2 Corinthians 13:14—May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Read todays devotion, The Trinity at Work, from Where in the World is God?, a devotion book for any soul touched by adversity, discouragement, or fear. The Holy Trinity is ceaselessly, tirelessly at work in his holy church, bestowing wonderful gifts to all his own. We can see that clearly in the familiar blessing of the text. The first thing that strikes us about the benediction is the boldness of it. It’s not a pious hope or vague wish, as if the apostle were hoping that these things would come to pass. These words actually confer what they describe. Wherever God puts his name, there he is present to bless. The glorious realities of grace, love, and fellowship are the work of the Holy Trinity, freely bestowed upon his children on the basis of his promise. It is his bold promise with no strings attached. In this blessing we see the Holy Trinity at work, cohesively as one God, and yet specifically and uniquely, as three separate persons. That’s why we can neither confess the Holy Trinity nor worship him apart from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son. That’s exactly what we receive from the Son—his grace and undeserved love. It is the free gift of the Father’s love, filtered through the agony and bloody sweat of the cross. It is the Father’s love brought home and bestowed upon us poor miserable sinners at the expense of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ. And thank God we do know that grace of Jesus Christ. We know it not as we know the alphabet or the multiplication tables, but as we know life itself. We absolutely cling to that grace; we live by that grace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is our personal, individual gift from the Holy Trinity, with love. But without the Holy Spirit we would know nothing. It is the Holy Spirit who dispenses all that originates within the loving heart of the Father, earned by the cross and resurrection of his Son. God’s Word and the sacraments are the actual channels by which God the Holy Spirit delivers the goods. The Word and sacraments are tangible links with God. This is the route by which eternity breaks into time. In God the Holy Spirit, there is a link between God in heaven and his holy people in this world, made holy by his grace. God’s very Word, his presence, his blessing, and his gifts cannot be comprehended. We bless him; we glorify him. We bless one God in our praise of three persons. And in the three persons, we worship and glorify one God, now and forever. We continually worship and honor one Holy Trinity with the words of our lips, the meditation of our hearts, and the service of our very bodies—to the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer: Bless us, God the Father, you that have created us. Bless us, God the Son, you that have set us free. Bless us, God the Holy Spirit, you that have made us holy. O blessed Trinity, keep us in body, soul, and spirit to life eternal. Amen.—Weimarischer Gesangbuch, 1873 From Where in the World is God?, by Harold L. Senkbeil © 1999 Northwestern
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 01:30:00 +0000
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