June 11, 2023
TIME AFTER PENTECOST—LECTIONARY 10

INTRODUCTION
Though Jesus was a devout Jew who practiced his faith, he was criticized for eating with tax collectors and sinners—the religiously nonobservant. Jesus criticizes the self-righteous and reminds us that mercy is to be at the heart of our religious practices. God continues to be made known in those on the margins of society, like Matthew the tax collector and the hemorrhaging woman. As we gather each Lord's day we receive the healing that makes us well and sends us forth to be signs of God's mercy for the world.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
All may make the sign of the cross, the sign that is marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.
Blessed be the holy Trinity,+ one God,
who greets us in this and every season,
whose word never fails,
whose promise is sure.
Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God
and of our neighbors.

Merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned.
We have hurt our community.
We have squandered your blessings.
We have hoarded your bounty.
In the name of Jesus,
forgive us and grant us your mercy.
Silence is kept for reflection.

Righteous God,
we confess that we have sinned.
We have failed to be honest.
We have lacked the courage to speak.
We have spoken falsely.
In the name of Jesus,
forgive us and grant us your mercy.
Silence is kept for reflection.

God is a cup of cold water when we thirst.
God offers boundless grace when we fail.
Claim the gift of God's mercy:
you are freed and forgiven
in the name of + Jesus Christ.
Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY
O God, you are the source of life and the ground of our being. By the power of your Spirit bring healing to this wounded world, and raise us to the new life of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia. The Spirit of the Lord | is upon me,* and has anointed me to bring good news | to the poor. Alleluia. (Luke 4:18)

READINGS AND PSALM
Hosea 5:15—6:6
Psalm 50:7-15
Call upon me in the day of trouble, says your God. (Ps. 50:15)
Romans 4:13-25
Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

FIRST READING: Hosea 5:15—6:6
Because the people have trusted in military powers instead of God and have engaged in idolatrous worship practices, God decides to withdraw until Israel acknowledges its guilt and seeks God's face. The response of the people does not acknowledge this guilt and is as fickle as fog or dew burned away quickly by the sun. God desires loyalty rather than words or meaningless deeds.

I will return again to my place
	until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face.
	In their distress they will beg my favor:
6:1"Come, let us return to the LORD;
	for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us;
	he has struck down, and he will bind us up.
2After two days he will revive us;
	on the third day he will raise us up,
	that we may live before him.
3Let us know, let us press on to know the LORD;
	his appearing is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us like the showers,
	like the spring rains that water the earth."
4What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
	What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
	like the dew that goes away early.
5Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
	I have killed them by the words of my mouth,
	and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
	the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

PSALM: Psalm 50:7-15
Call upon me in the day of trouble, says your God. (Ps. 50:15)

"Listen, my people, and I will speak: Israel, I will bear wit- | ness against you;
	for I am | God, your God.
8I do not accuse you because | of your sacrifices;
	your burnt offerings are al- | ways before me.
9I will not accept a calf | from your stalls,
	nor goats | from your pens;
10for all the wild animals of the for- | est are mine,
	the cattle on a | thousand hills.   R
11I know every bird | of the mountains,
	and the creatures of the | fields are mine.
12If I were hungry, I | would not tell you,
	for the whole world is mine and all | that is in it.
13Do you think I eat the | flesh of bulls,
	or drink the | blood of goats?
14Offer to God a sacrifice | of thanksgiving
	and make good your vows to | the Most High.
15Call upon me in the | day of trouble;
	I will deliver you, and you shall | honor me."   R

SECOND READING: Romans 4:13-25
Paul presents Abraham as a living model of right relationships. For Abraham and for us, a right relationship with God involves trusting that God's promises will be fulfilled because God makes the dead alive and calls into existence what otherwise does not exist.

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
	16For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
	18Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be." 19He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness." 23Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, 24but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

GOSPEL: Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
Jesus demonstrates God's mercy and power, accepting the unacceptable and curing the incurable. Even the dead receive new life.

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him.
	10And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 12But when he heard this, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."
	18While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live." 19And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. 20Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, 21for she said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well." 22Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well.
	23When Jesus came to the leader's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24he said, "Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. 25But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26And the report of this spread throughout that district.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
The prayers are prepared locally for each occasion. The following examples may be adapted or used as appropriate.
With the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, let us pray for the church, those in need, and all of God's creation.
A brief silence.
Trusting in God's abundant mercy, let us offer our prayers for a world in need.
A brief silence.
We pray, O God, for the church. Unite us with any on the margins, that the whole world recognizes that your mercy is greater than our human capacity to restrict it. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray, O God, for creation. Tend forests and fields and safeguard all cattle, birds, and wild animals. Preserve lakes, rivers, and oceans and send rains to water the earth. Revive lands recovering from natural disasters. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray, O God, for the nations. Awaken in our leaders compassion for people who have too often felt forgotten or neglected, and inspire policy solutions that promote equity and inclusion. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray, O God, for all who are in need. Accompany anyone enduring chronic illness, any who suffer in secret, and those grieving a loved one's death. Send healing for all who plead for relief from sickness or pain (especially). God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray, O God, for the eradication of racial hatred. On this week when we commemorate the Emanuel Nine, we implore you to cast out the demons of white supremacy that make us believe lies about ourselves and our neighbors. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
We give thanks, O God, for Barnabas and all the saints (especially). Renew our faith that you can do what you have promised and raise us, with all our beloved dead, to new life. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Receive our prayers and answer us, O God, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER
God of field and forest, sea and sky,
you are the giver of all good things.
Sustain us with these gifts of your creation,
and multiply your graciousness in us,
that the world may be fed with your love,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

INVITATION TO COMMUNION
All people are called to Christ's table.
Come, eat what is good.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
We thank you, generous God,
for the refreshment we have received
at your banquet table.
Send us now to spread your generosity into all the world,
through the one who is our dearest treasure,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

BLESSING
The God who calls across the cosmos
and speaks in the smallest seed
+ bless, keep, and sustain you
now and to the end of the age.
Amen.

DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Share the harvest.
Thanks be to God.

Reprinted from Words for Worship, copyright 2022 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission. Scripture quotations (except psalms) from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission.