O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
Your glory is proclaimed in all the world.
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; my heart teaches
me, night after night. I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not fall (Psalm 16:7–8)
Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
our light and our salvation,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
You gave your Christ as a light to the nations,
and through the anointing of the Spirit
you established us as a royal priesthood.
As you call us into your marvelous light,
may our lives bear witness to your truth
and our lips never cease to proclaim your praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).
Here in the presence of Almighty God, let us sit in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy through Christ our Lord.
Silent Confession
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor together.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8).
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
Glory to God. Amen.
That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,
let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silent Prayer
As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and forever.
Amen.
Psalm 27:1, 4–9
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Isaiah 9:1–4
But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
Silent Reflection
Matthew 4:12–23
Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.”
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Devotional
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
Isaiah speaks of a series of great reversals. From gloom to joy. From contempt to glory. From darkness to light. Have you ever sat in complete darkness? How relieving and welcoming and unmistakable is the light? Isaiah says that out of the darkness a light is dawning. And this light will bring joy and blessing on Israel. It will bring freedom against all the odds. He says it will be like God’s action on the day of Midian. That’s when Gideon took a small army to oppose the Midianite oppressors. And God, through that small army of only 300, showed his might. That is a shadow of what is coming.
Matthews says this prophecy in Isaiah is about Jesus. He is the light who appeared in the northern regions of Israel. He says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He’s saying that God’s rule, his reign, his government has broken into the world. The call to repent is not a call to fix ourselves, but a call to participate in the kingdom. It’s a call to lay down our arms, to revoke our other allegiances, and become citizens in God’s kingdom. And this kingdom, this rule of God, is a present reality. We aren’t talking about going to Disney World when we die. The Kingdom of God is here. Repent and bow to the King.
He calls people to follow him, so that they might announce the arrival of the Kingdom. That is what Jesus is doing today. He is inviting people like you and me to follow him, proclaiming the message that a different way of life is at hand, the Kingdom of God has come. See, this is different than just good values or the right public policies. This is not an earthly kingdom like a country or a nation. God’s way is something completely different. It’s an alternative to everything else. Being a Christian means learning the culture of God’s kingdom, so that you are recognizable as a citizen of that kingdom.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever (Luke 1:46–55).
To you, O LORD, we lift our lives.
O, God, in you, we trust.
God of compassion, we remember before you the poor and the afflicted, the sick and the dying, prisoners and all who are lonely, the victims of war, injustice, and inhumanity, and all others who suffer. Heavenly Father, hear us as we pray.
O Lord of providence holding the destiny of the nations in your hand, we pray for our country. Inspire the hearts and minds of our leaders that they, together with all our nation, may first seek your kingdom and righteousness so that order, liberty, and peace may dwell with your people. Heavenly Father, hear us as we pray.
O God the Creator, we pray for all nations and peoples. Take away the mistrust and lack understanding that dive your creatures. Increase in us the recognition that we are all your children. Heavenly Father, hear us as we pray.
O Savior God, look upon your church in its struggle upon the earth. Have mercy on its weakness, end its unhappy divisions, and scatter its fears. Looks also upon the ministry of your church. Increase its courage, strengthen its faith, and inspire its witness to all people, even to the ends of the earth. Heavenly Father, hear us as we pray.
God of grace and God of love, send your Holy Spirit’s blessing to your children here present. Keep our hearts and thoughts in Jesus Christ, your Son, our only Savior, who has taught us to pray:
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
Almighty God, in Christ you make all things new: transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
May Christ, who sends us to the nations,
give us the power of his Spirit. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen. (2 Cor 13:14).