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(upbeat music) You're listening to The Faithful Word, podcast of Grace Lutheran Church in Smithville, Texas. I'm David Walmer, pastor here at Grace Lutheran Church. I pray that you are filled with peace and hope as you hear and reflect on God's word today. Today's devotion follows the order of the congregation at prayer. You can find this either in your bulletin as an insert or online. The website link is below. Today is Tuesday, December 31st. We reflect on the first Sunday after Christmas and remember the theme, "Christ's peace rules our hearts, so be thankful." In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen, O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. Make haste, O God, to deliver me. Make haste to help me, O Lord. Praise to you, O Christ, Lamb of our salvation. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever, amen. Praise to you, O Christ, Alleluia. Psalm 111. Praise the Lord. I will give thanks to the Lord with all my whole heart in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him. He remembers his covenant forever. He has shown his people the power of his works in giving them the inheritance of the nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just. All his precepts are trustworthy. They are established forever and ever to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sends redemption to his people. He has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever, amen. Him 3.89, let all together praise our God. Let all together praise our God before his glorious throne. Today he opens heaven again to give us his own son, to give us his own son. He leaves his heavenly father's throne as born and infant small, and in a manger, poor and lone lies in a humble stall, lies in a humble stall. Within an earth-born form he hides his all-creating light. To serve us all he humbly cloaks the splendor of his might, the splendor of his might. He undertakes a great exchange, puts on our human frame, and in return gives us his realm, his glory and his name, his glory and his name. He is a servant I, O Lord, how great a mystery, how strong the tender Christ-child's love, no truer friend than he, no truer friend than he. He is the key, and he the door, to blessed paradise. The angel bars the way no more, to God our praises rise, to God our praises rise. Your grace in loneliness revealed, Lord Jesus, we adore, and praise to God the Father yield, in spirit evermore, we praise you evermore. They learn by heart scripture, Colossians 3 verses 15 to 16, and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching, and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. A reading from Isaiah chapter 60. "Arise, shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples, but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see, they all gather together, they come to you. Your son shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and exalt, because the abundance of this sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ifa, all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebeoth shall minister to you. They shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will beautify my beautiful house. Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows? For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord, your God, and for the holy one of Israel, because he has made you beautiful. Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you. For in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you. Your gates shall be open continually, day and night they shall not be shot, that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations with their kings led in procession. For the nation in the kingdom that will not serve you shall perish. Those nations shall be utterly laid waste. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plain, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious. The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet. They shall call you the city of the Lord, the Zion of the holy one of Israel. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. You shall suck the milk of nations, you shall nurse the breast of kings, and you shall know that I, the Lord, am your savior, and your redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob. Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I shall bring silver, instead of wood, bronze instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your task-master's righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders. You shall call your walls salvation, and your gates praise. The sons shall be no more your light by day, nor if for brightness shall the moon give you light. But the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sons shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself. For the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be righteous. They shall possess the land forever. The branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation. I am the Lord, in its time I will hasten it. O Lord have mercy on us. Thanks be to God. A reading from Luke chapter 1. In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed there were be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices, and God my Savior. For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed. For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud and the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers to Abraham and to his offspring forever. And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. O Lord, have mercy on us. Thanks be to God." They'll learn by heart catechism and the Ten Commandments. What is the ninth commandment? You shall not covet your neighbor's house. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbors inheritance or house or get it in a way which only appears right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it. What is the tenth commandment? You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his man-servant or maid-servant. His ox or donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor's wife, workers, animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and to do their duty. Let us pray. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For that is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. O God, our Maker and Redeemer, you wonderfully created us, and in the incarnation of your Son, yet more wonderfully restored our human nature. Grant that we may ever be alive in him who made himself to be like us. Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I pray that you would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, but all my doings and life may please you. For into your hands I commend myself, my body and soul in all things. Let your holy angel be with me that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen. Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit. Be with you all. Amen. [BLANK_AUDIO]
