June 7, 2026

THE SERVICE

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST—GOD LOVES SINNERS

They never forgot their past. Moses never forgot how he killed a man in a fit of anger. Paul never forgot how he had savaged the Church of God. Matthew never forgot how, as a tax collector for the Roman Empire, he was considered a traitor to his people.

But God forgot their past. He forgave all their sins and called them to proclaim his mercy. Christians are sinners whom God has mercifully called. Only mercy can explain why Jesus brings people to faith and promises them salvation. Only grace can explain how he calls them to serve as they are able, even in the ministry of the gospel. God loves sinners.

OPENING HYMN 575 By Grace I’m Saved

1 By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless;
my soul, believe and doubt it not.
Why waver at this word of promise?
Has Scripture ever falsehood taught?
So then this word must true remain:
by grace you, too, shall heav’n obtain.

2 By grace God’s Son, our only Savior,
came down to earth to bear our sin.
Was it because of your own merit
that Jesus died, your soul to win?
No, it was grace, and grace alone,
that brought him from his heav’nly throne.

3       By grace! O mark this word of promise
    when you are by your sins oppressed,
when Satan plagues your troubled conscience,
    and when your heart is seeking rest.
What reason cannot comprehend
God by his grace to you did send.

4       By grace to timid hearts that tremble,
    in tribulation’s furnace tried,
by grace, despite all fear and trouble,
    the Father’s heart is open wide.
Where could I help and strength secure
if grace were not my anchor sure?

5       By grace! On this I’ll rest when dying;
    in Jesus’ promise I rejoice,
for though I know my heart’s condition,
    I also know my Savior’s voice.
My heart is glad, all grief has flown
since I am saved by grace alone.

Text: Christian L. Scheidt, 1709–1761, abr.; tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941, alt.
Text: Public domain

Please Stand

INVOCATION 154 Setting One

In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

CONFESSION

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Let us confess our sins to the Lord.
Holy God, gracious Father,
    I am sinful by nature
        and have sinned against you in my thoughts, words, and actions.
    I have not loved you with my whole heart;
    I have not loved others as I should.
        I deserve your punishment both now and forever.
    But Jesus, my Savior, paid for my sins
        with his innocent suffering and death.
    Trusting in him, I pray: God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Silence for meditation and reflection

Our gracious Father in heaven has been merciful to us. He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, who gave his life as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

KYRIE 156 Lord, Have Mercy

In peace let us pray to the Lord.
♫ Lord, have mercy.

For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
♫ Lord, have mercy.

For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
♫ Lord, have mercy.

For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
♫ Lord, have mercy.

Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
♫ Amen.

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS 157 Glory Be to God

♫ Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
We praise you, we bless you, we worship you,
we glorify you, we give thanks to you, for your great glory,
O Lord God, heav’nly King, God the Father Almighty.
O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ;
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
You take away the sin of the world; receive our prayer.
You sit at the right hand of God the Father; have mercy on us.
For you only are holy; you only are the Lord.
You only, O Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
are most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

THE WORD

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray.

Almighty and merciful God, you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to seek and to save the lost. Graciously open our ears and our hearts to hear his call and follow him by faith that we may feast with him forever in his kingdom; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Be seated

FIRST READING Exodus 3:1–15

The LORD chooses Moses to lead the Israelites.

1Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

4When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

7The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

11But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

13Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

14God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

15God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’

“This is my name forever,
the name you shall call me
from generation to generation.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

PSALM OF THE DAY Psalm 119:65–72

Teth

65Do good to your servant
according to your word, Lord.
66Teach me knowledge and good judgment,
for I trust your commands.
67Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I obey your word.
68You are good, and what you do is good;
teach me your decrees.
69Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,
I keep your precepts with all my heart.
70Their hearts are callous and unfeeling,
but I delight in your law.
71It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees.
72The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

SECOND READING 1 Timothy 1:12–17

God demonstrates mercy and patience by calling a sinner into the ministry.

12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Please Stand

GOSPEL (in English and Karen) Matthew 9:9–13

Tax collectors were considered among the worst of sinners. To demonstrate grace, Jesus called one to be his disciple.

9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise be to you, O Christ!

Be seated

CHILDREN'S MESSAGE

HYMN OF THE DAY 578 Chief of Sinners Though I Be

1 Chief of sinners though I be,
Jesus shed his blood for me,
died that I might live on high,
lives that I might never die.
As the branch is to the vine,
I am his and he is mine!

2 Oh, the height of Jesus’ love,
higher than the heav’ns above,
deeper than the depths of sea,
lasting as eternity,
love that found me—wondrous thought—
found me when I sought him not.

3 Only Jesus can impart
comfort to a wounded heart,
peace that flows from sin forgiv’n,
joy that lifts the soul to heav’n,
faith and hope to walk with God
in the way that Enoch trod.

4 Chief of sinners though I be,
Christ is all in all to me;
all my wants to him are known,
all my sorrows are his own.
Safe with him in earthly strife,
I await the heav’nly life.

5 Strengthen me, O gracious Lord,
by your Spirit and your Word.
When my wayward heart would stray,
keep me in the narrow way;
grace in time of need supply
while I live and when I die.

Text: William McComb, 1793–1873, alt.
Text: Public domain

SERMON

Please Stand

CONFESSION OF FAITH Nicene Creed 325 & 381 AD

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Be seated

OFFERING PRESENTED BEFORE THE ALTAR

OFFERING HYMN 942 Create in Me a Clean Heart

♫ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with your free Spirit. Amen.

CONFIRMATION & RECEPTION OF NEW MEMBERS

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Teach us knowledge and good judgment, that we may trust in your commands.