Reflections: Recent Episodes
Higher Things
September 13, 2023
Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, the Lord's prayer: Fifth Petition
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 8:22-30, 46-63, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18
So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us (SC, LP, Explanation to the Fifth Petition)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian Faith. No forgiveness, no Christianity. If Jesus does not take all our sins upon Himself in order to crucify them in His own body, and then deliver forgiveness to us in His resurrection life, there is no Christianity. That forgiveness is not conditional. He gives it freely, just as the master freely forgives the enormous debt owed by the servant in Matthew 18:23-27. This is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like: a master forgiving a debt that the servant could never repay, no matter how much time he had.
But then that same servant goes out and uses his new-found freedom from debt to force someone else to pay him. He won’t even give the second servant some more time, although the second servant is far more likely to repay the first than the first would be to repay the master. In other words, the first servant refuses to extend the gigantic gift of the master to the second servant. Jesus concludes the parable with the words of the master: “Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” (Matthew 18:33-35).
Why are Jesus’ words so harsh? Simply for this reason: if God’s forgiveness in Christ is not big enough to cover the sins of those who sin against us, then it is not big enough to cover our sins. It is all or nothing with God: either His forgiveness covers every single person, or it covers no one.
So how do we learn to forgive others? Only by being forgiven. Our forgiveness of others is not actually ours; it is God’s. It does not come naturally to us; we often find it difficult, or even impossible. And, in fact, it is–for us. But the entirely undeserved forgiveness that God gives us in Christ not only covers us, but it covers those who sin against us. When we forgive, we are forgiving with Christ’s forgiveness. We’re playing with house money. All for us, and all for others. Forgiveness is everything. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
“Forgive our sins, Lord, we implore, That they may trouble us no more; We, too, will gladly those forgive Who hurt us by the way they live. Help us in our community To serve each other willingly” (LSB 766:6).
- Pastor Timothy Winterstein is pastor at Faith Lutheran Church, East Wenatchee, Washington.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
September 12, 2023
Today's Reading: Romans 13:1-10
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 7:51-8:21, 2 Corinthians 3:1-18
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We do not often think of our obedience to governing authorities (or any authorities, for that matter) in terms of love. What does obeying the law of the land have to do with love? But that’s what Paul says. Even paying taxes he calls an exercise of love! He talks about all of this in terms of giving to each person what is “owed” to them, and then he says, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).
The fulfilling of the commandments is love, because God commands His law for the good of people. It is not good for people if their lives are threatened by murder; it is not good if their possessions are stolen; it is not good if husband and wife are not united completely; it is not good if children do not obey their parents, and governmental authority is an extension of the parents’ authority (see the Explanation to the Fourth Commandment in the Small Catechism). To do what is truly good for another person is truly loving. And we don’t have to wonder what is truly good for another person, because God’s commandments tell us.
Consider what would happen if we all decided not to obey the governing authorities. Would anarchy and chaos be good for us or for our neighbors? We obey the governing authorities because God has established them for our good and for the good of people around us, and we love them and want what is good for them. Of course, sometimes the governing authorities go beyond their God-given authority and act against Him (as parents sometimes do). In that case, as the apostles demonstrate, it would not be loving our neighbor to obey them, for example, to stop preaching the Gospel, or gathering around Jesus’ words and gifts. Then we must obey the God who puts all authorities in place, rather than the authorities who are rebelling against God.
But all of it is for the love of our neighbor, whom God has given us to serve. As God has loved us, though the price of that love is the crucifixion of Jesus, so we love our neighbors as ourselves, whatever the consequences. Jesus fulfilled the law of God on our behalf; now we do the good works of the commandments, not to be right with God, but for the sake of our neighbors and their good. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Merciful God, for freedom You have set us free through Christ’s liberating death and resurrection. In this freedom, teach us to live in the fruit of the Spirit given us in our Baptism that we may bear in our bodies the fulfillment of the Law as we love our neighbors as ourselves; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
- Pastor Timothy Winterstein is pastor at Faith Lutheran Church, East Wenatchee, Washington.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
September 11, 2023
Today's Reading: Ezekiel 33:1-10
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 5:1-18, 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:17
How then can we live? (Ezekiel 33:10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When we observe the nature of the world, the sins of people against us, and our sins against others, it is easy to become pessimistic and cynical. We can identify all sorts of problems in the world, but we do not seem to be able to solve any of them. We recognize the symptoms of the problem in violence, hatred, injustice, division, and a lack of care for anyone but ourselves.
The people of Israel did not have the technology to spread their sin, as we do, but they had the same sins. In Ezekiel 24, when God tells Ezekiel to declare to Jerusalem that the king of Babylon has laid siege to the city, God calls Jerusalem “the city of blood” (24:6, 7, 9). This is a repetition of the charge in chapter 22: “You shall say [to the people of Jerusalem], Thus says the Lord Yahweh: …You have become guilty by the blood you have shed, and defiled by the idols that you have made. … Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you,” among many other things (Ezekiel 22:3, 4, 7ff.).
To a greater or lesser degree, all Jerusalem’s sins are still present in our world. Ezekiel was sent by God to declare the people’s sins, just as God still sends preachers of His Word to declare His Law. When God’s Law brings to our attention the depth of our sin and idolatry and corruption, we might well say with the people, “Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live” (Ezekiel 33:10)? God says, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel” (33:11)?
Sin and rebellion against our Creator, who is our life, makes no sense. Why would we turn from Him and die? But that is what sinners, left to themselves, will always do. So God finally breaks the stalemate between His desire and sinners’ actions. He sends Jesus to become the wicked one and take all the world’s wickedness upon Himself, though it does not belong to Him. He fulfills Ezekiel’s vision and not only warns us of our impending death, but becomes our death. How then can we live? In Christ, crucified and risen; who gives Himself to us in Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, and the Holy Supper. This is how we live. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, You desire not the death of a sinner, but rather that we turn from our evil ways and live. Graciously spare us those punishments which we by our sins have deserved, and grant us always to serve You in holiness and pureness of living; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
- Pastor Timothy Winterstein is pastor at Faith Lutheran Church, East Wenatchee, Washington.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
September 9, 2023
Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 15: Psalm 92:1-4, antiphon Psalm 92:5s
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 2:1-27, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
How great are Your works, O Yahweh! Very deep are Your thoughts! (Psalm 92:5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Here’s a clue to the theme for each Sunday’s Divine Service: trace the thread from the antiphon of the Introit (the first and last verse of the Introit), to the Collect for the day, to the readings. Sometimes the theme will be clear and obvious; other times it will be a little bit harder to identify. It is easier during the festival half of the Church Year (from Advent through Trinity) than it is during the Sundays after Pentecost. But looking ahead to the Introit with its antiphon, reading the assigned readings, and praying the Collect will help get the Word of God into your heart and onto your lips in preparation for the Divine Service.
For example, for tomorrow, the Introit comes from Psalm 92 and the antiphon is 92:5, which I translated above. The psalm puts in parallel God’s “works” and God’s “thoughts,” and says that they are “great” and “very deep.” This causes us to ask, “What are God’s thoughts? Can I know them?” If God did not reveal His thoughts, we could not know them. His thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). We would (as we often do) make up our own ideas about what God would do or not do.
But God has not left us to imagine His thoughts or figure them out on our own. He has revealed Himself in His great works. Christians start with what God has done and then we understand what God is like. What He says is the same as what He does. How He acts is the same as who He is. And He reveals His thoughts finally and forever in His Son, Jesus. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, we see the true depth of God’s thoughts, and the greatness of His works.
In God’s works, we see God’s thoughts. Who could imagine that God would become flesh and die? Who could imagine that God would take on Himself the offense and curse of sin? Who would think that the least, the last, the helpless, the child would be the greatest in the Kingdom (Matthew 18:1-2)? More than that, God gives His Kingdom only to those who cannot give Him anything in return (18:3-4). None of us could imagine a mercy that never fails to seek those whom people would consider “lost” (18:10-14). God seeks us in Jesus, and then He seeks everyone through His Church, wherever two or three are gathered around His forgiving love (18:18-20). These thoughts of God would be too deep for us to imagine, if He had not sent His Son and revealed them to us in His works. How great are Your works, and very deep are Your thoughts! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night” (Psalm 92:1-2).
- Pastor Timothy Winterstein is pastor at Faith Lutheran Church, East Wenatchee, Washington.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 31, 2023
Today's Reading: Romans 11:33-12:8
Daily Lectionary:1 Samuel 31:1-13, 1 Corinthians 7:1-24
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God’s Word often describes the Body of believers as, well, a body. It talks about each of us making up one united being with Christ as the Head. This is a beautiful picture of who we are! We are joined with all other believers; we are included and precious. However, our sinful nature has a way of taking that which is wonderful and creating disharmony. We become obstinate about our own abilities and importance. We seek to be bodies of one, completely independent, and often try to disconnect from others (usually because they sin differently than we do, so clearly we would be better off without them).
Reread Romans 11:36: For from him and through him and to him are all things. Hmmm… ‘All things.’ From God, through God, and to God, are ALL things. What does that mean about our own ‘independent’ abilities? What does that mean for our insistence that we are better than another part of the body? What does that mean for our judgment of another’s gifts?
In the words of today’s reading, we are reminded that we are not alone and cannot survive alone. We are told that it is all from, through, and to God. We have been uniquely created and given all that we have. Our gifts were not given to lord over someone else or to be used in competition. Instead, God created each part of the body as a gift to and for one another.
Do we have different gifts than our neighbor? Yep. Thanks be to God! If a body was all an elbow, how would we see or eat or walk? If the foot overpowered the ear, how could we hear? All things are in God. All things are completed by Jesus’ death and resurrection on the cross. Your sins of worry, comparison, coveting, and self-seeking glory are paid and gone. In their place, there is peace, unity, and forgiveness. You are part of the Body. You are needed by your neighbor. Rest in your Baptism. Rejoice that all things are from God, through God, and in God. You don’t have to fight for a place in God’s family. You don’t have to earn God’s acceptance. The work has been done by Jesus; we now get to love and serve our neighbor using our unique and specific gifts. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Know that the Lord is God indeed; Without our aid He did us make. We are His folk,
He doth us feed, And for His sheep He doth us take. (LSB: 791:2)
-Deaconess Sarah Longmire is the bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 30, 2023
Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism, Lords Prayer: Third Petition
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 28:3-25, 1 Corinthians 6:1-20
And when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. (How is God’s will done?)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you heard the phrase, ‘battle of wills?’ It means that two (or more) people have their own ideas or plans that are not matching up with others’ plans or ideas. Each person wants their will to be followed and is unable or unwilling to make room for someone else’s needs or will to be done. When this happens, there is, well, a battle. When engaged in a battle of wills, we fight for OUR wants. We desire to win, dominate, and succeed over others. In actuality, though, after a battle of wills, there is usually angst, sadness, resentment, and pain. Often, even the person who wins is left feeling hollow; their victory came at the expense of someone else’s pain or failure.
The Third Petition of the Lord’s Prayer is ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ The sinner in us may become immediately suspicious: what is God’s will? How will it (negatively) affect ME? What will it cost me? What might I have to give up? How can I get around it or battle it and win?
Our sinful nature immediately reacts to this prayer, realizing that it is about God’s will; this means that it isn’t our will. Furthermore, we realize that none of us are God and that we don’t have control. In fact, God’s will is going to crush my will because His is perfect and mine is sinful. Do I want God’s will to be done?
Yes! God’s will is that all people are saved. God’s will is that sin, death, and the devil be defeated. God’s will is Jesus paying for the sins of the whole world, defying death, and giving life to all believers. God’s will is to claim YOU as His own through Baptism; He continually strengthens and feeds you through His Word and with Jesus’ Body and Blood. God’s will is done apart from our prayers and works; God’s will is done for us. God’s will won the battle on the cross and gives us victory, life, and salvation. Yes, God’s will is good and holy. God’s will is for you: that you are washed, revived, forgiven, loved, and kept secure with Him forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Your gracious will on earth be done As it is done before Your throne, That patiently we may obey Throughout our lives all that You say. Curb flesh and blood and ev’ry ill That sets itself against Your will. (LSB 766:4)
-Deaconess Sarah Longmire is the bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 29, 2023
Today's Reading: Mark 6:14-29
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 26:1-25, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13
And the king was exceedingly sorry. (Mark 6:26a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John the Baptist’s executioner was exceedingly sorry that he would put John to death. But, punishments follow crimes committed, right? Why would King Herod feel sorry?
In fact, Herod’s interactions with John are confusing. First, Herod sends John to prison because he doesn’t like what John said about his marriage. But, we also read that Herod, ‘feared John…and kept him safe’ (v. 20). Even more puzzling, though, was that when King Herod heard John speak, ‘he was greatly perplexed, and yet…heard him gladly’ (v. 20). Wait, what? Herod puts John in prison for what John said about his marriage. But then, we read that Herod (the KING) fears John, protects John, and is glad to hear John speak. So, John is punished for speaking, protected for speaking, gladly heard when speaking, but then ultimately put to death for speaking. This is weird, right?
Perhaps it’s because John had a dynamic and inviting personality. He must have been relevant and very popular. But…that’s not what Scripture says. John was the ‘weird guy’ who ate bugs and lived out in the wilderness. John was the guy who kept talking about someone else coming, about God’s Law, and the need for repentance. It wasn’t his personality that caused Herod’s sorrow.
John the Baptist faithfully preached God’s Word. He reminded sinners that they couldn’t do anything they wanted (like marry their brother’s wife, for example), that they needed to repent, and that the Savior was coming. John pointed to Jesus.
God’s Word promises to never return empty, but to always accomplish God’s work (Isaiah 55:10-11). The Law is good and necessary; it shows us our sinfulness and our desperate need for a Savior. John was faithfully preaching God’s Law. Herod’s confusing reaction to John makes sense; he was struck by the truth of John’s teaching even as he recoiled that the Law was for him too.
We are often like King Herod; we react to God’s Law with anger or reluctance. (I hope, though, that you aren’t throwing your pastor into prison when he preaches it to you!) Like John the Baptist, God sends us faithful pastors to preach God’s Truth in its purity. Your pastor reminds you of your sins and your deadness on your own. But then, he points to Jesus. He comforts you with God’s grace and mercy through Jesus’ death and resurrection. You are declared forgiven.
Today, we remember the faithfulness of John the Baptist; we give thanks for faithful pastors. We rejoice that we have a loving and merciful God who gives us His Word, both Law and Gospel, for our eternal good. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Our thanks for John the Baptist Who, till his dying day, Made straight paths for the Savior
And heralded His way! In witnessing to Jesus Through times of threat or shame
May we with faith and courage The Lamb of God proclaim. (LSB 517:24)
-Deaconess Sarah Longmire is the bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 28, 2023
Today's Reading: Isaiah 51:1-6
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 25:23-44, 1 Corinthians 4:1-21
My salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed. Isaiah 51:6b
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Disaster. War. Murder. Slander. Cursed. Defiled. Ugly. These are heavy words. These are words we use to describe horrible things that happen to us or around us. These are words that cause a pit to form in your stomach, tears to fall from your cheeks, and cries of despair to leave your lips. Life in a sinful world is hard. Living as a sinner, with other sinners, often hurts. Our bodies break. Our minds are overwhelmed. Our communities suffer. Our world is ugly.
God’s people throughout history viscerally understood these struggles. Isaiah is writing to people who knew the kingdom of Israel had split into two nations: Israel and Judah. In fact, they knew that the ‘other’ kingdom was their enemy. They had experienced the roller coaster of bad kings and not as bad kings. They had been in war; they had suffered through battles and saw death.
And yet, in today’s reading there is hope. God has not abandoned His people. He promises comfort. He promises salvation forever! He reminds the people (and us) that this world, riddled with sin, is not going to last forever. The heavens and earth will wear out and perish; we see the decay around us every day. And yet, we are reminded, just like the people to whom Isaiah is writing, that God’s righteousness will never be dismayed (v. 6).
There is hope in the midst of our hurt. There is promise in the midst of disaster. Jesus is with us within and through every trial and trouble. God sent His Son to be our Savior; He sent the only One who could enter a broken and dying world and give it new life. In your Baptism, you are made clean and holy. You are given life eternal. You will live forever with Jesus! Take heart and cling to the promises of God: we who are in Christ will not be dismayed. Life in a sinful world hurts now, but the hope for tomorrow is found in Christ. You are not alone, forgotten, or left behind; in your Baptism you are part of God’s family forever; God has declared you as His own. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
All who believe and are baptized Shall see the Lord’s salvation; Baptized into the death of Christ, They are a new creation. Through Christ’s redemption they shall stand Among the glorious, heav’nly band Of every tribe and nation. (All Who Believe and Are Baptized, LSB 601:1)
-Deaconess Sarah Longmire is the bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 27, 2023
Today's Reading: Matthew 16:13-20
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 25:1-22, 1 Corinthians 3:1-23
‘For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.’ Matthew 16:17b
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In today’s reading, Jesus asks a question to His disciples: ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ The disciples respond with what they have heard: some say this person, some say that person. The answers seem to make logical sense; they include: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or another prophet. These responses are reasonable and understandable; the Son of Man must certainly be a teacher or someone who is well educated about the Scriptures.
We hear these same types of explanations today: Jesus was a good teacher. Jesus is one way to heaven. Jesus taught the people to love everyone. Jesus is a great example of how to treat others. In our flawed human thinking, we try to make sense of all that is unbelievable. And, we like to control the message; if we put Jesus in the ‘one option’ category or as a ‘decent teacher,’ then we can pick and choose what we believe. We can justify our own choices and actions because, afterall, we are being logical and reasonable.
After the disciples answer Jesus, He asks a follow-up question: Who do you say that I am? Peter answers with a statement of faith: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (v. 16). This answer doesn’t make logical or reasonable sense: the Son of the living God? How? Why? But, what about me as god? And Jesus responds to Peter: Blessed are you! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven (v. 17). Peter has been given faith and confesses who Jesus truly is. It doesn’t make sense that God would send His perfect Son to be the Savior of a sinful world. And yet, that is exactly what happens.
In your Baptism, you received the Holy Spirit. In God’s Word, you hear and are reminded of whose you are and who God is. Jesus is our merciful Savior. Jesus is the Son of God and Son of Man. Jesus loves, forgives, renews, and revives us. Jesus gives us His Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper. This doesn’t make sense. This isn’t easily explained. And yet, this is the Truth. This is your faith. This is your reality. Thanks be to God for all that does not make sense, and yet is ours completely. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, whom to know is everlasting life, grant us to know Your Son, Jesus, to be the way, the truth, and the life that we may boldly confess Him to be the Christ and steadfastly walk in the way that leads to life eternal; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect of the Day)
-Deaconess Sarah Longmire is the bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 26, 2023
Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 13: Psalm 28:1-2, 6-7
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 24:1-22, 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:16
Blessed be the LORD! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. (Psalm 28:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s been a long week. It seems as though attending the Divine Service last Sunday was longer than 6 days ago. Maybe a particularly difficult day this week is still replaying in your head. Maybe a committed sin keeps coming up in your thoughts (and stealing your sleep). Maybe a hurt caused by someone else has made its home in your heart. Life is hard down here; living in and with sin hurts.
Today’s Psalm speaks about the weight of our need as sinners. We try and try, but we fail. And then, someone fails us. Usually, both happen frequently. We try again, and fail again. We try to fix what is broken, but make the mess messier. We cannot make it better and often feel beaten up by the end of the day, and certainly by the end of the week. We cry out to God in frustration, pain, and sorrow. We cannot carry the burdens of our sins and our hurts. It is heavy. It hurts. It is too much.
Friend, your prayers have been heard. You are not alone in your pain and suffering. You have a loving God who has heard your cries and answers them. He meets our sin with forgiveness. He meets our pain with relief. He meets our deadness with new life. He does not leave us to wallow in our failures, but gives us victory.
In our Baptism, we are made new. We are breathed to life and given Jesus’ life as our own. We are washed clean, renewed, loved, and mercied. In the Divine Service, we hear God’s Word preached. We hear our sins forgiven. We hear our neighbors’ sins forgiven. We receive Jesus’ Body and Blood. We are filled with the truth of whose we are and what we have been given. We are reminded of God’s grace and His mercy.
The week has been long. But tomorrow, the table has been prepared for you. Your pastor will, in the stead of Christ, forgive your sins. He has prepared the Word to point you to your Savior. Carry your worries, burdens, hurts, and sins to church. Receive God’s promises, love, forgiveness, and hope. Blessed be the Lord! He has heard our cries for mercy! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Be still, my soul, before the Lord, For God is always near. Before your mind is moved to pray, God listens and will hear. (Be Still, My Soul, before the Lord, LSB 771:1)
-Deaconess Sarah Longmire is the bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 25, 2023
Today's Reading:
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 20:24-42, 1 Corinthians 1:1-25
‘Not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.’ (1 Corinthians 1:17b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul, inspired by God, wrote to the Corinthians. Paul, also known as Saul, had been well educated and had been a high ranking Jew. He studied with great teachers and had been given great authority (think about the permission he had been granted to travel, find followers of Jesus, and arrest them). And yet, did you hear how he would refer to himself and his teaching? He wrote that he was preaching the Gospel, ‘not with words of eloquent wisdom.’ Wait a minute. He was a big deal, right? Even after he was converted, he was well-known. And yet, he is rebuking the Corinthians for claiming him, or other prophets and teachers, and causing division among themselves.
How often do we stumble over our words when trying to speak about our faith? Or, in frustration with the world and the horrible sinners in it, we discuss Jesus in a way that sounds more like an argument - one which we will certainly win. We use our churchiest words and our fanciest terms and, well, we witness…about ourselves. We make the conversation about how much better we are than our neighbor and how great life with be if only they were like us. We decide to be god and attempt to convert others to ourselves.
Paul knew he had nothing to offer to God. He knew that anything he said, attempted, or tried would fail. He lamented about his inability to just do what was right (Romans 7). And, in the first letter to the Corinthians, he reminds them that the power of God, true wisdom, is found in the most illogical place of all: the Cross. True wisdom is not found in the best argument or the greatest speech. It is not found in well-formed discourse or strongly defended debates. Instead, true wisdom is Jesus crucified for you. True wisdom is in the all-encompassing mercy given to sinners through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Remember your Baptism. Rest in the folly that is freedom through Jesus’ Work, not your own. When you are talking to your neighbor, don’t worry about winning. Share the joy you know as a redeemed sinner. Point to the true and only God who, when you were dead in your sins, saved you, washed you in His blood, named you, and gave you salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Good Christian friends, rejoice and sing! Now is the triumph of our King! To all the world glad news we bring: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! (Good Christian Friends, Rejoice and Sing, LSB 475:1)
-Deaconess Sarah Longmire is the bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 24, 2023
Today's Reading: Luke 22:24-30
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 20:1-23, Acts 28:16-31
But I am among you as the one who serves. (Luke 22:27b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. St. Bartholomew was one of the Apostles. He traveled with Jesus, listened to Jesus teach, and saw Jesus’ miracles. He heard again and again about who Jesus is and what Jesus was going to do. And yet, he didn’t get it.
In today’s reading, he was with the disciples as they argued about who was the greatest. This argument occurs right after Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper! It is Holy Week! Jesus is soon going to the cross! And yet, the apostles, including Bartholomew, are concerned about right now. They want a judgment of ‘who is the best.’ They want power, authority, and status. If they were declared the best, then they weren’t the worst -they weren’t last.
Jesus knew what they were discussing. And even on the cusp of going to the cross and His own painful death, He continues to love them and teach them. He recognizes the power that comes with status: ‘For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table?’ (v. 27a). And yet, He points to Himself, who is the greatest of all, and clearly states that He is their servant. He, the Savior of the whole world, came to serve and save. Even amidst and after their squabbling, Jesus reminds them that His Kingdom will be theirs.
We are like Bartholomew and the other disciples. We don’t get it. We focus on this temporal world and want power, glory, and dominion now. We want to be the greatest and the best; if you are the best, you don’t need help and aren’t weak. And yet, left on our own, we are dead; we are powerless against sin, death, and the devil. We are unable to save ourselves and certainly cannot dominate over anything else. We are lost and helpless.
In His mercy, Jesus saves us. He went to the cross to pay for the sins of the whole world, including Bartholomew’s and including yours. He forgives us our every sin, washes us in Baptism, sends us the Holy Spirit, and keeps every promise. We too are inheritors of His Kingdom. We too are conquerors; it is not by our own merit, but by His mercy and grace.
Bartholomew died a martyr’s death; God gave him faith and was with him, even unto death. God gives us faith and is with us every moment of this life and the next. We rejoice in the certainty that we are loved, forgiven, and redeemed. We look forward to being in heaven, with Bartholomew and all the saints, eternally praising and worshiping our Savior Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
For all the saints who from their labors rest, Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia! Alleluia! (For All the Saints. LSB 677:1)
-Deaconess Sarah Longmire is the bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 23, 2023
Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, The Lord’s Prayer: Second Petition
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 19:1-24, Acts 28:1-15
…so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity. (Explanation of The Second Petition)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Did you see it? In this petition, we are praying that by HIS GRACE we believe His Word and live godly lives. But isn’t living godly lives according to the 10 Commandments? Don’t we check the ‘good works’ boxes of behavior and live the Christian life? And furthermore, this petition is about God’s kingdom. That sounds like battle - fighting to the death - winning by force. If only everyone’s behavior would get better. If only insert a sin that isn’t yours would be stopped. If only your neighbor would act differently. THEN God’s kingdom would come. Then we would win; we could kick back and lord it over those ‘others.’
And yet, that isn’t how it works. That isn’t how God works. And eternally, we are grateful that He doesn’t work that way. The consequence of sin is death, and no one escapes it. We are guilty. We are unworthy. We are dead. And furthermore, we were born that way. There is no amount of behavior that can undo a death sentence from the womb. And yet. God sent a solution. He had a plan to save you, to save the whole world, to make His Kingdom come: through grace and mercy and forgiveness. He sent His perfect Son Jesus to pay for your sins, for the sins of the whole world, and to defeat sin, death, and the devil. After three days, His victory, and ours, was complete.
Therefore, in this petition, we remember that God brings His kingdom by giving His Spirit. He gives us grace in the face of sin and death. In Baptism, we are given new life. We are brought back to life. We are brought into God’s kingdom - through grace. We remember that we are the receivers of mercy and are beggars before Him. This means, though, that we must also remember that He loves and redeems our neighbors - even that one who keeps sinning.
You are forgiven. You are part of God’s kingdom through His grace. You are Baptized and Redeemed. Share this Good News with those around you; as a fellow sinner, you know how God’s Kingdom comes. You receive His Body and Blood in the Divine Service; you have assurance in your Baptism. Rest in the assurance that His Kingdom does come and it is through grace. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Thy Kingdom come; thy Grace be nigh, O'er all the Earth, o'er all the Sky; The Holy Spirit of thy Grace, Bestow his Gifts on Human Race. From Satan's woful Tyranny,Keep all thy Churches safe and free. (Our Father, Who From Heav’n Above, LSB 766:3)
-Deaconess Sarah Longmire is the bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 22, 2023
Today's Reading: Romans 11:1-2a, 13-18, 28-32
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 18:10-30, Acts 27:27-44
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:29
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God’s Word is trustworthy and true. How do we know? Every promise He made, He kept. Every word He gave has come to fruition. In today’s reading, there is another reality: Gentiles get to be part of God’s family too. His gifts and His mercy extend to those outside of the house of Israel.
To the proud and Pharisetical Jews, this was awful. How could those people get to be included? They didn’t have the right bloodline. They didn’t have the traceable back to King David family tree. And in fact, Saint Paul writes even more outrageously: ‘branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in’ (v. 19). Not only are Gentiles included, but members of the house of Israel have been excluded. On what merit or word does this get to be the reality?
Members of the house of Israel were focusing on the wrong thing. They were so sure of their history and their works, they had fallen into unbelief. Unbelief causes separation from God. Similarly, these unbelievers had declared judgment on their Gentile neighbors and were sure that no Gentile could be redeemed. Oh how wrong they were! ‘You, a wild olive shoot were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree’ (v. 17). God pruned the plant, cutting off what is dead and including what was alive.
You struggle with the same sin as the Pharisetical Jews. You declare yourself ‘god’ when you look at a neighbor who sins differently than you do and think (or say) that they cannot possibly be loved or redeemed by Jesus. Their sin is too bad. Their life is too broken. Or, you look at fellow Christians and think, ‘well at least I am not judgmental like them.’ Saint Paul has a warning for this too: ‘do not become proud, but fear’ (v. 20).
We all fall short of God’s perfect Law. We become complacent and comparative with our actions or in our attitudes. Repent. Remember that you (and your neighbor) were born in sinfulness. You (and your neighbor) were brought back to life in Baptism. You (and your neighbor) have God’s full pardon through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Rejoice in the overwhelming love you have been given from our merciful and forgiving Lord! Rejoice that God’s love is so abundant that it completely covers you and your neighbor. Rejoice and rest in the knowledge that you (and your neighbor, yes, even that one…) are washed in the blood of the Lamb and are included in God’s family. His Word promises it; God always keeps His promises. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Chief of sinners though I be, Jesus shed his blood for me, died that I might live on high, lives that I might never die. As the branch is to the vine, I am his and he is mine! (Chief of Sinners Though I Be, LSB:611 1)
-Deaconess Sarah Longmire is the bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 21, 2023
Today's Reading: Isaiah 56:1, 6-8
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:48-18:9, Acts 27:9-26
The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered. (Isaia 56:8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Outsider. Foreigner. Doesn’t belong. Outcast. These words describe exclusion. These words create division: if you are out, that means you are NOT in. If you are ‘in,’ there is a temptation to breathe a sigh of relief and do whatever is necessary to maintain the ‘included’ status. To be left out hurts; no one desires to be slighted, forgotten, cut off, or left behind.
In today’s reading, there is a wild declaration from God: He is going to INCLUDE those who were on the outside of Israel. He was going to not only gather the ‘outcasts’ of Israel, but also include those ‘others’ too. That hardly seems fair; they must be ‘outsiders’ for a reason. And by their exclusion, we can be sure that our inclusion is secure…right? How radical of an idea that those who have been on the outside of God’s mercy can suddenly be included!
In our sin, we create labels for ‘others.’ We struggle to not self-justify our status as ‘better-than-others’ based on external descriptions (at least I don’t sin like that person) or a false sense of earning our place with God (I go to church every week, so I am definitely ‘in’). We can become complacent in the reality of our own former status as ‘other.’ Before our Baptism, we were dead in our transgressions and alienated from God. We were without hope, certainly not able to earn a spot or make for ourselves an ‘in’ with God. We were the outsiders - the foreigners - the outcasts - the other.
God in His mercy sent His Son to pay for our sins, give us new life, and declare us as His. This was not earned by us. This was not a negotiation we won. This was His plan for our salvation. In our Baptism, we are made alive, given God’s name, and declared ‘in’ with Him. We live in our Baptism for eternity. He claims us for eternity.
But what about the worry that including others might take from us what we have? This is unfounded and unnecessary. Jesus died to pay for the sins of the whole world: He has more forgiveness than we have sins. Therefore we joyfully share the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection with all of our neighbors, knowing that God’s mercy is for them abundantly - just as it is for us! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
God would not have the sinner die; his Son with saving grace is nigh. His Spirit in the Word declares that we in Christ are heaven's heirs. (God Loved the World So That He Gave, LSB 571:3)
-Deaconess Sarah Longmire is the bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 20, 2023
Today's Reading:Matthew 15:21-28
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:20-47
‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David.’ (Matthew 15:22b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mercy. Undeserved reprieve. Declared innocent in light of clear guilt.
In today’s reading, a mother is crying out for mercy to be shown to her daughter. She is desperate and coming to Jesus. She has the diagnosis: demon possession. She needs the only true cure: Jesus. However, she is rebuked by His disciples and, at first, dismissed by Jesus. But she is persistent: she comes before Him, kneels, and cries out for help. She does not offer a bargain or a trade. In fact, when Jesus tells her that she is not an Israelite (and in fact suggests that she is a dog), she rightly acknowledges her status. She knows and readily admits who she is and what she needs; she may be an outsider, but she knows who the Master is and what He can do. She feels the weight of her daughter’s troubles and knows that the solution must come from someone beyond herself. She is weak, helpless, and unable to save her daughter.
We too were once outsiders; before our Baptism, we were dead in our sins and enemies to God. Dead! Dead things cannot fix themselves (or help others). Enemies! Even if we could do something, we would do the wrong thing - the evil thing. We are guilty. We are broken. Left to ourselves, we are hopeless.
We know the weight of sin; sin causes that which should be perfect to break. We have been brought to our knees in the face of the consequences of sin: our own sin and sins done against us. We are like this Canaanite woman: we are guilty, broken, and have no recourse except to cry out to God for mercy.
Here’s the Good News! God has and continues to show you mercy! It is undeserved and a reprieve from lasting death. In your Baptism, you were given new life; you are covered by Jesus and named as one of God’s children. We who were enemies have now been claimed and redeemed, chosen and made clean. We have God’s infinite mercy, won for us by Jesus, through His death and resurrection. We didn’t earn it nor do we deserve it, but it is ours. Rest and rejoice in the merciful goodness from our Lord. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting Father, You give Your children many blessings even though we are undeserving. In every trial and temptation grant us steadfast confidence in Your loving-kindness and mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Deaconess Sarah Longmire is the bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 19, 2023
Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 12: Psalm 28:1-2, 6-7; antiphon: Psalm 28:8
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:1-19, Acts 26:1-23
Psalm 28:7: “The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The tenses matter. David is calling out to God for help. Present tense. Right now. If God won’t answer him he’ll die. Present danger. There are wicked workers of evil around him. Present tense. He’s in trouble as He prays this psalm.
Blessed be the LORD! For He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. Past tense. Before David ever cried out to God for help, the Lord had already heard. Before they call, I will answer them, says the LORD.
The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. Present tense. David, surrounded by enemies and about to die, is helped. Present tense. The help that brings him comfort can exist even in the present tense and danger. It isn’t held out to the future. It isn’t quarantined to a time you don’t need it anymore. It’s present tense.
The help David found comfort in, even surrounded by problems, was rooted not in the absence of problems but the presence of God. God heard and worked even before the problem. He has sent His Son to rescue you from every evil before you could ever call upon Him. The prayers we pray are comforts, not because we need to make God work in the future to fix our present problems, but because He has already worked in the past, and His present Word reminds us of our help now. That help lasts forevermore. The rescue we have is eternal. The victory we have is over the grave. When you pray, don’t think of prayer as leverage to make God work. Use those words to remember God’s promises. Everything that you’re asking for has been paid for. The help that you need is from a God not far off. The rescue that you think can’t be today is already yours. Blessed be the Lord, who has already worked to deliver us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We all believe in one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Ever-present help in need, Praised by all the heav’nly host; All He made His love enfolds, All creation He upholds. (We All Believe in One True God, LSB 953:1)
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 18, 2023
Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-23
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 16:1-23, Acts 25:13-27
1 Samuel 16:7: “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.””
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord looks at things differently than we do. We want might. He wants mercy. Pastors love alliteration even more than allegory. So when Samuel goes out to visit Jesse to see which of his sons would be the newer, better king, there’s something for us to learn. Samuel assumes the taller. The stronger. Someone to crush Saul, who has turned evil. Someone who would protect the people. The Lord rejects this idea. It’s going to be David, despite all the things that make him look weak.
David’s Son, yet David’s Lord is no different. The God we want help from stomps the people we hate. He cures all our diseases. He fixes all our problems. Instead, we get the God who dies on the cross. We’re as perplexed as Samuel. But where mercy is worked, peace follows.
We talk a lot about the theology of the cross and the theology of glory. We know the difference between mercy and might, and which one our Lord uses. But we often overlook which one brings peace. A theology of glory never gives true lasting peace. Each rescue only kicks the can down the road until the next tragedy, pain, or trial. Each rescue isn’t a chance to rejoice, but only a chance to look over your shoulder for something else. But a theology of the cross provides a rescue that even death itself cannot destroy. It provides the peace of knowing none of these things can separate us from the love of God which joins us in the pit to suffer, to work mercy, and to save. Ours isn’t a hope of escape from one problem at a time. Ours is a hope of salvation that none of our problems can rob us of, whether we have them or not. It’s of a God who isn’t just mighty, but loving enough to work within suffering so that suffering can become a gift, and not just something to spend our days afraid of. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, my God, to Thee I pray: O cast me not in wrath away! Let Thy good Spirit ne’er depart, But let Him draw to Thee my heart That truly penitent I be: O God, be merciful to me (To Thee, Omniscient Lord of All, LSB 613:2)!
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 17, 2023
Today's Reading: Romans 10:5-17
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 15:10-35, Acts 24:24-25:12
Romans 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God sends His word to you so that you will believe it and be saved. And we’re still scared that Christianity is going away. Despite the boomers telling you how full the church was “back in their day”, it’s not a new problem. One verse before the promise that faith comes by hearing is the lament of Romans 10:16, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel.” For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?””
I love it when old people complain to me about things I worry about too. Generation after generation has worried about the wellbeing of Christendom. Generation after generation has lamented. Generation after generation has been preserved in faith. Because no matter how much we worry, God still sends preachers. He still sends His Holy Spirit by His Word to call, gather, enlighten, sanctify, and keep. The feet are beautiful because God sends them to speak salvation.
It's not your job to ascend to heaven. It’s not your job to save yourself. It’s not your job to save others. It’s Jesus’ job to descend. To die. To rise. To ascend back into heaven. To send forth the Spirit by the feet of preachers. And to save you and many more by the hearing of that Word. Not all will believe. That doesn’t nullify the Word. It just makes it matter more. In a world of not enough hope, God is still speaking more. He can’t be silenced any more than He can be uncrucified. So we hear. We believe. And we confess. Christ Jesus saved me by His death and resurrection. He has saved you too. The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
To hope grown dim, to hearts turned cold Speak tongues of fire and make us bold To shine Your Word of saving grace Into each dark and loveless place (Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide, LSB 585:3).
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 16, 2023
Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, The Lord’s Prayer: First Petition
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 14:47-15:9, Acts 24:1-23
Hallowed be Thy name
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. People misuse God’s name a lot. Not just where toes get stubbed. Where people lie about who God is. Where people teach falsely in His name. Where people use His name as a weapon for a cause they deem more important than His will. And yet, God’s name is already holy. You can’t make God’s name more holy by your prayers. You can’t make it less holy by your actions. But we pray in this petition that God’s holy name would be a gift to us. That the name we can’t sully by our sins would be the name of our redeemer. That our redeemer wouldn’t abandon us to our sins, but give us a name to call upon in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
God’s name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven! But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God’s Word profanes the name of God among us. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!
This Petition is a gift because it points to who God already is. That turns the prayer from a burden to a gift. Now you don’t have to pray for something to happen, but rejoice that it happens near you and for you. He’s establishing His holy name in your life by His Holy Spirit where His Word is preached and His Sacrament administered. You can know where it is and pray that it is given to you too. You can find comfort in receiving them. You can find holiness brought near you. God gives His holy name that you would find comfort in praying to Your Father in heaven, and life in His only Son. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Your name be hallowed. Help us, Lord, In purity to keep Your Word, That to the glory of Your name We walk before You free from blame. Let no false teaching us pervert; All poor deluded souls convert (Our Father, Who from Heaven Above, LSB 766:2).
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 15, 2023
Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-55
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 13:1-18, Acts 23:13-35
Luke 1:48: “for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Blessed are you among women
To be called the mother of God by the small whispering word
And so much worse by those without ears to hear.
The virgin shall conceive and bear abuse.
But she named it all Immanuel.
God with us.
For the belittled and the befouled
The mocked and reviled, the virgin gives a hymn.
He has regard for the humiliated.
who in their shame would prefer sticks and stones to words
used to cause much deeper hurt
He sheds precious blood and names the least of these holy.
Exalting what has been profaned,
and blessing what others only curse.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You chose the Virgin Mary to be the mother of Your only Son. Grant that we, who are redeemed by His blood, may share with her in the glory of Your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ, our Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 14, 2023
Today's Reading: Job 38:4-18
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 12:1-25, Acts 22:30-23:11
Job 38:4: ““Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Where were you when God worked? To create. To redeem. The real question the Lord poses to Job is “Why would you think you need to be?” It’s a harsh question for a reason. After everything that Job went through, it’s easy to question how a loving God could let it happen. It’s easy to come up with 100 other options that involve less hurt. The Lord doesn't take time to entertain them. He doesn’t make it a contest of ideas, but of identity.
Because we have questions and ideas. And honestly it’s going to be tough to convince anyone in the midst of Job’s suffering that it’s totally a good idea. We still try. We treat “everything happens for a reason” like a magic spell that just makes it all ok. Instead, Job is left with a reminder about who his God is. Because honestly, he’s not going to understand the reason. The Lord berates Job for chapters on end for assuming he possibly could. You are not God. You’re not going to understand the reason. You were not even there. And that’s a gift.
Why would you think you’d need to be? Did the God who did all these we don’t understand and hate put Himself farther away from creation or closer? He was incarnate. Did He put Himself farther away or closer to suffering? He took flesh to die for you. Were you there?
Why would you measure creation by your experience of it? Why would you think you had to be at the foot of the cross to make it matter more? It’s evil to measure it by your experience. If God is only working in ways that you experience as pleasurable, when you need Him the most, He’ll feel the farthest away. He didn’t abandon Job. Thinking that way is demonic. It’s literally what Satan wanted. Sing songs about where you were when Jesus was crucified all you want, but what matters isn’t just that it happened, but it happened for you. Even if you weren’t there. That it was the work of a God smarter than you. Holier than you. Who loves you. He does things we don’t understand and don’t like. But He also bears the worst of it Himself, even for the very sinners who question His motives while He does it. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh . . . Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord (Were You There, LSB 456:1)?
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 13, 2023
Today's Reading:Matthew 14:22-33
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 10:1-27, Acts 22:17-29
Matthew 14:24–25: “but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s easier to talk about the Jesus who walks on water than the Jesus who made the disciples get in the boat before the winds and waves pulled their boat from land and soaked the disciples to their bones. The wind was against them. Which is an understatement sort of like when someone asks you “how’s it going?” and you say “OK”. The wind was against them in the kind of way that took control of their boat from them and threatened death. It’s great that Jesus walked on water in a storm, but if you ignore the reality that He also made the disciples go out into what just might have killed them, you’ll miss the point. Both were done out of mercy.
In the middle of the night, surrounded by death, the deeper truth is that Jesus rescued the disciples from the misconception that calm is the same as peace. When Christianity confuses calm for peace, it offers neither. But still, so often, we want to describe our faith as a calmed storm, not a present Lord. We imagine that a thriving faith is the kind that can walk on water and not sink, but I wonder how many of the people who’d criticize St. Peter for the doubt that sunk him into the sea also took swimming lessons.
“O ye of little faith, why did you doubt?” O ye of little faith, why would you think that would stop God from working. The disciples were anything but calm. Peter doubted. God still saved. All of this is given to you so you’ll stop measuring the storm, stop measuring the calm, stop measuring your faith, and start looking to your God.
Christianity is not Christians copying Jesus to walk on water. It’s Jesus pulling up sinking sinners. He reaches down into death and pulls us back out. He dies upon the cross for you and rises from the dead, taking you with Him. And if Christ can pull you out of the grave, go ahead and let your calm be damaged. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Almighty and most merciful God, preserve us from all harm and danger that we, being ready in both body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish what You want done; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
August 12, 2023
Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 11: Psalm 34:4-8; antiphon: Psalm 34:1
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 9:1-27, Acts 21:37-22:16
Psalm 34:7: The angel of the LORD encamps around those who I fear him, and delivers them.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The angel of the Lord is, more than sometimes, the Son of God. Angel means messenger. Voice. Word. The Word of the Lord made flesh spoke even before He was made flesh. The Son of God was at work in the Old Testament too. The angel of the Lord who saves the poor man out of his troubles, who encamps around those who fear them and delivers them is the one who would become man to die and rise.
It doesn’t just change the actor. It changes what the help looks like. We imagine help from angels looks like spiritual war protecting us from demons. We imagine it looks like forces unseen at work to keep us safe. But the angel of the Lord dwells with us in our suffering to deliver us by suffering for us on the cross. God won’t be far from our cries for help in times of trouble. But He saves us not by sending legions of angels to conquer the trouble but by bearing it Himself. God saves us through weakness, not strength. But that means when you look around and things are falling apart, it isn’t because God has left us.
It usually just means we’re looking in the wrong places. Oh taste and see that the Lord is good. God dwells with sinners to save today. In communion, Jesus encamps on altars surrounded by the faithful, struggling with sin week after week. Struggling with death. Struggling with the evil one. He gives the victory we’re desperate for week after week. He brings deliverance you can taste. His body and blood for you. They save you. From the sins you can’t escape on your own. From the death that looms. From the evil one. We eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus that forgives all your sin, brings life everlasting, and robs the devil of all his might. That It’s worth praising. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
From evil, Lord, deliver us; The times and days are perilous. Redeem us from eternal death, And, when we yield our dying breath, Console us, grant us calm release, And take our souls to You in peace (Our Father, Who from Heaven Above, LSB 766:8).
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 11, 2023
Today's Reading: Acts 21:15-36
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 8:1-22, Acts 21:15-36
Acts 21:24: “take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul seems to go back and forth on little details, but makes a huge deal of them. In some places he urges circumcision. In others he forbids it. Sometimes he speaks about eating food offered to idols as no big deal, and today he shaves his head to show he’s not down with that tomfoolery.
It’s almost easier to blame it on the hypocrisy of Christians. Today we don’t talk about food sacrificed to idols, and circumcision isn’t a trending topic, but can you shop at Target? It really seems like everyone is making up their own answers, justifying them from Scripture, and condemning others even if they end up changing their minds and justifying their new answers from the same Scriptures.
There is a way to see through the haze. First, right and wrong are defined by the 10 commandments. Those don’t change. If the commandments are silent, for example, on food that was sacrificed to Ba’al or Ta’arget, we ask a simple question. What does this confess? Not just what do you intend, but what do other people see? You can fly a rainbow flag as a remembrance of God’s promise to Noah, but the world will see something different. What does this confess? That’s why Paul’s answer changes. To those who would make a weapon out of the Law and use it against others, he preaches Christian freedom. To those who would be harmed spiritually by being subject to the trends of the day, he preaches a clear distinction between faith and unfaithfulness.
When you go out into the world, can you be made unclean by anything in your Baptism? No! Jesus died for you. Daily you are washed. Your salvation cannot be robbed by the dollar spot. Might there come a time for some people in some places that they cannot be associated with unbelief to the point where they’ll have to look elsewhere? Sure. But in each case, the question is what does this confess? We confess Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sins and the free salvation given to sinners by His promises. Let that be our identity. That saves more than public declarations of boycotts. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
All who confess Christ’s holy name, Give God the praise and glory. Let all who know His pow’r proclaim Aloud the wondrous story. Cast ev’ry idol from its throne, For God is God, and He alone: To God all praise and glory! (Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good, 819:5)
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 10, 2023
Today's Reading: Acts 19:1-22
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 6:19-7:17, Acts 19:1-22
Acts 19:19: “And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Magic always boils down to the same thing. Whether it’s Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter or genuine dark arts and witchcraft. Manipulate something spiritual to affect something physical. Poke at something you can’t see to get something you can. Which, if you think about it, is a lot like how most Christians treat prayer.
That might actually be a good way to think about this. In the text the exorcists weren’t calling out to Satan to cast out Satan. They were using the name of Jesus. They thought they knew the magic words. It’s what broke the second commandment. Magic is evil because it’s about control. Using God’s name as a magic word to get what you want (please) is evil because it’s about control. The difference between magic and prayer is control. Are you praying to a Heavenly Father who loves you for comfort in the knowledge that His will is going to be done in your life as it is everywhere else, or are you trying to manipulate something you can’t see to get something you can? God’s name is not something you use to get something else. God’s name is a comfort to all who trust in Him.
The difference between the exorcists and Paul’s teaching about the Holy Spirit and baptizing in the triune name isn’t just that Paul’s stuff worked. It isn’t because Paul meant it for good and the people trying to cast demons out of the sick and suffering had ulterior motives. It’s that God would not allow His name to be misused to teach people He was the same as any other spiritual force out there. Call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks. But do so knowing you have a Father in Heaven who loves you, and that any peace comes from knowing you have received the Holy Spirit and need not worry about having to do magic in the first place. Because God is in control. That’s way better. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, Who ord’rest all things mightily; To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel! (O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, LSB 357:2)
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 9, 2023
Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Table of Duties: Intro to the Lord's Prayer
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 5:1-6:3, 10-16, Acts 18:1-11, 23-28
Our Father who art in Heaven
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Prayer is about comfort, not stuff. For some reason we’ve come to see it the other way around. Prayer is about making God do stuff for you. The problem is that the second prayer is rooted in stuff and not comfort, there’s never any comfort to be found until you get the stuff. So everything becomes devoted to getting it. Which means you have to pray more. And be more heartfelt about it. And definitely get more people to do it with you and for you so that God will help you. Because He only helps the popular kids, right? Also, when prayer becomes about stuff and you’re not getting your stuff, it’s hard not to see God as the bad guy in the situation. Some Christians even call themselves prayer warriors. The thing is, Satan was defeated at the cross. So, who’s left to fight except God?
So Jesus teaches us to pray. Our Father who art in heaven. We pray as if we have a Father in heaven who actually loves us enough to take care of us. Who calls us to ask for all things with the knowledge that the answer isn’t rooted in you doing enough to earn a prize, but in Him loving you enough to take care of you. Sometimes that means saying no. Sometimes that means saying later. But even when you don’t get what you want, even what you need, you still have a Father in heaven, and this prayer is a comfort because it reminds us of that. The thing we need isn’t everything. You have a God who will care for you, even without it if He knows it to be best. When prayer is about comfort, you can bring all your complaints, your worries, and even your sins to God with your petitions and know that He gladly bears them all for you. He answers not as a vending machine would, but as a Father. This is the greater good. Your parents don’t stop being your parents because they say no to you. You’re better for being told no once in a while. The comfort of prayer is knowing that God, who is smarter than you and holier than you, is on your side, and working in all things to care for you as a dear Father cares for His dear children. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Our Father, who from heav’n above Bids all of us to live in love As members of one family And pray to You in unity, Teach us no thoughtless words to say But from our inmost hearts to pray (Our Father, Who from Heaven Above, LSB 766:1)
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 8, 2023
Today's Reading: Romans 9:1-13
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 4:1-22, Acts 16:23-40
Romans 9:11: “in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s a dangerous thing to look at missions and assume you’re more loving than God is. Almost all of us have someone in our life outside of the faith. Every single one of us is uncomfortable about it. Even though God is the one who did the work to die and rise again to save us. Even though we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in this Jesus Christ our Lord or come to Him, we make it our “mission” to make sure someone else does. What can we do? What can we say? How can we make them believe? Paul struggles with it, and I deeply understand his frustrations.
To Paul’s people belong the promises, the Law, the worship, the covenants. Yet not all of them are children of Abraham. It is not as though the Word of God has failed, though. Remember, God’s purpose of election, His love for sinners, is what first drove Him to the cross. Do you think He loves us less this side of Easter, now that the painful part is over? All who hear and receive God’s promises in faith hear because He calls. Yes, some will hear and ignore. Some will close their ears to the Law and the promises. It doesn’t mean God doesn’t want them saved. After all, He calls them, which shows He wants them saved. It also doesn’t fall on you to fix what God supposedly did wrong.
There will be people who hate the promises, but they can’t unmake them. It isn’t yours to save your friends anymore than it is Paul’s. But God wants them saved even more than you do. Even if they hate the promises now, they can’t unmake them. So God will still proclaim, and the Holy Spirit will still work to call, gather, enlighten, sanctify, and even keep. Rest here. If there are such things as missions, recognize it is God who is at work, and simply take joy in the reality He cares about the people in your life enough to make promises to them over and over, and that His Word does not return void. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Elect from ev’ry nation, Yet one o’er all the earth; Her charter of salvation: One Lord, one faith, one birth. One holy name she blesses, Partakes one holy food, And to one hope she presses With ev’ry grace endued (The Church’s One Foundation LSB 644:2).
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 7, 2023
Today's Reading: Isaiah 55:1-5
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 3:1-21, Acts 16:1-22
Isaiah 55:2: “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It doesn’t makes sense, but I still watch a basketball team I don’t think will win and eat food I know isn’t healthy. I say money can’t buy happiness, but I also say practice makes perfect, so I guess I’ll try it one more time anyway. Everyone nods sagely when we talk about the futility of these things. Simplicity and productivity fill my feeds. They get millions of views because all of us see through the foolishness and are convinced that if we just finally abandon the ridiculous things we cling to. our stress will go away along with it. We figure If we can't have all we covet, money must be bad, even though we thank God for the gifts it buys because we know who made it, gave it to us, and called it good in the first place.
Money isn't bad, leisure isn't bad. Being more organized and less stressed isn't bad. But God won't limit Himself to where these things might theoretically exist. If you want to measure God's presence or goodness or even just whether or not He exists based on how little stress and how much money you have, when you need God the most He'll be the farthest away. He doesn't need those things as much as you think He does. God puts Himself in poverty and chaos. God invites in those who have no money, and all who thirst. He makes a covenant with sinners, and promises to save, help, and redeem. He doesn't need money or work/life balance to manage it. He takes on human flesh and weakness, and even the human sin that looks for God where He has never promised to be found, in us getting better enough to not need Him anymore. We find Him not living the best life, but dying the righteous death upon the cross. It’s so that if you have plenty, you can thank God, and if you don't, I'm sorry, and you're allowed to lament it, but just don't think you somehow lost God in the midst of it, or that He won't continue to care in ways that all those things you think you need could never manage. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
All depends on our possessing God’s abundant grace and blessing, Though all earthly wealth depart. They who trust with faith unshaken By their God are not forsaken And will keep a dauntless heart (All Depends on Our Possessing, LSB 732:1)
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House
August 6, 2023
Today's Reading: Matthew 14:13-21
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 2:18-36, Acts 15:22-41
Matthew 14:14: “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The feeding of the 5000 happens right after John the Baptist gets his head cut off for preaching the stuff God told him to preach. It makes bread and fish seem like less, even if He healed a few sick people along the way. Especially since Jesus left afterwards so He wouldn’t have to do it again. Reading about miracles in the Bible only seems to highlight the places they aren’t today. So instead of measuring God by every single problem, by everything you think you lack, look to who He is in the face of all of it.
It was compassion that moved Jesus each time. It was compassion for the loss of His friend that drove Him to the desolate places to mourn. It was compassion for the people there that drove Him to feed the people that followed Him. It was even compassion that drove Him away after. When He went, it wasn’t to abandon them. He carried their pains and fears and most of all their sins with Him. He wanted to do more than answer one fear after another as they arose. He wasn’t meant to be that kind of King. He left to snuff them out completely. His was to go into Jerusalem to wear a crown of thorns so that sinful desire and scared idolatry would not devour us, that enemies like death and the devil would be robbed of their sting. That the sinners would find mercy. That the dead would live. That those who hunger and thirst for righteousness would be satisfied. Even when everything looks like this. Maybe you don’t see Him still working in the middle of all your problems, but neither did the disciples surrounded by hungry mouths to feed.
In the face of fear and sorrow and a complete lack of everything needed, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks, broke it and gave it to the disciples. 5000 were fed. The same love, the same mercy that drove Him to care for those saints drives Him to care for you, even if He does it differently. Today I don’t see 5000 fed, but the body and blood of Jesus forgive my sins. That does more than leave me fed once and looking for the next meal. You can have some too. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, though we do not deserve Your goodness, still You provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may acknowledge Your gifts, give thanks for all Your benefits,
and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 5, 2023
Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 10: Psalm 105:39-43; antiphon: Psalm 105:1
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:21-2:17, Galatians 6:1-18
They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river. For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant. (From the Introit for Pentecost 10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It is no surprise that this is tomorrow’s Introit when you know that the Gospel reading is the Feeding of the 5000. These words dovetail (or is it ‘quail tail’?) nicely with what Jesus does.
This psalm is a quick overview of what God has done for his people from the call of Abraham up to the people coming into the Promised Land. It is a remembrance of all that God has done in love for His chosen ones.
When you hear these words tomorrow, and your pastor proclaims the Gospel to you about how Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes, think back to these words and rejoice that God our Father has been providing for His people in strange and mysterious ways century after century since He called Abraham to be the father of his people.
Sure, the modern grocery store may not seem as miraculous as the loaves and fish, or manna on the ground each morning, or flocks of quail drifting through the camp at catchable speed, or water gushing from a rock in the wilderness, but it is indeed a miracle of modern engineering that fresh (and shelf-stable) foods are replenished as fast as you can load a grocery cart. Not to mention fast food outlets and their offerings.
The giving of First Article Gifts, of our Daily Bread, is what God our Father does for a living. He allows the rain to fall on the just and unjust, He provides food and shelter for all of His creations, and He preserves us in safety with an eye to eternity.
These gifts of food and drink, house and home, and all that the explanation to the First Article of the Creed in the Small Catechism spell out come to us because God remembers his holy promise.
As marvelous and as amazing as these miracles are, and the reception of our Daily Bread, they all pale in comparison to Jesus giving his very self for us and our salvation. Even this is a gift of God because by it, He remembers His holy promise.
So the next time you are wowed by a beautiful dinner or a surprising find at the grocery store, remember that God your Father remembers His holy promise to you and He sustains you because He loves you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things is wondrously reigning And, as on wings of an eagle, uplifting, sustaining. Have you not seen All that is needful has been Sent by His gracious ordaining? (LSB 790:2)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 4, 2023
Today's Reading: Galatians 5:1-15
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:1-20, Galatians 5:1-26
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery…For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:1, 13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is a lot going on in Galatians 5. St. Paul is angry to the point of throwing things, he’s so mad about how the Galatian Christians act in response to God’s Word and outside influences that he can’t even see straight. He can’t believe that people who have heard the sweet words of the Gospel can so quickly return to trying to earn salvation under the Law.
Freedom in the Gospel is primary, here. Don’t think you need to live under the fear of the Law once you have been recreated in Christ through baptism. It is easy to think that if you just followed all the right rules in all the right ways, that life would be awesome and you’d have no problems because you were following the script handed down from above.
The problem is, sinners get in the way of that perfect plan. Satan, the world, and your own sinful flesh causes everything to flip upside down, and all of a sudden you are trying to please God by following a checklist instead of receiving His good and gracious gifts.
And that’s why St. Paul urges you to stand firm in the freedom of the Gospel. But see that freedom as a way to love those around you, not to just go crazy and do whatever you want and say, “it’s fine, Jesus forgives me!”
The Christian life is a life of loving God with every fiber of your being and your neighbor as yourself. That means living a life that honors your neighbors because they need to know the love of God as much as you do.
Freedom in Christ isn’t living for yourself. It isn’t trying to get the most out of life at the expense of others. It is living the life God our Father has given you, a life lived in love for those around you, and in you receiving the love of others for you, too. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Called by worship to Your service, Forth in Your dear name we go, To the child, the youth, the aged, Love in living deeds to show; Hope and health, goodwill and comfort, Counsel, aid, and peace we give, That Your servants, Lord, in freedom May Your mercy know and live. (LSB 848:4)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 3, 2023
Today's Reading: Ezekiel 40:1-4, 48:35
Daily Lectionary: Judges 16:4-30, Galatians 4:12-31
“And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The LORD Is There.” (Ezekiel 48:35)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The words “hope” and “Old Testament prophet” don’t often go together in our minds. But the very reason the prophets are sent is because of hope. Because the Lord God wants to draw His people back to His side, into His hands, into a place set aside for them that is safe from all outside attacks.
And so it is that the prophet Ezekiel, after calling out God’s people (and many foreign nations, too) for their faithlessness and wandering, ends his book with a word of profound hope and peace. It takes him nine chapters to outline just how magnificent and glorious the New Jerusalem God promises is. He’s mostly known for dry bones, weird visions, and baking bread over manure, but all of that pales in the light of what he lays out at the end of his book.
God’s people know why they are in exile. They know why Jerusalem, their lifelong home, had been destroyed. And they wonder if God will ever return them home. They have just about given up, even though there have been many times Ezekiel has comforted them throughout his time as a prophet.
And so it is with us, too. We’ve heard God’s Law against our failures. We’ve heard his Gospel promises and assurances of our forgiveness and salvation in Jesus, but we still wonder if it is all true. If God really means it. If he will return and take us to that New Heaven and New Earth he’s promised.
And that’s the thing. He has promised it to us. Our not believing it doesn’t make it untrue, it just makes our lives more difficult. The Word of God stands whether we trust it or not, which is why Ezekiel goes to such pains to outline the gloriousness of the future.
And he doesn’t stop there. He finishes his book with the line from our reading today. That the name of this place prepared for us, the New Heaven and Earth, the place where the uncountable multitudes shall gather for all eternity, is: “The Lord is There.”
And that’s all we need to know. The Lord is there, so of course it will be magnificent beyond description. Beautiful beyond comprehension. Glorious beyond all understanding. The Lord is there, and so are we, his baptized, redeemed, and forgiven children. There forever, before his majestic glory. There is no other place to be for eternity, because He’s made it for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
God Himself is present: Let us now adore Him And with awe appear before Him. God is in His temple; All within keep silence; Humbly kneel in deepest rev’rence. He alone On His throne Is our God and Savior; Praise His name forever! (LSB 907:1)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 2, 2023
Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Third Article Part 2
Daily Lectionary: Judges 15:1-16:3, Galatians 3:23-4:11
What does this mean? In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. (Small Catechism, The Third Article, Part 2 of the Meaning)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Last week we talked about how the Holy Spirit is like a lifeguard saving a drowning person; He does all the work to save, the drowning one can only rest in His arms and be saved.
This week, He does this for everyone other than you. Just as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies you, He does the same for every single Christian on earth. And then, once safe in the ark of the church, the Spirit keeps that church in the faith.
The Holy Spirit works through your (and every) pastor to make sure that the saving Word of God is taught and proclaimed in its truth and purity, and that the Sacraments are administered as God intended, that they may work to keep, strengthen, and preserve you in the one true faith.
The Holy Spirit is the ‘silent partner’ of the Trinity; He doesn’t call attention to himself. He points you to Jesus, always to Jesus. He works behind the scenes so you always see your Savior before you. He carries the Word to your ears, makes sure Christ’s Body and Blood paint your tongue, and sees to it that you are comforted in times of need.
“Jesus died for you. Jesus is risen for you. Your sins were washed away by Jesus’s blood, and your Baptism is where that happened. Need to be reminded of what God has done for you? Listen to his Word. Feeling your sin? Come to the Supper—eat, drink, and live!” That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. That’s what He is doing for you and for every believer in all of history.
Calling you into the family of God by the Word, gathering you together with the saints before the throne of God, enlightening and making you holy with the Sacraments. All of this, for you. Jesus’s gifts, given for you, their delivery made certain by the Holy Spirit.. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and ever-living God, You fulfilled Your promise by sending the gift of the Holy Spirit to unite disciples of all nations in the cross and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ. By the preaching of the Gospel spread this gift to the ends of the earth; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for Pentecost Tuesday)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
August 1, 2023
Today's Reading: Romans 8:28-39
Daily Lectionary: Judges 14:1-20, Galatians 3:1-22
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Romans 8 is a favorite chapter of so many Christians. And why not? It says so clearly what we need to hear from our Lord about living safely in God’s hands.
But what if it was the other way around? What if St. Paul had written: ‘If God is against us, who can be for us?’ What a despairing thought! How horrible! If God himself turned against us in wrath, who would be able to save us? Certainly none of the comic book heroes, not one created being would be able to stand before God in his full wrath.
And that’s good, because He wouldn’t be God if one of His creatures could win against Him. Because there once was a time when God was against us, and that was when all of our sin was piled high upon Jesus.
When St. Paul says “He who did not spare his own Son,” He gives it away. That was the moment when God stood against not only you, but against all of humanity. God did bring His full wrath and anger down, like a bolt of lightning, like a slamming hammer, but not upon us, but upon Jesus for us.
The very Son of God was the only one who could withstand such an onslaught. The God-Man endured, even though He died, and brought salvation to you. The God-man passed from death to life to rescue you, having satisfied God’s anger and wrath.
Yes, it is a frightful thing to consider Almighty God being against you. And maybe things have happened in your life to make you think He is against you, that He is angry with you. But that’s when you go back to this chapter of Romans and read it once again to see that no, God’s Word itself promises that He is not against you, He is not punishing you.
He has done all of that in Jesus, who endured His cross knowing that by dying for you, you wouldn’t have to suffer eternally. Sure, this life will bring suffering. Any sinful world will. But even in all of that, nothing will separate you from the love of God, because He is on your side; He is for you. And all things are yours, all of eternity is yours, because of that love He has for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, when the tempest rages, I need not fear, For You, the Rock of Ages, Are always near. Close by Your side abiding, I fear no foe, For when Your hand is guiding, In peace I go. (LSB 722:2)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 31, 2023
Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 7:6-9
Daily Lectionary: Judges 13:1-25, Galatians 2:1-21
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations. (Deuteronomy 7:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Deuteronomy. A Bible book titled “The Law Again,” essentially. These are Moses’s final words to God’s people before his death beyond the Jordan River.
The Lord God knows what will happen once the Children of Israel enter the Promised Land, so much like parents reminding their children what they should and should not do before they leave them home alone for an evening out, He has Moses give them “the talk” one more time.
Sure, there are reminders of punishments to come for misbehavior. Warnings of dire consequences to fall upon them for not doing what they’ve been asked to do. But it isn’t all doom and gloom. God doesn’t threaten to destroy them; He reminds them of His love for them.
He reminds them that, even though He knows they will fail, even though they will misbehave, even though they will turn their backs on Him, He will still love them. He is their faithful God, Yahweh Elohim, the LORD God, and He is always faithful even when His people aren’t.
How faithful? To this very day He has preserved His children, His church. Nations have come and gone, churches have been planted, grown, and died out, Entire populations have come under His protection and passed out from it again, and He has still kept His church, His faithful, in safety.
There was a time when Elijah thought he was the only one left, but God reminded him that there were still 7000 faithful believers in Israel. Your church might also look tiny and weak these days. You might have seen a migration away from your area, or people not coming back after Covid. It might seem bleak.
But the LORD your God is God. He is faithful to you, to your church, no matter how large or small it may be. No matter how many baptized Christians gather to hear the Word and receive the Sacraments.
You may be preparing to take on a new challenge in life: high school, college, a new job, moving to a new home. Don’t worry, don’t be afraid. The LORD your God is faithful, and He will sustain you and be with you wherever you go. Hear His voice, receive His gifts, and be comforted in His presence. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We praise and laud and worship You; We give you thanks forever, O Father, for Your rule is true And just and changes never. With boundless pow’r, Your mighty reign Fulfills whatever You ordain. Lord, grant us ev’ry blessing! (LSB 947:2)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 30, 2023
Today's Reading: Matthew 13:44-52
Daily Lectionary: Judges 7:1-23, Galatians 1:1-24
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (St. Matthew 13:44)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. of Jesus. Amen. Fill in the blank: “I would give everything I have for _____!” For what would you give everything? Is it really worth it? Is it something that you would truly be satisfied with after giving up absolutely everything you have? And I mean everything.
Most of the time, we’re a bit flippant about that question. Is it a car? A dream home or job? Or is it more time with a family member who has died? Is it Jesus? Often, this text is preached in a way that we are the ones who are to get rid of everything in order to “buy” Jesus.
And that isn’t a bad reminder; we should be willing to (as our Confirmation vows say) “suffer all, even death, rather than fall away” from the faith. But that can only happen once we are called, gathered, enlightened and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. We are already among the faithful at that point.
What if the man who found the treasure is Jesus, though? He finds his creation buried in the dirt and filth of this sinful, broken world and sees the absolute treasure that you are. How utterly precious you are to him.
So He gives up everything He has. He steps away from the right hand of the throne of God and becomes man. He leaves the indescribable light of the heavens to become an infant dependent on young Mary for food and shelter. He gives up His majestic glory, where He is served by angel hosts, to learn a trade from Joseph. He leaves His comfortable home to live where “the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” He humbles himself and “endures the cross, scorning its shame” because He found you completely lost and in need.
That’s where the true comfort of these words is found. You are in the most horrible place possible—lost in sin, covered in death and despair, unsure about how you’ll find your way in this world—and Jesus comes and buys you back. He redeems you from sin, death, and the devil.
He gives up absolutely everything He has, even His life, so that you would be brought into his New Creation for all eternity. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and love, that, receiving what You have promised, we may love what You have commanded; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for the Sunday of the Ninth Week of Pentecost)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 29, 2023
Today's Reading: John 11:1-44
Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:25-40, Acts 15:6-21
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (St. John 11:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are people important to Jesus. They had become very dear friends throughout the time of Jesus’s ministry, and you see that in the message the sisters send to him when Lazarus falls sick: “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
It might be easy to categorize the siblings into caricatures: Mary is frivolous, Martha is the overachiever, and Lazarus…well, Lazarus doesn’t seem to do much of anything but die and be raised, and then eat a big dinner.
But there is much more to them than these snapshots, as there is much more to you than what people think of when they hear your name (yes, people have an idea about you that you might not even consider as your identity!).
The raising of Lazarus is a text that has been used at funerals for centuries. It’s where Jesus says: “I am the resurrection and the life.” Arguably, this is the most important interaction Jesus has with the family, at least, the most eternally engaging.
Martha is known for her industriousness and service, which is also a good thing. She’s remembered for her service in the Collect appointed for this day, being hospitable and providing a place for Jesus to rest and eat.
Mary is most often remembered for being ‘lazy,’ for sitting around and listening to Jesus instead of helping Martha. But she is also known for something more important, I’d say. She is the Mary who anointed Jesus’s feet with expensive perfume right before Palm Sunday. Jesus said she did this to prepare him for his burial, already pointing ahead to what was to come.
Three different saints, with different sets of abilities and gifts. What they have in common, though, is that Jesus loved them dearly. Just like He loves you and all your varied gifts and abilities.
Regardless of your aptitude, Jesus sees your faith, your trust, your hope. And that’s what’s most important. Love and serve those around you, it’s what you’re given to do. But remember why you do that. You love those around you because Jesus first loved you. And He loves you so much that one day, like Lazarus, you’ll be called from your grave to life everlasting with him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, Your beloved Son befriended frail humans like us to make us Your own. Teach us to be like Jesus' dear friends from Bethany, that we might serve Him faithfully like Martha, learn from Him earnestly like Mary, and ultimately be raised by Him like Lazarus. Through their Lord and ours, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 28, 2023
Today's Reading:John 10:1-10
Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:1-24, Acts 14:19-15:5
So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. (St. John 10:7–9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It is always a bit jarring to talk to our fellow Christians who don’t see the importance and depths of the Sacraments that we do. In large parts of Christianity, Baptism is simply a loyalty vow; Communion is just an act of remembrance because Jesus said to “do this.”
If you insist that Jesus’s words actually mean what He says they mean (‘This IS My Body…’), you will often get a question about this part of St. John in response: ‘Well, does that mean Jesus is a literal DOOR?!?’
Of course He is a literal door! But not in the way you think of your bedroom door, or the church door. Jesus says that whoever enters by him will be saved. Whoever passes through Jesus is in the kingdom.
See it through the eyes of the shepherds of Jesus’s time and how they took care of their sheep. They would go out for the day, eating from the green pastures and drinking from the still waters. But then, when it gets close to dark, and the shadows lengthen, the sheep are led back to the pen, usually build out of stone, where the shepherd would lay down for the night in the opening of the pen, the doorway, to both keep the sheep safely in and the predators out. They were the doors to the pens.
Not only is Jesus your Good Shepherd who leads you beside the water of Baptism and the grass of his Word, but he guards and keeps you from all that would attack you, holding you safe in his arms. He brings you through the narrow door of salvation—His life for yours—and keeps you safe within the kingdom that can only be entered through Him.
Yes, He is the door. The strongest and most secure, and also most open door, in existence; the door that wants all people to enter into his safe pasture. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, grant to Your Church Your Holy Spirit and the wisdom that comes down from above, that Your Word may not be bound but have free course and be preached to the joy and edifying of Christ's holy people, that in steadfast faith we may serve You and, in the confession of Your name, abide unto the end; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Collect for the Word)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 27, 2023
Today's Reading:Romans 8:18-27
Daily Lectionary: Judges 4:1-24, Acts 14:1-18
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (Romans 8:26)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday we considered how it is that the Holy Spirit brings us to faith. That it is all his doing. You play no part in ‘deciding for Jesus,’ because by the time you ‘decide’ that you have come to faith, the Holy Spirit has already created and planted and enlightened that faith within you by the power of the holy Gospel.
But the Holy Spirit doesn’t stop there. As part of the enlightening and sanctifying work that the Spirit does for you, He also prays for you, interceding before God the Father on your behalf.
Just like you can’t save yourself from drowning, praying properly is something you can’t do without help either. So, St. Paul says, the Spirit takes all those prayers you lob heavenward and gathers them, considers them, and then—with groaning and communication we can’t begin to comprehend—He presents those prayers to the Father in a clear way that He is sure to understand.
That doesn’t mean that you give up on prayer because the Holy Spirit is doing it for you. No, you keep on praying like your life depends on it, because it does. Because your Father always wants to hear from you. He always delights in your prayers, even if they aren’t clear enough to be included in a prayer book.
It just so happens that you’ve got an expert interpreter who knows what you truly need on a deeper level than you can ever imagine. And your needs are carried to the Father who loves you by the Holy Spirit who loves you so that the work of the Son who loves you can bless and keep you all your days.
You are never alone in this world, no matter how dark some days may seem. For, even in those toughest of times, The Holy Spirit still prays for you so that the Father can answer those groanings to your benefit and for your salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Holy Spirit enter in, And in our hearts Your work begin, Your dwelling place now make us. Sun of the soul, O Light divine, Around and in us brightly shine, To joy and gladness wake us That we may be Truly living, To you giving Prayer unceasing And in love be still increasing. (LSB 913:1)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 26, 2023
Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Third Article Part 1
Daily Lectionary: Judges 3:7-31, Acts 13:42-52
What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. (Small Catechism, The Third Article, Part 1 of the Meaning)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A drowning person can’t save himself. He is beyond reason and ability; panic takes over and even the lifeguard must be careful to not be dragged down in an attempt to save him.
Thankfully, Jesus isn’t in danger of drowning when He saves us. He’s already been through death and come back to life, securing our eternal life and salvation. That’s a hard thing to believe, though. As is what we confess in this article of the Creed: ‘I believe that I cannot believe.’ We have to say that, though. We must be honest with ourselves that we cannot believe without being brought to that faith by the one who authors it.
Like the drowning person who must finally give up and fall into the arms of the lifeguard who pulls him from certain death, we can only fall into the arms of the One who has spoken salvation and faith into our ears and hearts, trusting that His work does what He says it does.
Look who is running the verbs in that explanation above: the Holy Spirit is doing all the action. All we do is confess that we can’t. But look just how much the Holy Spirit is doing. He doesn’t just throw you a life ring and say “Hang on!” No, the Holy Spirit calls you to faith by the living Gospel of Jesus, enlightens you—fills you with saving knowledge through Word and Sacrament, and sustains you in that faith with those same gifts.
Almighty God has reached into this tumultuous sea called life and grabbed you from the chaotic waves. He has pulled you to safety, set you on dry ground, and comforted and cared for you. Thanks be to God that none of this was up to you, because you could never do it alone!
Instead, Father, Son, and Spirit all worked together to bring you to safety; eternal safety. A safety and peace that can only be assured by the all-powerful working of the One True God who, now that He has you in his hands, will never let go. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, who gave Your Holy Spirit to the apostles, grant us that same Spirit that we may live in faith and abide in peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for Pentecost Monday)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 25, 2023
Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45
Daily Lectionary: Judges 2:6-23, Acts 13:13-41
And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” (St. Mark 10:36-38)
In the Name + of Jesus.of Jesus. Amen. It’s a pretty bold thing for James and John to ask, right? They think they know what they are asking for—Jesus is going to be made king of Israel, and they want to be at his side when He ascends his throne.
This kind of ambition is good today; it shows that you are a go-getter and ready to take on more responsibility than people who don’t want to jump into the action. Except, they didn’t know what they were asking, did they?
Which is why Jesus asks them flat out if they are able to “drink the cup” that He is soon to drink. To suffer as He is soon to suffer. To be baptized into death, not just for himself, but for all of humanity.
Jesus says that they will indeed drink and be baptized as He is, which is a rather forbidding thing to say as it is, but then He goes farther and says that the places to his right and left have already been assigned.
Even before Palm Sunday, Jesus knew who was to be crucified with him on Good Friday. Those places had been prepared from eternity, because even then, before the first “Let there be…” was spoken on the first day of creation, God knew that his Son would need to become man to save all people from their selfish ambition.
Eventually, St. James does drink the same cup Jesus drinks, when Herod beheads him for proclaiming the gospel. But St. James goes to his earthly death in faith and trust, because he knows that when Jesus ascended his glorious throne of the cross, death, sin, and the devil were defeated, and he could rejoice that he would soon be at the Lord’s side in eternity.
May we always have this same faith and trust; that even when we lose sight of the Lord’s work for us, we may always trust that he saves and keeps us, and he does it all without our help. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O gracious God, Your servant and apostle James was the first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the name of Jesus Christ. Pour out upon the leaders of Your Church that spirit of self-denying service that they may forsake all false and passing allurements and follow Christ alone, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for St. James the Elder, Apostle)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 24, 2023
Today's Reading:Isaiah 44:6-8
Daily Lectionary:Joshua 24:1-31, Acts 13:1-12
Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” (Isaiah 44:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today, we tend to think that one of the worst jobs in the world was that of the Old Testament prophet. We see them standing on the street corner in shabby clothes, with wild hair and a long beard, just yelling at people that God’s punishment is right around the corner and YOU BETTER REPENT OR DIE!
While there are plenty of examples of that in both the Old and New Testaments (thanks, John the Baptist!), these men of God were not one-trick-ponies. They spoke the fullness of God’s Word to his people. Sometimes, it was a word of condemnation, but just as often it was a word of consolation, peace, or love.
While Isaiah has just given God’s people a tongue lashing for their faithlessness, he starts Chapter 44 with a “but…” He reminds them that they are still His chosen people, and that He will restore them. Then he reminds them who He is as their God with the words above, and a few verses later reaffirms his vow to save and preserve them through all trouble.
Much like a loving parent who needs to discipline a child, so also is our God. The Lord God Almighty—he who spoke into existence the entirety of the universe, He who made you and all you see, He who became man for your salvation—is your champion and defender, even when you sin against him.
Sure, you may have days when you feel like God has “gone all Old Testament” on you; that He’s allowed wrath to fall on you. Even then, your Lord God is with you. Even then He is acting in love for you.
There are examples throughout Scripture where these words of comfort follow words of discipline. Your God never wants you to think that He has abandoned you, or that He is powerless in the face of this sinful and broken world. You are always safe in his hands, always preserved from evil when He is your defender and champion.
St. John quotes Jesus in his Revelation, that He is “the Alpha and the Omega,” that He is “the first and the last,” and He will never leave you. So it has always been for God’s people, and so it will be for you. Your God is with you now and always, He is all-powerful for you, and—oh, yeah—He’s the only God there is. And He is your Savior. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The Lord, my God, be praised, My God, the everliving, to whom the heav’nly host Their laud and praise are giving. The Lord, my God, be praised, In whose great name I boast, God Father, God the Son, And God the Holy Ghost. (LSB 794:4)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 23, 2023
Today's Reading: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 23:1-16, Acts 12:1-25
But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’ (St. Matthew 13:29-30)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Life is challenging for the faithful, confessing Christian. If only all the distractions and wicked people could be rooted up, life would be so much easier! If only Almighty God would allow his holy angels to rip the unbelievers and haters out of our lives, then we could live in peace and harmony!
But would getting rid of all the ‘bad’ sinners make life for us easier? Of course not. We forget that each and every one of us is a sinner, too. We don’t want to admit it, and we close our eyes to the truth of it, but getting rid of the ‘bad’ sinners would just lead to the ‘not-so-bad’ sinners making the list next. And then where are we? On a quest to purge everyone who isn’t holy enough from the world, just so we can be at peace; at least, what we think is peace.
Our Lord and God is quite a bit smarter than us, thankfully. He sees the big picture, the telos, the end goal of all His work on earth given through His read and proclaimed Word, through His holy Sacraments, through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Evil and sin has sown disastrous things among the people of this world, but it wouldn’t serve God’s purposes to prematurely purge it. In his overwhelming love, God allows things we don’t understand for the greater goal of his saving Gospel being proclaimed to more ears that will hear.
He doesn’t want the faithful to be harmed in any way, so He allows the weeds among the wheat so that none of the wheat be harmed. Even though there are weeds all around, you still grow, safely and securely rooted in the Word and work of Christ for you.
The living soil of God’s kingdom nourishes and sustains you until the day of harvest comes; then and only then, will you be gathered into the ‘barn’ He has prepared for you for all eternity. Sure, the weeds are all around, but you are planted solidly in God’s kingdom, safe there where his gifts come to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that, ever mindful of Your final judgment, we may be stirred up to holiness of living here and dwell with You in perfect joy hereafter; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for the Sunday in the Eighth Week of Pentecost)
-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA and the President of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 22, 2023
Today's Reading: John 20:1-2, 10-18
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 10:1-25, Acts 11:19-30
“Mary” John 20:16
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the resurrection account there are a lot of people who are scared, perplexed, even doubting this all took place. Their faithful disciples had a hard enough time believing the message they first heard, let alone from a woman for whom Jesus had removed demons. In the middle of all the confusion, Mary from Magdalene, stood outside the tomb and wept. She looked inside and saw two angels. She was wailing loudly, for she loved her Lord. She saw His arrest, crucifixion, and death. She learned much from Him, and He had cast seven unspecified demons from her. Not only was He dead, but His body was missing.
In her sadness and despair she failed to recognize her risen Lord standing in her presence…until He spoke a single word. He who created the world by speaking a word, He who spoke a healing Word to many who were ill, demon-possessed and dead, speaks to Mary a very simple yet profound Word on that first Easter - He simply says,"Mary!"
In our sins, we can be so clouded by fear, despair and doubts that we cannot recognize our Lord on our own. Yet in all of this the risen Lord Jesus has prepared the fruits of HIs cross and resurrection for you just as He did for Mary. In the Divine Service, Jesus calls us by name and bids us to follow Him through our Baptism into His death and resurrection. Each Sunday Jesus gathers us around the cross and resurrection and speaks over and over as He proclaims His death and resurrection and attaches those promises to water, bread and wine. Through these Means of Grace our Lord gives us the gifts He won on the cross for us; so we are not left in the sadness and despair of our sins. We are the blessed recipients of Mary's being the first eyewitness to the Lord's resurrection, for the Lord rose from the dead for her, and for you.
The Eleven did not believe Mary, but the Holy Spirit inspired St. Matthew, St. Mark (an associate of St. Peter), St. Luke (associated with St. Paul), and St. John to record that which Mary saw and that to which she testified. And it is this same Holy Spirit who takes us poor, miserable sinners and makes us faithful. Just like Mary and the followers of Jesus, He is bringing us out of the great tribulation by washing our robes in His blood. The resurrected voice of Jesus is still alive and active as He is calling each of us by name, and promising you His resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
All praise for Mary Magdalene, Whose wholeness was restored By You, her faithful master, Her Savior and her Lord. On Easter morning early A word from You sufficed; For she was first to see You, Her Lord, the risen Christ. (LSB 516:20)
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 21, 2023
Today's Reading: Acts 11:1-18
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 8:1-28
“Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat. Acts 11:6-7
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Bible is full of people having all sorts of interesting visions. Today we hear of Peter having a bizarre idea! The Jews were allowed only to eat foods declared clean by God. In Peter’s vision, a picnic blanket descended from heaven by the corners three times, covered with unclean food! This doesn’t exactly look like something Peter would want to eat; it would make him unclean. And then God speaks: “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” A new order came down from above, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” The vision ended, and Peter sat perplexed.
The vision Peter was given was about much more than permitting him to discover that bacon makes everything taste better! The food laws no longer apply to Peter, but God’s command to “no longer consider unholy” goes far beyond pork chops and shrimp cocktails. God is showing Peter that Jesus, His church, His Word, and Sacraments are for all nations, even you!
In the past, Jews and Gentiles never mixed, let alone would a Jew eat what the Gentiles considered clean. After this vision, Peter is told to go and interact with Cornelius, a Gentile. The centurion Cornelius was what the early church would have called a “God-fearer,” a Gentile who believed in the one true God. He was given the vision to reach out to Simon Peter so that Peter would go and see Cornelius preach and teach all about Jesus Christ.
When Peter was finished, he said: “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” No, they cannot withhold the water! Cornelius and his entire household were baptized that day and added to the kingdom of heaven.
Peter was later put on trial for his baptizing of Cornelius. Peter’s actions scandalized the leaders of the early church. But in all this, we see that the Kingdom of Jesus is for “all nations.” Jesus was talking about that when He said: “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, everyone will know you are my disciples if you love one another.” What this means is that the Gospel is for you as well! You may not be of Jewish heritage or someone who could have encountered Jesus in the flesh, but Jesus has sent you His Word and Sacraments so that you might partake of His grace and forgiveness today. You who were once unclean are now declared clean by your baptism into Christ. No heavenly visions, no restrictions on food, just a place at Jesus’ table with all of the company of heaven, no matter their heritage, feasting on the marriage feast of the lamb in HIs kingdom, which has no end. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 20, 2023
Today's Reading: Joshua 7:1-26
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 7:1-26, Acts 10:34-48
“I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him” Joshua 7:19
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. You can’t escape your sins for the as the Psalmist says you were born in sin. “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51.) Through the Law of God you know your sins, but do you always know the ramifications of your sins? How your sins might have affected others around you?
In today’s reading we hear of one man’s sin and how it affected the entire nation of Israel. Jeremiah chapter 6 tells us of the remarkable victory at Jericho. In their victory at Jericho the nation of Israel was not to take for themselves anything of the ‘accursed’ things—that is, all that was under the ban and destined for destruction. The very beginning of Chapter 7, however, tells us of a sad failure. “But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things . . .” (v. 1a). The entire nation of Israel was declared guilty, but it was all at the hand of one man, Achan. “for Achan…took off the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel” (v. 1b).
One person’s sin brought God’s anger upon the whole nation. Jeremiah seeks Achan out and asks him to make confession of his sin. Achan responds “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done.” However, Achan’s sin had deep consequences. 36 men died in the battle with Ai, and the people of Israel mourned their defeat. Achan was not truly repentant, but rather sorry he was discovered. The consequence was his own death at the hands of the nation of Israel.
This should show us the magnitude of sin in God’s sight, but also the deep and expansive ramifications your sins have against everyone around you. You may not know how far those ramifications are, but your sins have certainly caused harm to yourself and others. This is why we speak of the importance of Confession and Absolution in the life of a Christian. As Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” God’s attitude towards sin hasn’t changed (1 John 1:5-7). It’s as true today as it was in Joshua’s day—”If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18). Confess your sins to God, go to your pastor and bring the darkness of your sins and its ramifications on you and others into the light of Christ. As King David wrote in Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, You desire not the death of sinners, but rather that they turn from their wickedness and live. We implore You to have compassion on the frailty of our mortal nature, for we acknowledge that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Mercifully pardon our sins that we may obtain the promises You have laid up for those who are repentant; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey..
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 19, 2023
Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Apostle’s Creed: Second Article Part 3
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 6:6-27, Acts 10:18-33
-in order that I might be His own, live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness; even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When I hear the word “kingdom” I usually think of a king sitting on a throne with his knights, loyal subjects and people serving him. Whatever the king wants, the king gets. The king is in charge and if you don’t obey, you are an insurrectionist and deserve death. This is not how the kingdom of God works for you.
During holy week, when Jesus enters into Jerusalem we hear the shouts of “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” The people of Jesus were longing for their king to come in and rid them of the Roman authorities. Later on King Jesus is betrayed, arrested and put on trial. The “King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” submits to the authorities of both the Jews and Gentiles. As Jesus is on trial with Pontius Pilate, Pilate asks the crowds who they want him to release, Jesus or Barabbas. The crowds demand that Barrabas be released. Barrabas, who’s name means, “son of the Father” was not a robber, but an insurrectionist. He was known for rebelling against the Roman authorities. The crowds were disappointed in the Kingdom of God Jesus brings.
Jesus' Kingdom is a Kingdom where the King becomes the servant even to the point of dying for the entire sins of the whole world. This kingdom which is at work for you today. After King Jesus rises from the dead He tells His disciples that “All authority in heaven and earth are given to Me…” (Matthew 28). No government, king, president or anyone else can take this authority from Him, as His kingdom grants you “righteousness, innocence, blessedness and resurrection.”
In the Divine Service Jesus’ Kingdom comes to you through His Word and Sacraments. In the Divine Service we pray the words of our King in the Lord’s Prayer. We pray, “Thy kingdom come”, and we specifically pray those words during the liturgy of Holy Communion. The prayer for the Kingdom of God to come is immediately answered as you hear the Words of Institution and receive the King’s flesh and blood in the Eucharist. Yes, Jesus reigns from the right hand of God the Father, but He doesn’t rule as a terror or taskmaster. He reigns and brings His kingdom to you so that maybe forgiven by His blood and constantly reminded that His kingdom is yours now and forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, You release us from out bondage to sin, death, and the devil as the healer of the nations. When it came time to release You, the crowd chose a murderer instead. Through our death and resurrection with You in the waters of our Baptism, may we continually be released from our sins as we confess You to be our everlasting King; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 18, 2023
Today's Reading: Romans 8:12-17
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 5:1-6, Acts 10:1-17
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Slavery isn’t something we really think of today in terms of ourselves. If slavery is ever mentioned it's usually associated with our country’s past or even things like the slavery of people or the Israelites in the Bible. However, as our devotion in Roman’s 7 showed us, we are addicted to our sins. To be an addict is to be a slave to whatever controls us. As Paul points out we are never able to free ourselves from our sins and in those sins the Law of God brings terror and shame for what we have done.
Sin is the worst kind of slavery for us to endure, and unfortunately every human being finds themselves bound up in sin’s chains. This is why we need Jesus. Jesus is the one who knew no sin, no slavery, no addiction to sin, and yet took on our sins in order that we might be set free. When Jesus takes away sin is that He doesn’t simply take our sins away like we take the garbage to the garbage can. Jesus immerses Himself into our sins, He takes on the shame, the guilt and weight of our sins and the Father’s wrath and anger over sin. He is slave to us and our sins as Paul says in Philippians; “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
In your Baptism you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons. In those Holy and blessed waters you are cleansed in the Blood of Jesus which forgives your debt to the Father. Because of that you no longer live in a spirit of fear, but a Spirit of freedom and life. That word “sons” doesn’t mean that there are no “daughters”. This term “sons'' is in reference to those who receive an inheritance. In the ancient days the first born son was always the recipient of the inheritance from his father. What Paul is saying is that all Christians, male and female, are the first to receive the inheritance your heavenly Father has promised for you. Jesus becomes the last as He breaks loose your chains of sin and death and sets you free to live in His forgiveness and love. Because of that adoption you are now part of the family of God, no longer a slave to sin. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Your great love for this hath striven That we may, from sin made free, Live with You eternally. Your dear Son Himself has given And extends His gracious call, To His Supper leads us all. (LSB 559:2)
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 17, 2023
Today's Reading: Isaiah 55:10-13
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 4:1-24,
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You’ve all seen rain and snow fall down from the sky. You’ve also probably studied the natural water cycle in science class as well. In our reading from Isaiah we can easily picture the Word of God like rain or snow, falling down to water things and produce good crops. Isaiah is not just simply speaking about the Bible's falling from heaven like rain and watering the earth and returning to God. Our passage today is not a simple object lesson for how we should view the Bible. John 1:14 speaks of the Word becoming fleshing and dwelling among us; “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Hebrews says “ the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Jesus is the one who is living and active among us. He is the one who “came down from heaven and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary”.
This is more than rain or snow, this is Jesus coming to serve you with His precious body and blood given up for the life of the world. But even then this Word must be preached, taught and heard. As Romans says “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”(Romans 10)
The Word is preached by your pastor who is the called and ordained servant of the Word, Jesus Christ. The pastor’s proclamation is meant to convict us of our sins and confirm in us His blessed absolution where you are forgiven and given the flourishing fruits of the cross in you. Jesus is the rain of heaven who waters the earth with the life giving waters of Baptism. He is the snow whose blood covers the scarlet of our sins (Is. 1:18). He is the one who gives us the blessed bread of his flesh to eat in Eucharist, and he does not return to the Father fruitless. Jesus returns to the Father with you, cleansed, spotless, fruitful and alive. The Bible is the voice of God, every single page speaks of Jesus, His promise, death and resurrection all showered upon you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word; Curb those who by deceit or sword Would wrest the kingdom from Your Son, And bring to naught all He has done. ( LSB 655:1)
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 16, 2023
Today's Reading: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 3:1-17, Acts 9:1-22
“Behold, a sower went out to sow.” Matthew 13:3b
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.In the Name of Jesus, Amen. Let's start off right away by saying these parables are not about you. They are not about you and your role in them or anything else that is about you and what you can do for Jesus. Don’t ever read the parables that way. Don’t ask the age-old question churches for the last 100 years have asked with this parable; ”what kind of soil are you?” As Christians one of the worst things we can do is somehow break these parables down into little object lessons that teach us how to be better little Christians.
“What kind of soil are you?” is the wrong question. This parable isn’t really about dirt – it’s not really about us – at all, but the Sower and the seed. This Sower makes a pretty terrible farmer. He will probably lose his farm within a year. Why? Well, he’s pretty reckless with his seeding. 75% of His crops fail. He’s a very inefficient farmer.
But even then, no matter the condition of the soil, the seed is always powerful. Jesus says very clearly that the seed is the word of the kingdom. The seed is the Word of God. The seed is the Law and the Gospel. Nothing else will do. The parable is all about the Kingdom of God and how it works for you! Left to ourselves we don’t even want to receive the seed, we don’t want to be near the farmer or His agriculture work. When we look at these parables, look at what Jesus is doing all for you. He is the one who makes you the “good soil” in order to live and flourish in His kingdom. If you know anything about good soil, it is usually tilled and broken up. Sometimes we call that “plowing” which is a very violent action meant to make the soil good. The Word of God must plow up our rocky, thorny and stubborn hearts as we hear “repent”. Confess your sins, die in your Baptism daily, as Christ promises firmly to root and grow in you by His cross which has been planted in the earth for the world. .
St. Peter sums this up well when he says; “22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 1 Peter 1:22-24
So stop asking, “What kind of soil am I?” Instead, ask,“Is the seed, the word of the kingdom, being sown around me? Am I hearing Law and Gospel being planted in my heart daily weekly? Is the forgiveness Jesus won on the cross and provides for me in Baptism and Absolution, regularly watering my soul? Is the fertilizer of his body and blood feeding the seed of faith he has planted?” If those things are true then I can assure these parables are not about you, but all for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Blessed Lord, since You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 15, 2023
Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 7: Psalm 103:15-19; antiphon: Psalm 103:8
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 2:1-24, Acts 8:26-40
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Psalm 103:8
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today’s text from Psalm 103 is what I typically call a “commercial passage” of Scripture. What I mean by this is that we typically see this kind of passage from Scripture plastered on t-shirts, inspirational calendars, water bottles and bumper stickers. We love it, we love the sound of it. “The Lord is merciful and gracious” Whatever that means, it means nice. But when you ponder this passage in light of yourself, you probably don’t find it so “inspirational”. . We don’t really use this word “mercy” or “gracious” alot today, but we like that the Lord acts this way toward us.
But what about you? Have you shown mercy or compassion and understanding to those around you? Have you been the first in line to help those in need, especially those who you don’t know or maybe aren’t comfortable with you? Where is the mercy that God has first shown you? What about graciousness? Are you quick to be forgiving of each other? Are you ready to put the best construction on everything and show grace to those who have offended you? Where is the grace of God in you that He has first given to you?
“The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” This is a passage we all read with a collective sigh of relief. Thanks be to God He is not swift to punish me in anger for what I did in my sins. Yet how many times have you been angry? Heated anger pouring out of every vain against your parents, siblings, friends or others. Anger that is directed right at them and quickly served up. What about steadfast love? That word “steadfast” means unwavering or always firm. Scripture says “We love because He first loved us” (another commercial passage). Yet John later says “If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4). Suddenly you want to burn that t-shirt, throw the inspirational calendar away and recycle the water bottle.
There are always two sides of the coin with the Scriptures, we call them Law and Gospel. This Psalm is comforting for sure, but it's not because you can somehow follow Jesus’ example. Only Jesus can be merciful, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. When you hear Psalm 103 tomorrow at church look at the cross of Jesus. On the cross of Jesus you will see HIs great mercy, grace and love. The righteous anger was poured out on Jesus fully so you would not have to endure it eternally. Rather than a cute water bottle, t-shirt or bumper sticker, wear a crucifix, put one in your car or wherever it can be seen by you and others. In Christ on the cross you see not a commercial Jesus, but a merciful, gracious, always loving Savior who pours Himself out freely so that you might be saved, but also to show mercy, grace and love to those around you, all by His blood shed for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Thy love and grace alone avail To blot out my transgression; The best and holiest deeds must fail To break sin’s dread oppression. Before Thee none can boasting stand, But all must fear Thy strict demand And live alone by mercy. (LSB 607:2)
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 14, 2023
Today's Reading:
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 1:1-18, Acts 8:1-25
No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our English Bibles don't lead us down the path of understanding what's going on in the Old Testament and how it is connected to the New Testament. However, in today’s reading we have a good glimpse of that connection between the old and new. Today we hear about Joshua. In the Greek language, the name Joshua is Jesus. Joshua is what we theologians call a “type of Christ.
After Moses died, the Lord gave authority to Joshua to lead the Israelites into the promised land. With the help of the Lord, Joshua conquered the land of promise for God’s people and boldly stood up to their enemies. Likewise, Jesus conquered the forces of evil, both human and demonic, as well as the grave itself, so that His people would inherit an eternal land of promise, the new heaven and the new earth.
The Law of Moses with its threats and promises could not bring God’s people forgiveness or eternal rest. The blood of lambs and bulls was not enough, because they only pointed to a greater Lamb to come. The plagues upon Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea, fantastic and powerful as they were, pointed to even greater realities to come: the plagues of God’s wrath against sin. That wrath was placed onto the greater Joshua, Jesus Christ on the Cross. In your Baptism you have passed through the sea of death and sin and hell and have been preserved safe.
Jesus, the greater Joshua, grants you eternal promise of life and salvation.. We cross the Jordan in Baptism, and will soon take possession of that promised land we have been given, when Jesus returns to resurrect all flesh.
So our enemies are conquered, even though it does not always seem that way. The world is still full of evil that threatens us. Death terrifies us sometimes. The devil is as deadly as always, even though he is mortally wounded by our Jesus.
In Jesus be strong and courageous as you go through this world. Yes, you are vulnerable to the attacks of many enemies. But with Christ our new Joshua, He will lead us in order that we can be strong and courageous. Thanks be to God for Joshua’s courage by the mighty Hand of God. Thanks be to God for our Joshua, Jesus, Who has faced down our strong foes so that we share the victory He purchased with His suffering and death and resurrection. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Mighty Victim from the sky, Hell's fierce pow'rs beneath You lie; You have conquered in the fight, You have brought us life and light. Alleluia! (LSB 633:5)
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 13, 2023
Today's Reading:
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 31:10-31, John 21:1-25
Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Gospels speak about two charcoal fires that have some pretty significant meaning. As Jesus is being put on trial Peter is warming himself by a charcoal fire in the courtyard. It is there where he is questioned about following Jesus and he denies it three times. The second charcoal fire is in today's reading. It is after Jesus’ resurrection, shortly before His ascension. Jesus bids his disciples to come and eat with Him after their second great catch of fish. Jesus would go on to ask Peter “Do you love me?” Three times. At the first fire, there is darkness, it is cold, the Son of God was betrayed and abandoned by His disciples. There is a feeling of emptiness, cold darkness, no unity around the fire, fear and lack of faith. At the second fire there is light, warmth, a miraculous catch of fish, calming of fears, and the resurrected Jesus bringing the disciples unity and strength and even something to eat. Jesus still stands by his charcoal fire, calling all of his denying, deserting, fallen disciples to come to him and be forgiven and fed.
You have denied Jesus just like Peter did. This isn't a case where you know better than Peter. Every day we deny Christ by words and actions, surrendering to the pressures of the world. Denying him also by failures to speak, and by inactions. Like Simon Peter, you and I have denied our Lord Jesus more times than we can count. Some, in particular, may stand out in our minds and memory, like those times in the courtyard did for Peter.
But the good news today is this: Jesus is calling you over to himself, maybe not to a charcoal fire, but to the fire of His love. A fire that purifies, cleanses and does not burn. This fire is the Light of the World that the darkness cannot overcome. Not only that but Jesus also feeds you. Jesus has it already laid out for you. It is His holy Body and Blood, given for you to eat and to drink in his Blessed Sacrament. Come and eat. Come and be forgiven. Come and be restored. Jesus is with you in the Divine Service dear friends, and the holy fire of forgiveness is still burning all for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Come Holy Fire, comfort true, Grant us the will Your work to do And in your service to abide; Let trials turn us not aside. Lord by Your pow’r prepare each heart, And to our weakness strength impart That bravely here we may contend, Through life and death to You our Lord ascend. Alleluia. (LSB 497:3)
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 12, 2023
Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Apostle’s Creed: Second Article Part 2
Daily Lectionary:Proverbs 30:1-9, 18-33, John 20:19-31
“purchased and won me from all sins, from death and the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood, and with His innocent suffering and death.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Christian God speaks of the creator becoming the created. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” (John 1) No other world religion speaks of their god or gods this way. Jesus is truly God, but He is truly human. Jesus ate, drank, slept, walked, talked, and wept, just like you and me. Think of the great consolation that Jesus, true God, and true Man, experienced and knows everything you and I know. Jesus had real flesh on his skeleton of bones and real blood flowing through His veins.
The whole Old Testament teaches us what Hebrews 9 summarizes for us in the New Testament: Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. If a sinner is to be forgiven, then blood must first be shed. In other words, death must first occur as a substitute for the end of a sinner who deserves to die. In the Old Testament, it was animal blood, an animal’s death, that the Lord accepted, but only because He was teaching Israel that a much more precious death had to occur. The blood of Christ, the end of Christ, true God and true Man, was the total atoning price for the sins of the world, the entire payment for all sins, so that God can and will forgive any sin to the one who claims the atonement made by Christ, to the one who believes in Him as the Redeemer.
In Christ, we have full communion with God as we partake of Jesus’s real body and precious blood in the Holy Eucharist. In this meal, God does not make demands of you or simply gives you a memorial. He comes to you and places into you His body and blood that were given into death, now become one with you in body and soul. As St. Paul writes, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Take heart, you have been purchased by the precious blood of Jesus, which redeems you, but that now also pulses in your veins as He currently lives in you and you in Hm. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Blessed Savior, Jesus Christ, You have given Yourself to us in this holy Sacrament. Keep us in our faith and favor that we may live in You even as You live in us. May Your body and blood preserve us in the true faith to live everlasting. Hear us for the sake of Your name. Amen. Prayer for thanksgiving after receiving the Sacrament, (LSB page 308 (157))
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 11, 2023
Today's Reading: Romans 7:14-25a
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 27:1-24, John 20:1-18
“For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Romans 7:15
In the Name of Jesus, Amen. I’m sure you are like most people who hear the word “sin” you think of the things you have done. In our reading today, Paul does mention the sins he hates, but he also says the power of sin, which is, you guessed it, sin. What does this mean? We can’t stop sinning because sin is at work and lives within us. Does that mean we can blame sin for our sinning and somehow squirm our way out of blame? Not at all; the Law of God still stands and reminds us of all that we have thought, said, and done in our sins under the power of sin.
This is similar to addiction. At the beginning of addiction, the person freely chooses to become interactive with that addictive substance. Drugs, alcohol, porn, food, you name your favorite addiction; it can wreak havoc on all of us. However, within addiction, soon that substance controls the individual, whose life becomes dominated by seeking the next fix. When that happens, you’ve bought into the habit at one level while overwhelmed by it at another. And so “it is a sin that dwells within me” that is both the power at work in you and the addiction you always return to.
What does this mean for you as a Christian? Well, simply put, you are simultaneously a saint and a sinner. In other words, you are at war, not only with sin but yourself and your addiction to sin. In other words, as Paul says, we are very much with ourselves. It's “the law of sin that dwells in my members” that takes us captive. There is a war going on, and sin is taking its prisoners! The result is hopelessness. “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” And the answer? “God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Christ Jesus is your victor in the circular battle against sin, the devil, and your flesh.
Apart from Christ, the victor you are hopelessly lost and defeated. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor. 5:21. Your sins are great, but Jesus is greater. By the power of the Holy Spirit, repent of your sins, and plead the blood of Jesus to your heavenly Father, who hears you. There is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood. Christ knows your addiction to evil and yourself, and He desires to kill you by the Law so that you may be made alive in Him, forgiven, restored, and clean. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
To Jesus we for refuge flee, Who from the curse has set us free, And humbly worship at His throne, Saved by His grace through faith alone. (LSB 579:6)
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House
July 10, 2023
Today's Reading: Zechariah 9:9-12
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 25:1-22, John 19:23-42
“Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What a weird statement from Zechariah today, “prisoners of hope”. What does it mean to be a prisoner of hope? Remember that the people of Israel had been in the habit of groaning about their captivity. They were used to whining about the fact they had been exiled from Jerusalem, from everything they had held near and dear, particularly the temple. They would groan and whine, the Lord would set them free and the cycle would repeat. The same goes for us. We are prisoners to our sin, but prisoners of hope.
Zechariah calls the people to face the fact their hopes had been dashed, because their hope had been misplaced. It was a false hope that, once the messiah showed up on his war horse, everything could go back to the way it was. But the way it was meant turning away from God, rejecting God’s promises.
This is your daily battle with life as well. St. Paul reminds us: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. (Romans 7).
Like the Israelites in Babylon, we have to face the fact that we constantly sin but we are also called the saints of God. This is why the prophet Zechariah says “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!” We may be prisoners in our sin but our hope is in the Lord your God. Repent of your sorrow and lament, and rejoice in the salvation accomplished for you in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Ride on, ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die. Bow your meek head to mortal pain, then take, O God, your pow'r and reign. (LSB 441:5)
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 9, 2023
Today's Reading: Matthew 11:25-30
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 24:1-22, John 19:1-22
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed by all that is thrown at you? Family, school, friends, social media trends, or other things. What about being overwhelmed with how God might view you and what you have done in your sins against Him and others. Jesus says today “Come to Me, all you who labor and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” What is it, then, to labor and be heavy laden, to be weary and burdened? What does Jesus mean by that? Jesus speaks to those who are weary of trying to please God by their own efforts. He gets to the heart of the matter if you are burdened with the weight of sin? Is family, school, or friends etc, heavy and burdensome? Sure! But with most burdensome and heavy things we tend not put the best construction on what's going on. We become weighed down with the weariness and burdens that life in this vale of tears lays upon us. Jesus speaks to those who are heavy-laden with loads they are unable to carry. To those who realize their weariness and burdened state, Jesus says today, “... I Will Give You Rest.”
Jesus’ words were directly aimed at the people who were under the weight the Pharisees would load on people’s backs. They thought, and they taught, that the Law was something–if you worked hard enough–you could keep. That was how you could be accounted righteous before God–by your works. But when you add all that typical sinful human beings encounter each and every day we know we cannot please God or treat our neighbors with love.
This is why Jesus speaks of giving us rest. That rest is found in Sunday’s in the Divine Service, in regular reading and participating in the Word of God and evening the life of prayer. Jesus speaks of all that being rest for us because when we take that time it is Jesus who forgives us and renews us and feeds us His forgiveness and mercy with His real presence with us. Not only does He forgive and feed us, He also takes on your weights, your burdens and places them onto himself as your Redeemer and Savior; all so that you may be set free, no matter what you face. His rest is for you, His comfort is for you, He will carry your weights and burdens now and into eternity.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Gracious God, our heavenly Father, Your mercy attends us all our days. Be our strength and support amid the wearisome changes of this world, and at life’s end grant us Your promised rest and the full joys of Your salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 8, 2023
Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 6: Psalm 91:2, 9-10; antiphon Psalm 91:1
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:22-28:12, John 18:15-40
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. (Psalm 91:1–2 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You live in occupied territory. You live behind enemy lines. You are a citizen of a great kingdom, but you live in a place that does not recognize you or your king. You live in a place that seems to be permanently at war with your king. Things are not as they appear. The great battle is over, the war is won, you king now rules over all but the victory parade has not yet reached you. This is the reality of being a Christian. You live in the now and the not yet. Jesus is king now, eternal life is yours now but His reign and your place in it has not yet fully manifested itself.
The world you live in continues on a day to day basis as if Jesus does not reign, as if the battle was still going on. Even worse it is engaged in an active disinformation campaign telling all who would listen that there is no kingdom and no king. In the face of the constant onslaught of the already defeated sin, death, and the devil you have a place to take refuge in. God himself is your fortress. Your local congregation gives you sanctuary from the forces arrayed against you and God himself is present there with His gifts that give a glimpse of what will be at the full coming of His kingdom.
This is what the Word and Sacrament ministry of the church is. Every time the Gospel is proclaimed it is a declaration of God’s victory. Every Baptism is a little more new creation taking over the old. Every celebration of the Lord’s Supper is a foretaste of the feast to come. Every worship service is a manifestation of the kingdom that is coming, a kingdom that you already belong to, a kingdom that this world cannot and will not stop. The very king who is coming is the very king who is your fortress and your refuge. He is here now and He will guard you and keep you until the full coming of His kingdom. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
A mighty fortress is our God, A sword and shield victorious; He breaks the cruel oppressor's rod And wins salvation glorious. The old satanic foe Has sworn to work us woe. With craft and dreadful might He arms himself to fight. On earth he has no equal.( A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, LSB 657:1)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 7, 2023
Today's Reading:
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:1-21, John 18:1-14
“Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” (John 18:4–6 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. The Pharisees and Sadducees who plotted the arrest of Jesus probably thought that all their back room machinations were finally bearing fruit. You can almost hear them say, “I love it when a plan comes together.” They had received inside information on where Jesus was going to be absent from the crowds that had been preventing them from acting. One of Jesus’ own inner circle was willing to betray him. At last they would be rid of this interloper that was challenging the status quo. They were wrong on all accounts.
What was going on in there in the Garden on the night in which Jesus was betrayed was not the coming together of the plans of those who plotted Jesus' arrest. Rather what was coming together was the plan that God had set in motion from the very creation of the world. The Sadducees and Pharisees thought that they were conspiring against a man. Jesus the son of Joseph and Mary. Jesus who until now had avoided all their other set ups and traps. Instead Jesus was in full control of everything that was happening because it was His plan all along that was coming together. Look at His answer to His question about who they were looking for. He does not say ‘that is me’ so much as He says ‘I AM’. He identifies Himself as the creator God. He was not the son of Joseph, He is the incarnate Son of God. Nothing happens to Him by surprise. His betrayal and arrest in the garden had to happen because it was part of the plan. Creation was broken and could not fix itself. The creator had to enter His creation to fix it and His plan was to become incarnate, to become man, to die on the cross and fix everything that had gone wrong. They fall to the ground because they understand who Jesus had said that He is.
At this point in the passion narrative it looks like the Jewish authorities are the ones in control, but as the story unfolds it becomes more and more clear that Jesus is in control of all the events of his arrest and interrogation. The way of the cross was the plan from all along. Jesus is doing the very thing that He came to do and He is doing it for you. The plan of God from all eternity to save His people was the plan of God to save you. What happened to Jesus was all part of the plan. The great I AM came seeking you. Amen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
He sent no angel to our race, Of higher or of lower place, But wore the robe of human frame, And to this world Himself He came. (O Love, How Deep, LSB 544:2)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 6, 2023
Today's Reading:
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 20:5-25, John 17:1-26
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20–21 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The words of Jesus in John 17 are known as the High Priestly Prayer. Here Jesus prays for His disciples, He prays for those who would come to faith through their preaching, and He prays for the unity of all Chrisitans everywhere. Jesus is often spoken of as being prophet, priest, and king. Here He is exercising His office as priest. Indeed the author of Hebrews will go on to call Jesus the great High Priest of our confession. In Jewish tradition, under the Mosaic covenant, the High Priest was the one who could go into the very presence of God on behalf of the people on the Day of Atonement. The people had no direct access to God. The priest had to go for them.
All this changed because of Jesus. His death on the cross ended the Old Testament priesthood. People no longer needed a priest to go to God on their behalf. They themselves had access to God. There was no longer any need for a mediator. Luther would refer to this as the Priesthood of All Believers. What this means is that all God’s people have access to him in prayer. They can come into His presence without fear. Everytime you go to church, everytime you receive the Sacrament of the Altar, you are in the presence of God. You are a priest.
You have direct access to God in prayer. You don’t have to go through any kind of mediary. That is your privilege as part of the priesthood of all believers. You can go straight to God in prayer on your own behalf as well as on behalf of others in your life. This means that you can pray for yourself but other Christians can pray for you just as you do for them because they too are part of the priesthood of all believers. All the while the one who made all this possible continues His prayers for all His people including you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Son of God, eternal Savior, Source of life and truth and grace, Word made flesh, whose birth among us Hallows all our human race: By your praying, by Your willing That Your people should be one, Grant, O grant hope’s fruition: Here on earth Your will be done. (Son of God Eternal Savior, LSB 842:4)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 5, 2023
Today's Reading:Table of Duties, Luther’s Small Catechism: Second Article Part 1
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 17:1-28, John 16:17-33
And [I believe] in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. What does this mean? I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christology (what we have to say about Jesus) can be one of the more complex areas of theology. But before you get lost in all of the minutiae of the communication of attributes, it is important to remember that as rigorous as the topic can be, discussion of who Jesus is need not be overly tedious. In fact, for Luther, the Second Article of the Creed is the centerpiece of his catechism. This is the most important part of the entire thing. Another way to put it would be to say that the entire Lutheran theological system centers in Jesus.
What this means is that your salvation does not come from the Ten Commandments, nor does it come from any part of the Law. Your salvation does not come from your saying the Lord's Prayer a certain number of times or with the right emotional inflection. Nor does your salvation come from participating in the Sacraments as if they were simply ceremonies that must be performed. Without Jesus the whole thing falls apart and you are left holding a half cooked bratwurst at a potluck in a church basement for no particular reason.
With Jesus, however, the whole thing comes together. With Jesus the Law loses its condemnations because He fulfilled it for you; with Jesus God becomes your dear Father who hears your prayers, with Jesus the Sacraments become means of grace where He is present for you. He may not make the half cooked bratwurst better, but you will know why you are there. Jesus is the place where time and eternity come together. He is at the same time both man and God. When you say that Jesus is your Lord you are saying that Jesus is the God who saved you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Gentle Mary laid her child Lowly in a manger, He is still the Undefiled, But no more a stranger, Son of God of humble birth, Beautiful the story; Praise His name in all the earth; Hail the King of glory! (Gentle Mary Laid Her Child, LSB 374:3)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 4, 2023
Today's Reading: Jeremiah 28:5-9
Daily Lectionary:Proverbs 16:1-24, John 16:1-16
As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet. (Jeremiah 28:9 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Context is one of the most important things to take into account when reading the Scriptures. Without understanding the context, Jeremiah can come across as the Debbie Downer of the prophets. You can almost hear the ‘wha wha’ sound when he stops speaking. Without the proper context it also appears that a prophet’s job is to only announce the bad news of war, famine, and pestilence. What Jeremiah is reacting to in our reading is the specific false prophecy that the Babylonian captivity would be over soon; that it would be short and not require any repentance on the part of God’s people. Jerusalem would be restored and the king would return from exile.
Jeremiah knew better and that is why he speaks differently than the false prophets. He had been prophesying to them with different words before our reading and continues to prophesy to them after our reading. The Babylonian captivity would someday end, but it would not be soon. Jerusalem was not going to be restored and the king was not going to be returned in the short term. Jeremiah was not all doom and gloom, however, and you can see this in his enigmatic statement about the prophet who prophesies peace and his word coming about. Jeremiah knew that the Babylonian captivity was not God’s last word to His people. He knew that there was a way back, he knew that there would be a restoration, but he also knew that the context for that went beyond his immediate time.
You live in a completely different context than Jeremiah and his words of warning spoken here are not spoken directly to you in the sense that all he has to say to you are words of war, famine, and pestilence. Instead you are part of what Jeremiah knew would come after his own time. You are part of the new covenant he prophesies in chapter 31. What Jeremiah could only look forward to, you can look back upon. What he could only hint at, you know. The true prophet of peace has come and He is Jesus who has restored the people of God and brought to an end the exile of His people. The muted ‘wha wha’ of the trumpets of doom have become the resounding peal of the trumpet of salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Herald, note the sound of gladness; Tell the news that Christ is here; Make a pathway through desert For the one who brings God near. Sound the trumpet! Tell the message: Christ, the Savior king, is come! (Herald, Sound the Note of Judgment, LSB 511:2)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 3, 2023
Today's Reading: Matthew 10:34-42
Daily Lectionary: Proverb 15:1-29, John 15:12-27
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our reading presents us with a Jesus who is not familiar to us. We tend to like our Jesus meek and mild with never a raised voice or a harsh word. A Jesus who comes not to bring peace but a sword is something else entirely. The sad truth is that the gospel divides and that division sometimes splits families. Jesus even says that he has come to set son against father, daughter against mother, and daughter in law against mother in law. This would have been especially surprising in the ancient world where the family relationship took priority over almost everything else. Jesus’ words in our reading come from His instructions to His twelve disciples prior to their Galilean mission. He is letting them know that their proclamation of the kingdom would result in strife and division. This is still true in many parts of the world today where becoming a Christian comes at a great cost.
This is, of course, not all that Jesus has to say to The Twelve. He also lets them know that rejection is not the only reaction that they would experience. There would also be those who would receive them and even treat them well. This is where the words about receiving a cup of water because of being a disciple come in. Paul will later use the vocabulary of family to describe the relationship between Christians. The very message that divides families also creates a new family known as the church. For early Christians who had lost their family because of their faith the church functioned as a substitute family. Christianity was never meant to be a solo venture or a religion of loneliness. God does not create individual believers as much as He creates a whole people.
What this means for you is that even if your family is intact, because of your faith, you are a member of an extended family that is the people of God. You have an uncountable number of brothers and sisters that are part of the one holy Christian and apostolic church. While the Gospel may have divided you from some, it has united you to many, many others. No matter what your circumstances are, you are part of the family. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
For strife He came to bring a sword, The truth to end all lies; To rule in us our patient Lord, Until all evil dies: For in His hands He holds the stars, His voice shall speak to end our wars, And those who love Him see His scars And look into His eyes. (In Silent Pain the Eternal Son, LSB 432:3)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 2, 2023
Today's Reading:Luke 1:39-56
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 14:1-27, John 15:1-11
“He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:54–55 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. ‘A pregnant virgin goes to visit a pregnant old lady’ sounds like the opening line of a joke or the pitch for a really awful reality television series. In the case of Mary and Elizabeth it is no joke but the meeting of the Old and New Testaments. Elizabeth is pregnant with the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets while her relative Mary is carrying the promised Messiah. At Christmas time it may be popular to sing, Mary Did You Know? but it is clear from the words in our reading that both of these women were aware of what was going on.
Elizabeth refers to Mary as ‘the mother of my Lord’ and even the baby in her womb leaps at the presence of the child Mary is carrying. Elizabeth also makes it clear that she knows the circumstances of Mary’s pregnancy. Mary’s response to Elizabeth makes it even more clear that she did indeed know. Her response to Elizabeth has been put to music and is known as the Magnificat. Her song has become the song of the church. Today’s reading is about far more than a joint baby shower, it is the meeting of the first Christians gathered around the presence of Jesus.
What both of these women knew was that their children were part of the great story of salvation. Their children were part of how God was going to fulfill His promises to save his fallen creation. In other words, both these women knew that what was going on with them was ultimately about you. Mary’s words are about the God who has done great things for her and those great things are the same things that He has done for all people. They are the same things that He has done for you. In Jesus the child of Mary was help for Israel and the mercy promised to Abraham. The promises of God have been fulfilled for you in Jesus. You are part of the promise to Abraham and you are part of His people Israel. Mary’s song is also your song. When you gather for worship it is in the same presence of Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Father in heaven, by your grace the virgin mother of your incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed in keeping your word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
July 1, 2023
Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 5: Psalm 89:15; antiphon Psalm 89:1
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 13:1-25, John 14:18-31
Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted. (Psalm 89:15–16 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How long has it been since you let loose with a good festal shout? The benefits of the primal scream are fairly well established, a scream of anger and frustration is thought to be cathartic. In fact, we are all too quick to express our anger and frustration at things. What about the opposite? What about the shout, cry, or song of joy? Lutherans in particular seem to be more restrained in their expressions of joy. If you don’t believe me just look at some pictures of 19th century Lutheran pastors and you’ll see what I mean.
All kidding aside, it is all too easy to give into the negative view of things. The keyboard warriors on social media and the talking heads on television seem united in the effort to give you new things to be outraged at every day. In addition, according to them, any joy that you may be feeling is most likely oppressing someone somewhere else. At times the world itself seems against you. In fact, that is just how Satan wants it. He wants the worries of this world to wash away your joy and wash away your faith.
As a Christian, however, you have a lot to be joyful about and no need to feel ashamed for it. You have every reason to join in a festal shout. Think about your baptismal identity. You are a child of God. You are one who walks in the light of God’s face, you are exalted in His righteousness. This means that the source of your joy comes from God Himself. This is no fleeting feeling without a substantial base. Your joy is a gift from the creator of the universe. As frustrating as life in this world can be, you have already overcome the world. This is what it means to be a person of faith. Eternal life is already yours. The forgiveness of sins is already yours. What God has given you cannot be taken away. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
I will sing my Maker’s praises And in Him most joyful be, For in all things I see traces Of His tender love for me. Nothing else than love could move Him With such deep and tender care Evermore to raise and bear All who try to love and serve Him. All things else but have their day; God’s great love abides for aye. (I Will Sing My Maker’s Praises, LSB 977:1)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 30, 2023
Today's Reading:
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 10:1-23, John 14:1-17
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You would think that in a day and age where multiple navigation apps are available for your phone that it would be hard to get lost. You should always know where you are, and even better you should always know how to get where you are going. If you have ever used any of the navigation tools available, you know that they are sometimes better in theory than in practice. There have been multiple reports of people getting lost or led on routes that included roads that were undrivable because they followed their navigation app without questioning it. Even the show The Office has an episode where manager extraordinaire Michael Scott drives his car into a lake because his navigation unit told him to. He sees the water ahead of him and drives in anyway because, “the machine knows.”
The irony here is that the Christian life oftentimes should be more like this episode of The Office. The way that Jesus is, is the way of the cross and it leads us to places that look impassable. When this happens we should be more like Micheal Scott and proceed forward in faith because the Savior knows. Instead we trust our senses instead of our Lord and look for another, easier way. What looks to us like an easier route takes us off the way of Jesus and leaves us stranded on the shores of unbelief. When it comes to the Christian life the way of Jesus is the only way.
When Luther wrote about these words of Jesus he used Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea as an example. God led His people into the parted waters and from their viewpoint things might have looked perilous indeed. They were surrounded by walls of water on each side with Pharaoh's army behind them. There was no other way for them to go but forward to the other side. This is the way of Jesus. Sometimes you are being led through things where it appears that it would be easier to go around. In those times always remember that you are not alone. Jesus who is the way and life is with you and will lead you in the way you need to go. You can proceed into what looks impassable because Jesus knows. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Christ the unfading Light Of everlasting day, Our Morning Star in splendor bright, The Life, the Truth, the Way; That light of truth You give To servants as to friends, Your way to walk, Your life to live, Till earth’s brief journey ends. (Christ the Eternal Lord, LSB 829:4)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 29, 2023
Today's Reading: Matthew 16:13-20
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 9:1-18, John 13:21-38
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our reading allows us to draw a straight line from Peter, to Luther, and then to Lutherans. Peter confessed Christ, Luther confessed Christ, and Lutherans continue to confess Christ. This may be true, but Peter’s confession also draws a straight line into the past as well. In other words, the confession of Peter plants the New Testament church firmly in the soil of the Old Testament. The words of both Peter and Jesus here bring to mind the promises of God to David and Abraham.
When Jesus gives Simon the name of Peter, He places him alongside others in Israel’s past who had been given new names. People like Abram who became Abraham. Abraham was given the promise that he would become the father of many nations, that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. This means that Peter and the church after him are linked to that promise. Peter and the church are part of the great multitude of the children of Abraham that are the people of God. Even the word ‘rock’ here is important because of its ties to the promise to Abraham (Isaiah 51:1-2 ) This rock theme is also tied up with David and the building of a house for God. The rock at the base of the temple on Mt. Zion was thought of as the center of the cosmos. It was the place upon which heaven, earth, and even the underworld came together. Now Jesus is saying that upon this rock he will build his church.
The church is the place where heaven and earth meet. It is the center of the cosmos and the very gates of hell will not prevail against it. In other words, death itself has no power in the church of Christ. Confessing Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God makes you into His living people, people that death cannot touch. Here resides the true mystery of the cross. In the death and resurrection of Jesus is the death of death itself and the promise of resurrection for all God’s people. The covenant God made with Abraham, the covenant God made with David, are all fulfilled in Jesus. You are part of those covenants. You are all children of Abraham, and you are all subjects of the Davidic King. You were all given new names in Baptism and You are part of the great house of God that is the church and you have nothing to fear from the gates of hell. In other words, you rock! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Merciful and eternal God, Your holy apostles Peter and Paul received grace and strength to lay down their lives for the sake of your Son. Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit that we may confess Your truth and at all times be ready to lay down our lives for Him who laid down His life for us, even Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 28, 2023
Today's Reading: Table of Duties, Luther’s Small Catechism: First Article Part 3
Daily Lectionary: Proverb 8:22-36, John 13:1-20
All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When it comes to the doctrine of creation we spend so much time talking about when it happened and how long it took that questions about what it means to be a creature don’t get the treatment they deserve. When we confess our belief in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth we are confessing far more than a belief in what took place during God’s six days of creative work. We are also confessing that God continued to be involved with His creation even after He rested on the seventh day. We are confessing that God continues to be involved with us. The Creator God who made all things is concerned with you.
He did not make you and then take a step back to see what you could do on your own. He did not wind up creation like a clock and then step back to let it run on its own, He remains active in HIs creation and He remains active in you. He does all this, not because of who you are but because of who He is. God did not have to make the universe but He did. God did not have to make you, but He did. God did all these things because he chose to. He is a God of love and mercy and He creates and sustains us because that is who He is and that is what He does. He sent His own Son into creation to save it. The creator entered into His creation to save you.
