Hope Lutheran Church, Lynden WA - God's Work, Our Hands

06/14/2026

Third Sunday after Pentecost
w/ Pastor Marc Hander

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06/13/2026

Christ in Our Home Devotional
Saturday, June 13

Love that won’t let go
Romans 5:1-8
Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts. (v. 5)

Do you know the feeling of walking on eggshells around someone, worrying you might be dismissed or belittled for saying the “wrong” thing, knowing that expressing yourself honestly might risk the whole relationship? When we are not free to be ourselves without fear of reprisal or rejection, we lose our voice and shrink in our own skin.
Now imagine being free from apprehension around that person, knowing they will love you no matter what. If you say something questionable or misstep, you can trust there will be gentle words and forgiveness rather than rejection.
Paul says this is the way of God’s love. It’s a no-matter-what kind of love that embraces us as our true and whole self. We know this love through Jesus, who draws near to us and showers us with grace, God’s unconditional love. We are free to be ourselves without shrinking in shame or fear, free to live in confident hope. Through the grace of Christ, we know peace with God.

I depend on your love, O God,
to keep me in hope of life in you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

06/12/2026

Christ In Our Home Devotional
Friday, June 12

Outside voices welcome!
Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise to the Lord. . . .
It is he who made us, and we are his. (vv. 1, 3)

The day I took my three-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter to the library for the first time, she walked in and stopped in her tracks. In awe, she quietly said, “So many books!” Then we walked around the corner into the children’s section. There she squealed with delight. She ran to the bookshelf, shouting, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear! My favorite!” Then she ran to the shelf with the DVDs, shouting, “Elmo! My favorite!”
As she continued loudly celebrating each new discovery, I thought about saying, “Shhhh,” and teaching her about “library voice.” But that could wait. It was early, and the place was almost empty. My heart sang as I watched her delight in this place she knew was created for her, a place she belonged. She could not contain her joyful noise.
Psalm 100 calls us to shouts of joy and squeals of praise to the God who created us, who takes delight in us, and to whom we belong. Let us give thanks to God, from whom all blessings flow.

God,
help me turn up the volume in praise and thanks to you. In the joy of Christ’s name. Amen.

06/11/2026

Christ in Our Home Devotional
Thursday, June 11

Barnabas, Apostle
Matthew 10:7-16
[Jesus said,] “You received without payment; give without payment.”
[v. 8]

When we leave home, we usually take provisions. I take my wallet and water bottle even just to go across town.
Jesus sent out the disciples, telling them to take no provisions. This was not a lesson in self-reliance but in mutual dependence and connectedness to other people and the earth. They were to participate in a gift economy. The disciples would offer restoration of life and the healing power of the kingdom of heaven coming near. People along the way would offer them the gift of hospitality, necessary for their sustenance.
Jesus warned the disciples that some people would reject them and the gift they offered, but he told them they should not be riled by this or let their peace leave them. They should go on their way in peace to those who were eager to receive the good news of Jesus, people who would then join them in sharing this gift.
Discipleship is a life of mutual hospitality, freely sharing the gifts we’ve received freely from God.

God of abundance, you provide enough for all to thrive. Teach me how to share. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

06/10/2026

Christ in Our Home Devotional
Wednesday, June 10

No nit-picking, please!
Matthew 12:1-8
[Jesus said,] “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.” (v. 6)

When I had a garden and the tomatoes were getting ripe, I loved to pick a handful of cherry tomatoes and eat them right off the vine. No salt or pepper, just warm tomato bites. Delicious! Of course, you’re supposed to wash fruits and vegetables before you eat them, but sometimes you just can’t wait.
Something like that must have been going on when Jesus and his followers were walking through a field and sampling grain. The problem was, it was a sabbath, when no work was to be done. And even “harvesting” a few mouthfuls of wheat was considered unlawful by the super-pious Pharisees.
Jesus reminded them that King David once ate bread set aside for holy purposes at the tabernacle, which was forbidden, and that the priests in the temple regularly “work” on the sabbath. And he insisted that his presence was more important than the temple. Even today, his loving presence among us in word and sacrament is more important than nit-picking about “rules.”

