August 2nd, Sermon & Ministry Resources
"The Burden of a Loving Heart" (Romans 9:1-5)
Lectionary Readings — Proper13 — August 2, 2026
Genesis 32:22-31; Psalm 17:1-7,15; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:13-21
Call to Worship (based on Romans 9:1-5)
Leader: We gather as a people who have received what we never earned—
People: adoption and glory, covenant and promise.
Leader: To us have been entrusted the words of life and the worship of the living God.
People: Blessed be the Lord, who has not left us as orphans.
Leader: From among the nations God has called a people for his own,
People: and to him belongs the Messiah, who is over all.
Leader: The patriarchs walked by faith before us, and the promises were sealed in their keeping;
People: what God spoke to Abraham, he has not forgotten in us.
Leader: Let us not clutch this grace as a private treasure,
People: but carry it with aching hearts for those still far from home.
Leader: For there are kindred we love who have not yet come to the table;
People: we will not stop praying until the lost are found.
Leader: Come, let us worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—
People: the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Opening Prayer (based on Psalm 17:1–7, 15)
Let us pray:
Father in heaven, you are the God who hears. You do not turn away from an honest cry or close your ear to a sincere plea. So we come to you this morning with no pretense, asking that you would attend to our prayer from lips that are not feigned.
You search us, Lord. You try the heart and visit us in the night, and you know what you will find—not perfection, but a people who long to walk in your paths without stumbling. Where our steps have wandered, hold them now. Where our feet have wavered, steady them on the road you have set before us.
We call upon you because we are confident you will answer. Incline your ear to us; hear our words. Show us again the wonders of your steadfast love, O Savior of all who run to you for refuge. Be to us a shelter when the world presses hard, a stronghold when our own strength fails.
And set our hope, Father, on the day that is coming—when we will behold your face in righteousness, and awake at last satisfied, fully content in beholding your likeness. Until that morning dawns, keep us faithful, keep us hungry for you, and keep us tender toward those who do not yet know your name. We ask it in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[NOTE to Paid subscribers — scroll down for the full manuscript sermon]
Sermon Outline: "THE BURDEN OF A LOVING HEART"
Based on Romans 9:1-5
I. A Sorrow That Is Sincere (vv. 1–2)
II. A Sacrifice That Is Selfless (vv. 3–4a)
III. A Savior Who Is Supreme (vv. 4b–5)
Full Manuscript Sermon Below for Paid Subscribers
