Author: Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

God’s word is like the rain that waters the earth and brings forth vegetation. It is also like the sower who scatters seed indiscriminately. Our lives are like seeds sown in the earth. Even from what appears to be little, dormant, or dead, God promises a harvest. At the Lord’s table we are fed with the bread of life, that we may bear fruit in the world.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your word. By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy, live according to it, and grow in faith and hope and love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Readings and Psalm

Isaiah 55:10-13
Psalm 65:1-13
Romans 8:1-11
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

First Reading: Isaiah 55:10-13

 ¹⁰For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
  and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
 making it bring forth and sprout,
  giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
 ¹¹so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
  it shall not return to me empty,
 but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
  and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

 ¹²For you shall go out in joy,
  and be led back in peace;
 the mountains and the hills before you
  shall burst into song,
  and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
 ¹³Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
  instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
 and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
  for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Psalm: Psalm 65:1-13

 ¹You are to be praised, O God, in Zion;
  to you shall vows be fulfilled.
 ²To you, the one who answers prayer,
  to you all flesh shall come.
 ³Our sins are stronger than we are,
  but you blot out our transgressions.
 ⁴Happy are they whom you choose and draw to your courts to dwell there!
  They will be satisfied by the beauty of your house, by the holiness of your temple. 
 ⁵Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation,
  O hope of all the ends of the earth and of the oceans far away.
 ⁶You make firm the mountains by your power;
  you are girded about with might.
 ⁷You still the roaring of the seas,
  the roaring of their waves, and the clamor of the peoples.
 ⁸Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvelous signs;
  you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy. 
  ⁹You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it very plenteous; the river of God is full of water.
  You prepare the grain, for so you provide for the earth.
 ¹⁰You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges;
  with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.
 ¹¹You crown the year with your goodness,
  and your paths overflow with plenty.
 ¹²May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing,
  and the hills be clothed with joy.
 ¹³May the meadows cover themselves with flocks, and the valleys cloak themselves with grain;
  let them shout for joy and sing. 

Second Reading: Romans 8:1-11

¹There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ³For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. ⁶To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, ⁸and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
 ⁹But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

¹That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ²Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. ⁵Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. ⁶But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹Let anyone with ears listen!”

 ¹⁸“Hear then the parable of the sower. ¹⁹When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. ²⁰As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. ²²As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. ²³But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

From sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2023 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS022632. New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, 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. Revised Common Lectionary, Copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts, admin Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission.

The mystery of God’s ways is sometimes hidden from the wise and intelligent. Jesus associates with those often excluded from the religious community. Like Paul, we struggle with our own selfish desires and seek God’s mercy and forgiveness. We gather to be refreshed by Christ’s invitation: “Come to me, all you that are weary.” Gathered around word, water, and meal, we find rest for our souls.

Prayer of the Day

You are great, O God, and greatly to be praised. You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Grant that we may believe in you, call upon you, know you, and serve you, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Readings and Psalm

Zechariah 9:9-12
Psalm 145:8-14
Romans 7:15-25a
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

First Reading: Zechariah 9:9-12

 ⁹Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
  Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
 Lo, your king comes to you;
  triumphant and victorious is he,
 humble and riding on a donkey,
  on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
 ¹⁰He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
  and the war-horse from Jerusalem;
 and the battle bow shall be cut off,
  and he shall command peace to the nations;
 his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
  and from the River to the ends of the earth.

 ¹¹As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
  I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
 ¹²Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
  today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Psalm: Psalm 145:8-14

 ⁸The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
  slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
 ⁹Lord, you are good to all,
  and your compassion is over all your works. 
 ¹⁰All your works shall praise you, O Lord,
  and your faithful ones shall bless you.
 ¹¹They shall tell of the glory of your kingdom
  and speak of your power,
 ¹²that all people may know of your power
  and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
 ¹³Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; your dominion endures throughout all ages.
  You, Lord, are faithful in all your words, and loving in all your works.
 ¹⁴The Lord upholds all those who fall
  and lifts up those who are bowed down. 

Second Reading: Romans 7:15-25a

¹⁵I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
 ²¹So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. ²²For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, ²³but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ^25aThanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Gospel: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

[Jesus spoke to the crowd saying:] ¹⁶“To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
 ¹⁷‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
  we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; ¹⁹the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
 ²⁵At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; ²⁶yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
 ²⁸“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

From sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2023 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS022632. New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, 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. Revised Common Lectionary, Copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts, admin Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission.

