SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH
READINGS, PRAYERS and DEVOTION
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
NEWS: Another week has flown by, so it seems, and tomorrow we return to the Lord’s house. At 9 AM, Pastor Joel leads our Bible study. Our worship service begins at 10 and the title of Pastor Joel’s sermon is, “Dishonest Rewards.” It’s based on our Gospel reading for the day, Luke 16:1-15 Our other two readings are Amos 8:4-7 and 1 Timothy 2:1-15 After we’ve taken the Lord’s supper and our service is complete, our church is going to the beach in the afternoon! Here is more information from an email Rick Adams sent out yesterday, in case you missed it: Tomorrow is our Beach Day! The good news is that you can still participate even if you didn’t sign up. Just be prepared to head to the beach right after church. We will be gathering in the church parking lot and will organize carpools so that entrance to Camp Pendleton will be less complicated. Thank you, Bill Sperberg, for sponsoring us!
Del Mar Beach offers something for every beachgoer: ample parking, equipment rentals, refreshments, shaded cabanas (available for rent), umbrellas, and more.
Ramone’s Mexican Food is located right on the beach. So, bring your own chair and/or blanket, food & drink and something to share. Have fun and stay as long as you like.
PRAYERS: Today we especially pray for the Jerome family: Denae, Chris and Evelyn.
READINGS: Psalm 130; Psalm 143; 2 Chronicles 36:1-23; Colossians 4:1-18
DEVOTION:
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
“Faithful Households”
Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
There are a lot of qualities that make for a good family life, but the greatest of these is love. Without love, any attempt to shore up a crumbling family is sure to fail. Here, St. Paul reminds us in the above passage that love rules. It is to be put first in our lives and in our families (see 1 Corinthians 13).
To accomplish the act of living in a healthy and productive way with others under one roof, love has to be shown and practiced daily. When love is evident in a home as a fruit of the Spirit of God, family members will grow in their concern for and service to one another.
But love has to be practiced. It has to be our go-to choice, even when it is not what we want to do. In this the love of Jesus is our best guide. His patience, His longsuffering with people, His willingness to love us and even die for us is the best example we have. It is God’s example—shown to us in the life, death, and resurrection of His beloved Son who “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10b).
But showing love can be difficult, can’t it? And this is often true of how we live together as families. Like a healing balm, love has to be applied to the circumstances in our lives—many of which may test our ability to love or our desire to show love. Here again, Jesus is the One we are to follow. This is the way God wants it to be in our families.
We all need the fresh renewal that comes from knowing Christ, from being close to Him, from seeking the truth that He alone has to give. The love and forgiveness God offers us through Jesus refreshes us and empowers us to demonstrate these traits toward others, beginning with those in our own family.
Therefore, let Christ enter into your heart and fill your home. Remember that our Savior was born into a human household. He—better than anyone—understands the frustrations of dealing with people. He is our Friend, our Brother, He will help us in our time of need, especially when we seek Him out in God’s Word and fervently in prayer.
As you relate to others in your home, ask God’s Holy Spirit to give you wisdom in difficult situations, mercy in abundance when forgiveness is needed, and love to cover all your family’s interactions.
WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, in love and thankfulness let me serve my family as You would have me do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
From “Living Under the Same Roof,” a sermon excerpt from Rev. Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour
Reflection Questions:
1. What’s your favorite fruit, and why?
2. How does God refresh you throughout the day?
3. Which “fruit of the Spirit” would you like to see practiced under your roof more? Is this something you can set an example in?
Today’s Bible Readings: Isaiah 17-19 Ephesians 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 your 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.”
You can now 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 Saturday and weekend to everyone! For any needs or prayer requests, please contact us
Pastor Joel at pastor@svlchurch.org
