When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. (Psa 142:3 NIV)
Jesus said: But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. (Luk 21:14-15 NIV)
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Rom 8:23 NIV)
Our bodies are related to creation – yes, are part of creation really – and therefore share its lot and predicament. We too are subject to frustration and bound to decay. So we’ll disintegrate and return to dust when we die. Although we have the firstfruits of the Spirit and in faith have already attained the adoptions as sons by our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, yet we still are groaning inwardly and waiting eagerly to receive the final salvation of our bodies from the shame and destruction by death through the glorious resurrection of our bodies and thus come to enjoy the promised fruits of our Lord’s redemption and salvation. There is no greater fear and dread than that facing death and our utter demise. Thus there is no greater expectation or yearning than desiring to be free of death and our ruination on the one side and on the other to be connected to the source of eternal life and salvation. This yearning for deliverance from death breathes – yes, rather groans – in all of creation. Our souls and bodies echo this deep cry in all of nature. All and everything in this created cosmos carries this deep nostalgia with it. Our joy and happiness lie beyond all this. How could we arrange ourselves here in this transient abode as if it would last and forget our heavenly destiny and predestination to everlasting joy?
Dear heavenly father, you the creator and ruler of the universe: Hear the pleading of your creation and the let our completion and fulfillment appear without much further delay. Let also your dear son appear again in glory so that we may rejoice and our bodies and souls may finally be rescued, saved, healed and perfected soon. Oh Lord, let body and soul be united in such a way that we will celebrate in celestial joy and ongoing delight. Amen.
What blissful joy and glorious sight we’ll have in Christ’s most gracious light? How happy all will sound! With more than thousand seraphim rejoicing with clear voice and tongue intoning glorious hymns just for him.
O would I be already there o sweetest God before your throne to waive most glorious palms. Then I would sing your holy name’s praise like perfect angels loud and clear with a thousand psalms for sure, a thousand psalms for sure.
Yet as I am still living here and carrying this my bodies frame, its yoke and daily burden, yet I will sing and praise your name, here and in every place I go for your everlasting glory, your everlasting glory. (Paul Gerhard, 1607-1676)
This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Friday after the fourth Sunday after the high holiday and festival of the Holy Trinity. It is found on Pg. 248 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu! (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.
“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2 NIV)
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.“ (Luk 18:27 NIV)
The Lutheran Order of Service for the 5th Sunday after Trinity is available here in isiZulu and seTswana. Today it comes with a sermon on the gospel of St. Luke chapter 14 verses 25-33 written by Rev. Ratshefola (NW) in seTswana (wt1335130630 n Tr 5) and another one by brother Rev. F.Mtshali (LC in Fernie, MP) in isiZulu (wz1335130630 n Tr 5).
May you have a very blessed weekend and have time to meditate on the watchword for this Sunday: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph 2:8-10 NIV) The liturgical colour is green.
We thank the Lutheran Heritage Foundation for supporting the distribution of hard-copies of these orders of worship and sermons throughout Southern Africa. If you also want a copy please do not hesitate to subscribe by writing to EAWWeber@bundunet.co.za.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Rom 8:22 NIV)
We hear of a marvelous sympathy of creation with mankind and especially with God’s children. That is a surprising revelation and has taken many aback. Some smile derogatively if issues get addressed that surpass our understanding and go well beyond our heads, some just find it ridiculous. We agree with these words of St. Paul and join the praises of this partnership amongst creatures of God – nature and man, rational and irrational, logical and illogical. This joint partnership of creation with mankind is illustrated in a double fashion. Firstly it is described as a sharing of earthly suffering, which is followed up secondly with the shared participation of heavenly joys in that other world which is to come and which we are expecting with great longing. This special longing and profound desire seems to join us with all creatures and it bridges the present groaning with the happiness to come. Here everything is groaning – mankind and his entire kingdom and earthly reign – the natural expanse. Yet there all will be rejoicing together. Together with God’s people all of nature will enter the eternal bliss and glory to enjoy and flourish without end.
The day is passed, my mind and soul are longing to see that day, when we’ll be free of all distress.
The night has come. Stay with me o Jesus with your light diminish sin’s darkness in my heart.
The sun’s light we miss. O uncreated sun shine your bright light to grant joy and peace tonight.
All that moved, all that worked is resting now at last. Oh Lord, continue your work in me!
All want to enjoy some rest this night. Oh Jesus, let restlessness of day pass and grant your peace.
When will this rhythm of day and night stop? When will that day come that knows no night?
In that world moon and stars shine so much brighter than here, where Zion still mourns and groans.
Then we’ll never miss this sinking sun as the lamb will be the light that lightens all but never dims.
Hallelujah – oh would God I’d be there already to join the celestial choir: “Holy, holy, holy!”
O Jesus my help and my rest. Let me get there so that I may live forever in your gracious light.
(Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen, 1670-1739)
This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Thursday after the fourth Sunday after the high holiday and festival of the Holy Trinity. It is found on Pg. 247 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu! (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psa 139:23-24 NIV)
Peter said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” (Joh 21:17 NIV)
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope… (Rom 8:20 NIV)
As long as this world stands it is subjected to frustration, because the creator has made it share the lot of humankind. Although forms and patterns in nature are beautiful and exquisite – even beyond measuring out – yet all of that is temporal and passing away. A frustrating vanity clothes all of creation in this world. Plus people take created things and subject them to their own conceit. All of creation is doomed to serve the foolish, trivial and conceited whims of those fallen masters of the universe. Creation does not do this lightly, yet it is forced into this servitude by the creator of all. Even if this now the sorry state of creation, this is to be but a temporary bondage and oppression. On the contrary. The suffering of all creation is passing away and will make way for a glory that is by far greater than the present one as it will demonstrate the triumph of not only the creator, but also its savior and liberator. That is why the apostle describes the present subjugation to frustration as one of hope. There will come a time, when the new creation will be indestructible and a part of the eternal heaven and everlasting earth. Yes, there is no doubt about this, our future is marvelous, exciting and very, very inviting for sure!
O Lord, we are waiting for your kingdom and eternal reign to become visible for all of us. We are waiting for the new heaven and the new earth in with righteousness dwell and we will serve you with all saints in perfect bliss and joyful fulfillment. We are waiting for that future city in which there will be sorrow, no crying, no pain and even death will have been swallowed by Christ’s glorious victory. Lord, come and end all injustice and sinfulness, all violence and calamity, all suffering, death and dying. Strengthen our faith in your coming kingdom and grant living faith to those faithless and desperate. Magnify your hope in our hearts, which are often tempted to give up – despairing, tired, hopeless. Vitalize your love in our midst and in our lives, so that we might encourage, support, help and strengthen each other along the way. Lord, grant that we may prepare your way in our lives and let your kingdom come to us also. Amen. (Church book of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1927)
What words will fathom our blissful joy, when God’s presence immerses our holy throng in purest light and we worship him the Father, Son and Holy Ghost – one God over all and in all forever and ever? (Heinrich Theobald Schenk 1656-1727)
This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Wednesday after the fourth Sunday after the high holiday and festival of the Holy Trinity. It is found on Pg. 246 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu! (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.
And the LORD said to Moses, “I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” (Exo 33:17 NIV)
God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his.“ (2Ti 2:19 NIV)
The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. (Rom 8:19 NIV)
The entire creation and all of nature participates in the fate of those, that belong to Jesus Christ. Their waiting, longing and anxious expectation for a better future is to be fulfilled because God is faithful and keeps his promises. They are not anxious about the glory of humanity in general, but rather care for that of those who are children of God. While it is common and fairly easy to separate the created world from that of grace, the apostle describes something different here. He’s very serious about his Lord’s teaching that the meek will inherit the earth and that they will be Lords of creation and that nature is actually aware of this coming age and that it is full of deep joy and longing for this time already. It is weighed down under the present servitude and is pressing towards liberation and freedom. Just as a horse stretches out its strong neck with wide eyes and nostrils a flair as it is thundering towards its goal ahead, so according to the apostle all of nature is pushing hard to reach the goal up front where all destruction and decomposition is history and the indestructible, imperishable and eternal life in God’s glory will flourish. Yes, it is like a natural consciousness that this new life will appear when the glorification of God’s people and children will come about. This is a remarkable matter of God’s revelation and its best just left as it is without human embellishment. Disbelief smiles derogatively down at this, whereas faith triumphs.
O Lord our God. In your revelation and holy word you have given us a perspective of the world to come and the fate of your church in the age of completion and fulfillment. We are amazed and astonished and full of wonderment at the greatness of your goodness and wisdom. There is nothing too small for your attention. You take it up into your wonderful providence and gracious plan and strategy. Even the speechless nature is to praise and glorify you. Your final triumph at the end of days will be far greater and more magnificent than anything that we can imagine or realize. So allow us to faithfully fold our hands in prayer to give thanks to you that we too praise you and worship your grace, majesty and glory. Amen.
Oh, how I wish to see you best friend of my soul – up on Salem’s green, where there is no calamity or crying, but rather joy and bliss in God’s gracious midst.
Oh come and lead us from this foreign place. Carry us home into our promised fatherland, where quite waters quench our thirst for good and we at last see your face.
Oh that wonderfully prepared home, the lovely dwellings of the Lord. If only I had wings to fly there even now to the celestial cities of our God where he shines as its brightest sun. (Friedrich Konrad Hiller, 1662-1726)
This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Tuesday after the fourth Sunday after the high holiday and festival of the Holy Trinity. It is found on Pg. 245 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu! (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (Psa 51:2 NIV)V)
Our Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. (Gal 1:3-4 NIV)
Wilhelm's space 