Psalm
121:1-4, 7-8 - The Antiphon for this
coming Sunday is from Vs. 5 of Psalm 121; “The
Lord watches over you- the Lord is Your shade at your right hand.” Under
the theme “Nations under God” this
Sunday’s readings deal with God and the world.
God
rules the world. His glory is manifest among the nations. The Antiphon reminds
us that the Lord is watching. How does that make one feel? We seek after Him
who grants us grace which is found in the second half of the phrase “He is Your shade at your right hand.”
The LORD is your keeper.
The LORD created both the heavens and the earth. He
created the sun and the moon. He is sovereign over the sun and the moon and
will guard you, his faithful pilgrim exposed to these created elements, as you
make your way to the Celestial City; the city of God, heaven.
The LORD will keep you. Don’t be afraid. He will keep
you strong in joy, keep your eyes focused on him, will keep you devoted to him,
keep you loving him, and keep you persevering in him. He is the keeper and
guardian of your soul.
The promise of being kept by the LORD is echoed in
John 17 when Jesus prayed for you in his high priestly prayer to the Father, “All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and
I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world but they are in the
world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you
have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them,
I kept them in your name, which you have given me.”
In John 10, Jesus
also declared, “I give them eternal life,
and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
The LORD is your keeper. Don’t be afraid.
Collect for
Psalm 121: Lord Jesus Christ, You have prepared a quiet place for us in you
Father’s eternal home. Watch over our welfare on this perilous journey, shade
us from the burning hyeat of day, and keep our lives free of evil now and
forever. [1]
[1]
Collect for Palm 121, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book for and By the Church
Vol.II © 1995 American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
Good Friday Image copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
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