End of the world

The world is going to end! Six years ago today, the Maya calendar ran out and folks were saying that the world was going to come to an end because of it. Really? I must have missed it because I am still here, giving you these ramblings on my blog.

This shows us the meaning behind what our Lord says the gospel of Matthew, "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." (Matthew 24:36 ESV) The Mayans didn't know. Those who have set dates before didn't know. We don't know today. The fact is, the end will come at a time that the God will say for it to happen. Today, tomorrow, next year - who knows. God knows.

So what do we do while these days continue? "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Matthew 24:44 ESV) What does it mean to be ready? Does it mean sitting in church praying? Does it mean sitting and reading your Bible? Perhaps that is what you will be doing when Jesus returns. Can I be watching TV? Can I be on Facebook? Can I be reading a book? Or eating a meal? Or at work? It could mean that. You see, we don't know what time it will happen, in the morning, afternoon, evening, at night (it will be one of those for someone somewhere in the world).

What it means to be ready is to be living in faith in Jesus Christ. To be ready means that you believe in Jesus Christ as your only Lord and Savior. Living in that faith, you then go about your day, doing the things that you do. Then, when the Lord comes, you will lift up your eyes to heaven, see Him and praise His holy name that He is coming. You will rejoice as your heart leaps within you. You will sing songs of praise, dance a little jig and join Him in the air, entering into heaven for an eternity. Praise the name of the Lord for that assurance.

The end is coming. At some point. Now? I guess not because I am still typing this blog. But one day, at one moment in time, when we aren't expecting it, He will come and those who believe in Him will rejoice and receive that glorious eternal life, after their bodies have been changed, in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye.

Yes, it is coming. Come, Lord Jesus.

Week #2, Day #3, devotional thoughts continue

The next verse of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. God is with us!

Week #2, Day #3 “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

O Come, O Come, Thou Lord of might,

Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height

In ancient times didst give the Law

In cloud and majesty and awe/

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to Thee, O Israel. (LSB 3567 vs. 3)

Lord of Might! Lord God of Hosts. He is the One who wins the victory over all those who stand opposed to Him. HE is the Lord of great might, shown in the weakness of the manger and the cross. A glorious Lord and a powerful God.

What has He done? He brought His people out of Israel. He led them through the Red Sea on dry ground. He guided them in the wilderness with a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. He fed them manna in the morning and quail in the evening. Yes, this is the God who has cared for His people in amazing ways.

Then He led them to Mt. Sinai. The place of God. The ground shook. The lightning flashed. The thunder rolled. The hearts of the people melted. It was a terrible sight. And yet it was a grand sight. God was with them (Emmanuel) He was giving to Moses the Law. That very Law that we still follow today. He gave the Law in cloud and majesty and awe. It was a great and terrifying time at Sinai’s foot.

The Law was given in ancient times, given for the people of the world. Given for you and me. We still are called to follow this Law. We are still to live our lives according to His will and not our will. It is our will that messes things up. It is our will that leads us into sin again and again. It is our will that causes us to transgress the Law and deserve to be punished by this great and glorious God, by the One who inspires such respect and awe.

And yet this very same God comes to earth, incarnate, as a Child, born of a virgin, born in a stable, laid in a manger. What an amazing God He is. This is Emmanuel, God with us. He has come for us and for our salvation. This is the fullness of Emmanuel. The Law condemns but Emmanuel brings salvation. Rejoice! Rejoice! What is stopping you? Here is your God, for you, for your salvation.

PRAYER: It was with great terror that the people saw You on the mountain God. We given thanks that we no longer approach You with such terror but are able to come into Your presence because of Emmanuel, Your only-begotten Son. Help us to live each day in the wonder of Your grace, following Your Law in our lives. Amen.

Songs of the Season, Week #2, Day #2 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

May the Lord continue to bless you as you prepare for the Savior's birth. The next devotion is here for you.

Week # 2, Day # 2 “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high

Who ord’rest all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show,

And teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel! (LWB 357 vs. 2)

What is this “wisdom” stuff? Here you need to think about the book of Proverbs, where Wisdom is personified. Who is this wisdom? It is God Himself. He is the Wisdom from on high. He is the One who brings all wisdom into the world. He is the source of all knowledge, the source of all ordered things in this world. The laws of science that we don’t even think about in our lives, those are the very things of order that God has given to us. He has created this world and all that is in it. He is the source of all the wisdom that we have or need. There is much to be figured out still, and He gives the knowledge and wisdom to those who will figure it out, even as He has given to men like Galileo, Newton and others.

