"Amen, O hear us, Lord!"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Father, who from heav'n above

Bids all of us to live in love

As members of one family

And pray to You in unity,

Teach us no thoughtless words to say

But from our inmost hearts to pray (LSB 766).

Our Father in heaven bids us to pray, and in today's Gospel lesson, His Son, our brother, teaches us how to pray, so that we may pray not with thoughtless words and unsure hearts, but with faith and confidence, believing that He will give us all that we need.

For you, O Christians, have the joyous Word and promise that God is with His people. He is with you every moment of your life, from the instant of conception until the end of your last breath, and then He continues to preserve you in glory in His eternal, heavenly kingdom. Your God is not distant or far off or caught away in the furthest heavens, far removed from you. No – your God is Immanuel, God-With-Us.

His Way

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.” Thus David prays in the appointed Psalm for this, the first Sunday of a new church year. How fitting it is that we beseech the Lord to direct and guide all our ways and deeds in this new year, and throughout each year.

In this world, there are many ways. Just think of the sayings we have in the English language to talk about this. “All roads lead to Rome.” “There's more than one way to skin a cat.” “Life is a maze.” “Life is a riddle.” And we could go on and on. It is a popular notion that life is what you make of it, and your task in life is simply to do the best you can with what you have.

But how do you know the way? If life is a maze, then how do you find the solution? Of course, some would say that there is no one definite solution. You must bumble along in the dark, groping blindly, until you come finally to the end, and hopefully you will reach the light at the end of the tunnel. If you are virtuous and good, you will enjoy the journey, however hard it may be, and you will lead others along with you in a way that seems nice to you.