The holy importance of Dad

Verse for the week:  I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20.2-3

Prayer for the week: “Almighty, everlasting God, graciously look upon your church, for you alone are our strength and our salvation.  Uphold us with your hand, that we may not stumble and fall; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirched, 2nd  ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p.220). 

Bible reading for the day: Malachi 4.1-6 (Malachi means “my messenger.” This prophet preached during the reign of Xerxes I (486-465 BC), after the restoration of the temple and just prior to the governorship of Nehemiah. The Lord had brought his people back home from the Exile, the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt. However, many of the priests were false preachers who failed to rebuke the people for their sin. The people’s unfaithfulness to the Lord led to unfaithfulness in their marriages, their offering, and their words. There was a minority, a remnant, who feared the Lord and he called them his “treasured possession.”)

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. ² But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. ³ And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

⁴ “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

⁵ “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. ⁶ And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Prayer (based on TRIP* method):  Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for fulfilling the law and the prophets in the sun of righteousness himself, Jesus Christ. While we await the day of his return, guard me and your whole church from arrogance, both external and internal. Turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers… that families may be built up in you rather than destroyed. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

“Thy kingdom come,”

What does this mean?  God's kingdom comes indeed without our prayer, but we ask in this petition that it may come also to us.

How is this done?  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 on earth now and in heaven forever. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

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.  For more on the T.R.I.P. approach to prayer, visit www.groundupgrace.com