"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Tuesday, 22 November 2016 with Scripture Psalm 122

"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Tuesday, 22 November 2016 with Scripture Psalm 122
-------

Psalm 122: (0) A song of ascents. By David:
(1) I was glad when they said to me,
“The house of Adonai! Let’s go!”
2 Our feet were already standing
at your gates, Yerushalayim.
3 Yerushalayim, built as a city
fostering friendship and unity.
4 The tribes have gone up there, the tribes of Adonai,
as a witness to Isra’el,
to give thanks to the name of Adonai.
5 For there the thrones of justice were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for shalom in Yerushalayim;
may those who love you prosper.
7 May shalom be within your ramparts,
prosperity in your palaces.
8 For the sake of my family and friends, I say,
“Shalom be within you!”
9 For the sake of the house of Adonai our God,
I will seek your well-being.[Complete Jewish Bible]
-------

How would you characterize your deepest longing? Is there just one thing for which you really hope? The psalmist certainly offers a suggestion and a proposal. He thinks of a city--his home--and of a place where those who love him have their dwelling. The psalmist's deep longing for peace is almost palpable; three times we hear his pleading. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and that those who love you may prosper." And perhaps even after these centuries we too, our days seemingly dogged by hatred and fear, can share the longing. We hope for peace for our homes, security within our cities and for our loved ones a peace within that will be the signs of the Lord's ever-present love. 
O God of peace, still we join our prayers to those of your people through the centuries. Bring peace to our homes, to our cities and within our hearts, that all may come to know the promise of your goodness. Amen.
James L. Boyce, '71
Emeritus Professor of New Testament and Greek, Luther Seminary
Psalm 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord!"
2 Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem--built as a city that is bound firmly together.
4 To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5 For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers."
8 For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, "Peace be within you."
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.  [New Revised Standard Version]

-------

"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Monday, 21 November 2016 with Scripture Isaiah 2:1-5
-------

Isaiah 2:1 This is the word that Yesha‘yahu the son of Amotz saw concerning Y’hudah and Yerushalayim:
2 In the acharit-hayamim
the mountain of Adonai’s house
will be established as the most important mountain.
It will be regarded more highly than the other hills,
and all the Goyim will stream there.
3 Many peoples will go and say,
“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of Adonai,
to the house of the God of Ya‘akov!
He will teach us about his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For out of Tziyon will go forth Torah,
the word of Adonai from Yerushalayim.
4 He will judge between the nations
and arbitrate for many peoples.
Then they will hammer their swords into plow-blades
and their spears into pruning-knives;
nations will not raise swords at each other,
and they will no longer learn war.
5 Descendants of Ya‘akov, come!
Let’s live in the light of Adonai![Complete Jewish Bible]
-------

"In days to come," the prophet says as he passes on his captivating vision of the Lord's word of promise. It's all about anticipation and an invitation to share in the ways of peace that the Lord has in store for all peoples. Twice the prophet calls, "Come, let us go!" The invitation bears repeating, and it implies an RSVP. Part of the gift of our humanity is the ability to imagine a future and to hope. But also included is a sense of history and along with it a recollection of past disappointments. So how will we respond to the Lord's invitation and the prophet's vision? How will we greet the coming Advent with its promise of the Lord's new future? Will we respond with a jaded ho-hum; or will we be awakened once again by the prophet's excitement of what the Lord has in store for us in the "days to come?" 
O Lord, our hope, open our ears and our hearts once again to receive the wondrous vision of that light and peace which you have in store for all your creation. Lift our hearts to respond in joy to your invitation to "Come." Amen.
James L. Boyce, '71
Emeritus Professor of New Testament and Greek, Luther Seminary
Isaiah 2:1 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it.
3 Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!  [New Revised Standard Version]

-------

"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Sunday, 20 November 2016 with "Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song" (ELW 808)
-------

"Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey (Jésus, he voudrais te chanter sur ma route) Translator: Stephen Somerville (1970) (ELW 808)
The text for today's hymn cannot be published due to copyright limitations. We apologize for the inconvenience.
1. Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey;
I'll tell ev'rybody about you wherever I go;
you alone are our life and our peace and our love.
Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey.
2. Lord Jesus, I'll praise you as long as I journey.
May all of my joy be a faithful reflection of you.
May the earth and the sea and the sky join my song.
Lord Jesus, I'll praise you as long as I journey.
3. As long as I live, Jesus, make me your servant,
to carry your cross and to share all your burdens and tears.
For you saved me by giving your body and blood.
As long as I live, Jesus, make me your servant.
4. I fear in the dark and the doubt of my journey;
but courage will come with the sound of your steps by my side.
And with all of the fam'ly you saved by your love,

we'll sing to your dawn at the end of your journey.
-------

This hymn tells once more the story of our God's deliverance and grace--of release from captivity, hearts caught on fire in the Spirit, prophets proclaiming divine intervention and finally the gift of Jesus, the "best gift divine." In response to God's great works, we sing along with the psalms of David and Mary's Magnificat, and ultimately through our own songs of praise. All of our singing is for one purpose, to give glory to God. On Christ the King Sunday it is tempting to focus on hymns of triumph with triumphal marches and trumpet tunes of glory and power. Yet our king humbled himself for us to the point of death on a cross. We must take care to understand that today's celebration is not about our own glory. Instead it is a happy exchange of our death for God's life. God's desire for all creation is that we be joined together in praise for the one who gives us all life. Soli Deo Gloria! 
Christ our king, reign in our hearts. Turn us from selfish desire to serve you alone. Strengthen us so that we may proclaim your good news in our words and our deeds and give glory to God alone. All this we ask in the name of the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Erik K. J. Gronberg, '05
Bishop, Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod, ELCA

