St John's Lutheran Church, Pecatonica, IL

06/02/2026

We invite you to memorize Galatians 3:26 with us this week.

Memorizing Scripture is a valuable practice for Christians, even in a digital age. Join us each week as we hide God's Word in our hearts.

Learn more at lcms.org/memoryverse.

06/02/2026

WEEKLY DEVOTION: Living Stones by Rev. Kris Whitby, LCMS Northern Illinois District

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. I Peter 2:4-5

I’ve heard it said that if you want people to do great things, don’t tell them about the great thing you expect them to do. Rather, tell them who they are at their best and the great thing will follow. I’m not sure that’s always the case, but the Apostle Peter in I Peter 2:2-10 certainly tells us who we are at our best. He says that we are, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his [God’s] own possession.” [I Peter 2:9a] With these grand ways of describing us, he goes on to say that we are these things for a great purpose, “that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” [I Peter 2:9b] What honors our Lord bestows on us in this verse! What a great thing to proclaim His excellencies as our Redeemer, Savior, Friend, and Lord!

Yet, for our focus in this devotion, I’m drawn to how Peter compares us in verse 4-5. He says we’re like “living stones” who are being built into a “spiritual house.” Stones doesn’t sound like such a noble description. You don’t expect stones to do great things. Likewise, besides keeping the weather out, it may not seem like houses do great things either. Yet, as we inwardly digest what Peter is saying here, it is a lavish gift!

In these verses, Peter first tells us who Jesus is. He is a living stone. Stones aren’t alive. Neither are people who have been crucified. Yet, Jesus is alive! A good stone can serve as a foundation for a building. Who we are, at our best, is solely built on who Jesus is and what He has done for us. Jesus is rejected by men; by our sinful nature we do not believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him. Yet Jesus in His Father’s sight is also chosen and precious.

As Peter tells us who Jesus is as a living stone, he then tells us that we are like living stones! How am I, how are you, as a sinner described with the same terms as our Lord Jesus? Our Lord graciously covers us in Himself in the waters of Holy Baptism where we receive a new identity. The Temple in Jerusalem was the place where God said He would cause His Name to dwell [Deut. 12:5]. He’d be where His Name is, with His redeeming grace. Now, His Name is on us, and we are built into His House, His Temple, where by His same grace, we offer spiritual sacrifices, declaring His excellencies, telling the nations of His blood-bought gift of eternal life for us…for all!

Weekly prayers and devotions are available at https://nidlcms.org/devotions-and-prayers.

“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuild. If you are an ordained minister or a commissioned worker in the LCMS Northern Illinois District and would like to submit a devotion, you may contact Sue Green.

05/31/2026

Great article to read before tomorrow before we confess the Athanasian Creed for Holy Trinity Sunday

Why do we need creeds? Timothy Winterstein, author of Worshiped and Glorified, offers an overview of the three Ecumenical Creeds in the Christian Church. https://myc.ph/4flfs7n

05/27/2026

To prepare your heart and mind for worship this coming Sunday May 31, attached below is a summary of this weekend's readings for Holy Trinity Sunday. We hope to have you join our family here at St. John for worship on Sundays @ 9 AM. Have a blessed week!!!

THE HOLY TRINITY
(31 May 2026)

Genesis 1:1—2:4
Acts 2:14, 22–36
Matthew 28:16–20

The Holy Triune God Recreates Us in the Image and Likeness of Christ Jesus

The holy Triune God “created the heavens and the earth,” and “behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:1, 31). However, after Adam and Eve fell into sin and plunged God’s good creation into decay and death, the Son of God would be “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” to be “crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23). As Jesus “received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:33), He also raises up all the baptized and pours out the Spirit upon them through the preaching of His Gospel. He sends out His apostles to “make disciples of all nations” by “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” and “teaching them to observe all that [He has] commanded” (Matt. 28:19–20). Through such baptizing and teaching — Gospel and Sacraments — the holy Triune God recreates us in the image and likeness of His incarnate Son, Jesus, the Christ, and behold, it is “very good” (Gen. 1:31)

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05/26/2026

A great reminder to all of us as we prepare to faithfully and worthily receive of the Sacrament of the Altar this coming Sunday May 31 as we observe Trinity Sunday.

05/26/2026

WEEKLY DEVOTION You Know the Way by Rev. Joel Hess, St. James Lutheran Church, Chicago

A young boy and his father were walking through the woods at the edge of their property. The sun had just set, and it was getting dark. The boy thought they were definitely lost. As the trees all started to look the same and darkness crept in, panic set in: “What’s the way back home??”

His father didn’t pull out a map or point the way. He simply took his son’s hand and said, “I’ll get you back. Trust me.” And suddenly, even though nothing had changed, everything had changed. The boy was safe, not because he knew the way, but because he was with his father.

