The Christian trusts God to provide. God reveals His mighty power chiefly in showing mercy and kindness. God feeds hungry mouths and hungry souls with His gifts of grace. When we bring our problems to Jesus, He will richly supply all we need.

This Sunday’s readings are centered around the very ancient Prayer of the Day. For nearly 1600 years God’s people on this day have prayed that God might give them true spiritual wealth. “Teach us always to ask according to your will that we may never fail to obtain the blessings you have promised.” What a magnificent prayer for the materialist world in which we live! Our lessons today show people who have come into great wealth, that true, spiritual wealth can only be found in God and His eternal blessings for us in Christ. The Christian seeks spiritual wealth.

The Christian lives as wheat among weeds as he waits for the harvest. In the Prayer of the Day, we ask for the spirit to live like wheat–to think and to do what is right–even while we live in this sinful world. Living with an eye on the coming harvest gives us encouragement, comfort, and hope. The Christian lives as wheat among weeds.

From the beginning of time, God provided rest for His creation. He blessed the seventh day and set it apart, that man might learn to find his rest in God alone. In Jesus, the Christian finds rest from his burdens, rest from his battles, and rest forever in heaven. The Christian finds rest in Jesus.

This week we begin a 7-week series looking at various aspects of “The Christian.” The beautiful Prayer of the Day sets the tone for the Sunday. The Church prays for the love of God that we might always love Him above all things. The Verse of the Day describes this total commitment to Christ as denying ourselves and carrying our crosses. The lessons warn of the earthly ramifications of such love, but also point to the promised heavenly rewards. The Christian loves God above all things.

Over the next three Sundays we hear Jesus’ Missionary Discourse (Matthew 10:5-42). Last Sunday we saw the unworthiness of the servants God calls by mercy. Today the emphasis is still on the Ministry of the Word, but the focus shifts from the servants to the people they serve. We see the compassion and love of God for this world, love so great that he called ministers of the Word to share His grace and mercy and foretell of the coming kingdom of heaven. The Holy Ministry is given by God out of compassion for his people.

The Holy Ministry stands on the rock-solid truth of God’s Word. Not all who call themselves ministers do that, so watch out for false teachers! Many will come with wise-sounding words and pious promises, but they are not what they seem. The Church’s only defense is to stand firmly on the rock-solid truth of God’s Word.

The Season: After reliving the great events of the life of Christ, the worshipping Church spends half a year focusing on the teachings of Christ. The Church wears green during the season of Pentecost as the Spirit uses those teachings of Jesus to grow the faith of believers. The appointed lessons teach us the characteristics of the Holy Ministry, the Christian, the Church, our God, and the Christian life.

The Sunday: We believe in the Triune God. The third and longest of the ecumenical creeds underscores the importance of this Sunday’s message. The doctrine of the Trinity is not a logical exercise or a dogmatic excursion. It’s central to our salvation. The Triune God is our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. Lose this doctrine, and as the Creed says, you lose it all. A Jesus who is less than God is also less than Savior. The Holy Ministry proclaims the Triune God.

God’s Old Testament people celebrated the gathering of the harvest at the Festival of Weeks. On the fiftieth day, God sent the promised Counselor on the day we call “Pentecost.” This day marked the birthday of the New Testament Church and celebrates the harvest of souls won by the Son and gathered by his servants empowered by his Spirit. Pentecost is the third great festival of the Church and has been commemorated since at least 217 A.D. The Church dresses in red to remind us of the tongues of fire that marked the Spirit’s gift and the blood of the martyrs which were the seed of the Church.