You and the great multitude of forgiven sinners...

Verse for the week:
“Salvation belongs to the Lord;
    your blessing be on your people!” Psalm 3.8

Prayer for the week: Almighty God, in Christ Jesus your reign has broken in for us and for this troubled world. While we yet wait for the day of the fulfillment of your kingdom, make of your church a people who confess that salvation belongs to you alone; through your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Revelation 7.9-17  (The Revelation to John was written between 95-100 AD. Under the reign of Caesar Domitian, Christians were persecuted and commanded to curse Christ and pledge the allegiance to the Roman Caesar as their lord and god. John writes not to predict the future, but to give Christians courage for today and hope for tomorrow.)

⁹  After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” ¹⁴ I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵ “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶ They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷ For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Prayer of the Day: Gracious and almighty Father, salvation belongs to you and to the Lamb… and you choose to bequeath this gift to me and the great multitude of unworthy ones who are your church. Thank you! The tribulation we endure today is really not much compared to what your church has borne throughout the generations… but our sin is great and foul. So dear Lord, you do the wash… and dress me and my congregation in Christ alone. In his name I pray, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-_-rXYe_x0

“I believe in the Holy Spirit…”

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: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

Your three foes...

 ...and your Champion.

Verse for the week:
“Salvation belongs to the Lord;
    your blessing be on your people!” Psalm 3.8

Prayer for the week: Almighty God, in Christ Jesus your reign has broken in for us and for this troubled world. While we yet wait for the day of the fulfillment of your kingdom, make your church a people who confess that salvation belongs to you alone; through your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Psalm 3

¹ O Lord, how many are my foes!
    Many are rising against me;
² many are saying of my soul,
    “There is no salvation for him in God.”      Selah

³ But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
    my glory, and the lifter of my head.
⁴ I cried aloud to the Lord,
    and he answered me from his holy hill.     Selah

⁵ I lay down and slept;
    I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
⁶ I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
    who have set themselves against me all around.

⁷ Arise, O Lord!
    Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
    you break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸ Salvation belongs to the Lord;
    your blessing be on your people! 

Prayer of the Day: Gracious and almighty Father, from the holy hill of Golgotha you have answered me and the whole history full of desperate believers…  you have answered in Christ crucified and raised for our rescue. Salvation belongs to you, O Lord. Thank you! My foes are not as numerous as King David’s, but they certainly close upon me: the devil, the world, and my own sinful self. So, strike them and break their teeth, that I may lay down and sleep and wake again sustained by you. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyedsfF6hNk

“I believe in Jesus Christ…”

What does this mean? I believe that Jesus Christ – true God, Son of the Father from eternity, and true man, born of the virgin Mary – is my Lord.
 
At great cost he has saved and redeemed me, a lost and condemned person.
He has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil –
Not with silver or gold, but with his holy and precious blood
And his innocent suffering and death.
 
All this he has done that I might be his own, live under him in his kingdom,
And serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness,
Just as his is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

"I will change your speech..."

 says the Lord.

Verse for the week:
“Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
    give praise, O servants of the Lord,”  Psalm 135.1

Prayer for the week: Almighty God, in Christ Jesus your reign has broken in for us and for this troubled world. While we yet wait for the day of the fulfillment of your kingdom, make your church a people humble and lowly who seek refuge in your name alone; through your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Zephaniah 3.9-13  Zephaniah preached to Judah & Jerusalem during the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC). His message proclaims clear judgment and hope. He decries pridefulness and lifts up the humble who call upon the Lord.

⁹ “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples
    to a pure speech,
that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord
    and serve him with one accord.
¹⁰ From beyond the rivers of Cush
    my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,
    shall bring my offering.

¹¹ “On that day you shall not be put to shame
    because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
    your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
    in my holy mountain.
¹² But I will leave in your midst
    a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
¹³     those who are left in Israel;
they shall do no injustice
    and speak no lies,
nor shall there be found in their mouth
    a deceitful tongue.
For they shall graze and lie down,
    and none shall make them afraid.”

Prayer of the Day: Gracious and almighty Father, in Christ you make me no longer a dispersed one and you take my proper shame as your own. Thank you. Change my speech, therefore, each day… day after day… to a pure speech. Make me and my congregation a people humble and lowly and therefore fearless… a people who do no injustice, speak no lies, and who seek refuge in your name alone. In Jesus’ name I ask this, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymKxTkrRNBA

“What does baptism mean for daily living?”

It means that my sinful self, with all its evil deeds and desires, should be drowned through daily repentance; and that day after day a new self should arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever.

