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June 18, 2008,
SMLC Midweek Devotions
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Our Mission
Invite others to hear the gospel and together grow as faithful followers of Jesus Christ.
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In this issue:
June 22nd Lessons
Weekly Devotions
Quote of the Week
Chuckle of the Week
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Sunday, June 22nd; Mexico Mission Team reporting on their recent trip.
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Weekly Devotion
By Ken Ewing
Deliver Us From Evil
Have you ever noticed that Lutheran theology has a lot to say about evil? Scripturally, we live with three spiritual enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. “The world” speaks of the dark side of communities and cultures that can corrupt and have power to injure and destroy. “The flesh” emphasizes that we are in “bondage” to sin, meaning that sin is so indelibly ingrained into our nature that we cannot ultimately resist it by any human power, and it compels us to do evil. “The devil” is a spiritual foe bent on our destruction. If we think about all of this too much, it could get kind of overwhelming.
Into this context comes the petition “Deliver us from evil.”
We live in the United States, the Land of Rugged Individualism. Our culture reveres the person who rises up and makes his or her mark against all odds. Weakness is a sin, audacity a virtue, fear an anathema. We almost feel a need to apologize if we have to ask for help.
Don’t hear me as criticizing personal accomplishment or the merits of hard work. What I’m saying is that none of us in invincible. No matter how powerful we are, sooner or later we encounter something that is just bigger than we are.
Into this context comes the petition “Deliver us from evil.”
Evil scares us because it comes from hidden places. The New Testament speaks of evil as “darkness” that avoids the light. Evil is shadowy. It attacks by ambush. We are never quite sure where it’s going to come from.
It may seem a stretch, but in this way evil is similar to Martin Luther’s explanation of the Law. The Law is not a standard that we are supposed to live up to. It’s a standard that we cannot possibly live up to. In the spiritual life, the Law demonstrates to us daily how far we fall short of perfection, and it drives us to dependence on God’s grace for forgiveness and acceptance.
Evil does much the same thing. Like the Law, it’s bigger than us. Just as we cannot fulfill the Law, we also cannot defeat evil by any power of our own. The ominous presence of evil drives us to dependence on God for protection and strength.
This petition in The Lord’s Prayer calls us to temper our audacity with a tincture of humility. It reminds us that God’s power, not our own, sustains us in this tumultuous world. This petition is a ray of light that keeps us hopeful when darkness surrounds us. And if, perchance, evil should befall us, it is the assurance of God’s presence to be with us in the midst of the storm, because God through Jesus Christ knows how it feels to be the victim of evil.
Into this context comes the petition “Deliver us from evil.”
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Quote of the Week
God gave teeth; he will give bread. - Lithuanian Proverb
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Chuckle of the Week
Top Ten Books Doctors Enjoy Reading...
10. How To Turn a Lung Transplant Into a Vacation Home
9. Your Waiting Room's a Financial Bonanza: The Simple Use of Vending Machines & Pay-Per-View TV
8. All the Things that 9 out of 10 of Us Recommend
7. Chicken Scratch: How to Not Only Write it, But Speak It
6. There's Big Money in Second Opinions
5. "Cat Scans to Bed-Pans" -- The novel that finally puts some humor into diseases.
4. Bedside Jokes to Tell the Chronically Sick
3. Recurring Revenue: Getting Your Share of the Hypochondriac Market!
2. How to Convince a Patient That He or She Needs the Entire Battery Available Diagnostic Tests
1. 101 Places to Buy 6-Year-Old Magazines For Your Waiting Room
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Invitation for a Friend ~ Please clip & deliver!
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St. Matthew Lutheran Church
10390 SW Canyon Road
Beaverton, Oregon 97005
(503) 644-9148
Sunday Services at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 a.m.
Childcare available during all three services.
Visit us at: http://www.stmatthewlutheran.org/
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