Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Saturday after the First Sunday after the Festival of the Epiphany of the Lord

Posted on January 18, 2020 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
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Scripture: St. Matthew 4:12-17 (NKJV)
 
4:12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
 
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:
 
16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”
 
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
 
Devotion
 
In the Old Testament the Jews of these areas chose the darkness of idolatry and sin. They chose to walk in the shadow of death rather than the light and life of God’s Word. God mercifully prophesied that these people of His who had walked in darkness would again see a great light. That light dawns among them when John’s imprisonment causes Jesus to depart for the region of Galilee, an area formerly belonging to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. God uses the persecution of John to fulfill His promise spoken through the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before this. The Word of the Lord endures forever!
 
Jesus enlightens their darkness by preaching the Gospel. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Having sat in darkness for so long, many saw the light of the Gospel and rushed into the kingdom of God. Jesus’ preaching still shines in our dark world. His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. It enlightens our hearts by preaching repentance, showing us our sins for what they are—not things to be treasured or cultivated, but rebellions against God’s will that lead us into the shadow of death. The Word enlightens our penitent hearts by showing us the kingdom of God coming near to us in Jesus, who graciously and mercifully takes away our sins through faith in His Gospel.
 
We pray: O Lord, we beseech Thee mercifully to receive the prayers of Thy people who call upon Thee, and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, 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.

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