Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

08/26/2026

Be Realistic!
Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. … If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:14, 18-21)

This passage reminds me of a time when we had church conflict, and a few leaders were discussing what to do about it. One suggested harsh punishment for the people who were acting up. That didn’t sound right to my husband and me. We suggested a more peaceful way of dealing with these members, only to be told, “That’s okay for the Bible, but this is the real world, and we have to be realistic!” I was horrified.

Because what the Holy Spirit is saying in this passage is realistic—in fact, it’s about as practical as you can get. We all know that meeting violence with violence just prolongs the conflict. Every time someone gets hurt, they hurt someone in revenge, and the whole thing spirals out of control. There’s only one way of short-circuiting that kind of feud, and that’s to follow Paul’s advice: refuse to avenge ourselves, and let God handle the matter. In the meantime, we do good to our enemies as far as we have the opportunity. It tends to freak them out.

But will it work? Well, it depends on what you mean by “work.” It may not stop your enemies from trying to harm you; in fact, they may decide you’re up to something nefarious, and try even harder to hurt you. But it will certainly make them think. And sometimes that plants the seed of the Gospel in their hearts, and you see it come to fruit even years later. They finally get up the courage to ask you, “Why didn’t you harm me when you had the chance?” And then we can tell them about Jesus.

Because Jesus did it first, didn’t He? Human beings were the ones who rebelled against God and went our own way, in spite of God’s lovingkindness toward us. And yet, God didn’t leave us to destroy ourselves. He came looking for us. He was born into this world as a human baby to become our Savior. He allowed us to express our enmity to God through all the horrible things we did to Him—from betrayal to beating, from mocking to crucifixion. And He took all those evils and destroyed them at the cross.

Now anyone who wants to can be at peace with God again—no, much better than that, a child of God! When Jesus rose from the dead, He opened the gates of heaven to us. The records of our evil that stood against us are gone. If we let Him, Jesus will bring us home with Him as His brothers and sisters—our past forgiven, and our future full of love.

WE PRAY: Lord, I want this for myself, but I can’t do it on my own. You do it through me, please. Amen.

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08/25/2026

Going Too Far
Tuesday, August 25, 2026

[Jeremiah said:] “O Lord, You know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In Your forbearance take me not away; know that for Your sake I bear reproach. … Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail? Therefore thus says the Lord: “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before Me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as My mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them. 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, declares the Lord. I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.” (Jeremiah 15:15, 18-21)

Poor Jeremiah! He’s been through a lot. Because he speaks God’s messages, the people who hear him hate him. They consider Jeremiah a killjoy because he’s always talking about the terrible judgments that are going to come for all their wrongdoing. And so they arrest him, abuse him, even put his life in danger.

Of course Jeremiah complains—I would too, if I were living his life! He complains to God. That’s the right thing to do, isn’t it? I mean, God will absolutely understand. He won’t be surprised or upset at all. And God is very patient—right up to the moment when Jeremiah finally goes too far.

That would be the bit where Jeremiah turns on God Himself. He says to the Lord, “Will You be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail?” Jeremiah is angry. And he expresses it by deliberately doubting God’s faithfulness to Him, even though he’s seen it day after day.

God won’t have it—not because of the insult, but because Jeremiah is putting his own faith at risk. It’s always dangerous to play around with ideas we already know are false. And so God pulls him up sharply, because He loves Jeremiah and doesn’t want to lose him. He says, “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before Me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as My mouth.”

That’s how God reacts to us, too, when we go too far and He can see that we’re putting our faith in danger. He works to pull us back from the brink—because He loves us and doesn’t want to lose us. He came to make us His own through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. If He values us that highly, He isn’t going to let go of us easily now.

And so we can always turn to God our Father and say, “I’m sorry. Bring me back,” and He will. That’s the kind of God we have—slow to get angry, quick to forgive, always watching over us to protect us. He intends to have us forever, because He loves us. And there is no sin so terrible that He will refuse to take us back. Jesus’ death and resurrection cover all our sins, even the ones we did as Christians!

WE PRAY: Lord, when I need you to pull me out of danger, please do it—and bring me back safely to you. Amen.

