Happy New Year!

God be praised for His 2023.

1/ First: THANKS! (Romans 1:8)

First,
I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you,
because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.

God be praised for giving us His Son, for giving us His Word and Spirit, for giving us faith in His promises, the righteousness of Christ, the promise of eternal life, the joy of the forgiveness of sins, and the beginnings of love.

I thank God that He has given these gifts to you, and the we are together called to serve in these dark days as soldiers of light and life.

2/ On Repentance, Time, and New Year’s Resolutions.

I posted last year’s Substack on the blog. You can read it all here.

Remembering is thanksgiving, which, for the Christian, is an act of worship. As we try to stand still for a moment, and look back, our reflection on the past is a remembering of the mercy and kindness of God. We always first give thanks.

We are also able to observe our own little slice of history, and notice our own failures. We confess our sins, rejoice in the Lord’s mercy, and consider how to better love and serve our neighbors.

Which leads to our looking forward. Another year is coming toward us. How can we be good stewards of this gift of time, and use it to bless the Lord and serve our neighbor? It’s good to plan, to stretch for something a bit out of reach, to plot out our love and service, to retool. The new year is a gift from God, an assist on this meditation.

It’s part of our life of hope.

Read the entire essay here.

I end with to Resolution Resources:

Oh, if you’re going to resolve to do some more Bible reading, here’s the plan I put together: https://wolfmueller.co/biblereadingplan/

And this year, I’m resolving to make The Word of the Lord Endures Forever part of my daily habit.

3/ The Litany

Here’s Luther’s litany to pray with alone or with a group. The QR code at the top of the page helps share the link with others around you.

https://wolfmueller.co/litany/

(I’m really thinking about these little shared liturgies and prayers as a project. Let me know what you think.)

4/ Lord, Teach us to Pray on Amazon

I originally published Lord, Teach Us to Pray with Lulu, but added it to Amazon last week. You can order from Amazon here. (It’s easier to order, no shipping, arrives faster, etc.)

5/ Martin Luther on Genesis 31:42 and the Innocence of Faith

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Please add your own theological recommendations in the comments.

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Thank you, again, for your time and attention, and for your prayers. Please keep in touch. 

Christ is Risen! Pastor Wolfmueller

Psalm 27:4

www.wolfmueller.co

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