“But You, O God, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name’s sake;
because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me; for I am afflicted and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me. I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like the locust. My knees are weak from fasting, and my flesh
has grown lean, without fatness. I also have become a reproach to them; when
they see me, they wag their head.” Psalm 109:21-25)

Lord, You know the troubles of
this world. You know how we feel, especially when we feel adversity. Your
presence is always there, but there are times when I feel You are distant and
removed. Yet You have promised that You are with us always, even unto the end
of the age. Let Your promises rule above every circumstance that all would know
the You are God and will fulfill Your Word.

Lord, You know when I have foolish doubts and do not believe in what
You have said. Help my unbelief that I would boldly walk each and every day in
the hope You give. You alone are mighty to save and Your Word shall be
fulfilled. Fill my heart with the truth You have spoken so that I will not
waver or fall in with those who speak wicked things. Lead me in the truth of
Your Word.

Lord Jesus, You walked this earth
and know the difficulty of being faithful amidst the troubles of this world. You
know the temptations that cause us to waver and doubt. Lead me, O Lord, in the
way of truth that I would walk now and forever in Your salvation. Let my heart
not be troubled, but believe that You are the way, truth, and life and that You
are preparing for all who believe a place that is forever. Amen.

‘Let it be to him as a garment with which he covers himself, and for a
belt with which he constantly girds himself. Let this be the reward of my
accusers from the Lord, and of those who speak evil against my soul.” (Psalm
109:19-20)

The Lord watches over those who
turn to Him. He will guard you in all of your ways if you trust in Him. Be not
conformed to the wickedness of this world but by the renewing of your mind in
the eternal truth of the One who made you. Come into His presence and walk with
Him all the days of your life and know the truth of His Word. He alone is able
to lead you through all this world will throw your way.

Lord, You know the travails I experience each day. You know the things
that get in the way of my living in You and for You. Help me now and always to
abide in You that in Your promise You will abide in me. Lead me by Your Spirit
to walk according to Your Word that I may know the goodness that comes by
living a life of faith. There is no hope aside from You Lord, so lead me in the
eternal hope You give.

Lord Jesus, You promised that if
I abide in You, You will abide in me. Abide in me all the moments of my day
that by Your leading I can walk humbly with You through this troubled world. Help
me now and always to see that only in You is there hope for every day. Regardless
of what befalls me this day, remind me of Your constant presence and the hope
of Your abiding in me forever. Amen.

Lessons and Hymn Suggestions, Ash Wednesday – Easter Sunday, Cycle C

March 6, 2019 – April 22, 2019

NOTE: LBW – Lutheran Book of Worship (The Green Book)

WOV – With One Voice (The Blue Book)

LSB – Lutheran Service Book (The Maroon Book)

ELW – Evangelical Lutheran Worship (The Cranberry Book)

There are versions of some hymns that are superior in LSB and I recommend using them if possible. Also, there are some superb hymns in LSB that aren’t available in the other hymnals. When I suggest one of the latter, I try to include an alternative from LBW or WOV. I recommend that a license and DVD of downloadable hymns from LSB be purchased if you are looking to expand your hymnody. There are, in ELW, some familiar hymns that have been drastically altered, which I try to note. ELW also has some fine hymns not available in the other hymnals, or has, interestingly, a more “traditional” translation or harmonization.

Color for the day is indicated for each Sunday. Primary liturgical calendar taken from Sola Publishing (www.solapublishing.org), based on LSB. Also, I include the lessons from the standard Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) found in ELW and used in some congregations. It often overlaps the Sola/LCMS calendar lectionary, but when there are differences, I will note them.

