Verse for the week: “God chose what is foolish in
the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the
strong.” I Corinthians 1.27
Prayer for the week: “Almighty and merciful God, for
your mercy’s sake, keep far from us all that opposes you, that, unhindered in
body and soul, we may serve you with hearts set free; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen” (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirche, 2nd ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p.216).
Bible reading for the day: Mark 10.23-31 (note: this
is the second half of an encounter that began with a troubled, wealthy young
man running up to Jesus, holding onto a righteousness of his own and his many
possessions as evidence of it.)
23 And Jesus looked around and said to
his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to
enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the
disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them
again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom
of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of
God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and
said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked
at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all
things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to
say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus
said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or
brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake
and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a
hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers
and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come
eternal life. 31 But many who are first will
be last, and the last first.”
Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious
and almighty Father, how difficult it is, indeed impossible, for fat sinners
like us to enter your kingdom. Thank you for getting us naked – stripped of our
own righteousness and dressed in Christ’s alone – through that needle’s eye. Deliver
me and my congregation from the trappings of our own understanding and effort… and
into the freedom, the renewed households, and the persecutions that come to us
in your kingdom; 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=26rq0spuLao
“I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian
church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of
the body, and the life everlasting.”
What does this mean?
I believe that I cannot, by my own understanding or effort,
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 kept
me in true faith. In the same way, he
calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth
and keeps it united with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church, day after day, he
fully forgives my sins and the sins of all believers. On the last day he will
raise me and all the dead and give me and all believers in Christ eternal life.
This is most certainly true. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin
Luther)
Benediction: The Lord will keep you from all evil; he
will keep your life.
The
Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
From
this time on and forevermore. Ps
121.7-8
T: thanksgiving
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