Daily Devotional Thought-From the Confessions

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In the Small Catechism, Luther teaches the head of the family how to teach his household to pray. The form is simple, memorable, and most importantly, brings to those who pray the comfort of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let’s take a closer look:

In the morning when you get up, make the sign of the holy cross and say:

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Luther begins with the Invocation because this is the name into which you were baptized. By starting here, you begin you day by remembering whose you are. You are God’s child, have been made a coheir with Christ, been forgiven of your sins, and have received His righteousness as your own.

Then, kneeling or standing, repeat the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. If you choose, you may also say this little prayer:

As if speaking the invocation wasn’t enough, Luther goes to the Creed for in it the Gospel is proclaimed. From Creation, to the incarnation, to the death and resurrection of Jesus, and finally to the promises of eternal life guaranteed by the Holy Spirit.

And then the Lord’s Prayer, where again you remember whose you are, call out to your dear Father who loves for you, pray that His will be done, receive forgiveness of sins, and ultimately learn to trust in your Father for all things.

If it’s morning, Luther offers this simple prayer:

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

If it’s evening, here is the prayer:

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

I love the little tidbit with which Luther concludes the prayers:

(Morning) Then go joyfully to your work, singing a hymn, like that of the Ten Commandments, or whatever your devotion may suggest.

(Evening) Then go to sleep at once and in good cheer.

You see, Luther actually expects that the Gospel promises of God, which the Holy Spirit has spoken to you once again through these texts, will have an impact on your life. Comforted by the Gospel in the morning, you will meet the challenges and chances of life with faith, trusting that all things are indeed in the hands of your Father, for you placed them there in your prayers. In the evening, after a day in which your trust wavered from time to time, or when your anger got the best of you, you’ve confessed your sins and been forgiven once again. Comforted with the Gospel, at least it won’t be your conscience that keeps you from getting a good night’s rest.

Imagine the family that begins and ends each day in this way. Truly, they will be made strong by the Rock of our Salvation—Jesus Christ.

Again, this form is simple, memorable, and brings the Sabbath rest you experience on Sundays through the Divine Service, into your life each and every day. For the comfort we have in Christ is our Sabbath, and allows us to live a life resting in the arms of our loving heavenly Father.

May you now go joyfully to the work Christ has called you to.

Have a great weekend, and God bless!

Daily Devotional Thoughts for Thursday (7/23/09)-From the New Testament

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Thoughts regarding confession from the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32):

The prodigal son’s was not simply debauchery, lewdness, drunkenness, and wild living. Even worse, it was the sin of having squandered the father’s love. So it is for us Christians who are baptized into the family of God and made His sons and daughters. To deny our status as the beloved sons of God by squandering His love in wild living and misbelieve is worse than the actual sinful deeds themselves. Nevertheless, the Father’s love remains constant for us, in spite of our departures from him.

The prodigal son was brought to his sense, not only because he was left in want, but because he was brought to remember who his father was. It’s as if this were his thought: “If He is merciful to slaves who do not deserve His mercy, then He is merciful toward me, for I have abandoned my inheritance as a son to live as a slave to sin.” So it is for us Christians. Knowing our sin is not enough to drive us back to the father. For if we are unaware of our Father’s love and desire to show mercy, our shame and guilt will actually keep us from him.

In the story, it was the father’s care for his household—even for the slaves—that brought the son back. So it is for us Christians. It isn’t the fun of confession that keeps us coming to the Divine Service, but the desire to receive Holy Absolution, in which we receive the love of our heavenly Father in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

But even as he returns to his father, he has yet to understand his father’s love properly. Sure, he knows that he is not worthy to be called a son; but I might be worthy to be a servant. While a son is born into the family, a servant earns his share. And this is what the son desires to do—earn his keep. And so it is for us Christians. Our nature is to desire to bring something to the table of ourselves, some sort of penence to make the situation right—maybe it’s an improved church attendance or a bigger amount given in the offering plate. But the father requires nothing from his son. Neither does our heavenly Father require anything from His sons or daughters.

The only payment for sins is the death of Christ. The only certainty for us in God’s absolution spoken to us for Christ’s sake. Forgiveness of sins comes to us by grace alone, for Christ’s sake. Christ died for the sons of daughters of the Father—his own brothers and sisters—and shed His blood for the cross for the forgivness of their sins.

The father gave the prodigal son the best robe. So it us with us Christians. Our heavenly Father has dressed us with the robe of Christ’s righteousness. Not because we can earn our keep, and not because we have been the good son. But because His great love is freely given.

May the Holy Spirit give you the faith to receive His love in Christ Jesus with thanksgiving!

Peace in Christ, sons and daughers of the Father.

p.s. A big thanks to Pastor Bender whose teaching and resources provided most of the thoughts in today's devotion.

