Light and Shelter

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

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? With these words, God tenderly invites us to trust in Him for hope and salvation, just as David did. Since the Lord is your light and salvation and your refuge, what have you to fear?

When you might be assailed by fear and temptation, remember these words, and then remember your Baptism. In Holy Baptism, you were marked with the sign of the holy cross upon your forehead and upon your heart. You were engraved with the Name of the Lord God Almighty, and your name was inscribed in the Book of Life. Your salvation is secure, therefore. Fear not; who can harm you now?

Remember what happens in the Rite of Baptism. In Luther's “Flood Prayer”, we pray for the candidate, “Grant that he be kept safe and secure in the holy ark of the Christian Church, being separated from the multitude of the unbelievers…” The Lord is the stronghold and refuge of the life of all the baptized faithful. And He graciously provides for you His holy Church to be the safe, secure ark, wherein you may weather the storms and struggles of life. He is the Protector of your life, and He protects your life by keeping you safe in His House. Just as the Lord preserved faithful Noah and his family in the ark, and just as He preserved the infant Moses in a basket of rushes, so the Lord preserves your life in His ark now.

And after you were drowned and raised again, what was given to you? A burning candle. The exhortation in our Rite says “Receive this burning light to show that you have received Christ who is the Light of the world. Live always in the light of Christ, and be ever watchful for His coming, that you may meet Him with joy and enter with Him into the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which shall have no end.”

The Lord is your light, just as He is the Light of the World. Christ is the Light from above, the light that illumines your darkness, the light that shines in the darkness but is not overcome by it. And it is this light which burns brightly within you and shines forth from you as from a city on a hill or a lamp on a stand. The Lord is your light; what darkness shall you fear?

When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. The enemies of God always come raging against the faithful. They cannot harm the Lord of Hosts, so they besiege the children of God. But it is they who stumble and fall. Because the adversaries of God cannot harm the children of God. Why? Because your life is already secure in Christ. You are baptized! The Lord is your salvation and the stronghold of your life; who can harm you?

When evildoers assail you to eat up your flesh, they stumble in their attempts. The wild dogs may not devour your flesh, because the One whose flesh has been given for food, upon Him have you feasted. You shall not stumble in the face of evil, under the onslaught of trial and tribulation, because you have feasted upon the Lamb of God. Having feasted upon Him, you are filled with His life and Spirit. And Christ, having died once to sin, can never die again. Therefore you, buried with Christ and enlivened with His Body and Blood, shall not be devoured by evildoers, even though they assail your flesh. They are already judged; death is defeated. Who can harm the one who has died and risen again?

Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. So often the Christian life feels as though there is an army encamped around you, a war raging against you. The world is going to hell in a handbasket. Society is getting more depraved every day. The Christian faith is no longer a sign of pride and joy in the world; rather it seems as though it is a sign of death, as the faithful are martyred and the blood of the faithful cries out from the four corners of the earth.

But your heart shall not fear. You shall be confident. It does not matter what the world says about you. It does not matter what challenges come against you. It does not matter what your warped conscience says about you or what charges the ancient accuser seeks to level against you. It does not matter what you have done, whom you have hurt or failed to help, what lies you have told, which direction your wandering eyes have gazed, or what evil decisions you have made in the past. Fear not! Be confident! You are baptized!

Your sin is covered. Your iniquity is washed away by the Blood of Jesus. The record of wrongs that stood against you as a receipt of debts has been nailed to the cross, and it remains there, never to be seen again. Christ has died and is risen. In Christ, you also have died and been raised. Fear not! For when the army encamps against you, they cannot disturb your soul, whose salvation is secure in Christ. He is the stronghold of your life.

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in His temple. This is the joy of our life together as Christians, as the baptized and redeemed children of God. For the sons dwell in the house of the Father. You dwell in the house of your God all the days of your life. The beauty of the Lord is displayed here for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. The Lord is in His temple; let us now behold Him.

For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock. The Lord who is your light and your salvation, the stronghold of your life – He will hide you in His shelter and conceal you from harm. Just as He has throughout your life. For He has not abandoned you, even in the darkest hours of the blackest night. Even in the worst times of your life, He is there, lifting you up and setting you high upon a rock. For that rock is Christ. And you are high and lifted up above the devil, the world, and even your own sinful nature.

The day of trouble will come. Suffering and tribulation will happen to you, just as to all people. But the difference is that you have comfort, you have hope, you have shelter. Your life is secure; what is the worst that can happen to you? If your flesh is destroyed, you know that you will rest securely in the arms of Christ. And you know that though your skin and bones be thus destroyed, yet in your flesh shall you see God.

And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD. Your head shall be lifted up above your enemies and you will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy to the Lord, singing and making melody to Him with thanksgiving. Your head shall be lifted up because you are lifted up from the dust and ashes and set upon the Rock who is Christ. Raised up in Christ, you stand above your enemies, firmly planted upon the sure foundation and safely anchored where no storm or siege can harm you.

You can offer the sacrifices which God desires because you are free from condemnation. You can rend your hearts and not your garments. You can lift up your hearts to God with the confidence that He will cleanse them from all unrighteousness, just has He has always done, just as He has promised.

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! You indeed shall look upon the goodness of the LORD. You shall look upon the Lord whom you have pierced and see His goodness in the forgiveness of your sins. You shall look upon the goodness of the Lord as His Body and Blood are presented to you in this, the house of the living, for you faithful people of God to eat and to drink.

Be strong. Let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord! The Lord is the stronghold of your life, for He alone is your life and your light and your salvation.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.