Brothers and sisters, grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus. The Sunday schedules will remain the same throughout the summer, with Bible study at 9 am and worship at 10:30. I encourage to use these opportunities to receive God’s gifts.
July 4th is approaching. Take time to thank for the freedoms you enjoy in this country, including the freedom from sin Jesus has earned for you by His death and resurrection. On July 4th at 4 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church downtown Houston, 800 Houston Ave,, the Houston Lutheran Chorale will be preforming a concert of Christian and patriotic songs. The event is free. The choir is great. Hearing them sing would be a great way for your family to experience the 4th.
This Sunday, June 29, we will be using the liturgy of Divine Service Setting Three beginning on page 184 in the LSB hymnal. Hymns chosen for the day are #819 Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good; #688 Come Follow Me, the Savior Spoke; #619 Thy Blood Given for Me, O Savior; and #685 Let Us Ever Walk With Jesus.
Scriptures assigned to the day are Psalm 16:4-11; 1 Kings 19:9b-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; and Luke 9:51-62.
Psalm 16 is designated as a miktam of David (as are psalms 56-60), a term that has an unclear meaning. As a Hebrew word it means the cover of a pot or other vessel, but how it applies to the psalm is uncertain. The Psalmist praises God for the life he is enjoying, including good advice and the assurance of eternal life. Verse 10 is a messianic reference to Jesus rising from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion and death. His glorified body lying in the tomb had no decay or corruption. Through the redemptive work of Jesus, His followers will learn the way to eternal life and joy. Pray that all people would be open to learning from Jesus.
1 Kings is one of the Old Testament books of history, including a description of the reigns of kings who led the northern kingdom of Israel (also called Samaria) and the southern kingdom of Judah. In Chapter 18, God sends the prophet Elijah to confront Israel’s King Ahab and his pagan wife Jezebel. A contest is arranged to clarify who is serving the correct, living God. The results of the contest include a revelation of the true God, and destruction of false prophets of the false god Baal. Jezebel threatens to retaliate and kill Elijah. In Sunday’s reading from Chapter 19, Elijah is on the run afraid that Jezebel will end his life. God promises to preserve Elijah’s life. God speaks to Elijah in a time of great personal anxiety; His words are a great comfort. God’s recorded Word, the Bible, continues to provide comfort and assurance among life’s troubling times. God reveals Himself to be a gracious and a sure defender and powerful deliverer of His people. In times of trouble, read God’s Word and pray. God will keep His Word and do what is best for you.
The congregation in ancient Galatia (located in the southwest area of Asia Minor or modern Turkey) was troubled by Jewish converts who insisted that Christians must keep Jewish Old Testament rules and traditions, including circumcision. In his letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul criticizes these “Judaizers” for trying to put Christians back under the Law, and obscuring the freedom of forgiveness they had received through the gospel. In other words, Jesus the perfectly obedient Son of God had fulfilled all the Law of us, and fully paying the punishment we deserve for our disobedience. In Chapter 5 of his letter, Paul clarifies that the gospel is not a license to live in sin. Freedom in Christ also includes receiving the Holy Spirit, and a renewed ability to live a sanctified or holy life, that is, a live set apart by God to “walk in the ways” of Jesus. Paul lists examples contrasting godly Spirit-led living as compared to sinful self-indulgent living. Jesus has set you free from vice. So, walk in freedom, striving in thankfulness to live a virtuous life and abstaining from those things that would drag you back into guilt and shame.
We should not think that walking in the ways of Jesus is easy to accomplish. Following Jesus includes sacrifice and often also rejection by others, hardship, and suffering. In the gospel reading Jesus emphasizes that the urgency of following Him will make worldly events relatively unimportant. The first commandment warns against having other gods, even those things that seem to have an earthly obligation. Jesus urges His followers to see Him as the highest priority.
Collect: Lord of all power and might, Author and Giver of all good things, graft into our hearts the love of Your name and nourish us with all goodness that we may love and serve our neighbor; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Please let me know if you have any prayer requests of questions about schedules or Sunday’s Scripture readings. God bless you. Pastor Boster
