Firstborn of the dead ...

Hear the word of the Lord:

Revelation 1:4b-8

Grace to you and peace from him who is
and who was and who is to come,
and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead,
and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood,
and made us to be a kingdom,
priests serving his God and Father,
to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God,
who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Grace and peace,

Ron

The floods lift up ...

Hear the word of the Lord:

Psalm 93

The LORD is king, he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength.
He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.

The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.

More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
more majestic than the waves of the sea,
majestic on high is the LORD!

Your decrees are very sure;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, forevermore.

Grace and peace,

Ron

A lamp for my annointed ...

Hear the word of the Lord:

Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18)

O LORD, remember in David's favor all the hardships he endured;
how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
"I will not enter my house or get into my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."

We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
"Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool."

Rise up, O LORD, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your faithful shout for joy.
For your servant David's sake do not turn away
the face of your anointed one.

The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back:
"One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.
If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them,
their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your throne."

For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation:
"This is my resting place forever; here I will reside, for I have desired it.
I will abundantly bless its provisions; I will satisfy its poor with bread.
Its priests I will clothe with salvation, and its faithful will shout for joy.
There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.
His enemies I will clothe with disgrace, but on him, his crown will gleam."

Blessings,

Ron

One who rules justly ...

The texts for this week are about the reign of God, and the power and justice of those whom God chooses to rule over the people of God:

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Now these are the last words of David:
The oracle of David, son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man whom God exalted,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:

The spirit of the LORD speaks through me,
his word is upon my tongue.
The God of Israel has spoken,
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
One who rules over people justly,
ruling in the fear of God,
like the light of morning,
like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.

Is not my house like this with God?
For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?
But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away;
for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
to touch them one uses an iron bar or the shaft of a spear.
And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.

May we understand that God has given us a son of David
to rule over us in justice and mercy;
may we see that God blesses us as his house.

Feel blessed,

Ron