Today is Sunday, the twelfth day of May, 2024, the seventh Sunday of Easter.
May the peace of the Lord be with you always!
Day 24,167
Today is Mother’s Day, so I wish a happy Mother’s Day to my mother and my wife.
There are seven days until Pentecost Sunday, which signals the end of Eastertide and the beginning of Ordinary Time, which lasts until Advent.
TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
"Father of mercies and God of all consolation, come to the aid of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that we may attend to your Word, confess our sins, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Redeemer. Amen."
(Lutheran Book of Worship, p. 193)
"God, our creator and redeemer, your Son Jesus prayed that his followers might be one. Make all Christians one with him as he is one with you, so that in peace and concord we may carry to the world the message of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever." Amen.
(Lutheran Book of Worship, Prayer for the Seventh Sunday of Easter)
Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”
(John 14:23 NRSV)
Today I am grateful:
- for a celebration of Mother’s Day
- for confession and forgiveness of sin, and the hope of growing into the fullness of Jesus Christ
- that we can approach the throne of grace with boldness, in order to receive the mercy and grace that we need (Hebrews 4:16)
- for the steadfast love of the Lord, His wonderful works for humankind; He satisfies the thirsty and the hungry (Psalm 107)
- that the Spirit intercedes for us in our weakness, when we know not how to pray
- for “love, how deep, how broad, how high, beyond all thought and fantasy” (Lutheran Book of Worship, #88)
See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what is shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire.
(Hebrews 12:25-29 NRSV)
At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."
(Luke 10:21-24 NRSV)
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark
because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
(Psalms 8:2 NRSV)
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 18:1-3 NRSV)
But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”
(Mark 10:14-15 NRSV)
Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. . . . Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
(Hebrews 4:14, 16 NRSV)
O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to an inhabited town;
hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
he led them by a straight way,
until they reached an inhabited town.
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
For he satisfies the thirsty,
and the hungry he fills with good things.
(Psalms 107:1-9 NRSV)
do not fear, for I am with you,
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you,
I will help you,
I will uphold you
with my victorious right hand.
(Isaiah 41:10 NRSV)
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
(Romans 8:26 NRSV)
Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
(Hebrews 7:25 NRSV)
Oh, love, how deep, how broad, how high,
Beyond all thought and fantasy,
That God, the Son of God, should take
Our mortal form for mortal's sake!
He sent no angel to our race,
Of higher or of lower place,
But wore the robe of human frame,
And to this world himself he came.
For us baptized, for us he bore
His holy fast and hungered sore;
For us temptation sharp he knew;
For us the tempter overthrew.
For us he prayed; for us he taught;
For us his daily works he wrought,
By words and signs and actions thus
Still seeking not himself, but us.
For us by wickedness betrayed,
For is, in crown of thorns arrayed,
He bore the shameful cross and death;
For us he gave his dying breath.
For us he rose from death again;
For us he went on high to reign;
For us he sent his Spirit here
To guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.
All glory to our Lord and God
For love so deep, so high, so broad;
The Trinity whom we adore
Forever and forevermore.
(Oh, Love, How Deep, Lutheran Book of Worship #88)
It’s Mother’s Day, and we search for the perfect gift for our mothers and for the mothers of our children. The older we get, the more difficult it is to find that “perfect gift.”
God has given us the perfect gift in Jesus Christ. Once again, I am presented with a hymn, of which I have never heard. But this hymn, just like the last one I came across in the Lutheran Hour Ministries devotional, is truly wondrous. Note the number of times that the hymnwriter wrote “for us.”
This gift was, in fact, planned before the foundations of the earth. It was always the plan of the Father to do this. Don’t listen to anyone who says it was “plan B.” There was, there is, no plan B. It was foretold by the prophet Isaiah.
For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6 NRSV)
When the gift appeared, He was announced by angels.
“I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”
(Luke 2:10b-12 NRSV)
But the gift did not stop on that first Christmas morning. I love how this hymn follows the life of Christ all the way to His ascension in verse six. And then the theme, “love so deep, so high, so broad,” is repeated in the final verse, as we give glory to God for this gift of salvation.
The perfect gift.
Father, I praise You for this perfect gift, and I am very grateful for the one who penned the words of this great hymn. This love, so deep, so broad, so high, has filled my life since I was a child. I confess that I did not always acknowledge this love, and, at times, barely recognized it. This is to my shame, my God. But You have brought me here, now, on this day, to see the effects of this great love and this perfect gift, which You have given us, since before the foundations of this world.
I pray for more to recognize this love, Father. As recipients of this great love, may we stop fighting amongst ourselves over petty and peripheral “causes,” and work to spread this love abroad to all the earth, that the whole world may know this love, so deep, so broad, so high!
"Ascended Savior, pour out your gifts from heaven and equip me to be your presence here and now; remind me that you will defend and keep me safe from all enemies. May that comfort plunge me deeper into caring for creation, pursuing justice, doing evangelism, strengthening human communities, and serving the common good, all to your glory. Amen."
(Seeking God's Face, Easter - Day 43)
Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace.
If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?
Grace and peace, friends.
Spaces of Beauty, Grace, Prayer, and Mercy 