Hello, Reader!
This Sunday, June 28, we celebrate the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost with Morning Prayer at 9:00 AM.
The readings focus on the true nature of prophecy, God’s covenant faithfulness, the freedom we have received, and the eternal significance of simple acts of welcome and hospitality.
FIRST READING – Jeremiah 28:5–9 Jeremiah stands in the temple and hears another prophet, Hananiah, proclaim hopeful news: the Lord will restore the temple vessels and bring the exiles back from Babylon. This is what all of Judah longs to hear, yet Jeremiah responds with both grace and caution. He proposes a test: the prophets who came before him foretold war, famine, and pestilence—uncomfortable but true messages. Jeremiah insists that the true prophet’s word will come to pass. In our world, many voices tell us what we want to hear, but Jeremiah’s test remains relevant: Does this message prove true? Does it lead to genuine good, or is it merely a comforting distraction?
PSALM 89:1–4, 15–18 A celebration of God’s covenant faithfulness that endures forever. “Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing; from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.” Those who walk in the light of God’s presence experience profound joy—not grim obedience, but delight in the presence of a loving God. “Truly, the Lord is our ruler; the Holy One of Israel is our King.” This allegiance is not compelled but chosen, a matter of freedom.
EPISTLE – Romans 6:12–23 Paul teaches that every person is enslaved to something: either to sin, which leads to death, or to righteousness, which leads to life. We have been freed from slavery to sin and offered a paradoxical freedom: “Present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life.” This new form of slavery—to righteousness and to God—does not diminish life but leads to true fulfillment. “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
GOSPEL – Matthew 10:40–42 Jesus teaches that welcoming a disciple is the same as welcoming Him, and welcoming Him is the same as welcoming the Father who sent Him. He emphasizes that even the smallest acts of kindness carry eternal significance: “Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple will not lose their reward.” Every moment matters, and every person is important.
Together, these readings call us to ground ourselves in truth, trust in God’s faithfulness, present ourselves as instruments of righteousness, and recognize that even the smallest acts of care carry eternal significance.
Read the full readings and reflections
The podcast of today's service will be available later today on your favorite podcast platform, or you can listen here.
Don’t forget to review this week's announcements and the church calendar.
This week in your prayers, please include those on our prayer list to help strengthen our community.
If you need inspiration for prayer, consider the Book of Common Prayer or these prayers to guide your prayer journey.
Blessings, and have a great week!
