Readings and prayers for the days leading up to and flowing from Sunday’s worship are now posted over at the Daily Prayer page. Propers for Simon and Jude, Apostles (Oct 28) and Reformation (Oct 31) are listed in addition to the assigned Time After Pentecost lectionary readings for those days. Take your pick – pray the festivals, the Time After Pentecost lectionary sequence, or do both at different times of the day!
Due to the fact that most congregations celebrate Reformation Day by transferring it to Sunday (rather than keeping it on it’s assigned date, Oct 31), few Lutherans will either read Sirach (which appears in Lectionary 30, the readings for Time After Pentecost) or celebrate the Festival of Simon and Jude, Apostles. I think this is a shame, but what is one to do?
Finally, the commemoration of Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heermann, and Paul Gerhardt, hymnwriters, is on Friday, October 26. The ELW includes no prayer of the day for a commemoration of hymnwriters. Odd, no, considering that the ELW assigns commemorations of hymnwriters? ELW has commemoration prayers for Saints, Martyrs, Missionaries, Renewers of the Church, Renewers of Society, Pastors and Bishops, Theologians and Teachers, Artists and Scientists. I’ve used the prayer for Artists and Scientists for that day (though if I had a little more initiative and energy right now I’d go find another prayer or compose one. But it’s late and I need to go to bed).
Let us pray.
The Lutheran Zephyr 