He's the truth with skin

 Verse for the week:  “The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
    the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.”  Psalm 93.1

Prayer for the week:  “O Lord, our most gracious Redeemer and King, dwell and reign within us, take possession of us by your Spirit, and reign where you have a right to reign; spread your kingdom throughout the world, now and forever. Amen” (Father John of the Russian Church, nineteenth century, in Fox, A Chain of Prayer, p.104). 

Bible reading for the day:  John 18.33-40

³³So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” ³⁷ Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” ³⁸ Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. ³⁹ But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” ⁴⁰ They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for your voice, the voice of truth, and for giving me faith that listens to you. Repent me and your church of exchanging the truth for a lie and enthroning our “esteemed” selves. You know what truth is; it is Jesus Christ on the cross: your judgment on sin and your life-giving mercy for sinners like us.  So bring it, Lord, bring it…for by your grace alone we belong to the truth and are dying to listen.  I pray this in Jesus’ 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=WFYMhF2GA4E   

“Thy kingdom come…

What does this mean?  The kingdom of God comes indeed by itself, without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may also come to us.

When does this happen?  God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and live a godly life now and in eternity.  (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).  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.