Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. . . And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:6-7,10-11
He Cares
“Who cares?” Maybe we’ve said that when something seemed insignificant. At times, we might truly ask that when we are struggling, and it seems like no one cares. Who sincerely cares?
God does. He sees, and he cares. While we wait for Jesus to come and take us to glory, Peter reminds us that he cares. He writes, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” There’s a dose of humility that comes with suffering. In humility, I need to see that I’m not exempt from hardship and suffering any more than Jesus was. But neither am I exempt from the glory and life my Savior won for me. In the meantime, he cares!
Peter encourages us to cast our anxiety off on Jesus. But sometimes, we tend to brush off instead of casting off. Brushing off means I don’t want to deal with it. I don’t have the capacity to address this problem, so I’ll ignore it or pretend it doesn’t exist. Sometimes, we brush off the troubles of others and minimize whatever it is that’s making them anxious. Jesus doesn’t brush you off, and he doesn’t brush off whatever is causing you anxiety like it’s nothing. He says, “Give it to me!” That’s how much he cares.
The same living and loving God who said about your sins, “Give them to me!” and carried them to a cross, also says about your fears, your worries, your anxieties, your sorrows, “Give them to me!” Why? Because he cares. For you! He lifts the burdens you can’t carry and sustains you through this life even when you suffer. And as surely as he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, he lives, and he is coming to take you to glory someday. Why? Because he still cares!
Prayer:
Lord, give me the humility to cast all my anxieties on you because you care. Amen.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7
Exchange Anxiety for Eager Anticipation
What makes you anxious? On the other hand, what excites you and gives you a sense of eager anticipation?
In a way, anxiety and anticipation are similar. Both look toward the future. However, when we experience anxiety, we are worried because we don’t know what the future holds. We fret about the worst-case scenarios and the “what ifs.” When we eagerly anticipate something, we are excited because we know something great is going to happen. This kind of anticipation can also help us hold out for something better to come. For example, if I know I’ll be dining at a world-class restaurant tonight, I won’t be tempted to hit the drive-through and fill up on junk.
God, in his great love for us, points us toward a glorious and certain future through his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus comes to us in the promises of the Bible, proven by his rising from the dead, and he exchanges our anxiety with eager anticipation. He doesn’t reveal all that will happen in this life, but he assures us that he is with us, and we belong to him. He’ll see us through our daily difficulties that often cause us anxiety.
He lifts your attention from your daily troubles and points you to the ultimate future—an eternity with him! He removes all anxiety concerning eternity by removing all your sins. All your sins were nailed to the cross with him, and his empty tomb is proof that no debt remains. You don’t need to be anxious about eternity, fretting if God will let you in. You can look forward to heaven with eager anticipation.
Looking forward to eternal life with this certainty helps us hold out for something better than what this world can offer us. We need not fill up on the empty promises and temporary pleasures of this world. We can be satisfied and content with God’s love and promises right now. We can leave our anxiety at the foot of Jesus’ cross and wait with eager anticipation for the day when we will see him with our own eyes.
Prayer:
Lord, lead me to your cross and lift all that makes me anxious and replace it each day with eager anticipation of a glorious life with you forever. Amen.
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 1 Peter 4:12-14
You Are Blessed!
“Wow, what a blessing!” “He’s so blessed!” “Count your blessings!” “Too blessed to be stressed!” These are ways we sometimes talk about blessings. It’s refreshing to hear people use the word “blessed” instead of “lucky.” Counting our blessings and remembering where they come from can keep us grounded and remind us to be thankful to God, who gives us all good things.
However, are blessings only things we would naturally call good? The apostle Peter mentions blessings we wouldn’t normally think of as blessings. He doesn’t say, “If lots of people like you, you are blessed.” Or, “If you’ve got good health and wealth, you’re blessed!” Instead, he says, “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
Don’t let worldly standards and perceptions tell you what it means to be blessed. The world may look at a Christian and criticize them for “outdated beliefs.” Unbelievers might call Christians “close-minded” for confessing that Jesus is the only way to eternal life. But the one who is truly blessed is the one who belongs to Jesus. Belonging to Jesus means that we do not belong to this world. It means a Christian doesn’t fit into the world’s skewed ideas of what it means to be blessed.
If you believe in Jesus, and the world looks at you sideways, or responds with even more hostility, let it remind you that you are blessed because you belong to Jesus. This blessing lasts beyond the rejection of the world. This world’s insults don’t stick because God’s glorious blessings of forgiveness and life rest on you.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for the blessings of being connected to you and the gift of your grace. Even when the world doesn’t call me blessed, make me a blessing to those around me. Amen.
