November 2, 2012 - Friday of the 21st Week after Trinity
Today's Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:3
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 1:1-19; Matthew 21:23-46
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good... (Genesis 1:1-4a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We begin in the Name of Jesus because He's the Word of God in the flesh. We begin in Jesus' name because, being God, He was there in the beginning. As John writes, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”
John also writes that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Therefore, God's first act, His first word, was an act of grace. “Let there be light...”, and all the works of creation that follow were acts of grace and “good .” God's Word declares that all He creates is “good” and no matter what comes later, God's “good” creation remains good even though to our eyes it looks like the exact opposite of what we'd call “good.”
But hope that's seen isn't hope. Instead, we trust God's word — that what He sees as “good” is truly good, in spite of what our eyes show us; what God has created has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus on Calvary, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
No matter what we may lose, or give up, or have taken away from us, nothing can change what God has done. God saw what He'd made, it was “good”, and by faith in Jesus we further believe that every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
Everything God makes is good and everything we receive from Him can be received with thanksgiving because it's not only good, it's made holy by the grace of Jesus and through prayer in His Name.
Jesus has come and brings pleasure eternal Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End; Godhead, humanity, union supernal, O great Redeemer, You come as our friend! Heaven and earth, now proclaim this great wonder: Jesus has come and brings pleasure eternal! (LSB 533)
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