This past Sunday, June 28th, was the 5th Sunday after Pentecost
We heard the following scripture readings, introduction, and prayer of the day during the Sunday morning worship service:
Introduction
The welcome of baptism is for all God’s children. This baptismal gift sets us free from the power of sin and death. In today’s gospel, Christ promises that the disciple who gives a cup of cold water to the little ones serves Christ himself. From worship we are sent on our baptismal mission: to serve the little ones of this world and to be a sign of God’s merciful welcome.
Prayer of Day
O God, you direct our lives by your grace, and your words of justice and mercy reshape the world. Mold us into a people who welcome your word and serve one another, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Scripture
Jeremiah 28:5-9 The test of a true prophet
Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18 Your love, O Lord, forever will I sing. (Ps. 89:1)
Romans 6:12-23 No longer under law but under grace
Matthew 10:40-42 Welcome Christ in those he sends
Godspeed
During worship this past Sunday, June 28th, we wished the Boomgarden family farewell. Jennifer is being relocated with her current company.
Their last Sunday isn’t officially until July 12th, but we wanted to make sure we wished them well as a family.
Alleluia Lutheran Church Youth Group to be at All Saints Lutheran Church
Kurtis, the Youth Director, reached out to All Saints Lutheran Church earlier this month to see if Alleluia Lutheran Church (ELCA) would be able to learn about our ministries and help the church out in any way they could. They are doing a mission trip to eastern Iowa this year and were searching for places of accompaniment.
Kurtis defined accompaniment this way: “One of the things that our greater church taught us is that serving just to serve is great, but accompaniment includes service, learning, and being with those who serve and if possible, those who are served by the organization.”
So, Kurtis and the youth group from Alleluia Lutheran Church in Naperville, IL, will meet with Marilyn & Anne in the Food Pantry & Clothing Closet this Tuesday, June 30th from 1 – 4 pm.
During this time, they will learn about what we are doing for the community through the food pantry & clothing closet as well as work on prepping for the following weekend that we are open (July 4th).
Let us pray for the group as they travel for their 2026 Mission Trip and walk alongside various organizations.
Devotion for the Week
From Welcome to Belonging
In just a few verses, the word welcomes sets the tone in this week’s gospel passage. There are transactional aspects when we welcome guests into our personal spaces, or when we are welcomed by others. We are aware of the power dynamics between host and guest, and the welcome that is given and received reflects our understanding of these roles. There are also different degrees of welcome. For example, it is one thing to experience a welcome of our physical presence, and quite a different matter when our perspectives and opinions are welcomed. The former relies on host-guest roles; the latter relies on a relationship being formed beyond culturally established roles.
It is no surprise that congregations pay attention to their welcome practices. Some even adopt and publicize welcome statements. Congregations usually consider how visitors or guests come into their space for a worship service they host. When deeper welcome practices are employed, we can grow in our understanding of how we give and receive. This provides an interesting opportunity to consider that welcoming is more than just hospitality. We can also consider how the worship event happens because we are gathered by the Holy Spirit, so God is our host and we are all guests in that space.
Moving worship beyond a typical guest-host transaction, the reward is experiencing our belonging together as people of God. Belonging means welcoming one another into shared space. Seeking a wide expression of belonging challenges power dynamics that might otherwise remain in place in more traditional guest-and-host situations. Belonging is a culture we in congregations can cultivate and a gift we can share.
Devotional message based on the readings for June 28, 2026 reprinted from sundaysandseasons.com.
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Independence Day – July 4, 2026
This year marked the United States Semiquincentennial, which is 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Below is a portion of an article from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Semiquincentennial
The United States Semiquincentennial,[a] also called the Sestercentennial (two and a half centuries), or the Quarter Millennium, will be the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. Festivities are marking various events leading up to the Declaration’s anniversary on the 250th Independence Day: July 4, 2026.
Official planning for the celebrations began in 2016 with the congressional, non-partisan United States Semiquincentennial Commission (America250). In 2025, federal resources were diverted to the president Donald Trump-aligned White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday (Freedom250) to promote and plan new events. Celebrations began with the United States Army 250th Anniversary Parade on June 14, 2025,[1] with America250 events formally starting on July 3, 2025.[3][1] Some official events have been criticized as being politicized and lacking financial transparency.
Official festivities include commemorative coinage, UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, a “Great American State Fair” on the National Mall, Sail250, a Times Square Ball drop event, and the Freedom 250 Grand Prix around the National Mall. Part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is being held across the United States, with matches in Philadelphia and Houston on the date of the Semiquincentennial.
Background
The Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, voted for the independence of the United Colonies by passing the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776.[4] The Declaration of Independence, mainly written by Committee of Five member Thomas Jefferson, was proclaimed on July 4, the date on which the anniversary of independence is observed.[5]
There were no major government-sponsored 50th anniversary observances on July 4, 1826, which was the day that the Founding Fathers and former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died. In 1876, the United States organized nationwide centennial observances centered on the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia,[6] in 1926, a Sesquicentennial Exposition was held in Philadelphia, and in 1976, bicentennial observances were held throughout the country.[6]