St. Johns LCMS

06/24/2026

The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, having received more than 50% percent of the votes cast in the third ballot for the election of the president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), is the president-elect for the 2026–2029 triennium. It will be his sixth term in office.

May the Lord richly endue him with strength for continued service and make him a blessing to the Synod and to the church.

Read more: https://www.lcms.org/convention/national/elections

06/24/2026

+SERVICE OF THE WORD+
The Nativity of St. John the Baptist
June 24, 2026

GOSPEL
Luke 1:57–80

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

06/24/2026

06/23/2026

An excerpt from the Psalm Reading for the coming Sunday:

The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. (Psalm 119:160)

Three-Year Lectionary, Series A, Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Psalm 119:153–160. Read the entire reading: https://bit.ly/43j8cl5.

One-Year Lectionary Reading: Psalm 138.

06/21/2026

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 7A)
June 21, 2026

In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For all believers, that receiving the free gift of eternal life, our lives would be conformed to His holy teaching and bear much fruit in good works, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

That God would bless and sustain His pastors and people to sing His praises, endure suffering for the name of Jesus, and continue by His grace to the end, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For earthly fathers, that our Father from whom all fatherhood is named would give them confidence in their station and zeal for their tasks; that He would make them examples to their children of godly life and love of His Word; that He would bless their work to bring up children in the fear and instruction of the Lord; and that He would give them the comfort of His absolution over all their shortcomings, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For pious and faithful leaders of our nation, that they may provide good government; for industrious citizens, who will work for the good of their neighbors; and for enemies, that they may live together in peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For those with afflictions of body and soul, that God would look with favor upon all who are sick, weary, grieving or lonely, and assure them of His care and provision, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For all who partake of the Holy Communion this day, that they would present themselves in repentance as those brought out of death into life and receive the forgiveness of their sins, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For the saints who have gone before us, let us give thanks to the Lord; and that God would preserve our feet from falling and our souls from death to walk always in the light of life, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

All these things and whatever else You know that we need, grant us, Father, for the sake of Him who died and rose again and now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen.

06/20/2026

06/20/2026

Do you know what a fidget mat is? Learn about this helpful device and how it can be a blessing to others in the Summer 2026 issue of the LUTHERAN WOMAN’S QUARTERLY.

Subscribe to LUTHERAN WOMAN’S QUARTERLY: https://lutheranwomensmissionaryleague.formstack.com/forms/lwqsubscription

06/20/2026

Each Friday, find a weekly collect to include in your prayers as well as a relevant resource in the comments below. This week, pray for fathers, that they would be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in their vocation and encouraged by supportive wives, family, friends and congregations.

For all Christian fathers, that renewed by the Lord's loving fatherhood, they would proclaim His faithfulness to the next generation, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.