A PRAYER FOR THOSE DEVASTATED IN OKLAHOMA

For all those suffering in the wake of the tornadoes in Oklahoma we pray:

Christ, be with each of them.

Christ, before each of them.

Christ, behind each of them.

Christ be on their right and their left.

Christ be where they lie, where they sit and where they rise.

Christ be in the heart of everyone with them and for them.

Christ be in the mouth of everyone who speaks with them and for them.

Christ be in the eyes of all who look upon and after them.

Christ be in the ears of all who hear and listen to them.

Their salvation is of the Lord.

Their salvation is of the Lord alone.

Their salvation is of the Lord Jesus Christ.

May Your salvation, O Lord, be ever with them all.

Christ be the answer to this prayer. Amen.

I redraft/edited St. Patrick’s prayer for those suffering so.

-pmwl 

Chemo For Life

A most excellent piece by Dr. Scott Murray of Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston, TX.

-pmwl

Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10  not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” FIRST CORINTHIANS 5:7-13 (ESV)

People suffering from cancer often undergo chemotherapy. Because of its toxicity a person undergoing "chemo" usually becomes quite sick. A deadly chemical is being introduced into the body in carefully controlled amounts in an attempt to kill the cancer cells, without killing the person. Chemotherapy is the struggle to kill one part of the body, while keeping the rest of the body alive. The therapy often takes weeks, sometimes months, because it would be deadly if administered all at once. Chemotherapy is really poison introduced to purge the body of that which threatens its health.

Our Lord is purging our bodies of the cancer of death, but He does so by killing us (Job 13:15). Yes, slowly and in small doses, but killing us all the same. This killing begins in baptism in which the therapy is administered. We Christians will live with doses of dying in repentance through the daily use of baptism. All sins and evil desires are killed every day that the "new man might daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever" (SC 4.4). The dying goes on daily, because God causes the dying of baptism to become a way of life. Death, then, is a way of life. It is a way of life because the dying is caused by what God sends in the sacrament of baptism. Baptism is a means of grace not just at its administration, but baptism continually functions as a way of death to life.

Dying comes gradually to us through these sacramental gifts. The sacramental blessings are all ours at once by grace. Whatever the Word promises is ours fully and completely. However, we often do not feel the life given by the Word. Instead, we feel the weight of death within us through the killing power of the Word. The burdens of our body and this life in the flesh are full enough of trial and trouble. This is real, not imagined as in Scientology. The reality of our weakness and suffering, however, does not make less real the verdict that God holds us now to be deathless and that the purging process will one day be complete when our corpse is put six feet under. Our feeling does not change the verdict spoken and though we feel death and are dying every day, yet life is ours, even to the full (Jn 10:10). Christ's promise to us in baptism will come to its fulfillment when we die. The Lord is purging our sin from us through the therapy of baptism. It kills to make alive. 

Martin Luther

"Poison and pestilence are a death which does not kill suddenly and immediately; but it kills nevertheless. It gradually makes its way through the whole body until it reaches the heart. That is the way God also treats us. He does not want to carry out the victory over death and the devil all of a sudden, but He has this proclaimed for a while for the sake of the elect who are yet to be born. So He begins to mix and prepare the potion to be a purgatioor a medication for us, to refresh and to invigorate us but to be poison and death for the devil. This is comparable to a potion prescribed by a physician. This is conducive to a patient's health, but it is poison to a fever. Thus He could well call His medicine or antidote a poison or a pestilence. Here, too, it is true that one poison expels another, that one pestilence kills the other.

"This also applies to Christendom now, when Word, baptism, and the sacrament are administered and nothing is proclaimed but that Christ died and rose again. That is the only prescription or purgatio for our sin and death. That we must take daily and let it work, in order to drive the poison from our heart and take us from death and hell to eternal life. He promised us that; and He commanded us to proclaim it and to believe it. Thereby He brings it about in us daily that it penetrates like a leaven, as Christ says in Mt 13:33. Then the heart grows and grows in faith and learns to despise and overcome this life and its hardships.

