The Third Sunday of the Pentecost Season

Also known as the First Sunday after

the Festival of the Holy Trinity – June 07, 2026

Major Messages from the Minor Prophets

God’s Mercy In Spite of His People’s Rejection of Him

There’s a story that’s told about a little girl who came up to her mother one afternoon. She had several dolls clutched in her arms, and she said to her mom, “Mommy, I don’t understand. I love them and love them and love them, but they never love me back.”

I wonder if some days that isn’t what God thinks about us. The fact of the matter is that this side of eternity we’ll never be able to show God the same kind of love that He has shown us. He sent His Son to die for us although we aren’t, in the least, deserving of His love and grace. He chose us and called us to faith in Him though we were completely unworthy and unbelieving. He showers us with blessings day by day. And how do we respond? Some days we act as though we’re “god” and that God almost doesn’t exist. We’re spiritually inconsistent. We know that He’s called us to live a new, godly life, but we are often naturally inclined to pursue a life that is sinful, selfish and unspiritual. There’s also the tendency among us to be ungrateful for what God has given us. And as often as not when we do ask Him in prayer for blessings, we focus on material and physical things, as opposed to seeking those blessings that would reflect His character in us…like righteousness, wisdom, peace, a forgiving heart, or being loving.

I imagine that if God were like that little girl, He’d be looking down from heaven to His creation, asking the same question she asked about her dolls, “I love them and love them and love them. Why don’t they love Me back?”

Just as God chose us to believe in and serve Him, so He chose Israel to be His special possession, His people. He loved them relentlessly and abundantly, and yet they repeatedly, callously turned away from Him to commit spiritual adultery by worshiping worthless, powerless, false gods. The Lord would call His people to repent through prophet after prophet sent to them, but as often as not they ignored, abused and even killed some of these messengers of God! Still the Lord kept on showing His people His love. But now, through Hosea, He tells the people of Israel and Judah that His gentle hand is going to become an awe-ful hand bringing them severe discipline due to their relentless, impenitent disobedience and infidelity. Why? Not to harm them (though they deserved it), but – in mercy – to correct them, to lead them to repentance, and to save them. Nevertheless, God’s love would now be experienced as a “tough love.” That’s because, when it comes to discipline, the LORD doesn’t mess around. He isn’t like that annoying parent in the grocery store with the screaming kid saying, “Now Tommy, if you don’t be quiet, I’m not buying you that candy bar you want!” God means business and is serious when it comes to sin! God’s discipline for Israel and Judah wasn’t going to be a simple “swat on the behind” – He took His children to the woodshed with a big, lead pipe! ….All because they refused to listen and repent. All because He loved them so…..and was committed to doing “whatever it took” to save them spiritually.

For us, God’s gift in Christ has reversed the order of things that we find in Israel’s history. A phrase that Hosea used to pronounce the coming destruction of Israel for her sins (Hosea 1:10; 2:23) would be re-used by the Apostle Paul in Romans 9:25-26 to remind us, the followers of Christ, that although the old covenant guaranteed death to the sinner the new covenant in Christ provides us, as God’s beloved children, with guaranteed victory over sin, Satan and eternal death. This has happened because Christ took the full punishment for our sins upon Himself, paying once and for all the penalty for our sins, so that we are fully forgiven and, by grace through faith, are heirs of everlasting life in heaven. In Christ, therefore we see the ultimate fulfilment of Hosea’s prophecy of discipline, repentance and God’s mercy. Through Christ, we are the inheritors of Hosea’s (and the rest of the Old Testament’s) restoration and reconciliation promises.

Finally, as we consider Hosea’s inspired, and inspiring message today – to Israel and to us – it’s appropriate for each of us as individual Christians to ask ourselves: “Am I walking with God or away from Him? Am I growing, not just in my knowledge of Him but, growing in my love for Him too?” God has given us His Son to be our Savior and Substitute. He has placed His Spirit in our hearts, enabling us to believe in Him and to live for Him He has given us His “Means of Grace” (the Gospel in the Scriptures and the Sacraments) in order to establish and strengthen our faith. Let us, therefore, ask our God: “Lord, grant us, through Your grace, the faith and faithfulness to continue in holy fellowship with You all our days, living repentant and godly lives, and doing the work in this life which You have called us to do for You, until one day You take us to our eternal home in heaven ….through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen.”

