Verse for the week:  I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20.2-3

Prayer:  “Almighty, everlasting God, graciously look upon your church, for you alone are our strength and our salvation.  Uphold us with your hand, that we may not stumble and fall; through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen. (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirched, 2nd  ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p.220). 

Bible reading for the day:  Zephaniah 1.1-7,12-18 (note: In the 6^th century B.C. our forebears were increasingly disloyal to the Lord.  Zephaniah delivers God’s clear warning and judgment on their sin.)

¹ The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

² “I will utterly sweep away everything
    from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
³ “I will sweep away man and beast;
    I will sweep away the birds of the heavens
    and the fish of the sea,
and the rubble with the wicked.
    I will cut off mankind
    from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
⁴ “I will stretch out my hand against Judah
    and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal
    and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,
⁵ those who bow down on the roofs
    to the host of the heavens,
those who bow down and swear to the Lord
    and yet swear by Milcom,
⁶ those who have turned back from following the Lord,
    who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.”

⁷ Be silent before the Lord God!
    For the day of the Lord is near;
the Lord has prepared a sacrifice
    and consecrated his guests.

¹² At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
    and I will punish the men
who thicken on their dregs (of wine),
    those who say in their hearts,
‘The Lord will not do good,
    nor will he do ill.’
¹³ Their goods shall be plundered,
    and their houses laid waste.
Though they build houses,
    they shall not inhabit them;
though they plant vineyards,
    they shall not drink wine from them.”

¹⁴ The great day of the Lord is near,
    near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;
    the mighty man cries aloud there.
¹⁵ A day of wrath is that day,
    a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
    a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,
¹⁶     a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities
    and against the lofty battlements.

¹⁷ I will bring distress on mankind,
    so that they shall walk like the blind,
    because they have sinned against the Lord;
their blood shall be poured out like dust,
    and their flesh like dung.
¹⁸ Neither their silver nor their gold
    shall be able to deliver them
    on the day of the wrath of the Lord.
In the fire of his jealousy,
    all the earth shall be consumed;
for a full and sudden end
    he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

prayer (based on TRIP** method):  Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: you mean business and you take sin seriously…so seriously that you take our sin into yourself in Jesus Christ. Thank you!  Repent me and your church of sitting on our dregs, thinking you will do nothing, good or bad.  Until and on the last day, grant us to cling to your mercy alone and to do the good you have already prepared to be our way of life. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

“Hallowed be thy name,”

What does this mean?

God's name is indeed holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy also among us.

How is this done?

God's name is hallowed when his Word is taught in its truth and purity and we, as God's children, lead holy lives in harmony with it. Grant this to us, dear Father in heaven! But whoever teaches and lives in ways other than what God's Word teaches dishonors the name of God among us. Prevent us from doing this, heavenly Father! (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Benediction:  The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.  Phil 4.7

*There are many patterns for devotions.  This pattern has been followed by God’s people for centuries.

**The T.R.I.P. approach to prayer is based on the way Martin Luther prayed and taught others to pray.  It was later developed by Walter and Ingrid Trobisch and then adapted by Mount Carmel Ministries (Alexandria, MN www.dailytext.com).  The method is founded on scripture and easy to remember:

T: thanksgiving

                                                                R: regret (repentance)

                                                                I: intercession (asking God to take a specific action)

                                                                P: plan or purpose

Reading a biblical text and then applying this method gives one a sound, simple way to form one’s prayers...not to mention that it helps one learn how to faithfully reflect on God’s Word and talk to God.