Third Sunday after Pentecost 2026 – June 14

On June 14, we will celebrate the Third Sunday after Pentecost 2026, with Deacon Nate Irvine presiding.

This Sunday’s readings create a comprehensive narrative of God’s call and commission. God reaches out to Moses at Mount Sinai and offers Israel a covenant: if they obey and follow His word, they will become His treasured possession, a priestly kingdom, and a holy nation. In his letter, Paul speaks of justification by faith and the peace that comes from it. Meanwhile, Jesus, observing the crowds as sheep without a shepherd, commissions His disciples to go forth, proclaiming the kingdom, healing the sick, and raising the dead.

The invitation is clear: the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

Join us for worship in the way that suits you best! You can join us for worship in person, via live stream, video replay, or podcast.

If You Cannot Join Us In Person for the Third Sunday after Pentecost 2026!

We recognize that you may not always be able to attend in person; therefore, we offer various virtual options.

Livestream/Playback

Join us live at 8:50 AM for the organ prelude, followed by the service at 9:00 AM. After the livestream ends, you can watch the video replay at any time.

Podcast

Did you know that we are available on all major platforms? Our podcast covers everything from the opening hymn to the sharing of the peace.

The Collect for the Third Sunday after Pentecost

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Readings for the Third Sunday after Pentecost

First Lesson: Exodus 19:2–8a

They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain. Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.” So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. The people all answered as one: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.”

Psalm 100

Second Lesson: Romans 5:1–8

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

Gospel: Matthew 9:35–10:8, (9–23)

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. [Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. 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 tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.]

Reflection on the Readings for the Third Sunday after Pentecost 2026

Borne on Eagles’ Wings – Exodus 19:2–8a

The people of Israel have arrived at Sinai. Behind them are Egypt, the sea, and their time wandering in the wilderness; ahead lies the giving of the Law and the long journey to the promised land. This moment serves as a turning point in the story of God’s people, and God signifies it with one of the most tender images found in all of scripture.

“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians,” God says to Moses, “and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” Before any covenant, commandment, or obligation, there is this: a declaration of what God has already accomplished. God did not start with demands; He began with rescue. He carried the people — lifted them — on eagles’ wings out of slavery and through the wilderness, bringing them not just to safety, but to Himself.

The covenant comes only from a place of prior grace. “If you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all the peoples.” The covenant is not the foundation of God’s love; rather, it is the form that love invites Israel to embrace in response. They will be a priestly kingdom and a holy nation—not because they have earned it, but because the God who carried them on eagles’ wings has chosen them for this calling.

The people’s response is unanimous and wholehearted: “We will do everything that the Lord has spoken.” This promise is one they will find challenging to keep, as we all do at times. However, this commitment is made from a place of gratitude, not obligation. They have already experienced love, and now they are invited to live as a community shaped by that love.

Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving – Psalm 100

Psalm 100 is one of the great doxologies in the Book of Psalms—a song that expresses pure, uncomplicated joy. It begins with, “Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; serve the Lord with gladness and come before His presence with a song.” This psalm contains no anguish, no plea for rescue, and no complaints. Instead, it reflects the overflowing joy of a people who know to whom they belong.

“Understand this: The Lord himself is God; He alone has created us, and we belong to Him. We are His people, and He cares for us like a shepherd tends to his sheep. This idea forms the foundation of all worship: the acknowledgment that we did not create ourselves, that we belong to the God who made us, and that this relationship is a gift, not a burden. Jesus uses the same imagery in the Gospel when He sees the crowds—harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

The psalm concludes with a timeless declaration: “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting, and his faithfulness endures from age to age.” What was true at Sinai remains true today. What was true for Israel is also true for us. The God who carried them on eagles’ wings is the same God who sends laborers into the harvest and pours his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Hope That Does Not Disappoint – Romans 5:1–8

Paul has been developing his argument throughout the first four chapters of Romans, and now he explains its implications. “Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This peace is not merely the absence of conflict; it is the assured reality of being in a right relationship with God—not because we earned it, but because we received it through Christ.

From that peace comes something unexpected: the ability to take pride in our suffering. Paul outlines a chain of spiritual causes that is both honest and hopeful. Suffering leads to endurance. Endurance builds character. Character fosters hope. And hope—this is the key point—hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us.

The hope that Paul speaks of is not merely wishful thinking; it is rooted in the love of God that has already been given to us. The evidence of this love is not just an emotion but a fact: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We did not need to clean ourselves up first or earn God’s attention. Even when we were weak, ungodly, and sinful, Christ died for us. This is the measure of God’s love, and it serves as the foundation for all Christian hope.

The Harvest and the Laborers – Matthew 9:35–10:8, (9–23)

In Matthew’s Gospel, we see Jesus traveling through the cities and villages of Galilee—teaching, proclaiming, and healing. When he encounters the crowds, he feels deep compassion. This is not pity from afar, but a profound, gut-level reaction that comes from truly seeing the people before him. They are troubled and vulnerable, like sheep without a shepherd.

The text reflects the imagery of Psalm 100, but it conveys a sense of sorrow rather than celebration. These are the sheep of God’s pasture, yet they are scattered and lack a shepherd to guide, care for, and protect them. The fields are vast, and as it is said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”

Jesus doesn’t just notice the need; he takes action. He calls his twelve disciples and grants them authority — authority over unclean spirits and the power to heal every disease and illness. He sends them out with a mission that echoes the message from Exodus: to reach out to the lost sheep. Their task is to proclaim the good news, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. They are also instructed to give freely, as they have received freely: “You received without payment; give without payment.”

The optional extension of the Gospel reading highlights the true cost of the disciples’ mission. They will be sent out like sheep among wolves, facing significant challenges. They will be handed over to councils, flogged, and brought before governors. However, they should not be afraid, as the Spirit of their Father will speak through them. Those who persevere until the end will be saved.

The mission that Jesus gives to his disciples is not easy. It is costly, demanding, and dangerous. However, it originates from the same source as everything else in today’s readings: the compassion of God for a people who are harassed and helpless, the love of the one who carried Israel on eagles’ wings, and the grace of the one who died for sinners. We go because we have received, and we give because we have been given to.

The Third Sunday after Pentecost Wrap-Up

Each of today’s readings revolves around a God who acts first, gives first, loves first, and then commissions a people to go and do likewise.

At Sinai, God reminds Israel that the covenant begins not with obligations but with rescue—being carried on eagles’ wings into His very presence. The psalm reflects this with pure thanksgiving, rooted in the understanding that we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Paul emphasizes that God’s love has already been poured into our hearts, demonstrated beyond doubt by Christ’s sacrificial death for sinners. Moved by compassion for the harassed and helpless crowds, Jesus sends His disciples to do the same work He has been doing: proclaiming the good news, healing, and giving freely what they have received without charge.

The collect for this Sunday asks that the Church boldly proclaim God’s truth and compassionately minister God’s justice. This is precisely what the readings encourage us to do. We have been uplifted like eagles and justified by faith, which grants us peace. We have also been sent into a plentiful harvest. The recurring question this green season is whether we will take action and move forward.

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The Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospels readings are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Collect and Psalm are from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.