Paul writes in Romans 6: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

Hush, the day of the Lord is near

Verse for the week:
“Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
    give praise, O servants of the Lord,”  Psalm 135.1

Prayer for the week: Almighty God, in Christ Jesus your reign has broken in for us and for this troubled world. While we yet wait for the day of the fulfillment of your kingdom, make your church a people humble and lowly who seek refuge in your name alone; through your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Zephaniah 1.7-14  Zephaniah preached to Judah & Jerusalem during the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC). His message proclaims clear judgment and hope. He decries pridefulness and lifts up the humble who call upon the Lord. Today’s reading picks up where yesterday’s ended.

⁷ Be silent before the Lord God!
    For the day of the Lord is near;
the Lord has prepared a sacrifice
    and consecrated his guests.
⁸ And on the day of the Lord's sacrifice—
“I will punish the officials and the king's sons
    and all who array themselves in foreign attire.
⁹ On that day I will punish
    everyone who leaps over the threshold,
and those who fill their master's house
    with violence and fraud.

¹⁰ “On that day,” declares the Lord,
    “a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,
a wail from the Second Quarter,
    a loud crash from the hills.
¹¹ Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar!
    For all the traders are no more;
    all who weigh out silver are cut off.
¹² At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
    and I will punish the men
who are thickening on the dregs of their wine,
    those who say in their hearts,
‘The Lord will not do good,
    nor will he do ill.’
¹³ Their goods shall be plundered,
    and their houses laid waste.
Though they build houses,
    they shall not inhabit them;
though they plant vineyards,
    they shall not drink wine from them.

¹⁴ The great day of the Lord is near,
    near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;
    the mighty man cries aloud there.

Prayer of the Day: Gracious and almighty Father, your Day is indeed near and because of Christ’s sacrifice you have consecrated me as one among your guests. Thank you! You are most certainly not an impotent bystander who does neither good nor ill; you punish the proud and you raise the lowly. So, in the nearness of your Day, silence my yapping and stir me from thickening myself on too much wine… give me to my neighbor’s service in your name, O Christ. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymKxTkrRNBA

“What does baptism mean for daily living?”

It means that my sinful self, with all its evil deeds and desires, should be drowned through daily repentance; and that day after day a new self should arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever.

Paul writes in Romans 6: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

The Sweeper

Verse for the week:
“Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
    give praise, O servants of the Lord,”  Psalm 135.1

Prayer for the week: Almighty God, in Christ Jesus your reign has broken in for us and for this troubled world. While we yet wait for the day of the fulfillment of your kingdom, make your church a people humble and lowly who seek refuge in your name alone; through your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Zephaniah 1.1-6  Zephaniah preached to Judah & Jerusalem during the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC). His message proclaims clear judgment and hope. He decries pridefulness and lifts up the humble who call upon the Lord.

¹ The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

² “I will utterly sweep away everything
    from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
³ “I will sweep away man and beast;
    I will sweep away the birds of the heavens
    and the fish of the sea,
and the idols with the wicked.
    I will cut off mankind
    from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
⁴ “I will stretch out my hand against Judah
    and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal
    and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,
⁵ those who bow down on the roofs
    to the host of the heavens,
those who bow down and swear to the Lord
    and yet swear by Milcom,
⁶ those who have turned back from following the Lord,
    who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.”

Prayer of the Day: Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for stretching out your hand against our idolatry and infidelity. In Christ alone, you sweep these away from me and your church. Keep sweeping Lord… until I and your church fear, love, and trust you above all else. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymKxTkrRNBA

“What does baptism mean for daily living?”

It means that my sinful self, with all its evil deeds and desires, should be drowned through daily repentance; and that day after day a new self should arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever.

Paul writes in Romans 6: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

All hail whose name?

Verse for the week:
“Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
    give praise, O servants of the Lord,”  Psalm 135.1

Prayer for the week: Almighty God, in Christ Jesus your reign has broken in for us and for this troubled world. While we yet wait for the day of the fulfillment of your kingdom, make your church a people humble and lowly who seek refuge in your name alone; through your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Psalm 135.1-7

¹ Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
    give praise, O servants of the Lord,
² who stand in the house of the Lord,
    in the courts of the house of our God!
³ Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
    sing to his name, for it is pleasant!
⁴ For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
    Israel as his own possession.

⁵ For I know that the Lord is great,
    and that our Lord is above all gods.
⁶ Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
    in heaven and on earth,
    in the seas and all deeps.
⁷ He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
    who makes lightnings for the rain
    and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

Prayer of the Day: Your name, O Lord, yours and no other, your name is worthy of praise. You alone do as you please… and what pleases you in heaven and on earth is to give yourself in Christ… to condescend to rescue sinners like us from sin, death, and the power of the devil that we may be your own possession… yours and no others. Thank you, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6Ly-VfWSiU

“Thy kingdom come…”

What does this mean? God’s kingdom comes indeed without our prayer, but we ask in this petition that it may come also to us.