But there is an even greater knowledge that He has to give to us. It is that knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He sends His only-begotten Son into this world to bring the way of Salvation. As Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life…” so He is. Through Him comes the ordered knowledge that there is only one way to be saved, and that is not found in any one of us. In fact, He gives us the wisdom to know that if we look to ourselves, we will only see that which leads to eternal damnation.

So Emmanuel comes. He comes to bring order to the disorder that is caused by sin. He comes to bring peace in a world where there is no peace. He comes to set right that which has been torn apart by sin. He comes to bring life to a world that knows only death.

He does this in the wisdom of the Father. The world looks at the cross, the death of Jesus, and scratches its head. It makes no sense. Try to work it out, it says to us. Try to be good. You are good. You can do it. And in the end, we see how much we fail. Wisdom of the world is foolish. But the wisdom of God is found in Emmanuel. Wisdom is found in the new life given through His death and resurrection. In Christ, in God with us, we are given life, hope and peace. Things are made orderly again.

We long for the time when He will come again. Until then, we will rejoice in the life we have been given through Emmanuel. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O lost one.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Lord of all order and wisdom, we pray that You will enlighten our minds with the assurance of that salvation that comes through You alone. Give us the wisdom we need in Emmanuel, God with us. Amen.

A new week, a new set of devotions. Week 2, day 1

This week our devotions will be centered around the hymn, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."

Week #2  Day #1 “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel. (LSB #357 vs. 1)

Lost without hope of recovery. The armies of the enemy draw near and King Ahaz is sore oppressed with the prospect that he is about to lose his kingdom. We are told, “The heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.” (Isaiah 7:2b)  Fear, great fear griped the king and the people.

What great fear grips you at this time? Fear of the future? Fear of the past? Fear of loss? Fear of loneliness? What fear is it that makes you shake like the trees before the wind? What fear has taken hold of your life and stolen away the joy of life? What causes you to doubt that the Lord is able to help you?

The Lord was with Ahaz. He promised Ahaz He would be there for him, that the armies of the enemy would not destroy him or his kingdom. But he still feared. He was still uncertain about what was going to happen.

Sound familiar? Sound like you are captive to some feeling, action, emotion, or situation? Are you like captive Israel? Maybe this song is for you. May you should listen to the words once more.            O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear.

Who is the song appealing to? It is appealing to God with use, Emmanuel. God told Ahaz that he could ask for any sign he wanted, and God would give it. When Ahaz was suddenly too timid and afraid to ask of God a sign, the Lord said, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

Listen to that wonderful promise. God was going to give the virgin a son. Does that remind you of anything? I hope it does. The angel Gabriel came to Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph, but had not had any relations with him yet. Gabriel told her she would be with child from God. And she believed it! She really did. She accepted the word of God even while Ahaz had rejected that very word.

Do you hear the word of God? Emmanuel, God with us! God sends His Son to us, to ransom us from sin, from death, from the power of the devil. He saves us, buys us back with His death and resurrection. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to the, O member of St. Paul’s.

PRAYER: Lord God, as I struggle in my life with those things that would take me captive, help me to trust in You. Help me to know that You are with me, Emmanuel. Give me hope and strength as I go through this day. Amen.

Day #6 of Week #1 devotions for "Songs of the Season"

We bring the 1st week to a close with this devotional thought.

Day #6 “Once He Came in Blessing”

Soon will come that hour –

When with mighty power

Christ will come in splendor

And will judgment render,

With the faithful sharing

Joy beyond comparing. LSB #333 vs. 3

Here is the 3^rd way that we face Advent. We prepare for the coming of the Lord on the Last Day. He will come again! We know that. We long for that, just maybe not today. Wait, did I just say that? Do you ever think that? I know some of you reading this will say, “I am ready for the Lord to come. I have lived a long, full life and I am just waiting for that day when He takes me to heaven.” God bless you. That is a wonderful thing to say, and even more wonderful to live each day.

But there are those of us who say, “Come Lord Jesus” just not at this moment. Why? Because I am wanting to see that child grow up. I am waiting for the Cubs to win their 2^nd World Series in my lifetime. I desire to _____________. You fill in the blank. While we say we are getting ready, we still have things in this life to do. That is all right. Just don’t forget this emphasis, Christ is coming again, coming soon. So, hold fast in faith.

