Audio: Readings & Sermon for Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Audio: Readings and Sermon for Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Rev. Dr. Edward O. Grimenstein

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Bulletin for Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Archive of AUDIO “Readings & Sermons”
Archive of VIDEO “Complete Service”
Archive of Bulletins

2:00 p.m. - Worship Service
2:30 p.m. - Bible Study: The Book of Ruth
This service will be LIVE STREAMED on our YouTube Channel

First Reading -- Judges 15:1—16:3 
After some days, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife with a young goat. And he said, “I will go in to my wife in the chamber.” But her father would not allow him to go in. And her father said, “I really thought that you utterly hated her, so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.” And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistines, when I do them harm.” So Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took torches. And he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails. And when he had set fire to the torches, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines and set fire to the stacked grain and the standing grain, as well as the olive orchards. Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire. And Samson said to them, “If this is what you do, I swear I will be avenged on you, and after that I will quit.” And he struck them hip and thigh with a great blow, and he went down and stayed in the cleft of the rock of Etam. 

Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and made a raid on Lehi. And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he did to us.” Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.” And they said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines.” And Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not attack me yourselves.” They said to him, “No; we will only bind you and give you into their hands. We will surely not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock. 

When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men. And Samson said, 

“With the jawbone of a donkey,
heaps upon heaps,
with the jawbone of a donkey
have I struck down a thousand men.” 

As soon as he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. And that place was called Ramath-lehi. 

And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the LORD and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore; it is at Lehi to this day. And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years. 

Second Reading – Galatians 3:23--4:11 
Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. 

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. 

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

The Ten Commandments 
What is the third commandment.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 
What does this mean? 
We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it. 

Bulletin: Wednesday July 15, 2026

Bulletin for Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Archive of AUDIO “Readings & Sermons”
Archive of VIDEO “Complete Service”
Archive of Bulletins

2:00 p.m. - Worship Service
2:30 p.m. - Bible Study: The Book of Ruth
This service will be LIVE STREAMED on our YouTube Channel

Portals of Prayer

Pick up your free copy of “Portals of Prayer” in the Narthex or Atrium
Portals of Prayer is a favorite of readers looking for ways to stay in God's Word with easy, daily devotions. A great way to start each day, readings feature a Bible passage, meditation, and prayer in an easy-to-read format. Portals of Prayer, a source of strength and comfort since 1937, is great for personal devotions and can be used to open church meetings or Bible studies. Published quarterly, authors change each month. Pick up your free copy today at Zion Lutheran Church.

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

LHM’s Daily Devotions are available on a variety of platforms, so you can take the Word with you wherever you are. Have them delivered right to your inbox, access them on your mobile device through the FREE app, or listen with Spotify, iHeart Radio, and more!

Those who use LHM’s app have noticed some changes recently: a new name (Connected by LHM); a fresh, new look; many expanded, easy-to-use features; and immediate access to sermons from The Lutheran Hour®.

When you download the FREE “Connected by LHM” app on your mobile device, you can read or listen to the day’s message and access the day’s Scripture text and related Bible readings. Users who create a free account will have access to a feature that allows them to take notes on the devotions. You can easily share devotions and sermons directly from the app via text messages, email, or on social media.

Subscribe to Daily Devotions

Available through a variety of platforms, LHM’s devotions can be read or heard online, delivered right to your inbox, accessed on our FREE mobile app, or listened to as a podcast with Spotify, iHeartRadio, Alexa, or Google Home. In addition, seasonal devotions for Advent and Lent are available in both English and Spanish and are perfect for personal reflection or to share with family, friends, and congregations. Subscribe to receive LHM’s Daily Devotions in your inbox at www.lhm.org/subscribe.

Adult Instruction Classes

Pastor Grimenstein has started an Adult Instruction Class which will now meet on Wednesday’s at 7:15 p.m. for those interested in learning more about the Lutheran faith. The class is also open to current members interested in a "refresher" on the basics of the faith. The class will meet Wednesday’s from 7:15-8:00 for six weeks and will cover topics ranging from Baptism to the Ten Commandments.

Please email Zion secretary Susie Bishop secretary@zlcb.org to let her know you’re interested in joining the class.

President’s Perspective

2026 - 2027 Fiscal Budget Approved
On Sunday, June 21, the congregation unanimously approved the 2026–27 fiscal budget. The meeting was attended by 53 voting members. If you were unable to attend the voters' meeting, the budget presentation materials are available on the zlcb.org website under Member Documents. The password was previously eblasted to all members.

The Budget Committee's goal was to present a balanced budget that would break even, or generate a modest surplus. We are pleased to report that this year's budget reflects a slight surplus while continuing to support the ministries and mission of our church. The budget also includes modest increases to address the rising costs of utilities, services, materials, and staff salaries. We believe this plan reflects faithful stewardship of the resources God has entrusted to us while positioning our church for continued ministry and outreach.

Both the church and preschool continue to operate with self-sustaining budgets. This has been made possible through increases in the preschool tuition, the generous weekly offerings of our members, and occasional grants and fundraising initiatives. We are grateful for your continued stewardship and support.

Our ministry does not stop here. We have established a Capital Long-Term Planning Team to identify future financial projects that could help expand or strengthen our ministry within the community. We are grateful that Paul Klemash has agreed to lead this effort. If you have ideas, suggestions, or a vision for how God may be calling us to be ambassadors, we would love to hear from you. Please feel free to share your thoughts with Paul. We welcome your input as we plan for the future together.

Bible Study: Sunday, July 5, 2026

Bible Study for Sunday, July 5, 2026 focuses on:
John 13:27-30, John 13:31-35, John 13:36-38, John 14:1-7, John 14:8-11, and John 14:12-14
This week’s Bible Study was lead by Rev. Dr. Edward O. Grimenstein, Pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Bridgeville, PA.
Zion Lutheran Church, Bridgeville, PA is Online at https://www.zlcb.org/