This Sunday at St. John’s:

The Final Accounting

Friends,

This Sunday I’m preaching on the sheep and the goats, Matthew 25:31-46. It is the last stop in our summer of parables. After all the seeds and coins and bridesmaids, Jesus pulls back the curtain and shows us what it all adds up to: the Son of Man on his throne, every nation gathered, and one question that sorts the whole crowd.

What gets me is that both groups are surprised. The sheep and the goats ask the exact same question: “Lord, when was it that we saw you?” Nobody knew. The righteous were not keeping score. They fed the hungry because the hungry were hungry, and only later learned who was standing in the line.

Which means the final accounting is not a pop quiz on doctrine. It is an audit of ordinary weeks. The grocery line, the hospital corridor, the stranger on the overpass. Christ has a forwarding address in this city, and it is usually a face we passed on Tuesday without looking.

Come worship this Sunday. Rev. Linda Herron is our liturgist and will read from Amos, who told us long before Jesus did to let justice roll down like waters. We will bless the backpacks of our students and teachers as the new school year begins, so bring your bags and satchels. And we will sing that justice may come rolling down as in a mighty stream. I hope to see you there.

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 9, 2026

11th Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering

Prelude,

Jennifer Franz-Melady, Piano

*Call To Worship,

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

Pastor: We gather this morning at the end of a summer of parables, having heard stories of vineyards and feasts and lost sheep and buried treasure and midnight oil, and we arrive now at the final word: a vision of what it all adds up to, of the Son of Man seated on the throne of glory with all the nations gathered before him.

People: Thanks be to God, whose judgment is also the mercy we most need.

Pastor: We come as people who have passed by faces in this city all week long, in the grocery line and the hospital corridor and on the overpass in traffic, and we are told this morning that Christ was standing in every one of them.

People: Thanks be to God, whose face we are still learning to recognize.

Pastor: We come because the Kingdom was never an abstraction, and the love of God has always had a forwarding address: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, the prisoner.

People: Thanks be to God, who meets us in the least expected places, and calls us to meet him there.

Opening Prayer

*Hymn 263

All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name!

1 All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall;

bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all!

Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all!

2 Ye chosen seed of Israel's race, ye ransomed from the fall,

hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all!

Hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all!

3 Let every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball

to him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all!

To him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all!

4 O that with yonder sacred throng we at his feet may fall!

We'll join the everlasting song, and crown him Lord of all!

We'll join the everlasting song, and crown him Lord of all!

Prayer of Confession,

Liturgist Rev. Linda Herron

Gracious God, we confess we have offered you our songs on Sunday and failed to recognize your face on Monday, keeping the festivals while letting justice run dry in the streets. We have passed the hungry and the stranger and the sick with good reasons accumulating behind closed windows, and called it a full week when it was a closed heart. Forgive us, and give us eyes to see you where you have always been standing: in the least of these, in the faces we most need to learn. 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,

Amos 5:21–24,

Linda Herron

I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Special Music

Sermon Scripture,

Matthew 25:31–46

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Word of the Lord for us today.

Thanks be to God.

Sermon,

“The Final Accounting”

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

*Hymn 708

We Give Thee but Thine Own

1 We give thee but thine own, whate'er the gift may be;

all that we have is thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from thee.

2 May we thy bounties thus as stewards true receive,

and gladly, as thou blessest us, to thee our firstfruits give.

3 The captive to release, to God the lost to bring,

to teach the way of life and peace: it is a Christ-like thing.

4 And we believe thy word, though dim our faith may be;

whate'er we do for thine, O Lord, we do it unto thee.

The Apostles' Creed,

Prayers of the People and Lord's Prayer

Blessing of the Backpacks

Welcome and Announcements,

Linda Herron

Offering

Meditation

*Doxology, Hymn 609

*Prayer after the Offering

Sending

*Hymn 757

Today We All Are Called to Be Disciples, 1, 3 and 4

1 Today we all are called to be disciples of the Lord,

to help to set the captive free, make plowshare out of sword,

to feed the hungry, quench their thirst, make love and peace our fast,

to serve the poor and homeless first, our ease and comfort last.

3 Pray justice may come rolling down as in a mighty stream,

with righteousness in field and town to cleanse us and redeem.

For God is longing to restore an earth where conflicts cease,

a world that was created for a harmony of peace.

4 May we in service to our God, act out the living word,

and walk the road the saints have trod till all have seen and heard.

As stewards of the earth may we give thanks in one accord

to God who calls us all to be disciples of the Lord.

*Benediction

*Postlude

Announcements

Blessing of the Backpacks, Today in Worship

We celebrate the beginning of a new school year with the Blessing of the Backpacks. Students and teachers, you will be invited to the front to receive a blessing, so bring your backpacks, bags and satchels.

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!

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.

Standing With A Family

Many of you have welcomed a family in our care since their arrival in the Houston area. Your generosity has helped make their first months here easier and has shown them the love of Christ in practical ways.

The family is preparing for an upcoming immigration hearing and has legal representation. Members of the church are organizing a group to attend as quiet observers. Those who attend will sit in the public gallery. Please remember that photography and recording are not permitted during court proceedings.

How you can help: Please pray for this family and consider attending the hearing if your schedule allows. A sign-up sheet will be available in the narthex to help coordinate transportation and estimate attendance.

Healing Hearts, this Wednesday, August 12

Led by Lisa Sparaco, a licensed clinical social worker and member of our church, Healing Hearts offers a safe, faith-filled place for those walking through grief. The group gathers in the Prayer Room of the Church Office Building to share stories, receive encouragement, and walk together through seasons of loss. As a ministry of St. John’s, its focus is care, prayer, and the comfort of Christian community. Upcoming Healing Hearts Meeting: Monday, August 31st, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon.

Next 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

Brad Urquhart, health

Alice Rubio's grandson Marc, health

A family seeking a good ruling

Cathy, Cindy Bergman’s sister, health

The family of Connie Brown

Phyllis Freeman, now receiving hospice care

Jessica Ivete Robles, awaiting a kidney transplant

Becky Crawford

Glen Risley

Tom Edmondson and Kristi Edmonsond

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 9, 11th 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 CE committee meets
• 1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom
• Tuesday, August 11
• 5:00 pm Exercise Group, Building 2
• 7:00 pm Session Meeting, Session Room
• Wednesday, August 12
• 7:00 pm Healing Hearts, Room 202
• Thursday, August 13
• 5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2
• 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 Fellowship and Caring Committee meets
• 1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom

Coming Events

• Wednesday, August 19, Men’s Group
• Monday, August 31, Healing Hearts, 11 am
• Thursday, October 1, BIM Gala
• Thursday, November 26, Thanksgiving
• Friday, December 25, Christmas Day