Verse for the week: “See, I am sending my
messenger to prepare the way before me” Malachi 3.1
Prayer for the 3rd week of Advent: “Lord Jesus, our
Light and our Salvation, you alone are the one who was to come to save us. We thank you for your coming and for your
will to perform in us again your saving work.
Rule us by your Holy Spirit, that henceforth we may wait for none other
and put our trust in nothing in heaven or earth except you alone, our
Lord. Amen.” (Martin Moller, Thesaurus precationum, 1603; text in Gerhard
Molwitz, Lutherisches Gebetbuch, p.41.)
Bible
reading for the day: Colossians 1.3-5a,9-14
3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we
heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for
all the saints, 5 because of the
hope laid up for you in heaven.
9
… And so, from the day we heard, we have not
ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge
of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so
as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to
him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of
God.11 May you be strengthened with all power, according
to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving
thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the
inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has
delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the
kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and
almighty Father, thank you for rescuing us from the domain of darkness and transferring
us through faith in Jesus into his kingdom. Thank you! Repent me and my congregation of not walking
in a manner worthy of what you have already done for us… repent us of retreating
back to our darkness and to our own assumed power. Strengthen us instead with your power Lord…
for then we shall have all endurance and patience and we shall share in the
glorious inheritance of the saints in light; through your Son, Jesus Christ,
our Lord. Amen.
Music: follow
this link to a scene from G.F. Handel’s “Messiah” which gives further voice to
today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gquOhNC80Fg
“I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord…”
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, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians
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
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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