Brothers and sisters, greetings to you in the name of Jesus. The approaching cold and potentially icy weather has been in the news all week, so I won’t rehash any of that information. In previous emails I have alerted you that the Shrimp Boil fundraiser is postponed to February 7, and the Bible study for tomorrow has been canceled. At this time, I intend to conduct worship and administer communion tomorrow beginning at 10:30. Please monitor the road conditions near you. If the internet cooperates, we will be streaming tomorrow’s service on Facebook so you can watch online if the drive becomes unsafe.
On Sunday, January 25 we will follow the liturgy of Divine Service Setting One beginning on page 151 of the LSB hymnal. Hymns chosen for the day are #545 Word of God, Come Down on Earth; #839 O Christ, Our True and Only Light; #628 Your Table I Approach; and #921 On What Has Now Been Sown.
Scripture texts to be read are Psalm 27:1-9, 14; Isaiah 9:1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; and Matthew 4:12-25. If you won’t be attending worship, I encourage you to take time to read these passages.
In the prophecy of Isaiah, God mentions two of the tribes of Israel, Zebulun and Naphtali. When God apportioned the land of Israel (Joshua 13-19), He assigned these two tribes land along the northeastern frontier and border. Because of the geography and topography of these territories, they became a major travel route between Egypt and Damascus Syria. The land of the two tribes became a frequent and first battleground against enemies attacking from that direction. During the time of the judges, God equipped Gideon and men from Naphtali and Zebulun to destroy the armies of the Canaanites and the Midianites (Judges 4-7). They were praised for their efforts. But centuries later, in the time of Isaiah, God was critical of the sins of the northern nation of Israel, including the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. He disciplined them and humbled them by sending the Assyrian army to attack them. Naphtali in particular was hard hit; all the citizens were captured and deported to Assyria (2 Kings 15:29). Eventually all the ten tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel were defeated and taken away as slaves. In the passage we will read from Chapter 9 on Sunday, Isaiah begins by reminding them God had brought them into this state of contempt and defeat (because of their sin). But God also promises to set them free from oppressors, and to bring light to their darkness. Their descendants will have reason to celebrate victory as Gideon and their forefathers once did when they routed the Midianites. Jesus fulfills the prophecy when He begins His public ministry, healing and proclaiming the gospel in Galilee, a region within these two ancient lands.
The epistle lesson is a portion of St. Pau’s first letter to the congregation in Corinth, southern Greece. After writing in the opening verses of that letter that He praised God for showing grace to all of them, he begins to criticize and instruct them because of the divisions among them. Rather than being united around the gospel, they were dividing themselves in camps based on their favorite preacher, or who had conducted their baptism. Corinthians considered rhetoric and speech givers to be entertaining. They valued what sounded wise. Paul points out that as Christians they should be focused on the cross. That is, Christ crucified for sinners sounds foolish—how can the death of a man benefit us sinners? How can a man rise from the dead, and what good would it do for us? But Christians trust that this message of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection for sinners is the true power of God that He uses to save us.
As reported in the verses of Matthew 4 to be read Sunday, Jesus begins His public ministry, calling people to repentance and announcing that the reign of God was approaching and nearby. In His words and actions, Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, beginning His work in Galilee, a significant portion of what was once the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali. Jesus calls His first disciples. The first twelve would be His witnesses and learn from Him for three years before He would send them out to continue His ministry. His miracles are evidence of His identity, power, and purpose as He heals the sick, restores the infirm, and gives freedom to those oppressed by demons. Not necessarily using visible miracles, Jesus continues to use the Church to be His witnesses and to continue to Proclaim His good news of salvation.
COLLECT: Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and stretch forth the hand of Your majesty to heal us and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord and Savior, 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 about schedules or the lessons to be read Sunday. God bless you. Pastor Boster
