The Rev. Paul J Cain
Luke 1: 57-80
Benedictus
Wednesday of Lent 2, 23 March 2011
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, WY
Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. [Amen.]
Psalm 96:1-2 ESV.
Psalm 96:1-2 ESV.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
He has come to His people and redeemed them.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of His servant David.
Last week’s canticle, the Agnus Dei of John 1:29, was said about Jesus by John the Baptist. Tonight’s canticle from Luke 1 was said about Jesus and John the Baptist by John’s father, Zechariah.
You’ve heard the history: An angel told Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth would give birth to a son who would prepare the way for the Christ. John would be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. Zechariah didn’t believe the angel and was rendered mute. At John’s birth, Zechariah’s mouth was opened and he praised the Lord for the Christ who was on His way:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
He has come to His people and redeemed them.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of His servant David.
Zechariah knew that John’s birth was a miracle and all that God promised would come true. The forerunner, the one like Elijah had been born, so the Christ would not be far behind, the one born of the line of King David. Now is the time of fulfillment. All that was promised to Abraham and through the prophets is coming to pass before Zechariah’s own eyes!
Through His holy prophets He promised of old
that He would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember His holy covenant.
This was the oath He swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship Him without fear,
holy and righteous in His sight all the days of our life.
The Lord promised and delivered salvation, not only from temporal enemies, but from the old evil foe himself! In Christ, all the families of the earth will be blessed according to the oath and promise the Lord made to Abraham. And even so, we worship the Lord in spirit and truth, in reverent awe, true fear of the Lord, but not afraid of Him. In Christ, we are holy and righteous in His sight.
Part two of the canticle is usually sung by a pastor or kantor.
L You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare His way,
to give His people knowledge of their salvation
by the forgiveness of their sin.
In the tender compassion of our God,
the dawn from on high shall break upon us
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Here, Zechariah speaks specifically about the vocation and work of John the Baptist, his son. The Lord’s angel told him what John would be given to do. The Lord loosed Zechariah’s tongue to further prophesy about John’s message and work. Prepare the way. Give knowledge of Salvation. Proclaim the forgiveness of sin. Shine in darkness and death. Guide into the way of peace. Such is the Gospel message. And that is why this song is eternally relevant and universally loved by Christians at prayer.
The Benedictus is called by the Latin of its first word, “Blessed.” It is an alternate canticle in Matins for Lent and Advent. In Morning Prayer, a second musical setting of Matins, it is the primary Gospel canticle, sung after the sermon and before the offering and prayers.
Amen.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
He has come to His people and redeemed them.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of His servant David.
Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. [Amen.]
Psalm 98:1-2 ESV
Psalm 98:1-2 ESV
Benedictus, LSB 238
C Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
He has come to His people and redeemed them.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of His servant David.
Through His holy prophets He promised of old
that He would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember His holy covenant.
This was the oath He swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship Him without fear,
holy and righteous in His sight all the days of our life.
L You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare His way,
to give His people knowledge of their salvation
by the forgiveness of their sin.
In the tender compassion of our God,
the dawn from on high shall break upon us
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
C Glory be 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.
Acknowledgments
Morning Prayer from Lutheran Service Book
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.
