Wednesday of Lent 3

Wednesday of Lent 3, March 7, 2018    Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 5-9

As the Children of Israel were about to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving them, Moses reminds them of all that the LORD had taught and commanded them. His advice is to them and to us, heirs through Christ of the spiritual Promised Land, the Kingdom of Heaven. We must be diligent to hear the Word of God and preserve it, making it known, not only among ourselves, but to our children and our children’s children.

Wickedness and evil come “from within, out of the heart,” and that is what defiles a person (Mark 7:21–23). Hence, we cannot save ourselves, because we are sinful and unclean from the inside out. But as the Lord Jesus “declared all foods clean” (Mark 7:19), so He cleanses us by His Word, by the preaching of repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, “listen to the statutes and the rules” of the Lord, “and do them, that you may live” (Deut. 4:1). For His Word is righteous, and to live according to it is “your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples.” (Deut. 4:6). Cling to His Word, and also teach it “to your children and your children’s children.” (Deut. 4:9). Put on this “armor of God” by hearing and heeding what He speaks to you, that you may “stand firm” in the evil day (Eph. 6:11–13). 

Hymn: In God, My Faithful God (Lutheran Service Book 745:5)
“So be it,” then I say
With all my heart each day.
Dear Lord, we all adore You,
We sing for joy before You.
Guide us while here we wander
Until we praise You yonder.

Give ear to our prayers, O Lord, and direct the way of Your servants in safety under your protection, that, amid all the changes of our earthly pilgrimage, we may be guarded by Your mighty aid; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. 1

1. Collect for Wednesday of Lent 3,  http://www.liturgies.net/Lent/LentenCollects.htm