Confessional Lutheran Ministerium

Psalm 138:1-8 NKJV

A Psalm of David.

138 I will praise You with my whole heart;
Before the gods I will sing praises to You.
² I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
³ In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.

⁴ All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord,
When they hear the words of Your mouth.
⁵ Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
For great is the glory of the Lord.
⁶ Though the Lord is on high,
Yet He regards the lowly;
But the proud He knows from afar.

⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
⁸ The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

According to Martin Luther’s interpretation in his “Summaries of the Psalms” (1531), Psalm 138 is a beautiful expression of gratitude and trust in God’s faithfulness amidst various challenges and adversities. As believers, we find deep resonance in the psalmist’s acknowledgment of God’s deliverance from enemies and his longing for the establishment of Christ’s kingdom.

The psalm begins with a declaration of wholehearted praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. We are reminded of God’s unfailing love and faithfulness, which sustain us through every trial and tribulation. Just as the psalmist rejoices in God’s steadfast love, we too can find comfort in knowing that God is always near, ready to rescue us from the grasp of our enemies and lift us from the depths of despair.

Luther highlights the psalmist’s desire for Christ’s kingdom to come, where kings and rulers would submit to His word and worship Him in truth. This longing echoes our own prayers for the advancement of God’s kingdom here on earth, where His righteousness reigns supreme and His name is exalted above all others.

Moreover, Luther emphasizes the contrast between Christ’s exalted throne and His compassionate regard for the lowly and downtrodden. In Christ, we find a sovereign ruler who not only sits enthroned in majesty but also extends His mercy to those who are broken and contrite in spirit. It is through His saving grace that sinners find redemption and the afflicted find solace.

As we meditate on Psalm 138, let us echo the psalmist’s prayer that God would continue the work He has begun in establishing His kingdom. May we trust in His unfailing promises and look forward with hope to the fulfillment of His purposes in eternity. Let us pray: O Lord our God, order the course of this world in peace that your Church may joyfully serve you in all godly quietness; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Psalm 136:16-26 NKJV

¹⁶ To Him who led His people through the wilderness,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁷ To Him who struck down great kings,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁸ And slew famous kings,
For His mercy endures forever—
¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites,
For His mercy endures forever;
²⁰ And Og king of Bashan,
For His mercy endures forever—
²¹ And gave their land as a heritage,
For His mercy endures forever;
²² A heritage to Israel His servant,
For His mercy endures forever.

²³ Who remembered us in our lowly state,
For His mercy endures forever;
²⁴ And rescued us from our enemies,
For His mercy endures forever;
²⁵ Who gives food to all flesh,
For His mercy endures forever.

²⁶ Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven!
For His mercy endures forever.

Again the Psalmist cries, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” In the first half of the Psalm, he highlighted the Lord’s goodness and dependable love in His acts of creating the universe and redeeming Israel from slavery in Egypt. Now he turns to more examples of the Lord’s faithfulness to Israel and to all men.

The Lord showed His goodness to Israel in preserving them throughout their wilderness wanderings. His faithful love for them is all the more remarkable for all their grumbling and complaining along the way, and for their initial refusal to enter the Promised Land. But the Lord continued to feed them bread from heaven for forty years, and He even kept their clothing from wearing out. Surely He is good, and His mercy endures forever!

The Lord showed His goodness to Israel in granting them one victory after another over the peoples who opposed them as they entered the land of Canaan, until they received the promised inheritance.

Finally, the Psalmist reminds us that the Lord’s goodness extends to all living creatures on earth in providing food for all, for the sun does not shine, the ground does not yield its crops, and the seed does not grow except by the will of God, who still sustains all the mechanisms He placed into the creation, so that this world, even in its cursed status, may continue to be inhabited until Christ’s return for judgment, giving us time to hear the Gospel, repent, and believe in Christ Jesus during this time of grace.

Christians are the beneficiaries of all this goodness, because not only do we rely on the Lord for our food, but we also recognize with humility that, through faith in the Christ promised to Israel, we have been brought into the Old Testament people of Israel, so that all the good the Lord did for them was also done for us.

Let us pray: O Lord, we give thanks to You, for You are good, and Your mercy endures forever! Amen.

1 Peter 2:13-25 NKJV

¹³ Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— ¹⁶ as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. ¹⁷ Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

¹⁸ Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. ¹⁹ For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. ²¹ For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

²² “Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

²³ who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; ²⁴ who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. ²⁵ For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Building on his words in the earlier part of this chapter, where he highlighted the noble status of all Christians as kings and priests in the service of God, St. Peter teaches us how such exalted citizens of heaven are to live here on earth: in humble submission to earthly authorities.

This sounds strange to unbelieving ears. Those who have a high and noble status shouldn’t have to submit to anyone! They should demand that others submit to them instead! Those who are free men should not allow themselves to be enslaved by anyone, but should have the freedom to do as they please!

