Good Morning, Lord!
I Am Baptized
God saved us, not because of
works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the
washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. (Tit. 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, make us bold to run the
way of your commandments and help us to stand still before your presence, that
leading lives of quiet confidence, we may bear witness to your grace and carry
your power into the world. Let your light shine through us, that people may see
good works in us and give glory to the Father in heaven. Lead our lives so
that, in the end, there will be no one we failed to show mercy who might accuse
us, and we may be received into the eternal homes you have prepared for us;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.[1]
I Believe …
I believe that I cannot by my
own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but
the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts,
sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers,
enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it
with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian Church He daily and
richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He
will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers
in Christ.
This is most certainly true.
To
the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
4 Answer me when I call, O God of
my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
2 O men,[a] how
long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 Be angry,[b] and
do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say, “Who
will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
7 You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
7 You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
8 In peace I will both lie
down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
The sacrificial system of the Old Testament is pretty
foreign to us moderns. These days, most people have never killed an animal, let
alone intentionally sacrificed one. I have never sacrificed an animal, but I
have killed animals. (I grew up on a small farm and we butchered our animals
for food.) I can say that taking an animals life is a humbling experience and
it impresses the fragility of a body and confronts you with your mortality.
But the words are there in v. 5, “Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.” To be clear, the original Hebrew says,
“Slaughter a righteous sacrifice, and trust in YHWH.” An animal lost its life
in some of those sacrifices, particularly in those that atoned for sins. Only
blood could be sufficient to pay for sins. It was a vivid and powerful reminder
of how serious sin is watching that bull, ram, lamb, or dove die for your sins.
Those words, “Slaughter a righteous sacrifice,” take on
fuller meaning when we remember that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away
the sin of the world. He is the last and greatest sacrifice, offered on your
behalf so that his blood would take away your sins. So we trust in him, the one
whose name means, “The LORD saves.”
These days, we do not offer blood sacrifices. There are
none that need to be offered. Jesus has paid it all. However, there are forms
of offerings that remain part of our worship. We give a portion of our money
back to the Lord through our tithes and offerings. We give ourselves to God in
service, as the hymn says, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to
thee.” And Psalm 51 reminds us that, “The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Repentance
is a key part of our worship and life of faith. We sacrifice, in a sense, our
sinful desires, giving them up for the sake of the love and salvation we have
received in Jesus.
These are responses, however, and not causes. Our
offerings do not earn forgiveness or love for us, they are response to God’s
love and forgiveness in Christ. These are the overflow of the joy in our
hearts; joy that is found in God’s relief and salvation. He hears when you
call. Fear not! He answers your prayers.
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
for your spouse, parents, family, and friends – and for your enemies.
Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer
The Fifth Petition: “And forgive
us our trespasses as 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.
Benediction
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ
himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good
hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work
and word. (2 Thess. 2:16-17 ESV)
[1] Adapted from Hermann
Bezzel, accessed in Doberstein, The
Minister’s Prayerbook, Fortress, 1986, p. 28
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