SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH
READINGS, PRAYERS and DEVOTION
SUNDAY, JULY 31
Psalm 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord!
NEWS: It’s time to make our return to God’s house!. Bible study starts at 9 AM as Pastor Joel continues to lead us in the study of the Lord’s prayer. This includes Martin Luther’s insights from the Large and Small Catechisms. Worship starts at 10 on this Eighth Sunday after Pentecost. The title of Pastor Joel’s sermon is, “Foolishness or Satisfaction,” and the text is based on Luke 12:13-21 which is our gospel lesson for the day. The other reading s are Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14 along with Ecclesiastes 2:18-26 and Colossians 3:1-11 After we’ve received the Lord’s supper and sung our closing hymn, please join us outside for fellowship with coffee and goodies.
We pray all can join us for part of their Sunday but for those unable to worship in person, we stream our service live. The link is here: www.facebook.com/shepherdofthevalleyoceanside Click on that, then click on the More dropdown arrow, then click Live. If you have a moment, please “Like” us and leave a brief comment about your online worship experience. Thank you! Also serving the Lord and our congregation today are:
Fellowship: K Berni
Flowers: FILLED
Techies: Ian Andrews, OPEN
Reader: Kathy Andrews
Acolyte: Josephine Neemia
Greeter: FILLED
Ushers: Victor Dille, Bill Sperberg
PRAYERS: Today we especially pray for Kathy Andrews. The Andrews ask prayers for safety and good times as they will be travelling next weekend.
COLLECT OF THE DAY: Blessed Father, though we do not deserve your goodness, still You provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may acknowledge your gifts, give thanks for all Your benefits and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
READINGS: Psalm 80; 1 Samuel 16:1-23; Acts 25:13-27
DIGGING DEEPER: Isaiah 55:1-5; Psalm 136:1-9; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:13-21
Alleluia. Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance. Alleluia.
DEVOTION:
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
“Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good”
“Sing praise to God, the highest good, The Author of creation, The God of love who understood Our need for His salvation. With healing balm our souls He fills And ev’ry faithless murmur stills. To God all praise and glory!
“All who confess Christ’s holy Name, Give God the praise and glory. Let all who know His pow’r proclaim Aloud the wondrous story. Cast ev’ry idol from its throne, For God is God, and He alone: To God all praise and glory!”
There were many men who wrote the Scriptures, but God is the one Author of His Word. Scripture is inspired, or God-breathed, and “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21b). As described in our hymn, God can also be called the Author of creation. By the power of His Word, God spoke the world into existence and creation bears the fingerprints of its Author: “His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20a).
The divine Author wrote life and light into all that He made, but human sin plunged His creation into death and darkness. We daily participate in that sin, and even before He created the world, God “understood our need for His salvation.” As long foretold in the inspired words of the prophets, when the time was right God sent His Son into the world. Jesus, the Word made flesh, “was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4b). According to God’s plan and foreknowledge, Jesus was delivered into the hands of His enemies, who “killed the Author of life” by nailing Him to a cross (Acts 3:15a). For the sake of our salvation, God the Son, the Author of life, submitted to death at the hands of His creation. But the story does not end there. On the third day after His crucifixion, Jesus rose up in triumph over death. The Word continues. Jesus is “the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22:13b).
Baptized into Christ, by faith we are created anew by the divine Author as “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10b). Called to faith by the Holy Spirit, we “proclaim aloud the wondrous story” so that others may hear and believe. The names of all who trust in Jesus are recorded in another work by the same Author, the Lamb’s “book of life” (see Revelation 3:5). The inspired Scriptures draw to a close with the vision of our Lord’s return and the restoration of creation. The Author will proclaim, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 21:6a). And for us, the wondrous story will continue.
WE PRAY: Author of life and creation, help me to proclaim aloud Your wondrous story. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn “Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good,” which is number 819 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. Can you think of any examples where God has left His writing, so to speak, on creation?
2. What has God done to satisfy our “need for His salvation”?
3. What good works has God created you to do?
Today’s Bible Readings: Psalms 116-118 1 Thessalonians 4
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:
Our church website is: https://www.svlchurch.org/
Below is our Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/shepherdofthevalleyoceanside
Here is the website for Lutherans for Life: https://lutheransforlife.org/
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.
Pastor Joel at pastor@svlchurch.org
