Verse for the week:
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
and
you that have no money, come, buy and eat!
Is 55.1
Prayer for the week:
Lord Jesus Christ, you walked the way of the cross as the obedient
servant of God. Open our ears and teach
us by your Spirit, that we may not rebel but walk in the obedience of disciples
who have learned from you, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit live and
reign, one God, now and forever. Amen. [John W. Doberstein, Minister’s Prayer Book,
Fortress Press, Philadelphia, 1986 p.82]
Bible reading for the day: Mark 8.31-38
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man
must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief
priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise
again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter
took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But
turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind
me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on
the things of man.”
34 And calling the crowd to
him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me,
let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever
would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my
sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For
what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?37 For what
can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever
is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation,
of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of
his Father with the holy angels.”
Prayer (based on TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you:
in Christ I am made a beautiful loser; I lose my self and find my life in him
alone. Thank you! Repent me and my
congregation of listening to Satan and seeking to keep our lives for ourselves
rather than give them away for our neighbor. Every hour Lord, set my mind on
your things rather than mine; in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Hymn: follow this
link to a hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENtL_li4GbE
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: 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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