St. John's Lutheran Church - Dowagiac

06/07/2026

THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST – June 7, 2026
Hymns: 242, 512, 382, 283, 322
Text: Romans 3, 21-25. 27-28
Theme: “A RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT THE LAW!”

A “Righteousness without the law!” I imagine when the Jewish Christians in Rome heard that, they may have been offended! A righteousness without the law? Really? These Jews had been trained in God’s law from the time they were three. As soon as they could sit at the supper table, they were taught the correct way to pray, the correct way to eat, the correct way to live their lives. They did everything according to the laws that God had set up. The laws God expected them to follow! And now, Paul wants to get rid of the law? There will be utter chaos! People will do whatever they want, regardless of what God wants, and then they’ll say, “It’s OK! I’m saved! I don’t need the law!” That is not good!
The Gentile Christians in Rome probably had a similar reaction. Some of these Gentiles came from a heathen background, and even the Heathen knew that if you want to follow a god, you need to understand what he liked and disliked, what pleased him, and what didn’t, and then do the things this god liked. How else can you tell this god that you love him, and want to follow him? And now, you throw away the law that the true God gave us? People will do whatever they please, and “That’s OK! I’ve been saved!” Really?
What Paul suggests sounds ridiculous! Where would he get such an idea? And Paul answers, “From the Bible.” “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.” The same Bible that set down all the things God likes and all the things God wants us to do, is the same Bible that says, there is “A RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT THE LAW!”
I
And for good reason. Paul writes, “there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It doesn’t matter who you are! How rich! How good and pious! How popular and well-loved. Each one of us has sinned. The very first sin we committed threw us into a box titled, “sinner,” and there’s no way out. And from that time forward, we will always be a sinner! And the next phrase literally translated says, “and are constantly falling short of the glory of God.” Because we are sinners, we see what God wants us to do, and we may even strive to do what God wants, with all our heart and might. And each time we will fall short! Oh, sometimes, we have done pretty good at trying to do what God wants. Other days, we mess up big time. But what does that mean? Imagine that we need to jump across the Grand Canyon. On a good day, when we are at our best, and we are the strongest we’ve ever been, and we get up to speed, and we launch ourselves in that jump, we may even get 25 to 30 feet out, farther than any other person has ever jumped before. We are really doing good things for God. Some days, when things aren’t going our way at all, perhaps the best we can get is 5 feet. But the result is the same. 25 feet! 5 feet! We have fallen short of the goal. We will fall and crash. This is the only message that the Law will tell us!
People who think they can please God by following His law will fall into one of two categories. Some become a Pharisee. He interprets God’s law as only applying to the grossest of sins. So, since he’s in church, and since he has never been on trial for theft, murder, or rebellion, and if he has never been sued for divorce because of infidelity, he has kept God’s commandments. And he will smugly look around at others, compare them to himself, and will judge them as sinners who don’t follow God as well as he does.
The other category for people who try to please God by following His law? Despair! They know what God wants them to do, and they see how often they fail. They see how short they fall of what God demands, and they see no hope, no peace, because God could never love someone like them!
But then in reality, even the Pharisee will one day end up in despair. He will begin to question, “Am I doing enough to please God? Should I be doing more? And he will never have peace and comfort that he has indeed pleased God. Or he will one day fall into one of those big sins, and realize how far he has fallen short of what God demands, and he too will despair! How could a just and holy God love someone like him? A righteousness by the law, just doesn’t work! Ever.
That is why God established a “RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT THE LAW.” “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that came by Christ alone.” Jesus did what we could never do. He obeyed God’s law perfectly, every day of His life. But He didn’t do that for Himself. He did that for us. Then He suffered God’s punishments for the sins we committed. And now, God counts what He did as ours!
God gives us the “Entrance Exam for those who want to go to Heaven!” We failed miserably! One Hundred Questions! We get two right! 2% won’t get you into heaven. We failed. We can never get to Heaven! So, God took Jesus’ test of 100% correct, and put our name on it, and welcomed us into our Heavenly Mansion. That’s not fair! If we saw that happen in our world, we would be livid, and rightfully so! But when it comes to getting to heaven, we don’t want fair! We don’t want just! We want God’s mercy. That is why Paul says, God gave us “A RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT THE LAW.”
The law played no part in our salvation. There is absolutely nothing we did that caused God to save us. And anytime we try to put the law there, we ruin it. That is why Paul is so adamant. We were not saved by the law! Don’t bring the law into the conversation when you talk about your salvation. You are a child of God, only because of the gracious work of Jesus. You have A RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT THE LAW!
II
So, Jesus just throws out the law for us Christians? Oh, I’ve been accused of preaching that. I’ve been accused of telling people, “As long as you believe in Jesus Christ, you can live as immoral a life as you want and it won’t make a difference. You are still saved, regardless of what you do.” Oh, there is some truth in that statement, and thank God there is! Because sometimes, even we Christians can live like the worst heathen this world has ever seen, and do things that even the heathen wouldn’t do. And yet, my Savior hangs on to me.
But Jesus didn’t throw out the law. In fact, Jesus added some things. Not new laws, simply new applications for Christians to follow. And Jesus says, I want you to do these things and follow My Law!”
But the difference is WHY I follow that law! MY RIGHTEOUSNESS was done WITHOUT THE LAW! I am saved by God’s grace alone, and there is nothing I need to add. That takes care of my eternal life in Heaven. But I am still living on this earth, there are tasks God wants me to do, people to whom I must witness. So, as I live in this world, God asks me to LIVE A RIGHTEOUS LIFE, BY THE LAW!
God has given each one of us the greatest gift. A Mansion in Heaven! Totally Free! And now we ask, “How can I say thank you to God? What can I do to show my appreciation for all the things God has done for me?” And God tells us, that hasn’t changed at all from the day Moses brought those Two Stone Tablets down from Mount Sinai. Follow God’s law! Not in order to get saved! But because you are already been saved! Worship God! Come to Church! Treat people, not the way they treat you, but the way God treated you. Be kind, compassionate and forgiving, even to the unlovable!
And why do I do that? Why do I come to church? Because I have to! Because I need to get on God’s good side? When people ask me “Why do you go to church so often,” I will ask them, “When you got engaged to the love of your life, why did you spend so much time with them? Because you had to? Because it was required in order for you to get married? No because you love that person so much you wanted to be with them, and share your love and be with them! That’s why I come to church! To feed my faith with God’s Word and Sacraments. But to be with my God who has loved me so much.
Why do I love people more than they deserve, and treat people kindly, and with patience? Because I must or else? Because God has a set number of good things I need to do each week in order to keep my status as a Christian? No! But because God gives me an opportunity to share the gospel message with someone, in hopes of bringing him to know the same Jesus I know, and have the same eternal hope that I do.
Look, I won’t always do these things perfectly. In fact, quite often I will fail in my attempts to show love to that unlovable person. Sometimes, I will not be able to control my temper or my tongue. And so once again I go back to my God and confess my sins, and hear Jesus forgive me and reassure me of His grace. And I thank God again, that my salvation doesn’t depend on how well I have followed God’s law!
The principal of a Christian School was telling the students things he wanted them to do. When he finished, the students, whined and asked, “Do we have to?” He looked at them with the biggest smile and the kindest eyes, and say, “No! You don’t have to do these things. You get to do these things!” Exactly what Paul is saying here. Jesus gives you all sorts of things to do, and things to say, and ways to say it. But you don’t have to do them, as if your salvation is dependent on it. You get to do these things because Jesus gives us opportunities to work miracles in the lives of people while you’re still on this earth waiting for your bus ride home! But your home in Heaven? It is yours, lock, stock and barrel! Just waiting for you in Heaven. And the only reason it’s yours is because Jesus gave you A RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT THE LAW!

