St. Stephen Lutheran Church

06/21/2026

We live in the safe presence of our God. In Jesus we are protected and sheltered!

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” - Psalm 91:1-2



📸 © 2017 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

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

HYMN OF THE DAY
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 7A)
June 21, 2026

"Lord of Our Life" (LSB 659)

1. Lord of our life and God of our salvation,
Star of our night and hope of ev’ry nation:
Hear and receive Your Church’s supplication,
Lord God Almighty.

2. See round Your ark the hungry billows curling;
See how Your foes their banners are unfurling
And with great spite their fiery darts are hurling,
O Lord, preserve us.

3. Lord, be our light when worldly darkness veils us;
Lord, be our shield when earthly armor fails us;
And in the day when hell itself assails us,
Grant us Your peace, Lord:

4. Peace in our hearts, where sinful thoughts are raging,
Peace in Your Church, our troubled souls assuaging,
Peace when the world its endless war is waging,
Peace in Your heaven.

06/19/2026

In addition to the earlier collect for fathers, you are also invited to pray for the Synod presidential election, especially for the electors, who are preparing for the third round of voting.

In place of a collect, consider praying and meditating on the following verses:

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! (Psalm 115:1)

06/14/2026

06/14/2026

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 6A)
June 14, 2026

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

For glad obedience, that we who are treasured by God for Christ’s sake may do all He has spoken, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For laborers in the Lord’s harvest, that God would continue to raise up pastors, missionaries, teachers and church workers; and that He would make His people quick to speak of His salvation, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For persecuted believers, that God would look with compassion upon them, give them the words to confess, and deliver them from their enemies, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For parents, that the Father of all mercy would bless them and their children, cause His peace to rest on our homes, and sustain the next generation also as His treasured possession, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For good governance, that God would give authorities wisdom to enact laws without sinful bias and to foster charity among the citizens of our land, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For the sick, that the Lord would grant them healing; for the wounded in spirit, that the Lord would make them whole; and for the grieving, that the Lord would comfort them, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For those who commune, that as the Lord welcomed Moses into His presence at Mount Sinai, He would also welcome us to receive Christ’s body and blood for our forgiveness, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

O blessed Lord, through Moses You called a people to Yourself, and from them You delivered up Your own Son to be our Savior. By His sufferings and death, He has redeemed us sinners from our sins. By His resurrection, He has released us from the fear of death. Help us to live as Your people, doing the good works for which we were created, and praying with confidence the petitions and supplications of our hearts; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

06/13/2026

HYMN OF THE DAY
Third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 6A)
June 14, 2026

"God Loved the World So That He Gave" (LSB 571)

1. God loved the world so that He gave
His only Son the lost to save,
That all who would in Him believe
Should everlasting life receive.

2. Christ Jesus is the ground of faith,
Who was made flesh and suffered death;
All then who trust in Him alone
Are built on this chief cornerstone.

3. God would not have the sinner die;
His Son with saving grace is nigh;
His Spirit in the Word declares
How we in Christ are heaven’s heirs.

4. Be of good cheer, for God’s own Son
Forgives all sins which you have done;
And, justified by Jesus’ blood,
Your Baptism grants the highest good.

5. If you are sick, if death is near,
This truth your troubled heart can cheer:
Christ Jesus saves your soul from death;
That is the firmest ground of faith.

6. Glory to God the Father, Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One!
To You, O blessèd Trinity,
Be praise now and eternally!

06/08/2026

+SERVICE OF THE WORD+
Second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 5A)
June 7, 2026

OLD TESTAMENT
Hosea 5:15–6:6

I will return again to my place,
until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
and in their distress earnestly seek me.

“Come, let us return to the Lord;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth.”
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes early away.
Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them by the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

EPISTLE
Romans 4:13–25

The promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

GOSPEL
Matthew 9:9–13

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

06/07/2026

HYMN OF THE DAY
Second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 5A)
June 7, 2026

"Let Me Be Thine Forever" (LSB 689)

1. Let me be Thine forever,
My faithful God and Lord;
Let me forsake Thee never
Nor wander from Thy Word.
Lord, do not let me waver,
But give me steadfastness,
And for such grace forever
Thy holy name I’ll bless.

2. Lord Jesus, my salvation,
My light, my life divine,
My only consolation,
O make me wholly Thine!
For Thou hast dearly bought me
With blood and bitter pain.
Let me, since Thou hast sought me,
Eternal life obtain.

3. And Thou, O Holy Spirit,
My comforter and guide,
Grant that in Jesus’ merit
I always may confide,
Him to the end confessing
Whom I have known by faith.
Give me Thy constant blessing
And grant a Christian death.

06/07/2026

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 5A)
June 7, 2026

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

For repentance, that the Lord who both strikes down and heals would revive us and raise us up to live before Him, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For the ongoing call of pastors, that as Matthew left his tax booth for the apostolic ministry, so men in our day would enter into this ministry to proclaim God’s Word and administer His Sacraments in righteousness, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For parents, that our Father in heaven would strengthen them to train their children diligently, defend them from discouragement and apathy, and convince them that He is able to do what He has promised, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For peace among the nations, that our Lord, who calls everything into existence and governs it for good, would guide those in authority to reflect His order and purpose in their work, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For those suffering from illness, that according to the compassion of our great Physician they might be restored to health and strength; and that they might remain firm in faith and trust in the midst of these difficulties, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For those who receive the Lord’s Supper this day, that they would hold firmly to the promises of their righteous Savior who was handed over for our trespasses and raised again for our justification; and that the presence of His crucified and risen body would forgive, nourish and strengthen their faith, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For a cheerful and willing spirit, that God would preserve us from a grudging heart and lead us joyfully to pursue good because of the good done for us in Christ, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For His kindness to Abraham, Sarah and all the saints who have received Christ’s eternal promises, let us give thanks to the Lord; and that He would preserve us in faith and righteousness to glorify Him now and forever, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

To Him we give all glory, honor and worship, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.