Invitatory: Lo,
your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a
donkey. Zech 9.9
Prayer for the 1st week of Advent: “Almighty God and
Lord, come to us with all your power and help us who are anxious and
troubled. Send us the Savior, that he
may enter our hearts, and with your light illumine our night, through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.” (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das Jahr der Kirche, 1st
ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1933,
p.35.)
Bible reading for the day: Jeremiah 33.14-16
14 “Behold, the days are coming, declares
the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of
Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and
at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and
he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In
those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And
this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our
righteousness.’
Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and
almighty Father, thank you for raising up the righteous branch who is Jesus
Christ. Repent me and your whole church of trusting in our own rightness… for
that only leads us back into exile from you. As the branch yields fruit, so
yield the fruit of Christ’s righteousness in our souls and actions… that we may
indeed dwell securely in him; in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Hymn: G.F.
Handel’s arrangement of Psalm 2 gives further voice to today’s conversation
with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knn0QkQR81Q
“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: (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.
*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 www.dailytext.com). 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.
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