DEUTERONOMY 11, 18-21. 26-28

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth….
See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.

ROMANS 3, 21-25. 27-28

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood….
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

MATTHEW 7, 15-29

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

06/05/2026

Everything Includes the Trinity – June 5, 2026

[Jesus said] And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:20

Trinity
Jesus’ words about what is to be taught are both simple and sweeping. “Everything.” Not some things. Not just the easy or familiar teachings. Everything he has commanded. That includes truths that comfort, truths that challenge, and even truths that stretch our understanding.

Among those truths is the doctrine of the Trinity.

It’s not something we would have figured out on our own. One God, yet three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It can feel mysterious, even difficult to explain. And yet Jesus includes this in the “everything” his disciples are to teach. Just before this, he commanded baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This is not optional theology. It is at the heart of who God is and how he saves.

And that matters more than we might think.

If God were not triune, the gospel would fall apart. The Father sends the Son. The Son lives, dies, and rises for sinners. The Holy Spirit brings that saving work to us through faith. Each person of the Trinity is fully God, yet each carries out a distinct role in our salvation.

And then comes the promise: “Surely I am with you always.” The one who commands also stays. Jesus does not send his disciples out alone to figure things out or to carry the weight by themselves. He is present every step of the way.

That changes how we hear the word “everything.” It’s not a demand we must meet on our own. It’s a gift we receive from a Savior who is still with us, still teaching, still guiding. Through his Word, he continues to unfold the truth. Through his Spirit, he helps us believe it.

So even when some teachings feel deep or mysterious, we don’t turn away. We listen. We learn. We trust. Because the one who gave us “everything” has also given us himself, and he will be with us to the very end.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I treasure everything you have taught me about yourself. Amen.

06/04/2026

The Name of the Only True God – June 4, 2026

[Jesus said] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19

These are some of Jesus’ final words to his disciples. They are clear, direct, and full of purpose. But right in the center of this command is something easy to overlook: “in the name”—singular— “of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” One name, yet three persons. Here, Jesus reveals the mystery at the heart of our faith: the triune God.

This isn’t just a statement about who God is. It’s a promise about what God does.

To be baptized “into the name” means more than having water applied with certain words. It means being brought into a relationship with the triune God himself. In baptism, the Father places his name on you and claims you as his child. The Son covers you with his saving work, washing away your sins through his death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit creates faith in your heart and begins a new life in you.

This is not symbolic or hypothetical. It is real. God is acting.

That matters because so often we look for assurance in the wrong places. We wonder if our faith is strong enough, if we’ve done enough, if we truly belong to God. But Jesus points us to something solid and outside of ourselves: baptism. There, the triune God made a commitment to you.

When doubts come, you don’t have to search your feelings for proof. You can return to this simple truth: “I am baptized.”

So go into your life with confidence. You carry that name with you. You belong to the triune God, the only true God, and he will not let you go.

Prayer:
I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have made me your child in holy baptism. Never let me go. Amen.

06/03/2026

Why do bad things happen to good people?

06/02/2026

God Speaks About Himself in the Plural – June 2, 2026

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:26-27

It’s a small detail, but it makes you stop and think: “Let us make… in our image.” From the very beginning, God speaks of himself in the plural. This is not confusion or contradiction. It is a quiet glimpse into the mystery Christians later confess in more detail. The one true God is triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Here, already in creation, the triune God is at work together.

And what is the result of this divine counsel? Humanity. You were not an after-thought or an accident. You were created intentionally, personally, and wonderfully. The triune God crafted human beings in his own image, capable of knowing him, reflecting his holiness, and living in perfect relationship with him and with one another.

But when we look at ourselves and our world, something feels off. The image is cracked and distorted. Sin has broken what God made perfect. Instead of reflecting God’s holiness, we often reflect selfishness, pride, and fear. Instead of living in harmony, we experience division and pain.

Yet the triune God did not abandon what he made.

The Father sent his Son into the world. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, is called “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Where we have failed to reflect God, he does so perfectly. He lives the life we could not live and dies the death we deserved, restoring what was broken.

And the Holy Spirit continues God’s creative work even now. Through the gospel, he renews hearts and reshapes lives, restoring the image of God within us. What was shattered is being made whole again.

So, when you hear God say, “Let us make,” remember that this same triune God is still speaking and still working. You are not forgotten or without purpose. You were created by God, redeemed by God, and are being renewed by God.

Prayer:
Thank you, triune God, for your continuing work in me. Amen.

06/01/2026

All Three Persons at the Beginning – June 1, 2026

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Genesis 1:1-3

Before anything existed, God was already there. He did not emerge from the darkness. He spoke into it. With nothing but his powerful word, he brought everything into being. These opening words of the Bible remind us that creation is not random or accidental. It is intentional, ordered, and purposeful because it comes from God himself.

And already here, at the very beginning, we see the mystery and beauty of the Trinity. The Father is the Creator, the one who wills and designs. The Spirit of God is hovering over the waters, present and active, sustaining and preparing. And the Son is the One through whom all things are made. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together bring light into darkness.

