May we, the ones who falter in faith, grow in the grace and knowledge of you, the One full of faith as we read your Word. Amen.We enter your gates with thanksgiving,
and your courts with praise!
We give thanks to you; we bless your name!For, Lord, you are good;
your steadfast love endures forever,
and your faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100)
Scripture Reading - Mark 9:14-29 (ESV)
And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him.
And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”
And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.”
And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.
And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
Father God we praise you, for with you all things are possible! Forgive us for the times when we didn't believe you have power to cleanse us, to redeem the lost, or to increase our faith. Your Word tells us that if we have faith like a grain of a mustard seed, we will receive power to move mountains and nothing will be impossible for us! Help our unbelief so that we may walk in the impossible, good works you have prepared for us!
Forgive us, LORD, for the times when we have broken faith with you, not treating you as holy. We have set up our own altars to worship other things and people. Crafting idols in our hearts and bowing down to them. What folly!
To whom then will you liken God,We confess that in the Gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. The righteous by faith will live. We pray, Savior, for those in our families, at our places of work, and the nations, those who have not yet believed. May they receive the Gospel, be transformed by God's righteousness which comes from faith and leads to saving faith. We claim the promise: whoever believes in the Son will be credited with God's righteousness and will have eternal life.
or what likeness compare with him?
An idol! A craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.
He who is too impoverished for an offering
chooses wood that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman
to set up an idol that will not move. (Isaiah 40)
Now to him who is able to strengthen us...according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. (Romans 16:25-27)
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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