———PRE-LENT Sexagesima: Scripture

AloneIs. 55:10-13; 2 Cor. 11:19-12:9 or Heb. 4:9-13; Luke 8:4-15; Psalm 84

—

Memorization Verses: Is. 55:10-11 For as the rain and the snow come down

from heaven and do not return there but water the

earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to

the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be

that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me

empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

2 Cor. 12:9 ―My grace is sufficient for you, for my

power is made perfect in weakness.‖

Heb. 4:12 For the word of God is living

and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,

piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints

and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and

intentions of the heart.

Luke 8:15 As for [the seed] in the good soil, they are

those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest

and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Psalm 84:5 Blessed are those whose strength is in

you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

•The seed is the word of God.

•The Word became flesh and made his

dwelling among us. We have seen his

glory, the glory of the One and Only,

who came from the Father, full of grace

and truth.

•Christ‘s cross was planted in the hard

and rocky soil of Golgotha. A crown of

thorns was placed upon His head. Satan

and His demons hellishly hounded and

devoured Him. Yet, through His dying

and rising again, He destroyed these

enemies of ours. Jesus is Himself the

Seed which fell to the ground and died

in order that it might sprout forth to

new life and produce much grain.

•We are the dust. Think of one

person for each category and pray

for them. Share some of your sowing

experience.

Use your prayer notes.

Use a verse from the

bible to reflect on.

Pray about the Word.

P raise

R epentance

A ppreciation

Y ou

E veryone

R esolve

…Lord in Your mercy.…Hear our prayer.

1. Almighty Father in Heaven, You are the Maker and Provider of all things. Lead us to realize this and to receive your gifts with thanksgiving. Free us from the cares of this world, and set our hearts and minds on the saving work of your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant that Your Word may take root in us, that we may solely depend on You for all of our needs of body and soul and remain faithful until death...2. Almighty God, You promised that Your Word will not return to You empty. Raise up men within your Church to become faithful pastors. Strengthen them to generously spread the Gospel throughout the world so that, by Your Holy Spirit‘s work, many will receive eternal life...3. Kind Father, Your Son

suffered unto death for our transgressions. Defend all Christians who are persecuted for His name‘s sake; that they may rejoice as they share in His suffering, hold firmly to their faith and bear their cross, until the day they behold Him in His kingdom...4. Gracious Father in heaven, You command us to be fruitful and multiply. Lead Your baptized to love and honor marriage as a gift from You. Help husbands to cherish their wives as Christ did the Church. Guide wives to submit to their husbands as the Church submits to Christ. Generously bless our families with children, that many may be brought through the waters of Baptism into Your kingdom…

Use your prayer notes.

Use a verse from the

bible to reflect on.

Pray about the Word.

P raise

R epentance

A ppreciation

Y ou

E veryone

R esolve

5. Mighty King, apart from our Lord Jesus we can do nothing. By Your Holy Spirit, lead us to serve one another within your Church, to love our enemies, and to care for our neighbors with sincere hearts. Grant that all of our works may be done in love and bring glory to Your holy name...6. Almighty God, You sent Your Son into the flesh to be our Savior. He has promised to be with us always, until the end of the age. Strengthen and preserve us this day as He comes to us in His Holy Supper. Deliver to us the forgiveness of sins, as we receive His body and blood, that through this meal we may obtain everlasting life...7. Merciful One, You gave

Your Son to bear our grief and carry our sorrows. Give comfort to those who are sick, taking treatments and to the dying [and especially those we have been asked to remember: ___________]. Ease their pain and remove their anxiety. May they know the comfort and peace of Your forgiving love...8. Into Your hands, O heavenly Father, we commend all for whom we pray, asking You to grant us these things and whatever else You know to be needful for us. We ask it in the holy name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.

1 May God bestow on us His grace,With blessings rich provide us;And may the brightness of His faceTo life eternal guide us,That we His saving health may know,His gracious will and pleasure,And also to the heathen showChrist's riches without measureAnd unto God convert them.

2 Thine over all shall be the praiseAnd thanks of ev'ry nation;And all the world with joy shall raiseThe voice of exultation.For Thou shalt judge the earth, O Lord,Nor suffer sin to flourish;

Thy people's pasture is Thy WordTheir souls to feed and nourish,In rightous paths to keep them.

3 O let the people praise Thy worth,In all good works increasing;The land shall plenteous fruit bring forth,Thy Word is rich in blessing.May God the Father, God the Son,And God the Spirit bless us!Let all the world praise Him alone;Let solemn awe possess us.Now let our hearts say "Amen!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrWEPFcyQXM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzjHjXe-2XU

Meet w/teams

3-5 min per box

What are the major points of your text?

How does your topic fit the pericope

theme?

How does it connect to the other texts?

How is it unique?

Scripture Alone

Isaiah 55:10-13

10 ―For as the rain and the snow come

down from heaven

and do not return there but water

the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread

to the eater,11 so shall my word be that goes out

from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I

purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for

which I sent it.

12 ―For you shall go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you

shall break forth into singing,

and all the trees of the field shall

clap their hands.13 Instead of the thorn shall come up

the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up

the myrtle;

and it shall make a name for

the LORD,

an everlasting sign that shall not be

cut off.‖

2 Corinthians 11:19-12:9

19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise

yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves

of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or

puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my

shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!

But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am

speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are

they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I.

Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are

they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking

like a madman—with far greater labors, far more

imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near

death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews

the forty lashes less one.25 Three times I was beaten

with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was

shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at

sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers,

danger from robbers, danger from my own people,

danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the

wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false

brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a

sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without

food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other

things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety

for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not

weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show

my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord

Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not

lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King

Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to

seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a

window in the wall and escaped his hands.

Paul's Visions and His Thorn

12 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be

gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of

the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years

ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the

body or out of the body I do not know, God

knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up

into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I

do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that

cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf

of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will

not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I

should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would

be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no

one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears

from me. 7 Soto keep me from becoming conceited

because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a

thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan

to harass me, to keep me from becoming

conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about

this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, ―My

grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made

perfect in weakness.‖ Therefore I will boast all the

more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of

Christ may rest upon me.

Hebrews 4:9-13

9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest

for the people of God, 10 for whoever

has entered God's rest has also rested

from his works as God did from his.

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that

rest, so that no one may fall by the

same sort of disobedience. 12 For the

word of God is living

and active, sharper than any two-

edged sword, piercing to the division

of soul and of spirit, of joints and of

marrow, and discerning the thoughts

and intentions of the heart. 13 And no

creature is hidden from his sight, but

all are naked and exposed to the eyes

of him to whom we must give

account.

Luke 8:4-15

The Parable of the Sower

4 And when a great crowd was gathering

and people from town after town came

to him, he said in a parable, 5 ―A sower

went out to sow his seed. And as he

sowed, some fell along the path and was

trampled underfoot, and the birds of the

air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the

rock, and as it grew up, it withered

away, because it had no moisture. 7 And

some fell among thorns, and the thorns

grew up with it and choked it. 8 And

some fell into good soil and grew and

yielded a hundredfold.‖ As he said these

things, he called out, ―He who has ears

to hear, let him hear.‖

The Purpose of the Parables

9 And when his disciples asked him

what this parable meant, 10 he said, ―To

you it has been given to know the

secrets of the kingdom of God, but for

others they are in parables, so that

‗seeing they may not see, and hearing

they may not understand.‘ 11 Now the

parable is this: The seed is the word of

God. 12 The ones along the path are

those who have heard; then the devil

comes and takes away the word from

their hearts, so that they may not believe

and be saved. 13 And the ones on the

rock are those who, when they hear the

word, receive it with joy. But these have

no root; they believe for a while, and in

time of testing fall away. 14 And as for

what fell among the thorns, they are

those who hear, but as they go on their

way they are choked by the cares and

riches and pleasures of life, and their

fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in

the good soil, they are those who,

hearing the word, hold it fast in an

honest and good heart, and bear

fruit with patience.

Psalm 84My Soul Longs for the Courts of the LordTo the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.84 How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord of hosts!2 My soul longs, yes, faints

for the courts of the Lord;my heart and flesh sing for joy

to the living God.3 Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,where she may lay her young,

at your altars, O Lord of hosts,my King and my God.

4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,

ever singing your praise! Selah5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

in whose heart are the highways to Zion.6 As they go through the Valley of

Bacathey make it a place of springs;the early rain also covers it

with pools.7 They go from strength to strength;

each one appears before God in Zion.8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;

give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah9 Behold our shield, O God;

look on the face of your anointed!10 For a day in your courts is better

than a thousand elsewhere.I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of wickedness.11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favor and honor.No good thing does he withhold

from those who walk uprightly.12 O Lord of hosts,

blessed is the one who trusts in you!

SEXAGESIMA

Isaiah 55:10–132 Corinthians 11:19—12:9or Hebrews 4:9–13Luke 8:4–15

Scripture Alone

The Sower sows the seed of His Word (Luke 8:4–15). This Word is living and powerful (Heb. 4:9–13) to conceive new life in those who hear it. But the planting of Christ is attacked by the devil, the world, and the flesh. Satan snatches the Word away from hard hearts. The riches and pleasures of this life choke off faith. Shallow and emotional belief withers in time of temptation and trouble. But see how Christ bears this attack for us! Christ‘s cross was planted in the hard and rocky soil of Golgotha. A crown of thorns was placed upon His head. Satan and His demons hellishly hounded and devoured Him. Yet, through His dying and rising again, He destroyed these enemies of ours. Jesus is Himself the Seed which fell to the ground and died in order that it might sprout forth to new life and produce much grain. In Him, the weak are strong (2 Cor. 11:19–12:9). He is the Word of the Father which does not return void (Is. 55:10–13) but yields a harvest hundredfold.