That matters more than it might seem at first. The same triune God who created light out of darkness is the one who speaks into the darkness of our lives. There are times when life feels formless and empty, when sin, guilt, or uncertainty leave us without direction or hope. Left to ourselves, we cannot create light. We cannot fix what is broken.

But God still speaks.

Just as surely as he said, “Let there be light,” he has spoken again to us in his Word. In Jesus, the living Word, God steps into our darkness. He brings forgiveness where there is guilt, life where there is death, and clarity where there is confusion. The Spirit continues to hover, working through the Word to create faith in hearts that were once empty.

So, when your world feels chaotic or empty, remember where everything began. Not with darkness, but with God. And where God speaks, light always follows.

Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for putting me into this world you have created. Continue to bless me with the promises of your holy Word. Amen.

06/01/2026

Hebrews 12:15 – “See to it that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble.”

Hebrews 12:15 - “See to it that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble.”

05/31/2026

HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY – May 31, 2026
Hymns: 193, 195, 239, 326
Text: 2 Corinthians 13, 11-14
Theme: THE HOLY TRINITY MADE SIMPLE!

This morning is called, “Holy Trinity Sunday!” On this Sunday I strive to explain the Trinity to you and teach you all about our God, and explain His nature to you. We use that long Athanasian Creed, which explains what it means that our God is Triune! And when I get done with my explanation about the nature of our God, you will be just as confused about our God as when we started. And you will ask, isn’t there a simpler explanation? Is there a book titled, “The Holy Trinity for Dummies”? We’ve got a book like that for everything else. Can’t we find a book titled, “THE HOLY TRINITY MADE SIMPLE!”
Well, we are in luck. In these words, Paul puts the Trinity in words that we can understand! For Paul doesn’t talk about the nature of God, or the person of God, or who God is! Paul simply tells us what our Triune God has done for us in simple words that even we can understand!
These words are called The Apostolic Benediction, or the New Testament Benediction. This morning we will use this blessing to end our service! But these words are something else. They are Paul’s simple way to teach us simple people about our Triune God, THE HOLY TRINITY MADE SIMPLE!
I
Usually when we speak of the Trinity we always say, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” In this benediction Paul does it differently. He starts with the Son. And for good reason.
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.” With the word “grace,” we usually think of a “gift.” But in our world, we get gifts because of something we’ve done. We graduate from school. People give us gifts. We get married. People give us gifts. It’s our birthday, or Christmas and people give us gifts. But the “gift” that Jesus gave us, had nothing to do with us. We didn’t earn it! We definitely didn’t expect it! In fact there’s no way we should have ever received a gift like this. This grace was given only because Jesus wanted to give it!
Just in case you question that, and think, “Well, maybe we did do something that caused Jesus to give us this grace,” just look mankind’s record! God gives us His law and says, “Here are the things I like, things that please me, things I want you to do. Love God more than anything. Treat other people with kindness and love.” And what do we do? We scoff at God, and say, “You’ve got to be kidding! You think I’m going to bow my knee to you and worship you? You think I’m going to treat other people with respect and love. No, I am going to crush them! I will find their weaknesses and exploit them, and overpower them so I can take their stuff.
And how does Jesus respond to our rebellion? He got up off His comfortable easy chair in Heaven where countless angels served His every wish, and took on human flesh and lived like a human being. Then He was rejected, ridiculed, and finally crucified on a cross so God could forgive our sins of rebellion.
This is the “grace” Jesus brought us! The Son of God, took our sins upon Himself, endured God’s wrath and punishment for them. Even though Jesus had lived a perfect God-pleasing and God-obeying life, yet before God’s judgment seat, He was called a thief, a murderer, an adulterer, a pervert, a hard-hearted hater of people, an enemy of God, and a wretched unbeliever who has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and was cast out of God’s presence and made to suffer the torments of Hell.
And for whom did Jesus do that? Good, God-fearing, law abiding and loving and caring people? No! He did that for thieves, murderers, adulterers, perverts, hard-hearted haters of people, enemies of God, wretched unbelievers who had absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. And because of this sacrifice, we thieves, murderers, adulterers, perverts, hard-hearted haters of people, enemies of God, wretched unbelievers who have absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever, have been made holy, sinless children of God, loved by God, saved by God, and welcomed into God’s presence with open arms. That is grace. An undeserved gift!
