Verse for the week: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6.3
Prayer for the week: “Lord God, almighty, immortal,
invisible, the mysteries of whose being are unsearchable: Accept our praises
for the revelation which you have made of yourself, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, three persons and one God; and mercifully grant that, ever holding fast
this faith, we may magnify your glorious name; for you live and reign, one God,
now and forever. Amen. (John Dowden, Book
of Common Prayer, Scotland; Suter, The Book of English Collects,
p. 34.)
Bible reading for the day: Isaiah 6.1-8 (note: This portion of
Isaiah was proclaimed first to the people in Judah and Jerusalem from 742-701
BC. God’s own beloved children had rebelled against him. They were sinful,
laden with iniquity, see 1.2-4)
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the
Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe
filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim.
Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered
his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to
another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
4 And the foundations
of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was
filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is
me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the
midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of hosts!”
6 Then one of the seraphim
flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from
the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said:
“Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin
atoned for.”
8 And I heard the voice of
the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said,
“Here I am! Send me.”
Prayer (based on TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty
Father, the extent to which we estrange ourselves from you by our sin is utter.
So you have sent better than a seraphim with a burning coal; you have sent
Christ Jesus and with your word from his lips have taken away our sin and
guilt. Thank you. This is holy, holy, holy business that only You can
accomplish. Thank you for condescending to rescue unclean people like me and
your church. Send us now, new lips and all, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic hymn
which gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWfM5iALo7k
“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: May the God of peace himself grow you
in his will entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and
blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he
will do this. Amen. I Thess 5.23
T: thanksgiving
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