What God Has Done For Us
Sunday’s Verse:
From Matthew 10:7 ESV
(Jesus said) “And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
Jesus commissions his disciples to preach, and their message is simple: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” God’s kingdom is near in Christ, who, by his mercy, has come near to sinners, the tired, and the sick.
As Lutherans, we are reminded by this passage that the Christian life begins not with what we can do for God, but with what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. The disciples were sent to preach good news they had already received, and it’s the same for us: we preach because we’ve been preached to; we are forgiven because we’ve been forgiven; we’re sent because Christ has come near to us in His Word and Sacraments.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, thank You that Your kingdom has come near in Your love for us. Give us courage to proclaim Your Gospel, and grant us hearts of humility to receive Your gifts by faith. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
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 Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
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, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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