Verse for the week: God has made him both Lord and
Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Acts 2.36
Prayer for the week:
“Almighty, everlasting God, you have given us the promise of your
divine life. Bestow upon us your Holy
Spirit, that, quickened by your word, we may lay hold on eternal life by strong
faith in your Son, and in him be saved; through the same Jesus Christ, your
Son, our Lord. Amen. (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das Jahr der Kirche, 2nd
ed. (Kassel: Johannes Stauda-Verllag, 1948), p.170)
Bible reading for the day: Joshua 1.1-9 (In the 12th
century BC, the Lord has delivered our forebears from their former slavery and will
now lead his people across the River into a new land.)
After the death of Moses the servant of
the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun,
Moses' assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead.
Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the
land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every
place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I
promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this
Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the
Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your
territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before
you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be
with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.6 Be
strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that
I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be
strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the
law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the
right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you
go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from
your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be
careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make
your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have
I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened,
and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever
you go.”
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: in
Christ you deliver me and your whole church from our old slavery to sin into
the new kingdom where you reign instead of us. Thank you! Repent me and my
congregation of the feeble faith that turns away from the way you have
commanded. Not to the right nor to the left, but straight ahead is the path of
your promise, the way of the cross… and you will be with us on it… indeed,
ahead, beside, and behind us all the way. Thank you, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Hymn: follow this
link to a new hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the
Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmge-ycIkoo
“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
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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