The welcome of baptism is for all God’s children. This baptismal gift sets us free from the power of sin and death. In today’s gospel, Christ promises that the disciple who gives a cup of cold water to the little ones serves Christ himself. From worship we are sent on our baptismal mission: to serve the little ones of this world and to be a sign of God’s merciful welcome.

Prayer of the Day

O God, you direct our lives by your grace, and your words of justice and mercy reshape the world. Mold us into a people who welcome your word and serve one another, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Readings and Psalm

Jeremiah 28:5-9
Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18
Romans 6:12-23
Matthew 10:40-42

First Reading: Jeremiah 28:5-9

⁵The prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord; ⁶and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. ⁷But listen now to this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. ⁸The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. ⁹As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”

Psalm: Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18

 ¹Your love, O Lord, forever will I sing;
  from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.
 ²For I am persuaded that your steadfast love is established forever;
  you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.
 ³“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
  I have sworn an oath to David my servant:
 ⁴‘I will establish your line forever,
  and preserve your throne for all generations.’ ” 
 ¹⁵Happy are the people who know the festal shout!
  They walk, O Lord, in the light of your presence.
 ¹⁶They rejoice daily in your name;
  they are jubilant in your righteousness.
 ¹⁷For you are the glory of their strength,
  and by your favor our might is exalted.
 ¹⁸Truly, our shield belongs to the Lord;
  our king to the Holy One of Israel. 

Second Reading: Romans 6:12-23

¹²Do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. ¹³No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. ¹⁴For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

 ¹⁵What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶Do 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? ¹⁷But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, ¹⁸and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
 ²⁰When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ²¹So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. ²²But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Gospel: Matthew 10:40-42

[Jesus said to the twelve:] ⁴⁰“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; ⁴²and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

From sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2023 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS022632. New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, 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. Revised Common Lectionary, Copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts, admin Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission.

God does not promise that the path of the disciple will be easy. Jeremiah feels the pain of rejection from those who do not want to hear what he has to say. Jesus declares that his words may bring stark division. Even so, we need not be afraid for God accounts for each hair on our heads. Though we may experience rejection, frustration, division, and death, God’s grace and love make us a new creation each day. Marked with the cross and filled with holy food, we are sent from worship to witness to Christ in the world.

Prayer of the Day

Teach us, good Lord God, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, except that of knowing that we do your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Readings and Psalm

Jeremiah 20:7-13
Psalm 69:7-10, 16-18
Romans 6:1b-11
Matthew 10:24-39

First Reading: Jeremiah 20:7-13

⁷O Lord, you have enticed me,
 and I was enticed;
you have overpowered me,
 and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all day long;
 everyone mocks me.
⁸For whenever I speak, I must cry out,
 I must shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For the word of the Lord has become for me
 a reproach and derision all day long.
⁹If I say, “I will not mention him,
 or speak any more in his name,”
then within me there is something like a burning fire
 shut up in my bones;
I am weary with holding it in,
 and I cannot.
¹⁰For I hear many whispering:
  “Terror is all around!
 Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
  All my close friends
  are watching for me to stumble.
 “Perhaps he can be enticed,
  and we can prevail against him,
  and take our revenge on him.”
 ¹¹But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior;
  therefore my persecutors will stumble,
  and they will not prevail.
 They will be greatly shamed,
  for they will not succeed.
 Their eternal dishonor
  will never be forgotten.
 ¹²O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous,
  you see the heart and the mind;
 let me see your retribution upon them,
  for to you I have committed my cause.

 ¹³Sing to the Lord;
  praise the Lord!
 For he has delivered the life of the needy
  from the hands of evildoers.

Psalm: Psalm 69:7-10, 16-18

 ⁷Surely, for your sake I have suffered reproach,
  and shame has covered my face.
 ⁸I have become a stranger to my own kindred,
  an alien to my mother’s children.
 ⁹Zeal for your house has eaten me up;
  the scorn of those who scorn you has fallen upon me.
 ¹⁰I humbled myself with fasting,
  but that was turned to my reproach. 
  ¹⁶Answer me, O Lord, for your love is kind;
  in your great compassion, turn to me.
 ¹⁷Hide not your face from your servant;
  be swift and answer me, for I am in distress.
 ¹⁸Draw near to me and redeem me;
  because of my enemies deliver me. 