1 Amazing grace--how sweet the sound--That saved a wretch like me!I once was lost but now am found,Was blind, but now I see!

2 The Lord has promised good to me,His Word my hope secures;He will my shield and portion beAs long as life endures.

3 Through many dangers, toils and snares,I have already come;

His grace has brought me safe thus far,His grace will lead me home.

4 Yes, when this flesh and heart shall failAnd mortal life shall cease,Amazing grace shall then prevailIn heaven's joy and peace.

5 When we‘ve been there ten thousand years,Bright shining as the sun,We‘ve no less days to sing God‘s praiseThan when we‘d first begun.

PRE-LENT

Quinquagesima: Faith Alone

1 Sam. 16:1-13 David Anointed King

or Is. 35:3-7 The Ransomed Shall Return

1 Cor. 13:1-13 The Way of Love

Luke 18:31-43 Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time; Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar

Psalm 89:18-29 I Will Sing of the Steadfast Love of the Lord

or Psalm 146 Put Not Your Trust in Princes

1 Sam. 16:1-13; Isaiah 35:3-7; 1 Cor. 13:1-13; Luke 18:31-43;

Psalm 89:18-29; Psalm 146

1 Samuel 16:1-13

David Anointed King

16 The LORD said to Samuel, ―How long will you grieve over Saul,

since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn

with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have

provided for myself a king among his sons.‖ 2 And Samuel said, ―How

can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.‖ And the LORDsaid, ―Take a

heifer with you and say, ‗I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.‘ 3 And

invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And

you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.‖ 4 Samuel did what

the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city

came to meet him trembling and said,―Do you come peaceably?‖ 5 And

he said, ―Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate

yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.‖ And he consecrated

Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ―Surely the

LORD's anointed is before him.‖ 7 But theLORD said to Samuel, ―Do

not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I

have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on

the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.‖ 8 Then

Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said,

―Neither has the LORDchosen this one.‖ 9 Then Jesse made Shammah

pass by. And he said, ―Neither has the LORD chosen this one.‖10 And

Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to

Jesse, ―The LORD has not chosen these.‖ 11 Then Samuel said to

Jesse, ―Are all your sons here?‖ And he said, ―There remains yet the

youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.‖ And Samuel said to

Jesse, ―Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.‖

12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had

beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, ―Arise, anoint

him, for this is he.‖ 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed

him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed

upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to

Ramah.

Isaiah 35:3-7

3 Strengthen the weak hands,

and make firm the feeble knees.

4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,

―Be strong; fear not!

Behold, your God

will come with vengeance,

with the recompense of God.

He will come and save you.‖

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

For waters break forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert;

7 the burning sand shall become a pool,

and the thirsty ground springs of water;

in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,

the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

The Way of Love

13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I

am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.2 And if I have prophetic

powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have

all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but

have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not

arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or

resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the

truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,

endures all things.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for

tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we

know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes,

the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I

thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I

gave up childish ways.12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then

face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have

been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of

these is love.

Luke 18:31-43

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

31 And taking the twelve, he said to them, ―See, we are going up to

Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the

prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be delivered over to the

Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated andspit upon. 33

And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will

rise.‖ 34 But they understood none of these things. This saying was

hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar

35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside

begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this

meant. 37 They told him,―Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.‖ 38 And he

cried out, ―Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!‖ 39 And those who

were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all

the more, ―Son of David, have mercy on me!‖ 40 And Jesus stopped

and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he

asked him, 41 ―What do you want me to do for you?‖ He said, ―Lord,

let me recover my sight.‖ 42 And Jesus said to him, ―Recover your

sight; your faith has made you well.‖43 And immediately he recovered

his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when

they saw it, gave praise to God.

Psalm 89:18-29

18 For our shield belongs to the LORD,

our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one,and said:

―I have granted help to one who is mighty;

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

20 I have found David, my servant;

with my holy oil I have anointed him,

21 so that my hand shall be established with him;

my arm also shall strengthen him.

22 The enemy shall not outwit him;

the wicked shall not humble him.

23 I will crush his foes before him

and strike down those who hate him.

24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,

and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

25 I will set his hand on the sea

and his right hand on the rivers.

26 He shall cry to me, ‗You are my Father,

my God, and the Rock of my salvation.‘

27 And I will make him the firstborn,

the highest of the kings of the earth.

28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,

and my covenant will stand firm for him.

29 I will establish his offspring forever

and his throne as the days of the heavens.

Psalm 146

Put Not Your Trust in Princes

146 Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD, O my soul!

2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Put not your trust in princes,

in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.

4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;

on that very day his plans perish.

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD his God,

6 who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them,

who keeps faith forever;

7 who executes justice for the oppressed,

who gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets the prisoners free;

8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.

The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;

the LORD loves the righteous.

9 The LORD watches over the sojourners;

he upholds the widow and the fatherless,

but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The LORD will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the LORD!