August 25th, 2026
ANNOUNCEMENTS
No worship August 26th! Join the Men’s Band at First Lutheran Church in Cumberland at 6 pm for worship. Corn Feed prior starting at 4 pm.
Looking for help to move items into the new parsonage on Thursday, August 27th, at 8:30 am till Noon and Saturday, August 29th, from 8 am till Noon. Need trucks and trailers. Talk to PB or show up at the old parsonage to help.
New Parsonage Open House! Wednesday, August 26th from 6-7 pm. Come check it out!
It’s back to school time!! The WOT will be collecting items for our local schools and for kits to go to Lutheran World Relief. There are two different boxes set out for collection so make sure you put yours in the box you want your items to go to. The bags you take off the pews are the ones that go to Lutheran World Relief and each bag has a printed copy of all items needed to fill that bag. There are copies of items needed for our local schools on the display table by the kitchen. Thank you for helping us help others!
Parsonage Blessing, Sunday, August 30th, at the end of the 9 am worship service!
Confirmation Parent Meeting, Wednesday, September 2nd, at 7 pm for all 7th & 8th grade confirmation parents.
Sunday School begins on September 13th at 9:45 am
You can use Venmo to make your gift to Trinity! You can find us using: @TrinityLutheranBoyceville. If it asks you for a phone number, use 1349
MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD
Jesus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it”. Matthew 16:15-18
This is a dramatic moment in scripture, Peter’s confession of Jesus as Messiah, and it leads to Jesus giving Peter a new name, from Simon to Peter, which means “rock.” But I think what is most remarkable is who gives this confession, this truth. It is Peter. Peter is the great screw-up of the disciples. He is that kid we all knew in high school with great potential that kept getting in their own way. You know, the one that would do amazing things and had amazing talent and then in the same breath do the most amazingly stupid things you could imagine. That is Peter.
This is the disciple who is at the Transfiguration who then puts his foot in his mouth and asks Jesus if he can build dwellings for Jesus, Elijah, and Moses. It is Peter who answers Jesus’ call to come out on the water and yet then immediately gets afraid and starts to sink. It is Peter, who in a few moments after this amazing declaration, will rebuke Jesus to his face because he doesn’t like how Jesus will describe what it will mean to be a Messiah and Jesus will call him Satan. And of course, it is this same Peter who will promise to never deny Jesus who will of course deny him three times. And yet, it will be this Peter who leads the early church and be that rock that Jesus identifies. Peter is flawed and yet faithful.
I think that is important for us as followers of Jesus today. There are some in the wider Christian community that think that we need to be perfect in our following of Jesus. But we are flawed people. Sinners who make mistakes. Yet, we are still called. We are not called to be perfect, but we are called to be faithful. Often we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be perfect, to follow every command of Jesus, to do and act as we know Jesus would want us to. But that is impossible in many ways because we are sinners. The question is: are we being faithful? Are we being faithful to the one who has called us? Are we still trusting and believing in this Messiah who gives everything for us? Are we coming with repentance when we make mistakes and doing our best? If we are, then I think we are being true to our calling as followers of Jesus Christ.
Peter was the first to confess Jesus as Messiah, and it is telling that God chose a flawed disciple to be the one to make that confession. God in Jesus Christ has called you to carry on that mantle, to faithful even in the midst of your flaws, to follow in the footsteps of the rock and keep proclaiming Jesus as Messiah and serving your Lord the best way you can. Have some grace for yourself when you aren’t perfect, for your Savior Jesus Christ certainly does. And give thanks for people like Peter who showed us the way, that even the most flawed amongst us are called, loved, and redeemed by the Son of God Jesus Christ.
May God bless you today and always!