Lasting Comfort for Ephemeral People

Verse for the week: “Do not remember against us our former iniquities;
    let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
    for we are brought very low.”  Psalm 79.8

Prayer for the week: Dear heavenly Father, preserve your beloved, rebellious children from loving the sound of our own words. Dig out ears for us that we may hear your Word for us in Christ crucified and raised for our forgiveness, life, and salvation; through the same, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Isaiah 40.1-5 (The long disciplinary “time out” that was the Exile to Babylon from 587-539BC has humbled the Lord’s beloved, rebellious people. Now he announces that his people that their sentence is concluded.)

¹Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
² Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
    that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
    double for all her sins.

³ A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
⁴ Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

⁶ A voice says, “Cry!”
    And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
    and all its constancy is like the flower of the field.
⁷ The grass withers, the flower fades
    when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
    surely the people are grass.
⁸ The grass withers, the flower fades,
    but the word of our God will stand forever.

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, we are your rebellious, grassy people. Thank you for rescuing us from ourselves in Christ. Today and every day end my warfare with you. Deliver me and my congregation from our own words and tune our ears to yours; in Jesus’ name I ask this. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBjM47zICos&ab_channel=MartijndeGroot

“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.

All this He has done that I may 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, Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

What your baptism means for your daily life

Verse for the week: “Do not remember against us our former iniquities;
    let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
    for we are brought very low.”  Psalm 79.8

Prayer for the week: Dear heavenly Father, preserve your beloved, rebellious children from loving the sound of our own words. Dig out ears for us that we may hear your Word for us in Christ crucified and raised for our forgiveness, life, and salvation; through the same, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Isaiah 6.1-13 (In the year that king Uzziah died, 742 BC, the Lord calls Isaiah to preach to his beloved, rebellious people)

¹In 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.” ⁹ And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
¹⁰ Make the heart of this people dull,[1]
    and their ears heavy,
    and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
    and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
    and turn and be healed.”
¹¹ Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”
And he said:
“Until cities lie waste
    without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
    and the land is a desolate waste,
¹² and the Lord removes people far away,
    and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
¹³ And though a tenth remain in it,
    it will be burned again,
like a terebinth or an oak,
    whose stump remains
    when it is felled.”
The holy seed is its stump.

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: in your holy, holy, holiness, you regard my unclean self and make me new. For me and your whole church, keep up your work: reduce us to nothing… all the way down to a stump… so that you can create us new each day in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBjM47zICos&ab_channel=MartijndeGroot

“What does baptism mean for daily life?”

It means that my sinful self – with all its evil deeds and desires – should be drowned through daily repentance and sorrow for sin and 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, Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

---

[1] Hebrew fat

His Soundness and the Sore of Our Sin

Verse for the week: “Do not remember against us our former iniquities;
    let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
    for we are brought very low.”  Psalm 79.8

Prayer for the week: Dear heavenly Father, preserve your beloved, rebellious children from loving the sound of our own words. Dig out ears for us that we may hear your Word for us in Christ crucified and raised for our forgiveness, life, and salvation; through the same, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Isaiah 1.1-9 (The time of “Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah was approximately 750-701 B.C.)

¹The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

² Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;
    for the Lord has spoken:
“Children have I reared and brought up,
    but they have rebelled against me.
³ The ox knows its owner,
    and the donkey its master's crib,
but Israel does not know,
    my people do not understand.”

⁴ Ah, sinful nation,
    a people laden with iniquity,
offspring of evildoers,
    children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken the Lord,
    they have despised the Holy One of Israel,
    they are utterly estranged.

⁵ Why will you still be struck down?
    Why will you continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick,
    and the whole heart faint.
⁶ From the sole of the foot even to the head,
    there is no soundness in it,
but bruises and sores
    and raw wounds;
they are not pressed out or bound up
    or softened with oil.

⁷ Your country lies desolate;
    your cities are burned with fire;
in your very presence
    foreigners devour your land;
    it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.
⁸ And the daughter of Zion is left
    like a booth in a vineyard,
like a lodge in a cucumber field,
    like a besieged city.

⁹ If the Lord of hosts
    had not left us a few survivors,
we should have been like Sodom,
    and become like Gomorrah.

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, but for Christ, there is no soundness in me. Were it not for his forgiveness for me and for all your beloved, wayward children, we should be but the bruises and raw wounds of our accumulated sin. But with his wounds we are healed… for our transgressions he was pierced… He is our peace. Thank you, Lord. Each hour, dig out ears for me that I may hear what you have spoken Lord… that I may fear, love, and trust you above myself and all others. In Jesus’ name I ask this, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved newer hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuvfMDhTyMA&ab_channel=mattmaherVEVO

“What does baptism mean for daily life?”

It means that my sinful self – with all its evil deeds and desires – should be drowned through daily repentance and sorrow for sin and 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, Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

The Lord God Chooses You

Verse for the week: “Praise the Lord!
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever!”  Psalm 106.1

Prayer for the week: Dear Jesus, sin and selfishness plug up our ears and make it hard to hear you. Open our ears that we may receive your powerful word. Open our mouths to speak of your love and sing your praise. In your name I pray, Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Deuteronomy 7.6-11 (“Deuteronomy” literally means second law. This book in the Pentateuch is a renewed confession of faith by a subsequent generation long after the Exodus.)

¹⁵ “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. ⁷ It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, ⁸ but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹ Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, ¹⁰ and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. ¹¹ You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Lord God, thank you for choosing me and all the elect to be your treasured people and a to bear the light of Christ to the nations. You keep covenant when I break it, your love is steadfast when mine is fickle, Christ rescues me from the repayment I deserve from you. Thank you. Day after day Lord, undress me of my sin and clothe me in your righteousness alone; in Jesus’ name I ask this. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALHSjbTK_jE&ab_channel=MartijndeGroot

“What does baptism mean for daily life?”

It means that my sinful self – with all its evil deeds and desires – should be drowned through daily repentance and sorrow for sin and 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, Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

What the risen Christ does with sinners...

Verse for the week: “Praise the Lord!
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever!”  Psalm 106.1

Prayer for the week: Dear Jesus, sin and selfishness plug up our ears and make it hard to hear you. Open our ears that we may receive your powerful word. Open our mouths to speak of your love and sing your praise. In your name I pray, Amen.

Bible reading for the day: John 21.15-25 (Picking up where yesterday’s reading left off, the risen Christ cares for the very disciples who forsook him and fled. Christ removes the old rags of Peter’s threefold denial, and dresses him anew in a threefold confession of faith.)

¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

²⁰ Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” ²¹ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” ²² Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” ²³ So the saying spread abroad among the brothers^[b] that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

²⁴ This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

²⁵ Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Lord God, all the books in the world could not contain the magnitude of your work… but here is its nuclear core: forgiveness for sinners who have denied you… and the new clothing of faith. Thank you. Daily Lord, undress me of my sin and clothe me in your righteousness alone; in Jesus’ name I ask this. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyavAoOlsIo&ab_channel=MartijndeGroot

“I believe in Jesus Christ…”

What does this mean?  I believe that Jesus Christ – true God, Son of the Father from eternity, and true man, born of the virgin Mary – is my Lord.

At great cost, he has saved and redeemed me, a lost and condemned person. He has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil – not with silver or gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death.

All this he has done that I may be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as he is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.  (from The Small Catechism, Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

The Risen Friend of Sinners

Verse for the week: “Praise the Lord!
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever!”  Psalm 106.1

Prayer for the week: Dear Jesus, sin and selfishness plugs up our ears and makes it hard to hear you. Open our ears that we may receive your powerful word. Open our mouths to speak of your love and sing your praise. In your name I pray, Amen.

Bible reading for the day: John 21.1-14 (Even though all his disciples forsook him and fled, and even denied him, the risen Christ still comes right toward them to reveal his Father’s forgiving heart.)

¹ After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. ² Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. ³ Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

⁴ Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵ Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” ⁶ He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. ⁷ That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. ⁸ The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards^[a] off.

⁹ When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. ¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” ¹¹ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. ¹² Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: by Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection you continue to reveal yourself toward us as the forgiver of our sin and you send us afresh into our vocations. Drown my foolish questions and grant unto me again today the new obedience of faith; in Jesus’ name I ask this. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If-svStcvS8&ab_channel=MartijndeGroot

“I believe in Jesus Christ…”

What does this mean?  I believe that Jesus Christ – true God, Son of the Father from eternity, and true man, born of the virgin Mary – is my Lord.

At great cost, he has saved and redeemed me, a lost and condemned person. He has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil – not with silver or gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death.

