Exodus 3:1-15— The Lord promises
Moses to come down and to rescue His people. Notice in verse 12 the Lord
promises I will be with you. The Hebrew word translated “I will be” is the same as the one translated “I am” in verse 14. The sign the Lord gives to Moses is a visible
proof or guarantee that what God has promised He would surely fulfill.
Today you
are invited to meet the risen Christ. He
comes to you as He has promised. He comes to you in those specific places where
He has promise to be found. He comes to you in His Word, His meal, and in His
promises.
On the road to Emmaus Jesus explains to the two bewildered disciples what the Old Testament taught concerning Himself. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” –Luke 24:27 Jesus pointed to the Old Testament Scriptures and interpreted them that showed He was to suffer, die and rise again.
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man
of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and
carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and
afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our
iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his
wounds we are healed. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not
his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that
before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land
of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his
grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no
violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.” – Isaiah 53
This is what
Paul preached to the church in Corinth. “For
I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ
died for our sins in accordance with the
Scriptures, that he was buried, that
he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Your Lord Jesus is neither distant, isolated, nor far-off. He comes to you in the promises of His Word offering you His life in exchange for yours. As He walked with those Emmaus disciples and was welcomed into their home He has promised to be the ever-present yet unseen guest wherever you go.
Walk with
your Savior has He has promised to come to your through His Word of forgiveness
and life. In His Word you will recognize
Him. In His Word; proclaimed, taught, read and shared you will hear His voice
offering your pardon and peace.
O Lord,
we pray that the visitation of Your grace may so cleanse our thoughts and minds
that Your Son Jesus, when He shall come, may find in us a fit dwelling place;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and forever.[2]
Wednesday of the week of Pentecost 20: Father in heaven, the hand of your loving kindness powerfully yet gently guides all the moments of our day. Go before us in our pilgrimage of life, anticipate our needs and prevent our falling. Send your Spirit to unite us in faith, that sharing in your service, we may rejoice in your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen [3]
[1] Image of
the cross, © Ed Riojas Higher Things
[2] Lutheran
Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
[3] Collect
for Wednesday of the week of Pentecost 20, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book
For and By the Church., Vol. II © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau,
Delhi, NY
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