Verse for the week: The commandment we have from him is this: those who
love God must love their brothers and sisters also. I John 4.21
Prayer for the week: “Dear Father in heaven, you have revealed your love to us in Jesus
Christ. Grant us your Holy Spirit, that
we may love you with our whole heart and our neighbors as ourselves; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (Kirchenbuch fur die Gemeinde [Isenhagen], quoted
in Ernst Glur and Kurt Jagdmann, Orate Fratres, Gebetsordnung fur
evangelische-lutherische Pfarrer
Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1952 p.82)
Bible reading for the day: Mark 10.1-16
1 And
he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds
gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.
2 And
Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to
divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?”
4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce
and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your
hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the
beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore
a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and
the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9
What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
10 And
in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And
he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits
adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries
another, she commits adultery.”
13 And they were bringing children to him that he might
touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw
it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not
hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say
to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not
enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying
his hands on them.
prayer(based on
the TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty
Father, thank you for creating us male and female and establishing the gift of
marriage… that husband and wife may hold fast to you and to one another. Repent me and your church of our
hard-heartedness that lets go of this good gift and goes against your will for
us. Please forgive us and make us
faithful husbands, wives, and children.
Make us new in Christ each day, that instead of trying to test you and
boss you around we may enter into your kingdom as your blessed, beloved
children. I ask this in Jesus’
name. Amen.
The Sixth Commandment: You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20.14)
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God
so that in matters of sex we are chaste and disciplined in our words and
actions, and that husband and wife love and honor each other. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin
Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)
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=mtvxwsiRge4
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
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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