Verse for the week:
God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.
Acts 2.36
Morning Prayer: “Almighty,
everlasting God, you have given us the promise of your divine life. Bestow upon us your Holy Spirit, that,
quickened by your word, we may lay hold on eternal life by strong faith in your
Son, and in him be saved; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen. (K.B.
Ritter, Gebete fur das Jahr der Kirche, 2nd ed. (Kassel:
Johannes Stauda-Verllag, 1948), p.170)
Bible reading for the day: II Corinthians 4.13-18 (note: As the congregation in Corinth became more established,
some persons resisted Paul’s preaching of Christ crucified for sinners. To some
in the congregation, Christ was the “aroma of life”; to some he was the “aroma
of death” see 2.16. Paul knows that Satan uses such resistance to divide
congregations and get them off mission, see 2.11.)
Since we have the same spirit of faith according to
what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and
so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who
raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with
you into his presence. 15 For it is all for
your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may
increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
16 So we do not lose
heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner
self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this
light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory
beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the
things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are
seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for baptizing
me and my congregation into Christ, into his suffering, death, and
resurrection. Repent us of focusing only on what we see, for those things are
transient… and focusing on the transient blocks us from speaking eternal life
to one another. Re-tune our ears and
re-focus our eyes to hear and see what is eternal… so that in the here and now
instead of resisting you and quarreling we may be instruments to extend your
grace to more and more people. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.
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! (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)
*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.
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