Zion Lutheran Church

06/17/2026

Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Romans 6:1b-11 (NRSV)
Read Romans 6:1b-11 on biblegateway.com

6What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Devotion
Paul is doing something quite sophisticated in Romans 6. “Should we continue in sin in order that grace may increase?” His rhetorical question anticipates his rejection of such faulty reasoning. “By no means!” comes his forceful response, and then he continues, “How can we who died to sin go on living in it?” Here he shifts from argument to identity. He is not just correcting behavior; he is reminding believers who they are in Christ. “Do you not know?” He appeals to what they already share—baptism. “Baptized into Christ” is vivid, participatory language. In baptism we are joined to Christ’s death and life, given a new identity as children of God. In simple terms, Paul is saying: live as who you are—God’s child. Live not of the world, but in the world, shaped by the grace into which you have been baptized.

Prayer
Gracious God, you have claimed us as your children through our baptism. By your grace, free us from sin and make us alive to you. Help us to live each day in the new life you have given us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pastor Young Chung '02 M.S.M, '16 M.Div.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Lombard, IL

06/16/2026

Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Psalm 69:7-10 [11-15] 16-18 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 69:7-10 [11-15] 16-18 on biblegateway.com

7It is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that shame has covered my face.

8I have become a stranger to my kindred, an alien to my mother's children.

9It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.

10When I humbled my soul with fasting, they insulted me for doing so.[

11When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.

12I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.

13But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me. With your faithful help

14rescue me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.

15Do not let the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the Pit close its mouth over me.]

16Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.

17Do not hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress-make haste to answer me.

18Draw near to me, redeem me, set me free because of my enemies.

Devotion
The psalmist declares, “For your sake I have suffered reproach,” pointing to faithful suffering—pain that comes from devotion to God. Zeal for God’s house has not brought comfort, but misunderstanding, rejection, and even isolation. Sometimes our struggles come from our own mistakes, but at other times, like for the psalmist, faithfulness itself is costly. The language is heavy—shame, scorn, and alienation—even from family and community. Many know this feeling when standing for truth or living out faith. Yet the psalm does not end in despair. In the midst of “deep waters,” the psalmist cries out in prayer, trusting that God hears and will act, even when God seems distant. When faithfulness feels costly, this psalm invites us to name our pain honestly, to keep praying, and to trust in God’s presence. Even in suffering, God sees, God hears, and God answers in steadfast love—and Jesus himself has walked this path before us and knows what we are going through.

Prayer
Faithful God, for your sake, we sometimes bear reproach and feel alone. When trouble surrounds us, hear our prayers and draw near in your steadfast love. Rescue us and remind us we are never alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Young Chung '02 M.S.M, '16 M.Div.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Lombard, IL

06/15/2026

Monday, June 15, 2026
Jeremiah 20:7–13 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 20:7–13 on biblegateway.com

7O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. 8For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, "Violence and destruction!" For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. 9If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. 10For I hear many whispering: "Terror is all around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!" All my close friends are watching for me to stumble. "Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him, and take our revenge on him." 11But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. 12O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous, you see the heart and the mind; let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause. 13Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.

Devotion
I was struck by the opening words of the reading: “O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed.” They carry deep emotion. Jeremiah makes it clear that everything began with God—a call so strong he could not resist, almost as if he were saying, “You persuaded me, Lord,” or even, “You deceived me.” It reveals the tension of his calling—caught between God’s difficult message and a people unwilling to hear it. He had tried to remain silent, but God’s word burned within him like fire, and he could not hold it in. He kept going because he trusted that God would deliver. I can relate. I feel called to preach, and it is tempting to say only what people want to hear. Yet something stirs within me—I cannot stay quiet. God’s word compels me. Don’t we all feel this tension at times—in our congregation, community, and beyond—between speaking truth and softening the message? Still, we hold onto God’s promise and keep going.

Prayer
Gracious and persistent God, you call us even when your call feels heavy. Like Jeremiah, we resist, yet your word burns within us and cannot be silenced. Give us courage to speak your truth. Turn our fear into trust and our silence into faithful witness. Amen.

Pastor Young Chung '02 M.SM, '16 M.Div.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Lombard, IL

06/15/2026

The summer is flying by, and we have been busy getting ready for VBS at Zion! The theme this year is Who Is My Neighbor? We already have a great group of participants registered, but there is still room for more.

VBS is free this year, and we do accept same-day registrations. However, to help us plan and ensure we have enough supplies for everyone, it is extremely helpful if you register in advance. Visit www.ZionMiddletown.org/vbs and click the appropriate link to register. If you have already registered, thank you!

Of course, we can always use volunteers as well. We need both adult volunteers and student mentors (middle and high school students). If you would like to help, please fill out a volunteer registration form at www.ZionMiddletown.org/vbs.

Vacation Bible School requires a great deal of time, talent, and treasure. If you would like to help offset the cost of VBS, please click here to make a contribution today or place your donation in the offering plate on Sunday morning. Be sure to write “Vacation Bible School” on the memo line of your check or on the donation envelope.

Thank you for your support!

Zion is a dynamic, mission-focused congregation located in the beautiful valley of Middletown, MD. We strive to welcome, educate and serve the needs of our members and the surrounding community. 

06/14/2026

Sunday, June 14, 2026
There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 588)
1 There's a wideness in God's mercy, Like the wideness of the sea;
There's a kindness in his justice Which is more than liberty
There is no place where earth's sorrows Are more felt than up in heav'n.
There is no place where earth's failings Have kindly judgment giv'n.