Daily Devotion for Wednesday (7/22/09)-From the Old Testament

Today’s Old Testament reading in the Treasury of Daily Prayer is from 1 Samuel 5 and 6.  Let’s consider just 5:1-6:1:

 

1 Samuel 5:1 - 6:1  When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.  ² Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon.  ³ And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.  ⁴ But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.  ⁵ This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.  ⁶ The hand of the LORD was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.  ⁷ And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god."  ⁸ So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" They answered, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath." So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there.  ⁹ But after they had brought it around, the hand of the LORD was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them.  ¹⁰ So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, "They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people."  ¹¹ They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people." For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there.  ¹² The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.  ^ESV 1 Samuel 6:1 The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.

 

This is the sort of story that we shy away from at the dinner table with our children.  It would cause our little ones to ask questions…questions that may even make us uncomfortable.  Nevertheless, the Lord reveals himself through His Word…even this Word!

 

The Philistines had placed the Ark of God in the temple of their pagan god, Dagon—the height of idolatry!  Mysteriously, or so those Philistines thought, their lifeless statue had fallen on his face before the ark—the same position one might take when they bow before the true and living God in worship.  But when the Philistines placed Dagon back on his feet, they woke up the next morning to find him fallen again, only this time he had fallen to his “death”—hands and feet had been broken off and were lying on the threshold.

 

Among people who worship false gods and where there is no faith, even the physical presence of God can go unnoticed until something happens that they don’t like.  And then, they want to get as far away as possible from that scary God who has revealed himself in wrath.

 

Dagon’s head had been broken off because there is only one Head of all creation—and through Him alone all life proceeds.

Dagon’s hands were broken because he was powerless, and had nothing to give from his own hands.  For from the hands of the living God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—do all blessings flow.

 

The false gods of men can not give life, but only bring death.  When we put our trust in anything other than God himself, we make ourselves to be like the foolish Philistines.

 

But there is a sort of happy ending to this story.  In chapter six, when the Ark of God is taken back to a land where God is known and Worshiped, songs of praise are sung, for they know that from His hands come all good things.

 

Seen with the eyes of unbelief God comes in wrath.  But the very same God, seen with the eyes of faith, and looking through the cross of His Son Jesus, know that God comes in mercy and grace.

 

Truly, God’s Word is both Law and Gospel.  Thanks be to God, that he has given us Christ and for His sake comes not to kill, but to give life.

 

Peace in Christ!

Daily Devotional Thought for Tuesday (7/21/09)-From the Psalms

The Treasury of Daily Prayer assigned Psalm 106:1-5 for today:

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!  ² Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise?  ³ Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!  ⁴ Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them,  ⁵ that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance.

 

Verse one is on our lips each time we celebrate The Lord’s Supper.  Having received the body and blood of our Lord, we shout forth with praise and thanksgiving the words of the psalmist.  But what is the cause for such a reaction?  The steadfast love of the Lord—for you!

 

Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise?  Surely not those who are dead in their trespasses (Eph 2; Col. 2).  Not anyone who is an enemy of God (Rom. 5:10).  A person conceived in sin (Psalm 51), and living in darkness (Eph. 5:8) is not capable of such a faithful response.  Such a person is left to carry the burden of his or her sin and the judgment it brings.

 

But in that heavenly meal, in The Lord’s Supper, we have received the one who observed justice, and did righteousness all the time (verse 3).  In the Sacrament of the Altar, He who fulfills all righteousness is given into the mouths of those who were once dead.   In Holy Communion Christ’s living body and blood makes enemies into brothers and sisters, raises the dead to life, calls those conceived in sin and living in darkness into the light of the Gospel.  And through this, the Holy Spirit produces the faith that trusts that all of this is true!  That, my friends, is something to give thanks and praise for.

 

Indeed, we give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever!  Our sins are not held against us.  Our trespasses are forgiven.  Where sinners acknowledge their sins, and receive the one in whom there is forgiveness of sins—Jesus Christ—there, and there alone, is seen the prosperity of God’s people.  It’s a prosperity that remains hidden in bread and wine and involves a cross and an empty tomb.  It’s the prosperity that comes through faith in Jesus Christ, in whom we have our eternal inheritance.

 

Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord?  Those who have received the Lord and all the benefits He brings!

 

The Essential Lutheran Library

Those who have been with me regularly in Bible class know that I love books, and reading, and learning, and finding out that others enjoy reading and learning as well.

While there is a wealth of edifying reading out there to keep one busy, there is also, an unfortunately greater wealth of reading that would confuse the faithful, or worse, cause them to doubt the true teachings of the Scriptures that are difficult enough to grasp by themselves. Of course, as a pastor who is concerned that the sheep of God’s flock are not lead astray, I thought it would be helpful to offer a few suggestions for books that would be good to have on your bookshelves (hence the bookshelf to the left!).

The publishing house of the LCMS (CPH) has been putting out some wonderful volumes recently. Over at his blog, Rev. Paul McCain has recently posted about what he calls “The Essential Lutheran Library.” Here is an excerpt from his post:

“These are volumes that I deem absolutely essential for every Lutheran to have, and to use. These are not intended to be pretty books on a bookshelf, although surely they are that, but to be volumes for the Christian life, always leading and aiding people to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, calling them to Himself, welcoming them to His Table, for the the meal for pilgrims he provides to us, in anticipation of the great feast to come in His kingdom.”

