Time in the Word
17-22 August 2015
Preparation for next week, The 14th Sunday after Pentecost
The theme for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost is Faith
in Action. The Pharisees of Christ’s day adhered strictly to the dietary
restrictions laid down by God in His Law. They even extended them. However,
they believed that this strict outward fulfillment would save them. They gave
little thought to the condition of their hearts, for even as they were
outwardly pious in following the letter of the Law, inwardly, they were filthy
with sin, hating Christ and His disciples and even hatching a plan to murder
Him.
Jesus tells us that what matters is not the outward act, but
the condition of one’s heart. Now this does not mean that we are free to act
however we will. True faith will always manifest itself in doing good works,
and a desire to adhere to the Word of God. People will be able to see that we
have put our faith in action by our love for others.
As for the dietary laws of the Jews, we can be thankful that
Christ has fulfilled the Law and has declared all foods clean. We are free to
enjoy bacon cheeseburgers, pork chops, shrimp, and much more without guilty
consciences.
Collect for Pentecost 13—O God, the source of all that is
just and good, nourish in us every virtue and bring to completion every good
intent that we may grow in grace and bring forth the fruit of good works;
through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Let us pray for all who are outside the Church, that our
Lord God would be pleased to deliver them from their error, call them to faith
in the true and living God and His only Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and gather
them into His family, the Church:
Almighty and everlasting God, because You seek not the death
but the life of all, hear our prayers for all who have no right knowledge of
You, free them from their error, and for the glory of Your name bring them into
the fellowship of Your holy Church; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer before
confession and absolution: Almighty, everlasting God, for our many sins we
justly deserve eternal condemnation. In Your mercy You sent Your dear Son, our
Lord Jesus Christ, who won for us forgiveness of sins and everlasting
salvation. Grant us a true confession that, dead to sin, we may be raised up by
Your life-giving absolution. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may be ever
watchful and live true and godly lives in Your service; through Jesus Christ,
our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for teaching the faith: Almighty God, our heavenly
Father, even as You have committed the care and nurture of children to Your
people, graciously enlighten those who teach and those who are committed to
their instruction that they may know Your eternal truth and trust in You all
the days of their lives; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for steadfast faith: Almighty God, our heavenly
Father, because of Your tender love toward us sinners You have given us Your
Son that, believing in Him, we might have everlasting life. Continue to grant
us Your Holy Spirit that we may remain steadfast in this faith to the end and
finally come to life everlasting; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for aid against temptation: O God, You justify the
ungodly and desire not the death of the sinner. Graciously assist us by Your
heavenly aid and evermore shield us with Your protection, that no temptation
may separate us from Your love in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for spiritual renewal: Almighty God, grant that we,
who have been redeemed from the old life of sin by our Baptism into the death
and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, may be renewed by Your Holy Spirit
to live in righteousness and true holiness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer for deliverance from sin: Almighty God, our heavenly
Father, You desire not the death of a sinner, but rather that we turn from our
evil ways and live. Graciously spare us those punishments which we by our sins
have deserved, and grant us always to serve You in holiness and pureness of
living; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen.
Monday, 17 August 2015—Psalm 51:7, 10–12; Antiphon, Psalm
51:2—Sunday’s Introit is a portion of David’s pœnitential psalm, the one he
wrote after being confronted with his sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11:1—12:14).
David evinces true repentance: grief, shame, and contrition over his sin, but
also faith and trust in God that he would be redeemed of all his iniquity. When
we sing this as the Offertory, we make David’s plea our own: we ask for—and
receive—a clean heart, a right spirit. We have been washed thoroughly from
iniquity and cleansed from all sin by the atoning sacrifice of Christ.
Tuesday, 18 August 2015—Psalm 119:129–136—Psalm 119 is the
longest psalm, and it extols the virtues of delighting in the Word of God. One
who is righteous by faith has a great desire to live according to the precepts
of God’s holy Word. The Word of God gives light and understanding; it keeps us
from having our iniquity getting dominion over us. We the redeemed long to live
by faith according to the Word; we shed tears because people do not keep God’s
Law.
Wednesday, 19 August 2015—Deuteronomy 4:1–2, 6–9—As the
Children of Israel were about to take possession of the land that the LORD, the
God of your fathers, is giving them, Moses reminds them of all that the LORD
had taught and commanded them. His advice is to them and to us, heirs through
Christ of the spiritual Promised Land, the Kingdom of Heaven. We must be
diligent to hear the Word of God and preserve it, making it known, not only
among ourselves, but to our children and our children’s children.
Thursday, 20 August 2015—Ephesians 6:10–20—This last reading
from St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians fit exceptionally well with Sunday’s
other readings. Moses had given his instruction to the Israelites because he
knew how easy it is for people to fall away from God. In times of both
adversity and prosperity, people may be tempted to forsake the Lord. Attacks
will come, for the devil hates God and all whom He loves. The Christian must
gird himself for spiritual warfare with the weapons which God has provided:
truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith, salvation—with these, we are equipped
for the assaults of the Evil One.
Friday, 21 August 2015—Mark 7:14–23—What defiles a person?
Is it what goes into him? No. We are all defiled by sin. We have inherited our
sinful nature from our first parents, and are inclined toward evil. Jesus gives
a whole laundry list of wicked thoughts and actions which proceed out of our
sinful hearts. We must ever be on guard, not only against the attacks of Satan,
as in the epistle lesson, but even on the treachery of our own hearts. We must
not depart from the Word of God, but read, hear, and learn it daily to know of
both our salvation and of the will of God.
Saturday, 22 August 2015—Sunday’s hymn of the day, Be Strong
in the Lord (LSB 665) exhorts us to make full use of the armor of God, that we
may withstand the wiles of the devil and our sinful nature. Having been
equipped by our Lord, we can be certain of the victory.
From Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.
Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcut used with permission from
WELS
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