Congregation at Prayer

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Solomon’s Temple — This week’s history of the Old Testament Church focuses upon the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was a replica of the portable Tabernacle, but on a larger scale. The same appointments that were in the Tabernacle were part of the Temple. Most notably, the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Holy of Holies behind the curtain. The Ark of the Covenant represented Christ. The “mercy-seat” upon which the cherubim gazed, was the lid of the Ark and the place where the High Priest offered the blood and water in atonement for the sins of the people on the Day of Atonement. Jesus made atonement for our sins upon the altar of the cross, and we are sprinkled with His blood through the water of Holy Baptism. Jesus is the true Ark of the Promise of salvation. He was conceived and born in the flesh and “tabernacles among us” by the wisdom of His Gospel and the life-giving power of His Sacraments.CP241006

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Solomon’s Kingdom at Its Best — This week’s Biblical narratives describe the reign of King Solomon before he began to pursue the appetites of the flesh. Solomon rightly asked for wisdom. He did not ask for wealth or other fleeting temporal blessings. The Lord granted his request and bestowed upon him the gift of a wise and discerning heart. This was the Lord’s gift and not anything for which Solomon could boast. His wisdom is on display this week in how he handles the two harlots in a dispute about their children. His kingdom was established upon the promises God made to David, and he built the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem to be the location of God’s divine services in the Old Testament Church. The good qualities we see this week in King Solomon are prophetic types of the ultimate Prince of Peace, our Lord Jesus Christ. He would build a kingdom, speak eternal wisdom, and establish a peace that would never end.CP240929

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Strife in the House of David — This week’s Biblical narrative begins with the prophet Nathan being sent to King David to call him to repentance. David had transgressed grievously, committing adultery with Bathsheba, and arranging for the death of her husband to cover his sin. No one can hide from God. In love for David, Nathan was called to do the hard thing: call him to repent. Nathan’s ministry to David was characterized by using language that, though it exposed his sin, did so in such a way that this prodigal king would be called back to the love of the Lord from which he had strayed. David repented. He confessed. He was absolved of his sin. But strife and calamity would follow him for the rest of his days. The child conceived in adultery would die. Another son, Absalom, would betray him and try to steal his throne. Every conceivable difficulty would be experienced in his household and kingdom. Why? Did these terrible things mean that the Lord did NOT forgive him? By no means! Rather, through the things that David suffered, he would learn reliance upon the Lord’s grace alone. We see this miracle of repentant faith throughout David’s prayers in the psalter.CP240922

Catechesis Notes for the Week — The Reign of David Begins—This week’s Bible stories feature the beginning of David’s reign. He was a man after God’s own heart, a man of repentant faith in the Lord. We see this in the high regard he pays to the centrality of the Ark of the Covenant in Israel’s worship, in the Lord’s covenant with Him, and in how he kept his promise to Jonathan and the household of Saul to care for Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s cripped son. But to say that David was a man after God’s own heart does not mean that he did not struggle with sin. At the end of this week, we hear the account of David’s adultery with Bathsheba and how, through that one action, he transgressed all of God’s Law. David did so many great things throughout his career, but he is not the Savior. Only the greater Son of David is without sin, and only He, Jesus Christ, our Lord, is capable of saving sinners, even the likes of David.CP240915

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Satanic Arts—Under the Second Commandment, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord Your God,” the Catechism reminds us that the misuse of God’s name also involves ANY attempt to tap into powers other than God for guidance, strength, and support. The occult, or “satanic arts” involves seances, tarot cards, horoscopes, crystal balls, palm reading, etc. In this week’s bible stories from the Old Testament we hear about the tragic end of King Saul’s life. His reign as king had begun with such promise, only to end in the destruction of his kingdom and the loss of his own life by the judgment of the Lord. One of Saul’s final acts was to consult with a “witch” or “medium” at Endor. Scripture makes clear that we cannot and are not to attempt to contact the dead. This medium at Endor had a “familiar spirit” or demon who could impersonate people who had died to mislead people that they were actually consulting with their dead relative. In the case of this week’s bible story, the Lord intervened and allowed Samuel to appear and pronounce God’s judgement. Immediately, the medium was terrified because she did not see her familiar demon, but Samuel himself. God protect us from such wickedness; thus, we call on the Lord’s name alone.CP240908

