Lord makes them strong in their testimony concerning the truth. A servant of the Lord must go through many a conflict; the flesh is all the time weak and would like to be clothed in soft raiment. If he is a man of talent and has marked success in his work, he is tempted to fall into the sin of pride and vanity; if he is less richly endowed, or if his labor seems to have no visible results, he is prone to lose heart and sink into apathy. The Baptist calls himself the voice of Christ, and Paul says concerning himself: "I am nothing." This is the spirit which is necessary, in order that a man may remain faithful. Faithfulness is the one important requirement. The judgment of the Lord concerning us is of moment, but the judgment of men is not. The eye of God is true, while the eye of man is often deceived by mere outward appearances. On that day, when every man's work shall be revealed by fire, much of what is regarded as gold will prove to be nothing but guilded hay and stubble. The Lord demands of us faithfulness, not brilliant exploits; diligence in the use of the talent entrusted to us, not splendid proofs of genius or of great talents. How beautiful are not those little flowers in the garden of God, which, instead of boastfully showing forth their loveliness, hide themselves beneath the others, but which can neither escape the eye of Heaven nor keep back their wealth of strong and sweet odors. Many an obscure country pastor and lowly teacher shall shine more brightly over yonder than famous bishops and scholars. Sincere love and genuine faithfulness count for more, than do any and all great talents. Assist us by your prayers for us, ye believers, and by obedience to the word which we bring you from the Lord; in order that we may give account of our stewardship with joy, and not with grief. And do thou, Lord Jesus, help us by the light and power of thy Holy Spirit; give to us thy love, that we may serve thee with gladness and be in truth faithful stewards of the wonderful riches of thy house. Amen. O pour thy Spirit from on high! Lord, thine appointed servants bless; Thy promised power to each supply, And clothe thy priests with righteousness. And, when their work is finished here. Let them in hope their charge resign; Before the throne with joy appear, And there with endless glory shine. 19. Monday after Third Sunday in Advent. Lord, may our soul preserve thy glorious testimony. Amen. Isaiah 35. The wilderness, and the solitary place, shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped: then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shail waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons where each lay, shall be grass, with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those; the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there: but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. What this beautiful chapter prophesies concerning the glory of the church of Christ and the riches of God's grace to believers began to be fulfilled by the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. How many faint hearts have not become courageous, how many thirsty souls have not drunk of the water of life in the Word and the sacraments! How many blind, deaf, lame, and dumb have not been healed by Jesus! How many simple Christians have not heard the warning, "this is the way which thou shalt go," when they were on the point of going astray to the right or to the left; and who shall number the redeemed who have already come home to the eternal dwelling places of joy in Zion? The words of Isaiah do not sound as though spoken concerning things to come, but as though he saw them already fulfilled; and such prophecies add strength to our faith. O, how true and how strong and safe to lean upon is the word of God! However, these sublime words have not as yet been completely fulfilled. Time shall be, when the parched people of God shall blossom, rejoice unspeakably, and possess the glory of the Lord, the excellency of our God without measure and limit;-when the first heaven and earth have passed away and the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Here our hearts easily grow faint and our hands weak, here there is yet evil every day and hour; but these things shall be done away with forever, when God himself shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, and there shall be no more sin, nor sorrow, nor death. Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then we shall see face to face. We shall hear the heavenly harps, we shall sing a new song, and we shall drink without hindrance of the river of water proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. We are yet in danger. Brethren, here it is needful always to watch and pray that we fall not into temptation. But then, there is no more danger; everlasting joy shall be upon our heads; yea, we shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away from us. These sayings are faithful and true; the Lord hath spoken them. Thou comest to us in our misery, Lord Jesus, for the purpose of bringing us into glory; blessed be thy name. Do thou lead us through the wilderness; thou art the fount of life and makest the desert become for us a meadow full of springs of water. Anoint our eyes that we may see thee, open our ears that we may hear thy voice, precious Savior. Do thou speak into our souls: Be strong and fear not. Hold us fast to thee and do not release thy hold on us, thou strong, faithful God. Amen. Awake, my soul, in joyful lays, And sing thy great Redeemer's praise; He justly claims a song from me, His lovingkindness, oh, how free! He saw me ruined in the fall, Yet loved me notwithstanding all; He saved me from my lost estate, His lovingkindness, oh, how great! 20. Tuesday after Third Sunday in Advent. Lord, let thy tender mercies come unto us, thy salvation according to thy word. Amen. Isaiah 61, 1-3. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek: he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. In the 25th chapter of Leviticus the Lord ordains that every fiftieth year in Israel was to be a year of jubilee. Then all debts were to be cancelled, every man was to have his possessions returned to him, and all bondmen who were of the children of Israel were to become free. In the kingdom of Christ all our sins are forgiven us, so that no one in this kingdom has guilt and doom hanging over his head. No bondmen are there; all are freeborn, born of God. They are no longer in the prison of the fear of death; neither are they the slaves of Satan, compelled to do his will and walk in sin; for by baptism they have entered into the covenant of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the glorious message of the gospel which Christ has brought us, and which he announces to the world through his servants. Hear this, all ye mourners in Zion: in the church of Christ, of which you became a member by your baptism, to which you earnestly desire to belong, and to which you thus do, in fact, belong,-in the church of Christ, in which you live, the Lord has established the law, that sin is forgiven, so that nothing can condemn you. This is the covenant of God with us: I will forgive your iniquity, and I will remember your sin no more (Jer. 31, 34). Jesus has taken your sin upon himself and paid its wages. Will you not give him at least this reward, that you believe his message of pardon, and rejoice? He asks no more; do not, then, let this much be denied him. He came and established this kingdom and instituted this gospel by his blood. He appointed unto them that mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. He will ground you in his righteousness, that you may have your root in the perfect obedience of the Son of God and be able to stand against all the storms of Satan. In yourself you are utterly lost, sold under sin and made the prisoner of death; but in Christ you have liberty and life, righteousness and salvation. This is no dream, no idle words, but truth as certain and sure as God himself. All heavens answer: Amen. Lord Jesus, we can hardly believe thy glad tidings, but do thou help us. It is a good thing for us that thou dost not break the bruised reed and dost not quench the smoking flax. We thank thee for thy great mercy; do thou help us to believe. Give us the light of the Spirit and grace to believe in thee. Amen. Enter his gates with songs of joy, With praises to his courts repair; And make it your divine employ To pay your thanks and honors there. The Lord is good, the Lord is kind; Great is his grace, his mercy sure; And all the race of man shall find His truth from age to age endure. 21. Wednesday after Third Sunday in Advent. 2 Timothy 1, 6-12. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began; but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Even as John the Baptist saw the near approach of death, when, from the prison, he sent his disciples to Jesus, so did Paul know that his dissolution was at hand when he wrote this epistle to Timothy; but he meets death with triumphant confidence. Christ has brought us great things, and how happy are we who live in his church! Ŏ, that the Spirit might, in this church year, stir up anew the gift of God which is given us! Let our faith become healthy and strong, let our love become ardent, and let us willingly and gladly endure hardship with God's people. Boldly confess your Savior; himself will give you the necessary spirit and grace. Indeed, he has given you them already in your baptism; the spirit of power and love is yours, if you will but make use of it; and if you do this, the fire in your soul will be fanned into flame. The secret is this, that you are not a servant, but a child in God's household. Do good without ceasing, the fountain of love and power will not run dry; your heavenly father has riches without limit. Or are not we also saved and called with an holy calling? Did not Christ die, and does he not live for us? Are we not baptized unto him, do we not hear his gospel and partake of his Holy Supper? Shall we save ourselves anew by our own works, though we are saved already by the grace of God in Christ? Let us not by unbelief abolish what God has done, deny what God has said, and despise our heavenly calling. The death in our flesh, which treatens to palsy us, has been vanquished by our baptism unto the death and resurrection of Christ; for we are united with him in his death and in his victory over death; we are members of the Savior who died and is alive for evermore. Therefore the devil has no power over us and must not be permitted to subdue our courage. Hear how Paul speaks: "Christ hath abolished death, abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." But what Paul has that we also have, in the measure which we need in order to conquer the flesh and defy the devil when he tries to make us fearful and faint-hearted. You, also, Christian brother, know whom you have believed, and know that it is safe to build on him. Have you not entrusted yourself to him with your heart, your life, your all? Have you not placed your soul and salvation in his hand? I know that my Redeemer liveth; I know that it was not I, but he, who chose me, saved me, and called me; and that it is not I, but he, who keeps me; and I know of a certainty that nor devil nor death owns me, but that he owns me and dwells in me. Verily, he shall hold me fast and keep me in faith and love, through whatever of suffering it may please him to lead me, and though it may cost me all that I hold dear in this world. Teach us, Lord, to immerse our soul in thy everlasting grace. Give us grace to live the life of love, to confess thee with ardent heart, and to win disciples for thee round about. Above all else, dear Lord God, let our faith be true and living, that it may prove itself in charity and in victory over our natural faint-heartedness and over all the power of sin. Amen. O that the Lord would guide my ways, To keep his statutes still! O that my God would grant me grace To know and do his will! Order my footsteps by thy Word, And make my heart sincere; Let sin have no dominion, Lord, But keep my conscience clear. 22. Thursday after Third Sunday in Advent. Lord, lead us into the sanctuary of thy word, and let us abide there alway. Amen. Isaiah 42, 5-10. Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens. and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein; I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the Lord; that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new |