Congregation at Prayer (Trinity 12)
Jesus heals a mute and deaf man
Teaching for the Week- “Our Churches, with common consent, do teach that the decree of the Council of Nicaea concerning the Unity of the Divine Essence and concerning the Three Persons, is true and to be believed without any doubting; that is to say, there is one Divine Essence which is called and which is God: eternal, without body, without parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, the Maker and Preserver of all things, visible and invisible; and yet there are three Persons, of the same essence and power, who also are coeternal, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And the term “person” they use as the Fathers have used it, to signify, not a part or quality in another, but that which subsists of itself.” Augsburg Confession article I 1–4.
Collect:
Almighty and merciful God, by Your gift alone Your faithful people render true and laudable service. Help us steadfastly to live in this life according to Your promises and finally attain Your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Bible Verse: (for memorization)
O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139: 1–3.
Catechism: (for memorization)
The First Commandment
You shall have no other gods.
What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
The Second Commandment
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.
What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
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.
Brief order of daily devotions
Invocation: In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Read: the Bible, catechism, Psalm, hymn
Pray: Apostles’ Creed, Lord’s Prayer, Luther’s Morning Prayer, Collect
Readings for the Week (from the Treasury of Daily Prayer) Calendar with links to readings here
Monday 12th
1 Samuel 28:3–25; 1 Corinthians 6:1–20
Tuesday 13th
1 Samuel 31:1–13; 1 Corinthians 7:1–24
Wednesday 14th
2 Samuel 1:1–27; 1 Corinthians 7:25–40
Thursday 15th
2 Samuel 5:1–25; 1 Corinthians 8:1–13
Friday 16th
2 Samuel 6:1–19; 1 Corinthians 9:1–23
Saturday 17th
2 Samuel 7:1–17; 1 Corinthians 9:24–10:22
Sunday 18th
2 Samuel 7:18–29; 1 Corinthians 10:23–11:16
Hymn of the Day: LSB 797- Praise the Almighty
Recording of LSB 797 Praise the Almighty
This Lutheran hymn was first published in 1714. It was written to be a commentary on Psalm 146. There, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God is the creator and preserver of all things. For that reason, all trust and praise belong to God alone. This hymn pairs well with our Gospel reading because where the deaf man looked to Jesus for healing of his body, we similarly look to Jesus for forgiveness of sins. And with the forgiveness of sins comes the promise of eternal life with Jesus. Alleluia!
Looking Forward to the 12th Sunday after Trinity, August 18th, 2024
Hymns: 904, 797, 704, 622, 632, 693
Old Testament: Isaiah 29:17–24
Isaiah’s prophesy describes changes that will be worked by the Lord: a fruitful field to a forest and the reverse, the deaf hearing and the blind receiving sight. Why is that and what does it mean? It is a sign of the restoration of the house of Israel. Through Jesus preaching, by his holy life and his precious suffering and death he brings understanding and instruction to all who wander spiritually.
Epistle: 2 Corinthians 3:4–11
In this section of his epistle, Paul teaches about the “ministry of the new covenant.” The old covenant was what God gave to Moses on Mount Saini with the command and promise “do this and you shall live.” That covenant was glorious. By means of this covenant God provided a means for his sinful people to live in his holy presence without being destroyed. As glorious as that covenant was, the new covenant is much more glorious. It does not only command and promise live but it creates and delivers life. And this not by works done by us in righteousness, but Jesus Christ alone is the sufficiency of this covenant. He is the content, the guarantor and, through the hands of his ministers, the one who himself delivers the goods.
Gospel: Mark 7:31–37
The miracle that Jesus accomplishes in this text fulfills what Isaiah prophesies in chapter 29. It was a true historical occurrence. Every miracle Jesus accomplished served as a sign pointing to his crucifixion and resurrection. What would it matter if the deaf man got healed if he was only going to die and go to hell? Our Lord Jesus Christ came not to take away the symptoms of sin—sickness, pain, suffering, death—but to take away the root and source of these symptoms. So we should look to Jesus’ healing of this man’s body and be comforted that our Lord took all of our sicknesses, our griefs, our sorrows, and bore them to the cross where he destroyed the power of sin, death and the devil forever. Jesus does not promise to continue to take these symptoms away in the ministry of the new covenant. Instead, he promises to take away the root and source of them: he absolves us again and again and again. He removes from us the heavy chain of the guilt of our sins so that our bodies (though still imperfect) are free to serve Jesus Christ and our neighbor.