Faith Lutheran Church, 1201 Dogwood, Warsaw, MO (2026)

06/17/2026

Love, Laughter, and Lullabies
Strong Foundation

In the Word

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:24–25).

Of the Word

My daughter loves playing with building blocks. She can spend hours stacking and arranging the blocks into structures of her own design. But building the tower is only half the fun. The other half comes with knocking it over.

Christ is our Rock and solid Foundation. Because He is steadfast, faithful, and powerful, we can build our lives on Him. And we can give our children the first building blocks of faith by bringing them to be baptized. Through Baptism they receive God’s forgiveness, life, and salvation.

With the Holy Spirit’s guidance, faith is planted in their hearts and nurtured through Christian education. When the storms of life come — and they will come — God’s children will not fall because they will be founded on the Rock, Jesus Christ.

Walking with my Lord

Almighty God, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit Who gives faith and strength to keep me from falling during the storms of life. Let that same faith be my child’s strong foundation, too. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

06/15/2026

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"There You Will Find Refuge"

June 13, 2026

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (1 John 3:16)

Not long ago, I got a glimpse of the living hope we have in knowing Christ as our Savior after reading about the aftermath of a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park. One park ranger who was assessing the damage found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, the ranger knocked over the bird with a stick.

When he gently tapped it, three tiny chicks scurried out from under their dead mother’s ashen wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and gathered them under her wings, sensing the approaching danger. She could have flown to safety but refused to abandon her babies. Then the blaze arrived, and the heat scorched her small body. Through this, the mother remained steadfast; she had been willing to die so those under the cover of her wings would live.

When I read about this little bird that saved her babies, I thought of Psalm 91:4a. Here the Bible reminds us: “He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge.” The wings of God were the gift of His Son, the power of His cross, and the glory of His resurrection.

All of us are caught up in the conflagration of sin, death, and the power of the devil. Our death is assured if we are left to our own power to try to escape these destructive forces. It is for this reason that God so loved each of us that He sent His own Son to gather us under His protective wings. On Calvary the blazing fire of evil and all our sins struck our Savior. He died with us gathered under His wings so that we, too, might live. The apostle Paul says it this way: “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The dead body of Christ was not a pillar of ash that was knocked over and forgotten, as it was with the mother bird’s body. Rather, on the third day, He arose from the dead giving us a true and living hope now and throughout eternity.

The apostle John is reminding us that there is no greater definition of love than one who is willing to lay down his or her life for someone else. How thankful we can be for those who have sacrificed their lives—in any way—so that someone else might live. These acts of love continue to remind us that the greatest act of love is found in Jesus who willingly gave His life for ours.

Thanks be to God who gives us victory in our Lord Jesus Christ.

WE PRAY: Dear Lord Jesus, overwhelm us with Your love so that we can love others the way You love us. Amen.

Based on “Overwhelming Love Breeds a Living Hope for Life,” a message from Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour

Reflection Questions:

Have you ever seen animals protect their young or help other animals?

What does “He made Him to be sin who knew no sin” mean to you?

Is there anyone you know you would lay your life down for?

06/15/2026

In the Word

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a).

Of the Word

The Apostle Paul wrote of having an unnamed affliction that caused him ongoing pain. He referred to it as a thorn ... in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7b) and he repeatedly asked God to take away this pain. The Lord did not do so. Instead, His response to Paul was, “My grace is sufficient for you …” (2 Corinthians 12:9b).

God’s grace was enough for Paul and it is big enough for us, too. Because of His undeserved love, we have forgiveness of sins and a place in heaven. We don’t have to wait for God’s grace, for we have received it through our trust in Jesus. We, like Paul, are gifted with God’s amazing grace.

This is an important reminder when we are hurting. The same One Who made sure that we have access to eternal life through Jesus gives us His grace to enable us to handle the heartaches, pains, and hurts we will encounter on this side of heaven.

Walking with my Lord

Father, help me to believe and remember that Your grace is enough for me in any and all circumstances. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: In Times of Need. Authors: Rev. Larry Krueger, Rev. Mike Mattil, & Rev. Kris Whitby. 1/30 ©2015 revised 2025, Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

06/10/2026

"His Steadfast Love"

June 8, 2026

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His Name! For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:4-5)

If faithful church-goers respond to a survey about their reasons for attending worship, there may be as many different answers as there are respondents. Why do they worship every Sunday? Some enjoy music and like to sing the hymns that celebrate our salvation. Others want to hear the Scripture readings and the sermon, teachings that will help them grow in faith. Many look forward to receiving God’s gifts of Word and Sacrament. There will be those who especially long for the peace and comfort they find in the words of the absolution. Others enjoy fellowship with their brothers and sisters in Christ, and many may attend simply in joyful obedience to the Lord’s command to keep the Sabbath day holy.

