Good Morning, Lord!
I Am Baptized
3 Do you not know that all of us
who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk
in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death
like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
(Rom. 6:3-5 ESV)
Make the sign of the cross as
you say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.”
A Morning Prayer
Lord, this is the day that you
have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it for this day is a gift from you.
Guard and protect my heart and mind today. Give me courage to face the day in
faith and help me to walk through today knowing that, no matter what it brings,
your grace is sufficient for me. I want to give you glory by using my gifts to
the fullest of the potential you have given me, but, at the same time, I ask
that my life be known for the mercy, forgiveness, and hope you have given for
me, even above my competence or success. Help me to seek first your kingdom, O
God, and let me trust you to add to me that which you know I need. In Jesus’
name I pray. Amen.
I Believe …
I believe that Jesus Christ,
true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the
Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person,
purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the
devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His
innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His
kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness,
just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is
most certainly true.
Save Me, O My God
A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his
son.
3 O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah[a]
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah[a]
3 But you, O Lord, are a
shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
Jesus prayed in the midst of his
enemies. Even when he was crucified he prayed, “Father forgive them.” and, “Into
your hands I commit my spirit.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor and a
German resistance leader during World War II, wrote, “Jesus Christ lived in the
midst of his enemies. In the end, all his disciples abandoned him. On the cross
he was all alone, surrounded by criminals and the jeering crowds.” And he
concludes on this basis, “The Christian cannot simply take for granted the
privilege of living among other Christians.”[2]
Just as Jesus was surrounded by
enemies, we also will find ourselves surrounded by those who would attack our
faith, mislead us, and, if they could, steal our hope in Christ. Where shall we
turn when we experience opposition like that? We turn to the Lord; just as
Jesus did. Again from Bonhoeffer, “[Jesus] had come for the express purpose of
bringing peace to the enemies of God. So Christians, too, belong not in the
seclusion of a cloistered life but in the midst of enemies.”[3]
Jesus reminds us that the world
will tell us, “There is no salvation for you in God.” But we have a God who
fights on our behalf. Our savior has faced the fiercest opposition, the hardest
temptations, and the loudest accusations and he trusted his Father to vindicate
him.
When we face opposition for the
sake of Jesus, and we will when we follow him, our hope is not in our strength
to overcome our opponents. Our courage does not come from our wisdom or
strength. Instead it is in trusting that the LORD hears our prayer, “Save me, O
my God!” and that he hears and answers. Indeed, that he has heard and already
answered in Christ, and we are waiting, trusting, living in faith, that his
blessing is upon us.
Question for Meditation
What does this reading teach you
about Jesus, what He said and did, or what He wants His followers to believe?
What does it teach you about God’s love and forgiveness?
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?
Prayer
Pray
about the creation. This certainly includes things like pollution and proper
care for creation, but it also includes growing seasons, the bounty of the
earth, food for the hungry, and every aspect of bodily life.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily
bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.
Benediction
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. (Ps. 121:7-8 ESV)
[1] English
Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good
News Publishers.
[2] Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, Life
Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Vol. 5, Fortress Press, Minneaopolis,
2005, p. 27
[3] Ibid
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