But this is not the Christian way, because it isn’t the way of Christ. Instead, the Lord Jesus, being God over all, submitted to the ordinances of men and willingly suffered for doing good, setting a pattern for Christians to follow. He was free to do as He pleased, and yet He used that freedom, not to indulge in selfish pleasures or to pursue self-centered goals. No, He used His freedom to do good and to serve.

What reason does Peter give for urging us to submit to earthly authorities? Peter alludes to the divine institution of these authorities and their divinely given purpose, namely, “for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.” But beyond this, Peter expresses the purpose of our submission and good works: “that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” If Christians are to represent Christ rightly before the world, then we must behave as He did in the world. Any criticism of Jesus, “who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth,” was clearly not founded in facts, and the foolishness of those who slandered Him was obvious. So, too, let no one be able to justly accuse us of wrongdoing, thus enabling them to blaspheme the name of our God, whose name we bear. Rather, let us even be ready to suffer for doing good, that we may truly walk in the footsteps of our Lord. Let us pray: Father in heaven, guard us from abusing our freedom as Your children, that we may always bring honor to Your holy name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

1 Peter 2:1-12 NKJV

2 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, ² as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

⁴ Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

“Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

⁷ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,

“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,”

⁸ and

“A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.”

They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

¹¹ Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, ¹² having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Today’s reading begins with another encouragement from the apostle to lay aside the things that are contrary to our confession: malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, speaking evil. Since we have been born of the Word of God, he would have us act like newborns, who crave their mother’s milk. But a spiritual birth requires spiritual milk. That milk that sustains us and enables us to grow and mature is the pure teaching of God’s Word.

Peter goes on to provide us with some of that very milk. He points to Christ, who is like a living stone—the prophesied stone that would cause many to stumble. His message of the utter inability of men to save ourselves is loathsome to many. His message of being the only Way to the Father is offensive. His teaching that we must reach glory through the cross, just as He first suffered before being glorified, is abhorrent to those who are perishing. They stumble over it and fall.

But Peter is writing to Christians, to those who have come to Christ in humble faith. To us, Christ is like a precious gemstone. More than that, we acknowledge Him as the cornerstone of God’s holy temple, of which we are a part, like living stones built into the walls of God’s house. God has enabled us, as living stones in His temple, to serve as priests, that is, to speak His praises to others, and to offer Him the spiritual sacrifices of thanksgiving and good works, which are acceptable to Him through Jesus. He piles on the noble descriptors with which God has graced us Christians: Chosen generation, royal priesthood, holy nation, His own special people.

If God has so exalted us and sanctified us, then it is surely fitting that we should abstain from fleshly lusts and behave like saints in the world, letting our light so shine before men that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven!  Let us pray: Gracious Father, we thank and praise You for drawing us to Your Son and for raising us up through Him to royal and priestly status in Your house. Help us to serve You faithfully, that we may declare Your praises both with our mouths and with our lives. Amen.

1 Peter 1:13-25 NKJV

¹³ Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; ¹⁵ but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

¹⁷ And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. ²⁰ He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you ²¹ who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

²² Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, ²³ having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, ²⁴ because

“All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
²⁵ But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

Peter encourages Christians to rest our hopes and our hearts on the heavenly inheritance that we will receive when Jesus returns for judgment. His words echo the words of Paul to the Colossians, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:1-2).

Meanwhile, as you set your heart on things above, take care how you walk here below. The unbelievers of the world walk according to the desires of the flesh, as those who don’t know God, as those who have no one to please but themselves. But Christians do know God as our dearly loved Father. So we seek to be obedient children and to please Him in everything we think, say, and do. We are to be holy, as He is holy, as those who are rehearsing for life in heaven, not as those who are rehearsing for an eternity with the devil.

If you call on the Father, if you know He judges, then live with a healthy fear of disobeying Him. He is a loving Father, but He is not a pushover who winks and smiles as we rebel against Him or as we mistreat our neighbor. And if sin ever begins to seem appealing to you again, recall the price the Lord Jesus paid to rescue you from those sins, His own holy, precious blood.

Peter refers to Jesus here as a lamb “without spot or blemish,” identifying Him both as the One to whom the Passover rituals had been pointing and as the Suffering Servant from Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 53. If we wish for His blood to shield us from the destroying angel, then let us take refuge in Him by faith. And, having been shielded, let us dwell within the Lamb’s house as holy people, not as those who perish outside the house.

Yes, since you have already obeyed, continue to obey. You have loved the brothers, that is, your fellow Christians, since you have all been born of the same seed of God’s Word. Now continue to love one another fervently with a pure heart.

Let us pray: Father, we praise You for the precious blood of Jesus, shed for us on the cross. Grant us Your Spirit, that we may grow in holiness and good works. Amen.

1 Peter 1:1-12 NKJV

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ² elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, ⁸ whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰ Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, ¹¹ searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. ¹² To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

St. Peter’s first epistle is addressed to the “elect pilgrims” of the Diaspora, that is, to the Jewish Christians scattered across Asia Minor. But the Gentile Christians are also included, as pilgrims scattered across the world until we reach our heavenly homeland. He describes our election in Trinitarian terms: It was (1) according to God the Father’s foreknowledge, (2) in connection with the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, (3) for the obedience of faith, by which the blood of God’s Son is spiritually sprinkled on our hearts, setting us apart for God.

The opening verses of this epistle praise the Father of Jesus for adopting us as His children, too, through faith in Jesus, and for giving us the sure hope of eternal life by raising Jesus from the dead. Just as God had prepared a temporary earthly inheritance for Old Testament Israel in the Promised Land of Canaan, so He has prepared an everlasting heavenly inheritance for New Testament Israel, where we do well to turn our thoughts when the griefs of this life begin to overwhelm us.

And there will be griefs, as Peter freely admits. But they will only last for “a little while,” as our Father in heaven causes us to pass through various trials on our way to our inheritance. Peter explains the purpose of these trials: to test the genuineness of our faith, just as fire is for testing and revealing the genuineness of the gold in a sample of ore. The gold is not injured by the fire. Only the impurities are burned away. Meanwhile, the gold is molded into the shape desired by the Craftsman, resulting in a precious work of art which God Himself will praise in the end.

We must take the beneficial purpose of this testing by faith, of course. We can’t see it now. But that’s nothing new for the Christian. We’ve never seen Jesus, either, and yet, by God’s grace, we believe in Him and rejoice in Him. So let us rejoice also in our trials, knowing that we will see Jesus soon, and knowing also that the same prophets who wrote about Jesus’ death and resurrection have also written about us, “upon whom the ends of the ages have come!” (1 Cor. 10:11). Let us pray: Father in heaven, we bless You for making us Your children. Help us as we journey through earthly trials to our homeland with You in heaven. Amen.

James 5:12-20 NKJV

¹² But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

¹⁹ Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

James issues some final encouragements and instructions to the scattered tribes of Israel. The first two we readily understand and imitate. “If anyone is suffering, let him pray. If anyone is cheerful, let him sing psalms.” What about the instruction for the sick to call the elders of the church, that they may anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord for their healing? Is this a practice we should imitate?

We’re reminded here to read Scripture in context. James was not writing directly to Christians in the 21^st century. He, like all the epistle writers of the New Testament, was writing to specific groups of Christians at that time. And at that time, the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were still present in the Church, including the gift of miraculous healings. Just as the twelve apostles anointed the sick with oil and healed them after receiving from Jesus the special command and power to do so (cf. Mark 6:7-13), so it seems that the elders, that is, the ministers of the Christian churches at the time of James, at least in some places, possessed the same miraculous gift.

The signs and gifts in the first century Church were for confirming the Gospel being spread by the apostles. After their Gospel was confirmed, it didn’t need to go on being confirmed for the next 2,000 years, so we don’t send for our pastors for the healing of the body. But we should still send for them, in our time of sickness, for the Word of God and for their prayers!

Yes, we should all pray for one another, and we should be confident that those prayers do not fall on deaf ears. James assures us that the prayers of the righteous, that is, the prayers of Christians, who are righteous by faith in Christ Jesus, and who are praying for righteous things, are “powerful and effective” (NIV).

If we love one another, as Jesus commanded us Christians to do, then we will always be looking for ways to help one another, whether it’s through prayer, encouragement, confessing our wrongs, or patiently seeking to lead the erring back to the truth.

Let us pray: Father in heaven, we pray for our fellow Christians throughout the world. Bless and keep them. Strengthen their faith. And grant them perpetual peace. Amen.

Psalm 136:1-15 NKJV

136 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
² Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
³ Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever:

⁴ To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever;
⁵ To Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
For His mercy endures forever;
⁶ To Him who laid out the earth above the waters,
For His mercy endures forever;
⁷ To Him who made great lights,
For His mercy endures forever—
⁸ The sun to rule by day,
For His mercy endures forever;
⁹ The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His mercy endures forever.

¹⁰ To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹¹ And brought out Israel from among them,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹² With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹³ To Him who divided the Red Sea in two,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁴ And made Israel pass through the midst of it,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁵ But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,
For His mercy endures forever;

Psalm 136 is a song of thanksgiving for the LORD’s mercy that “endures forever.” The opening verse is repeated in several Psalms and is found in many post-Communion liturgies. It’s one of the verses Martin Luther included in the mealtime prayers in his Small Catechism, and many Christians continue to say it before or after a meal. Psalm 136 fleshes out the Lord’s “goodness” for us and reminds us of His “mercy” (also translated “goodness, “love,” and “steadfast love”) toward mankind in general and toward the people of Israel in particular.

