Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Bulletin

Holy Cross Lutheran Church of Wartburg

5765 Maeystown Road – Waterloo, IL 62298

Pastor Dan Ostlund

Office: 618-939-7094 – cell 618-301-6358

Office: hcwartb@htc.net, Pastor: wartburg.pastor@gmail.com

Website: www.holycrosswartburg.com

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost 

June 21, 2026

Guests Welcome!  We are delighted that you are with us for worship this morning. Consider us your church home– at least for today. We hope we will see you again soon!

Divine Service Setting 3 – page 184

Ringing of the Bell

Opening Hymn #570 Just as I Am, without One Plea

Confession and Absolution

Please stand if you are able 

The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

P     In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C     Amen.

P     Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.

P     Our help is in the name of the Lord,

C     who made heaven and earth.

P     I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,

C     and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Silence for reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination.

P     O almighty God, merciful Father,

C     I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.

P     Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C     Amen.

Service of the Word

Introit                                                                                            Psalm 56:3–4, 10–11; antiphon: v. 13

For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling,
    that I may walk before God in the light of life.
When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me?
In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me?
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
    and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
    is now, and will be forever. Amen.
For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling,
    that I may walk before God in the light of life.

C     Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Kyrie                                                                                                                             LSB 186

C     Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Gloria in Excelsis                                                                                                             LSB 187

P     Glory be to God on high:

C     and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.

We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee,

we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee, for Thy great glory.

O Lord God, heav’nly King, God the Father Almighty.

O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ;

O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,

that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.

Thou that takest away the sin of the world, receive our prayer.

Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.

For Thou only art holy; Thou only art the Lord.

Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost,

art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Salutation and Collect of the Day

P     The Lord be with you.

C     And with thy spirit.

P     Let us pray.

O God, because Your abiding presence always goes with us, keep us aware of Your daily mercies that we may live secure and content in Your eternal love; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C     Amen.

Sit

Old Testament Reading                                                                                          Jeremiah 20:7–13

7O Lord, you have deceived me,
    and I was deceived;
you are stronger than I,
    and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all the day;
    everyone mocks me.
8For whenever I speak, I cry out,
    I shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For the word of the Lord has become for me
    a reproach and derision all day long.
9If I say, “I will not mention him,
    or speak any more in his name,”
there is in my heart as it were a burning fire
    shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in,
    and I cannot.
10For I hear many whispering.
    Terror is on every side!
“Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
    say all my close friends,
    watching for my fall.
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
    then we can overcome him
    and take our revenge on him.”
11But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior;
    therefore my persecutors will stumble;
    they will not overcome me.
They will be greatly shamed,
    for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonor
    will never be forgotten.
12O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous,
    who sees the heart and the mind,
let me see your vengeance upon them,
    for to you have I committed my cause.
13Sing to the Lord;
    praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
    from the hand of evildoers.

A     This is the Word of the Lord.

C     Thanks be to God.

Gradual                                                                                                             Psalm 145:3, 5b, 6b

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.
On your wondrous works, I will meditate,
    and I will declare your greatness.

Epistle                                                                                                                  Romans 6:12–23

    12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. 13Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

    15What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

    20When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A     This is the Word of the Lord.

C     Thanks be to God.

Please stand if you are able 

Alleluia                                                                                                                          LSB 190

C     Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Holy Gospel                                                                                                     Matthew 10:5a, 21–33

P     The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the tenth chapter.

C     Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

    5These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, . . .

    21“Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

    24“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

    26“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

P     This is the Gospel of the Lord.

C     Praise be to Thee, O Christ.

Apostles’ Creed

C     I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

     maker of heaven and earth.

 And in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell.

     The third day He rose again from the dead.

     He ascended into heaven

     and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

     From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

     the holy Christian Church,

          the communion of saints,

     the forgiveness of sins,

     the resurrection of the body,

     and the life + everlasting. Amen.

Sit

Hymn of the Day #725 Children of the Heavenly Father

Sermon     Matthew 10: 5a, 21-23  “Valued”

P     The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

C     Amen.

Please stand if you are able 

Offertory                                                                                                                       LSB 192

C     Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen.

Sit

Offering

Please stand if you are able 

Prayer of the Church

Lord’s Prayer                                                                                                                  LSB 196

C     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.

Concluding Collect

A     Let us pray.

       Almighty God, grant to Your Church Your Holy Spirit and the wisdom that comes down from above, that Your Word may not be bound but have free course and be preached to the joy and edifying of Christ’s holy people, so that in steadfast faith we may serve You and, in the confession of Your name, abide unto the end; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C     Amen.

Benedicamus                                                                                                                  LSB 202

P     The Lord be with you.

C     And with thy spirit.

A     Bless we the Lord.

C     Thanks be to God.

Benediction                                                                                                                    LSB 202

P     The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and + give you peace.

C     Amen, amen, amen.

Closing Hymn #728 How Firm a Foundation

Acknowledgments

Divine Service, Setting Three from Lutheran Service Book

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2026 Concordia Publishing House.

OUR PRAYERS

For the sick and/or injured – Rich Brege (rehab), Phyllis Buettner (recovering at home), Daisy Kay Dunker (NICU), Barb Schmeding (heart issues), Howard Schmidt (cancer).

Shirley Boehm  (pacemaker – Dwight’s mom), Karen Brewer – (health concerns – Carl Brewer’s sister-in-law), Tripp Dodson (leukemia – Myah Grossheim’s cousin), Bill Keel  (hospice – brother-in-law of Arlene Baum and Howard & Mike Schmidt), Cindy Kerr (cancer – Arlene Baum’s niece), Susan McFadden (cancer – friend of Pastor & Deb), Herb Phillips – (stroke- cousin of Connie Kostecki), Leo David Trost (many health challenges/born with scoliosis – grandson of Kathy Bollinger), Beth Vincent (ALS – friend of Kenny & Radar), Janice Whelan (recovery-friend of Ron & Pearl Braun), Carol Woodcock (health issues – Jean Woodcock’s sister-in-law).

For those in Nursing Homes, the home bound, and those unable to be

with us in worship.

Comfort for the Family of Debbie Strickland – Sharon Brewer’s cousin

ANNOUNCEMENTS

                   Serving Today

                 Organist:       Joan Ruwald 

                 Ushers:          Kerry May & Doug May     

              Acolyte:         Tyler Johanning   

              Altar Care:    Deb Ostlund & Leslie Reinhardt

         Serving Next Sunday June 28, 2026

                 Organist:       Connie Kostecki

                 Ass’t Elder:   Carl Brewer & Kerry May 

                 Ushers:           Darren Johanning & Tyler Kostecki      

              Acolyte:          Jacob Mudd   

              Altar Care:    Deb Ostlund & Leslie Reinhardt

                 This Week at Holy Cross

         Today            9:00 a.m. Worship Service

                             10:00 a.m.  Fellowship

                                    10:15 a.m.  Bible Class

             Monday        Pastor Day Off

Thursday June 25  9:30 a.m.  Quilting      

  Sunday June 28th          9:00 a.m.  Worship Service

                                        10:00 a.m.  Fellowship

                                        10:15 a.m.  Bible Class

                                                     Birthday

                Kim Meyer       June 22      Briar Schreder   June 23

                Austin Trost     June 23      Carolyn Wedel   June 25

                                     Kathy Bollinger    June 25

Our Service can be found on your radio at 87.9 FM

Thank you to everyone who helped to make it possible for Holy Cross to have a float in the Porta Westfalica Parade on June 16.

Thanks to Kathy Bollinger and her family, David Rednour for driving truck, Darren Johanning for trailer, all walkers, and for all who donated candy. A flyer giving information on Holy Cross, and approximately 100 Thrivent T- Shirts plus the candy were given out and appreciated by the large crowd.  Porta Westfalica, Germany chose Waterloo as a Sister City 44 years ago due to the shared ancestry between the two cities. They found that Kohlmeier, Johanning, Kahre, Boehne, Schmeding, Kahre families among others left Germany in 1841-1850 to settle here and organize our church.  Vera Kohlmeier and Helmut Macke ae considered founders of the Sister City relationship (Partnerschaftverien).

185th Anniversary

Holy Cross, founded by German immigrants on July 11, 1841, will celebrate 185 years of God’s grace on July 12th at 9:00 a.m.

Rev. Dennis W. Schmidt, son of the congregation, will be the guest preacher. A meal and program will follow the service.  Everyone is invited to celebrate God’s blessings on the milestone of our congregation.

A history of our congregation can be found in “God’s Grace in a Country Place II” written by Arlene Baum for the 150th church anniversary. It is a 120-page history with photos. Read how God was with this church through many trials. Cost: $10.00. Proceeds go to the General Fund. Checks payable to Holy Cross. See Arlene (call 618-340-2471) or the church office.

The Monroe County Fair is July 19-26, 2026. That means the Fish Stand Sign-Up sheets are in the Narthex on the bulletin board. The Board of Education would appreciate everyone signing up for the Church’s biggest Fundraiser. Thank you for everyone helping out. 

Other options to donate to church is to use the QR code to make a

donation to support Holy Cross Lutheran Church of Wartburg.

Thank you!

If you have any questions, contact Kathy Reifschneider 618-444-2188

Or kreifschneider4@gmail.com 

Other ways to gift to Holy Cross Lutheran Church of Wartburg

Donate stock How to donate stock to Holy Cross Lutheran Church of Wartburg in 3 simple steps:

1. Holy Cross Lutheran Church of Wartburg has a brokerage account set up with Edward Jones. Our financial advisor is Adam Brewer 618-939-7153.

2. Our brokerage account number is xxx-xx148. Provide this information to your broker to initiate the transfer. Keep in mind that brokerage firms tend to be extremely busy with tax donations and other end-of-year items every December, so it’s wise to get started before then, if possible. It’s also important to remember to report your stock donation, which is considered a non-cash charitable contribution, to the IRS with Form 8283.     3. You should report the donation for the tax year in which it was made.

Read more about charitable giving in this article from Thrivent.

Happy Father’s Day!!!!

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