 

Wednesday, March 6, 2019: Ash Wednesday

Joel 2:12-19 (return to the Lord with all your heart; sanctify a fast)

Psalm 51 (wash me from my sins; put a right spirit within me)

 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 (be reconciled with God; don’t let his grace be in vain; we have

            suffered for your sake

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21(fast, pray, give alms, but don’t show them off before others)

Opening Hymn: None; Psalm 51 is spoken or chanted; 

OR LBW #99, O Lord, Throughout These Forty Days (ELW #319, LSB #418)

Hymn of the Day: LBW #295, Out of the Depths I Cry to You (ELW #600)

                        (LSB #607. From Depths of Woe I Cry To You: different translation)

Communion Hymn #1: LBW #304, Today Your Mercy Calls Us (LSB #915)

OR ELW #323, God Loved the World So That He Gave (tune is Rockingham Old – “When I

Survey the Wondrous Cross)

Communion Hymn #2: LBW #302, Jesus, Your Blood and Righteousness

                        (LSB #563, Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness)

            OR ELW #483, Here is Bread

Closing Hymn: LBW #309, Lord Jesus, Think on Me (ELW #599; LSB #610)

OR ELW #320, The Glory of These Forty Days (tune is “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in

                        Your Word”; words attr. To Luther, very nice) (WOV #657)

 

March 10, 2019: 1^st Sunday in Lent

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (creedal confession when giving first fruit)

Psalm 91:1-13(God will shield his Righteous One; angels will bear him up)

Romans 10:8b-13 (whether Jew or Gentile, those who believe in heart and confess with lips

that Jesus is Lord shall be saved)

Luke 4:1-13 (Jesus tempted by Satan)

Opening Hymn: ELW #325, I Want Jesus to Walk With Me (WOV #660)

            OR LBW  #312, Once He Came in Blessing (LSB #333)

Hymn of the Day: LBW #229, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

(ELW #504, stay away from 505; LSB #657)

Communion Hymn #1: LBW #341, Jesus, Still Lead On (ELW #624)

            (LSB #718, Jesus, Lead Thou On)

Communion Hymn #2: LBW #230, Lord, Keep Us Steadfast In Your Word (ELW #517, LSB #655)

Closing Hymn:  LSB #424, O Christ, You Walked the Road

            OR LBW #88, O Love, How Deep (especially v. 3) (ELW #322; LSB 544)

  OR

THROUGH THE TIME OF TESTING

(Words: Rev. Cathy Ammlung, STS; Tune: King’s Weston, LBW #179, “At The Name Of Jesus”)

Through the time of testing lead us, Lord, we pray.

Forge a holy people on that desert way.

Strip us from our idols, mortify our pride.

Cleave us and conform us to the Crucified.

And your mind, Christ Jesus, in our midst bestow,

We your love to offer, we your grace to show,

We your service render to your people here:

Murm’ring and rebellious, yet you count them dear.

With your Breath revive us in the wilderness.

Grant us joy, obedience, and your holiness.

Jesus’ new commandment on our hearts engrave.

Your covenant remember; and your people save!

 

March 17, 2019: 2nd Sunday in Lent

Jeremiah 26:8-15 (Jeremiah prophesies against Zion, is marked for death; urges repentance)

            RCL: Genesis 15:1-12, (13-16), 17-18 (God “cuts a covenant” with Abram)

Psalm 4 (The Lord sets apart his faithful; ponder, pray, offer sacrifice, be patient)

            RCL: Psalm 27 (The Lord is my light and salvation; I desire to see the beauty of God)

Philippians 3:17-4:1 (follow example of those who are in Christ; our citizenship is in heaven;

            stand firm in Christ who transforms us from humiliation to his glory)

Luke 13:31-35 (Jesus, like prophets before him, must die in Jerusalem; he longs to gather its

people beneath his wings)

Opening Hymn: LBW #507, How Firm a Foundation, O Saints of the Lord (ELW #796, LSB #728)

Hymn of the Day: LBW #325, Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart (ELW #750, LSB #708)

Communion Hymn #1: WOV #741, Thy Holy Wings (ELW #613)

Communion Hymn #2: LBW #474, Children of the Heavenly Father (ELW #781)

Closing Hymn: LBW #380, O Christ Our Light, Our Radiance True (ELW #675)

 

