Congregation at Prayer

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 135: A Psalm of Praise for Our Creator and Redeemer—Psalm 135 calls us to praise the Lord, our Creator and Redeemer. All who stand in the house of the Lord are to praise the Lord and sing to His name, for it is pleasant. By the name of the Lord, we were baptized and made the children of God. By the name of the Lord, He continues to forgive our sins. And by the name of the Lord, we call upon Him in every trouble. Like the Old Testament Church which was established by the promise of salvation made to the Patriarchs, so the New Testament Church rests her hopes and confidence upon the promises of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus who is both our Creator and our Redeemer. “Our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases He does.” Not only is He the Lord of creation, ordering the cycle of rain, the lightening, and the wind, but He is also the God of salvation who delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt and conquered all her enemies. Psalm 135 leads us in a renunciation of all worthless idols who have no power to create or save. Israel, Aaron, and Levi represent the whole congregation of the Old Testament Church. We, like the Old Testament Church, are called to bless the Lord for there is life and salvation in no other.

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 134: A Prayer for Ministers to Be Faithful— “Bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord.” How do the servants of the Lord bless the Lord? They faithfully preach His Word. They faithfully call to repentance and proclaim forgiveness. They lift up their hands in the sanctuary, forgiving sin and giving the Lord’s benediction to the congregation of the faithful. Psalm 134 is the final Song of Ascents in the psalter. It was sung by the faithful as they awaited the benediction of the priest. It is as if they were praying for the priests to do their job, to stand by night in the house of the Lord and proclaim His Word. The Lord is “blessed” not by doing something for Him, but by faithfully doing what He has given His priests and pastors to do for the sake of the congregation. It is the same for us today in the New Testament Church. By faithfully preaching the Gospel and administering the sacraments, the servants of the Lord bless the Lord by giving to the congregation what they need to hear and receive. In the Old Testament Church, the congregation eagerly waited for the priest to emerge from the Temple, lift up his hands, and pronounce the benediction. In the same way, we pray for our pastors to lift up their hands and “bless the Lord” by faithfully administering His gifts to us.

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 133: A Prayer for Fellowship Among the Faithful—It is the Lord alone who establishes fellowship among the baptized faithful. Sharing in common the gift of the Holy Spirit and true faith in Christ in the heart is something that only the Holy Spirit can create through the faithful preaching of God’s Word that is received and believed. Out of the reception of God’s Word, brothers and sisters confess a unity of faith and love which is a miracle of the Holy Spirit. It is this fellowship that Psalm 133 celebrates: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Unity and harmony in the faith cannot be established by any human agreement where people “agree to disagree”— such “unity” is a scam. The only unity worth having is the unity that God alone creates in the hearts of His people by the pure and unadulterated Word of God. This unity is compared to the precious oil that anoints the beard of Aaron the High Priest, or to the dew that refreshes Mount Hermon and the mountains of Zion. Out of this unity of the pure Gospel and faith in Christ “there the Lord commanded the blessing—Life forevermore.”

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 132: A Prayer for the Lord to Dwell with His Church—Psalm 132 begins with recalling how David would not rest until he had provided for the tabernacle of the Lord and the Ark of the Covenant where the Old Testament believers would worship and receive the Lord’s saving gifts. For us in the New Testament Church, Christ is the Tabernacle of the Lord’s saving presence. He promises to be found where His Word is preached, and His sacraments are administered. He has made precious promises to His holy Christian Church and to each member of the communion of saints. As the Lord was faithful to David and His place of rest in Zion, so the Lord is faithful to us. The testimony of the Lord in the Gospel of Christ is certain. His priests are clothed with His righteousness. He grants rest and refreshment to His saints who shout for joy in His presence. Like the Old Testament saints who prayed this Psalm of Ascents as they approached the Lord’s tabernacle, we know that when we enter into the house of the Lord that Jesus Himself is present with His good gifts and Spirit.

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 131: A Prayer of Simple Trust in the Lord—This short psalm of Ascents speaks of the simplicity of faith, comparing the believer to a weaned child who remains dependent upon his mother. As Christians, we are to live within our vocations. We are not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. We are not to occupy ourselves with great matters or things that are too profound for us. We are to commend ourselves and our whole life to Christ, our Lord. To live in the humility of faith is not to dictate to God what He must do, but rather to receive from Him what He gives and to hope confidently in Him.

