St John Lutheran Church & School

"Extremes"
June 18, 2026
These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, … “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for My Name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When 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. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. … If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And 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. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:5a, 21-24, 25b-31)

It seems odd to me that Jesus sent the twelve disciples out to preach and heal with these scary words we’ve just heard. They sound much more suitable for the end of the world, don’t they? But this isn’t the end of the world yet—it’s only the first preaching tour for the twelve, and as far as we know, it was successful! So why is Jesus saying all this scary stuff to them now?

I wonder if maybe Jesus did this because He knew that at that moment they were nervous and afraid, and also that later on they would return, overjoyed at how well everything went. And He wanted them to understand that, in a lifetime of service to Jesus, there would be both extremes: great trouble and grief, even to the point of persecution; and also great joy and happiness, as they saw God working through them to bring people to faith and grow His kingdom.

And the answer to both extremes is the same: to keep our eyes on Jesus, trusting Him to see us through whatever comes to us—whether it’s joy and success, or whether it’s trouble, persecution, and what looks like failure. Because our job is to be faithful and to let God work through us. It is God who takes responsibility for the outcomes.

After all, we’re not that good at telling the difference between a good outcome and a poor one, are we? Who would have looked at Jesus’ suffering and death on that cross, and have seen that as His victory? And yet it was—and when He rose from the dead three days later, Jesus became the Source of our life, forgiveness, and joy.

WE PRAY: Lord, whether I’m happy or discouraged in the work You have set for me to do, keep my eyes and heart on You. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

How do you serve the Lord in your own life—what work has He given you to do?
How do you feel right now about the way that work is going?
How do you find hope and comfort in Jesus when you need it most?

"Choose Your Master"
June 17, 2026
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do 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. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do 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? But 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, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. … For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But 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. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:12-18, 20-23)

Think of a slave market. Who is walking around and making choices? The masters, that’s who. The slaves have to stay in one place and put up with whatever the masters decide to do. They have no options.

But Paul gives us a different picture—a market where it’s the slaves who are choosing their masters! And their lives will be completely different, depending on which master they choose.

The first master is one that we all know very well, from our own lived experience. It’s sin—the force inside us that drives us to do what is bad and wrong and unhealthy, even when we know better. And of course, if we decide to serve that master, it’s going to end up in death. How could it not?

But the other master is one that we can only serve because Jesus Christ has set us free to do so. That master is righteousness—or maybe we could call it God Himself. Jesus set us free from the power of sin through His own suffering, death, and resurrection. And now we belong to Him, to love Him and do what is good in God’s eyes—not out of fear or obligation, but out of free love and thankfulness. How could we not want to serve the One who saved us at the cost of His own life?

WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, Your service is real freedom. Keep me Yours forever. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

If you can remember a time before you belonged to Jesus, what would you say He has set you free from?
If you cannot remember that time, look at the non-Christians around you. How does your life differ from theirs because of Jesus?
Why would Jesus buy you to be His own at the cost of His own life? What does that price tell you about how He feels about you?

Beware of Email Scams and Phishing!

We have received many reports of emails that went out this weekend pretending to be President Von Behren asking for gift cards or other discreet financial transactions. Requests of this nature are not from President Von Behren. If you ever receive a message claiming to be from a member of the NOW District staff and you're unsure of its legitimacy, please don't hesitate to call the office or the individual directly to verify.

Online scams continue to increase, and churches and ministries are not immune. Many scams today come through email or text messages that appear to be from trusted sources such as pastors, church staff, delivery services, or financial institutions. To stay safe, always take a moment to verify unexpected messages. Carefully check the sender’s email address or phone number. If you receive a suspicious message claiming to be from your church or District, contact that office directly before responding.

Here are some quick tips to stay safe online:
• Check the Sender — Look closely at email addresses and phone numbers.
• Be Wary of Urgency — Pressure to act quickly is a warning sign.
• Think Before You Click — Avoid clicking links or attachments from unexpected messages.
• Never Share Sensitive Information — Do not send passwords or financial details by email or text.
• Verify Requests Independently — Contact the sender directly using a trusted number.
• Report Suspicious Messages — Mark emails as spam or notify your IT support or church office.
• Keep Devices Updated — Install updates regularly to maintain security.

