This Sunday at St. John’s:

Chains and Prayers

Friends,

This Sunday I’m preaching on “Chains and Prayers,” from Philippians 1:12-26. It is the first Sunday of a new series called Letters from Prison. Paul wrote this one under guard, awaiting a trial that could go either way.

What gets me is the first thing he says about it. Not “pray for my release.” He says what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospels. The whole imperial guard had heard about Jesus, because they were the ones chained to him. Paul looked around his cell, counted the soldiers, and saw a congregation. The chain that held his wrist also held theirs.

Jeremiah wrote a letter like that too. He sent it to people hauled off to Babylon who wanted only to go home. Build houses, he told them. Plant gardens. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you. Not the city you wanted. The one you are in.

Most of us are somewhere we did not choose. A job that wore out. A body that changed the rules. A season that arrived without asking. We spend a great deal of strength wishing ourselves elsewhere, and we call it patience. Paul and Jeremiah both say the same hard, freeing thing. Plant something here. The ground you are standing on is not a waiting room.

Come worship this Sunday. Allen Barnhill is our liturgist and leads us in the Prayer of Confession, and we will hear Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles read in full. We will welcome Chase Dowell into membership, coming to us by transfer from Bethel Presbyterian Church in West Columbia. And we will sing it plain: on Christ, the solid Rock, I stand.

Peace,

Pastor Jon Burnham

St. John's Presbyterian Church, Houston

5020 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, TX 77035

(713) 723-6262 / stjohnspresby.org

P.S. The service will be live-streamed

on our church website

and on our St. John's Facebook page.

St. John’s Presbyterian Bulletin

August 16, 2026

12th Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering

Prelude,

Rachel Chau, Piano

*Call To Worship,

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

Pastor: The word of the Lord came to people far from home, and it came the way most good news comes, folded into a letter and carried a long way by somebody willing to walk.

People: Thanks be to God, who writes to us where we actually live.

Pastor: Build houses, the letter said. Plant gardens. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you, because your welfare has been bound up in its welfare all along.

People: Thanks be to God, who plants us in ground we did not choose.

Pastor: And a man in chains in a Roman cell took up a pen and told a frightened church that the gospel was running loose through the guardhouse, and nothing holding him could hold it.

People: Thanks be to God, whose good news has never once been in prison.

Opening Prayer

*Hymn 610

O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, 1, 2, 4 and 5

1 O for a thousand tongues to sing

my dear Redeemer’s praise,

the glories of my God and King,

the triumphs of God’s grace!

2 The name of Jesus charms our fears,

and bids our sorrows cease,

sings music in the sinner’s ears,

brings life, and health, and peace.

4 My gracious Master and my God,

assist me to proclaim,

to spread through all the earth abroad,

the honors of thy name.

5 To God all glory, praise, and love

be now and ever given

by saints below and saints above,

the church in earth and heaven.

Prayer of Confession,

Liturgist Allen Barnhill

Gracious God, we confess we have spent our strength wishing ourselves somewhere else, refusing to plant anything in the ground where you have actually set us down. We have called our circumstances a prison and used that word to excuse the love we did not give and the work we did not do. Forgive us, and teach us to build where we stand. Amen. (Silent Confession)

Assurance of Pardon

*Glory Be to the Father, Hymn 581

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen, amen.

*Passing the Peace

The Word

Prayer for Illumination

First Scripture Reading,

Jeremiah 29:1-14

These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. This was after King Jeconiah, and the queen mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the artisans, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem. The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It said: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the Lord. For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Special Music

Sermon Scripture,

Philippians 1:12-26

I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear. Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment. What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance. It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Sermon,

“Chains and Prayers”

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

*Hymn 353

My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less, 1, 2 and 4

1 My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

all other ground is sinking sand;

all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness seems to hide his face,

I rest on his unchanging grace;

in every high and stormy gale,

my anchor holds within the veil. (Refrain)

4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,

O may I then in him be found,

dressed in his righteousness alone,

faultless to stand before the throne. (Refrain)

The 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 Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of the People

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Welcome New Member

Chase Dowell joins by Transfer of Letter from  Bethel Presbyterian Church West Columbia, TX

Announcements

Offering

*Doxology, Hymn 609

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Praise God, all creatures high and low.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise God, in Jesus fully known: Creator, Word, and Spirit one.

