Readings for the 7th Sunday of Easter, Yr. A – Acts 1:6-14; Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35; 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11; John 17:1-11. This sermon was preached at Grace & Glory Lutheran Church in Palmyra, VA on May 17, 2026.
On a beautiful day participating in worship with the birds singing and sun shining, it seems odd to be speaking about suffering. It appears out of place. Yet that’s life in a Fallen World – good and evil, beauty and ugliness, love and hate tend to be at odds. It is all part of our earthly existence. And so in the season of Easter, we hear for Christ glorified and are reminded of suffering through our assigned readings. Whether the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry or following Jesus today, it remains the same. This is not just “something strange happening to us” alone (echoing Peter’s words in 1 Peter 4:12). Until Jesus returns, we live in a time where the Kingdom is here, but it is not yet in its fullness. There will be suffering at times. We live within the tension of darkness and light waiting for Jesus to put an end to sin, suffering and death.
The Bible is filled with such real-world tensions, and they similarly stare us in the face today. Immediately before Jesus is betrayed and arrested in the Gospel of John…before Judas treacherously kisses Jesus…before his disciples run away in fear leaving him alone and abandoned…and before Peter denies Jesus three times…Jesus prays for his disciples. Jesus asks God to protect them. As fickle, weak and treacherous as his disciples might be at times, Jesus asks, “protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one” (John 17:11).
I find that sort of curious. This action of grace appears a bit shocking considering the upcoming disciples’ sin and lack of faith. Think about it…Jesus is about to face the biggest challenge of his earthly life…one that would in the most grewsome of ways end his human existence…and he chose to pray for those who had the propensity to let him down or abandon him…Yet, Jesus prays for his disciples amidst all their imperfections, because they are his sheep. They belong to him, and he loves them. And it is true that with God’s help all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). These disciples will yet be one as Jesus and his Father are one. And that to me seems quite profound.
As Jesus prays, he knows that he will be beaten then hung on a cross until death. That’s been part of the plan for his earthly ministry. His experience of the cross was necessary for some divine reason in order to help bless the world and save us. And to fulfill God the Father’s will, Jesus set his face toward the cross, accepting its indignity, the betrayal, and all pain that came with it, and he could not be turned away from it. Oh, he was tempted to, for remember he also prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done.” Still, he could not turn aside. He asks the same of us. We, too, are to accept our crosses in faith.
Thus, to follow Jesus is not an easy gig. We are supposed to love as we are loved…impossibly perfectly. We are supposed to love our enemies and forgive…not easy! We are to seek justice with mercy, care for the sick, provide for the poor, love the aliens in our midst, and share what we have with others. Out of fear of not having enough, we sometimes hesitate. At other times, we are too busy or easily distracted. We are supposed to witness to Christ to the ends of the Earth reflecting faith hope and love…which can be awkward and uncomfortable…can take sacrifice. Sometimes, we are afraid to witness to our next door neighbor.
And especially for we Lutherans, we sometimes joke that sharing faith seems impossible. We are “the frozen chosen” – too stoic, too silent, too shy perhaps…uncertain of how to share our faith. And on our own, it is impossible to be confident…We will fail…BUT we are not alone…and God can transform even a Lutheran. For, Christ promises that he is with us. The Holy Spirit sanctifies, guides, protects, and even prays for us. Whatever we have done or left undone, we can move forward towards our goal just as Jesus did, seeking to bless others on our way. Loving them as they are is our start. Sure, we will fail Jesus like the first disciples did at times, but he calls us anyway. We don’t need fancy words or a degree. We need the authentic love of Jesus to shape our lives, and the willingness to take up our cross knowing that we might stumble and fall as Jesus literally did on the way to Calvary. Unlike God’s love, our love will never be perfect, but we need to try to love anyway. It is ok if we make mistakes, or stumble on our words, or don’t do so perfectly. Seek to love.
