Zion Lutheran Church

Zion Lutheran Church A congregation of Lutheran Christians (ELCA) in the Middletown Valley We have 3 different worship opportunities:

5:00 p.m.

Saturday - Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary
9:00 a.m. Sunday - Contemporary Worship in the Sanctuary
11:00 a.m. Sunday - Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary

Tuesday, September 8, 2026Psalm 103: (1-7) 8-13 (NRSV)Read Psalm 103: (1-7) 8-13 on biblegateway.com1Bless the Lord, O m...
09/08/2026

Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Psalm 103: (1-7) 8-13 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 103: (1-7) 8-13 on biblegateway.com

1Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

2Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits-

3who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

4who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

5who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.

7He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.

8The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.

10He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.

11For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.

13As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.

Devotion
I find it absolutely amazing just how much God loves me, even on my worst days when I don’t feel very loving towards others. The psalmist writes, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” God’s love is so deep for us! Even on those days when I am at my worst, God does not hold that against me. As we reflect on forgiveness this week, I hope we can remember how God responds when we stumble. “Bless the Lord and do not forget all his benefits” God forgives all our iniquities when we come to God in prayer. Here we see again the importance of relationship. God wants us to come in prayer, to discuss what is on our hearts. God showers us with steadfast love, a deeper love than we could ever imagine.

Prayer
Loving God, thank you for showering us with your deep, deep love and continued mercy. Amen.

Rev. Sue Lynn White '17 M.Div.
Pastor, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Salisbury, NC

elca Join us for a Labor Day prayer. "On this day, pray for the work people do to sustain themselves and their families ...
09/07/2026

elca Join us for a Labor Day prayer. "On this day, pray for the work people do to sustain themselves and their families and to benefit their communities and society.
Pray that all people will receive fair wages and benefits and work in safe environments; that they will know respect, gratitude, joy and fulfillment through their labor; and that they will be renewed through times of sabbath. Remember in prayer also those who seek employment or who cannot work." —Prayer Ventures

Monday, September 7, 2026Genesis 50:15-21 (NRSV)Read Genesis 50:15-21 on biblegateway.com15Realizing that their father w...
09/07/2026

Monday, September 7, 2026
Genesis 50:15-21 (NRSV)
Read Genesis 50:15-21 on biblegateway.com

15Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers said, "What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?" 16So they approached Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this instruction before he died, 17'Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.' Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, "We are here as your slaves." 19But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? 20Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. 21So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones." In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

Devotion
Forgiveness is probably one of the hardest things to offer, especially when we have been emotionally or physically harmed. Joseph’s brothers feared retaliation for all the suffering they had caused him. Yet, in looking back, Joseph could see how God was using his circumstance to provide a way to save people during the famine. In Prof. Lois Malcolm’s seminary class, Forgiveness and Reconciliation, one of the books for required reading was Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower. The first half of the book tells the story of a Jewish prisoner in a concentration camp, to whom a dying N**i soldier confesses a wrong, asking for the Jewish man’s forgiveness. The second half of the book relates responses from prominent people who are asked the question “What would you do?” Granted, these two men were strangers. But for Joseph, this is his family. Joseph does more than forgive them. He welcomes them and their families to ensure they are provided for.

Prayer
Forgiving God, sometimes it is difficult to forgive when we have been wronged. Yet we know you want restored relationships. Help us to see where you may be at work in the situation and open our hearts for conversation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Rev. Sue Lynn White '17 M.Div.
Pastor, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Salisbury, NC

Sunday, September 6, 2026Lord, Speak to Us, That We May Speak (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 676)1 Lord, speak to us, tha...
09/06/2026

Sunday, September 6, 2026
Lord, Speak to Us, That We May Speak (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 676)
1 Lord, speak to us, that we may speak
in living echoes of your tone;
as you have sought, so let us seek
your straying children, lost and lone.

2 Oh, lead us, Lord, that we may lead
the wand'ring and the wav'ring feet;
oh, feed us, Lord, that we may feed
your hung'ring ones with manna sweet.

3 Oh, teach us, Lord, that we may teach
the precious truths which you impart;
and wing our words, that thy may reach
the hidden depths of many a heart.

4 Oh, fill us with your fullness, Lord,
until my very hearts o'erflow
in kindling thought and glowing word,
your love to tell, your praise to show.

Text: Frances R. Havergal; Music: Robert Schumann; Public Domain

Devotion
The opening verses of this hymn express a prayer that we will be spoken to, led, fed, and taught. Verse 4 asks, “What comes next?” The end of verse 3 actually anticipates this beautifully as it points to the truth that a word, once received, doesn't stay put. It moves. It enters into a neighbor's story, a hard conversation, a stranger's need. And so, in the final verse of this hymn, we pray that we would be so filled with God’s word that our hearts would overflow. Overflow is exactly the right image, I think. It’s not about effort or obligation. It’s just what happens when a heart has actually been filled. So may we be filled to overflowing today so that we might be sentinels of God’s abundant grace: in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and wherever love finds something to do.

Prayer
Lord, fill us until what we've received overflows into the world. Amen.

