Gracious Father, we come to you in repentance. We repent, Lord, of the truth we so quickly forsake. We repent of our self-reliance, of the pride that drives us to seek after a gospel that is no gospel at all. We repent of our hatred of grace, of our desire to justify ourselves, clean ourselves up, and make ourselves worthy of heaven by our own labors. Father, we are wayward children who hate your love, orphans who seek to buy your favor with what is already yours.

Good and merciful Lord, forgive us this wickedness and give us hearts that are faithful and true. Help us to see the beauty of Jesus and His work on our behalf. Bend our knees in worship before His cross. We are weak creatures, prone to many failings and turnings aside. May your hand be the hedgerow beside our path, keeping us on the way we should go. May your right arm lift us and carry us toward the truth when in ourselves we are chasing after a lie. May your Spirit be as breath to us, with our air the accomplished work of Christ and our sustenance His body and blood.

Father, not only for ourselves do we pray these things. Purify your church, Lord, of every distorted and demonic teaching which would place us in a position of glory, of achievement, of strength, and make you beholden to your created beings. Make her a place where the pure gospel is proclaimed, where the life, the cross, the empty tomb, and the heavenly throne of Christ pour from the tongue of her ministers and wash over those under their care. Safeguard her from those who would entice her away from her Husband’s love into the adultery of ingratitude or self-righteousness. Curse all who would deceive her so and let their lies fall on ears shored up with the sure defense of faith in our Almighty Savior, Jesus Christ.

Lord, we have no other plea but the good news of Your Son. Remind us continually of this fact, and make us watchful lest we turn from it into a false hope which leads to destruction.

“Paul, an apostle – not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead – and all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be all glory forever and ever. Amen.” Galatians 1:1-5

O great God, maker of heaven and earth, you are shown forth in every blade of grass and every distant star. All of your works scream out your glory. Yet we are feeble and hard of hearing, and the cry of the cosmos is to us but a whisper. Yet you have not left us to our deafness; you have spoken through a mortal man to us your people. You painted all creation as a canvas, yet you also penned for us a letter and placed it in the hand of Paul, your chosen ambassador. Oh God, how fitting that you would deliver to us you rich tidings of grace in the hands of a messenger who himself shows forth its incredible power. May we hear his words as they truly are – not mere mutterings about man, nor ponderings by him on you nor descriptions by him of you, but glorious speech from you as you move the hands and fill the lungs of your chosen prophets and apostles. Oh what condescension and undeserved mercy that you show to your servants in your word.

We are astounded, Lord, that you would speak at all. Yet this cannot begin to compare to the utter wonder we hear at the words you have chosen. You owe use nothing but judgment; if we were to hear you speak at all, by rights it should be a declaration of our undoing, our destruction to the uttermost. You should come pronouncing woe, woe, woe upon our wicked race. But instead, what word is this that greets us through your servant? Grace? What madness, what divine insanity. That he whom you’ve sent to speak your words would tell us that our lofty God is our Father, that he has drawn near to us in Jesus Christ, such a thing is unbelievable. We so often speak of such divine mysteries that we treat them like cheap baubles, but may it not be so. The emissary of the great king has arrived in our rebellious little village, and he has announced that the king has been living among us this whole time, working for our good while we wished him ill.

Oh what wonder that God himself in Jesus Christ would bear our sins, that the spotless lamb would bathe in our filth and wash it from his wool by his own blood, that we might wear the pure garment woven from it. Oh what majesty that our Holy Lord would come as a warrior to rescue his people from these wicked times, wicked by their doing as much as any other’s. And the promise! That this present evil age is but for a little time longer, and then it will pass away in fire and splendor. That we are not rescued to another world, but to the coming age when this one will be washed and purged of sin and death as Christ himself is, and that the oppressor and defiler who today dance on the graves of the lowly will find their time cut short. This is the will of God, and at it may every angel and atom, every rock and quasar, every man and woman sing praise to His name forever, the name of Him who is gracious to us. May He be praised.