This Coming Sunday’s Worship

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Join us at 11:00 a.m. as we gather to celebrate the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost. The season focuses on the acts of compassion and the broad range of teaching Jesus did in his ministry.   Below are brief explanations of the readings for the day.  We invite you to join us in hearing these life-giving Scriptures and receiving Christ’s gracious gift of himself in the Lord’s Supper.  

First Reading: 1 Kings 19:9-18

After God gave Elijah a remarkable victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, Elijah's fear for his life and overwhelming sense of isolation drove him into the wilderness. Although the threats against him were real and Israel's covenant unfaithfulness was undeniable, God revealed himself not through wind, earthquake or fire, but a gentle whisper, demonstrating that his purposes and faithfulness were unshakeable. Then God commissioned Elijah to anoint Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha to carry out his divine purposes of judgment and prophetic ministry. Finally, God assured Elijah that he was not alone, for He had preserved a faithful remnant of 7,000 Israelites who had not bowed to Baal.

Psalm: Psalm 85:8-13

Many scholars believe this psalm was written after the Babylonian exile, when Israel returned home only to face new hardships. As the psalmist listens for the Lord's word, God promises peace, salvation, and the restoration of His covenant blessings, anticipating the day when steadfast love and faithfulness meet, and righteousness and peace embrace, as God's blessing flourishes among His people.

Second Reading: Romans 10:5-15

Paul continues to wrestle with Israel's refusal to believe God's saving work in Christ. Contrasting the righteousness of the law with the righteousness of faith, he insists that salvation comes only through faith in Christ rather than through works of the law. Yet this salvation is not restricted to Israel, for there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile: all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved, and Paul identifies this Lord as Jesus, the crucified and risen Christ. Nevertheless, no one can call upon Jesus as Lord apart from hearing the preached gospel, through which God creates faith and brings sinners to salvation.

Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21

Following the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus withdraws to the mountain to pray, revealing His intimate relationship with the Father, while His disciples struggle on the sea below. Seeing their distress, Jesus descends to them (an image of his entire ministry) walks to them upon the waters, and reveals his identity with the words, "It is I." This is the divine name and Jesus' true identity. Jesus is not a ghost as the disciples thought, but the Lord of creation coming to rescue them. When Peter asks to come to him, Jesus calls him onto the water, but fear causes him to sink, to doubt. Crying out to Jesus, an expression of his "little faith," Jesus reaches out and saves him. The scene reveals the paradox of faith. Faith is not only our grasp on Christ, but Christ's grasp on us. It is our connection to Christ, a connection created and sustained by Christ. Finally, the disciples' faith or grasp on Jesus is revealed in their confession: Truly you are the Son of God."