These are all reasonable answers, but the psalmist might have a different response for a worship survey. He worships with joy, entering the Lord’s temple with thanksgiving and praise. He blesses the holy Name of the Lord. But why is he there in God’s house? The psalmist is not there because he enjoys music, although it is very likely that he does because he composes songs! The temple is a place to learn the Word of God and to grow in faith and fellowship with all who trust in the God of Israel. But the psalmist has another reason for his attendance. He goes to the temple because the Lord is good. The psalmist worships in God’s presence because the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever, and His faithfulness lasts through all generations.

“The Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever.” Whatever our personal likes or opinions might be as we go to church, our reasons are the same as those of the psalmist. We come together to worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ because of the enduring, steadfast love of our Lord. That steadfast love led our Savior to take up His cross and die for us. The Lord’s steadfast love and faithfulness are revealed in the gift of His holy Supper as we receive His body and blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of our sins. It is the steadfast love of the Lord that comforts and encourages us through the reading, teaching, and hearing of His Word. Week after week, we “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise” to receive God’s gracious gifts of Word and Sacrament. We might respond to a survey with a variety of answers about our reasons for worship, but each time we gather to worship in the presence of the Lord, we are there because of His steadfast love!

WE PRAY: Now and forever, Lord, accept my grateful praise for Your steadfast, enduring love. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.

Reflection Questions:

Do you have a favorite reason for going to church? If you don’t always find that on a given Sunday, can you still get a lot out of church anyway?

How has God shown us that His love and faithfulness extend to all generations?

How can you make church more agreeable, inviting, engaging for someone else, the next time you go?

Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Psalms 143-145; John 18:1-18

06/10/2026

Daughters of the King

Martha — Ultimate Doer

In the Word

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus (John 11:5).

Of the Word

Martha: big sister to Mary and Lazarus and personal friend of Jesus. Hospitality to others was her trademark. What it must have been like to have Jesus as a guest! Being a loving hostess, Martha was busy in the kitchen. Meanwhile, sister Mary was in another room listening as Jesus taught. Put out about having to prepare the meal alone, Martha complained to Jesus, “Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40b CEB).

We are all a bit like Martha when it comes to allowing the things of life to stand between us and spending time with our Savior. We want to be faithful in our daily devotions and to have a more fervent prayer life. But our overcommitted lives make us cry, “But Lord, I have so many things I have to do.” With love and understanding, Jesus told Martha — and us — where our priority should be. But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42).

Walking with my Lord

Jesus, help me make the choice each day to follow You, for nothing else can bring me satisfaction. In Your saving name I pray. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Daughters of the King. Marcia Gomulka and Myrna Lou Meyer, authors. 21/34 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

06/08/2026

Daughters of the King

Elizabeth and Mary — Friends in Need

In the Word

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she … greeted Elizabeth (Luke 1:39, 40).

Of the Word

When you’re “in over your head,” where do you turn? Do you seek advice from a parent, a friend, a pastor? Do you turn to God? Do you try to “tough it out” on your own?

When the angel Gabriel brought Mary the news that she would bear the long-awaited Messiah, He added a post script — her kinswoman Elizabeth, old and barren, would also bear a son. Somehow Mary made the 100-mile trip from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea to be with Elizabeth. When she arrived, Elizabeth’s unborn baby even jumped for joy! We can only imagine their conversations during the weeks that followed. No doubt they reviewed the messages of the angel, filled with awe and amazement as their bodies proved the truth of His words. Neither aged Elizabeth nor young Mary had to “go it alone.” Together they faced the future which God had planned for them. Like them, we treasure the loved ones God places around us, those who listen, reassure, encourage, and affirm. Through them, God shares His love with us.

Walking with my Lord

Dear Lord, thank You for the people who have mentored me through difficult circumstances. Shower me with Your love so I can share it with others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Daughters of the King. Marcia Gomulka and Myrna Lou Meyer, authors. 19/34 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers

06/03/2026

"Saved by God’s Promise"

June 3, 2026

For 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. … That is why it depends on faith, in order that [God’s] 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, and it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations …” [Abraham] 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 unbelief 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. (Romans 4:13-14, 16-17a, 19-25)

This is a really technical passage, and hard to understand if you don’t have the context. What is Paul talking about?

He’s trying to explain why human beings can’t save ourselves by keeping God’s Law and living a good life. He’s doing it by talking about the great ancestor of the Jewish people—Abraham, the man God promised to make a “father of many nations,” even though he was childless. Abraham was no idiot; he knew a man 100 years old wasn’t likely to have a child, especially with a wife who was 90. But he also knew that God would keep His promise. And so he was happy. He trusted the promise—and God made it come true.

