PRAYER FROM LUTHER’S PRAYERS:

THE HOLY TRINITY

O God and Father, give us gaciously what belongs to the body and
its life. O Son of God, free us from sin and mercifully grant us
your spirit. O God the Holy Spirit, heal, comfort, and make us
strong against the devil, and finally give us the victory and the
resurrection from the dead. Amen.

FROM LUTHER’S SMALL CATECHISM:

The First Petition of The Lord’s Prayer:

Hallowed be your name.

What is this?
It is true that God’s name is holy in itself, but we ask in this
prayer that it may also become holy in and among us.

How does this come about?

Whenever the Word of God is taught clearly and purely and
we, as God’s children, also live holy lives according to it. To this
end help us, dear Father in heaven! However, whoever teaches and
lives otherwise than the Word of God teaches, dishonors God’s
name among us. Preserve us from this, heavenly Father!

Almighty and ever-living God, you have given us grace, by

the confession of the true faith, to acknowledge the glory of
the eternal Trinity and, in the power of your divine majesty,
to worship the unity. Keep us steadfast in this faith and
worship, and bring us at last to see you in your eternal
glory, one God, now and forever.
Gospel: John 3:1-17
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the
Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we
know that you are a teacher who came from God; for no one
can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.”
3 Jesus answered them, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see
the kingdom of God without being from above.” 4 Nicodemus
said to him, “How can anyone be born having grown old? Can
one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the
kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.
6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the
Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You
must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses,
and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it
comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is
born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these
things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of
Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?”
11 “Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to
what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I
have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can
you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?” 13 No one has
ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven,
the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever
believes in him may have eternal life.
What does this mean?
Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John iii. 5.
Do not think that you will ever enter the Kingdom of God unless
you are first born anew of water and of the Spirit. This is a strong
and hard saying, that we must be born anew. It means that we
must come out of the birth of sin to the birth of justification; else
we shall never enter the kingdom of heaven. Upon this birth or
justification good works must follow.
Of these things the Lord Christ speaks much with Nicodemus, but
Nicodemus cannot understand, nor can they be understood unless
a man has experience of them and has been born of the Spirit.
Expositions of John iii. W.A. 47. 10.
Taken from the book:
Day by Day We Magnify Thee by Martin Luther
Page 176

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the
17
world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.