SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH
READINGS, PRAYERS and DEVOTION
TUESDAY, AUGUST 16
NEWS: A very blessed Tuesday to all!
PRAYERS: Today we especially pray for Tom and Gloria Morofski. Tom is dealing with issues in his lower spinal disc and he and his doctor are considering the best course of treatment, including cortisone shots. We also pray for the arthritic hip Tom is dealing with. We lift to the Lord the Luckemeyer family, as they begin to home school Jeremy. We also include a prayer from the LSB (Lutheran Service Book, our hymnal) for Seminaries and Colleges, “O God, source of all abiding knowledge, through Word and Spirit You both enlighten the minds and sanctify the lives of those whom You draw to Your service. Look with favor on the seminaries and colleges of the Church, blessing those who teach and those who learn, that all the baptized may apply themselves with ready diligence to their tasks and faithfully fulfill their service according to Your will; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
READINGS: Psalm 11; Psalm 84; 2 Samuel 6:1-19; 1 Corinthians 9:1-23
DEVOTION:
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
“No Longer Exiles”
Isaiah 66:18b, 19b-21 – The time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see My glory … And they shall declare My glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to My holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the LORD.
Do you know what an exile is? It is someone who lives far away from home, who can never go back. My husband is an exile of sorts; he fled Vietnam as one of the boat people, and he has never returned. It might not be safe for him to go home again. But I know that he misses his first country very much.
It’s a special kind of grief, living in exile. Many ancient people used it as a kind of punishment, the pain goes so deep. And the people of Judah had good reason to know that pain. They were scattered when Jerusalem fell, and their enemies took them far, far away and scattered them among the nations. They never expected to see home again.
But now the Lord announces a miracle: the exiles will come home again. And not by their own efforts, either. Their enemies, the very nations who enslaved them, will carry them back to the Lord as offerings. They will come home to be priests of the Lord, serving the God who redeemed them. They will be home—this time, forever.
Coming home where we belong. This is what the Lord wants for you—for me—for all of us. The whole human race has been exiled since very early on—ever since we rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, since we turned our backs on Him and tried to build a life without Him. But now we know: there is no such life. The Lord is our life, and our home, and our happiness. How we need Him!
But we cannot go back by our own effort. The trip is too far; the road is too rough. We need carrying. We need someone to fetch us, to heal our wounds, to bring us home again. And that is what Jesus has done for us.
He left heaven and went searching for us, lost as we were. He called us back to the Lord with everything He said and did. And because He knew that words wouldn’t be enough, He lay down His own life to bring us back to God—to carry us safely to the Father, forgiven and loved and home again. Now everyone who trusts in Him is home, home forever—living with the everlasting, joyful life of the Savior who rose from the dead to make us God’s own.
WE PRAY: Thanks be to God! Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do you know anyone who lives far from the place they were born? How do they feel about that?
2. If you live far from your first home, what do you miss about it?
3. When you feel far from God, how does Jesus comfort and bring you home?
Today’s Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 16 Psalms 42,44 1 Corinthians 10:1-18
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 Tuesday to everyone! For any needs or prayer requests, please contact us
Pastor Joel at pastor@svlchurch.org
