"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10

Those Who Wait on the Lord Shall Rejoice

This past Sunday was the Fourth Sunday in Easter Sunday.
The Scripture readings were:

Isaiah 40:25-31 or Lamentatations 3:22-33, 1 Peter 2:11-20 or 1 John 3:1-3, John 16:16-22

The people of God are pilgrims and sojourners in this world, looking ahead to a destination yet to come (1 Peter 2:11-20). Though we are now children of God, the fullness of what we shall be has not yet been revealed (1 John 3:1-3). We are those who wait on the Lord. "The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him" (Lam. 3:25). Jesus tells us that the wait is just a little while. "A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me" (John 16:16). Though you must experience sorrow for a time, though you must live as strangers in a world that is at enmity with Christ, yet your sorrow will be turned to joy when He returns. "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength" (Is. 40:31). The little while of weeping shall be replaced with an eternity of rejoicing in the presence of Christ the crucified and risen Savior. "And no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:22).

© The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (lcms.org/worship). Used by permission. All rights reserved.

We welcome all to join us in worship this Sunday. We also invite you to listen to our weekly radio broadcast Sunday from 10-10:30 AM on radio station WIKI 95.3FM or stream on your favorite device at WIKI's website, clicking On Air, then Listen Online. Also, you may want to consider other worship resources such as Worship Anew - a 30 minute video worship service which you can stream on-demand, KFUO AM, our LCMS radio station, which can be streamed live or on-demand, and Issues, ETC, which offers a vast array of Christian topics and discussions. We are blessed to have Lutheran podcasts such as these.

May the LORD bless you and keep you, may He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you, May His countenance shine upon you, and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26