Today’s Scripture Readings

In today’s Old Testament Lesson and Sermon Text – all from the book of Hosea – we’ll see God turn Hosea into a living object lesson of His (God’s) mercy to an adulterous, idolatrous Israel. He orders the prophet to marry Gomer, a prostitute, with whom he will have three children whose names describe the Lord’s disappointment with and impending discipline of Israel. Later, Gomer will leave Hosea for another man, but God sends the prophet after her to bring her home – again symbolizing God’s relentless grace to Israel.. For even though He must discipline them, it will be done out of “tough” love for their souls (not vindictiveness), in order that they might eventually repent and be reconciled to Him. One additional point: throughout the book of Hosea, the name “Ephraim” is used for the northern kingdom of Israel, because Ephraim was Israel’s largest tribe, and was also the tribe from which many of the nation’s kings came. The Epistle Lesson for this morning reminds us of the importance of our recognizing God’s loving (sometimes disciplining) hand in our sufferings, knowing that even they occur for the purpose of bringing good into our lives. It also encourages us to patiently endure our troubles (and even to rejoice in them), patterning our attitude after that of our Savior Who patiently and purposefully endured His sufferings for our benefit. Our Gospel Lesson today is Matthew’s account of Jesus calling him to discipleship, which the one-time tax collector immediately did. Since the Pharisees looked down on tax collectors as thieves and traitors to the nation (and so excluded/”excommunicated” them from the synagogue), they criticized Jesus for associating with Matthew and his friends. Over-hearing them, Jesus made a powerful and important point that dove-tails with Hosea’s message: that He came to forgive sin and to heal those who admit their sin. Finally, in our Children’s Lesson we’ll talk about how important it is to see our sin and admit it (rather than try to cover it up, or to pretend that we haven’t sinned). As we admit our sin (confess it), we are also saying that we need Jesus as our Savior from sin…..and we find the assurance that, in Him, we have been forgiven.

Those Minor Prophets

and their Major Messages

This morning we’re beginning a summer service and sermon series

dealing with the messages of that group of men, known as the Old Testament “Minor Prophets.” It’s called “Those Minor Prophets and Their Major Messages.” Perhaps the first point to make is that calling them “Minor prophets” does not in any way mean their messages are less-inspired, or less important than the so-called “Major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel). The twelve “Minor Prophets” are: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. They are referred to as “minor” in this sense: that their written messages were noticeably shorter in length than the writings of those four “major” prophets.

While Jewish scribes customarily wrote each of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel on separate scrolls, all twelve books from Hosea to Malachi were copied onto a single scroll. In Hebrew the Minor Prophets are simply called “The Twelve.” We don’t know exactly why these twelve books were arranged in their present order, nor do all Bible/Old Testament manuscripts follow the same arrangement.

Although these prophets have been designated as “minor,” each was inspired by God the Holy Spirit, and each had a specific, significant message that was applicable to the audience of each prophet’s time and place. Their messages, though admittedly not as well-studied by us as many other parts of Scripture, are nevertheless important and relevant to us today since they are all God’s Word too!

Over these summer months, as we worship on Sunday mornings we’ll consider – and seek to apply to our lives and our collective Christian ministry as the Grace Lutheran Church family – a number of “major messages” from these “minor prophets.” This morning, we’ll start, obviously, with the first of those minor prophets, Hosea. As we’ll be routinely reminded through the other eleven prophets whose messages and stories we’ll also be studying in the coming months, the portions of Scripture from Hosea that we’ll consider this morning highlight God’s loving compassion for souls caught up in sin (and who among us doesn’t fit that description?). As the LORD was gracious with the people of Israel in Hosea’s day, confronting them with their sins and calling them to repent and return to Him, so He calls on us today to re-prioritize our lives away from the material side of life, to repent of worshiping any “earthly idols” that might jeopardize our eternal relationship with Him, and to embrace in faith with alone matters for our earthly and eternal futures…..the righteousness that He alone can provide us through the redeeming work of Christ, our Savior.

