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December 23rd, 2010
Thursday of Rorate coeli (Advent 4)
Read today's Higher Things Daily Reflection
December 23, 2010 - Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Today's Reading: Philippians 4:4-7
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 43:25-44:20; Revelation 11:1-19
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Apart from Jesus, God is your enemy. Not because He wants to be, but because you don't want Him. Apart from Christ, you are for you. Your life is lived for you. God and others don't matter. And you hate that God would hold you accountable for anything! Apart from Christ, there is nothing but struggle and a fight. God is the enemy without Jesus.
This is why St. Paul tells us that the “peace” of Christ will guard us. Christ brings peace. His death has paid for your sins. His resurrection has put an expiration date on your death. God is no longer your enemy. The war between you and your Creator has ended. And He has ended it by removing the reason there was a conflict in the first place. The Father, by sending His Son, has wiped out the sin of our rebellion and self-worship. He's wiped out all our sins by that blood so that there no longer stands anything for which the Lord could accuse and punish you. Where sin has separated you from God, it is God Himself who has done something about it.
So how does such peace guard our hearts and minds? The truth is, our hearts and minds, even as Christians, are full of worry, troubled by sin, uncertainty and doubt. With all that's going on in our lives, it's hard to even pay attention to the coming of Christ. That's where His peace comes in. When the world and the devil and your own sinful flesh stir up trouble and turmoil, the peace of Christ is yours. How? Where is it? It's already been given to you in Baptism. Absolution is the reminder that your sins don't stand between you and God. The very meal of Christ's Body and Blood is the proof that the Lord is no longer your enemy, but is your Savior who lives and dwells in you by His gifts.
As you prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus to life everlasting. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
As Your coming was in peace, Quiet, full of gentleness, Let the same mind dwell in me Which is Yours eternally. (LSB 352:4)
Questions or comments regarding the Reflections may be sent to the Rev. Mark Buetow, Reflectons Editor, reflections@higherthings.org.
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Collect
Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Reading: Is. 43:25-44:20
25"I, I am he
(A) who blots out(B) your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will not remember your sins. 26Put me in remembrance;(C) let us argue together;
set forth your case, that you may be proved right. 27(D) Your first father sinned,
and(E) your mediators transgressed against me. 28Therefore(F) I will profane the princes of the sanctuary,
and(G) deliver Jacob to utter destruction
and Israel to reviling.
Israel the LORD’s Chosen
1"But now hear,(H) O Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen! 2Thus says the LORD who made you,
(I) who formed you from the womb and will help you:(J) Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
(K) Jeshurun whom I have chosen. 3(L) For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants. 4They shall spring up among the grass
(M) like willows by flowing streams. 5(N) This one will say, 'I am the LORD’s,'
another will call on the name of Jacob,and another will write on his hand, 'The LORD’s,'
and name himself by the name of Israel."
Besides Me There Is No God
6Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel
and(O) his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:(P) "I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god. 7(Q) Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.[a]
Let him declare and set it before me,since I appointed an ancient people.
Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. 8Fear not, nor be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
(R) And you are my witnesses!(S) Is there a God besides me?
There is no(T) Rock; I know not any."
The Folly of Idolatry
9(U) All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10(V) Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11(W) Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.
12(X) The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass.(Y) He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14(Z) He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, "Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!" 17And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it.(AA) He prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god!"
18They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, "Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an(AB) abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?" 20(AC) He feeds on(AD) ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, "Is there not(AE) a lie in my right hand?"
Footnotes:Isaiah 44:7 Or Who like me can proclaim it?
Cross references:Isaiah 43:25 : Isaiah 44:22; Ezek 36:25, 26 Isaiah 43:25 : Isaiah 46:8 Isaiah 43:26 : Isaiah 1:18 Isaiah 43:27 : Ezek 16:3 Isaiah 43:27 : Jer 5:31 Isaiah 43:28 : Lam 2:2 Isaiah 43:28 : Jer 24:9; 29:22 Isaiah 44:1 : Isaiah 41:8 Isaiah 44:2 : Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 49:15; Psalm 71:6; Jer 1:5; Gal 1:15 Isaiah 44:2 : Isaiah 43:5 Isaiah 44:2 : Deut 32:15 Isaiah 44:3 : Joel 2:28; John 7:38; Acts 2:18; Isaiah 35:6 Isaiah 44:4 : Psalm 1:3 Isaiah 44:5 : Isaiah 14:1 Isaiah 44:6 : Isaiah 43:14 Isaiah 44:6 : Isaiah 48:12; Rev 1:8; Isaiah 41:4 Isaiah 44:7 : Isaiah 41:26, 27 Isaiah 44:8 : Isaiah 43:10 Isaiah 44:8 : Isaiah 45:5; Deut 4:35, 39; 32:39; 1 Sam 2:2; Joel 2:27 Isaiah 44:8 : Isaiah 30:29 Isaiah 44:9 : Isaiah 41:24, 29 Isaiah 44:10 : Isaiah 40:19, 20; 41:6, 7; 46:6, 7; Hab 2:18; Jer 10:3-5 Isaiah 44:11 : Isaiah 45:16; Psalm 115:8; Isaiah 42:17 Isaiah 44:12 : Isaiah 44:10 Isaiah 44:13 : Psalm 115:5-7 Isaiah 44:14 : Isaiah 40:20 Isaiah 44:17 : Isaiah 45:20 Isaiah 44:19 : Deut 27:15 Isaiah 44:20 : Hos 12:1 Isaiah 44:20 : Job 13:12 Isaiah 44:20 : Psalm 144:8; Rom 1:25
Second Reading: Rev. 11:1-19
The Two Witnesses
1Then I was given(A) a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2but do not measure(B) the court outside the temple; leave that out, for(C) it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for(D) forty-two months. 3And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for(E) 1,260 days,(F) clothed in sackcloth."
