You and your congregation

Verse for the week: “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19.10)

Prayer for the week: “Almighty and merciful God, you are not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  Grant that by your word we may again and again be convicted of our sin and also fervently grasp anew the comfort of your Spirit and of faith, in order that we may be justified in your Son and be saved through him, Jesus Christ our Lord.   (Kirchenbuch für die Gemeinde (Isenhagen), quoted in Orate Fratres, Gebetsordnung für evangelische-lutherische Pfarrer, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 1952, p. 76)

Bible reading for the day: Psalm 66 (note: this psalm combines the hymn of the rescued, liberated congregation (v.1-12) and the vow of praise of an individual believer (v.13-20). As different as the two parts of this Psalm are, we can only rightly hear and use them as one unified whole. In the Bible, one cannot be a Christian without a congregation.)

Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
²     sing the glory of his name;
    give to him glorious praise!
³ Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
    So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
⁴ All the earth worships you
    and sings praises to you;
    they sing praises to your name.” Selah
 
⁵ Come and see what God has done:
    he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land;
    they passed through the river on foot.
There did we rejoice in him,
⁷     who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
    let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah
    he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land;
    they passed through the river on foot.
There did we rejoice in him,
⁷     who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
    let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah
 
⁸ Bless our God, O peoples;
    let the sound of his praise be heard,
⁹ who has kept our soul among the living
    and has not let our feet slip.
¹⁰ For you, O God, have tested us;
    you have tried us as silver is tried.
¹¹ You brought us into the net;
    you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
¹² you let men ride over our heads;
    we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
    let the sound of his praise be heard,
⁹ who has kept our soul among the living
    and has not let our feet slip.
¹⁰ For you, O God, have tested us;
    you have tried us as silver is tried.
¹¹ You brought us into the net;
    you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
¹² you let men ride over our heads;
    we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
¹³ I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
    I will perform my vows to you,
¹⁴ that which my lips uttered
    and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
¹⁵ I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,
    with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah
    I will perform my vows to you,
¹⁴ that which my lips uttered
    and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
¹⁵ I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,
    with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah
¹⁶ Come and hear, all you who fear God,
    and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
¹⁷ I cried to him with my mouth,
    and high praise was on my tongue.
¹⁸ If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened.
¹⁹ But truly God has listened;
    he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
    and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
¹⁷ I cried to him with my mouth,
    and high praise was on my tongue.
¹⁸ If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened.
¹⁹ But truly God has listened;
    he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
²⁰ Blessed be God,
    because he has not rejected my prayer
    or removed his steadfast love from me!
    because he has not rejected my prayer
    or removed his steadfast love from me!

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for your saving deeds and promises to me, to my congregation, and to the whole world. Grant that even my mouth and my deeds may confess for my neighbor the wonderful work you have done in Christ Jesus; in his name I pray. 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=VGAaRtkovZQ  

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: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by  the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15.13) 

 

*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.