Preparing for Worship - July 28, 2024

The Old Testament lesson for today, Genesis 9:8-17, speaks of the first covenant that God gave to Noah and his descendants and to the whole earth. As with the other covenants to follow later, this is God’s doing, out of love and care and forgiveness for His people, and not because they had earned or deserved anything from Him. God promises that he will never again destroy the whole earth with a flood. A rainbow that appears in the sky is a sign of this promise of God.

Jesus shows again, in the Gospel lesson (Mark 6:45-56), that he is God’s Son and has power over the wind and waves, as He had done earlier, in stilling a storm (Mark 4:35-40). Jesus had gone to pray after feeding the 5,000 and sent His disciples across the Sea of Galilee ahead of Him. He knew that they were having trouble, for the wind was against them, and He walked on the water near them. They thought they were seeing a ghost and were terrified until He said, “Take heart; it is I. Don’t be afraid.” Again, we hear that the disciples were not understanding about who He was, and they were “hard-hearted.” As our text goes on, Jesus stopped the wind and, when ashore, allowed many people to come in faith and receive healing by just touching the fringe of His garments.

The Psalm, Psalm 136:1-9, reminds people to give thanks to God for His steadfast love, beginning at the creation of this marvelous world and universe and continuing with His control over land and waters and all things. God the Son was there at creation, too, involved in this creative work (see John 1:1-5, for example) and continued to show this steadfast love while here on earth, though His disciples (and maybe we sometimes, too) do not see and understand it. Again and again, beyond our reading, Psalm 136 tells us, “His steadfast love endures forever.” May we believe and trust that, even on dark and troubled days!

The Epistle lesson is another reading from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, Ephesians 3:14-21. Paul bows his knees in praise and thanks to the Triune God, the Father, from whom every family is named, along with Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who empower our inner being. Paul prays that in faith and love, we may comprehend the surpassing greatness of God’s love and His ability to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think through His power at work in us. To Him be the glory in the church, in Christ Jesus, forever and ever. Paul adds an Amen. This is most certainly true! We can trust this as we trust our Triune God.