On the night before His death, Jesus’ disciples felt the same way - lost, confused, afraid. When Thomas said, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus didn’t give directions. He gave Himself. He simply said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:5-6)

We spend so much of life trying to figure things out - trying to map our way through fear, failure, suffering, even death. But Jesus doesn’t hand us a plan. He takes our hand.

When you don’t know the way—

When life doesn’t make sense—

When you feel lost in the dark—

When you feel the weight of your sins and don’t know how to get out of your failures—

The answer isn’t a better map. It’s Jesus.

He is the One who has already come down to you, carried your burdens to the cross, left your sins in the grave, and walked out alive. He doesn’t just show the way - He is the way.

You don’t need to have it all figured out. You actually do know the way. You know Jesus. You know God. You know Jesus.

So just hold on to His hand.

Or better yet, remember: He’s already holding you.

Weekly prayers and devotions are available at https://nidlcms.org/devotions-and-prayers.

“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuild. If you are an ordained minister or a commissioned worker in the LCMS Northern Illinois District and would like to submit a devotion, you may contact Sue Green.

05/26/2026

We invite you to memorize Colossians 3:12 with us this week.

Memorizing Scripture is a valuable practice for Christians, even in a digital age. Join us each week as we hide God's Word in our hearts.

Learn more at lcms.org/memoryverse.

05/24/2026

Good morning all,

Happy Pentecost Sunday!!! Today as with every Sunday and really everyday is a terrific day but today, as we celebrate the day of Pentecost, we remember how the Spirit comes down to us and lives within us to move us to spread the Word of God. Knowledge of the Word outweighs anything of the world. We may not like to admit but it does as when we are properly equipped, we come to the reality that faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of God--the Word itself that is God breathed and without error.

To hear much more of the common understanding that we all need to see and value that keeps us rooted in the truth of the risen, resurrected, and ascended Christ, we encourage all to either find a church sooner than later or join our family here at St. John for worship @ 9 AM to hear truth that we all need more of. A truth that omits politics, emotions, feelings, opinions, and being of the flesh, but a truth that is spoken purely that is holy and without error--one that is God treated by the Spirit.

We hope to see you today or sometime soon and if you cannot join us in person or would like assistance in finding a church him we are here for you to help. May all have a blessed and safe Memorial Day weekend as all that we do is for the honor, glory, and praise of the one and only true God--God our Father.

https://www.youtube.com//streams

05/19/2026

WEEKLY DEVOTION: Hope Beyond Headlines by Rev. Jay Klein, Ordained Emeritus

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

In a world filled with constant noise, it can be difficult to find peace.

Every day brings another headline, another controversy, another reason to feel discouraged or overwhelmed. With so much competing for our attention, many of us find ourselves emotionally drained.

One of the burdens of social media scrolling and the constant news cycle is that, too often, we’re left empty.

I must confess that after watching the news or setting down my phone after reading a post from a public official, I often feel anxious, angry, or unsettled rather than encouraged.

For many of us, what’s really missing is hope.

Yes, every now and then there’s an uplifting story. We see people helping one another in times of crisis, and we’re reminded that kindness still exists. But those moments can feel rare amid the constant storm of outrage, division, fear, and bad news.

What we need is more than wishful thinking or the vague hope that things will somehow get better.

And it certainly isn’t confidence that humanity will always do the right thing. We need a hope rooted in something greater than ourselves.

Christian hope is not built on optimism or positive thinking.

It is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ—the assurance that sin, death, and despair do not have the final word. Because He lives, we have the promise of eternal life, but also the gift of grace, forgiveness, and renewed strength for today.

A living hope in God brings fresh strength to the soul.

It awakens a deep desire for what truly lasts, and, in comparison, the things of this world begin to lose their hold. What once seemed all-consuming can suddenly feel temporary and unable to satisfy.

As this hope grows, the heart begins to loosen its grip on the things of this world.

Status, possessions, success, and fleeting pleasures no longer carry the weight they once did. Instead, the soul learns to rest more fully in the promises of God.

And when our hearts are anchored in that hope, the noise and pressures of the world lose much of their power over us. Fear and anxiety no longer need to rule the heart.

Even in uncertain times, we can remain steady because our hope rests in something eternal.

This is why Scripture calls hope, “the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17).

Just as a helmet protects the head in battle, the hope we have in God guards our minds and hearts. It protects us from becoming consumed by fear, bitterness, temptation, or despair.

And it lifts our eyes beyond the troubles of the present moment, reminding us that God is still at work and that our future is secure in Him.

Weekly prayers and devotions are available at https://nidlcms.org/devotions-and-prayers.

“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuild. If you are an ordained minister or a commissioned worker in the LCMS Northern Illinois District and would like to submit a devotion, you may contact Sue Green.

05/19/2026

We invite you to memorize John 1:12 with us this week.

Memorizing Scripture is a valuable practice for Christians, even in a digital age. Join us each week as we hide God's Word in our hearts.

Learn more at lcms.org/memoryverse.