"Let the Favor of the Lord our God Be Upon Us"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the Psalm we just sang, Moses leads us to pray, “Satisfy us in the morning with Your steadfast love.” Indeed, you should pray this each night, but it is especially fitting as we gather to usher in the new year by receiving the Lord's gifts. For tonight we sit in darkness and wait.

Just as the sun has set on this day, and a new day will rise with the dawn tomorrow, so also the time is far spent on this year, and tomorrow will bring the rising of a new year, with all that brings. But tonight, we wait – whether eagerly or apprehensively – for the coming of the new day and the mercies of the Lord to be poured out anew.

Tonight the old year passes, and tomorrow the new begins. As scores around the world keep vigil, you will leave the past behind like a shadow fading in the dawn. The thrills and triumphs of this year will stand in your memories, but their bloom will fade and their brilliance dim. The monuments of your achievements will crumble even as they are newly set. The mind's eye will try to focus upon the good and leave out the bad, sometimes with more success than others. The grass withers and the flower fades.

On the other hand, the passing of the old year also means saying goodbye to the failures of these months. Did you make New Year's resolutions this time last year? How did they turn out? Most people do not manage to give up that bad habit, lose those few pounds, or put much more in the bank. Since this time last year, twelve months have passed, full of missed opportunities to share God's grace. You have not loved your neighbor as yourself. You have said harsh words, or failed to speak words of comfort. Your actions have deserved punishment and anger, and you have not asked forgiveness or made amends. You have become more isolated from those who would love you, who would comfort and help you.

But all that is passing away. The future is upon you. Look forward into the darkness of the new year, and many exciting things are in store. Babies will be born. Young men and women will enter into Holy Matrimony. Youths will be confirmed. There will be crops to be planted and harvested, deer to be hunted, produce to be canned. You will travel hither and yon for business and pleasure. You will spend many hours in activities that bring you satisfaction, or simply in relaxation with loved ones. You will make a trove of new and wonderful memories.

Apprehension also marks the beginning of this new year. The crops may not do well. Weather may dampen a joyous season or occasion. Money may be tight, jobs few and far between. That situation that you did not deal with in the past year may come to a head. Confrontation may arise over problems of which you only have hints. The country will continue its slide into debt and chaos, as will the rest of the world. The candidate you dislike may be elected to office.

In the midst of all this, on the great wave of change, your only recourse is to cry out, “Lord, have mercy!” Pray that the Lord in His mercy would keep you steadfast through this coming year, and for as many more as He sees fit. Pray that in His Mercy, He would forgive all the failings of the past and guide the directions of the future. Pray that His mercy not extend simply to the small extent in your frail mind, but overwhelm you with His grace and favor. Pray that He will satisfy you with His steadfast love, not just now, not just a little, but always and super-abundantly.

Following Moses, we pray, “Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us.” How often you feel tempted to ascribe to the Lord the afflictions you face. And sometimes, you are right. The Scriptures say that “the Lord disciplines the one He loves” (Hebrews 12:6). The Lord allows ill tidings to befall those who believe for the sake of molding and strengthening your faith. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but will always sustain you in the midst of trials. St. Paul says about the Christian life, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

However, afflictions come as a result of sin. The Lord does not need to send calamity; He simply lets you have the fruits of your sinful life. Suffering is the fruit of sin, because sin begets death. One may not say that X sin caused Y problem, generally, but sin always causes death. The idols your heart makes give you the worthlessness they are capable of generating.

Therefore, Moses prays for deliverance from the wrath due for sin. Likewise, you pray often, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” For the Lord to have mercy means that He not visit upon you His wrath and anger, even though it be well-deserved on account of your sin. You must pray fervently for divine mercy, that you be spared from calamity, from sudden and evil death, from all manner of evil.

However, all is not darkness and doom. For, with Moses, we pray, “Let Your work be shown to Your servants, and Your glorious power to their children.” The works of the Lord are indeed shown to His servants, and His power displayed to all generations. The Lord has heard the prayers of His people, and He has relented from the alien work of His wrath. For the Incarnation of our Lord has led Him to the cross, where the Son of God bore in His body the full measure of the punishment due for sins, that you might escape from the wrath to be revealed.

Furthermore, the glorious power of the Lord has been displayed for all people in that He deigns to have mercy upon His chosen people. He has visited His people and redeemed them. The glory of the Lord is displayed on the cross, where Jesus Christ, the Blessed One, was sacrificed for the sake of sinners. The glory of the Lord is shown chiefly in that He forgives sins. His work has been shown to all generations of the children of man, because the Church has stood for all time, and shall continue until the end of time.

The glory of God is displayed through the Church in the Gifts which Christ gives. He displays Himself in the water as it is poured over your heads. He announces His works through the mouth of the pastor who preaches the Gospel and absolves you of your sins. He shows forth His death in His Holy Supper, where Christ Himself feeds you with His own Body and Blood, wherein you receive the fruits of His wondrous works, the blessings of His glorious power.

Therefore, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us.” Let His Spirit rest upon you, His children, that you may continue in His grace and favor. For where His gifts are, there He is. His favor is upon you, because His Name is upon you. Because His Name is upon you, you are His, and all that is His is yours.

And so, you can safely pray, “Establish the work of our hands upon us.” Left to yourself, this would be a terrible threat, one you would never dare to voice. But, in the grace and favor of the Lord, He will establish upon you His work done through human hands, even through your hands. He will strengthen you to do His will, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) The Lord has created you to do His will, and He will see that it is done, however imperfect the instrument or impure your motives. His kingdom comes and His Name is hallowed among those who hear His Word and live according to it. He establishes upon you the work of His hands. O Lord, “Accept what is Thine own, And pardon what is ours” (LSB 921.2).

Therefore, we pray, “ Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” As tomorrow dawns with all the joys and possibilities of the new year, rejoice and be satisfied with the steadfast love of the Lord, “for He is good, and His steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1)

Guide us waking, O Lord,

and guard us sleeping,

That awake we may watch with Christ,

and asleep we may rest in peace (LSB 258).

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.