We, too, trust in God’s promise—not the one about having a baby, but rather the one about Jesus saving us. Because Jesus suffered, died, and rose from the dead for our sake, we know that everyone who trusts in Him has forgiveness, life, and salvation. God has told us so (see John 3:14-17; John 6:28-58; John 20:31; Acts 16:31). Just like Abraham, we trust God’s promise, and we are happy, because God will certainly give us all the good things He has promised us. God is doing all the work—not us. Which is good, because we would certainly make a mess of it, if He left it to us to do!

WE PRAY: Dear Father, thank You so much for saving me and giving me life through Jesus, Your Son. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

What promises do you depend on in your everyday life?

Does it make a difference to you who is doing the promising? Why or why not?

From what you know of Jesus, is He trustworthy or not? Can you trust Him to take care of you and bring you safely to God’s kingdom?

06/03/2026

From Quiet Times to Noisy Love

Lost and Found

In the Word

“And when she had found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:9–10).

Of the Word

Can’t find your car keys? Glasses? Checkbook? How irritating! You look everywhere, checking every nook and cranny, even searching the same places over and over. Finally, the lost is found. Your level of joy is directly proportionate to the time spent searching.

When Jesus told the parable about the lost coin, He knew His listeners could relate. They understood as Jesus explained that the joy in heaven when a sinner repents is greater than finding a lost coin. “A sinner … like me?” we think. “The angels of God rejoice over ordinary me?”

It is hard to grasp the immensity of this truth. We can do nothing to earn the value He places on us. God, in His grace, loved us while we were still lost sinners. Jesus’ death and resurrection changed us into precious treasures.

Walking with my Lord

Lord, help me live each moment of today as a precious, restored treasure and share this message of joy with those around me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: From Quiet Times to Noisy Love. Jan Struck, author. 18/30 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

06/02/2026

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Absolutely Certain"

June 2, 2026

[God says:] 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.” (Hosea 5:15-6:3)

You can hear the frustration in God’s voice. What is He to do with His stubborn people?

He has sent them prophets, and the prophets have not been gentle; God uses words like “hewn” and “slain” to describe how painful their message to God’s people has been. And the people themselves use that kind of language, when they say, “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.”

That sounds painful! And yet, God’s message has succeeded, right? Because look at what else the people are saying! They say, “He has torn us, that He may heal us.” That means God’s whole purpose in tearing them was to heal them in the end. They say, “He will bind us up,” and “He will revive us … He will raise us up, that we may live before Him.” I don’t hear any uncertainty in those words. They are convinced that this God, their own God, whom they deserted, still loves them so much that He will do a miracle and restore them to life and health.

And they’re right. Even though they have deserted the Lord, even though they have gone after other gods and brought the Lord’s discipline upon them—even though they are driving Him nuts!—He still loves them, loves them dearly. He will do all the things that they say. He will heal them, He will raise them. And He will do the same for us.

Because we, too, sometimes fall into sin that we can’t get out of, and we worry what the Lord thinks of us—will He give up on us? Is this the last straw? Have we pushed Him too far?

And God makes it clear: He will take us back and restore us, no matter how far away we’ve been or what we’ve done. Even if we’ve fallen into the same sin a hundred million times, He will patiently and lovingly restore us and raise us from the dead, so that we may live before Him in peace and joy. This is why Jesus came—to bring us home to God, again and again and again, until that final day when He brings us home forever, and sin is nothing but an old, bad memory. He suffered, died, and rose again so that He could make you—you personally—His own forever. He’s not going to give up on you now.

WE PRAY: Dear Savior, strengthen my trust in You, especially when I’ve sinned and feel terrible. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

Do you ever worry what God thinks of you?

What does Jesus’ coming indicate about God’s attitude toward you?

What does God do when you’ve fallen into sin? See Luke 15:3-7.

Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Psalms 53, 55, 58; John 13:1-20

06/02/2026

Love, Laughter, and Lullabies

Growing and Changing

In the Word

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, (2 Peter 3:18a).

Of the Word

Watching my daughter grow is amazing! Each time she learns a new word, mimics an action, or gains independence, I realize what fun it is to enjoy the changes. And yet a part of me would like to hold on to the present, to keep her a baby just a little longer.

As much as I enjoy this stage of her life, would I really want my daughter “stuck” in babyhood forever? Certainly not!

Just as our babies grow and mature, the apostle Peter encourages us to grow as Christians. Knowing Jesus loves us so much He sacrificed His life for us is the foundation of the Christian faith, but Jesus has so much more to teach us about Himself, about living for Him, and serving Him.

Just as I cannot be satisfied to keep my daughter helpless and dependent, I cannot be satisfied with a baby-sized faith either. When I dig into God’s Word, the Holy Spirit strengthens me with knowledge that gives me more of the grown-up faith God wants me to have.

Walking with my Lord

Dear Lord, thank You for the faith You gave me when my spiritual life began. Continue to provide opportunities for me to grow in grace and knowledge. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Love, Laughter, and Lullabies. DCE Amanda Stacy, author. 19/30 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

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