All this he has done that I may be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as he is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.  (from The Small Catechism, Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

Expediency

Verse for the week: “Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!”  Psalm 103.1

Prayer for the week: O God, holy and eternal, you call us into the fellowship of that holy suffering by which your dear Son, our Savior, conquered sin, death and the power of the devil. Grant that we may trust his passion, accept the cross as his disciples, that your holy will be done among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das Jahr der Kirche, 2^nd edition (Kassel: Johannes Stauda-Verlag, 1948), p. 249, revised]

Bible reading for the day: John 18.1-27  (picking up from yesterday’s reading.)

¹When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. ² Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. ³ So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. ⁴ Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” ⁵ They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. ⁶ When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷ So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁸ Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” ⁹ This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” ¹⁰ Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) ¹¹ So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

¹² So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. ¹³ First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. ¹⁴ It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

¹⁵ Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, ¹⁶ but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. ¹⁷ The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” ¹⁸ Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

¹⁹ The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. ²⁰ Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. ²¹ Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” ²² When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” ²³ Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” ²⁴ Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

²⁵ Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” ²⁶ One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” ²⁷ Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for the one man who dies to rescue betrayers, deniers like us. What he has said is not wrong; it is we who have the forked tongues. He is the great I am… He is the way, the truth, and the life… He is your only begotten Son… He is Jesus of Nazareth… He is your righteousness for us, the unrighteous. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut_hTzlUtF8&ab_channel=ParksideEvangelicalChurch

“I believe in Jesus Christ…”

What does this mean?  I believe that Jesus Christ – true God, Son of the Father from eternity, and true man, born of the virgin Mary – is my Lord.

At great cost, he has saved and redeemed me, a lost and condemned person. He has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil – not with silver or gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death.

All this he has done that I may be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as he is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.  (from The Small Catechism, Martin Luther)

Benediction: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    Praise the Lord!   Psalm 106.48

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

The church's one foundation

Verse for the week: “Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!”  Psalm 103.1

Prayer for the week: O God, holy and eternal, you call us into the fellowship of that holy suffering by which your dear Son, our Savior, conquered sin, death and the power of the devil. Grant that we may trust his passion, accept the cross as his disciples, that your holy will be done among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das Jahr der Kirche, 2^nd edition (Kassel: Johannes Stauda-Verlag, 1948), p. 249, revised]

Bible reading for the day: John 16.33 - 17.19  (picking up from yesterday’s reading; on the night of his betrayal and arrest, Jesus is praying for us.)

¹⁹ And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

²⁰ “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, behold the depth, the riches, the breadth of your love: before the foundation of the world you loved Christ and gave him as the head of your church. Thank you that in him we are one. In the midst of a world that does not know you, keep on making yourself known to us and through us… that the world may know that you sent Jesus for our forgiveness, life, and salvation. In his name I pray, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-AzLnm1Tws&ab_channel=MartijndeGroot

“I believe in Jesus Christ…”

What does this mean?  I believe that Jesus Christ – true God, Son of the Father from eternity, and true man, born of the virgin Mary – is my Lord.

At great cost, he has saved and redeemed me, a lost and condemned person. He has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil – not with silver or gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death.

All this he has done that I may be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as he is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.  (from The Small Catechism, Martin Luther)

Benediction: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    Praise the Lord!   Psalm 106.48

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

Soli Deo Gloria...

Verse for the week: “Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!”  Psalm 103.1

Prayer for the week: O God, holy and eternal, you call us into the fellowship of that holy suffering by which your dear Son, our Savior, conquered sin, death and the power of the devil. Grant that we may trust his passion, accept the cross as his disciples, that your holy will be done among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das Jahr der Kirche, 2^nd edition (Kassel: Johannes Stauda-Verlag, 1948), p. 249, revised]

Bible reading for the day: John 16.33 - 17.19  (picking up from yesterday’s reading)

^16.33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

^17.1When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, ² since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ⁴ I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

⁶ “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. ⁸ For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹ I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁰ All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹ And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³ But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, all glory, praise, and honor belong to you and your Son. Thank you for sending Jesus and for giving us to him.  While we are in this world, rescue me and your whole church from the constant temptation to seek our own glory. Sanctify us in your word, dear Lord, rather than in the soil of ourselves and our words… and send us back out into the world in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRbBr211xGY&ab_channel=Koine

“I believe in Jesus Christ…”

What does this mean?  I believe that Jesus Christ – true God, Son of the Father from eternity, and true man, born of the virgin Mary – is my Lord.

