/Safeguard me, God, for I seek refuge in You. I said to Yahweh, "My
Lord, you are; my goodness is nothing, aside from You. To the holy ones
who, in the earth, make noise--and they are splendid ones–all my delight
is in them. Will be multiplied–their sorrows, those who after other
(gods) barter. I will not pour out their drink-offerings of blood; and I
will not take their names upon my lips. Yahweh is the portion of my
division, and my cup; You cause to hold fast, my lot. The lines have
fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes the inheritance is pleasing to me.
I will bless Yahweh, Who has counseled me; yes, in the night my inward
parts instruct me. I have placed Yahweh before me constantly; because He
is at my right hand, I will not waver. Therefore, glad is my heart, and
rejoices my glory; also my flesh will dwell in confidence. For You will
not abandon my soul to Hell; You will not give Your Holy One to see the
pit. You caused me to know the path of life; fullness of joy in Your
face; pleasures in Your Right Hand forever. /
Learning is a very difficult endeavor. Some learn best by using their
ears. For those folks, listening to lectures are fine. But others learn
better by using their hands. For them, they must *do* something to
understand it. They need to get some hands on practice to learn best.
Still others learn best by using their eyes. By watching and seeing they
come to understand things. Jesus knows how hard it is for us to come to
know things, so He gives to our ears, our hands and our eyes for our
understanding.
First, we consider our ears. We are not always very good listeneners.
Just as Jesus had told His disciples time & again that He must suffer,
die & rise again, they just didn't accept it. Perhaps it seemed to
impossible to believe. But it is more likely that the disciples just
weren't really listening. For you & I do the same thing. If it's what we
want to hear, we pay attention, but if not, we tune it out. I suppose
that's why so few members come regularly to our bible studies here each
week.
Jesus counsels you with His Word regularly in your ears. In daily
devotions, bible studies during the week, and from the lecturn & puplit
on Sunday, He speaks to you. He opens your ears to listen to His
instruction, just as He did for the Emmaus disciples, whose hearts were
burning within them from His words. For the gospel message is for you
too: Jesus died & rose for you. He died your death, and you now live His
life, in Him, forevermore. He did it all for you & gives it to you as a
free gift!
2nd, we consider our hands. We don't always use them for the most godly
purposes. As the Emmaus disciples, we may simply want to wring our hands
in frustration, as though there is no hope. Worse yet, we may endeavor
to things which our hands should not do. Pushing or striking another
person; tuning the clicker to change the channel to a less-than-edifying
TV program; reaching for one too many of those things which do not need
to be brought into our mouths. The Lord isn't always our cup.
Jesus places into your hands and mouths something very great indeed. He
gives you in the bread & wine, His very body & blood for your
forgiveness. So that you hands may take and eat, your mouths receive and
drink, that you may experience the hands-on blessings of the Lord's
Supper. In fact, He gets your whole body active in this undertaking,
walking to the front, kneeling at the rail, swallowing His gifts &
digesting them, not only physically, but by faith, for your salvation &
eternal life.
Lastly, we consider our eyes. We do not always look where we should. We
fail to recognize Jesus like the Emmaus disciples. We see the
relationships others have, and become jealous, coveting their
circumstances & regretting our own. The most violent. scary video games
attract the attention of the young. The ripped young stud, or curvy
young babe catches our eye, and we lust. Our neighbor buys the latest
technological innovations, and we cast a green-eyed glance, envying what
he has.
But Jesus places before your eyes just exactly who you are in Him–a
baptized child of God! Each Sunday you watch as the Name of the Triune
God is both invoked & benedicted, promising His baptismal presence in
our midst in worship. Each morning & evening, in your prayers, you
learned from Luther's Small Catechism to make the sign of the cross of
Jesus upon yourself, to remind you of your baptism, by daily contrition
& repentance, in the death & resurrection of Christ Jesus.
Though we be stubborn learners at times, Jesus remains a patient &
persistent Teacher/Counselor. He instructs your ears with His Gospel
Word, your hands with His Table gifts, and your eyes with His baptism.
All for the purpose that you would come to know the path of life by His
grace through faith. Amen.
.
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