Good Evening, Lord!
Words of Comfort
[God] has said, "I will
never leave you nor forsake you." (Heb. 13:5 ESV)
Prayer of Confession
Lord Jesus, tomorrow we will
assemble as Your church to receive Your forgiveness of our sins. We pray
tonight that You would make us aware of our sins. Let no corner of our hearts
harbor a secret sin. Let no misdeed be forgotten as we confess to you. Let our
repentance be sincere, and help us to pursue purity and holiness in all our
actions. And as we confess our sins, comfort us in the absolution when the
pastor speaks in Your authority to pronounce our forgiveness. Fill us with the
joy of Your salvation. Amen.
Catechism Reflections - The Third Commandment
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we
do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and
learn it.
As we go through the
Commandments, it is good to remember that the Law functions in three ways: as a
curb, a mirror, and a guide. Some people refer to these as the three “uses” of
the Law, and I used to do that, too, but I’ve come to dislike that phrase
because we don’t use Law as much as the Law does its work. As it says in
Hebrews, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow,
and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12 ESV)
So what does the Third
Commandment do to you?
How does this Commandment act as
a curb for you? Does it accuse you and expose a desire to not attend worship?
(There are good reasons to miss in-person worship – something we should
especially bear in mind these days!) Does it judge your Sunday morning routine,
or bring you guilt because of things you would prefer to do rather than
worship?
How does this Commandment act as
a mirror for you? Does it reveal an unhealthy attitude toward hearing God’s
Word? Does it expose a negativity toward the preaching and teaching of God’s
Word? Does it show that you do not value time in worship as highly as you
should? Does it confront your unwillingness or inability to rest in God’s peace?
How does this Commandment act as
a guide for you? Does it draw you to worship as God’s gift to you? Does it lead
you to prioritize rest and the hearing of God’s message of love and salvation
in Christ? Does it encourage you to receive the invitation to worship with joy?
Maybe you read/heard those
questions and thought, “Yes, that’s me.” Or perhaps none of the questions above
reflected where you are. I encourage you to meditate on this Commandment
tonight and consider what God is doing in you through this bit of his Word. And
where you fall short of what the Law demands of you, confess that to God, in
the confidence that your sins are forgiven in Jesus. That’s the message you
will hear tomorrow – or at least should – in church. Your sins are forgiven. Go
in peace.
Questions for Meditation
What does this reading teach
you?
What does this reading lead you
to be thankful for?
What behavior, thought, or
attitude does this reading challenge? What sin does it lead you to confess?
How might you pray for God to
have a richer impact on your life through this reading?
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily
bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.
Verse of Benediction
Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever. (Ps. 23:6 ESV)
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