The Lord be with you
Tomorrow (March 13) we will have our second Wednesday Lent service. The service will begin at 6:00 PM and be followed by light refreshments. As Daylight Saving Time has begun and, as the days are growing longer, this time means people who do not like to drive at night can still attend.
We will be using the “Service of Prayer and Preaching” (LSB 260) for our liturgy. For our readings we will be using the lessons from this past Sunday (The First Sunday in Lent). The only difference is that we will be using the Psalm instead of the Introit. So those readings will be Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Psalm 91:1-13 (1), Romans 10:8b-13 and Luke 4:1-13.
The sermon, like all the sermons during our Wednesday Lent services, will be based on the Psalm. The title is “Refuge from Assaults.” The text will be Psalm 91:1, but we will be looking at the whole reading. As I provided initial impressions with my “Sunday Thoughts” for the First Sunday in Lent, I’ll provide “First Impressions” only for the Psalm below.
Our opening hymn will be “Jesus, Refuge of the Weary” (LSB 423). Our homily hymn will be “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (LSB 657). Our closing hymn will be “Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense” (LSB 741).
Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (click on reference to find text and comments)
Psalm 91:1-13 (1)
91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
Initial Impressions: Our reading ends three verses before the conclusion of the Psalm. Those final verses are God speaking and making great promises of protection to his children. The antiphon is verse 1. When the first verse is the antiphon it isn’t repeated twice at the beginning. However, if the antiphon was taken from inside the Psalm, or somewhere else, it appears before and after the Psalm. In thought this Psalm is very much like Psalm 46, which inspired Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress.” That is why “A Mighty Fortress” is our homily hymn. Satan quotes this Psalm while tempting Jesus in our Gospel lesson. It is important to notice that Satan cuts out some of the words. The Psalm says “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Satan leaves out the words “in all your ways.” Jumping off the temple was certainly not the way of Jesus. This kind of twisting of scripture is constant ploy of the devil. Always has been and always will be. More on this tomorrow.
Romans 10:8b-13 (click on reference to find text and comments)
Luke 4:1-13 (click on reference to find text and comments)
Blessings in Christ
Pastor