Our Redeemer Lutheran Church - Emmett, ID

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church - Emmett, ID Confessional, liturgical congregation of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod Confessional, liturgical congregation of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.

09/05/2026

Our devotion today focuses on Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. This childless couple was surprised when the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, while he was serving as a priest in the temple, and announced that they would have a baby boy. Because of Zechariah’s age, he doubted the words of the angel and became mute until the prophecy was fulfilled. When their son was born, Elizabeth named the baby John, as instructed by Gabriel. Zechariah wrote on a writing tablet, confirming the name of the baby. At the same time, his mouth was opened, and he spoke, “His name is John.” He responded with the song the Benedictus, praising God for his promise of sending the Savior and prophesying that John would be Christ’s forerunner. “Zechariah and Elizabeth are remembered as examples of faithfulness and piety.” (p. 694)

Let us pray: "O God, who alone knits all infants in the womb, You chose improbable servants – old and childless – to conceive and parent the forerunner of Christ and, in so doing, demonstrated again Your strength in weakness. Grant us, who are as unlikely and unworthy as Zechariah and Elizabeth, the opportunity to love and serve You according to Your good and gracious will; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer quoted from and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 693-694.

Image: “Zechariah Writes Down the Name of His Son,” Domenico Ghirlandaio’s fresco in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Florence. Public Domain.

09/04/2026

September 4th is the day the church commemorates Moses, the human author of the first five books of the Old Testament. He was born in Egypt while the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians. Since they were ordered to kill all their male children, Moses’ mother placed him in a basket in the Nile River to save his life. When Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby in the basket, she decided to raise Moses as her son. When he was eighty years old, God called him to the work of leading the Israelites out of Egypt toward Canaan. After God sent the ten plagues on the people of Egypt, the Pharaoh told the Israelites to leave his country. Once the first Passover was celebrated, Moses led the people out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, where God parted the waters to allow them to escape. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, but the people didn’t obey them. After the people’s disobedience, Moses led them for forty years of wandering in the desert. Moses was not allowed to enter the land of Canaan, although God allowed him to view it from a high mountain where he then died. Because he is such an important figure in the Old Testament, Moses appears with Jesus in the New Testament at the Mount of Transfiguration.

Let us pray: "Lord God, heavenly Father, through the prophet Moses, You began the prophetic pattern of teaching Your people the true faith and demonstrating through miracles Your presence in creation to heal it of its brokenness. Grant that Your Church may see in Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the final end-times prophet whose teaching and miracles continue in Your Church through the healing medicine of the Gospel and the Sacraments; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen.

Prayer and description quoted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 690-691.

Image: “Moses with the Ten Commandments” by Philippe de Champaigne. Public Domain.

09/03/2026

Gregory the Great lived in Rome at the end of the 6th Century. He served in the secular and sacred realms of his time. For several years he was the mayor of Rome, building up the city economically and politically. After he sold his properties and donated the proceeds to help the poor, he entered into church work. He became a priest and in 590 was elected to lead the Church in Rome. As Pope Gregory I, he introduced many changes in liturgical development including Gregorian chant. He emphasized the mission work of the church, encouraging missionaries to spread the Gospel into northern Europe and England. He established the Church Year Calendar still used by many Western churches yet today. He used his office to underscore the importance of pastoral care for congregation members by writing a book that became the standard for pastoral care until the twentieth century.

Let us pray: "Almighty and merciful God, You raised up Gregory of Rome to be a pastor to those who shepherd God’s flock and inspired him to send missionaries to preach the Gospel to the English people. Preserve in Your Church the catholic and apostolic faith that Your people may continue to be fruitful in every good work and receive the crown of glory that never fades away; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with the You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer and description quoted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 687.

Image: “Pope Gregory I”, Public Domain.

09/02/2026

The church remembers Hannah, the mother of Samuel, today. Hannah, a little-known woman from the Old Testament, is celebrated because of her fervor and persistence in prayer. The wife of Elkanah was barren to old age, but for years Hannah had prayed for a son. When God answered her prayers with a baby boy, she named him Samuel and promised to give him back to God. When Samuel was a young boy, she returned him for service to the house of the Lord at Shiloh where he was raised by Eli, the priest. Her prayer of thanksgiving was a song that foreshadowed the Magnificat, the Song of Mary centuries later. It begins with “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in the Lord.” (I Samuel 2: 1-10) “The name of Hannah derives from the Hebrew word for ‘grace.’ She is remembered and honored for joyfully having kept the vow she made before her son’s birth and offering him for lifelong service to God.” (p. 684)

Let us pray: "God the Father Almighty, maker of all things, You looked on the affliction of Your barren servant Hannah and did not forget her but answered her prayers with the gift of a son. So hear our supplications and petitions and fill our emptiness, granting us trust in Your provision, so that we, like Hannah, might render unto You all thankfulness and praise, and delight in the miraculous birth of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer and description quoted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 683-684.

Image: “Hannah Brings Samuel to Eli”, author unknown, Public Domain.

