I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord”
Psalm 122:1
Scripture Readings For the Week:
In the Old Testament Reading, God shows us a vision of the Son of Man coming in glory as the King of Kings, ruling over all peoples, nations, and languages. in 2 Peter 3, the Apostle reminds us that this world will not last forever. The things we see now will be consumed by fire on Judgment Day, and God will make a new heaven and earth. He warns that this may happen at any time, and therefore tells us we should be waiting in lives of holiness and godliness, that we may be found by our Lord without blemish or spot, and at peace. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 25, Jesus shows us that every person is either a sheep or a goat. The sheep will inherit the Kingdom of God, prepared from the foundation of the world. The goat will depart into eternal fire. We know from the Gospel of John that Christ’s sheep are those who hear His voice and follow Him, and that He will give them eternal life. In Matthew 25 we see that this faith exercises itself in acts of love toward those in need, especially within the household of faith. The goats by contrast do not listen to the Shepherd’s voice, and thus their lives are not marked by obedience to Him or service to neighbor, and their reward is found in this life alone.
Prayer of the Day:
O Lord, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that, ever mindful of the end of all things and the day of Your just judgment, we may be stirred up to holiness of living here and dwell with You forever hereafter; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Hymns:
- 689 Let Me Be Thine Forever
- 508 The Day is Surely Drawing Near
- 516 Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying
- 676 Behold a Host, Arrayed in White
- 513 The Clouds of Judgment Gather
Bach Cantata for the Week:
BWV 70 Watch! Pray! Pray! Watch!
Listen on Spotify |Listen on YouTube
First Part
- Chorus (S, A, T, B)
Watch ye, pray ye, pray ye, watch ye!
Keep prepared
For the day
When the Lord of majesty
To this world its ending bringeth!
- Recit. (B)
Be frightened, O ye stubborn sinners!
A day shall dawn
From which no one can hope to hide:
It speeds thee to a stringent judgment,
O sinful generation,
To lasting lamentation.
But you, God’s own elected children,
It brings the onset of true gladness.
The Savior summons you when all else falls and breaks
To his exalted countenance:
So fear ye not!
- Aria (A)
When comes the day of our withdrawing
From this the Egypt of our world?
Ah, let us soon escape from Sodom,
Ere us the fire overwhelms!
Wake up, ye souls, from your repose,
And trust, this is the final hour!
- Recit. (T)
In spite of all our heav’nly longing
Our body holds the spirit captive;
The world doth set through all its cunning
For good men traps and meshes.
The soul is willing, but the flesh is weak;(1)
This forces out our sorrowful “Alas!”
- Aria (S)
Leave to mocking tongues their scorning,
For it will and has to happen
That we Jesus shall behold yet
In the clouds, in the heavens.
World and heavens if they perish,
Christ’s word must still stand unshaken.
Leave to mocking tongues their scorning,
For it will and has to happen!
- Recit. (T)
And yet amidst this savage generation
God careth for his servants,
That this most wicked breed
Might cease henceforth to harm them,
For he doth hold them in his hand secure
And to a heav’nly Eden bring them.
- Chorale (S, A, T, B)
Be thou glad, O thou my spirit,
And forget all woe and fear,
For thee now doth Christ, thy Master,
Summon from this vale of tears!
His great joy and majesty
Shalt thou see eternally,
Join the angels’ jubilation
In eternal exultation.
Second Part
- Aria (T)
Lift high your heads aloft(2)
And be consoled, ye righteous,
That there your souls may bloom!
Ye shall in Eden flourish
In God’s eternal service.
- Recit. (B) with instr. chorale(3)
Ah, ought not this most awful day,
The world’s collapse,
When the trumpets shall sound,
The yet unheard of final stroke,
The sentence which the judge proclaimeth,
The jaws of hell with open portals
Within my heart
Much doubt and fear and terror
In me, the child of sin I am,
Awaken?
And yet, there passeth through my spirit
A glint of joy; a ray of comfort’s light.
The Savior can his heart no more keep hidden,
It doth with pity break,
His mercy’s arm forsakes me not.
Lead on, thus shall I end with gladness this my course.
- Aria (B)
O most blest refreshment day,
Lead me now into thy mansions!
Sound and crack, O final stroke,
World and heavens, fall in ruins!
Jesus leadeth me to stillness,
To that place where joy hath fullness.
- Chorale (S, A, T, B)
Not for world, for heaven not,
Doth my spirit yearn with longing;
Jesus seek I and his light,
Who to God hath reconciled me,
Who from judgment hath set free;
My Lord Jesus I’ll not leave.