At great cost, he has saved and redeemed me, a lost and condemned person. He has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil – not with silver or gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death.

All this he has done that I may be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as he is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.  (from The Small Catechism, Martin Luther)

Benediction: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    Praise the Lord!   Psalm 106.48

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

In the world you will have tribulation...

Verse for the week: “Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!”  Psalm 103.1

Prayer for the week: O God, holy and eternal, you call us into the fellowship of that holy suffering by which your dear Son, our Savior, conquered sin, death and the power of the devil. Grant that we may trust his passion, accept the cross as his disciples, that your holy will be done among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das Jahr der Kirche, 2^nd edition (Kassel: Johannes Stauda-Verlag, 1948), p. 249, revised]

Bible reading for the day: John 16.25-33  

²⁵ “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; ²⁷ for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. ²⁸ I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

²⁹ His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! ³⁰ Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” ³¹ Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? ³² Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. ³³ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, like Jesus, our faith comes from you… and from him… and from your Holy Spirit. Thank you! No sooner does faith take hold and we finally trust you, than we are attacked and scattered. Such is the nature of this world and the evil one. Until we are reunited with you and your Son, his promise is our reason to take heart amidst the tribulation. Thank you, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPbQInnaCUs&ab_channel=AcapellaHymns

“I believe in Jesus Christ…”

What does this mean?  I believe that Jesus Christ – true God, Son of the Father from eternity, and true man, born of the virgin Mary – is my Lord.

At great cost, he has saved and redeemed me, a lost and condemned person. He has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil – not with silver or gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death.

All this he has done that I may be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as he is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.  (from The Small Catechism, Martin Luther)

Benediction: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    Praise the Lord!   Psalm 106.48

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

Ride On, Lord

Verse for the week: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”  Psalm 22.1

Prayer for the week: Ride on, ride on, O Christ. Ride on the donkey, the cross, on the devil’s back. In low estate ride on to die… to triumph over captive death and conquered sin now and forever. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Mark 11.1-11  

¹ Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus^[a] sent two of his disciples ² and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. ³ If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” ⁴ And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. ⁵ And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶ And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. ⁷ And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. ⁸ And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. ⁹ And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰ Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

¹¹ And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, as always you know exactly what you are doing to save us from sin, death and the power of the devil. Your only begotten Son rides not only the colt, but the cross to ride the devil into the ground, back to the hell where he belongs. Thank you. Keep riding Lord; for our same lips that cry “Hosanna” will also shout “Crucify him.” Forgive us, dear Father, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHeIX8xTpYs

“What does baptism mean for daily living?”

It means that my sinful self, with all its evil deeds and desires, should be drowned through daily repentance; and that day after day a new self should arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever.

In Romans 6, St. Paul writes: “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.” Romans 6.4  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    Praise the Lord!   Psalm 106.48

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

The Lord Looses His Arrow Now

Verse for the week: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”  Psalm 22.1

Prayer for the week: Ride on, ride on, O Christ. Ride on the donkey, the cross, on the devil’s back. In low estate ride on to die… to triumph over captive death and conquered sin now and forever. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Isaiah 49.1-7  (The Lord humbled Israel through the Exile to Babylon (587-539 BC) and now calls them and all nations to listen to him)

^49.1 Listen to me, O coastlands,
    and give attention, you peoples from afar.
The Lord called me from the womb,
    from the body of my mother he named my name.
² He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
    in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
    in his quiver he hid me away.
³ And he said to me, “You are my servant,
    Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
⁴ But I said, “I have labored in vain;
    I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my right is with the Lord,
    and my recompense with my God.”

⁵ And now the Lord says,
    he who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him;
    and that Israel might be gathered to him—
for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,
    and my God has become my strength—
⁶ he says:
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
    to raise up the tribes of Jacob
    and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
    that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

⁷ Thus says the Lord,
    the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,
    the servant of rulers:
“Kings shall see and arise;
    princes, and they shall prostrate themselves;
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, from coast to coast, Gentile to Jew, you call me and all people to listen to Christ, who spent all his strength in the labor of the cross to rescue us from the darkness of our sinful selves. Thank you, Lord. Our ears are thick, your Word is sharp… piece all the way to the marrow Lord… that your salvation may reach us to the end of the earth, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GH0aLQwhRY&ab_channel=MartijndeGroot

“What does baptism mean for daily living?”

