Guess what the Lord takes away from you in Christ

Verse for the week: “Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me.” Malachi 3.1

Prayer for the 3^rd week of Advent: “Lord Jesus, our Light and our Salvation, you alone are the one who was to come to save us.  We thank you for your coming and for your will to perform in us again your saving work.  Rule us by your Holy Spirit, that henceforth we may wait for none other and put our trust in nothing in heaven or earth except you alone, our Lord.  Amen.” (Martin Moller, Thesaurus precationum, 1603; text in Gerhard Molwitz, Lutherisches Gebetbuch, p.41.)

Bible reading for the day: Zephaniah 3.14-20 (note: Zephaniah was the Lord’s preacher in Jerusalem during the reign of King Josiah (640-609 BC).  He preaches both the word of God’s judgment against Judah and its capital Jerusalem for their religious idolatry and disloyalty… and the word of God’s mercy and restoration for them. If you read this entire chapter you will hear the process of God’s judgment, conversion of the peoples, and restoration. In the following passage, notice who is the subject, the doer, of all the verbs.)

¹⁴ Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
¹⁵ The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
¹⁶ On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
¹⁷ The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
¹⁸ I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,
so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
¹⁹ Behold, at that time I will deal
with all your oppressors.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
²⁰ At that time I will bring you in,
at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes,” says the Lord.

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for doing ALL the work in Christ crucified and raised: for taking away your righteous judgments against me, for defeating the Oppressor, for quieting my noisy self and for gathering me and my congregation to yourself. Thank you!  Repent me and your church of our own noise and of any fear that would prevent us from witnessing to you. Our hands now have no reason to grow weak… so lift them up in praise to you and in service to our neighbor.  I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved part of Handel’s “Messiah” that gives further voice to today’s conversation with our Lord:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAAIuHeZQVw

“I believe in Jesus Christ…”

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: “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 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.