There’s Still Room at the Table

from Pastor Jon

Friends,

Every one of us has an excuse that seems perfectly reasonable. Work to finish. Family responsibilities. Projects that cannot wait. In one of his most surprising parables, Jesus tells the story of a great banquet where the invited guests all had good reasons for staying away. So the host did something unexpected. He sent his servants into the streets and country roads with a simple message: “Come. There is still room.”

This Sunday we will gather around that story in a sermon called “Party Crashers Welcome.” Along the way we’ll hear Isaiah’s beautiful promise of the day when God prepares a feast for all peoples, wipes away every tear, and swallows up death forever. We’ll sing hymns that remind us God’s table belongs to him, not to us, and together we’ll ask what keeps us from accepting the invitation that has already been extended.

Whether you’ve been part of St. John’s for years or you’re looking for a church home, I hope you’ll join us this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Come as you are. You don’t have to earn your place at God’s table. The feast has already been prepared, and the invitation is still open. I would love to welcome you.

Grace and 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

June 28, 2026, 5th Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering

Prelude, Alina Klimaszewska, organ

*Call To Worship, The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

Pastor: We gather at the table of a God who prepared the feast, sent the invitations, and when the first guests did not come, sent the servants back out into the streets, because this banquet was always meant to be filled.

People: Thanks be to God, whose table has room enough for everyone.

Pastor: We come from our ordinary Sundays and our ordinary excuses, from the land we needed to see and the work we needed to finish, from all the legitimate things that almost kept us from arriving at all.

People: Thanks be to God, who sent the servant out to find us anyway.

Pastor: We come because the host has promised to wipe the tears from the face of every guest who arrives broken, and the food is rich and the wine is aged and the word at this table is still: there is still room.

People: Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him. Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Opening Prayer 

*Hymn 511 Come, Behold! the Feast of Heaven

1 Come, behold! the feast of heaven Alleluia!

has to mortal flesh been given. Alleluia!

Hear the Word of God declared: Alleluia!

“Come! the banquet is prepared.” Alleluia!

2 All is ready, come attend Alleluia!

as the Lord’s invited friend; Alleluia!

come from north, west, south, and east; Alleluia!

celebrate the joyful feast. Alleluia!

3 All who trust in God belong Alleluia!

at this banquet with this throng. Alleluia!

Share the mystic holy food; Alleluia!

taste and see: the Lord is good. Alleluia!

4 As the Lord our God has willed, Alleluia!

here the hungry soul is filled; Alleluia!

here the weary are refreshed. Alleluia!

All who share God’s feast are blessed. Alleluia!

Prayer of Confession, Mary Gaber, Liturgist

Merciful God, we confess that we have answered your invitation with the same careful regrets as the first guests: we have had land to see and obligations that arrived before you did and claimed the hours you meant to give us. We have let legitimate things fill the days until there was nothing left for the feast, and called our fullness faithfulness when it was closer to avoidance. We have sometimes preferred the world we can manage to the Kingdom we cannot control, and in that preference we have missed the table that was set for us all along. Forgive us, and send your servant to find us in whatever road or lane we have wandered into, and bring us home to eat. 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: Isaiah 25:6–9

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

The end of our first reading.

Anthem

Sermon Scripture: Luke 14:15–24

One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, “Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Then Jesus said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many guests. At the time for the dinner he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now. ’But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my apology. ’Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my apology. ’Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come. ’So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the

crippled, the blind, and the lame. ’And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and there is still room. ’Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’”

The Word of the Lord for us today.

Thanks be to God. 

Sermon: “Party Crashers Welcome” 

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

Hymn 507 Come to the Table of Grace

1 Come to the table of grace.

Come to the table of grace.

This is God’s table; it’s not yours or mine.

Come to the table of grace.

2 Come to the table of peace…

3 Come to the table of love…

4 Come to the table of hope…

5 Come to the table of joy…

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 and 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 and 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 Rev. Burnham

Sending

*Hymn 802 The King of Love My Shepherd Is, 

1, 2, 5 and 6

1 The King of love my shepherd is,

whose goodness faileth never;

I nothing lack if I am his

and he is mine forever.

2 Where streams of living water flow

my ransomed soul he leadeth,

and where the verdant pastures grow,

with food celestial feedeth.

5 Thou spread’st a table in my sight;

thy unction grace bestoweth;

and O what transport of delight

from thy pure chalice floweth!

6 And so through all the length of days

thy goodness faileth never;

Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise

within thy house forever.

*Benediction

*Postlude

Announcements

Memorial Service for Connie Brown this Saturday, June 27, at 2 pm. 

A reception will follow after the service, and ashes will be interred in our Columbarium after the reception. 

Greeters and Ushers 

There will be a short meeting in the Sanctuary following Worship today to discuss the responsibilities of this important ministry.

Celebrate with Holly Darr 

Holly is celebrating one year of health after a double lung transplant. She is planning a meeting at Fadi's Meyerland Mediterranean Grill in July. More details later.

“Parables” Summer Quarterly Bible Study 

Join us for our Summer Quarterly Bible Study, hosted by the Christian Education Committee, on Saturday, July 18, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church.

People ages 3 and up are warmly invited to register and participate in a day of learning, fellowship, creativity, and spiritual growth centered on the theme: Parables.

Throughout the day, participants will explore the stories Jesus told and discover how these timeless teachings continue to shape our faith, challenge our assumptions, and reveal the surprising nature of God’s kingdom.

