Preparing for Worship - May 5, 2024

The Psalm for this week, the 6th Sunday of Easter, is Psalm 98. It is the only psalm introduced with simply the words “A Psalm.” It is like Psalm 96 is calling for singing “a new song” to the Lord. It speaks of God’s saving work for the nation of Israel in the Old Testament but also looks forward to the coming of the Messiah, the Promised Savior Jesus, through Whom “all nations,” “all the ends of the earth” would see “the salvation of our God.” “All the earth,” including the sea and rivers and hills, is pictured as singing for joy at the Lord’s coming. He comes through Christ Jesus to bring salvation available to all, yet He also judges with “righteousness” and “uprightness,” with “the soundness of His principles of what is right” (Kretzmann, OT, Vol.2, p.163).

We see that plan of our Lord at work in the first lesson for this week, from Acts 10:34-48. Peter is called by God to visit a non-Jew, Cornelius, and his non-Jewish (Gentile) friends and tells them the “good news of peace through Jesus Christ.” Peter takes them through the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and testifies that “everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His Name.” The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God spoken by Peter, and these Gentiles came to faith by the Holy Spirit and were baptized, to the “amazement” of Jews who were there. The Gospel of Jesus was truly for all people, as Psalm 98 predicted, not just for Jews - and Jews also needed to believe now in Jesus for salvation.

The same message is in the Epistle lesson for this week, 1 John 5:1-8. John emphasizes that we are “born of God” when we are brought to faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Promised Savior. We believe that Jesus is “the Son of God,” sent from God the Father and baptized by water and the Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. Unlike some false teachers, who deny that Jesus suffered and died on the cross (Gnostics, Marcion, Islam, and others), John also emphasized the “blood” of Christ, shed on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, as well as the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This was also the message of God the Holy Spirit, Who inspired the writers who wrote down the New Testament books, with the same message of Christ Jesus as Savior and victory that overcomes our sinful world through Christ.

The Gospel lesson, John 15:9-17, continues a reading from last week, where Jesus calls us to keep abiding in Him and His Word and His love. Jesus laid down His life for us on the cross to save us. We are called to love others in a sacrificial way, too. Jesus calls us His “friends,” not just His servants and has revealed His saving plan to us through His Spirit and Word. We did not choose Him. He chose us so that we can bear abiding fruit for Him, witnessing to His love and living with fruits of the Spirit in our lives by His grace and power. (See Galatians 5:22-26, for example.)