"Suffering"
June 16, 2026
[The prophet Jeremiah said:] O 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. For 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. If 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. For 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.” But 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. O 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. Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For He has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers. (Jeremiah 20:7-13)

These are the words of Jeremiah the prophet, after God sent him to give bad news to the people of Judah. They had rebelled against God, even sacrificing their own children to idols! And so God sent Jeremiah to tell them disaster was coming.

But of course, nobody likes bad news. And so one of the leaders beat up Jeremiah and put him in the stocks overnight as punishment. Just imagine how Jeremiah felt—he said everything God told him to say, and now he was paying for it with pain and public shame. No wonder he’s upset with God!

And Jeremiah is very upset—so angry and heartsick that he imagines what it would be like to just stop being a prophet altogether—to quit God’s service and never say a word again to try to help anybody.

But it won’t work. God’s word burns inside him, and Jeremiah can’t stop himself from warning the people. And even when he’s upset with God, he can’t stop trusting Him or hoping in Him either. He knows that God is with him even in the darkest times, and he trusts God to rescue him.

That gives me hope too. Because there are times in our lives when we suffer for doing the right thing, for simply doing what God wants us to do—and we too are tempted to give up. But God will not give up on us. God came Himself into our broken, ruined world to rescue us at the cost of His own suffering and death. He knows what it’s like. He went through it.

And then He rose from the dead to give us everlasting life, peace, and joy. Evil won’t win in the end. Jesus will. And we will celebrate with Him as His people.

WE PRAY: Dear Lord, when I suffer, be with me and help me to hope in You! Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

Have you ever been so upset with God you just wanted to quit following Him?
If so, what brought you back?
Jesus understands suffering by His own experience. How can you lean on Him when you are in trouble?

We invite you to memorize Ephesians 5:8 with us this week.

Memorizing Scripture is a valuable practice for Christians, even in a digital age. Join us each week as we hide God's Word in our hearts.

Learn more at lcms.org/memoryverse.

"His Name"
June 15, 2026
Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My Name. When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation. (Psalm 91:14-16)

“He knows My Name.” With those words the psalmist is not rejoicing in the fact that God knows his name, although that is of course true. This is a statement from the Lord Himself, expressing His delight in those who trust in Him and know His sacred Name. Yet for many people today the Name of God remains unknown. Some people imagine “God” as a nameless power or cosmic force. Others prefer to keep God at a distance. They would rather not know His Name, calling on Him only when they want something from Him. All who worship these nameless gods have “exchanged the truth about God for a lie” (Romans 1:25a).

Called by the Holy Spirit and enlightened by the Gospel, we know God’s Name because He has revealed it to us. Once known as God Almighty, He spoke to Moses from a burning bush and revealed His holy Name: “I AM WHO I AM.” Under the authority of that sacred Name, Moses led the Israelites out of slavery to freedom, telling them, “I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14b). I AM is the God who saves and sets people free. He is the God in whom we trust and He is not a nameless, self-help kind of God. He is not an un-named power or force. He is our Heavenly Father and the Father of our Savior Jesus Christ.

We know and love the Name of Jesus, the Name above all names, a Name that means “God saves.” Salvation is not simply a matter of knowing His Name. We know and believe that Jesus died for us and rose in victory over death. We trust Him to deliver us from sin, death, and Satan because Jesus is God in human flesh. He is I AM, the God who saves and sets people free (see John 8:58). As these psalm verses remind us, the Lord in whom we trust and whose Name we know will deliver and protect us. He will answer us when we call to Him and rescue us from evil. He will honor us and satisfy us with life and salvation. There are people all around us who do not yet know the Name of God. They may refuse to acknowledge His existence or worship a false god. We know God’s Name, and we can introduce Him to those who do not yet know Him. We want them to join us in holding fast to Jesus, who is I AM, the God who saves and sets people free.

WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, help me to share Your holy Name and saving work with others who do not yet know You. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.

Reflection Questions:

Are humans by nature attracted to idols and false gods? Why is this, do you think?
What significance is there for us in God saying, “I AM WHO I AM”? What does it say about Him?
What does it say about our need that the Name of Jesus means “God saves”?