The Book of the Prophet Hosea

Hosea is the first of the twelve “Minor Prophets.” Hosea and Amos, two of the first three Minor Prophets,

worked at roughly the same time in Israel’s Northern Kingdom while it was being led by King Jeroboam II, who ruled from 793-753 B.C. Malachi, the last of the twelve, probably prophesied somewhere between 450 and 390 B.C. It’s quite likely, then, that the order of the twelve books is roughly chronological. Because it is fourteen chapters in length, Hosea also might have been placed first because it was the longest book among the Minor Prophets.

Who was Hosea? “Hosea” was the son of Beeri. His name means “help,” “deliverance,” or “salvation.” Outside of his own book, Hosea is only mentioned in one other place in the Bible: Romans 9:25-26. His prophetic activity extended from the reign of Jeroboam II (king of Israel from 782-753 B.C.), into the reign of Hezekiah of Judah (716-687 B.C.). Most commentators place the beginning of his ministry at around 750 B.C. Consequently, the shortest span for his ministry would have been roughly 35 years, while his ministry could have theoretically extended from 782 to 687 B.C. (almost 95 years). More than likely, Hosea’s ministry was a very long one, covering a period of approximately 55-60 years. Scholars also believe that he was inspired to write his book in the later years of his ministry. We know very little about Hosea, but one of the more interesting facts about this prophet is that God gave Hosea one of Scripture’s most unprecedented commands: to marry a prostitute. He did so to provide a living object lesson of God’s love for the people of Israel even as they committed spiritual adultery against Him. While Hosea’s contemporary, the prophet Amos, thundered judgment against Israel as an outsider from Judah, Hosea speaks with the passionate heart of a native son to his own people of the northern kingdom. If Jonah was Israel’s foreign missionary, Hosea was its home missionary. Above all, we want to recognize that Hosea spoke with the Lord’s passionate heart of love for his unfaithful brothers and sisters.

Israel’s Political and Social Climate During Hosea’s Day On the surface things looked exceptionally good for Israel during most of Hosea’s period of prophetic activity. This prophet ministered in the midst of one of the “golden periods” of Israel’s history. For almost a century and a half, inter-tribal warfare and oppression by foreign countries had sapped the strength and wealth of both Israel in the north and Judah in the south. But under King Jeroboam II in the north and King Uzziah (also called Azariah) in the south, the boundaries of Israel and Judah were again expanded almost to the extent that they had been under the united empire of David and Solomon. Peace now ruled both kingdoms and a generation was growing up that had little, if any, experience with foreign oppression or warfare. There was also a tremendous amount of wealth in Israel. The farms once again produced bountifully. People had money once more and it showed by the fine homes they built for themselves. Life in Israel was looking good! But behind the facade of prosperity and political peace things were far from good; in fact, they were dangerously, damnably poor, spiritually-speaking. Social injustice and immorality ran rampant. The rich exploited the poor. The courts were controlled by the highest bidder.

Israel’s Spiritual situation during Hosea’s Ministry Worst of all was the state of Israel’s religion and worship. Things had begun to go downhill already at the time when the northern kingdom was founded nearly 200 years earlier under King Jeroboam I. It was he who had begun Israel’s downward slide when he set up the two calf-images at Dan (in the north) and Bethel (in the south) to keep his subjects from worshiping at the temple in Jerusalem as the Lord had specifically prescribed. Eventually (most notably through wicked King Ahab), worship of Baal took over as the northern kingdom’s chief (and false) religion. Baal was a fertility god whom people worshiped so that he might provide them with good crops, needed rain, healthy herds and large families. Two of the most egregious features of Baal worship were 1) The practice of ritual prostitution at the temple shrines (keep in mind that Baal worship was a sex-cult); and 2) the detestable practice of making human sacrifices to Baal. Though they still should have known better (and a few did), the majority of Israel’s populace forgot the Lord. The only true God had been graciously faithful to them, but there were grossly unfaithful to Him. One commentator puts it this way: “The book of Hosea depicts the last few swirls as the nation of Israel goes down the drain.” Sadly, it only took a few more generations after Hosea began his work before the Lord brought a devastating punishment on Israel for its wickedness and impenitence. By 722 B.C. through the Assyrians, Israel was gone for good, utterly destroyed and carried off by Assyria’s army into an exile from which they would never return…….just as the LORD had predicted would occur because of their wickedness and refusal to repent..