Soon He will come with power. Yes, with mighty power. All eyes will see Him. All people will know that He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Savior of the world. For some it will be a judgment they do not want to hear. “Depart from Me, I don’t know you.” Terror! But for those who believe in Jesus as their Savior, it is a day of great judgment, a day when we shall hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.” What a joy it will be to hear that voice of the Savior, to feel His love, to have His loving eyes upon you. Come Lord Jesus.

Those who do believe in Jesus, both living and the dead, will be reunited. The dead will rise, full of the Lord’s glory, whole, complete, body and soul reunited. Those who are alive will be changed, in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye. At the last trumpet. Oh, what a day that shall be. Eternity beginning for each of us. New life, eternal life.

What joy! Beyond comparing. To what can I compare it? To nothing I know right now. I can’t find the words. Just able to say, “praise be to God for this new life, this eternal life. Thank You.”

Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, and take each of us to be with You in heaven. When the time is right, may I be ready, believing in You, holding fast in faith. What joy shall fill my heart! Amen.

Day # 5 Devotion for Songs of the Season

Day 5 devotion for the Songs of the Season.

Day # 5 “Once He Came in Blessing”

Now He gently leads us;

With Himself He feeds us

Precious food from heaven,

Pledge of peace here given,

Manna that will nourish

Souls that they may flourish. LSB # 333 vs. 1

The 2^nd emphasis of Advent – the Lord coming into our heart and lives. That is where we find ourselves today. Come, Lord Jesus, into my heart, my life, into my day-to-day existence. For I am struggling each day. I face temptation. I face trials and tribulations. I face pain and agony. I face the consequence of my sin. I face more than I can handle.

That is why He comes to us daily. He comes to lead us. He comes to help in those times why we are unable to help ourselves (which happens to be all the time!). We think we can do it on our own, but we can’t. We need Him. So, He gently leads us, as a shepherd leads his sheep, not driving them along with an iron hand and hard rod, but with a gentle voice that walks before, even as He has gone before us to the cross, the grave and the resurrection. Leading us along the way.

And He feeds us. Do you catch what is talked about here? It is the Lord Supper, Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, however you want to call it. He feeds us with His body – take and eat, this is My Body given for you. He gives us to drink of His blood – take and drink, this is My blood of the new covenant, shed for you for the forgiveness of sin. Thanks be to God! We are given this precious food to nourish us, to fill us, to strengthen us along the path of life.

Manna from heaven, food from God. It nourished the bodies of the Israelites for 40 years as they wandered in the wilderness. Manna from heaven, given to nourish you and me as we struggle in this wilderness of life. Given to strengthen us as we face those trials and tribulations, as we face the pains and sufferings of this life.

Give so our souls may flourish! Flourishing souls. Instead of wasting away, which is what it often feels like, our souls are flourishing each time we eat and drink His body and blood. Flourishing souls that are strengthened to face yet another day. Thank You Lord. Feed me.

Prayer: Lord God, feed this poor, weak soul so that it may flourish and thrive each day, following Your voice, Your lead each day of my life. Amen.

A New Song for a New Day

As we continue to study the "Songs of the Season," I give you another Advent hymn for your devotional life.

Day # 4 “Once He Came in Blessing”

Once He came in blessing,

All our sins redressing;

Came in likeness lowly,

Son of God most holy;

Bore the cross to save us;

Hope and freedom gave us. LSB # 333 vs. 1

In this hymn, we have the opportunity to focus our attention on each of the 3 ways that we celebrate Advent. Here in this verse, we focus on the 1^st of the advents or comings of the Son of God. Did you catch it in the hymn? We are preparing for His coming as the child in Bethlehem. It is as though we are counting down the days till we celebrate Christmas Eve/Christmas Day for then we see Him coming in likeness lowly.

Wait? Likeness lowly? What is the world does the hymn writer mean here? He comes a likeness of you and me. He comes as a human. This the power of the incarnation, God in man made manifest. He comes in human likeness, lowly, not as the King of the universe, the God who made all things by His Word. No, He comes just like you and I came into the world. He was birthed by His mother Mary, in a stable of all places.

