The Kingdom of God is at Hand...

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: Matthew 4.12-17 (All the people’s attempts at kings and kingdoms of our own making have in fact been a delusion. Now our rightful king steps onto the field and announces his kingdom for us.)

¹²  Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. ¹³ And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴ so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

¹⁵ “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
    the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
¹⁶ the people dwelling in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
    on them a light has dawned.”

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, thank you that in Christ Jesus your kingdom is right at hand for us now. On him alone have you put your Spirit and he alone does not cry out or lift up his voice in rant. He is your covenant to us in the flesh… crucified and raised for us and for our salvation. In him, speak to me and your whole church daily; deliver us from the shadowy darkness of our own will and bring afresh to us the light of your kingdom… even if only for a moment. In Jesus’ name I pray, 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 Part 1, the opening chorus, See-Whom? -the bridegroom. See him- How ? -like a lamb!  See – What ? -see his patience, See – Where ? – at the point of our guilt;

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 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.