It means that my sinful self, with all its evil deeds and desires, should be drowned through daily repentance; and that day after day a new self should arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever.

In Romans 6, St. Paul writes: “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.” Romans 6.4  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    Praise the Lord!   Psalm 106.48

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

You have been baptized to death...

 ...and into new life.

Verse for the week: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”  Psalm 22.1

Prayer for the week: Ride on, ride on, O Christ. Ride on the donkey, the cross, on the devil’s back. In low estate ride on to die… to triumph over captive death and conquered sin now and forever. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Romans 5.1, 6.1-4 Writing in 56 AD, Paul declares that your baptism into Christ is a religious washing.

^5.1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…

^6.1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ² By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ 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.

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: in Christ you regard sinners like us and declare us forgiven… He is our peace. Thank you. Today and every day, accomplish the death of my pride and the birth of my new Adam that is my baptism into you; in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKQJJ6xz1K0&ab_channel=drolas94

“What does baptism mean for daily living?”

It means that my sinful self, with all its evil deeds and desires, should be drowned through daily repentance; and that day after day a new self should arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever.

In Romans 6, St. Paul writes: “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.” Romans 6.4  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    Praise the Lord!   Psalm 106.48

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

What your baptism means...

Verse for the week: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”  Psalm 22.1

Prayer for the week: Ride on, ride on, O Christ. Ride on the donkey, the cross, on the devil’s back. In low estate ride on to die… to triumph over captive death and conquered sin now and forever. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Mark 10.32-45, 

³² And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, ³³ saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴ And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

³⁵ And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶ And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” ³⁷ And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” ³⁸ Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹ And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” ⁴¹ And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. ⁴² And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³ But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever would be first among you must be slave^[e] of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Prayer for the day: Dear Lord Christ, you know exactly what you are doing for our sake, for our rescue. To our shame, we esteem our abilities and seek glory for ourselves. Accomplish the death of my pride that is my baptism into you… that I might finally serve rather than be served. In your name, O Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Hymn: this hymn gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHeIX8xTpYs&ab_channel=NorthStonehamandBassettparish

“What does baptism mean for daily living?”

It means that my sinful self, with all its evil deeds and desires, should be drowned through daily repentance; and that day after day a new self should arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever.

In Romans 6, St. Paul writes: “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.” Romans 6.4  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    Praise the Lord!   Psalm 106.48

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

The Kingdom of God is at Hand...

Verse for the week: “Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
    for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
    have worked salvation for him.”    Psalm 98.1

Prayer for the week: Dear heavenly Father, not by the rule of men but by Christ Jesus born under your eternal law and crucified for the unrighteous you have judged the world with righteousness and us with equity. Thank you; through the same, Christ Jesus our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Matthew 4.12-17 (All the people’s attempts at kings and kingdoms of our own making have in fact been a delusion. Now our rightful king steps onto the field and announces his kingdom for us.)

¹²  Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. ¹³ And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴ so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

¹⁵ “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
    the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
¹⁶ the people dwelling in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
    on them a light has dawned.”

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, thank you that in Christ Jesus your kingdom is right at hand for us now. On him alone have you put your Spirit and he alone does not cry out or lift up his voice in rant. He is your covenant to us in the flesh… crucified and raised for us and for our salvation. In him, speak to me and your whole church daily; deliver us from the shadowy darkness of our own will and bring afresh to us the light of your kingdom… even if only for a moment. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Hymn: Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord. Here is a link, listen to as much as you wish; attend the lyrics and come back to this again and again. For today, I particularly appreciate Part 1, the opening chorus, See-Whom? -the bridegroom. See him- How ? -like a lamb!  See – What ? -see his patience, See – Where ? – at the point of our guilt;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwVW1ttVhuQ&ab_channel=NetherlandsBachSociety

And here is a link to an interlinear translation of the lyrics: https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV244-Eng3.htm

“Thy kingdom come…”

What does this mean?  God’s kingdom comes indeed without our prayer; but we ask in this prayer that it would come also to us.

When does this happen?  God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit so that by his, we believe his holy Word and live a godly life on earth now and in heaven forever.  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    Praise the Lord!   Psalm 106.48

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

Thy kingdom come...

 Come down, O Christ, and bury yourself in my heart.