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

*Prayer after the Offering

Sending

*Hymn 634

To God Be the Glory

1 To God be the glory;

great things he has done!

So loved he the world

that he gave us his Son,

who yielded his life

an atonement for sin,

and opened the life-gate

that all may go in.

Refrain:

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord;

let the earth hear his voice!

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord;

let the people rejoice!

O come to the Father

through Jesus the Son,

and give him the glory:

great things he has done!

2 Great things he has taught us;

great things he has done,

and great our rejoicing

through Jesus the Son;

but purer and higher

and greater will be

our wonder, our transport,

when Jesus we see. (Refrain)

*Benediction

*Postlude

Announcements

Caring and Fellowship Committee Meets Today

The Caring and Fellowship Committee meets today after Worship.

Men’s Group Meets August 19

Join us for the Men’s Group meeting Wednesday, August 19, at 6:30 p.m. in the Session Room. We’ll review ongoing tasks and may replace a few fluorescent lights, so we hope to see you there!

Welcome New Member: Chase Dowell

At our Session meeting on Tuesday night, we received a new member, Chase Dowell. He joins us by transfer of letter from Bethel Presbyterian Church in West Columbia, Texas. Chase will be welcomed during worship this Sunday.

Mustard Seed Project: Thank You!

Our Summer Mustard Seed Project raised $1,105 to provide school supplies for PCHAS families. On behalf of the children and their families, the Faith in Action Committee thanks you for your generosity.

Greeters and Ushers Needed

Calling all smiling faces to serve the Lord as greeters and ushers! The Worship Committee is looking for volunteers to enter the ministry of greeting and ushering during our Sunday morning Worship services. It is a great way to meet folks in the church and to practice your gifts of hospitality and friendship. Participation is on a rotating basis and the schedule will accommodate those times that you will not be able to serve due to a conflict. Contact Lynne Parsons Austin for more information. Your energy and smiling face is needed.

Healing Service August 30

On Sunday, August 30, we will include a Healing Service during worship. After the sermon, you may come forward for anointing with oil and prayers for healing in all its many forms: physical, emotional, relational, financial, and more. If you are worshiping from home, know that these prayers are offered for you as well.

Video Ministry Wants You

If you enjoy operating computers and video equipment, join the Video Ministry! Help enhance the Worship service by operating the slide show presentation and our video camera for our online guests. Training provided. Contact Lynne Parsons Austin for more information.

Welcome to Our College Ministry

We are delighted to welcome Amelia Nox to our college ministry program. Amelia is a junior at Texas Tech and the granddaughter of Doug and Theresa Darr, and some of us remember her from her Sunday school and Vacation Bible School at St. John’s. With her addition, we now have eleven college adults in our ministry this academic year. Please keep Amelia and all our college students in your prayers as the new school year begins.

Church Phone Update

We have had issues with our church phone. AT&T technician repaired the circuit this week. The line is working, but it was assigned our old fax machine number instead of the church phone number. We are still working to get the correct number restored. In the meantime, please call the church office at (713) 993-6412. Thank you for your patience.

New Sermon Series

Letters from Prison:

Paul’s Radical Freedom Behind Bars

When Paul wrote to the churches at Philippi, Ephesus, and Colossae, he was under guard and awaiting trial, with no assurance he would ever walk free again. What came out of that cell was not complaint but some of the most joyful and expansive writing in the New Testament. Beginning August 16, we will spend six Sundays with these letters and ask how a man in chains found a freedom his jailers could not touch.

