Pentecost 6 – Proper 8
June 25-30, 2018
Prayer for one who is sick: O Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need, look with favor upon Your servant(s) [name(s)]. Assure [him/her/them] of Your mercy, deliver [him/her/them] from the temptations of the evil one, and give [him/her/them] patience and comfort in [his/her/their] illness. If it please You, restore [him/her/them] to health, or give [him/her/them] grace to accept this tribulation with courage and hope; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord,
Prayer for one near death: Eternal
Father, You alone make the decisions concerning life and death. We ask You to
show mercy to Your servant [name], whose death seems imminent. If it be Your
gracious will, restore [him/her] and lengthen [his/her] earthly life; but if
not, keep [him/her] in [his/her] baptismal grace and in Your abiding care. Give
[him/her] a repentant heart, firm faith, and a lively hope. Let not the fear of
death cause [him/her] to waver in confidence and trust. At Your chosen time,
grant [him/her] a peaceful departure and a joyous entrance into everlasting
life with the glorious company of all Your saints; through Jesus Christ, our
Savior,
Prayer for the hope of eternal life in Christ: Almighty,
everlasting God, Your Son has assured forgiveness of sins and deliverance from
eternal death. Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit that our faith in Christ may
increase daily and that we may hold fast to the hope that on the Last Day we
shall be raised in glory to eternal life; through Jesus Christ,
The Lord Jesus Is Faithful, and in Mercy He Raises You
Up from Death to Life
The Lord is faithful. His steadfast love never
ceases, and “His mercies never come to an end” (Lam. 3:22–23). To keep in
repentance and to make our faith grow, He causes grief for a while, but He does
not cast off forever; in due time, “He will have compassion” (Lam. 3:31–33).
Therefore, “hope in Him,” and “wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord,” for
“the Lord is good to those who wait for Him” (Lam. 3:24–26). That is what the
woman did “who had a discharge of blood,” and the ruler whose daughter “was at
the point of death.” Each waited on the mercy of the Lord Jesus, and each
received His saving help (Mark 5:21–28). The woman had suffered much for twelve
years, and the ruler’s daughter had already died before Jesus arrived. Yet, at
the right time, the woman was immediately “healed of her disease,” and the
little girl “got up and began walking around” (Mark 5:29, 42). Such is “the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” who humbled Himself, unto the extreme poverty
of death, “so that you by His poverty might become rich,” unto life everlasting
(2 Cor. 8:9).
Monday, 25 June 2018—Psalm 121:5–8; Antiphon, Psalm 121:1–2—Like
yesterdays Psalm of the Day (Psalm 124), this is a Song of Ascents, that
pilgrims sang on their way up to Jerusalem. On the journey, they had to go
through mountains, or hills. To whom do they—and we—look to keep them safe, not
just on the way to Jerusalem, but throughout life? My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth…The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep
your life . . . The Lord will keep your going out and your
coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
Tuesday, 26
June 2018—Psalm 30—This Psalm
of David praises the Lord for having preserved his life, granting him healing.
When he seemed to be at the brink of death, the Lord restored him to life among
those who go down into the pit. More than just physical healing, however, the
Lord also granted David spiritual healing: when David, trusting in himself,
said, ‘I shall never be moved,’ the adversity made him repent of his pride. As
a result of physical and spiritual healing, David proclaims, ‘You have turned
for me my mourning into dancing . . . O Lord my God, I will give
thanks to you forever!’
Wednesday, 27
June 2018—Lamentations
3:22–33—In the midst of a lament over the fall of Jerusalem, the prophet
Jeremiah extols the mercy of the Lord: His steadfast love never ceases…the Lord
is good to those who wait for Him. When the Lord’s chastisement has brought
about its intended results, he will have compassion according to the abundance
of his steadfast love. This gives comfort to us, too: when we repent of our
sins, the Lord is quick to bestow forgiveness upon us.
Thursday, 28
June 2018—2 Corinthians
8:1–9, 13–15—When the Christians in Jerusalem were in distress, the
churches in Macedonia, though they were also beset by poverty and affliction,
gave beyond their means to support their suffering brethren.
This was not of
themselves, but a display of the grace of God that allowed them to give
themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Paul then
explains also the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet
for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Friday, 29
June 2018—Mark 5:21–43—Jesus
demonstrates His great love for those suffering from some of the consequences
of the Fall, sickness and death. Out of compassion, he agrees to go to the home
of Jairus, whose daughter is near death. On the way, he is sought out by a
woman with an issue of blood. Tenderly, He tells her, ‘Daughter, your faith has
made you well.’ At Jairus’ house, He is met with the news that the little girl
is dead. Christ Jesus, who will conquer death on the cross, raises her from the
dead, showing His power over death and beginning the work of the restoration of
creation. This compassion and mercy flows from the great love God has for us.
Saturday, 30
June 2018—The first stanza of
Sunday’s hymn of the day, In the Very Midst of Life (LSB 755), dates back to
the ninth century. Luther altered it somewhat and added two stanzas. It is one
of the foremost hymns we have for the dying. It strongly proclaims that by
Jesus’ blood alone we have atonement for sin and, consequently, refuge from sin
and peace with God.
Sources:
Prayers from Lutheran Service Book ©
2006 Concordia Publishing House
Artwork by Ed Riojas © Higher Things
Lectionary summary on front page from the LCMS
Commission on Worship
This week’s Time in the Word is written by Pr. Jeffrey M. Keuning.
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