Preparing for Worship - May 18, 2025

Our Easter celebration continues this week, as we hear more of the promises that come to us through our Risen, Living Lord Jesus. The Psalm is Psalm 148. We had this psalm on the 2nd Sunday of Easter, April 27; so you might look back at the words shared at that time about this psalm, too. The Psalm calls upon all of creation to praise the Lord, including everyone and everything here on earth. That includes all kings and rulers and peoples on earth, young and old. The Name of the Lord alone is to be exalted because He has raised up “a Horn for His people.” A horn represents God’s power and strength for His people. See Psalm 18:2, where David says, “The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and My Deliverer, my God, my Rock, in whom I take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my Salvation, my Stronghold.” Zechariah prophesied by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament that Jesus would be that “Horn of Salvation,” the Redeemer, and that
Zechariah’s son, John the Baptist, would prepare the way for Him, the Lord Jesus. (See Luke 1:67-79, and especially verses 68-70 and 76-79.)

There is again a reading from the history of the early church, from Acts 11:1-18, instead of an Old Testament reading. Peter is being criticized by the “circumcision party” for going to uncircumcised Gentiles and eating with them, as they were “unclean” people. Peter explains that he had a vision three times of a huge sheet with all kinds of animals on it, clean and unclean. The Lord told him to “kill and eat” foods that were formerly unclean, because under the New Covenant in Christ, God was “declaring all foods clean,” even as Jesus had done in Mark 7:14-23. That very moment, three men came from Caesarea and the Holy Spirit told Peter to go with them, though they were Gentiles. Six others went with them, as witnesses. This was the first time Peter had ever been in a Gentile home, but Peter knew it was OK because an angel had arranged all this. As soon as Peter began to speak God’s Word about being saved through Christ, the Holy Spirit came upon these Gentiles, also, and God granted to them also repentance and saving faith and new life in Jesus. Peter now knew that he could not stand in God’s way, and that everyone needed to share the Good News of Jesus as Savior for Gentiles, as well as Jews. The Good News in Christ is for all people.

There are two possible Gospel readings. Both are Words of Jesus. In John 13:31-35, Judas has just left to prepare to betray Jesus into the hands of the Jewish authorities. Jesus knows that His coming suffering and death would glorify God,  and that He Himself would be glorified, when He rose from the dead and returned to His Father in heaven, a place where His disciples could not yet go. In the meantime, the disciples are to love one another, as Jesus first and foremost loved them. This is what disciples of Jesus are now to do - to have love for one another and others, especially in sharing the hope and salvation that are in Jesus.

The other Gospel reading is John 16:12-22. Jesus has much more to teach His disciples, but they cannot handle it now. The Holy Spirit would later guide them into all truth. That is what we have recorded for us in the Scriptures. The Spirit would glorify Jesus as the Savior of the world. But first, Jesus would need to leave the disciples for “a little while,” and then they would see Him again. The disciples do not understand. Jesus uses the example of a woman expecting a child. There is great agony when her time has come, but then there is great joy, and the birth pains are forgotten, with a child coming into the world. So, there would be great sorrow at the death of Jesus, but there would be great joy when He would appear again to them as their Risen Lord, eventually bringing eternal joy that cannot be taken away from them.

In the Epistle reading, from Revelation 21:1-7, the Lord gives John a vision of that eternal life and joy to come. When Christ returns on the last day, the first heaven and earth, troubled by sin, will pass away, and God will dwell with us in a whole new existence, a new heaven and earth and a new Jerusalem, with no tears or pain or death. There will be no sea to threaten and no need for sun or moon or temple, etc., since the Father, the Son the Lamb, and the Holy Spirit will be with us always and provide us with all we need (Revelation 21:1-7, 22-23). We cannot comprehend what all this means or what all the picture images here mean, but we know that no one can take our joy from us, in Christ (John 16:22).

We have confidence in Christ now, but still have the tribulations of this sinful world. As Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” We seek now to live in love with one another and share Christ’s sacrificial love with others until Christ chooses, in His wisdom, to take us to eternal joy in heaven at our death (Psalm 31:14-16): “I trust You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make Your face shine on Your servant; save me in Your steadfast love.”