SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH
DEVOTION, READINGS AND PRAYERS
SUNDAY, JUNE 25,, 2023
THE PRESENTATION OF THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION
I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord! Psalm 122:1
NEWS: Today is the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and our day in God’s house begins at 9 AM. Pastor Joel will continue leading us in a study of the book of Genesis. In our 10 AM worship service, the title of Pastor Joel’s sermon is, “A Dangerous Adventure with An Eternal Reward.” The text is based on our Old testament reading, Jeremiah 20:7-13 The Psalmody is taken from Psalm 91 Our Epistle comes from Romans 6:12-23 The Gospel lesson is Matthew 10:5, 21-33 After we’ve taken the Eucharist and our service comes to a close, please join us for fellowship time, with coffee and goodies. Then proceed to the Pit Stop diner for continued fellowship time.
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:
Techies: Ian Andrews, OPEN
Reader: Darryl Finley
Acolyte: Josephine Neemia
Greeter: Rick Adams
Ushers: Keith Neblett, OPEN
Flowers: The Neemia family
Fellowship: OPEN
PRAYERS: Today we remember Brandon Reilly in prayer. He asks prayers for continued good health and strength at work to reach new heights. In our Summer of Prayer, we pray for God’s provision and blessing of Shepherd of The Valley as we seek to glorify God and serve our community.
COLLECT OF THE DAY: Almighty Gog, in Your mercy guide the course of this world so that Your Church may joyfully serve You in godly peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Alleluia. Who is this that even wind and wave obey him? Alleluia.
READINGS: Today we honor the Presentation of The Augsburg Confession. Here is a link to an article which discusses the importance of this day on the church calendar: https://lutheranreformation.org/history/presentation-augsburg-confession/
For anyone who wants to look at the Augsburg Confession, here is the link: https://bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession/
DEVOTION:
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
“Lord of Our Life”
“See round Your ark the hungry billows curling; See how Your foes their banners are unfurling; And with great spite their fiery darts are hurling, O Lord, preserve us.
“Peace in our hearts, where sinful thoughts are raging, Peace in Your Church, our troubled souls assuaging, Peace when the world its endless war is waging, Peace in Your heaven.”
Do churches ever experience trouble? Sadly enough, we know the local congregations may struggle with difficult issues. A church may face financial problems, arguments among members, or declining attendance. At such times, as always, church members turn to the Lord in prayer, asking for His help, His blessing, and His peace.
Our hymn describes a church in trouble. It is called an ark, a reminder of the ark that God directed Noah to build to keep his family and pairs of animals safe in the flood. The ark that carries us through the flood of sin and death is the ark of the church, the body of Christ. This sacred and unsinkable ark is surrounded by the threatening and “hungry billows” that swirl around it. The church faces spiteful foes as the members of Christ’s body suffer the “fiery darts” of ridicule and persecution. An unbelieving world wages “its endless war” against believers.
The body of Christ on earth will suffer just as our Lord suffered. On the night He was betrayed into the hands of His enemies, Jesus warned that the same rejection He experienced awaited those who followed Him: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). The world did its worst to Jesus. He was betrayed and condemned to death, but everything that happened to Him was carried out according to God’s design. Jesus suffered and died as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world that hated Him and then He rose from the dead, overcoming sin, death, and Satan. Jesus bore His cross and His body, the church, that is, all who trust in Him alone for salvation, must also bear the cross of suffering. Yet we take heart because through faith in Jesus we will overcome the “hungry billows” that threaten us.
When we struggle with anger against those who seek to harm the church or when we are tempted to sin against our enemies, we pray that Jesus’ peace would reign in our hearts. We ask for the ability to forgive our enemies as Jesus forgave those who crucified Him. We pray for peace in the world, that it might cease its war against the church. Bearing the cross as we follow Jesus, we want to be bold witnesses for our Lord. We pray that the Holy Spirit would enlighten people through the Gospel and bring them to eternal safety in the ark of the Savior’s church.
WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, preserve Your church in every time of trouble. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn “Lord of Our Life,” which is number 659 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. Does it ever seem like your church is under attack from outside forces?
2. How would conscientiously living a Christ-like life bless your church?
3. If the church is under attack from Satan, how can we combat these attacks to maintain peace in our congregations?
Today’s Bible Readings: 1 Kings 5-7 Acts 7:44-60
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/
Here is the website for Lutherans for Life: https://lutheransforlife.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