That is the “grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus’ sacrifice for us that we can have eternal life with God in Heaven. This is the most important thing our God did for us, because this one act makes the difference of where we will spend eternity. That is why Jesus and His grace is mentioned first!
II
“And the love of God.” The love mentioned here is a self-sacrificing love that will give and give and give, and never once expect anything back. That is the love God has for us!
Think about God’s love. He creates the most beautiful universe ever, and then puts people in it. They trash it by disobeying God’s laws, and bring death, destruction and wickedness into every corner of this creation. But God doesn’t write them off as useless, and willful, and He wants nothing more to do with them, but He carries out a plan that will make them precious children of God, even though this plan will require God’s Son to suffer and die. Who does that?
Think about God’s love. We desperately pray for something that we want so badly, and He gives it to us, sometimes, miraculously so. And how often don’t we forget to say “Thank you.” How often down the road, when we pray for something else that we want so desperately, do we forget about how God has taken care of us in the past, and we end up getting upset with God and calling Him all sorts of nasty names, because He didn’t give us what we wanted this time. Think about God’s love. We feel bad about the sins we’ve committed. And then the pastor tells us, “Your sins are forgiven. God loves you!” And we thank God for that forgiveness and promise we’ll never do that again. And then, how long does it take us to fall back into that same sin, and make the same mess out of our lives, again? How often do we ignore the voice of God, and listen to the lies of Satan?
And yet God’s love never changes! It never varies. His love is never dependent on how well we appreciate Him and obey Him. His love is totally committed, every day the same. Not once does he ignore our prayers! Not once does He give us what we deserve! Not once does He consider us a bunch of ingrates, who don’t care about Me, and should be thrown into Hell!
“The love of God.” An unconditional love not dependent on anything we do, from the day He brought us into His kingdom, to the day He will bring us safe to Heaven. That’s the type of love our God has!
III
And then the words, “And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.” The word, “fellowship,” is the same word we use for our “communion.” It means a sharing with something, a joining together. Like the bread is joined together with the body of Jesus, and the wine is joined together with the blood of Jesus in Communion! The Holy Spirit is willing to “fellowship” with us. The Holy Spirit is willing to join together with us, and move into our hearts and live with us!
Do you understand what that means? The Holy Almighty Perfect Spirit, is willing to move in with us, and live with us in our hearts, not just on Sundays, when we are all dressed up and ready to go to church and behave ourselves! But every day of our lives.
Ever see a house after a flood has sent about six feet of water into it! Oh, the water has abated, but the house is a mess. Bedding is ruined. Mud and slime, along with creepy crawlies, and vermin still moving around! Perhaps the stench of dead fish still lingers! Furniture drenched and ruined. We definitely do not want to move back into that house until there’s been a whole lot of cleaning and a whole lot of restoration taken place. Well, to our God, that may be exactly what our sinful hearts look like. But the Holy Spirit has no problem moving right in with us, and living with us, in our sin infested, heart. In fact, the Holy Spirit is thrilled to fellowship with us, and use God’s Word to keep us in our faith! Regardless of how well, we’ve been doing.
Our God “is with us all.” He dwells in us! He loves us! He covers us with Jesus’ blood and righteousness! Despite what we may look like to the world, despite what our true nature really is, our God is not ashamed to call us His children, and not afraid to be seen with us, or to dwell with us!
We Christians will never comprehend the nature of our God, or how this Trinity thing works! But then, again, we don’t need to understand this Trinity thing! All we need to do is understand what our Triune God has done for us. And Paul so simply tells us in this benediction. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” That is THE HOLY TRINITY MADE SIMPLE!

GENESIS 1,1 – 2,3

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Psalm 150
Refrain: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
P: Praise God in his sanctuary;
C: Praise Him in His mighty heavens.
P: Praise Him for His acts of power;
C: Praise Him for His surpassing greatness.
Refrain:
P: Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet,
C: Praise Him with the harp and lyre,
P: Praise Him with tambourine and dancing,
C: Praise Him with strings and flute,
P: Praise Him with the clash of cymbals,
C: Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
Refrain
P: Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
C: Praise the LORD.
ALL: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Refrain:

2 CORINTHIANS 13, 11-14

Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints send their greetings.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

MATTHEW 28, 16-20

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”