March 24, 2019: 3rd Sunday in Lent

Ezekiel 33:7-20 (you are a sentinel warning people to repent; if the evil repent, they live;

 If the righteous sin, they die; if you don’t warn, their blood is on you)

RCL: Isaiah 55:1-9: (Listen to God, eat what is good; he makes everlasting covenant;

seek him while he may be found; his Word returns fruitfully to him)

Psalm 85 (Restore us; show us your steadfast love; save us from our sin)

RCL: Psalm 63:1-8 (My soul hungers and thirsts for you; you have helped me;

 I sing for joy)

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (avoid sin; do not put Christ to the test; God provides a means of escape

when you are tested)

Luke 13:1-9 (tower didn’t fall because the people were worse sinners than you; but if you

 do not repent, worse will happen to you. Parable of unfruitful fig tree)

Opening Hymn: LSB #614, “As Surely As I Live,” God Said (if tune is unfamiliar, this can be sung

                        to “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast”)

 OR LBW #312, Once He Came in Blessing (LSB #333)

OR ELW #733, Great is Thy Faithfulness (WOV #771, LSB #809)

Hymn of the Day: LBW #291, Jesus Sinners Will Receive (if the tune has you coughing up hairballs, you can use “Grosser Gott,” Holy God, We Praise Your Name!)

OR ELW #335, Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross

Communion Hymn #1:  LBW #304, Today Your Mercy Calls Us (LSB #915)

Communion Hymn #2:  LBW #343, Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer (ELW #618, LSB #918)

Closing Hymn: LBW #341, Jesus, Still Lead On  (ELW #624) (LSB #718, Jesus, Lead Thou On)

 

March 31, 2019: 4th Sunday in Lent

Isaiah 12:1-6 (With joy you will draw from waters of salvation and praise the Lord)

RCL: Joshua 5:9-12 (After circumcision, Israelites keep first Passover in Promised Land)

Psalm 32 (happy are they whose transgression is forgiven & whose sin God covers; accept his instruction and live)

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 (God has given us the ministry of reconciliation in Christ)

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 (Parable of the Prodigal Son)

Opening Hymn: LBW #465, Evening and Morning (ELW #761, LSB #726)

Hymn of the Day: WOV #733, Our Father, We Have Wandered (ELW #606)

Communion Hymn #1: LBW #448, Amazing Grace (ELW #779, LSB #744)

Communion Hymn #2: LBW #385, What Wondrous Love Is This (ELW #666, LSB #543)

Closing Hymn: LBW #447, All Depends on Our Possessing (ELW #589, LSB #732)

 

April 7, 2019: 5^th Sunday in Lent

Isaiah 43:16-21(God announces his new work; the wilderness shall be a place of refreshment) Psalm 126 (God restored fortunes of Zion; those who sowed with weeping shall harvest with joy)

Philippians 3:4b-14 (All is rubbish, compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ my God)

Luke 20:9-20 (Parable of the wicked tenants of the vineyard)

            RCL: John 12:1-8 (Mary, Lazarus’s sister, anoints Jesus with oil)

Opening Hymn: LBW #369, The Church’s One Foundation (ELW #654)

Hymn of the Day: : LBW #482, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (ELW #803, LSB #435, 426)

Communion Hymn #1: LBW #104, In the Cross of Christ I Glory (ELW #324, LSB #427)

Communion Hymn #2: LBW #298, One There Is, Above All Others

 OR LBW #514, O Savior, Precious Savior (ELW #820, LSB #527)

Closing Hymn: LBW #294, My Hope is Built on Nothing Less (ELW #596, 597; LSB #575, 576)

 

April 14, 2019: Palm/Passion Sunday

Processional Gospel: John 12:12-19 (Triumphal entry into Jerusalem)

            RCL: Luke 19:28-40 (Triumphal entry into Jerusalem)

Deuteronomy 32:36-39 (There is no god apart from Me who can save you)

            RCL: Isaiah 50: 4-9a (The Lord opens my ear, helped me. Who will contend with me?)