Lord Jesus,
keep me from criticizing others over things that don’t really matter. Amen.

06/09/2026

Christ in Our Home Devotional
Tuesday, June 9

Always the same?
Hebrews 13:1-16
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. [v. 8]

When my children were little, I always sang to them when they said their prayers at bedtime. One of our favorite hymns was “Abide with me,” which includes the line, “O thou who changest not, abide with me” (ELW 629, st. 2).
It can be comforting to imagine that the Christ is, and was, always the same, as the author of Hebrews states. Yes, Jesus lived in a specific context, near the lower edge of the peasant class in Galilee. Yet, God’s goodness, demonstrated through Jesus, can inspire us to practice mutual love and hospitality to strangers—to honor our marriages, care for those who are weak or ill, honor our leaders. We can keep on doing good and sharing with others. In such ways, Jesus’ influence on us remains the same throughout our lives and across the centuries.
Ultimately, all this is rooted in our conviction that Jesus’ death and resurrection win our salvation for us. And because that never changes, our gratitude for Jesus is always the same.

Lord Jesus,
keep my trust in your goodness strong and hopeful. Amen.

06/08/2026

Christ in Our Home Devotional
Monday, June 8

We’re where God dwells
2 Corinthians 6:14—7:2
We are the temple of the living God. (6:16)

At one time, some Presbyterians taught the idea of “perfect sanctification”—that a person could reach moral perfection in this life. Fifty years ago, at an ecumenical ministers’ gathering, an elder Presbyterian minister was asked if his church still taught the doctrine. He said no and that he had known only two or three men who claimed to have reached that state. “However,” he added, “their wives did not agree with them.”
In today’s reading, we are told not to form close relationships with nonbelievers, lest we ourselves become “unclean.” But we’re only human, and it’s hard to be good, much less better than others. This is why it is such a blessing that we have Christ Jesus on our side. He keeps on gracing us with his love and forgiveness. God is living within each of us. Like temples, we are places where others can experience God’s goodness. That’s a tall order, but it’s based on what Jesus is doing with us.

Lord God,
keep on living in me so that others can see your love. Amen.

06/08/2026

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06/07/2026

Christ in Our Home Devotional
Sunday, June 7

Second Sunday after Pentecost
Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
[Jesus said,] “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (v. 13)

Three things stand out in today’s focus text. First, Jesus called Matthew and others to follow him as disciples, although the usual practice was for people to apply to become a rabbi’s disciple. Second, Matthew was a despised revenue agent, a Jewish man who collected tolls to pay for the Roman armies that occupied Judea. Third, Jesus enjoyed dining with tax collectors and other social undesirables, to the chagrin of the social elites.
We might be distracted by Matthew’s occupation. After all, few of us enjoy paying taxes, even though we know it is necessary to fund our government and public institutions. But at heart, we know Matthew was no more sinful than any of the rest of us. Instead, the lesson for us is to pay attention when Jesus says his business is to be friendly with sinners, rather than with self-righteous types. Here we find our calling as his followers: to model his care and compassion with people we might otherwise reject.

Lord Jesus,
help me not look down my nose on anyone. Amen.

06/06/2026

Christ in Our Home Devotional
Saturday, June 6

We can get it right
Romans 4:13-25
[Jesus] was handed over for our trespasses and was raised for our justification. (v. 25)
This focus verse stands at the center of our relationship with God. We can tell all sorts of stories about Jesus, the early Christians, and the Old Testament prophets and patriarchs. But the most important thing we can affirm is that Christ died and rose to make us right with God.
You know how Jesus’ story ended—how they plotted to do him in, bribed the treasurer of his company, sneaked up on Jesus as he prayed in the garden, arrested him, railroaded him through a kangaroo court, manipulated the opinion polls, swung a conviction on trumped-up charges, marched him out of town, nailed him to the cross, and let him die like something dirty and despised.
What do you make of that? We don’t. But God does. God makes something so incredibly good out of all that so that when all is said and done, we end up saying that our God will hold us up. When God restores Christ to life on that first Easter morning, we learn that
The same thing is in store for us too.

Dear Lord,
help me keep my faith focused on your dying and rising. Amen.