The Seventh Sunday of Easter – May 17, 2026

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our text for today is the Holy Gospel, but also Psalm 27, verse 1,

Psalms 27:1

from our introit, which reads, The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Here ends our text.

The words from our Holy Gospel for today were spoken by Jesus on the night in

which he was betrayed in the upper room. We call it Maundy Thursday.

Jesus was preparing his disciples for what lay ahead.

First, he spoke about the coming Pentecost.

He said, When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father,

the Spirit of Truth, he will bear witness about me, and you also will bear witness.

Then he spoke about what would happen to the disciples after Pentecost.

He said, he warned them, saying, They will put you out of the synagogues.

Indeed, the hour is coming whenever whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.

God has not promised his disciples popularity and earthly comforts.

He plainly told them that suffering and persecution would come.

The gospel would face opposition.

And so Jesus warned his disciples of this ahead of time so that they would not

be surprised when it came.

He did not warn them of this in order for them to avoid suffering,

but so that they could endure it.

It's kind of like a general leading his soldiers into battle,

preparing them for what lay ahead.

The world hated Christ, and therefore the world will also hate those who belong to him.

Later that same evening, Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The disciples fled. They ran away.

Peter denied Jesus three times.

The Sanhedrin had an unfair trial with Jesus and unjustly condemned him.

The soldiers mocked him. The crowd yelled out, crucify him.

And so Pilate sentenced Jesus to be crucified.

Why did Jesus suffer all this? Why was he willing to die upon the cross?

He died upon the cross as a righteous sacrifice for our sins.

His blood was the payment for our sins.

He died our death, he took our place, and he endured the wrath of God in our place as well.

He suffered the punishment we deserve, and if anyone truly suffered,

it was Jesus, more than any of us will ever suffer.

And where were the disciples during all this? They were hiding behind locked

doors because they were afraid that the enemies of Jesus might do the same thing to them.

But then came Easter. Jesus rose from the dead. He defeated our enemies of death

and the devil, and he appeared before his disciples, and he said, Peace be with you.

And he showed them his pierced hands and his side.

Forty days after Easter, Jesus ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father.

He now reigns over the world for the sake of his church, a festival we celebrated last Thursday.

After the ascension of our Lord, then what were the disciples doing?

They went to Jerusalem, and they waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit,

just as Jesus commanded them.

Then came Pentecost. The Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles,

just as Jesus had promised.

The Spirit's chief work was to testify about Christ,

to bear witness that Jesus is the Savior of the world, and the Holy Spirit gave

the apostles the ability to proclaim that Jesus died and rose again and that

salvation is found in Christ alone.

They proclaimed the forgiveness of sins, one through the cross and the open

tomb, and through the word, the Holy Spirit created faith in the people's hearts.

The Holy Spirit brought comfort and peace to people who had a terrified conscience.

Sometime after Pentecost, the

Jewish leaders commanded the apostles not to speak in the name of Jesus.

And Peter responded, we cannot but speak about what we've seen and heard.

And so they continued to proclaim Christ.

And then the high priest called them back in again and chided them again and

told them not to speak in the name of Jesus.

But this time Peter said, we must obey God rather than men.

And they continued to proclaim the gospel.

Since Christ is their light and their salvation, therefore there is nothing to fear.

Since Christ is the strength of their life, therefore there is no one to be afraid of.

And did they suffer for this confession of the gospel? Did they suffer for what they preached?

Yes, they did. They were mocked, imprisoned, beaten, and killed,

just as Jesus predicted.

Tradition tells us that all the disciples died a martyr's death except John,

and they were willing to give their lives up on the confession that Christ rose from the dead.

Dearly beloved, you have been baptized into Christ. You are redeemed with the blood of Christ.

And the Holy Spirit has called you by the gospel and created faith in you.

He has given you a new heart, a clean heart.

You believe that Jesus died for your sins and he rose from the dead.

You confess that Jesus is your one and only Savior. And because you belong to

Christ, you should not be surprised that hardship and suffering will come.

Jesus never promised that the Christian life would be easy, and he never promised

that our life here on this earth will be free from any kind of suffering.

St. Peter says in our epistle lesson for today, Beloved, do not be surprised

at the fiery trial when it comes upon you, but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings.