This means that God follows you (not in a social media kind of way) and is involved with your day to day existence. He provides all that you need both spiritually and physically. He doesn’t do this because you live a particularly Instagram worthy life or because you are an influencer. He does this because He is the Creator God and you are one of His beloved creations. Confessing the creator God is confessing the God who is for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We all believe in one true God, Who created earth and heaven, The Father, who to us in love Has the right of children given. He in soul and body feeds us; All we need His hand provides us; Through all snares and perils leads us, Watching that no harm betide us. He cares for us by day and night; All things are governed by His might. (We All Believe in One True God, LSB 954:1)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 27, 2023
Today's Reading: Romans 6:12-23
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 8:1-21, John 12:36b-50
“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” (Romans 6:17–18 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. One of the common storytelling tropes is that of someone selling their soul to the devil. It has been used in all manner of books and movies over the years and is familiar to most people. The problem with it is that you are not free to sell your soul because it is not yours to sell. You don’t own it. This is the reality of the fall into sin. You are not born in a neutral state with a decision to make between good and evil. You are born enslaved to sin. God and Satan are not opposite ends of the spectrum of human choice because you are not free to choose. This is the human condition, born into slavery to sin without any natural ability to seek freedom. You can’t break the chains of sin. You can’t run away from sin, and you cannot choose to not sin.
The amazing truth of the Gospel is that what you could not do, God did for you. He purchased you with the life of His Son Jesus. You were bought with a price. Because of Jesus you have been brought from death to life. You have been set free from sin but you are also under new ownership. You were a slave of sin, now you are a slave of righteousness. The direction of your life has been changed because of Jesus. Before your slavery could only lead to lawlessness piled upon lawlessness. Now your slavery leads to righteousness piled upon righteousness.
You were under the dominion of the law but now you are under the dominion of grace. Your sinful nature remains, but you are no longer a slave to it. The God who bought you does not leave alone free but helpless in a hostile world. He who bought you remains with you. Jesus who saved you is the same Jesus who washed you in the waters of Baptism, and feeds you with His very body and blood in Communion. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Before you could only earn death, but now you have been given the gift of eternal life. You were a slave of sin but now you are a slave of God. Slavery to sin can only lead to death, but slavery of God leads to eternal life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The everlasting Son Incarnate deigns to be, Himself a servants form puts on To set His servants free. (The Advent of Our King, LSB 331:2)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 26, 2023
Today's Reading:Jeremiah 20:7-13
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 5:1-23, John 12:20-36a
“Sing to the LORD; praise the LORD! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.” (Jeremiah 20:13 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do you ever feel like Lutheranism has given you a raw deal? Do you think that being part of the people of God is not all that it is cracked up to be? Are you tired of being ridiculed by others simply for believing in God? This is what Jeremiah appears to be thinking when he writes, “O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived..” He has encountered one of the uncomfortable truths of the faith. Belief in God is not a guarantee of a trouble free life. In fact, being faithful to God can bring about trouble in the world. In Jeremiah’s case the very prophecies that God gave him to speak caused the people who heard them to ridicule and persecute him. Jeremiah is simply doing what God has called him to do, and the entire Israelite cancel culture has risen up against him.
Jeremiah’s response to this comes in the form of a lament. He makes his complaint directly to God. What is important to realize here is that in all of this Jeremiah remains faithful. Complaining to God is an act of faith. Jeremiah complains because he believes that God can actually do something about the situation. His suffering is real, but so is his belief in God. Jeremiah never loses sight of the realities of his faith. God will be the ultimate victor. In the end His kingdom will come and His will will be done. This is why in the midst of his lament Jeremiah can still write, “Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.”
The same is true for you. Being faithful may cause you to suffer at the hands of the enemies of the faith. In the face of your suffering you can make a faithful lament to God. He did not abandon Jeremiah and He will not abandon you. You can bring your complaint right to Him. The God who called you in the waters of Baptism, the God who will bring you forth from the grave, the God whose victory is assured is the God who is with you even when you lament. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Yet even though I suffer The world’s unpleasantness, And though the days grow rougher And bring me great distress, That day of bliss divine, Which knows no end or measure, And Christ, who is my pleasure, Forever shall be mine. (From God Can Nothing Move Me, LSB 713:6)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 25, 2023
Today's Reading: Matthew 10:5a, 21-33
Daily Lectionary:Proverbs 4:1-27, John 12:1-19
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” (Matthew 10:26 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christianity is not so much about what you know as it is about what you believe. This does not mean that you have to check your brain at the door when you become a Christian, but it does mean that you don’t have to have an exhaustive knowledge of theology to follow Jesus. You also don’t have to have an exhaustive knowledge of theology to tell other people about Jesus. There are plenty of things about God that we do not know. Sometimes these are the very things that those who are against the church choose to focus on as the basis for their unbelief.
The words of Jesus in our reading come from a section in Matthew where He is sending out His disciples to proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. He tells them that their proclamation will be met with resistance and hostility. He tells them that their experience will mirror His own. For sure the disciples did not understand everything that Jesus was telling at this time in His public ministry. At this point they don’t even know the magnitude of what they don’t know. This lack of full understanding is not a reason to keep silent. They are to proclaim openly what Jesus has told them. In time what is covered will be revealed and what is hidden will be made known. The use of the passive voice here indicates that it will be God Himself that does the revealing and making known. They are to focus on what they know, that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand in the person of Jesus. Nothing that anyone can do to them can change the truth of that.
The Kingdom of Heaven has come to you as well. That same Jesus who sent His disciples has come to you in water, word, bread, and wine to make and keep you as His own. This is true whether you understand the deep mysteries of the faith or not. You need have no fear of anyone who questions what you believe or treats you badly because of what you believe. The same God who gave you that faith also keeps you in that faith. Until the time when all is revealed, you can be secure in what you do know and believe; that Jesus was, is, and will always be for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, because Your abiding presence always goes with us, keep us aware of Your daily mercies that we may live secure and content in Your eternal love; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 24, 2023
Today's Reading: Luke 1:57-80
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 3:5-24, John 11:38-57
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways. (Luke 1:76)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Usually, Luke 1 and 2 are reserved for Advent and Christmas. Many of you who read this can still remember being in Christmas programs at church when the story is repeated each and every year. But we don’t usually focus all that closely on the foretelling and subsequent conception and birth of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ. But it makes sense that John, six months older than Jesus, would show up on the scene about 6 months before we celebrate Christmas, so today, we’ll celebrate the nativity of the Baptist.
It had been a strange time in Zechariah’s home over these last 9 months. He returned from his priestly duties unable to speak. The angel Gabriel had met him as he offered incense at the Temple, telling him that his barren wife, Elizabeth, would conceive and bear a child in her old age. Zechariah hadn’t believed the angel’s unbelievable message, and had subsequently struck him mute. Sure enough, Elizabeth conceived. The last few months of her pregnancy, a relative had come to visit—Mary—who was visited by the very same angel, and who had conceived, by the Holy Spirit, another child. Mary’s greeting caused Zechariah’s child to leap for joy in the womb. When he was born, Zechariah insisted that he would be named John, as Gabriel had instructed him—and Zecharaiah’s tongue was loosed into words of praise directed to God…and a prophecy of his own, concerning this child. He had leapt in Elizabeth’s womb, and he would continue to precede Jesus; to herald our Lord’s entrance into the spotlight at His baptism in the Jordan River, and to lay down his life, not to atone for sins, but to show what the world intends to do to those whose trust is in Christ.
The good news for you, dear Christian, is that God has gone above and beyond to point you to His beloved Son. Through the prophets, priests, and kings of old, we see a promise that God would certainly fulfill…and when John shows up, we know that Christ is coming soon. In short, I guess you could say that June 24th is a perfect day to remember that the beautiful promise of Immanuel (God with us) is coming soon. That God has sent a herald to announce the coming of the Kingdom—even the coming of the King Himself! So look for John! Where you hear his message of repentance and faith, you can rest assured that the Savior of the world is drawing near! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We praise You for the Baptist, forerunner of the Word, Our true Elijah, making a highway for the Lord. The last and greatest prophet, he saw the dawning ray of light that grows in splendor until the perfect day. Amen. (LSB 518:18)
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 23, 2023
Today's Reading: John 11:17-37
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 1:8-33, John 11:17-37
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”(John 11:25-26a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus is in the resurrection business. Let that sink in for a minute. Martha had stomped out to meet Jesus before He even made it to the house. “If you had been here,” she sobbed, “my brother wouldn’t have died!” You get the idea that she and her sister had rehearsed these words as Lazarus’ health had gone from bad to the very worst…Martha knew that her brother would rise again on the last day…but that didn’t speak to her grief right then and right there. But at that moment, when Martha correctly confesses the resurrection, Jesus has a “mic drop” moment that brings peace and comfort to her, to Mary, and to all of us as well. “I AM the Resurrection and the Life,” He said. To know Jesus is to know life and resurrection.
As we heard yesterday, Jesus brings the light of life where there would otherwise simply be death and hopelessness. Mary was told that Jesus was headed to the tomb, and she tried to share the same, rehearsed line: “Jesus, if You had been here—” but Jesus continued His march to the tomb…The compassion that brought Jesus to tears and had opened the eyes of the blind carried Him to place where His friend had been laid. You see, He needed to have a word with the dead man. More specifically, He needed to have three words with him: Lazarus, come out. And the dead man rose. These words are comforting for you, dear Christian reader. These words were spoken to Lazarus (who surely tasted death again…) for YOUR good, so that you might believe that Jesus is YOUR resurrection…so that believing, you may have life and never fear the grave. Death is undone and Christ’s resurrection pledges a resurrection for YOU as well! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Christ, Who shared our mortal life and ended death’s long reign, Who healed the sick and raised the dead and bore our grief and pain: We know our years on earth are few, That death is always near, Come now to us, O Lord of Life; bring hope that conquers fear! “I am the Lord of life and death!” You answered Martha’s cry, “And all who hear and trust My Word shall live, although they die!” You walked the path to Laz’rus’ tomb, You called him forth by name, and living, loving once again, From death to life he came! Amen. (LSB 552:1,10)
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 22, 2023
Today's Reading: John 11:1-16
Daily Lectionary:Ecclesiastes 12:1-14, John 11:1-16
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” (John 11:9-10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do me a favor: re-read John 11:1-16–pay special attention to each of the extra details that St. John includes about the situation. Jesus’ friend Lazarus was sick. We learn a few extra details about Mary and Martha—and that Jesus loved their family. He knew what was going on—He knew what He was going to do for Lazarus. They stayed a few extra days where they were—Jesus wasn’t in a rush. When Jesus told the disciples it was time to go to them, a few of them questioned the wisdom of a return back into the heart of Judaism where the leaders were seeking Jesus’ life. But then, the very same Jesus who called himself the “Light of the World” (John 1:4-5, 9, 8:12, 9:5), offered a comforting commentary on just what that light in the world means.
Where Jesus is, there is light, and where there is the light of Christ, the fear of stumbling into death flees like darkness when the lights come on. Next, Jesus tells the disciples exactly what’s going to happen—that Lazarus had fallen asleep (the same term used by the early church to describe the death of a Christian), but that Jesus was going to wake him up again. Even though the disciples had witnessed other miracles of this nature, they didn’t get it. I’ve always scratched my head about Thomas’ response to this whole situation… “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” What did he mean by that? Is it out of concern based on the other disciples’ fears about returning to Judea? Is he feeling particularly brave and ready to charge into Judea, no matter what’s waiting? Maybe he still thinks Jesus is talking in a figure of speech? Maybe we can’t figure out what Thomas meant, what was in his head…But what’s important for us to see is the Light himself. We see His willingness to go to Mary, Martha, Lazarus—and ultimately to the cross and empty tomb. His light still shines today. You see it when you hear the sweet words of the Gospel, when your pastor pronounces God’s verdict concerning your sin: FORGIVEN! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O wondrous type! O vision fair of glory that the Church may share, Which Christ upon the mountain shows, where brighter than the sun He glows! And faithful hearts are raised on high by this great vision’s mystery, for which in joyful strains we raise the voice of prayer, the hymn of praise. (LSB 413:1,4)
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 21, 2023
Today's Reading:Table of Duties, Luther’s Small Catechism: First Article Part 2
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 11:1-10, John 10:22-42
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. (Matthew 6:26)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Is that all? I know, I know…if you’ve read through Part 1 of Luther’s Small Catechism’s explanation for the First Article, the response I should expect is: Isn’t that enough?! “God has made me and all creatures!” He has given me my body and soul and still takes care of them. That’s no small feat! Something that only God could do. But Dr. Luther is intent on rescuing us from any delusion we may have cooked up that we’ve pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps, or that “our” stuff is really “ours” at all. “He also gives me—“ and I just love it when Luther starts listing things like this. He really gets on a roll here—from the clothes on my back and the shoes on my feet to my home, family, and the (admittedly modest) little group of animals who provide us with things like eggs and occasionally even meat—all this is from God.
And we can’t overemphasize this point. It’s not enough to simply believe that God created us. He is still, right this moment, actively holding all things in creation together. And working together the very same things for your good. I know that there are days when you just don’t see it. Maybe you don’t have one of the things on the list. I know that feeling, and it’s not easy. There’s nothing I can say that will soften that feeling of incompleteness, but there is something that Jesus has said on the subject. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us that anxiety fixated on food, drink, and clothing is not how creation looks to its creator. The birds are well fed and nourished, the grass is clothed with beautiful flowers…and you? God has already taken care of these things. So seek first His Kingdom and the rest will be added to you. After addressing the body- and life-supporting stuff in creation, Luther reminds us of God’s protection. Danger and evil flee from our Father, and we do well to hide in the shelter of His wings—to call upon Him in our day of trouble—and in so doing, more often than not, our perspective on the temporal things He has given us strikes a more thankful tone. Thanks be to God for the stuff He gives us…but so much more for the love with which He gives it! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Consider how the birds above feed day by day with carefree ease—Does God not keep them in His love? Are we not worth much more than these? Be not afraid to suffer loss of all the things for which you pray, for He who faced for you the cross will give you strength to live each day. Amen. (LSB 736:1, 5)
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 20, 2023
Today's Reading: Romans 5:6-15
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 10:1-20, John 10:1-21
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Timing is everything. I don’t know how those three words make you feel. But, in one way or another, they’re the absolute truth. Think of all of the things that have happened in your life that you look back on after and realize just how perfect the timing had to be. I wouldn’t have met my wife if she hadn’t stopped where she was standing to take a phone call and I happened to be walking in her general direction. I’ve driven past car accidents that, if I were just a few minutes earlier, I would’ve likely been a part of. Maybe you’ve played baseball or softball or a musical instrument…you know that being a split second early or late will result in a strike or an unintentional solo. Sometimes, we can plan the timing of things—but a lot of the time, we get it wrong.
Think of Adam and Eve in the garden. The terrible timing when Eve’s curiosity and Adam’s reluctance to interfere led to the rebellion that brought sin and death to all people. Our timing is usually not the best. But God, the author of time, has things under control. That’s what our text from Romans 5 tells us. At just the right time, while we were stuck in sin and enemies of God—Christ died for us. I could try to explain why 2,000 years ago was just the right time for Jesus to be born, to die, and to rise, but it would just be my best guess. God alone knows. And as one for whom such a loving act has been carried out, who am I to question? It’s also no accident that the perfect timing of Jesus’ death was followed by a just-the-right-time Resurrection. Paul tells the Romans that we’ve been reconciled to God by Jesus’ death and saved by His life. We don’t always think about these two things (being reconciled and being saved) apart from each other, and I think that’s the point. Jesus’ death has paid the price for our sin, and made a way for peace between God and us—and His new life delivers it! Remember Jesus’ first words to the apostles on Easter evening in John 20? “Peace be with you!” That peace wouldn’t have been possible without the cross. It was proclaimed in the resurrection. And through the Word and Sacraments, it’s yours today, too! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
I was in slavery, sin, death, and darkness; God’s love was working to make me free. Therefore I’ll say again: God loves me dearly, God loves me dearly, loves even me. He sent forth Jesus, My dear Redeemer, He sent forth Jesus and set me free. Therefore I’ll say again: God loves me dearly, God loves me dearly, loves even me! Amen. LSB 392:2-3
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 19, 2023
Today's Reading:Exodus 19:2-8
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 9:1-17, John 9:24-41
“‘You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” (Exodus 19:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our family loves camping. There’s something about the great outdoors, enjoying the beauty of creation, unplugging from responsibilities (and electronics) that always seems to give us a nice reset before we rush headlong back into the busyness of this life. If you look at the opening verses of our text this morning, you may have noticed that Israel, about 3 months after they were rescued from Egypt, came to the wilderness of Sinai, where they camped. But their camping was anything but a vacation! They weren’t there to relax and recharge. Instead, they were there because God directed them to that place in order that He might establish His covenant with them.
The Lord instructed Moses to begin by reminding the people of His gracious act of redemption when He drowned Pharaoh and his army while Israel was carried out of slavery in safety. Next, comes the terms of the covenant. “Obey my voice…keep my covenant…” Essentially, it was a call to listen to God’s Word. Maybe someone has asked you before if you’re listening to them and you responded, “I heard you!” But there’s a difference between hearing something…and listening. God expected His people to listen. And the result of their listening? They would continue to be God’s treasured possession, His kingdom of priests, His holy nation. It doesn’t get much better than that! Moses reported the words to the people, and they replied, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!”
Part of me wishes that I could step back into that moment in time and (in Hebrew, so they could understand,) warn them of the foolish nature of their vow. But maybe that’s the point of the ongoing nature of Israel and God’s continued wrestling. God keeps choosing them according to His rich mercy; they prove faithless over and over again; and while there are certainly times when He allows them to fall into the pit they’ve dug themselves—more often than not, He forgives, rescues, and restores them to the favored status He originally bestowed upon Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. That said, we can learn a lot about what NOT to do when we see Israel making promises in vain. As we’ve seen in the last week, God is in the business of having mercy, but He won’t stand for fake righteousness. Repent and believe accordingly! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The Law of God is good and wise and sets His will before our eyes, shows us the way of righteousness, and dooms to death when we transgress. To Jesus we for refuge flee, Who from the curse has set us free, and humbly worship at His throne, saved by His grace through faith alone. Amen. LSB 579:1, 6
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 18, 2023
Today's Reading: Matthew 9:35-10:20
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 8:1-17, John 9:1-23
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our Gospel lesson this week unfolds in the most beautiful fashion. Jesus had been teaching and healing, but then He saw just how bad things were–these crowds were like sheep without a shepherd. He immediately had compassion on them…He was moved to act on their behalf. But pay close attention to Jesus’ observation and instructions to His disciples: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray…” He doesn’t say that “the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few, so GO!” Prayer comes first. In prayer, we acknowledge that God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. If there is a task ahead of us, we do well to start with prayer.
And no sooner than Jesus instructed them to pray–He answered that very prayer by sending them out! This sending, sanctified by prayer, was given to the twelve…and it’s not the kind of sending most of us would’ve expected. Stay away from the Gentiles and Samaritans. Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and tell them that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. These were the ears and hearts who should’ve been eagerly expecting the Messiah to bring God’s Kingdom into their midst!
Before the Gospel would be proclaimed to the ends of the earth, it would be preached in Jerusalem and Judea first. Jesus moves from the target audience to the task—you know, just the usual stuff—healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, casting out demons. Did He say raising the dead?! I’m not sure the disciples were ready for this kind of an assignment! And if all this weren’t enough, what happens next seems downright reckless! He instructs them to leave behind extra provisions for the trip. Don’t accept gifts along the way, don’t take a bag, don’t bring a change of clothes. Go and stay in the first house you enter. If no one will listen to you, shake the dust of that town off of your feet as a witness of judgment against them.
But then, Jesus makes one final pronouncement to these disciples whom He is “apostling” (sending): “I’m sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves…” Jesus is sending them AWAY from Him, the Good Shepherd, into wolf-infested territory! But the Holy Spirit speaks for them; He strengthens their faith. Your faith today is evidence that Jesus was faithful—and will be forever!. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty, eternal God, in the Word of Your apostles and prophets You have proclaimed to us Your saving will. Grant us faith to believe Your promises that we may receive eternal salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 17, 2023
Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 3: Psalm 67:4-7, antiphon: 67:3
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 7:11-29, John 8:39-59; antiphon: Psalm 67:3
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. (Psalm 67:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Judge not, lest you be judged.” I’ll never forget the first time these words were thrown at me. I was in high school, and I had questioned the behavior of a classmate. She knew I was a Christian, I knew she wasn’t. I wasn’t trying to hurt her or to put her down…but she had heard my words of correction as just that. In her mind, I thought I was perfect–holier than thou. I was on my perch, telling her how she needed to behave and acting as if I was the sole arbiter of right and wrong…so she quoted Matthew 7:1: “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” Now that I think of it, I think she even said “ye,” just to get the full force of the King James Version behind her argument. When I didn’t have a response, she told me I should go home and read my Bible more.
I can’t tell you today that I went home and honed my argument from scripture and then went back the next day to win the debate…I was disheartened. I had been trying to help. Unfortunately, there are times when those outside of the Christian faith will close their ears and say anything they can think of to close our mouths. “Judge not” can be this kind of argument-ender. But Matthew 7:1 isn’t about not judging. It’s about judging yourself with the same metric first. It’s about judging from a place of humility, rather than a place of superiority. And this is crucially important for this reason: we’re under the very same judgment, or better said, under the same Judge.
That’s why it may seem confusing that our reading today invites praise, gladness, and singing for joy–for the Lord judges the people with equity. Usually judgment is something that we fear! But here, we see that God uses the same standard for all peoples. He is equitable, not going easy on some and pouring out wrath on others. Paul shared this sentiment when he said that “God has consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all.” (Romans 11:32) This means that, in light of Christ, salvation has been won for all people–because all people needed it. All were under the same crushing judgment of the Law–and the way of life has been opened equally to all! We can rejoice in God’s judgments, because Jesus has come to take them upon Himself and to give us forgiveness forever! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
He comes to judge the nations, a terror to His foes, a light of consolations and blessed hope to those who love the Lord’s appearing. O glorious Sun, now come, send forth You beams so cheering, and guide us safely home. Amen LSB 334:7
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 16, 2023
Today's Reading: Romans 4:13-25
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 6:1-7:10, John 8:21-38
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul’s life was forever changed when, on the road to Damascus, on his mission to imprison followers of Jesus, He met Jesus Himself. Paul was struck blind, but in a way, his eyes were finally opened to the One who is the way, the truth, the life. Paul wrote in Galatians about his self-imposed exile in Arabia and Damascus. During that time, he studied the Old Testament to better understand how these things could be true. Paul was a trained Pharisee under Gamaliel, a revered Jewish Rabbi. He knew the scriptures.
But now, with Jesus at the center of them, everything became clear. All things pointed toward the fulfillment that took place in the incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus! Judaism was a religion of works, always emphasizing the obedience the people owed to God. And it’s certainly possible to read the Old Testament in that way. But not when you factor in the words and works of Jesus! Instead, it becomes plain that God showed His great love for us by sending His Son to live a perfect life in our place, to overcome sin and temptation on our behalf, and then, to suffer the punishment that we deserved.
This Gospel-filled unpacking of the Old Testament taught Paul to see Abraham in a different light. No longer was Abraham the example of obedience, but of faith. “Abraham believed God,” (Genesis 15:6) became the defining characteristic of father Abraham. He didn’t merely provide a bloodline for the Messiah, or for the chosen people, Israel, but He believed. And God considered him righteous. It’s easy for us to think about the things that the Old Testament heroes of the faith DID. That’s what Sunday School stories teach us, right? David and Goliath…Noah building the ark…Moses raising his staff, parting the Red Sea…but we have to remember that the Old Testament, just like the New, is all. about. Jesus.
So what we should actually see throughout the Old Testament is that faith in God is commended. Where there is faith, there are God’s righteous people. Abraham believed God and trusted when God told him that he would be father to many nations. God be praised that we can see these faithful men and women, carried along by God, trusting that we are called to walk, not by sight, but faith. And where there is faith…there is righteousness before God! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Christ, the Word of God incarnate, Lord and Son of Abraham; Christ, the radiance of the Father, Perfect God, the great I Am; Christ, the light, You shine unvanquished, Light and life You bring to all; Light our path with Your own presence, Grant us grace to heed Your call. Amen. LSB 540:1
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 15, 2023
Today's Reading: Table of Duties, Luther’s Small Catechism: First Article Part 1
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 5:1-20, John 9:1-23
“Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.” (Psalm 102:25)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Father’s Day is right around the corner, and if your dad is anything like my kids’ dad, a good Father’s Day might consist of going to church, a nap, and a steak for dinner. But the important thing about fathers isn’t the stuff that they enjoy in life, it’s their function in the family. And a father’s function in the family isn’t something that society dreamed up or something that dads just started doing one day.
We know what fathers are supposed to be like because God calls Himself our Father, and He has shown us what He is like. Now, it is true that our natural fathers pale in comparison to God (that should go without saying), and saying that fathers are in any way similar to God doesn’t mean that our father’s failures here are reflective of God. But God is truly our Father. He has truly made us–and not us only, but all things in heaven and on the earth.
When Luther wrote his Small Catechism, the explanation he gave for the First Article is profoundly personal. It’s not enough for Luther to say that God has made all things. He didn’t talk in terms like “universe,” “cosmos,” or even “heaven and earth,” the words used in the Creed itself. Instead, Luther began with this simple confession: “I believe that God has made me…” This is Luther’s confession that God is his Father. God brought him forth. God has known him for every moment of his life. God knew him better than he knew himself. And the beautiful truth of this simple explanation is that it is true for you as well! There may be times in your adolescence when you don’t even feel like you know yourself…you’re trying on different “yous” and learning which “you” is going to be the “you” for the next chapter in your life.
Trust me when I say that you’ve still got time to figure this part out. But trust this even more: God knows YOU–always has, always will. He made you. He’s your Almighty Father Who has loved you from before the foundations of the world. And not only has He created you, all creatures, and all things–He still takes care of them, still takes care of you. That’s a truth you can believe unto eternal life! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
God the Father, be our stay; O let us perish never! Cleanse us from our sins, we pray, and grant us life forever. Keep us from the evil one; uphold our faith most holy, and let us trust Thee solely with humble hearts and lowly, let us put God’s armor on, with all true Christians running our heav’nly race and shunning the devil’s wiles and cunning. Amen, amen! This be done; So sing we, “Alleluia!” LSB 505:1
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 14, 2023
Today's Reading: Psalm 50:1, 7-15
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 4:1-16, John 7:32-53
“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (Psalm 50:15)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever struggled to find a gift to give someone? Sometimes, picking just the right thing can be a challenge, it might even feel impossible. What do you buy for the person who has everything? Now, consider a gift you might give God!? Psalm 24:1 says “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” In other words, God owns everyTHING and everyONE in all of creation. In our text today, it says the cattle on a thousand hills belong to God. I feel like I should add that the cattle on the 1,001st hill belong to Him, too. All of the cattle on all of the hills—and everything else in creation that’s not cattle or hills—it’s His, too. I think I’ve made the point, God owns everything.
But when God says that He won’t accept His people’s sacrifices, it’s not just that He doesn’t need what they’re offering. It’s that “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17) God isn’t looking for us to impress Him with our very best works, with our very best sacrifices, or our very best efforts. He’s looking for faith. He’s looking for us to die to our self-centered, idolatrous way of life. “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving…” Sacrifices are an interesting subject in the Old Testament. If you read through the Pentateuch, you’ll see sacrifices all over the place.
If you read through Leviticus, you’ll see an entire sacrificial system that is set up in very specific detail. But the point of sacrifice was never the sacrifice itself. It was always a looking-forward-to event. Every sacrifice in the Old Testament was intended to point toward the one and only sacrifice that actually took away sins. The writer to the Hebrews wrote about this when he said that “Christ offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins.” (Hebrews 10:12) So maybe we’ve been asking the wrong question this whole time…maybe there are times when we feel like we should give God a gift…but our God is in the business of giving, not receiving. He rejoices to give You the gift of His Son, the perfect sacrifice for the removal of sin. And that is the perfect gift for each of us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Not all the blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace or wash away the stain. Believing, we rejoice to see the curse remove; we bless the Lamb with cheerful voice and sing His bleeding love. LSB 431:1,5
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 13, 2023
Today's Reading: Hosea 5:15-6:6
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 3:1-22, John 7:14-31
“Come, let us return to the Lord; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up.” (Hosea 6:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Some lessons are harder to learn than others. I’m sure that comes as no surprise to you. In school, some subjects will be easier than others…but there are some things that we don’t learn in a classroom setting. Some things we have to learn by experience. One of the hardest things for most people to learn is when to admit that they’re in the wrong.
Our reading today begins with God’s promise that He will return to his people when they confess their sins in earnest (truth). Hosea 6 starts with these words: “Come, let us return to the Lord…” The people even go so far as to acknowledge that God, by His Word, “tears” and “strikes down,” but that these harsh activities are ultimately for the purposes of healing and binding up. God tears down the idolatry in our hearts and builds up our faith through the promises that are in His Word. But had Israel learned the hard lesson of repentance? You guessed it. They don’t. God compares Israel’s repentance with a morning cloud or dew that dries up early. They’re insincere. They don’t mean what they say. They say that they’ve learned repentance, but they’re still trying to placate God with their burnt offerings and works. It won’t work.
But the beautiful truth that resonates throughout Hosea’s prophecy is that God continues to return to His people over and over. There are certainly times when He comes with words that tear and strike down. When His Word tears YOU down and strikes YOUR conscience—it’s times like these that God is teaching us the hard lesson of repentance. God’s Word is true when it calls us out for our unfaithfulness toward Him. His Word is right to accuse us in times when we are insincere about our repentance. So don’t be like faithless Israel. Don’t play games with God. Don’t think that the things you do will please Him. He is pleased to show mercy upon sinners like you. He rejoices to save you from Your sin. He rejoices to deliver such salvation through Word and Sacrament, the means by which you are connected to Christ. Consider that a lesson learned. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O all-embracing Mercy, O ever-open Door, What should we do without You When heart and eye run o’er? When all things seem against us, To drive us to despair, We know one gate is open, One ear will hear our prayer. Amen. LSB 915:4
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 12, 2023
Today's Reading: Matt. 9:9-13
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 2:1-26, John 7:1-13
Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever played the game, Follow the Leader? If you’re not familiar, you get in a single file line and the person in the front is the “leader.” The leader takes the line wherever (and however) he or she wants to go. If someone following the leader doesn’t execute a convincing enough T-Rex walk, or isn’t able to balance on the rail that the leader took them on, that player is out. In our reading today, Jesus tells Matthew to follow Him. Matthew was a tax collector. That meant he was Jewish, but was in the employ of the Roman government. If that weren’t bad enough, tax collectors’ wages came from the money they collected from their countrymen. Let’s just say that most of the tax collectors gave in to the temptation to extort a little extra money to line their own pockets…you could say that Matthew, like most tax collectors in those days, was following the idols of money, success, and status. But then Jesus said, “Follow me.” Matthew left his tax booth and his former way of life behind…and he followed Jesus.
When Jesus was in the house, a few verses later, the Pharisees saw Jesus with tax collectors and public sinners. It’s at that point that Jesus draws the powerful distinction between those who are well and have no need of a physician—and the sick, who absolutely need health and healing. Jesus makes the very same distinction when He quotes Hosea 6:6, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Jesus is not impressed with the righteous behavior of the Pharisees. Their “sacrifice” of living extra-holy lives resulted in them thinking that they didn’t even really need God all that much. They’re certainly the ones who thought they had no need of a Physician. But the tax collectors? Those labeled publicly as “sinners?” They’re the ones with whom Jesus dines. They know that their own righteousness will not cut it with God. They know that they have nothing to offer God, but they come to know that Jesus is not only a Physician for them, but a friend. He calls the sin-sick to find life in Him. In a word, He invites them to follow Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Praise, Lord, for him whose Gospel Your human life declared, who, worldly gain forsaking, Your path of suff’ring shared. From all unrighteous mammon, O raise our eyes anew that we in our vocation may rise and follow You. Amen. LSB 518:25
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 11, 2023
Today's Reading: Mark 6:7-13
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 1:1-18, John 6:60-71
And [Jesus] called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. (Mark 6:7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Everyone needs a Barnabas. No, I don’t mean to say that your life is somehow incomplete if you don’t have a friend who goes by “Barney.” Today, the Church remembers Barnabas, an Apostle and companion of St. Paul on his missionary journeys. His name appears throughout Acts–he’s with Paul through many of the hardships Paul endured and he’s there for a lot of the successes of Paul’s ministry, too. Barnabas first shows up in Acts 4 where he sells a field and lays the money at the feet of the disciples. This was common in the early church; the money was used to provide for the needs of the poor, widows, and orphans. It’s in this introduction to Barnabas that we learn that his name is actually Joseph, but the Apostles call him “Barnabas,” which means “Son of Encouragement.” Acts doesn’t tell us exactly why he’s given this nickname, but apparently it stuck.
And I’ll stick with my original thought: everyone needs a Barnabas. We need encouragement. We need someone to walk alongside us in the places that Jesus has sent us, in the circumstances Jesus calls us into where we show loving service toward our neighbor. The terrifying and tremendous thing about a calling like this is that we don’t ever exactly know how these things are going to turn out. God will provide…but He’ll do so according to His timing and His will. Will my efforts to encourage others be met with mockery? Will I ever see the results of what I do? What if they make fun of me or even hate me for telling them about Jesus?
When Jesus sent out the Apostles, He sent them two by two. There’s a whole list of items they were not supposed to bring. Things like food, money, extra clothes—all of that is unnecessary. But a partner for ministry? That’s a must-have! Jesus sent them out, not just with a companion for their encouragement, but with His very own life-giving name! And encouragement given by the Son of God drives out discouragement like light drives out darkness. Rest assured, knowing that in Christ, you have the greatest “Son of Encouragement” there is! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, Your faithful servant Barnabas sought not his own renown but gave generously of his life and substance for the encouragement of the apostles and their ministry. Grant that we may follow his example in lives given to charity and the proclamation of the Gospel; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 10, 2023
Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 2: Psalm 50:7-10; antiphon: Psalm 50:1
Daily Lectionary: Song of Solomon 7:6-8:14, John 6:41-59
The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. (Psalm 50:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When I am at a stop light, I can yell all I want for the traffic signal to change from red to green, but my words don’t have that kind of power. When I watch hockey on TV the referees do not listen to my voice and change their call in my favor.
God’s Word, however, is different. When God speaks, things happen. What God says is what occurs. God’s Word is more than sound and syllables and syntax. God’s Word is an event. God’s Word creates, gives life, and is active, doing what He says and giving what He promises.
This is what the opening verse of the Psalm of the day for tomorrow is all about, the creative, powerful, life-giving Word of God. When God the Lord speaks, the Psalm says, he summons the earth. John and Paul and the author of Hebrews echo this verse when they say that all creation is made through Jesus, that in him all things are held together, and that He upholds the universe by His Word of power. The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
This is good news. God gives us His holy, saving gifts through His Word. When you go to Divine Service tomorrow, you will be in the place where God speaks. Luther even called the church a mouth-house of God’s forgiveness. You will hear the Lord speak in His Word of holy absolution, forgiving your sin through His called and ordained servant of the Word. You will hear the invocation that was spoken on the day of your Baptism when a pastor took water, spoke God’s Word, and washed away all your sin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word is in and under the bread and wine as you receive Jesus’ body and blood for the forgiveness of all your sins.
As you get up and go to church tomorrow, rejoice that the same Lord who summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting also summons His Word to give you what he promises, His Word of life spoken, declared, and delivered to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your Word pass from the ear to hear heart, from the heart to the lip, and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You send it; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is Pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 9, 2023
Today's Reading:
Daily Lectionary: Song of Solomon 6:4-7:5, John 6:22-40
I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. C.S. Lewis once observed that, “God likes matter; after all, He created it.” We see this truth throughout Scripture as well. Time and time again, God takes the stuff of His creation and uses it to bless and be with His people. God puts a rainbow in the sky to remind all creation of His promise to never again flood the earth. God takes water from the rock and quenches Israel’s thirst. God sends oil and flour to the widow of Zarephath to give her and her son daily bread.
God cares for creation, and we His creatures, so much in fact, that he took on human flesh for us. God the Creator of all became a creature to save us all. God the giver of life and daily bread became man who would eat and drink with sinners. God, who feeds and cares for all creation, comes in the flesh to be the very bread of life.
As the crowds gathered around Jesus in John 6, He fed them with daily bread for their stomachs and the daily bread of His Word and promise for their body and soul. Once again God was taking the stuff of His creation and using it to bless and be with His people.
Jesus does the same thing for us when he institutes the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday. Jesus takes the bread and gives us His body. Jesus takes the cup of wine and gives us His blood. Simple, ordinary, earthly gifts and yet heavenly, holy, sacred, and life-giving gifts full of forgiveness in Jesus’ body and blood.
When our Lord gathers us in His house around His table and gives us His gifts, the words of Jesus in John 6 continue to ring in our ears. “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” When we approach and kneel before our Lord’s table we hold, touch, taste, and see Jesus the bread of life. When we drink the cup of the new testament in His blood we are forgiven and given to drink from the true fountain of life. When we are gathered by our Lord around His table,,like the crowds in John 6, we receive Jesus who is the bread of life given for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, the fountain and source of all goodness, who in loving-kindness sent Your only-begotten Son into the flesh, we thank You that for His sake You have given us pardon and peace in this sacrament, and we ask You not to forsake Your children but always to rule our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that we may be enabled constantly to serve You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Post-Communion Collect)
-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is Pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 8, 2023
Today's Reading:
Daily Lectionary: Song of Solomon 5:2-6:3, John 6:1-21
Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” (John 6:5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” we are reminded that throughout the Scripture, God is the God who feeds His people and gives them what they need. God gave Adam and Eve the fruit of all the trees of creation save the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God gave Joseph’s brothers food to eat in the midst of a famine in the land for seven years. God gave the people of Israel manna and quail in the wilderness. And the list could go on.
In the New Testament we see the same story repeated over and over again. God in the flesh is the God who feeds His people and gives them what they need. Here in John 6, Jesus fulfills Psalm 23 and all the other Scriptures about God feeding His people. Jesus leads the people on the hillside, has them sit down, and feeds them.
Jesus then took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, He told His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
Like the prophets of the Old Testament, Jesus fed the people with the daily bread of God’s Word, His very Word, and the daily bread for their physical hunger as well. Not only does Jesus speak God’s Word, He is God’s Word in the flesh. Jesus is the very bread of God come down from heaven.
When Jesus feeds the thousands here in John 6 he is giving us a preview of the greater feast that is to come on the night when He is betrayed. When you come to the Lord’s table and receive the Lord’s body and blood, Jesus is doing the same thing for you that he has done throughout Scripture; Jesus gives you the daily bread of His body and blood. Jesus is the God who feeds you and gives you what you need, His very life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus, You are the God who feeds us. Give us this day our daily bread with blessings for body and soul, at our table, and at the table of your holy altar, that we may have life in your name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is Pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 7, 2023
Today's Reading: Table of Duties, Luther’s Small Catechism: The Close of the Commandments
Daily Lectionary: Song of Solomon 4:1-5:1, John 5:30-47
What does God say about all these commandments? He says, “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of their fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep my commandments”. (The Close of the Commandments)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever wondered why God gives us commandments? If so, you’re not alone. Many have wondered that same thing. Some have answered that question by saying that the commandments are given for us like a stairway to heaven so that we can climb our way into God’s grace and favor. Some have said the commandments are like the pirate code in Pirates of the Caribbean, they’re more like guidelines really. Some try to take God’s commandments and soften them like Mary Poppins and her spoonful of sugar.
It doesn’t take too long to realize that these ways of thinking about God’s commandments fall short, just like we do in keeping them. God’s commandments aren’t given as a ladder, but as a mirror and a hammer to show us our sin and crush our sinful flesh. God’s commandments aren’t suggestions or guidelines we can do away with on a whim; this leads to thinking that God’s Law has nothing to say to us, when in fact it is given to show us our sin and our need for Jesus our Savior. God’s commandments aren’t meant to be sugar-coated either; they show us that we have failed to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves.
Psalm 119:32 puts it this way, “I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!” When we come to the close of the Ten Commandments in the Small Catechism, we quickly realize that we have not kept these commands, and that if we have done anything in accordance with them, it was all by God’s grace. And yet, God’s commands also help us to see our need for a savior. The commandments we have not kept, Jesus has kept for us perfectly. That is why in the close of the commandments, God’s punishment for our sin is outweighed by His love which lasts a thousand generations, the Scripture’s way of saying his love is everlasting. Where we have failed and falter at keeping God’s commands, Jesus has kept every one of them for you in His everlasting love. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O holy and most merciful God, You have taught us the way of Your commandments. We implore You to pour out Your grace into our hearts. Cause it to bear fruit in us that, being ever mindful of Your mercies and Your laws, we may always be directed to Your will and daily increase in love toward You and one another; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is Pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 3, 2023
Today's Reading: Introit for Holy Trinity Psalm 16:8; antiphon: Liturgical Text
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 32:1-6,16-27, Luke 24:1-27
Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided unity; let us give glory to Him because He has shown us mercy. (Liturgical Text)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy a good mystery. Solving a riddle. Reading Sherlock Holmes. Watching Scooby Doo, Shaggy, and the gang unmask another dastardly villain.
Tomorrow on Trinity Sunday we celebrate one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith, the Holy Trinity.
Tomorrow we join the Scriptures in celebrating not so much an event, like Jesus’ birth at Christmas or His resurrection at Easter, but God’s revelation of himself. That God is Three in One and One in Three. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet there are not three Gods, but one God. A singular plurality and a plural singularity.
Tomorrow we celebrate not a when, but a who. Today we rejoice in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. That…We worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.
Tomorrow is Trinity Sunday, and there’s a mystery afoot. Ultimately, however, this mystery of the Holy Trinity isn’t a riddle to unpack, a puzzle to solve, or even a question we can fully answer, much less understand. Rather, the Holy Trinity is revealed in Scripture that we believe, teach, and confess.
As we give thanks and praise the Holy Trinity, we also give thanks and praise that the God who is beyond our understanding reveals himself in words we can hear and understand. The uncreated God comes to us by means of his creation revealing his saving love in simple words, plain water, ordinary bread and wine. The incomprehensible God becomes comprehensible for us as he accomplishes the most incomprehensible, yet gracious act of all, as he goes to the cross to die for you.
Yes, indeed, we confess a great mystery in the Holy Trinity. But it is a gracious mystery from our good and gracious Lord. Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided unity; let us give glory to Him because He has shown us mercy. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of a true faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us steadfast in this faith and defend us from all adversities; for You, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Trinity Sunday)
-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is Pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
June 2, 2023
Today's Reading: Acts 2:1-21
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 27:12-23, Luke 23:26-56
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Acts 2:21)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In Exodus 20:24, when God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle, He promised, “In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and I will bless you.” With God’s name comes His peace, presence, and promise. It was true for Israel in the tabernacle. And it is still true for you in the true and greater tabernacle not made with human hands, Jesus, the Word made flesh who dwelt among us, who literally tabernacled among us.
Now wonder the Hosanna crowds rejoiced! Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Not only does Jesus bring the peace, presence, and promise of God, but as true God and true Man, Jesus is God’s peace, presence, and promise.
This is what St. Peter preaches to the crowds gathered at that first Pentecost. The rushing wind. The tongues of fire. Speaking the good news of Jesus crucified and risen in the native languages of people gathered. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the Church. It’s all part of God’s plan to give and reveal the saving Name of His Son Jesus once again, this time on and in the Church for the life of the world.
In the Church, once again, God’s name is given. God causes his name to be remembered, to be present, and to bless His people once more. You are baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. You live in this faith in the name of Jesus who promises to be with you always. You hear, read, mark, learn, and confess His name in the Scriptures. You are absolved of all your sin in the same holy name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Divine Service you are gathered by the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who prepares the table of the altar for you with Jesus’ body and blood. And there in His and by His word, Jesus peace, presence, and promise is with you as you gather in His name. Blessed are you who come in the name of the Lord and call upon His holy name! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Gracious Lord, we give thanks that in Holy Baptism we receive forgiveness of sins, deliverance from death and the devil, and eternal salvation. Grant that we who are baptized into Your holy name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, would continue to live in the faith into which we have been called, and boldly confess Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is Pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 1:35-42a
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 6:1-7:9; 1 Peter 2:13-25
“[Andrew] first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).” (John 1:41)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John has an early encounter with two of his disciples and Jesus. John confesses, not only to the disciples but to all, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” With such a great confession of who Jesus is, how could anyone miss it? Sadly, many missed not only John’s announcement of Jesus but also Jesus Himself! However, one of John’s disciples heard that pronouncement and sought Jesus - the apostle Andrew. The first apostle of Jesus, he found his brother Peter and declared to him, “We have found the Messiah.”
Andrew’s declaration to Peter is just as important today as it was then, if not more important. Today, our focus grows ever more increasing on God’s promise of a Savior coming to fruition. It’s not a matter of wanting a Savior (because we don’t due to sin), but needing a Savior. We need Jesus to be who John says He is - the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Our sinfulness keeps us from God. Our sinfulness makes us an enemy of God and being an enemy of God only ends with death. God is not content with death and makes the promise of Jesus. As time passes by, more and more of God’s promise is revealed until John makes the startling revelation that Jesus is the Lamb of God. Andrew takes that revelation and expands on the fact that He is the Messiah.
The Messiah has come and we await His glorious return on the Last Day where He will take all believers to be with Him in heaven forever. Until that Day comes, we continue to look forward to the day of our Lord’s Nativity where He comes to us in the most unlikely of ways - a baby born to unsuspecting parents.
What Andrew proclaims to Peter continues to resonate with us today, that we have found God’s promised Savior, Jesus, the Messiah. We have found Him in the manger. We have found Him in His Word and in the bread and the wine and the water. We have found Him on the cross and we find Him as He is risen from the dead. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, by Your grace the apostle Andrew obeyed the call of Your Son to be a disciple. Grant us also to follow the same Lord Jesus Christ in heart and life, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen, (Collect for St. Andrew)
- Pastor Jared Tucher serves the dual-parish of St. John – Farmer’s Retreat in Dillsboro and St. Paul, Cross Plains, Indiana.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 5:1-25; 1 Peter 2:1-12
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do you know the difference between good and evil? What’s the definition of good? What’s the definition of evil? Who decided what is good and what is evil? Those are important questions in our world today. The difference between good and evil is defined by who is asking the question. We tend to come up with a definition that fits our wants and needs in a particular moment; what is deemed good today may be deemed evil tomorrow and vice versa.
That’s the kind of response you would expect from a world vantage point. But what about from a godly vantage point? What does God say is good? What does God say is evil? How do you reconcile the two?
In our sinful and fallen world, we have defined good and evil with definitions that are acceptable to us. However, what is acceptable to us does not always mean it is acceptable to God. That’s where we differ from God. God has a clear definition of what good and evil are and are not.
During the time of Noah, man had become so evil that God was sorry that He had created man. Man clearly called evil good and paid the price for it. God destroyed creation for its sinfulness. However, Genesis records, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:8)
What Noah did exactly to find favor in the eyes of God is not said. Despite all the evil that creation had done, God found favor in Noah. Despite all the evil that creation continues to do to this day, God has found favor in another. God finds favor in Jesus. Jesus keeps the Law. Jesus does not sin. There is no evil to be found in Jesus. In turn, God finds favor in you. God finds favor in you because you are clothed with Christ’s righteousness. God finds favor in you because you have been forgiven all of your sins for Christ’s sake.
What was once declared to be good and very good quickly turned to evil and the effects were devastating. Through Jesus, evil has been turned to good once again, and thanks be to God, that applies to us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and eternal God, according to Your strict judgment You condemned the unbelieving world through the flood, yet according to Your great mercy You preserved believing Noah and his family, eight souls in all. Grant that we may be kept safe and secure in the holy ark of the Christian Church, so that with all believers in Your promise, we would be declared worthy of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Collect for Noah)
- Pastor Jared Tucher serves the dual-parish of St. John – Farmer’s Retreat in Dillsboro and St. Paul, Cross Plains, Indiana.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5
Daily Lectionary:Isaiah 2:1-22; 1 Peter 1:13-25
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” (Isaiah 2:3)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s that time of the year, the Church Year, that is. It’s that time to reflect upon the Advent, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Advent is that strange time of the Church Year when it’s a bit somber and joyful and hopeful at the same time.
When you go back to the time of Isaiah, the people were not the greatest. Isaiah begins his book by saying, “Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.” (Isaiah 1:4) That’s not how anyone should want to be referred to, especially the children of God. But that’s who they were - a sinful nation. These people desperately needed God, but they had forsaken Him. But this goes beyond them, it goes back to Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve had the privilege of being with God, the way that God had intended. Due to the craftiness of the serpent, sin found its way into the Garden and everything fell apart. When everything fell apart, so did the people. They turned to their own ways, sinful ways. They forgot about God. They forsook God. God became irrelevant. Though the people forgot about God, God did not forget about them.
Eventually, God’s people saw their need for God and proclaimed their desire to go to the house of the God of Jacob. Their intent: that he may teach them and they would talk in his paths.
That’s where our Lord’s Advent comes into play. God comes in human flesh for the forsaken. God comes in human flesh for the sin-corrupt people, His people. God comes in human flesh for you.
One has to ask the question of why God would do this if His people had forsaken Him. He does this because He has created them, and has created you. He does this because they have sinned because you have sinned. He does this so they may be “ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)
Where God’s people decide to go up to God, God decides to come to them, to keep a promise made long before them. Jesus is coming; He is coming for them and He is coming for you, that you may be His redeemed children. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, as we prepare for Your coming Advent, prepare our hearts to receive You, that You may teach us Your ways and that we may walk in Your paths to life everlasting; who reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
- Pastor Jared Tucher serves the dual-parish of St. John – Farmer’s Retreat in Dillsboro and St. Paul, Cross Plains, Indiana.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 23:36-4; Introit Psalm 118:25–28; antiphon: Zechariah 9:9b
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 1:1-28; 1 Peter 1:1-12
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (Matthew 24:36)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s the beginning of Advent, the preparatory season before Christmas. We know that Christmas is all about the keeping of God’s promise to send a Savior to creation. That promise was made to Adam and Eve. That promise was made to the people of the Old Testament. That promise was made to you and to me. But there was one slight problem with God’s promise: He never said when that promise would be fulfilled.
People throughout time have tried to predict the coming of Jesus, whether it be His initial coming to creation or His Second Coming. But all of those guesses are wrong. God has the time in mind: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law…” (Galatians 4:4) For whatever reason, God chose not to reveal that to His creation. In the end, it doesn’t matter when God’s promised Savior comes; what matters is that God made the promise!
It is for you that God made the promise of a Savior. Sin was not meant to be a part of creation. And so, for creation, God made and God kept the promise. As for the timing of God’s promise, that was known only to God. When God made the promise to Adam and Eve, He never told them when it would be fulfilled. In fact, not even Jesus knew when His coming would occur.
In the end, our Lord’s coming was not a surprise. It was an event in which God had foretold His people. As for the timing, why was this not revealed as well? Again, Jesus tells us, “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” God’s people, wherever and whenever, are called to be ready to receive Jesus whenever He comes, for when He comes, He comes with that which we need the most: the forgiveness of our sins.
As we begin the season of Advent, may our eyes ever be turned to Jesus, ready to welcome Him, as He fulfills God’s promise of salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, amen. (Collect for the First Sunday in Advent)
- Pastor Jared Tucher serves the dual-parish of St. John – Farmer’s Retreat in Dillsboro and St. Paul, Cross Plains, Indiana.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Daniel 6:1-28; Revelation 22:1-21
“Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” (Psalm 25:4–5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The church year ends, and the church year begins anew. One day is in the last week of the church year and the next is in the first week of Advent. In fact, the church year ends the same way that it begins, waiting for the savior. The cry of Maranatha can be a prayer for Jesus to come as well as a declaration that He has come. This is the reality of our lives lived between the comings of Jesus. We declare that He has come in the incarnation, and we await His second coming at the end.
This makes the end of the church year different from the end of the calendar year. The end of a calendar year is treated as a time to take stock, to reflect, and to plan. A new calendar year is seen as a chance to start fresh. There is even the temptation to try and become a new you in the new year.
A new church year, on the other hand, is a time to pray for more of the same. We pray for God to keep us in His Word. We pray for Him to keep us in the faith. We pray for Him to continue to guide us in the way that leads to eternal life. While we wait for Him to return, we pray for Him to remain with us and continue to give us His gifts. A church year that was for you has come to an end; a new church year that is for you begins. The Jesus who was born of Mary is the Jesus who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He is the Jesus who was raised on the third day and later ascended into heaven. He is the Jesus who is with you now as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death and is the Jesus that you wait for. Amen, Come Lord Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
What joy to know, when life is past, the Lord we love is first and last, the end and the beginning!
He will one day, oh, glorious grace, Transport us to that happy place beyond all years and sinning!
Amen! Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! Crown of gladness! We are yearning for the day of Your returning! (O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright, LSB 395 st 6)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Daniel 5:1-30; Revelation 21:9-27
“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:27)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Just when the description of the new Jerusalem coming down from Heaven gets really good, you learn that there is a catch. The only people allowed to enter it are those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. It’s almost as if the city is guarded by a guy with a clipboard who checks to see if your name is on the list before he lets you go past the red velvet rope. What can you do to make sure that your name is on the list? How do you get your name written in the book?
Variations on this question have been posed throughout the centuries of church history, but the answers always seem to fall into the same category: there is something that you must do to get your name written in the book. What you have to do has some variation, sometimes the focus is on actions, sometimes the focus is on knowledge, and sometimes the focus is on mystical experience. No matter where the emphasis is, however, it all comes down to something that you have to do to get your name written in the book. You are responsible for putting your name on the list. Ultimately these answers and even the question itself gets you nowhere. Any attempt to get beyond the red velvet rope based on your own efforts is doomed to fail. A place in the Lamb’s book of life is not something that you earn, it’s something that is given. Being on the list is a gift.
It is the Lamb’s book of life, and He does all the writing in it. He wrote your name in His book with His own blood. Nothing unclean will enter the city and you have already been made clean by Jesus himself. Your name was written in the book when he said, “it is finished” on the cross. You remain clean every time you remember your baptism, your place in the city is affirmed in every celebration of communion. There is no catch. The city itself and your citizenship in it are the gifts of God for you. Your booking is confirmed. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
My Savior paid the debt I owe And for my sins was smitten; Within the Book of Life I know My name has now been written. I will not doubt, for I am free, And Satan cannot threaten me; There is no condemnation! (The Day is Surely Drawing Near, LSB 508 st 5)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Daniel 4:1-37; Revelation 21:1-8
“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Does where you live have anything to do with who you are? For a lot of people, it does. They are proud citizens of whatever town, city, or state they live in; it is part of their identity. They like to participate in the public life of their community. Imagine if being a Christian impacted that part of your identity and you could no longer participate in the public life of your community. Imagine a place no longer being part of who you are. Imagine not being able to go out to eat, go to the big game, or even get a job. Imagine being told that you were a nobody simply because you were a Christian.
This was the reality for many of the first Christians. The city they lived in was a large part of their identity. Citizenship came with expectations and responsibilities. There was even a religious aspect to everyday activities like shopping, working, or even attending public events that involved the worship of false gods. Those who became Christians no longer did such things, and this meant that they lost part of their identity. They could no longer participate in the public life of their city. Believers were even accused of being bad citizens. They were accused of being enemies of the very cities they lived in. Some even found themselves wondering who they were. This remains true in many parts of the world today where being a Christian comes at a severe social and economic cost.
The Book of Revelation offers comfort to Christians facing that kind of identity crisis. It reminds them that they do have a place-based identity, they are citizens of the new Jerusalem come down from heaven. It reminds them that even though they live in a hostile world, they still have a place that is theirs. You too share in this identity. No matter where you find yourself in this world that is passing away, you are a citizen of the new Jerusalem. The city that will someday come down out of heaven is your city. The water of life that washed you in baptism will be yours to drink. No matter where you are from, the City of God is where you are going. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
See the holy city! There they enter in, All by Christ made holy, Washed from ev’ry sin: Thirsty ones, desiring All He loves to give, Come for living water, Freely drink and live! (Christ is Surely Coming, LSB 509 st 2)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, part 5
Daily Lectionary: Daniel 3:1-30; Revelation 20:1-15
But that person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” (Small Catechism Sacrament of the Altar, part 5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Are you cool enough to commune? That seems like a silly question, but sometimes that is what it sounds like is being referred to when we talk about being worthy to receive the body and blood of the Lord in the Sacrament of the Altar. Is that what really lies behind the notion of being worthy to commune? Is admittance to the table based on some kind of ecclesiastical coolness factor and if it is, you want to be cool, don’t you?
The language about worth makes it sound like there is something that you can do to make yourself worthy to receive communion. If this was the case, then communion would be the reward you got for being properly prepared for it. It would be the recognition that you had made yourself worthy. The Lord’s Supper would become the meal that you earned through your efforts. You did your part, now God is bound to do His. If worthiness to commune was based on your efforts how many times a year could you do the work necessary to commune?
Thankfully this is not what the language of worthy to commune is referring to. There is no coolness factor, ecclesiastical or otherwise that you have to worry about or work towards. Communion, like baptism, like the gospel itself, is not a reward, it is a gift. Communion is not something that you earn the right to receive by making yourself worthy. Like all gifts, it is something that is given. You don’t get communion; you receive it as a gift. If communion is a gift, then so too is the status of being worthy to receive it. Belief in the words ‘given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins is what makes you worthy to commune. The belief that the Lord’s Supper is for you is all you need to approach the altar week after week without worry or fear that you are unworthy. The very faith that makes you worthy to receive the gifts of God is in itself a gift of God. He is the one who made you a Christian and He is the one who has made you worthy to commune. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We dare not ask how this can be, But simply hold the mystery And trust this word where life begins: “Given and shed for all your sins.” (The Death of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, LSB 634 st 5)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Daily Lectionary: Daniel 2:24-49; Revelation 19:1-21
“But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8)
In the Name + of Jesus. ‘No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service.’ You’ve probably seen the signs in stores or restaurants but have never thought about the biblical truth behind the saying. Did you know that as Christians you have to be properly dressed for the second coming of Jesus? What does one wear to the eschaton? Luckily, you won’t need a new outfit for the Parousia. The same armor of God that you don for your everyday life as a Christian is all you need to wear for the day of the Lord.
The breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation are something that you already have and something that you wear every day, you just know them by another name. They are the robes of righteousness given you in your baptism. In other words, they are your baptismal identity. God has already given you all that you need to be properly clothed for the second coming of His Son.
This section of Thessalonians drips with baptismal language as Paul writes to Christians who needed to be reminded who they were. Members of the Thessalonian church were besieged by a hostile culture that caused them to question their very identity as Christians. Some even wondered about the fate of church members who died before Jesus returned. In response Paul reminds them who they are. They are children of the light; they have put on the armor of God. They are not destined for wrath. All this language came from the very liturgy that had been part of their baptisms. They are no longer what they were, they are no longer of the darkness, nor do they practice the pagan worship they used to. Not even death changes the reality of baptismal identity. The dearly departed have the same promise as those who are alive.
What was true for them is also true for you. Your baptism changed you and you were given a new identity and you put on Christ Himself. Clothed with Christ in baptism, you have nothing to fear from the end. It may come like a thief in the night, but the armor of God will keep you safe until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen
Once in the blest baptismal waters I put on Christ and made Him mine; Now numbered with God’s sons and daughters, I share His peace and love divine (Once in the Blest Baptismal Waters LSB 598, st 1)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Isaiah 65:17-25
Daily Lectionary: Daniel 2:1-23; Revelation 18:1-24
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” (Isaiah 65:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Dying and going to heaven is not the ultimate fate of the Christian. We are not promised a disembodied life floating on a cloud while playing a harp. To be sure there is life after death in the presence of Jesus. This is where all the dearly departed are even now as the Church in heaven waits for the full consummation of the kingdom of God. What the dearly departed are now experiencing, however, is only temporary. There is life after death and then there is life after life after death. There is the resurrection and an embodied life in the new heavens and new earth. This is the promise that awaits all of God’s people. This is the promise that awaits you. Your body is not to be escaped or shed; it is to be redeemed.
The fix for broken creation, the fix for the fall into sin is a new creation. Before the fall God declared his creation good. God’s work of new creation has already begun. It started with the incarnation. It started with the coming of Jesus. The Creator Himself entered into His creation to make all things new. The healings and miracles of Jesus can all be seen as the response of creation to the presence of the Creator. On the cross, Jesus paid the price for all that was broken in creation. He took the punishment for the fall and changed the nature of death itself. Its rule over creation has been broken. His resurrection signaled the inauguration of a new age where death has lost its sting. Creation remains fallen, but already the new age has dawned.
You are part of God’s work of new creation. In baptism, you were created anew. You were washed clean in the water attached to the Word and made ready to live in the new heavens and new earth that are to come. Now you live as a new creation in a fallen world, you live as someone who is at the same time sinner and saint. At the coming of the kingdom, you will be resurrected into a new heaven and a new earth, all saint and no sinner where nothing of the fall will come to mind. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O sweet and blessed country, The home of God’s elect! O sweet and blessed country That faithful hearts expect! In mercy, Jesus, bring us To that eternal rest With you and God the Father And Spirit, ever blessed. (Jerusalem the Golden LSB 672, st 4)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 25:1-13, Introit: Ps. 39:4–5, 7– 8; antiphon: Is. 35:10
Daily Lectionary: Daniel 1:1-21; Matthew 28:1-20
“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How are you supposed to be prepared for the ending when you have no idea when the ending is coming? The ten virgins in our reading couldn’t even stay awake until midnight when they knew the bridegroom was on his way. Half of them didn’t even bring enough oil for their lamps. The parable comes to an end without letting us know what happened. Did the 5 foolish virgins gain entry to the celebration or not? The Church has been waiting for Jesus to return for almost two thousand years, that is a lot of lamp oil. Is that all the Christian life is, living in a constant state of wakeful watching? If your concentration slips for just a second, will you wake to find yourself on the wrong side of the door to the party? How do you make sure you have enough oil when you don’t know how long it will have to last?
To make a long story short the oil for your lamp is a renewable resource and God is the one who keeps your supply topped off. The resurrection of Jesus marked the inauguration of a new age that has not yet come to fulfillment. You are Christians for the long haul. This is a faith that can take you from cradle to grave. It is a faith for a lifetime. At the same time, it is faith that must be taken care of, faith that must be fed and nurtured. It is a faith that comes from hearing the word and receiving the sacraments. In other words, it is faith that needs oil so that its light does not sputter and die. Oil comes from the one baptism for the remission of sins, oil comes from the absolution, oil comes from the communion of the saints. Your lamp remains lit because God Himself tends the flame.
The church is not a one and done kind of place. You are not left alone waiting. This is why we gather every week around the word of God and receive the gifts of God. We may not know when Jesus is coming back but because he has made us into his people and continues to be with us even unto the very end of the age, we will be ready when he comes back. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, absolve Your people from their offenses that, from the bonds of our sins which by reason of our frailty we have brought upon ourselves, we may be delivered by Your bountiful goodness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and forever. Amen.
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 38:1-28; Matthew 28:57-66
“Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool!” (Psalm 39:5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “We’re all going to die!” is something you hear a character exclaim in a movie as the plane goes down, the ship sinks, or the building explodes. More often than not, in many movies, these words are used as comic relief as if the notion of death is something to be laughed at. Truth be told, death is no joke. It is the one thing that we all have in common. Someday each of us will die. The end of the church year offers us the perfect opportunity to reflect on all things eschatological including the end of our own lives.
At first glance, the words of Psalm 39 that make up the Introit might seem to offer no help. They describe our lives as fleeting, nothing but a few handbreadths. No matter how many years we have, our lifetimes are nothing before God. If our lives are nothing, then do they mean anything? If death is what awaits us all after a life that puts a breath before God what is the point?
As it turns out, death is not the end of the world. Death is not final, death is not the end, and even if our earthly lives are nothing before God, we are something before God. In other words, your death is not the end of you. God has seen to it that you continue after death. Here is the truth of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus for you. You were baptized into the death of Jesus and now He is your hope. Death did not hold Jesus, and death will not hold you. Jesus conquered death on the cross and he will lead you through death to eternal life in the new heavens and the new earth that awaits us all. Your life may be a few handbreadths before God, but it is not the only life that you have. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Christ, who shared our mortal life And ended death’s long reign, Who healed the sick and raised the dead And bore our grief and pan: We know our years on earth are few, That death is always near. Come now t us, O Lord of Life; Bring hope that conquers fear. (O Christ, Who Shared Our Mortal Life LSB 552, st 1)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 37:1-21; Matthew 27:33-56
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When Jesus speaks these words from the cross, he is doing more than making a cry of lament. The words he speaks would have been recognized by those witnessing his crucifixion as coming from Psalm 22. This means that He is not just complaining to God. In speaking these words, Jesus is bringing the entire psalm into play. This lament, in the mouth of Jesus, becomes a way to understand the cross itself. With these words, Jesus shows that the psalm is about Him. Even more than being about Him, Psalm 22 is spoken by Him.
Psalm 22 starts with a lament, but it does not end there. The psalm quickly moves from the questioning of God to a declaration of confidence in salvation and the future of God’s people. In other words, Jesus does not lament in despair but in faith. His suffering is real, but so is His expectation that the suffering serves a purpose. He is forsaken, but He will not remain forsaken. And because He is forsaken no one else needs ever be forsaken. Because He was forsaken you will not be forsaken.
The speaker of Psalm 22 describes His suffering, the mocking of the people, the piercing of His hands and feet, and even the casting of lots for his clothes. He also speaks of the deliverance of God, the comforting of the afflicted, and all the nations of the earth worshiping the Lord. Out of the suffering of the one comes salvation for all. In the midst of his crucifixion, Jesus gives us a way to understand it. He gives us a way to see in the cross victory and not defeat. He gives us a way to see in His cross, His glory.
The forsakenness of Jesus becomes a message to future generations that will be added to the people of God. The psalm that begins with lament ends with a proclamation of hope. “Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.” (Psalm 22: 30-31) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Can we fathom such deep mercy? Do we see what God has done? Who can grasp this great reversal: Love that gives His only Son? Christ, the sinless for the sinners, For the many dies the One. (Jesus, Greatest at the Table LSB 446 st 4)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 33:1-22; Matthew 27:11-32
“In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 33:15–16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. High school might seem like the perfect preparation for the end of the world. After all, each semester is eschatological in nature. At the end of every academic term, you are judged and must prove your worth to move on. You take exams to prove your righteousness, and your worthiness, to advance to the next class or even the next school year. This is especially true in your senior year where you have to prove you’re righteous enough to leave high school while at the same proving that you are righteous enough to be let into whatever is next in your life. Your grades, your extra-curricular activities, and your accomplishments are all judged by those with your future in their hands.
Some think that the end of the world seems to be very similar in nature. On the last day you will be judged, and your eternal fate will depend on your righteousness. All of the stuff that you have done will be used to determine what kind of afterlife you move on to. That is a fully frightening thought. Imagine being in the presence of God with nothing but your works, your thoughts, and your sins in your admission packet. This would be like taking the final for a class you never attended, never did the reading, and didn’t even know you were in.
Thankfully what is true for high school is not true for the Kingdom of God. The righteousness you have now, the righteousness by which you have already been judged is not yours. You have been given the righteousness of Christ Himself. The Lord is your righteousness and because of that, you have nothing to fear from the end. The righteousness needed to move from this world to the next is not an earned righteousness, it is gifted righteousness. It is a righteousness that God has given to you because of Jesus. You have nothing to fear from the judgment to come because Jesus already experienced that judgment for you on the cross. There he exchanged your sins for His righteousness. The end will come but you are already saved, and you will dwell securely. For you, there will be no final exam. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
May we in faith its message learn Nor thanklessly its blessing spurn; May we in faith its truth confess And praise the Lord, our righteousness. (The Gospel Shows the Father’s Grace LSB 580 st 6)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, part 4
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 31:1-17,23-34; Matthew 27:1-10
“Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” These words, along with the bodily eating and drinking, are the main thing in the Sacrament. Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: “forgiveness of sins.” (Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, part 4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Does your diet define you? Do you eat to live or live to eat? The answer to those questions probably depends on what you are eating and why. Some meals are celebrations while others are merely fuel stops to keep you going. We eat a variety of things for a variety of reasons often without thinking too much about it. Regular family dinners, holiday meals, burgers from the drive-thru, and even the last stale pop-tart from the back of the pantry can be part of what we eat on any given day. No matter the what or the why this kind of eating is mainly about our bodily life. For better or worse, what we eat has an effect on our physical health.
The Sacrament of the Altar, on the other hand, is a completely different kind of eating. Here is a meal that delivers far more than nutrition. It has even been called the medicine of immortality. This eating is about our spiritual life. Here is a meal that strengthens faith and forgives sins. Here is a meal that is specifically given to and for the Christian. This is the meal of the baptized. This is a meal that is God’s gift to you. This is a meal where God serves you. Communion is not something that you do, it is something that you receive. This is a meal where Jesus himself is present giving Himself to you. Here is a place where what happened on the cross for all is applied to you personally.
What makes this eating so special? This is a meal instituted by Christ for his followers. This is a meal that combines the elements with the Word and promise of God. This is a meal where in and under the bread and wine are the body and blood of Jesus given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This is a meal that benefits you in the here and now while at the same time serving as a foretaste of the feast to come. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Thy body, given for me, O Savior, Thy blood which Thou for me didst shed, These are my life and strength forever, By them my hungry soul is fed. Lord, may Thy body and Thy blood Be for my soul the highest good! (Thy Body, Given for Me, O Savior LSB 619 st 1)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 2 Peter 3:3-14
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 30:1-24; Matthew 26:57-75
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Inigo Montoya put it best in The Princess Bride when he said, “I hate waiting.” Waiting is torture, waiting is terrible. Even worse than waiting are those that make people wait. Dinner is ready, but one guest has yet to show up. Everyone is ready to walk out the door, but someone is still getting dressed. In each of these cases, anger and frustration are directed at those causing us to wait. They are the problem, they are rude, and they are only concerned with themselves.
What if God is the one you are waiting for? Jesus promises in the gospels that He is coming back, in Revelation he even says that He is coming soon. Yet here the Church sits two thousand-plus years later still waiting. Peter even warns us that this waiting will cause scoffers to question all the promises of God. Can God really be for you? Is He making you wait like this? Does a God who never shows up even exist? Should the fact that Jesus has not returned yet cause you to question your faith?
Is God being rude? Is he punishing you with this seemingly endless waiting or is something else going on? Waiting on God is not like waiting for a guest to arrive or for someone to get ready. What some people think is a delay in the return of Christ is actually part of God’s mercy. God does not wish that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. In other words, Jesus has not come back in part because He was waiting on you to be part of His people. In addition, He is waiting for all the others who will be part of the uncountable multitude that is the Church. This waiting is not an individual activity, it is a group activity. You don’t wait on God so much as we, the Church, wait on God. While we wait God will continue to serve His gifts and His people will continue to serve their neighbors.
At some point, the waiting will be over and we will all dwell in the new heavens and new earth where there will be all righteousness and no waiting. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
A thousand ages in Thy sight Are like an evening gone, Short as the watch that ends the night Before the rising sun. (O God, Our Help in Ages Past LSB 733, st 4)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Daniel 7:9-14
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 29:1-19; Matthew 26:36-56
“And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. At the end of a movie, the credits roll and the screen goes dark, signaling the end of the story. At the end of a book, there is nothing after you get to the back cover, there are no more pages to turn. What about the end of the world? What happens after the end times? Movies and books now come in multi-part series; will human history get a sequel?
Many in the ancient world thought that history was cyclical and without meaning. Times were good and times were bad in a never-ending cycle that wasn’t headed anywhere. In other words, they didn’t ask about the next story because there was no story to begin with.
The Bible teaches us that human history has a beginning and an end. Even better than that history has a planned end, a telos, a goal that God is moving it towards. This means that the end does not mean that the story is over. This means that we get more than a sequel, more than a continuation of the narrative. What awaits us is life in the everlasting dominion of the one like a son of man.
This will be life as it was meant to be, life without the consequences of the fall. Life in the very presence of the Creator; life that will never end. This is the life that Christ obtained for you through his death on the cross. Jesus conquered sin, death, and the devil for you, and even now you are citizens in His everlasting dominion. This life is not all that there is. There is more to come and what is to come includes you. You have a place in God’s kingdom because He sent Jesus to secure it for you. This life and this world will come to its conclusion, but you will continue to the world without end. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Christ sits at God’s right hand, His saving work complete, To reign till ev’ry foe will lie Beneath His feet—All that the Father planned, The Son sought to fulfill, When first He said, “Lord, here am I To do Your will.” (“Christ Sits at God’s Right Hand” LSB 564, st. 1)
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 25:31-46, Introit: Ps. 85:1, 7, 9, 11; antiphon: Jeremiah 29:11a, 12
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 26:1-19; Matthew 26:20-35
“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’” (Matthew 25:37–39)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The end of the church year focuses on the eschatological judgment of God, and where there is judgment language, there is also talk of good works. Good works can be the third rail of Lutheran theology. We say that words like ‘necessary,’ ‘should,’ and ‘must’ can be used when speaking of the relation between Christians and good works. At the same time, we also reject the language that good works are necessary for salvation or that salvation cannot happen without them (FC Ep IV).
If that wasn’t confusing enough, the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats shows us that good works are also invisible. Neither those on the left nor the right are aware of their works. The sheep wonder when they did them while the goats ask when they didn’t do them. This is because good works, strictly speaking, are not something that we do. Good works are the result of God working in us. In other words, good works arise naturally in the believer because of God’s actions in them. God is both the source and the doer of your good works. Your good works began with God working on you in the waters of Baptism, and your good works continue as you live out your baptismal identity. They continue as you fulfill the various vocations that God has given you.
They are largely invisible because you have been freed from having to count them, track them, or keep any kind of record of them. You don’t have to pile up good works like extra-curricular activities for a college application. Good works flow from faith. They do not lead to it. This is the truth of what Christ did for you on the cross. Without faith in Christ, no work is good. With faith in Christ, even the most mundane action can become a good work that only God can see. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in you, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that, ever mindful of the end of all things and the day of Your just judgment, we may be stirred up to holiness of living here and dwell with Your forever hereafter; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Pastor Grant Knepper is the pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Second-Last Sunday of the Church Year
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 25:1-18; Matthew 26:1-19
“Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky” (Ps. 85:11).
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is a remarkable Scripture passage. Ps. 85 is a cry from God’s people for His blessing. Reminding God of His previous good favor for His undeserving people, the psalmist remembers how God restored the fortunes of Jacob (meaning His people, Israel) at times in their history. When God brought destruction, enemy armies, famines and disease, God’s people were brought to their knees to repent of their sins. But then they trusted in the Word of hope that the prophets brought. This cry of repentance moved God’s heart at times past, and He spared His people and brought them blessings. Even if it didn’t always seem like a blessing at the time.
Today, the psalmist also reminds us about the nature of faithfulness. Faithfulness, he says, “springs up from the ground.” This is partly a reminder of Gen. 2. When God made the first man, He fashioned Adam out of the dust and dirt. Then breathing in His Holy Spirit, the man became a living person. In that sense, Adam also “sprang up from the ground.” The fact that Ps. 85 uses this language suggests it has Gen. 2 in mind. Faithfulness is created. It is not something that we can make or help make. We are on the receiving end of coming to faith. God the Holy Spirit is the creator of faith, just as He first brought Adam’s lifeless body to new life that had been made from the dirt.
Faithfulness springs up from the ground. That’s because God grows it. He plants the seed of the Word in hearts, and brings the hearers to faith as they grow up in the Word. Faithfulness is created. It is therefore a gift of God. Meanwhile, Ps. 85 also says that “righteousness looks down from the sky.” God’s righteousness means being right with God. This happens by the Gospel that does not charge your sins against you, but counts you as pure and innocent despite them. Now that Jesus is ascended into heaven, God’s righteousness also looks down on you from heaven. For God’s righteousness is found in Jesus. The Holy Spirit takes this righteousness and presses it to you. He applies it, taking Christ and His righteousness from heaven, and by the means of grace bringing Jesus to you on earth. By this He sustains you even in times of hardship as well as good times. Faithfulness springs up from the ground. Righteousness looks down from the sky. Remarkable. But that’s always how God is. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, look upon Your people with favor on account of Christ, and sustain us in faithfulness. Amen.
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 25:31-46
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 23:21-40; Matthew 25:31-46
“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’” (Mt. 25:34)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats can be confusing. This parable is about judgment day, when all people have to stand before Jesus and be judged. But Jesus will not welcome many to eternal life and salvation. Many will go to eternal death and condemnation.
Who can be saved? In Mt. 25, it seems like Jesus is saying that salvation comes by doing enough good works. He praises those who fed Him, clothed Him, visited Him, etc. But He condemns many who thought they had done enough good works and tells them He never knew them. If you have to rely on your works to be saved, you will never be certain of your salvation. You will doubt, because there’s always some sin in your history. Further, you won’t be able to be saved. No one has done enough, not you, not your pastor, no one. No one can be saved by doing enough works.
But the parable of the sheep and goats is not about salvation by works. It is about salvation through faith in Christ alone. How so? Jesus tells the sheep that they get to ‘inherit’ salvation. How does one inherit? Not by works! Rather, one must be chosen by a person before he dies. Then after he dies, his will and testament announce that the heir can now receive the inheritance. For Christians, Jesus has chosen you out of great love to redeem you from your sins. He lived perfectly in your place, and gave His innocent life to die for your sins. But before He died, Jesus set up His will and testament – the new testament in His blood given at the Lord’s Supper. Here He offers you forgiveness, life and salvation. And His death for you makes that inheritance real. You can reject it in unbelief. You can reject this inheritance His death has provided. But, why would you want to? By this inheritance that you did not work for or earn, you receive eternal salvation. The good works Jesus mentions in Mt. 25 are the proof your faith in Christ was real. These works were evidence of faith, but not reasons why you can be saved. God be praised. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
“I do not merit favor, Lord, My weight of sin would break me; In all my guilty heart’s discord, O Lord, do not forsake me. In my distress this comforts me That You receive me graciously, O Christ, my Lord of mercy!” (LSB 625:4; public domain)
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-20
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 23:1-20; Matthew 25:14-30
“I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.” (Jer. 23:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today God teaches you why you have a pastor. And that is, God gives you a pastor so that you might be spiritually cared for, that you wouldn’t be afraid, that you wouldn’t feel hopeless and that you wouldn’t wander off into grave danger. Also that you wouldn’t be afraid of death and damnation, let alone fears of a hopeless future. This is the task and the calling of pastors. And they carry this task out especially as they teach you Holy Scripture, as they proclaim the Good News of Jesus to you, as they warn you and as they forgive you, as they offer the Body and Blood of Jesus to you in the Lord’s Supper. These are the tools pastors use to care for God’s sheep, which includes you.
In the prophet Jeremiah’s time, however, those who were tasked with the teaching and proclamation of God’s Word were false teachers. They did not speak God’s Word but their own dreams and ideas. These shepherds did not care for the people entrusted to them. Their sermons were full of ideas of God’s peace. However, they would not warn people away from their sins. These false prophets made it seem like God loved sins and wanted people to continue in their sins. Because of that, God’s anger was against the false prophets and the people who supported them.
You are a sheep of God. You are called to be His and to be loved by Him through the mouth of your pastor. But you have to listen. Listen to the Word. Listen carefully. Something is right and true not because even a pastor says it, but only if it agrees and confesses what God’s Word says. However, your pastor also might say something that is from God’s Word, and you just weren’t aware of it. If you hear something off in a sermon, politely ask him if he meant what you heard. It could be that you just heard it wrong.
What if you don’t have a pastor now? What if your church is “vacant”? Pray that God fulfills His promise in today’s passage. Pray that God sends you a shepherd who will care for you, that you may not be afraid or dismayed. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, guard and keep us under the care of faithful pastors who proclaim Your Word purely and protect us even from dangers we don’t know. Amen.
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, part 3
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 22:1-23; Matthew 25:1-13
What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? These words, "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins," shows us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. (Small Catechism VI, Lord’s Supper, 3rd question)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is much benefit to taking the Lord’s Supper at your congregation. It may not seem like it. Don’t go by what it seems like. As with everything in the Lord’s Supper, what it seems like is not what it is. What it is, is what Jesus’ Word says. So close your eyes and open your ears, hearing the Word of the Lord. That Word today says, ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.’
Forgiveness of sins is not a small, trivial matter. Forgiveness of sins is the difference between life and death. Now here one might object and say, ‘But I have forgiveness of sins without the Lord’s Supper!’ That may be, but remember what holds on to the forgiveness of sins – that is, faith. Faith is not an arrogant, stubborn attitude that objects to what God gives. Anyone who objects to what God wants to give should also look carefully at himself and ask himself if he even has faith. Because faith in Christ gladly receives what Jesus wants to give. Faith in Christ can never get enough of what Jesus wants to give, especially where the forgiveness of sins is concerned. Smug unbelief and arrogance, however, object to what Jesus gives. Smug unbelief and arrogance don’t want the forgiveness Jesus gives nor does an unbeliever think he needs that forgiveness. Thus, smug unbelief and arrogance will be condemned on the last day, no matter how many times that person says to Jesus, ‘Lord, Lord.’
Jesus knows what you need more than you do. He sees clearly, your vision is distorted. So trust the One who died and rose, who also says His Supper is ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.’ Trust this Word and find spiritual comfort in it. By taking the Sacrament in faith and the same confession of the faith, you take this precious gift for your forgiveness and sanctification. Despite your sins, Jesus says this Sacrament is given for you. Trust Him then, and gladly receive. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
“In these last days of great distress, Grant us, dear Lord, true steadfastness That we keep pure ‘til life is spent Your holy Word and Sacrament.” (LSB 585:2; text, copyright Concordia Publishing House, 1982)
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 20:1-18; Matthew 24:29-51
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thes. 4:16-17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ancient Rome had a unique way to celebrate a visit from the emperor. If the emperor was coming to a city for a state visit, watchmen would play trumpets to let the people of the city know the emperor had come. When they heard the trumpet blast, the people went out of the city walls to welcome the emperor. Then they all processed back into the city, the people going along with the emperor and his men.
Something like this is going to happen on the last day. But we have more than an earthly emperor who is coming. We have Jesus. He who died and is risen, who ascended and fills all things, who is the king of kings and lord of lords, He is coming! Like the ancient Romans, so believers also will go to meet the Lord as He is coming, and join with Him as He comes to earth in judgment. What Paul is describing in 1 Thes. 4 is not some kind of ‘holy hovering,’ but a welcoming party of believers for their long-awaited Lord.
Why can you anticipate Jesus’ final coming with joy? It’s because He has redeemed you from your sins. Without faith in His Word, a person can only fear Christ’s coming, for He comes to judge the world and the people in it. Only through faith in God’s Word and promise can you have joy and confidence before Christ the judge. Not by your efforts, not by your cheery attitude or your abilities, not by anything that is in you can you have this confidence and boldness on the last day. The only way to welcome Jesus without fear is trusting His Word of absolution. You stand forgiven on account of what He has done. Because of that, you gladly await the heavenly trumpet so that you might welcome Jesus and join Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen
“Come, O Christ, and loose the chains that bind us; Lead us forth and cast this world behind us. With You, the Anointed, Finds the soul its joy and rest appointed.! (LSB 679:5).
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Exodus 32:1-20
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 11:1-23; Matthew 24:1-28
“And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ (Ex. 32:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A translation issue from the original Hebrew helps unlock this text, and an archaeological discovery helps too. The translation issue is this – the Hebrew word for “God” is in the plural. This means the Hebrew translator has to decide if the text is talking about God or false gods when he sees the same word (Elohim). In Ex. 32:4, it should be, ‘This is your god.’ There was only one golden calf Aaron made, so how could he say that was multiple gods? That makes no linguistic sense at all. Instead, Aaron built the calf and said this was Israel’s God. It’s just that he was wrong.
An archaeological issue also unlocks Ex. 32. Carvings have been discovered of ancient idols standing on the backs of animals, usually bulls or lions. Idolaters thought that their (false) gods had power over these creatures if they stood on their backs. Notice, Aaron does not make a graven image standing on the calf. There’s nothing but empty air there. That’s because God commanded that He should not be made into idol form. Aaron was careful to follow that word. But Aaron also borrowed pagan religious practices for God’s worship. Apparently, Aaron thought the substance of the true God’s worship would stay the same, even if the style changed to be more relevant to his day. But this blended worship angered God.
God’s worship should never be designed by popular opinion poll, or what we think relates to sinners best. That’s because we are sinners in need of salvation we cannot come up with. God alone has won salvation for us in His Son Jesus, by His death for our sins. And God delivers this salvation by the Word of the Gospel and the sacraments. Worship practices are to correspond to this. The historic liturgy does correspond to this. The worship of the historical Lutheran church is based chiefly on what conforms to the Word of God and its doctrine best. God is the God who justifies sinners freely on account of Jesus’ death. In worship, we come on holy ground, and leave the infatuations of our pleasure-seeking world at the door. Lutheran worship is not bound to this time. It is timeless. And that all makes it good. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, guide our worship that we do not anger You by conforming it to what this evil world thinks is best, and grant that we may be Christ-centered and counter-cultural in worship. Amen.
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 24_15-28, Introit:Ps. 130:1–2, 7–8; antiphon: Ps. 130:3–4
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 8:18-9:12; Matthew 23:13-39
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Mt. 24:23-24)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This passage from Mt. 24 is often read as if Jesus was meaning it only for those of His time. In the 1st century, when many Jews were expecting God’s Messiah (or Christ) to appear, some falsely proclaimed themselves as that promised savior. And Jesus rightly warned His hearers to not follow those other guys, because they were frauds. So this did apply then.
But Jesus also warns us today. For there are false christs today too. Today, false christs tend to go by the same name as the true Christ: Jesus. One church proclaims Jesus as a social radical who now teaches that sin is no longer sinful. One church preaches a Jesus who will make you financially wealthy if you believe enough. One church proclaims Jesus as a cheerleader who gets you to do enough good works to enter heaven. Still another church says that Jesus has done His part to save you, but the rest is up to you now. All of these are false christs. So if anyone says, “Look, Christ is here in this church,” but the pastor proclaims these false doctrines? He is pointing you to a different guy than the savior we know, a false christ. It’s just that their false savior also happens to have the same name as our true savior.
The true Christ is the One who saves sinners as a free gift. The true Christ is the sacrifice whose gory bloodshed and disturbing death is your peace. The true Christ is a physician for the afflicted and tormented soul, but He has nothing to give those who think they are already well without Him. The true Christ is risen from the dead and sits at God’s right hand. The true Christ washes sins away by the water of Baptism and adopts those baptized into God’s family. The true Christ gives His body to eat in and under the consecrated bread, and His blood to drink in and under the consecrated wine. The true Christ is the Shepherd of lost sheep. God be praised. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, our refuge and strength, the author of all godliness, hear the devout prayers of Your Church, especially in times of persecution, and grant that what we ask in faith we may obtain; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Third-Last Sunday of the Church Year
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 7:1-29; Matthew 23:1-12
“If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.” (Ps. 130:3-4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A guilty conscience cannot hide. Try as one might, God sees what is done in secret. He knows the secrets of man’s heart. He threatens a wrathful judgment against any who is charged with sin. Adam and Eve in Gen. 3 could not hide from God. They stood before Him ashamed as God cursed them for listening to the devil’s word. Likewise, if you try to hide your sins from God, you cannot. You will have to give an account of your sinful thoughts, words, actions, and the good that you failed to do.
But who then can stand before God’s awful throne of judgment? No one. Not you. Not the most moral person you know. Not even the psalmist who wrote Ps. 130. While Adam and Eve did technically stand before God when He cursed them, it was more like cowering instead of actual standing. To stand before God in Ps. 130 means to stand with boldness and confidence.
With God there is forgiveness. For with God is His Son Jesus whom He sent to take your place. Your iniquities and sins were not marked against you but against Him. Jesus, God and Man, lived perfectly in your place, and gave His innocent life for your sins. Whatever is deserving of condemnation in you, Jesus took as His own to give you a righteousness that was His own. His blood was shed for you. Jesus suffered God’s wrath so that you might stand before Him on the last day, and with a smile on your face. Beaming, thankful, radiant because there is forgiveness with God for you on account of His Son.
Faith trusts this promise and breathes easier. For your sins are blotted out, covered over, taken away from you. You will not have to give an account for those covered sins, because there is nothing needing to account for. In place of your sin and curse is Jesus’ free righteousness and blessing. In place of terror is now joy. In place of sorrow at what you have become is comfort because of what you will become in Christ. True, Jesus is the only one who can stand before God the Father. But through faith alone, you stand with Him and your sins are not charged to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, thank you for Your deep love for me in Your Son, Jesus. Grant me a strong faith that with all boldness and confidence, I may stand before You on the last day with joy. Amen.
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Ephesians 5:15-21
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 5:1-19; Matthew 22:23-46
“Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” (Eph. 5:18b-19)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christians are encouraged to learn psalms. More than any other book of the Bible, the Psalms speak to every situation and every emotion a believer may ever face in his life. The psalms speak both from our perspective to God in prayers, laments, thanksgivings and recounting of what God has done previously in Scripture. But the Psalms also are God’s Word to us. They give God’s voice to us addressing our sorrow, hope, trust, guilt, anger and more. And the very words we say in the Psalms are given by God to us. Yes, even those destructive and bloody psalms about bashing in heads with rocks or calling on God to break the teeth of enemies! Even these are God’s Word, holy and sacred above the words of men!
The apostle Paul encourages us to address other believers (probably in church, but also in our families) with psalms. There was a time, long before MP3s and playlists, when people were encouraged to learn psalms by heart. In the early centuries of Christianity, believers were encouraged to sing psalms while they were working. At a time when you didn’t have the background music of the radio or a playlist, singing the Psalms was a great way to be grounded in God’s Word.
Did you know that Jesus is in the Psalms? Often, He is even the one speaking the psalms. These poems point to the Savior of sinners, the Redeemer of man, the fulfiller of creation and the key to life. Jesus and His death and resurrection for our salvation stand at the heart of the Psalms. They must be, for the Holy Spirit who fills the hearts of psalm-singers also reveals our Lord and Savior to us. Even here. It is no surprise that any Word inspired by the Holy Spirit also proclaims the crucified and risen Jesus who forgives sinners freely. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We sing of mercy and judgment unto You, O Lord, our Savior and Judge; help us with the one, warn us with the other. Grant us Your humble servants, O Lord, that a stubborn heart may depart from us, and that wicked things before our eyes may not allure us, but that walking in the simplicity of innocence, You may lead us on in Your pity and love, and absolve us as a truthful Judge; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Isaiah 55:1-9
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 3:6-4:2; Matthew 22:1-22
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isa. 55:6-7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Seek the Lord while He may be found. For a time will come when people will seek Him, but won’t be able to find Him. They will call on Him to save them, and He will not. This will come on the Last Day, when the door is closed and many who were Christian in name only cry out to Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” as if that was the same thing as faith in Christ. Before that day comes, seek the Lord. Seek Jesus. Pursue receiving the means of grace. Prioritize it. Drop everything else and come hear your pastor preach the Gospel at the times set for this.
For at this time, the Lord is near. Now, the Son of God has come close to us, by taking on our human flesh. Likewise, He has bridged the gap between fallen sinners and the righteous God by shedding His blood as the innocent Savior who dies in place of sinners. The Lord is near now, but He won’t always be near. So seek Him where He may be found, when He may be found, where He wants to be found. That is, seek Him in the means of grace when they are offered.
“Seeking the Lord '' according to Isaiah means that the wicked person must forsake his way, and the unrighteous man must forsake his thoughts. You cannot truly seek the Lord who rescues you from sin, if you want to remain in your sins. Yet it is the work of the Holy Spirit alone who creates a clean heart in you. He applies Jesus’ righteousness to you. And the Holy Spirit guides you into the path of righteousness by leading you to faith in Christ. From faith, comes both a converted will that wants to do works, and the strength to do good works that cooperates with the Holy Spirit to bear the fruits of faith.
These works do not save you. Works never do. Faith in Christ alone is what saves. Therefore, seeking the Lord means repentance and faith in Christ. It is by this that you find God’s compassion and abundant forgiveness as the prophet says today. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, guide our hearts to trust in Jesus Your Son for our justification, and guide our steps to forsake our sins and thoughts. Through Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, part 2
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 1:1-19; Matthew 21:23-46
Where is this written? The holy Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and St. Paul write: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: "Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me." In the same way also he took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." (Small Catechism, 6th Chief part, section 2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God’s written Word, Holy Scripture, is the only fountain and source of what Christianity teaches, believes, and practices. We see this especially with the Lord’s Supper. Scripture alone tells us what the Lord’s Supper is, what it does, and why our communion service is how it is. We dare not rely on Scripture mixed with human reason, or Scripture mixed with sacred tradition, or Scripture mixed with our emotional reactions. Or anything else for that matter. God’s Word alone determines what is true, not the mind or emotions of man or even churches.
What is the Lord’s Supper? It is Jesus’ true body and blood, in and under the consecrated bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and drink. Man’s reason hates this. Branches of Christianity that rely on Scripture plus reason object to the Biblical Lutheran teaching. But Scripture plus reason always leads to reason outranking Scripture. If you deny Jesus’ body and blood in the Supper based on Scripture plus reason, you really don’t have a logical reason to also believe in the resurrection of the dead, the forgiveness of sins, or the existence of God. Reason denies all this. And then you’d have no reason for hope, certainty of salvation, or lasting happiness, for that matter.
Holy Scripture alone is our foundation and source. What Scripture teaches about the institution of the Lord’s Supper is clear. Jesus’ body and blood are given to be eaten and drank. Sinners who repent and confess the faith the same way eat and drink His body and His blood with their mouths, and they do this for the forgiveness of sins. Though Jesus ascended into heaven, He is able to join His body and blood into the bread and wine on earth by His Word, that we might have these gifts of forgiveness and strength. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
“O Jesus, blessed Lord, to Thee My heartfelt thanks forever be, Who hast so lovingly bestowed On me Thy body and Thy blood.” (LSB 632:1; public domain).
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 5:1-12
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Matthew 21:1-22
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 5:3)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. All Saints’ Day is a day of backwards blessings. Our Lord sets it up this way, as He pronounces blessings upon people who don’t seem like they are blessed at all. It’s backwards from what natural man’s reason and senses think it should be. Instead of the popular, the talented, the good-looking or the rich having such blessings, it’s backwards. Those who mourn, who are poor in spirit, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who are pure when purity is mocked, even those persecuted for righteousness’ sake, Jesus says, “You are blessed.”
What nonsense is this? For our fallen reason, this is backwards. Jesus picks people who seem the least blessed by God, and says they are blessed. But something very profound is going on here. Jesus blesses people not because of their current situation. He instead blesses people because of what their future will be. He is speaking here to those who trust in Him, His invisible church of all believers. It is as if Jesus is saying, “Because of what your future will be through faith in Me, you are blessed now.”
Because yours is the kingdom of heaven, blessed are the poor in spirit. This is you if you know your sins, regret them, and want to be clean. So trust in God, from whom all blessings flow. Trust His Son, crucified for your sins and risen for your justification. Trust that His forgiveness is for you. Because you will be comforted with the blessings of everlasting salvation, blessed are you who mourn now. In this life, the devil remains our enemy, and grieves us. But by God’s blessing through faith in Christ, you overcome the devil, even if sometimes tears flow.
While these may seem like backwards blessings, it is actually we who were turned around, and not these blessings. We could not put them right. Now through faith in Christ and hearing His Word, we are set straight again to receive God’s blessings because of what Jesus will do for those who believe Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, You knit together Your faithful people of all times and places into one holy communion, the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us so to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that, together with them, we may come to the unspeakable joys You have prepared for those who love You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE,
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Romans 3:19-29
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 32:28-52; Matthew 20:17-34
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it” (Rom. 3:21).
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A young Martin Luther trembled at the fear that the all-knowing, wrathful Judge was watching his every move and weighing it on the cosmic scale of right and wrong. It was not the first time Luther trembled at the thought of being judged by Jesus. As a boy, the wrathful image of Jesus in the stained glass windows of his church in Mansfield brought him terrors. Every funeral he attended and every death he heard of drove home the fact that one day he would have to give an account of his own life before the all-righteous God. And Luther knew he couldn’t do it.
Frankly, you can’t either. There is blood on your hands and sin on your account. God’s Law makes His perfect righteousness known – the impossible-to-keep Law that yet demands perfection from you in all things. That time you lied to your parents about where you had gone? Or the lustful desires for beautiful flesh? Or the fact that you think your life isn’t fair when you should be content with what God has given you? All of that stands against you, and the righteous God has more than enough to strike you down.
But there is a righteousness of God not connected with His Law. There is a being right-with-God aspect that is all a gift for you who cannot do it. The innocent Son lives perfectly in your place. Jesus the perfect sacrifice on the cross is made a substitute for your faulty works. Now, His perfect righteousness of His life and won by His death is credited to you. Your debt is paid. Your account is clean. Not because of what you have done, but because of what Jesus has done for you. This is the righteousness of the Gospel that Martin Luther rediscovered. This is made known not by judgment against you, but the imparting of Jesus’ righteousness won for you. All Scripture bears witness to this Gospel for you.
Your judge is merciful. You will have to give an account of your life after you die, sure. But for believers in Christ, this is a merciful thing! It’s an accounting where all your sins are covered and nothing stands against you. Believers are judged mercifully, for the death of Jesus is their judgment. Christ for you. This alone comforts your trembling heart, just as it comforted Luther’s. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
“Lord, help us ever to retain The Catechism’s doctrine plain As Luther taught the Word of truth In simple style to tender youth.” (LSB 865:1; public domain).
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 22:1-14, Introit: Ps. 48:1, 9–11
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 31:30-32:27; Matthew 20:1-16
“Everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” (Mt. 22:4c)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today the Lord bids you to feast at the house of the King! You know the food will be good. The meals at regular wedding receptions are always tasty - with cake, too! How much better would the meal be at the wedding reception for the King’s Son?
But in the parable, the people who were invited won’t come. They make excuses why they’d rather not go. “Sorry, just got married, and we wanted to just watch TV tonight...” “Sorry, can’t come. Cows matter but you don’t...” How lame are these excuses!
God invites you to a different kind of wedding feast, the wedding feast of the Lamb and His Church. That will happen in heaven, surely. But it also happens every Sunday where the Gospel is purely proclaimed and the Sacraments rightly administered according to God’s Word, in the liturgy. The service of the Sacrament is rightly called “a foretaste of the feast to come,” that feast of forgiveness that will come eventually on the last day. But today, God invites you to sit at Jesus’ feet and hear His Word, and taste His body and drink His blood for the forgiveness of sins in the Lord’s Supper. But do you make excuses to God why you can’t go? (If you’re sick or something, that’s an ok time to stay home from church. Just be in God’s Word if that happens).
In the parable, the king destroyed the murderers and everyone in their city, then he invited others who seemed to be less worthy. God’s Law thunders from heaven. It silences every mouth by holding the whole world guilty. But it also puts our sins to death as it leads us to repent and actively turn away from our sins. Then, for we who are unworthy guests who repent of our sins, God invites us to trust His love and forgiveness in Christ. This is the Gospel, the invite to this heavenly feast on earth as well as the robe of Christ’s righteousness that covers your sins. But are you worthy to go? Not by your efforts or works. But always because of Christ! Trusting that his invite is for you is what makes you feast-worthy – therefore, come and receive. You are worthy in Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, grant to Your faithful people pardon and peace that they may be cleansed from all their sins and serve You with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Pastor Robert Mayes is Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the 20th Sunday after Trinity
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 31:1-29; Matthew 19:16-30
Psalm 48:1 The Lord is righteous in all he has done to us, for we have not obeyed his commandments.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The Lord is righteous in all he has done to us, for we have not obeyed his commandments. It’s not reassuring. You deserve everything that you get. The blame you sling at others. The excuses you craft for yourself. It all melts away under the Lord’s justice. He didn’t just see it. He acts righteously in response. You deserve this. The sinner recoils. We think we know what righteousness looks like. But we can only seem to measure it in “better than us.” The Lord won’t belittle the word righteousness to mean “didn’t mess up as bad as you.”
Righteousness isn’t a state for Him. It’s an action. If you spend every moment flinching away from God out of fear of punishment, you’ll miss it too. If the Lord was simply “fair” in what He has done to us, we’d be in hell. All of us are doing way better than we deserve. The Lord is righteous in all He has done to us. He has redeemed us. Righteousness was a verb. He made you Righteous too. It fills the mouth of the psalmist. Glorify Your name, O Lord; and deal with us according to Your great mercy. We have not obeyed the Lord’s commandments, so He has crucified us with Jesus in our baptism. And He has raised us, free, forgiven, and holy. It’s what righteousness looks like. Not just better than someone else, but wholly without sin. Jesus isn’t content being without sin Himself. He wraps you up in the same. So that righteousness isn’t an action for you. It’s a state. You are baptized. You are righteous. You are the one who has received mercy. You don’t earn it. You don’t do it. You receive it. You are it. You are righteous. Mercied. Forgiven. Loved.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. We can spend our days rejoicing in God’s steadfast love that takes action and shape. It bears the cross for you, and makes you into one who doesn’t need to hide from God, but can rejoice in His judgments. He has judged the Son that you would be judged righteous.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
It brings the Savior’s righteousness To robe our souls in royal dress; From all our guilt it brings release And gives the troubled conscience peace. (The Gospel Shows the Father’s Grace, LSB 580: 3)
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 15:12-21
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 30:1-20; Matthew 19:1-15
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (John 15:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Saints Simon and Jude did not choose to be of the Apostles, their Lord Jesus called them. First, to be his Disciples, learning from his teaching, his practice of connecting the Love of His Heavenly Father into the lives of those who needed to hear it, sinners one and all. Sinners received the Gospel of Christ and after believing and being baptized, their lives changed and they started seeing things in a new light, the light of Christ’s Resurrection. Second, to follow the instruction of their Lord Jesus to take what they learned as Disciples, and upon being given the authority from their Lord Jesus, connected it into people’s lives as they spread the Gospel to people in need of knowing hope beyond this world of trial and tribulation.
You may say, ‘that’s not me’. Yet it is you. Through your Baptism, you are called to learn God’s Word, it’s connection and application into first your own life, but then second, having learned the power in God’s Word to turn you from your sinful thoughts, words, and actions, to receive Jesus Christ’s forgiveness continually, you are compelled to share this life-changing Word with those you meet day in, day out.
Saints Simon and Jude were not of the disciples mentioned regularly like Peter, Matthew, and Luke. Yet, they lived their place within the Disciples of Jesus, learning from him, and when the time came, shared their learnings of God’s Word and its connection into life, as they took the message of the Gospel up to Persia. Though spoken of very little in the accounts of Jesus and the Disciples, Saints Simon and Jude followed the instructions of Jesus and bore the fruit of the Gospel into the lives they came into contact with as they traveled and settled in Persia.
Should you find yourself not a Peter, Matthew, or Luke, but rather relate to Simon and Jude, be encouraged that you still have an important part in the kingdom. Jesus chose you and appointed you in your baptism to learn and then go and bear the fruit of the Gospel into the lives of family, friends and all people you meet each and every day. Be strengthened in the promise that though this seems impossible, you can ask your Heavenly Father for help in bearing fruit, and he will give it to you.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
“Lord, here am I:” Your fire impart To this poor cold self-centered soul; Touch but my lips, my hands, my heart, And make a world for Christ my goal. (LSB 831 v4 of “How shall they hear,” Who have not heard)
-Rev. Carl Thiele is the Parish Pastor in Rosewood, Queensland, Australia
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Ephesians 4:22-28
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 29:1-29; Matthew 18:21-35
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. (Ephesians 4:25)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Have you ever told a lie? The thing with telling a lie is that you have to remember who you told it to and what you said. But as a lie is not the truth of what should have been spoken, in order not to be found out you have lied, most likely another lie is going to have to be made up. Is this starting to seem a bit complicated? Would it not have been all the easier to speak the truth in the first place?
St. Paul in writing his letter to the Ephesians speaks of what sits behind a lie. Your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires (Ephesians 4:22). This is talk of what life is like before the renewal of your minds, the renewal that takes place through putting your baptism into practice by confessing your thoughts, words, and actions that are at odds with living a God pleasing life. Having confessed your sins, you are forgiven in Christ’s death on the cross, and through his resurrection, you get to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (v 24).
Through practicing your Baptismal life, confessing your sins, and being forgiven, the last thing on your mind is to lie. You prefer to speak the truth, because you do not need to hide your wrongdoing as it has been removed in the waters of baptism, and Christ’s forgiveness saturates you. This gives you the confidence to speak the truth with your neighbor. You will want to serve your neighbor in love, doing what is best for them. Let them not continue to live in falsehood but move towards bringing them to the awareness they are not living a God-pleasing life. Encourage them to put off their old self and put away falsehood and receive forgiveness so they may live in true righteousness and holiness. For they too can live in the forgiveness of Christ and in turn, have something to share with anyone in need.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Let us daily die to sin; Let us daily rise with Him, Walk in the love of Christ our Lord, Live in the peace of God. (“Father Welcomes” LSB 605 st. 3)
-Rev. Carl Thiele is the Parish Pastor in Rosewood, Queensland, Australia
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, part 1
Daily Lectionary:Deuteronomy 28:1-22; Matthew 18:1-20
What is the Sacrament of the Altar? It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ himself for us Christians to eat and to drink. (Luther’s Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, Part 1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
How do you know something is what it is? Is it in the conviction you are told of it? Is it that you have seen or touched it? Is it because the person who told you of it, you already respect and trust?
When it comes to the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, you can have full confidence it is what it is. We are told by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul recording these words, Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread … “Take eat; this is My body, which is given for you.” And “He took the cup after supper … “this cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”
We trust these words are what they are and do what they say, “forgive”. And to receive the full benefit of this “forgiveness” is to participate. But to participate, you will not find this specific meal at the diner of IKEA, or COSTCO, or your family’s favorite haunt for Sunday brunch. You will only find this specific meal where it has been designed and instituted to be, where the gathered Brothers and Sisters in Christ gather to hear God’s Word and receive His Sacrament, Church.
Sadly though, not all churches teach and practice as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ intended this meal to be. Some do not believe it possible for Jesus to be physically present in the bread and wine. Some believe the bread turns into Jesus' body, the wine turns into Jesus’ blood. Unfortunately, their human minds are unable to take Jesus Christ at his Word, and in so doing, miss out on receiving Heaven on earth and all the blessings that come with this. This is why it is so important to trust the words Jesus Christ spoke. In the bread IS Christ’s body. In the cup (wine) IS Christ’s blood. Christ is truly present in both, enabling you who receive this, Heaven on earth. This is a blessing which goes beyond all human understanding. Keeping your hearts and minds fixed on the true hope when you breathe your last in this world, you continue in the one to come beyond death, Heaven itself.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
He speaks the Word the bread and wine to bless: “This is My flesh and blood!” He bids us eat and drink with thankfulness This gift of holy food. All Human thought must falter – Our God stoops low to heal, Now present on the altar, For us both host and meal! (“Wide Open Stand the Gates” LSB st. 2)
-Rev. Carl Thiele is the Parish Pastor in Rosewood, Queensland, Australia
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Genesis 28:10-17
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 27:1-26; Matthew 17:14-27
Gen. 28:12. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Jacob goes camping. Finds a nice spot. Lays his head on a rock and looks up at the stars. It sounds kind of nice. Peaceful. Put it on Instagram. It’s the chunk of our lives we want others to see. Never mind the rest. Jacob is “camping” because he stole from his brother out of his own father’s hand and his brother is literally trying to kill him. His father’s heart is broken. His mother put him up to it. Dad’s health is failing, so when Jacob left, stealing the blessing, he isn’t sure he’ll ever see him in this world again. But that picture of him laying there looking up at the stars looks good.
Millions of people do the same thing. We hide the ugly. If we’re so afraid of each other knowing, do you really want a God who looks down on you and sees it all? How is that comforting? I’m not sure I want to be fully known. But it feels like heaven is a long way from here, and God, I need some help.
So God won’t just look down on us from heaven. He doesn’t even just drop a ladder down for us to climb out of the pit we dug for ourselves in our sin. He becomes the ladder. Heaven is not so far away. Jesus doesn’t just connect heaven and earth. He’s the location of heaven. Heaven is wherever Jesus is. And Jesus descends to this world for you. To pull you out of the pit and take your place. To die for sinners and grant you His life. You are forgiven. All your sins are bled for. All the things you hide. God doesn’t just see. He saves. Church isn’t a place to pretend things are fine. It’s a place to take your sins because God will meet you there to forgive them all.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen
In a wat’ry grave are buried All our sins that Jesus carried; Christ, the Ark of Life, has ferried Us across death’s raging flood. (Water, Blood, and Spirit Crying, LSB 597:2)
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 9:1-8
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 25:17-26:19; Matthew 17:1-13
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:2b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Time and time again, the same story plays itself out. Disaster. Fear. Despair. Frustration. Christians pray. Things are still a mess. Never mind the questions of “why did this happen?” Those questions don’t get asked when you still can’t catch your breath. These days, we ask “What happens now?”
We know God answers prayer, but sometimes the medicine we ask for isn’t the medicine we’re given. Sometimes God doesn’t seem too concerned with what we want to talk about. Folks bring a paralyzed man to Jesus for a reason. He needs help. Jesus looks upon him with compassion. Sees his troubles. He can’t walk. He can’t care for himself. He can’t care for his family. So He says to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” But what happens now? He still can’t walk.
We google what’s wrong with us and ask for the cure we’re sure will help. Oddly enough, they still send doctors to medical school. Your doctor shouldn’t just give you what you want, but what actually addresses what’s wrong with you. Jesus takes aim at the deadliest disease first. Sin. It’s a condition. A disease. A cancer that won’t be tamed by eating better or trying harder. It brings death and all its trappings. All the sins you commit and all the ones you hide are symptoms of what’s really wrong. So that gets cured first.
Jesus bears the cross for you. To forgive you all your sins. He dies. He rises. Because death and all its trappings are undone. The rest follows when the time is right. Sometimes that’s soon, and answers the question “what happens now?” Sometimes that’s the last day and we can’t answer “when”. But we can know that it’s coming. Your healing was already paid for by the cross. Already shown in the empty tomb. And that does help with “What happens now?” Now, we gather around Jesus, the source of strength and healing. Sometimes we have to carry each other for a while. But we know where to take what’s wrong.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Ev’ry wound that pains or grieves me By Your wounds, Lord, is made whole; When I’m faint, Your cross revives me, Granting new life to my soul. Yes, Your comfort renders sweet Ev’ry bitter cup I meet; For Your all-atoning passion Has procured my soul’s salvation. (Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing, LSB 421:4)
-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Acts 15:12-22, Introit:Ps. 78:1–3, 4b; antiphon: Ps. 35:3b; 34:17a, 6b; 48:14a
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 24:10-25:10; Matthew 16:13-28
Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. (Acts 15:19, 20)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
What wise words are spoken from the mouth of St. James in Acts 15:19,20. On this day each year, we remember the life of St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of Jesus and Martyr. He is not mentioned much in Scripture, but these words that he speaks are filled with wisdom and gentleness. Spoken at a time of an important meeting in the life of the early Church. Paul and Barnabas were working amongst the Gentiles in the land of Judah, when preachers came to the area from Jerusalem, teaching falsely with the claim, “unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). This was at odds with the Apostle’s teaching of being saved through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
What were the people of Judah to believe, that of these false preachers or that of the Apostles? Unlike Jewish people who were familiar with what we know as the Old Testament, the Gentiles most likely would not have known of such teaching. Similar things happen in the world we live in today. We have the teaching of the Gospel whereby we are saved through baptism and believing Jesus Christ died and rose for you. Whereas other churches and religions teach of being saved through other means apart from Christ. Should we, or friends, or family, face such teaching that leads to questioning the Gospel in Jesus’ death and resurrection, take the lead from Paul and Barnabas, and take it to the Church Leaders, seeking guidance as to how to respond.
We may expect those who are teaching falsely should be reprimanded. But St. James of Jerusalem knows that he has no authority over such preachers as they were not part of the Jerusalem Church. He instead gives the guidance to encourage the Gentiles in Judah who had turned to God and basically practice spiritual circumcision, enacted by them not partaking in activities that are considered sinful according to God’s Word. By not partaking of such activities, they would not be influenced nor at danger of being led astray to believe the false gospel as they heard the false teachers.
Pray that God would give us leaders in our Congregations and wider Church, to deal gently with situations where people are affected by false preachers, and guide with wisdom us and our fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ to remain in the true Church where only Jesus is our true Lord and Savior.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, shepherd of Your people, You raised up James the Just, brother of our Lord, to lead and guide Your Church. Grant that we may follow his example of prayer and reconciliation and be strengthened by the witness of his death; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect of the Day – LSB Altar Book)
-Rev. Carl Thiele is the Parish Pastor in Rosewood, Queensland, Australia
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the 19th Sunday after Trinity
(Psalm 78:1–3, 4b; antiphon: Psalm 35:3b; 34:17a, 6b; 48:14a)
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 21:1-23; Matthew 16:1-12
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!” (From the Introit for the 19th Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The psalmist says to God, “Speak to my soul and say, ‘I am your salvation.’” And indeed, God does speak these words to our souls! This is what happens every Lord’s Day. The saints draw near to God and the Lord speaks to us. He speaks in the Absolution, in the lessons from Holy Scripture, in the sermon, in the Words of Institution, and in the Benediction. And He always says the same thing: “I am your salvation!”
In Matthew 9:2, Jesus spoke to the soul of the paralyzed man. He said, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” In other words, “I am your salvation!” He demonstrated His power to save this man from sin by reversing one effect of the curse—his paralysis. Sin brought death into the world, along with disease and disability. This man lay still like a dead man, but when Jesus told him to rise he got up and walked.
Jesus demonstrated the extent of His power when He laid down His life and then took it up again. He stepped into the jaws of death, allowing the grave to swallow Him. Then, the grave was opened up and the body was not there. Death was reversed in this Man. And if the curse of death is reversed, then sin has been dealt with once and for all.
Thus, the risen Lord comes to us, saying, “I am your salvation!” He comes proclaiming that He suffered the full effects of the curse, so that we might be spared. Your sin was punished in the body of Jesus. Then, His body was resurrected, proving that the curse has been reversed!
Therefore, take heart! Your sins are forgiven! And everyone will know that your sins are forgiven, when your body leaves behind its grave and is granted the very immortality and glory of the risen Lord. The paralytic lay still, until he heard the voice of Jesus. Likewise, your dead body will get up at the Lord’s command. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Speak, O Lord, Your servant listens, Let Your Word to me come near; Newborn life and spirit give me, Let each promise still my fear. Death’s dread pow’r, its inward strife, Wars against Your Word of life; Fill me, Lord, with love’s strong fervor That I cling to You forever! ("Speak, O Lord, Your Servant Listens" LSB 589, st.1)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 20:1-20; Matthew 15:21-39
“When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 20:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land. Moses knew that the Canaanites would raise armies to meet them. He told the Israelites to fear no army, because the almighty Lord would be with them.
The Church faces far greater foes. The whole world hates Jesus, and thus hates the Church (John 15:18-19). Entire governments and institutions seek to destroy the Church. And we have greater enemies still! The devil and his legions of demons oppose the Church (Ephesians 6:12). If that wasn’t bad enough, every Christian has an enemy within himself. The sinful flesh resists the Spirit constantly (Galatians 5:17).
Do not be afraid, dear Christians. Do not be afraid of the devil, the world, and the flesh, although they are great. God is greater and He is on your side! “If God is for us,” Paul asks (Romans 8:31), “who can be against us?” Indeed, your Lord is with you at all times.
And the devil, the world, and the flesh are scared spitless of your Lord. The world tried to destroy Jesus on a cross, but failed. He was crucified and killed, but then was raised from the dead. The devil wields sin and death against mankind. He tried to wield them against Jesus and found Himself disarmed. Your sinful flesh might be a nuisance, but when Christ was nailed to the Cross your sin found itself pinned to that wood, too.
Jesus is an impenetrable fortress. Those of us baptized into Him never need to fear our evil foes. He is our mighty champion, who won the battle that we could never win. So, no matter how much they rage, we can sing the victor’s song. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Cast afar this world’s vain pleasure And boldly strive for heav’nly treasure. Be steadfast in the Savior’s might. Trust the Lord, who stands beside you, For Jesus from all harm will hide you. By faith you conquer in the fight. Take courage, weary soul! Look forward to the goal! Joy awaits you. The race well run, Your long war won, Your crown shines splendid as the sun. ("Rise! To Arms! With Prayer Employ You" LSB 668, st.2)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 19:1-20; Matthew 15:1-20
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,… who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:4, 8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I think that Paul might have written these words for himself as much as he wrote them for the Christians in Corinth. You see, Paul wrote a series of letters to the Corinthians, in order to correct and rebuke them. They were terribly divided, full of pride, confused about basic Christian teachings, and were committing very gross sins. Paul was probably worried that he had labored over them in vain—that they were forsaking God and returning to the world, and that they would forsake his teachings and lose their salvation.
So, as he begins this letter, he reminds them (and perhaps himself) that the grace of God had really been given to them. God actually received these messed-up sinners into His Kingdom. And not only that, but Jesus will sustain them to the end. God won’t begin something, only to give up halfway. God is intent on finishing what He started. God will continue to give them grace; He will continue to forgive their divisions, pride, false doctrine, and vices. Therefore, when the Day of the Lord arrives, they will stand guiltless before their Lord.
In our American context, Lutherans frequently address the issue of conversion. We remind our Protestant neighbors that we cannot come to God on our own, but the Holy Spirit must convert us. Paul is talking about the other side of that coin—perseverance. He’s reminding us that the Holy Spirit doesn’t merely give us faith only to leave us alone. No, the Spirit constantly nourishes and defends our faith. He doesn’t give us grace once, but He gives us grace daily, so that we remain in Christ and are found safe in Him on Judgment Day.
Perhaps you have friends or family who you are worried about, concerned that they might forsake the Lord in the future. If so, take refuge in these words of Paul, who was a father to the Corinthians. Remember that the crucified and risen Lord is committed to His people. He intends to see them through to the end. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, because of Your tender love toward us sinners You have given us Your Son that, believing in Him, we might have everlasting life. Continue to grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may remain steadfast in the faith to the end and finally come to life everlasting; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Steadfast Faith, LSB p.311)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Office of the Keys
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 18:1-22; Matthew 14:22-36
What is the Office of the Keys? The Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent. (Small Catechism: Office of the Keys)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Keys represent power—the ability to go places and to do things. You cannot go into the locked house unless you have the key. You cannot drive the car unless you have the key. The prisoner cannot go free unless he is given the key to his bonds.
Jesus came to die on a cross, thereby taking away the sins of the world. He entered our prison, so that we can enter His Father’s home. He went to the gallows, so that we can go free. Jesus died, so that there is now forgiveness—enough to cover every sin!
Jesus gave the Keys to His Church and He also gave pastors to use the Keys whenever the Church gathers together. What are the Keys? They are power—the power to distribute or withhold the forgiveness of sins.
The first time the Keys are mentioned is in Matthew 16:18-19. First, Jesus blesses Peter and promises that the gates of Hades will not prevail against the Church. Then, He gives the Keys of the Kingdom to Peter and the other apostles. What do these Keys do?
On the one hand, these Keys bind and loose. Sins are like iron chains that bind us and weigh us down. The Law tightens the chains, but the Absolution loosens them, so that they fall off the repentant sinner!
On the other hand, we might say that these Keys open doors. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus speaks of the gates of Hades. Then, in verse 19, He mentions the kingdom of heaven. How do sinners get into the kingdom? The gates must be opened with a key. You get into the kingdom by receiving the forgiveness of sins! Jesus speaks similarly about Baptism in John 3:5. He says that you enter the kingdom of God by being born of water and Spirit. Baptism brings you into the kingdom, because Baptism is an Absolution!
Are you feeling weighed down by sins and outside the kingdom? It is time to go to your pastor. He’s got the Key! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
When ministers lay on their hands, Absolved by Christ the sinner stands; He who by grace the Word believes The purchase of His blood receives. ("'As Surely as I Live,' God Said" LSB 614, st.6)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Luke 10:1-9
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 17:1-20; Matthew 14:1-21
“Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” (Luke 10:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Before Luke became a missionary and an evangelist, he was a doctor. He bandaged wounds, set broken bones, and prescribed medicines. He did his best to make bodies whole and to extend temporal lives.
When Jesus preached, He also healed the sick, not with bandages and medicine, but with a word or a touch. He gave that power to the Twelve, and then to the 72, and after Pentecost to many other Christians, especially to those who held some office in the Church. Since Luke was a companion of Paul and an evangelist, he probably received that same spiritual gift.
And what a gift, especially for a physician! I am sure Luke had dreamed of having such power, so that he could cure any patient that came to him. What fame and what fortune! A doctor who can heal you with a touch would go down in history as the greatest doctor of mankind!
Of course, Luke was not given such a gift so that he could continue his practice, nor was he to use it for fame and fortune. The miraculous healings of the New Testament served a specific purpose: They advertised that Jesus possesses and distributes the final cure for death.
We see this in Luke 5:30-32, where Jesus compared Himself to a physician: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”) Then, He explains that He is talking about sinners. Jesus comes to heal the soul by taking away our sins. After making us right with God on the Cross, Jesus steps out of the grave to grant us eternal life. “With his wounds we are healed,” (Isaiah 53:5).
Ministers are not given the gift of healing today. Your pastor cannot take away your cancer with a touch, but he can take away your sins with a word! Like Luke, he is a physician of the soul, for he carries on his lips the Good News about Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, our Father, Your blessed Son called Luke the physician to be an evangelist and physician of the soul. Grant that the healing medicine of the Gospel and the Sacraments may put to flight the diseases of our souls that with willing hearts we may ever love and serve You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Feast of St. Luke)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 10:12-21
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 15:19-16:22; Matthew 13:44-58
“Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.” (Deuteronomy 10:16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God commanded the sons of Abraham to get circumcised. Circumcision was a sign attached to the covenant promise that God would bless the offspring of Abraham and also bless the nations through Abraham’s offspring.
The Law told Israel, “If you, the offspring of Abraham, wish to receive God’s blessing and pass it along to the nations, you must obey my statutes.” Of course, genuine obedience is not merely external. Genuine obedience begins in the heart. It includes fearing God and loving Him (Deuteronomy 10:12), as well as loving your neighbor (Deuteronomy 10:19). So, Moses calls the Israelites to deal with their sinful hearts. “Don’t merely cut off your foreskin. Cut off the stubborn attitude that clings to your heart!” Here circumcision is a metaphor for repentance. Cut off the Old Adam and let him die!
Moses admits that they won’t circumcise their hearts, and so the Law must curse them (Deuteronomy 28:15-29:29). Then, Moses predicts that God would have compassion on them. He will circumcise the hearts of His people, so that they truly love Him and obey Him gladly (Deuteronomy 30:1-6).
In His mercy, God sent Jesus, the true Offspring of Abraham (Galatians 3:16). He obeyed the Law with a pure heart. He had no need to cut away sin from His heart, because there was no sin found there. Nevertheless, He was cut off and left to die on the cross. Why? He suffered the curse of the Law in our place, so that we disobedient sinners can live forever.
Then, the risen Christ sent His Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes to us through the Gospel and He enters our hearts. He circumcises our hearts. He causes us to repent of our sins and love the One who loved us first. Indeed, Paul says that we were circumcised in Holy Baptism, where the Old Adam was put to death, so that we might rise with Christ (Colossians. 2:11-15).
Since you were baptized and have heard the Gospel, the Spirit has circumcised your heart. Therefore, you love the Lord and your neighbor, albeit imperfectly, until the Day of Resurrection when sin is cut away and removed entirely. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You gave Your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon Himself. Grant that we, Your adopted children by grace, may daily be renewed by Your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Spiritual Renewal, LSB p.312)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 22:34-46, Introit: Ps. 122:1, 6, 8–9
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 14:1-2, 22-23, 28-15:15; Matthew 13:24-43
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” (Matthew 22:41-42)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Pharisees sent a lawyer—an expert of the Torah—to Jesus. He asks Jesus a Law question: “Which commandment is the greatest?” The Pharisees probably hoped that they could accuse Jesus of elevating some commandments above the others.
Jesus answers the question by giving two commandments, which perfectly summarize the entirety of the Law. When Jesus says, “Love God and neighbor,” He is basically saying, “The whole Law is important.” You cannot trap Jesus.
The Pharisees thought that understanding the commandments of God is crucial to understanding the Old Testament. Jesus agrees that the commandments are important (Matthew 22:40). Still, there is a more important question, namely, “Who is the Christ?” Jesus believed that the entire Old Testament testified about Him (see Luke 24:44 and John 5:39). Therefore, if you do not understand what God said about the Christ and do not see how various people, events, and ceremonies foreshadowed His work, then you do not truly understand the Old Testament.
The Pharisees did not understand the Bible, because they did not understand the Gospel. The Scriptures contain both Law and Gospel. Both are good and important. Nevertheless, the Gospel is the central message of the Bible. In fact, the Law serves to prepare us for the Gospel. By revealing our sin, the Law leads us to Christ. The Bible is not so much about what you should do as it is about what Jesus has done for you.
Remember this when you search for a new church, or read a book by a scholar you don’t know, or listen to some Christian radio program. Are they preaching Jesus? Is Christ the main message? If not, beware! They are missing the very heart of the Bible. Like the Pharisees, they know the Bible, and yet don’t know it. Do not follow them. Instead, follow those teachers who will lead you to the crucified and risen Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, because without You we are not able to please You, mercifully grant that Your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 18th Sunday after Trinity)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the 18th Sunday after Trinity
(Psalm 122:1, 6, 8–9; antiphon: Liturgical Text)
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 13:1-18; Matthew 13:1-23
Give peace, O Lord, to those who wait for you, and let your prophets be proven faithful.” (From the Introit for the 18th Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In our Introit for tomorrow, we ask for two things. First, we ask that the Lord would give peace to His saints, to those who wait for the Lord. Second, we ask that the prophets of the Lord would be proven faithful. These two petitions go hand-in-hand.
What is the prophet to do? A prophet speaks the message that God has given Him to speak. False prophets say that they speak for the Lord, but deliver a message of their own invention. Faithful prophets speak the Word of the Lord. Prophets proclaim the accusing Law, of course. They proclaim the Gospel, too, however. Indeed, this is their proper work: to announce the Good News to those sinners who wait for the Lord!
And what does that Good News do? It gives peace to the saints. It calms their troubled consciences and gives them hope for the future. They hear that God delights in them now and forgives their sins. And so, they do not dread the coming of the Lord. Instead, they eagerly anticipate it, for they know that he comes to give them eternal life.
What a fantastic prayer with which to open the Divine Service! We pray that our modern day prophets—our pastors—would speak the Good News that God has given them to speak. We ask that our pastors would preach about Jesus, who obeyed the Law in our place, and paid our debt in full, and then reversed death on Easter morning. And then, we ask God to use that Good News to give us that peace which surpasses all understanding.
Is it any wonder why the saints are glad to go to the house of the Lord? They are glad, because they know what they will hear there. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, giver and perfecter of our faith, we thank and praise You for continuing among us the preaching of Your Gospel for our instruction and edification. Send Your blessing upon the Word, which has been spoken to us, and by Your Holy Spirit increase our saving knowledge of You, that day by day we may be strengthened in the divine truth and remain steadfast in Your grace. Give us strength to fight the good fight and by faith to overcome all temptations of Satan, the flesh, and the world, so that we may finally receive the salvation of our souls; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (For Blessing on the Word, LSB p.308)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 12:13-32; Matthew 12:38-50
“Take care that you do not offer your burnt offerings at any place that you see, but at the place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.” (Deuteronomy 12:13-14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Moses warns the Israelites that they cannot offer their sacrifices just anywhere they please, but they must offer their sacrifices to God only in that place that God chooses for Himself. If a Jew wanted to make a sacrifice, he had to go to the Temple in Jerusalem. In this way, God marked Jerusalem as the place of atonement—the place where the Lamb of God would be slain on a cross to take away the sins of the world.
