The Third Sunday in
Lent.
Psalm 102. Domine, exaudi.
HEAR my prayer, O Lord, * and let my crying come unto
thee.
2 Hide not thy face from me in the time of my trouble;
* incline thine ear unto me when I call; O hear me, and that right soon.
3 For my days are consumed away like smoke, * and
my bones are burnt up as it were a firebrand.
4 My heart is smitten down, and withered like
grass; * so that I forget to eat my bread.
5 For the voice of my groaning, * my bones will
scarce cleave to my flesh.
6 I am become like a pelican in the wilderness, *
and like an owl that is in the desert.
7 I have watched, and am even as it were a sparrow,
* that sitteth alone upon the housetop.
8 Mine enemies revile me all the day long; * and
they that are mad upon me are sworn together against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes as it were bread, * and
mingled my drink with weeping;
10 And that, because of thine indignation and
wrath; * for thou hast taken me up, and cast me down.
11 My days are gone like a shadow, * and I am
withered like grass.
12 But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever, * and
thy remembrance throughout all generations.
13 Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Sion; *
for it is time that thou have mercy upon her, yea, the time is come.
14 And why? thy servants think upon her stones, *
and it pitieth them to see her in the dust.
15 The nations shall fear thy Name, O Lord; * and
all the kings of the earth thy majesty;
16 When the Lord shall build up Sion, * and when
his glory shall appear;
17 When he turneth him unto the prayer of the poor destitute,
* and despiseth not their desire.
18 This shall be written for those that come after,
* and the people which shall be born shall praise the LORD.
19 For he hath looked down from his sanctuary; *
out of the heaven did the Lord behold the earth;
20 That he might hear the mournings of such as are in
captivity, * and deliver them that are appointed unto death;
21 That they may declare the Name of the Lord in Sion,
* and his worship at Jerusalem;
22 When the peoples are gathered together, * and
the kingdoms also, to serve the Lord.
23 He brought down my strength in my journey, * and
shortened my days.
24 But I said, O my God, take me not away in the
midst of mine age; * as for thy years, they endure throughout all generations.
25 Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the
foundation of the earth, * and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: * they
all shall wax old as doth a garment;
27 And as a vesture shalt thou change them, and
they shall be changed; * but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
28 The children of thy servants shall continue, *
and their seed shall stand fast in thy sight.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son * and to the
Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall
be, * world without end. Amen.
The Collect.
WE beseech thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble
servants, and stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence
against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
{The
Collect from the First Day of Lent is to be read every day in Lent after the
Collect appointed for the Day.}
The Collect.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost
forgive the sins of all them that are penitent: Create and make in us new and
contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our
wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and
forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Old
Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 6
Psalter:
Psalm 56, 58 | 119.73-104
Epistle
Reading: Ephesians 5.1-14
Gospel
Reading: St. Luke 11.14-28
Pastoral Letter: I was talking with someone this morning and made a
reference to how the Heidelberg Catechism gives us a heart-enriching, touching
description of God’s providence. I thought I’d review this with you today.
The Heidelberg Catechism was penned for children in
1563. This was a time when mortality rates for children and adults were high,
wars flared up and burned long, and privation, pestilence and plague were
plentiful. No parent had any assurance that any of their kids would reach
adulthood. And no child had any guarantee that when they reached adulthood
they’d still have any living parents or family. And so, the touching depth of
the Heidelberg Catechism comes out in several places. We’re all very familiar
with the first question and answer, “What is your only comfort in life and in
death.” We use it as one of our confessions of faith every six to eight weeks.
But I am giving you two questions and their answers (27-28) which are some of
my favorites. Then I will end by giving you a prayer I wrote long ago that
reflects the value of these statements. Please take some time to read and think
through them. I am confident they will lift your heart and give you sustenance.
Ø “What do you understand by the providence of God?
God's providence is His almighty and ever present power, whereby, as with His
hand, He still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures, and so governs them
that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and
drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things, come not by
chance but by His fatherly hand.”
Ø “What does it benefit us to know that God has
created all things and still upholds them by His providence? We can be
patient in adversity, thankful in prosperity, and with a view to the
future we can have a firm confidence in our faithful God and Father that
no creature shall separate us from His love; for all creatures are so
completely in His hand that without His will they cannot so much as move.”
Now, here’s the prayer I wrote long ago, as I pondered
those two catechism answers:
Mighty
God, whose almighty and everywhere present power – as it were by your own hand
– upholds heaven, earth, and all creatures, and so governs them that herb and
grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and
sickness, riches and poverty – indeed all things – come not by chance or
mechanical procedure, but by your fatherly hand: Grant me to be patient in
adversity, thankful in prosperity, and with a view to the future may I have
good confidence in you – O faithful God and Father – that no creature or
condition will ever separate me from your love, since all creatures are so in
your hand that without your will they cannot so much as move. All of this I ask
through our great high priest, the Lord Jesus. Amen.
Even after being hit with a stroke last week, I can
still happily give a full-throated amen to this prayer! I hope you will, as
well.
Pastor Mike
Annunciation of the
Blessed Virgin Mary – 25 March
Psalm 131
Domine, non est
LORD, I am not high-minded : I have no proud looks.
2. I do not exercise myself in great matters :
which are too high for me.
3. But I refrain my soul, and keep it low, like as
a child that is weaned from his mother : yea, my soul is even as a weaned
child.
4. O Israel, trust in the Lord : from this time
forth for evermore.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son * and to the
Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall
be, * world without end. Amen.
The Collect
We
beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts; that, as we have known
the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so by his
cross and passion we may be brought unto the glory of his resurrection; through
the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Old
Testament Reading: Isaiah 7.10-15
Psalter:
Psalm 8, 113 | 111, 138
Epistle
Reading: [Hebrews 2.5-18]
Gospel
Reading: St. Luke 1.26-38
Homily