Now, sometimes suffering seems void of meaning. Bad stuff can happen to good people…all…the…time. It can happen. We can even cause our own suffering. And, Jesus taught that God the Father makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous alike (Matthew 5:45). What he is saying is what we often feel….This life is often unfair. Suffering is part of life.
And although suffering might come, we aren’t to seek out martyrdom or pain for its own sake. For example, Paul avoided arrest until he couldn’t, ultimately being put to death. Just like Jesus, he died when the time was right. And because suffering is not always glorifying Jesus but a consequence of evil, sin, and the imperfections of a fallen world, it can be just what it is…suffering with no redeeming value to our eyes. It stinks. It’s hard. It’s messy. And just like the prophet Jeremiah, we want to lament. And still even then, because God loves us, we are told that God can use suffering…even the most meaningless suffering for our good…somehow, some way, at the right time for our individual or collective good. It might lead us to knew relationships or opportunities or wisdom for just a few examples. Our suffering can be used to prove Jesus’ steadfast love for us and bring glory and thanksgiving to God in a way we might never understand until we are with Jesus on Resurrection Day…but that’s God’s promise.
Yet it doesn’t feel great when you are in the midst of suffering. The Apostle Peter knows this firsthand, and so does the community he is writing to. In their case, they are facing social hostility and family rejection. Those who have tried to attend Synagogue are being cast out and abused. There’s been unjust suffering because they believe in Jesus and are trying to shape their lives in a way to reflect his life and teachings. This is not just suffering but suffering for Christ’s sake. Yet, some are losing hope, and some are walking away.
This letter was meant to be circulated around the congregations of Asia Minor: “Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1). Recognizing that these fellow disciples are not of this world although still in it (John 17:16), Peter (tradition indicates it is Peter, but scholars debate this) addresses his readers by calling them “exiles” (1 Peter 1:1) and “aliens” (1 Peter 2:11) as the letter began. They aren’t going to fit in, and the powers of the world will rage against them at times, because that’s what happened to Jesus too. So, with great eloquence, he argues for us to do what we can but also hope…hope in the promises and steadfast love of Jesus.
Seek to accept the suffering for what it is…often unfair. Grieve it, deal with it as best one can, confess to God that you don’t want this cup, but we are to humble ourselves as Jesus did in the Garden recognizing this suffering might not be avoidable. “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you,” Peter writes. No matter how big or small the suffering, no matter plain old suffering or holy suffering, Jesus cares about us…about you! God’s in the mix “working for your welfare not for woe” as Jeremaih similarly reminds us. Paul asked, “What then are we to say about these things [the sufferings of the present]? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31). Oh, our suffering is real, and it hurts, and I don’t want to suffer either, but it will come not just because of our vulnerability as humans but also because we are trying to live like Christ.
Yet, if we remember whose we are and who loves us, it can help us through. And if we don’t? Jesus intends to help us through anyway. That’s why he came. That’s why he accepted his cross. It is why he claims to be our shepherd, and he calls us his sheep, his children, and his brothers and sisters. He cares about us. He wills to save us. Trust this: suffering will never have the final say, God will…God has already spoken the final Word in Christ Jesus. God is a god who loved us enough to suffer and die for us.
So, even with all the suffering the world can send at us, even as we are down and out, confused or dismayed with our eyes filled with tears, our hearts sinking, and our heads spinning….at the point of giving up, remember this….Jesus cares for us…Jesus cares for you. Strive to make the next decision, take the next step, do the right thing and fight the good fight in Jesus’ name. Trusting that all will be well, seek to always follow Jesus. Yet, it is never really left up to us to succeed at this. It never was or will be. Jesus has already asked for our protection, for we are his, and he wills us to be one, as he is one with the Father. It will be so whether we can fully believe it or not. We share in his victory as gift through faith.
“And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen” (1Peter 5:10-11).
Below, please find a video of our worship service. The sermon starts at about the 19:20 minute mark.
© 2026 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author unless under terms of fair use and properly attributed. Scripture passages when used are from the NRSVue translation unless otherwise indicated.
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