4These are(G) the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5And if anyone would harm them,(H) fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them,(I) this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6They have the power(J) to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and(K) to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7And when they have finished their testimony,(L) the beast that rises from(M) the bottomless pit[a](N) will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically[b] is called(O) Sodom and(P) Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and(Q) refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10and(R) those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and(S) exchange presents, because these two prophets(T) had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11But after the three and a half days(U) a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them,(V) "Come up here!" And(W) they went up to heaven(X) in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13And at that hour there was(Y) a great earthquake, and(Z) a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and(AA) gave glory to(AB) the God of heaven.
14(AC) The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.
The Seventh Trumpet
15Then(AD) the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and(AE) there were loud voices in heaven, saying,(AF) "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of(AG) his Christ, and(AH) he shall reign forever and ever." 16And the twenty-four elders(AI) who sit on their thrones before God(AJ) fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying,
"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
(AK) who is and who was,for you have taken your great power
and(AL) begun to reign. 18The nations raged,
but(AM) your wrath came,
and(AN) the time for the dead to be judged,and for rewarding your servants,[c] the prophets and saints,
and(AO) those who fear your name,
both small and great,and(AP) for destroying the destroyers of the earth."
19Then(AQ) God’s temple in heaven was opened, and(AR) the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,[d] peals of thunder, an earthquake, and(AS) heavy hail.
Footnotes:Revelation 11:7 Or the abyss Revelation 11:8 Greek spiritually Revelation 11:18 Greek bondservants Revelation 11:19 Or voices, or sounds
Cross references:Revelation 11:1 : Revelation 21:15, 16; Ezek 40:3; Zech 2:1 Revelation 11:2 : Ezek 40:17, 20 Revelation 11:2 : Luke 21:24 Revelation 11:2 : Revelation 12:6; 13:5 Revelation 11:3 : Revelation 11:2 Revelation 11:3 : Isa 20:2 Revelation 11:4 : Zech 4:3, 11, 14; Psalm 52:8; Jer 11:16 Revelation 11:5 : 2 Kgs 1:10, 12; Jer 5:14 Revelation 11:5 : Num 16:29, 35 Revelation 11:6 : 1 Kgs 17:1; Luke 4:25; James 5:17 Revelation 11:6 : Exodus 7–10; 1 Sam 4:8 Revelation 11:7 : Revelation 17:8; Revelation 13:1 Revelation 11:7 : Revelation 9:1 Revelation 11:7 : Dan 7:21 Revelation 11:8 : Isa 1:10; 3:9 Revelation 11:8 : Ezek 23:3, 8, 19, 27 Revelation 11:9 : Psalm 79:2, 3 Revelation 11:10 : John 16:20; Revelation 3:10 Revelation 11:10 : Neh 8:10, 12; Esth 9:19, 22 Revelation 11:10 : 1 Kgs 18:17 Revelation 11:11 : Gen 2:7; Ezek 37:5, 9, 10, 14 Revelation 11:12 : Revelation 4:1 Revelation 11:12 : Revelation 12:5; 2 Kgs 2:11 Revelation 11:12 : Acts 1:9 Revelation 11:13 : Revelation 6:12 Revelation 11:13 : Revelation 16:19 Revelation 11:13 : Revelation 14:7; 16:9; 19:7; Josh 7:19 Revelation 11:13 : 2 Chr 36:23 Revelation 11:14 : Revelation 8:13; 9:12 Revelation 11:15 : Revelation 10:7 Revelation 11:15 : Revelation 16:17; 19:1; Isa 27:13 Revelation 11:15 : Revelation 12:10 Revelation 11:15 : Psalm 2:2 (Gk); Luke 9:20 Revelation 11:15 : Luke 1:33 Revelation 11:16 : Revelation 4:4 Revelation 11:16 : Revelation 4:10 Revelation 11:17 : Revelation 16:5; Revelation 1:4, 8; 4:8 Revelation 11:17 : Revelation 19:6; Psalm 97:1 Revelation 11:18 : Psalm 2:5; 110:5 Revelation 11:18 : Revelation 6:10; 20:12; Dan 7:10; 2 Thess 1:6, 7 Revelation 11:18 : Revelation 19:5 Revelation 11:18 : Revelation 13:10 Revelation 11:19 : Revelation 15:5 Revelation 11:19 : Heb 9:4 Revelation 11:19 : Revelation 16:21
Thursday Father Reading
"And because our Lord was going to take from our sight the body He had taken and raise it to heaven, it was necessary that He should consecrate for us the Sacrament of His Body and Blood, that through this Mystery which is to be celebrated, which was once offered for our redemption, and since, as our redemption, it has daily power for man's salvation, there should be a perpetual presentation of it. It is weighed by faith, not by appearance; to be reckoned not by outward vision, but by inward contemplation." [St. Carsarius of Arles. "Homily 7: Concerning Easter." 6th Century]
All Scripture Readings: English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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