Verse for the week: “… there is need of only one
thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10.42
Prayer for the week: “Almighty and everlasting God,
through your Son you have assured us forgiveness of sins and deliverance from
eternal death. Strengthen us by your
Holy Spirit, that we may daily increase in this faith and hold fast the hope
that when we die, we shall but fall asleep and on the last day be raised to
everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (Kirchenbuch fur die Gemeinde (Isenhagen),
quoted in Orate Fratres, Gebetsordnung
fur evangelische-lutherische Pfarrer, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1952,
p.84).
Bible reading for the day: Colossians 1.15-29
15 He is the image
of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For
by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all
things were created through him and for him. 17 And he
is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he
is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in
him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through
him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in
heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were
alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he
has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to
present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,23 if
indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting
from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been
proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul,
became a minister.
24 Now I rejoice in my
sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is
lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the
church, 25 of which I became a minister according
to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word
of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages
and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To
them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches
of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and
teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present
everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I
toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within
me.
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for
Jesus: in him all things hold together, even for sinners like us. Deliver us
from the trap of searching for any other glue, any other foundation, any other
head… because that’s when everything falls apart. By your sheer grace, keep us
stable and steadfast in Christ… and use us daily as your ministers... that we
may present everyone mature in Christ. I ask this in his name, amen.
Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that
gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r2y3v5LxSI
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(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
R:
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