SUNDAY, AUGUST 23RD, 2026​

13TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

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INTRODUCTION​

In Isaiah the people are advised to look to their spiritual ancestors as the rock
     from which they were hewn. Jesus declares that the church will be built on the
     rock of Peter’s bold confession of faith. God’s word of reconciliation and God’s
     mercy are keys to the church’s mission. Paul urges us to not be conformed to this
     world but to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, using our individual gifts to build
     up the body of Christ. From the table we go forth to offer our spiritual worship
     through word and deed.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

O God, with all your faithful followers of every age, we praise you, the rock of our
     life. Be our strong foundation and form us into the body of your Son, that we may
     gladly minister to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.​

FIRST READING

ISAIAH 51:1-6
Just as God had called Abraham and Sarah and given them many descendants,
     so now God offers comfort to Zion. God’s deliverance will come soon and will never end.

1 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah, who bore you,
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.
3 For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.

4 Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation,
for a teaching will go out from me
and my justice for a light to the peoples.
  5 I will bring near my deliverance swiftly;
  my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens
and look at the earth beneath,
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and those who live on it will die like gnats,
but my salvation will be forever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.​

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PSALM

PSALM 138
(Response) O Lord, your steadfast love endures forever. (Ps. 138:8)

1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart;
     before the gods I will sing your praise.
     2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your name, because of your  
     steadfast love and faithfulness; for you have glorified your name and your word
     above all things.
     3 When I called, you answered me; you increased my strength within me.
     4 All the rulers of the earth will praise you, O Lord, when they have heard the   
     words of your mouth.
(Response) O Lord, your steadfast love endures forever. (Ps. 138:8)

5 They will sing of the ways of the Lord, that great is the glory of the Lord.
     6 The Lord is high, yet cares for the lowly, perceiving the haughty from afar.
     7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; you stretch forth your    
     hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me.
     8 You will make good your purpose for me;
     O Lord, your steadfast love endures forever;
     do not abandon the works of your hands.

(Response) O Lord, your steadfast love endures forever. (Ps. 138:8)​

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SECOND READING

ROMANS 12:1-8
In response to God’s merciful activity, we are to worship by living holistic, God-
     pleasing lives. Our values and viewpoints are not molded by the time in which we
     live but are transformed by the Spirit’s renewing work. God’s grace empowers
     different forms of service among Christians, but all forms of ministry function to
     build up the body of Christ.

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to
     present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is
     your reasonable act of worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be
     transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will
     of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

     3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of
     yourself more highly than you ought to think but to think with sober judgment,
     each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one
     body we have many members and not all the members have the same function,
     5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members
     one of another. 6 We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us:
     prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7 ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching;
     8 the encourager, in encouragement; the giver, in sincerity; the leader, in
     diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.​​

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​​​​GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia. You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Alleluia. (Matt. 16:16)

GOSPEL READING

MATTHEW 16:13-20
At a climactic point in Jesus’ ministry, God reveals to Peter that Jesus is “the
     Messiah, the Son of the living God,” and Jesus responds with the promise of a
     church that will overcome the very gates of Hades.

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
     disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some
     say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the
     prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter
     answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus
     answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has
     not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter,
     and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail
     against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you
     bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be
     loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that
     he was the Messiah.

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LICENSES & EXPIRATION DATES
Worship Service Content is used via permission through Augsburg Fortress Liturgies

Annual License #SB144368. The next Subscription Renewal Date is 2/28/2027.
Our Hymns and Worship Music are used via permission through CCLI One
License #11327166. The next Subscription Renewal Date is 1/31/2027.

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​SERMONS​
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BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, AUGUST 23RD, 2026