February 19, 2019 - FORTRESS ZION

Day 50 - (Today’s Bible readings: 1 Samuel 20:30-21:9; Psalm 48; Philippians 3:1-11)

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
    in the city of our God!
His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation,
    is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
    the city of the great King.
Within her citadels God
    has made himself known as a fortress. (Psalm 48:1-3)

David is talking about the temple on Mt. Zion, the holy mountain, the source of joy for all the earth. We have a fortress Zion today. 

Our fortress is the Christian Church where the focus is on Jesus’ sacrificial work of saving sin-ravaged mankind. Our churches are places where we receive God’s mercy and grace as He comes to us through the Means of Grace, God’s Word and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In short, when we gather together on Sunday, we get to meet Jesus and receive His gifts of forgiveness and heaven.

Within those halls of Zion
Sounds forth the joyful song,
As saints join with the angels
and all the martyr throng.
The Prince is ever with them;
The daylight is serene;
The city of the blessed
Shines bright with glorious sheen.
(“Jerusalem the Golden,” Lutheran Service Book #672-2)

Heavenly Father, thank You for gathering me into Zion, Your strong fortress. Please use me to invite others to also meet Jesus in church this coming Sunday. In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.

Pastor David Paape 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), is the theme for this three-year journey through the entire Old Testament once (the Psals - twice yearly), and the New Testament twice. There will be daily readings from the O.T., Psalms and the N.T. Special days on the church calendar will be highlighted with appropriate readings. This calendar has been compiled by representatives of the Lutheran Church of Canada, the North American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Please click this link for the daily reading calendar:
https://blogs.lcms.org/2017/lcms-lcc-and-nalc-compile-three-year-schedule-of-daily-bible-readings  
Then scroll down to 2019 Bible Reading Calendar and download it if you so wish. The “assigned” daily readings will appear on a daily basis in this blog. May the Lord bless your meditation upon His precious life-giving Word!