May 4, 2023 — Psalm 22 

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;  and by night, but find no rest.  Yet you are holy,  enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame. But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people. All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; “Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”  Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.  On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.” Psalm 22:1-11 

“The 22nd psalm is a prophecy of the suffering and resurrection of Christ and a prophecy of the Gospel, which the entire world shall hear and receive. Beyond all other texts, it clearly shows Christ’s torment on the cross, that He was pierced hand and foot and His limbs stretched out so that His bones could have been counted. Nowhere in the other prophets can one find so clear a description.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther) 

 Psalm 22 begins with the most anguished cry in human history: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These are the words that Jesus spoke when at the depth of suffering on the cross. His suffering was beyond our knowing and understanding — his actions of giving himself up for all people is unfathomable. But, understand, Jesus was not inventing his own words — he was repeating the words of a Psalm that were near and dear to him. As such, we too need to reflect on these words — knowing they come from the heart of Christ in a particular moment of suffering.

The psalm begins with a section dominated by the agonized prayer: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?” John Calvin once wrote that these words, though coming from the anguished lips of Christ, are far from being unique or rare for the believer — for many of us have had similar moments of anguish. Calvin writes: “There is not one of the godly who does not daily experience in himself the same thing. According to the judgment of the flesh, he thinks he is cast off and forsaken by God, while yet he apprehends by faith the grace of God, which is hidden from the eye of sense and reason.” 

We must not think that living the Christian life is easy or that we will not daily have to bear the cross. But we also have the hope and faith that through Jesus Christ, we will receive grace, through faith — that comes to each through word and sacrament.  

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Lamb of the Father’s own choosing, who offered Yourself a bloody sacrifice for our sins on the Place of Skulls, receive our thanks for Your love beyond measure. Let Your wounds be the solace of our hearts, and Your merits the ornaments of our souls in life and death, that, with Your perfected saints on high, we may forever sing Your praise. Amen. 

Pastor Dave

 May 3, 2023 — Psalm 21 

“In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord, and in your help how greatly he exults! You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold on his head. He asked you for life; you gave it to him—length of days forever and ever. His glory is great through your help; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. You bestow on him blessings forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you. You will make them like a fiery furnace when you appear. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them. You will destroy their offspring from the earth, and their children from among humankind. If they plan evil against you, if they devise mischief, they will not succeed. For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows. Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.” Psalm 21 

“The 21st psalm is a prophecy of the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom that is and remains eternally and spiritually before God. At the same time, it also announces that those who reject this kingdom shall be destroyed.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther) 

It does not matter who we might identify as the enemy — man or the devil — G-d will be victorious. When Satan wars against the people of G-d on earth, we can always win with G-d on our side. He provides a way of escape for every testing and temptation that comes our way — Paul says just as much in 1 Corinthians 10:13. Faith is the key to our victory, through G-d, which will change the world. So long as we put our trust in G-d and not solely in ourselves or in the things of this world — we will be victorious. But when we allow doubt to rule our lives, then we allow Satan to be in charge.  

Faith will allow you and me to reach the finish line of our earthly struggle. There is victory in Christ. No matter how bad things may get, whether it is a virus, a job loss, a death, an accident, or a divorce, the greatest victory is the one that we will not see in this life. We often long to know more about heaven and eternal life, but for now we only have the brief glimpses that come from scripture. Our human minds cannot fathom the reality of the glory of that G-d is preparing for all people. Praise G-d for the grace that comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ! 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, our High Priest and our victorious King, wash us by Your blood, and plead for us with the Father, showing Him Your opened side and Your pierced hands. Preserve us in Your kingdom to serve You in true faith and piety. Restrain the enemies of Your Church, both visible and invisible, and keep us unto eternal life. Amen. 

Pastor Dave