211
1 O Lord, now let Your servant
Depart in heav’nly peace,
For I have seen the glory
Of Your redeeming grace:
A light to lead the Gentiles
Unto Your holy hill,
The glory of Your people,
Your chosen Israel.
2 All glory to the Father,
All glory to the Son,
All glory to the Spirit,
Forever Three in One;
For as in the beginning,
Is now, shall ever be,
God’s triune name resounding
Through all eternity.
PRAYER (Stand)
SENDING HYMN O Beautiful for Spacious Skies
1 O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain,
for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain:
America! America! God shed his grace on thee,
and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.
2 O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,
who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life:
America! America! May God thy gold refine,
till all success be nobleness, and ev’ry gain divine.
3 O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years
thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears:
America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.
ANNOUNCEMENTS (Be seated)
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE O Beautiful for Spacious Skies Setting: Charles Calhoun
FLOWERS: In honor of Dick Holzheimer’s Birthday. By the Holzheimer Family
SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP: Board of Property Management
Those serving:
Saturday, 5:00 p.m.:
Greeter: Kim Follin
Reader: Joe Iafrate
Sunday, 10:00 a.m.:
Greeter: Bob Juenger
Comm. assist: Judy Koucky
Reader: Dale Rogers
Acolyte: William Dennis
AV Assistants: Hannes Buuck, Andreas Buuck
Acknowledgments
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2026 Concordia Publishing House.
955 Let the Vineyards Be Fruitful Text: John W. Arthur, 1922–80 Tune: Richard W. Hillert, 1923–2010 Tune: © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
966 Before You, Lord, We Bow Text: Francis Scott Key, 1779–1843, alt. Tune: John Darwall, 1731–89 Text and tune: Public domain
801 How Great Thou Art Text: Carl Gustaf Boberg, 1859–1940; tr. Stuart W. K. Hine, 1899–1989 Tune: Swedish; arr. Stuart W. K. Hine, 1899–1989 Text and tune: © 1949, 1953 The Stuart Hine Trust, admin. EMI CMG and Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
626 Come, Let Us Eat Text (sts. 1–3): tr. Margaret D. Miller, 1927, alt.; (st. 4): Gilbert E. Doan, 1930–2024, alt. Text (sts. 1–3) and tune: Billema Kwillia, 1925 Text (st. 4): © 1972 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Text (sts. 1–3) and tune: © Lutheran World Federation. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
629 What Is This Bread Text: Frederic W. Baue, 1946 Tune: Jean Neuhauser Baue, 1951 Text and tune: © 1991 Fred and Jean Baue. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
O Beautiful for Spacious Skies Text: Katherin Bates Tune: Samuel Ward Public Domain