• August 16 - “Chains and Prayers” OT: Jeremiah 29:1-14 (Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you) NT: Philippians 1:12-26 (What has happened to me has advanced the gospel)
• August 23 - “The Mind of Christ in a Roman Cell” OT: Isaiah 53:7 (Like a lamb led to the slaughter, he did not open his mouth) NT: Philippians 2:1-11 (He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant)
• August 30 - “Secrets of Joy” OT: Habakkuk 3:17-19 (Though the fig tree does not blossom, yet I will rejoice) NT: Philippians 4:4-13 (I have learned to be content in any circumstance)
• September 6 - “Mystery Unveiled” OT: Isaiah 49:6 (I will give you as a light to the nations) NT: Ephesians 3:1-13 (The mystery hidden for ages, now made known)
• September 13 - “The Household Upended” OT: Exodus 21:2-11 (The old law of slaves and their release) NT: Philemon 8-21 (No longer as a slave but as a beloved brother)
• September 20 - “Rooted and Built Up” OT: Jeremiah 17:7-8 (Like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots) NT: Colossians 2:6-15 (Rooted and built up in him, established in the faith)

Happy Birthday

Jonathan Romo (August 2)

Gloria Dzeukou (August 5)

Mark Delafosse (August 6)

Felicity Bisase and Franklin Caspa (August 8)

Olivia Mulder and Betty Robinson (August 10)

Laurie Henderson (August 11)

Marie Kutz (August 13)

David Nelson (August 16)

Carolyn Assaad and Shannon Kwende (August 20)

Toren Hughes, Ann Nelson and Christopher Bbale (August 31)

Happy Anniversary

Allen and Kathy Barnhill (August 1)

Ken and Virginia Krueger (August 24)

Prayer Concerns

Gary, Tina’s dad (health)

Friend of Tina, health

Randy Fenfrock, health

Alice Rubio’s grandson Marc, health

A family seeking a good ruling

Ben Carrettin and his son Ronan, health

Cathy, Cindy Bergman’s sister, health

The family of Connie Brown

Phyllis Freeman, now receiving hospice care

Tom Edmondson and Kristi, his caregiver

Kelsey Wiltz

Scott Moore

Alice Rubio

Our college students

The families in our PCHAS Single Parent Family Ministry

One Hope Preschool families and staff

Calendar

• Sunday, August 16, 12th Sunday after Pentecost
• 9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room
• 11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook
• 12:00 pm Caring and Fellowship Committee meets
• 1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom
• Tuesday, August 18
• 5:00 pm Exercise Group, Building 2
• Wednesday, August 19
• 6:30 pm Men’s Group, Session Room
• Thursday, August 20
• 5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2
• Sunday, August 23, 13th Sunday after Pentecost
• 9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room
• 11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook
• 1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom

Coming Events

• Sunday, August 30, Healing Service in Worship
• Monday, August 31, Healing Hearts, 11 am
• Thursday, October 1, BIM Gala
• Thursday, November 26, Thanksgiving
• Friday, December 25, Christmas Day

Letters from Prison:

Paul’s Radical Freedom Behind Bars

• August 16 – Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost “Chains and Prayers” OT: Jeremiah 29:1-14 NT: Philippians 1:12-26
• August 23 – Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost “The Mind of Christ in a Roman Cell” OT: Isaiah 53:7 NT: Philippians 2:1-11
• August 30 – Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost “Secrets of Joy” OT: Habakkuk 3:17-19 NT: Philippians 4:4-13
• September 6 – Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost “Mystery Unveiled” OT: Isaiah 49:6 NT: Ephesians 3:1-13
• September 13 – Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost “The Household Upended” OT: Exodus 21:2-11 NT: Philemon 8-21
• September 20 – Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost “Rooted and Built Up” OT: Jeremiah 17:7-8 NT: Colossians 2:6-15

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