Zion Lutheran Church (LCMS)

A Guide for Daily Prayer and Meditation: April 14–21, 2024

Pray and confess out loud as much as you are able or based on your family size and ages. (Alternative orders in LSB pp295-8)

+++

The sign of the cross + may be made by all in remembrance of their baptism.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Hymn of the Month for April:  LSB 470 O Sons and Daughters of the King

One or more verses from the hymn of the month are sung, or another hymn may be chosen.

Verse of the Week: Romans 6:9; Luke 24:32

We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?

Daily Lectionary

The Sixth Commandment:  You Shall Not Commit Adultery.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other.

(Go to bottom of next page for related Bible verses and/or excerpts from Large Catechism.)

The Apostles’ Creed is confessed † Lord’s Prayer † Prayers for Others and Ourselves (see LSB 305-318 for prayers)

Prayers requested for: Dan Drinkman, Ben, Lois Eichinger, Joann Fox, Mark (Joann Fox’s son), Louis Gettler, Arlene Hakes, Elijah Jones, Marlys Jones, Pastor Jones, Ruth Meyer (Tim Meyer’s mother), Lacie Miles (Chrystal’s sister-in-law), Bernard Nazer (Mary Gettler’s brother), Haley Nienow (Carol Radl’s niece), Mike Osborn (Mary Gettler’s son), Doris Post, Arlene Potts, Michael Potts, Mark Radl, Alexis Radle, Nancy, Ellis Schweisthal, Sarah Schweisthal, Kara Simmons (Pastor and Susan Thomas’ goddaughter), Marlys St. George (Pastor Jones’ great aunt), Pastor Szedlak, Ben Thomas 

Collect for the Third Sunday of Easter

O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world. Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joys; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Prayer based on The Sixth Commandment

O Lord God, who has created man and woman and has ordained them for the marriage bond, making them fruitful by Your blessing, and has typified therein the sacramental union of Your dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the church, His bride, we beg Your infinite goodness and mercy that You will not permit this Your creation, ordinance, and blessing to be disturbed or destroyed but will graciously preserve the same, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Martin Luther)

Let us bless the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Excerpts from the Large Catechism on the Sixth Commandment

--  [The Fifth through the Tenth Commandments] are all to show that we must avoid doing any kind of harm to our neighbor. But they are arranged in fine order. In the first place, they talk about our neighbor personally. Then they proceed to talk about the person nearest him, or the closest possession next after his body, namely, his wife. She is one flesh and blood with him, so that they cannot inflict a higher injury upon him in any good that is his. Therefore, it is clearly forbidden here to bring any disgrace upon our neighbor regarding his wife. (381-382:200)

- But among us there is such a shameful mess and the very dregs of all vice and lewdness. Therefore, this commandment is directed against all kinds of unchastity, whatever it may be called. Not only is the outward act of adultery forbidden, but also every kind of cause, motive, and means of adultery. Then the heart, the lips, and the whole body may be chaste and offer no opportunity, help, or persuasion toward inchastity. (382:202-203)

- [God] gloriously … honors and praises this estate. For by His commandment He both approves and guards it. He has approved it above in the Fourth Commandments, “Honor your father and your mother.” But here He has (as we said) hedged it about and protected it. Therefore, He also wishes us to honor it and maintain and govern it as a divine and blessed estate because, in the first place, He has instituted it before all others. He created man and woman separately, as is clear. This was not for lewdness, but so that they might live together in marriage, be fruitful, bear children, and nourish and train them to honor God. (382:206-207)

- [Marriage] is not only placed on an equality with other estates, but it comes first and surpasses them all. (382:209)

Bible verses for meditation on the Sixth Commandment

- Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27 

- Genesis 2:22-25 

- Mark 10:6-9