Hosea’s Message Hosea’s mission was to warn the Israelites – in the strongest, severest of terms – of the inevitable consequences of their sin and impenitence. The nation was guilty of the worst forms of spiritual prostitution, and the Lord had had enough of their idolatry! Through Hosea, He let Israel know that He was on the verge of rejecting them completely. Yet He wanted to give them one more call to repentance – one more opportunity to turn back to Him in faith and for His forgiveness. God sent this message, though, in a rather unique way. (This is where Hosea’s unusual marriage to the prostitute Gomer comes in.) Through Hosea’s relationship with Gomer, the Lord was trying to symbolically demonstrate the heinousness of Israel’s spiritual prostitution to false gods……in contrast to His great, undeserved, unceasing, unconditional, active love, commitment and faithfulness to His wayward people.

One of the most striking aspects of Hosea’s prophecy is the sharp distinction between the law message of God’s severe judgment against sin and impenitence, and the strong expressions of His loving Gospel message of forgiveness, healing, acceptance and care for His unfaithful children. It is because of this that Hosea is an extraordinary Biblical gem…..one worth our study, and to be cherished by every one of us.

As we read portions of Hosea’s message this morning, may God the Holy Spirit hold before our eyes and hearts the extreme importance of faithfulness to Him as the only true God – for example, in not letting our worship of the Lord become corrupted even a little bit by other religious or worldly, selfish ideas. God has been and is fully faithful to us, now and forever! Through the inspired words of Hosea, He calls on us to be gratefully faithful to Him in return. The book’s key verse is Hosea 6:1, (our Sermon Text), “Come, let us return to the Lord; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up.” Finally, the book has to main divisions: Part one…..Hosea’s marriage to a prostitute (Gomer), which symbolizes God’s continuing love for spiritually unfaithful Israel. (Chs 1-3); and Part two….The Lord condemns Israel, and yet promises future mercy and restoration to the penitent (Chs 4-14)

Welcome to Grace Lutheran Church If you are a first-time guest, thank you for choosing to worship with us this morning. If you’ve been with us before, we’re glad to have you back! If we can do anything to make your time among us more edifying and enjoyable, please speak with one of our ushers, our Pastor, or the person sitting next to you. We want to serve you in whatever way we can. We also invite you to join those around you for some good conversation, coffee, and other refreshments in our fellowship hall after today’s service is concluded. And finally, please remain afterward to be a part of our Sunday School and Bible Class. May the comfort of God’s love and His forgiveness in Jesus Christ bring you peace today and for the future.

Pre-Service Prayer

Lord Jesus, though but two or three In Your dear name assembled be,

You will among them show Your face

And bless them with Your saving grace.

In Your dear name again we meet And worship humbly at Your feet;

You will Your gracious Word fulfill

And cheer us with Your presence still.

Jesus, from Whom all blessings flow,

Your peace and comfort now bestow;

Abide with us till life is o’er And keep us Yours forevermore. Amen.

The portions of God’s that are used in this worship flyer have been taken from The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version Copyright 2019, The Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission

Music and lyrics, as needed, are used with permission via OneLicense.net #A712831

Pre-service prayer Pre-service music

The Service Introduction and Invitation to Worship

We Begin Our Worship Today

The Invocation

P: We make our beginning this morning, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Opening Hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”

used, with permission, CCLI 13366699

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Chorus Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. Chorus

Pardon for sin, and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside. Chorus

After which the Congregation will rise for

The Opening Blessing

P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

C: And also with you.

