Ephesians 5,1-2.8-9. Oculi

 Ephesians 5,1-2.8-9   1821

Oculi 026

Perpetua and Felicitas, Martyrs at Carthage, 203

Thomas Aquinas, ✠ 1275 

7. März 2021

1. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, who has sent Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to take upon Himself our flesh, so that He might overcome the Devil, and defend us poor sinners against the adversary: We give thanks unto You for Your merciful help, and we beseech You to attend us with Your grace in all temptations, to preserve us from carnal security, and by Your Holy Spirit to keep us in Your Word and Your fear, that unto the end we may be delivered from the enemy, and obtain eternal salvation.  Amen. (Veit Dietrich) 

2. »Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. ... for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light — for the fruit of light is found in all that is good, right and true.« 

3. The images and themes of darkness and light are used by the apostles. Paul remind us that at one time we were darkness. This means we were separated from God, under the power of the Devil and committed to wickedness and sinfulness. We see an extreme example of this in our first lection today where Ahab, king of Israel, wanted to kill the Prophet Elijah, and Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, promised to have Elijah killed within one day (1. Kings 19,2). Our wickedness was not as extreme as that, but we were wicked nonetheless, and divided from God’s salvation. We confess this each Sunday: I, a poor, miserable sinner confess onto You all my sins and iniquities. In our Baptism, the pastor proclaimed: The Word of God also teaches that we are all conceived and born sinful and under the power of the Devil until Christ claims us as His own (LSB 268). 

4. Holy Baptism changed us. The Father of all mercies and grace has sent His Son Jesus Christ, who atoned for the sin of the whole world, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (LSB 268). With our God-parents, answering for us, we renounced the Devil, all his works and all his ways; then we confessed our faith in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (LSB 270). When we were baptized, God gave us the new birth of water and the Spirit (LSB 271). We are now children of the light in the Lord. 

5. Paul exhorts us to walk as children of the light. We are imitators of God, and we walk in love, love for God and our neighbors, as Christ loved. Paul reminds us that Christ gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. During Lent, we once again follow Jesus on His path to His Passion and the Cross. 

6. Our eyes are ever toward Yahweh (Psalm 25,15). To overcome the darkness of sin, the Light of God must shine forth. Thus Evening Prayer opens with the Service of Light: 

L Jesus Christ is the Light of the world,

C the Light no the darkness can overcome. [John 8,12]

L Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening,

C and the day is almost over. [Luke 24,29]

L Let Your Light scatter the darkness 

C and illumine Your Church [2. Corinthians 4,6] (LSB 243).

and the Thanksgiving for Light:

L Blessed are You, our Lord our God, King of the universe, who led Your people Israel by a Pillar of cloud by day and a Pillar of fire by night. Enlighten our darkness by the light of Your Christ; may His word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path; for You are merciful, and You love Your whole creation and we, Your creatures, glorify You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (LSB 245).

7. The Apostle John exhorts us in his epistle: »If we walk in the light, as God the Father is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin« (1. John 1,7). We are with Jesus, and thus we walk with Him. Our Lord journeys up to Jerusalem during Lent, where He will suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised (Luke 9,22). Through His suffering and crucifixion, Jesus shines fourth as the love and mercy that His Father enlightens upon mankind. In the Suffering Christ we have a Gracious God who redeems us at great cost to Himself. Let us continue to follow Jesus up to Calvary during Lent.  Amen. 

11. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, our Gracious God; help us to keep our eyes focused on You and where You are going, so that by faith in You we are fit for the reign of God.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Soli Deo Gloria

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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 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2019 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2020 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands.