1-21-2023

Good Morning All,

      Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

    Since we are experiencing real winter this year, we pay attention to our clothing. Yesterday, we made a trip to help watch the grandchildren at Elkton. We made sure we had a full tank of gas. We left earlier to allow more time for travel. We packed our boots, heavy coat, warm gloves, and hats so we would be warm if something happened.

    The clothes we wear can be very important.  Some of our clothing is specialty clothing like a fire fighter’s.  Some clothing is very elegant like the wedding attire that the verse describes.  Yet most clothing we wear is more practical.  It serves the purpose of keeping us warm and protecting us from the elements.

    In our verse we read about being clothed with garments.  At this time it was a common occurrence at weddings for the host to provide the proper wedding garments for the guests.  This was especially true if the host was a prince or a king and he wanted a lot of guests to be at the wedding feast.  He would provide the proper clothes for his guests to wear.

    This is a great image of our relationship with God.  God gives us the proper garments to wear.  It is Christ’s righteousness that clothes us that lets us be at the wedding feast.  This clothing protects us from the arrows that the devil slings at us.  This is the clothing which keeps us warm and comforted from the fears and the trials which we face.  It is in this truth that we exult that we glorify God for the wonders of his grace. 

    These are the clothes that are whiter than white, cleaner and more pure than any clothes we could ever imagine.  These are the clothes that let us in the banquet feast that let us stand before God.  These are the clothes we wear when we call upon God as our Father.  We receive his comfort, his safety, his protection from all that the devil throws at us.  Our own clothes, our own righteousness, are unclean and unworthy but God clothes us with his righteousness, the righteousness of Christ.

     So as we go out into this life, we have God’s promise, his sacred assurance of his grace; we wear his clothes the garments of his salvation which is the hope that we live with and live for.  The certainty of life eternal.  The best thing is that these garments never go out of style, and we never outgrow them and they never wear out.  We are covered with the robe, the robe fit for a king because it comes from the King of life.

Dear Father in heaven, you cover us with your righteousness and holiness.  You guard us and protect us all our days.  Give us the courage to live out our life in this world as your witnesses, serving our fellow man with the same love which you so richly give to us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret