We now enter the non- festival
season of the Church year commonly referred to as the Pentecost season. For the
next twenty-five Sundays we will continue to focus on the words of our Lord as
He speaks to us concerning our life and faith.
Lord, defend Your people from those who hate
You and would therefore do harm to Your Church. Help the Church to see that the
battle is Yours and that You can do all things. Amen
Collect
for Proper 4: Eternal God, Your
Son Jesus Christ is the true Sabbath rest. Help us keep each day holy by
receiving His Word of comfort that we may find our rest in Him, who lives and
reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Prayer for blessing on the Word: Lord Jesus Christ, giver and perfecter of our faith, we thank and praise You for continuing among us the preaching of Your Gospel for our instruction and edification. Send Your blessing upon the Word, which has been spoken to us, and by Your Holy Spirit increase our saving knowledge of You, that day by day we may be strengthened in the divine truth and remain steadfast in Your grace. Give us strength to fight the good fight and by faith to overcome all the temptations of Satan, the flesh, and the world so that we may finally receive the salvation of our souls; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Prayer for those outside the Church: Almighty and everlasting God, You desire not the death of a sinner but that all would repent and live. Hear our prayers for those outside the Church. Take away their iniquity, and turn them from their false gods to You, the living and true God. Gather them into Your holy Church to the glory of Your name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for seasonable weather: Lord God, gracious and merciful Father, because You have promised that You will hear us when we bring You our cares, we implore You not to deal with us according to our sins but according to Your mercy. Send seasonable weather so that in due time the earth may yield her increase. Remind us ever to receive with thanks our daily bread, trusting You as our gracious God; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for industry and commerce: Lord Jesus Christ, as once You shared in our human toil and thus hallowed the work of our hands, bless and prosper those who maintain the industries and service sectors of this land. Give them a right regard for their labors, and grant them the just reward for their work that they may find joy in serving You and in supplying our needs; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Monday, 28
May 2018—Psalm 6:5-8; Antiphon, Psalm 62:1—The words from this portion of the Psalms speak specifically
concerning the humanity of Jesus. “For
thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with
glory and honour.” In the Athanasian Creed we confess our faith in Jesus
with these words, “Equal to the Father as
touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood.”
The words from our Introit speak concerning the prediction of our Savior Jesus
coming into this world, entering time and space to be our Savior.
Tuesday, 29
May 2018—Psalm
81:1-10—These verses are the appointed Palm for this coming week. While God has fed Israel with
tears (Ps 80:5) his desire has been to fill their mouth with ‘the finest of the
wheat’ and ‘honey from the rock’ (81:10, 16).
This is a lovely message of
sustenance, of feeding. Of course it is exaggerated in its language. While the
‘finest of wheat’ can be
comprehended, one does not get honey from a rock! ‘Honey’ is clear. Its sweetness is a delight and desirable. It was a
delicacy in ancient times.
But the reference to the
rock has little to do with the source of honey. Rather it is an allusion back
to the Exodus, and the place of testing. In every circumstance the Lord
provides. Which, of course, is the point the psalmist is making. The Lord holds
you in the palm of his hand. If this is so, he will sustain you. He can do none
other.
Wednesday,
30 May 2018—Deuteronomy
5:12-15—God requires balance. Between rest and work. Those of us who are
able to engage in both, must also never forget those who are restricted from
enjoying much of either.
Congregations are 'soul communities,' in which young
and old are soul-mates, bound together as an extended family of God, who love,
support, and sustain one another. They should assure that senior adults are
cared for and honored as resourceful contributors to community life,
wisdom-givers, exemplars of the faith, and worthy recipients of care. Now to
the serious question. How do we make this biblical vision concrete in our lives
and in the life of our Friedheim family?
Thursday, 31
May 2018—2 Corinthians 4:5-12—Believe in Jesus
and all your problems will be wiped away. A statement like this is an example
of success theology. It's based on the false notion that the Christian life is
one of constant blessing; that God's intention for our life in this shadow land
is joy and happiness. If we find our life a mess, full of trouble and distress,
then either we are living in sin and need to confess it, or we are short on
faith and need to renew it.
Its ideas like this that
lead us into either delusion or despair. If we end up believing that we should
be free from worry, distress, trouble, suffering, bad times..... then we have
to pretend we are living the victory life when all about us is crashing down.
When we start to think this way, reality becomes distorted.
A glance at the New
Testament should leave us a little wary of a
health, wealth and happiness theology. Of all people, Jesus was not a
success. At the end of his earthly life he only had his mother, a few women
disciples and John, to stand by him at his crucifixion. His ministry was a
success in God's eyes only; from a worldly perspective it was a failure. Paul
was in no less a situation. "Who is weak, and I do not feel weak",
says Paul. "Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn." From
God's perspective, Paul's arrival in Rome is glory indeed. Yet, from any other
view, it was a paltry achievement - he was a prisoner.
Our passage for study
reminds us of our weakness, a weakness increased through faith in Christ, not
decreased. Yet, it also reminds us of the wonder to be found in our limited
lives. It reminds us of "treasure in
jars of clay".
Friday, 1
June 2018—Mark
2:23-28—When the Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples of violating the
Sabbath, Jesus uses the opportunity to claim divine authority and assert His
messianic status. Sadly, there are people today who still level criticisms like
the Pharisees of old, criticizing Jesus’ followers because they really wish to
criticize the authority and status of the Lore. But neither Jesus nor His
Church can be dismisses. Through these disciples, Jesus would spread the good
news of peace, rest and comfort.
This section of Scripture is
one of the key texts in all of the gospels to help us understand Jesus’
relation to His tradition, particularly to the law. Jesus’ operating principle
is that the Sabbath and, the law and the rituals of holiness was created for
humanity, and not the other way around. Says Jesus, the Sabbath was made for
humanity. They offer ways that humanity can respond to God’s grace with
gratitude.
Saturday, 2 June 2018—Sunday’s hymn
of the day, O Day of Rest and Gladness
(LSB 906) The Sabbath day has always been set aside as a day of rest.
Unfortunately, many people seek that rest from Church as well to chase after
recreation. But God established the Sabbath day for His people to gather
together to hear His Word. Whether it was the Tabernacle in the wilderness, the
Temple in Jerusalem, the local synagogue or in the home, God commands His Word
to be heard.
In this hymn, we bring this commandment to mind. We
declare that we have gathered together as a congregation to hear God’s Word so
that He might shed light on our pilgrim way. Tomorrow come to worship in
anticipation of receiving the gifts that our heavenly father has promised to
offer.
Image © Higher Things
Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.
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