Second Reading: Romans 6:1b-11

^1bShould we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? ²By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? ³Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
 ⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷For whoever has died is freed from sin. ⁸But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Gospel: Matthew 10:24-39

[Jesus said to the twelve:] ²⁴“A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; ²⁵it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
 ²⁶“So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. ²⁷What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. ²⁸Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰And even the hairs of your head are all counted. ³¹So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
 ³²“Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; ³³but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
 ³⁴“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
 ³⁵For I have come to set a man against his father,
 and a daughter against her mother,
 and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
 ³⁶and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
³⁷Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”

Jerry Webster and Bob Wohlfort attended the New England Synod Assembly held June 9-10, 2023. Video recordings from Friday, June 9, 2023, and Saturday, June 10, 2023 are provided. Below are reflections from Jerry and Bob.

REFLECTIONS FROM JERRY WEBSTER:
Although the assembly was titled “Death and Resurrection,” there were actually two themes that wove them through all of the 2023 New England Synod Assembly. The first, “Death and Resurrection,” focused on the challenges facing shrinking churches and changing demographics. The second was the report of the antiracism team, the results of their work on identifying what needed to happen to create a more inclusive Lutheran church.

The theme of “Death and Resurrection” focused not only on the theological concepts, but also on our lived experience as individuals, and families, and as communities of faith. A special focus was on the death of congregations as they experience either closure or merger, an experience that is becoming increasingly relevant across not only ELCA congregations in our synod, but across the United States.

The Friday session was given to the antiracism team to both present their report and the issues they believe need to be addressed. The team members each shared an experience of racism they had in both the institutional ELCA settings and in congregations. As part of the reflection on racism, they also had assembly members share their experiencing, either as being the subject of the racism, ways they had seen expressions of racism, or others experiencing racism. For me, it was a reminder of an undercurrent of racism that we often ignore and fail to address.

REFLECTIONS FROM BOB WOHLFORT:
Some information for review: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), of which we are a part, is made up of 9 geographical districts; 65 synods (smaller geographical areas); each synod elects a bishop; New England Synod (NES) is Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. There are 156 congregations in the NES. In our ELCA 31 of the 65 bishops are women. It was no accident that the worship leaders and spokespersons were women…predominantly nonwhite women.

The mood and the energy in the ballroom of the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, was mostly upbeat, joyful, attentive and at times deeply reflective as we gathered around the theme of Death and Resurrection.

Continue reading Reflections from June 9-10, 2023, New England Synod Assembly

Moses tells the Israelites that they are called to be a priestly kingdom and a holy people. Jesus sends out the disciples as laborers into the harvest. In baptism we too are anointed for ministry, sharing God’s compassion with our needy world. From the Lord’s table we go forth to proclaim the good news, to heal the sick, and to share our bread with the hungry.

Prayer of the Day

God of compassion, you have opened the way for us and brought us to yourself. Pour your love into our hearts, that, overflowing with joy, we may freely share the blessings of your realm and faithfully proclaim the good news of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Readings and Psalm

Exodus 19:2-8a
Psalm 100
Romans 5:1-8
Matthew 9:35-10:8-23

First Reading: Exodus 19:2-8a

²[The Israelites] had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.³Then 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: ⁴You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵Now 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, ⁶but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.”
 ⁷So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. ^8aThe people all answered as one: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.”

Psalm: Psalm 100

 ¹Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands!
  ²Serve the Lord with gladness; come into God’s presence with a song.
 ³Know that the Lord is God, our maker to whom we belong;
  we are God’s people and the sheep of God’s pasture. 
 ⁴Enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving and the courts with praise;
  give thanks and bless God’s holy name.
 ⁵Good indeed is the Lord, whose steadfast love is everlasting,
  whose faithfulness endures from age to age. 

Second Reading: Romans 5:1-8

¹Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and 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.
 ⁶For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. ⁸But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

Gospel: Matthew 9:35—10:8  

³⁵Jesus 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. ³⁶When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
 ^10:1Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. ²These 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; ³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
 ⁵These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, ⁶but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.  

From sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2023 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS022632. New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, 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. Revised Common Lectionary, Copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts, admin Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission.