Invitatory: “he
shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death,
and… he bore the sin of many,” Is
53.12
Morning prayer:
O God, holy and eternal, you permit us to enter into the fellowship of
that holy suffering by which your dear Son, our Savior, conquered sin, death
and the power of the devil. Grant that
we may celebrate his passion with true devotion, accept the cross as his
disciples, and thus fulfill your holy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [K.B.
Ritter, Gebete fur das Jahr der Kirche, 2nd edition (Kassel:
Johannes Stauda-Verlag, 1948), p. 249.]
Bible reading for the day: John 12.27-36 (picks up right where
yesterday’s reading left off)
27“Now is my soul troubled. And
what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this
purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father,
glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified
it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that
stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An
angel has spoken to him.”30 Jesus answered, “This
voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is
the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast
out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the
earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He
said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 34 So
the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains
forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is
this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to
them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk
while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who
walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While
you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of
light.”
Prayer (based on TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you
for your foreign glory: not glittering like we and the world want it, but
incarnate in Christ crucified and raised for the forgiveness of our sins. Thank
you! Guard us against the ruler of this world and his subtle, deadly darkness.
The light of Christ’s resurrection dawns upon us already. By your grace give us
the faith we don’t deserve, the faith we need, the faith to believe in him and
walk in his light. I ask this through the same, Jesus Christ, your Son, our
Lord. Amen.
“I believe in Jesus
Christ…”
What does this
mean?
I believe that Jesus
Christ — true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man,
born of the Virgin Mary — is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned
creature, and has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil, not
with silver and gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent
suffering and death. He has done all this in order that I might be his own,
live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness,
innocence, and blessedness, even as he is risen from the dead and lives and
reigns for all eternity. This is most certainly true! (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.
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