Preparing for Worship - May 7, 2023

The Gospel lesson is at the heart of the readings we hear this week. Jesus had just told His disciples that He was going away. They do not understand and are clearly very upset. In John 14:1-14, we hear the confused responses of Thomas and Philip to what Jesus is saying, even though He is giving them very comforting words. Thomas wants to know where Jesus is going and how to get there. Jesus tells him that he is going to prepare a dwelling place for him, and He will come back to get him. Thomas does not need to trouble his heart about this, but just trust Jesus, who alone is the Way and the Truth and the Life and will bring him to the Heavenly Father. Philip just wants a chance to see the Father. Jesus tells Philip that if he has seen Jesus, He has also seen, as much as he needs to, the Father, who is in and with Jesus. Philip is also just to believe and trust in Jesus, and he will be led in the future to do greater things in the name of Jesus, for the glory of the Father.

Psalm 146 tells us that our hearts need not be troubled, if we simply trust, not ourselves and other fallible human beings, but our Creator God, in whom is our help and hope. He cares about people in all sorts of circumstances and situations in life, including us, whatever we are going through. Above all, He provides us with a Son of Man (our Lord Jesus), in whom there is salvation.

In the first lesson, Acts 6:1-9 and 7:2a and 7:51-60, we see that our hearts need not be troubled, as the early Christians were led by the Lord to care about both the physical and spiritual needs of people, as our Lord does. We are in the hands of the Son of Man, our living Lord Jesus, who forgives our sins and helps us in life and even in death and will “receive our spirits” to eternal life. In turn, we are called to be faithful to God and His Word as best we can, as Stephen was.

In the Epistle lesson, 1 Peter 2:2-10, Peter also calls us to long for “the pure spiritual milk” of God’s Word. Through it, we grow as God’s people and know that “the Lord is good,” and full of “excellencies” in His dealings with us. Our hearts need nor fear, either, for through Christ we have been called from darkness into God’s marvelous light and to belief in Christ. Once we were “nobodies,” but now we are “God’s people” and are covered by God’s “mercy” for us, and for our salvation.