Read the full post here: Rev. McCain's blog.

The Essential Lutheran Library consists of the following six titles:

The Lutheran Study Bible

Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions

Lutheran Service Book (or TLH or LW)

Luther's Small Catechism

Treasury of Daily Prayer

Lutheran Book of Prayer

To this "core" there are two other volumes designed to look similar:

Reading the Psalms with Luther

Starck's Prayerbook

It would be this pastor's dream to know that these books were on the bookshelf of every home, and were well-worn by their regular use in family and personal devotions.

I hope to add additional books to my shelf, books that I am currently reading, have read in the past, or hope to read soon. Until then, the six books on the shelf are my recommendation for the foundation of a home library. In other words, if you are wondering what sort of books to share with your family, start with these six, and you’ll be off to a solid start.

Happy reading!

Peace in Christ

Daily Devotional Thought for Monday (7/20/09)--For the Christian Family

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 ⁵ You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶ And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I remember having a conversation with a pastor in St. Louis who was grieving the loss of the “family altar.” His grief came from years spent in ministry where he had struggled to teach the Christian faith to children who lived in homes where Christ was the occasional guest, rather than the very foundation and source of life and faith.

Schedules are busy, granted, but I wonder if our pace of life is the excuse we often make it. For example, while a family may be trying to implement a consistent routine for devotions and prayer, when that same family goes on vacation—and the pace of life slows down—the devotional routine is often the first to go. Do mom and dad make sure to pack their family bible while they load up the mini-van? All of this illustrates a deeper problem.

Deutoronomy 6 encourages parents to teach their children the Word of God—diligently. Apparently, families that discuss the faith, ponder the Scriptures, and pray together while they sit around in their living rooms, or while they travel across the country are, well, families that understand their dependence on Christ to be their foundation, and the source of their life.

You see, apart from Christ, we will all perish. But as a family abides in His Word (John 8:31ff) they will know Christ himself, and in Him they will be set free to live. The “family altar” may be the single most needed addition to the church today. May you and yours know the blessings that Christ bestows—the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation!

Peace in Christ!

Daily Devotional Thoughts

Just over three years ago, I started this blog. Follow this link to see the original post: http://watchfulone.blogspot.com/2006/06/whats-in-name-anyway.html. It’s safe to say that I’ve been consistently inconsistent in posting on this here blog—this is only the 19^th post. That’s just about six posts each year. Not exactly the sort of regular reading that keeps people coming back!

Recently, however, while speaking with a good friend of mine I was motivated to find a away to use this blog as an avenue for more regular communication with the good folks of Mt. Calvary. I asked the Board of Education, along with a few other trusted colleagues, to serve as “guinea pigs” as I worked out a format for these “Daily Devotional Thoughts.” I want to thank those of you who offered feedback, and helped me find a format that I pray is helpful for all who will read these thoughts.

It is my hope and prayer that these devotional thoughts will clearly set forth our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—and the hope we have in Him. I encourage readers to ask questions, to engage in discussion, and to offer your own thoughts about the daily readings.

You can expect a devotional thought to be posted by noon (sorry about today’s late post!) Monday – Friday. Each day will have a unique emphasis:

Monday—For the Christian Family

Tuesday—From the Psalms

Wednesday—New Testament

Thursday—Old Testament

Friday—From the Lutheran Confessions, Luther, or one of the Church Fathers

Happy reading, and may our time in the Word produce the fruit of faith!

Peace in Christ

Behind-The-Scenes View of The Lutheran Study Bible

Follow this link for an intersting clip from Rev. Paul McCain...http://cyberbrethren.com/2009/04/04/the-lutheran-study-bible-a-behind-the-scenes-look/

Another Example...

Follow this link for another comparrison of drastically different interpretations of Scripture from two study Bibles http://cyberbrethren.com/2009/04/03/a-tale-of-two-bibles-a-comparison-of-how-the-subject-of-homosexuality-is-treated-in-the-lutheran-study-bible-and-the-elca-bible/. Which one do you think is The Lutheran Approach?

"THE" Lutheran Study Bible--Buy the Right One!!

Seriously, if you haven't yet heard that CPH is coming out with a brand new study Bible prepared solely by Lutheran scholars, pastors, and teachers, now you have. Due out for Reformation, 2009, The Lutheran Study Bible has been in the works for over six years. Already available for preorder (http://www.cph.org/), you will not want to be without this wonderful resource--buy one for yourself, buy one for your godchildren, buy one for anyone you wish to have the best study Bible available. Seriously, it is that good!

What you need to know, however, is that the ELCA has recently produced a study Bible by a eerily similar name: Lutheran Study Bible. Please, allow me to say this as clearly as possible: you do not want to buy Lutheran Study Bible.

"But Pastor, the ELCA is Luthern too, can it really be that different."

If you are asking this question, please, follow this link. Rev. Paul McCain, has shared with the blogosphere an example of each Bible's commentary, as illustrated in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20).

Please, just check it out, and you will see why The Lutheran Study Bible is the Bible that you want.

Seriously, check it out!