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed.

And so don't be surprised when you experience hostility from the unbelieving

world because of your faith in Christ.

Rather, rejoice and be glad and count it all joy.

The devil is our real enemy. He tempts us to sin. He fills our hearts with doubts.

He wants us to become ashamed of the gospel.

He wants us to be weary in confessing the truth.

Furthermore, he attacks God's word. He attacks the church. He seeks to destroy

marriage, family, and society.

He causes our world to become increasingly pagan and immoral.

We are in a spiritual warfare. We live in what's called the church militant,

always defending the faith and confessing the truth.

The world is also our enemy. We live in a culture increasingly hostile to Christianity.

We have pressure to compromise on God's word regarding marriage between one

man and one woman, sexuality only within marriage.

That God created the world, that there is truth from the scriptures, and so forth and so on.

The world tells us to remain silent.

It tells us that all religions are equally true.

It mocks the authority of the scriptures. It rejects Christ as the one and only

way of salvation. Let me shut this off.

And yet in the midst of all this conflict, Jesus says to us, do not be afraid.

Do not be afraid. Why? Because Christ rose from the dead, and he now sits at

the right hand of the Father.

He reigns from his throne over the world for the sake of the church.

No persecution can destroy his kingdom. No enemy can overthrow him.

No power on earth can silence the gospel.

Empires rise and fall, nations come and go. but Christ and his church remain.

He preserves his church, and he has promised that the gates of hell will never

prevail against his church.

Our ascended Lord has not abandoned us.

He says, behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

He says, I am with you. He's with us by means of gospel and sacrament.

The gospel continues to be preached. Sins continue to be forgiven.

Baptism continues to save. And the Lord's Supper continues to strengthen and sustain us.

The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter or the Helper.

Your comfort is not found from money, popularity, or earthly success.

Your comfort is found in the Gospel. And because of Jesus, your sins are forgiven,

death is defeated, and heaven is opened through faith in Christ. Who are you?

You are a baptized child of God. You are redeemed with the blood of Christ.

God loves you. And we know he loves you because he sent his only begotten son to be your savior.

Your identity is found in Christ.

Your identity is found in Christ. You are in the world, but you are not of the

world. You are of Christ.

He is your light and your salvation.

Therefore, there is nothing to fear. He is your strength. Therefore,

there is nothing to be afraid of.

It's easy to be depressed as we see the culture around us getting darker and

more hostile to Christianity.

But remember that Christ already won the victory.

He rose from the dead. He defeated death and the devil, and he will preserve his church.

He will make sure that the gospel and sacrament will continue for our sake and

for the sake of other brothers and sisters in Christ. So what should we do?

Remain steadfast in the faith. Live daily in repentance.

Confess your sins and receive the absolution. Hear the gospel preached.

Receive the Lord's Supper, the body and blood of Christ, for the forgiveness of all your sins.

Jesus gave up his life for you on the cross, and he rose again,

and he rescued you from sin, death, and the devil.

He has clothed you with his righteousness, and he has promised you the crown of life.

Therefore, by God's grace, remain faithful unto death. Don't throw in the towel.

Don't compromise with the world or the devil. Christ himself will strengthen

you and he will help you to persevere in the midst of hostility.

Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you so that they may repent

and also believe in Christ. Do not be ashamed of the gospel.

Rather, be a light in a dark world.

Proudly confess Christ as your Savior.

Confess the truth of the gospel to your friends, to your neighbors,

your co-workers, and your family.

Be proud of the gospel. Invite them to church. When suffering and hostility

come from an unbelieving world, remember that Christ suffered for you.

When fear comes, remember that Christ reigns on his throne.

When the devil accuses you, remember your baptism.

When the world opposes you, remember that Christ overcame the world.

The same Holy Spirit who strengthened the apostles continues to strengthen you

and to give you the precious gospel.

One day, the church militant will become the church triumphant.

The suffering of this present age will pass away.

Christ will return in glory on that last day.

Then the dead will be raised, and all believers in Christ will be clothed with a white robe.

And their tear will be gone forever.

No more suffering, no more persecution, no more sin, no more death,

no more tears. only everlasting joy in the presence of Christ.

We look forward to this and God grant this for Jesus' sake. Amen.