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Good Evening, Lord!
Words of Comfort
May the
LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!
(Ps. 29:11 ESV)
Prayer of Confession
Eternal
Savior, how can my heart show its appreciation of Your love? How can I serve
You best, who has loved me and given Your life for me? You have sealed to me
the forgiveness of all my sins and offered me reconciliation and peace in the
blessed Sacrament of Holy Baptism.
O Savior,
cast me not away from Your presence. Let not my sins remain with me because of
impenitence of heart or because I doubt Your Word and promises. Make me Yours,
and give me strength to amend my sinful life and walk closer to You.
Preserve Your
Church, Your people, Your place where You deliver the Gospel of Your salvation
through the Word and Sacraments, that Your name be glorified, Your will be
done, and we at last live with You in Your eternal kingdom forevermore. Amen.[1]
Catechism Reflections
The Third Petition of the Lord’s Prayer
Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven.
What does this mean?
The good
and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this
petition that it may be done among us also.
How is God’s will done?
God’s will
is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil,
the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or
let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and
faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will.
Questions for Meditation
What does
this reading teach you?
What does
this reading lead you to be thankful for?
What
behavior, thought, or attitude does this reading challenge? What sin does it
lead you to confess?
How might
you pray for God to have a richer impact on your life through this reading?
Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer
“And
forgive us our trespasses and we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Heavenly
Father, do not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are
neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but
we ask that You would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and
surely deserve nothing but punishment. But you have given Your Son, our Savior,
Jesus to bear our sins in His body on the cross and given us forgiveness for
His sake. For Jesus’ sake help us to sincerely forgive and gladly do good to
those who sin against us. Amen.
Verse of Benediction
To the King
of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and
ever. Amen. (1 Tim. 1:17 ESV)
[1]
Adapted from the Maundy Thursday prayer in Lutheran
Prayer Book, Concordia Publishing House, 2005
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