The View from the Middle: August 2026

Monday, August 24, 2026

Service Outline for Sunday, August 30, 2026

Welcome to worship at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church!

PRELUDE “Our Father, Who from Heaven Above” Christine Sullivan

CONFESSION AND FORGIVNESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity,+ one God,

whose compassion endures forever.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin to God.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Compassionate God,

we confess to you all our sins.

Our burden is heavy, and we cannot free ourselves.

In your mercy, call us back to you.

Your yoke is easy and your burden is light.

Restore us to dwell in your peace.

In Christ’s name we pray,

Amen.

Jesus says, “Come to me,

all you who are weary

and are carrying heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest.”

In the name of God,

Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit,

your sins are forgiven.

Rest in God’s love.

Amen.

HYMN Jesus, Still Lead On #624

GREETING

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

KYRIE

HYMN OF PRAISE

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Children's message

First Reading: Jeremiah 15:15-21

15 O Lord, you know;
remember me and visit me,
and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors.
In your forbearance do not take me away;
know that on your account I suffer insult.
16 Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.
17 I did not sit in the company of merrymakers,
nor did I rejoice;
under the weight of your hand I sat alone,
for you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unceasing,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail.

19 Therefore thus says the Lord:
If you turn back, I will take you back,
and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious and not what is worthless,
you shall serve as my mouth.
It is they who will turn to you,
not you who will turn to them.
20 And I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you,
says the Lord.
21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked
and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.

Psalm: Psalm 26:1-8

Second Reading: Romans 12:9-21

9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal; be ardent in spirit; serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; pursue hospitality to strangers.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be arrogant, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 Instead, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink, for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Gospel: Matthew 16:21-28

21 From that time on, [after Peter confessed that Jesus was the Messiah,] Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

27 “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

SERMON

HYMN Will You Come and Follow Me #798

APOSTLES CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE, PEACE, OFFERING

COMMUNION PRAYER

LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION

HYMN For the Beauty of the Earth #879

POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION AND PRAYER

BLESSING

HYMN Congregation’s Choice

DISMISSAL

POSTLUDE “Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus” Paul Manz

Liturgy and hymns printed and streamed with permission through OneLicense. A-710659

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Service Outline for Sunday, August 23, 2026

Welcome to worship at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church!

PRELUDE “By All Your Saints” Christine Sullivan

CONFESSION AND FORGIVNESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity,+ one God,

whose compassion endures forever.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin to God.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Compassionate God,

we confess to you all our sins.

Our burden is heavy, and we cannot free ourselves.

In your mercy, call us back to you.

Your yoke is easy and your burden is light.

Restore us to dwell in your peace.

In Christ’s name we pray,

Amen.

Jesus says, “Come to me,

all you who are weary

and are carrying heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest.”

In the name of God,

Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit,

your sins are forgiven.

Rest in God’s love.

Amen.

HYMN The Church’s One Foundation #654

GREETING

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

KYRIE

HYMN OF PRAISE

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Children's message

First Reading: Isaiah 51:1-6

¹ Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
² Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah, who bore you,
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.
³ For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.

⁴ Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation,
for a teaching will go out from me
and my justice for a light to the peoples.
⁵ I will bring near my deliverance swiftly;
my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.
⁶ Lift up your eyes to the heavens
and look at the earth beneath,
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and those who live on it will die like gnats,
but my salvation will be forever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.

Psalm: Psalm 138

¹ I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with ^| my whole heart;
before the gods I will ^| sing your praise.
² I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your name, because of your steadfast ^| love and faithfulness;
for you have glorified your name and your word a- ^| bove all things.
³ When I called, you ^| answered me;
you increased my ^| strength within me.
⁴ All the rulers of the earth will praise ^| you, O Lord,
when they have heard the words ^| of your mouth. R
⁵ They will sing of the ways ^| of the Lord,
that great is the glory ^| of the Lord.
⁶ The Lord is high, yet cares ^| for the lowly,
perceiving the haughty ^| from afar.
⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you ^| keep me safe;
you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right ^| hand shall save me.
⁸ You will make good your pur- ^| pose for me;
O Lord, your steadfast love endures forever; do not abandon the works ^| of your hands. R

Second Reading: Romans 12:1-8

¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. ² Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
³ For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function, ⁵ so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. ⁶ We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ⁷ ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; ⁸ the encourager, in encouragement; the giver, in sincerity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20

¹³ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

SERMON

HYMN My Hope is Built on Nothing Else #597

APOSTLES CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE, PEACE, OFFERING

COMMUNION PRAYER

LORD'S PRAYER

DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION

HYMN O Savior, Precious Savior #820

POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION AND PRAYER

BLESSING

HYMN Congregation’s Choice

DISMISSAL

POSTLUDE “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” arr. Robert Hubble

Liturgy and hymns printed and streamed with permission through OneLicense. A-710659