49. Epiphany Eve.
Lord God, let thy tender mercy
be known in all the earth,
and let it become mighty
in our hearts. Amen.
Isaiah 12. And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
❦
You that really live in the church of Christ have infinitely great reason to thank the Lord. You were a child of wrath, but are one no more. He surrounds you with nothing but love and grace; goodness and mercy, only, follow you all the days of your life. I am not speaking of what your feelings may say, but of what really is. God himself, the Eternal and Glorious One, is your strength and your life; God, the very fullness of salvation, is your salvation. Can he be moved? Can the rock of your salvation totter? Can the well of your salvation run dry? You may yet have to bear the brunt of many a fight before you shall have achieved your last victory; but the Lord Jehovah is your strength, and, surely, none shall be able to strike him down. Incessantly you shall receive new grace, and new love and new joy; for in this kingdom all things are new; a new and fresh life pours out from the Father and the Son in the Holy Ghost, flows through the whole church and refreshes and nourishes the hearts. With joy you shall draw water out of the wells of salvation. “Whosoever drinketh of the water of Sychar shall thirst again; but whosoever drinketh of the water that Jesus giveth shall never thirst; but the water shall be in him a well of water springing up into eternal life.” “But this living water, what is it but the life in God, which is given us in our baptism? What is this water but the life of Christ, which nourishes us in the body and blood of the sacrament of the altar? What is this water but the life of the Holy Ghost, which is given us in the gospel? Yes, this water it is that wells up out of the heart of God the Father, is a flood of glory in all the angels, is the lifebeat of the elect; and on the bosom of this river all who drink of it are carried forward to the boundless sea of the Divine Being, the universal and eternal mother, whence the rivers come, and whither they return.”
Praise the Lord, ye members of his church; declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Let his saving glory shine over all the earth. Is not your Savior set for an ensign to the peoples, that the heathen shall inquire after him? Cry out and shout, inhabitants of Zion; call the heathen by the thousands to come and dwell in the tent of the Lord. Why are you still silent? Is there not room? Is there not abundance of the water of life? Have you been forbidden to invite the peoples, or is your voice too weak, or your strength too little? The Lord, who commands you to make his name known in all the earth, is himself your strength and your song. He has done excellent things for us; let this be declared throughout the whole earth.
Grant thy blessings herein, gracious God; glorify thy name, and give salvation to the heathen for Jesus’ sake. Amen.*
Put forth thy glorious power,
That Gentiles all may see,
And earth present her store
In converts born to thee:
God, our own God, his church will bless,
And fill the world with righteousness.
To God the only wise,
The one immortal King,
Let hallelujahs rise
From every living thing:
Let all that breathe, on every coast,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
[TLH 642; 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.