Verse for the week: “What does the Lord your God require of you? Only to
fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep his
commandments…” Deuteronomy 10.12-13a
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 Kirched, 2nd
ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p.
200).
Bible reading for the day: Mark 7.24-30
(note: At this point in Mark’s gospel account, the religious leaders are
worried over-hand washing and keeping kosher.
Jesus crosses over a boundary into “outsider” territory and we get a sweet,
arresting surprise.)
24 And
from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he
entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25
But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard
of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a
Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of
her daughter. 27 And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first,
for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28
But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat
the children's crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this statement
you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she
went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
prayer(based on
the TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty
Father, thank you for the witness of this dear sister of ours. From her I and your church learn the one thing
needful. She does not defend her
self-esteem – even when you as much as call her a dog – and by faith she knows
that even a crumb of your promise is enough to cast out demons and give new
life. Have mercy on me and grant unto me such an appetite. I ask this 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=DmR0z4EWUjw
“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: And after
you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you
to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and
establish you this day. To him be the
power forever and ever. Amen. 1
Pet 5:10)
*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.
No comments:
Post a Comment