Christ's ascension and our vocation

Verse for the week: Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession of faith.  Hebrews 4.14

Prayer for the week: “Eternal God, you commit to us the swift and solemn trust of life; since we know not what the day may bring forth, but only that the hour for serving you is always present, wake us to the constant claim of your holy will, not waiting for tomorrow, but yielding today.  Consecrate with your presence the way our feet may go and the humblest work will shine, and the roughest place be made plain.  Lift us above unrighteous anger and mistrust, into faith, and hope, and charity, by a simple and steadfast reliance on your sure will.  In althings draw us to the mind of Christ, that your lost image may be traced again, and you may own us as at one with him and you, to the glory of your great name. Amen.” (James Martineau, Home Prayers, London: Longmans, Green, 1891)

Bible reading for the day: Acts 1.6-11 (note: 40 days after his resurrection, the disciples are together in Jerusalem – no longer huddled behind locked doors – and Jesus is with them.)

⁴ So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ⁹ And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹ and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Prayer (based on TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for raising Jesus from the dead and for promising to send him back one day. Repent me and your whole church of poking our noses in where they don’t belong… and of our preoccupation with kingdoms of this world. Even as we look forward to Jesus’ return, redirect our gaze down from heaven and toward our neighbor… that we may be occupied with the business of Your kingdom, the business of being your witnesses locally and to the end of the earth. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Hymn:  follow this link to a classic hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord:  https://vimeo.com/46203440

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.  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther, © Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Benediction: (1 Peter 5:10)  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.    

 

 *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. 

God smokes his enemies

Verse for the week: Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession of faith.  Hebrews 4.14

Prayer for the week: “Eternal God, you commit to us the swift and solemn trust of life; since we know not what the day may bring forth, but only that the hour for serving you is always present, wake us to the constant claim of your holy will, not waiting for tomorrow, but yielding today.  Consecrate with your presence the way our feet may go, and the humblest work will shine, and the roughest place be made plain. Lift us above unrighteous anger and mistrust, into faith, and hope, and charity, by a simple and steadfast reliance on your sure will; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.” (James Martineau, Home Prayers, London: Longmans, Green, 1891)

Bible reading for the day: Psalm 68.1-12, 32-35 (note: this is a hymn to the Lord’s appearing, his showing up. In the ancient Canaanite cult, gods ascended from the underworld. Into this cult of ascension, the God of Israel enters. “He does not come from the underworld, but from Sinai, the place of his self-revelation to Israel.” – H.J. Kraus)                                

God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;
    and those who hate him shall flee before him!
² As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;
    as wax melts before fire,
    so the wicked shall perish before God!
³ But the righteous shall be glad;
    they shall exult before God;
    they shall be jubilant with joy!

 

⁴ Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
    lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;
his name is the Lord;
    exult before him!
⁵ Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
    is God in his holy habitation.
⁶ God settles the solitary in a home;
    he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
    but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

 

⁷ O God, when you went out before your people,
    when you marched through the wilderness,     Selah
⁸ the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,
    before God, the One of Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
⁹ Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;
    you restored your inheritance as it languished;
¹⁰ your congregation found a dwelling in it;
    in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

¹¹ The Lord gives the word;
    the women who announce the news are a great host:
¹²     “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”
The women at home divide the spoil—

 

³²O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
    sing praises to the Lord,                Selah
³³ to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
    behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
³⁴ Ascribe power to God,
    whose majesty is over Israel,
    and whose power is in the skies.
³⁵ Awesome is God from his sanctuary;
    the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!

Prayer (based on TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: your Son rose from the grave and your enemies – our sin, our death, and the Devil – were scattered… like so much smoke from your cigar they were driven away. And those few women – Mary and the others – who announced the news from his tomb, they were yet a great host at whose message Satan’s armies fled in retreat. Thank you! Every hour Lord, deliver me and your whole church from the way of the wicked… that instead of melting like wax before you, we may dwell in your goodness and sing your praises now and for eternity. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen. 

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord (yes, this rendition is dated, but the hymn gives perfect voice to Psalm 68)😊: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAGeEZ6a94Q

“I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord…

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)

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. I Peter 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).  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 Glory Foreign to Us

Verse for the week: Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession of faith.  Hebrews 4.14

Prayer for the week: “Eternal God, you commit to us the swift and solemn trust of life; since we know not what the day may bring forth, but only that the hour for serving you is always present, wake us to the constant claim of your holy will, not waiting for tomorrow, but yielding today. Consecrate with your presence the way our feet may go, and the humblest work will shine, and the roughest place be made plain. Lift us above unrighteous anger and mistrust, into faith, and hope, and charity, by a simple and steadfast reliance on your sure will; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.” (James Martineau, Home Prayers, London: Longmans, Green, 1891)

Bible reading for the day: I Peter 4.12-19 (note: I Peter was written to first century Christians whose confession of faith and consequent way of life met with great resistance and persecution. Because of their confession of Christ, they were exiles, dispersed throughout Asia Minor, as the Lord knew they would be.)                                                 

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴ If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. ¹⁵ But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. ¹⁶ Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And

“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
    what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Prayer (based on TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for Christ’s sufferings on my behalf. The foreign glory of his cross dethrones our native pride. My sufferings are nowhere near his nor as profound as those of my persecuted brothers & sisters… don’t let me forget this. While we wait for Jesus’ return, grant that I and my congregation may glorify his name, entrust our souls to you, and do good in the neighborhood.  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=MW_F1MMH2r4

“I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord…

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)

Benediction: (1 Pet 5:10)  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.    

 

 

*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.  

