Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Thursday after Populus Sion, The Second Sunday in Advent

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
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Scripture: Jeremiah 23:2-8 (NKJV)
23:2 Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the LORD. 3 “But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. 4 I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the LORD.
5 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 6 In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 7 Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “that they shall no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ 8 but, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land.”
Devotion
The Prophet Jeremiah prophesies that a King would come who would establish a new Kingdom. In this Kingdom all those who had been scattered on account of their sin would be drawn back into this Kingdom, and would be claimed as subjects to the King. This King would not be like the false shepherds who were supposed to feed the Lord God’s people, but instead did what was evil in their hearts. It was because they did not remain faithful to the Word of God that the people were scattered and starved, and devoured by the wolves.
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS is the name of the new King. He feeds His people by preaching into their ears the Word of God in its truth and purity. He brings them to clean waters through the right administration of the Sacraments. He sends them faithful shepherds who also give the sheep the food and water they need, but also who guard and protect the sheep from the assaults of the wolf. On account of this King and what He does for His people, those who trust in Him have nothing to fear.
We have nothing to fear. Our Lord Jesus Christ has established a Kingdom for us so that we might be free from the bondage of our sin, that we might live as citizens of this heavenly eternal Kingdom, being cared for by Him with all good things.
We pray: Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Thine Only-Begotten Son, so that by His coming we may be enabled to serve Thee with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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