His table in the presence of your enemies

Verse for the week:  Our Savior Christ Jesus…abolished death and brought life and immortality to light. II Timothy 1.10

Prayer for the week:  “Our Lord Jesus, you have endured the doubts and foolish questions of every generation. Forgive us for trying to be judge over you. Grant us the confident faith to confess you as Lord. Amen” (Lutheran Book of Worship). 

Bible reading for the day: Psalm 23

   The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
³     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.

⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Prayer (based on TRIP* method):  Gracious, good Shepherd, thank you for the table you prepare before me: a sip of wine, a morsel of bread, yet at the same time your body & your blood brimming over with the gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation.  Thank you!  When I must tread the valley of the shadow of death, the rod and staff of your word, your promise are with me to defeat anything the devil and his allies throw at me.  Send your Holy Spirit and sustain me as your sheep that I may delight in your green pastures and your pathways…and may sing to others the praise of you, my Good Shepherd.  In Jesus’ name I ask it.  Amen.

“I believe in Jesus Christ…

What does this mean?

I believe that Jesus Christ — true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary — is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, and has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil, not with silver and gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. He has done all this in order that I might be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as he is risen from the dead and lives and reigns for all eternity. This is most certainly true!  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

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=LF2M8nvKK9k  

benediction:  May the God of peace himself grow you in his will entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.  Amen.  I Thess 5.23

 

*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.)  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. 

 

The Lord of the vineyard rescues us from our pride

Verse for the week:  Our Savior Christ Jesus…abolished death and brought life and immortality to light. II Timothy 1.10

Prayer for the week:  “Our Lord Jesus, you have endured the doubts and foolish questions of every generation. Forgive us for trying to be judge over you. Grant us the confident faith to confess you as Lord. Amen” (Lutheran Book of Worship). 

Bible reading for the day:  Matthew 21.33-46 (parable means “to throw alongside.” The purpose of a parable is not for you to figure it all out, but to get the truth past your pride and into your ears.)

 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. ³⁴ When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. ³⁵ And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶ Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. ³⁷ Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ ³⁹ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” ⁴¹ They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord's doing,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

⁴³ Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. ⁴⁴ And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. ⁴⁶ And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for claiming me and my congregation as your pleasant planting and for setting Christ in place as the cornerstone of your church. You do everything for the sake of your beloved vineyard… and our pride must be tripped up by Christ. So for the sake of your marvelous work, have at us and tend to us with your word, in Jesus’ name we pray amen.

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

 

“Thy will be done…”

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

How is this done?  God's will is done when he hinders and defeats every evil scheme and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful self that would prevent us from hallowing his name and oppose the coming of his kingdom. And God’s will is done when he strengthens our faith and keeps us steadfast in his Word to the end of our earthly lives. This is his good and gracious will.  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction:  The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.  Phil 4.7

 

*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).  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. 

 

The garbage pile of your free will in the light of Christ

Verse for the week:  Our Savior Christ Jesus…abolished death and brought life and immortality to light. II Timothy 1.10

Prayer for the week:  “Our Lord Jesus, you have endured the doubts and foolish questions of every generation. Forgive us for trying to be judge over you, and grant us the confident faith to confess you as Lord. Amen” (Lutheran Book of Worship). 

Bible reading for the day:  Philippians 3.2-14  (note: the “dogs” is a reference to the circumcision party who trusted in our works to prove us worthy and good)

Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. ³ For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— ⁴ though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. ⁷ But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for Christ our confidence, and for Paul’s witness to him.  Repent me and your church of confidence in the garbage pile of our will, our accomplishments… heaped with our religious nips and tucks… that pile gets really stinky after all.  Vouchsafe unto us faith in Christ – in his death and resurrection – so that we may forget our garbage and press on in serving our neighbor… not because we have something of our own to prove, but because Christ has made us his own. I ask this in his 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=u2jPVdl_Bh8

“Thy will be done…”

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

How is this done?  God's will is done when he hinders and defeats every evil scheme and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful self that would prevent us from hallowing his name and oppose the coming of his kingdom. And God’s will is done when he strengthens our faith and keeps us steadfast in his Word to the end of our earthly lives. This is his good and gracious will.  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction:  The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.  Phil 4.7

 

*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).  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. 

A Love song for the Lord's vineyard

Verse for the week:  Our Savior Christ Jesus…abolished death and brought life and immortality to light. II Timothy 1.10

Prayer for the week:  “Our Lord Jesus, you have endured the doubts and foolish questions of every generation. Forgive us for trying to be judge over you, and grant us the confident faith to confess you as Lord. Amen” (Lutheran Book of Worship). 

Bible reading for the day:  Isaiah 5.1-7 (note: Isaiah preached this message to Judah & Jerusalem during the latter part of the 8^th century BC. The Lord’s own chosen children have forsaken and despised him; see Isaiah 1)

¹ Let me sing for my beloved
    my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
    on a very fertile hill.
² He dug it and cleared it of stones,
    and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
    and hewed out a wine vat in it;
and he looked for it to yield grapes,
    but it yielded wild grapes.

³ And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem
    and men of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
⁴ What more was there to do for my vineyard,
    that I have not done in it?
When I looked for it to yield grapes,
    why did it yield wild grapes?

⁵ And now I will tell you
    what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
    and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
    and it shall be trampled down.
⁶ I will make it a waste;
    it shall not be pruned or hoed,
    and briers and thorns shall grow up;
I will also command the clouds
    that they rain no rain upon it.

