The Ember Wednesday in September
Posted on September 17, 2025 by under
Scripture: Amos 9:13-15 (NKJV)
9:13 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.
14 “I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.
15 “I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.
Devotion
Because of the unfaithfulness of God’s people, judgment had fallen upon the royal house of David. The tabernacle had been decimated, and the people had been taken into exile and scattered among the nations. With Amos 9:11, the prophet declares that God is going to rebuild the fallen house of David and set up an eternal kingdom. Today’s text lets us know that when those days come, there will be rich blessings, no more calamities, and unbroken peace.
At the Jerusalem Council mentioned in Acts 15, James quotes Amos 9:11-12 as a proof text that God has received the Gentiles into Christ’s Church without circumcision. In other words, those coming days mentioned by the prophet Amos have arrived in the New Testament kingdom of God. With the coming of Jesus Christ, God has set up the holy Christian Church. It is a Church built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. All who believe in Christ are members.
The redemption which Christ secured has provided the Church with the unequaled blessings of forgiveness and eternal life. The abundant seven-fold fruits of the Holy Spirit will be poured upon faithful Israelites and Gentiles. Those former captives will be brought back into the new faithful people of God. Faith-filled, they will enjoy the peace which passes understanding. The Church will not “be pulled up,” as even “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).
Collect: We beseech Thee, O Lord, that our weakness may be upheld by Thy healing mercy, so that what of itself is falling into ruin may be restored by Thy clemency; 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 Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Almighty and Everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may obtain that which Thou dost promise, make us to love that which Thou dost command; 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.
