The Congregation at Prayer

For the Week of Pentecost 13 (August 24-29, 2026)

Invocation: In the Name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Speak the Apostles’ Creed. 

Verse: Psalm 26:8 – “O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.”

Hymn of the Week:  Lutheran Service Book #531 “Hail, Thou Once Despised Jesus”

Hymns for Sunday: 913, 531, 636, 716, 728, 837

Readings for the Week: [The readings for Thursday-Saturday are the Scriptures for this coming Sunday.]

Monday: Psalm 26

Have you “trusted in the Lord without wavering?” Who has? How can the words of this psalm be true for you?

Tuesday: Proverbs 3:1–8

Commemoration of St. Bartholomew, Apostle. How does God’s Word give life? How does it help us see ourselves rightly? How does it direct our paths?

Wednesday: Revelation 6:9–11

Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist (Saturday). How are the souls of the martyrs precious to Jesus? Are there more to come? Why? Should we be afraid of this? Why or why not?

Thursday: Jeremiah 15:15–21

What does it mean for the Lord to “remember” you? Does He ever forget you? Why does it sometimes seem so?

Friday: Romans 12:9–21

List all the things mentioned here by Paul that love does! Can you do all these things? Who has Jesus given you to help you?

Saturday: Matthew 16:21-28

What does it mean to “take up your cross?” Is this easy or hard? Why? What do we gain by losing our life? How?

The Catechism - The Lord’s Prayer: The Fourth Petition [part 1]: Give us this day our daily bread. What does this mean? God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

Collect for the Week: Almighty God, Your Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption. Grant us courage to take up our cross daily and follow Him wherever He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Prayers:  Please pray for . . .

+ yourself and for all in need (remembering especially those on our prayer list).

+ God’s blessing, wisdom, and guidance for our congregation’s keyboardists and musicians.

+ the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine, for God’s wisdom, blessing, guidance, and provision.

+ God’s blessing, guidance, and provision for Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catherines, ON.

Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer and Luther’s Morning or Evening Prayer from the Catechism.

Now joyfully go about your day (or to bed) in good cheer, child of God!

Collect for the Week © 2018 Concordia Publishing House.

Lutheran Service Book Hymn License: 110019268