Your Sin, your death, and the Devil: Swallowed Up

Verse for the week: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23.1

Prayer for the week: Almighty God, source of every blessing, your generous goodness comes to us anew every day. By the work of your Spirit lead us to confess your goodness, give thanks for your benefits, and serve you in willing obedience; through you Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Lutheran Book of Worship, 1978)

Bible reading for the day: Isaiah 25.1-9 (Isaiah preached this message to Judah & Jerusalem during the latter part of the 8^th century BC. Chapters 13-24 announce that the kings and palaces of this world – from Egypt to Jerusalem to Babylon – will be dethroned. Once they are, the Lord is then exalted in his rightful place as King.)

¹ O Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
    plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
² For you have made the city a heap,
    the fortified city a ruin;
the foreigners' palace is a city no more;
    it will never be rebuilt.
³ Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
    cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
⁴ For you have been a stronghold to the poor,
    a stronghold to the needy in his distress,
    a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat;
for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,
⁵     like heat in a dry place.
You subdue the noise of the foreigners;
    as heat by the shade of a cloud,
    so the song of the ruthless is put down.

⁶ On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
    a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
    of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
⁷ And he will swallow up on this mountain
    the covering that is cast over all peoples,
    the veil that is spread over all nations.
⁸     He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
    and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
    for the Lord has spoken.
⁹ It will be said on that day,
    “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
    This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
    let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

Prayer (based on the TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you that the wait is over: on the mountain of Golgotha you have swallowed up our sin and death and served for me and all your people the rich feast of new life in Christ, the full, perfectly timed wine of his forgiveness.  Thank you!  Kill off the old sinner in us that would look for any other god and would exalt our own names.  Leave my will on the heap where it belongs and keep up your wonderful work Lord… that I may cling to you alone as my God, exalt you, and praise your name all the time; in Jesus’ name I ask this. Amen.

Hymn:  follow this link to a beloved, classic hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgzRB4gEPf4

The Second Commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold guiltless those who take his name in vain.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that we do not use his name superstitiously or to curse, swear, lie, or deceive, but call upon him in every time of need, and worship him with prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Benediction:  May the God of peace himself grow you in his will entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.  Amen.  I Thess 5.23

*The T.R.I.P. approach to prayer is based on the way Martin Luther prayed and taught others to pray.  It was later developed by Walter and Ingrid Trobisch and then adapted by Mount Carmel Ministries (Alexandria, MN).  The method is founded on scripture and easy to remember:
T: thanksgiving
R: regret (repentance)
I: intercession (asking God to take a specific action)
P: plan or purpose
Reading a biblical text and then applying this method gives one a sound, simple way to form one’s prayers...not to mention that it helps one learn how to faithfully reflect on God’s Word and talk to God.