Readings, Devotion, Prayers and Announcements for the Third Sunday after Pentecost, June 21, 2020, for both MLLC and Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church
We resumed in-person services on the weekend of June 6-7, following the normal schedule for both MLLC and Waldeck. The Facebook Live services will be offered on Sundays at 8:00 a.m. from Waldeck, and at 10:00 a.m. from MLLC.
Below are the readings, prayers, and various announcements for this Sunday and this week. The Sunday devotion is at the end of the readings.
Remember Your Regular Offerings
For both of our congregations, Waldeck and MLLC, please remember that our expenses continue even when we are unable to meet as usual. Please make a point to give your offerings as you would on a typical week. Here are some ideas of what to do:
For Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ledbetter:
– send your offering by mail to the church office – Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church; 6915 Waldeck Church Lane; Ledbetter, TX 78946
– set aside your offerings each week, and then bring these to church when you can be at worship again.
For MLLC in Carmine:
– send your offering by mail to the church office – MLLC, P O BOX 362, Carmine, TX 78932-0362
– set aside your offerings each week, and then bring these to church when you can be at worship again.
– give offerings through the church web site: mllccarmine.com/online-giving This page has a link to our secure giving page. Offerings can be made by bank draft, debit card, or credit card through this special web site.
JUNE 21, 2020
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
First Reading: Jeremiah 20:7-13
R: A reading from Jeremiah, the 20th chapter.
Jeremiah accuses God of forcing him into a ministry that brings him only contempt and persecution. Yet Jeremiah is confident that God will be a strong protector against his enemies and commits his life into God’s hands.
And now the reading.
7O Lord, you have enticed me,
and I was enticed;
you have overpowered me,
and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all day long;
everyone mocks me.
8For whenever I speak, I must cry out,
I must shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For the word of the Lord has become for me
a reproach and derision all day long.
9If I say, “I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,”
then within me there is something like a burning fire
shut up in my bones;
I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.
10For I hear many whispering:
“Terror is all around!
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
All my close friends
are watching for me to stumble.
“Perhaps he can be enticed,
and we can prevail against him,
and take our revenge on him.”
11But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble,
and they will not prevail.
They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonor
will never be forgotten.
12O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous,
you see the heart and the mind;
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
13Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hands of evildoers.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm: Psalm 69:7-18
R: Psalm 69, read responsively by verse.
7Surely, for your sake I have suffered reproach,
and shame has covered my face.
8I have become a stranger to my own kindred,
an alien to my mother’s children.
9Zeal for your house has eaten me up;
the scorn of those who scorn you has fallen upon me.
10I humbled myself with fasting,
but that was turned to my reproach.
11I put on sackcloth also,
and became a by-word among them.
12Those who sit at the gate murmur against me,
and the drunkards make songs about me.
13But as for me, this is my prayer to you,
at the time you have set, O Lord:
“In your great mercy, O God,
answer me with your unfailing help.
14Save me from the mire; do not let me sink;
let me be rescued from those who hate me and out of the deep waters.
15Let not the torrent of waters wash over me, neither let the deep swallow me up;
do not let the pit shut its mouth upon me.
16Answer me, O Lord, for your love is kind;
in your great compassion, turn to me.
17Hide not your face from your servant;
be swift and answer me, for I am in distress.
18Draw near to me and redeem me;
because of my enemies deliver me.
Second Reading: Romans 6:1b-11
R: A reading from Romans, the 6th chapter.
In baptism we were incorporated into the reality of Christ’s death and resurrection. We have been made new in Christ through his death and resurrection to live freed from sin.
1bShould we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
*Gospel: Matthew 10:24-39
P: The holy gospel according to St. Matthew, the 10th chapter.
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; 25it 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.
27What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. 28Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31So 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; 33but 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.
35For 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;
36and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
37Whoever 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; 38and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Devotion
By Pastor David Tinker
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Portrait of my aunt’s father. I never knew him.
When I see it, I see my cousin Tim. Tim and his grandfather could be passed off as twins.
I don’t see this look as much in my aunt – maybe the look skipped a generation.
Genetics is fascinating to me.
Genetics is the study of the design material of life. We use the term DNA to talk about this design material. DNA is the abbreviation of the scientific word, “Deoxyribonucleic Acid”. DNA is that special code, or blueprint, found in the cells of organisms.