09/02/2026

“Joshua the son of Nun was the minister and successor of Moses, and the leader of the people of Israel who led them through the dry bed of the Jordan into the land of Canaan. He had the same name as our Savior, Jesus Christ [since in Hebrew ‘Joshua’ and ‘Jesus’ are the same name], and he was a type of Christ, who led the children of the promise of Abraham through the Jordan of this life’s troubles and of death into the restfulness of eternal life…. When Moses died, on the first day of the 2493rd year since the world’s creation, Joshua led the people of Israel into the land of Canaan, which was promised to their fathers. He won excellent and miraculous victories for God’s chosen ones. Having conquered the kings of Canaan, he distributed the land and finally died at the age of 110. In Hebrew his name is Yehoshua or Yosua, that is ‘Savior,’ ‘Helper.’ In Greek his name is Iesous or Iesus. – David Chytraeus.” (p. 680)

Let us pray: “Lord Jesus Christ, Your servant Joshua led the children of Israel through the waters of the Jordan River into a land flowing with milk and honey. As our Joshua, lead us, we pray through the waters of our Baptism into the promised land of our eternal home, where You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer and description quoted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 680.

Image: Joshua and the Fall of Jericho, illustration from a Bible card published 1901, Public Domain.

08/29/2026

We remember today the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, who was beheaded by Herod Antipas (Mark 6:14-29). John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets and forerunner of the New Testament, by preparing the way for Christ. Because of his preaching of repentance to the people, he was arrested and beheaded. Upon hearing the news of his death, Jesus said that there had arisen none greater than John the Baptist. (Matthew 11:11) "In the footsteps of the prophets who had gone before him -- in anticipation of the Christ whose way he prepared -- this servant of the Lord manifested the cross by the witness of his death." (670)

Let us pray: "Almighty God, You gave Your servant John the Baptist to be the forerunner of Your Son, Jesus Christ, in both his preaching of repentance and his innocent death. Grant that we, who have died and risen with Christ in Holy Baptism, may daily repent of our sins, patiently suffer for the sake of the truth, and fearlessly bear witness to His victory over death; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer quoted from and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 670.

Image: “Salome with the Head of John the Baptist,” by Caravaggio, Public Domain.

08/28/2026

August 28th commemorates St. Augustine, Pastor and Theologian. Born in AD 354, his early life followed the way of the world in moral laxity, even fathering an illegitimate son. Through the prayers of his mother Monica and the preaching of Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, God called him by the Gospel to faith in Christ. After his conversion, Augustine was a great defender of the orthodox faith. In 395, he became the bishop of Hippo in North Africa until his death in 430. A man of great intelligence, Augustine wrote many books including Confessions and City of God. “Augustine was one of the greatest of the Latin Church Fathers and a significant influence in the formation of the Western Christianity, including Lutheranism.” (667)

Let us pray: “O Lord God, the light of the minds that know you, the life of the souls that love You, and the strength of the hearts that serve You, give us strength to follow the example of Your servant Augustine of Hippo, so that knowing you we may truly love You and loving You we may fully serve You—for to serve You is perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer quoted from and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 666-667.

Image: “St. Augustine” by Justus van Gent. Public Domain.

08/27/2026

Today we remember Monica the mother of St. Augustine who lived from 333-387 AD. A native of North Africa, her main concern throughout her life was the spiritual well-being of her children and, in particular, her son Augustine. Widowed at a young age, she prayed for the conversion of Augustine. She followed him to Italy, to Rome and eventually to Milan in continual prayer. There she had the joy of witnessing her son’s conversion to the Christian faith. “Weakened by her travels, Monica died at Ostia, Italy, on the journey she had hoped would take her back to her native Africa. On some Church Year calendars, Monica is remembered on May 4.”

Let us pray: “O Lord, You strengthened Your patient servant Monica through spiritual discipline to persevere in offering her love, her prayers, and her tears for the conversion of her husband and of Augustine, their son. Deepen our devotion to bring others, even our own family, to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, who with You and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer quoted from and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 663.

Image: “Monica and Saint Augustine” by Olle Hjortberg. Public Domain.

08/24/2026

One of the first disciples called by our Lord is remembered on August 24th. St. Bartholomew or Nathanael, as he’s called in St. John’s Gospel was from the town of Cana, in Galilee where Jesus performed His first miracle. Philip invited Bartholomew to meet Jesus of Nazareth. Philip explained that he had found the Messiah which Bartholomew found hard to believe since Nazareth was in Galilee. Upon meeting Jesus, Bartholomew’s hesitation was quickly replaced by his clear declaration of faith, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49) He remained a faithful disciple and was a follower of Jesus until His ascension. “According to some Early Church Fathers, Bartholomew brought the Gospel to Armenia, where he was martyred by being flayed alive.” (654)

Let us pray: “Almighty God, Your Son, Jesus Christ, chose Bartholomew to be an apostle to preach the blessed Gospel. Grant that Your Church may love what he believed and preach what he taught; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer quoted from and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 653-654.

Image: “The Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew” by Jusepe de Ribera. Public Domain.

08/20/2026

On August 20th, the church commemorates the last of the Old Testament judges, Samuel. The son of Elkanah and his wife Hannah, he lived during the eleventh century BC. His parents consecrated Samuel for sacred service when he was young, so that he was trained by Eli the priest in the tabernacle. God called Samuel to be a prophet while he was still serving Eli. Samuel anointed Saul to be Israel’s first king. Later, he anointed David to replace Saul as king after Saul forsook the Lord. “Samuel’s loyalty to God, his spiritual insight, and his ability to inspire others made him one of Israel’s great leaders.” (642)

Let us pray: “Almighty God, in Your mercy You gave Samuel courage to call Israel to repentance and to renew their dedication to the Lord. Call us to repentance as Nathan called David to repentance, so by the blood of Jesus, the Son of David, we may receive the forgiveness of all our sins; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen.

Prayer quoted from and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 642.

Image: “St. Samuel the Prophet”. Public Domain.

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407 S. Hayes Avenue
Emmett, ID
83617

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+12083655231

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