Please click on the link below to view the service bulletin for Sunday, July 12,2026.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g3XdGQ9K2hnPPdbm0Y6oX7EKOyhzNilvAHsGoUANJRk/edit?usp=sharing

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Isaiah 55:10-13 God’s Word will accomplish what He desires.

Psalm 65:9-13 “They shout . . . for joy.”

Romans 8:12-17 “All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 Parable of the sower of the seed.

Collect of the Day

Lord God, by the power of Your Word alone, You created everything out of nothing, and You have caused us to be drawn to You in hope. Open our ears and our hearts to hear and believe Your Word this day anew that we may grow by Your grace in the faith and the love that are in Christ Jesus, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Theme

Though you may be familiar with Jesus’ parable of the sower, you may be surprised to hear that you do not really know it yet! That’s because on the one hand, the Word of God does not change. Yet on the other hand, we need to keep hearing it again and again, because our circumstances are constantly changing. The parable of the sower tells of this mystery. The seed is God’s Word, God’s work of planting repentance and faith in ears who hear. We may think of the various kinds of soil Jesus mentions to be various sorts of people. Actually, however, He is describing each individual in their changing circumstances. There are times when we are “good soil,” that is, we understand God’s Word and take comfort in it. There are other times, however, when we either cannot or will not hear it. Sometimes we become hard paths, rocky or distracted by worries or fears. For this reason, God never ceases planting, speaking, and growing faith in the heart, and we return repeatedly to continue hearing, reading, learning, and receiving God’s Word because He never gives up on you.

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Martin Luther’s Morning Prayer

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Martin Luther’s Evening Prayer

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.