Preparing for Worship - June 29, 2025

Our readings this week have to do with being disciples of our Lord Jesus and following Him and His way. The Old Testament lesson is from 1 Kings 19:9b-21. Elijah was on the run because the Lord had defeated the false prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel, and Elijah had then killed them (1 Kings 18). Queen Jezebel was very angry with her false prophets being killed and planned to kill Elijah. Elijah “ran for his life,” feeling that he was a failure, but the Lord sent an angel to sustain him for a long trip, 40 days and 40 nights, to Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai) (1 Kings 19:1-8). The Word of the Lord came to Elijah twice, asking, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Twice, Elijah answers that he seems to be the only person left among the Israelites who is faithful to the Lord. The Lord speaks to him, not in a dramatic, powerful way, but in a low whisper, and sends him back to his work as a prophet a while longer, by anointing new kings of Syria and Israel, and a new prophet in his place, Elisha, by casting his cloak upon him. The Lord also assures Elijah that there were still 7,000 faithful believers in Israel and that Elisha would assist him until his ministry was complete. Elijah allows Elisha to do a few final things, including a farewell to his family, and then he joins Elijah, until Elijah is taken directly to heaven (2 Kings 2).

The Psalm is Psalm 16. We looked at this psalm earlier, on Easter Sunday, April 20, because v. 9-10 are quoted in the New Testament for predicting that the Lord Jesus would not see corruption in a grave, but would be raised from the dead, as happened on Easter, after His death on Good Friday. (See Acts 2:23ff. and Acts 13:34. You can find more detail in the April 20 “Preparing for Worship.”) David speaks here as a faithful servant of God, who takes refuge in Him and knows that all good things come from Him alone. Following false gods only brings sorrow and trouble. There is “a beautiful inheritance” for David and all those who follow the One True God, the Lord. He leads David and us on the “path of life” in this world, and when we die, there is “fullness of joy” in eternal life. This psalm, as mentioned above, also predicts the coming of the Lord Jesus, who would be the perfect Servant of God and die to pay for our sins and then rise in victory on Easter and then return to “pleasures forevermore at the right hand of God” that He had earlier enjoyed already as the Son of God, before humbling Himself to be a man and do His saving work for us (Philippians 2:5-11, John 17:3-5).

The Gospel lesson is from Luke 9:51-62. As the time drew near for Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus willingly set His face to go to Jerusalem for these things His Heavenly Father had planned for Him, for the salvation of the world. (See the prophecy of Jesus, God’s Servant in Isaiah 50:5-7, who “sets His face like a flint,” a hard rock, to do the will of God, no matter what. The same is said of Ezekiel in his ministry to Israel in his day, with his “forehead harder than flint” against rebellious people (Ezekiel 3:7-9).) Jesus chooses to go the shorter route to Jerusalem, through Samaria, though Jews and Samaritans disliked and avoided each other as much as possible. (See John 4:9.) The Samaritans rejected Jesus because he was a Jew, going to Jerusalem. James and John, called “Sons of Thunder” by Jesus (Mark 3:17), see this and want to call down fire from heaven to consume these Samaritans, as Elijah had done in 2 Kings 1:10-12. (But see how an angel tells Elijah not to ask for this fire again, at this point, in 2 Kings 1:15ff.) Jesus rebukes these disciples, James and John, because His primary work was not to “condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16-17). Destroying these Samaritans would not save them. (See how Jesus often reached out to Samaritans, like the Samaritan woman in John 4:1-42, and calls them “neighbors” in the Good Samaritan parable (Luke 10:30-37) and heals a Samaritan leper, who comes back in faith to thank Him, in Luke 17:11-19. In Acts 1:8, Jesus specifically tells His disciples to be witnesses in Samaria, and they do so in Acts 8:1-22 and 9:31 and 15:3.) In this reading, Jesus and the disciples then move on to another village. As they go, there are three examples of people who seem to want to follow Jesus as His disciples. That seems a great thing, as Jesus did say, later on, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). In this situation, though, Jesus gives a caution to each. The first person says, “I will follow you wherever you go” (Luke 9:57). Some think that this man was simply speaking with emotional enthusiasm, too eager, without thinking through what he would really be facing. Jesus speaks of the fact that, unlike foxes and birds, He often had “nowhere to lay His head,” just as Samaritans had just rejected giving Him a place to stay and rest (v.52-53). (See also Luke 14:28-30, for example.) The second man is called by Jesus to follow him, but then the  man says, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” We don’t know the exact circumstances, but some think this man was hesitant, not eager enough to follow Jesus, because of other concerns that seemed more important. Jesus certainly, on other occasions, spoke of family loyalty. (See Luke 18:20 and Matthew 15:3-6 and Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 5:8.) Burying a father seems very important, too, though some think maybe the father wasn’t even sick or dying, and this was just the man’s excuse. Jesus’ work was most important. He was going to Jerusalem to destroy the power of death, once and for all, by His death and resurrection. That was Good News that needed to be proclaimed to all. The third man says he wants to follow Jesus, but needs first to say farewell to his family at his home. That sounds reasonable, but from the simple parable that Jesus gives, the man may have had weak resolve in what he says. In Jesus’ day, a person always had to look forward and keep his plowing straight. He certainly couldn’t be looking all over, and especially couldn’t be looking back. Focusing on the past and past loyalties could hurt present and future work and the truly important work of the kingdom of God. (Much more could be said, but watch for a sermon on this passage that I will post on my podcast in the next week or two, along with a sermon on Elijah and His struggles, spoken of in the first lesson, today.)

The Epistle lesson is from Galatians 5:1, 13-25. Paul writes this letter to help believers not to be pulled back into a mentality of salvation by works, especially the rules and regulations of Old Testament Jewish law, like the need to be circumcised and to follow the Old Testament dietary rules and festivals, and Saturday only as the Sabbath day, etc. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in what Christ has done for us, not by what we do for Him. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit has brought us to faith and the gift of baptism (Galatians 3:26-27) and thus a new life in Christ and in the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God. That means a desire to battle “the works of the flesh,” of our old sinful nature, and the long description of these sinful works in v. 19-21. In contrast, the Holy Spirit seeks to produce in us good fruit, as listed in v. 22-24. Such fruit is summarized in v. 12-14: “Through love serve one another,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and not “biting and devouring one another.” This means being led by the Word of God, so that we use our freedom in Christ, not to do what we want, but to seek to do what God knows is best for us and others He has placed around us. This does not mean that we must be perfect, but seek to walk in step with Christ and the Holy Spirit, through the teaching of the Word and continual repentance and confession of our sins and receiving God’s forgiveness when we fail, the forgiveness and blessing we receive in worship and in our regular prayers. May the Lord lead our discipleship in following Christ and the Holy Spirit, through that Word.