Verse for the week: “I will pour out on the house
of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for
mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall
mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as
one weeps over a firstborn.” Zechariah
12.10
Prayer for the week:
God, our heavenly Father, through your Son you have promised us the
Holy Spirit. Send down upon us that
Spirit, that he may teach us to show forth your praise, not only here on earth
in weakness, since we know your power and glory only from afar, but also in
power and glory on that day when, united with the choir of angels, we shall see
you face to face; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen. (K.B.
Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirche,2nd
ed. Kassel: Johannes Stauda-Verlag, 1948, p.150)
Bible reading for the day: Acts 17.22-34
22 So Paul, standing in the midst
of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are
very religious. 23 For as I passed along and
observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this
inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as
unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who
made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does
not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he
served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he
himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he
made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the
earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their
dwelling place, 27 that they should seek
God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is
actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
29 Being then God's
offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or
silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The
times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all
people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has
fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by
a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to
all by raising him from the dead.”
32 Now when they heard
of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others
said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So
Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men
joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and
a woman named Damaris and others with them.
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for not
leaving us as religious people, enamored with the work of our hands. Thank you
for sending the best work of your hands – Jesus Christ, crucified and raised –
to be our Savior and Lord. Repent us of
ignorance of the one we worship. Each
day, grab hold of me and my fellow offspring with the one in whom we live and
move and have our being…grasp us with Jesus…that we may bear witness not to a
religion but to Him…and may await his return with confidence. I ask this through the same Jesus Christ, our
Lord, 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=v-AzLnm1Tws
“I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord…
What does this
mean for us?
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: Now
may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through
grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen
them in every good work and word. Amen. II
Thess 2.16-17
*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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