Ember Wednesday in September
Posted on September 20, 2023 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 6:9-15 (NKJV)
6:9 “In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
10 “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 “Give us this day our daily bread.
12 “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 “And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Devotion
That word, “pray”, is a command. Christians must pray the Lord’s Prayer because their Lord has commanded it. The Christ did not command a set number of times to pray, but as long as one is careful not to neglect the Lord’s Prayer and to pray it regularly, he may comfort himself that he is obeying the command of the Lord. As a good, pious example, Luther’s Small Catechism recommends praying the Lord’s Prayer eight times a day (at morning, at evening, and before and after each meal). Since the Holy Spirit also works through the Word, he who prays the Lord’s Prayer faithfully will also be taught by it. Therefore, it is no empty rule which our Lord gives, but a divine means of our growth in sanctification.
But the flesh despises this command and desires to disobey it. Beware those who make excuses not to pray the Lord’s Prayer as it was given; this does not proceed from faith, but from sin. And when we do sin against this—or any other—command, the Lord’s Prayer itself offers the solution, saying, “forgive us our debts.” This simple prayer contains everything that a Christian should pray. What comfort, when we ourselves do not know what to pray, that our Lord has taught it to us. Therefore, no matter the circumstances, this prayer always pleases Him when prayed out of obedience to His command.
Collect: O Lord, we beseech Thee, let Thy continual pity cleanse and defend Thy Church; and because it cannot continue in safety without Thy succor, preserve it evermore by Thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Ember Wednesday in September
We beseech Thee, O Lord, that our weakness may be upheld by Thy healing mercy, so that what of itself is falling into ruin may be restored by Thy clemency; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
