Verse for the week:“The reason the Son of God
appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” I John 3.8
Prayer for the week:
O God, by whose Spirit we are led into the wilderness of trial, grant
that, standing in your strength against the powers of darkness, we may so win
the victory over all evil suggestions that with singleness of heart we may ever
serve you and you alone; through him who was in all points tempted as we are,
your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (John Wallace Suter, Prayers of the Spirit New York: Harper & Bros. 1943, p.22.)
Bible reading for the day: Genesis 9.8-17
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with
him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with
you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every
living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of
the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of
the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you,
that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and
never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And
God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you
and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I
have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant
between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds
over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I
will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature
of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all
flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see
it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living
creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God
said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between
me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
Prayer (based on TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you
for speaking and telling us what the rainbow is all about: a sign of your
covenant… the promise that you have hung your bow and arrow on the wall of the
sky to never again use your wrath destroy all flesh by a flood. All of your
creation – especially the fleshy part like my neighbor and me – is beloved to
you… just how beloved we are is finally revealed in what you do for us in Jesus
Christ, your new covenant poured out in his blood for our forgiveness, life,
and salvation. Thank you Lord; in Jesus’ name, amen.
Hymn: follow this
link to a beloved hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with
the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Xg-JvMJII
What is the significance of baptizing with water?
It signifies that the old Adam in us, together with all sins
and evil desires, should be drowned by daily sorrow for sin and repentance and
be put to death, and that the new person should come forth every day and rise
to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.
Where is this written?
Saint Paul says in Romans, “We were buried therefore with
him by Baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans
6:4 ESV). (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.
No comments:
Post a Comment