Verse for the week: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. I Peter 5.5
Prayer for the week: “Almighty, everlasting God,
mercifully behold us who have been made your children through baptism and,
according to your grace, grant that your promises may be fulfilled in us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirche, 2nd ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p. 183).
Bible reading for the day: Romans 12.9-21 (note: The heart of Paul’s
letter is the doctrine of election. In Christ Jesus, God has elected sinners
such as you me to receive mercy and be his own. In chapters 12-15, Paul
describes the consequences of this election.)
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is
evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one
another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing
honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent
in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in
hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute
to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who
persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice
with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live
in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the
lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay
no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the
sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends
on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never
avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is
written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To
the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give
him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his
head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome
evil with good.
Prayer(based on the TRIP* method): Gracious
and almighty Father, thank you for not leaving me nor my brothers and sisters
as we are… thank you for coming in Christ to rescue us and transform us. Take
us over with your Holy Spirit and work in us the new obedience of faith. Repent
me and your church of shallow, cheap love…of tolerating evil…and of the pride
that keeps score My old Adam that seeks
to be wise in my own sight, put him to death again today so that in even my
behavior, my neighbor may be overcome by you.
I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Hymn: follow this link to a beloved hymn that gives
further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKQJJ6xz1K0
What does
baptism mean for daily life?
It means 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: Now
to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far
more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in
Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21)
*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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