October 4, 2023
Today’s Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, The Lord’s Prayer: Conclusion
Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 35:1-7, 16-25, Colossians 3:1-25
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
In the name of Jesus, Amen. Thine means yours. Let’s be clear. Thine doesn’t mean “mine.” Thine is a form of Thy before a word beginning with a vowel. Daring to be Lutheran is to boldly give all the glory to God in our praise, forever. We don’t get any glory apart from Jesus. Without Jesus we have no power. Without His death and resurrection we have no kingdom to call ours. It is His kingdom to reign. It always has been. And will be forever… yes, yes…this is so.
We call Him our Father because He gave His Son into death for us. The only power to save is through the Son’s death and resurrection. Without the Son’s saving work there is no forever and ever for us. No glory, no kingdom, nothing good for you to call “mine.”
It seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? That the kingdom, power and glory are all His? But not so obvious to the world…and our sinful nature. The world is not going to acknowledge that anything truly belongs to God. Our sinful nature wants it all for itself. All of it…the kingdom, the power and the glory. By our sin we claim it all as “mine,” not “thine.”
In this life we dwell in a kingdom fiercely opposed to God’s kingdom. Satan is the prince of this world. This world is presently his kingdom. We pray in the Lord’s Prayer that God would protect and guard us from the devil’s evil reign which surrounds us. God’s Word empowers us to live godly lives under this tyrannical rule. So, we pray… “Thy kingdom come!” Your kingdom, as an heir with Jesus, prepared for you.
God alone has the power to create and recreate. “The whole world lies under the power of the evil one… [but] we are from God” (1 John 5:19) The power of sin is death. Death has no power over us who have been baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus. God’s saving power, secured in Jesus crucified, is for you, your power over sin, death and the devil.
The glory of the Father, simply put, is Jesus. Jesus is the glory of the Father because He took on visible flesh and died on the cross. When you see Jesus, you see God’s glory. Jesus is God in flesh forever and ever. He is your Savior Jesus, your glory for all eternity.
Because of Jesus, your Baptism into Him, the kingdom, the power and the glory of the Father are all yours. Fully and completely, all freely. Go ahead, call what is His, your very own. Now and forever. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
The LORD is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he! (Psalm 99:2-3)
-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ’s words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
