Such is “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” who humbled Himself unto the extreme poverty of death “so that you by his poverty might become rich,” even unto life everlasting (2 Cor. 8:9).
SCRIPTURE READINGS
HYMNS FOR THE WEEK
- Opening Hymn | “Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old” (LSB 846)
- Hymn of the Day | “In the Very Midst of Life” (LSB 755)
- Closing Hymn | “O Christ, Who Shared Our Mortal Life” (LSB 552)
- Communion Distribution Hymns
- LSB 559 – “Oh, How Great Is Your Compassion”
- LSB 820 – “My Soul, Now Praise Your Maker”
- LSB 750 – “If Thou But Trust in God To Guide Thee”
- LSB 683 – “Jesus Thy Boundless Love To Me”
- LSB 782 – “Gracious God, You Send Great Blessings”
- LSB 548 – “Thanks To Thee, O Christ, Victorious”
- LSB 722 – Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me“
FIRST Sunday
of APOSTLES’ Tide
The Lord Jesus Is Faithful, and in Mercy He Raises You Up from Death to Life.
The Lord is faithful. His steadfast love never ceases, and “his mercies never come to an end” (Lam. 3:22–23). To keep us in repentance and to make our faith grow, He causes grief for a while, but He does not cast off forever; in due time, “he will have compassion” (Lam. 3:31–33). Therefore, “hope in him,” and “wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord,” for “the Lord is good to those who wait for him” (Lam. 3:24–26). That is what the woman did who had “a discharge of blood,” and also the ruler whose daughter was “at the point of death.” Each waited on the mercy of the Lord Jesus, and each received His saving help (Mark 5:21–28). The woman had suffered much for 12 years, and the ruler’s daughter had already died before Jesus arrived. Yet at the right time, the woman was immediately “healed of her disease,” and the little girl “got up and began walking” (Mark 5:29, 42). Such is “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” who humbled Himself unto the extreme poverty of death “so that you by his poverty might become rich,” even unto life everlasting (2 Cor. 8:9).
Sermon Starter
In Sunday’s Gospel, a man comes to Jesus with an urgent request, “My daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” On their way to this very important date, Jesus was interrupted and Jairus had to wait.
Many people—perhaps also you—get continually interrupted in their daily tasks. You want to get certain things done around the house, but kids are right there with their need of help and their sibling rivalries and their perpetual messes, preventing you from getting ahead on the things you want to do. You try to accomplish your work assignments and meet your deadlines, but your boss is continually asking you to do something else, your co-workers slow you down with what seems like attempts to get you to do their work, and someone in the family keeps calling you on the cell phone.
Don’t be so hard on the kids. They are on a mission from God and it is an essential part of their Christian vocation to interrupt you.
Try not to grumble too much about the interruptions at work, either from your boss or from your co-workers’ need for your help. God has placed you into your job and your daily tasks for the very purpose of serving those whom He has given you in that place.
Deadlines are important. Time truly is (sometimes) of the essence. But take a breath. If things do not work out the way you have planned for the day or for the week or for the year, they will still work out. If all else fails, you will still eventually die, go to heaven to be with Jesus, and rise again on the Last Day. What is the worst that can happen during your constant interruptions in the meantime?