Come down, O Christ, and bury yourself in my heart.
Verse for the week: “Oh sing to
the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.” Psalm 98.1
Prayer for the week: Dear heavenly Father, not by the rule of men but by Christ Jesus born
under your eternal law and crucified for the unrighteous you have judged the
world with righteousness and us with equity. Thank you; through the same,
Christ Jesus our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and forever. Amen.
Bible reading for the day: Isaiah 42.1-9 Throughout the era of the kings the people
increasingly looked to themselves, their human kings, and the false gods of the
nations around them. “Behold, these are all a delusion” (Isaiah 41.29). It took
the Exile to Babylon (587-539 BC) to bring his beloved people to nothing… so
that Lord could return them to their true King, the suffering servant.
1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
5 Thus says God,
the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in
righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are
blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them.”
Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father,
thank you: Christ alone opens our sin-blinded eyes and sets prisoners like us
free from Satan’s thrall. On Christ alone have you set your Holy Spirit. Repent
me and your whole church of our constant, dying attempts to seek our own kingdoms
and glory for our own names. Break in upon us with you kingdom each day: give
us your Holy Spirit so that by your grace we believe your Word and live godly
lives now and in eternity. In Jesus’ name I ask this, amen.
Hymn: Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion gives further voice
to today’s conversation with the Lord. Here is a link, listen to as much as you
wish; attend the lyrics and come back to this again and again. For today, I
particularly appreciate parts 12 and 13, which begin at 28:54 in the recorded
performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwVW1ttVhuQ&ab_channel=NetherlandsBachSociety
And here is a link to an interlinear translation of the
lyrics: https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV244-Eng3.htm
“Thy kingdom come…”
What does this mean?
God’s kingdom comes indeed without our prayer; but we ask in this prayer
that it would 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, 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: Blessed be the Lord, the God of
Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord! Psalm 106.48
*This is now
our congregation’s 99th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading
from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.