Verse for the week: My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices
in God my Savior Lk 1.46-47
Prayer for the 4th week of
Advent: “Lord, purify our hearts that
they may be worthy to become your dwelling place. Let us never fail to find room for you, but
come and abide with us that we also may abide in you, for you were born into
the world for us and now live and reign, King of kings and Lord of lords, for
evermore. Amen.” (William Temple in A.E. Baker, William
Temple’s Teaching, Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1951, p.128)
Bible reading for the day: Isaiah7.10-17
Again
the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a
sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as
heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I
will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And
he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary
men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore
the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall
conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He
shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose
the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse
the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will
be deserted. 17 The Lord will bring
upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have
not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of
Assyria!”
Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty
Father, thank you: in your Son Jesus you have promised and proven yourself with
us, for us, in the flesh, all the
way to death and new life. Thank you! Repent me and your whole church: wean us
from ourselves… that in all humility we may know the joy and strength of being
your beloved children. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Hymn: follow
this link to a beloved classic hymn based on this passage from Isaiah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JpvW9FU_Rg
“I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only
son…”
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: Blessing and honor and thanksgiving and praise,
more than we can utter, more than we can conceive, be unto thee, O holy and
glorious Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, by all angels, all people, all
creatures, for ever and ever. Amen. (Thomas Ken quoted in Frederick
B. Macnutt, The Prayer Manual
London: Mowbray, 1951, p.39)
**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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