Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 8:9-9:7; 1 Peter 4:1-19
“See, your King | comes to you,*
righteous and having sal | vation.
To you, O Lord, I lift | up my soul;*
in you I trust, | O my God.
Do not let me be | put to shame,*
nor let my enemies triumph |over me.
No one whose hope is in you will ever be | put to shame,*
but they will be put to shame who are treacherous with | out excuse.
See, your King | comes to you,*
righteous and having sal | vation.
(Introit for the 1st Sunday in Advent - Antiphon, Zech. 9:9b; Ps. 25:1-3)
It is a terrible feeling when we lose to our enemies. When those who strive against us triumph and we are left kneeling in the dust of defeat, we can feel the most powerful shame. We feel like we should have done better; we feel like we should have triumphed. And when our enemies mock and ridicule us in our weakness, we are overcome with sorrow and grief.
As sons and daughters of the living God, we have spiritual enemies: our sinful flesh, the fallen world and the devil himself. When these enemies entice us to sin and cause us to fall, we are filled with shame and disgrace. We would prefer to imagine that we never fail, but it is hard to ignore when we suffer the consequences of our sin, and the devil mocks us in our shame.
Nevertheless, there is One Who lifts us up when we have fallen, Who rescues us from our enemies. The Lord alone has defeated our enemies, and He comes to us with the gift of salvation.
Jesus Christ endured our shame in this world. He humbled himself and was born as a human being, living a life that was often filled with suffering and sorrow. He was mocked and persecuted by His enemies, and suffered at the hands of evil men. And, upon the Cross, He suffered the greatest sorrow of all – being forsaken by His own Father as He claimed the guilt of our sin.
Nevertheless, he has triumphed over those enemies. Satan and his demons are powerless before the risen Christ. He has conquered the power of sin and shattered the gates of death. He now rules victorious at His Father’s right hand, and the world is powerless to harm us.
Lord Jesus Christ, guard us from every evil, and keep us steadfast in your love. Amen.
Higher Things would like to thank the Rev. Jeffery Grams ( jgrams@atcom.net ) of St. John Lutheran Church, Scottsbluff, NE for writing this season's Reflections.