"That is the victory by which death is to be swallowed up, so that we need fear death no longer or remain in it. For the heart is already saturated by the gospel, which shall be poison and pestilence to death. It weakens death from day to day and deprives death of his strength, until he is submerged entirely and disappears. For although he is not yet entirely swallowed up in us, the victory gained by Christ is already present, and through gospel, baptism, and faith it has become our victory. On the Last Day, when we have taken off the old, earthly, perishable garment and put on a new celestial one, we can destroy him completely with this victory. Then we will remain in life forever; then we will behold and perceive life as we now behold and feel the reverse, namely, that death is in us and that we are stuck in death. The victory appears to be his alone, as he as the lord of the world devours and consumes one person after another up to the Last Day. But nevertheless we know from Scripture that victory was wrested from him by Christ, who began to swallow him up in Himself. And through Him we, too, are spiritually victorious over him. Later we will bury death also physically and do away with him entirely, so that nothing will be seen or known of him any longer. Instead, we will have nothing but life and bliss."

Martin Luther,  Commentary on 1 Corinthians 15, 54-55

Rev. Dr. Scott R. Murray
MEMORIAL MOMENT – May 7, 2013

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Memorial-Moment--Chemo-For-Life.html?soid=1101459756774&aid=XPgwfTVKre4

For the National Day of Prayer

For the National Day of Prayer

from the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod  http://www.lcms.org/letuspray

2 May 2013

People loved by God, the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures instructs us to pray for everyone, and especially for those who govern. Let us offer our thanksgivings and petitions on this National Day of Prayer to the Father of all mercy.

Brief Silence

Heavenly Father, we give thanks for this country, for its rich resources, its heritage of freedom, and the charity of its citizens in times of need. Help us to use those resources wisely, to nurture and further that heritage of freedom, and to find ways to be a blessing to others nations of the earth. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Ruler of all, remember in Your kindness our President, all who serve in his cabinet, our legislators, our judges, and all who hold positions of public trust in our land. Preserve them in health, and grant them to serve faithfully, wisely, and courageously. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord of Sabaoth, to Your gracious care we commend all who serve in the armed forces. May Your protecting hand rest upon them. We ask that You would strengthen and uphold them in every good deed. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord of life, we confess that our public life has in many ways deviated from Your holy will. Forgive us, Lord. Have mercy upon us. Give us the grace of repentance. Help us cherish every human life from conception to natural death as a priceless gift to be nurtured and preserved. Help us to uphold, protect and strengthen holy marriage as the life long union between a man and a woman. Grant healing and restoration to all who have been hurt through the evils of abortion, divorce, or sexual sin. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Creator of the human race, You have made us all of one blood, and yet we have fostered divisions among ourselves. Destroy in us all hatred and prejudice. Help us to see in every human life a unique being, created by God, redeemed by Christ, and intended for Your kingdom. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Bountiful Giver of every good, remember those who have been disinherited in our nation, those who are trapped in cycles of poverty and debt, those forced to live in unwholesome environments. Help us all to share these burdens and find ways to transform impoverished neighborhoods so that all may join in blessing You for Your rich bounty in this good land. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lover of the human race, remember all in our country who struggle with mental illness, disease and all who face death. Give to them Your comfort, and help them to find final healing in Your Son’s hands. Strengthen the work of all who serve in health care, and bless their service to all in need. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Father of the Risen Lord, we pray most of all today for all who have no right knowledge of You in our country, for all who live outside the life of Your Church. Send forth Your powerful Word to call them home, that we may welcome them with joy as sisters and brothers of Christ in the Kingdom of forgiveness. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord of the future, we know not what tomorrow will bring, but we know that You will meet us there. Take all fear from Your people in this land, and grant us to walk forward with joy and confidence in Your unfailing love. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

These things and whatever else You know that we need, grant us, we pray, for the sake of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to speak to You in these words: Our Father...

The prayer may close by all joining in singing this hymn (LSB 965):

God bless our native land;  Firm may she ever stand

Through storm and night.  When the wild tempests rave,

Ruler of wind and wave,  Do Thou our country save

By Thy great might. 

So shall our prayers arise  To God above the skies; 

On Him we wait;  Thou who art ever nigh, 

guarding with watchful eye,  To Thee aloud we cry: 

God save the state!

For the National Day of Prayer copyright 2013 by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. This work may be reproduced for congregational use only. Commercial reproduction, or reproduction for sale of this work or any portion thereof is prohibited without written consent from the copyright holder.