Invitatory[1]:
“Let the beauty of the Lord our
God be upon us,
and
establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes,
establish the work of our hands!” Psalm 90.17
Prayer for the week: “Almighty God, you richly and unceasingly furnish us
with all good things and preserve us day by day. Make us to acknowledge this with our whole
heart, that we may thank and praise you for your lovingkindness and mercy here
and for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirchen, 2nd
ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p.
200).
Bible reading for the day: Hebrews
12.28-13.8
12.28Therefore
let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let
us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for
our God is a consuming fire.
13.1Let
brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to
strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember
those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are
mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held
in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge
the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love
of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never
leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
7 Remember
your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of
their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the
same yesterday and today and forever.
prayer(based on
the TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty
Father, thank you: by your sheer mercy you have rescued my sisters and brothers
and me and brought us into your unshakeable kingdom… thank you! Repent us of holding on to our old, crumbling
kingdoms. Reign over us with your Holy
Spirit now so that among us:
… brotherly love may thrive
… strangers may know hospitality in your name
…prisoners may be remembered as by you
… marriage may be held in honor
and it’s bed undefiled
…money may be yours,
not ours
… we may
respect our leaders and follow their example… in the name of your Son, Jesus
Christ, I ask this. Amen.
“Thy kingdom come…
What
does this mean?
The kingdom of God comes
indeed by itself, without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may
also come to us.
How is this done?
God's kingdom comes when our
heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his
holy Word and live a godly life now and in eternity. (from The Small
Catechism by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)
benediction
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The
Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
From
this time on and forevermore. Ps 121.7-8
[1]
As the word implies, an invitatory is a verse that invites or invokes the
Lord’s ear and his work upon you.
*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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