Northwoods Table Talk

           Lection for Trinity XII 1  Kings 12:20-13:5, 33-34         2  Corinthians 8:1-24 On more than one occasion I have had people tell me, (or something like this) "Pastor, I really do not know how to pray. I know the Lord's Prayer, I know 'Come, Lord Jesus...' and I know 'Now I lay me down sleep...' but other than those, I truly don't know how to pray." I have found that the more familiar I am with the Scripture, the easier it is to pray - especially as I know the Psalms. I am too thick in the head to try and make up prayers. Rev. Martin Luther, way back in the 1500s had people coming to him asking him how to pray. My suggestion is to open up your Bible every day and read it. When you have read, pray! Pray what Scripture has taught you. Dr. Luther wrote something also very wonderful about prayer to Peter the barber. I am going to post what he wrote, "A Simple Way to Pray." But as it is rather long, it will be in the space over the span

          Lection for Saturday after Trinity XI 1  Kings 11:42-12:19         2  Corinthians 7:1-16 On more than one occasion I have had people tell me, (or something like this) "Pastor, I really do not know how to pray. I know the Lord's Prayer, I know 'Come, Lord Jesus...' and I know 'Now I lay me down sleep...' but other than those, I truly don't know how to pray." I have found that the more familiar I am with the Scripture, the easier it is to pray - especially as I know the Psalms. I am too thick in the head to try and make up prayers. Rev. Martin Luther, way back in the 1500s had people coming to him asking him how to pray. My suggestion is to open up your Bible every day and read it. When you have read, pray! Pray what Scripture has taught you. Dr. Luther wrote something also very wonderful about prayer to Peter the barber. I am going to post what he wrote, "A Simple Way to Pray." But as it is rather long, it will be in the space over t

        Lection for Friday after Trinity XI 1  Kings 11:1-26         2  Corinthians 6:1-18 On more than one occasion I have had people tell me, (or something like this) "Pastor, I really do not know how to pray. I know the Lord's Prayer, I know 'Come, Lord Jesus...' and I know 'Now I lay me down sleep...' but other than those, I truly don't know how to pray." I have found that the more familiar I am with the Scripture, the easier it is to pray - especially as I know the Psalms. I am too thick in the head to try and make up prayers. Rev. Martin Luther, way back in the 1500s had people coming to him asking him how to pray. My suggestion is to open up your Bible every day and read it. When you have read, pray! Pray what Scripture has taught you. Dr. Luther wrote something also very wonderful about prayer to Peter the barber. I am going to post what he wrote, "A Simple Way to Pray." But as it is rather long, it will be in the space over the span

      Lection for Thursday after Trinity XI 1  Kings 9:1-9, 10:1-13         2  Corinthians 5:1-21 On more than one occasion I have had people tell me, (or something like this) "Pastor, I really do not know how to pray. I know the Lord's Prayer, I know 'Come, Lord Jesus...' and I know 'Now I lay me down sleep...' but other than those, I truly don't know how to pray." I have found that the more familiar I am with the Scripture, the easier it is to pray - especially as I know the Psalms. I am too thick in the head to try and make up prayers. Rev. Martin Luther, way back in the 1500s had people coming to him asking him how to pray. My suggestion is to open up your Bible every day and read it. When you have read, pray! Pray what Scripture has taught you. Dr. Luther wrote something also very wonderful about prayer to Peter the barber. I am going to post what he wrote, "A Simple Way to Pray." But as it is rather long, it will be in the space over th

     Lection for Wednesday after Trinity XI 1  Kings 8:22-30, 46-63         2  Corinthians 4:1-18 How does God deliver, or bestow the forgiveness of sins? Yes, it was purchased on the cross! Yes, we know that it was won for us! Yes, by faith it is ours! It is however delivered to us that we the more readily believe and trust it. First it is our in Baptism, we also know that we receive it in the Lord’s Supper, but when I published the Catechisms a few weeks ago, someone came to be and said, “Pastor, we do not believe in Private Confession and Absolution, that is a Roman Catholic thing.   So, I thought I’d talk a bit today about the gift of forgiveness coming through the “Power of the Keys.” The “Power of the Keys” refers to the confession of sins and the proclamation of the Holy Absolution as the pastor exercises the “Office of the Keys.”   Sin is a part of everybody’s life. In fact, there are times that a sense of guilt over a particular sin dominates our thinking to such an extent tha

     Lection for Tuesday after Trinity XI 1  Kings 7:51-8:21         2  Corinthians 3:1-18 Two things are contrasted in the Corinthian text, the letter and the Spirit. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Paul is talking about the fact that he, and all pastors, are ministers of a new covenant, one not of the letter but the Spirit.   Moses was given the covenant that was carved in letters on stone.   It was a glorious thing, it was most holy, for it was given by God Himself. There was no evil in it, no sin whatsoever.   It spoke of the perfect will of God for all people. It was a covenant given that said, “Do this all and you shall live.”     It was, however, a ministry of death. Why? For it brought to light the sinfulness that flowed forth from mankind. It functioned as a holy mirror to show people their sin and as such, although there was glory in the Law, it was a righteous glory that people could not attain. There are none who can fulfill that righteous and holy covenant, no

    Lection for Monday after Trinity XI 1  Kings 5:1-18         2  Corinthians 1:23-2:17 The other day, someone asked me the other day about ‘saints.’ Aren’t saints holy? Who are the saints? What does it take to become a saint? The question was brought about because of the fact that they read that it was St. Mary, Mother of our Lord day. I thought it was a good opportunity to address this question in a more public forum, for I am sure that others have similar questions.   Hey, it is my blog, I can do this here if I want to. While it is not technically a “devotion,” it is devotional.   What exactly does it mean to be holy? Holy is to be sinless, without sin. We know that there is no one that is sinless. In fact, we know from the Psalmist that we are all born sinful. “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5 ESV) So, if we are sinful and nothing good dwells in us, that is in our flesh, as Paul explains his own struggles with sin (see Rom

   Lection for Trinity XI 1 Kings3:1-15       2  Corinthians 1:1-22 A friend of mine from Connecticut, lamenting the state of our society, thought about what God would have to say to us today.  He thought, "If the Lord were to speak to us in the same form as the Lord's Prayer, only in reverse, what would He say?"  He wrote the following rendition of the Lord's Prayer: My children, who art on earth, Hollow be thy world. My kingdom's coming, thy will's undone, on earth there is no heaven. I gave you each day your daily bread, and forgave you your trespasses, even while you trespassed against me. You led yourselves into temptation, as I wanted to deliver you from the evil one. You've despised My kingdom, ignored My power, and given Me no glory, forever and ever.   Amen.   These are some harsh words.  Yet, if we examine them carefully, they are also too true.  We look around and we can see how God's laws have been undone.  Jesus' Sermon on the Mount i

For some reason, this devotion did not get published. It was here, but with the new look to "Blogger" it just did not get published. My apologies.      Lection for Saturday Trinity X 1  Kings 2:1-27      1 Corinthians 13 :1-13 1 st Corinthians 13 is  often referred to as the great “love chapter” of the Bible. It is the chapter many couple want read at their wedding, thinking it a great supplement to the Scriptural texts already designated to be read at their wedding ceremony. It is this description of love that the vow they will follow in their life with one another.   Indeed, if we ALL could love one another as this chapter describes, there would be no broken marriages…nor broken families, nor any other problems in any place.   Love in this text is a specific kind of love, as selfless, self-sacrificial love. It is typified as I like to describe it, as an act of the will, to do for another – sometimes involving sacrifice of self. It is the love of God for us in Christ Jesus