2 There is a welcome for the sinner, And a promised grace made good;
There is a mercy with the Savior; There is healing in his blood.
There is grace enough for thousands Of new worlds as great as this;
There is room for fresh creations In that upper home of bliss.

3 For the love of God is broader Than the measures of our mind;
And the heart of the eternal Is most wonderfully kind.
There is plentiful redemption In the blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members In the sorrows of the head.

4 'Tis not all we owe to Jesus; It is something more than all:
Greater good because of evil, Larger mercy through the fall.
If our love were but more simple, We should take him at his word;
And our lives would be all sunshine In the sweetness of the Lord.

Text: Frederick W. Faber; Music: North American; Public Domain

Devotion
Our hymn (as edited for the ELW) invites us to expand our imagination beyond vast pastures or wide oceans. Perhaps in verse 3, lines 3 and 4, this hymn writer was considering the expansion of science in the middle of the 19th century, as naive as that may seem to us in the 21st century. Maybe we can take the images of the earth we again received from beyond the moon. More than that, astro-physics tells us that the universe is expanding faster than our best computations can count. This week’s key question from Psalm 100, how vast God’s creation, and who is included in God’s purview, have been leading us to the limitless grace of the One God. “Uni-verse” should invite us to live and proclaim, through song and word and deed, the one-ness of God’s infinite love and grace.

Prayer
Thank you, O God, for minds that help us study your creation in its smallest details and its ever-expanding horizons. Open our hearts, transform our wills, so that all our relations, with nature and with humanity, may be permeated with your endless love. Amen.

Paul H. Moessner '04 D.Min.
Retired, Omaha, Nebraska

06/14/2026

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.

06/13/2026

Tomorrow is Footprints Sunday! Pastor Matt is leading this time. We will have worship and 9 and 11am. Please join us!

06/13/2026

Saturday, June 13, 2026
There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 588)
1 There's a wideness in God's mercy, Like the wideness of the sea;
There's a kindness in his justice Which is more than liberty
There is no place where earth's sorrows Are more felt than up in heav'n.
There is no place where earth's failings Have kindly judgment giv'n.

2 There is a welcome for the sinner, And a promised grace made good;
There is a mercy with the Savior; There is healing in his blood.
There is grace enough for thousands Of new worlds as great as this;
There is room for fresh creations In that upper home of bliss.

3 For the love of God is broader Than the measures of our mind;
And the heart of the eternal Is most wonderfully kind.
There is plentiful redemption In the blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members In the sorrows of the head.

4 'Tis not all we owe to Jesus; It is something more than all:
Greater good because of evil, Larger mercy through the fall.
If our love were but more simple, We should take him at his word;
And our lives would be all sunshine In the sweetness of the Lord.

Text: Frederick W. Faber; Music: North American; Public Domain

Devotion
The British hymnwriter and priest takes this week’s key question—how vast is God’s pasture?—to the vastness of the sea. (Verse 1, ELW version) Perhaps his experience of life in the British countryside saw stone walls dividing the land, desecrating the horizon. Perhaps he saw how that made our sense of God’s grace too limited. Even if we get to experience grand horizons on earth’s vast continents or oceans, we know we can yet measure the lands and waters of this globe—and transverse all with supersonic speed. Verse three calls us to make confession. We turn our ability to measure into a way of elevating myself and excluding others. Yes, I am one of God’s sheep; surely not they! By making the pasture more comfortable with my limits, have I placed myself outside of God’s grace? As in line two of verse one, only God’s immeasurable mercy will lead us to justice and liberty.

Prayer
Thank you, O God, for experiences of awe and wonder. Open our hearts, transform our wills, so that we may also see this world and all its people in the light of your justice and mercy, liberty and grace. Amen.

Paul H. Moessner '04 D.Min.
Retired, Omaha, Nebraska

06/12/2026

Friday, June 12, 2026
Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23) (NRSV)
Read Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23) on biblegateway.com

35Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

10Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' 8Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. 9Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. 11Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12As you enter the house, greet it. 13If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of S***m and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

16"See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; 20for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Devotion
As migrants from western Europe moved across the North American continent, conflict between those wanting open rangeland and those building fences to protect their property and crops became heated, even deadly. The second portion of our gospel seems not to help. To be sure, we hear of and pray for persons in other cultures being persecuted because they trust in Jesus. In our culture, we have to consider if the flock thinks liberty means doing it my way. What words are wolves using to distract sheep from Jesus? Do conflicts arise within households—of family or of faith—because we think we can ignore some of Jesus’ words and still call ourselves Christian? May our difficult questions find guidance as we trust that only God gets to describe the vastness of God's Pasture. Only God gets to define who belongs in the Creator’s infinite, eternally gracious hand.

Prayer
Thank you, O God, for the persons who help us through the puzzling questions of faith. Give us humble and confident focus to work for the truth of the extent of your unending grace. Amen.

Paul H. Moessner '04 D.Min.
Retired, Omaha, Nebraska

06/11/2026

elca The ELCA has received a $1.2 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative Hope After the Storm: Capacity Building for Faith-Based Disaster Relief Organizations.
The grant will enable Lutheran Disaster Response to strengthen its capacity to support communities through sustained, long-term recovery.
LDR's work - in both domestic and international settings- is focused on its commitment to accompany communities through the full recovery process, remaining long after a disaster occurs. Through this grant, LDR will strengthen its work in domestic settings by focusing on two areas that are essential to sustaining its long-term approach to disaster recovery: expanding its emotional and spiritual care capacity and strengthening sustainable donor engagement for long-term recovery needs.