Here are suggested devotions for the week beginning on Sunday April 19. The suggestions are from the Ministers Prayer book edited by John W. Doberstein. The theme for the first week after the Week of Easter is "NEW BIRTH".
Many talk about being "born again" and here the Scriptures address that matter in the "New Birth emphasis". Dr. Luther emphasized that a Christian should remember his (or her Baptism) every single day and thus be "born again". It is not a once in a lifetime event but a daily event for people who believe in the Resurrection of Jesus. Feel free to share your thoughts on the various texts and themes for each week as they are posted in our Forum.
Here are the suggested items for reflection from the Doberstein reprint of the earlier German language Prayer book.
From 1 Peter 1:3 - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." A suggested Hymn for reading or singing for the week is "Come Ye faithful, raise the strain" Psalm readings for the week are Psalm 81 or Psalm 116 The Lectionary Lessons for Sunday are: O.T - Genesis 32:22-32 Epistle: 1 John 5:4-12 Gospel: John 20:19-31 Lessons for reading and reflection for the week M. 2 Tim. 1:6-10 and Ezekiel 36:22-27 T. 2 Tim. 2:1-5 and Col. 2:9-15 W. 1 Peter 1:22-25 and John 5:1-14 T. 1 Tim. 1:12-17 and 2 Kings 5:1-19 F. 1 Peter 1:3-9 and Rom. 6:3-11 S. Jonah 2:1-11 and 1 John 2:12-17 Prayer for the Week "Almighty and everlasting God, who througyh the death and resurrection of thy Son hast proclaimed to us the gospeo of peace; grant that by the power of his resurrection we may be born anew to a living hope, and so overcome the world; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
The Lessons for the Saturday of the 1st Sunday after Easter Week are: Jonah 2:1-11 and 1 John 2:12-17
The First Text is part of what is known as Jonah’s prayer where Jonah prays to God from the Belly of the Fish.
Even though Jonah feels everything is over with the waters closing over him to take his life He rejoices because his life has en brought up from the pit.
Salvation belongs to the Lord and the Lord acted on behalf of Jonah even though Jonah was refusing to do what God had called him to do.
This text points us to the Victory of the Resurrection. Because of Jesus our lives are not over. Instead of an end in the deeps we are given the assurance of “NEW LIFE” and so Jonah is vomited out upon dry land because the Lord (only Jesus causes it to happen).
The 1 John 2:12-17 text is conveying a message right in line with what we have heard this week from Paul, Peter, Ezekiel, and the writer of 2 Kings.
He is addressing his readers as little children and starting with the absolute simplest basic - “I am writing you….because you Sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.”
Then follow a list of fathers, young men, children, fathers, and young men again.
It all begins with little children knowing the basic that their sins are forgiven and concludes with “young men who are strong ….because the word of God abides” in them. That is how one overcomes the world. Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches.
So at the end of the week here is the emphasis of “New Life” that is based in Jesus and only Jesus.