Today’s reading highlights the LORD’s goodness and mercy shown in the creation of the universe and in the redemption of Israel from slavery in Egypt.

First, the Psalmist identifies the One to whom we are to give thanks: He is the LORD, Yahweh, the only true God, the one who “is.” He is the God of gods and the Lord of lords. No mighty man, no powerful angel, no wicked demon, and no false god or idol can stand against our good and gracious God.

Then, the Psalmist recounts the wonders of God in creation: how, on Day 2 of the creation week, He stretched out the heavens in wisdom—wisdom that we, perhaps, can appreciate even more than previous generations could, having a greater understanding of the vastness and complexity of space. He calls on us to give thanks for how, on Day 3, the Lord made the dry land on which we live, and how, on Day 4, He placed the sun, moon, and stars in their place to give us light, to govern our seasons, and to make things grow.

Finally, the Psalmist recounts the wonders of God in overthrowing Pharaoh and the Egyptians, with signs and great miracles, proving again His goodness and His steadfast love toward the people whom He had chosen, in His mercy, to know and to serve Him and to be the carriers of the promise of the coming Christ. Let us pray: Lord God, heavenly Father, we give thanks to You, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, for You are good and merciful, gracious and kind, and Your mercy endures forever. Amen.

Psalms 133 & 134 NKJV

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!

² It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
³ It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore.

The 133rd and 134th psalms are both psalms of instruction — yet each aimed in their own way. The 133rd psalm is aimed at instructing in the spiritual and worldly realms; while the 134th psalm is aimed at teaching and admonishing men who are carrying out the Office of the Holy Ministry.

A Song of Ascents.

134 Behold, bless the Lord,
All you servants of the Lord,
Who by night stand in the house of the Lord!
² Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
And bless the Lord.

³ The Lord who made heaven and earth
Bless you from Zion!

The 133rd psalm celebrates the unity that the people of Israel had with one another as they gathered to worship the one God and to receive His blessings. Living in unity is, obviously, as soothing as being anointed with oil — and as refreshing as dew from the mountains on a parched desert. Descriptions of the goodness and pleasure of unity and brotherhood remind us that the opposite, then, must take place — namely, discord, strife and disunity. This can happen within our families, our communities, our congregations and even entire church bodies (just look at how fractured the Missouri Synod is when it comes to believing and practicing the same thing). Christ’s prayer rings true: “that they may be one, even as We are one” (Jn. 17:11)

The 134th psalm is the last and shortest of the Psalms of Ascents. The priests on duty at the temple during the night are urged to bless the Lord, and yet it’s the Lord who blesses us. The night is an emblem of darkness and sorrow and yet, by God’s grace, Christ is present in the darkness. He gives His blessing from the sacrificial mountain in Jerusalem by the continual ministry of the Church through Word and Sacrament.

Rejoice, dear Saints! Our unity is in Christ, and more specifically in that unchangeable priesthood by which He ministers in heaven on our behalf — as well as on earth through the Office He instituted — the one mediator between God and man. Through Him the Lord decrees blessings, indeed! Let us pray: We praise You, Lord, for the unity we have by Your bringing it about through steadfast faith and true doctrine. Keep us focused on Christ through Your beloved means. Amen.

James 5:1-11 NKJV

5 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! ² Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. ⁴ Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. ⁵ You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

⁷ Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. ⁸ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! ¹⁰ My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. ¹¹ Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

The focus of the Church is the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ crucified. Because of a believer’s on-going struggle with his old nature, however, Christians can forget this sometimes. They can be duped into focusing on personalities, entertainment, activities, institutions, works, fights, spectacles, etc. But, by abiding in His Word, our Lord teaches us that we are to focus on His Word, His commands, and His Gospel. All the other things must serve the focus of the Gospel properly — and certainly not replace it.

The work of helping and comforting those who have various needs is an important part of our vocation as Christ’s people, but when we do it we should remember the words of St. James. Our prayers and our works should be guided by the Lord’s will, and His will is to save souls from the death of their sins. Sometimes the sick will get better, other times they will not. Sometimes suffering will pass, sometimes it will get worse. In all things our words and deeds should be focused on the “yes” and “no” of God’s teachings.

However, we all know this is easier said than done — and the only reason that it’s hard is because of that old nature mentioned above. It wants to determine its own “yes” and “no” — a ‘my-will-be-done’ sinful flesh attitude. Thanks be to God for His Spirit, which gives us faith and strength to do things according to His will. Even more than that, we also give Him thanks for the forgiveness that He shows toward us when we fail to stay focused on His Word and will. Let us pray: O Lord, since You never fail to help and govern those whom You nurture in Your steadfast fear and love, work in us a perpetual fear and love of Your holy name: through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.