✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠
The Word of the Lord Endures Forever
se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ
Romans 8,18-25 5616
Vorletzter Sonntag des Kirchenjahres
26. Trinitatis 071
Briccius, Bishop of Tours, France. ✠ 444
Louis Brighton, ✠ 2015
13. November 2016
1. О Almighty, Eternal and Merciful God, who by Your Beloved Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, has established the reign of grace for us, so that we might believe the forgiveness of our sins, in Your holy Church on earth, since You are a God who has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live: We beseech You, graciously forgive us all our sins, through the same, Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen. (Veit Dietrich for the 26. Sn. n. Trinitatis)
2. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope so that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
3. The Apostle Paul tells us that not only have men and women been subjected to a curse on account of mankind’s sin but that creation itself suffers under mankind’s curse. Natural disasters and calamities, like the recent earthquakes in Italy, ransack the Earth. Tyrants rule with an oppressive hand. Even the heavens shake in response to man’s wickedness upon man.
4. Thus it is an old Lutheran custom to set aside one Sunday in the Church Year as a service of general repentance and confession. Our Lutheran hymnals contain Propers for Buß- und Bettag (Day of Repentance and Supplication; also called „Day of Humiliation and Prayer“ or „Day of Supplication and Prayer“). These Propers are traditionally appointed for use on the Wednesday before the Last Sunday in the Church year (the upcoming Sunday would then be Eternity/Christ the King Sunday) or the Wednesday in the Last Week of the Church Year (which usually is the day before the American Thanksgiving Day). The services originated in Germany after the conclusion of the European Thirty Years War (1618-48) as a prayer-service of confession, thanking God for His mercy and grace to His people. This service was used quite frequently in history. Dukes and rulers introduced them especially during times of tribulation (war, epidemic, etc.), and these days became rather popular. The historic setting of these services in the calendar year fits well with our American traditions too, as this puts it near our Election Tuesday and Thanksgiving Day, and our American political landscape certainly groaned and shook this past Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning! The outcry from some shows that man’s political vitriolic against man will not soon abate.
5. Therefore, we pray for those who suffer loss from natural disasters, war and violence. We pray for our enemies, those who persecute us and for unbelievers to believe the gospel of Christ. We also pray for our elected leaders: that they would guide us peaceably and wisely, that God would bless our nation and that God would unite us together as a band of American brothers and sisters. The Psalmist reminds us: »Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God« (Pslam 146,3.5).
6. We also confess our sinfulness. No nation is perfect and no politician above reproach. Our nation commits wicked actions. The weakest and voiceless among us are murdered. Some are downtrodden and oppressed. Others are not treated fairly and equally. Our nation has lofty ideals enshrined in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, but we do not perfectly live up to them. For all that we repent, pray for God to help us be better Christians, better citizens, and pray that God leads us a nation committed to morality and virtue. Sixteenth century Lutheran hymnist Michael Weiße penned it this way:
From deep distress let us cry to God with all our heart,
asking Him by His grace to free us from the evil one
And all sin and misery,
Which our flesh has committed,
that the Father forgive us [1] (ELKG 188, Michael Weiße 1531).
7. The Lord hears our cries of repentance and listens to our petitions. »All who believe in Jesus Christ have the righteousness of God. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles« (Romans 3,22; Psalm 34,17). And St. Paul reminds us: »The whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. We wait for it with patience.«
8. In Christ Jesus, God forgave all our sin at the cross. He has made us righteous through the shed blood of His Son. He hears our prayers. He delivers creation and ourselves from the curse of sin and death. May this gospel comfort us and sustain us while we wait for it to be revealed at the second advent of Jesus our Lord. Amen.
9. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, the heavens declare You to be the Lord’s righteousness, and God Himself is judge; pour out upon us the blessing of the Holy Spirit so that we live humble and virtuous lives as Christians and citizens of this nation. Amen.
To God alone be the Glory
Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm
✠
All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.
ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern.
VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands.
[1] Aus tiefer Not laßt uns zu Gott von ganzem Herzen schreien,
bitten, daß er aus seiner Gnade uns will vom Übel befreien
und alle Sünd und Missetat,
die unser Fleisch begangen hat,
als Vater uns verzeihen.
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