Saturday after the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on October 29, 2022 by under
Scripture: Zephaniah 3:14-20 (NKJV)
3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.
17 “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
18 “I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, who are among you, to whom its reproach is a burden.
19 “Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, and gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame.
20 “At that time I will bring you back, even at the time I gather you; For I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I return your captives before your eyes,” says the Lord.
Devotion
“The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst.”
Many people see going to church as a burden. Maybe they go because that’s just how they were raised, or maybe it is out of self-righteousness. Regardless, this should not be the attitude in gathering together as God’s Church.
When we attend the Divine Service, the Lord is gathering His Church to dwell with us, to give His Baptized elect His own presence by the Word and Sacraments. It is not the same as God’s presence everywhere, but it is His presence uniquely for those who are forgiven and saved in Christ.
It is the assembly of peace and praise. The Divine Service is God serving His people. This is not burdensome, nor is it a focus on us; it is a taste of the great assembly of the Communion of Saints. He gathers us because He is faithful to show Himself through His means of grace. That is Joy. It is the farthest thing from burdensome.
Prayer: O Almighty and most Merciful God, of Thy bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech Thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we, being ready, both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things that Thou wouldest have done; 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.
