Malagasy Lutheran Church
Communion’s prayer, Sunday XXI after Trinity
Week from 06th to 11th, November 2017
“Blessed are those who trust in God”
Introduction: Blessed and prosperous are those who trust in God, who put their confidence in Him (Ps 40:4), who accept Him as Lord and Savior. Those who won’t put their trust in any other name, or commit their life, their work and their plans to anything else, but to God only, thus fulfilling His command which says: “you shall have no other gods before me” Ex 20:3. The psalmist urges us to trust in God: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: ‘He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun” Ps 37:5-6. The writer of Proverbs gives a similar advice, saying: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” Pr 16:3. These words of teaching and encouragement are most reliable, source of salvation and blessings. For God would not lie or break His word (Tit 1:2); but He accomplishes His words to our benefit (Lk 1:37). Through faith we receive the word of God, because “without faith it is impossible to please God” Heb 11:6. This is done in the Holy name of Jesus Christ, His Son, as He is “the author and perfecter of our faith” Heb 12:2. Through Him the word of God is fulfilled, as it is written: “but as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not ‘yes’ and ‘no’ for the Son of God, Jesus-Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not ‘yes’ and ‘no’ but in Him it was always been yes. For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘yes in Christ. And so, for Him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” 2 Cor.1:18-20. So “believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household” Acts 16:31.
Monday 06: Blessed are those who trust in God.
“Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him” Ps 34:8b.
Reading 1: Rom 4: 13-22; Reading 2: Ps 34:8-10; Preaching 1 (choice); Preaching 2: Ps 34:8. Other references:
– “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” Ps 91:1-2.
– “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” Jn 10:27-28.
Tuesday 07: The believer lives by true faith.
“A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign” Mt 16:4a.
Reading 1: Dt 8:1-3; Reading 2: Mt 16:1-4; Preaching 1 (choice); Preaching 2: Mt 16:4.Other references:
– “Who foils the sign of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the ways and turns it into nonsense” Is 44:25.
– “Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe” Mr 15: 32.
Wednesday 08: Faith is the way to remain in the grace of God.
“You stand by faith” Rm 11:20b.
Reading 1: Dt 8:1-3; Reading 2: Rm 11:13-24; Preaching 1 (choice); Preaching 2: Rm 11:19-20. Other references:
– “Then Jesus said to the Centurion: ‘Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.’ And his servant was healed at that very hour” Mt 8:13
– “But when he asks, he must believe and not that, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is double-minded man, unstable in all he does” Jas 1:6-8
Thursday 09: God strengthens his people’s faith.
“Let him who does right continue to do right and let him who is holy continue to be holy” Rev 22:11b.
Reading 1: Mt 17:14-20; Reading 2: Rev 22:10-16; Preaching 1 (choice); Preaching 2: Rev 22:10-11. Other references:
– “If you have faith as small as mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you” Lk 17:6.
– “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like carves released from the stall” Mal 4:2.
Friday 10: God rebukes disbelief.
“But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him” Heb 10:38
Reading 1: 1 Cor 10:1-12; Reading 2: Heb 10:32-39; Preaching 1 (choice); Preaching 2: Heb 10:35-39. Other references:
– “But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them” Num 20:12.
– “Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles” Acts 13:46b.
Saturday 11: Through faith in Jesus one inherits eternal life.
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” Jn 3:36a.
Reading 1: Acts 4:1-12; Reading 2: Jn 3:22-36; Preaching 1 (choice); Preaching 2: Jn 3:35-36. Other references:
– “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” Jn 1:12
– “Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the Only True God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” Jn 17:3.
Note: This pericope is published in Malagasy, French, English and German, and can be seen on the site www.hifi-madanet.org and on Facebook “HiFi – english”. © Madanet.