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08/24/2026

Your Faithfulness
Monday, August 24, 2026

Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind. For Your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in Your faithfulness. (Psalm 26:1-3)

We can easily imagine our Lord Jesus speaking the words of this psalm. He could certainly say, “I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.” Jesus trusted in His Heavenly Father without wavering, without turning from the path set before Him. Perhaps Jesus’ heart and mind were tested as the hour of His death drew near, but Jesus said, “Now is My soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour” (John 12:27). Perhaps His heart and mind were tested in Gethsemane as He prayed that the Father’s will would be done. Yet in humble trust, Jesus submitted to His Father’s will, obedient to the point of death on the cross (see Philippians 2:8).

It may be a little more difficult to think of Jesus’ great ancestor King David praying the words of his own Spirit-inspired psalm. We know all about David’s sins, so carefully recorded in the pages of Holy Scripture for everyone to see and hear. King David was certainly guilty of sin yet he claims to be walking in integrity and trusting God without wavering. If we are honest, we may have trouble praying these words. Like David, we sin daily. We do not always walk through life with integrity. Even though we would like to claim unwavering trust in the Lord, our faith is not always so steadfast as we want it to be. We do not walk in faithful obedience to God’s will as Jesus did. Do we really want God to test our hearts and minds?

Jesus walked in steadfast love and faithfulness to the cross. He took onto Himself our lack of integrity and our sins of heart and mind, of body and soul, and He died for those sins. On the third day after Jesus’ death, God vindicated His holy, faithful Son. Jesus our Lord was raised from death, never to die again. He was tested through life and death and proven true. The psalmist was vindicated, but it was not David’s faithfulness that won forgiveness for him. It is not our own integrity that earns forgiveness for our sins. It is the Lord who is faithful, and in unfailing, steadfast love He forgives our sins for Jesus’ sake. By God’s grace, through faith in Jesus, we are vindicated, that is, we are declared not guilty. We can join the psalmist to offer grateful praise for the Lord’s steadfast love: “I walk in Your faithfulness.”

WE PRAY: Faithful Lord, forgive my sins and lead me each day to walk in Your ways. Amen.

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08/21/2026

Announcements

1. Volunteer Opportunity - First English is looking for a clean-up crew after their dinners on Monday nights. They are looking for help from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.. Please sign-up on the board in the narthex if you are interested.

2. Christmas in Chicora - Holy Trinity will be a passport stop for Christmas in Chicora on Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. We are looking for craft vendors if you know anyone who might be interested!
For more information, you can contact Laura Kepple and Darlene Walker. [email protected] 724-525-0261(Laura); [email protected] 724-525-6344 (Darlene)

3. Substitute Teachers - We are currently looking to add to our substitute preschool teacher staff. It is a paid position. You will only be called when needed to help out for the day. (8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.) Please sign-up on the board in the narthex if you are interested.

4. College Students - please update your addresses so that you can receive newsletters and packages this school year. Please e-mail or call the church office.

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08/21/2026

Everlasting Wealth
Friday, August 21, 2026

This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.

And He [Jesus] said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)

Our text today comes from Jesus’ “Parable of the Rich, Young Man,” sometimes known as the “Parable of the Rich Fool.” The Savior’s response above is prompted by a question regarding the division of an inheritance. To this Jesus says beware of greed. Life is not all about the stuff we own.

These are timely words for today, aren’t they? We live in a world of mind-boggling affluence, where dollar signs are attached to everything, where those who have in abundance, have vast sums at their disposal: wealth in the many billions of dollars. But to be clear, we live in a world that has always had a love affair with money.

But it’s not money that’s the problem; it’s not wealth that’s the culprit in so many people’s lives. Rather it’s one’s attitude toward it, one’s drive to acquire and possess it, putting it first before all things, including one’s relationship with God.

Money, my friends, is not the root of all evil. Scripture says it’s the love of money, the love of stuff, the love of anything which displaces God—which overshadows the Savior, which overpowers His grace, which overrides His life-giving intentions for you—that is the root, trunk, branches, and leaves of all evil. After Jesus, the apostle Paul knew this, too. He says in 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

But thanks be to God, the Holy Spirit is calling us away from the sinful folly of following money, stuff, or anything that says it can substitute and supersede the Savior, leaving God with our paltry leftovers. Today the Holy Spirit encourages you to look—look at Bethlehem’s lowly manger, look at Calvary’s bloody cross, and the Savior’s empty grave. It’s this God-given faith that turns the tables on the faulty perspective that the world has everything we need. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in the glory in Christ Jesus.”

And how true this is! And how empowering it is to know that in this world where things like money can drive us to greed and despair, there is One who is our true and everlasting wealth. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32)

Behold and believe in God’s Son—God’s Son who took your place under the Law so that you might have a place in heaven. Trust Him who resisted Satan’s temptations so that you might be given forgiveness and redemption, who died so you might live, who lives so you might never die. By the Holy Spirit’s power, may you be given faith in Jesus Christ, God’s great Gift, your gracious Redeemer.

WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, by Your Holy Spirit remind us where our true riches lie, in the arms of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. In His Name we pray. Amen.

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08/20/2026

Who Do You Say That I Am?
Thursday, August 20, 2026

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then He strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that He was the Christ. (Matthew 16:13-20)

To tell the truth, I’m glad I wasn’t there when Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” I would have been horribly embarrassed. I mean, what if I guessed and I got it wrong? What if Jesus said to me, “Um, no, that’s not who I am, sorry”?

It doesn’t look like Peter had those doubts. He just says it right out: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus is delighted! At least one of His disciples has been watching Him closely enough that he’s figured it out with the help of God the Father. And that’s important, because Jesus’ disciples really need to know who Jesus is, before they move on to the next lesson: What Jesus has come to do.

It makes a difference, doesn’t it? Because Jesus has come to suffer and die—yes, and to be raised from the dead three days later. He has come to make an offering of Himself, to take away all the evil of the world—and to rescue God’s people from the power of death. He has come to be our Savior.

And it’s important to know just who your Savior is. Because it’s one thing if the person rescuing you is a fellow creature—an angel or some other created being. That would be amazing enough. But when you realize that God Himself has come to save you—that the Person hanging on that cross is not just an ordinary human being, but the Son of God, who is One God with the Father and the Spirit—well, that just blows me away. Who am I, that God should suffer for me? Who am I, that the Christ, the Son of God, should take my evil upon Himself, and give me His own goodness, holiness, and innocence in return?

Whoever I am, I am His. I am His, and you are His too, if you trust in Him. He came to make us His own, because He loves us.

WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, thank You for making me Your own. You are mine and I am Yours; what could be more wonderful than that? Amen.

08/19/2026

A Living Sacrifice
Wednesday, August 19, 2026

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. … Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:1-2, 6-8)

Paul tells us to offer our bodies to God as a living sacrifice. That’s an odd way to phrase it, don’t you think? Because all the sacrifices we know about are dead ones!

The Israelites sacrificed animals—sheep and goats and cattle and birds. Other nations also sacrificed animals, and even human beings sometimes. But there was one thing they all had in common. By the time the sacrifice was over, the offering was dead. Human instinct tells us that we are in trouble with God, even if we don’t really know Him, even if we think of Him as multiple gods. And it also tells us that the only way to make peace and find favor in God’s eyes is for something to die. And so the custom of killing sacrifices is found around the world.

Of course, none of these sacrifices actually did what we wanted them to do. If they had, we wouldn’t have had to repeat them, over and over again! (See Hebrews 10:1-10.) What they did was to keep the memory of our sin alive. It’s hard to forget that things are not right when you’re continually offering new sacrifices.

But God didn’t intend that state of affairs to go on forever. He came into our world to sacrifice Himself for our sakes, and to do it once and for all. Jesus’ willing death on the cross takes away all our wrongdoing, past, present, and future. And because God raised Jesus from the dead, we know that His sacrifice has been accepted and our sins are truly forgiven. No further sacrifice needs to be made to gain forgiveness for all eternity.

