Daily Prayers for January 3

Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk and biblical scholar, wrote against the church’s use of indulgences and insisted that salvation is a free gift from God, not achieved through good works. Luther refused to recant his criticism of the church, saying, “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise.” He was excommunicated by Pope Leo X on January 3, 1521, unwittingly becoming the leader of a movement that would later be named the Great Reformation.

O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you

as the day rises to meet the sun.

Glory 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.

Come, let us sing to the Lord : let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Song “We Shall Not Be Moved”

The Lord lives! Blessed is my Rock! : Exalted is the God of my salvation!

Psalm 18:29 – 32

You, O Lord, are my lamp : my God, you make my darkness bright.

With you I will break down an enclosure : with the help of my God I will scale any wall.

As for God, his ways are perfect; the words of the Lord are tried in the fire : he is a shield to all who trust in him.

For who is God, but the Lord? : who is the Rock, except our God?

The Lord lives! Blessed is my Rock! : Exalted is the God of my salvation!

Exodus 3:1 – 12 John 6:35 – 42, 48 – 51

The Lord lives! Blessed is my Rock! : Exalted is the God of my salvation!

Martin Luther wrote, “When it comes to faith, what a living, creative, active, powerful thing it is. It cannot do other than good at all times. It never waits to ask whether there is some good work to do, rather, before the question is raised, it has done the deed, and keeps on doing it.”

Prayers for Others

Our Father

Lord, from Martin Luther in sixteenth-century Germany to Martin Luther King Jr. in twentieth-century Alabama, your disciples have witnessed to a law that is higher than the laws of human institutions. Make us such witnesses, Lord. Amen.

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;

may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;

may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;

may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.