His Time - The New Year, Psalm 108, "Jesus Presented at the Temple"

1. The New Year, Resolutions, and God’s Promises

Rev. Jonathan Fisk talks about the new year, resolutions, politics, and God’s promises to us.

2. Meditation on the Day’s Psalm

Rev. Jonathan Fisk gives a meditation on the Psalm of the Day, Psalm 108:1-6, 12-13.

Psalm 108:1-6, 12-13

With God We Shall Do Valiantly

A Song. A Psalm of David.

108 My heart is steadfast, O God!
    I will sing and make melody with all my being!^[a]
²Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
³I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
⁴For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

⁵Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
⁶That your beloved ones may be delivered,
give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

¹²Oh grant us help against the foe,
for vain is the salvation of man!
¹³With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.

Footnotes:

Psalm 108:1 Hebrew with my glory

English Standard Version (ESV)

3. Daily Lectionary

Rev. Zelwyn Heide from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Grassy Butte, North Dakota, studies Luke 2:21-40.

4. Morning Prayer Sermonette

Today’s sermonette is given by Rev. Zelwyn Heide from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Grassy Butte, North Dakota.

"The Bible is cradle wherein Christ is laid." - Martin Luther — “The Bible is cradle wherein Christ is laid.” – Martin Luther

Luke 2:21-40

²¹And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

²²And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” ²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, ²⁸he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

²⁹“Lord, now you are letting your servant^[a] depart in peace,
    according to your word;
³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation
³¹    that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and for glory to your people Israel.”

³³And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.³⁴And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed ³⁵(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

³⁶And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, ³⁷and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.^[b] She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Return to Nazareth

³⁹And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.