St. Johns - Weekly Bulletin

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
July 12, 2026
 

Divine Service Setting 1 – LSB 151
 

Confession and Absolution
 

Exhortation (p.151)
Corporate Confession (p.151)

Service of the Word

Introit (responsively)      Psalm 103:15–19; antiphon: v. 8

P  The Lord is merciful and | gracious,*
              slow to anger and abounding in | steadfast love.
C  As for man, his days | are like grass;*
              he flourishes like a flower | of the field;
P  for the wind passes over it, and | it is gone,*
              and its place knows | it no more.
C  But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to
      everlasting on those who | fear him,*
              and his righteousness to children’s | children,
P  to those who keep his | covenant*
              and remember to do his com- | mandments.
C  The Lord has established his throne in the | heavens,*
              and his kingdom rules | over all.
C  Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*
              and to the Holy | Spirit; 
       as it was in the be- | ginning,*
              is now, and will be forever. | Amen.
P  The Lord is merciful and | gracious,*
              slow to anger and abounding in | steadfast love.

Kyrie (p.152)
Hymn of Praise: Gloria in Excelsis (p. 154)

Collect of the Day
P  Let us pray.
Blessed Lord, since You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C  Amen.

Sit

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 55:10-13
¹⁰“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
      and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
      giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
      it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
      and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
¹²“For you shall go out in joy
      and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
      shall break forth into singing,
      and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
      instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
      an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

L  This is the Word of the Lord.
C  Thanks be to God.

Gradual         Romans 11:33, 36
C   Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowl- | edge of God!*
                How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable | his ways!
      For from him and through him and to him are | all things.*
                To him be glory forever. | Amen.
 
Epistle: Romans 8:12-17
        ¹²So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

L  This is the Word of the Lord.
C  Thanks be to God.

Stand
Alleluia (p.156)

Holy Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
        ¹That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ²And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹He who has ears, let him hear. . . .
        ¹⁸“Hear then the parable of the sower: ¹⁹When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ²⁰As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, ²¹yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. ²²As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²³As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

L  This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C  Praise to You, O Christ.

Nicene Creed (p.158)  

Sit
Hymn of the Day: O Word of God Incarnate                              LSB 523
Sermon

Stand
Prayer of the Church
Offering
Offertory (p. 159)
 

Service of the Sacrament
 

Preface (p.160)
Sanctus (p.161)
Prayer of Thanksgiving
The Lord’s Prayer (p. 162)
The Words of Institution
Pax Domini (p.163)
Agnus Dei

Sit
Distribution of the Sacrament                                   

Distribution Hymns
From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee                                                 LSB 607
Almighty God, Your Word Is Cast                                                   LSB 577

Stand
Canticle: Thank the Lord (p.164)
Post Communion Collect (p.166)
Benediction     

Sit
Announcements
Hymn: On What Has Now Been Sown                                             LSB 921

Acknowledgments
Divine Service, Setting One from Lutheran Service Book.  Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®),
copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2026 Concordia Publishing House.

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Prayers – For the home-bound: Charlotte Scepaniak, Ken Maas, Betty Meints, Verdena Dabbert, Lloyd Jerde, Maralyn Hoops, Muriel Pigors, Larry & Sandra Grieben, and Doris Vilhauer.
For those sick, injured, or recovering: Nathaniel Wendt, Michael Wendt, Phyllis Yeske, Kevin Fehn, Daryl Swanhorst, Tom Hanson, Annikki Marttila, Keith Underberg, Doris Larson, Russ Brandt, Kathie Lassanske, Betty Meints, Cheryl Markovetz, Larry Vietmeier, Sheila Christofferson, William Cutler, Keith Jensen, Rachelle Moorman, Rick Grieben, Dave Scepaniak, and Pastor Jacob Smith.
For the children we sponsor through Mission Haiti: Michelet Voltaire, Michel Djoury, and Orgea Djouna.
For Pastor Andreasen & family, and all our LCMS missionaries.

St. John’s
Last Week: Attendance – 30; Offering - $1,905

Our Savior
Altar Guild: Sarah Rausch & Rachel Rausch
Acolytes: Tucker Brick & Aurian Tschappat
Last Week: Attendance – 91
Offering – General Fund $3,662; Missions $130;  Total $3,792

Schedule for the Week
Sunday                 St. John’s Divine Service – 8:00 am
                            Our Savior Voters Meeting – 9:30 am
                            Our Savior Divine Service – 10:45 am
Monday                Mat Ladies – 1:00 pm
                            Men’s Club – 6:30 pm
                            Softball – 8:30 pm at Players Field B, vs St. Paul’s
Tuesday               Coffee & Confessions – 6:30 am
Next Sunday         St. John’s Service of the Word – 8:00 am
                            St. John’s Bible Study – 9:15 am
                            Our Savior Divine Service – 10:45 am
                            Our Savior Board of Education – 12:00 pm
 

Announcements
 

Men’s Club will meet on Monday, July 13^th at 6:30 pm at Our Savior. Men from St. John’s are welcome also. (Note the time change, in order to accommodate the softball team.)