For humans, we start out life as a single cell with one complete set of DNA. Everything about what we will be, our looks, our eye color, the design for our organs, bones and tissues, and many aspects of our health, are set in place with that DNA. As the cells replicate the DNA tells cells to form into one part or another. Eventually the little baby begins to look like a baby, have a heartbeat, and so much more. We are born and we eat, grow and live.
We were also created to be in an eternal relationship with God. Humanity was meant to know and to worship God, and also to be a blessing to one another. Early on in the course of Human History we rejected God’s initial design for our relationship with him and with one another. The life which humanity chose was not better, and the helpless and broken situation we are in is called Sin. This situation of Sin has brought on all sorts of mess: hurt lives, death, as well as actions which hurt God, others, or ourselves. Sin has held us back from becoming the people whom God designed us to be from the beginning. Sin has altered the affects of God’s genetics or our Spiritual DNA.
God has addressed this human condition through the saving work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. Out of his deep love for us, God entered our human reality and joined us in our loss and anguish and death. In death, Jesus received the result of our sinful actions, and he joined the human race in its suffering. His rising from the tomb leads us to hope and new life.
The Missionary Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, chapter 6, announces how we can get connected to what Jesus offers. Through Baptism and Faith, we are led into a new and better way of living. In a very real sense, God’ love, forgiveness, and power enable us to grow spiritually into the people God designed us to be. Paul writes of this in chapter six of his letter, verses 3 and 4: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
Paul tells us that, by Baptism, we are united with Jesus in his death and rising from death. The old favorite Holy Week song asks, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” The assumed answer is, “Yes!” We who have been baptized have been brought back to that point. We didn’t just watch it or read about it. No, we were spiritually crucified with Jesus. We died spiritually in baptism and are brought to new life at the same time. Our sin died with Jesus on the cross. We are brought to life beyond the power of sin and death to live the renewed life God has for us.
Baptism is a tiny beginning to an amazing life with God. When a person is baptized, we do not see exactly what God will be doing in that person’s life. It doesn’t matter what age a person is baptized, because we still do not see it all at first. Out of God’s love and provision the baptized person is given their design for their new life. It is God’s love and provision which grows the person. God gives us his Word, Holy Communion, the people of God, His Holy Spirit, and the hope we need for this life. Second chances are always available as well.
God does great things in baptism and the Christian life. Dr. Harry Wendt, a Lutheran Pastor from Australia, writes of what happens in Holy Baptism and our new life with Jesus. He writes, “In Jesus, God has declared us to be holy. God has given us Jesus’ sinless life, death and resurrection as a set of credentials to possess as our very own. When we stand before God on the last day of history, we shall show Him Jesus’ credentials, now our own. God will welcome us Home, not on the basis of what we have achieved, but on the basis of what Jesus has achieved for us.”
God calls us and empowers us through his Holy Spirit and through Baptism to be God’s Children. Because we are God’s children, we are invited to be restored to the life which God gave us in the beginning. In John’s first letter, chapter 3, the Apostle writes, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”
Dr. Wendt continues as he tells about how we get to live because we are God’s children: “While we wait for the Last Day, God’s appeal is, “Seek to make the credentials I have given you in grace describe you personally more and more. Seek to demonstrate in your own life the life you have been given. Become what you are! Live out what I have declared you to be!””
God loves us, has given himself for us, and invites us to live his new and better way. In baptism we are given, in a sense, a New DNA. God’s renewed design and the power to grow is right here for us. Let us receive it in faith today, and live it from this day forward.
Let us pray – Loving God, you make us your children through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. By your Holy Spirit help us to understand your abundant mercy, and guide us into the life you desire for all your people. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
*Prayers of Intercession
A: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.
A brief silence.
Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, by your grace you meet us in the midst of our sin and death. We give you thanks for your compassion and grace. Mercifully help us to respond to your love with grateful worship of you, and in caring service to others.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
We pray for all the recently baptized and for all who are sensing the call to faith in you. Stir your Holy Spirit in their lives so they might grow and mature in their faith. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
We pray for your strength and presence for those who mourn. Guide us as we offer care to those who are bereaved. (We especially remember…) Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
We pray that you bring healing, strength and hope to those who struggle in mind, body, or spirit, especially . . . and those we name aloud or in quiet prayer… We pray that you will be their help and their shield. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
We give thanks for the Church Council members of this congregation. Grant these leaders a passion for the Gospel and the Church as they work together in leading us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Other petitions may be added here.