The Confession of Sins

Pastor God, our Heavenly Father, invites us to come into His presence and to worship Him with humble and penitent hearts. Therefore, let us now turn to Him, acknowledging our sinfulness and seeking His forgiveness for all our sins.

Congregation Holy and merciful Father, + I confess that I am by nature sinful + and that I have disobeyed You in my thoughts, words, and actions; + I have done what is evil in Your sight + and have failed to do what is good. + For this I know that I deserve Your punishment, + both now and for eternity. + But I am truly sorry for all my sins, + and trusting in the perfect life + and innocent death of my Savior, Jesus Christ, + I plead: + God have mercy on me, a sinner.

Pastor Our gracious Lord and Master has shown us His mercy: He has given His one and only Son to save us from all our sins. And now, carrying out my office as a called servant of Christ, and according to His command and authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. May the peace of God rest upon all of you.

Congregation Amen.

Lord Have Mercy (Music in Christian Worship, pages 27-29)

P: For all that we need in life, and for the wisdom to use all Your gifts with gratitude and joy, hear our prayer, O Lord.

C: (sung) Lord have mercy

P: For the steadfast assurance that nothing can separate us from Your love and for the courage to stand firm against the assaults of Satan and every evil, hear our prayer, O Christ:

C: (sung) Christ have mercy

P: For the well-being of Your holy Church in all the world and for those who offer here their worship and praise, hear our prayer, O Lord

C: (sung) Lord have mercy

P: Merciful God, Maker and Preserver of life, uphold us by Your power, and keep us in Your tender care:

C: (Sung) Amen.

P: The works of the Lord are great and glorious; His name is worthy of praise.

(Sung)

O Lord, our Lord, How glorious is Your name in all the earth.

Almighty God, merciful Father,

Your crown our life with Your love.

You take away our sin; You comfort our spirit;

You make us pure and holy in Your sight.

You did not spare Your only Son, but gave Him up for us all.

O Lord, our Lord, How glorious is Your name in all the earth.

O Son of God, eternal Word of the Father,

You came to live with us; You made Your Father known;

You washed us from our sins in Your own blood.

You are the King of glory; You are the Lord!

O Lord, our Lord, How glorious is Your name in all the earth.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty and merciful God, + You never despise what You have made + and always forgive those who turn to You. + Create in us such new and contrite hearts + that we may truly repent of all our sins + and obtain Your full and gracious pardon; + through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, + Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, + as the one true God, now and forever. + Amen.

after which the Congregation may be seated for

We Give Our Attention to the Word of God

The First Lesson selected readings from Hosea 1, 3 and 11

The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Be’eri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, the

kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, the king of Israel.

2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go. Take for yourself an immoral wife and children produced by sexual immorality, because the land has been committing flagrant immorality, turning away from the Lord.”

3 So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim. She conceived and gave birth to a son for him. 4 The Lord said to him, “Name him Jezre’el, because in a little while I will inflict punishment on the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezre’el. I will destroy the ruling power of the house of Israel. 5 In that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezre’el.”

6 She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. The Lord said to him, “Name her Lo Ruhamah, because I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel. Indeed, I will certainly not forgive them. 7 But I will have compassion on the house of Judah. I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.”

8 Gomer weaned Lo Ruhamah. Then she conceived and gave birth to a son. 9 The Lord said, “Name him Lo Ammi, because you are not My people, and I will not be the Lord for you.”

10 Nevertheless, the number of the people of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. Then, in the place where they were told, “You are not My people,” they will be told, “You are children of the living God.” 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be gathered together. They will appoint one head for themselves, and they will go up from the land, for the day of Jezre’el will be great.

Hosea 3

……The Lord said to me, “Go again. Show love to a woman who is loved by another man, a woman who keeps committing adultery. Show love just as the Lord loves the people of Israel, even though they keep turning to other gods and loving the raisin cakes.”

2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and nine bushels of barley. 3 I said to her, “You will stay with me for many days. You must not be promiscuous. You must not be with any other man, and I will also be for you.” 4 So the people of Israel will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred memorial stones, and without the special vest or family idols. 5 Afterward the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the latter days.

