SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH
READINGS, PRAYERS and DEVOTION
SUNDAY, MAY 29 THE SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
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 return to God’s house and we are open for Bible study and worship. Bible study is at 9 AM and Pastor Joel continues to lead us, talking about the miracles of Jesus and how they apply to our lives. For our 10 AM worship the title of Pastor Joels sermon is, “Who We Are is Because of Who He Is.” It’s based off of Revelation 22:12 Our other readings for the day are as follows: Acts 1:12-26; Revelation 22:1-6; John 17:20-26 After we celebrate the Lord’s Supper and our service is complete, please join us for our Fellowship time with coffee and other goodies, as we celebrate our Memorial Day weekend!
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: The Neemia family
Flowers: Monika Doan
Techies: open, open
Reader: Charlotte Neblett
Acolyte: Open
Greeter: Allen Kolkman
Ushers: Victor Dille, Keith Neblett
Please note the OPEN spots. If anyone can help us out with these, please let us know. We appreciate any help that can be offered.
PRAYERS: Today we especially pray for the Cerny family: Amanda, Josh, William and Daniel.
COLLECT OF THE DAY: O King of Glory, Lord of hosts, uplifted in triumph far above all heavens, leave us not without consolation but send us the Spirit of truth whom you promised from the Father; for you live and reign with Him and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
READINGS: Psalm 81:10-16; Psalm 9; Numbers 14:1-25; Luke 18:18-34
DIGGING DEEPER: Psalm 68:1-10; 1 Peter 4:12-19; John 17:1-11
DEVOTION:
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
“He’s Risen, He’s Risen”
“The foe was triumphant when on Calvary, The Lord of creation was nailed to the tree. In Satan’s domain did the hosts shout and jeer, For Jesus was slain, whom the evil ones fear.
“But short was their triumph; the Savior arose, And death, hell, and Satan He vanquished, His foes. The conquering Lord lifts His banner on high; He lives, yes, He lives, and will nevermore die. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!”
The foe had been working on this plan for a long time. The devil, the serpent of Eden, sought from the beginning to destroy God’s work and discredit His Word. The foe tempted Eve, leading her to doubt the Word, asking her, “Did God actually say…?” (Genesis 3:1b). Adam and Eve disobeyed the command of God, bringing sin and death into the world. The first man and woman knew guilt and shame. Their relationships with God, with one another, and with creation were shattered. The serpent was cursed. Yet within God’s dreadful announcement of sin’s curse lay the seed of a promise. God said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15). The Offspring of the woman would struggle in a bruising conflict with the serpent.
The foe was warned of the bruising battle to come. Just as he hated the Word of God at creation’s beginning, the devil attempted to discredit and destroy Jesus, the Word made flesh. The evil foe tempted Jesus in the wilderness but, unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus did not surrender to temptation. Satan gathered his forces against the Son of God as Jesus’ opponents continually challenged Him and “plotted how to entangle Him in His words” (Matthew 22:15b). Jesus called people to believe and drove out demons, who recognized and feared Him. They knew what lay ahead for them, asking Jesus, “What have You to do with us, O Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29b). The serpent and his legions apparently knew the outcomes of the battle with the woman’s Offspring but, true to their fallen nature, they were going to go down fighting.
Finally, the foe’s plan appeared to succeed. Jesus was betrayed, tried, and condemned to death. Perhaps Satan, that ancient serpent, was triumphant when “the Lord of creation was nailed to the tree.” After all, the promised woman’s Offspring, the Son of God so feared by the legions of hell, now hung, bruised and dead, on a cross. “But short was their triumph”—just three days. Jesus, the Son of God, rose from the dead. The serpent fell in defeat, bruised and crushed, at the nail-scarred feet of the woman’s Offspring. By His death, Jesus destroyed “the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14b). Now “the conquering Lord lifts His banner on high; He lives, yes, He lives, and will nevermore die!” The promise made so long ago in Eden has been fulfilled.
WE PRAY: Crucified and risen Lord, with faith in Your Name, I too will conquer death! Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn “He’s Risen, He’s Risen,” which is number 480 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. When you are tempted to do something you shouldn’t, how do you resist?
2. How are you comforted by the words of Genesis 3:15? What does this text say to you?
3. How did Jesus ultimately conquer the serpent in the garden?
Today’s Bible Readings: Psalms 27-29 John 11:1-29
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.
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/
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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.
