Ember
Days
The
Collect.
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O
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ALMIGHTY God, who hast
committed to the hands of men the ministry of reconciliation; We humbly beseech
thee, by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, to put it into the hearts of many
to offer themselves for this ministry; that thereby mankind may be drawn to thy
blessed kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The
Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The
Collect.
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K
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EEP, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy
Church with thy perpetual mercy; and, because the frailty of man without thee
cannot but fall, keep us ever by thy help from all things hurtful, and lead us
to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a
wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. (Zech 2:5)
And the LORD went before them by day in a
pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to
give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the
cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. (Exodus 13:21-22)
Let it be known from the outset that the Lord
our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews
12:29) The same fire with which the Refiner purifies the believer is the same
fire with which He shall destroy the wicked from upon the face of the earth.
Fire consumes all materials of lesser thermal endurance strengths. Our good
works, performed in Christ, will survive that consuming fire at the last day
whereas those works of lesser quality performed through pride and pelf shall be
burnt to a crisp.
It
is true that God uses fire both as a light for His people and as a defense
against the enemy of His people. When surrounded by the glorious fires of the
Spirit, we are unafraid and are sure of our security. When the enemy of our
souls approaches that fire-laden Wall of Fire, they are dismayed and
traumatized by it. They are certain that they cannot penetrate it. That Pillar
of Cloud by Day and Fire by Night was intended to give light to the Children of
Israel as they journeyed on their way out of Egypt; but it was also a barrier
Wall against the pursuing armies of Pharaoh. That Pillar of Cloud by Day was a
signal that God is near, and at night, like Christ, it led the way. Even in
wilderness places today, men often build a wall of fire by night to protect
against ravenous beasts. But man's fires are fueled by material components
such as wood and hay; but God's fires are fueled by the Holy Ghost. Walls of
fire are used in the wilderness to defend against roaring lions just as the
Wall of Fire of Christ is used in the Wilderness of a sinful world to defend
against that roaring lion, the Devil, who walks about seeking whom he may
devour.
No
matter the multitudes of evil beasts gathered without, a Wall of Fire offers
perfect protection for those inside the Wall. No matter the multitudes of evil
in this world, God¡¯s Wall of Fire is sufficient to protect from the prowling
predator of our soul. The world is made blind to those who are behind God’s
protection.
Those who are encircled by that Wall of fire of Christ are kept warm from the
piercing, freezing blasts of the world, and they are made all the more
courageous through the certainty of that protection.
The
safety and security offered by Christ to His people is the ONLY security that
can be had against Satan and the world. To those who are the Elect, it is a
comfort. To those who are cursed, it is a terror.
And
the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind
them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood
behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of
Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night
to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
(Exodus 14:19-20)
Christ provides the Wall of Fire for His people against all comers. Moreover
thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar
of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. (Neh 9:12)
There is one significant way in which the Walls of Fires of men differ from the
Wall of Fire of God: the fires made by men for their protection may go out for
want of fuel, or extinguished by the rain waters of the storm; but the Wall of
Fire provided by God in the lives of His Elect shall NEVER go out - the greater
the threat, the more intense the fire and higher the wall. Christ is no
half-way traveler: He is with us always, even unto the end. Can you feel His
presence today?
