Worship and Devotions

Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

June 21, 2026

Welcome visitors and old friends. Welcome regardless of belief, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender, socio-economic status, marital status, age, abilities, or life situation. Welcome believers and doubters as well as doubting believers. Welcome to share the fullness of Christ's love for the world!(Adapted from The welcome message from the Thomas Community in Finland. "Celebrating milestone moments" by Rev. Jukka Joensuu. Canada Lutheran January/February 2024 Vol. 39 No. 1; chorus of ELW 523)

God does not promise that the path of the disciple will be easy. Jeremiah feels the pain of rejection from those who do not want to hear what he has to say. Jesus declares that his words may bring stark division. Even so, we need not be afraid for God accounts for each hair on our heads. Though we may experience rejection, frustration, division, and death, God’s grace and love make us a new creation each day. Marked with the cross and filled with holy food, we are sent from worship to witness to Christ in the world.

Music

God, We Gather As Your People

God, We Gather as Your People (with lyrics) - ELW/ACS 1038 - YouTube

Prayer

Teach us, good Lord God, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, except that of knowing that we do your will, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.

Readings

Semicontinuous Readings

Genesis 21:8-21; Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17; Romans 6:1b-11

Alternate Readings

Jeremiah 20:7-13; Psalm 69:7-19 [11-15] 16-18; Romans 6:1b-11

Gospel - Matthew 10:24-39

Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus warns his disciples that their ministry in his name will meet with opposition. However, he assures them that they need not fear for the truth will come to light. Life is found in Christ.

[Jesus said to the twelve:] ²⁴ “A disciple is not above the teacher nor a slave above the master; ²⁵ it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! ²⁶ “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered and nothing secret that will not become known. ²⁷ What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. ²⁸ Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ And even the hairs of your head are all counted. ³¹ So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. ³² “Everyone, therefore, who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven, ³³ but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. 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 one’s foes will be members of one’s 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 up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”

Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

Putting Our Lives in God’s Hands

by Pastor Carol J. Dennison

Fear, hope and trust are all part of Matthew’s gospel from its beginning. Joseph is told not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife and, after Jesus’ birth and the visit of the magi, is told by an angel to take Mary and the child to Egypt since Herod is seeking his life. Why? Herod is afraid that this child might take over his dynasty! His fear leads him to murder all male children under two years old in Bethlehem! Joseph is warned again to take Mary and the child away from Judea and Herod’s successor so that they end up in Nazareth. When Jesus grows up, he is baptized by John the Baptist and then has to face temptations including the fear of lacking food! When he overcomes these, he begins his ministry in Galilee, proclaiming “The kingdom of God is near!” He calls his first four disciples and then we hear this: ^“Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.” (Matthew 4:23)

Speaking to his disciples on a mountain, (the crowds listen in), he makes references to those persecuted for the sake of righteousness, to being reviled and persecuted, and to being falsely accused of all kinds of evil on his account. He tells them that their righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. His disciples are not to announce their alms giving publicly nor to mark their faces to show they are fasting as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. They are not to say one thing and do something else! Jesus follows this up by continuing to heal every disease and sickness. He calls Matthew, a tax collector to follow him, and is accused by the Pharisees of eating with tax collectors and sinners. It is not too long afterwards that the Pharisees say he is casting out demons by the power of the demon’s ruler (Beelzebul?).

What do the disciples following Jesus make of all this? Are they beginning to wonder if it is safe to follow Jesus?

Then we hear that Jesus summons his twelve disciples and gives them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness - the same words used of his own ministry. Jesus warns them that they are like sheep amidst wolves! He specifically tells them they will be hauled before councils, flogged in synagogues, and be dragged before governors and kings because of Jesus. Their siblings, fathers, and children will betray them and have them put to death, and they will be hated by all because they follow Jesus. All this before we even get to today’s reading!

Is Jesus trying to scare them off? Or is he preparing them for what will come so that they can decide whether their commitment to following Jesus is more important than anything life can throw at them?

“Have no fear of them” or as The Inclusive Bible puts it, “Don’t let people intimidate you.” “Do not fear.” “Do not be afraid.” Jesus does not minimize their fears but acknowledges them. They are to be like him, to tell what Jesus says openly, even from the housetops! Their opponents can kill their bodies but God holds their bodies and souls in God’s care. They are of such great value to God that even their hairs are numbered! Jesus then repeats in slightly different words what he said back on the mountain: God knows when even a tiny sparrow falls and they are worth more than many sparrows.

Jesus acknowledges that following him will not bring them peace with others but a sword- that is, opposition. He reminds them of what he told them earlier - even family members will betray each other. However, if they acknowledge Jesus before others, love Jesus more than their own families, and take up these difficulties- crosses- that could result in their own death, they will be acknowledged as worthy of Jesus and will find their life.

How does this play out in real lives now? A person serving as a youth pastor, or pastor molests children in their care. It happened in residential schools and it still happens today. Does the church hold them accountable and give them over to civilian law courts or does the church pretend it isn’t happening and ignore the victims? Both occur.

A seminary student from India is not able to return to India to see his family because they turned their backs on him when he became a Christian. A young friend of his is beaten to death because he is a follower of Christ. It happens all too often in many countries around the world.

