Lectio Concordia

The Goal – Monday

preparing for The Fifth Sunday in Lent

Series: Lectio Concordia

March 31, 2025 By Rev. Mark Ryman

• Online jigsaw puzzle of today's reading • Index

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• Collect: Give me eyes that see, and a heart that believes so that I may rightly know you and the true power of your resurrection which will raise me and all who believe on that Day. Amen.

• Psalm 97:1–17

• Luke 14:25–33

• Church traditions have obscured the doctrine of grace and of the righteousness of faith which is the chief part of the gospel and ought to stand out as the most prominent in the church. This would make the merit of Christ be well known. Then faith that believes sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake would be exalted far above works. Paul lays the greatest stress on this article, putting aside the Law and human traditions, in order to show that Christian righteousness is something other than such works, but instead, the faith which believes that sins are freely forgiven for Christ’s sake. But this teaching of Paul has been almost wholly smothered by traditions, which have produced an opinion that we must merit grace and righteousness by observing distinctions in meats and similar works. In dealing with repentance, there was no mention made of faith. Repentance seems to consist entirely in these works of satisfaction. [The Augsburg Confession, Distinction of Meats]

• “Be Thou My Vision”

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me save that thou art.
Thou my best thought by day and by night;
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true Word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father, I thy dear child;
Thou in me dwelling, with thee reconciled.

Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
Be thou my dignity, thou my delight.
Thou my soul›s shelter, thou my high tow’r;
Raise thou me Heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow›r.

Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’ns Sun!
Heart of my heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

• Benediction: May God give you grace upon grace and faith that leads to more faith so that you attain to the goal of that great prize: the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Amen.

• Memory Verse: ...that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10–11)

• Memory Verse Aid: ..TIMKH ATPOHR, AMSHS, BLHIHD, TBAMP IMATRFTD. (P31011)