You have been given to Jesus

Verse for the week: Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession of faith.  Hebrews 4.14

Prayer for the week: “Eternal God, you commit to us the swift and solemn trust of life; since we know not what the day may bring forth, but only that the hour for serving you is always present, wake us to the constant claim of your holy will, that we would not wait for tomorrow but yield today. Consecrate with your presence the way our feet may go, and the humblest work will shine, and the roughest place be made plain.  Lift us above unrighteous anger and mistrust, into faith, and hope, and charity, by a simple and steadfast reliance on your sure will; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.” (James Martineau, Home Prayers, London: Longmans, Green, 1891)

 Bible reading for the day: John 17.1-12                                 

¹ When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, ² since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ⁴ I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

⁶ “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. ⁸ For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹ I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁰ All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹ And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

Prayer (based on TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for giving us to Jesus. He accomplished the work you sent him to do: now we know that He came from you, that you sent him, and that his word, your living word, is true and eternal life for us. Lord, thank you! While we remain in this dying world Lord, we need your protection.  Please guard us from the Evil one and from listening to our own words or the world’s words over yours.  Keep us in the power of your name Father, that with Jesus we may glorify you.  I ask this in his name, amen.

Hymn: to sing one of Luther’s beloved, classic hymns with Lyle Lovett, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8ZsskiAcFw

“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, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Benediction: (1 Pet 5:10)  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.    

 

*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.  

Our God Crushes Us that He May Bring Us Out

Verse for the week: “I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” Zechariah 12.10 

Prayer for the week: God, our heavenly Father, through your Son you have promised us the Holy Spirit.  Send down upon us that Spirit, that he may teach us to show forth your praise, not only here on earth in weakness, since we know your power and glory only from afar, but also in power and glory on that day when, united with the choir of angels, we shall see you face to face; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.  Amen. (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirche,2^nd ed. Kassel: Johannes Stauda-Verlag, 1948, p.150)

Bible reading for the day: Psalm 66.8-20 (note: this song begins with the hymn of the great congregation who has been liberated by the Lord and the hymn concludes with the vows of praise by an individual in that congregation. “Our” and “I”, congregation and individual, are coordinated under and in the Lord’s praise)

⁸ Bless our God, O peoples;
    let the sound of his praise be heard,
⁹ who has kept our soul among the living
    and has not let our feet slip.
¹⁰ For you, O God, have tested us;
    you have tried us as silver is tried.
¹¹ You brought us into the net;
    you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
¹² you let men ride over our heads;
    we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.

 

¹³ I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
    I will perform my vows to you,
¹⁴ that which my lips uttered
    and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
¹⁵ I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,
    with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats. 

 

¹⁶ Come and hear, all you who fear God,
    and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
¹⁷ I cried to him with my mouth,
    and high praise was on my tongue.
¹⁸ If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened.
¹⁹ But truly God has listened;
    he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

 

²⁰ Blessed be God,
    because he has not rejected my prayer
    or removed his steadfast love from me!

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: like silver that is tried, purified; like wheat that is crushed, milled for new use, you bring us not around hardship but right through it to the place of your abundant grace… where life inside of Christ is bigger than it appeared from the outside… where the lungs of our souls can breathe deeply and expand. Keep it up Lord, for my congregation and for me… that with my own mouth, my own voice, I will tell what you have done for my soul. Bless you indeed, O Lord; in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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

“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)

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. 

 

Your baptism into Christ and what it means

Verse for the week: “I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”  Zechariah 12.10

Prayer for the week: God, our heavenly Father, through your Son you have promised us the Holy Spirit. Send down upon us that Spirit, that he may teach us to show forth your praise, not only here on earth in weakness, since we know your power and glory only from afar, but also in power and glory on that day when, united with the choir of angels, we shall see you face to face; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.  Amen. (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirche,2^nd ed. Kassel: Johannes Stauda-Verlag, 1948, p.150)

Bible reading for the day:  I Peter 3.13-22 (note: I Peter was written to first century Christians whose witness and consequent way of life met with great resistance and persecution)

 ¹³Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹ Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for the righteous one who suffered to bring the unrighteous – including me – to you. In my baptism you did not just wash off a layer of filth, you rescued me from my own conscience and made Christ my spokesman, my advocate. With my new life in Christ comes suffering… since the powers of this world would rather speak for themselves and insist on a righteousness of their own. Teach me to welcome this suffering in Christ daily… and prepare me always to give the reason for the hope that is ours in Christ…and to do so with gentleness and respect…so that imprisoned souls might be set free by you. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a hymn which gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqb4HjxYCNg

What gifts or benefits does Baptism bring?

It brings 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). (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

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. 

  

Put not your trust in princes or presidents...

Verse for the week: If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (I John 1.7) 

Prayer for the week: Almighty and everlasting God, in the wonder of Christ’s death and resurrection, you held not our sin against us and entrusted your message to us.  Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s body may be ambassadors for him, showing forth in our lives the faith we confess; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.  (adapted from The Book of Common Prayer, based on II Corinthians 5)

Bible reading for the day:  Psalm 146

 ¹ Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
² I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

 

³ Put not your trust in princes,
    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
⁴ When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
    on that very day his plans perish.

 

⁵ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord his God,
⁶ who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
⁷     who executes justice for the oppressed,
    who gives food to the hungry.

 

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
⁸     the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    the Lord loves the righteous.
⁹ The Lord watches over the sojourners;
    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

 

¹⁰ The Lord will reign forever,
    your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Prayer (based on the TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for the true help, the one who rescues me from my own sin, death, and the devil: your Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord. Thank you! Repent me and your whole church of looking to princes, presidents, human governments for life, liberty, and happiness; no son or daughter of man can generate these gifts. Establish our trust in you, O Lord, and vouchsafe unto us in the meantime government that is not that bad. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic which gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7OCs0d_4vM

“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)

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.