Thy kingdom come

Verse for the week:
“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.” Psalm 145.13

Prayer for the week: Almighty God, Christ Jesus is the one who was, who is, and who is to come. He will reign forever prophet, priest, and king. While we await the fulfillment of his kingdom, grant that we may sing your praise and trust in you alone; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Bible reading for the day:  Colossians 1.9-20 (Scholars agree that Paul wrote this letter while he was imprisoned for his confession of Christ as Lord, sometime between 54-58 AD. He wrote to a congregation that was threatened by misleading teachers who sought to soften/replace the offense (Greek: “scandal”) of the cross with  plausible philosophical arguments and empty deceit.)

⁹  And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions       or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Prayer of the Day: Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: in Christ alone you forgive and redeem the elect, delivering us from the domain of darkness into your kingdom. Thank you that by your grace I am counted among them. Daily return me to the beginning, to Christ… that in everything – all my thoughts, words, and deeds – he may be preeminent. Thy kingdom come, Father; in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzsu1duEcF4

“Thy kingdom come…”

What does this mean?  God’s kingdom comes indeed without our prayer, but we ask in this petition that it may come also to us.

When does this happen?  God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit so that, by his grace, we believe his holy word and live a godly life on earth now and in heaven forever. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.