First & St Paul's Lutheran Churches

08/24/2026

08/23/2026

Worship service

08/23/2026

First Lutheran Church - McGregor, IA

08/22/2026

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (August 23)
Lessons: Isaiah 51:1-6; Psalm 138; Romans 12:1-8
Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20
“Peter’s Declaration about Jesus”
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’
14 And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’
15 He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’
16 Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’
17 And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’
20 Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

08/21/2026

Good news, video is fixed so St. Paul’s will be live streaming this Sunday!

08/21/2026

We will have Blessing of the Backpacks:
8:30am at First Lutheran and 10:30am at St. Paul’s, Sunday, August 23.
All Students, daycare, preschool, elementary, middle, and high school!
If you are staff at school, preschool, or daycare please bring your backpack.
God and Jesus loves you all!! ❤️✝️

08/16/2026

Thank you to all that came out and supported the Back to School Q and Shepherd of the Hills!
Thank you to our BBQ Masters! Thank you to all that helped served or donate bake goods.

08/15/2026

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (August 16th)
Lessons: Isaiah 56:1, 6-8; Psalm 67; Romans 11:1-2, 29-32
Gospel: Matthew 15: [10-20] 21-28

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand.
11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.
14 Leave them; they are blind guides.[a] If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”

16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them.
17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

08/14/2026