Joe Jorgensen '23 M.Div.
Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Faribault, MN; Gol Lutheran Church, Kenyon, MN

09/06/2026

Welcome to worship this morning. We are so happy to have you with us. To download a copy of today's bulletin, visit www.ZionMiddletown.org. Today’s liturgy is used with permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License # SAS004159. Permission to podcast / stream the music in this service obtained from both ONE LICENSE, License A-716392 and CCLI Streaming License CSPL055440. All rights reserved. Music in today's worship is covered under both CCLI license 837681 and ONE LICENSE, License A-716392. All rights reserved.

elca "Pray for congregations' fall programs and ministries, that their leaders and volunteers will strengthen people's f...
09/05/2026

elca "Pray for congregations' fall programs and ministries, that their leaders and volunteers will strengthen people's faith, deepen their understanding of Scripture, discern their gifts and nurture their sense of community." —Prayer Ventures

Saturday, September 5, 2026Lord, Speak to Us, That We May Speak (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 676)1 Lord, speak to us, t...
09/05/2026

Saturday, September 5, 2026
Lord, Speak to Us, That We May Speak (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 676)
1 Lord, speak to us, that we may speak
in living echoes of your tone;
as you have sought, so let us seek
your straying children, lost and lone.

2 Oh, lead us, Lord, that we may lead
the wand'ring and the wav'ring feet;
oh, feed us, Lord, that we may feed
your hung'ring ones with manna sweet.

3 Oh, teach us, Lord, that we may teach
the precious truths which you impart;
and wing our words, that thy may reach
the hidden depths of many a heart.

4 Oh, fill us with your fullness, Lord,
until my very hearts o'erflow
in kindling thought and glowing word,
your love to tell, your praise to show.

Text: Frances R. Havergal; Music: Robert Schumann; Public Domain

Devotion
This hymn, written by Frances Ridley Havergal in 1872, was originally titled “A Worker’s Prayer.” It reflects a belief that service flows from being shaped first by God. To me, it echoes the psalmist’s desire expressed in Psalm 119. The hymn’s first three verses give voice to that desire. “Speak… lead… feed… teach.” Verse after verse asks for the same thing in different forms: before we can offer anything to anyone, we need to have first received it ourselves. We speak only as an echo of a voice we’ve heard. We lead only because we've been led first—through wandering, uncertainty, our own need to turn back. We feed only on bread that was placed in our hands by another. We teach only truths that were first taught to us. This pattern underlies everything we have been hearing and pondering this week: we can't pour out what we haven't first received.

Prayer
Lord, speak, lead, feed, and teach us, so that we might do the same for others. Amen.

Joe Jorgensen '23 M.Div.
Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Faribault, MN; Gol Lutheran Church, Kenyon, MN

* Liked by elca and others livinglutheran We remember in prayer children whose families lack safe, consistent shelter, t...
09/04/2026

* Liked by elca and others livinglutheran We remember in prayer children whose families lack safe, consistent shelter, that they will find care, stability and security in school among their peers, teachers and school staff. - Prayer Ventures

Friday, September 4, 2026Matthew 18:15-20 (NRSV)Read Matthew 18:15-20 on biblegateway.com15"If another member of the chu...
09/04/2026

Friday, September 4, 2026
Matthew 18:15-20 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 18:15-20 on biblegateway.com

15"If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

Devotion
"Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." I often hear these words spoken as a promise about worship, about Sunday mornings. But Jesus says these words right after talking about confrontation and reconciliation. He's not just promising to show up when we sing. He's promising to show up in the hard conversations, too. He promises to be present in moments where someone has to say "you hurt me" and someone else has to hear it. And that is good news, because this work is hard—reconciling, speaking truth to those who've wronged us, forgiving. We need God’s presence to turn our hearts from hurt to restoration. We need the Holy Spirit to give us the words to speak. None of this is meant to be done alone. Not the confrontation, not the forgiveness, not the restoring. Christ is in the room for all of it. Thanks be to God.

Prayer
Lord, meet us in all our gatherings—especially the hard ones. Amen.

Joe Jorgensen '23 M.Div.
Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Faribault, MN; Gol Lutheran Church, Kenyon, MN

Thursday, September 3, 2026Matthew 18:15-20 (NRSV)Read Matthew 18:15-20 on biblegateway.com15"If another member of the c...
09/03/2026

Thursday, September 3, 2026
Matthew 18:15-20 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 18:15-20 on biblegateway.com

15"If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

Devotion
What happens when someone wrongs you? Maybe you pretend it didn't happen. Maybe you post about it on social media. Maybe you rant to family or friends. But Jesus says, first go to the one who wronged you and point out the fault. Privately. Directly. To their face, not behind their back. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like hard, uncomfortable work. It would be easier to talk about the person than to them. But Jesus treats the relationship as worth more than our comfort. "If you are listened to, you have regained that one." Not defeated them. Not proven a point. Regained them. The relationship is something precious that was in danger of being lost. Only if that word goes unheard does the circle widen, first to witnesses, then the whole community. Confrontation, Jesus' way, stays as small as it can, because the goal was never to win, but to restore a broken relationship.

Prayer
Lord, give us the courage to go to one another in times of conflict, and to seek restoration. Amen.

Joe Jorgensen '23 M.Div.
Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Faribault, MN; Gol Lutheran Church, Kenyon, MN

Address

107 W Main Street
Middletown, MD
21769

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 12pm
Saturday 5pm - 6:30pm
Sunday 8:30am - 12:30pm

Telephone

+13013716500

Website

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