Verse for the week: He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick. Matthew 12.20
Prayer for the week: “Lord God, heavenly Father, you
desire not the death of sinners, but rather that we should turn from sin and
live. Mercifully turn away the punishment of our iniquities and, that we may be
edified, grant us your Spirit and your power; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.” (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirche, 2nd ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p.
197).
Bible reading for the day: Matthew 18.21-35 (note: 1 talent = 20
years’ worth of wages for a laborer, while 1 denarius = 1day’s wage)
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord,
how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many
as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do
not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven!
23 “Therefore the kingdom
of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his
servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was
brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And
since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife
and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So
the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and
I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for
him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But
when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed
him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying,
‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell
down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He
refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When
his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and
they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.32 Then
his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all
that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And
should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on
you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to
the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So
also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your
brother from your heart.”
Prayer (based on the TRIP* method): Gracious
and almighty Father, thank you for your incomparable, immeasurable forgiveness
of my sin in Jesus Christ. Thank
you. Repent me and your church of
holding scores, of the wickedness by which we begrudge others far less
mercy. Each day, break into our hard
hearts with your kingdom…that we may be delivered from torture and be generous
in forgiving from the heart. 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=pAARmSI8IxQ
“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us…”
What does this mean?
We pray in this petition that our heavenly Father would not
hold our sins against us and deny our prayers because of them. We know we have
not earned, nor do we deserve, those things for which we pray. But we ask that
he would grant us all things through grace, even though we sin every day and
deserve nothing but punishment. And so we, too, will heartily forgive, and
gladly do good to those who sin against us. (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)
*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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