Hello, Reader!
This Sunday, June 7, we welcome Deacon Nate Irvine as he leads worship with us for the first time as the Deacon in charge. This will be our first Deacon Mass in a long time!
This Sunday’s readings invite us to reflect honestly on the true nature of faithfulness—focusing not on the performance of religion but on the posture of the heart. God desires steadfast love rather than sacrifice.
FIRST READING – Hosea 5:15–6:6 God withdraws until the people acknowledge their guilt and sincerely seek His face. The people respond with beautiful language about returning to the Lord and experiencing healing. But God is not impressed: “Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early.” Their devotion is real in the moment and gone by midday. God names what He truly desires: “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Sacrifice without steadfast love is theater. God wants a relationship of faithful, enduring love that shapes how we live every day.
PSALM 50:7–15 God speaks directly to His people—not to accuse them of neglecting their sacrifices, but to redefine what sacrifice means. God does not need bull-calves or he-goats. Every beast of the forest already belongs to Him. What God truly seeks is a people who know Him, trust Him, call upon Him in trouble, and maintain a sincere relationship with Him in the ordinary moments of our lives.
SECOND READING – Romans 4:13–25 Paul presents Abraham as the example of true righteousness. Abraham believed God’s promise that he would become the father of many nations, even though he was about a hundred years old and Sarah’s womb was barren. He did not waver. He grew strong in faith, giving glory to God. The same faith that was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness will be reckoned to us—to all who believe in the God who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead and who calls into existence the things that do not exist.
GOSPEL – Matthew 9:9–13, 18–26 Jesus calls Matthew, a despised tax collector considered ritually unclean, with two words: “Follow me.” Jesus then sits at the table with Matthew and a crowd of tax collectors and sinners. When the Pharisees protest, He responds: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” On the way to heal a synagogue leader’s daughter, a woman with a twelve-year hemorrhage touches the edge of Jesus’s cloak and is instantly healed. Both healings reveal the same truth: Jesus responds with life to those who reach toward Him in faith and desperation.
The green season after Pentecost begins with this understanding: God does not ask for impressive religious efforts but for honest, trusting, and steadfast love. The Spirit draws us closer to a God who desires mercy, calls sinners, and raises the dead.
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!
