Prayer for the week:
“Lord, you have promised to grant what we pray in the name of your
Son. Teach us to pray aright and to laud
and praise you with all your saints in the fullness of life everlasting;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (K.B. Ritter, Gebete
fur das jahr der Kirched, 2nd ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p. 152).
Bible reading for the day: Romans 12.1-8
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by
the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of
your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what
is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace
given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more
highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each
according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as
in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same
function, 5 so we, though many, are one body
in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having
gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them:
if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service,
in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the
one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in
generosity; the one who leads, with eager diligence[1];
the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: by
your mercy you have put my brothers and sisters and me in our place: members of
your body…sinners beloved & chosen by you.
Thank you! Repent me of conforming to this world…of thinking more highly
of myself than I ought. Transform me and
my brothers and sisters daily, hourly: change and renew our minds…that we may
offer our bodies and our calendars to you and for one another as a living
sacrifice. 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: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0Byp7aK2DA
What is the
significance of baptizing with water?
It signifies 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 ©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)
[1]
My translation of the greek “σπουδῇ”
**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