Brothers and sisters, greetings in the name of Jesus. I begin by encouraging you to invite your friends, and attend a Thanksgiving Eve Service Wednesday November 22 beginning at 6 pm.
The service for November 19 will follow the liturgy of Divine Service Setting One beginning on page 151 in the LSB hymnal. Hymns chosen for the day are #515 Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers; #508 The Day is Surely Drawing Near; #642 O Living Bread From Heaven; and #660 Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.
Scripture readings for the day are Psalm 90:1-12; Zephaniah 1:7-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; and Matthew 25:14-30. The Church is reaching the end of another church year, a reminder that we are moving constantly closer to the day Jesus visibly returns to earth to judge people and grant His reward to those who have trusted in Him for their salvation. The Scripture readings suggest two themes to me: Jesus is coming. What are we to think of Him? What are we to be doing until He arrives?
Psalm 90 is indicated to be ‘a prayer of Moses, a man of God.’ Moses is the man God chose to speak to ancient Israel during their enslavement in Egypt, and to lead them to freedom in His ‘promised land’. There is no indication when the psalm was originally written, or which event it was intended for. The opening verses of the psalm have a sense of lament. Life is described as temporary, and death comes too soon. Each day of earthly life we are under various kinds of struggle. God’s anger against our sin is a constant threat. Even so, the eternal God has remained the shelter for all who end their rebellion and worship Him. The psalmist cries out, asking God to grant him wisdom and a reminder of His favor and steadfast love. God has had mercy on you, sending Jesus into the world to conquer sin, to deliver you from the threat of death, and to grant you eternal life.
The Old Testament lesson is a portion of God’s word spoken through the prophet Zephaniah. Zephaniah was a fourth-generation descendant of Judah’s King Hezekiah (generally considered a good king). Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Judah’s King Josiah, 640-609 BC, about the same time as Jeremiah and Nahum prophesied. Zephaniah speaks to the regions and countries around Judah, referring several times to “the day of the Lord”, describing it as a day of their judgment and destruction. The people had been arrogant. They had not listened to God’s instruction or correction. Their focus was on accumulating wealth. But their money would not be able to save them from God’s judgment. God does promise that He will also restore the remnant of those who remain faithful to Him. Zephaniah’s prophesy was fulfilled rather swiftly some 50 years later when the Babylonian army destroyed Jerusalem and led Jews into exile. (Roughly 70 years after that the exiles were returned to Judah). God keeps His word! The text to be read Sunday from chapter 1 lists some of the accusations against the people. The words serve as a warning that Jesus will bring a final ‘Day of the Lord’ and unbelievers will be punished.
The Epistle reading is a portion of St. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, in northern Greece. Paul describes the general conditions in advance of the day when Jesus will visibly return. He will come suddenly. So Paul encourages the people to remain alert. But there is no need for Christians to be afraid of that day. Take heart and be assured that God has destined you for salvation through Jesus who died for you qualifying you to live forever in His presence. Let us repeat Jesus’ words of salvation so that we would be encouraged.
In the reading from Matthew’s Gospel account, Chapter 25, Jesus tells another parable, the Parable of the Talents. The previous Parable of the Ten Virgins suggested people should always be prepared for Jesus’ return because we don’t know how long He will be delayed. The characters in the Parable of the Talents indicate the proper response to the news that our Lord is returning—we should be busy managing and promoting His benefits. Three servants are assigned duties to “invest” for their Lord while he is absent. One servant is punished. He had a wrong understanding of his Lord. He thought his Lord to be a stern and stingy task master, so out of fear he did nothing with the benefits assigned to him. But the other two servants got busy furthering their Lord’s interests. The Lord commends them for being faithful in using and applying the benefits assigned to them. While we wait for Jesus to return, what are you doing with the resources He has given to you?
COLLECT: Almighty and ever-living God, You have given exceedingly great and precious promises to those who trust in You. Dispel from us the works of darkness and grant us to live in the light of Your Son, Jesus Christ, that our faith may never be found wanting; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Please let me know if you have any prayer requests, or questions or concerns about Sunday’s Scripture readings. The Lord be with you, and prepare you for His coming. Pastor Boster