Psalm 31:9-16 (Psalm of deep lament and distress – and trust in God)

Philippians 2:5-11 (Christ has humbled himself and become obedient unto death,

even death on a Cross)

Luke 22:39-23:56 (from Gethsemane to Golgotha; Passion narrative)

Opening Hymn: LBW #108, All Glory, Laud and Honor (ELW #344, LSB #442)

Hymn Prior to Reading of Passion: LBW #115, Jesus, I Will Ponder Now (ELW #345, #440)

Hymn of the Day: LBW #117, O Sacred Head, Now Wounded (ELW #351, LSB #449)

Communion Hymn #1: LBW #114, There Is A Green Hill Far Away

OR ELW #341, Now Behold the Lamb

Communion Hymn #2: WOV #740, Jesus, Remember Me (ELW #616, LSB #767)

Closing Hymn: LBW #121, Ride On, Ride On in Majesty (ELW #346, LSB #441)

 

Thursday, April 18, 2019: Maundy Thursday

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (new covenant; God writes his law upon the heart)

            RCL: Exodus 12:1-14 (The Passover)

Psalm 116:12-19(I will take up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord;

 precious in his sight is the death of his faithful servant)

Hebrews 10:15-25 (we have confidence through blood of Jesus to enter God’s holy sanctuary)

            RCL: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (Holy Communion; words of institution)

Luke 22:7-20 (the Last Supper)

Opening Hymn, or During Foot-washing: LBW #126, Where Charity and Love Prevail

(ELW #359, LSB #845)

Hymn of the Day: LBW #199, Thee We Adore, O Hidden Savior (LSB #640)

            (ELW #476, Thee We Adore, O Savior, God Most True)

Communion Hymn #1: LBW #109, Go to Dark Gethsemane (ELW #347, LSB #436)

Communion Hymn #2: LBW #226, Draw Near and Take the Body of the Lord

            OR LBW #224, Soul Adorn Yourself With Gladness (ELW #488, LSB #636)

Closing Hymn: if there is one, consider LBW #106, In the Hour of Trial; otherwise,

if the altar is being stripped, chant Psalm 22

 

Friday, April 19, 2019: Good Friday

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (the Suffering Servant, by whose wounds we are healed)

Psalm 22 (My God, My God, why have you forsaken me….)

Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9 (we have a great High Priest, tested as we are in all things

yet without sin; by his perfect obedience and suffering, we receive salvation)

John 18:1-19:42 (the Passion)

Hymn of the Day: WOV #668, There in God’s Garden (ELW #342)

            OR LBW #111, Lamb of God, Pure and Sinless (ELW #357)

Other hymn: LBW #123, Ah, Holy Jesus (ELW #349)

 

Saturday, April 20, 2019: The Vigil of Easter

Service of Readings: There are twelve all together. If you decide to do seven or four, choose from the following; however, those in boldface must be read; and the final canticle, “All you works of the Lord” is always read after the final lesson. Where appointed, a responsorial psalm/canticle is also noted in parentheses. Where one is not noted, I have indicated a hymn that may be sung instead.

1. Genesis 1:1-2:2 or Genesis 1:1-3:24

Hymn:LBW #540, Praise the Lord! O Heavens adore him (ELW #823)

OR LBW # 372, In Adam We Have All Been One (LSB #569)

1. Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13

Hymn: WOV #741, Thy Holy Wings (ELW #613)

OR LBW #334. Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me, (ELW #755, LSB #715)

1. Exodus 14:10-15:1a or Exodus 13:17-15:1a

LBW Canticle 19, The Song of Moses and Miriam

1. Isaiah 55:1-11

Psalm 33:1-11 OR LBW #232, Thy Word, O Lord, Like Gentle Dew

OR ELW #510, Word of God, Come Down on Earth (WOV #716, LSB #545)

1. Ezekiel 37

 Psalm 30

1. Isaiah 4:2-6

The Song of the Vineyard, from Isaiah 5

1. Daniel 3:1-29

LBW Canticle 18: All You Works of the Lord, Bless the Lord

OR LBW #527, All Creatures of Our God and King

(ELW #835, All Creatures, Worship God Most High)

