Preparing for Worship - July 20, 2025

The Scriptures for this week call upon us to wait upon the Lord, listening to Him and His plans, and trusting that He will help and save us. The Old Testament lesson is from Genesis 18:1-14. The Lord appears to Abraham and Sarah, but as three persons. (This is a picture and prefiguring of the Trinity. Two of them are later called “angels,” and God the Son seems to appear as “the angel of the Lord," at times.) Abraham welcomes them and provides a great meal for them, with the help of Sarah and others. The Lord then promises a son to Abraham and Sarah, as He had before, though they were very old and beyond childbearing years. Abraham is skeptical, and Sarah laughs at this promise. The Lord simply repeats the promise and says, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” They do have a child, and from Abraham and his descendants, our Savior Jesus finally came.

The Psalm is Psalm 27. This is another psalm where David has trouble from enemies opposed to him. Yet he trusts his Lord, who is His Light and Salvation, even on dark and dangerous days. He can go to the Lord’s tent (the tabernacle, the place for worship and prayer and singing, before the building of the temple) and seek the Lord’s presence (His face) and be taught by His Word. Even if his parents would forsake him, the Lord would take him in and hide him and lift him up. David is a believer in the Lord and His goodness and that He will give him life, in this world and in eternity. But he must wait for the Lord and His plans, with courage through Him.

The Gospel lesson is Luke 10:38-42. Jesus goes to the home of Martha and Mary. Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching. Martha is concerned about serving Jesus and probably things like making Him comfortable and providing a good meal. She is upset that her sister is not helping her. She is worried and anxious about getting these things done. These are not bad things, as Abraham and Sarah provided the visitors with such things in our Old Testament lesson. But Jesus reminds her that there is one thing most necessary, and that is hearing God’s Word and being brought to faith in Jesus and His saving work. That is a gift from God that will last for eternity. We can serve, but only in response to our Lord first serving and blessing us.

The Epistle lesson continues readings from Colossians, this week, 1:21-29. Paul continues to speak of the blessings that have come to us through the bloody sacrifice of Christ on the cross. (See v.19-20, also.) Though we have done evil deeds, we were reconciled to God and counted holy and blameless and acceptable in God’s eyes, through Christ, and as we now continue in faith in Him and His Gospel. Paul is a minister of that Good News, sharing the Word of God and the mysterious plan of God with Gentiles (non-Jews) as well as Jews - a plan that centers in Christ, the Hope of glory, living in us as we are brought to faith in Him and then as we grow and mature in Him through His Word. Paul proclaims this Word, though he does so through the power and energy of Christ Who lives in Him, too. It can be a struggle to share Christ, but the Lord brings His blessings as we wait upon Him in faith.