⁷ For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
    is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah
    are his pleasant planting;
and he looked for justice,
    but behold, bloodshed;
for righteousness,
    but behold, an outcry!

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, we are yours, your beloved vineyard; yet we have rebelled and yielded the wild grapes of our will. Thank you for your redeeming love and mercy poured out in Jesus Christ for wild ones like us; thank you!  You alone know exactly what we your plants need Lord; so put your hand to us and do with us as you please… that by your mercy we may yield the grapes you intended all along… 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=w1YBYrJ8Hzg

What does baptism mean for daily life?

It means that the old Adam in us, together with all sins and evil desires, should be drowned by daily sorrow for sin and repentance and be put to death, and that the new person should come forth every day and rise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

Where is this written?

Saint Paul says in Romans, “We were buried therefore with him by Baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

Benediction:  The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.  Phil 4.7

 

*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).  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. 

How God has promised to remember you

Verse for the week: “Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.” Psalm 25.6

Prayer for the week: “Lord God, you know our frailties and our failings. Remember your mercy and your steadfast love; lead us in your truth and teach us the way of salvation; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

Bible reading for the day:  Psalm 25

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
² O my God, in you I trust;
    let me not be put to shame;
    let not my enemies exult over me.
³ Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
    they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

⁴ Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
⁵ Lead me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all the day long.

⁶ Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
    for they have been from of old.
⁷ Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
    according to your steadfast love remember me,
    for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
⁹ He leads the humble in what is right,
    and teaches the humble his way.
¹⁰ All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

¹¹ For your name's sake, O Lord,
    pardon my guilt, for it is great.
¹² Who is the man who fears the Lord?
    Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
¹³ His soul shall abide in well-being,
    and his offspring shall inherit the land.
¹⁴ The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
    and he makes known to them his covenant.
¹⁵ My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
    for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

Prayer (based on the TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for how you remember me: not according to the sins of my youth, not according to my great guilt… but according to your steadfast love in Christ crucified and raised for me. Thank you! Each hour Father, deliver me from my self; make me to know the way of Christ instead of my way… lead me in the one who is the truth in the flesh… for then am I plucked out of the net and my offspring inherit the broad land of Calvary instead of the swamp of the self. I ask this in the name of the one who is your mercy for sinners in the flesh: Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved new hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LISbMRp0Y64

What gifts or benefits does Baptism bring?

It brings about forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives everlasting salvation to all who believe, as the Word and promise of God declare.

What is this Word and promise of God?

It is the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded in the last chapter of Mark, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” Mark 16:16. (Martin Luther’s explanation of the Second Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, from The Small Catechism, ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Benediction:  May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.  Amen.  I Thess 5.23

 

*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).  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. 

The sabotage we need

Verse for the week: “Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.” Psalm 25.6

Prayer for the week: “Lord God, you know our frailties and our failings. Remember your mercy and your steadfast love; lead us in your truth and teach us the way of salvation; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

Bible reading for the day:  Matthew 21.23-32 (It is the final week, the passion week of Jesus ministry. He has come to Jerusalem to be obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.)

²³ And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” ²⁴ Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.²⁵ The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” ²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

²⁸ “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

Prayer (based on the TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for sending Jesus to do these things: to preach, forgive, heal, and change sinners.  Thank you!  Repent me and your church of the arrogance that questions your authority…and of the subtle pride that wants to live above you rather than under you. Each day, sabotage our pride with your humble  authority… change our minds and our hearts… and walk us right to work in your vineyard…and into your kingdom, side by side with the tax collectors and prostitutes. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a contemporary rendition of a beloved, classic hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW_F1MMH2r4&ab_channel=MartijndeGroot

“Thy kingdom come…

What does this mean?

The kingdom of God comes indeed by itself, without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may also come to us.

How is this done?

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 now and in eternity.  (from The Small Catechism, ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Benediction:  May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.  Amen.  I Thess 5.23

 

*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).  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. 

 

Full of yourself again?

Verse for the week: “Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.” Psalm 25.6

Prayer for the week: “Lord God, you know our frailties and our failings. Remember your mercy and your steadfast love; lead us in your truth and teach us the way of salvation; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

Bible reading for the day:  Philippians 2.1-11 (note: First century Gnostics and 21^st century sinners often want to see the cross and suffering as events we get through and overcome. We prefer Easter baskets over Good Friday. In the face of such pride, Paul declares that rather than delivering us FROM the cross, the resurrection places us UNDER the cross WITH Jesus. The cross is not annulled, rather, it becomes the mark of Christian life.)

¹ So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Prayer (based on the TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for Jesus who emptied himself all the way to the cross… to redeem sinners like us. Thank you!  Repent me and your church of being so full of ourselves: our self-interest, our ambition, our calendars.  Each day, each hour, empty me… bend my proud knees and give me the new obedience to him…that every tongue – starting with mine – may confess Jesus Christ is Lord…to your glory, Father. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved, classic hymn which gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiVhLUOcwl8  

What does baptism mean for daily life?

It means that the old Adam in us, together with all sins and evil desires, should be drowned by daily sorrow for sin and repentance and be put to death, and that the new person should come forth every day and rise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

Where is this written?

St. Paul writes in Romans 6: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4 ESV).  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Benediction:  May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.  Amen.  I Thess 5.23

 

*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).  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.