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 Kirchen, 2nd
ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p.
200).
Bible reading for the day: James 2.1-13
My brothers,
show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of
glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes
into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and
if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit
here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,”
or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions
among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my
beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich
in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones
who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they
not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?
8 If
you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love
your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show
partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as
transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one
point has become accountable for all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do
not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery
but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So
speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13
For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy
triumphs over judgment.
prayer(based on
the TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty
Father, thank you for both your judgment and your mercy, and thank you that
your mercy gets the last word over us. Transgressors like me and my brothers
& sisters need the law and the gospel; without your two-edged word we are
adrift in partiality and favoritism. So
bring it Lord: bring your strong word to bear on us all, rich & poor, short
and tall, republican and democrat, Jew and Gentile, male and female…that we may
die to ourselves and live free in Christ.
I ask this in his name, amen.
“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)
The
Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
From
this time on and forevermore. Ps 121.7-8
*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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