In many ways, this text doesn’t apply to us today. We are not required to sacrifice animals, since Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. We no longer have a holy building located in one place. Now, the Church is the Temple and can be found all around the world.
Nevertheless, there is some important application to be made here. Moses says that we must worship God in the way that God wants to be worshiped. That’s still true today!
Every church must call a pastor. Pastors are not optional, for the Lord instituted the pastoral Office. Likewise, Christians must gather together in person. Jesus wants His followers to live and to worship as a community. The proclamation of the Word is essential. The Lord’s Supper is crucial. The proper response to the grace given in Word and Sacrament is always prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.
Whenever we fail to worship the way our Lord told us to worship, we risk missing out on some gift that our Lord would have us receive. Indeed, we risk stirring up His wrath, for one is terribly proud if he thinks that he can decide how best to worship His Creator and Redeemer. However, if we take to heart our Lord’s instructions and draw near to Him in the way that He prescribes, then we are sure to please Him and to receive the Gifts that He desires to give. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
This day, God’s people meeting, His Holy Scripture hear; His living presence greeting, Through bread and wine made near. We journey on, believing, Renewed with heav’nly might, From grace more grace receiving, On this blest day of light. ("O Day of Rest and Gladness" LSB 906, st.3)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 11:26-12:12; Matthew 12:22-37
“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse.” (Deuteronomy 11:26)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Boy, that sounds familiar. Blessing and curse are important words in the book of Genesis. In the beginning, God created man and woman, and then, “God blessed them” (Genesis 1:28). Later, we learn about the Tree of Life, which represents what God wants for humanity—eternal life with God.
There is another tree, however. In the beginning, God alone determines what is good, such as His creation (Genesis 1:31), and what is not good, such as man's being alone (Genesis 2:18). The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil presents the man and woman with another path. Instead of trusting God to decide what is good for them, they can decide for themselves what is good and then seize it. The man and woman decide to take this path—the foolish way of sin. The result of this decision was a curse.
Moses sets before Israel a blessing and a curse. Indeed, the Law set these two words of the Lord before every generation of Israelites. Like Adam and Eve, each generation chooses sin and the curse.
This is precisely why we need Jesus, the New Adam. He’s the Man who chose the path of blessing. He loved and trusted God above all things. He loved His neighbors, putting them even before Himself. Jesus rightly possesses the Father’s blessing. Nevertheless, He was cursed—forsaken by His Father on the Cross; suffering the penalty that we deserve.
Having exhausted the curse, He reversed it on Easter morning. The New Adam was granted immortality and a seat at God’s right hand—everything that the Tree of Life promised. And Jesus shares that blessing with us—with every sinner who has been given faith in Him.
Moses set before the people of Israel a blessing and curse—a blessing for those who obey the Law; a curse for those who disobey. Now, Jesus puts forth a blessing and a curse—a free, undeserved blessing for those who seek mercy in Him; a curse for those who want no intercessor, but would rather get what they deserve. May we all come to the Cross—the new Tree of Life—and find in the crucified Christ the free blessing of God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
As by one man all mankind fell And, born in sin, was doomed to hell, So by one Man, who took our place, We all were justified by grace. ("All Mankind Fell in Adam’s Fall" LSB 562, st.5)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Confession
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 11:1-25; Matthew 12:1-21
What is Confession? Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven. (Small Catechism: Confession)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Your pastor has probably been confronted by a visitor once or twice who was deeply offended and disturbed by the public Confession and Absolution. “Who are you to forgive sins? God alone forgives sins!”
Funny enough, no one ever protests when I marry people. No one ever says, “Who are you to marry them? Only God can make them one flesh!” Marriage and Absolution are not that different from each other, if you really think about it.
God alone joins together a man and a woman. God alone forgives sins. God works through society to marry couples. You aren’t married until you give the state your marriage license. Likewise, God works through the Church to forgive sinners. See John 20:22-23, if you need proof of that. Of course, a particular person—an agent of the state—needs to pronounce a couple married. Likewise, a particular person—an agent of the Church—must pronounce people forgiven. When I say, “I pronounce you man and wife,” I am acting as an agent of the state and speaking for God. Likewise, when I absolve people, I act as the public servant of the Church and speak for God.
When you confess your sins to your pastor, he doesn’t give you his forgiveness. He gives you God’s forgiveness! He acts as God’s mouth. He can do that, because Jesus died for the sins of the world, and then the risen Jesus gave the Church the Keys—the authority to forgive sins in His stead—and the Church appointed your pastor to wield the Keys for the Church. If Jesus authorizes pastors to speak for Him, then they can speak for Him, and you should believe what they say. These are not their words. They are His words.
I wish that everyone who heard the Absolution would receive it with joy. It truly is a precious gift. You get to hear the Lord’s message for you—a message of free, unconditional forgiveness. There is no penance, no restitution; just mercy ringing in the ears. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The gifts of grace and peace From absolution flow; The pastor’s words are Christ’s For us to trust and know. Forgiveness that we need Is granted to us there; The Lord of mercy sends Us forth in His blest care. ("The Gifts Christ Freely Gives" LSB 602, st.3)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Ephesians 4:1-6
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 9:23-10:22; Matthew 11:20-30
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In our Epistle lesson, Paul talks about the unity of the Christian Church. He says that there is one Body of Christ, one Church. This one Church is animated by one Spirit—the Holy Spirit. Believers of all times and places share a common Father and a common Lord. There is one faith that we confess and there is one Baptism that brings us into the Church. This is the unity that Paul celebrates.
He also urges us to live a certain way. He wants us to practice humility, gentleness, and patience. These virtues are the ways love expresses itself when handling sinners. When someone sins against me, love says, “True, he did sin, but you have sinned often yourself.” When someone sins against me, love corrects him gently. When someone sins against me, love doesn’t want to condemn him and dismiss him quickly, but wants to give him another chance. Basically, Paul wants us to forgive each other, just as God forgives us for the sake of Christ crucified.
And this is an important admonition. If we do not mortify our flesh, which is proud, mean, and impatient, and if we do not practice love, then we risk severing the bond of peace. You see, our good works don’t create or maintain our relationship with God. That relationship is created and maintained by the blood of Christ. However, our love does maintain our relationships with each other. Without love, schism occurs. And schism displeases our Father and breaks the heart of our Savior.
Did Jesus die merely so that we could have a private relationship with Him? No! He died to bring us into His family. He unites us to Himself, so that we are united to each other. Our Baptisms into Christ create that unity, and His Spirit and Word maintain it. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen
Though with a scornful wonder The world sees her oppressed, By schisms rent asunder, By heresies distressed, Yet saints their watch are keeping; Their cry goes up, “How long?” And soon the night of weeping Shall be the morn of song. ("The Church’s One Foundation", LSB 644, st.3)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Proverbs 25:6-14
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 9:1-22; Matthew 11:1-19
Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give. (Proverbs 25:14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Rain is a precious thing in the Middle East. In some parts of that land, they receive as little as eight inches of precipitation each year! Without enough rain, your crops will fail, which means hunger and poverty. If a severe drought hits, then the rivers and lakes might run dry, in which case you might not have much clean water to drink.
In such a climate, there is nothing more disappointing or annoying than a cloud that appears as if it could give you rain, but then doesn’t. Likewise, a person who promises great gifts, but never gives them, brings great disappointment and frustration.
There are lots of churches and teachers who promise great gifts. They promise good news, but never give any. Instead, they give conditions: “Do this and you’ll live!” Since we are all sinners, they might as well say, “You won’t do it. So, you won’t get it!” They don’t say that, however. They are not that honest. So, they promise a gift, which is received by none in the end.
I expect that you may have family and friends who go to these churches. I bet they feel disappointed and frustrated. They have received the Mass and done penance, but don’t feel any more righteous. They have heard hundreds of "Seven Steps to a Better Life" sermons, but their lives are no better.
Just think, you can be that person who brings them joy and relief! You can be the person who offers great gifts and actually delivers! You can give them that life-giving rain—the Word of God (Isaiah 55:10-11). You can tell them, “Do you want to live forever with God? Do nothing! Everything necessary was done for you by Jesus! Just go to Him and receive! Want to know more? Come with me to my church!”
And what will they get at your church? Gifts promised and given! Indeed, they will hear your pastor speak the Absolution in the first five minutes of the service. How refreshing! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord God, bless the Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make is a word of power and peace to comfort those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip, and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You send it; through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen. (For Blessing on the Word, LSB)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 14:1-11, Introit: Ps. 119:1–2, 5–6; antiphon: Ps.119:137, 124
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 8:1-20; Matthew 10:24-42
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the Collect, we ask that God would help us to withstand the temptations of the devil. One of the greatest temptations of the devil is the idea that we must climb the ladder to get to the top, so to speak. We must seize power, freedom, wealth, and the like. We must create our own honor. The devil said it best to the first woman: “Take the fruit. Seize the wisdom that God is withholding from you. Become as great as God Himself!”
Notice that if you are seizing, then you are not receiving. A gift is not something earned or taken. It is possible that God was withholding some wisdom from Adam and Eve, intending to give it to them at the proper time. However, they did not allow God to give them good gifts, because they seized what they coveted. They tried to make themselves great. Thus, God was cheated of the opportunity of giving them greatness.
This is the point that Jesus is trying to make. If you are at the bottom, then God can elevate you. If you have nothing, God can give you everything. If you are not earning or taking, then God can give freely.
God desires to give every good and perfect gift to all sinners. So, what is He to do with those who are desperately climbing and selfishly seizing? He knocks them down with the Law. He empties their hands with a word of condemnation. Those who think they are at the top are pushed over by the uncompromising commandments and fall to the bottom. And that act of condemnation is an act of mercy. At the bottom, sinners can find Christ! He humbled Himself and went to the very bottom, so that, when the Father exalted Him, He could carry us up to the top with Him.
In our Gospel lesson, Jesus warns that the day will come when God will humble the wicked and won’t bring them up again. They will fall, this time into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). Our Lord doesn’t want that to happen. So, in the meantime He does His alien work of humbling sinners, so that He can do His proper work—justifying and exalting them! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, we implore You, grant Your people grace to withstand the temptations of the devil and with pure hearts and minds to follow You, the only God; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 17th Sunday after Trinity)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the 17th Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 119:1–2, 5–6; antiphon: vv.137, 124)
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 7:1-19; Matthew 10:1-23
Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart. (Psalms 119:1-2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The psalms were the songs and prayers of Israel. Men like David composed them and for centuries the people of Israel used them for worship. Therefore, the psalms are truly the songs and prayers of Jesus. He is Israel-Reduced-to-One, after all. He came to represent Israel as Her Head. He came as a substitute, obeying the Law in Israel’s place to reverse the curse of the Law. Therefore, the psalms find their rightful home in His mouth.
Who is the Blessed Man, the Man in whom God delights? Jesus! His way was completely blameless. He walked in the Law of the Lord, treasuring every testimony of God and seeking the Father with His whole heart. His eyes were fixed on the commandments and He never wavered in keeping them.
The good news is that Jesus swaps places with us. Although He was completely blameless, He took the blame for our sins and was punished for them. Then, He gave us the credit for His obedience, so that we would not be put to shame on Judgment Day.
And that’s not all. While Jesus did experience the shame of our sin on the Cross, He was not left naked and ashamed. No, the Father raised Him from the dead and clothed His obedient Son in glory. Then, the risen Jesus poured His Spirit out on us, so that the Spirit might change our hearts. The Holy Spirit pours the love of God into our hearts, so that we begin to seek God. He leads us, so that we walk in the law of love. Hence, we can pray these psalms with Jesus.
Sometimes our flesh gets the better of us. Often our eyes glance at idols or we stumble on the way. Thankfully, such sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ. That grace turns our eyes back to God and helps us stand. We begin to keep His testimonies and live according to the commandments, until that day when sin’s poison is removed from our souls and we can serve God perfectly. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Speak, O Lord, Your servant listens, Let Your Word to me come near; Newborn life and spirit give me, Let each promise still my fear. Death’s dread pow’r, its inward strife, Wars against Your Word of life; Fill me, Lord, with love’s strong fervor, That I cling to You forever! ("Speak, O Lord, Your Servant Listens" LSB 589, st.1)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 6:10-25; Matthew 9:18-38
“And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant….” (Deuteronomy 6:10-11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord gave Israel a home. He gave them land. However, He gave them so much more than that. He gave them a land full of plunder! They won’t build their own cities, but will take the cities built by the Canaanites. They won’t have to fill their houses with furniture, but will move into houses already furnished by their previous owners. They won’t have to dig cisterns or plant orchards. The Canaanites already did all that hard work.
On the one hand, this is the reality of military conquest. Israel will conquer a land and this means inheriting whatever their enemies leave behind. On the other hand, this is an example of God’s gracious ways. God loves giving gifts to His people. And you don’t earn a gift, or work for it, or make it for yourself. You simply receive and enjoy it!
Whenever sinners interact with God, they expect no gift—only a wage, something for which you must labor. This is the point of the Divine Service. We draw near to God week after week to be surprised by grace—to receive anew His Gifts. The baptized receive a kingdom that they did not build. They receive an eternal reward that they did not earn. They don’t work as servants, but rather sit at the King’s table as His family.
As we experience God’s grace in the Divine Service, we learn to see His grace throughout our lives. We come to see everything as a good gift! We do not deserve food, clothes, house, family, friends, or the like. We deserve nothing but hell. Since Jesus died for all, God gives to all men these good things.
And, of course, as we experience God’s goodness in this life, we wait to enter at last our Promised Land—the new creation—where we will experience the fullness of God’s goodness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, God of all grace, govern our hearts that we may never forget Your blessings but steadfastly thank and praise You for all Your goodness in this life until, with all Your saints, we praise You eternally in Your heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Thanksgiving to God, LSB p.310)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary:Deuteronomy 5:22-6:9; Matthew 9:1-17
And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Matthew 9:15)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. For those who have the ears to hear, Jesus has just revealed who He is and what He came to do. First, He revealed that He is the Bridegroom. That might appear at first to be a quaint metaphor, but actually Jesus is calling Himself Yahweh, the God of Israel. Remember, in the Old Testament the covenant is often compared to marriage and idolatry is often compared to adultery. Israel was considered the Bride of Yahweh. If Jesus is the Bridegroom, then He is God!
The disciples cannot fast now, because they are with the Bridegroom. Now is the time for feasting! And so, the disciples eat many meals with Jesus, sitting alongside sinners and tax collectors. However, there will come a time when the Bridegroom is taken from them. They will fast then. This is the first Passion prediction. Jesus will be taken from His disciples when the Sanhedrin arrest Him and crucify Him.
So, what about now? Is now a time of fasting or feasting?
It is indeed appropriate for Christians to fast now. After all, Jesus ascended into heaven and, although He is truly with us, He is hidden from our eyes. We are waiting for His reappearing and the wedding feast of the Lamb to begin. As we wait, the Church suffers the abuse of the devil, the world, and the flesh, who take advantage of the Bridegroom’s absence. So, fasting is appropriate.
On the other hand, fasting cannot be the sole practice of Christians or even the most prevalent practice. The Bridegroom was crucified, but He is not dead. He lives and will never die again. Thus, we have a joy that none can take from us. While we cannot see Him, we know that He is present, especially when the Word is preached and the Sacrament is celebrated. Indeed, every Sunday is a Feast Day—a time of celebration. Christ has won the victory and will return shortly. Where the Spirit makes this known, there must be joy.
So, you are free to fast and grieve, but never lose your Easter joy and hope. He is risen and He will come again! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
All the earth with joy is sounding: Christ has risen from the dead! He, the greater Jonah, bounding From the grave, His three-day bed, Wins the prize: Death’s demise—Songs of triumph fill the skies. ("All the Earth with Joy Is Sounding" LSB 462, st.1)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Baptism, part 4
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 5:1-21; Matthew 8:18-34
What does such baptizing with water indicate? It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever. (Small Catechism: Baptism)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Church has a long history of immersing people in water when baptizing them. Only recently have we preferred sprinkling and pouring, and only to defend our Christian freedom from the legalists who require immersion.
The practice of immersion is reflected in Luther’s answer. The Old Adam should “be drowned,” and then a new man should “emerge.” Then, Luther connects this practice to Romans 6. The baptized is plunged beneath the water to indicate that he is being buried with Christ. He is brought out of the water to indicate that he will live a new life, just as Christ was raised from the dead.
Another practice of the Church has been lost. Once you were baptized naked. Before you could enter the water, you had to take off your clothes. When you stepped out of the pool, you were wrapped in a white robe. This practice was based on Galatians 3:27, Ephesians 4:20-24, and Colossians 3:9-10. Through Baptism, the old is stripped away and Christ is put on.
The traditions are not as important as the message they convey. When you come to the font, you come as a child of Adam. You leave the font a child of God. You were covered in sins, but these were washed away in the water and nailed to the Cross. Now, you are dressed in Christ. He is your righteousness. As a sinner, you should inherit death. At the font, you get death out of the way, and then you emerge, signifying that you are joined to the risen Christ and will live forever.
Here’s the point: Baptism is a new beginning. It isn’t an event in the past to be forgotten, but it creates a new reality in which you live. You live in your Baptism. The pattern of dying and rising, or taking off and putting on, continues every day by the grace of God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Merciful Father, through Holy Baptism You called us to be Your own possession. Grant that our lives may evidence the working of Your Holy Spirit in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, according to the image of Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for Life as a Baptized Child of God, LSB p.310)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Ephesians 3:13-21
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 4:21-40; Matthew 8:1-17
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When that widow at Nain saw Jesus outside the gate of Nain, staring intently at her and at her son’s body, what do you think went through her mind? Did she know it was Jesus? If so, what did she expect Him to do?
For some reason, I doubt that she expected Jesus to resurrect her only son. My guess is that the miracle was a surprise to her. After all, nothing seems more permanent than death. Furthermore, only Yahweh can give life and every Jew expected the dead to rest until the Day of Resurrection. Her reason, experience, and theology would prevent this widow from asking Jesus to resurrect her son.
As Paul says, the Lord is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think. Sinners don’t grasp God’s power and God’s mercy. Our doubting hearts try to limit God. We don’t expect God to do the impossible and we don’t pray for the unbelievable. What fools we are! Jesus said, “Ask, and you will receive” (Matthew 7:7). Such a promise should cause us to ask for the moon and more!
I think that Paul realized that his imagination was once too small and that it limited God. Once he hoped that God would save Israel. Then, the risen Jesus appeared to him and revealed that He has taken away the sins of the world. Therefore, the people of God will consist of people from every race, tribe, and kingdom. After his conversion, Paul observed the nations streaming into the Church. He witnessed Jews and Gentiles receiving the Lord’s Supper together, reconciled to God and to each other. Paul saw what he never expected, and he could only fall on his knees in awe and praise God.
Consider what little things you ask for. Also, consider the marvelous things God gives you—more than you dare ask or imagine! He gives you His grace, His Spirit, His Kingdom, and eternal life for the sake of His crucified and risen Son. Consider all this, and then join Paul in giving glory to this God of surprises. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Jesus, advocate on high, Sacrificed on Calv’ry’s altar, Through Your priestly blood we cry: Hear our prayers, though they may falter; Place them on your Father’s throne As Your own. ("Hear Us, Father, When We Pray" LSB 773, st.3)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 17:17-24
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 4:1-20; Matthew 7:13-29
And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” (1 Kings 17:20)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We have yet another confrontation with death. Once again, death has taken the only son of a widow. The parallels between this story and yesterday’s Gospel lesson are apparent to all. Still, more important are the differences!
This time the prophet Elijah is confronted by death. He behaves quite differently than Jesus, doesn’t he? Jesus was so calm, but Elijah freaks out. He cries out to the Lord and in a dramatic show stretches himself out on the boy three times. I think that Elijah is quite aware that he is not death’s equal. No, death has him beat. Like all mortals, Elijah lives beneath the reign of death. The only one who can beat something as great as death is Yahweh, the One who gave man life in the first place. So, Elijah throws himself at God’s mercy.
Another thing: Elijah comes very close to blaming God for the boy’s death. In verse 20, he says, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” Obviously, there is truth in these words. God is the sovereign Lord, who kills and makes alive. Certainly, He permitted the boy to die. Still, I think Elijah feels that God has forsaken this family.
We react the same way to death. Whenever we see death, we conclude that God has sent the Grim Reaper to destroy us. We think that death is a sign that God has forsaken us. We must remember that Jesus became a curse for us on the Cross (Galatians 3:13). He was forsaken by His Father (Matthew 27:46). Therefore, we can be sure that God is not against us. He won’t forsake us. Indeed, Jesus suffered death, so that He might conquer the grave.
Death is a defeated enemy, forced to serve us. The Christian doesn’t fear death, knowing that his death brings his soul into the presence of Jesus. Eventually, death must release our bodies. On the Last Day, we will be resurrected, and soul and body will be reunited. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
For me to live is Jesus, To die is gain for me; So when my Savior pleases, I meet death willingly. ("For Me to Live Is Jesus" LSB 742, st.1)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 7:11-17
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 3:1-29; Matthew 7:1-12
As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. (Luke 7:12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Whenever I read Luke 7:12, I imagine that classic Dr. Seuss story called The Zax. It is a story encouraging children to compromise. You see, a North-Going Zax finds himself facing a South-Going Zax. Neither of them is willing to take a step east or west to let the other pass. And so, the two stand there, stubborn and stuck, until a highway is built around them!
Jesus and His disciples come to the city gate of Nain. Just as they are about to pass through, a funeral procession begins to come out of the gate. If Jesus was the compromising sort, He would realize that He must step aside to let the funeral procession pass. If He doesn’t, they cannot get out of the city and Jesus cannot get in.
Well, Jesus won’t compromise with death. When death faces Him, Jesus won’t take a step to the east or the west. So, what does this mean? Are the two equals, doomed to sit there, stubborn and stuck? Has an unstoppable force met an immovable object?
No. Death is not Jesus’ equal. During His earthly ministry, Jesus will restrain Himself and live under death’s reign, but in truth death is not His equal or superior. Jesus is the Son of God, after all. Death cannot take away Jesus’ life, although for our sake Jesus will hand Himself over to death.
As if to prove that death is not His equal, Jesus doesn’t move. Instead, He grabs the bier—before the funeral procession gets any ideas about backing up—and Jesus says, “Young man, arise.” The young man takes a breath, opens his eyes, and sits up. And there is nothing that death can do about it.
This confrontation between death and life is simply a prelude of what is to come. Like I said, Jesus will give Himself over to death and for a time it appears that Jesus is stuck. He’s not. Jesus lays down His life in order to take it up again. And He takes it up again, in order to share His life with you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, we pray that Your grace may always go before and follow after us, that we may continually be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 16th Sunday after Trinity)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the 16th Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 86:1, 7, 12–13; antiphon: vv.3, 5)
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 2:16-37; Matthew 6:16-34
For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. (Psalm 86:13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I hope you enjoyed Psalm 86 last Saturday, because the lectionary has given us yet more of it. And who can blame the framers of the lectionary? It truly is a great psalm.
Once again, we hear the pleas of King David. He is crying out to the Lord and he hopes that God will be gracious and incline His ear to him. In the middle of the psalm, David expresses confidence that God will indeed hear and save him. The loyal love of God is so great that He has rescued David from death in the past and He will certainly do so again!
That’s what we are talking about—death. Sheol is the abode of the dead. We might translate it “the grave.” Also, the word translated “soul,” probably refers to David’s life. David is saying that God rescues his life from the grave.
I think there is beautiful logic connecting the 14th Sunday after Trinity with the 15th Sunday after Trinity. First, we hear that God will take care of us in this life, for we are more valuable than birds or lilies. But we leave church that Sunday with a feeling that something is left unresolved. God won’t always preserve our life, will He? I mean, we will die someday, right? If God will let us die, then does He really care? Thus, the 15th Sunday after Trinity addresses death head-on.
Yes, even the children of God die. Indeed, even the only-begotten Son of God died! However, that doesn’t mean that God is unfaithful or uncaring. God’s ultimate goal is not to sustain this mortal life indefinitely. He has something better to give us—what the Bible sometimes calls “eternal life,” or, “abundant life.” We might call it, “resurrection life,” or, “immortality.”
Ultimately, God wants to free us from pain, suffering, and decay. He doesn’t want us to live forever under the reign of death. So, God allows us to pass through death and out the other side. We die, only to rise again on the Last Day. We will be delivered from Sheol, because death was reversed in the flesh of Jesus. What happened to the Head on Easter morning will happen to every member of His Body. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, grant Your unworthy servants Your grace, that in the hour of death the adversary may not prevail against us but that we may be found worthy of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for a Blessed Death, LSB p. 313)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:37-2:15; Matthew 6:1-15
“Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.” (Deuteronomy 1:38)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Moses would not lead Israel into the Promised Land. He would die just outside the land, because he sinned against God. Thankfully, God raised up a man like Moses named Joshua. He would guide Israel into the Promised Land and lead the Israelites into battle against the Canaanites.
Therefore, Moses tells Israel to encourage Joshua. All the responsibility has been laid on his shoulders. Use your words to build him up, so that he can bear it. With their amazing God-given faculties, humans can achieve difficult tasks, but insults and criticisms can break a man’s spirit and cause him to fail. Words of kindness and praise, on the other hand, can make a man stand tall, even when he is confronted by a mountain of problems.
Jesus opened the way to the true Promised Land—eternity in the new creation. Sin should exclude us from entering Paradise, but Jesus took our sins and He died for them. The way is open! The risen Lord gives you pastors to help lead you into the Promised Land. They announce the Gospel, telling you that the way is open. They address your fears and doubts with the Word. They help you resist the devil through meditation and prayer. They feed you the Bread from heaven to give you the strength to move forward.
Therefore, encourage your pastor. A lot of responsibility has been put on his shoulders. He needs your help bearing it. Speak kindly to him. Praise his successes. Ask him if he needs any prayer. Be ready to comfort him when he experiences his own troubles and tribulations. Encourage him, for by his preaching of the Word he shall cause you to inherit the Promised Land. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Keep me from saying words That later need recalling; Guard me lest idle speech May from my lips befalling; But when within my place I must and ought to speak, Then to my words give grace Lest I offend the weak. ("O God, My Faithful God" LSB 696, st.3)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House
Today's Reading: Luke 10:17-20
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:19-36; Matthew 5:21-48
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Angelology (the study of angels) is fascinating. There are different kinds of spirits: cherubim, seraphim, angels, archangels, etc. They have different jobs: Some are messengers or warriors, while others worship God, guard sacred space, etc. There are a lot of interesting details that Scripture gives us, and yet many more questions are left unanswered!
But let’s keep things simple. There are spirits, who serve God specifically for our sake. Angels are servants. Since Jesus has paid for your sins and reconciled you to God, our heavenly Father specifically commands them to help us. We are God’s children. Angels are mere servants.
What fascinates me most about the existence of angels is what this tells us about God. Apparently, God likes to achieve His goals through others, even in heaven. In other words, God could simply make things happen by sheer will. He is almighty, after all. Nevertheless, God invites creatures to participate in His work. In heaven, the angels participate in the work of God.
And what about on earth? On earth, God invites humans to participate in His work. For example, God gave the Church the Holy Scriptures through prophets and apostles. He didn’t have to do it that way, but He wanted to. Likewise, God distributes the forgiveness of sins through the work of pastors. He speaks through ministers of grace.
And guess what? God works through you, too! He might use you to give someone their daily bread. He might use you to protect someone from harm. He might use you to teach or encourage someone. He might use you to lead someone to Christ. God gives us vocations, making us His ministers on earth.
So, go about your daily work, knowing that you are participating in God’s work. Also, know that you are more than mere servants. You are His children on account of Christ. Therefore, God will send His angels to care for you and protect you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Everlasting God, You have ordained and constituted the service of angels and men in a wonderful order. Mercifully grant that, as Your holy angels always serve and worship You in heaven, so by Your appointment they may also help and defend us here on earth; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Baptism, part 3
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:1-18; Matthew 5:1-20
How can water do such great things? Certainly not just water, but the word of God in and with the water does these things, along with faith which trusts this word of God in the water. For without God’s word the water is plain water and no Baptism. But with the word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says in Titus, chapter three: “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.” (Small Catechism: Baptism)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When Naaman dipped himself in the waters of the Jordan, he was healed of his skin disease (2 Kings 5). How could water do such a great thing?
Ironically, the same Protestants who scoff at Baptism and wonder how water could ever do such great things treat the muddy water of the Jordan River with special reverence (or rather, superstition). They seem to think that the Jordan River is something special, something holy. Many long to be baptized in the Jordan and countless tourists have filled small bottles with water from the Jordan to take to their homes.
We know that the water of the Jordan is just water, no different than the water in your tap. You won’t find any fountain of youth or water with any kind of magical properties. Water is just water.
How did the Jordan heal Naaman? God connected a promise to the Jordan: “Dip yourself in the Jordan and be healed.” The Word of God is effective and does what it says.
In the same way, the Lord connects His promises to the waters of Baptism. He promises that Baptism will wash away your sins (Acts 22:16), crucify and bury you with Christ (Romans 6:3), give you new life (Titus 3:5-8), make you a disciple (Matthew 28:19), and save you (Mark 16:16). Faith believes the promise and receives what was promised in Baptism. It’s as simple as that. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The gifts flow from the font Where He calls us His own; New life He gives that makes us His and His alone. Here He forgives our sins With water and the Word; The triune God Himself Gives pow’r to call Him Lord. ("The Gifts Christ freely Gives" LSB 602, st.2)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Galatians 5:25-6:10
Daily Lectionary: Malachi 3:6-4:6; Matthew 4:12-25
Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. (Galatians 6:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. No one likes to talk about money in church. No one wants to talk about what they give or get a lecture about how they ought to give. Trust me, pastors really don’t like preaching about the offering plate! Regardless, Paul talks about it a lot. And so, we need to talk about it.
Paul talks about it because he sees it as a Gospel issue. The Gospel is at stake here! Think about it: If your pastor has to work a second job to feed his family, how much time does he have to deliver the Gospel to sinners? If a congregation isn’t taking care of its pastor, eventually that church might find itself without a pastor. And then, who will preach the Gospel? Who will absolve? What becomes of the ministry when the saints won’t support it?
In 1 Kings 17, Elijah and the widow are living through a famine caused by a lack of rain. There are worse things, however. One might experience a famine of the Word. One might live in a town where there are no preachers proclaiming the Word of God—that Word which delivers forgiveness and eternal life. “Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
The offering is an essential part of Christian worship. Our Father provides for our bodies and our souls. He provides for the soul by sending us pastors who preach Christ crucified and absolve sinners in His stead. Pastors deliver the Gifts, and the saints receive them by faith. When the saints truly receive the Word with faith, they receive the Word with joy and thanksgiving. In gratitude, those who receive the Word share all good things with their pastors, which includes their income. They give without grumbling, for they know that what they have received in the Divine Service is far more precious than money.
And whenever Christians receive the Word by faith with thanksgiving, God is sure to provide more of that Word. Since God feeds and clothes the pastor through the generosity of the saints, he can continue to deliver the Word to them. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen
Almighty God, all that we possess is from Your loving hand. Give us grace that we may honor You with all we own, always remembering the account we must one day give to Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Proper Use of Wealth, LSB p. 311)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 17:8-16
Daily Lectionary: Malachi 2:1-3:5; Matthew 4:1-11
The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah. (1 Kings 17:16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When sinners are given an abundance, they become selfish. They want to receive far more than they need. In times of scarcity, things are different. When we have nothing, we become quite grateful when we receive only a little.
Thus, during a great drought, Elijah didn’t come to the widow expecting a great feast. He only asked for a morsel of bread (I Kings 17:11). He asked only for a few bites of food. The drought was so severe that even this was too great a request. The widow said she had enough flour and oil to make a small cake or two to feed herself and her son—their last meal. They planned to eat a few bites and then wait to die.
Our God is able to take something so small and insignificant and do great things with it. Elijah spoke a promise from the Lord. That Word of God attached itself to the flour and oil, thereby multiplying it, albeit in a way that was unseen. The widow saw a little flour and oil in small containers, but as she poured, the flour and oil just kept coming out! Thus, God saved Elijah, this widow, and her son!
We live in a land of plenty and rarely experience physical hunger. Thanks to the Spirit, we recognize that we lack righteousness, and so we hunger for it (Matthew 5:6). We come to God, believing that He can fill us. He puts into our mouths a morsel of bread, not even a mouthful. It seems rather insignificant, doesn’t it? Nevertheless, God can take something so small and insignificant and do great things with it.
The pastor speaks a promise from the Lord. The Word of God attaches itself to the bread. It doesn’t multiply, but it does become something far more than it once was. Although it remains hidden to our eyes, the bread becomes the very Body of our Lord—yes, that same body that was nailed to the Cross. The bread isn’t enough to fill up our bodies, but the Body of our Lord does indeed satisfy the soul. For as we receive the Lord’s Supper, we are given the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O living Bread from heaven, How well You feed Your guest! The gifts that You have given Have filled my heart with rest. Oh, wondrous food of blessing, Oh, cup that heals our woes! My heart, this gift possessing, With praises overflows. ("O Living Bread from Heaven" LSB 642, st.1)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 6:24-34
Daily Lectionary: Malachi 1:1-14; Matthew 3:1-17
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We worry. We worry a lot. We worry about what we will eat and what we will wear. We worry about this life, which must end. And make no mistake, it will end, no matter how much food we have on hand or how many outfits are hanging in our closet. We need to get our priorities in order.
Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Don’t seek food and clothes first. That’s what the heathen do. No, seek first the favor of God and His saving works. Seek the Lord and His grace. For you see, if you have the Almighty on your side and He cares for you, then you don’t have to worry about anything. The One who can feed the countless birds and dress the countless flowers can certainly feed and dress you! If you have the grace of God, then everything else will be added to you!
Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. You have already found it, or rather it found you. When you were baptized, you became a citizen of God’s kingdom—nay, even more than that! You became a member of the royal family, a child of God! A good king takes care of his citizens, but even wicked kings take care of their own children. How much more will your King and Father take care of you?
You are members of the kingdom. You have been dressed in a righteousness that far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20). Jesus wrapped your sins around Himself, and then He dressed you in His righteousness. This isn’t the story of the prince and the pauper. It is the story of the Savior and the sinner—the righteous Savior takes our place on the Cross, so that the sinner can take His place at His Father’s table.
So, stop worrying! The heathen want to extend their lives another week, another month, another year, but you will live forever in the Kingdom of God! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, we implore You, let Your continual pity cleanse and defend Your Church; and because she cannot continue in safety without Your aid, preserve her evermore by Your help and goodness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 15th Sunday after Trinity)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the 15th Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 86:4, 6, 15a, 16; antiphon: vv.1a, 2b, 3)
Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 9:22-38; 1 Timothy 6:3-21
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. (Psalm 86:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Read Psalm 86 in its entirety. Clearly David composed this psalm in a time of trouble. David calls himself “poor and needy” (Psalm 86:1). He asks God to preserve his life and to save him. At the end of the psalm, David says that insolent and ruthless men are seeking his life (Psalm 86:14, 17). Thus, David asks the Lord to listen to his prayer and to save him.
Are ruthless men trying to kill you? Probably not. Still, you might feel like your life is in danger at times. Perhaps a terrible economy or unemployment has you shaken. You fear that one day your cupboards will be bare. Or perhaps your family has not been able to pay the bills and you are worried that they will turn off your electricity. That means no A/C during hot summer days and no heat during the cold winter. Or maybe your fears are not money related. Maybe you fear that your doctor will return with your tests and give you some really bad news.
The point is that we live in a dangerous world. So, we fear death. In Matthew 6:24-34, Jesus calms our fears. He reminds us that we have a good and gracious Father in heaven, who will surely feed and clothe us. We are never in true danger, since we rest in the hands of a loving God.
David knew this. He confesses that God is “merciful and gracious” (Psalm 86:15). And so, instead of wringing his hands and pacing the floor, David brings his fears to his God. “Listen,” David says to God, and indeed the Lord does listen. He listens to your prayers, too. “Ask,” the Son of God said, “and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7).
Of course, this doesn’t mean that we won’t suffer or die. It means that God will deliver us from death. And sometimes that means taking us through death and out the other side. This is what happened to Jesus. He prayed that His Father would deliver Him from death. God heard His Son, allowed Him to die on a Cross, and then made death release Him on Easter morning! And what happened to the only-begotten Son of God on Easter morning must also happen to the adopted children of God on the Last Day. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Children of the heav’nly Father Safely in His bosom gather; Nestling bird nor star in heaven Such a refuge e’er was given. ("Children of the Heavenly Father" LSB 725, st.1)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary:Nehemiah 9:1-21; 1 Timothy 5:17-6:2
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. (1 Timothy 5:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In many Lutheran churches, there are a group of laymen called elders who aid the pastor in his ministry. Frankly, it is a bit odd to call these laymen elders. In the New Testament, the elders of the congregations are pastors.
According to the Bible, Christians should assemble with other Christians, and every Christian assembly needs a pastor. And Christians are expected to treat their pastors a certain way. First, they should give extra honor and respect to their pastors. Second, we are told in 1 Timothy 5:18 that Christians should pay their pastors for their work. Third, Paul knows that pastors will make enemies, and so he tells us to never admit a charge against a pastor, unless there are two or three witnesses (1 Timothy 5:19). In sum, you should respect and love your pastor, provide for him, and protect him.
Why? Pastors do important work. They oversee the ministry of the congregation. This means giving guidance and encouragement when needed, of course. It also includes leading the Divine Service—giving the Gifts of the Lord, and then leading the people in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. They preach the Word of God, applying the Law and the Gospel to us. They teach the Christian faith—milk to new converts and meat for the spiritually mature.
This is important work, indeed. Where the Word is preached, the Spirit works. The forgiveness of sins was won on the Cross, but gets distributed to individual sinners in the Church through the ministry of the Word. No ministry, no forgiveness. No ministers, no ministry. If you don’t respect and love your pastor and he gets burned out, or if he doesn’t get paid and must get another job, or if you allow false accusations to result in your pastor’s removal, then who will give you the Word?
Your pastor is a sinner, to be sure. He is also a wonderful gift. God placed him in your congregation so that you always have access to His Word. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and gracious God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, You have commanded us to pray that You would send forth laborers into Your harvest. Of Your infinite mercy give us true teachers and ministers of Your Word who truly fulfill Your command and preach nothing contrary to Your holy Word. Grant that we, being warned, instructed, nurtured, comforted, and strengthened by Your holy Word, may do those things which are well pleasing to You and profitable for our salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Baptism, part 2
Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 7:1-4; 8:1-18; 1 Timothy 5:1-16
What benefits does Baptism give? It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare. Which are these words and promises of God? Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Small Catechism: Baptism)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our Lord has attached so many great and wonderful promises to Baptism. Jesus told His disciples to make more disciples by baptizing them (Matthew 28:19). A disciple is a forgiven sinner. Indeed, Peter told the Jews gathered in Jerusalem to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38) and Acts 22:16 tells us that Baptism washes away our sins. Paul says that the Church is cleansed “by the washing of water with the Word” (Ephesians. 5:25-26).
Jesus also said that you enter the Kingdom of God by being born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5). If Baptism brings you into the Kingdom of God, then it takes you out of the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:13). Baptism rescues us from the devil.
Baptism grants us life and salvation. Jesus promises that Baptism saves us in Mark 16:16. Peter affirms that Baptism saves in 1 Peter 3:21. Also, Paul says that God saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).
Of course, our Protestant friends will protest that water cannot save you. Faith alone saves you. Well, it is true that faith saves us, but faith in what? We put our faith in the promises of the Lord. When He makes a promise, we believe Him. If the Lord says, “Pick up that straw and live,” faith doesn’t sneer at the straw and say, “How can mere straw save anyone?” Faith trusts the Lord and picks up the straw. Likewise, when our Lord connects His promises to Baptism, faith believes and receives the Gifts offered in the water.
To despise Baptism is to doubt the Lord. Faith is ready to receive His Gifts, no matter how the Lord chooses to deliver them. The Lord brought the world out of water (Genesis 1:2). He rescued Israel by sending them through a sea. If He wants to give me eternal life and rescue me from sin and the devil by means of water, He can certainly do that! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
All who believe and are baptized Shall see the Lord’s salvation; Baptized into the death of Christ, They are a new creation. Through Christ’s redemption they shall stand Among the glorious heav’nly band Of ev’ry tribe and nation. ("All Who Believe and Are Baptized" LSB 601, st.1)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 9:9-13
Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 5:1-16; 6:1-9, 15-16; 1 Timothy 4:1-16
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” (Matthew 9:12 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This spring I got sick—right before Holy Week, no less! I was coughing, blowing my nose all the time, and felt tired and weak. And that darn cold wouldn’t quit! It took three weeks before I had no more symptoms. Should I have gone to my doctor? Perhaps, but I was certain that he couldn’t help me. He would tell me, “Take some cold medicine and rest,” and then charge me for such, “wisdom.”
Sometimes the Bible describes sin as a sickness. If sin is a disease, it’s a bad one. It lasts a lot longer than a few weeks. It lasts a lifetime! And sin is deadly. Those sick with sin will die. You can’t fight it. Sin is far worse than cancer. And you’ve got it! This disease is passed from Adam to his descendants, and you caught it from your mom and dad!
If sin is a sickness, then Jesus is the good physician. And He’s the kind of doctor you can trust. He won’t look you over and say, “Yep, its sin. Sorry, I can’t help you. Just take some cold medicine and enjoy life while you still can. Here’s the bill.” No, Jesus can help the sin-sick soul. He can do something that no other doctor can do: He can take your sickness and let it kill Him, and then give you His health and life!
Matthew the Evangelist describes in his Gospel how Jesus, “took our illnesses and bore our diseases,” (8:17 ESV). He took our sin, and then He suffered the fate of all sinners. He died, while feeling the full weight of God’s displeasure. Since He paid for our sins, Jesus can grant us His life. He can apply the sweet balm of Absolution to our wounds. He can feed us the Medicine of Immortality—His Body and His Blood. Through Word and Sacrament, His life is bestowed upon us! Jesus takes our sickness and gives us His health. He suffers our death and shares with us His life. Luther called this the Joyous Exchange.
Are you a sinner? Then Jesus is the doctor for you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Son of God, our blessed Savior Jesus Christ, You called Matthew the tax collector to be an apostle and evangelist. Through his faithful and inspired witness, grant that we also may follow You, leaving behind all covetous desires and love of riches; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Feast of St. Matthew)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Galatians 5:16-24
Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 4:7-23; 1 Timothy 3:1-16
“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:17 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Once you were ruled by the flesh. Once you were a slave of sin. You gratified your wicked desires. No longer! You are now a slave of Christ. Jesus is your Lord and Master. He rescued you from sin. On the cross He paid the price for your freedom. Then, He marked you with His own name in Holy Baptism.
The Law could not rescue you from sin. The Law is good, but sin used the Law to keep you imprisoned (Gal. 3:22-23). Like gasoline added to a fire, the Law made sin abound (Rom. 5:20). The Law didn’t merely reveal sin. The Law increased sin, for its threats stirred up resentment toward God, dread of His wrath, and a covetous desire for whatever God forbids. Grace, on the other hand, extinguishes the fire. Your guilt is absolved and your heart begins to love the God that first loved us.
Does this mean that I can sin however much I want? Of course not! If we intentionally sin, we are returning to our former master. We are intentionally gratifying the desires of the flesh, as if we were slaves of sin yet again. We were liberated from sin, so that we might be led by the Spirit. To follow the Spirit is to walk away from sin, for the two are against each other. Remember these words of our Lord: “No one can serve two masters,” (Matt. 6:24 ESV).
This is the life of repentance: to turn your back on sin and to walk with the Spirit; to renounce the works of the flesh and to put your faith in Jesus—and such faith will produce the fruit of the Spirit. When we repent of our sins and give them to Jesus, they cannot harm us. When we cling to our sins, Jesus cannot help us. Therefore, repent of your sins and give them to Jesus. Crucify the flesh (Gal. 5:24), so that you might walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness and put upon ourselves the armor of light now in the time of this mortal life in which Your Son, Jesus Christ, came to visit us in great humility, that in the Last Day, when He shall come again in glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to life immortal; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Newness of Life in Christ, LSB page 311)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Proverbs 4:10-23
Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 2:11-20; 4:1-6; 1 Timothy 2:1-15
“Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.” (Proverbs 4:13 ESV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There are two roads: the Way of Wisdom and the Way of Folly. The Way of Folly is the Road of Unbelief and Sin. It is the path that leads to death. This is the path that Jesus walked for you. He bore your sins and went to the cross to die in your place.
According to Proverbs, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight,” (9:10 ESV). The fear of the Lord is contrition over your sin and confidence that the Lord will save you from those sins. Simply put, those who repent and believe are on the Way of Wisdom—a path that leads to life.
How do you remain on that path? Proverbs tells us to keep hold of the instruction and to guard it. The instruction is your life! Likewise, we read these words: “My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh,” (Prov. 9:20-22 ESV).
The Word of the Lord creates faith. The Word also nourishes, sustains, and strengthens faith. The Word delivers Jesus to you. The life won on the cross is delivered through the good news: “You are absolved for the sake of Jesus!” When you doubt, return to the Word. When you have sinned, cling to the Word. This is how you stay on the Way of Wisdom.
And those that remain attentive to the gracious Word and guard it in their hearts will receive eternal life on the Last Day, when their decaying flesh is healed by the risen Lord. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, giver and perfecter of our faith, we thank and praise You for continuing among us the preaching of Your Gospel for our instruction and edification. Send Your blessing upon the Word, which has been spoken to us, and by Your Holy Spirit increase our saving knowledge of You, that day by day we may be strengthened in the divine truth and remain steadfast in Your grace. Give us strength to fight the good fight and by faith to overcome all the temptations of Satan, the flesh, and the world, so that we may finally receive the salvation of our souls; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (For Blessing on the Word, LSB pg. 308)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 17:11-19
Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 1:1-2:10; 1 Timothy 1:1-20
And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:19)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our English translations have to make a couple of interpretive choices when they translate Luke 17:19. Jesus literally says, “Arise! Journey! Your faith has saved you!”
First, how do you translate “saved”? Obviously, Jesus saved this man from his skin disease. The ESV translates it this way: “Your faith had made you well.” However, Jesus did more than just heal his disease. He saved him from the state of exile caused by his impurity. An incurable skin disease would prevent anyone from entering a holy space, such as the temple. Also, in extreme cases you would be excluded from society, lest you pass your impurity to them. Jesus healed this man’s disease, but He also healed both the rift between this man and God and the rift between him and his fellow men. Jesus saved him!
Second, when Jesus tells this man to get up and journey, what does He mean? The ESV assumes that Jesus is telling this man to move along—to go back home and to normal life. This is possible, but it is also possible that Jesus is inviting this man to journey with Him—to follow Him as a disciple and travel with Him to Jerusalem.
That second interpretation certainly fits the theme of this Sunday. The Propers for this Sunday emphasize that after Jesus purifies you of your sins, you must follow Jesus and remain with Him. Thus, Proverbs 4:10-23 invites us to stay on the way of wisdom and the path of righteousness. In Galatians, Paul encourages us to walk by the Spirit, which means to crucify your flesh and to produce the fruit of the Spirit. The Introit speaks of dwelling with the Lord in His house.
You are pure in the eyes of God as long as you are in Christ. He is your righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). In Christ you find the grace of God. To leave Christ is to leave God’s grace. Salvation is not a one-time event that occurred in the past. It is a reality that you live in. You were baptized into Christ. In Him you must stay. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, keep Your Church with Your perpetual mercy; and because of our frailty we cannot but fall, keep us ever by Your help from all things hurtful and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 14th Sunday after Trinity)
-Pastor Alexander Lange is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Introit for the 14th Sunday after Trinity
(Psalm 84:1-2a, 4, 10b, 11b; antiphon: v.9-10a)
Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 36:1-23; Colossians 4:1-18
Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! (From the Introit for the 14th Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Are you looking forward to tomorrow? Are you looking forward to entering the house of the Lord to receive His Gifts and sing His praise? Or is tomorrow just the end of the weekend? Is tomorrow the last day of freedom before going back to work or school on Monday morning, the end of something good? Are you looking forward to gathering with the Body of Christ to hear God's Word, or are you dreading how slowly that hour of worship goes by? Does it seem like church isn't the most exciting or entertaining thing or your pastor's sermons are a little long and dry and boring and you just don't seem to get anything out of them? Does it seem like sometimes you would rather be any place other than in the house of God? What do we do when we don't really feel like going to church?
Don't go. Well, don't go for you. Go for your neighbor. Go whether you feel like it or not because maybe your neighbor is struggling, and they need to see you there. Go and confess the faith because maybe your neighbor will be encouraged by hearing your confession. Go and sing the hymns because maybe your neighbor needs to hear your voice, whether it's on key or not. Go because maybe your pastor needs to see you and be encouraged that his preaching is not in vain even if it isn't the best preaching you've ever heard.
But more importantly, go because whether it feels like it or not, the Lord's house is a good place to be. It may not be the most exciting, entertaining, or your favorite place to be, but it is the place where God's Gifts are delivered. It is the place where God's blessings are delivered, His Word is preached, and His Sacraments are administered. It is the place where your sins are forgiven for the sake of the crucified and risen Christ. And just maybe it will be the place where you are encouraged because your neighbor showed up even when he didn't feel like it, confessed his faith for you to hear, and joined with you and the millions in heaven and on earth to sing to God and to the Lamb. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing; To God and to the Lamb I will sing; To God and to the Lamb, Who is the great I AM, While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing, While millions join the theme, I will sing. ("What Wondrous Love Is This" LSB 543, st.3)
-Rev. Brett Simek is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hilbert, WI. He also serves as catechesis coordinator for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 35:1-7, 16-25; Colossians 3:1-25
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Galatians 3:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The world demands a lot of us. Parents, teachers, friends, bosses, and coworkers demand that we "do this" or "do that." Sometimes, the Bible seems no different. "Set your minds on things that are above" (Galatians 3:2). "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you" (Galatians 3:5). "As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive" (Galatians 3:13). "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Galatians 3:17).
Even that only names a few of the list of demands Paul gives to the Galatians and to you and me. Often the Bible can seem very Law-heavy and demanding. It preaches the Gospel, like Paul does to the Galatians, but then Paul seems to undo it with a list of demands. Sometimes, even the Gospel can seem like a demand. "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). So what are we supposed to do? What demand does the Bible put on Christians?
None. Even here, Paul is not demanding anything of the Christian, nor anything of you. No, he is appealing to our freedom. He is rejoicing in the freedom that we have because of Christ. Jesus has done everything that is necessary and fulfilled every demand for your salvation. Nothing is left for you to do. Even repentance and Baptism isn't for you to do, but it is God's work. He does it all for you. He dies and rises for you. It is all His work for you, to make your salvation sure and certain apart from your works. Nothing more is demanded from you or of you. You are free from every demand and command.
What a wonderful gift to be free! How wonderful it is to have our freedom from sin. We are no longer held by sin but are raised with Christ. We are free to love as Christ has loved us. We are free to do whatever we want, in word or deed, in the Name of Jesus, giving thanks to God. We are free to focus on higher things, to glorify God, to bring our neighbor into God's kingdom with us to set them free. We are free to be God's means to save others. We are free from worrying about ourselves because Christ has done it all for us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Where charity and love prevail There God is ever found; Brought here together by Christ's love By love are we thus bound. ("Where Charity and Love Prevail" LSB 845, st.1)
-Rev. Brett Simek is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hilbert, WI. He also serves as catechesis coordinator for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Baptism part 1
Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 34:1-4, 8-11,14-33; Colossians 2:8-23
Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God's command and combined with God's word. (Small Catechism: Baptism)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Why do we baptize? Why do I need to be baptized? Is it just because God said so? Don't you hate that? When your parents tell you that you have to do something, "Because I said so"? If it was such a good thing to do, don't you think they would have an explanation as to "why" it is such a great idea? It makes you think they want you to do it for some random, arbitrary, reason without any real purpose or point to it other than, "Because I said so."
As a pastor and a parent, I can tell you it's not always for no reason that we tell you to do something, "Because I said so." Sometimes I just don't have time to explain the "why" behind what I want you to do. Sometimes it's because you just might not understand the reason or purpose behind doing what is commanded and so the command stands alone.
There are things, times, and lessons we have to learn without knowing the whole picture or reason behind them. There are times when we just have to trust that God's knowledge is bigger than our own and that something is good or will at least work out okay, "Because He said so." Baptism is not one of those times.
In Baptism, there is more than just God's command to baptize all nations. In Baptism, the water is combined not only with the command, but also with God's Word, God's Promise. God tells us why we baptize and are baptized. Baptism makes disciples. Baptism puts Christ upon us. Baptism crucifies us with Christ and raises us to new life. Baptism saves you, "not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 3:21). Your Baptism is for the comfort of your conscience. It is God's Promise to you that for the sake of the death and resurrection of Jesus, your sins are forgiven, your salvation has been won, and your eternal life is secure. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In Baptism we now put on Christ- Our shame is fully covered With all that He once sacrificed and feely for us suffered. For here the flood of His own blood Now makes us holy, right, and good Before our heav'nly Father. ("All Christians Who Have Been Baptized" LSB 596, st.4)
-Rev. Brett Simek is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hilbert, WI. He also serves as catechesis coordinator for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 12:20-33
Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 33:1-25; Colossians 1:24-2:7
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." (John 12:20-33)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Not many people wear jewelry depicting a needle or the electric chair. I don't see many gold noose necklaces proudly displayed dangling from a chain on someone's chest. Maybe I hang out with the wrong crowd, but I don't see many guillotine charm bracelets adorning wrists. These are all instruments of death, means that have been used throughout history to carry out the death penalty. I do, however, see crosses on necklaces, bracelets, earrings, on clothing or tattoos. Maybe I am hanging out with the wrong crowd.
The cross was the chosen instrument and means of death in carrying out the death penalty for the Romans. It wasn't a humane way to die. In fact, it was designed to maximize the pain and agony of the one being crucified. But if this is one of the most gruesome, painful, and agonizing ways to die in all of human history, why do we wear it with pride and adorn ourselves with it?
Maybe it's because the Cross is more than a symbol of death. Or maybe it's because the death that happened there to Jesus wasn't just the end of someone's life. Maybe it's because it was there on the Cross that the grain of wheat, the seed and source of life, fell into the earth and died so that it might bear much fruit. Maybe it's because that instrument of death is a true sign of triumph that life conquers death, that Christ rises from the dead, that the fruit of that Tree is the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. Maybe it's because the Cross is the symbol of the world's redemption from sin and death.
Maybe it's all of that. We lift high the cross, parade it around in churches and on our bodies in gold and jewels, because it is from that Cross of Christ, from the body and life that is given then, from the blood of God which is shed there, that we do not remain alone but are united with God and all the faithful who wish to see Jesus in life everlasting. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Faithful cross, true sign of triumph, Be for all the noblest tree; None in foliage, none in blossom, None in fruit thine equal be; Symbol of the world's redemption, For the weight that hung on thee! ("Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle" LSB 454, st.4)
-Rev. Brett Simek is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hilbert, WI. He also serves as catechesis coordinator for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Galatians 3:15-22
Daily Lectionary:2 Chronicles 32:1-22; Colossians 1:1-23
This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. (Galatians 3:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What came first: the Law or the Gospel? Does it matter? Paul seems to think so. Once a covenant is made, you cannot change it. Once a contract has been signed, you don't add to it or subtract from it. If that's true with the agreements we make with one another, then how much more so is this true for a covenant God makes with us?
But what is the covenant that God makes with us, and with Abraham? It is Law, or is it Gospel? Which comes first, or do they go together? Is it like a vending machine where I put my money, my work in and get the gifts out? Then the Law must come first. But if the Law comes second, 430 years afterward, then that changes things. If the promise of the Gospel is given to Abraham first, and the Law doesn't come to Moses until 430 years later, then the Gospel, the covenantal Promise, is ratified, it's made, it's signed by the hand of God apart from works of the Law.
That is my kind of vending machine! No works, no money, without so much as a quarter, yet out come the gifts of God. God promises and fulfills His promise to Abraham by grace alone. God's own Son, our Savior, comes not because of our own merit, but by grace and grace alone. Because of His merit, that of Jesus, and the free gift of faith given by the Holy Spirit, we have eternal life.
So what then of the Law that comes 430 years later? Those are the instructions that show us how to put this good Gift into use. They don't change the Gift. The covenant, the Promise, the Gospel, is not annulled, canceled, added to, subtracted from, or changed because of them. The death and resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of your sins is sure and certain. The instructions, too, are a gift that we might share the Gospel to others so they would have the Gift of life, also. They don't take the Gift away, but aid us in presenting that Gift to others so that they might know God's grace as we do. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
By grace God's Son, our only Savior, Came down to earth to bear our sin. Was it because of your own merit That Jesus died your soul to win? No, it was grace and grace alone, That brought Him from His heav'nly throne. ("By Grace I'm Saved" LSB 566, st.3)
-Rev. Brett Simek is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hilbert, WI. He also serves as catechesis coordinator for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 2 Chronicles 28:8-15
Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 31:1-21; Philippians 4:1-23
And the men who have been mentioned by name rose and took the captives, and with the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them. They clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them, and carrying all the feeble among them on donkeys, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria. (2 Chronicles 28:15)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Judah and Jerusalem had been defeated and taken captive. 200,000 of them were taken as slaves along with their possessions as spoils of war. They were being taken from their land, their city, and the temple in which their God dwelt. Their lives and their world were being turned upside down and God had allowed it all to happen. In fact, He didn't just allow it, He was the one behind it, working through their captors to call them to repentance and faith. They had sinned against God and He was punishing them for their unfaithfulness.
It's hard to argue with what God was doing. The people deserved it. They had turned their backs on God and disobeyed Him and His commandments. They deserved for God to forsake them, to turn His back on them. It's what we deserve for our sin. We turn our backs on God when we sin against Him. We follow the devil and deserve to follow him into slavery to sin, all the way to death and hell, but we never get there.
Israel never got there, either. Certain men of Ephraim stepped in and intervened. God stepped in to rescue His people from slavery. He took those who were destined for slavery and returned them to Judah. He cared for them not just to set them free, but that they would be clothed, given sandals, food, drink, anointed, carried and delivered back to their land. What great mercy He shows to Israel!
What great mercy He shows to us who are destined for slavery, death and hell. By the blood of His Son, He intervenes, rescues us, and returns us to the Promised Land. He clothes us with Christ's righteousness, with the shirt on our backs and the food in our bellies. He cares for us in body and soul now and to eternity with the promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. God's promise is to be with you always, even when your life seems like it's being turned upside down, and especially when it is ending, that you would enter into His kingdom. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, forsake me not! Your gracious presence lend me; Lord, lead Your helpless child; Your Holy Spirit send me That I my course may run. O be my light, my lot, My staff, my rock, my shield- O God, forsake me not! ("O God, Forsake Me Not" LSB 731, st.1)
-Rev. Brett Simek is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hilbert, WI. He also serves as catechesis coordinator for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 10:21-37
Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 29:1-24; Philippians 3:1-21
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The lawyer thinks he knows it all. He tries to test Jesus to see how smart He is, to see if Jesus is any match for him. Little does he know that he is asking the wrong question to the wrong person. He asks, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25) Jesus tells him what he must do if he wants to inherit eternal life. If he wants to earn his way into heaven, if you want to earn your way into heaven, be like the good Samaritan. You must have compassion on the poor, downtrodden, and needy. You must care for them, give them everything they need, the donkey you're riding on and the shirt off your back, and pay the full price to restore their life. Nothing short of doing everything will suffice.
Ouch. Jesus brings the full weight and hammer of the Law down on this lawyer. He wants to be put under the Law, so Jesus brings the Law. The Law beats him and convicts him down to its last detail, that even a foreign Samaritan outsider is better than this lawyer. He is stripped of the self-righteousness he is seeking and left in a ditch to die. That's what the Law does to us, too. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27).
Thanks be to God for that Samaritan, that man passing by who has come from a foreign place to pick us up and restore our life. He takes our broken sinfulness, our self-righteousness, and carries them for us. He bears the wounds and carries the scars that our sins make in His body for us. He carries us to the inn of His Church where He nurses us back to health and life by washing our wounds in the waters of Holy Baptism, by feeding and nourishing us not just with bread and wine but with every Word that comes from the mouth of God, even His very Body and Blood. He pays the full price for our lives not with gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death that we might be His own, and that by His work we might inherit eternal life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may obtain what You have promised, make us love what You have commanded; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 13th Sunday after Trinity)
-Rev. Brett Simek is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hilbert, WI. He also serves as catechesis coordinator for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Introit for the 13th Sunday after Trinity
(Psalm 74:1-2, 19b, 21b; antiphon: v.20a, 21a, 22a, 23a)
Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 9:1-13; 10:18-29; Philippians 2:12-30
Do not forget the life of your poor forever. Let the poor and needy praise your name. (From the Introit for the 13th Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Psalm 74 is not full of cheerful thoughts, fluffy teddy bears, and bright rainbows. It speaks about the temple in Jerusalem lying in ruins and there being no more prophets who proclaim the Word of the Lord. The psalmist even goes so far as to say that the Lord God who is their shepherd has turned bright red in anger, smoke billowing from His ears, and the sheep are the source and recipients of God's anger. Not a happy thought. Life for the psalmist is about as depressed and cheerless and miserable as it can get. Ever felt that way?
Of course you have. We all have. That's part of sinful human existence. Sin has corrupted us through and through, breaking and destroying God's good creation. This is the beauty of the psalms. They get you. Ever feel like God has forgotten about you? So did the psalmists. Ever feel like God just doesn't care what happens to you? So did the psalmists. The Word of God which they wrote speaks to every human condition and emotion.
Most of all, the psalms point you to Jesus. God does not forget His children. He does not abandon them. What He does is send His only-begotten Son into the world to save the poor in spirit, those who feel downtrodden and abandoned and hopeless. The poor and needy of the Scriptures are those who have been so broken by sin that they have nothing left but to cry to Jesus for salvation. And salvation they received. Freely. All gift because Jesus has taken your sins and brokenness and hopelessness to Himself on the Cross and gives to you His glorious life, death, and resurrection. Jesus has purchased and redeemed you, as the psalmist begs. All the prayers of the psalms, all your prayers, are answered in Jesus. Therefore, you who were once poor and needy, praise the Name of the Lord your God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the midst of His congregation for He has remembered and redeemed you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In suff'ring be Thy love my peace, In weakness be Thy love my pow'r; And when the storms of life shall cease, O Jesus, in that final hour, Be Thou my rod and staff and guide, And draw me safely to Thy side! ("Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me" LSB 683, st.4)
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 6:1-23; Philippians 1:21-2:11
Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see." So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In Isaiah 6, the prophet is given a vision of heaven's throne room. The six-winged seraphim shouted out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 6:3). In the great Sanctus of Divine Service Setting Three, we leave "host" untranslated as "Sabaoth." They mean the same thing: a heavenly army. The Lord God of heaven's army, whom Isaiah saw, was again seen by Elisha and his servant. Heaven's army was on full display, even if at first Elisha's servant did not see it. This army of horses and chariot all ablaze was there to save God's people from destruction and deliver them from their enemies.
That same Lord God of Sabaoth came to do battle for you. This time it was not hidden, but on full public display. Yet as visible as it was, most do not see it. It looks like a huge loss. Instead of being cloaked in fire with a vast army sounding Him, this time the Lord God is alone, hanging on a cross, dying. Not very victorious to the human eye.
