Verse for the week:
“the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his
life a ransom for many.” Mt 20.28
Prayer for the week: Lord God, heavenly Father, in
your Son you have given the world the pioneer of salvation and made him the true
and eternal priest and mediator of his people.
Grant that we may hold fast to him in love, learn obedience in his
discipleship, and so be brought into the heavenly sanctuary through him, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. [K.B.
Ritter, Gebete fur das Jahr der Kirche, 2nd edition (Kassel:
Johannes Stauda-Verlag, 1948), p. 114.]
Bible reading for the day: Genesis 2.18-25
18 Then the Lord God said, “It
is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for
him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every
beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to
see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature,
that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the
birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was
not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep
sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed
up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken
from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then
the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and
his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And
the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Prayer (based on TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you
for the perfect fit you intend for husband and wife. Repent us of playing
around with or breaking your plan for marriage and our families. Wash sinners like us in your forgiveness and
usher husbands and wives at last into that precious, unique oneness for which
you have created and redeemed them. I
ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Hymn: follow
this link to a beloved, classic hymn that gives further voice to today’s
conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MimsQtU-ccQ
The Sixth Commandment
You shall not commit adultery.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that in matters of sex we are
chaste and disciplined in our words and actions, and that husband and wife love
and honor each other. (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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