Psalm 27:1a, 4-5, 10, 14; antiphon, Psalm 27:7—The antiphon is “Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!” The cry of the Psalmist is a prayer for deliverance from treacherous enemies. These remain unspecified, whether from inside or outside the kingdom or both. The chief weapon is a false charge intent on discrediting the king. When people say all manner of things falsely against us, we need not retaliate. Rather we are take our burdens, concerns, and sorrows to the throne room of grace and be thankful as the Savior answers each petition according to His perfect and good will.
This coming Sunday will be the Sunday after the Ascension. Jesus has departed and the church is on its own. The disciples are left alone to confront the challenges of living in a fallen world. Before He departs, Jesus prays for His friends. The First Lesson shows the infant church with the problem of a vacancy in leadership and prays to the ascended Lord for guidance in choosing a successor to Judas. Though Jesus has ascended, Christians are not alone in the world. This thought is conveyed in the Second Lesson as well as in the Gospel. The suggested hymn deals with the church without the physical Jesus and urges the people not to fear, for God has chosen to give them the kingdom.
Collect for Psalm 27: Gracious Father, protector of those who hope in you. You heard the cry of your Son and kept him safe in your shelter in the day of evil. Grant that your servants, who seek your face in times of trouble may see your goodness in the land of the living, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.[1] - 10May 2021—Image of the Ascension of Christ by Salvador Dail, copyright © Google images
[1] Collect for Psalm 27, For All the Saints, A Prayer book for and by the Church, The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, © 1995 Delhi, NY
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