When does this happen?  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 on earth now and in heaven forever. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

Christ has predestined you for...

 Verse for the week:
“Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
    O Israel, if you would but listen to me!” Psalm 81.8

Prayer for the week: Almighty God, draw our hearts to you, guide our minds, fill our imaginations, control our wills, so that we may be wholly yours. Use us as you will, always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Romans 8.18-30

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Prayer of the Day: Gracious and almighty Father, in Christ our salvation is now already given… and yet we still cling to our old bondage. Keep working out the new birth of my baptism daily. As I groan under this birth, subject me to the futility of my own will, conform me to the image of your Son, and encourage me by the glory that is to be revealed to those whom you have predestined, including me. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymKxTkrRNBA

“What does baptism mean for daily living?”

It means that my sinful self, with all its evil deeds and desires, should be drowned through daily repentance; and that day after day a new self should arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever.

Paul writes in Romans 6: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

What your ears were made for...

Verse for the week:
“Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
    O Israel, if you would but listen to me!” Psalm 81.8

Prayer for the week: Almighty God, draw our hearts to you, guide our minds, fill our imaginations, control our wills, so that we may be wholly yours. Use us as you will, always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Psalm 81.8-16

 ⁸ Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
    O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
⁹ There shall be no strange god among you;
    you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
¹⁰ I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

¹¹ “But my people did not listen to my voice;
    Israel would not submit to me.
¹² So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
    to follow their own counsels.
¹³ Oh, that my people would listen to me,
    that Israel would walk in my ways!
¹⁴ I would soon subdue their enemies
    and turn my hand against their foes.
¹⁵ Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him,
    and their fate would last forever.
¹⁶ But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
    and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Prayer of the Day: Gracious and almighty Father,  you made my ears not for the strange god of myself nor any other, but to listen to  your voice alone. Thank you. Each moment, set Christ on the throne of my stubborn heart and mind so that the devil, the world, and my sinful self may be subdued and I may be fed with the finest wheat rather than their chaff. In Jesus’ name I ask this, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAigUNye_jI

“Thy will be done…”

What does this mean? The good and gracious will of God is surely done without our prayer, but we ask in this prayer that it may be done also among us.

When does this happen?  God’s will is done when he hinders and defeats every evil scheme and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful self, which would prevent us from keeping his name holy and would oppose the coming of his kingdom.

And his will is done when he strengthens our faith and keeps us firm in his Word as long as we live. This is his gracious and good will. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

Why do we bear children?

Verse for the week:
“Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
    O Israel, if you would but listen to me!” Psalm 81.8

Prayer for the week: Almighty God, draw our hearts to you, guide our minds, fill our imaginations, control our wills, so that we may be wholly yours. Use us as you will, always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Isaiah 65.17-25 (The Lord has brought his people back from the disciplinary “timeout” that was the Exile to Babylon, 587-539 BC, and is giving them a fresh start back in the land of Israel.)

¹⁷  “For behold, I create new heavens
    and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
    or come into mind.
¹⁸ But be glad and rejoice forever
    in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
    and her people to be a gladness.
¹⁹ I will rejoice in Jerusalem
    and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
    and the cry of distress.
²⁰ No more shall there be in it
    an infant who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
    and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
²¹ They shall build houses and inhabit them;
    they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
²² They shall not build and another inhabit;
    they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
    and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
²³ They shall not labor in vain
    or bear children for calamity,
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,
    and their descendants with them.
²⁴ Before they call I will answer;
    while they are yet speaking I will hear.
²⁵ The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
    the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
    and dust shall be the serpent's food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
    in all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.

Prayer of the Day: Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: in Christ our salvation is now already and yet still not yet. While we wait on this earth for your new heavens and new earth, grant that we may abide in him and he in us… that your vineyard may yield the fruit of faith rather than wild grapes… that we may bear children not for calamity but as a blessing from you for their descendants. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr2opLCCVyI

“Thy will be done…”

What does this mean? The good and gracious will of God is surely done without our prayer, but we ask in this prayer that it may be done also among us.

When does this happen?  God’s will is done when he hinders and defeats every evil scheme and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful self, which would prevent us from keeping his name holy and would oppose the coming of his kingdom.

And his will is done when he strengthens our faith and keeps us firm in his Word as long as we live. This is his gracious and good will. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.