Catechesis Notes for the Week — The Stories of David—The Old Testament narratives this fall take us from the beginning of the Monarchy of David, when he is persecuted and hunted by the apostate King Saul, to the divided kingdom of Judah and Israel, and the return of the exiles. As we meditate upon David’s life and ministry, we are to think of the greater Son of David, our Lord Jesus Christ. David the shepherd, at his best, gives us a picture of Jesus. He is merciful, compassionate, he draws to himself those who are suffering and downtrodden. In the book of psalms, so many of which were written by David, we see a man of faith, like our Lord, who “calls upon God in every trouble, who prays, praises, and give thanks.” In David’s life, unlike Jesus, we also see a man of sinful weakness. Yet even this teaches us much about living as sinners by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord’s promises did not fail David. He was called to repentance for his failings, he heard the voice of the Lord, and in contrition and repentance returned to the Lord repeatedly. The penitential psalms, like 38, 32, and 51, give us examples of what the baptismal life of the Christian is really like. We are called to daily contrition and repentance for our sin, to faith in Christ’s mercy, that the Lord might bring forth in us, as He did for David, His good works and the fruits of faith.CP240901

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 74—The Prayer of the Church During Pestilence and When Persecutors Seek to Destroy Her—Psalm 74 is a prayer against those who attack the Church and try to destroy the sanctuary of the Lord where His people gather to worship. How strangely and eerily appropriate this psalm is for our current crisis. On the one hand, the civil authorities are trying to protect the population from the spread of disease; on the other hand, enemies of the Gospel would like to use the crisis to destroy the Church. The psalm begins with the questions, “O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture? Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old…” Psalm 74 is an example of how the circumstances of life provide the proper interpretation of the psalm: “The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary. Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place…They said in their hearts, ‘Let us destroy them altogether.’ They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.”  This devastating description of the Church under siege is quickly followed by our cry to the Lord to take action and remember His promises for the sake of His congregation: “The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun. You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter. Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O Lord…Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast! … Arise, O God, plead Your own cause…”  Sometimes we are prone to imagine that the Church has never endured the kinds of distress that we experience in the world today. It is not true. At times like these, we commend ourselves and the world to the mercy of God in Christ, take up God’s Word daily, and pray the psalms most fervently.CP240825

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Notes for the Week — Psalm 146: A Confession of Faith in the Lord—To confess the truth of who the Lord is and what He has done and continues to do for us is the source true happiness, well-being, and contentment. It is also the foundation for proper praise of the Lord which gives all glory to Him because He has done all things for us. The God who made us is also the God who saves us. Our redemption in Christ restores us to what God called us to be. The forgiveness of sins in Christ makes all things new. Thus, the psalmist confesses this faith in a song of praise: “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live, I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” Politicians and princes cannot save. “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever.” The Lord executes justice for the oppressed in the cross of Calvary. Christ’s redeeming work then becomes the fountain and source of all blessings. “The Lord gives freedom…opens the eyes of the blind…raises those who are bowed down…loves the righteous…watches over the strangers…relieves the fatherless and widow.” For all this we “Praise the Lord!”

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 50: A Song of Praise for the Proper Worship of the Lord—The true worship of God is not faith in ourselves, our own sacrifices, or our works of love that we offer to God in an attempt to earn His favor. Instead, the true worship of the Lord is a faith which desires to receive His forgiveness and help as a gift of His grace. Psalm 50 criticizes the sacrifices that were so often made in the Old Testament Church, not because they were bad (they were given to Israel by God), but rather because they were offered to God as their own good works to earn His favor. The true worship of God is a repentant heart that clings to His mercy for forgiveness, life, and salvation. The Lord alone is perfect and righteous. Out of Zion, His holy Church, He shines forth in the beauty of His righteousness to save repentant sinners. He calls us to faith in His gift of righteousness to offer to God thanksgiving and to pay our vows to the Most High. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” True praise and worship of the Lord honors and gives all glory to Him who gave His life for us. “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”CP240811

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 92 — A Prayer of Daily Thanksgiving for the Love of the Lord—There is so much evil in the world. It is foolish and senseless to deny the existence of God and the goodness of His love. Enemies abound who reject the Lord God, but He never fails to uphold, strengthen, and lift up His people who trust in Him and to make them glad by the works of His hands. As believers in the Lord and in His sustaining grace, we commend the wicked and all workers of iniquity to Him who will judge the wicked and bring their evil plans to an end in His good time. In the meantime, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.” The humble, faithful, regular morning and evening prayers of Christians are a balm for the soul in the face of the evils of our age. Daily prayer focuses our attention upon what the Lord has done and continues to do for His people. In such regular meditation upon God’s Word, anxiety is dispelled and confidence in the Lord is strengthened. The righteous walk by faith in the Lord’s promise and do not live in despair when we see the wickedness of the world around us. “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree… They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing.”CP240804