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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.

Martin Luther's Prayer for Morning

I  give thanks to you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have protected me through the night from all danger and harm. I ask you to preserve and keep me, this day also, from all sin and evil, that in all my thoughts, words, and deeds I may serve and please you. Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all that is mine. Let your holy angels have charge of me, that the wicked one have no power over me.

Meditation

Trusting God that I am where I am meant to be.

Thanks for the Life of Christ

Almighty God, I thank you for the life and teachings of your only Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is amazing to me that he lived and walked among us, one of us, a mortal man who bled and felt pain, who felt anger and love, who would become tired and hungry. Your love in showing us that you would share the burdens of mortality is great.

Although the terrible beating and torture, and long painful death, that he suffered at the hands of the powerful was a terrible thing, his ultimate victory in overcoming that death was the greatest victory in the history of mankind. I praise you for Christ's resurrection and victory, and for his promise to all people, that he will intercede for us at our death, and bring us to eternal life. Today I remember and celebrate His resurrection, giving all glory to Father, Son and Holy Spirit for this miracle and the redemption of our own lives. Through Christ I pray,

Benediction

Holy God, by your Holy Spirit you have made me one with your saints in heaven and on earth. Grant that in my earthly pilgrimage I may always be supported by this fellowship of love and prayer, and know myself to be surrounded by their witness to your power and mercy. I ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.

God’s Gift

Isaiah 24:1-6 (ESV)

Judgment of the Earth

ehold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.

And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
as with the slave, so with his master;
as with the maid, so with her mistress;
as with the buyer, so with the seller;
as with the lender, so with the borrower;
as with the creditor, so with the debtor.

The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the Lord has spoken this word.

The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish.

Burning of Sodom (detail), Corot

The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.

Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.

Notes on the Scripture

Well, this isn’t exactly a rosy cheerful Christmas message. But Isaiah, who predicted the coming of a Savior with astonishing accuracy, realized what was at stake and had no compunction about expressing it. To fully appreciate Christ, we must comprehend what He saved us from.

This grim prophecy from Isaiah foretells the future of the physical world, including the physical humans who inhabit it. Our bodies will die some day. No matter whether we are priests or lords or beggars, whatever our station in life has been, our lives as physical human beings will end. And just as we will become old and our bodies will become weak and sick, the earth will become desolate and eventually be “empty and utterly plundered.”

Knowing the certainty of the pain of death, we can appreciate the magnitude of the gift God has given us. Our joy at the birth of Christ, which we celebrate in several weeks, is as great as our grasping our bleak future without Him. We are, indeed, safe to hang fragrant wreaths and bask in firelit comfort, for we have been rescued. Christmas is not only a time of joy, but also a time of relief.

Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)

Daily Inspiration

“Trust in the Lord”

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