Time in the Word 13-18 July 2015
Preparation for next week – The togetherness of God’s
People
In the lessons for this coming Sunday
several themes can be seen: that nature of a good shepherd, the functions of a
good shepherd, and the togetherness of God’s people through a Davidic king,
Christ, and the church. The last is suggested as the theme – togetherness.
Jesus in the Gospel takes His disciples, who just returned from their
preaching-healing mission, on a retreat. Jeremiah in the Old Testament lesson
explains that the exile was due to false shepherds and the scattered sheep will
be brought back to Israel under a Davidic king. Jew and Gentile (in the Epistle
lesson) are made one through the blood of Christ and their oneness in the
church. The Psalm’s refrain, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me…”
reminds us of the Gospel – “He had compassion on them.” The Hymn of the Day
sings of Jesus who is the center of the church’s life and the foundation on
which we build.
Collect for this Sunday Pentecost 7—Grant,
Lord, that the course of this world may be so governed by Your direction that
Your church may rejoice in serving You in godly peace and quietness; through
Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One
God, now and forever. Amen
Prayer in time of affliction and
distress: Almighty and most merciful God, in this earthly life we
endure sufferings and death before we enter into eternal glory. Grant us grace
at all times to subject ourselves to Your holy will and to continue steadfast
in the true faith to the end of our lives that we may know the peace and joy of
the blessed hope of the resurrection of the dead and of the glory of the world
to come; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for Home and Family: Visit,
we implore You, O Lord, the homes in which Your people dwell, and keep far from
them all harm and danger. Grant us to dwell together in peace under the protection
of Your holy angels, and may Your blessing be with us forever; through Jesus
Christ, our Lord. Amen. Prayer the Unemployed: Heavenly Father, we remember
before You, those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work. Lead us so to
use the wealth and resources of this rich land that all persons may find
suitable and fulfilling employment and receive just payment for their labor;
through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Pray for Peace: O God,
whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us,
Your servants, that peace which the world simply cannot give, that our hearts
may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being def3ended from the
fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ,
Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God,
now and forever.
Collect for this coming Sunday Proper
11 – Heavenly Father, though we do not deserve Your goodness,
still You provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant us Your Holy Spirit
that we may acknowledge Your gifts, give thanks for all Your benefits, and
serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who
lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen
Monday, 13 July 2015—Psalm
147:7-11, Antiphon, Psalm 145:16— You open Your hand; You satisfy
the desire of every living thing. Jesus sets the table. Jesus supplies all
that we may ever need. The Lord is faithful. We will never be in need. He has
promised to supply our daily wants and desires. Daily tells how much God should
give us, enough for the day. We do not ask God that He give us now what we need
in years to come, but it is sufficient if we get what we need each day.
Tuesday, 14 July 2015—Psalm 23;
key verse v.6— Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever...
Goodness and mercy both refer to the benefits of being a child of God, namely
that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Hebrew for this word
suggests, “throughout the years”. Because of the relationship with have with
Jesus Christ we will live and reign with Him throughout all eternity. What a
comfort it is to have a relationship with our Lord and Savior.
Wednesday, 15 July 2015—Jeremiah
23:1-6— Restoration. Exiles together under a Davidic king. Under new
shepherds, God will return His people from captivity, and so a Davidic king
will reign. In this passage Jeremiah predicts that because of false shepherds
(rulers) the people will go into captivity. This happened in Jeremiah’s
lifetime (586 BC) when the Jews were deported to Babylon. Jeremiah goes on to
promises that God will raise up true shepherds who will bring back the exiles.
In fact, there is to come a Davidic king who will rule with justice and
righteousness. Under this Davidic ruler Israel will be restored as a
nation.
Thursday, 16 July 2015—Ephesians
2:11-22— Reunion. Jews and Gentile together in Christ. Christ has made us
one in God and in the church. The heart of Ephesians is in this passage. In Vv.
13-18 we learn of the peace Christ grained between Jew and Gentile. Vv. 19-22
spell out the consequences of that peace. In the person of Christ and His
cross, Jew and Gentile are made one. Christ died for both, and they are one in
Christ by faith. Thus, they have a oneness in Christ, oneness with God and with
each other. Christ’s death has removed the hostility and cancelled the law
which separated Jew from Gentile. The two are now one in the church. The
practical result is that Gentiles are no longer aliens but members of God’s
family.
Friday, 17 July 2015—Mark
6:30-44 — Retreat. Christ and the disciples together. Jesus takes His
disciples to a lonely place for rest and teaches the crowd that gathers. This
lesson combines the conclusion dealing with the sending out of the disciples
and the introduction to the feeding of the five thousand. The disciples return
from their preaching journey and are exhausted. People with needs throng around
them so that they do not get any rest. Jesus takes them in a boat to a secluded
spot that they may rest and be apart from the crowd. But the people will not
let them alone. When the boat comes to shore, the people are waiting for them.
Seeing the crowd, Jesus expresses compassion for them because they are as sheep
without a shepherd. Before Jesus gives them physical bread, he gives them
spiritual food by teaching them. This is the only time Mark refers to the
Twelve as “apostles.” It is an appropriate name; for they had just returned from
a preaching-healing mission. An apostle is one who is sent forth by Christ.
Seeing the multitudes might have angered Jesus. He was taking the disciples
apart for a retreat so sorely needed. He could have become impatient and told
the people to scram. His reaction reveals His heart – compassion. He felt sorry
for them because they were in desperate need. He has the heart of God, the God
of love. Because of His compassion, Jesus cares about people.
Saturday, 18 July 2015— Ephesians
2:20 - Sunday’s hymn of the day, The
Church’s One Foundation (LSB 644). Paul pictures a house when he speaks of
the structure of the church. The foundation is solid as the church is based on
the Old and New Testaments the prophets and the apostles. The tested stone on
which the church rests is Christ on which everything centers around. With such
a structure the church moves forward victoriously.
Sources:
Prayers
from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 and Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia
Publishing House.
Schnorr von
Carolsfeld woodcut used with permission ©WELS
Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series B – John
Brokhoff © 1981 CSS Publishing, Lima, OH
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