We pray for those who struggle with the effects of natural disasters. Help us to work together to bring relief and encouragement to those who suffer. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
P: Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
LORD’S PRAYER
Copyright © 2020 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #27061.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Waldeck Prayer List:
Linda Brown, London Gaskins, Phillip Procell, Brian Shaffer, Sandra Gest, Barbara Spence, April Weyand, Fritz Schoenst, Alicia McQuaig, Diana Gerik Poentisch, Sally Beettner, Carrie Oltmann, Beverly Drescher
REMEMBER IN PRAYER: Susan Ray (knee replacement surgery); Megan Hart Burch (daughter of Patti & Brad, chemotherapy); Ruby Renck (health concerns); Angie Colpetzer (health concerns); Ricky Eckert (brother of Ronnie Eckert, health concerns); Kalisa Pomykal (Paula Barrick’s sister, medical concerns); Kenny Lorenz (former member Robert Hinze’s relative, serious burns and numerous health concerns); Nancy Pietsch (former RT-C teacher, health concerns); Johnny Dunham (health concerns); Joyce Kelley (friend, health concerns); Jack Walsh (friend of Wade Eilers, chemotherapy); Robert Vaughn (at Texas Neurology, thankful for extended stay for rehab); Edna Mae Krivacka (friend of Ed Eargle and Carol Carmean, back home, health concerns)
Sympathy to the families of Ruby Lehmann (friend of Ted & Dianne Sager and aunt of Ronnie Hinze and Kerry Lehmann); Mary Dien Neutzler (grandmother of Lindsey & Josh Eckert and aunt of Colette Wunderlich); Joyce Spies (grandmother of Bryan & Shayne Kirts); Ilo Dean & Joyce Ullrich; Sam Reeves (friend of Daryl & Susan Ray)
The Ongoing Prayer Concerns may be found in the monthly newsletter.
CHRIST IN OUR HOME devotional booklets for July, August, and September are available in the narthex. Some are also available for April, May, and June.
WORSHIP SERVICES are planned to be continued. Detailed limitations are listed in the June newsletter. Saturday service is at 6 and Sunday at 10. Masks are optional. Every other pew will be blocked. Families are asked to sit together and leave space. Offering plate, bulletins, and pew envelopes will be at back of sanctuary. Saturday service is asked to be reserved as much as possible for senior adults. No Holy Communion.
SERVING NEXT WEEKEND Assisting Minister-June 27, Shelby, and June 28, Jessica; Acolyte-Kennedy; Reader-Susan R.; Flowers-family of Dean & Joyce; Usher team– Reuben, capt.; Martin Luther Banner, Connie. If you are uncomfortable serving, please let Pastor Tinker know. It is an option to serve.
CAMPING ENVELOPES are in the June newsletter. This goes to MLLC campers attending an ELCA Lutheran Camp.
CARMINE FIREMEN’S FEAST AND FUNDRAISER set for July 19 has been cancelled. Their drill night (2nd Thursday) and meeting night (4th Thursday) will resume in June. Annual meeting with election of officers-June 25.
OUTREACH/CARE COMMITTEE A person is needed to serve on the Church Council for the Outreach/Care Committee position. You would only need to attend meetings and serve as a liaison, as Cheryl Etzel has volunteered to serve as the chairman. Please consider serving in this role.
OFFERING ENVELOPES may be mailed to the church at PO Box 362, Carmine, TX 78932. You may also give online. Check the http://mlllccarmine/online-giving/ website for more information. Thanks to all who have continued to make contributions.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL at MLLC has been postponed to August 2-6, 2020 from 5:30 – 7:45 p.m., with the theme Rocky Railway. See the codes in the June newsletter to register your child and to volunteer.
Registration is also available at the church web site: https://mllccarmine.com/vacation-bible-school-2020/
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL Bethlehem Lutheran in Round Top has cancelled their Vacation Bible School.
Martin Luther Lutheran Church 