Readings for the Service of Holy Communion:

Romans 6:1-11 (we are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection)

Luke 24:1-12 (the women come to the empty tomb)

Hymn of the Day: LBW #189, We Know That Christ is Raised and Dies No More

(ELW #449, LSB #603)

Communion Hymn #1: LBW #148, Now the Green Blade Rises (ELW #379)

Communion Hymn #2: WOV #671, Alleluia, Alleluia, Give Thanks to the Living Lord

            OR ELW #377, Alleluia! Jesus is Risen! (WOV #674, LSB #474)

Closing Hymn: WOV #676, This Joyful Eastertide (ELW #391, LSB #482)

 

April 21, 2019: Easter Day, the Resurrection of Our Lord

Easter Sunrise Lessons:

Job 19:23-27 (I know that my Redeemer lives!)

Psalm 118:15-29 (The right hand of the Lord has triumphed; this is the Lord’s doing;

 this is the day the Lord has made)

1 Corinthians 15:51-57 (we shall not all die, but we shall all be changed;

the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible)

John 20:1-18 (the women at the tomb; Peter and John; Mary Magdalene and Jesus)

 

Easter Day Lessons:

Isaiah 65:17-25 (God promises new heaven and earth; people will live long and prosper;

  nothing shall hurt or destroy on his holy mountain)

Psalm 16 (you do not give me up to Sheol, nor let your holy one see the Pit)

RCL: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 (Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; I shall not die but live,

and declare the works of the Lord)

1 Corinthians 15:19-26 (if Christ not raised, we are pitiable fools; but he has been raised,

as shall we be!)

Luke 24:1-12 (the women at the empty tomb)

 

Hymn selections are for main services of the day, not the sunrise service

 

Opening Hymn: LBW #151, Jesus Christ is Risen Today (ELW #365, LSB #457)

Hymn of the Day: LBW #134, Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands (ELW #370, LSB #458)

Communion Hymn #1: WOV #671, Alleluia, Alleluia, Give Thanks to the Living Lord

            OR ELW #377, Alleluia! Jesus is Risen! (WOV #674, LSB #474)

Communion Hymn #2: LBW #352, I Know that My Redeemer Lives (ELW #619, LSB #461)

Closing Hymn: LBW #145, Thine is the Glory (ELW #376)

“He also loved cursing, so it came to him; and he did not delight in
blessing, so it was far from him. But he clothed himself with cursing as with
his garment, and it entered into his body like water and like oil into his
bones.” (Psalm 109:17-18)

It is not what goes in the
mouth, but what comes out that is violent and wicked. Each man’s mouth may
praise the Lord, but then turn and curse a brother. Watch your tongue and the
words that come across it. Be not like the wicked who curse and swear as if
they had the power to do what their words boast. Delight in being blessed by
the Lord and do not conform to the ways of the wicked.

Lord, You know what needs to be expunged from my mouth. You know what
thoughts I have that are in line with the wicked and not godly. Lift me up to
see more clearly the path I need to take that I may abide in You and be in Your
presence always. Guard the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
that I may live into the life to which You have called me by grace.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your
grace. I need Your grace, for each day I speak words that are abhorrent and
untrue. Teach me the fullness of the faith that I may continue on the journey
of having a guarded mouth and a clean mind. Keep me close to You that I may see
Your cleansing of this temple which You have made for the Father’s glory. May I
abide now and always in You. Amen.

Editor’s Note. This article first appeared in our January 2019 newsletter; the author is Pastor Dennis D. Nelson.

As Lutheran CORE seeks to be a VOICE FOR BIBLICAL TRUTH and a NETWORK FOR CONFESSING LUTHERANS, we look back upon 2018 with thanksgiving and forward to 2019 with eager anticipation. We thank God for His many blessings, and we thank our friends for their faithful and generous prayer and financial support.

2018

• As a VOICE FOR BIBLICAL TRUTH during 2018 we challenged the ELCA to live within the boundaries of what was actually approved by the 2009 Churchwide Assembly and to live up to the commitments that were made at that gathering to give a place of honor and respect also to those who hold traditional views on human sexuality.

• We wrote to the presiding bishop of the ELCA as well as to all sixty-five synodical bishops to confront them with the fact that lifestyles that were never approved were promoted at the summer youth gathering and the traditional view was called a lie. (See article in the September #5 issue of CORE Voice.)

• We alerted faithful members of the ELCA to the amount of power and influence that have been given to the LGBTQIA+ community as we reported on the way in which that group was able to force the firing of a seminary president simply because she held traditional views twenty years ago. (See articles in the Lent #2 issue of CORE Voice and the June Letter from the Director.) We also alerted people to the kind of strange, even heretical, and radical leftwing agenda teachings that are being given to future pastors who are attending ELCA seminaries. (See articles in the August Letter from the Director and the November # 6 issue of CORE Voice.)

• As a NETWORK FOR CONFESSING LUTHERANS we worked with call committees of ELCA congregations to help them find an orthodox, Bible-believing, and outreach-oriented pastor to be their next pastor.

• We held our annual Latino ministries Encuentro (Encounter) at an ELCA church in northwest Chicago. This was a day of information, fellowship, encouragement, and renewal for pastors and congregations who are already involved in, as well as for those who are considering becoming involved in, Spanish language and bilingual (English-Spanish) ministry and outreach.

• We offered resources on our website such as daily devotions, prayers of the church, and hymn suggestions for each Sunday of the year.

2019

• We will be a VOICE FOR BIBLICAL TRUTH in 2019 as we continue to expose the ways in which the Women and Justice social statement, which will be voted on at the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, rejects the authority, reliability, and truthfulness of the Bible as it promotes its radical feminist agenda. (See article in this issue, as well as in the July # 4 issue of CORE Voice.)

• We will alert faithful members of the ELCA to the ways in which the leaders of that church body are refusing to stand up to movements within the church that are in direct violation of what the ELCA claims to believe. (See article in this issue of CORE Voice about the recent meeting of the ELCA Church Council.)

• As a NETWORK FOR CONFESSING LUTHERANS during 2019 we will hold an event for pastors on May 1 in northeast Virginia that will be a day of inspiration, encouragement, and renewal as we ask God to rekindle our first love for Christ, for the church as the body of Christ, and for mission and ministry as the work of Christ in the world. (See flier in this issue.)

• We will partner with NALC pastor Don Brandt to offer an at-cost coaching and consulting ministry called Congregations in Transition (CiT). In early April we will hold an event in the Phoenix area for (mostly retired) Lutheran pastors to train them to become coaches who will walk with congregations through the transition process between pastors. (See article in this issue of CORE Voice.)

• We will work to provide a network of encouragement and prayer support for students with traditional views at ELCA seminaries as well as for recent graduates with traditional views.

• As we begin a new year we will continue to ask God to direct, guide, bless, and use our efforts for His Kingdom as we thank our friends for their faithful and generous prayer and financial support.

“Let his posterity be cut off; in a following generation let their name
be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be before the
Lord continually, that He may cut off their memory from the earth; because he did
not remember to show lovingkindness, but persecuted the afflicted and needy
man, and the despondent in heart, to put them to death.” (Psalm 109:13-16)

Is this not the Lord’s creation?
Can the Lord not do with His own what He will? The modern man chafes at the
idea that the Lord puts any to death, while in history there are none more
violent than the modern man. We may not do to the flesh what they once did, but
in our minds we are even more violent. Submit to the Lord and be cleansed of
wickedness that you may abide with Him forever.

Lord, I am double-minded. Guide me away from the wickedness that is deeply embedded in me that I may learn to walk in Your ways. Help me, O Lord, to see in You the only hope of Glory that I may abide in You as You abide in me. Teach me Your ways that I may humbly walk in them and not presume to judge You, but know always that You alone are worthy to judge. Do not cut me off from Your salvation.

