Verse for the week: 11“I am the good shepherd… 27My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10.11, 27-28
Prayer for the week: O Savior Christ, you lead to immortal happiness those who entrust themselves to you. Grant that we, being weak and prone to wander, presume not to trust in ourselves, but may always have your voice, Good Shepherd, in our ears; that you who alone knows the way, may lead us to our heavenly fold. To you with the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory forever. Amen. (Primer, 1545, adapted)
Bible reading for the day: Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in
green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Prayer (based on the TRIP*method): Gracious and almighty Father, in Christ I have the best shepherd of all. Thank you! Repent me of listening to my own voice rather than his… and deliver me from the small fears that would ensnare me daily in the valley. Each day, each hour wield your rod and staff for my good… protect me in the presence of the Enemy… and set my feet in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake… until the day when I finally enter your house forever. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic which gives further
voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF2M8nvKK9k
“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: The God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. (Romans 15.13)
*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.
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