Church League Softball – Our game this week will be Monday, July 13^th at 8:30 pm. We will play St. Paul’s at Players Field B.

SD District Men’s Retreat – July 31–August 2, 2026 at The Ranch Ministries in rural Pierre, hosted by Faith Lutheran in Pierre. Build your faith with other men as we tackle the topics of what Christian leadership looks like in the home, with your family, leadership in your community and at church. We will also spend an afternoon at the shooting range. The cost is $40. For more information and to register, go to sddlcms.org/event/mens-retreat-in-Pierre-sd/

LCMS Singles Retreat - The fourth annual LCMS Lutheran Singles Retreat is being planned for Aug. 21-23, at Camp Okoboji in Milford, Iowa. This retreat is open to all single men and women, ages 21-41. Registration is available at www.faithwinterset.org.  Cost for the retreat is $100. Contact Dr. Keith Schweitzer with questions at (641) 745-5143 or keithlcms@gmail.com.

The Library at Our Savior has some new items - VeggieTales DVDs!  Come and see what Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato are up to in these Christian-animated series as they retell events from the Bible.

Lutheran Witness – The June/July issue of LW is available in the narthex. The theme is “You Are All One”.

Portals of Prayer for July – September are available in the narthex.

LCMS Stewardship Ministry – The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost 
Romans 8:12 – “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.” We owe the flesh, the world and the devil nothing at all. We are not debtors to these enemies; we are freed by the blood of Christ. We are joyful servants in Christ’s kingdom — servants that He calls friends. We share our Lord’s plans and purposes, and this gives direction and purpose to our lives.
 
Building Healthy Families – Many of us were raised on a familiar script: be tough, don’t ask for help, and “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” It sounds admirable—but it’s not a recipe for a healthy life, and it’s not what God calls us to. Scripture points us in a different direction. Paul writes in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” We were never meant to carry everything alone. God places us in community—where we can be supported, and where we can support others in return. So challenge those old messages, even the deeply ingrained ones about self-reliance. Replace them with truth. Let someone in. Share what you’re carrying with a trusted brother or sister in Christ. Reach out to family, friends, your pastor, or a LFS counselor who shares your faith and values. Strength isn’t found in isolation—it’s often revealed in the courage to seek and receive help.
Lutheran Family Service  www.LutheranFamilyService.org
Email: info@lutheranfamilyservice.org  or call 605-271-1081

Main Street Living – 10:00 AM- This Is the Life – “A Will to Live” – A man leaves a large portion of his money to the church and hospital, then has his will contested by relatives.  10:30 AM- Rev. Paul Sajban, pastor at Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Windom, MN, presents the message “Good Soil, Healthy Plant” based on Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23. Watch Main Street Living on Sunday mornings on KDLT NBC TV. Past shows are archived at www.mainstreetliving.com.

The Lutheran Hour – Jesus has triumphed over all the powers of death and hell and He has pledged Himself to be your protector and the armor that you wear. Speaker Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler delivers the message "Knight, Death, and the Devil" based on Ephesians 6:12. Listen to The Lutheran Hour on Sunday mornings at 9:00 on KAWZ 88.1 FM, or on Sirius-XM Family Talk 131 at 9:00. Sermons are also archived on the website www.lutheranhour.org.

DIVORCE & REMARRIAGE SERIES... Issues, Etc. is a radio talk show and podcast produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL and hosted by LCMS Pastor Todd Wilken.  You can listen to a series of interviews with Dr. Benjamin Mayes, author of the new book “Divorce and Remarriage: Ecclesiastical Discernment and Pastoral Care” at issuesetc.org/divorceandremarriage.
 
The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod’s Statement on Close Communion:
The Lord’s Supper is celebrated at this congregation in the confession and glad confidence that, as He says, Our Lord gives into our mouths not only bread and wine but His very body and blood to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins and to strengthen our union with Him and with one another. Our Lord invites to His table those who trust in His words, repent of all sin, and set aside any refusal to forgive and love as He forgives and loves us, that they may show forth His death until He comes.
Because those who eat and drink our Lord’s body and blood unworthily do so to their great harm and because Holy Communion is a confession of the faith which is confessed at this altar, any who are not yet instructed, in doubt, or who hold a confession differing from that of this congregation and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and yet desire to receive the Sacrament, are asked to first speak with the Pastor.   
                                (CTCR, Admission to the Lord’s Supper, Nov 1999)