Preparing for Worship - October 17, 2021

The Old Testament reading, Ecclesiastes 5:10-20, focuses on a theme we heard last week - the danger of the love of money. “He who loves money will not be satisfied.” There never seems to be enough, others want more from us, we lose sleep and can have bad ventures and can take none of it with us when we die, and on and on. Rather, we are called to do our work, whether rich or poor, and find joy in the gifts God gives us.

Those gifts of God are evident as we listen to and meditate on His Word, the psalmist tells us in Psalm 119:9-16. The teachings of the Lord are better than “all riches” and guard us from evil and guide us into what is best for us. We say, “Blessed are You, O Lord.”

In the Gospel lesson, Mark 10:23-31, Jesus talks about “how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God” when we are depending on our riches or anything we are or have or can do on our own. That path of self-reliance can never save anyone. “With man it is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God,” Jesus says. Trust then in God and His Good News in Christ!

Our only hope is in Christ, our Epistle lesson, from Hebrews 4:1-16, tells us. The Word of God is “a sharp, two-edged sword” which shows us our sins and our need for a Savior. The Word also shows us Jesus, “Who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet was without sin.” Through His perfect life in our place, and His sacrifice to pay for all of our sins, we can approach God “with confidence” and find His “mercy and grace in every time of need.” We “rest from our works” and trust in the work of Jesus for us; and one day, we will have eternal rest and peace in heaven. “We who have believed enter that rest.”