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 130: A Confession of Sin—As the faithful gathered for the daily evening sacrifice to confess their sins and receive the healing Word of forgiveness, each individual penitent prayed: “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” Psalm 130, another song of Ascents, was prayed as the high priest entered into the holy place to lead the people in the confession of sin. Like the Tax Collector who cried, “God be merciful to me a sinner,” the psalmist places no faith in his own righteousness but lays his sin before his gracious Lord. “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning.” As we eagerly anticipate the absolution from the lips of our pastor, so the psalmist waited for the priest to emerge from the Temple and pronounce the Lord’s forgiveness to the penitent sinners. The foundation of the Church’s hope and confidence is that “with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption.”

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 129: Commemorating the Lord’s Deliverance of His People from Oppression—Throughout her history, the Children of Israel had many who rose up against her. Often these enemies visited God’s judgment upon Israel for her rebellion against the Lord, but that did not change the Lord’s favorable disposition toward Israel. Israel was still His chosen one, and He did not tolerate the enemies of Israel to gloat over her, even when His judgment was visited upon her. Psalm 129, a psalm of Ascent, celebrates the Lord’s faithfulness in delivering her from all her enemies. The whole congregation of Israel prayed as one man: “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth,” Let Israel now say — “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth; yet they have not prevailed against me.” The enemies of Israel were like farmers who plowed long furrows on her back, yet the Lord delivered her. Psalm 129 also claims the Lord’s promise to “bless those who bless Israel and to curse those who curse her,” by saying, “Let all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back.” The promise of deliverance that the Lord made to the Old Testament Church applies to the New Testament Church today. In the end, God will vindicate His people who put their trust in Him. We pray for this daily, even as we accept the chastening of the Lord for our good.CP211017

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 128: A Prayer of Blessing for Those Who Fear the Lord—Psalm 128 is a companion psalm to 127, which extols the gift of marriage and children. The foundation for God’s blessing in the home is the fear of the Lord and walking in His ways. To do what God has given us to do, according to His Word, gives great satisfaction. “When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.” The fruitfulness of the wife for a faithful Christian husband is not only in the children she bears but, as she receives the love of her husband, she has the capacity and blessing of bearing the fruit of faithful love and service for her children. When the fear of the Lord is the foundation of family life, children are like olive plants around the table. “Thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.” The references to Zion and Jerusalem indicate that the Lord’s blessing comes from His Church through the comforting preaching and life-giving gifts of the Sacraments. Those who fear the Lord gather regularly to receive His peace in the Divine Service.

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CP211003     Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 127: The Lord Alone Preserves the Family—Without the Lord “building” our marriages, homes, and families by His gracious Word and Spirit we can accomplish nothing of lasting value or worth. Psalm 127 gives all glory and honor to the Lord as the one who builds, establishes, and protects our families and the city in which we dwell. Our efforts, apart from faith and prayer, accomplish nothing. “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.” This psalm of Ascent paints a beautiful picture that contrasts our striving apart from the Lord’s Word and faith with the rest that the Lord alone gives to His beloved who trust in Him. Furthermore, Psalm 127 speaks against the prevailing wisdom of our age by extolling children as a precious gift from God. “Children are a heritage from the Lord…Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.” Even though God has given us work to do in our station in life, happiness, contentment, and peace comes, not from our striving, but from the gifts and provisions that Lord provides in Christ to sustain us. Those who trust in Him will never be put to shame and will triumph over their enemies.

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 126: A Prayer of Rejoicing for the Lord Bringing Us Back from Captivity—Psalm 126, one of the psalms of Ascents, celebrates the return of the exiles to Jerusalem after the Babylonian Captivity. As the descendants of those who had rebelled against the Lord, they recognized the Lord’s faithfulness and gift of salvation that neither they nor their descendants deserved. They were overwhelmed with happiness and overflowed with joy. “Our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing…The Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us, wherefore we are glad.” Psalm 126 reminds us of the important lesson that the Lord is always faithful to those who cling to Him in faith, which includes those who have returned to Him in contrition and repentance. “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.” We pray psalm 126 with our Old Testament brothers and sisters for the many ways in which the Lord has been faithful to us to call from our wayward ways back to Him who is our life and salvation.

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