He came to be like us because He came to redress our sins. Redress? What does that mean. I looked it up on line (for who has a dictionary handy anymore?). This is what I found: “Remedy, or set right.” Yep, that is exactly what He did. He came to redress our sins. He came to remedy them, to set them right. That is why the Father sent His only-begotten Son into this world to be a man, to redress our sins.

He does that as He goes to the cross. He bore the cross for us, for our sins, for our salvation. He came to take our place under the Law, to fulfill the Law on our behalf, so that we might have our sins redressed. I like that word. Redress our sins. You might hear that in a sermon one day. Or maybe you won’t. He came to remedy that which we could not remedy. He came to give His life for our lives, to die our deaths, to pay what we could not pay. He did that on the cross. He did that as He stretched out those sinless arms upon that cross, cried out in agony, and died for us and for our salvation.

All to give us hope and freedom. Once He came in blessing, to redress our sins, to give us hope and freedom. Hope, back to that emphasis of the 1^st week of Advent. Hope. Hope and freedom given to us. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Thank You for sending Your Son, dear Father. Thank You for the hope that You give us as He bore our sins to the cross. What a wonderful gift You have given to us. We praise Your name for this new life. Amen.

Day #3 of Advent devotions "Song of the Season"

Continuing the thoughts on the Songs of the Season.

Day # 3 “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates”

Redeemer, come and open wide

My heart to Thee; here, Lord abide!

O enter with Thy grace divine;

Thy face of mercy on me shine.

Thy Holy Spirit guide us on

Until our glorious goal is won.

Eternal praise and fame

We offer to Thy name. LSB # 342 vs. 5

Eternal praise! That actually seems like an overstatement. We know that we are going to let slip away from our attention that which Advent and Christmas are all about. We will forget because we will become wrapped up in the colorful paper, the pretty ribbons, the tasty cookies, the fun parties and life in general. There will be those glorious fun times. And there will be those times that just wear on us – going to work, housework, washing clothes, driving the kids around, doing homework, facing the problems of health, the heart that hurts, the cancer that sucks away our life, the diabetes that challenges our every meal and movement. Yes, we will forget to praise the name of the Lord.

But wait! That doesn’t stop the eternal praise. The saints in heaven, those who are free of this world, will be praising the name of the Lord eternally! They will praise Him even as we start to crumble under the pressures of life. And then we will remember that is exactly what the King of glory has come, because we are so weak, because we cannot do it ourselves.

Come Redeemer, buy us back from our pains, our sins, our sufferings. Redeem us! Holy Spirit, open wide my heart. Open wide my life. Even as I do not feel like opening my heart up, I know that You will be the One opening it for me. Come to me, guide me, help me. I am weak but You are strong. Come through this glorious Word. Come through the waters of Baptism. Come through the gifts of Communion. Come and give me what I am unable to give myself. Open my heart wide!

Abide in my heart, dear Lord. Come to me so I may lift up my thoughts, my voice, in praise to You! May I join with all those who have gone before me, those who are already in heaven, those who have received that crown of life from the King of glory, those who are singing the eternal praises! Yes, show my Your face of mercy so that I will be able to face tomorrow, or maybe tonight. Until that time when I so receive the goal of all that You have promised to me. The goal…ah, that blessed goal. Yes, I long for it.

Until then, come to me, abide with me, King of glory, righteous Helper, Redeemer, Lord of my life.

Prayer: Lord, I come to You today, asking You to guide me in my life. Help me to face today with a heart that is wide open to Your love, Your mercy, Your guidance. Send the Holy Spirit that I might be guided to that promised goal of heaven. Amen.

Devotion Day #2 Lift Up Your Heads, vs. 2

We continue our series of devotions on the Songs of the Season. The first Wednesday service, this song was one that we looked at. May the Lord bless you as you continue to prepare for His coming.

Day # 2 “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates”

A righteous Helper comes to thee;

His chariot is humility,

His kingly crown is holiness,

His scepter, pity in distress,

The end of all our woe He brings;

Therefore the earth is glad and sings,

To Christ the Savior raise

Your grateful hymns of praise. LSB # 341 vs. 2

The song continues, as does our praise. It is all about the King of glory who comes. And our hearts can do no more than praise His name. As we asked, “Who is this King of glory? It is that little child in the manger. Wait? A little child in a manger? Yes indeed!

