July 13, 2026
Increase in Us True Religion - Part 1
Matthew 5:17-18
07/13/2026
17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law
or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them
but to fulfill them.
18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth
pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from
the Law until all is accomplished. (ESV)
The prayer this week was translated from the Latin into
English in the mid-1500s.[1] Although the words seem outdated,
the prayer still applies today. It is God who fills our hearts
with love, grace, and mercy. True religion is holding firmly to
Christ Jesus as our Savior from sin, death, and the power of the
devil.
Lord of all power and might, author and giver of all
good things, graft into our hearts the love of Your
name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all
goodness, and of Your great mercy keep us in the same;
through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and
reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
forever.
The Gospel lesson comes from the Sermon on the Mount where
Jesus teaches us that we, of our own strength, cannot fulfill
God's holy Law. Rather, our hope is in Christ, Himself.
Jesus said:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to
fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven
and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass
from the Law until all is accomplished.
This week we will look at the true religion of Christ versus
the false religion of this world.
May our Lord grant us His mercy that we fear, love, and
trust in Him above all things. Amen.
____________________
1. Reed, L. D. (1947). The Lutheran liturgy: A study of the
common service of the Lutheran Church in America.
Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, p. 478