Verse for the week: “Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
    for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
    have worked salvation for him.”    Psalm 98.1

Prayer for the week: Dear heavenly Father, not by the rule of men but by Christ Jesus born under your eternal law and crucified for the unrighteous you have judged the world with righteousness and us with equity. Thank you; through the same, Christ Jesus our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Isaiah 42.1-9  Throughout the era of the kings the people increasingly looked to themselves, their human kings, and the false gods of the nations around them. “Behold, these are all a delusion” (Isaiah 41.29). It took the Exile to Babylon (587-539 BC) to bring his beloved people to nothing… so that Lord could return them to their true King, the suffering servant.

¹  Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
    he will bring forth justice to the nations.
² He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
    or make it heard in the street;
³ a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
    he will faithfully bring forth justice.
⁴ He will not grow faint or be discouraged
    till he has established justice in the earth;
    and the coastlands wait for his law.

⁵ Thus says God, the Lord,
    who created the heavens and stretched them out,
    who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
    and spirit to those who walk in it:
⁶ “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
    I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
    a light for the nations,
⁷     to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
    from the prison those who sit in darkness.
⁸ I am the Lord; that is my name;
    my glory I give to no other,
    nor my praise to carved idols.
⁹ Behold, the former things have come to pass,
    and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
    I tell you of them.”

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: Christ alone opens our sin-blinded eyes and sets prisoners like us free from Satan’s thrall. On Christ alone have you set your Holy Spirit. Repent me and your whole church of our constant, dying attempts to seek our own kingdoms and glory for our own names. Break in upon us with you kingdom each day: give us your Holy Spirit so that by your grace we believe your Word and live godly lives now and in eternity. In Jesus’ name I ask this, amen.

Hymn: Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord. Here is a link, listen to as much as you wish; attend the lyrics and come back to this again and again. For today, I particularly appreciate parts 12 and 13, which begin at 28:54 in the recorded performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwVW1ttVhuQ&ab_channel=NetherlandsBachSociety

And here is a link to an interlinear translation of the lyrics: https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV244-Eng3.htm

“Thy kingdom come…”

What does this mean?  God’s kingdom comes indeed without our prayer; but we ask in this prayer that it would come also to us.

When does this happen?  God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit so that by his, we believe his holy Word and live a godly life on earth now and in heaven forever.  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    Praise the Lord!   Psalm 106.48

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.

 

The Plunder We Now Divide

Verse for the week: “Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
    for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
    have worked salvation for him.”    Psalm 98.1

Prayer for the week: Dear heavenly Father, not by the rule of men but by Christ Jesus born under your eternal law and crucified for the unrighteous you have judged the world with righteousness and us with equity. Thank you; through the same, Christ Jesus our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Isaiah 9.1-7, In the opening chapters of Isaiah, the Lord tells the sad truth about us, his beloved children: he brought us up, but we rebelled against him. We are sinful people, laden with iniquity. To rescue us from the darkness of our own will, he sends a child to us, his son.

¹  But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

²  The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
    on them has light shone.
³ You have multiplied the nation;
    you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
    as with joy at the harvest,
    as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
⁴ For the yoke of his burden,
    and the staff for his shoulder,
    the rod of his oppressor,
    you have broken as on the day of Midian.
⁵ For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
    and every garment rolled in blood
    will be burned as fuel for the fire.
⁶ For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Prayer for the day: Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: Satan would hold us under the shadow of his constant accusations… the deep darkness of ourselves. But in Christ Jesus given to us, you have broken the Accuser’s yoke and the plunder we now divide is the best: not silver or gold but the true treasure of the forgiveness of our sin. Thank you! Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, even as this world and our own pride reject your governance, let your kingdom come to us and let there be no end to it; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn: Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord. Here is a link, listen to as much as you wish; attend the lyrics and come back to this again and again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwVW1ttVhuQ&ab_channel=NetherlandsBachSociety

And here is a link to an interlinear translation of the lyrics: https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV244-Eng3.htm

“I believe in Jesus Christ…”

What does this mean?  I believe that Jesus Christ – true God, son of the Father from eternity, and true man, born of the virgin Mary – is my Lord.

At great cost he has saved and redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature. He has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil – not with silver or gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death.

All this he has done that I may be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as he is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    Praise the Lord!   Psalm 106.48

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.