Preparing for Worship - June 16, 2024

The picture image of a tree is used in several of the readings this week, representing an individual believer and Christ the Savior and His growing kingdom, the church, in contrast with a dry, dying tree - people without the Lord and His blessings, in Christ.

The Psalm is Psalm 1. Pictured is a man blessed by God and delighting in His Word and will, who is like a strong, well-watered tree, in contrast with the wicked, who are sinners and scoffers and will perish, useless and like chaff that the wind blows away.

The Old Testament lesson is from Ezekiel 17:22-24. The context is that many of God’s rebellious people had been carried away to captivity in Babylon. The Babylonians then appointed Zedekiah as a puppet king. He was actually from the line of David but rebelled against both God and the Babylonians and was carried away - the last of the kings of God’s Old Testament people. God has still not given up on His people, though, and promised in this passage that He Himself would take a sprig from a tree and plant it in the mountain height of Israel. It would become a great, noble tree, and birds of every kind would find fruit and shelter in it. This is prophetic of Christ Jesus, brought into this world by His Heavenly Father and prospering and being a blessing and a King with dominion all over the world.

In the Gospel lesson, Mark 4:26-34, Jesus tells parables of the Kingdom of God. God’s kingdom will grow as the seed of His Word is planted and grows into a great harvest, though we don’t have control over it and don’t fully understand how it grows. We simply trust God to give growth, as He wishes, as more and more people come to faith. Another parable is of a tiny mustard seed that grows into a large tree, where birds can find shelter and prosper. This is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy, with Christ Jesus planting and growing and prospering His church in many places over time. He especially taught His chosen disciples so they could eventually begin to sow the seed of His Word in others.

In the Epistle lesson, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 (11-17), Paul continues to speak of the challenges of His ministry. He would prefer to be with his Lord in heaven when his mortal, tent-like nature would be swallowed up by eternal life. He has the Spirit of God as a guarantee for His future (as all believers do).  He still has work to do in this life, though, and His work, though hard, is still what he needs to be doing so that more people can become a new creation through faith in Christ. The love of Christ controls and compels Paul to tell others of Jesus. For Jesus died for all, for their sake, that they might be forgiven and have new life through trust in Jesus, as well.