491 years ago today, our Lutheran fathers presented their confession of faith to the Emperor at Augsburg, Germany. Known as the Augsburg Confession, it is a declaration that God is not wowed by our good works or His pardon bought with our money. It is the declaration that God is merciful to us and the whole world through His Son Jesus Christ, freely, with no strings attached. The basis of the Christian faith is the forgiveness of sins we have in Jesus Christ. The center of our life as Christians is to hear and receive that forgiveness our whole life long: in the waters of baptism, the words of absolution, the preaching of the Good News, and by the Body and Blood of Jesus. Our whole life toward others flows from that and is also one of forgiveness. Your neighbor needs many things but most of all for you to be merciful to them and to forgive them. When we make mistakes, hurt others, and sin against others, the shame can be overwhelming. What joy it is that not only does God not hold our sins against us, we don’t hold sins against one another. The world wants to know how it can gain revenge, expose, and shame those who do wrong. Christians ask the question, “What needs forgiving?” Be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful. Put another way, Jesus is saying that since God the has mercy on us, we, by nature as Christians, are merciful toward others. That’s this week, the Fourth Sunday after Trinity.

ONE SERVICE SUNDAY – 9:00 AM
Just a reminder that we’re back to ONE SUNDAY SERVICE at 9:00 AM each week.

• Pews will not be restricted.
• We will kneel at the rail for Communion.
• Masks will not be required. Those who are not vaccinated or who may be more comfortable doing so should wear a mask. (Vaccination status will not be asked or checked). If you are not feeling well, consider remaining at home and watching our livestream.
• The passing of the offering plate will be resumed.
• For now, we’ll continue to take attendance by list. We’ll return cards to the pews soon.

BIBLE STUDY will be at 8:00 AM on Sundays.

LEARNING THE FAITH will be held following the service on Sundays.

Please NOTE that there is NO Learning the Faith THIS Sunday (June 27).
SUMMER SCHEDULE CHANGES
Please note the following exceptions to our regular schedule over the summer:

No Wednesday Services – July 7, 14 and 28.

No Tuesday Bible Study during the month of July. (We resume August 3).

ZAP COLLECTION THIS WEEK
Bring an extra offering for our Zion Assistance Program this week if you are so inclined. You may place it in the jar in the narthex.

SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
Come on out and cheer on our Zion Zephyrs. They play Monday, June 28 at 7:30 p.m. Zephyrs vs. CrossPoint Church #1, Field 2.

LIVE STREAM INFORMATION
We will continue to Live Stream and Record the service each week:

You can watch live and find recorded services here:
We stream live on our FACEBOOK PAGE HERE.

Our videos are also live and recorded on YOUTUBE HERE.

The simplest way to watch online (not live) is probably through our church’s website HERE.

Our “default” mode for responding to people is to judge, to criticize, to jump to conclusions. Not so in Christ! In Him, we learn God’s “default” mode is to forgive sinners! To be merciful to the undeserving and gracious to those who need His pardon. So our Old Adams are buried with Christ in our baptism and we too are merciful. We too now have a “default” of seeking to help, love, comfort, and not judge but have mercy on those around us who need that sort of grace and forgiveness. The very love of God that changes us toward Him changes our hearts toward others too. Let’s soak up that mercy again soon. See you in the Divine Service this weekend!

In Christ,
Pastor Buetow
Back to one service!