SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH
READINGS, PRAYERS and DEVOTION
SUNDAY, JUNE 19
A HAPPY, BLESSED FATHER’S DAY!
Psalm 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord!
NEWS: Today is Father’s Day and we gather together again in our heavenly Father’s house for Bible study, worship AND a great Potluck meal! The day starts at 9 AM with a new Bible study on The Lord’s Prayer. Led by Pastor Joel, this will include Martin Luther’s insights from the Small and Large Catechism. At 10 AM we have our worship service, with the Lord’s Supper. The title of Pastor Joel’s sermon is, “Run Bullies, The Sheriff is in Town!.” The text is based on Luke 8:26-39 which is the Gospel reading for the day. Our other readings are Isaiah 65:1-9 and Galatians 3:23-4:7
After we celebrate the Lord’s supper and our worship concludes it’s time for our monthly Potluck in our Fellowship Hall. Whether you signed up to bring something or not, please join us for food and fellowship. You can always pitch in by brining something…a main dish, a side dish, a dessert or something for people to drink. You can also pitch in to help clean up after the meal is done.
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:
Flowers: Alba & Terry Reilly
Techies: Bruce Woodward, Chris Roth
Reader: Allen Latall
Acolyte: Josphine Neemia
Greeter: Open
Ushers: Victor Dille, Keith Neblett
PRAYERS: Today we especially pray for Daria Roth. Daria requests prayers for the healthmn of all our parishioners.
COLLECT OF THE DAY: O God, because your abiding presence always goes with us, keep us aware of your daily mercies that we may live secure and content in Your eternal love; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
READINGS: Psalm 31:9-10, 14-19; Psalm 102; Proverbs 22:1-21; John 18:1-14;
GRADUAL: Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. On your wonderous works I will meditate, and I will declare your greatness.
DIGGING DEEPER: Jeremiah 20:7-13; Psalm 91:1-16; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:5, 21-33
Alleluia. Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. Alleluia.
DEVOTION:
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
“Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense”
“Jesus Christ, my sure defense and my Savior, now is living! Knowing this, my confidence rests upon the hope here giving, Though the night of death be fraught still with many an anxious thought.
“Laugh to scorn the gloomy grave and at death no longer tremble; He, the Lord, who came to save will at last His own assemble. They will go their Lord to meet, treading death beneath their feet.”
Our hymn joins two very different ideas: “My confidence rests upon … hope.” We usually think of confidence as something strong and sure, the absolute knowledge that events will unfold as they should. Confidence leaves no room for doubt. Hope is somewhat less substantial. We “hope” that an event will happen, but we don’t know for certain that it will. That for which we hope may come to pass, or it might not. Yet according to our hymn, our confidence rests on a solid foundation of hope!
In other contrasting ideas, we “laugh to scorn the gloomy grave.” We know that death is no laughing matter, and the hymn admits that the approach of death is filled “with many an anxious thought.” Still, in confident hope, we laugh at the gloomy grave and no longer tremble at death. We also see in the hymn that death is not so final as the world imagines it to be. Jesus will return and “at last His own assemble.” Believers who have already died will rise from death to join those who are still living, and together they will “go their Lord to meet.” This reflects what the apostle Paul says concerning the Last Day: “The dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16b-17).
Why are we so confident in hope? Jesus, the Source of our hope, suffered and died to atone for the sins of the world. His dead body was taken down from the cross and sealed in a tomb. Then, on the third day after His death, in the most astonishing contrast of all, Jesus rose from the dead. Christ the Crucified “now is living!” Paul writes that God “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3b). We do not have a “dead” hope, believing in something that may or may not happen. We have a living hope, in life and even in the face of death, because our Lord endured death for us and now is living. We have His sure and certain promise: “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19b). When Jesus returns on the Last Day, we will rise as He did and go to meet Him, treading death beneath our feet!
WE PRAY: Jesus, You are my hope in life and death. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn “Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense,” which is number 741 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. What kinds of things cross your mind when you ponder death?
2. How does Jesus’ resurrection give us a “living hope”?
3. Does knowing that because Jesus lives “you also will live” impact your life now?
Today’s Bible Readings: Proverbs 25-26 Acts 4:23-37
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:
Our church website is: https://www.svlchurch.org/
Below is our Facebook page:
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.
Pastor Joel at pastor@svlchurch.org