An Indigenous seminary professor writes this: “Reading this as an Indigenous man, I cannot help but also think of Indigenous communities throughout much of the world, but especially here on Turtle Island (North America). The church has perpetuated much harm among my people, the First Nations of Canada. Christian theology demonized our culture. Christian teachings like the Doctrine of Discovery bolstered colonial conquest and dehumanization. Christian churches helped to run Indian Residential and Boarding schools, which sought to kill the Indian in the child. It should not be hard for people to understand why there is sometimes such outright hatred toward the Christian church within Indigenous communities.

And yet, the reality is that many Indigenous people are followers of the Jesus Way. And for us, the painful division is sometimes twofold: We are sometimes at odds with our Indigenous communities because of our devotion to Jesus, while simultaneously being at odds with the church because we are proud of who we are as Indigenous people and seek to follow God the way he has made us—something that is often deeply resisted within the wider church that desires more cultural hegemony (that is dominance, power over the culture).” (Danny Zacharias. “Commentary on Matthew 10:24-39” Commentary on Matthew 10:24-39 - Working Preacher from Luther Seminary)

What about us? How does this gospel reading relate to us? I have not been threatened with death or abused because of following Jesus. Have you? When we speak about our faith, we are more likely to be ignored than vilified although we may have people make fun of us. This includes members of our own families. How do we follow Jesus in this atmosphere?

Here are some ideas. See what you think.

When you have a meal with others, deliberately bend your head, and say grace silently even if you don’t say grace out loud.

Love your enemies and do good to those around you whom you don’t like! It can be as simple as smiling at them, thanking them for what service they do for you, giving alms to those begging, asking their name and introducing yourself and the like.

When talking with others about what you are doing, tell them that you have been to coffee fellowship every Tuesday or that you spent Sunday morning on zoom worship or here for in person worship. Talk about the church wide events such as the Conversations Across the Church, Day of Action, the multifaith event at Nautical Days, the worship event in the Yukon or the One Body gathering several of you attended. If they are talking about getting rid of stuff from their home, suggest they drop it off at St. John the Divine’s Blessings Boutique.

If someone is ill or going on a trip, tell them you will pray for their healing and a safe journey.

When we see injustices, actions that harm others and the like, protest in words and actions rather than just ignore them. This may mean signing petitions, joining marches, writing letters to our MPs and MLAS, picking up litter, cutting our use of plastics and non recyclables, etc.

Do these things seem too small? They are not. When our actions reflect Jesus’ life and words, people are more likely to hear what we say about Jesus! When what we say and what we do are at odds, people are less likely to believe what we say about Jesus.

I want to close with a prayer adapted from one by the Iona Community.

“We believe, O God, that you are present in the darkness before the dawn; in the waiting and uncertainty where fear and courage join hands, conflict and caring link arms, the sun rises over barbed wire. We believe you are a with-us God who sits down in our midst to share our humanity. We affirm a faith that takes us beyond the safe place: into action, into vulnerability, and into the streets. We commit ourselves to work for change and to put ourselves on the line; to bear responsibility, take risks, live powerfully and face humiliation; to stand with those on the edge; to choose life and be used by your Spirit for your new community of hope. Guide, guard and help us to make this so. Amen.

Music

Faith Begins By Letting Go

Faith Begins by Letting Go (with lyrics) - ELW/ACS 1004 - YouTube

Prayers of Intercession

Gathered together by the Holy Spirit, let us pray for the church and the needs of the world.

A brief silence.

Life-giving God, you have called your people to lose their lives for Jesus’ sake. Strengthen your church and grant us the attitudes, aptitudes and resources we need to do this work you have called us to do to the furtherance of your kindom and the glory of your name. Give our leaders, lay and ordained, strength to follow you in the face of difficulty. God of grace, hear our prayer.

God, we sometimes shy away from taking responsibility for the scars or blame for horrendous periods in Canadian history. We would much rather take credit for the many blessings from our ancestors and neglect their burdens. We seek your forgiveness and healing grace as we take steps toward building respectful, compassionate, and loving relationships with First Nations peoples. God of grace, hear our prayer. (Adapted from “Untwisting into Reconciliation: A Settler Service for National Indigenous Day of Prayer, 2025” 2025-untwisting-into-reconciliation-nidp.docx)

Creator of all, we give thanks for the beauty of this land — for the mountains, lakes, rivers, oceans, forests, and skies that have been cared for by Indigenous peoples since time immemorial. We honour the wisdom, traditions, and resilience of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities. May we walk gently on this earth, learning from the teachings of respect, reciprocity, and relationship. Bless the elders who carry the stories, the youth who carry the dreams, and all who work for the flourishing of their people. Today and every day, may we stand together in gratitude, respect, and hope. God of grace, hear our prayer. (Adapted from Prayers for National Indigenous People’s Day — Red Clover”)

Sovereign God, you call us to act justly and love mercy. Protect those with marginalized identities to whom we have not shown the abounding love of Jesus. Bring an end to oppression and bigotry in all forms. God of grace, hear our prayer.

Sustaining God, you promise to provide for us. Help those living with disability. Comfort and heal those experiencing illness, grief or suffering. God of grace, hear our prayer.

Empowering God, strengthen us to live out our diverse callings. We pray especially for fathers and father figures, that they show your compassion and care. We pray for all for whom this day is difficult or painful. God of grace, hear our prayer.

Here other intercessions may be offered.

Faithful God, we give thanks for saints who have claimed their baptismal promises. May we follow their example of faith and service. God of grace, hear our prayer.

Trusting you receive all our prayers, we commend our spoken and unspoken prayers to you, O God, through Jesus our Saviour.

Amen.

Music

Go To The World

Go to the World - ELW/ACS 991 - YouTube