Verse for the week: “The law was given through Moses; grace and truth
came through Jesus Christ.” John 1.17
Prayer for this week: “Almighty God, loving Father, you govern all things
in heaven and earth and make all things new through your almighty word. Transform
our sinful nature and all our doings by the power of your Holy Spirit, that we
may please you and attain perfect joy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Otto Schlisske, Christliche Unterweisung im Jahr der Kirche
(Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1949), p.99 )
Bible reading for the day: I Corinthians
1.1-9
1 Paul, called by the will of
God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,
2 To
the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3 Grace
to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I
give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given
you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in
all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ
was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift,
as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will
sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God
is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Prayer (based on TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, it’s your call, not
mine, that does it ALL: through your faithful work in Christ’s crucifixion and
resurrection and your calling of me and of your church… sinners like us are
called holy and brought into fellowship with you. Thank you! Repent me and my congregation of thinking we
need more than what you have already given us. Send us out and make your
faithfulness evident in our speech and knowledge so that more persons may call
on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I ask this in his name, amen.
Hymn: follow
this link to a classic hymn which gives further voice to today’s conversation
with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k1WhFtVp0o
“I believe in the Holy Spirit…”
What does this mean?
I believe that I cannot by my
own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him; but the
Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts,
and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith. In the same way, he calls,
gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and
preserves it in unity with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this
Christian church, he daily forgives abundantly all my sins and the sins of all
believers. At the last day, he will raise me and all the dead and will grant
everlasting life to me and to all who believe in Christ. This is most certainly
true! (from The Small Catechism by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources,
Sola Publishing, 2011)
Benediction: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love
of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. II Cor 13.14
*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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