Above: The Great Day of His Wrath, by John Martin
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come.
By your merciful protection awaken us to the threatening dangers of our sins,
and keep us blameless until the coming of your new day,
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever . Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 18
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Zechariah 14:1-9
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
1 Thessalonians 4:1-18
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Restore us, O God of hosts;
show us the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
–Psalm 80:7, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Zechariah 14 contains a vision of the establishment of the Kingdom of God in all its glory. That account influenced the Book of Revelation and, before the composition of that text, hopes of the imminent return of Jesus Christ. By the 50s C.e., however, many of the earliest Christians had died and many of their survivors grieved for fear that the deceased would miss the Second Coming, which many people of the time assumed might occur immediately. St. Paul the Apostle wrote to comfort those who grieved accordingly. The deceased will be there, he insisted, for there is a divine promise of that.
As I type these words in late 2014, many more Christians have died without witnessing the Second Coming. Recent predictions of specific dates for that event have joined their predecessors in the dustbin on history. Yet the promises of God remain dependable. So whatever happens, whenever it occurs, and however it comes to pass, there is no need to grieve for fear that we or others have missed out on a promise of God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SHEPHERD KNAPP, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN DUCKETT AND RALPH CORBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS IN ENGLAND
THE FEAST OF NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, HYMN WRITER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
Pingback: Devotion for Friday Before the First Sunday of Advent, Year B (ELCA Daily Lectionary) | ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS