Who you belong to...

Verse for the week: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”  Lk 1.46-47

Prayer for the 4th week of Advent: “Lord, purify our cluttered hearts. Clear out room for yourself, come and abide with us that we also may abide in you, for you were born into the world for us and now live and reign, King of kings and Lord of lords, for evermore.  Amen.”  (adapted from William Temple in A.E. Baker, William Temple’s Teaching, Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1951, p.128)

Bible reading for the day: Romans 1.1-7

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴ and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵ through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, ⁶ including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

⁷ To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: by your great power and mercy I belong to Christ, not to the devil, not to the world, nor to myself; I belong to Christ. Thank you! Through Jesus, I and every Christian have received grace and apostleship – love we don’t deserve and our “sent-ness”, our mission – to bring about the obedience of faith. Don’t let me or any Christian sit in our own little corner, Lord. Make good on your promise Father, that today I may know myself your servant… called and sent to my neighbor so that s/he may hear the good news of Jesus Christ through me. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic hymn that sings your mission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvydFKT6ZJ0

“I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only son…”

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: Blessing and honor and thanksgiving and praise, more than we can utter, more than we can conceive, be unto thee, O holy and glorious Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, by all angels, all people, all creatures, for ever and ever. Amen. (Thomas Ken quoted in Frederick B. Macnutt, The Prayer Manual   London: Mowbray, 1951, p.39)

*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.