Invitatory: “the
Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many.” Mt 20.28
Morning prayer:
Lord God, heavenly Father, in your Son you have given the world a
pioneer of salvation and made him the true and eternal priest and mediator of
his people. Grant that we may hold fast
to him in love, learn obedience in his discipleship, and so be brought into the
heavenly sanctuary through him, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
[K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das Jahr der Kirche,
2nd edition (Kassel: Johannes Stauda-Verlag, 1948), p. 114.]
Bible reading for the day: I Samuel 1.1-3,9-15
There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the
hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of
Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2 He
had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other,
Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children…
After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose.
Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the
temple of the Lord. 10 She was deeply
distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11 And
she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will
indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not
forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him
to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch
his head.”
12 As she continued praying
before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.13 Hannah
was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard.
Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And
Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from
you.” 15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a
woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink,
but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.
Prayer (based on TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you:
you taught Hannah what to do with her troubled spirit… and you teach us, thank
you! Repent me and my congregation of holding in our distress; repent us also
of the callous presumption of Eli. Because you have already bent your ear to
take my whole sin into Christ, with confidence I can pour out my soul to you…
and I can help others do the same. Thank you, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Hymn: follow this
link to a beloved early American hymn that gives further voice to today’s
conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f666KJvsTo
“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: Now
may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through
grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen
them in every good work and word. Amen. II Thess 2.16-17
*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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