We are listening to The Faithful Word, a podcast of Grace Lutheran Church in Smithfield, Texas. I'm David Wellmer, pastor here at Grace Lutheran Church. I pray that you are filled with peace and hope as you hear and reflect on God's Word today. Today's devotion follows the order of the Congregation at Prayer. You can find this either in your bulletin as an insert or online. The website link is below. Today is Thursday, January 2nd. We reflect on the first Sunday after Christmas and remember the theme, "Christ's peace rules our hearts, so be thankful." In the name of the Father, in of the Son, in of the Holy Spirit, Amen, O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. Make haste, O God, to deliver me. Make haste to help me, O Lord. Praise to you, O Christ, Lamb of our salvation, glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever, Amen. Praise to you, O Christ, Alleluia. Psalm 111. Praise the Lord, I will give thanks to the Lord with all my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the Congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him. He remembers his covenant forever. He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just. All his precepts are trustworthy. They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to his people. He has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, all those who practice it have a good understanding, his praise endures forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen. Him 3.89, let all together praise our God. Let all together praise our God before his glorious throne. May he opens heaven again to give us his own son, to give us his own son. He leaves his heavenly fathers, thrown as born an infant small, and in a manger, poor and lone lies in a humble stall, lies in a humble stall. Within an earth-born form he hides his all-creating light. To serve us all he humbly cloaks the splendor of his might, the splendor of his might. He undertakes a great exchange, puts on our human frame, and in return gives us his realm his glory and his name, his glory and his name. He is a servant I, O Lord, how great a mystery, how strong the tender Christ-child's love, no truer friend than he, no truer friend than he. He is the key, and he the door, to blessed paradise. The angel bars the way no more, to God our praises rise, to God our praises rise. Your grace in loneliness revealed, Lord Jesus we adore, and praise to God the Father yield in spirit evermore, we praise you evermore. The Learn by Heart scripture, Colossians 3 verses 15 to 16, and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful, that the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. A reading from Isaiah chapter 62, "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as burning torch. The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name, that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, in a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed desolate. But ye shall be called, my delight is in her, and your land married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. On your walls of Jerusalem I have set watchmen, all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance take no rest, and give him no rest, until he establishes Jerusalem, and makes it a praise in the earth. The Lord is sworn by his right hand, and by his mighty arm. I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink your wine for which you have labored; but those who garner it shall eat it, and praise the Lord, and those who gather it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary. Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people, build up the highway, clear it of stones, lift up a signal over the peoples, behold the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, say to the daughter of Zion, behold your salvation comes, behold his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. And they shall be called, the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, and you shall be called sought out, a city not forsaken. O Lord have mercy on us, thanks be to God. A reading from Luke chapter 2. In those days it accruing went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration while Coronius was governor of Syria. It all went to be registered, each to his own town, and Joseph also went up from Galilee to from the town of Nazareth to Judea to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betros, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth, and she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling claws and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night, and an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people; for unto you is born this day, and the city of David is Savior who is Christ the Lord; and this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling claws and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased." When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger, and when they saw it they may known the saying that had been told them concerning this child, and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart, and the shepherds returned, glorifying, and praising God, for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them. O Lord have mercy on us, thanks be to God. May we remember J.K. Wilhelm Lea, a pastor. Although he had never left Germany, Johann Conrad Wilhelm Lea, born in Firthen, 1808, had a profound impact on the development of Lutheranism in North America. Serving as a pastor in the Bavarian village of New Endetalzau, he recognized the need for workers in developing lands and assisted in training emergency helpers to be sent as missionary pastors to North America, Brazil and Australia. A number of the men he sent to the United States became founders of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. Through his financial support, a theological school in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and a Teachers Institute in Saginaw, Michigan were established. Lea was known for his confessional integrity and his interest in liturgy and catechetics. His devotion to works of charity, Christian charity led to the establishment of Deaconess Training House and Homes for the Aided. They'll learn by heart catechism and attend commandments. What is the ninth commandment? You shall not covet your neighbor's house. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbors inheritance or house, or get it in a way which only appears right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it. What is the tenth commandment? You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor's wife, workers, animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and to do their duty. Let us pray, Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for that is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen. O God, our Maker and Redeemer, you wonderfully created us, and in the incarnation of your Son, yet more wonderfully restored our human nature. It meant that we may ever be alive in him who made himself to be like us. Through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever, amen. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I pray that you would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, but all my doings and life may please you. Lord, to your hands I commend myself, my body and soul in all things, let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me, amen. Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all, amen.
