Revised Common Lectionary Readings for June 28, 2026

Revised Common Lectionary Readings (Three-Year Cycle)

Lectionary Readings for Sunday, June 28, 2026

First Reading Genesis 22:1-14 1After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” 3So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” 6Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. 9When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” Psalm Psalm 13:1-6 1    How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?           How long will you hide your face from me? 2   How long must I bear pain in my soul,           and have sorrow in my heart all day long?      How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3   Consider and answer me, O LORD my God!           Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 4   and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;           my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. 5   But I trusted in your steadfast love;           my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6   I will sing to the LORD,           because he has dealt bountifully with me. Second Reading Romans 6:12-23 12Therefore, do 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 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.”

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, June 29 and Sunday, July 5, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday, June 29, 2026 - That Americans have the courage to address the  violence present in our society. 
• Tuesday, June 30, 2026 - That we remove social barriers preventing people from thriving as Jesus intended.
• Wednesday, July 1, 2026 - That we resist forces seeking to divide us.
• Thursday, July 2, 2026 - That those in business, government and media would resist exploiting human fear or greed to shape public opinion. 
• Friday, July 3, 2026 - That churches fulfill their purpose as lighthouses for Christ.
• Saturday, July 4, 2026 - That Americans affirm the principles on which the country was founded. 
• Sunday, July 5, 2026 - That those in the arts would be open to biblical worldviews and principles.

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, June 21, 2026

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service ...: On July 4, we'll celebrate our 250th anniversary as a country. And even though we haven’t been perfect, we’ve served as an example of fr...

Sunday's Message (Freedom in Christ: Freedom That’s Active)

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: Sunday's Message (Freedom in Christ: Freedom That’...: On July 4, we'll celebrate our 250th anniversary as a country. And even though we haven’t been perfect, we’ve served as an example of fr...

Looking into the lectionary - The Olympia Overture returns as CON-04

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Sixth Sunday after Pentecost July 5, 2026 The Virginia Declaration of Rights, published in June 1776, declared, “that the people of this colony can no longer groan under the heavy yoke of British tyranny.” In his 1776 pamphlet Common Sense, Thomas Paine wrote, “’tis our duty to throw off the yoke of Britain.” Upon the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, John Adams wrote to Abigail, “It has been a severe Trial, but the Yoke is broken and we are Free.” On this 4th of July weekend, as our nation celebrates 250 years of independence and the throwing off of the yoke of King George III, it is ironic and challenging to hear the words of King Jesus, “Take my yoke upon you.” However, a closer look at the differences between these two yokes will underscore the grace of Jesus’ invitation. The Declaration of Independence lists 27 grievances against King George as proof of “the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States,” which was a heavy yoke. At the conclusion of this catalog of complaints, Thomas Jefferson asserts, “In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” Compare the character of Jesus who says, “Take my yoke upon you.” Instead of taking from the people, Jesus gives rest. Instead of acting as a tyrant, Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. Instead of “a history of repeated injuries and usurpations” (a charge against King George), Jesus offers rest for the soul. Instead of a yoke of oppression and tyranny, Jesus offers an easy yoke and a light burden.... Thank you to this week's writer, Philip Gladden Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. Want the worship resources for June 28, 2026? You can find them here.

Order of worship — July 5, 2026 by Philip Gladden   Overture authors defend local mission by multiple authors More harm than good: Why CON-04 should be disapproved by Brian Ellison What if ministry didn't have to be this exhausting? by Lyndsey McCall-Gilliam Prayer for the Fourth of July by Jill Duffield   A pastoral safety net for all: Why we need CON-04 by Wesley Pak

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Theo of Golden Andrew Taylor-Troutman reflects on Allen Levi’s "Theo of Golden," a novel that reveals God’s love, grace, and the beauty of the divine image in the worn and ordinary faces around us. The curtain between us What happens when we truly listen to one another’s stories? Teri McDowell Ott considers how storytelling can dissolve barriers, challenge assumptions, and create space for transformation. Co-moderator candidates outline their hopes for the PC(USA) The four teams standing for election at GA227 discussed mission, church unity, Christian nationalism and the future of the denomination during a Presbyterian Outlook webinar. — Mary Mabry Columbia Theological Seminary announces organizational restructuring Columbia Theological Seminary has completed a significant organizational realignment designed to support sustainability, effectiveness and service. What GA227 can do for survivors Recent General Assemblies have strengthened policies on sexual misconduct. The church must now ask whether those reforms are consistently serving survivors. — JoAnne Sharp At Cleveland Pride, Presbyterians offered a different witness After encountering both condemnation and compassion at Cleveland Pride, Matthew Skolnik considers what faithful Christian witness looks like in the public square. Prep your congregation for GA with one click.

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The PC(USA) Store - Last Chance to Save on Books for Preachers!

In addition to saving up to 60% on best-selling books for preachers, we’re also offering a special 10% discount on the Book of Common Worship Book Set.   Sale ends tomorrow, June 23. Start Saving!

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WCC news: WCC invites churches around the world to pray for Colombia

As Colombia approaches the second round of its presidential elections, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is inviting its member churches and all people of goodwill to pray for peace in the nation.  Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC 19 June 2026 The prayer asks for a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace for the people. “Be with the people and the churches of Colombia in their search for justice, human rights, and an end to the prolonged armed conflicts that have ravaged the country for more than seven decades,” the prayer reads. “We remember in prayer especially those who have been most disproportionately affected: vulnerable communities in border, rural, Indigenous, and Afro-Colombian areas, and women and children in the territories disputed by different armed actors.” The WCC executive committee, which convened earlier this month online, renewed its longstanding commitment for a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace for the people of Colombia. "The World Council of Churches has a long history of accompaniment and solidarity with the churches and people of Colombia in the search for justice, human rights, and an end to the prolonged armed conflicts that have ravaged the country for more than seven decades,” reads a minute published by the governing body. WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay underlined the urgency of prayer and the responsibility of the caring for the most vulnerable people in Colombia.  “Colombia is facing a crucial moment of political transition. We pray for compassionate hearts and for a path that walks toward peace and justice,” he said. Pillay reiterated the WCC’s calls for a permanent ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, along with an unrestricted commitment to the protection of the civilian population and of nature. Pillay continued: “We will pray that the incoming government of Colombia will continue the difficult search for peace through dialogue and social and economic justice, rather than resorting to military means,” he said. “Through our prayers and our actions, may we prioritize the common good and respect for life and human dignity.” An Ecumenical Prayer for Colombia WCC executive committee: Minute on the Future of the Peace Process in Colombia See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland