Memory Work and Readings - Trinity III (June 28)

Daily Readings:
Sunday:
Joshua 3:1-17
Acts 9:1-22

Monday:
Joshua 4:1-24
Acts 9:23-43

Tuesday:
Joshua 5:1—6:5
Acts 10:1-17

Wednesday:
Joshua 6:6-27
Acts 10:18-33

Thursday:
Joshua 7:1-26
Acts 10:34-48

Friday:
Joshua 8:1-28
Acts 11:1-18

Saturday:
Joshua 10:1-25
Acts 11:19-30


Bible Verse for Memorizing
[The LORD] does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. (Psalm 103:10)


Small Catechism for Memorizing: The Sacrament of the Altar
How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things? Certainly not just eating and drinking do these things, but the words written here: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” These words, along with the bodily eating and drinking, are the main thing in the Sacrament. Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: “forgiveness of sins.”

Memory Work and Readings - Trinity II (June 21)

Daily Readings:
Sunday:
Proverbs 24:1-22
John 19:1-22

Monday:
Proverbs 25:1-22
John 19:23-42

Tuesday:
Proverbs 27:1-24
John 20:1-18

Wednesday:
Proverbs 30:1-9, 18-33
John 20:19-31

Thursday:
Proverbs 31:10-31
John 21:1-25

Friday:
Joshua 1:1-18
Acts 8:1-25

Saturday:
Joshua 2:1-24
Acts 8:26-40


Bible Verse for Memorizing
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to Your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. (Psalm 51:1)


Small Catechism for Memorizing  - The Sacrament of the Altar
What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? These words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

Memory Work and Readings for Trinity I (June 14)

Daily Readings
Sunday:
Proverbs 14:1-27
John 15:1-11

Monday:
Proverbs 15:1-28
John 15:12-27

Tuesday:
Proverbs 16:1-24
John 16:1-16

Wednesday:
Proverbs 17:1-28
John 16:17-33

Thursday:
Proverbs 20:5-25
John 17:1-26

Friday:
Proverbs 22:1-21
John 18:1-14

Saturday:
Proverbs 22:22—23:12
John 18:15-40



Bible Verse for Memorizing
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27)



Small Catechism for Memorizing: The Sacrament of the Altar
What is the Sacrament of the Altar? It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.

Where is this written? The holy Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul write: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.” In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

The Busy Pastor and the Silent Sheep

From the June issue of Tidings, Immanuel's parish newsletter

There are two perceptions of the pastor that are false. The first often comes in a quip, and it hurts, even when it isn't intended to: "It must be nice only having to work one hour a week!" Yes, that would be nice. The opposite perception, though, is worse: "The pastor is so busy, I don't want to bother him with [insert problem]." Many pastors tend to give off an aura of busyness. They are aware of the perception of only working "one hour a week," and so want to make sure everyone knows how hard they have been working.

There are fundamental problems on the part of both pastor and people when the pastor considers himself, and the people see, a "busy pastor." When the pastor perceives his office (an office instituted by God) as primarily occupied with quantifiable activity (the number of visits, phone calls, emails, meetings, programs begun, money raised, members brought into the church, etc.), he loses sight of (as well as loses time for) his most important tasks. When the administration of the church's affairs became overly time-consuming for the Apostles, they had the church appoint Deacons over the business of the church in order to concentrate on the true business of the Ministry: "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4). A day spent praying sounds good in the abstract, but it probably won't look good to the pastor, or people, caught up in the model of the "busy pastor." And so the pastor often ends up neglecting prayer, Scriptural meditation, and theological growth.

The other danger, though, is that the people who most need it will not avail themselves of the ministry of the Word that they should be getting from their pastor. They won't contact him precisely because they think he's too busy! "I don't want to bother him." If you have ever said that to yourself, mark this carefully: I am NEVER too busy to (a) hear your confession; (b) visit you in your home, for lunch, in the hospital, etc. in order to bring you God's Word as it applies to your situation, give you the Sacrament, and pray with you; or (c) give you spiritual counsel when you are troubled, confused, worried, etc. Don't be a silent sheep! It is the bleating ones that get attention, along with all the ringing, buzzing, dinging beeps and boops from the myriad ways that different people communicate.

Now there is only one of me, and I never manage to get done everything done. The phone calls are never all made, there's always someone to visit, the email—well, that's just a hopeless pit of despair for me. Somewhere I read, "When you die, your inbox won't be empty." I've tried to take consolation in that, but I still dream of the day that it at least doesn't fall over when I add something else to the pile. I've probably let every one of you down at some point or another by not responding right away. I'm sorry for that, and desperately want to do better.

I realize that the last two paragraphs are contradictory. The point I'm trying to make is that there are always external demands on my attention, as well as my self-imposed demands. There will always be work to do. I'm sure it's the same for you. But as your pastor, I don't want to ever be "too busy" for you. Because you matter to God, and the LORD has put me here to be your pastor. So if I've let you down, please forgive me. If I haven't answered your email, it's not personal. Please send it again, or give me a call. Because I really do want to be a good and faithful pastor to you. I might be busy, but I don't want to be a "busy pastor," and I don't want you to be silent sheep.

Your unworthy undershepherd,

+Pastor Esget

Memory Work and Readings for Holy Trinity (June 7)

Daily Readings
Sunday:
Numbers 35:9-30
Luke 24:28-53

Monday:
Proverbs 5:1-23
John 12:20-36a

Tuesday:
Proverbs 8:1-21
John 12:36b-50

Wednesday:
Proverbs 8:22-36
John 13:1-20

Thursday:
Proverbs 9:1-18
John 13:21-38

Friday:
Proverbs 10:1-23
John 14:1-17

Saturday:
Proverbs 13:1-25
John 14:18-31



Bible Verse for Memorizing
Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25)



Small Catechism for Memorizing: The Office of the Keys and Confession
What is the Sacrament of the Altar? It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.