SUNDAY, JULY 5TH, 2026

​6TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

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INTRODUCTION​

The mystery of God’s ways is sometimes hidden from the wise and intelligent.
     The prophet describes an everlasting realm that contrasts with earthly nations,
     one marked by peace, humility, and freedom. Jesus associates with those
     excluded from the religious community. Like Paul, we struggle with selfish
     desires; we lament flawed systems; and we seek God’s mercy and forgiveness.
     We gather around word, water, and meal by Christ’s invitation: “Come to me, all you
     that are weary.” Here we find rest for our souls and hope for life in beloved community.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

You are great, O God, and greatly to be praised. You have made us for yourself,
     and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Grant that we may believe in
     you, call upon you, know you, and serve you, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our
     Savior and Lord. Amen.​

FIRST READING

ZECHARIAH 9:9-12
The coming messianic king will inaugurate an era of disarmament and prosperity.
     Because of God’s covenant with Israel, the people are designated as “prisoners of hope.”

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
  See, your king comes to you;
  triumphant and victorious is he,
  humble and riding on a donkey,
  on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
  10 He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
  and the war horse from Jerusalem;
  and the battle bow shall be cut off,
  and he shall command peace to the nations;
  his dominion shall be from sea to sea
  and from the River to the ends of the earth.

  11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
  I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
  12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
  today I declare that I will restore to you double.

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PSALM

PSALM 145:8-14
(Response) The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. (Ps. 145:8)

8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 Lord, you are good to all,
and your compassion is over all your works.
(Response) The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. (Ps. 145:8)

10 All your works shall praise you, O Lord,
and your faithful ones shall bless you.
11 They shall tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your power,
12 that all people may know of your power
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom;
        your dominion endures throughout all ages.
You, Lord, are faithful in all your words, and loving in all your works.
14 The Lord upholds all those who fall
and lifts up those who are bowed down.
(Response) The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. (Ps. 145:8)

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SECOND READING

ROMANS 7:15-25a
Life captive to sin is a catch-22 existence in which we know good but do not do it
     and do things we know to be wrong. Through Jesus Christ, God has set us free
     from such a futile existence.

15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the
     very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good.
     17 But in fact it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know
     that the good does not dwell within me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do
     the good lies close at hand, but not the ability. 19 For I do not do the good I want,
     but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no
     longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me.

     21 So I find it to be a law that, when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at
     hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my
     members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the
     law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched person that I am! Who will
     rescue me from this body of death? 25a Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!​

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​​​​GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia. Blessed are you, Lord of heav’n and earth; you have revealed these
     things to infants. Alleluia. (Matt. 11:25)

GOSPEL READING

MATTHEW 11:16-19, 25-30
Jesus chides people who find fault with both his ministry and that of John the
     Baptist. He thanks God that wisdom and intelligence are not needed to receive
     what God has to offer.

[Jesus spoke to the crowd saying:] 16 “To what will I compare this generation? It
     is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
     17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
     we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
 
     18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; 
     19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a
     drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

     25 At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
     because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have
     revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 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.

     28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will
     give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and
     humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and
     my burden is light.”​​

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Annual License #SB144368. The next Subscription Renewal Date is 2/28/2027.
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License #11327166. The next Subscription Renewal Date is 1/31/2027.

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​SERMONS​
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BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, JULY 5TH, 2026