Collect for the time of Pentecost —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
Time in the Word 16-21 July 2018
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.
Monday, 16 July 2018—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, 17 July 2018—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, 18 July 2018—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, 19 July 2018—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, 20 July 2018—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, 21 July 2018— 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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