Psalm 24 0123
Populus Sion 1. Sonntag im Advent 01
Sola, Abbot at Solnhofen, Middle Franconia ✠ 794
Francis Xavier at Guangdong, China 1552; co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Societas Iesu SJ), i.e. the Jesuits
3. December 2023
1. ℣ Unto Thee, O Yahweh, do I lift up my eyes:
℟ O my God, I trust in Thee (Psalm 25,1).
O Eternal Son of God, who was before the foundations of the world were placed, You came in the flesh as a true man in order to save us. On account of our grievous fall into sin we could not come to You in heaven, so You came to us on earth to lead us all to life everlasting. Amen. (Starck 475-76; English transl. 50).
2. »The earth is Yahweh’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of Yahweh? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from Yahweh and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may enter in. Who is this King of glory? Yahweh, strong and mighty, Yahweh, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may enter in. Who is this King of glory? Yahweh sabaoth, He is the King of glory! Selah«
3. We begin a new Church Year today, and we enter the season of Advent; it is a season of preparation and anticipation of the advent of the Christ. The start of Advent is determined by the feast of the Apostle Andrew, which always falls on 30. November.
4. Andrew is an interesting fellow. He is the older brother of Simon Peter. Andrew was at a disciple of John the Baptizer, and when John pointed him to Jesus, Andrew went and brought Peter to Jesus. Andrew and Peter were the earliest of Jesus’ disciples. Later, Andrew would bring some Greek Gentiles to Jesus. It’s fitting that Andrew’s feast day brings us to the doorstep of Advent, for the first Sunday in Advent is the closest Sunday to 30. November.
5. Psalm 24 is a Davidic and Messianic psalm with its theme of welcoming the advent of the King. Here, King David writes about his King, who is the Messiah. It is similar to how David writes in Psalm 110,1: »Yahweh says to my Lord.« David’s Lord in this verse is the Messiah. As David describes the Messiah and his Lord in his messianic psalm, he points out that this Messiah, his Lord, is also Yahweh himself.
6. How does one prepare for the arrival of the Messiah? David reminds us of God’s sovereignty and glory; how can one be in the presence of His holiness? A: Those with clean hands, pure heart, righteous soul, and one who speaks the truth. But our lives are sinful, lives with unclean, hands, impure hearts, wicked souls, and deceitful lips. The Prophets deal with this idolatry and wickedness. The Lord Yahweh told Ezekiel: »I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their way and live« (Ezekiel 33,11). Repentance is how one prepares for the Messiah’s arrival.
7. Advent and Lent are penitential seasons that discipline us to draw unto our Lord with repentant hearts. This begins at the close of the Church Year with a service of confession and repentance; the weeks of Advent, then highlight various themes of preparation and repentance.
8. what is repentance? „Now, true and proper repentance consists of these two parts: One is contrition, that is, terrors over the sin; the other is to believe the gospel and absolution, that through Christ’s grace the sins are forgiven and the conscience is comforted and delivered from its terrors. Then improvement should also follow, which are the fruits of repentance, as John the Baptizer says in Matthew 3,8: Bear fruit worthy of repentance“ (Augsburg Confession 12,3-6).
9. Advent prepares us to celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas, but it points us to the cross. A sacrificial Lamb must lay down His life to redeem the world. Jesus did not redeem us with money, force of arms or a mighty angelic host; He redeemed us in humility: suffering on the cross, bleeding out His life blood and vicariously dying for us.
10. The Prophet Zechariah proclaims: »The Christ is drawing near to you; He is justifying and saving.«, and the Apostle Paul declares: »Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old creation has passed away; behold the new creation has arrived« (2. Corinthians 5,17).
11. Irenaeus of Lyon [1] (130-202) teaches: Since the Lord thus has redeemed us through His own blood, giving His soul for our souls, and His flesh for our flesh, and has also poured out the Spirit of the Father for the union and communion of God and man, imparting indeed God to men by means of the Spirit, and, on the other hand, attaching man to God by His own incarnation, and bestowing upon us at His coming immortality durably and truly, by means of communion with God,-all the doctrines of the heretics fall to ruin (Against Heresies Bk 5, Ch 1).
12. Repent, and believe in Christ Jesus. He arrived to make us holy and righteous. He is our Justifier, Savior and Glorious King. »For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as He hears it, He answers you« (Isaiah 30,19). [2]
13. Her budding boughs and fairest palms
Your Zion strews around;
And songs of praise and sweetest psalms
From my glad heart shall sound.
My desert soul breaks forth in flowers,
Rejoicing in Your fame;
And puts forth all her sleeping powers,
To honor Jesus’ Name.
(Wie soll ich dich empfangen elkg 315,2 2021 Paul Gerhardt 1653).
This is most certainly true.
14. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.
15. Let us pray. O Almighty Lord and God, direct our steps into the way of peace, and strengthen our hearts to obey Thy commandments; may the Dayspring visit us from on high, and give light to those who sit in darkness, and the shadow of death, that they may adore Thee for Thy mercy, follow Thee for Thy truth and desire Thee, for Thy sweetness, who art the blessed Lord God of Israel, both now and evermore. Amen. (1. Advent, 2. Vespers Collect. The Daily Office.)
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 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Septuaginta, Vol. I and II 2. Revised Edition © 2006 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.
Evangelisch-Lutherisches Kirchengesangbuch. Copyright © 2021 Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche, Hannover.
The Daily Office. Copyright © 1965 Concordia Publishing House.
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