SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH
READINGS, PRAYERS and DEVOTION
SUNDAY, MARCH 6, THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT
Psalm 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord!
NEWS: Today is the First Sunday in Lent. We’ll start off with Pastor Joel leading our 9 AM Bible study, talking about the miracles of Jesus and what they mean to our lives. Our worship follows at 10 and the title of Pastor Joel’s sermon is, “No Ifs.” We’ll have our fellowship time afterwards with coffee and goodies. After that we will gather at the Oceanside Bakery on Mission and El Camino Real, right near the Pit Stop. Take it from us: Oceanside Bakery is GREAT! Not only do they have baked goods, they have awesome breakfast items, plus salads and sandwiches for lunch. Join in for the good coffee items there too!
We pray everyone can make it to God’s house. We’ve found the best way to start a new week is spending about an hour with fellow believers and the Lord. Things do come up sometimes and if you can’t be with us in person, no worries: we stream our service Live, on Facebook. Click on the Facebook link under Other Resources, click ion the More tab, then click Live. If you can, please “Like” us and add a comment, that you are listening. Thanks very much! Others serving us in worship today are:
Fellowship: Daria Roth
Flowers: The Neemia family
Greeter: Margaret Paton
Ushers: Victor Dille, Bill Sperberg
Reader: K Bern
Communion Assistant: Pastor Emeritus, Allen Kolkman
PRAYERS: Today we are especially praying for Charlotte Neblett, Keith Neblett and the Neemia family: Mike, Fale, Easter, Penny, Josephine and Jeremiah.
COLLECT FOR TODAY: O Lord God, You led Your ancient people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide the people of Your Church that following our Savior we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
READINGS: Psalm 79:5-9; Psalm 42; Psalm 102; Genesis 4:1-26; Mark 2:18-28
GRADUAL: O come, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despite the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
DIGGING DEEPER: Genesis 3:1-21; Psalm 32:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
DEVOTION:
“ARE WE THERE YET?”
Now it happened that as He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him. And He asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” Then He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” And He strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (Luke 9:18-22)
Jesus wants to know what people think of His identity because that will tell Him how much time He has left in His mission. Jesus knows He’s headed to the cross; and the more people start talking publicly about Him being the Messiah—well, the quicker that trip is going to be. The religious and political leaders are bound to be upset, and they will join forces to destroy Him.
And so Jesus put the brakes on—”Don’t tell anybody who I am.” Why? Because Jesus still has stuff to do before that happens. He is teaching and healing and preaching; He is training the future leaders of the church, and He has all too short a time to do it in.
Even when we’re talking about suffering and death, Jesus is in control. Nothing will happen against His Father’s will. This is true for us, too. When we go through grief and trouble and fear and sadness, Jesus is with us, helping us, walking with us through it. He knows the road; He has been down it before, to save us. And because of God’s mercy, it ends in resurrection—first Jesus’, then ours.
THE PRAYER: Lord, when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, be with me. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Why do you think people hate being out of control?
* Think of a time when your life felt out of control. Who helped you?
* Did it comfort you to know Jesus was with you, and had been down that road before?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today’s Bible Readings: Leviticus 21-22 Mark 10:1-31
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select “Save Link As” or “Save Target As” or “Download Linked File As”
Luther’s Morning Prayer
In the morning, as soon as you get out of bed, you are to make the Sign of the Cross and say:
“God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit watch over me. Amen.”
Then, kneeling or standing, say the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. In addition recite this prayer as well:
“I give thanks to you, my heavenly Father through Jesus Christ your dear son, that you have protected me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you that you would also protect me today from sin and all evil, so that my life and actions may please you completely. For into your hands I commend myself: my body, my soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel be with me, so that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.”
After singing a hymn or whatever else may serve your devotion, you can go about you day joyfully!
Luther’s Evening Prayer
In the evening, when you go to bed, you are to make the Sign of the Cross and say:
“God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit watch over me. Amen.”
Then, kneeling or standing, say the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. In addition recite this prayer as well:
“I give thanks to you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have graciously protected me today, and I ask you to forgive me all my sins, where I have done wrong, and graciously to protect me tonight. For into your hands I commend myself: my body, my soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel be with me, so that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.”
Now you can go to bed quickly and cheerfully.
OTHER RESOURCES:
www.facebook.com/shepherdofthevalleyoceanside
Here is the website for Lutheran Hour Ministries: https://www.lhm.org/
Lutheran Public Radio is listener supported and has two channels, one for sacred music and the other for talk, including news, current issues, politics and spiritual matters from a Lutheran perspective. Hosted by Pastor Todd Wilken, Issues, Etc. airs live Monday thru Friday from 1 to 3 pm Pacific, with the “Best Of” running at other hours: https://lutheranpublicradio.org/
KFUO is the listener supported radio station owned and operated by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Based in St. Louis, their format consists of teaching, preaching, ministry and sacred music: https://www.kfuo.org/
A very blessed Lord’s Day and Sunday to everyone! For any needs or prayer requests, please contact us.