Lord Jesus, You are the sure hope
for all who see the truth that this age is filled with wickedness. One day it
will all pass away and there will be a new heaven and a new earth. Lead me to
learn the Father’s will from Your example without judging what You ask me to
do. Guide me in the way of life that I may be lifted up from the madness of
this world. In all things teach me to do what brings the Father glory. Amen.

“Let his children wander about and beg; and let them seek sustenance
far from their ruined homes. Let the creditor seize all that he has, and let
strangers plunder the product of his labor. Let there be none to extend
lovingkindness to him, nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children.” (Psalm
109:10-13)

The wicked bring their house to
ruin. When one seeks for his own interests, he eventually comes to nothing. History
is filled with those who have traveled this path of destruction. Take heed and
do not be like one of the wicked. Come into the Lord’s presence and abide in
His will and His ways all the days of Your life that it may go well with You
and those around you.

Lord, I often forget that what I do does impact those around me. Lead me, O Lord, in the way of salvation that I may learn to abide in Your presence always. Lead me now and forever to walk in the way of Your commandments and seek the better things of life. Teach me to do good to those around me that I may not experience the destruction that comes upon those who practice wickedness.

Lord Jesus, without Your grace my end would be damnation. Let me never forget that I am absolutely dependent upon You for both this life and life eternal. Guide me in the narrow way of salvation that You have prepared for all who believe. Lead me in the upward path that this day I may grow a little more in Your likeness. Let the faith You have given me be known to those around me. Amen.

Lutheran CORE has sent a letter to ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton as well as Bishops McCoid and Macholz asking them for a public response to the recent abortion decisions made in New York. Click here to read it.

“When he is judged, let him come forth guilty, and let his prayer
become sin. Let his days be few; let another take his office. Let his children
be fatherless and his wife a widow.” (Psalm 109:7-9)

Those who do evil will come to
an evil end. We each have experienced those who have done us wrong in this life
and it is natural to want revenge. Justice belongs to the Lord, for He alone
knows all things. Come to Him in prayer and know that He hears you. The wicked
will not escape the Lord’s wrath. Come then in faith and trust the Lord for all
things.

Lord, it is a struggle, for there are those who have grieved me. Yet
Lord, I know there are those whom I have grieved. Bring me beyond the sinful
inclinations of immaturity to realize that all things must be in Your hands. You
alone are able to deal with the wicked. You alone know those who are Yours now
and the journey they must go through to finally be Yours.

Lord Jesus, ultimately all sin is
against You and on You have all sins been placed. Bring me to You that through
You I would know true grace and offer that grace to others. Lead me in the way
of everlasting life that I may abide in You and You in me knowing that in and
by Your grace alone will I find salvation. Lead me this day, O Lord, especially
through any trials that may come, to trust in You alone. Amen.

“In return for my love they act as my accusers; but I am in prayer. Thus
they have repaid me evil for good and hatred for my love. Appoint a wicked man
over him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand.” (Psalm 107:4-6)

Be wary of those of this world
who stand against the ways of the Lord. They are all around and will bring you
down with them. They mix love with hatred and good with evil. Become one who
stays in prayer that you may be in communion with the Lord always. Has not
Jesus taught us to pray unceasingly? Pray then and be girded for the battle
that is this world’s agenda against the faithful.

Lord, You know this world. You know what has happened since we have entered into the age of good and evil. It is all mixed up. Create in me a new and clean heart that sees the good and rejects the evil. Guide me into the truth of Your Word that I may abide in You and You in me. Lead me in the way of Your eternal truth which You have spoken from the beginning.

Word made flesh, You have come to lead the way for all who would, through You, walk in the way truth and life that You give. Guide me this day to see more clearly what is good, right and salutary and to stand there unmoved knowing that You alone are able to save me from this world’s confusion. Teach me to abide in You and to pray without ceasing. Lift up my countenance to be like Yours, always looking to the Father. Amen.