Hosea 11

…..When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My

son. 2 The more I called to them, the more they went away from Me.

They kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to idols. 3 Yet I was the One Who taught Ephraim to walk. I took them in My arms, but they did not realize that it was I Who healed them. 4 I drew them with cords suitable for a man, with ropes of love. For them I became like someone who lifts a yoke off their neck, and I bent down to feed them.

5 They will not return into the land of Egypt. Instead, an Assyrian will be their king, because they refused to repent. 6 The sword will slash against their cities. It will destroy the bars of their gates, and it will devour them because of their plans. 7 My people are determined to turn away from Me. Though they call him the Most High, he certainly will not exalt them. 8 How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed inside Me. All My compassion is stirred up. 9 I will not carry out My burning anger. I will not destroy Ephraim again, because I am God, and not man, the Holy One among you. I will not enter a city. 10 They will follow the Lord. He will roar like a lion. Yes, He will roar, and His children will come trembling from the west. 11 They will come trembling like a bird from Egypt, and like a dove from the land of Assyria. I will settle them in their houses, declares the Lord.

The Psalm of the Day Psalm 31

Refrain

Surely it is God Who saves me.

I will trust in Him and not be afraid.

For the Lord is my Stronghold and my sure Defense.

And He will be my Savior.

In You, O LORD, I have taken – refuge

Deliver me in Your – righteousness.

Be my Rock of – refuge,

A strong Fortress to – save me.

Into Your hands I commit my – spirit;

Redeem me, O LORD, the – God of truth.

Refrain

My times are – in Your hands.

Save me in Your un – failing love.

How great is Your – goodness,

Which You have stored up for those who – fear You.

You heard my cry for – mercy

When I called to – You for help.

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.

Refrain.

The Epistle Lesson Hebrews 12:1-13

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us get rid of every burden and the sin

that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with patient endurance the race that is laid out for us. 2 Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, Who is the Author of our faith and the One Who brings it to its goal. In view of the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of God’s throne. 3 Carefully consider Him Who endured such hostility against Himself from sinful people, so that you do not grow weary and lose heart.

4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood in your fight against sin. 5 Have you also forgotten the encouragement that addresses you as sons?

My son, do not regard the Lord’s discipline lightly, and do not become weary of His correction. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one whom He loves, and He corrects every son He accepts.

7 Endure suffering as discipline. God is dealing with you as sons. Is there a son whose father does not discipline him? 8 If you are not disciplined (and all of us have received it), then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 In addition, we have earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not submit even more to the Father of the spirits and live? 10 They disciplined us for a little while, according to what seemed best to them, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may have a share in His holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant when it is happening, but painful, yet later it yields a peaceful harvest of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore strengthen your weak hands and feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but rather healed.

After which, the Congregation will rise for

Verse of the Day (Sung)

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

These things are written that we may believe

That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

The Gospel Lesson Matthew 9:9-13

9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s booth. He said to him,

“Follow Me.” Matthew got up and followed Him.

10 As Jesus was reclining at the table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were actually there too, eating with Jesus and His disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 When Jesus heard this, He said to them, “The healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ In fact, I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light. Very God of Very God. Begotten, not made. Being of one substance with the Father, By Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary And was made man; And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried; And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; And ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of the Father; And He shall come again with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; Whose Kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, Who spake by the Prophets. And I believe one holy Christian and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, And I look for the resurrection of the dead, And the life of the world to come. Amen.

After the Nicene Creed, the Congregation may be seated for

The Children’s Lesson I John 1:8-9

8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

“It’s not my fault. I didn’t do it” …. “Ok, well, maybe I did…..but he started it.“

“I’m sorry” …..”Not really; I’m just sorry I got caught and that you’re mad at me.”

Hymn of the Day Hymn 304 “Jesus, Sinners Does Receive”

verses 1-2, 5-7

1 Jesus sinners does receive;

Oh, may all this saying ponder

Who in sin’s delusions live

And from God and heaven wander.

Here is hope for all who grieve–