Good Evening, Lord!
Words of Comfort
The almighty and merciful God
bless us and keep us this night and evermore. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
O God, you teach us that if we
say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we
confess our sins, You are faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I long to be cleansed of my sins which I
recognize in my thoughts, words, and deeds. Please forgive me for Jesus’ sake,
because He shed His blood for me and the Scriptures teach that the blood of
Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Strengthen me by the work of Your
Holy Spirit, so that I may live a holy life and turn away from sin. I pray
these things in the strong and beautiful name of Jesus, Your Son and my Savior.
Amen.
Catechism Reflections - The Third Commandment
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we
do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and
learn it.
In Genesis 2 it tells us that
God rested on the seventh day. The seventh day, then was to be a Sabbath, a day
of rest. What this looked like in the Garden of Eden in a perfect sinless world
boggles my imagination since they seem to have already had perfect
communication with God. Someday we will learn what that is like when Jesus
returns and brings the great Sabbath rest in his glory!
The Sabbath was the day that God
set aside for us to rest from our daily work and sort of recalibrate our
attention on him. It is not a day for doing nothing, but a day for doing holy
things. It was intended to be the time that people gathered around the Word to
be reminded of God’s grace and forgiveness. One of the most important ways we
gather around God’s Word is through worship services, Sacraments, preaching,
liturgy, and hymns.
When Luther writes that we
should not despise preaching and God’s Word, he is saying that we should not
think these things are unimportant and easily overlooked. Certainly, we should
not hate the proclamation and reading of the Scriptures, but there is another
form of despising that is revealed in an attitude that communicates that these
things are not worth one’s time and attention.
The Sabbath is a time set apart
for holy activities. That is not to say that we cannot read God’s Word apart
from worship, or pray away from the congregation; we can and should! But to quote
Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once
in a while, you could miss it.” What we miss tends to be the best parts, the
good, the right, and the beautiful parts of life. God is certainly in that
category, so we set aside time to be with him, to receive his gifts and to not
miss what he has done … and what he is still doing in our lives and in the
world!
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
“Thy kingdom come”
O God, everlasting Father, Your
kingdom comes even without our prayer, but, please, let it come to us, too!
Please give us Your Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we may believe Your Word,
and live godly lives here in time and there in eternity. Amen.
Verse of Benediction
May the blessing of the eternal
God be upon us, and upon our work and worship; His light to guide us, His
presence to strengthen us, His love to unite us; Now and always. Amen.[1]
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