Children, youth, and adults will enjoy age-appropriate activities, Bible study, discussion, hands-on learning opportunities, and shared fellowship. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Date: Saturday, July 18, 2026 Time: 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Location: St. John’s Presbyterian Church Ages: 3 and up Theme: Parables.

Come spend a summer Saturday exploring the stories that continue to transform lives.

Registration Now Open

for “Parables” Summer Quarterly Bible Study 

Please register for the Summer Quarterly Bible Study by Sunday, July 12, at 1:00 p.m.

Register online: https://pp.events/bPn5gYQL

Breakfast snacks and lunch will be provided.

Questions? Contact Mary Gaber.

Summer Mustard Seed Project

This summer, our Mustard Seed Project will support eight children living in the PCHAS Single Parent Family Ministry housing on our church campus. Each child needs approximately $100 for back-to-school supplies, giving us a congregation-wide goal of raising $800.

Donations may be placed in the offering plate during worship on June 14, June 21, and June 28. If giving by cash or check, please write “School Supplies” on the lower left corner of your check. You may also contribute by Zelle to accounts@stjohnspresby.org and include “School Supplies” in the memo line.

Kay Swint and Omar Abiyah will use the funds to purchase gift cards for the PCHAS families, allowing parents to purchase the specific school supplies their children need. Thank you for helping these children begin the school year with confidence, dignity, and the tools they need to learn and thrive.

A Brief Safety Update 

For the safety and security of our congregation, the Session has instructed the ushers to lock the exterior doors to both the Education Building and the Sanctuary once worship begins. Late arrivals need not worry. Ushers will remain near the sanctuary entrance in the narthex and will be available to open the doors and welcome those arriving after the service has begun. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and welcoming environment for everyone who gathers for worship at St. John’s.

St. John’s Friends United 

Friends United will be taking a summer break, so no meetings are scheduled for June, July, or August. We will resume our gatherings in September. Plans for an exciting fall schedule are already underway, and we look forward to sharing more details soon. Enjoy the summer, stay cool, and stay connected. We look forward to seeing everyone again this fall.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Communication is key to any organization, and that includes St. John’s! Has anything changed in your life? Have you moved, gotten rid of your home phone, changed your cell number or gotten a cell phone? Please let Virginia Krueger, Marie Kutz, or the St. John’s office (713 723-6262) know so we can correct your contact information and Directory. For security reasons, no one but St. Johns members are allowed to have an on-line Directory.

Remember, you can put the Church Directory on your cell phone! No more scratching out info on a paper Directory! We try very hard to keep the on-line Directory up-to-date. See Virginia or Marie to put it on your phone. You will love it as it is so convenient!

No Men’s Group, Wed, June 24

Stay tuned for summer schedule.

Healing Hearts, A Ministry of Care and Encouragement Monday, June 29, 11 to Noon. Healing Hearts meets in the Prayer Room of the church office building. Healing Hearts is a grief and bereavement support group led by Lisa Sparaco, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and member of our church. This ministry provides a safe and faith-filled space for sharing stories, receiving encouragement, and walking together through seasons of loss. This is not a therapy group, but a ministry of care and prayer for all who grieve. 

Happy Birthday 

Sarah Dickson (June 27)

Lois Sanford (July 2)

Doug Darr (July 5)

Vivian Ivy (July 6)

Gerry Jump and Vinnie Muanza (July 9)

Alvina Hamilton (July 11)

Victoria Gorby and Drake Ragan (July 15)

Jennifer Burnham (July 16)

Rose Muanza and Donna Fraser (July 17)

Kathleen Captain and Mike Swint (July 20)

Rebecca Amador (July 23)

Lawrence Johnson (July 24)

Flo Logan and Linda Herron (July 25)

Scenacia Jones (July 26)

Eliora Lehna Caspa (July 28)

Happy Anniversary

Ben and Jennifer Carrettin (June 27)

James and Libby Adams (July 1)

Brad and Fran Urquhart (July 27)

Doug and Teresa Darr (July 29)

Prayer Concerns

Gayle Morales, friend of Alice Rubio, hip surgery

Jessica Ivete Robles, a friend of Alice Rubio,

awaits a kidney transplant

Shirley Boyd, on the death of her nephew

Family of Connie Brown

Phyllis Freeman, hospice care

Carolyn McEathron and her family

in the death of her father-in-law

Michelle Byron and family,

in the unexpected loss of her brother Jeff

Rebecca Crawford, hip surgery

David Wintersgill, hip surgery

Glen Risley, recovering from hip surgery

Nyjel Bennett-LaGrone and his family, health

Tom Edmondson, health, and his loving caregiver, Kristi

Kelsey Wiltz, health 

Scott Moore

Alice Rubio

St. Johns College Students

Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes

One Hope Preschool families and staff

Calendar

Sunday, June 28, 5th 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 Meeting

  1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom

Monday, June 29

11:00 am. Healing hearts, Room 202

Tuesday, June 30

  5:00 pm Exercise Group, Building 2

Thursday, July 2

  5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

Saturday, July 4. Have a safe and happy holiday

Sunday, July 5, 6th 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, Zoom

Coming Events

Sat, July 18, Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages)

Sun, Aug 9, Blessing of the Backpacks

Thurs, Oct 1, BIM Gala