The war within and your Champion

Verse for the week: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43.1

Prayer for the week: “O most loving Father, you want us to give thanks for all things, to fear nothing except losing you, and to lay all our cares on you, knowing that you care for us.  Protect us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds in this mortal life may hide from us the light of your eternal love shown to us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.”  (Prayer for Trust, LBW #204, Minister’s Ed., p. 111). 

Bible reading for the day: Romans 7.14-25 (Writing in 56 or 57 AD, Paul names out loud the spiritual war that goes on in your own bodily members... and he sends Jesus to our rescue.)

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. ¹⁵ For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. ¹⁷ So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³ but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Prayer(based on the TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for the one who rescues me from my sin, my self, and the law: Jesus Christ! Nothing good dwells within me and even though I belong to you evil still lies close at hand, beckoning with every breath. So, keep on being my Lord and Champion, place my trust in you rather than in my own members and my own voice… for your Word alone my hope secures. In Jesus’ name I pray, 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=qEmH9zGkmOI

“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: Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21) 

 

*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. 

His kingdom, not yours

Verse for the week: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43.1

Prayer for the week: “O most loving Father, you want us to give thanks for all things, to fear nothing except losing you, and to lay all our cares on you, knowing that you care for us.  Protect us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds in this mortal life may hide from us the light of your eternal love shown to us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.”  (Prayer for Trust, LBW #204, Minister’s Ed., p. 111). 

Bible reading for the day: Zechariah 9.9-12 (Zechariah was active during the early postexilic period and is mentioned in Ezra for his prophetic words about rebuilding the temple. He prophecies Christ as the fulfillment of the old covenant.)

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
    righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰ I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
    and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
    and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.
¹¹ As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
    I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
¹² Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
    today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Prayer(based on the TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you that Christ our king has indeed come for us. Repent me and your whole church of putting our trust in princes, presidents, and our own perceived political power. Honor your covenant with us and bring your kingdom in place of ours. In Jesus’ name I pray, 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=mgzRB4gEPf4

“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: Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21) 

 

*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 marries you to Christ, not Moses

Verse for the week: “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.  Acts 2.36

Prayer for the week: Almighty and merciful God, our salvation depends not on human will or exertion, but on you alone who has mercy on whom you will. Convict us according to your judgments and give us new life according to your promise, that we may be justified in your Son and be saved through him, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Bible reading for the day:  Romans 7.1-13  (In this excerpt, Paul uses marriage as a metaphor to articulate what your baptism into Christ means for your daily life.)

Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? ² For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. ³ Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

⁴ Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. ⁵ For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. ⁶ But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

⁷ What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” ⁸ But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. ⁹ I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. ¹⁰ The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. ¹¹ For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. ¹² So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

¹³ Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for your law showing my sin to be exactly that: sin… and thank you for making me and your whole church the bride of Christ, not Moses. Kill off my sin and my pride again today and raise anew me and your whole church, that we may serve not according to the old way of the letter but according to the new way of your holy Spirit; 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=wm28k3C-_cI

“I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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!

Benediction:  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all.  Amen.  II Cor 13.14

 

*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. 

 

 

Don't fret your reward

Verse for the week: “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.  Acts 2.36

Prayer for the week:  Almighty and merciful God, our salvation depends not on human will or exertion, but on you alone who has mercy on whom you will. Convict us according to your judgments and give us new life according to your promise, that we may be justified in your Son and be saved through him, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Bible reading for the day:  Matthew 10.1, 5, 39-42  (note: these are excerpts from Matthew 10, in which Jesus sends us out and tells us of the mixed reception we will receive because of his name. I encourage you to read the entire 10^th chapter)

¹ And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.  

⁵These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them,…

³⁹ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ⁴⁰“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. ⁴¹ The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. ⁴² And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for calling me and my brothers and sisters to Christ and for sending us out in his name.  Repent me and my congregation of worrying about how we will be received and of holding on to our own lives. With this word you have given me afresh my apostleship, my sent-ness. Guide me now to deliver your authority for my neighbors’ good. In Jesus’ name I ask this, 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=0k1WhFtVp0o

“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

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 destroys every evil design and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful self that would keep us from hallowing his name and prevent the coming of his kingdom. And God’s will is done when he strengthens us and keeps us steadfast in his Word and in faith to the end of our earthly lives. This is his good and gracious will.  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Benediction:  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all.  Amen.  II Cor 13.14

 

*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. 

 

  

According to whom?

Verse for the week: “Plead my cause, O Lord, and redeem me;
    give me life according to your promise!” Psalm 119.154

Prayer for the week:  Almighty and merciful God, you are not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  By your living word, day after day, convict us according to your judgments… and give us new life according to your promise; that we may find ourselves held fast by the comfort of your Spirit and of faith, in order that we may be justified in your Son and be saved through him, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Kirchenbuch für die Gemeinde (Isenhagen), edited, quoted in Orate Fratres, Gebetsordnung für evangelische-lutherische Pfarrer, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 1952, p. 76)

Bible reading for the day:  Psalm 119.153-160

¹⁵³ Look on my affliction and deliver me,
    for I do not forget your law.
¹⁵⁴ Plead my cause and redeem me;
    give me life according to your promise!
¹⁵⁵ Salvation is far from the wicked,
    for they do not seek your statutes.
¹⁵⁶ Great is your mercy, O Lord;
    give me life according to your judgments.
¹⁵⁷ Many are my persecutors and my adversaries,
    but I do not swerve from your testimonies.
¹⁵⁸ I look at the faithless with disgust,
    because they do not keep your commands.
¹⁵⁹ Consider how I love your precepts!
    Give me life according to your steadfast love.
¹⁶⁰ The sum of your word is truth,
    and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for giving me life according to your judgment rather than mine. Keep it up, Lord. Defend me against the devil, the world, and my sinful self. Since I am a sojourner in this world and not at home unless hidden in you, give me life according to your promise, according to your steadfast love, now and for eternity. In Jesus’ name I pray, 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=mptPNjtMAoA

“Lead me not into temptation…”

What does this mean?

God indeed tempts no one to sin, but we pray in this petition that God would guard and protect us from this, that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or lead us into false belief, despair, and other great and shameful sins. And we pray that when we are tempted in these ways, we may finally prevail and gain the victory. (from “The Small Catechism” by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Benediction:  The God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.  (Romans 15.13)

 

Your strength will fail you, but Christ's...

Verse for the week: God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.  Acts 2.36

Prayer for the week:  Almighty and everlasting God, you have redeemed us and sent us as your own witnesses to an alien generation that nonetheless belongs to you. Rescue us from despair, deliver your sons and daughters from fear, and make us preachers of Christ in broad daylight; through the same, Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Psalm 91.1-10

 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

 

³ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his pinions,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
    nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

 

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only look with your eyes
    and see the recompense of the wicked.

 

⁹ Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
    the Most High, who is my refuge—
¹⁰ no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
    no plague come near your tent.

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: in Christ you take me into your refuge and fortress; the risen Lord becomes my cover and my shield… the one in whom I trust. Thank you. My own strength will fail me, but the strength of your promise will deliver me from even death when it comes. Grant that today and throughout this mortal life, I may dwell under the shelter of your wings and enjoy eternal life; in Jesus’ name I pray. 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=ozXaSAyoRYA

“Our Father, who art in heaven…”

What does this mean?

God encourages us to believe that he is truly our Father, and that we are truly his children, so we may boldly and confidently pray to him, just as beloved children speak to their dear father.  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction:  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all.  Amen.  II Cor 13.14

 

 

*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 baptized into Christ, not above him

Verse for the week: God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.  Acts 2.36

Prayer for the week:  Almighty and everlasting God, you have redeemed us and sent us as your own witnesses to an alien generation that nonetheless belongs to you. Rescue us from despair, deliver your sons and daughters from fear, and make us preachers of Christ in broad daylight; through the same, Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Bible reading for the day:  Matthew 10.24-39

 ²⁴“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

²⁶ “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. ²⁸ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. ³² So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³ but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

³⁴ “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. ³⁷ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for putting Jesus above us, not the other way around. Repent me and my congregation of fearing the cost of your name and of loving anyone more than we love you.  Free us to be great big losers: beloved disciples who hourly lose our lives for your sake… and thereby find our whole new life in you. In Jesus’ name I ask this, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS909US909&q=praise+to+the+lord+the+almighty&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiAtcjVsdT_AhX7mWoFHbZJCRIQ0pQJegQIDRAB&biw=1522&bih=746&dpr=1.25#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:90b6718d,vid:VGAaRtkovZQ

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 ESV).  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction:  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all.  Amen.  II Cor 13.14

 

 

 *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.