-------

"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Saturday, 19 November 2016 "Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey (Jésus, he voudrais te chanter sur ma route) Translator: Stephen Somerville (1970)
-------

"Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey (Jésus, he voudrais te chanter sur ma route) Translator: Stephen Somerville (1970) (ELW 808)
The text for today's hymn cannot be published due to copyright limitations. We apologize for the inconvenience.
1. Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey;
I'll tell ev'rybody about you wherever I go;
you alone are our life and our peace and our love.
Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey.
2. Lord Jesus, I'll praise you as long as I journey.
May all of my joy be a faithful reflection of you.
May the earth and the sea and the sky join my song.
Lord Jesus, I'll praise you as long as I journey.
3. As long as I live, Jesus, make me your servant,
to carry your cross and to share all your burdens and tears.
For you saved me by giving your body and blood.
As long as I live, Jesus, make me your servant.
4. I fear in the dark and the doubt of my journey;
but courage will come with the sound of your steps by my side.
And with all of the fam'ly you saved by your love,

we'll sing to your dawn at the end of your journey.
-------

This hymn, originally written in French, has quickly become a favorite of mine and in many communities. This is the kind of king that we serve, who walks along beside us, who saves us by giving his very body and blood, who promises us a dawn at the end of our journey. In a culture that glories in power and privilege, the idea of serving and worshipping a king who is humble enough to walk with us and give himself for us is radical. This is not power over but power given away for others. It is power that then challenges us to go forward into the world serving those whom this world would be happy to forget. All the while we go singing the song of love in Jesus. 
Lord Jesus, be our song on our journey. We give you thanks that you have given yourself so we may have life. As we go with you in this life strengthen us to serve. Encourage us when we are struggling and challenge us to greater love. In your holy name we pray. Amen.
Erik K. J. Gronberg, '05
Bishop, Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod, ELCA

-------

"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Friday, 18 November 2016 with Scripture Luke 23:33-43
-------

Luke 23:33 When they came to the place called The Skull, they nailed him to a stake; and they nailed the criminals to stakes, one on the right and one on the left. 34 Yeshua said, “Father, forgive them; they don’t understand what they are doing.”
They divided up his clothes by throwing dice.[Luke 23:34 Psalm 22:19(18)] 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at him.[Luke 23:35 Psalm 22:8(7)] “He saved others,” they said, “so if he really is the Messiah, the one chosen by God, let him save himself!” 36 The soldiers too ridiculed him; they came up, offered him vinegar[Luke 23:36 Psalm 69:22(21)] 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 And there was a notice over him which read,
THIS IS
THE KING OF THE JEWS
39 One of the criminals hanging there hurled insults at him. “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other one spoke up and rebuked the first, saying, “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same punishment as he is. 41 Ours is only fair; we’re getting what we deserve for what we did. But this man did nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Yeshua, remember me when you come as King.” 43 Yeshua said to him, “Yes! I promise that you will be with me today in Gan-‘Eden.”[Complete Jewish Bible]
-------

There is familiarity and a distinctive comfort level with the places that are special to us. For many persons, a particular place--be it their home, farm, church, school, etc.--gives this sense of place. Two weeks ago I stood in Jerusalem at the place tradition tells us was the site of the crucifixion. In the weeks and months leading up to this trip I wondered how I would feel being physically in that place, pondering what my impressions, emotions, or reactions to being at this site of Christ's execution would be. The starkness of what the landscape would possibly have looked like struck me most. The participants would have been outside, truly in a place dedicated to death. Yet in the midst of his suffering in that place Jesus promises to the criminal a place in paradise, in the kingdom where this suffering servant is enthroned in glory. In a place dedicated to death Jesus promised life and hope. And because of his death, to which we are joined in baptism, we can also have hope of a place with God in God's kingdom. 
Forgiving Christ, you offered a place in your kingdom to the suffering criminal on the cross. We give you thanks that in baptism we are given a place with you as well. Help us to trust in your promises, serve your people and reach out to those who feel lost. In Christ our Lord. Amen.
Erik K. J. Gronberg, '05
Bishop, Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod, ELCA
Luke 23:33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
34 [Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."] And they cast lots to divide his clothing.
35 And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!"
36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine
37 and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"
38 There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews.
39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"
40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."
42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
43 He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."  [New Revised Standard Version]

-------