Life among thieves

Verse for the week:  ¹¹“I am the good shepherd… ²⁷My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10.11, 27-28

Prayer for the week:  O Christ our Good Shepherd, you lead to immortal joy those who trust in you. Grant that we, being weak, presume not to trust in ourselves, but may always have your voice in our ears; that you, who alone know the way, may lead us to our heavenly fold. To you with the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory forever. Amen. (Primer, 1545, adapted)

Bible reading for the day: John 10.1-11

 ¹ “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵ A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁷ So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. ¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Prayer (based on the TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for coming in Christ Jesus to be our true shepherd and for leading us into your kingdom through him. Still lurk robbers…thieves…attractive voices within us and around us that would steal us away from you, Lord …they come only to kill & destroy me and my family… the alluring, false pasture they offer is a death trap. Tune our ears & hearts to your clear, quiet, strong voice, O Lord; for in you alone we and our families and our neighbors indeed have life and have it to the full. I ask this in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic which gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF2M8nvKK9k

“Lead us not into temptation…”

What does this mean?  God indeed tempts no one to sin, but we pray in this petition that God would guard and protect us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or draw us into false belief, despair, and other great and shameful sins; and we pray that when we are tempted in these ways, we may finally prevail and gain the victory.  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction:  The God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.  (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.