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Fourth Sunday after Pentecost • Year A
June 21, 2026 • Proper 7
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Historical Collect
For those who love you, O God, you have chosen and prepared what no eye has seen nor ear heard. Pour into our hearts a loving affection for you, that we may choose you in and above all things. For only then shall we have what you promise, which far exceeds all we can desire; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. He lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Gelasian Sacramentary, 7th Century)
Thematic Collect
Almighty God, in Holy Baptism we have been buried with Christ so that we may walk in newness of life. Marked with the cross of Christ forever, grant us the faith to live a life of steadfast obedience to your will especially in the face of opposition and trials; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Common Thread
“Trust and obey,” says the old hymn. Yet we might also sing, “Trust and abide.” Though one’s ministry is as unsatisfying as Jeremiah’s, as dangerous as David’s, as rigorous as Paul’s, or as treacherous as Jesus’, we are called to be obedient. Christ calls and we must obey, for we are in his service. This call is a call to deep disappointment, rejection, and death—but also great satisfaction, adoption, and life. How does one hold on in the former times? Abide in the shelter of the Most High.
First Reading • Jeremiah 20:7-13
Jeremiah is honest with God, accusing God of deceiving him, of bringing him into the prophetic ministry when he would not have chosen it for himself. Jeremiah thought things would turn out differently; after all, he was a prophet. People were laughing at him (Jer 20:7b) because his message was entirely of violence and destruction (Jer 20:8) when he likely would rather have proclaimed comfort and reassurance. He considered abandoning his prophetic call, but the reproving word of the Lord burned within him when he tried to keep silent. Finally, he took the Lord’s side, committing himself to obedience despite the outcome.
Psalm • Psalm 91:1-10, 11-16
Ministry does not always go the way we expect. If we were to lay out the course of vocation, it would not have looked like it does. Snares abound. Both physical and spiritual pestilence plague Christian ministry. This stops many pastors and congregations from their duty. Indeed, it is even cause for some preachers to change the gospel message into “a different gospel” (Gal 1:6). The snares in the course of Christian ministry may lead some to distort the gospel of Christ, but the Lord must always be the one in whom we trust. It is he who protects—not prosperity. It is he who delivers—not health. He is with us in the troubles of ministry. Abide.
Second Reading • Romans 6:12-23
We now turn to another sort of obedience: obedience to righteousness. We are, from time to time, still inclined to unrighteousness but are admonished to be servants of righteousness. The former obedience leads to death since the remuneration for sin is destruction. The latter obedience leads to life. At first read, this might cause folks to give up, since they are still disposed to unrighteousness of many sorts. But thanks be to God that we have been set free from sin and its resultant death. We must, of course, strain on toward righteous living, but when we fail, we must remember that we have been set free from sin—not from sinning. It is at this critical moment of personal failure that we must become even further obedient to righteousness—a righteousness that is not our own (Phil 3:9) but that is imputed to us by Christ.
Gospel • Matthew 10:5a, 21-33
Obedience is difficult. If we think obedience in the area of personal righteousness is tough, the Gospel Reading hands us another challenging area of obedience. Everyone wants to be loved and admired—even Jeremiah desired as much—but the gospel’s call to obedience is the invitation to rejection and worse. The Reading bids us think of our own Lord’s hatred and suffering. Then it warns us that we will also be persecuted and hated for his Name. The only reward that we are promised for our obedience is that, if we do not deny him in this life, he will acknowledge us to his Father in the life to come. There could not be a sweeter promise.
Resources
Links to Worship Resources for this Service