But sacrifices don’t exist only to wipe out guilt and shame. Sometimes people offer them to say thank You to God—or just because they love Him. And that kind of sacrifice continues even today, in our own bodies—our living bodies. We love Jesus, and we show that love by offering our very selves to God every day of our lives. As we walk through our days, we have the Holy Spirit living in us and through us, doing the things that Jesus would do—loving the lonely, helping the troubled, caring for the helpless. We are happy to give ourselves this way to the Lord who loves us, because this is how we can love Him back.

WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, You gave Yourself for me because You loved me. I love You, and so I offer my life to You. Use me. Amen.

08/18/2026

The Arms of the Lord
Tuesday, August 18, 2026

“Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord … Give attention to Me, My people, and give ear to Me, My nation; for a law will go out from Me, and I will set My justice for a light to the peoples. My righteousness draws near, My salvation has gone out, and My arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands hope for Me, and for My arm they wait. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will never be dismayed.” (Isaiah 51:1a, 4-6)

In the Old Testament, “arm” is another way of saying “strength.” God says, “My righteousness draws near, and My arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands hope for Me, and for My arm they wait.”

There’s nothing to surprise us in the idea of God’s people waiting for God to save them. Of course they do! They know His heart—that He loves them and wants to rescue them. So of course they wait for His arms.

But that’s not what this text says. It says, “the coastlands” are waiting for God’s arms to save them. Who are these people?

Well, most of them are Gentiles! They are the people who live next to the Mediterranean, and most of them are not Israelites. Most of them are idol worshippers. And yet, God says, they are waiting for His arms to save them—even though they are not His people. Not yet, that is.

Because they are right to hope for God’s salvation. God loves them—loves us!—enough to come down into our broken world, to be born as one of us, to become our Savior. Jesus, who is both God and Man, came into our world to save us all—not just the Israelites, not just the people of the coastlands, but every single human being—every one of us who will let Him. He came to pull us out from under the power of evil, and to give us life, joy, and peace that will last forever.

How? Through His arms! Because it was Jesus who willingly stretched out His arms on the cross, that day His enemies put Him to death. They didn’t realize that He had chosen that death long ago, before the world was made, in the wisdom of the Trinity. By dying for us all, Jesus broke the power of death forever; and by rising from the dead on the third day, Jesus opened the way to life for everyone who will trust in Him. He is the way to life. His strong arms will carry us, all the way into God’s kingdom. And we will be with Him forever.

WE PRAY: Dear Savior, thank You for what You have done for me. Keep me with You forever. Amen.

08/17/2026

Purpose Fulfilled
Monday, August 17, 2026

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life; You stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand delivers me. The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of Your hands. (Psalm 138:7-8)

The psalmist is very confident. It is a fact, and he is certain of it: “The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me.” The Lord will not forsake him and He will not forsake us. God’s ultimate purpose for us is our eternal salvation. Through the death and resurrection of His Son, that purpose has been fulfilled, as we learn in His familiar promise: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). We can join the psalmist in being absolutely certain about this great gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus.

Yet now and then along the way, we stumble in that certainty. We are not so sure about God’s purpose being fulfilled in us. Like the psalmist we find ourselves walking “in the midst of trouble,” and that raises questions. Our prayers are not filled with joy in the Lord’s fulfilled purpose but with doubt and questions. Why is this happening to me, Lord? What possible purpose can there be in this grief and trouble? Where did I go wrong? I struggle constantly against sin and temptation. Is there any purpose in that? Yet through these troubles in life, through the sin and sorrow, the questions and fear, God is working to fulfill His purpose for us. He constantly seeks to call us to repentance and draw us closer to Himself. Like a shepherd seeking lost sheep, the Lord pursues us in love, always seeking to strengthen our faith through the hope and promises of His Word and through the gift of His body and blood in Holy Communion.

Jesus promised: “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40). The Savior’s arms were stretched out and His loving hands were nailed to the cross. He took our sins onto Himself and gave His life to preserve ours. By God’s grace through faith in Jesus, we have been raised from death to life. God created us anew as His own people: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Each day His purpose is fulfilled in us as we walk in His ways and His final purpose will be fulfilled when we live forever in His presence. We are the work of His hands and He will never forsake us.

WE PRAY: Lord, when I walk in the midst of trouble, preserve my life and fulfill Your purpose in me. Amen.

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08/16/2026

Worship