When the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of faith, then you see a very different picture. Though your enemies of sin, death, and the devil try to surround you, you have Christ Jesus, the Son of the Lord God, and all of heaven's armies. He has saved you from destruction and delivered you from your enemies. His death is your salvation and by His resurrection He has won the victory. Satan and his demonic horde have been defeated and are going down kicking and screaming like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. Your sin is forgiven. Death is no longer a threat.
Now, in the presence of these defeated enemies, the Lord prepares a great feast of victory, His Body and Blood in the Holy Sacrament, as we join with the seraphim and angels and archangels and all the company of heaven to sing "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of heaven's army!" On the day that Christ welcomes you home to the eternal feast, your enemies will never come to raid you again, for Christ is your victory now and forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle; Sing the ending of the fray. Now above the cross, the trophy, Sound the loud triumphant lay; Tell how Christ, the world's redeemer, As a victim won the day. ("Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle" LSB 454, st.1)
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 5:9-27; Philippians 1:1-20
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The answer: No. Nei. Nope. Nada. Nein. No way José. Non. Nullus. Impossible. Inconceivable. The question: Can anything separate you from God's love toward you in Christ Jesus?
The devil will try. The world and culture around you will try. Your own sinful flesh will try. None of them change the fact:. God has loved the world, has loved you, and sent His only-begotten Son Jesus Christ into this world to die for the sins of the world, for your sin, that whoever believes in Him, in Jesus, will not perish but have eternal life. Period. No exceptions. 100% guaranteed. Even the believing is gift to you, not something you have to strive to do. Staying in the faith, to keep believing — guess what, that's all gift to you as well. Talk about a crazy love! God does it all. The Father does the sending of Jesus. Jesus does the saving by His death on the Cross. The Holy Spirit gifts you and keeps you believing in Jesus. It's all God from beginning to end. No wonder nothing in all of creation can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God is on your side. He loves you and wants you to be with Him, now and eternally. "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32) Look at what He gives. He has washed you in the waters of Holy Baptism in His Name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He has absolved you of all your sins. He feeds you with Jesus' Body and Blood in bread and wine to put the forgiveness won on the Cross into you. He preaches His Word into your ear. All gift from the Father through the Son by the Holy Spirit. What can stop God's love for you in Christ Jesus? Nothing. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
For no one can condemn me Or set my hope aside; Now hell no more can claim me: Its fury I deride. No sentence now reproves me, No guilt destroys my peace; For Christ, my Savior, loves me And shields me with His grace. ("If God Himself Be for Me" LSB 724, st.5)
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Conclusion
Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 4:48-5:8; Ephesians 6:1-24
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. What does this mean? This means that I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven, and are heard by Him; for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us. Amen, amen, means, "yes, yes, it shall be so." (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Conclusion)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Church has a way that She prays. The Prayer of the Church in the Divine Service ends each petition with, "Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer" or "In peace, let us pray to the Lord; Lord have mercy." We find a similar addition to the psalms or Introit with the Gloria Patri (Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit), to give glory and praise to the One to whom we have just prayed.
And so we also have a Church ending, or better, a liturgical ending to the Lord's Prayer, which is not found in most translations of the Bible. It is part of the language of the Church in prayer. This ending is threefold, a doxology, reminding us that as we pray to our Father who art in heaven, we are also praying to the Son and Holy Spirit, the Triune God. To this Triune God alone belongs the eternal kingdom opened to us by the death of Christ, the power which saves us now and eternally, and the glory and praise which we sing in the Church on earth and will sing with the Church in eternity.
To all of our prayers we add, "Amen." This is an affirmation by Christians that all for which we have prayed, in the Lord's Prayer, in our liturgical prayers, and in our individual daily prayers, has been heard by our God and He is answering those prayers with His, "Yes!" As Paul assures us by inspiration, "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31) The death of Jesus for you and your salvation is the assurance, the pledge and promise, that God will answer every one of your prayers with His "Amen," according to His gracious will. Thus we boldly and confidently pray, "Amen," knowing that God has heard and answered our prayers and caused His will to be done in all things, even our salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We trust, O Lord, in Your great mercy to hear and answer us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:2 Corinthians 3:4-11
Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 4:8-22, 32-37; Ephesians 5:15-33
For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The letter kills. What letter? Maybe the letter "t," because it looks like a sword standing on end? No! The letter of the Law. If you try to justify yourself before God based only on your ability to keep the Law, the Ten Commandments, you won't be successful. You will die because no one can keep the Law perfectly enough. As a matter of fact, the more you stare at the Law, the more you see that you are a sinner who sins in thought, word, and deed, and deserves nothing but God's temporal and eternal punishment.
Alright, say it with me: The Holy Spirit "has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith." The Spirit gives life by the Gospel, the Good News that on account of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, your sin is forgiven and you have life now that lasts into eternity. This is not your work, accomplished by your keeping the letter of the Law, as if you could, but on account of Jesus for you. He kept that holy Law perfectly in your place and gives His obedience as a gift to you.
This is the Good News that Paul and other pastors proclaim to you. It is not because they have kept the Law perfectly on their own. They must rely on Jesus the same as you do for their forgiveness. God is the One who calls them and gives to them the ministry of reconciliation, the ministry of proclaiming Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. This is why, when they stand before you in the Divine Service or private confession, they can say, "In the stead and by the command of Christ Jesus, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." God has given them this Word. It does not come from them, but from God for you. And this Word is more sure than even the words that were carved into rock for Moses. These words have permanent, eternal glory, for they are Christ's words of forgiveness and salvation for you account of His death. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The gifts of grace and peace From absolution flow; The pastor's words are Christ's For us to trust and know. Forgiveness that we need Is granted to us there; The Lord of mercy sends Us forth in His blest care. ("The Gifts Christ Freely Gives" LSB 602, st.3)
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Isaiah 29:17-24
Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 2:19-25; 4:1-7; Ephesians 4:25-5:14
Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? (Isaiah 29:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. With the fall into sin, the world was turned upside down. The lush garden of the Lord was turned into a wilderness of thickets and thorns and all sorts of things that can hurt you. Instead of perfectly formed bodies that worked at full capacity, sin brought sicknesses like deafness, blindness, cancer, flus and viruses, muscle aches, papercuts, and hangnails. Instead of listening to the Word of the Lord, we closed our ears and sinned against God and one another. We have lived in this broken, sinful world so long that we don't even realize how upside-down the world is.
The prophet Isaiah comes with words of turning the upside down world right side up, and it sounds strange to our ears. In a little while, Isaiah proclaimed, God will come to restore all things to the way He created them to be. There will be a day, he promises, when the desolate wilderness will be a fruit-filled field, when the deaf will hear the words of a book proclaimed, when the blind will be able to see, and the poor who have had no reason to rejoice will sing for joy because the Holy One of Israel has acted to redeem creation.
This restoration of creation began in the life and ministry of Jesus. He has made the deaf to hear the Word of the Holy Scriptures that proclaim life in His Name. He has opened the eyes of all who are spiritually blind and dead in their sins and trespasses by calling them out of darkness into His marvelous light. Sinners are forgiven on account of the craziest upside down action ever to occur: The Son of God dies! Yet by this action, the Lord redeems the world, and sets the upside down world right side up. He has opened your ears to His Word of salvation and declared you His child, the work of His hands in Holy Baptism.
You are still living in the upside-down world and are not able to see this restoration fully, but by His death, Jesus has turned things right side up. One day He will make it all visible when He returns in glory and brings you into His right-side-up eternity, so that you may stand in awe of the God who saves you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Creator of the stars of night, Thy people's everlasting Light: O Christ, Redeemer, save us all And hear Thy servants when they call. ("Creator of the Stars of Night" LSB 351, st.1)
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Mark 7:31-37
Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 2:1-18; Ephesians 4:1-24
And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." (Mark 7:34)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus sighed. You know this sigh. It's the one you might make when you can't believe what you are dealing with. Part frustration. Part sadness. Mix in some disappointment and anger and you have this sigh. How long, O Lord? How long?
A man who cannot hear has been brought to Jesus, but he has no idea that he should go to Jesus. Not hearing the voice of a loved one is painful. Not hearing the voice of God through the Holy Scriptures? That is eternally dangerous. Remember, they didn't have printed Bibles in their homes to read like you and I do. "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17), and this man can't hear the Word of Christ who is standing right in front of him. How often have you turned a perfectly good ear from hearing the Word of Christ? Thus Christ sighs. Frustration, sadness, maybe some anger, at what sin has wrought on mankind.
Jesus takes hold of this man to do for him what no one else can do. Jesus saves him. With healed ears, the man can hear the saving Word of Christ. His tongue is released so that he might proclaim salvation by faith in Christ to others who will hear. The Word of Christ to which Paul refers is the entirety of the Bible, climaxing in the Word made Flesh, Christ Jesus, who was sacrificed on the Cross in order that heaven would "ephphatha," be opened, to all who confess with their mouth, their released tongue, "that Jesus is Lord and believe in [their] heart that God raised him from the dead" (Romans 10:9). The preaching of Jesus Christ and Him crucified for sinners opens the ears and releases the tongue that you might hear the Good News of your salvation and sing the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. By Jesus' death on the Cross, heaven has been opened to you, that hearing the Word of Christ, confessing with your tongue that Jesus is Lord, and believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may obtain what You have promised, make us love what You have commanded; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 12th Sunday after Trinity)
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Introit for the 12th Sunday after Trinity
(Psalm 70:2b, 4a, 5b; antiphon: v.1-2a)
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 19:1-21; Ephesians 3:1-21
Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me! (From the Introit for the 12th Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The words of our text are familiar words. They begin both Matins and Vespers. They are the prayers of David and all the saints, asking that the Lord God not remember our sins, but remember His children. God has the worst and greatest memory.
Because of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, God has the worst memory, an incurable case of amnesia. He can't remember your sins. They have been forgiven, absolved, removed from you completely. Like that answer on the test you just cannot remember, so God cannot remember your sins any longer. They are forgiven in Jesus and forgotten eternally.
Because of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, God has the greatest memory the world has ever known. He knows and remembers you all the time. You are His child with whom He is well pleased. There is no sin in you on account of Christ. The Triune God has written His Name on your forehead with the sign of the Holy Cross in your Baptism. You are marked as one redeemed, one who has been delivered from sin, death, and the power of the devil. That is why when we sing these words, you may see people make the sign of the Holy Cross upon themselves as they remember their Baptisms. Just as God remembers us whom He has delivered, so we remember the One who has delivered us.
There will be times in your life when your sins will be hard to forget. They haunt you. Others will remind you of those sins so that you cannot forget them. That is the work of the devil as he seeks your life for himself. It is the devil, the evil one, who remembers your sins and uses them against you to destroy faith.
O Lord, "you are my help and my deliverer" (Psalm 70:5b), David prays and teaches us to pray. When the devil, the world, and your flesh seek your life with remembrance of past sins, turn to your Father, who for the sake of Christ remembers your sins no more. What He does remember is that you are His. You are His fully forgiven child with whom He is well pleased on account of Christ Jesus. Make haste, O Lord, to help us remember this each and every day. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
I trust, O Lord, Your holy name; O let me not be put to shame Nor let me be confounded. My faith, O Lord, Be in Your Word Forever firmly grounded. ("I Trust, O Lord, Your Holy Name" LSB 734, st. 1)
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 18:20-40; Ephesians 2:1-22
And Hannah prayed and said, "My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation." (1 Samuel 2:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I once heard a pastor say that God answers prayer in four ways: "Yes," "No," "Let's do it my way," "You've got to be kidding me!" Paul writes, "For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you … was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes" (2 Corinthians 1:19). God's answer to prayer is always, "Yes." It may not seem like it this side of heaven, because that "Yes" often includes "In God's time, according to God's way."
Hannah had no children. She prayed to God for a son and in due time, God's "Yes" was manifest. Hannah's boy was Samuel, a great prophet and last judge in Israel. After Samuel was born, Hannah "lent him to the Lord" (1 Samuel 1:28) and sang a prayer, the opening verse of our text for today.
Does it sound familiar? Hannah's song foreshadows another sung prayer we call the Magnificat, the Song of Mary in Luke 1. Both of these faithful women rejoiced in the promises of the Lord God that He would provide salvation for His people. For Hannah, it would be the life-long service of her boy child to minister to the people of God. For Mary, it would be the life-giving sacrifice of her boy child to save the world. Both of these faithful women believed the Word that God's messenger delivered to them, no matter how unlikely it seemed that that Word could be fulfilled.
This, then, is what we learn from God's Word via these faithful women: What God has spoken through His Word, He will bring to fulfillment. God promised Eve that a day would come when one of her sons would crush the works of the devil. God inspired Hannah's son Samuel to prophesy that one of David's sons would sit on God's throne forever. Mary's Son was the fulfillment of these promises. Jesus is the Son of David, the Christ, by whom the ancient serpent is crushed as Jesus dies on the Cross to forgive sin, all sin, your sin. In Holy Baptism, God has declared you His child, born not of a woman, but of the Spirit. When you pray to your Father in heaven, like Hannah, He will answer you with a resounding, "Yes," according to His will. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
To Hannah, praying childless Before Your throne of grace, You gave a son and called him To serve before Your face. Grant us her perseverance; Lord, teach us how to pray And trust in Your deliv'rance When darkness hides our way. ("For All the Faithful Women" LSB 855, st.6)
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:1 Corinthians 15:1-10
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 18:1-19; Ephesians 1:1-23
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul makes it very simple. There is one message, one Gospel, that saves: Christ died for your sins in accordance with everything God has ever said in the Bible. Christ was buried. Christ was resurrected on the Third Day, again in accordance with everything God has ever said in the Bible. Believe this, hold fast to this, cling to this for dear life, for it is life, eternal life, life that knows no end.
Change the message and you don't have the Gospel. Make the message about you and your life, not the death and resurrection of Jesus, and you don't have the Gospel. Ignore the Old Testament and you lose the richness of the Gospel that looked forward to and predicted that Jesus would have to die to forgive your sins and be raised to life again to grant you eternal life. Skip Good Friday and the death of Jesus, and there's no reason for an Easter Sunday. Leave Jesus dead on the Cross and you've got no hope in this life and certainly not in the age to come.
This is of first importance, the most important of the importants: Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and three days later arose to life that will not end. Nothing else changes your life now and your life to come in eternity. This earliest version of our creeds, and their source, is why we confess the creeds every day and especially on Sundays. When something is important you want to remember it all the time. So confess the creed every day. It will guard and protect you from ever forgetting what is the most important thing in life: the Good News, the Gospel in which you stand, by which you are being saved. Christ died for your sins in accordance with the Scriptures, He was buried, and was raised to life on the Third Day in accordance with the Scriptures. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
If Christ had not been raised from death Our faith would be in vain, Our preaching but a waste of breath, Our sin and guilt remain. But now the Lord is ris'n indeed; He rules in earth and heav'n: His Gospel meets a world of need—In Christ we are forgiv'n. ("If Christ Had Not Been Raised from Death" LSB 486, st.1)
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Seventh Petition
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 16:29-17:24; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15
But deliver us from evil. What does this mean? We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven. (Small Catechism: Seventh Petition)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday, we heard about the temptation which Cain gave into that caused him to sin. The Lord had warned Cain that sin was "crouching at the door" (Genesis 4:7), waiting to pounce like a lion ready to kill its prey. Peter writes, "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). You can hear the same language in what Peter writes as you do when the Lord speaks to Cain and which Luther echoes in the catechism.
Evil is all around us. We don't have to go searching for it. It finds us. Like a lion crouching in readiness to pounce on its prey, so the devil, along with the world and our own sinful flesh, is ready to unleash all sorts of evil on us in an effort to cause us to reject God and His gift of salvation in Christ Jesus.
Thus Jesus teaches us to pray for ourselves and all other Christians that our Father in heaven would save us. Save us from the assaults of the evil one. Save us from the unbelieving world that wants us to be just like it. Save us from our own flesh that would rather indulge in sin and would reject salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.
Save us He does. In love, the Father sent His Son into this world to rescue, to save us from sin, death, and every evil, including the evil one, the devil. Jesus has taken an evil death away from us by His death on the Cross and given to us His blessed resurrection, so that when our time on this earth comes to its end, we can fall asleep in Jesus in peace. In Jesus, we have been delivered from the great evil of unbelief and we look forward to the day when Jesus will call us to Himself where we will be eternally freed from all evil of body and soul. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lead us not into temptation, O Lord, but help us by Your Spirit to subdue our flesh, to turn from the world and its ways, and to overcome the devil with all his wiles. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Genesis 4:1-15
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 12:20-13:5, 33-34; 2 Corinthians 8:1-24
And the Lord said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground." (Genesis 4:10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord says to Cain, "What have you done?" It echoes what the Lord said to Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9) We all have Cain in us. In his anger, Cain was tempted to sin. You are tempted in various ways to sin. The Lord comes to you through His Word to empower you to resist temptation and not sin. Yet, because like Cain you are a child of Adam and Eve, you give into temptation and sin. Sin results in consequences. For Cain, it means he becomes a fugitive and wanderer of the earth, always on the verge of death. You and I, because of our sin, are fugitives from God and wanderers of this earth, too, always on the verge of death.
Along comes another shepherd, the Good Shepherd who is led outside of the city to be killed. Abel points us to Jesus. The Good Shepherd has been killed outside the city to save sinful fugitives and wanderers. Jesus has been killed to forgive you all your sins, all the times you have given into temptation and sinned.
Then He was buried. His bloody corpse was laid in a tomb in the ground. Your brother's blood cries to the Father from the ground. And what does it cry? The Lord says, "What have you done?" and the voice of your brother Jesus' blood cries out, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). The blood of Christ Jesus, your brother, cries out forgiveness, for you.
Therefore, you are no longer a fugitive. "Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13). You are no longer a wanderer. "In my Father's house are many rooms. . . If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also" (John 14:2-3). You have been marked with the sign of the holy Cross in Holy Baptism, so that death can no longer kill you eternally. The voice of the blood of your brother Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has cried out a better Word than the blood of Abel, a Word of Absolution for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In Adam we have all been one, One huge rebellious man; We all have fled that evening voice That sought us as we ran. But Thy strong love, it sought us still And sent Thine only Son That we might hear His Shepherd's voice And, hearing Him, be one. ("In Adam We Have All Been One" LSB 569 sts.1, 3)
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Mark 6:14-29
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 11:42-12:19; 2 Corinthians 7:1-16
When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. (Mark 6:20b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John the Baptist was not out to win friends. He was sent by God to call people to confess and repent of their sins, to change their sinful ways, and return to the Lord God and His way.
Your pastor is called to do the same thing. He is called to make you uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that you might want to shut him up and tuck him away where he can't be heard anymore.
John also pointed to Jesus as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Your pastor is called to do the same thing.
We call this preaching Law and Gospel. The Law as contained in the Ten Commandments shows us our sins, like committing adultery in the case of Herod and Herodias. It makes us uncomfortable because we don't like to think of ourselves that way. We don't like hearing that we are sinners who sin in thought, word, and especially in deed. That's why we need preachers to put God's Law into our ears and hearts to convict us of our sins and call us to repentance.
The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus is the Lamb of God, who was sacrificed on the Cross to take away the sin of the world–to take away your sin, all your sins of thought, word, and deed. Again, you need a preacher to put God's Gospel into your ear so that by the Holy Spirit you believe it.
Then, like Herod, you can gladly hear God's Word of Law and Gospel through your pastor. It may often perplex you, it may confuse you, and it might not always make sense, but you should gladly hear and learn it. As strange as it may sound that God would send His only-begotten Son into this world just to kill Him on the altar of the Cross, that is the Gospel, the Good News of salvation for you. By His death on the Cross, Jesus has taken away your sin and forgiven you all your offenses against the Ten Commandments, in order that when you are laid in a tomb, you will be with Jesus, kept safe for eternity. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Our thanks for John the Baptist Who, till his dying day, Made straight paths for the Savior And heralded His way! In witnessing to Jesus Through times of threat or shame May we with faith and courage The Lamb of God proclaim. ("By All Your Saints in Warfare" LSB 518, st.24)
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 18:9-14
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 11:1-26; 2 Corinthians 6:1-18
"God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" (Luke 18:13b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You there! Do you think you are basically a good person who does good things when given the opportunity? Do you talk about yourself and your accomplishments every chance you get? Are there more selfies on your phone than pictures of others? Is everything you do posted on social media for others to like or comment on? Do you talk trash or gossip about those who are not in your friend group or who are just plain different? That is the Pharisee in our reading. He's self-assured, with no self-esteem issues. He's who we all are according to our human nature. And that's not a good thing in the eyes of God.
Stare into the mirror of the Ten Commandments. See what a poor, miserable sinner you are. See that you sin in thought, word, and deed, all the time. Confess, that is, say back to God what He says about you. You are dead in your sins and trespasses. You have sinned by your fault, your own fault, your own most grievous fault.
For you, Jesus died. God has been merciful to you, a sinner. God has in Christ Jesus absolved you of all your sins and washed them all away in the waters of Holy Baptism. The Holy Spirit brings you to repent of your sins like the tax collector does, so that the mercy of God overwhelms you with His forgiveness and justifies you because of Jesus's death. In Jesus, you have been exalted with Jesus. Not your doing, but His doing for you.
Jesus came to save sinners. He came to show mercy to those who do not deserve it in any way, shape, or form. Jesus came for you. In mercy, the Father sent His Son Jesus to be the One who justifies, saves you, so that you can stand up straight and lift your eyes up to heaven to see the place of your salvation — Jesus on the Cross for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, always more ready to hear than we to pray and to give more than we either desire or deserve, pour down upon us the abundance of Your mercy, forgiving those things of which our conscience is afraid and giving us those good things that we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.(Collect for the 11th Sunday after Trinity)
-Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the 11th Sunday after Trinity
(Psalm 68:1, 3, 7a, 10b, 19; antiphon: v.5b, 6a, 35b)
Daily Lectionary:1 Kings 9:1-9; 10:1-13; 2 Corinthians 5:1-21
O God, when you went out before your people, in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. (From the Introit for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Introit for tomorrow is drawn from the words of Psalm 68. Like all the other psalms, the 68th is a prayer. It doesn't seem to us like much of a prayer because it doesn't ask for anything. Instead, it is a song of thanksgiving for the great works of God.
That's how prayer is sometimes. There are days when we can only cry out to God from within our pain. Sometimes we run out of words to say or are so beaten down that we have to rely on the Holy Spirit to cry to God on our behalf (Romans 8:26). And then there are days when we are filled with joy and our prayers reflect it. If you take a quick look at just a handful of psalms, you'll find both kinds of prayer. We are blessed to have the psalms to pray from our own lips.
Psalm 68 moves us to praise God for His goodness. He is the God who rescues His people. He scatters His enemies and those who hate Him flee before Him! He gives power and strength to His people and provides for the needy. He bears us up and He is the God of our salvation.
When the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh tell you that God is not for you, pray this psalm. When your guilty conscience shouts that you could never be forgiven, pray this psalm. When shame over sin makes you feel completely unlovable, pray this psalm. When the events of your life scream at you that God is absent, pray this psalm.
For the One who bears you up is the One who was lifted up on a cross to remove the burden of your sin and shame. Jesus is the One who settles you into a home called the Church. Jesus is the One who is your salvation from death! Indeed, blessed be the Lord, who daily bears you up. God is your salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Father like He tends and spares us; Well our feeble frame He knows; In His hand He gently bears us, Rescues us from all our foes. Alleluia, alleluia! Widely yet His mercy flows. ("Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven" LSB 793, st.3)
-Rev. David Magruder is pastor of Peace With Christ Lutheran Church, Fort Collins, CO.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 8:22-30, 46-63; 2 Corinthians 4:1-18
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When Christianity is depicted apart from crosses, it always makes them scarier when Christians find out God actually does give them things they can't handle all the time, despite clinging to a mistranslated verse that doesn't actually say what they think it does. Because it isn't you who handles all the stuff that's bigger than you. It's Jesus.
Christianity is never depicted apart from suffering because our symbol is Christ crucified for us sinners. A God who won't associate with suffering is not a God who exists to be crucified for you. So there will be suffering because Jesus suffers for you to forgive you. There's still suffering now, too, and it's maddening. On its own, it's soul-destroying. So Paul gives us something to cling to. We carry in our bodies the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in us. We are baptized into Jesus' death. Into Jesus' resurrection. That changes things. The world is bigger than you and full of things you can't handle. But you carry with you the death of Jesus, suffering used for salvation, so the world cannot crush you. You carry in your body the Baptism He gives you, so you cling to the resurrection that gives you hope in the face of questions you can't answer. You are not forsaken, because God is in the suffering with you and for you. So you are already brought through suffering. It cannot destroy you.
The existence of God doesn't preclude the existence of suffering. It confirms it. You have a God who saves through the Cross. That's a God who dives into suffering to save, so He's a God who dives into suffering to carry you through yours, even if it's more than you can handle. This is what it is to remember your Baptism. You are baptized. Make the sign of the cross. Read 2 Corinthians 4:8-10. The life of Jesus that you carry speaks to your pain. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Despised and scorned, they sojourned here; But now, how glorious they appear! Those martyrs stand, A priestly band, God's throne forever near. On earth they wept through bitter years; Now God has wiped away their tears, Transformed their strife To heav'nly life, And freed them from their fears. They now enjoy the Sabbath rest, The heav'nly banquet of the blest; The Lamb, their Lord, At festive board Himself is host and guest. ("Behold a Host, Arrayed in White" LSB 676, st.2)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism:Lord's Prayer, Sixth Petition
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 7:51-8:21; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18
Lead us not into temptation. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. After "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," God teaches us to pray, "lead us not into temptation." I wonder if it's to remind us that Christian life isn't linear. You can take the Fifth Petition and run in a straight line one of two ways. The first is the idea of onward and upward. "I'm forgiven and now I build and that only goes one way. Constant improvement until perfection. Until I basically don't sin. Christian life is only measured by progress." The second way is straight on in what we were doing in the first place. "Since I'm forgiven, I might as well keep sinning." We read, "Shall we sin that grace may abound?" and then quickly stop reading before it says, "BY NO MEANS." That leads to "Since I know I'm forgiven I'll just do whatever I want." Don't worry about who your sins hurt, don't worry about the God who calls us to strive against those desires. Christian life is measured only in freedom to do whatever you want while yelling stuff about grace.
Both are wrong. You're given this petition so you remember not just that you're forgiven, but that you're still in a bad spot. We pray, "Lead us not into temptation." It's not onward and upward or right on in sin. It's death and resurrection. We are constantly in need of the forgiveness that comes through the Cross, and constantly strive to live in the resurrection's freedom from sin. We constantly beg to be free from temptation because we're constantly falling into it. It's war against Old Adam, but it's fought in Christ, not in you. He has already won the victory.
There is no comfort in beating the drum of the Law. There is no real comfort in claiming that your actions should have no consequences while everything else falls apart because you keep doing dumb stuff. There is comfort in the Lord who tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.
We pray that we would see the victory we already have in Christ and cling to Him until we see it face to face. Christian life is measured by Jesus' bringing us through sin and death to resurrection. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lead not into temptation, Lord, Where our grim foe and all his horde Would vex our souls on ev'ry hand. Help us resist, help us to stand Firm in the faith, a mighty host, Through comfort of the Holy Ghost. ("Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" LSB 766, st.7)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Luke 22: 24-30
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 5:1-16; 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:17
"But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves." (Luke 22:26)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. St. Bartholomew is my favorite apostle. He's the Charlie Brown of the blessed Twelve. He's the kid who never fits in. He has one of the best lines in Scripture, as the first person to recognize the divinity of Jesus, but John calls him by the wrong name because John's too busy nursing a grudge he still has with Peter 40 years after they argued about who the greatest is. Bartholomew never got to do any of the cool apostle stuff like see the Transfiguration. After Luke closed the letter to Theophilus by talking about the all-stars, like Peter and Paul, St. Bart was martyred in modern-day Turkey for faithful preaching. They skinned him alive. So the Roman Catholics made him the patron saint of leatherworkers, which is amazing. They pray to the guy who got skinned alive for wallets. And this dude just points to Jesus, despite being overlooked and degraded. And he still sings for us in heaven with angels and archangels and the rest of the bunch.
In the movies, he would get superpowers and finally be the cool kid. Or take off his glasses so everyone at the dance would see he's been handsome all along. In the movies, people like Bartholomew aren't the main character unless something extraordinary happens. In real life, Bart was never the main character, but he served. There is no real lordship in being the greatest, just idolatry. See St. Bart, patron saint of the bullied and the neglected. Praying to him won't get you a wallet or a moment in the spotlight. He'd rather you pray to Jesus, whom he confessed as Lord, whom he faced the grave to meet in the resurrection. If you see yourself in St. Bart, know that the Lord sees you, too, and joins you as the same. He is the One who serves. He is the One who bears the Cross for those who can't save themselves. He is the One who gathers into Sabbath rest those who find none in this place. And He knows your name, and calls you out of this vale of tears to the resurrection, to sing with the blessed saints who have gone before you, while the angels sing along. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
For Barnabas we praise You, Who kept Your law of love And, leaving earthly treasures, Sought riches from above. O Christ, our Lord and Savior, Let gifts of grace descend, That Your true consolation May through the world extend. ("By All Your Saints in Warfare" LSB 518, st.7)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Romans 9:30-10:4
Daily Lectionary:1 Kings 3:1-15; 2 Corinthians 1:1-22
But that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. (Romans 9:31-32a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is nothing wrong with trying to do your best. It is what is expected of you at school, at home, and at work. Your neighbors (teachers, family, and your boss) are blessed by such efforts. But don't bring that idea into your relationship with God. It didn't work for Israel and it won't work for you. The huge rock of the Law will crush you under the weight of its demands; the perfection that God's Law requires of you will always be out of reach.
The apostle Paul works this truth to a fine point in our reading for today. Israel couldn't reach a right relationship with God because they had the devilish idea that it was up to them to make it happen. They ran smack into the promise of God to save the world by His mercy. They stumbled over it, and kept on going with the idea that they had to do more good things to gain God's approval.
You get sucked into thinking that way as well. Repent. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Romans 10:4).No more struggling and striving to keep the Law for salvation! The Law works as a pointer, an arrow aimed straight at the target of Christ. Christ Jesus is where we find that the demands of God's Law have been met. God's righteousness is met in Him as well. Jesus' perfect keeping of God's Law is what makes you right with God. His perfect life is given into death in your stead—instead of you! You get all the benefits of what Jesus did with no strings attached. Faith trusts this promise, and faith is what you have been given as pure gift from the Triune God! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The Law reveals the guilt of sin and makes us conscience-stricken; but then the Gospel enters in the sinful soul to quicken. Come to the cross, trust Christ, and live; the Law no peace can ever give, no comfort or no blessing. ("Salvation Unto Us Has Come" LSB 555, st.8)
-Rev. David Magruder is pastor of Peace With Christ Lutheran Church, Fort Collins, CO.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Jeremiah 8:4-12
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 2:1-27; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
"Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the rules of the Lord." (Jeremiah 8:7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A bird has more sense than you do! That is the message God used to invite His people to return to Him. We call that the preaching of repentance. The people rejected the invitation and yet Jeremiah kept up the call. The meaning of Jeremiah's preaching is clear: Even the birds, irrational creatures, know their appointed time and return to their homes, which they have left. Instinctively, they follow the pattern fixed for them by their Creator: They travel hundreds of miles, because that's what they've been created to do. Unbelieving Jerusalem had sunk below the common sense of a bird!
What is sadder than the people's refusal to hear the Word and return to the Lord their God is that they had forgotten how much God loved them. "My people know not the rules of the LORD." That is a tricky translation. The Hebrew word is mishpat, which means righteous judgment. It's not just rules to be followed but also a declaration of innocence.
The people were so caught up in themselves that they pushed aside the mercy and promises of God: His just decrees and the justice He had done and would do for them. That is a picture of us, too. Sad to say, but we know it is true. Thankfully, God still sends Jeremiah to stick His Word into our ears and to call us to repentance and faith.
God the Father would fulfill all His righteous promises in Christ. Instead of pouring out the punishment for sin upon the world, the Father pours it on His Son. At the Cross, the righteous judgment of the Law is proclaimed. Jesus is overthrown in death, but only for a time. Jesus, the perfect One, rises from the grave and brings you along with Him. Jesus took your place in death on a cross and in a stone-cold tomb so that you would know God's righteous judgment: You are free from sin and death in Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Now my conscience is at peace; from the Law I stand acquitted. Christ hath purchased my release and my ev'ry sin remitted. Naught remains my soul to grieve: Jesus sinners doth receive. ("Jesus Sinners Doth Receive" LSB 609, st.7)
-Rev. David Magruder is pastor of Peace With Christ Lutheran Church, Fort Collins, CO.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 19:41-48
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 1:1-4, 15-35; 1 Corinthians 12:14-31
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes." (Luke 19:41-42)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Interesting, isn't it? Jerusalem contains the word "peace" (salem) in its name yet does not recognize the peace of God in the flesh as He prepares to enter her gates.
As Jesus wept at the death of His friend Lazarus and the lack of faith that doubted Jesus could call him out of the grave, so Jesus weeps over a people who cannot know and see (believe) that He has come to bring them peace. But those tears do not keep Him from His appointed task. In Luke 18, Jesus told His disciples what would take place in Jerusalem: "See we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day, he will rise" (Luke 18:31-33).Ironically, Luke tells us that this news was hidden from the disciples' eyes as well.
Why would these things be hidden from their eyes? Because Jesus needed to fulfill His work. Nothing of what He said or did would make complete sense until He died and rose from the dead. The people of Jerusalem sought peace by other means. The disciples wanted a "Son of Man" who would be triumphant, not someone who would die nailed to a Roman cross. We tend to make our own "peace" treaties with God on our own terms.
But it is the Cross and, finally, the resurrection of Jesus that changes everything. Your eyes have been opened to see and your hearts made new to believe: "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).Jesus does not now weep over you. He rejoices over you who are baptized and receive
His peace! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, You declare Your almighty power above all in showing mercy and pity. Mercifully grant us such a measure of Your grace that we may obtain Your gracious promises and be make partakers of Your heavenly treasures; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. David Magruder is pastor of Peace With Christ Lutheran Church, Fort Collins, CO.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity
(Psalm 55:1, 4-5, 16; antiphon: v.16a, 17b, 18a, 22a)
Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 12:1-25; 1 Corinthians 12:1-13
I call to God, and he hears my voice; He redeems my soul in safety. (From the Introit for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Object fixation is when a kid rides his bike into the tree he doesn't want to hit because he can't stop looking at the thing he wants to avoid. I'm fine, if you were wondering. Object fixation is when Christians are so afraid of something summed up under "sin, death, and the power of the devil," that they lose sight of everything else and it becomes their only prayer, which ignores the Cross of Christ, even though the things summed up under "sin, death, and the power of the devil" are the very things undone by the Cross of Christ.
The Introit begins out of order, but not. It grabs verses 16, 17, 18, and 22 and knits them together to teach the Church to begin to pray with the same Cross that is woven throughout this and every psalm. We pray based on the redemption won in Christ Jesus. I call to God, and He hears my voice; He redeems my soul in safety. It confronts our object fixation with the Jesus who wasn't afraid to run into the thing we're trying to avoid but keep crashing into. He dives into the mess of sin, death, and the power of the devil and conquers them by His death for you. Read the Introit, and start with the redemption, the victory, and the burdens, the pleas for mercy, the fear, and trembling that are met by a God who will hear your prayer as surely as He has already redeemed you back from the things you pray for refuge from. Your salvation isn't measured by whether or not you find yourself running into some form of those ugly three things anymore. It's measured by whether or not Jesus ran into them for you. He did. So if you find yourself barrelling towards death like I theoretically ran into a hypothetical tree (really, I'm fine), start with the Cross, and find the victory over that thing that's bigger than you. Christ has guaranteed your safe passage into the resurrection by His death. You are redeemed. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In faith and confidence draw near, Within the holiest appear, With all who praise and pray; Who share one family, one feast, One great imperishable Priest, One new and living way. ("No Temple Now, No Gift of Price" LSB 530, st.3)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 11:1-27; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:26)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You can take communion wrong. It's not just that it's rude to party in front of starving people. To eat or drink unworthily is to be guilty before Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead on the Last Day. That probably warrants more than a halfhearted hope that someone reads the fine print on a communion card hidden in the back of the pew. If we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. That says something about those who, misjudging, leave the gates wide open. Shall the apostle commend you in this? Nah.
Instead, he gives them the gift anyway. "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you…'" I'd have taken the gifts away. Paul only reinforces what the Sacrament is, what it does, and who it's for.
It's still Jesus for sinners. The Lord doesn't dangle the forgiveness of sin in front of the worthy. To a church full of sinners, He gives a gift so powerful that it warrants care. This is not a chapter about withholding the Sacrament. It's a promise that God won't withhold His presence from His Church, even if there are wicked people there. That's good news. God will not stand back from you. He meets you at the altar in Body and Blood to forgive your sins. If you would stand before Him in unbelief, woe to you, but your unbelief cannot deter Him from standing before you.
It shapes the proclamation you make of the Lord's death. It's not for the worthy. Jesus died for sinners. Jesus died for you. Your proclamation at the Supper is that your worth is found in the price paid for you: the very blood you drink for the forgiveness of your sins. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Unworthy though I am, O Savior, Because I have a sinful heart, Yet Thou Thy lamb wilt banish never, For Thou my faithful shepherd art: Lord, may Thy body and Thy blood Be for my soul the highest good! ("I Come O Savior, To Thy Table" LSB 618, st.3)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:6-13
Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:18-20; 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:16
Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The apostle Paul was a super-religious guy in his previous life. We also know him as Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee of Pharisees. He had his religious life all neatly packaged up, ready to give to God with the expectation that God would reward him for his good efforts and works. Paul would learn, in baptismal wonder, that such ideas were foolish (Acts 9). Salvation does not rest in any human. It is a gift granted for the sake of the death and life of Jesus alone.
It seems like Paul is quoting a proverb he surely had memorized in his Pharisee days: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18).Some in the church at Corinth prided themselves on their own super religiosity and spiritual strength. They should be careful, Paul warns, not to fall from grace. That is a good warning for us as well. It keeps us from centering our life of faith on us instead of the One who really makes it all possible. It works repentance in us and moves us back to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Along with Paul's warning, he adds a beautiful word of promise: We will not be tested beyond our God-given capacity. When faced with trials, we can count on God's faithfulness. "God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).
God remains faithful to the promise He made to you in Baptism. He will be with you always (Matthew 28:20). He has joined you to Jesus, the One who overcame every temptation and trial by His perfect obedience and death. The resurrected Jesus is there with forgiveness and mercy when you do fall. With every trial He will give you strength to endure, and will, in His own time, create the "way out"! In Christ, there is no need to stand on anything but His promise! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Why should cross and trial grieve me? Christ is near with His cheer; never will He leave me. Who can rob me of this heaven that God's Son for me won when His life was given? ("Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me" LSB 756, st.1)
-Rev. David Magruder is pastor of Peace With Christ Lutheran Church, Fort Collins, CO.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Fifth Petition
Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:1-17; 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:22
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is one sentence we wish was two separate things. Having my forgiveness and my willingness to forgive others linked together is a damning thing. Still, Jesus is clear. In Matthew 6:14–15 He says, "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." It sounds like my grudge from the sixth grade is enough to undo my Baptism. It sounds like my heart is enough to undo the Cross.
That's because looking in my heart for forgiveness never goes particularly well. Ask the kid I still don't like from middle school even though I can't remember his last name anymore. Forgiveness doesn't come from your heart. It comes from the Cross. The forgiveness for your sins comes from the Cross, not from your asking for it. Jesus died 2000 years before you could ask Him to forgive you. Faith clings to this forgiveness and finds comfort there.
It works that way for your neighbor, too. Forgiveness for their sins comes from the Cross to address your heart, too. All forgiveness comes from the Cross. When we stop looking there for forgiveness, that's a problem. We pray in this petition that we would see our enemies the same way Jesus sees them: died for. Either there's forgiveness for sinners or there's not. Saying there's no forgiveness for sinners isn't going to work out well for you. Taking your grudges to the Cross and seeing that your neighbor's sins against you were so vile that He had to bleed to cover them is a gift. Look at a crucifix and see the nails in the hands of our Savior. That is where your neighbor's sins are punished. That is where wrath is abated. Seeing justice was done lets you see your neighbor as someone who doesn't owe you anything anymore. Jesus paid it.
Forgiveness isn't about what we deserve. It's about what was given. You don't earn your forgiveness by forgiving others. Instead, you get to see the God who forgives whether you're angry or not, and you get to say, "Amen." This is true. I'm angry, but they're still forgiven. Lord, address my heart with comfort so that I can find peace in your Cross, forgiveness for my sins, and forgiveness for my neighbors, too. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Forgive our sins, Lord, we implore, That they may trouble us no more; We, too, will gladly those forgive Who hurt us by the way they live. Help us in our community To serve each other willingly. ("Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" 766, st.6)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 2 Samuel 22:26-34
Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 6:1-19; 1 Corinthians 9:1-23
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer and sets me secure on the heights. (2 Samuel 22:34)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Really, David? Your elderly feet like the feet of a deer? You couldn't even protect your old self from the Philistines and had to be told by your soldiers to just stay home and not get yourself killed (2 Samuel 21:17).
David believed something that his soldiers would not: God the LORD was at work for the sake of His people. Whether David lived or died, it was the mercy of the LORD that would endure. The perfect Word of the LORD always proves true; He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him, old and young alike.
David believed the promise that God had made to Adam and Eve, confirmed to Abraham, and restated to him: God would send One who would redeem the world from sin and the death that comes through sin. He would send One who would be King over all the world and live forever.
The LORD kept His promise and sent to the world David's greater son, Jesus. Jesus brings the light of forgiveness and life into the darkness of the world. Jesus is the mercy of God in the flesh. Jesus is blameless yet bears our blame and guilt on the Cross. Jesus rose from the grave and will give our dead bodies their resurrection, too. Jesus sets us secure on the heights, washed and fed at His font and table.
Old David wasn't delusional, he was filled with faith by the mercy of God. He lived by faith in God's promise that even his tired old bones would be renewed in resurrection life. His sin would be answered for by another, Jesus, and his way made pure and blameless for all eternity.
Such is your life. The merciful LORD has redeemed you in His Son. Your sin is answered for and your death overcome by the Christ. "This God – His way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him" (2 Samuel 22:31).In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
This is a sight that gladdens – What peace it doth impart! Now nothing ever saddens the joy within my heart. No gloom shall ever shake, no foe shall overtake the hope with God's own Son in love for me has won. ("Awake My Heart, with Gladness" LSB 467, st.3)
-Rev. David Magruder is pastor of Peace With Christ Lutheran Church, Fort Collins, CO.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-55
Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 5:1-25; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name." (Luke 1:46–49)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Church honors significant people of faith throughout the year. They serve as witnesses to us of the faithfulness of God and we are therefore encouraged to follow their example in faith and life. This day, we give thanks to God for Mary, the mother of Our Lord.
In his magnificent commentary on the Song of Mary, Luther wrote these words: "Whoever, therefore, would show her (Mary) the proper honor must not regard her alone and by herself, but set her in the presence of God and far beneath Him, must there strip her of all honor, and regard her low estate, as she says; he should then marvel at the exceedingly abundant grace of God, who regards, embraces, and blesses so poor and despised a mortal. Thus regarding her, you will be moved to love and praise God for His grace, and drawn to look for all good things to Him, who does not reject but graciously regards poor and despised and lowly mortals. Thus your heart will be strengthened in faith and love and hope. What do you suppose would please her more than to have you come through her to God this way, and learn from her to put your hope and trust in Him, notwithstanding your despised and lowly estate, in life as well as in death?"
"Notwithstanding your despised and lowly estate"—what wonderful words! Mary recognizes the truth. She is not worthy of this gift from God, yet she receives it in faith. Mary is a picture of us! We deserve the fruits of our sin—death! But in Mary's Son we are given resurrection life. Notwithstanding our despised and lowly estate, we are highly exalted by God and remembered in His mercy. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You chose the Virgin Mary to be the mother of Your only Son. Grant that we, who are redeemed by His blood, may share with her in the glory of Your eternal kingdom, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. David Magruder is pastor of Peace With Christ Lutheran Church, Fort Collins, CO
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 16:1-13
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 25:1-22; 1 Corinthians 3:1-23
"You cannot serve God and money." (Luke 1:13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yes, Jesus, we get it. We cannot serve God and money. If only it were that simple. The new you in Christ says a loud, "Amen," to the word of Jesus that concludes the parable of the rich man and the shrewd manager. However, the old sinful you cannot say, "Amen," to Jesus' conclusion.
We are faithless in the management of much and very little. We love money and the security it brings. If only we had more. We serve money with our time and talent as if it were a god and not a gift from the One whose hand supplies all our needs of body and soul. We get it all backward: We live in service to money instead of recognizing that money serves us. So this parable becomes a call to repentance. Put to death the dishonesty and idolatry that dogs you day by day. We pray with saint/sinner David, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin" (Psalm 51:1-2).
The key to wrapping your heart and mind around the meaning of this parable is to focus on the mercy of the rich man, not the dishonesty of the manager. Mercy.
The dishonest manager was commended because he chose to serve his lord, whom he trusted would be merciful. He used unrighteous wealth to achieve his goal, though he trusted not in the wealth but in his merciful master.
In Luke 12:34 Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there also your heart will be."Faithful disciples will be commended for seeing that the crucified and risen Jesus is their treasure, and for trusting in His mercy. And that mercy is delivered to and for you this day in Jesus' Body and Blood which keeps you, body and soul, now and forever. That's mercy! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Let your merciful ears. O Lord, be open to the prayers of Your humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity)
-Rev. David Magruder is pastor of Peace With Christ Lutheran Church, Fort Collins, CO.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 54;1-3, 7; antiphon: v.4-5)
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 31:1-13; 1 Corinthians 7:1-24
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, " Is not David hiding among us?"(Introduction to Psalm 54)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We're already familiar with the jealousy and murderous actions of King Saul's attempts to take the life of David. Psalm 54, the Introit for tomorrow, was written by King David during this same period, when he was in hiding from the murderous rage of Saul, and was betrayed by Ziphites who told the King his whereabouts.
Like David, you may have experienced betrayal. It's a terrible, hurtful experience. All kinds of emotions arise; from confusion and sadness, to hurt and anger, to fear and doubt. Psalm 54 gives voice to these emotions and helps us to commend our circumstances to God. David prays, telling God of his situation: "Strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life" (Psalm 54:3). He prays for God's help: "O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might" (Psalm 54:1). He expresses his trust that God will make things right: "Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. He will return the evil to my enemies; in your faithfulness put an end to them" (Psalm 54:4-5). And finally, he remembers how God has delivered and helped him in the past: "For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies" (Psalm 54:7).
David couldn't have known how his prayer would perfectly parallel the experience of his descendant Jesus. Jesus was betrayed by Judas, with a kiss. He was abandoned by the rest of His disciples in His time of need. He was betrayed by His own people who shouted, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" But His trust in the Father never wavered. Perhaps He even prayed this psalm that day. God vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead, and now He stands in triumph over all His enemies. If you have been betrayed, look to Christ who was betrayed for you. See in His Cross and resurrection the embodiment of God's faithfulness to you. Take upon your lips the words of Psalm 54, commending yourself to God. And know that your faith in Christ will be vindicated on the Last Day. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, graciously behold this Your family from whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed and delivered into the hands of sinful men to suffer death upon the cross; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Good Friday)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 28:3-25; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20
Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The above list is not exhaustive. You could add "murderers" and "persecutors" to the list, and Paul himself would be included. Paul, like the Christians whom he served, had a past. He was part of the mob that stoned Stephen, the first New Testament martyr (Acts 7:58; 8:1), and he was a persecutor and violent opponent of the first Christians (1 Timothy 1:13). But Jesus had lovingly and firmly called him to repentance on the Damascus road (Acts 9), sent him to a preacher where he heard the Gospel and was washed in Baptism, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and justified in the Name of Jesus Christ. Paul was a changed man.
So were the Christians in Corinth, whom Paul had evangelized. Some of them had similarly dark pasts. But they, too, had been brought to repentance and faith through Paul's preaching of Law and Gospel. They were changed men and women, but that didn't mean that their struggles with sin were over. They were constantly tempted to slip back into the sins which once held such sway over their lives and sometimes, in weakness, they gave in to those temptations. Their lives would be those of daily repentance and faith, living in the forgiveness of sins. As Christians, their sins no longer defined them. No longer were they sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, etc. They had a new identity in Christ. Paul was warning them not to abandon their new identity and return to a life defined by unrepentant sins, but instead to embrace their true identity in Christ and live as those redeemed by Christ.
The same is true for you. Like Paul and the Corinthians, you may have a past, too, one that still tempts and troubles you. But that past doesn't define you. Christ does. You have been watermarked in your Baptism, sanctified by the Holy Spirit and justified in Jesus' Name. And that life, the life of the redeemed is far better. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Now my conscience is at peace; From the Law I stand acquitted. Christ hath purchased my release And my ev' ry sin remitted. Naught remains my soul to grieve: Jesus sinners doth receive. ("Jesus Sinners Doth Receive" LSB 609, st.6)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 26:1-25; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you. . . a man has his father's wife. . . deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 5:1-5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul had some difficult things to say to the church in Corinth. They were tolerating sexual immorality in their midst. A man had even taken his father's wife to be his own. Apparently, none of their pastors or leaders were willing to exercise church discipline and in failing to do so, they had failed to truly love this man.
Now, that might sound strange to you. Most people think of love as a feeling. We feel loved when those around us do and say things that make us feel good, and we often conclude that it would be unloving to ever say anything that might make a loved one feel bad. Even though the Bible speaks of reproof, rebuke, and correction, according to God's Word, as loving acts (2 Timothy 3:16; 4:2), we find ourselves hesitant to do such truly loving works, for fear of being "unloving."
"My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves as a father the son in whom he delights" (Proverbs 3:11-12). Just as a father disciplines his children out of love, Paul was loving this man and the Corinthian congregation when he boldly rebuked them. And even though he instructs them to take the extreme measure of delivering the man to Satan (excommunication), his ultimate desire is that this act of church discipline would finally bring him to repentance "so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord."
Being called to repentance is not a pleasant experience, but it is necessary. Holding on to our sins in unrepentance is to despise Christ and His sacrifice for sinners. Those who gently, or when necessary, firmly, call us to repentance, are people who truly love us. They care more about our salvation than they do about our approval. Let us thank God for them, heed their loving rebuke, repent, and return to Christ our Savior who has delivered us from our sins and freed us to walk in newness of life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Breathe, O Breathe Thy loving Spirit Into every troubled breast; Let us all in Thee inherit; Let us find Thy promised rest. Take away the love of sinning; Alpha and Omega be; End of faith, as its beginning, Set our hearts at liberty. (Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" LSB 700, st.2)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Fourth Petition of the Lord' s Prayer
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 25:23-44; 1 Corinthians 4:1-21
Give us this day our daily bread. (Small Catechism: Fourth Petition of the Lord' s Prayer)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Luther's explanation says, "God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people." If that's true, then why do we need to pray for it? If our praying doesn't earn our daily bread, then why pray at all?
Luther's list of the things included in "daily bread" are the very things we spend our lives trying to get. Our lives are filled with anxious work and worry because we think our daily bread depends on our own efforts. Look at Luther's list and consider how much of your life is filled with the pursuit of these things: "Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like."
We need to pray for daily bread so that we might be set free from our worry and anxious labor. We need to "realize this," that God is the source of our daily bread, and to confess this with our mouth by asking Him for what He has promised to give. In so doing, we will receive our daily bread—not as something we have earned, but as a gift from God—"with thanksgiving."
For we do have such a gracious God who can be trusted to provide. After all, has He not already given us the far greater gift of salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ? "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry. His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. (Psalm 147:7–11)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Acts 20:27-38
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 25:1-22; 1 Corinthians 3:1-23
And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him. (Acts 20:37)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Why was there so much weeping from the Ephesian elders? Why did they hug and kiss Paul, sad to see him go? They were emotional because of their great love for Paul. And they loved Paul, most of all, because he had proclaimed the truth to them.
The last couple of Reflections have warned us against false teachers and their wicked fruit of false doctrine. We are to "watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that [we] have been taught" and "avoid them" (Romans 16:17). But how should we respond to those who proclaim God's truth to us?
The Ephesian elders provide us with a good example. Among them were Jews who had spent their whole lives desperately trying to earn God's favor by keeping the letter of the Law. Also among them were Greeks, raised in idolatry and wickedness. All had been lost in sin, futilely trying to save themselves. But now they knew the true God of love who sent His Son to rescue them from their sin. And who was it that brought them this good news? Paul! They loved him so, because he had delivered to them the greatest gift of all—God' s true words of freedom and life.
Paul didn't tell them what they wanted to hear. Paul says, "I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:20–21). The Holy Spirit accompanied his preaching, bringing each of these men to repentance and faith. In many ways, then, they owed their eternal lives to the man who had proclaimed this saving Gospel to them.
So have you been blessed with people who have proclaimed and taught you God's true Word. Whoever they are, be they parents or grandparents, other relatives or friends, and especially your pastors, God has worked through them to give you the greatest gift of all—repentance and faith in Jesus Christ leading to eternal life. Recognizing the great gifts that they have brought to you, how can you not treasure them, love them, and thank God for them? In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Christ, our true and only light, Enlighten those who sit in night; Let those afar now hear Your voice And in your fold with us rejoice. ("O Christ, Our True and Only Light" LSB 839, st.1)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Jeremiah 23:16-29
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 24:1-22; 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:16
"Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. . . they say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you' ; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.' " (Jeremiah 23:16–17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Again, we see how seriously God warns us about the dangers of false prophets. Jesus said, "You will recognize them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16). One fruit of false teachers is that they are quick to tell you what you want to hear. The hard thing about speaking the truth is that sometimes folks don't want to hear it. Paul warned young Timothy, "The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from the truth. . . " (2 Timothy 4:3–4). Any pastor who tries to preach and teach God' s truth as revealed in Holy Scripture quickly encounters those with itching ears who will reject him for his message. And immediately following that, he is faced with the intense temptation of the flesh to tell people what they want to hear in order to avoid suffering and be liked by all.
That is why Paul exhorted Timothy to "be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching" (2 Timothy 4:2). God's truth demanded that Timothy do unpleasant things like reproving, rebuking, and exhorting. Our challenge is that God's Word says things we don't want to hear. No one enjoys being reproved or rebuked. But as unpleasant as it is, you need your sins exposed, or else you will go on in your sins, despising God's Word, and stubbornly following your own heart, all the while thinking "all is well with me" and "no disaster shall befall me."
What you need is a faithful preacher, willing to speak the truth, not false teachers telling you what you want to hear. Salvation is not a vain hope in yourself; it is sure hope in Christ crucified and risen for you. Faithful preachers are willing to say the hard words to you, so that you will be ready to receive the good words in faith. And the good Gospel words are these: "It shall be well with you IN CHRIST," and, "No disaster shall befall you IN CHRIST." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Preach you the Word and plant it home To men who like or like it not, The Word that shall endure and stand When flow' rs and men shall be forgot. ("Preach You the Word" LSB 586, st.1)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Matthew 7:15-23
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 20:24-42; 1 Corinthians 1:1-25
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:15–16a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Why can't we all just get along? Why is the Church so fractured, divided, and engaged in endless doctrinal arguments? Wouldn't it be better to set aside our differences and try to work together for the sake of the Church? You know, people who believe the Bible is God's Word and those who don't; those who celebrate homosexuality and those who call it sin; those who teach that Baptism saves and those who say it's only a symbol. Are these issues (and so many others) really worth dividing the Church? Can't we all just get along? It certainly would make for more peaceful lives and a more peaceful church. But there's just one little problem: Jesus won't have it!
He's dead serious about the dangers of false teaching. He calls the false prophets "wolves"—a demonic name. They are rotten trees with bad fruit which shall be cut down and thrown into the "fire"—a designation for hell. It sounds harsh, but Jesus is trying to impress upon us the seriousness of false doctrine. Our God is a God of truth. The truth He reveals in His Word is for our good and for our salvation. Any teaching that contradicts the truth is an attack on our salvation.
"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). All the false religions of men teach that the will of the Father is salvation by works. But in truth, this is the will of the Father: that the Son drink the cup of His wrath, and spill His blood on the Cross. The will of the Father is that you take and drink the lifeblood of His Son in Holy Communion, for the remission of your sins. The saving truth is that Christ has paid your debt. Your sins are forgiven. You are blessed and loved by Him. And if Jesus needs to get a little harsh with the false teachers to protect that truth, so be it. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Grant to us, Lord, the Spirit to think and do always such things as are right, that we, who cannot do anything that is good without You, may be enabled by You to live according to Your will; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Introit for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity
(Psalm 48:1, 3, 11, 14; antiphon: v.9-10)
Daily Lectionary:1 Samuel 20:1-23; Acts 28:16-31
We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. (From the Introit for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Tomorrow is the Lord's Day. Once again, we will go to the house of the Lord for worship. And it's good for us to occasionally ask ourselves: Why do we do this? Why do we go to church? Do we go to stroke God' s ego and tell Him how great He is? Do we go to church because God said we have to, and will be mad at us if we don' t?
"We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple." That's what the Old Testament saints thought about church. To be sure, God commanded them to go, and the psalms they sang were full of praise for God. But God is not insecure. Nor does He issue commands simply to burden His children with yet one more thing to do to appease Him. Instead, God's faithful people knew that He only commanded that which was good for them. And when it came to praising God, well, they just couldn't help it. Why? Because there, in the temple, they received the greatest gifts of all. There they meditated upon God's steadfast love, remembered His mercies, and received that love again in the forgiveness of their sins. There in the temple they met with God and received His gift of forgiveness through the Old Testament sacrificial (sacramental) system.
When their weak flesh tried to convince them that they had better things to do, God's command rebuked their flesh, and God's promises motivated them to come in faith. And as they received the Gifts, they could not help but praise His holy Name.
Tomorrow is the Lord's Day. Your flesh may offer up reasons not to go to church, but God's command is there to curb the flesh, and His promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation remind you of the great blessings you will receive there. It's really quite amazing and wonderful! God Himself shows up in every congregation where the Word of God is preached purely and His Sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution. There, love and forgiveness are poured out upon God's faithful people as they gather in His presence. And in receiving these Gifts, God's people cannot help but thank and praise their gracious God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Open now thy gates of beauty; Zion let me enter there, Where my soul in joyful duty Waits for Him who answers prayer. Oh, how blessed is this place, Filled with solace, light, and grace! ("Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty" LSB 901, st.1)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 19:1-24; Acts 28:1-15
And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father. (1 Samuel 19:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. David's troubles with Saul continue in today's reading. Saul is still plotting and scheming to take David's life. But here we learn that David had an intercessor and friend in Saul's son Jonathan, who spoke on behalf of his friend David. How bold Jonathan was in his dealings with his father for the sake of his friend. In faith and love he obeyed the Eighth Commandment, defending David and speaking well of him, all at great risk to himself.
In this, Jonathan is a picture of Christ, our truest friend and intercessor. The circumstances are not exactly the same. After all, we are guilty, whereas David, as Jonathan said, "has not sinned against you (Saul), and his deeds have brought good to you" (1 Samuel 19:4). Furthermore, Saul was a wicked man, motivated by sinful jealousy, but God is righteous, holy, and pure.
This means Jesus, as our friend and intercessor, has a much harder job defending us than Jonathan did defending David. We are not innocent. We have earned God's righteous wrath. We have sinned against our king and deserve to die. How will our intercessor and friend, Jesus, appease God our king?
In a far greater way than Jonathan, Jesus took all the risk upon Himself. To save us from God' s righteous wrath, He took our place, bearing the punishment that was meant for us. Risen from the grave, and seated at God' s right hand in glory, Jesus is our advocate before the Father. He says to His Father, "Behold My friends. See how I have paid for their sins, forgiven them Myself, washed them clean in Baptism, and filled them with My own life. Not a spot, not a blemish, not a stain of sin remains in them."
Jesus welcomes us into His kingdom and presents us before His Father cleansed and redeemed, righteous, holy, and pure. And the Father cannot but agree with His Son. He relents from His righteous wrath and welcomes you into His presence with open arms.
What a wonderful friend and intercessor you have in Jesus! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Jesus, hail! Enthroned in glory, There forever to abide; All the heavenly hosts adore Thee, Seated at Thy Father's side. There for sinners Thou art pleading; There Thou dost our place prepare, Ever for us interceding Till in glory we appear. ("Hail, Thou Once Despised Jesus" LSB 531, st.3)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 18:10-30; Acts 27:27-44
Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. (1 Samuel 18:12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Speaking of tyrannical kings (recall the Reflection from the Seventh Sunday after Trinity) and evil plans and purposes of the devil (yesterday's Reflection), we have in 1 Samuel 18:10–30 the incarnation of both. Saul had become a wicked king, and God had withdrawn His blessing from him. David, however, had already been chosen by God as Saul's successor, and it was clear that God's blessing rested upon him. Not only did God give David success in battle, He also led David to love and be respectful of his enemy. This seemed to enrage Saul even more. By trickery, deceit, and outright violence, Saul tried time and again to end David's life. But God hindered the evil plans and purposes of Saul (which were of the devil) and protected and defended His chosen servant, David.
David foreshadows another chosen servant of the Lord: Jesus the Christ. He, too, was hated by jealous foes who tried and even succeeded in killing Him, "although he had done no violence and there was no deceit in his mouth" (Isaiah 53:9b). As was the case with Saul, so it was with Jesus' enemies. The devil and his evil plans and purposes lay behind their jealous rage. But even though they succeeded in putting Him to death, God did not abandon His soul nor let His body see corruption (Psalm 16:10). Even death could not defeat Him.
And death cannot defeat you, either. The devil and all this world's tyrants rage against Christ, against the Church, and against you. Even though, in Christ, you love your enemies and seek their good, so often your faithfulness and love enrage them even more. Their evil plan and purpose is for your destruction. But you are God's chosen in Holy Baptism. You are His own beloved people. They can rage, plot, and try their best to bring about your destruction. But all their plans shall fail. For you are the ones redeemed by the blood of your Savior, Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Though devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us, We tremble not, we fear no ill; They shall not overpow'r us. This world's prince may still Scowl fierce as he will, He can harm us none. He's judged; the deed is done; One little word can fell him. ("A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" LSB 656, st.3)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Third Petition of the Lord' s Prayer
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:48-18:9; Acts 27:9-26
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Small Catechism: Third Petition of the Lord' s Prayer)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God's will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. God gave His Word to Adam and Eve—His good command not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The devil hated God and enacted his evil purpose and plan for the downfall of the man and woman whom God had created in love. He tempted them to disobey God's Word of life, bringing sin and death into the world.
Since then, Satan's evil purpose and plan have continued to be the downfall of man. And ever since the Fall, the sin-corrupted world and our sin-corrupted flesh have been his allies. Luther called the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh the "unholy trinity," a united terrible force bent on our eternal destruction.
Only one man stood in their way—the God-man, Jesus Christ. Here the Creator of the world, who had taken on uncorrupted human flesh, stood stronger than the devil. Only He could oppose the "unholy trinity" and have a prayer of winning. Imagine the devil's sinister glee when his greatest enemy was crucified, dead, and buried. Little did he know that the Cross was his undoing. For there at the Cross, God offered Himself in the place of sinners. Jesus "overcame the assaults of the devil and gave His life as a ransom for many." He "was sacrificed for us and bore the sins of the world. By His dying He has destroyed death, and by His rising again He has restored to us everlasting life."
This is God' s will—to save you, to defeat the "unholy trinity" in His Cross and resurrection, to baptismally unite you to Jesus in His dying and rising, to give you faith so that you hallow God' s holy Name, live as a citizen of His kingdom, and be strengthened and kept firm in His Word and faith until you die and are raised to live with Him forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Christ the Lord of hosts, unshaken By the devil's seething rage, Thwarts the plan of Satan' s minions; Wins the strife from age to age; Conquers sin and death forever; Slams them in their steely cage.
