| FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY Prophet and Savior January 31, 2021 There have always been many names and descriptions associated with Jesus Christ, and rightly so. As foretold in Isaiah, He would be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Disciples would call Him Rabbi, Teacher, and Lord. In our creedal confession, we acknowledge He is both true man and true God. All of these are right and proper, yet amid the many names and descriptions found in Scripture and the Confessions, we focus today on the fact that Jesus is both Prophet and Savior. The prophet Moses pointed to the greater Prophet, Jesus, the fulfillment of prophesies as the saving Word made flesh, who came as our Savior. “Son of God, Eternal Savior” [LSB 842] 1 Son of God, eternal Savior, Source of life and truth and grace, Word made flesh, whose birth among us, Hallows all our human race, You our Head, who, throned in glory, For Your own will ever plead: Fill us with Your love and pity, Heal our wrongs, and help our need. 2 As You, Lord, have lived for others, So may we for others live. Freely have Your gifts been granted; Freely may Your servants give. Yours the gold and Yours the silver, Yours the wealth of land and sea; We but stewards of Your bounty, Held in solemn trust will be. 3 Come, O Christ, and reign among us, King of Love and Prince of Peace; Hush the storm of strife and passion, Bid its cruel discords cease. By Your patient years of toiling, By Your silent hours of pain, Quench our fevered thirst of pleasure, Stem our selfish greed of gain. 4 Son of God, eternal Savior, Source of life and truth and grace, Word made flesh, whose birth among us, Hallows all our human race: By your praying, by Your willing, That Your people should be one, Grant, O grant our hope’s fruition; Here on earth Your will be done. PRAYER Lord of all, by Your hands all things were made. In Your Word is power over order and chaos, light and darkness, life and death. Grant Your Spirit that we become instruments of Yours by Your grace, humbly serving You through the perfect Prophet and Savior of this world; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. OLD TESTAMENT READING Deuteronomy 18:15–20 15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— 16 just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17 And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. 20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ HOLY GOSPEL Mark 1:21–28 21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee. “They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” Jesus had the authority of God and He was speaking the Word of God. Jesus had the authority of God because He is the Son of God and God Himself. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) It is hard to recognize the difference between truth and lies when you do not recognize where the information is coming from. This is why anything that claims to be true has to be compared to that alone which is true, God’s Word, the Bible, an expression of God Himself. This is why believing in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life is so important. He is the only way to be saved. He is the only one who died on the cross, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) There are no alternatives. The truth is the truth. There are no substitutes. LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6:9–13 Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. BENEDICTION The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. Amen. |
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Devotion 1/31/2021
Devotion 1/31/2021
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