Christ Has Conquered

One of the Psalms appointed for today is Psalm 59. The Psalmist writes:

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.
Deliver me from those who work evil;
from the bloodthirsty save me.
Even now they lie in wait for my life;
the mighty stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Awake to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.
Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
There they are, bellowing with their mouths,
with sharp words* on their lips—
for ‘Who’, they think,* ‘will hear us?’
But you laugh at them, O Lord;
you hold all the nations in derision.
O my strength, I will watch for you;
for you, O God, are my fortress.
My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
Do not kill them, or my people may forget;
make them totter by your power, and bring them down,
O Lord, our shield.
For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
consume them in wrath;
consume them until they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob.
Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
They roam about for food,
and growl if they do not get their fill.
But I will sing of your might;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been a fortress for me
and a refuge on the day of my distress.
O my strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.

There is evil in the world. The Psalmist knew it. You and I have encountered evil. Evil wants to destroy individuals, families, hope, happiness, and truth. It tries and it tries. But in the end, the Psalmist knew that God is a fortress in the day of distress. God shows us His steadfast love, and God has done so most especially in the person of Jesus Christ. By His cross and resurrection, Jesus has conquered evil and death, and He is Lord of all. When you are faced with evil; call upon the name of Christ to be your shield in the fight, to be your fortress and your refuge.

Let us pray: Almighty God, who for our redemption gave your only- begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Saturday, 23 July at 10:00 a.m.: Birdhouse building with Lee Runion. Please contact Lee if you would like to participate.

St. Augustine’s Feast Day is around the corner. We will have a sign-up sheet for our pot luck dinner. Please be thinking about what you will bring to share with everyone.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially the Rev. Tom Bain.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550