He is the righteous Helper, the One who comes to help each one of us in the midst of our lives. We often feel that we are strong enough to carry the full burden ourselves. We believe that we are filled with a strength of body, a strength of mind, a strength of spirit and a strength of soul. But are we? When push comes to shove, we come to realize how weak we truly are. We crumble when we are struck by the pains of this world. When our health fails, we try to show others how strong we are, while on the inside we are wasting away, weak as could be. Holding fast to the belief that we must put on a strong face, not let anyone know our weakness. But we need our King of glory. We need Him to come to us.

Our Helper comes, his chariot is deep humility. He doesn’t come with a mighty war horse, or a beautifully carved and jeweled chariot. Instead, He comes in humbleness, born as a child, born to Mary and Joseph in the humblest of places, a stable, with the animals, beasts of burden, animals who know nothing more than to struggle all their lives. He is placed in a manger, a feeding trough for these poor animals. Yet He does so willingly. He is so humble. The King of glory in humblest of settings.

Why? To bring the end of all our woes, all our sorrows, all our struggles, all the pains that we face day after day. Struggling under the load of this fallen world and the fallenness of our very being, the Helper comes to free us from all our sorrows and woes! Praise be to God! He has come to be our Helper, the One who does what we cannot do. Like the helper engine pushing the train up the mountain, a train that would stall and be unable to move at all by itself, the King of glory is the righteous Helper giving us life, love and grace. Hope! Advent 1! In Him is hope.

Prayer: Come to us, abide with us, King of glory! Be with us during this Advent season as we focus our attention on all that You have done for us in our lives. May Your Spirit help us to lift up our voices in songs of praise in every situation of our lives, knowing that You are our righteous Helper. Amen.

Daily Devotion in Advent Series - Songs of the Season

On Wednesday evening we began the 3 week series on the Songs of the Season. Last night we studied and sang 4 Advent songs. There is more that can be said about the songs. I wrote a few devotions to accompany the series. I will post one each day, except for Sunday. May the Holy Spirit guide your walk of faith as you prepare for the Advent of the King.

Day #1 “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates”

Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!

Behold the King of glory waits.

The King of kings is drawing near;

The Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation He doth bring;

Therefore rejoice and gladly sing.

To God the Father raise

Your joyful songs of praise. (LSB # 341 vs. 1)

To begin Advent with this song is to reach deep into the meaning of the season. With the song, we come to the house of the Lord to praise our God for all that He has done for us, for our salvation. Whether you read Psalm 24 or Isaiah 60, you get the same feeling. There is praise and worship in the air. For what? Why would the people of Israel offer such times of praise?

The Psalmist asks, “Who is this King of glory? That is the question that you must ask yourself as you start this Advent journey. Who is the King of glory? Why should you praise His name? After all, in this world, we often focus on ourselves, on our desires. We think it is all about what I want. We see that in the world around us. If you don’t like a phrase, change it. If you don’t like a song, ban it. If you don’t like a movie, refuse it. It doesn’t matter what others think. It is all about what you think. Don’t see that in yourself? If that is the case, praise be to God. But for most of us, we would have to say that we are really mostly focused on ourselves. We would like to sing our own praises. We would like others to sing our praises. We fall into the self-centered trap that the is laid for us by the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature.

But isn’t that why we need the King of glory? Who is this King of glory? It is none other than the Lord of hosts, the Lord God of Sabaoth. He is the King of Glory. As we slide our way through this season of Advent, we focus our attention on our inability to save ourselves and the need for a Savior. Here in this song, we meet the Savior. He is the King of glory, the One that comes into this dark world to bring salvation. Or in keeping with the 1^st Sunday in Advent theme, to bring “hope.”

The ancient doors are lifted up to welcome the King. The people in Isaiah’s day are lifting up their eyes to see the wonder of what God is doing for them (Isaiah 60:4-5). We lift up our eyes from the hustle and bustle of the Advent/Christmas season to see the King of glory, the very One who comes for us, for our salvation. Rejoice! Celebrate! Sing those songs of praise! For your salvation comes in the form of the Christ-child, the Son of God incarnate. Thank the Father for all that He has done by sending His only-begotten Son to be the Savior.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we lift up our voices in songs of praise to You. At this time of the year, we recall the wonder of that which You have done for our salvation. You have given to us a Savior, the King of glory. May we open our hearts to welcome Him. Amen.