14. Thursday after Second Sunday in Advent.
Lord, give us grace to keep
thy word in our hearts. Amen.
Revelation 3, 7-13. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
❦
It behooves the church of God to be patient and remain steadfast through poverty and tribulation a little while, then shall it receive the crown. The church must keep the word of Christ’s patience; that is, it must practice patience and conquer by his word. It must submit to contempt, scorn, and oppression on the part of the wise and mighty of the world, it must suffer without complaining, bear anguish and sorrow, and find support in the word which teaches us, that such is to be the portion of God’s people here on earth, especially in these latter days. Though we have but little strength, the power of the Word is great; the faithfulness of the Lord will enable us to keep the truth and thereby vanquish all its opponents. “Be not thou ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner; but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.” Through the trials of the latter days the church shall be made worthy of the crown of victory. The cross is the Christians’ coat-of-arms; the effeminate shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Man thy soul with courage, Zion; be undaunted in the strife; be undaunted always, looking forward to the crown of life. Though the enemy be mighty, life is but a fleeting breath; let thy heart be stout, O Zion, and be faithful unto death.
Faithful Lord Jesus, thou knowest that we can do nothing of ourselves; give us grace that we may confess thee and be willing to suffer for thy name’s sake. Grant us patience; keep our eyes directed toward the crown, so that we never may grow faint of heart, but thank and bless thee in our tribulations while life endures. Amen.*
Who will but let himself be guided
Of God alone, in all his ways,
Shall strength receive, be well provided,
And safely led through evil days;
Who trusts in God’s unchanging love,
Builds on the Rock that naught can move.
Think not, when in the stress of trial,
That God hath cast thee off unheard,
That he whose hopes meet no denial
Must surely be of God preferred;
God never will forsake in need
The heart that trusts in him indeed.
[TLH 518, LSB 750, ELH 205; listen here]
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.