Festival of St. Mary, Theotokos
Posted on August 15, 2023 by under
Scripture: Jeremiah 7:1-7 (NKJV)
7:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!’ ” 3 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.’
5 “For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, 6 if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, 7 then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.”
Devotion
Jeremiah was a contemporary of King Josiah, who was one of the few good kings of the Southern Kingdom. Josiah did much to restore the temple, and hoped that worship would return to its proper form. Unfortunately, the reform didn’t seem to go past the structure of the temple for many. Although the temple’s appearance was impressive, the hearts of the people did not match the building’s outward beauty. In fact, the magnificence of the temple became the focal point, not the worship within it. The reform stopped when the building was restored, as the people were satisfied with performing the mere rituals of worship. The temple became an idol in itself. They assumed as long as “God’s House” was well-cared for, God would be pleased with them. They had put the earthly building above the heavenly Builder.
Sadly, we see this being replayed in our day. Congregations will go to almost any length to keep up their church building, even at the cost of doctrine. Talk about “sin” and “God’s Law” is harsh to the ear, and chases needed dollars away. The “necessities” are defined as filling the pews and plates, rather than proclaiming the unadulterated truth of God’s Divine Word. Therefore, let us continue to treasure the Church’s greatest riches: the right administration of God’s Means of Grace.
Prayer: O God, Who declarest Thine Almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of Thy grace, that we, running the way of Thy commandments, may obtain Thy gracious promises, and be made partakers of Thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Festival of St. Mary, Theotokos
Almighty God, who didst show favor to the Blessed Virgin Mary, granting unto her to be the mother of Thine only-begotten Son, we beseech Thee that Thou wouldst grant humility and faithfulness unto Thy Church to glorify Thee in the fulfillment of our labors that we who have been saved by grace through faith in Thy Son, might remain steadfast unto the end: through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