Synodical Council holds spring meeting The Synodical Council (SC) normally meets twice each year. It held its spring meeting April 24-25. Some of the business addressed follows: In keeping with its role of acting on […]
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Central Africa Medical Mission pop-up clinic Working closely with the leadership and volunteers from the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ–Kenya (LCMC), the Central Africa Medical Mission (CAMM) organized a short-term medical camp in Chabera, Kenya, […]
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Writing for new theology curriculum underway Four writing teams have begun their work of drafting teacher and student materials for four program levels of a new WELS school theology curriculum. Work on this curriculum began in […]
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Together PDF alternatives Sharing Together content has never been easier. Here are some easy ways to make sure your congregation stays up to date with the latest synodical news. 1. Helpful icons at […]
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Conference of Presidents spring meeting The Conference of Presidents (COP) met for its spring meeting April 8-9. Here are some of the items they discussed or decided: Three new COP members were chosen as COP […]
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. [1]
Matthias Is Chosen
13 When they entered the city, they went to the upstairs room where they were staying. Peter and John were there, also James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 All of them kept praying together with one mind, along with the women, with Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
15 In those days, when the group there numbered about 120 people, Peter stood up among the brothers [2] and said, 16 “Gentlemen, [3] brothers, the Scripture [4] had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David about Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 Judas was counted as one of us and was given a share in this ministry.
18 “Now this man acquired a field with what he was paid for his wicked act. When he fell headfirst, his middle burst open, and all his intestines spilled out. 19 This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, and so in their own language that field was called Akeldema, which means Field of Blood. 20 Indeed, it is written in the book of Psalms:
May his residence be deserted. Let there be no one dwelling in it. [5]
And,
let someone else take his position. [6]
21 “Therefore it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us during the entire time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from his baptism by John until the day Jesus was taken up from us, become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 They proposed two: Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.” [7]
26 Then they assigned lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias. So he was counted with the eleven apostles. [8]
Footnotes
Acts 1:12 That is, a distance less than a mile
Acts 1:15 Some witnesses to the text read disciples. (“Witnesses to the text” mentioned in footnotes may include Greek manuscripts, lectionaries, translations, and quotations in the church fathers.)
Acts 1:16 Literally Men
Acts 1:16 Some witnesses to the text read this Scripture.
Acts 1:20 Psalm 69:25
Acts 1:20 Psalm 109:8
Acts 1:25 Some witnesses to the text read portion or inheritance.
Acts 1:26 It is uncertain whether the procedure described in this verse refers to casting lots or voting.
1 I wrote my first book, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began doing and teaching 2 until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After he had suffered, he presented himself alive to the apostles with many convincing proofs. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and told them things about the kingdom of God.
4 Once, when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for what the Father promised, which you heard from me. 5 For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 So when they were together with him, they asked, “Lord, is this the time when you are going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus Ascends to Heaven
9 After he said these things, he was taken up while they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 They were looking intently into the sky as he went away. Suddenly, two men in white clothes stood beside them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
1 In the Lord I take refuge. How can you say to my soul: “Flee to your mountain like a bird. 2 Look! The wicked bend their bow. They set their arrow against the string to shoot in the darkness at the upright in heart. 3 When the foundations are being torn down, what can the righteous do?”
David’s Answer
4 The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord is on his throne in heaven. His eyes observe. He focuses on [1] the children of Adam. [2] 5 The Lord is righteous. He examines the wicked. He really hates [3] those who love violence. 6 On the wicked he will rain down fiery coals and sulfur. [4] A scorching wind will be the cup given to them. 7 Indeed, the Lord is righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright will view his face.
Psalm 12
Proud Words vs. Pure Words
Heading
For the choir director. According to sheminith. [5] A psalm by David.
The Proud Words of the Ungodly
1 Save us, Lord, for the merciful have disappeared. The faithful have vanished from among mankind.
2 Everyone speaks falsehood to his neighbor. Their flattering lips speak double-talk. [6] 3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips. May he cut off every tongue that speaks boastfully, 4 which says, “With our tongues we will establish our power. We say what we please. [7] Who is lord over us?”
The Pure Words of the Lord
5 “Because of the destruction of the oppressed, because of the groaning of the poor, now I will rise up,” says the Lord. “I will keep him safe from the one who puffs against him.” [8] 6 The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. 7 You, Lord, will keep them safe. You will protect them from such people forever. 8 The wicked strut around when depravity is honored by the children of Adam.
Footnotes
Psalm 11:4 Literally his eyelids test
Psalm 11:4 Or sons of man, that is, all mankind
Psalm 11:5 Literally his soul hates
Psalm 11:6 The Hebrew text reads snares, fire, and sulfur. The translation follows one Greek version, which inverts two letters in one Hebrew word, changing snares to fiery coals.
Psalm 12:1 Sheminith is apparently derived from the Hebrew word for eight. It may refer to an eight-stringed instrument, to the bass voice, to low-pitched stringed instruments, or, most likely, to a method for tuning a stringed instrument (1 Chronicles 15:21).
Psalm 12:2 Literally speak with a heart and a heart
For the choir director. According to “The Death of the Son.” [1] A psalm by David.
Praise for God’s Righteous Judgment
1 I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart. I will tell about all your wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will make music to your name, O Most High.
Judgment Against David’s Enemies
3 When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish from your presence, 4 for you have upheld my rights and my cause. You sat on the throne, judging righteously. 5 You have rebuked the nations, and you made the wicked perish. You have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6 As for the enemy, their destruction is complete and final. You have uprooted cities. Memory of them has perished with them.
Judgment Against the Whole World
7 The Lord is seated forever. He has established his throne for judgment. 8 The Lord himself will judge the world in righteousness. He will judge the peoples with fairness. 9 The Lord will be a refuge for those who have been crushed, a refuge for times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Closing Praise and Final Appeal
11 Make music for the Lord, who is seated in Zion. Proclaim his deeds among the peoples. 12 Yes, he who avenges bloodshed remembers them. He does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 13 Have mercy on me, O Lord. See my afflictions that are caused by those who hate me, and raise me up from the gates of death, 14 so that I may declare all your praise. In the gates of the Daughter of Zion [2] I will rejoice in your salvation.
The Fate of the Wicked
15 The nations have sunk into the pit they have made. Their feet are caught in the net that they have hidden. 16 The Lord makes himself known by the judgment he has carried out. By the work of his hands the wicked are snared. Interlude for meditation [3] 17 The wicked return to the grave, all the nations who forget God. 18 But he will never forget the needy. The hope of the afflicted will never perish. 19 Rise up, O Lord. Do not let man triumph. Let the nations be judged in your presence. 20 Strike them with fear, O Lord. Let the nations know they are only human. Interlude
Psalm 10
Break the Arm of the Wicked Man
An Opening Appeal for Action
1 Why, Lord, do you stand so far away? Why do you hide in times of distress?
A Portrait of the Wicked
2 Because of the pride of the wicked, the oppressed burn. [4] They are caught in the schemes that the wicked plan. 3 Yes, the wicked man boasts about his heart’s desires. He blesses the robber. He despises the Lord. [5] 4 With his nose in the air, the wicked does not seek God. There is no room at all for God in his thoughts. 5 His ways are prosperous all the time. He is haughty. Your judgments do not concern him. He snorts at all of his foes. 6 He says in his heart, “I will not be shaken. Through age after age I will have no trouble.” 7 Cursing fills his mouth, along with lies and threats. Trouble and evil lie under his tongue. 8 He waits in ambush by the villages. In hidden places he murders the innocent. His eyes are spying on the helpless. 9 He lies in ambush. He hides like a lion in a thicket. He lies in ambush to catch the oppressed. He catches the oppressed by dragging them in his net. 10 The helpless are crushed. They sink down. They fall under his strength. 11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten. He hides his face. He never sees.”
An Appeal for Divine Justice
12 Rise up, O Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the oppressed. 13 Why does the wicked man despise God? Why does he say in his heart, “You do not seek justice”? 14 But you do see. You notice trouble and grief. You take it into your own hands. The helpless one abandons himself to you. For the fatherless you are indeed a helper. 15 Break the arm of the wicked. You pursue the wickedness of the evil man until you find no more. [6]
Confidence in Divine Justice
16 The Lord is King forever and ever. The nations will perish from his land. 17 Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted. You strengthen their hearts, and your ear pays attention, 18 to obtain justice for the fatherless and the crushed, so that the worldly man [7] may no longer terrify.
Footnotes
Psalm 9:1 This may be the name of the tune. The translation according to the death of the son is uncertain.
Psalm 9:14 This half-line may be taken with the preceding line rather than with the following line. Here Daughter of Zion seems to be a personification of Jerusalem.
Psalm 9:16 Higgaion and selah together may mean a musical interlude for meditation.
Psalm 10:2 Or in pride the wicked burns for [that is, he hotly pursues] the oppressed
Psalm 10:3 With a different punctuation and reading of the Hebrew text the robber reviles the Lord
Psalm 10:15 Or which he thought you would not find
A shiggaion [1] by David, which he sang to the Lord
because of the words of Cush, from the tribe of Benjamin.
David’s Innocence
1 O Lord my God, in you I take refuge. Save me from all my pursuers and deliver me. 2 Otherwise, like a lion they will tear me apart. They will drag me away with no one to rescue me. 3 O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is injustice in my hands, 4 if I have done evil to anyone who is at peace with me, or if I have robbed my foe for no reason, 5 then let an enemy pursue my life and overtake me. Let him trample my life to the ground and make my glory dwell in the dust. Interlude
David’s Appeal for Justice
6 Stand up, O Lord, in your anger. Rise up against the fury of my foes. Awake for me. You have commanded justice. [2] 7 A crowd of peoples surrounds you. Turn against them from on high. 8 Let the Lord judge the peoples. Acquit me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity which is in me. 9 The evil of the wicked will come to an end, but you will establish the righteous. You search minds and hearts, [3] O righteous God.
God’s Judgment Against the Wicked
10 My shield is God, who saves the upright in heart. 11 God, the judge, is righteous, but he is a God who expresses his wrath every day. 12 If he [4] does not relent, the Lord [5] will sharpen his sword. He has bent his bow and will string it. 13 He prepares his deadly weapons. He will make his arrows flames.
You Reap What You Sow
14 Yes, whoever conceives evil and is pregnant with trouble will give birth to disappointment. [6] 15 He digs a pit and scoops it out, and he will fall into the hole he has made. 16 The trouble he causes comes back on his own head. His violence comes down on top of his own skull.
Closing Praise
17 I will thank the Lord because of his righteousness, and I will make music to the name of the Lord Most High.
Psalm 8
Your Name Is Majestic
Heading
For the choir director. According to gittith. [7] A psalm by David.
The Glory of God Declared by the Heavens
The Glory of God Declared by Children
1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Set this glory of yours above the heavens. [8] 2 From the lips of little children and nursing babies you have established strength [9] because of your foes, to put a stop to the enemy and the avenger.
The Glory of the Son of Man
3 Whenever I look up at your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place— 4 what is man that you remember him, the son of man [10] that you pay attention to him! 5 Nevertheless, you make him suffer need, apart from God for a while, [11] but you crown him with glory and honor. 6 You make him the ruler over the works of your hands. You put everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and cattle, and even the wild animals, 8 the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea, which pass through the currents of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Footnotes
Psalm 7:1 The Hebrew word shiggaion is a musical term of uncertain meaning. Perhaps it means an emotional song.
Psalm 7:6 Or command justice
Psalm 7:9 Literally hearts and kidneys
Psalm 7:12 It is not clear whether he refers to God or to the wicked.
Psalm 7:12 Hebrew he. The subject the Lord is supplied for clarity.
Psalm 7:14 Or lies
Psalm 8:1 Gittith means in the style of Gath. Gath is a city name. It also means winepress. The term seems to refer to a musical style associated with Gath or perhaps to the name of a melody.
Psalm 8:1 The grammar of the line is difficult.
Psalm 8:2 The Greek Old Testament and Matthew 21:16 read prepared praise.
Psalm 8:4 Or the Son of Man, or the Son of Adam. Hebrews 2:6 makes it clear that Jesus is the Son of Adam who fulfills this prophecy. Jesus’ title, the Son of Man, however, is based on Daniel 7:13 rather than on this verse. Here and in Daniel 7:13 it seems that the term son of man is not yet a formal title. It is the poetic parallel of the term man.
Psalm 8:5 This very important verse is difficult and has been the subject of a number of interpretations. A literal rendering of the Hebrew reads: You made him lack—God—a little. This could be paraphrased with Luther: You let him be forsaken by God for a little while. The translation above follows Luther in understanding this as a reference to Jesus’ humiliation. The Greek translation of the Old Testament interprets the Hebrew word elohim, which usually means god, as a reference to godlike beings, namely, the angels: You made him a little lower [or lower for a little while] than the angels. Hebrews 2:7 quotes this translation. In either interpretation the point is the same: Jesus endured humiliation while he was on earth acting as our Savior. The fact that he needed help from the angels is one evidence of this.
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The Synodical Council (SC) normally meets twice each year. It held its spring meeting April 24-25. Some of the business addressed follows: In keeping with its role of acting on […]
Working closely with the leadership and volunteers from the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ–Kenya (LCMC), the Central Africa Medical Mission (CAMM) organized a short-term medical camp in Chabera, Kenya, […]
Four writing teams have begun their work of drafting teacher and student materials for four program levels of a new WELS school theology curriculum. Work on this curriculum began in […]
Sharing Together content has never been easier. Here are some easy ways to make sure your congregation stays up to date with the latest synodical news. 1. Helpful icons at […]