FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Who Loses His Life for My Sake Finds It Eternally
June 28, 2026
AS WE GATHER
Jesus has not come to calm the world but to lead us into battle. That battle is inside of us—the call to take up the cross, to deny self, and to follow Jesus. He has already won the victory over death and the devil, and now He works to sanctify us in this truth. While this might appear to be surrender, it is the only path to finding our lives and keeping them to everlasting life. We are bearers of this message to the world and accompanied with the promise that Christ is working in us and through us to make the Gospel known. Yet in the midst of this, we are encouraged that the smallest good work will not be overlooked by the Father, and those redeemed by Christ have a heavenly reward awaiting their faithful believing and living.
+ PREPARATION +
HYMN With The Lord Begin Thy Task TLH 540
With the Lord begin thy task; Jesus will direct it.
For His aid and counsel ask; Jesus will perfect it.
Ev’ry morn with Jesus rise, And when day is ended,
In His name then close thine eyes; Be to Him commended.
Let each day begin with prayer, Praise, and adoration.
On the Lord cast ev’ry care; He is thy salvation.
Morning, evening, and at night Jesus will be near thee,
Save thee from the Tempter’s might, With His presence cheer thee.
With thy Savior at thy side, Foes need not alarm thee;
In His promises confide, And no ill can harm thee.
All thy trust do thou repose In the mighty Master,
Who in wisdom truly knows How to stem disaster.
If thy task be thus begun With the Savior's blessing,
Safely then thy course will run, Naught thy soul distressing.
Good will follow everywhere While thou here must wander;
Thou at last the joy will share In the mansions yonder.
Thus, Lord Jesus, ev'ry task Be to Thee commended;
May Thy will be done, I ask, Until life is ended.
Jesus, in Thy name begun Be the day's endeavor.
Grant that it may well be done To Thy praise forever.
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Psalm 38:3
Pastor: There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.
People: I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.
Pastor: Holy and gracious God,
People: I confess that I have sinned against You this day. Some of my sin I know—the thoughts and words and deeds of which I am ashamed—but some is known only to You. In the name of Jesus Christ I ask forgiveness. Deliver according to Your mercy and grant peace to my heart so that I may serve You with all my mind, body, and soul.
Pastor: By the mercy of God we are redeemed by Jesus Christ, and in Him we are forgiven. As a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
Pastor: He who began this good work within you will bring it to completion on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The peace of the Lord be with you.
People: And also with you. Amen.
+ WORD +
HYMN OF PRAISE No Other Name CH 15
Refrain: No other name but the name of Jesus,
No other name but the name of the Lord,
No other name but the name of Jesus
Is worthy of glory, and worthy of honor,
And worthy of power and all praise. (Repeat Refrain)
His name is exalted far above the earth,
His name is high above the heavens.
His name is exalted far above the earth,
Give glory and honor and praise unto His name! (Refrain)
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. Almighty God, by the working of Your Holy Spirit, grant that we may gladly hear Your Word proclaimed among us and follow its directing; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Jeremiah 28:5–9 (“It will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”)
5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord, 6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. 7 Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8 The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”
EPISTLE Romans 7:1–13 (If you have died to the Law in Christ, you have been raised to bear eternal fruit.)
1Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. 4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. 7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.
HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 10:34–42 (“Whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.”)
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 a person's enemies will be those of his 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 his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
HYMN Let Us Ever Walk With Jesus TLH 409
Let us ever walk with Jesus, Follow His example pure,
Flee the world, which would deceive us And to sin our souls allure.
Ever in His footsteps treading,Body here, yet soul above,
Full of faith and hope and love, Let us do the Father's bidding.
Faithful Lord, abide with me; Savior, lead, I follow Thee.
Let us suffer here with Jesus, To His image, e'er conform;
Heaven's glory soon will please us, Sunshine follow on the storm.
Though we sow in tears of sorrow, We shall reap with heavenly joy;
And the fears that now annoy Shall be laughter on the morrow.
Christ, I suffer here with Thee; There, oh, share Thy joy with me!
Let us also die with Jesus.His death from the second death,
From our soul's destruction, frees us, Quickens us with life's glad breath.
Let us mortify, while living, Flesh and blood and die to sin;
And the grave that shuts us in Shall but prove the gate to heaven.
Jesus, here I die to Thee There to live eternally.
Let us gladly live with Jesus; Since He's risen from the dead,
Death and grave must soon release us. Jesus, Thou art now our Head,
We are truly Thine own members; Where Thou livest, there live we.
Take and own us constantly, Faithful Friend, as Thy dear brethren.
Jesus, here I live to Thee, Also there eternally.
SERMON
NICENE CREED
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made: who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
GREETING/ANNOUNCEMENTS
OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: Lord, bend near to Your people and hearken to the sound of their voices in prayer, for You have promised to hear and grant us all things good and right through Jesus Christ, Your Son.
O merciful Lord, grant that those who have been redeemed by a cross the power and strength to bear the cross and so follow Christ. Give to us the pattern of sound words in the doctrine we confess and the pattern of good works in the lives we lead. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O blessed Lord, You have promised us the wisdom and guidance of the Spirit, that we might rightly distinguish Your commands and promises, and, having been saved by Your grace, take heed to Your Law in the ordering of our days. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O mighty God, all things are Yours and yet You have entrusted into our care all that You have made. Help us to be wise and discerning people as we use Your resources for Your glory and for the good of our neighbors. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O loving God, You bear with all the wounds and suffering of Your people, and deliver them now according to Your fatherly wisdom and forever according to Your promise of redemption. Hear us on behalf of all the sick, the suffering, those in need, the dying, and those grieving, [especially . . .]. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O great God, You have ordered all things in Your wisdom and imparted to Your people the voice of Your Word and Spirit to guide us in all things. Deliver our world from war, our nations from inept or evil government and leaders, and our people from want or fear. Grant us grace to be honorable citizens of this union and to demonstrate the noble virtues of integrity and truth in all our dealings. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O holy God, You established the love of man for woman and woman for man and ordered the home to be a place of blessing and faith, for the raising of honorable children and for the care of those in need. Bless the homes of Your people and help them to fulfill their duties and vocations with faithfulness and contentment of heart. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O patient God, You order the seasons and enable the land to be fruitful. Order our hearts to be grateful for Your gifts and responsible in their use, enabling the poor to be sustained by those who have plenty, and generously supporting the work of Your kingdom. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O faithful God, Your Son delivered to us the testament of His body and blood in this Holy Supper and sets our place at His Table. Give grace to those who commune here this day, that they may receive it with faith, for the nourishment of their souls and for the equipping of their hearts for the good works that glorify You. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O maker of all that is good, You have established our days in peace through our Lord Jesus Christ and delivered to us the blessing of eternal life. Grant us Your grace so that what we here know by faith we shall finally know face to face, when we shall be joined with the saints in Your presence on high. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Endless Your mercy and eternal Your reign, O Lord, God of our fathers, who would have us pray, trusting in Your mercy and confident You will grant to us all that is needful; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.