Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 29, 2022
Prayer of the Day
O God, form the minds of your faithful people into your one will. Make us love what you command and desire what you promise, that, amid all the changes of this world, our hearts may be fixed where true joy is found, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Scripture
Acts 1:1-11
Acts 16:16-34
Psalm 97
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
John 17:20-26
Sermon
“Unity after Uvalde?”
John 17:20-26
In the wake of the second-deadliest school shooting on record, we know that thoughts and prayers are not enough to solve this nation’s scourge of gun violence. And we know in our broken hearts that this massacre will not create unity among us. The divisions that already exist will only become further entrenched. But what if it is not our prayers that matter most? What if we are looking for unity in the wrong places? Today we overhear Jesus, on the night before he would lay down his life upon the altar of this world’s hate and violence, praying to his Father. Jesus prays for us. He gifts us with a unity that transcends our ability to agree with one another. Our prayers alone will do little if we don’t also work to end gun violence. But Jesus prays for us; with his prayers we might be able to do something. And do something we must. We hear today in Revelation that we will be repaid according to our work. Thankfully, we are covered in baptism by the saving work of Christ. We need not live in fear. Let us neither use grace as a cheap excuse for continued indifference. Let us claim our unity in Christ, feel the power of his prayers for us, and get to work for the sake of God’s children.
Hymns
Rise, O Sun of Righteousness, ELW 657
Christ Is the King, LBW 386
One Bread, One Body, WOV 710
Crown Him With Many Crowns, LBW 170
ELW, Evangelical Lutheran Worship
LBW, Lutheran Book of Worship
WOV, With One Voice
In our prayers we remember ELCA World Hunger.