Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: Isaiah63,15-64,3. Ad te Levavi

Saturday, December 11, 2021

Isaiah63,15-64,3. Ad te Levavi

Isaiah 63,15-64,3 0222

Ad te Levavi 2. Advent 02

Crispina, Martyr in Africa 304

5. Dezember 2021

1. ℣ Prepare ye the way of Yahweh:

℟ Make His paths straight (Mark 1,3).

Dear Lord God, awaken us so that when Your Son arrives we may be prepared to receive Him with joy and to serve You with clean hearts. Amen. (AE 53,131)

2. »Look down from heaven and see, from Your holy and beautifulhabitation. Where are Your zeal and Your might? The stirring of Your inner parts and Your compassion are held back from me. For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; You, O Yahweh, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is Your Name. O Yahweh, why do You make us wander from Your ways and harden our heart, so that we do not fear You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage. Your holy people held possession for a little while;our adversaries have trampled down Your sanctuary. We have become like those over whom You have never ruled, like those who are not called by Your Name. O that You would rend the heavens and descend, so that the mountains might quake at Your presence – as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil – to make Your Name known to Your adversaries, and so that the nations might tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome things that we did not look for, You descended, the mountains quaked at Your presence.«

3. The conclusion of Isaiah 63 is a prayer for mercy and help. The Prophet Isaiah reminds us why Yahweh is merciful and helpful: He is our Father and our Redeemer. That is a powerful word — Redeemer; we could also use Deliverer or Savior (גאל; ορομενος). Yahweh has been in the redeeming business since Adam plunged mankind into sin.

4. Τηε Scriptures record a number of redeeming events in history: Noah and the ark, Israel’s exodus from Egypt and Judah’s return from Babylonian exile are 3 of the major ones, but there are many other redemptive acts in the pages of the Bible. Job and his Redeemer comes to mind.

5. „As Job fights his way “out of the depths” and strives to regain his spiritual equilibrium, it is widely recognized that his famous “I know that my Redeemer lives” declamation of 19:25 ff. is one of the high points“ (Hummel 476). Job is seeking a neutral mediator who will reestablish a fair hearing between God and Job (Hummel 476). Job’s friend, Elihu (He is my God), does point out the „communications gap“ between God and man, and the need for an intercessor who will be enough like God to speak to him, but also enough like man to speak for us (Hummel 480).

6. Job also teaches us that God’s ability to redeem is based on His ability to create — and recreate, and redemption is finally cosmological as well as anthropological (Hummel 484). Jesus highlight this in our Gospel pericope this morning. »And there will be signs in sun, moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves. … For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man descending in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.« (Luke 21,25.26-28).

7. The great cosmological and anthropological redemption has happened on the cross. At the cross we stand before the Son of Man in awe, fear and wonder as the very Son of God dies in our place for our sin. Luke tells us that from 12 noon to 3 pm the sun’s light failed and darkness was over the whole land (Luke 23,44-45). In forsaking God, man descended into great misery, blindness, shame and disgrace (Walther Advent II Wednesday). „Nevertheless, God turned His face, full of mercy, toward man. He appeared in visible form in Eden, and full of fear, Adam and Eve drew near to their Creator“ (Walther Advent II Wednesday). The Prophets draw attention to God’s mercy and help; they assure us that He will redeem us from sin and the curse of our Fall. The promise is now fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Walther Advent II Wednesday). Great is the grace that caused Jesus Christ to enter the world to save sinners (Walther Advent II Thursday).

8. Creation itself will also be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of glory of the children of God at Christ’s return (Romans 8,19-23). Yahweh reminds Job that only His Divine justification enables and maintains justice – in the cosmos, in mankind, in ethics and over all the beastliness and brutishness in this world, yes, even over the diabolical powers of Satan and his fellow fallen angels (Hummel 487).

9. May Christ our intercessor be

And through His blood and merit

Read from His book that we are free

With all who life inherit.

Then we shall see Him face to face,

With all His saints in that blest place

Which He has purchased for us (lsb 508,6 The Day is Surely Drawing Near). This is most certainly true.

10. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippines 4,7). Amen.

11. Let us pray. Dear Lord God, awaken us, so that we may be ready when Your dear Son arrives, so that we may receive Him with joy and serve You with pure hearts. Amen. (The Pomeranian Church Order and Agenda, 1854 p. 282.2; Stratman 26).

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

Grace Evangelical-Lutheran

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Saturday, December 11, 2021

Isaiah63,15-64,3. Ad te Levavi

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