Category: Devotion

Reading: John 18:33–37

We long not for an earthly king. We long for an eternal king, to rule over us in grace, mercy, peace, and perfect justice. We long for a king whose crown is made of thorns. Yet we know that at the speaking of one little word, those thorns sprout the sweetest grapes, whose wine won our salvation. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, is the eternal King, reigning from His throne at the right hand of the Father, yet coming to us each Lord ’s Day, enthroned on a paten and seated in a chalice. His kingdom is eternal and our place in that kingdom is won.

Prayer: Almighty God, heavenly Father, You have given all things into the hand of Your Son. Grant that we, Your creatures, be sustained in the faith until that day when we enter into the glory of Your Kingdom; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn LSB 357:7

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

(Mark Kranz, Sem IV)

Reading: Luke 1:67–79

Who are the ones who sit in darkness? We are the ones in the shadow of death. Our lives are consigned to blackness. Our sins have committed us to the depths. O splendor of light everlasting, cast Your light upon us that we may live! Deliver us from our enemies, sin, death, and the devil. O Dayspring of light, come quickly! Seek us out, O Shepherd from on high. Give us life that we may grow, O Branch of Jesse’s tree. For You have visited and redeemed Your people. For in You are the tender mercies of our God; the sunrise that has visited us from on high. You are our hope, O Lord Jesus Christ!

Prayer: O Lord Jesus Christ, You have come to Your people and redeemed them. You have shed light on those in darkness. Come to us now in Your Holy Word and Sacrament that, having received full pardon for our sins, we may find peace with You forever. This we humbly ask in Your name, where, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, You live and reign; one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn LSB 357:6

O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

(Jonah Domenichelli, Sem IV)

Reading: Matthew 16:13–19

The Father in heaven has revealed the Key of David, our Lord Jesus Christ, who has opened to us the kingdom of heaven. The Key has given the keys to His Church, and when the words are spoken, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” your sins are forgiven here and in heaven. Our Lord came in human time, comes to us now through His Word and Sacraments, and will come again. No one and nothing shall prevail over us, His Church.

Prayer: Father in heaven, through Your Son You have rescued us from the shadow of death and have opened to us the kingdom of heaven through the forgiveness of sins. Close all things that are harmful to us and by Your Spirit lead us to confess our sins and so receive Your forgiveness; for the sake of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hymn LSB 357:5

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

(Trae Fistler, Sem IV)

Reading: John 3:22–36

All kings of the earth are without speech. They are mute. The Root of Jesse springs forth out of heaven, out of the Blessed Virgin’s womb. Neither do the nations of the earth say a word. They pay Him homage in the earthly forms of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but it is He who gives them all things. He gives eternal life to all who believe in Him. Whoever receives His testimony sets His seal to this, that God is true. He comes to deliver kings, foreigners, and servants from their sin. He gives the Spirit without measure.

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, ruler of heaven and earth, pour out your Spirit upon us so that we would be preserved until that day when You come to bring us into Your eternal kingdom; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn LSB 357:4

O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s tree,
Free them from Satan’s tyranny
That trust Thy mighty pow’r to save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

(Thomas Van Hemert, Sem IV)

Reading: Luke 21:25–36

It was our Lord who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. It was also our Lord who led the people Israel in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. On the day of His crucifixion, thick clouds covered the sky and it became as night. So too, on the last day, He will come, descend-ing upon a cloud in great power and glory. We receive this glorious Savior under the veil of words, water, bread, and wine, but on that last day the veil will be removed and all eyes will behold His glory.

Prayer: O ruler of the house of Israel, You have come to Your people in fire, cloud, thunder, lightning, and, at the last, in flesh. Send to us Your Holy Spirit, that we would be sustained in faith by Your Holy Word and Sacraments until that glorious day when we shall see You face to face. Amen.

