SVLC DEVOTION WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2023

SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH

DEVOTION, READINGS and PRAYERS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2023

 This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

 NEWS: Please mark your calendars as our twice-yearly congregation meeting takes place this coming Sunday after our worship service. Your Board of Directors and Pastor Joel will each be giving their respective reports. We will also be voting to elect for our congregation the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Financial Secretary and Recording Secretary. Each of the officers has agreed to serve another two year term with the exception of Recording Secretary. In that office, Margaret Paton is stepping down and Deanna Dille has agreed to now serve. If anyone has questions,, please contact President Bruce Woodward by email, bruce_woodward@hotmail.com Note there is an underscore, _ , between his first and last name.

 PRAYERS: Today we lift up Suzette and Leonard Prokopin in prayer.

 READINGS: Habakkuk 3:9-13; Psalm 119:57-64; Luke 22:66-23:16

 DEVOTION:

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

“Don’t Be Surprised” May 17, 2023

 

1 Peter 4:12-13; 5:6-10 – Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. … Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. In the early days of my family’s ministry with the Vietnamese, I had a silly idea in the back of my head. We kept dealing with disaster after disaster—illnesses, car accidents, fights in the church, funding problems—and I kept saying to myself, “Next week will be better. Next month, everything will go smoothly, the way it’s supposed to go!” After about twenty years, I finally caught on. This—a life full of trouble and suffering—is normal ministry, not something strange or unusual. We live in a world broken by sin and oppressed by the work of the devil, and really, how could it be any other way? Jesus hasn’t come back in glory yet. And in the meantime, we suffer. But it’s not all bad news. Even though nobody wants to suffer, God can bring good out of it. Peter tells us that God uses our suffering the same way that fire tests the purity of gold and lets the goldsmith get rid of the dross. When we suffer, we are in Jesus’ hands; and He will not let us be destroyed. No, He will use the suffering to make us more and more what God intends for us to be. Suffering is a normal part of walking with Christ. Jesus said, “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26). We are honored to be servants of Jesus, and we follow Him—right into a life filled with suffering—because servants follow their masters! But suffering isn’t forever. Jesus didn’t just suffer and die; He also rose from the dead, never to die again. And He has promised us that He will return on the Last Day so that we will be with Him forever. In the new heavens and new earth “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). WE PRAY: Dear Lord, when I suffer, stay close to me and help me to bear it in a way that honors You. Amen. This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo. Reflection Questions: 1. Have you ever been given an honor you wish you could say “no” to? 2. Does it change your feelings toward life if you start to consider suffering normal and you think of times of peace and comfort to be like vacations, God’s good gifts to enjoy while you have them? If so, how? 3. When has God brought something good out of your suffering?

 

Today’s Bible in a Year Reading: 2 Samuel 19-20; John 5:25-47

 

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 Wednesday to everyone! For any needs or prayer requests, please contact us

 Pastor Joel, pastor@svlcchurch.org