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 body and blood for the forgiveness of
our sins. You teach us that we should examine ourselves before we receive the
Sacrament, so 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, and draw us to the altar to receive that holy meal that grants us
pardon and peace. Fill us with the joy of Your salvation. Amen.
Catechism Reflections
On Monday we will start digging
into the First Commandment, but tonight we will ask the question, “What is at
the heart of God’s Law?” People approach the Law in different ways. Some come
to it with fear seeing God as a tyrant who demands their conformity and who
will severely punish those who do not comply. Some approach the Law in a
transactional manner. They hold that if they do what God says then God will do
good for them. Some approach the Law with an attitude that we can sum up with
the saying, “It is good for thee, but not for me.” This can be an outright
rejection of God’s authority, but it often takes the form of hypocrisy as the
person applies God’s Law very strictly to others but not to him/herself.
Can you relate to any of those?
What does God have at heart when
he proclaims the Law. Remember, that these Commandments are set in the context
of God’s saving work. So why does God give them? To get some insight into the
answer to that question, we turn to Jesus in Matthew 22.
35 One of them, an expert in the
law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher,
which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind.’[a] 38 This
is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the
second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All
the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
The Ten Commandments are, at
their core, about love. We have been saved by God’s grace and called to love
him and love one another. What does that look like? The Commandments give us a
description … maybe it’s better to say that they give us a prescription.
Doctors prescribe medicines to
help heal our bodies – to reduce inflammation and ward off infection, to bring
balance to hormones and help our organs operate properly. Taking our
prescriptions can be burdensome, but our lives are better, we are healthier,
when we take the prescribed medicine.
God prescribes the Commandments.
When we follow them they can heal relationships, reduce our inflamed egos, ward
off temptation, and bring balance to our lives so that we operate properly.
They are a great gift – but also very burdensome. We cannot follow the regimen.
We need the ultimate healing of the Gospel – the message of God’s love for us
which has its ultimate expression in Jesus’ death and resurrection. But living
in the Gospel allows us to approach the Law, seeing love at its heart.
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?
Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer
“But deliver us from evil.”
Dear Father, please rescue us
from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when
our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this
valley of sorrow to heaven, where will live eternally with You, and with Jesus,
and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. 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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