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 99th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading
from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.
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