"Hark, the Voice of Jesus Crying"
June 14, 2026
“Let none hear you idly saying, ‘There is nothing I can do,’ While the multitudes are dying And the Master calls for you. Take the task He gives you gladly, Let His work your pleasure be; Answer quickly when He calleth, ‘Here am I, send me, send me!’”
The Lord of the harvest gazes at fields that are ready and waiting. The people He came to save need to hear the good news of the kingdom of God, “but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:2b). The Savior calls, “Who will go and work today?” Reluctant to witness, we may answer, “There is nothing I can do.” With that response we find ourselves in equally hesitant company. Many saints answered the Lord’s call with a response that was, at least initially, like our own: “There is nothing I can do.”
Called to lead God’s people out of slavery, Moses, being slow of speech, simply replied, “Please send someone else” (Exodus 4:13b). Consecrated before birth to be a prophet, Jeremiah protested the prophetic call because of his youth and inexperience. Jonah, sent to proclaim a message of repentance in enemy territory, did not bother with excuses. He just sailed off in the other direction. The prophet Isaiah, aware of his own sin, cried out, “Woe is me!” (Isaiah 6:5b). Some New Testament believers were also reluctant harvest laborers. James and John wanted glory without suffering. On the night his Lord was arrested, Peter swore that he never knew Jesus. A believer named Ananias was reluctant to lay hands of blessing on a Pharisee named Saul, a known enemy of Jesus’ followers.
A shining exception among those reluctant servants was a young woman, Mary of Nazareth. Called to be the mother of the Messiah, Mary answered in humble trust: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your Word” (Luke 1:38b). Mary’s Son, the Son of God, humbled Himself to be born among us. Obedient to His Heavenly Father, Jesus gave Himself willingly into death for our salvation. God forgives our sins for Jesus’ sake, just as He forgave each of His reluctant but repentant saints and sent them out into the harvest fields. Still today the Lord of the harvest calls witnesses to labor in the ripening fields, bringing the Good News of salvation to the world. We may worry about our worthiness for the work before us, but the Lord prepares His workers for service. He forgives our sins and promises His abiding presence in our lives. Fueled by forgiveness and filled with the Spirit, we answer in the words of Isaiah, eager to join in the harvest work: “Here am I, send me, send me!”
WE PRAY: Forgive my sins, Lord, and send me as a witness to work in Your harvest fields. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, “Hark, the Voice of Jesus Crying,” which is number 826 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever sensed a call from God to do something? What has come of that?
2. How did the (eventual) obedience of the biblical characters mentioned above make a difference in their life and times? Is there a lesson from their lives for our lives today?
3. What strength can we take from knowing Jesus is with us as we seek to follow God’s call?

Even at our worst, God loves us. There is nothing we can do to earn his love and forgiveness. Jesus did it all!

God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us - Romans 5:8

"There You Will Find Refuge"
June 13, 2026
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (1 John 3:16)

Not long ago, I got a glimpse of the living hope we have in knowing Christ as our Savior after reading about the aftermath of a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park. One park ranger who was assessing the damage found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, the ranger knocked over the bird with a stick.

When he gently tapped it, three tiny chicks scurried out from under their dead mother’s ashen wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and gathered them under her wings, sensing the approaching danger. She could have flown to safety but refused to abandon her babies. Then the blaze arrived, and the heat scorched her small body. Through this, the mother remained steadfast; she had been willing to die so those under the cover of her wings would live.

When I read about this little bird that saved her babies, I thought of Psalm 91:4a. Here the Bible reminds us: “He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge.” The wings of God were the gift of His Son, the power of His cross, and the glory of His resurrection.

All of us are caught up in the conflagration of sin, death, and the power of the devil. Our death is assured if we are left to our own power to try to escape these destructive forces. It is for this reason that God so loved each of us that He sent His own Son to gather us under His protective wings. On Calvary the blazing fire of evil and all our sins struck our Savior. He died with us gathered under His wings so that we, too, might live. The apostle Paul says it this way: “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The dead body of Christ was not a pillar of ash that was knocked over and forgotten, as it was with the mother bird’s body. Rather, on the third day, He arose from the dead giving us a true and living hope now and throughout eternity.

The apostle John is reminding us that there is no greater definition of love than one who is willing to lay down his or her life for someone else. How thankful we can be for those who have sacrificed their lives—in any way—so that someone else might live. These acts of love continue to remind us that the greatest act of love is found in Jesus who willingly gave His life for ours.

Thanks be to God who gives us victory in our Lord Jesus Christ.

WE PRAY: Dear Lord Jesus, overwhelm us with Your love so that we can love others the way You love us. Amen.

Based on “Overwhelming Love Breeds a Living Hope for Life,” a message from Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour

Reflection Questions:

Have you ever seen animals protect their young or help other animals?
What does “He made Him to be sin who knew no sin” mean to you?
Is there anyone you know you would lay your life down for?