November 14, 2026
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand” (Antiphon for the Introit for Trinity 24)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Come, worship, bow down, kneel before me. That is what my flesh says. Can’t you see how important I am, how hard I work, and how tired I have become? Arrange your schedule and your life around me.
Incurvatus in se- I am curved inward, looking at myself instead of looking outward toward God or my neighbor. Augustine and Luther recognized this not just as a “me problem” or a “you problem,” but as a mankind problem. It is as old as sin- we thought we could be like God by eating, so of course, all people, all creation should come, worship, bow down, and kneel before me.
But we’re not God. God is holy, and we are sinners. God is eternal, and our flesh is like the flower of the field; we wither and decay. God sacrifices Himself for the sake of His sheep, and we want everyone to sacrifice themselves for our sake.
God calls out, “Repent. Turn away from the empty life of self-idolatry. You are one of My people, a sheep of My hand.”
We hear this in Psalm 95 this Sunday and whenever we sing Matins. The Good Shepherd calls us to come into His presence to worship, bow down, and kneel before Him, but we also hear why we should, for this is the right response to His tender care for us.
Your Good Shepherd, Jesus, laid down His life for your sake and picked it back up again to give you life abundantly. (John 10:11) He nourishes you in the green pasture of His Word as you come into His presence. He fills you full of forgiveness, life, and salvation through His proclamation, “Your sins are forgiven, your guilt is atoned for, your shame is covered!” He gathers you up into His arms and reminds you, “You have eternal life in me.” He defends you from the devil, the world, and your own flesh, promising that you are a sheep held tightly in His hand, and nothing can snatch you away from Him. O yes, let us come, worship, bow down, and kneel before our Good Shepherd who loves us and gave Himself for us.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We sing to You, O Lord, making a joyful noise to You with songs of praise. Forgive us for the times when we’ve worshipped creatures, the creation, or ourselves instead of You. As our Good Shepherd continues to feed us in the pasture of Your Word and on Your Body and Blood, where we are forgiven, for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Rev. Jeremy Swem, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church, Grand Rapids, MI.
Scholar and author A. Andrew Das bridges the gap between Bible commentary and daily devotional in this innovative exploration of
Luke's Gospel. Through a creative narrative device—a dinner conversation with the physician and Gospel writer Luke himself— you will discover the radical message that turned the ancient world upside down.