Sunday, August 23, 2026 | The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Jesus asked His disciples: “But who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15). The question is also put to us: Who do you say that He is? Flesh and blood do not reveal this to us, but by the ministry of the Gospel, the Father in heaven reveals His Son to us on earth, who has become flesh and suffered death for our salvation. Thus, we believe and confess that He is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). As He died for our transgressions and was raised for our justification, He looses us from all our sins and
PINNACLE LUTHERAN CHURCH | The Lord Jesus Christ Is the Son of the Living God

Today’s Service Below

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OPENING HYMN: #575 vs. 1 & 4 – My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
HYMN OF THE DAY: #645 vs 1 & 3 – Built on the Rock
CLOSING HYMN: #662 vs. 1 & 2 – Onward, Christian Soldiers

PINNACLE LUTHERAN CHURCH

Sunday, August 23, 2026 – 10:00 a.m.

The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

+ AS WE GATHER +

The Lord Jesus Christ Is the Son of the Living God

Jesus asked His disciples: “But who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15). The question is also put to us: Who do you say that He is? Flesh and blood do not reveal this to us, but by the ministry of the Gospel, the Father in heaven reveals His Son to us on earth, who has become flesh and suffered death for our salvation. Thus, we believe and confess that He is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). As He died for our transgressions and was raised for our justification, He looses us from all our sins and preserves our life within His Church, against which even “the gates of hell shall not prevail” (Matt. 16:18–19). His salvation is forever, and His righteousness “will never be dismayed” (Is. 51:6). He comforts us with the Gospel in His Church, so that “joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song” (Is. 51:3). Therefore, “according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Rom. 12:3), we also offer ourselves “as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom. 12:1) through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

PRELUDE MUSIC

WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS

OPENING HYMN: #575 vs. 1 & 4 – My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less

INVOCATION – p151

P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

P If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

C But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Silence for reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination.

P Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.

C Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

P In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for His sake God forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ He gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. C Amen.

+ SERVICE OF THE WORD +

INTROIT Psalm 2:6-7, 117; antiphon: Psalm 115:18

(spoken responsively as marked)

But we will bless the Lord
         from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!
As for me, I have set my King
         on Zion, my holy hill.
I will tell of the decree:
         The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”
Praise the Lord, all nations!
         Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
         and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
         and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
         is now, and will be forever. Amen.
But we will bless the Lord
         from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!

Amen

Kyrie – p.152

P In peace let us pray to the Lord.

P For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.

P For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord.

P For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.

P Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

HYMN OF PRAISE: Gloria in Excelsis – p.154

P Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on earth.

SALUTATION and PRAYER OF THE DAY

P The Lord be with you.

P Let us pray.

Almighty God, whom to know is everlasting life, grant us to know Your Son, Jesus, to be the way, the truth, and the life that we may boldly confess Him to be the Christ and steadfastly walk in the way that leads to life eternal; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

OLD TESTAMENT READING – Isaiah 51:1-6

¹“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.
²Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.
³For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places
and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.
⁴“Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.
⁵My righteousness draws near, my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands hope for me, and for my arm they wait.
⁶Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.”

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

GRADUAL – Psalm 34:9, 19, alt.

(read responsively)

Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing!
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

EPISTLE – Romans 11:33 – 12:8

³³Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

³⁴“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
³⁵“Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”

³⁶For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

¹I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ²Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

³For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. ⁶Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; ⁷if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.

Stand

ALLELUIA and VERSE p.156

HOLY GOSPEL –Matthew 16:13-20

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the sixteenth chapter.

¹³Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

HYMN OF THE DAY: #645 vs 1 & 3 – Built on the Rock

SERMON: But Who Do YOU Say I Am – Matthew 16:13-20

Apostles’ creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died and was buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day He rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven

and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy Christian Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life + everlasting. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

After each petition: At conclusion:

P ..Lord, in Your mercy: P one God, now and forever.

C hear our prayer. C Amen.

OFFERING

OFFERTORY p. 159

CLOSING PRAYER

A Let us pray.

Almighty and merciful God, we have again worshiped in Your presence and received both forgiveness for our many sins and the assurance of Your love in Jesus Christ. We thank You for this undeserved grace and ask You to keep us in faith until we inherit eternal salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C Amen.

BENEDICTION

P The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look upon you with favor and + give you peace.

CLOSING HYMN: 662 vs. 1 & 2 – Onward, Christian Soldiers

SENDING WORDS

P Go in peace! Serve the Lord!

C Thanks be to God!

The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost | Church at Home Service Bulletin | August 23, 2026