September 28, 2024
Today’s Reading: Introit for Pentecost 19 – Psalm 135:1-3, 13-14; antiphon: Psalm 135:13
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:1-18; Matthew 5:1-20
“Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages. For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.” (Psalm 135:13-14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The things of this world that call out for our attention and praise are often not worthy or lasting. Celebrity is fleeting, and influencers come and go. Today’s pop sensation is tomorrow’s “Where are they now?” What was trendy and popular last season is in the blowout bin this season. They cry out, “Watch me, listen to me, pay attention to me,” but it is all one-sided. Nothing lasts; nothing is eternal, and nothing can expect to be praised forever. What is true for the things of this world is also true for the things that claim to be spiritual. The psalm from which our introit is taken will go on to point out that the idols of the nations do not speak, see, hear, or have life in them. They have no way to give what they promise. They are not worthy of praise.
In all of existence, there is only one that is worthy of eternal praise; there is only one whose significance does not wane. In all existence, there is only one Lord, and His name endures forever. He alone is due eternal praise. He alone will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants. Nothing else can or will do that, and here is the best part: “Praise the Lord” is not an order or command. Praise does not have its genesis in the Law. The only ones who can praise the Lord are the ones that He has enabled to do so. The praise He receives is the response of His people to what He has done for His people.
The Lord has had compassion on you; the Lord has vindicated you. He has added you to His people, and you can answer the call to praise His name. This is the entire theology of Lutheran worship at work. God has compassion on us and vindicates us, and our response is praise. His compassion and vindication came in the life, death, and resurrection of His Son Jesus, which was for you. You have been moved from death to life. Your eyes, ears, and mouths have been opened. You are now a part of the people of God who can praise His name. The praise offered Him is eternal because He has made His people eternal. He is worthy of eternal praise, and He has made you eternally able to praise Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Father, we praise Thee, now that night is over, Active and watchful, stand we all before Thee; Singing, we offer prayer and meditation: Thus we adore Thee. (LSB 875:1)
-Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.
In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
