Who do you say Jesus is?

 ...and what now then?

Verse for the week:  Behold, the kingdom of God is among you.  Luke 17.21

Prayer for the week: “Lord, you have promised to grant what we pray in the name of your Son.  Teach us to pray aright and to laud and praise you with all your saints in the fullness of life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirched, 2^nd  ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p. 152). 

Bible reading for the day: Matthew 16.13-20

¹³ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for sending your son, Jesus, the Messiah…not “one option among many,” not “one approach to the divine”…but the Christ, your living Son.  Thank you!  Repent me and your church of any shyness and pride by which we avoid this question and avoid our own testimony. Each day, reveal Jesus to me as your living Son, our Lord, and send me into my family and the neighborhood to bind and forgive sin. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen. 

Hymn: to sing a beloved, classic hymn which gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKkTB617sDU

“I believe in the Holy Spirit…”

What does this mean?

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith. In the same way, he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and preserves it in unity with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church, he daily forgives abundantly all my sins and the sins of all believers. At the last day, he will raise me and all the dead and will grant everlasting life to me and to all who believe in Christ. This is most certainly true!  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Benediction:  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all.  Amen.  II Cor 13.14

*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.