Christ the Intercessor
Invitatory:
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
Morning prayer: “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, may we wake to the instant claims
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 all
things 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: Psalm 1
1 Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but
their delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives
away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the
judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous;
6 for the LORD watches over the way of the
righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Prayer (based on TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for taking a
sinner like me and planting me right near the life-giving stream who is
Christ…ah the sweet, hearty nourishment he is for a tree like me. Repent me of betraying these roots and
following the path of this world and its scoffers. Delight me in leading my family in the daily
use of your Word and keep your way in the forefront of our thoughts and
actions…and the fruit will come right on time.
I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hallowed be thy name…
What
does this mean?
God’s name certainly is holy
in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy also among us.
How is this done?
God's name is hallowed when
his Word is taught in its truth and purity and we, as God's children, lead holy
lives in harmony with it. Grant this to us, dear Father in heaven! But whoever
teaches and lives in ways other than what God's Word teaches dishonors the name
of God among us. Prevent us from doing this, heavenly Father!
(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
*There are many patterns for devotions. This pattern has been followed by God’s
people for centuries.
**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
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment