Verse for the week: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth
is full of his glory. Isaiah 6.3
Prayer for the week: “Lord God, almighty, immortal, invisible, the mysteries of whose being
are unsearchable: Accept our praises for the revelation which you have made of
yourself, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons and one God; and
mercifully grant that, ever holding fast this faith, we may magnify your
glorious name; for you live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen. (John Dowden, Book of Common
Prayer, Scotland; Suter, The Book of English Collects, p.
34.)
Bible reading for the day: John 16.12-15
“I still have many things
to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of
truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his
own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you
the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take
what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is
mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
prayer(based on
the TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for sending us the Spirit of
truth, your Holy Spirit, to take Jesus’ righteousness and declare it to me and
my fellow sinners. Thank you! There are plenty of lies surrounding us and within
ourselves… all sourcing from the father of lies. Repent me and my brothers and
sisters of giving any of them our ear.
By your Spirit, make our ears hungry for and attentive to all that you
have to declare to us… that we may delight in the immeasurable heritage that is
ours in your Son, Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen.
Hymn: follow this link to view
the painting 'Ecce Homo' (Behold the Man), by Antonio
Ciseri and to hear a
beloved classic hymn which gives further voice to today’s conversation with the
Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hdOeKznqN4
“I believe in the Holy Spirit…”
What does this mean?
I believe that I cannot by my
own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him; but the
Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts,
and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith. In the same way, he calls,
gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and
preserves it in unity with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this
Christian church, he daily forgives abundantly all my sins and the sins of all
believers. At the last day, he will raise me and all the dead and will grant
everlasting life to me and to all who believe in Christ. This is most certainly
true!
(from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther, ©Reclaim
Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)
benediction:
May the God of peace himself grow
you in his will entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound
and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he
will do this. Amen. I
Thess 5.23
*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
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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