now what?
Verse for the week: God is light and in him
is no darkness at all. I John 1.5
Prayer for the week: Gracious Lord God, magnify the wisdom of your ways for us and grant that in childlike trust we may submit ourselves to your fatherly guidance. Uphold us by your hand, guide us with your counsel, and receive us at last into glory; through Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord. Amen.” (adapted from, Kirchenbuch fur die Gemeinde (Isenhagen), quoted in Orate Fratres, p. 64).
Bible reading for the day: Colossians 3.1-17
If then you have been
raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ
is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set
your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you
have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When
Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with
him in glory.
5 Put to death
therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality,
impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is
idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is
coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you
were living in them. 8 But now you must put
them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from
your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing
that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have
put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after
the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not
Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian,
slave free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on then,
as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate
hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing
with one another and, if one has a complaint against
another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you
also must forgive. 14 And above all these put
on love, which binds everything together in perfect
harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule
in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be
thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in
you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to
God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the
Father through him.
Prayer (based on the TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for putting my will death in Christ and hiding me in him. Keep it up, Lord. Rescue me from the constant, lurking desire to resurrect my deadly old will and re-enthrone it. Put to death all that is earthly in me: sexual immorality, impurity… the whole rotting load of idolatry. Hide me in you and clothe me from the inside out in a compassionate heart, kindness, patience, forgiveness… the new self that cannot help but serve my neighbor in word and deed in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6hqnWh45q8&ab_channel=DannyAdventureVlogs
What does baptism mean for daily life?
It
means that my sinful self, with all its evil deeds and desires, should be drown
through daily repentance; and that day after day a new self should arise to
live with God in righteousness and purity forever
St.
Paul writes in Romans 6: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into
death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of
the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (from The Small Catechism by Martin
Luther)
Benediction: The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and
your coming in
From this time on and forevermore. Ps 121.7-8
T: thanksgiving
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