Brothers and sisters, I encourage you to join us Sunday morning as we continue to celebrate the good news of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. He has overcome death. Because He lives, all those who trust in Him will also be raised from the dead to live forever. As we read in the Scripture lessons, the truth of Jesus’ bodily resurrection can be difficult for sinful minds to believe. Thank God for working faith in our hearts.
Final arrangements are being made for the May 3 German Sausage Dinner. Lunch will served from 11 to 1. You can eat in or carry out. Freshly smoked sausage links are also for sale. There will be music and an auction. Come and bring your friends to enjoy the food and music, and the opportunity to buy some beautiful items.
The 27th of April is the Second Sunday of Easter. During the worship service we will follow the liturgy of Divine Service One beginning on page 151 of the LSB hymnal. Hymns chosen for the day are #463 Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Alleluia; #472 These Things Did Thomas Count as Real; #528 Oh For a Thousand Tongues to Sing; and #720 We Walk by Faith and not by Sight.
Scriptures assigned to the day are Psalm 148:1-14; Acts 5:12-20; Revelations 1:14-18; and John 20:19-31.
Through Psalm 148, the psalmist urges all creation to join in praising God, for He has kept His promise. He has raised up a “horn” from Israel. A horn (referring to the head of a ram or a bull) is a symbol of strength and power, and is often used in the Old Testament to refer to a king. A horn can be thought of as one who leads, protects, or saves people. Jesus is the horn/king God has raised up to defend and rescue His people.
Acts 5 reports on some of the events following Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The apostles who had been closest to Jesus were emboldened to continue the earthly ministry He had begun. They healed the sick, gave relief to those burdened by unclean spirits, and proclaimed the gospel of forgiveness and life in Jesus. And the Church grew. There were opponents to the apostles just as there had been opponents to Jesus. Jewish leaders had the apostles arrested. During the night, an angel miraculously released them from confinement. God instructed the apostles to not be afraid, and to return to the public square to continue proclaiming the gospel. God continues to urge all of us to tell others about the Jesus and the kingdom of God.
The book of Revelations is a series of revelations Jesus gave to His disciple John. The revelations are apocalyptic, using very mysterious, figurative, and symbolic language to describe the kingdom of heaven and the events leading to the end of the earth. In Chapter 1, John reports on details of the messages and visions he received from Jesus after His ascension. Jesus uses titles to describe His eternal greatness. He tells John to write about what he sees, including warnings to seven particular congregations. When Jesus appears, John gets a glimpse of Him and falls to the ground. Jesus tells Him to not be afraid; He holds the keys to life and death. One thing to keep in mind when reading Revelations is that all who trust in Jesus have no reason to fear. He will take you to live where He is.
In John 20 we read about events that took place among a group of disciples in the evening of the first Easter. The disciples (all but Thomas) were in a locked room, afraid the authorities might arrest them and put them to death as they had done to Jesus. Suddenly Jesus appeared, mysteriously entering despite the doors and windows being locked. Jesus greets them and tells them not to be afraid. Jesus also suddenly disappears. The apostles tell Thomas what he had missed. But he did not believe them. A week later, Jesus once again returns. Jesus revealed to Thomas that He was indeed alive. Thomas quickly testified that he believed Jesus. Jesus reminds us it is a great blessing if one can trust Jesus without seeing Him. The Scriptures point to Jesus, and all that they say has been written down for your benefit, that you would believe in Jesus, trust that He is the Son of God, and have eternal life in His name, belonging to Him
COLLECT: O almighty and most-merciful God, grant that we who have celebrated the mystery of our Savior’s resurrection, may by the help of Your grace display the fruits of faith in our words, thoughts, and conduct, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Please let me know if you have any prayer requests or questions about Sunday’s lessons. The Lord be with you. Pastor Boster