Hymn LSB 357:3

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the Law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

(Mark Kranz, Sem IV)

Reading: Luke 7:24–35

All wisdom belongs to the Lord. Using the most powerful of microscopes, scientists have seen the complexity of cells, DNA proteins, atoms, and even subatomic particles. It seems that the smaller the scope, the systems become more complex, but many in the scientific community deny that creation comes from God. Yet the wisdom of God is on display in the creation and natural ordering of the universe. When we try to manipulate that order, our foolishness results in unintended consequences, which reveal our inadequacy and need for a Savior. How wise, then, must be the one to have created these systems of marvelous complexity?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, whose wisdom is seen from the foundation of the world, we thank You for Your foresight in sending Your Son into the world, that by His sacrifice the sin of the world would be washed away in accordance with Your will; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn LSB 357:2

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who ord’rest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

(Kurt Laskowsky, Sem IV)

Reading: Philippians 4:4–9

The only way we can rejoice is because Christ has come to dwell with man. Sure, there are worldly delights, but even these mean nothing without Christ. The Lord is at hand; we have nothing to be anxious about. The cares of this world seem overwhelming at times, and yet we always have Christ to flee to. So we rejoice. In times of anxiety, fear, or suffering, we cling to Christ. We give our prayers to God for the sake of the death and resurrection of Christ, and then give thanksgiving that Christ has died for us! He is our dwelling place and our peace. He guards our hearts and minds in His beloved, pierced hands.

Prayer: Almighty Father, we give You thanks for the life, death, and resurrection of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and we pray that we always remember He is our joy and dwelling place; in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Hymn LSB 708:1

Lord, Thee I love with all my heart;
I pray Thee, ne’er from me depart,
With tender mercy cheer me.
Earth has no pleasure I would share.
Yea, heav’n itself were void and bare
If Thou, Lord, wert not near me.
And should my heart for sorrow break,
My trust in Thee can nothing shake.
Thou art the portion I have sought;
Thy precious blood my soul has bought.
Lord Jesus Christ,
my God and Lord,
my God and Lord,
Forsake me not! I trust Thy Word.

(Mark Kranz, Sem IV)

Reading: Ephesians 2:11–22

After the fall of the man whom He created in the Garden, God promised a Savior who would crush the head of the serpent. For this purpose, the Lord set apart the people of Israel through the covenant of circumcision, that the Savior might come from this nation. By this Savior, God has brought all nations to Himself, not through the circumcision of flesh, but by the flesh of Jesus Christ. He is the cornerstone of the foundation upon which the Church is built. He has made for Himself a great multitude from every nation, who are joined together by His saving work.

Prayer: O Lord, through the incarnation of Your Son, Jesus Christ, You tore down the dividing wall of sin and gathered together Your people from every corner of the earth into one body made holy by Him. Mercifully grant that this body, Your Church, may be continually nourished and sustained in the forgiveness of sins accomplished on the cross; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn LSB 334:7

He comes to judge the nations,
A terror to His foes,
A light of consolations
And blessèd hope to those
Who love the Lord’s appearing.
O glorious Sun, now come,
Send forth Your beams so cheering,
And guide us safely home.

(Gunnar Campbell, Sem I)

Reading: 2 Peter 1:16–21

Here we are told by the blessed apostle to hold fast to the Scriptures, for in them we have the sure and unalterable message about Him who came down from heaven, the realm of light and glory, into our world, the realm of darkness and death. By His birth, the Son of God, who is the very light of the Father, scattered the darkness that bound humanity by taking on our humanity and purging the darkness with His light. And by taking on our humanity and uniting it to His enlightened and divine self, we too, if we are in Him through heavenly, baptismal birth, are filled with His light. And if we are full of His light, then we too are full of His life, for light and life are one in Christ.

Prayer: O Giver of Light, You shine Your light into our lives by Your Son, Jesus Christ, and in Him we see the way into everlasting life. Grant that we might walk in the light of Your Son continuously, never blinded by the darkness of the world, and thus attain to everlasting life with the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn LSB 332:7

From the manger newborn light
Shines in glory through the night.
Darkness there no more resides;
In this light faith now abides.

(Gino Marchetti II, Sem IV)

Reading: Revelation 3:7–13

We hear “Open Door” everywhere today. Workplaces have open door policies. People advance their careers through open doors. These pale in comparison to the doors that Christ controls. Jesus has the Key of David, of royal palace, greater than the kingdom of Israel. It is His eternal reign, key to all doors. When He opens or closes, it stays that way! He opened the door for the church of Philadelphia and us to proclaim His Word. With this also comes a promise that He “is coming soon” to make us “a pillar in the temple of my God.”

Prayer: Christ, Key of David, teach us to proclaim the Word through the open door, until You bring us to our final home. Hear us for the sake of Your name. Amen.

Hymn LSB 340:4

Fling wide the portals of your heart;
Make it a temple set apart
From earthly use for heav’n’s employ,
Adorned with prayer and love and joy.
So shall your Sov’reign enter in
And new and nobler life begin.
To God alone be praise
For word and deed and grace!

(Daniel Warner, Sem I)