Beautiful Loser...

Verse of the week:  “he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and… he bore the sin of many,”  Is 53.12

 Prayer of the week:  O God, holy and eternal, you call us into the fellowship of that holy suffering by which your dear Son, our Savior, conquered sin, death and the power of the devil.  Grant that we may trust his passion with true devotion, accept the cross as his disciples, and that your holy will be done among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das Jahr der Kirche, 2^nd edition (Kassel: Johannes Stauda-Verlag, 1948), p. 249, revised]

Bible reading for the day:  John 12.20-26

²⁰ Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. ²¹ So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³ And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵ Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Prayer (based on TRIP* method):  Gracious and almighty Father, we can’t thank you enough: you sent your Son to descend… to fall to the earth… and die so that the fruit of faith might be borne even among sinners like us. Thank you! When people want to see Jesus, repent me and my congregation of looking for him where he has not revealed himself. Grant unto us to see and hear him in self-loss rather than gain, in falling and dying rather than climbing… in the cross. The hour has come for your Son to be glorified: so use losers like us today and every day Lord… use grains of wheat like us to pray with hungry souls and to deliver Jesus right to their ears. I ask this in his name, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic hymn which gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://vimeo.com/46203440

“I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord…”

What does this mean?

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:  The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.  Phil 4.7

 

*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.