Jesus came, this word fulfilling, Trampled Satan, death defied; Bore the brunt of our temptation, On the wretched tree He died. Yet to life was raised victorious; By His life our life supplied. ("Christ, the Lord of Hosts, Unshaken" LSB 521, st.1, 4)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Romans 6:19-23
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:20-47; Acts 26:24-27:8
The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:22–23)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Adam earned his wages when he ate the forbidden fruit, and death has reigned ever since. Adam was the first, but you have earned your wages, too. Death is coming for you. Death is what you have earned for your sins.
How foolish, then, is the idea that anyone could earn salvation. And yet, that is the one thing religions apart from Christianity have in common. All non-Christian religions, and sadly, even some who claim to be Christian, teach ways you can save yourself, whether by obedience, sacrifices, right worship, or going after a kind of intellectual or spiritual enlightenment. Even those who claim no religion at all seek to make themselves righteous by strongly (and sometimes obnoxiously) supporting the latest social causes of the day. They may not even believe in God or in heaven or hell, but with religious enthusiasm they try to make themselves righteous through activism.
The Holy Spirit, speaking through the writings of Paul, demolishes all such schemes. "The wages of sin is death." If you have sinned, even once, then you have already earned your wages, and they will be paid. "The soul who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:20). If you wish to escape this fate, it will not be the result of anything you do, because everything you do is done by a sinner. Salvation, then, cannot be achieved, won, or earned by you. Instead, it is achieved, won, and earned by Jesus and then given to you. And it's given freely, because there is nothing in you worthy of the gift. To be sure, it's good, even demanded, that we "learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, and plead the widow' s cause" (Isaiah 1:17). These things are good, but they are not Jesus. Only Jesus can save.
Receive salvation from Jesus. Rejoice in it. Thank the Lord and praise His holy Name. Study the Bible and grow in wisdom, understanding, and good works. Serve your neighbors and bless them. But never forget that "the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Thy love and grace alone avail To blot out my transgression; The best and holiest deeds must fail To break sin' s dread oppression. Before Thee none can boasting stand, But all must fear Thy strict demand And live alone by mercy. ("From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee" LSB 607, st.2)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Genesis 2:7-17
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:1-19; Acts 26:1-23
The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Artwork often portrays the Tree of Life as bright and beautiful, green and full of delectable fruit, while the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is dark and ugly, scraggly, with a single poison apple attached. This is inaccurate. God called all that He made very good. Both trees were beautiful, reflecting the beauty of their Creator. Both trees were good.
If anything, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was the most beautiful and most precious of all the trees, since this tree had God's Word attached to it. Before the Fall, God's Word of command was received by Adam as a gift from God. "For man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Luther, in his great Genesis commentary, pictures this tree as the place of worship. Adam and his wife would have gathered at the tree. Adam would preach God's Word about the tree, and they would worship their good God by keeping His Word—admiring the tree but leaving the fruit alone.
God's words are good. His commands are good and beautiful and precious. Only sin makes disobedience attractive. Because of sin, the minute God tells us, "No," we want to do it more than ever. How sad it is that the serpent tempted them, and that they were deceived and transgressed the command, plunging the world into sin and death. Now God's commands seem burdensome rather than good. Now every forbidden fruit seems irresistible.
"To Jesus we for refuge flee, Who from the curse has set us free, And humbly worship at His throne, Saved by His grace through faith alone" ("The Law of God Is Good and Wise" LSB 579, st.6).
We flee to Jesus, the new and greater Adam, whose obedience is credited to us, and whose payment for guilt has set us free. And basking in His forgiveness and life, we learn, more and more, to love God's Word, and even His good commands. And soon, in the resurrection of all flesh, our lives will wholly conform to God's good and beautiful Word. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Our works cannot salvation gain; They merit only endless pain. Forgive us Lord! To Christ we flee, Who pleads for us endlessly. Have mercy, Lord! ("These Are the Holy Ten Commands" LSB 581, st.12)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Mark 8:1-9
Daily Lectionary:1 Samuel 16:1-23; Acts 25:13-27
"I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat." (Mark 8:2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Speaking of kings (see yesterday' s Reflection), here we see Jesus, doing what good kings do: providing for His people in their time of need. Jesus has gone into the wilderness and crowds have followed Him, eager to hear His words of eternal life. In their eagerness, they took no thought for their own provision, and now they are in danger of fainting from hunger on the way home.
Jesus has compassion on them. But it's also a test for His disciples. He wants them to learn to imitate His compassionate ways. There are a few factors that might get in the way of their compassion. First, the crowd is made up of mostly Gentiles, people traditionally looked down upon and despised by the Jews. Second, one could argue that the people are in this situation due to their own negligence. What were they thinking, wandering off into the wilderness without bringing provisions? How irresponsible of them! Third, the disciples themselves have only seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. If they share what they have, they may find themselves fainting on the way home.
With these three strikes against compassion, the disciples fail the test. "How can we feed THESE people in this desolate place? They're Gentile sinners. They should have been more responsible. They have only themselves to blame. We came prepared. Why should we share with them and go hungry ourselves?"
Jesus is undeterred. He has compassion on the people. And, as God in the flesh, He provides for their needs. His compassion also extends to His disciples. He doesn't condemn them for their failure. He has them distribute the food so that they will learn to love sinners as He loves sinners. He feeds them, too, with more to spare. Thus, they learned to trust Jesus, and to be generous, even in times of scarcity. And by this example, so do we.
"Praise Him for His grace and favor To His people in distress; Praise Him still the same as ever, Slow to chide and swift to bless: Alleluia, Alleluia! Glorious in His faithfulness" (LSB 793, st.2). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, whose never-failing providence orders all things both in heaven and earth, we humbly implore You to put away from us all hurtful things and to give us those things that are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity
(Psalm 47:3, 6-8; antiphon: v.1-2)
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 15:10-35; Acts 24:24-25:12
Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. (Psalm 47:1–2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Americans have a hard time with the idea of God as our king. We threw off the rule of King George III in the American Revolution and haven't had a king since. We red-blooded, freedom-loving Americans wouldn't want a king, either.
And there are some good reasons for that. Samuel warned the people of Israel about the negative consequences of having a king over them (2 Samuel 8:10–18). Jesus acknowledges that earthly kings often abuse their authority: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you" (Matthew 20:25). When sinful men are given that much power, there is always a temptation toward corruption and tyranny. The annals of history are filled with stories of wicked kings.
Is that the kind of king God is? Certainly not! Our God and king does not rule over us for His own gain or benefit. He does not abuse or take advantage of His subjects. He has no sinful nature to tempt Him to corruption or tyranny. Our God who is love (1 John 4:8) has committed Himself to us, and uses His almighty power for our benefit and for our good. To have such a king is a blessing, not a curse. So when you think of God as king, remember that He is king in the very best sense of the word, a king who provides for His people, who defends them from their enemies, and who fights for them, giving them victory over their foes.
In fact, the most helpful way to think of God as king is to look to Jesus Christ. Learn from Him what a good king is. See how Jesus, the compassionate king, provides for His people as you read tomorrow' s account of the feeding of the 4,000. That was but a preview of the ultimate provision of salvation and eternal life that His reign will bestow on His people. For Jesus will come into His kingdom on the Cross, and there win the victory for us over sin, death, and the devil, providing for us the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Here is truly a king worth praising! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
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Praise, my soul, the King of heaven; To His feet your tribute bring; Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, Evermore His praises sing: Alleluia, Alleluia! Praise the everlasting King. ("Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven" LSB 793, st.1)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 14:47-15:9; Acts 24:1-23
"Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him." (John 11:10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today the Church commemorates three siblings and friends of our Lord: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany. Jesus had friends! Sometimes we forget that. But Jesus calls His disciples "friends" (John 15:15). And Jesus had other friends as well, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus included.
In the two famous accounts of Jesus' interaction with these friends, we see Jesus doing the kinds of things friends do. He visits Mary and Martha for a dinner party (Luke 10:38–42) and teaches them an important lesson about the priority of hearing His Word. Later, Jesus grieves over the death of their brother Lazarus (John 11). We can relate. We've probably all been over to a friend's house for dinner, and many of us have grieved the death of a friend.
Can you imagine what it would be like to have Jesus as your friend? He who fed thousands with a few loaves and fishes might be a pretty awesome dinner guest. And look at what Jesus did for Lazarus, raising him from the dead! (Read John 11 for the whole story.) Being friends with Jesus is a wonderful thing!
You might think, "I could never be Jesus' friend. He's so powerful and holy, and I'm a dirty, rotten sinner. Even if He were my friend, I would just let Him down." And there's a lot of truth in that, for in your sin, you made yourself His enemy. You broke the relationship and betrayed your friend. There's nothing you can do to ever make that right. Only Jesus can.
You have failed, but Jesus was faithful. "Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:6–8). You have no truer friend than Jesus, who loved you while you were His enemy and gave His life for you. And He has made you His friend by the gift of faith.
One day soon, you will sleep as Lazarus slept. But fear not! Jesus, your true and faithful friend, who is the "resurrection and the life" (John 11:25), will come to awaken you to eternal life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Thee will I love, my life, my Savior, Who art my best and truest friend. Thee will I love and praise forever, For never shall thy kindness end. Thee will I love with all my heart—Thou my redeemer art. ("Thee Will I Love, My Strength, My Tower" LSB 694, st.2)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Romans 6:3-11
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 13:1-18; Acts 23:12-35
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Through Baptism you are united with Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection. His death counts as your death, and His resurrection is the certainty of your own resurrection.
There' s no doubt that you deserve to die. "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Just one sin, one little white lie, one selfish thought, one slip of the tongue. . . just one of these deserves death, eternal death. If you think this is unjust, it simply proves again the depth of your rebellion against your creator. You're so sinful you think it's no big deal! So yes, you deserve to die.
One way or another, you will die. If you die going your own way, you die forever. But there's another way to die, without dying forever. Paul speaks of it in Romans 6. "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" (Romans 6:3). This means that God' s gift of Baptism has bridged the gap between you and Calvary. Jesus' death is now your death.
It's as if you were there with Him as He hung on that Cross, as He gave His last breath. It's as if you were the one there dying for your sin. On the Cross Jesus was carrying the sins of the whole world. All God's wrath, all His anger over your sin, was taken out on Jesus, and He died. Your death is no longer required as payment for your sin, all because you are joined to Jesus in Baptism.
But wait, there' s more. Jesus died, but He didn't stay dead. Paul goes on to say, "If we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his." If His death is your death, certainly His resurrection is your resurrection. "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). Your death will be "but a slumber" (LSB 938, st.1). No need to fear death. Your death will be like His. Your death will end in resurrection and eternal life. And all because you are baptized! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In baptism we now put on Christ—Our shame is fully covered With all that He once sacrificed And freely for us suffered. For here the flood of His own blood Now makes us holy, right and good Before our heavenly Father. ("All Christians Who Have Been Baptized" LSB 596, st.4)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Second Petition of the Lord' s Prayer
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 12:1-25; Acts 22:30-23:11
Thy kingdom come. (Small Catechism: Second Petition of the Lord's Prayer)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God's kingdom does not consist of a land with borders, a castle or palace, or an earthly ruler enthroned with a scepter in his hand, wearing a golden crown and royal robes. God's kingdom is Jesus. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!' or ‘There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst" (Luke 17:20). As He said these words, Jesus was literally standing "in the midst" of a group of Pharisees, so when He said, "The kingdom of God is in your midst," He was referring to Himself!
The Pharisees weren't praying for God's kingdom to come—at least, not in the Person of Jesus Christ. The kingdom came to them without their prayers. They would reject and crucify their king, but He would still be their king. His royal scepter would be a reed, His crown a crown of thorns, and His royal robes a blood-soaked purple robe of mockery and shame. The Cross would be His royal throne, and from there the riches of His kingdom would be bestowed upon all mankind.
You do not make Jesus your king by your prayer or decision. Some Christians imagine that Jesus can't be your king until YOU "make Him the Lord of your life," as if Jesus were incapable of being your king until you "let" Him be. Jesus is already the King of kings and Lord of lords. He rules over all creation by His divine power, and He will rule in glory for all eternity. You don't make Him your king; He makes Himself your king. That's what happened when you were baptized. Jesus, your king, chose you to be His own, to live under Him in His kingdom, the Church, which is His own Body, in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.
That's what we're praying for in this petition. We're thanking King Jesus for making Himself our king and we are asking our king to defend us from the evil one, provide for us the gifts of salvation, give us the Holy Spirit and the gift of faith, and rule in our hearts and in our lives until He comes again in glory. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Your kingdom come. Guard Your domain And your eternal righteous reign. The Holy Ghost enrich our day With gifts attendant on our way. Break Satan's power, defeat his rage; Preserve your Church from age to age. ("Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" LSB 766, st.3)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Exodus 20:1-17
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 10:1-27; Acts 22:17-29
"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." (Exodus 20:2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Before the Law is given, the Gospel rings forth. God reminds His people that He is their God and they are His people. He chose them to be His own. He delivered them from their slavery in the land of Egypt—a testimony of His love for them.
The Ten Commandments, then, are not a list of arbitrary rules handed down from some distant, uncaring, "cosmic kill-joy god." They are the rules and statutes laid down by a loving Father for His own children. These commandments are good, each reflecting God's own goodness. They outline the good life according to God's design, protecting and upholding God's good gifts to us. Our creator God knows what is good for us, and when we keep these commandments, we are truly blessed, and also are a blessing to others.
As our loving Father, God is also very serious about these commandments. They reflect God's holiness. They are not a collection of "divine suggestions." Your Father really wants you to lead a holy life, for your own sake and for the sake of others. When you fail to do so, God's good commandments condemn and convict you, showing how you have fallen short in your love for God and for your neighbor. By this word of Law, your loving Father disciplines and chastises you. "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives" (Hebrews 12:6).
Do not despise the discipline of the Lord, but confess: "I, a poor, miserable sinner. . . " You can speak this truth, because your Father is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities" (Psalm 103:8–10). Instead, He deals with you according to His Son, Jesus, who alone obeyed every commandment, and paid the ultimate price for sinners. On Thursday we will see how Baptism unites you to the perfect obedience and atoning sacrifice of Jesus, setting you free—free to be all that Christ has declared you to be. Now, in that freedom, you love the Law and strive to obey your loving Father who has given these commandments to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
To Jesus we for refuge flee, Who from the curse has set us free, And humbly worship at His throne, Saved by His grace through faith alone. ("The Law of God Is Good and Wise" LSB 579, st.6)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 9:1-27; Acts 21:37-22:16
"But to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." (Mark 10:37)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. James and John didn't know what they were asking. They imagined that Jesus, the Messiah, would come into His kingdom in a big, grand, and glorious way, and they wanted in on the action—power, glory, and popularity before men. We crave these things as well, wanting to be liked and glorified by our peers, measuring others' approval by the number of likes on our latest social media post or latching on to the popular people at work or school, hoping to share in their glory.
But Jesus is not the way to earthly glory. Instead, those who trust in Jesus are more likely to be hated by the world. All of Jesus' disciples would drink the cup of suffering and be baptized in their own blood at the hands of their persecutors. James, who is remembered today, was the first apostle martyred for the faith, beheaded by King Herod—grandson of the Herod who attempted to murder Jesus in His infancy (Matthew 14:1–12 and Mark 6:14–29).
Jesus' glory is completely different. His glory is His mercy and grace for undeserving sinners like James and John—and you. His glory was to drink the cup of God' anger that sinners deserved and to be baptized in blood as God' s fiery wrath toward sinners was poured upon Him on the Cross. As King Jesus hung upon His royal throne, others were present at His right and His left. Strangely, two robbers received this honor (Mark 15:27). For "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
The glorious ones in Christ' kingdom are not the wealthy or famous or popular. The glorious ones in Christ' kingdom are the ones for whom He died: Sinners, robbers, those without a shred of personal worthiness or goodness, who deserve no glory, but are glorified by Jesus' forgiveness, who are baptized in His Name and who drink the eucharistic cup of His Blood. Those two robbers stand for you. You are the glorious ones, made glorious by Jesus' redemption. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, for James, we praise You, Who fell to Herod's sword; He drank the cup of suff'ring and thus fulfilled your word. Lord, curb our vain impatience For glory and for fame, Equip us for such suff'rings As glorify your name. ("By All Your Saints in Warfare" LSB 518, st.21)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 5:17-26
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 8:1-22; Acts 21:15-36
"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." (Matthew 5:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The "Law and the Prophets" are the whole Old Testament: every rule, penalty, prophecy, and promise, and even all the weird stuff, like that rule about not boiling a young goat in its mother' s milk (Exodus 23:19). Not an "iota or dot," that is, not even the tiniest letter or point of punctuation, is to be removed. Far from relaxing even one commandment, Jesus intensifies them all. Take the Fifth Commandment. You might say to yourself, "I'm no murderer. If there's one commandment I've surely kept, it's the fifth!" Then Jesus teaches you that the minute you got angry with your sibling, or insulted someone on social media, you became a murderer (Matthew 5:21–22). So, "unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." There's no watering down God's requirements to something "doable." The Gospel is not, "We're all sinners but God loves us anyway," as if God were not serious about His requirements. No, you must become more righteous than the most righteous people you can imagine. In Jesus' day those were the scribes and the Pharisees. Actually, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).
Thank God, that's what JESUS came to do: not to abolish the Law or the prophets, but to fulfill them, perfectly, right down to iotas and dots, even the really weird, obscure stuff. (That's right, Jesus showed His respect for God's gift of life to animals by never boiling a young goat in its mother's life-giving milk.) You might say, "So what if He kept them perfectly? I haven't!" True, you haven't, but He has, for you. Not only the rules and regulations but also the penalties. That's what He was doing on the Cross—taking the penalty you deserved into Himself. In Baptism you are joined to Him. The perfect obedience He rendered and the penalty He paid count for you. Scribes and Pharisees trust their own righteousness. You trust Christ's righteousness given to you in Baptism, and that is a far greater righteousness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
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. Amen. (Collect for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity)
-Rev. Jeffrey Ware is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity
(Psalm 28:1-2, 7; antiphon: v.8-9)
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 6:19-7:17; Acts 19:1-22
To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. (Psalm 28:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. David tells us that the Lord is his rock, his fortress, and his stronghold, the One to whom David turns when he is in need. David prays that the Lord will hear him. If the Lord does not act, then David will go down to the pit, the grave, and he will die. These pleas for mercy come from the heart and mind of one who was painfully aware of His sinfulness. David knew his faults, and by faith, he knew that God alone could save him.
In verse 7 we read, "The Lord is my strength and my shield." This is a good reminder for us because the Lord alone is our strength. He is the shield that not only protects us in this life, but also gives us life.
Like David, we are sinners. Our lives are filled with things we should not have done and things we should have done. We have failed to keep the commands of God, and without Jesus, we would go down to the pit. The wages of sin is death, and we can only be made right with God by the blood of Jesus shed on the Cross for us. Jesus our Savior died and rose from the dead, so we now have forgiveness and life in His Name. This mercy of God comes to us by faith, and it makes us alive so that we trust in Him and are strengthened in this life.
The Lord is your rock. He is the stronghold of your life. He is not silent to us. No, the Lord speaks to us through His Word when we read it. His voice comes to us in church through preaching and teaching. The Lord's Word is proclaimed by the Absolution and when you receive the Body and Blood of Christ. All of these good things are poured out by the One who is never silent, for the Lord hears the prayers of His people and shows mercy to all who cry out to Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, continue to hear the prayers of Your servants. Help us always to remember that You alone are our rock and our shield. Thank You for the forgiveness and life You give to us through Your Son, our Savior Jesus. We ask that You help us each day to live and serve You as obedient children. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 20:1-2, 10-18
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 5:1-6:3, 10-16; Acts 18:1-11, 23-28
Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher) (John 20:16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mary Magdalene received a number of blessings from the Lord Jesus. In Luke 8:1-3, we read about how Jesus healed her by exorcizing seven demons. Once this miracle happens, Mary follows Jesus, and the blessings continue to come as she listens to the teachings of her Lord.
Then in John's Gospel, we read that Mary is the first person to see the resurrected Jesus. At first she does not recognize Jesus. Maybe the tears, and the fact that she was an eyewitness to His death on the Cross, have so clouded her vision that the empty tomb, the angels, and even the appearance of Jesus Himself cannot cut through the sadness that fills her being. Mary is seeking a dead body, for she saw it taken down from the Cross. This living man standing before her could not be Jesus, so he must be a gardener.
Mary only knows the truth when she hears, "Mary." The voice of her Savior is unique, it is powerful, and it has authority. Jesus speaks one simple word, and Mary knows who He is. And all is now good. Jesus, who died on the Cross for the sins of the world, is now alive, and He comes with life and salvation.
Like Mary, all of us have received blessings from the Lord Jesus. Jesus called you by name. In Baptism He spoke your name and brought life, hope, and salvation to you. No longer are you dead in your sins. Now, because of Jesus, you are forgiven. The blessings of the Lord do not stop with Baptism. Weekly the Lord comes in bread and wine, and at the altar you receive His very Body and Blood, a blessing that forgives your sins, strengthens your faith, and preserves you all the days of your life.
One day we will once again hear the voice of our Savior Jesus. On that day, He will call us by name, and we will arise from our graves to live and serve Him forever in Paradise. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, Your Son, Jesus Christ, restored Mary Magdalene to health and called her to be the first witness of his resurrection. Heal us from all our infirmities, and call us to know You in the power of Your Son' s unending life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for St. Mary Magdalene)
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 4:1-22; Acts 16:23-40
Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." (Acts 16:30-31)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The jailer thought he had failed in his duty. As a Roman jailer, your life was over if your prisoners escaped while in your custody. This man was about to kill himself for his failure when Paul cried out to him. What a sweet message those words of Paul were to a man lost and without hope! This sinner realized that Paul and his companions were proclaiming a message of life and hope to those who were as good as dead. The cry of "What must I do to be saved?" is a cry that all who have been killed by the Law utter. For the Law always leads us to despair of ourselves, to see the gravity of our sins, and to look for help.
At this point, when we are dead in sin, the Gospel can come and save us. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ." The proclamation of the Gospel to the jailer and his family immediately led to Baptism. This man and his whole family received the washing and rebirth that comes to all sinners, regardless of age, when the Word of God is connected to simple water. This water is transformed into a life-giving water that gives faith and life to all who receive it.
The Gift that was given that day to the jailer is also given to you. While you are dead in your sins, God calls you by name. He washes you. He makes you alive. He forgives all your sins. He makes you holy. This Gift you receive because of Jesus and the sacrifice that He offered on the Cross through His innocent suffering and death for your sins. Because Jesus has risen from the dead, you also will rise and live with Him in heaven.
Rejoice in that gift and believe that the words and promises of God are for you, not just today, but every day of your life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Dear Lord, awaken us that we may be prepared to receive your Son with joy when he comes and to serve him with a pure heart. Graciously hurry the coming of that day. Bless and prepare us with wisdom and strength that in the meantime we may walk wisely and uprightly. May we joyfully wait for the coming of your dear Son and so depart from this valley of sorrow. Amen. (Luther' s Prayers, ed. Herbert F. Brokering. Augsburg Fortress, p.106)
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: First Petition of the Lord's Prayer
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 3:1-21; Acts 16:1-22
God' s name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also. (Small Catechism: First Petition of the Lord's Prayer)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God is holy, so His Name is always holy on account of who He is. Yet Martin Luther teaches us that we have a responsibility to keep God's Name holy. How can we do this? We can only do this by remaining in the true Word of God. How does this happen? Well, it happens when all of God's Word is taught exactly as God intends it to be taught.
The problem we face as churches and as individuals is that our sinful flesh does not ever want to hear the truth. You see, the truth revealed in Holy Scripture shows us our failures. It reveals our sins. It tells us that God does not want us to live as selfish individuals who only think about our own pleasure. The Law of God is intended to kill us, and we don't want to die. That is why it is a struggle to listen to the truth.
This difficulty is one of the reasons so many churches distort, change, or ignore portions of the Bible and instead teach some other nonsense. In so doing, they lead people astray and profane the Name of God.
By faith we pray, "Hallowed be Thy Name." The Holy Spirit alone has the power to lead us to hallow God' s Name. It is only by faith that you or I can hear and believe all that the Law has to say to us. Then, as we come to a knowledge of the truth, we are able to confess our sins and turn to Jesus, for He alone can forgive our sins.
As forgiven children of God, we are called to live holy lives according to the Word of God. All of us do this when we continue steadfast in the Word, listening to what it teaches and doing what it says. As long as we sinners are here on earth, we will continue to do this imperfectly. But because of the sacrifice Jesus offered up by His death on the Cross, we continue to be forgiven of all our sins. So we daily must return to our Baptisms, and there in the water and the Word, we arise new men in Christ, forgiven always. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, help us daily to hallow Thy Name. Protect us from all that would dishonor You and lead us to study Your Word with open hearts and minds. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Peter 3:8-15
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 2:18-36; Acts 15:22-41
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In 1 Peter 3, we are told how a believer in Christ is supposed to think, act, and live. What a list of expectations we are to follow! How are you doing? Do you show brotherly love? Are you humble? Do you keep your tongue from evil? Sadly, I know all of us have to confess that we are not good at doing these things. Our sinful flesh does not want to turn from evil. There is many a day that we cannot even go one hour before we fall into sin. So it is important that we always confess our sins and turn to Jesus because He alone can forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Then, as a forgiven sinner who has been washed in the blood of the Lamb shed on the Cross, we can once more go forth and honor Christ, living by faith and doing the things that the Holy Spirit has prepared for us each day. One of the greatest things that we Christians can do is to share the reason for the hope that is in us. This simply means that you have the privilege of speaking about Jesus. You may share with your friends, with your family, with everyone the message that while we were yet sinners, Christ came and suffered and died so that we might be forgiven and brought into the family of God. This is the message we have to share with those who have not yet heard.
Peter tells us to do this sharing with gentleness and respect, for we who have been forgiven greatly by Christ know how important it is to speak with love and concern to those who have not yet heard the message of the Gospel. In this way, our words and our actions will mirror Christ and the message that He has for those still lost in sin. It is a message of love, forgiveness, and peace. Share that message as you are led by the Holy Spirit. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen
God, thank You for the forgiveness that You have given to us by Jesus' death on the Cross. Help us each day to live as You desire us to, sharing the hope that is in us so that all might come to a knowledge of Your truth. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:1 Kings 19:11-21
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:21-2:17; Galatians 6:1-18
And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper. (1 Kings 19:12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The appearance of the Lord to Elijah in 1 Kings is not how I would come if I were God. If I were God, I would come in the earthquake and the fire. The full glory of my power would be displayed so that Elijah and the whole world would feel, hear, and see my divine majesty and power. The coming of the Lord should be an event that stops everything and makes everyone take notice. I would come with a vengeance, blasting everyone and everything that fails to do and live as I command. It's probably a good thing I am not God!
In 1 Kings, the Lord comes to Elijah, not in an earthquake or fire but in the sound of a low whisper. And what's even more amazing, Elijah recognizes the Lord in the small, quiet sound. He wraps his face and goes out of the cave to listen to and receive God. As one of the greatest prophets, Elijah knew by faith that God works in ways beyond our understanding. The Lord comes often to the world in ways that the world considers weakness. A great example of this is Jesus' death on the Cross. The world looks at this event and cannot imagine how it accomplishes anything. Death is viewed as the ultimate weakness, yet God's power is greatest in the death of His Son. It is by Jesus' death on the Cross and His resurrection that all our sins are forgiven and we are made alive.
The smallest whisper from God comes to Elijah that day with a message of hope and direction. This same whisper speaks to us through the pages of Holy Scripture. In a world filled with fires, earthquakes, and great noise, it is only by faith that you and I can stop looking at the world and quiet our hearts and minds to hear the whisper of God. This Word of God will always bring us peace, joy, and contentment, things we need so that we might set out each day doing the things God wants us to. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we live in a world filled with distractions and turmoil. Help us to listen for Your quiet whispers so that we might find forgiveness, life, and direction in Your holy Word. Today and everyday, continue to pour out Your blessing upon us so that we might live as obedient children, trusting in You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 5:1-11
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:1-20; Galatians 5:1-26
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." (Luke 5:8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The calling of the first disciples has always been a fascinating story for me. The fishermen's day was over. They were getting ready to head home and go to bed after failing to catch anything the whole night. The frustration and plain old tiredness must have pushed them to the very brink. One can almost hear the sarcasm and rising anger in the voice of Simon: "Master, we have toiled all night and took nothing!" After all, the fishermen of Galilee know that you do not catch fish with a net during the day. However, there must have been something about this man Jesus. Maybe it was His voice that commanded attention and obedience. Simon listened and obeyed.
You know what happens next. The nets are filled to breaking. The men call for backup, and the catch is so great that both of the boats begin to sink. Simon realizes that he is standing in the presence of the Lord because only God can do such great things. Simon' s revelation, a gift from the Holy Spirit, immediately leads him to the only place that anybody can go when standing in the presence of God. Falling to his knees, he confesses, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man."
This, too, must be our confession when we come into the presence of God. Today, as we do every Sunday, we gather in church before the presence of the almighty God. We join with all fellow believers in saying, "I, a poor miserable sinner." We confess that we do not deserve to be in the presence of the Lord, for sinners cannot remain before God.
Christ hears this confession and speaks words of comfort to us just as He spoke to Peter. "Do not be afraid," and "I forgive you all your sins." What a gift you and I have received from Jesus on account of His sacrifice on the Cross! Like Peter, we are followers of Christ, blessed children of God who are now able to live and serve God in this life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, You have prepared for those who love You good things that surpass all understanding. Pour into our hearts such love toward You that we, loving You above all things, may obtain Your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity)
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity
(Psalm 27:1a, 11-12, 14; antiphon: v.7, 9b)
Daily Lectionary: Judges 16:4-30; Galatians 4:12-31
O, you who have been my help, forsake me not, O God of my salvation! The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? (Introit for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Introit for today is from Psalm 27, which is a psalm of David. David was well aware of the work of the Lord in his life. From an early age, David had been watched over and cared for by God. With God's help, David was able to defend his father' s flock from the lion and the bear. With the assistance and protection of the Lord, David was able to defeat Goliath. It was God who kept David from the hands of King Saul, and it was the Lord alone who made David king over all Israel. All the days of David's life, the Lord was with him, and by faith David was able to recognize it and give thanks for it.
"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" Like David, we can give thanks to God for the protection, peace, and life that we have been given. By faith we, too, know that all things come from the gracious hand of our heavenly Father. Our daily cry needs to be, "Forsake me not, O God of my salvation!" For the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh are constantly trying to get us to forget God and to live as we want. If we were alone in this struggle, we would fail.
But we are not alone. Jesus is the salvation that has come for us. He alone has paid the price for our sin and given to us forgiveness and life in His Name. When Jesus died on the Cross, all our sins were forgiven, and because Christ rose from the grave, we shall also rise. It is only by faith which comes from the Word that we can continue in the way of the Lord. The Word of God alone is the level path that leads us to the knowledge of the truth.
In this life we will face many adversaries, and all of them seek our death. However, like David, we have One who is gracious and merciful. It is because of Jesus that we need not fear anything in the world, for He is our light and our salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, teach us Your way and continue to lead us on Your path. Help us to wait for You in the day of trouble and to take courage in Your promises. For the sake of Jesus we pray. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Judges 15:1-16:3; Galatians 3:23-4:11
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How often have you waited with eager expectation for something? Maybe it was a birthday, spring break, or Christmas. How did you feel? Did your expectations for that great day keep building until you couldn't wait anymore? I imagine that most of us at one time or another have been so excited for a day to arrive that we could hardly stand it. But no matter how much we tried, we could not make time go by faster to speed up the arrival of the special day.
This was exactly how the people of God felt throughout the entire Old Testament. From the moment the first promise of the coming of the Messiah was made, the people watched, waited, and longed for Him to come. Days passed, years came and went, and then at just the right moment and exactly when the Father wanted it to happen, Jesus came. God sent His Son into a world filled with sin. Jesus was righteous and holy, yet He was born under the Law. Born a man just like all of us, the Son of God lived under the Law. Perfectly fulfilling all the commands of God, He did everything we could not. Suffering and dying in our place on the Cross, your Savior paid the price so that you might be received into the family of God.
Jesus has forgiven you of all your sins. Now you are part of God's family.
Because Jesus has fulfilled the Law for us, we are no longer slaves to it. Now, because of Christ, we are free to live as sons of God. This means that by faith the new man in us desires to love and serve God and to love and serve our neighbor. We do this by following the Law of God. However, we are still sinners, and this means that as long as we live on earth, we will daily fail to follow the Law. We still need Jesus, and because the fullness of time has come, He is here for us. When we return to our Baptisms each day, we receive forgiveness from Christ, and this is the greatest gift we can ever receive. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we give thanks to You for sending forth Your Son, Jesus our Savior. Please keep us strong in the faith so that we might live and serve You. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Judges 14:1-20; Galatians 3:1-22
But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. (Galatians 3:22)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In Galatians 3, Paul teaches about the Law and the Gospel. In order to understand the Bible, we need to be clear on the distinction between the two. The Bible was written in order that we might have an account of who man is and what he needs. According to Galatians 3:22, the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin. This came about when Adam and Eve desired to be like God and ate of the fruit that they were commanded not to touch. From that moment forward, everything on earth was held captive by sin. Death reigned, and all who failed perfectly to live up to the teachings of God' s holy Law were dead in their trespasses. This is the state all of us are in, for the Law clearly shows us our sins. It tells us what we have done and left undone. Left in that condition, we would be enemies of God and would receive the punishment of hell on account of our sins. What a horrible state in which to live!
However, God loved His creation. He loved us, so He made a promise long ago that One would be born who would save His people from their sins. These words are the message of the Gospel. Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. Jesus came, and by His death on the Cross, He offered up the eternal sacrifice for sin. We are justified by faith, and the promises of God have come true. The Gospel is that Jesus died for you and that on account of His blood shed on the Cross, all your sins are forgiven. This is the promise that is given for all those who believe. This is your promise. Because of Christ, the promise has now been fulfilled. We are children of Abraham and offspring of the promise. We have received Jesus through Absolution, through preaching, and by the Sacraments. These great blessings are ours by faith, and for these Gifts, we give thanks to God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Father in heaven, we give thanks to You for Your words of Law that show us our sins and drive us to despair of ourselves. And we praise You for the words of the Gospel that give us Jesus who has bought us with His precious blood. Continue to keep us in the true faith so that we might at the Last Day hear the voice of our Savior calling us to be with Him. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Introduction to the Lord' s Prayer
Daily Lectionary: Judges 13:1-25; Galatians 2:1-21
Our Father who art in heaven. (Small Catechism: Introduction to the Lord' s Prayer)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Martin Luther writes that God invites us to believe that He is our true Father. Have you ever thought about what this actually means? You are a child of the Almighty. Of all the people on the earth, the Lord chose you. As an enemy of God who was dead in your sins, you have done nothing to earn this right. Instead, this relationship between God and man can only come from above. Our heavenly Father alone is the actor, and we are the receivers.
Think about our life here on earth. You and I do not get to choose our fathers. We do nothing to be conceived in our mothers' wombs. Instead, God created us, and He alone provides us with parents. Just as we have not chosen our earthly fathers, we don't choose our heavenly Father. In mercy, God calls us by faith. He makes us His by the Word, a precious gift given by the working of the Holy Spirit.
This faith unites us with Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father. When this happens, we are crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20), we are united with Jesus, and we receive the forgiveness of all our sins. Purified by the blood of Jesus shed on the Cross, we are now at peace with the Father, and we are viewed as beloved children of God. It is this work of Jesus done on our behalf that enables us to ask our dear heavenly Father with all boldness and confidence for the things that we need in this life.
What a great and precious gift, that is freely given to you by your Savior! No longer do we need to fear the wrath of God or the punishment for our sins. Instead, you and I are part of God' s chosen family, brothers and sisters of Christ, who have been called by the Holy Word of God. We have a relationship with the Father that allows us to bring to Him all of our concerns, problems, requests, thanks, and praise, knowing that our heavenly Father will hear, listen, and give to us all that we need to support this body and life, not just on earth but also forever in heaven. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we give thanks for the great gifts of love and mercy that You give to Your children each and every day. Help us to be ever mindful of the fact that You have chosen us to be Your children, so that we may boldly pray with confidence in the knowledge that You will hear and help us. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Romans 12:14-21
Daily Lectionary: Judges 7:1-23; Galatians 1:1-24
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:18)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the twelfth chapter of Romans, Paul writes to the church in Rome and to us about how we are to act and live in the midst of trials. As believers in Christ, the Church will always face hardship and persecution. Just as the world hated Jesus, the world will also hate all of us who follow Him. Because of this reality, we must prepare ourselves for what will come upon us so that we are able to give a faithful witness to the hope that is in us.
The problem is that our sinful flesh does not want to live at peace. When we are mistreated and when evil is done to us, we want to get even. By nature we strike out against and impose our own vengeance upon those who have wronged us. Getting even feels good, and the sense of accomplishment that we get when we put someone in their place often leads us to do it again. However, this is sinful. It is not the example that Jesus has given to us, and as we have just read, it is not how the people of God are called to live. So by faith we must repent of our sins. We must confess to the Lord that we have failed to live in peace and that we have often repaid evil with evil. We must confess that we have failed to let the light of Christ shine forth through us.
Jesus came to earth to forgive all who have done evil. His death on the Cross and the shedding of His blood brought forth our forgiveness. When Jesus received evil at the hands of all sinners, He overcame it by good. He is the perfect example for us who have been called by faith. This is how we are to live. When we are mistreated and when evil is done to us, we are to overcome it with good. With the help of God, we discipline our flesh and pray for those who have done harm to us. We pray for God to grant them the peace He has given to us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we ask that You would grant us Your peace so that we might live at peace with those who have done wrong to us. Help us be shining lights of the love of Christ so that the hearts of our enemies might be turned to You. Grant all this we pray for the sake of Jesus. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Genesis 50:15-21
Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:25-40; Acts 15:6-21
"You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today." (Genesis 50:20)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Joseph's brothers hated him. They hated his dreams, his coat, his status as the favorite, and they especially hated his tattling. The brothers hated him, so they cast him into a dry well, sold him into slavery in Egypt, and convinced their father that he had been killed by a wild animal. In Egypt, Joseph was wrongly accused and placed in prison. At the death of Jacob, the sins of the brothers were once more brought to remembrance, and Joseph was finally free to pay them back for their mistreatment.
Our sinful flesh understands vengeance. We cling to it. We naturally react to hurt and to pain by lashing out at those who wronged us. We feel a need to get even. We want our pound of flesh and to give back as good as we got. So it is not a surprise that Joseph' s brothers were worried. As the second-most powerful man in all Egypt, Joseph was capable of doing anything he wished to settle the score.
However, by faith and the working of the Holy Spirit, Joseph clearly saw the good that had come about in his life because of his brothers' actions. In the midst of great evil, God had worked through His servant Joseph to bring about the salvation of his people. Joseph did not negate the sins of his brothers, but he was willing to forgive them. This forgiveness came only by the grace and mercy that God had first given to Joseph. In 1 John 4:19 we are told that, "We love because God first loved us." And this love comes by the blood of Jesus shed on the Cross for all of our sins. Joseph knew the promise of the coming of the Messiah; he awaited it. And it was this faith that enabled him to forgive and to love those brothers who had done such evil to him.
You, too, are loved by God. Always remember that for those who love God, "all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). These words bring us comfort and peace as we live in a world filled with evil and sin. No matter what problems we face, our heavenly Father will work it out for our good because of Jesus.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, help us to remember that Your almighty hand works all things for our good, not only here and now, but forever in heaven. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Luke 6:36-42
Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:1-24; Acts 14:19-15:4
"Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We judge everything, everywhere, all the time. Do you like the food you eat? Do you like the outfit your friend is wearing? Do you agree with the post you just read? Every day we determine whether we like things or not, or if someone is right or wrong. Our lives are filled with constant judging.
Judging, if done in light of the teachings of the Holy Scripture, is not a bad thing. We are told, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). All of us are called by God to search the Scriptures and to use this knowledge and the teachings of Christ to judge right from wrong.
However, there is a difference between using the measure of God's Word to judge and using our own measure. As sinful and selfish creatures, we want what we think is best for us and care little for the good of our neighbor. Often our heart's desire is contrary to the things of God. We condemn and judge on the basis of our authority instead of realizing the truth that all people are under the judgment of Holy Scripture. When this happens, we are no longer being merciful. Instead, we are condemning our brother for a speck, all the while ignoring the logs in our own eyes. This is wrong, it is sin, and we need to confess our transgressions to the Lord.
The psalmist writes, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love" (Psalm 103:8). The mercy of the Father and the love that He had for His fallen creation is what brought Christ to earth. Jesus came, took our sins, received our punishment, was judged in our place, and died on the Cross so that we might receive everlasting mercy. Because Christ shed His blood for you, you are no longer condemned. Forgiven by God, we are now to show mercy and to forgive in the same way.
What a great gift we received from the hands of Jesus! Using the same measure that we have received, we may–by faith–love, forgive, and live as God intends us to. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, grant that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by Your governance that Your Church may joyfully serve You in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity)
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Christians need to aspire to being people of THE faith. Not just any will do. In Faith Misused, Dr. Alvin Schmidt shares his case for a Christian reclaiming of the word “faith” from its ambiguous modern uses. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Judges 4:1-24; Acts 14:1-18
But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. (Judges 4:21)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. And the people did what was evil in the sight of the Lord . . . once again. Of course they did. When do we not? I almost feel as if each section in the book of Judges is just an example of a year in the life of Eli Lietzau, or even a day for that matter. I'm constantly falling back into sin, seeking after other gods, hurting and hating my neighbor, being crushed by the Law that oftentimes really does hurt, and then being saved in the most unexpected and impossible way.
So the Israelites have been sold into the hands of Jabin the king of Canaan. And he has a pretty imposing general in his army, Sisera, who should by all accounts win every battle that he ever enters. But he doesn't win this one, not once the Lord fights for His people. Sisera's army is routed and he goes running, running for cover under the tent of an old friend. He thinks that he is safe and sound, hidden from danger. But as he is exhausted and falls dead asleep, the last thing that ever goes through his head is a spike nailed into the ground by Jael, the wife of his friend.
Now I may be stretching this a little bit far, but in Sisera I see a little bit of Satan. At the Cross, Satan believed he was safe from his enemy, and more than that, he thought he had won the battle and the war. Rational logic would say that at Calvary, Satan found himself to be the victor as the Lord of life was dying. And so, I have to believe the last thing that went through Satan's head as the nails were pounded into Jesus' hands and feet was, "Victory is mine!" But wouldn't you know it, both in the case of Jael and her tent and Jesus and His Cross, a spike and a hammer brings an unbelievable end to the enemy and an impossible victory to God's people, to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Salvation unto us has come By God's free grace and favor; Good works cannot avert our doom, They help and save us never. Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone, Who did for all the world atone; He is our one Redeemer. ("Salvation unto Us Has Come" LSB 555, st.1)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Judges 3:7-31; Acts 13:42-52
After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel. (Judges 3:31)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The judges who we find in the book of Judges are saviors. That is literally their job description, as laid out in Judges 2:16. Judges are mini-Jesuses, saving God's people from their enemies and pointing forward to the bigger Jesus to come. It's kind of amazing when you take the time to think about it this way, but then again, Jesus is all over the Old Testament. He is foreshadowed and promised and sometimes He even shows up in His pre-incarnate ways. That's why it's no coincidence that the book of Judges, chock full of mini-Jesuses, begins with the death of Joshua, the man who led God's people into the Promised Land, whose name literally means " YHWH (God) saves," and is the Hebrew equivalent of the name "Jesus."
In today's text we get to hear about the first three mini-Jesuses who began the 400-year trek to Samuel, the final judge, and to the coronation of the kings. (Again, a foreshadowing of Jesus, but we will leave that for another day.) Throughout these four centuries there is a never-ending cycle that happens: The people fall away from YHWH and run after false gods. YHWH hands them over to their enemies. YHWH has compassion on His people and sends them a judge to save them. The people live under YHWH all the days of the judge's life. And then it begins all over again.
The odd thing is, almost all of the judges come with sword and shield (or in Shamgar's case, an oxgoad) in order to save God's people. They go out to fight, violently, in order to save, bringing death to their enemies. All of this points forward to Jesus, except in an opposite way, like in a mirror. For even though Jesus is the fulfillment of all the judges and saves God's people from their enemies, and even though that salvation will come in violent ways, the violence is done to Him. He defeats the enemies of God's people, sin, death, and the devil, by death. But because He is risen from the dead, there is no need for another judge to follow. Even as we fall daily into sin, He is and always will be the saving Judge who saves us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Preach you the Word and plant it home To men who like or like it not, The Word that shall endure and stand When flow'rs and men shall be forgot. ("Preach You the Word" LSB 586, st.1)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Third Article part 2
Daily Lectionary: Judges 2:6-23; Acts 13:13-41
In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. (Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Third Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We are not as special as we think we are. God does His saving work for you and me in the same way that He does His saving work for everyone else: It is through the Holy Spirit's calling us by the Gospel, enlightening us with His gifts, sanctifying and keeping us in the one true faith. It is all the work of God. He does it all, from beginning to end, and He does it all for everyone.
As good Lutherans we love to be able to say, "I believe that I can't believe," but sometimes we have trouble believing that for the other guy. Sometimes we heap more and more guilt upon ourselves because we want to be able to say the right things in the right situations in order to get our neighbor to start believing in Jesus. Somehow we think that conversion is part of our job. But if you had nothing to do with your own conversion, how could you think you have anything to do with someone else's?
It is true that we are told to always be ready to give a defense for that which we believe, but all that means is that we should know what we believe and why we believe it. And of course, we should. Christianity isn't a thing of silly blind faith, but it is built on the objective and historical fact of the resurrection. We should know that and always be ready to proclaim it. But that is where our part ends. Everything else is so far above our pay grade we can't even see the top. Leave the converting to the Holy Spirit. He's much better at it than you or I could ever hope to be.
And then also be comforted in the fact that as the Holy Spirit is working in the heart of your neighbor to turn it from stone, so, too, is He continually working upon yours so that it might never return to that rocky place of unbelief. Daily and richly, He brings Christ and His Cross to you in Word and water and bread and wine so that you might receive Him who saved you, so that your sins might be forgiven, so that your faith might be forever strengthened. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We all confess the Holy Ghost, Who from both in truth proceeds, Who sustains and comforts us In all trials, fears, and needs. Blessed, holy Trinity, Praise forever be to Thee! ("We All Believe in One True God" LSB 953, st.1)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 24:1-31; Acts 13:1-12
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:1-2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Isaiah is probably one of the best-known prophets in the Old Testament. His book is prominent. He is quoted about as frequently as one could be, by Jesus, the evangelists, and Paul. Some have even called his book the "fifth Gospel," because salvation in Christ is dripping from each and every verse.
Isaiah speaks to the people of God, many of whom have gone astray. He proclaims God's Law and calls the errant to repentance. He points forward to a savior, Cyrus, who would save God's people from captivity in Babylon and to a Savior, Jesus, who would save God's people from their enemies of sin, death, and the devil. He preaches the full counsel of God in season and out of season so that confident sinners can be crushed and terrified sinners can be comforted.
Isaiah gives us the scene of the heavenly throne room: "Holy, holy, holy," is shouted by the seraphim as the foundations tremble and shake from the glory of God. He then shines a light on Christ's forerunner, telling John to proclaim comfort and peace and double forgiveness to all those who are terrified in their sin. Isaiah lifts our hearts with songs of the Suffering Servant, each one more Jesus-y than the next, capped off in chapters 52-53. He tells of the silent Lamb who goes despised, stricken, smitten, crushed, buried, and chastised to the slaughter in our stead. There is also the Mountain of the Lord, the future heaven and earth, and so very much more.
For all of this we can give thanks to our God above who has given us the Words of the prophet Isaiah that we may know that the Suffering Servant has come, and that by His stripes we have been healed. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old, The Lord of all in spirit did behold High on a lofty throne, in splendor bright, With robes that filled the temple courts with light. Above the throne were flaming seraphim; Six wings had they, these messengers of Him. With two they veiled their faces as was right, With two they humbly hid their feet from sight, And with the other two aloft they soared; One to the other called and praised the Lord: "Holy is God the Lord of Sabaoth! Holy is God the Lord of Sabaoth! Holy is God the Lord of Sabaoth! His glory fills the heavens and the earth!" The beams and lintels trembled at the cry, And clouds of smoke enwrapped the throne on high. ("Isaiah, Mighty Seer in Days of Old" LSB 960)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Peter 5:6-11
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 23:1-16; Acts 12:1-25
Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:8b-9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is no promise of a life without suffering, especially for the Christian. We think that there should be. We logically conclude that if we could just figure out the right steps to walk and the correct words to say, then we could find our way onto the simple and easy path to the Promised Land.
But that just isn't the case. First, it's because we are sinners. Yes, we have been redeemed by Christ and are a new creation in Him, and yet the Old Adam still hangs on and must be continuously drowned in the baptismal waters that make us righteous. And second, the Lord actually promises persecution for the Christian. Just as your sinful flesh hates the things of Jesus, the things of the Church, the things of the forgiveness of sins and life and salvation, so, too, does the world. And the demons will drive all evil to come upon you like a lion hunting down his prey.
I know that sounds daunting. I know being a Christian in an increasingly secular world is difficult. I know that sometimes it's just easier to hide your Bible at the bottom of your locker and change out your crucifix necklace for a simple silver chain. But know that you are not alone. Not only is your Lord and Savior with you in His Word, strengthening you each Sunday with His Sacraments, but there are millions of brothers and sisters all over the world experiencing the same exact things that you are.
Cast all of these anxieties at the feet of your heavenly Father. Goodness, when it gets too much to handle, shake a fist or two at Him as well, but then stand in faith in the midst of things that seem too outside of you to control, because they are. Know that the Lord who has redeemed you through His precious blood is also the Lord who has promised to never forsake you, and will grant you all you need to be sustained until the day in which He comes again to take you home with Him forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Christ Jesus is my splendor, My sun, my light, alone; Were He not my defender Before God's judgment throne, I never should find favor And mercy in His sight, But be destroyed forever As darkness by the light. ("If God Himself Be for Me" LSB 724, st.3)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Micah 7:18-20
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 10:1-25; Acts 11:19-30
Who is a God like you,pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. (Micah 7:18)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Micah is a hard man, a hard prophet. He says some things that are pretty difficult to hear, but of course, that is how the Law always is. Micah is a contemporary of Isaiah. He speaks some of the same words. It's almost as if the two of them have the same Word to speak, as if they have the same things to say about God and His Christ.
There is quite a lot of reproving that Micah does throughout his ministry and throughout his book. The people have gone astray, lusting after idols and false gods who could never truly bring them joy and comfort. Micah also has a hard word for the shepherds of the people. Although each man is to be held to account for his own sin, the wrath of the Lord for a shepherd who fails to guard and keep his flock will be double. And of course it will, for the Lord sends shepherds to care for His flock, not to lead them astray.
Inevitably the end result is that Israel and Judah will crumble in their sin and idolatry. The Lord will bring upon them the wrath of the nations, first the Assyrians and then the Babylonians. And although all of this will take place, the Gospel still prevails. Micah is the one who shines a light into the manger in Bethlehem and prophesies the birthplace of the Christ. And so, even though the Law is severe, the Gospel still prevails.
Micah wraps up his book of woe and warning with a little bit of Gospel that comforts the conscience. Is there any other God who pardons sin and iniquity, who passes over transgression for the sake of another? No, there is none. Only our God has the language of " forgiveness" in His vocabulary, winning it for and speaking it to poor miserable sinners who deserve to hear nothing but wrath and condemnation. Ours is the God who is faithful to us, despite our sin and adulterous idolatry. He is the One who keeps His covenant, even after we have broken it, so that our sins might find their way into the depths of the sea. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
By grace I'm saved, grace free and boundless; My soul, believe and doubt it not. Why stagger at this word of promise? Has Scripture ever falsehood taught? No! Then this word must true remain: By grace you too will life obtain. ("By Grace I'm Saved" LSB 566, st.1)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 15:1-10
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 8:1-28; Acts 11:1-18
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." (Luke 15:1-2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord is surrounded by the "wrong" type of people. That is what the "right" type of people think, anyway. And, if truth be told, those "right" types of people make a lot of sense. If I took the time to think about it, I would assume that Jesus would spend the majority of His time with those who lived an upright and holy life, those who have shunned the things of the shadows, where shame and humiliation lurk about. The most rational thing would be for the shepherd to stay with the flock, the woman not to spend the day looking for a nickel, and the father to forget about his prodigal son and focus on the one who stuck around.
But Jesus doesn't do that, because to be honest, there is no flock, no purse with nine coins, no perfect son who continuously does his father's bidding. I would like to think that I am all of those things. I would like to pat myself on the back for never running off in the country or getting lost in the couch cushions. That's not me, and it's not you, either. But that certainly doesn't keep us from pretending that we're the perfect ones.
What is meant to be an insult from the "right" type of people is really a compliment, and Jesus takes it that way. For if a savior isn't dining with sinners then he isn't a savior. And no, forgiveness does not mean that when Jesus receives sinners, He grants them permission to remain in their sin. Haven't you read the parables? Jesus is bringing the lost ones back from their sin, back from their danger, back from their deaths.
A shepherd isn't worth his weight in wool if he doesn't go and track down the silly sheep that lost its way. Because if he didn't do that today, tomorrow he would find himself with two lost sheep, and then three, and then the whole flock. Sheep don't stay in their pens: The shepherd places them there each and every day. And so, of course Jesus receives sinners and eats with them: They are the only type of people there are. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, the protector of all who trust in You, without whom nothing is strong and nothing is holy, multiply Your mercy on us that, with You as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Third Sunday after Trinity)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-56
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 7:1-26; Acts 10:34-48
"For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy." (Luke 1:44)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Pebble-sized preborn Jesus makes His way to visit His cousin, His forerunner, the one who will make His paths straight. At Mary's arrival, the other bitty baby, John, hears her greeting. But certainly this was so much more than a simple " Hello." Certainly this greeting had all of the trappings of a teenage girl blathering out every last detail of the past few weeks as fast as she could: the angel Gabriel, Joseph's initial and then secondary response, her simple reply in faith. Surely these are the words that John hears.
Baby John leaps for joy: a little baby leap with little baby legs, exuberantly kicking at the walls of his fleshy abode. At six months gestation, John is in the exact place that a person of his size should be, both physically and spiritually. It is there, in that place, that Jesus, His Savior comes to him. Imagine that: The salvific Word of God is so authoritative that it can produce faith in the heart of an unborn child, through the simple greeting of a woman who is merely recounting the events of the recent past.
But it was in the recounting of these events that the proclamation of the Incarnation took place. God's plan of salvation, taking form in tangible ways and being spoken of in real time and space. It is through this proclamation that John and his mother are brought to faith. And it is this faith, this objective faith in the Incarnation God for the salvation of mankind, that John is going to proclaim to the nations 30 years removed from that first Gospel encounter.
With tender words, John is going to speak words of comfort to the people of Jerusalem, to you and me. Our warfare is ended. Our iniquity is pardoned. Every crooked place is now straight, every hill brought low, every valley brought level, every obstacle taken away. The Savior is coming, even as a speckle-sized dot floating down Mary's fallopian tubes. That dot is God in the flesh. That dot is the Savior of the world. That dot is Jesus the Christ, and He has come that we might receive from His outstretched and crucified hands double for all our sins. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You chose the virgin Mary to be the mother of Your Son and made known through her Your gracious regard for the poor and lowly and despised. Grant that we may receive Your Word in humility and faith, and so be made one with Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Visitation)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 6:6-27; Acts 10:17-33
And [Peter] said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean." (Acts 10:28)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Just before our text, Peter has a vision. It's an odd one at that: A giant picnic sheet is dropped down from heaven covered in all the animals that a good Jewish boy is supposed to shun: bacon and lobster and all things delicious. He is told to eat, but he can't, of course, because that would make him unclean. But the Lord tells him something different: What God has made clean must not be called common.
Of course, this has to do with much more than food, for God isn't all that concerned with food. The food means something more, points to something more important. The Jews had, for a good number of years, seen the Gentiles as inherently unclean. They had a superiority complex over everyone else in the world, simply because of who their grandfather was. They believed that YHWH, God, was only for them and that the salvation that He brought was to stay within their borders.
And this is all strange because Jesus had often spoken to the Pharisees about how lineage meant nothing, about how there would be many Gentiles seated at the heavenly banquet while the sons and daughters of Abraham gnashed their teeth while looking through the window. But it took a while for all of this to sink in for Peter. In fact, he needed a special vision just so that he could wrap his mind around it. No problem, just as long as the Good News of Jesus for all people was proclaimed.
And it was by Peter, for a while. But we hear later in Acts and in Galatians that even the great Peter had difficulty keeping the "Gospel-For-Everyone" business free and clear. He fell in line with the circumcision party that said that a Gentile must first become a Jew if he wanted to be a Christian. But that's just the thing: In Christ there is no Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free. There is just forgiven sinner. And no forgiven sinner is greater or less than his brother.
Peter eventually figured this out (check out Acts 15) and spent the rest of his days proclaiming a Jesus for all, a Jesus for you. We give thanks to the Lord above for that! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O love, how deep, how broad, how high, Beyond all thought and fantasy, That God, the Son of God, should take Our mortal form for mortals' sake! ("O Love, How Deep" LSB 544, st.1)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Third Article part 1
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 5:1-6:5; Acts 10:1-17
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy, Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. (Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Third Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is a lot that the Holy Spirit does, but most of it is behind the scenes. He does have His big day on Pentecost. And Jesus explains in John 16 that unless He goes away, the Holy Spirit will not come. But usually the Holy Spirit is hanging out in the background, hovering over the waters at creation or leading Jesus out into the wilderness after His Baptism.
And this is as it should be, as it must be, as He would have it. For the Holy Spirit always points to the Son. It is His job to shine a bright light into the dark space of Good Friday and early Easter morning. He is the One who says to the world, "Jesus has come and He has come for you! Don't fear any longer, your sins are forgiven, your death is dead, and even Satan's head has been crushed with a heel."
His work is to show us Jesus. And it is a good thing that He does, because without Him, I wouldn't be able to see a thing. Dead in my trespasses, I can't reach out to the Son, make my way to the Christ, work my works of belief in Jesus. Dead men are dead! They can't grasp or choose or decide or make sense of, all they can do is lie dead.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit that I believe. It is Him and not me. I believe that I can't believe and need the Holy Spirit to make me holy and keep me in the one true faith. And so He does, but He ties Himself to means so that I can know for certain that the victory won on the Cross has been delivered to me. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We all confess the Holy Ghost, Who, in highest heaven dwelling With God the Father and the Son, Comforts us beyond all telling; Who the Church, His own creation, Keeps in unity of spirit. Here forgiveness and salvation Daily come through Jesus' merit. All flesh shall rise, and we shall be In bliss with God eternally. ("We All Believe in One True God" LSB 954, st.1)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 16:13-20
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 4:1-24; Acts 9:23-43
Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It may seem strange that we celebrate the feast of Peter and Paul on the exact same day. After all, they probably didn't spend all that much time together. After the Damascus road, Paul was jet-setting all over the known world, and not spending a whole lot of time in Jerusalem. So how is it that we end up celebrating both on the 29th of June?
It's really about tradition. There is evidence as early as 256 AD that churches were observing the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul together. And that was because it was traditionally thought that Emperor Nero had both of them killed in the city of Rome on the exact same day Paul beheaded and Peter crucified upside down. It is generally believed today that Peter was martyred nearly three years prior to Paul, but whatever the case, tradition runs its course and we can still find ample reasons for celebrating these two pillars of the Church together. For indeed, who is responsible for the proclamation of the Gospel more than Peter and Paul?
In our reading for today we hear Peter's confession, the confession upon which Jesus would build His Church. And it is within this Church, the universal Church, the Church founded upon the testimony of the prophets and the apostles, that Jesus places the Keys of the kingdom of heaven. Within Her walls we get to hear of the Son of God crucified as the Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. Within Her walls we get to receive this Cross of His, dripping from the baptismal font, placed upon paten and chalice, to be wetted and eaten and drunk for life everlasting.
And it is for these reasons that we give thanks to our Lord above who found it meet, right, and salutary to send these two men (and many others) out to proclaim the Good News of Christ crucified for you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Merciful and eternal God, Your holy apostles Peter and Paul received grace and strength to lay down their lives for the sake of Your Son. Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit that we may confess Your truth and at all times be ready to lay down our lives for Him who laid down His life for us, even Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for St. Peter and St. Paul)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 John 3:13-18
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 3:1-17; Acts 9:1-22
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. (1 John 3:16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What is love? We don't need to guess what it means to love someone. Jesus has shown us His and the Father's love for us, that He laid down His life for us. He did this in a sacrificial way, offering His body as a propitiation for our sin: a covering, a removal, a great exchange of His stuff given to us and our stuff taken away. See, the concept of love isn't that hard.
Unfortunately, when the sinner exercises "love," he rarely cares about the other. Think about it: When I am in love with something or someone, the sinner within me really only cares what that something or someone can do for me. I care about how I feel and about how I see things. In loving something or someone, my hope is that my life is the one that is improved.
But this isn't love. Sure, this might be what we think love is or what the world says love is, but this is never the way in which our Lord speaks about love. The love that He shows is always a love for the other, never for the self. The self is always sacrificed, the self always goes without, the self always suffers so that the other can have. That is the way of Christ and so this is the way of His Church.
Bottom line is that you can't claim to be a Christian and not know how to love your neighbor. It is inherent in who Christ is and He speaks of what that means for us in His Word. We love our neighbor because it is commanded of us by our Lord. But do not think of this command as something you need to fulfill in order to be saved. Christ already has taken care of that. Remember the whole, "By this we know love," stuff? Instead, think of this command as something you need to fulfill because your neighbor needs to be served. Yes, your neighbor, never yourself. In Christ, love gives and sacrifices for the other, always for the other. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In suff'ring be Thy love my peace, In weakness be Thy love my pow'r; And when the storms of life shall cease, O Jesus, in that final hour, Be Thou my rod and staff and guide, And draw me safely to Thy side! ("Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me" LSB 683, st.4)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Proverbs 9:1-10
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 2:1-24; Acts 8:26-40
[Wisdom] has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" To him who lacks sense she says, "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight." (Proverbs 9:3-6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Two women are contrasted in our text for today. Let's start with the latter: Lady Folly is a fool. She is a simpleton and knows nothing at all, but her ways are seductive. She sets herself up to look like the first lady. She does the same things and says the same words. It's all a ruse, but it's an effective one.
And her purpose is not to offer an equally valid option. She might say as much, maybe even has her minions whispering that very thing into your ear. In the advertisements that she has plastered all over town she is billing herself as equal to Lady Wisdom, only better. But only death lies beyond her. There is no life to be found in her. But she is seductive. And she promises to you that she can grant you more life than Wisdom. She can't.
For Wisdom has her house built on a sure foundation and she has already slaughtered her beasts to feed you with a full banquet. No stale water or crusty bread for you, just the choicest of wines and the fattiest of meats. Only the best for you: That is what Wisdom gives.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." This whole reading is all about Jesus. Contrast Him with whatever else and with whomever else you would like, because everything else is folly. Everything else only offers you the things that lead to death, eternal death, although they promise you the moon and all the happiness in the world. But it is all hollow and vapid, worthless and deadly. Only Christ Jesus calls His children inside His house and offers to them the things of life, the things of forgiveness, the things of Word and water and bread and wine, the things of Him and His Cross, given and granted free of charge to the simple and those who lack sense. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Since He is ours, We fear no powers, Not of earth nor sin nor death. He sees and blesses In worst distresses; He can change them with a breath. Wherefore the story Tell of His glory With heart and voices; All heav'n rejoices In Him forever: Alleluia! We shout for gladness, Triumph o'er sadness, Love Him and praise Him And still shall raise Him Glad hymns forever: Alleluia! ("In Thee Is Gladness" LSB 818, st.2)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 14:12-24
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 1:1-18; Acts 8:1-25
And the master said to the servant, "Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled." (Luke 14:23)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus finds Himself at another banquet. Early on, people loved to invite Him to these kinds of things, that is, until He garnered for Himself a certain reputation. At this particular banquet, Jesus makes things a little bit uncomfortable by telling the man who threw the party that he only did so in order to become more popular with the "in" crowd. If he really wanted a heavenly reward, he should have gone and invited those sitting at the losers' table. Awkward . . .
Someone tries to tamp everything down by making a bland, "Duh," sort of statement, meant to quiet the situation. So Jesus turns the awkwardness up to 11. The mysterious parable of the Great Banquet is then told: Everyone should clamor to come to this feast, but none of the cool kids want to. They all have better things to deal with: a new field, a new cow, a new wife. They seem like legitimate excuses, but are they really? The man isn't asking them to slave away in the coal mines. He is inviting them to a party. "Eat, drink, dance the night away. Don't worry about cleaning up afterward or inviting me to your party next week, just have the time of your life!" But everyone refuses.
Such is the way of the sinner, especially the one who has become so very bored with the things of Jesus. Why would anyone refuse a party? Why would anyone refuse the eternal Gifts given by the Lord of Life? It sounds weird when you pose it that way, but that is exactly what the sinner does.
And so the man invites the bums off the street and the wanderers of the byways. He invites the people who would never have hoped to be included in such a shindig. He invites the ones who couldn't pay Him back or throw a rival party. Those are the people who pack the banquet hall: the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame, the losers, the nobodies, the worthless, the sinners. Yep, you guessed it, He invites you, and you get to feast with Him for all eternity at the best never-ending party ever thrown. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, since You never fail to help and govern those whom You nurture in Your steadfast fear and love, work in us a perpetual fear and love of Your holy name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday after Trinity)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Introit for the Second Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 18:1-2a, 27, 30a, 49; antiphon: v.18b-19)
Daily Lectionary:Proverbs 31:10-31; John 21:1-25
[O Lord,] I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. (From the Introit for the Second Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Let us pray . . . How long, O Lord? How long am I supposed to deal with these enemies who rail against me? How long am I going to have to deal with the evil that destroys all of the relationships I have in my life? How long will the guilt of my sin prick my conscience and trouble my heart? How long will the shame of the sin of others lay heavy upon me, smothering me to the point where I can't breathe anymore?
Is this going to last forever? You promised that you love me, but is this love? I thought that all of this pain would be taken away. I thought that the bullies at school would find someone new to pick on. I thought that the demons running around my head would be told to be silent. I thought that the feelings and desires that seem to come so naturally to me wouldn't be so foreign to what you call good. How long, O Lord, must I suffer with all of this?
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God. Grant to my eyes the light of your salvation. Give me comfort and the peace that passes all understanding in the midst of pain. For I know that my death looms over me; each day calling out a little louder. I know that my enemies lurk in the shadows, plotting and scheming against me. I know that the demons whisper into my ears, telling me that I am too far gone and am not yours.
So deal bountifully with me once again, like you did on the Cross those many years ago. In fact, give me that Cross, today, right now, for now is when I need it. Graciously provide for me the Body that was broken there for me. Place it on my tongue. Mercifully share with me the Blood that was poured out there for the sins of the world. Pour it down my throat. Grant to me the faith I need to receive your crucified and empty-tomb victory, that I may sing your praises once again and proclaim unto the world, in the face of my enemies, that Jesus is for me! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Shine in our hearts, O Spirit, precious light; Teach us Jesus Christ to know aright That we may abide in the Lord who bought us, Till to our true home He has brought us. Lord, have mercy! ("To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray" LSB 768, st.4)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Luke 1:57-80
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 30:1-9, 18-33; John 20:1-18
"And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins." (Luke 1:76-77)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Zechariah's tongue is finally loose. Nine months of silence. Nine months of not being able to speak with Elizabeth about this miracle within her, not being able to speak with Mary upon her visitation about the greater miracle that had been bestowed upon her. Nine months of a stopped-up tongue so he might know that when the Lord promises a promise, a promise shall be fulfilled.
And so, on the day of his son's circumcision, the day in which his name is given to him before God and before his family, Zachariah is able to speak once again. But he doesn't just speak, he prophesies, he sings! He sings a song of salvation, a song of redemption, a song of forgiveness and life and promises everlasting. The fulfillment of the oath sworn centuries before, now being ushered in through this miracle son of his.
I wonder if this was a spontaneous prophecy, or if it was the Holy Spirit working within Zechariah for the last nine months. Were these lyrics running around in his head to a tune that had never been heard before by anyone except himself, and now he gets to proclaim this well-crafted hymn to all of creation? Or did he beep-bop and scat this thing out like jazz, so overwhelmed and overcome with the Holy Spirit that he barely had time to recognize the very things that he was saying?
In the end, it doesn't matter; it's just something fun to ponder. But whether this song of Zechariah was crafted or spontaneous, it pointed forward to a day that was fast approaching. Six months later the real miracle would be performed. And while the world would have to wait a couple of decades to see it all pay out with Jordan waters and a head on a platter and a Savior on a Cross, the time was at hand. Salvation had come to God's people in the very way that He had promised. And this eight-day-old boy named John was going to be the one to tell the world about it. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, through John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, You once proclaimed salvation. Now grant that we may know this salvation and serve You in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Nativity of John the Baptist)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 27:1-24; John 20:1-18
Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). (John 20:15-16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mary Magdalene is more terrified and confused than she has ever been in her life. Her Lord has been crucified and now His body is no longer in the tomb. She came there that morning to find a small amount of peace in this world of death and destruction, and now even that is gone. Some graverobbers have stolen away the body of the Lord of Life and now she can't even commend Him to God above.
Peter doesn't seem to offer much help, nor does John. Even though they are viewing with their own eyes the empty tomb that Jesus had continually prophesied about, they can't believe it. Dead men stay dead and full tombs remain full. Even when the angels miraculously appear, it seems as if Mary is too punch-drunk to even acknowledge the miraculous.
So Jesus stands behind her. Was it the tears in her eyes that kept her from recognizing Him? Surely she could tell the difference between her Lord and some gardener she had never met before. Or maybe it is the mysterious miraculous impossibility of it all that keeps her mind clamped down in the rational and the logical.
And so Jesus calls her by name. (There is that "name" stuff again.) And it is in calling her by name that she recognizes the risen Christ. She wants to grab onto Him and never let Him go. She never again wants to lose Him, or to be without Him. But He says, " No," for a risen Christ isn't just for her: He is for everyone. He is going to go away again, and in a little while will ascend to His Father and hers. He does this so that He can send His Spirit and in His Spirit give the Gifts of the Cross, the Gifts of the empty tomb to everyone that He calls by name. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Awake, my heart, with gladness, See what today is done; Now, after gloom and sadness, Comes forth the glorious sun. My Savior there was laid Where our bed must be made When to the realms of light Our spirit wings its flight. ("Awake, My Heart, with Gladness" LSB 467, st.1)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Second Article part 3
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 25:1-22; John 19:23-42
That I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true. (Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Second Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our Small Catechism teaches us that the Second Article of the creed is about our redemption. It tells us who the Second Person of the Trinity is and what He has done for us. It tells what He has accomplished for us on the Cross with those words of finality, "It is finished!" So we know the "Who," and the "what." Part three of this article tells us, "why."
God does nothing without purpose. He is not random. He doesn't just tinker with things to satisfy His own curiosity. We are told that before the foundation of the world, God loved us in Christ. As He spoke us into existence and formed us out of the dust of the earth, He loved us. As we slithered our way to the Tree of Knowledge and consumed the evil that should have never been ours, He loved us. He loved us to the point of the Cross and back, paying for our sins with His precious blood. He would make atonement for us because we could not make it for ourselves. He would rather go through hell than live for eternity without us.
And so the "why" of it all, the "why" of the atonement, the "why" of the incarnation, the "why" Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, the "why" of everything is so that we would be His once again. So that we would be wrestled from the deadly hands of sin and live in His kingdom: a kingdom of life, not of death.
He did all of this by granting us His righteousness in exchange for our sinfulness, His innocence in exchange for our guilt, His blessedness in exchange for our curse. He did all of this so that we may live forever with Him, serving Him by loving our neighbors and declaring to them the atoning love that Christ Jesus has for them. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We all believe in Jesus Christ, His own Son, our Lord, possessing An equal Godhead, throne, and might, Source of ev'ry grace and blessing; Born of Mary, virgin mother, By the power of the Spirit, Word made flesh, our elder brother; That the lost might life inherit, Was crucified for all our sin And raised by God to life again. ("We All Believe in One True God" LSB 954, st.2)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 John 3:13-18
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 24:1-22; John 19:1-22
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:18)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John is writing to the churches in Macedonia, which is modern-day Turkey. He had spent the greater part of his ministry up near Ephesus, preaching and teaching the Gospel of a crucified Christ. It was the Gospel that landed him on Patmos. Eighteen months later, once he had made his way back to Ephesus, he saw the congregations that he had once held so dear, now thrown into heresy and unbelief. It doesn't take long for the sinner to screw things up. And we are so adept at screwing things up that we even pull God's Word into the equation and use Him to justify our actions.
One of the most deadly heresies that was circling the fledgling congregations was the thought that good works for our neighbor weren't important. Now as good Lutherans we like to say that good works aren't necessary, but that's not true: They just aren't necessary for salvation. But they are necessary, because even if God doesn't need them, your neighbor certainly does.
And so, a lot of what you hear in 1 John is a proclamation of who you are. John isn't so much telling you what you should do, but instead he is telling you who Christ has made you to be in Him. "By this we know love, that He laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." Christ has made us to be sacrificial servants for others because that is exactly who He is for us. One cannot help but be in Christ and love one's neighbor, not just in word or talk, but in deed and truth.
Love looks like something. Love serves. Love cares for the other. Love never looks inward, but always looks to the neighbor. Love looks like Christ, and so should we, not to garner salvation or to make God smile upon us, but so that our neighbors might be provided and cared for, and that they might be loved. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O grant that nothing in my soul May dwell, but Thy pure love alone; Oh, may Thy love possess me whole, My joy, my treasure, and my crown! All coldness from my heart remove; My ev'ry act, word, thought be love. ("Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me" LSB 683, st.2)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Genesis 15:1-6
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:22-23:12; John 18:15-20
And [the Lord God] brought [Abram] outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Andhe believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:5-6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Abraham is a 75-year-old man when God first calls him, and promises that his offspring will inherit the most beautiful land his eyes had ever seen. But ten years later, there was still no son; and ten years for a 75-year-old doesn't leave much time for having children. So Abraham decides to give God a helping hand and have a son with a woman who was not his wife. (Best intentions always sound like a good idea, but they rarely ever are.) It's another 15 years after the Hagar debacle that Isaac makes his way into the world and Sarah holds her one and only son.
Bottom line: The Lord always keeps His promises. He may seem slow in doing so, at least from our point of view, but He isn't. When it is good and right, in His time, He fulfills what He has spoken and brings forth what He has always promised. For Abraham, a descendant finally came. And through Isaac, his lineage, as many as the stars in the sky, spiraled forward all the way into the New Testament. But it wasn't because Abraham cut any sort of covenant with God. He tried to, time and time again, but that had always left things worse than when things began. Sinners do this to the things of God. Whenever we try to make things better, whenever we try to tell God how it is going to be, whenever we promise to Him that we will never fall away, we always end up screwing it up before we can take our next breath.
Abraham is like us, and we are like him. In fact, we are his sons and daughters in faith, the exact same faith that grasps onto the promises of God, because sinners like us can never accomplish anything on our own. So a Son will come, has come, to be (and was) the Ram in thicket thorns who died in our stead and grants us His righteousness through faith. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The God of Abr'ham praise, Who all-sufficient grace Shall guide me all my pilgrim days In all my ways. He deigns to call me friends; He calls Himself my God. And He shall save me to the end Through Jesus' blood. ("The God of Abraham Praise" LSB 798, st.3)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 16:19-31
Daily Lectionary:Proverbs 22:1-21; John 18:1-14
He said to him, "If they do not hearMoses and the Prophets,neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead." (Luke 16:31)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The two men in our text couldn't be any different. One feasted sumptuously. He had more than he ever needed, more than enough to support this body and life. He ate what he wanted, and lived how he desired. The other man had nothing. He lay in ruins. Sores covered his diseased body from head to toe. His only companions were the filthy dogs licking his sores, making him continually unclean.
It's clear, from the world's perspective, which man was more favored. When you lack for nothing, when everything is placed at your fingertips, when life is easy and blessed and perfect all of the time, it's obvious that you live a semi-charmed kind of life. And this has to be because the Lord up above is pleased with you, for some unknown reason. If you want any proof, all you have to do is look at your temporal surroundings.
But then when you do, you realize that everything isn't always so wonderfully perfect. Truth be told, your life probably resembles the leprous poor man's than it does the rich guy's. And if that is true, then you probably find it pretty easy to believe that your life is garbage for a reason. Some sin that you have committed along the way has made God so angry with you that He is going to curse you for however long it takes you to die.
But that's just it: Both men die, which means that they were both sinners, despite how it may have appeared. But only one of the men had a name, Lazarus. His name was known by God. He was known by God. And this certainly couldn't have come from his sinful self. The name had to be a gift.
It's a Name that comes in the baptismal waters which cleanse you in the blood of Christ and make you alive in His empty tomb. It's a Name that speaks against everything that sin, death, and the world declare you to be. It's a Name that makes you partakers of the wondrous glories of heaven. Before the Father, a name means everything, and you have one for the sake of Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, the strength of all who trust in You, mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing, grant us Your grace to keep Your commandments that we may please You in both will and deed; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday after Trinity)
-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Introit for the First Sunday after Trinity
(Psalm 13:1-4; antiphon: v.5-6)
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 20:5-25; John 17:1-26
Consider and answer me! (Psalm 13:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Desperation, abandonment, hopelessness and sorrow, enemies exalting themselves over me. Are there any words in this psalm that we have not spoken or thought?
Yet the psalm gets real Hebrew, real fast. Psalm 13 teaches us to pray like a Hebrew: Give me an answer! "Consider and answer me" (Psalm 13:4) is the tidy way the English puts it. We like tidy prayers, just tiptoeing, whispering, muttering sheepishly. Oh, that we'd pray like a Hebrew, with a finger pointed to the sky, with ugly tears, with clenched teeth, yelling, screaming, and deep lamenting. Psalm 13 prays about big time problems to a Triune God who is big enough to handle it, gentle enough to stoop down to comfort us, merciful enough to take us up into His arms with our sloppy tears, broken hearts, and words that sound like what we'd hear at a truck stop rather than in church.
Consider me! Hear me, take note of me, notice me! Do it now! It's nothing other than to pray as God has commanded us. Christ has taken notice of you, He's taken upon Himself your own sin and become your Savior. He notices you and cares for you because there's no one else He'd rather pay attention to than you. There's no need of yours that's too big, no hurt that His forgiveness and peace cannot soothe.
Answer me! Let me hear what You're going to do about this! Let me hear your Word, your peace, your care for me. Tell me that I'm not alone, that I'm not the only one to suffer this. Tell me again that You'll never leave me or forsake me. Answer me in my hour of deepest need, delay not, come quickly!
He considers you: "You are forgiven, by My blood and righteousness." He answers you: "I, too, have suffered as you do (Isaiah 53). I, too, have known injustice and hatred. I have borne your sin unto death, fulfilled the Law for you. Not only that, but I also weep with you, I abide with you still, today, tomorrow, and forever. Your tears are My tears, your joy is My joy, your guilt and shame I made My guilt and shame. You are the apple of my eye, my beloved, my child, my very Bride." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and most merciful God, in this earthly life we endure sufferings and death before we enter into eternal glory. Grant us grace at all times to subject ourselves to Your holy will and continue steadfast in the true faith to the end of our lives that we may know the peace and joy of the blessed hope of the resurrection of the dead and of the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary:Proverbs 17:1-28; John 16:17-33
A little while . . . (John 16:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How long is a little while? The disciples wanted to know. Are we talking 15 minutes, 15 days, or 15 years?
God's been talking like this since the Old Testament. "The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor; it's time to thresh her; yet a little whileand the time of her harvest shall come" (Jeremiah. 51:33). "For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction" (Isaiah 10:25). "A little while": words that mean there's going to be waiting, and with waiting all the headaches that go with it. The disciples witnessed the scourging, trial, and death of their Lord, and spent three agonizing and terrifying days waiting for the resurrection.
We focus on the waiting. To be sure, Jesus says, "You will weep and lament, the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy" (John 16:20). How long until we see the joy? A little while, but your sorrow will not be forever. Your joy, however, is and will be forever! Today you hear that it'll be a little while until we see the fulness of our Lord's blessings, but even in the little whiles, which might seem to last for a very long time, even there in the waiting, sadness, sorrow, depression, grief, Christ our Lord abides with us still.
Sorrows will be turned to joy. In a little while there will only be joy. But even now, for a little while, there is joy in the midst of all that we suffer. Waiting for loved ones to get better, suffering through a breakup, struggling to find a job–a little while where God attends to you, a little while where you will be sorrowful, when you will weep and lament. Yet it is Christ who sorrows with you. He cries tears with you, laments with you still. God sends you His good Gifts under bread and wine, in the sign of the cross that reminds you that you're marked as the apple of God's eye. For a little while you are filled with all that you need for this body and life that will give way to an eternity of peace and joy. A little while but not forever. Until forever, Christ finds you, wipes your tears away, forgives you your sin and loves to take care of you still. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, by the patient endurance of Your only-begotten Son You beat down the pride of the old enemy. Help us to treasure rightly in our hearts what our Lord has borne for our sakes that, after His example, we may bear with patience those things that are adverse to us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Romans 11:33-36
Daily Lectionary:Proverbs 16:1-24; John 16:1-16
Who has known . . . Who has counseled . . . Who has given? (Romans 11:34-35)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul wonders who has known the mind of the Lord (Romans 11:34). The answer, because of sin, is none of us. "You have not in mind the things of God but the things of men," Jesus says to Peter (Matthew 16:23). Paul also wonders who has counseled God. In other words, who has actually been able to give God advice about how best to be God? The answer? We've certainly tried, but our counsel is so deeply immersed in our sin that even the best of our advice is found wanting. Who has given a gift to God that he might be repaid? My goodness, that last phrase hits hard. The only thing that could be given is our very lives, and thankfully, God does not require that of us. According to the Law, because of our sin the answer to all three questions is none of us, not one.
But Paul writes so that we would see that Jesus' death and resurrection, His tabernacling with us, addresses at least two of the questions. Who has known the mind of God? You have. He's given you His mind, given you Jesus. "If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him" (John 14:7). We "see" Him by hearing (Romans 10:17). But who has given God something? This is where the psalmist helps: "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord" (Psalm 116:12-13). Our giving, then, starts in and finds its everlasting source in receiving: receiving what Jesus graciously gives in the Divine Service and the Lord's Supper, so we may call upon Him, pray, and confess the words He's given us to say.
As for counsel, well, that's where Paul leaves us hanging. None of us has counseled God, and there is great comfort in this. He needs no help from us, but instead sends the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to lead us to and keep us in the Holy Christian Church, where daily forgiveness and life are given to you and me. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Triune God, be Thou our stay; O let us perish never! Cleanse us from our sins, we pray, And grant us life forever. Keep us from the evil one; Uphold our faith most holy, And let us trust Thee solely With humble hearts and lowly. Let us put God's armor on, With all true Christians running Our heav'nly race and shunning The devil's wiles and cunning. Amen, amen! This be done; So sing we, "Alleluia!" ("Triune God, Be Thou Our Stay" LSB 505, st.1)
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Second Article part 2
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 15:1-29; John 15:12-27
I believe that Jesus Christ has become my Lord. (Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Second Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus has become my Lord: It's not what the English versions of our catechisms say, but it is a good translation. Christ Jesus has become my Lord.
You've perhaps met people who have spoken in this way before. Maybe someone has said that they've made Jesus their Lord, usually by some good thing they had done, said, or decided. But the Second Article of the creed and its explanation aren't saying this in the least. In a word, it says this: Christ saw me in my great sin, my sorrow, and need, took note of the great agony here on Earth, and did something about it. Paul says it, too: "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
Jesus says elsewhere, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32). What does this mean? That even in your inborn sin and your actual sins each and every day, Christ Jesus, true God and true man, came to dwell among His enemies, came to bear your sin to the Cross, bore the whole weight of God's Law for you and me, suffered in your place, died your death, ascended to heaven to bring His very blood as the sacrifice for sin. And then, from heaven, Jesus comes still to give you the Gifts of heaven right here on earth. We say it like this: " . . .on earth as it is in heaven."
How has Jesus become your Lord? He took all that stood between you and Him, all your sin that made you His enemy, all your grief, sorrow, and guilt, and provided full remission of sin by Baptism. Now, day after day, as you rise and pray the Morning Prayer, you are awakened to new mercies, gracious gifts, protection and peace brand new each day. He's always been your Lord and yet He becomes your Lord by His precious Body and Blood, given and shed for you in the Holy Sacrament. He graciously comes to you still, and mercifully rules you through the forgiveness of sins that He pours out to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Thou art King of glory Christ; Son of God yet born of Mary. For us sinners sacrificed, As to death a Tributary, First to break the bars of death, Thou hast opened heav'n to faith. ("Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" LSB 940, st.4)
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary:Proverbs 14:1-27; John 15:1-11
"Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Elisha, son of Shaphat of the tribe of Issachar, was the prophet of God to the Northern Kingdom of Israel around 849–786 BC. Elisha assumed the prophetic office after his predecessor and teacher Elijah was taken up into heaven.
Elisha is best known as the guy who asked for a double portion. He asked boldly for the blessings of Yahweh to be bestowed on him, and by grace it was granted to him. Our reading for today, particularly the portion that deals with bearing much fruit, is unfortunately often misunderstood. Bearing fruit is sometimes thought of as what we do, what we bear forth and give to God and neighbor. The problem here is that while the fruits we bear are for God and our neighbor, it's not the fruits that bestow salvation to us. The Vine bears the fruit, one of which is salvation. It's just one of many free gifts that Christ our Lord has won for us and has freely delivered in Baptism.
Elisha is a wonderful example of a branch grafted to the Vine. Taken from the fields, taught by Elijah and given a double portion of the blessings of God Himself, Elisha learned daily what it meant to receive the grace and mercy of God. He was a branch, grafted lovingly to the life-giving Vine. Whether it was the poor widow and orphan of 2 Kings 4 who received the never-ending grain and oil, or the son of the Shunammite whom Elisha raised from the dead, God used weak and lowly Elisha for His good purposes.
Finally, by Elisha's interactions with Naaman the Syrian, an enemy of the people of God who was healed of leprosy by washing in the Jordan river, our gracious Lord revealed His mercy and grace to all. Let us praise God as we remember Elisha and those who bring to us the certain hope of our resurrection in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord God, heavenly Father, through the prophet Elisha, You continued 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.
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Isaiah 6:1-7
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 13:1-25; John 14:18-31
Woe IS me! (Isaiah 6:5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You've heard it before, you've said it before . . . woe is me! Thanks be to God that the prophet Isaiah gives us a fuller understanding of that phrase: "I AM woe. It's what I've known and all it seems that I'll ever know." Isaiah had witnessed something unbelievable, something not known on earth: a glimpse of holiness and perfection, but just a glimpse. For the six-winged seraph veils Isaiah's eyes from beholding it fully, for no man of woe, no sinful man, can see God and live! Woe is me. I am lost. I am a man of unclean lips. We can identify with Isaiah, for not only have our own lips muttered terrible things to friend and foe alike, but our scrolling fingers, typing thumbs and wayward minds have revealed the true fallen nature that plagues us each day.
Not only that, Isaiah dwells with a people of unclean lips. It's funny how 800 BC is so much like AD 2022! Isaiah saw with His own eyes the holiness of God and it caused him to recognize how wretched he was. That's what the holiness of God does, it terrifies us, because we natural sinners know that perfection in and of ourselves is unattainable by even our best desires and works. That's how the Law works, especially the Law which sets us up alongside the perfect and Holy Christ.
God our Lord, is pleased to come. With Him are the seraphs, messengers of God to still our shattered hearts, to grant solace to our precious and fragile hearts and lives, to cleanse not just our lips. We are not cleansed by fire but by the water of Baptism, water that drowns our Old Adam. It is cleansing water, pure, clean, and refreshing water that stills our souls. By the Word in and with that water that speaks the same words spoken to Isaiah, "Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for" (Isaiah 6:7).
Woe no longer IS you! Your woe has been taken up completely by Christ your Lord. Woe is not you for it has been drowned and died with all sin! Christ is in you, and you in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Gracious Lord, you have known me before I was in my mother’s womb, You have known me, my sorrow and my grief for You were pleased to dwell on this earth, You willingly humbled Yourself to bear my sin, there is nothing of me that You do not know, no sin of mine that You did not put to death; take heed of me in my great need this day and pour out again, abundantly and without end, Your, lovingkindness, Your perfect holiness and Your gentle mercies known n the forgiveness of my sins, open my ears to hear always,“Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 3:1-17
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 10:1-23; John 14:1-17
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Back in the day, I was told that in order to know something you must sometimes understand what that thing is not. John does just that in our reading for today: He tells us that Jesus did not come as true God and true man to condemn the world. So now we know what Jesus hasn't come to do. What has He come to do? Of course, John says that Jesus has come to save the world, but He's also come to save you.
On this blessed Feast of the Holy Trinity where we behold the Trinity in unity and unity in the Trinity, an unfathomable, unexplainable concept, it's wonderful to simply take in the fact that God the Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier is pleased to dwell with us. He comes among us not to condemn us or the world with us in our sin, but the Creator, God the Father, was pleased to send His Son to us. To send the Redeemer of the world to bear our sin, fulfill every last jot and tittle of the Law for us and to hang and die in our place. The Sanctifier, the Holy Spirit, gives us faith in the Word made flesh, to wake us, who by our own reason or strength cannot believe in Jesus our Lord or come to Him. The Holy Spirit, or the divine finger, as I've heard Him called, points only and always to what Christ Jesus has done for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the eternal Trinity by the confession of the true faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us steadfast in the faith and defend us from all adversities for You, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Mark 6:7-13
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 9:1-18; John 13:21-28
So they (the apostles) went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. (Mark 6:12-13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Barnabas, which means "the son of encouragement," was a contemporary of Paul's and was originally from Cyprus.Through his generosity, he sold his land and offered all the proceeds to the preaching of the Holy Gospel. He was a cousin of Mark the evangelist, whose text we consider today: "So they (the apostles) went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them" (Mark 6:12-13).
As described in Acts 1-12, the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas up the coast to Antioch. While there, Barnabas preached and taught just as your pastor preaches and teaches, of the Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world. Barnabas even grabbed up an ornery, raucous persecutor of the new Christians, a man by the name of Saul, also known as Paul in the Greek, and convinced the frightened disciples that Paul's conversion and Baptism of Saul (Acts 9 and 13).
Such is the way of the Lord, that during the years of His ministry He sent the apostles out two by two. So it was also in the days after His ascension that Barnabas and Paul were sent out to preach and teach, and to confirm every word they preached with the signs they did. Yet they were quick to assert that they were not gods, but men like their listeners (Acts 14:15). "We bring you good news," they said, "that you should turn from these worthless idols to the living God who made all things."
Through many years Barnabas continued, finding himself back again in Cyprus, where he would labor until his death by stoning. Barnabas, the son of encouragement, endured hardships and traveled widely. God sustained him in his vocations, just as God is always with you as you carry out your own vocations. Thanks be to God for the encouragement He gives to others through you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, Your faithful servant Barnabas sought not his own renown but gave generously of his life and substance for the encouragement of the disciples and their ministry. Grant that we may follow his example in lives given to charity and the proclamation of the Gospel; through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the commemoration of St. Barnabas)
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Genesis 11:1-9
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 8:22-36; John 13:1-20
So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Tower of Babel has it all! Hardworking people trying to build a tower to God, and God's saying that now "nothing that they propose to do will be impossible for them" (Genesis 11:6). God's confounding the languages of the people and then . . . AND THEN scattering them all over the place.
I thought God said that it wasn't good to be scattered and isolated! What gives?
To be sure, it's good, right, and salutary that we do have people to talk to. But don't forget that what you talk about also matters. The people of Babel were of one mind, which teaches us that it's possible to be in agreement and be totally WRONG! The people of Babel had unanimously agreed that the best way to get to God was to make your own way to Him. If they think that they can build a tower to God, where will their ambition end?
In His great mercy, God mixed up the language of the people so they couldn't be one in their grave error. It's not possible to get to God by anything we do, not even if the whole world says you can, God comes to us! God abides with us. To teach this, He confuses the languages, casts the people all over the known world, but He never stops talking to them.
God scrambled the languages, but new languages and new cities would pop up all over. The people would maintain these different languages until our current day, and by the day of Pentecost much of the known world would hear, in their own native languages, the clear and concise Word of God. Between Babel and Pentecost, God talked to them and continued to send prophets and judges, the pastors of old. All would have the Word of God to comfort them and to provide forgiveness of sins, to assure them that there's no need to build a tower to God. Indeed, we can't. Yet Christ, God and man, came down, the Word made flesh to bear our sins and become our Savior. He comes to us now each Lord's day by bread and wine to give us what we desperately need, now and forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Word made flesh, as it pleased you in the days of old to speak to your scattered people by many and various tongues, so come to us, by the preached word given to us by our pastors and church, come to us by your Spirit in hearing we would be given faith to believe that you find us, come to us, speak to us, comfort us and forgive us this and every day. Amen.
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Acts 2:1-21
Daily Lectionary:Proverbs 8:1-21; John 12:36b-50
And they were bewildered. (Acts 2:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Bewilderment . . . what a fun word! Just rolls off the tongue. But if you've ever lived a day of life here on earth, you know that bewilderment in reality isn't much fun at all. To be bewildered, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, simply means to be confused.
There's plenty to be confused about in our day. Teachers tell you this, your pastor and parents tell you that, and your friends via Twitter and Instagram, well, they say something different all together. That's the world, and it's been this way ever since the tongues were confounded at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). But it's not just the words that describe everyday life that have gotten mixed up. The very Word of God left the people mentioned in Acts bewildered, too.
How could it be that all those people were speaking in languages that none of them had ever heard or spoken? Maybe the mockers WERE right in saying that the apostles were filled with new wine (Acts 2:13). Thankfully, Peter clarifies: Though the people who speak are filled with great joy, they're not filled with wine but with the Spirit who has been poured out on all flesh (Acts 2:17). And if they have the Spirit then they also have what the explanation of the Third Article of the Creed promises: "The Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened us with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith."
This explanation of Holy Baptism in the Small Catechism portrays Baptism not as just plain water, but "a life giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit." What does this mean? There's plenty to be bewildered about here in this fallen world and many times we are, but in Baptism the Lord has given you His Holy Spirit. He's already yours, and you're already His. He opens your ears to hear and your tongue to speak, even in the midst of bewilderment. It's not a matter of understanding as much as it's taking hold of the fact that Christ has covered you in Baptism and still sends the Holy Spirit today by preaching and the Word. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord God, into this bewildering world You are pleased to come. Into our bewildered hearts and minds You bring the great joy, not of new wine but of Your life-giving Word! So continue to send Your Spirit to keep us with the Church and Jesus Christ in the one true faith. Amen.
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Second Article part 1
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 5:1-23; John 12:20-36a
I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord. (Small Catechism: Second Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Jesus has become my Lord." That means that there was a time when Jesus was not our Lord. When was that? King David reminds us, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5). But it gets really tough when we see that little baby brought to the font. That little baby, looking all cute and cuddly, gentle and lowly, is actually a poor miserable sinner. It just doesn't make sense. After all, that little baby hasn't DONE anything sinful yet.
Martin Luther's baptismal rite of 1523 included the following: The priest began by blowing three times under the child's eyes and saying, " Depart thou unclean spirit and give room to the Holy Spirit." The opening prayer of the baptismal rite implores God to "break all the snares of the devil with which he is bound." Later, there was a more extended exorcism of the child, concluding with the words, "I adjure thee, thou unclean spirit, by the name of the + Father and of the + Son and of the + Holy Ghost that thou come out and depart from this servant of God, (Name), for he commands thee, thou miserable one, he who walked upon the sea and stretched forth his hand to sinking Peter."
What else is your Baptism, other than the work of God that allows the explanation of the Second Article to make sense? Jesus becomes your Lord in the water, with the Word that exorcised the demons and devil, that drowned and killed the Old Adam in you, and washed you clean in the blood of Jesus. He gave you the full inheritance and gave you His Holy Name! You've got it all! You lack nothing. Jesus says you're His, Jesus says He loves you and protects you and cares for you always. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Gracious Jesus, true God and true man, though I am beset with such grave sin that has caused me to be born as Your enemy, let not the devil and his demons torment me, for You alone have claimed me, You alone have made me your precious child, an heir of Your eternal kingdom and a blessed recipient of Your lovingkindness each new day. So lead me this and each new day to the waters of my Baptism, bring to my remembrance today and forever, Your gracious love and mercy toward me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:John 10:1-10
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 4:1-27; John 12:1-19
"The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." (John 10:3b)
"He does all things well!" (Mark 7:37)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A wise man I know once rejected the idea that we are sheep. "Sheep are dumb animals," he said. "I just can't stand the idea that God would talk about us like that!" Jesus does talk like that though. In fact, all Scripture speaks in that way so that we will hear that there is a Good Shepherd who is always tending to us.
Our Merciful God knows precisely who He's dealing with. We are not the well-adjusted, got-it-all-together, never-been-better crowd. Christ came not just as a shepherd, but as the GOOD Shepherd. He came talking, always talking, chattering like an enthusiastic baseball fan in the right field bleachers. And what does He say? "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). That's you! Sheep: not dumb animals but those who desperately need shepherding. And it's not about what you'll eat for breakfast, where you'll work, or what college you'll go to. Instead, you are shepherded to hear the mercy and peace that Christ freely bestows in a world filled with hate and discord. Shepherded to a strong church in the midst of false shepherds who seek to lead you away from the Jesus who loves and cares for you. Shepherded to hear that there's no amount of your own blood, sweat, or tears that you could shed to make everything perfect. That's Christ's job. Our "job" is to hear. To hear that although we often find ourselves cut off from the herd, alone or afraid because of what we've done or failed to do or by what's been done to us:, Jesus is always taking care of us.
He's the Shepherd, and He does that well. He's the Word, constantly talking, speaking His Law to put us to death in sin, but also speaking mercy and forgiveness for all that baggage we think we need to carry. That has all been borne by Him. He's the One who gives abundant life, who has taken on Himself all our careless wandering and our following after the false shepherds of this world. He's the One who gives us the ears to hear Him who has bought us back, leading us out of darkness into His marvelous light. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love He sought me And on His shoulder gently laid And home rejoicing brought me. ("The King of Love My Shepherd Is" LSB 709, st.3)
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 3:16-20
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 3:5-24; John 11:38-57
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:17)
In the Name of Jesus + Amen. Ours is a dog-eat-dog world. Selfishness, greed, lust, envy, and strife pervade our world and our own lives. It's every man, woman, and child for himself. Who's watching out for you? If you believe much of what you see tweeted, or on Instagram and Facebook, it's difficult, if not impossible to find the answer to that question. Who's watching out for you? Thankfully John addresses this crucial question, at first objectively and then subjectively. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). That's quite a BIG statement. The world is a BIG place, with BIG things happening–what about little ol' me?
God sent Jesus for the whole world: That's objective justification. But who is watching out specifically for you? This is where John makes the subjective point: God didn't send His own Son to hunt you down and punish you for your sin. Far from it. The Father sent the Son to seek you out and to bear your very sin to death. He came not to condemn, no, no, no–He came to seek you. He came and took on your flesh, became like you in every way but one. Jesus your Savior was without sin, yet He humbled Himself, lowered Himself into the Jordan River and had all your sin washed onto Him! Every bit of it! He carried the full weight of it all to Calvary's Cross and put it to death with Him, and when He went down into that tomb on Good Friday your sin stayed dead in that tomb! But even before all that–remember the blood and water that flowed from His side? That blood and water was FOR YOU! His blood flowed into the chalices of all Christendom, and the water is one and the same water that was washed over you on the day you were baptized! Who's watching out for you? The same Christ Jesus who knew you even before He formed you in the womb, the same Jesus who took on your very flesh, who took all your sin and suffered your death, the same Jesus who rose as the firstborn of the dead so that you, too, would rise forever with Him on the Last Day. He's got you covered. He's watching out for you by the blood and the water, the bread and the Word, now and forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of a true faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us steadfast in this faith and defend us from all adversities; for You, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 14:23-31
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 1:8-33; John 11:17-37
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." (John 14:26)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We all need a little help in life, with changing a flat tire, or that pesky calculus homework, but when it comes to matters of greater importance, we Lutherans confess in the Small Catechism, "I believe that I cannot believe."
I believe that I cannot believe. Aren't we Christians supposed to have all the answers? Haven't we heard that we've got to have it all figured out when it comes to the trials and tribulations of life? There was a time–but alas, it ended with Adam's hiding for fear from the sounds of God walking in the Garden. A time, long past, when God's creatures used to expect only good from God. But those days are long gone. "I believe I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him."
Thanks be to God, then, that He comes to us! The Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, and enlightened me with His gifts. Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord that He takes a vested, incarnational interest in us! Before ascending to the very throne of God, He sends the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to teach, and bring to our remembrance all that we've forgotten that Jesus has said and done for us.
He teaches us by the Divine Service, catechism class, Sunday school and Bible study, showing us where we can go to find the words of eternal life. He teaches us who we can trust to give the most precious of all gifts: the forgiveness of sins.
The Spirit is constantly bringing to our remembrance, that is, giving us His Word to remind, comfort, and give us the peace that the world cannot give. This strengthens us, enlivens us and opens our ears to hear and mouths to speak of the wonders Christ gives us still by Word and Sacrament. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, on this day You once taught the hearts of Your faithful people by sending them the light of Your Holy Spirit. Grant us in our day by the same Spirit to have a right understanding in all things and evermore to rejoice in His holy consolation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Day of Pentecost)
-Rev. Adam Degroot is pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 14:15-21
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:22-21:9; Luke 20:45-21:19
"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." (John 14:21)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do you love Jesus? It seems like a silly question to ask a Christian, and yet it was just asked of you. How is it that you love Jesus? Was it something you decided to do one day? Did you will your love for Jesus into existence? Clearly those seem to be unlikely answers. Your love of Jesus, your love for God, did not and could not come from you. Such a love came about because of a Gift that you received, the Gift of faith. This Gift was given to you by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus prepares us for that time when He will no longer be among us in the flesh. As upsetting to the disciples as that might have been, that day was drawing ever closer. But Jesus promised that the disciples would not be left alone. You, too, have received that promise, for Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to you. He comes to give to us the Gift of faith which believes all that God has said and done.
By faith, you have to come to know love, true love shown by God to us sinners. It is this love which led Him to send Jesus into creation, to make Jesus our sacrificial Lamb. God has made you known to Him, but more importantly, God has made Himself known to you. He has done so by giving you a name, one that is more important than any other name: child of God. That makes God your Father, and because God is your Father, He desires to give you the greatest Gift in all of creation, and that is the forgiveness of all of your sins. No greater Gift can be given than that, for it is by forgiveness that you are received into the kingdom of God. All that God desires to give you is yours because you have been made a part of Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and ever-living God, You fulfilled Your promise by sending the gift of the Holy Spirit to unite disciples of all nations in the cross and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ. By the preaching of the Gospel spread this gift to the ends of the earth; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Eve of Pentecost)
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:1-21; Luke 20:19-44
So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. (Luke 20:20)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You have to hand it to the scribes and the chief priests for staying true to themselves. They pretend to be sincere when it comes to Jesus, all while trying to find ways to put Him to death. At least they're consistent in their doubletalk.
What was at the heart of their issue with Jesus? For the scribes and chief priests, it came down to one word: power. They had it, and then Jesus came onto the scene, disrupting their powerbase. They could not allow that to happen, and so they sought to do whatever they could to remove Jesus from the picture.
Regarding Jesus, it came down to a different word: authority. Jesus had the authority because He spoke the Word of God, not the word of man. That was at the heart of all the issues the people had with Jesus. It wasn't about power, but authority. When you seek to change God's Word in order to keep your power, it is clear that you do not have authority. Jesus, however, has all authority because He IS the authority. He is God in the flesh. If anyone should know what God has said, it would be Jesus.
Later, when asking regarding marriage and the resurrection, the scribes and priests were put in their place again, because what they desired wasn't a legitimate answer. They wanted instead to discredit Jesus, show Him to be one who had no authority. And once again, they proved to be on the losing side of things, for Luke records: "For they no longer dared to ask him any question" (Luke 20:40).
There is only one authority and that is God's authority. That authority has been revealed to us through His Word, both written and in the flesh of Jesus. God's Word reveals to us the length that God is willing to go to in order to redeem creation. For Christ's sake, your sins have been forgiven, not by man's authority but by God's. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You exalted Your Son to the place of all honor and authority. Enlighten our minds by Your Holy Spirit that, confessing Jesus as Lord, we may be led into all truth; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Small Catechism: Apostle's Creed, First Article part 3
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:41-17:13; Luke 20:1-18
All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. (Small Catechism: Apostle's Creed, First Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When you read the Explanation to the First Article, it's amazing how much God does for us, especially when you look at who we are–sinners. You and I deserve nothing, and yet God grants to us everything. There is no reason for God to do what He does, and yet He does it anyway. We don't even need to ask why, because Luther tells us: "without any merit or worthiness in me." And so, Luther writes in the Large Catechism, "We confess that He does all this out of pure love and goodness, without our merit, as a kind Father. He cares for us so that no evil falls upon us."
There is no worthiness in us that causes God to do all that He does. He shows His great love for us in giving us all things to support our earthly body and life. Because of the great things God has given, we want to serve Him with all that we have received. However, according to Luther, we sin daily, even with the gifts God has given. We fail to do as Luther says: "thank and praise, serve and obey Him."
It is fortunate for us that we have a gracious God, one who doesn't treat us the way that we deserve. He gives freely, "out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy. . . " That means that you don't have to do anything to earn what God gives; you simply receive from His bountiful goodness.
As good as it is to receive temporal gifts from God, it is better to receive eternal gifts, and there can be no greater eternal gift than that of salvation and everlasting life. God has seen fit to give that to you as well, no strings attached, no hoops to jump through. That's what a loving Father does: gives generously. For you, He has done it and there is nothing for you to do except to receive from God the gifts He desires to give. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, heavenly Father, Your mercies are new to us every morning and, though we in no wise deserve Your goodness, You abundantly provide for all our wants of body and soul. Give us, we humbly pray, Your Holy Spirit that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness toward us, give thanks for all Your benefits and cheerfully serve You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:23-40; Luke 19:29-48
"For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation." (Luke 19:43-44)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today the Church remembers Justin, a martyr from the early second century. Raised in a pagan home, Justin converted to Christianity and taught the faith in Ephesus and Rome. Sadly, but not unexpected given his upbringing, Justin was martyred along with six others for refusing to make pagan sacrifices and the like. But all was not in vain, for Justin's bold confession of faith would lead to a strengthening of the Christian faith in the early second century.
So what does that have to do with you or the Christian Church today? Quite a bit, actually. Justin came to faith in Jesus after being raised a pagan. Such an influence like that would be hard to overcome, and yet Justin did just that, though not without help. The Holy Spirit worked faith in him to believe in Jesus, just as the Holy Spirit has done for you. While facing great persecution for his beliefs, Justin did not relent in his confession of faith. We continue to face that reality today, as the world seems to grow ever more hostile towards the Christian Church.
In much the same way that Jesus wept over Jerusalem because of what was happening there, so, too, does He view the Church today. Jesus tells us in Matthew's Gospel, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account" (Matthew 5:11). The world will be hostile to the Church and She will be persecuted for Her faith in Jesus. You, too, will be persecuted for your faith; Jesus tells us as much. Like the martyrs who have gone before us, may we remain ever faithful to the calling which we have received: faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, You found Your martyr Justin wandering from teacher to teacher, searching for the true God. Grant that all who seek for a deeper knowledge of the sublime wisdom of Your eternal Word may be found by You, who sent Your Son to seek and to save the lost; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Justin Martyr)
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Peter 4:7-14
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:1-22; Luke 19:11-28
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Peter sure has a lofty goal for us, that we love one another earnestly. Clearly Peter never had any enemies and he certainly hasn't met our enemies before, those people who are unworthy of our love. There's a good reason why they're our enemies and we don't love them; all you have to do is ask us and we'll tell you all about it.
Sadly, that's not the way that it is supposed to be. God does not want us to love some and hate others. That's not what Jesus teaches us in the Lord's Prayer: "And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." No, God wants us to love all people, despite who they might be and what they may have done. This is because of who we were: enemies of God. Paul tells us, "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
Since we are sinners, we know that we have a multitude of sins. What does God do with those sins? Does He condemn us for them? No, He forgives them, each and every one of them. He does that out of love for us, His creation. That is because He is our loving Father, and as our Father, God does nothing but love us, loving us to the point of the death of His Son Jesus.
We see just how much love covers our multitude of sins. They are covered in Jesus' holiness and righteousness, so much so that God does not see our sins, but only sees Jesus. Every person, from all times and all places have received the forgiveness of their sins on account of Jesus' death and resurrection. They are all people whom God has loved and for whom Christ has died. God doesn't play favorites with regards to His love. If God has created them, then God loves them; and since God has created all, God loves all.
That idea of loving everyone is contrary to how we want to behave. God sees us for who we are: sinners in need of salvation. And because we are all sinners, God shows His love to all of us by sending Christ. That is the unconditional love that God has for us, and the same love which we should show others. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, grant us a steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, a cheerful hope in Your mercy, and a sincere love for You and one another; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Ezekiel 36:22-28
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:25-45; Luke 18:35-19:10
"You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God." (Ezekiel 36:28)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There are advantages when you belong to something. Belonging to something often means that there are perks. If you're really fortunate, you get rewarded with free stuff just for belonging. You do belong to something, or rather, to someone: God. And when you belong to God, there are some great perks that go with it. You have God's Name placed on you, marking you as part of Him. You receive the free Gift of the forgiveness of your sins. Let's not forget the Gift of everlasting life that you receive by belonging to God. The best part of this: All of it is freely given to you, no punch card required!
When you belong to God, everything is freely given to you. That's the promise God gave when He made us His people and He our God. The only thing necessary on your part is faith, and even that is given to you by the Holy Spirit. All of this is yours as a free gift.
This is what God had done in the very beginning with Adam and Eve. They were God's people and He their God. They lived together in perfect harmony. Through man's fall into sin, all of that went away. Track throughout the Old Testament how many times God's people walked away from Him, believing in false idols and rejecting God. While the people strayed from God, He never strayed from them. He would remain faithful to them despite the fact that they were unfaithful to Him.
That's the great difference between man and God. Man is faithful today but faithless tomorrow. We are easily tempted by the bright and shiny things of this world. We can and do easily forget that we belong to God. Fortunately for us, God does not lose faith in us and forget us. God can't forget us because He made a promise to us, to be our God, and that's not a promise that God takes likely. In fact, God doesn't take any of His promises lightly. Every promise made is a promise kept. You are His people and He is your God, now and forevermore. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, keep Your Church with Your perpetual mercy; and because of our frailty we cannot but fall, keep us ever by Your help from all things hurtful and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Trinity 14)
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 15:26-16:4
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:1-25; Luke 18:18-34
"I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away." (John 16:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you wondered why Jesus spends so much time with His disciples? If He wanted to get His message out to the mass population, you would think that He would devote more time to being amongst the people, though He does spend His fair share of time with them. In order for the disciples to be strengthened and prepared to go and spread the Word of God, Jesus needs to convey that Word to them. The best way He knows how to do that is to bring them with Him and teach them as much as He can in a short amount of time.
The Word of God that was taught to the disciples is that same Word that has been and continues to be taught to you. There is so much that is contained within God's Word, you could never mine every nugget of God's wisdom. What we have recorded in Scripture is what God has decided we need to have–nothing more and nothing less. The purpose is simple according to John: "But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31).
The devil is quite crafty and continues to try to cause doubt in the believer. Anyone who will doubt God and His Word is a win for Satan. This will continue until the day that Jesus returns. Luther tells us, "He will certainly have the devil also around him, who with his lying and murdering day and night will let him have no peace, within or without. . . " (Small Catechism). The only sure defense we have against Satan is God's Word.
It is for that reason that Jesus spends so much time with His disciples, to teach them God's Word. It is for that reason that you and I remain in God's Word, and that we will always have before us God's promise of forgiveness and salvation. God's Word, both in its written form and through the Word made flesh, has been given to us, to lead and guide us into the truth. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O King of glory, Lord of hosts, uplifted in triumph far above all heavens, leave us not without consolation but send us the Spirit of truth whom You promised from the Father; for You live and reign with Him and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Seventh Sunday of Easter)
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Introit for the Seventh Sunday of Easter
(Psalm 27:1, 11a, 12; antiphon: v.7a, 8b, 9a)
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 13:1-3, 17-33; Luke 18:1-17
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is my stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (From the Introit for the Seventh Sunday of Easter)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Children tend to be fearful of many things, especially of the dark. It's likely because they can't see anything and are afraid of what might happen to them. As we get older, our fears tend to subside and we aren't so easily frightened. When it comes to this present darkness in which we live, it would be easy for us to fear, but there is no reason for us to fear. Though there is darkness, there is Light: Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, the Light no darkness can overcome (John 8:12, 1:5).
Satan tried desperately to extinguish this Light, to snuff out our salvation. Try as he might, Satan could not succeed. Tempting Jesus failed. Leading Judas to betray Jesus failed. Crucifying Jesus failed to extinguish the Light. All that Satan could do was sit and watch God's promise of salvation come to fruition.
Despite knowing that he has already lost, Satan doesn't go down without a fight. He musters all of his wicked strength to go after the children of God, causing all sorts of trials and temptations to rise up against us. Throughout the darkness, we must remember that we have God for us. That means that nothing can harm us; it means that nothing can be against us (Romans 8:31).
As the blood-bought and redeemed children of God, we would do well to remember all that God has done for us, continues to do for us, and will do for us. God has spared us from eternal death and damnation by the sending of Jesus. God protects you from all the assaults of Satan and whatever he can throw at you because Jesus has conquered the darkness. There is nothing that you need to be fearful of because God is your stronghold.
God is our salvation. God is your hope. God is your everything. In this earthly life, He provides you everything you need. But more importantly, He grants to you the forgiveness of your sins and the privilege of being called a child of God. There is nothing for you to fear, for the LORD Almighty is with you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
A mighty fortress is our God, A trusty shield and weapon; He helps us free from ev'ry need That hath us now o'er taken. The old evil foe Now means deadly woe; Deep guile and great might Are his dread arms in fight; On earth is not his equal. ("A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" LSB 656, st.1)
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Acts 1:1-11
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:24-29; 12:1-16; Luke 17:20-37
And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "You heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." (Acts 1:4-5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Baptism. Baptized with water. Now, baptized with the Holy Spirit. Obviously, this is significant, not just for Jesus, but for the Church as a whole. This is an important point in the lives of the disciples. Jesus has risen from the dead and appeared to them, as well as to many others. In short order, though, Jesus will leave the disciples again. But He promises not to leave them lacking; He promises to send them the Holy Spirit.
With the coming of the Holy Spirit, something else will be coming: the gift of faith. Jesus sends the Spirit of truth to guide the disciples into all truth. The truth is nothing short of God's divine plan of salvation that is meant for His creation. The truth is of Jesus Christ, and His salvation of us through His life, death, and resurrection. The work of the Holy Spirit is to create faith in a person. Note that the Spirit does not speak on His own, but rather speaks on behalf of the Father and Jesus, and testifies about Jesus. It's all about Jesus. For the Holy Spirit, it has to be all about Jesus because Jesus is the sole means of salvation.
If there is a single message that we need to hear and take to heart, it is that of Jesus Christ, for He is our sole means of salvation. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to create this wonderful Gift in us called faith. It is that faith which believes in Jesus, believes in His atoning sacrifice for our sins.
All of this was promised by God to His people of old, from Adam and Eve all the way up to the disciples and to the early Church. This promise was extended to all peoples of all times and in all places; this promise extends to you as well. God's promise was the promise of salvation, to undo the damning effects of sin at the Fall. God's promise had been made and it was fulfilled. Jesus has come and forgiven us our sins. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, You have made the promise of salvation to Your people of old and fulfilled in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Strengthen the faith of Your people, that they would look alone to Jesus for their salvation, trusting in Your great mercy for Your creation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Luke 24:44-53
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:1-23, 31-35; Luke 17:1-19
While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:51)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We all are familiar with the saying, "Here today, gone tomorrow." Whether we like it or not, what is today will not be tomorrow. This same thought applies to Jesus as well, whether you like it or not.
After His three years of ministry, there were people who were more than happy to see Jesus die; this was the prevailing sentiment from the beginning of His ministry. But for as many people who wanted to see Jesus dead, there were just as many who wanted to see Jesus live forever. Their reasons varied: Some admired His teaching, some looked to Jesus as a means of healing the sick. For the disciples, Jesus was their Teacher. He was their Master. He was their Friend. Regardless of who Jesus was, He was not destined to live a long life on earth. He was destined to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
As much as the disciples did not want to hear of Jesus' death, it was necessary. Following our Lord's resurrection, all seemed well with the disciples–Jesus had returned to them! Though the disciples had Jesus back again, Jesus had other plans–He would return to the Father. All of this had been taught to them. All of this was according to God's divine plan for salvation.
Luke's Gospel gives us just a glimpse of our Lord's Ascension. In fact, the Ascension itself comprises a single verse: "While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven." Jesus was here yesterday and gone tomorrow. But then, Jesus was here again following the resurrection. How happy the disciples must have been to have Jesus with them once again. But that would not last long, as Jesus needed to return to the Father. All would not be lost after Jesus' Ascension, though, as He would grant to them the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
Because Christ has ascended unto the Father, so we will ascend as well. We will be with Him in glory. We will enjoy all of the benefits Christ has won for us. We have life because Christ has laid down His life and taken it up again in order to grant life for all believers. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, as Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, ascended into the heavens, so may we also ascend in heart and mind and continually dwell there with Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Ascension of Our Lord)
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, First Article part 2
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 10:11-36; Luke 16:19-31
He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. (Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, First Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Did you know that you are rich? It doesn't matter if you don't have a dime in your pocket. You are rich, but that's because your wealth doesn't involve money. We are rich because God has provided everything that we need to support our earthly life. That means the clothes on our backs and the shoes on our feet, the food in our stomachs and the roofs over our heads. Luther sums up our First Article gifts with three simple words: "all I have." But what is that?
We know the things we have because we can see them and touch them. But what about the things we can't see and touch? Do we have those as well? Not only does God provide us all that we see, He also provides all that we do not see, namely, our salvation.
When a person looks at you, do they see that you are covered in the blood of the Lamb which forgives you all of your sins? Do they see God's Name placed upon you in your Baptism? Do they see that your sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ? None of that is visible to the naked eye, and yet, that is what we have as well.
We are wealthy beyond all measure because of the sacrifice that was made for us by Jesus Christ. Through His death and resurrection, all that God intended for creation to have, all that was lost because of sin, has been restored. Everything that was meant for you from before the creation of the world is yours once again because Jesus has died and is risen again. He has made full satisfaction for your sins. All that we need in this life is given to us by God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. All that you need for the life of the world to come, is yours because of Jesus. The best part of all of this is that you don't need to wait until Christ comes again to receive the full benefit of Christ's death and resurrection. It is yours now, for Christ has died for you. All that Christ has to give is yours; all of your sins are forgiven and salvation is yours now. God has richly provided for you, now and forevermore. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We all believe in one true God. . . He in soul and body feeds us; All we need His hand provides us. . . He cares for us by day and night; All things are governed by His might. ("We All Believe in One True God" LSB 954 st.1)
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: James 1:22-27
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 9:1-23; Luke 16:1-18
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How do you "do" the Word of God? Martin Luther tells us that we "hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it" (Explanation to the Third Commandment). That's the hearing which James speaks of, but what about the doing of the Word? What does that mean? What does it look like?
To be a doer of the Word means to do what the Word says. And what does that Word say? "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). To be perfect means to do all that God has commanded of you. It means to do all that His Law says and to do it exactly as He has said to do it, to the letter. But you and I are not capable of keeping the Law perfectly. The only thing we are good at is failing to do what God has commanded of us.
If we expect to be perfect, to do all that God commands of us, someone else will have to bring that about. A thought like that goes against everything the world would have us believe. The world wants you to think that you are certainly capable of doing what God tells you to do, that you are capable of saving yourself. The harsh truth is that the world lies to you. The world builds you up, sets you up for something that you are not capable of doing.
Fortunately for us, we have One who does set us up, but not for failure. God our heavenly Father sets us up for salvation by making a promise and keeping that promise. There was nothing that Adam and Eve could do to save themselves, just like there is nothing that you can do to save yourself. Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, was sent into this world. He who is the Word is also the doer of the Word. His Word created and His Word saves. He does exactly what God sets out for Him to do: to redeem creation from the devastating and destructive forces of sin, death, and the devil. Jesus does all that the Father commands: He keeps the Word of God perfectly. so He keeps that Law of God perfectly. He keeps all things perfectly, including His sacrificial death and resurrection from the dead. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, Your mercy will not leave me; Ever will Your truth abide. Then in You I will confide. Since Your Word cannot deceive me, My salvation is to me Safe and sure eternally. ("Oh, How Great Is Your Compassion" LSB 559, st.4)
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Numbers 21:4-9
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 8:5-26; Luke 15:11-32
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. (Numbers 21:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "I don't want to!" "No!" "You can't make me!" Does this sound familiar to you? Do you remember ever saying those words yourself? I don't know about you, but I've said those phrases a time or two, probably more recently than I'd want to admit.
As God's people began to voice this sentiment, they probably all jumped into the cadence of complaint. But to whom was their complaint directed? Of course this was directed against Moses, because it was Moses who issued the command to move. But where did Moses get the command? "And the people spoke against God and against Moses. . . "(Numbers 21:5).
Clearly, all of this was God's fault. It was God's fault that the people were impatient. It was God's fault that the people didn't want to listen to God. It was God's fault that they had no food or water. Blame God for everything and everything will work out for the better, right? That's how God's people thought then and that's how people tend to think today, isn't it? Things go well and we think we were the cause; things go bad and we blame God.
What good is there in blaming God? What good is there in trying to go around God and do things our own way? Whenever we try to do things without God, the results are never promising. In fact, we make things worse for ourselves all because we don't want to listen to what God has to say about this and that.
What happened to God's people when they chose not to listen? God sent fiery serpents to the people and many died. It was then that the people repented and returned to Moses, asking what they needed to do to be saved. The answer: Look to the fiery serpent and live.
You and I do not have a fiery serpent to look at in order to be saved. We have Jesus. We see our salvation as He is lifted high upon the Cross. We see our Jesus in the breaking of the bread. We see Jesus in the waters of Holy Baptism. We see our salvation high and lifted up for us, that we may gaze upon Jesus and be saved. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim Til all the world adore His sacred name. O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree, As Thou hast promised, draw us all to Thee. ("Lift High the Cross" LSB 837, st.4)
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 16:23-33
Daily Lectionary:Numbers 3:1-16, 39-48; Luke 14:25-15:10
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Many will say that life changed in March 2020 and has not returned to normal. Instead, we are learning what the "new normal" is, whatever that means. But life changed long before 2020. Life changed in the Garden of Eden, and it didn't change for the better.
It didn't take long for God's creation to go from perfect to not perfect. There was no in-between with regard to creation's state of being. It wasn't not-quite-perfect; it wasn't mostly perfect; it wasn't anything having to do with perfect, because perfect was left in the rearview mirror. In other words, there was no chance of getting perfection back. In its place, we were left with the complete opposite of perfection: sin.
Sin was not meant to be part of God's creation. However, because man chose to listen to the serpent rather than God, sin became intertwined with creation to the point that there would be no way to separate the two. Because of sin, we are left with all sorts of things that God did not desire for us. Sin leads to tribulation, and in this world, there will be no shortage of it. Jesus tells the disciples as much. Sin leads us away from God, eternally separating us from God. Without God, there can be nothing but tribulation. All would seem lost: "seem" being the key word.
We have something or rather, someone, working in our favor: Jesus. He has conquered sin, and with it, He has conquered tribulation. Whatever was done by the Fall into sin was undone by Jesus' death upon the Cross. We hear in our communion liturgy, ". . . through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who on this day overcame death and the grave and by His glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. . . "
For the Christian, the joys of Easter cannot be confined to a single day, or even to a single single season of the Church year. Instead, every day is a little Easter, a day of rejoicing in Christ's victory over sin and death, once and for all. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God the Father, through Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, You have overcome death and opened the gate of everlasting life to us. Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of our Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by Your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Sixth Sunday of Easter)
-Rev. Jared Tucher is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, IN, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Dewberry, IN.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Sixth Sunday of Easter
(Psalm 66:1-2a, 17, 19-20; antiphon: Isaiah 48:20b)
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:21-33, 39-44; Luke 14:1-24
Send it out to the end of the earth; say, "The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!" (Isaiah 48:20b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You can almost taste it! Freedom is right around the corner. Summer is coming and the chains of school requirements are about to be cast off. You are ready for whatever the summer has in store for you. Your emotions are running high. The final exams are almost here, or maybe they have already passed and now it is just a matter of biding your time until that final bell rings. In the end, freedom is close at hand.
As Isaiah writes to the people of God, he reminds them that freedom approaches for them as well. The shackles of slavery are about to be removed and their shouts of freedom will abound. The one doing the freeing is the one true God. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God who will deliver them. He will redeem them from the bondage of the Babylonians. No longer will they be subject to the godless people who have held them captive, but instead they will return to their land, a land flowing with milk and honey. A land given to them by their God. Redemption is at hand.
In sin we are held captive to the requirements of the Law. The Law requires us to be perfect in every aspect. On account of our sinful condition it is impossible for us to keep the Law. We are in need of being redeemed. We are in need of being freed from the righteous requirements of the law for our salvation. In Christ we are set free. In Christ the shackles of the righteous requirement of the Law have been taken off. Christ has fulfilled the Law for us. We shout for joy and sing His praises as He has given to us our freedom.
In Christ we look to the day of His glorious return. We are prepared for His return in the waters of Baptism. In the Sacrament of the Altar we look back and proclaim His death while at the same time we look forward to His glorious return on the Last Day. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Our hope and expectation, O Jesus, now appear; Arise, O Sun so longed for, O'er this benighted sphere. With hearts and hands uplifted, We plead, O Lord, to see The day of earth's redemption That sets Your people free! ("Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers" LSB 515, st.4)
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:1-20; Luke 13:18-35
"When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.'" (Luke 13:25)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the 1970's, American Express advertised that its card was for important people. People who mattered carried their exclusive card. The movie star or famous athlete would conclude, "Do you know me?" then the ad would flash to an American Express card with his name on it while the person would say, "That's why I carry American Express." The idea was that if you could present your American Express card, you were important.
As Christ speaks of the kingdom of heaven, He reminds His hearers that salvation is not about how important they are in this world. Your salvation is hinged upon your faith in Christ. The master of the house denies entrance to the foreigners. Who are you? Where do you come from? He does not know the strangers knocking on the door. It is an eerie narrative that Christ delivers. He identifies that there are some who are going to heaven and some who are not.
Those who are brought into heaven are known by the master of the house. The Lord knows them. They come from the four corners of the world. As Christ speaks to the people of Jerusalem, He warns them about the dangers of their unbelief and rejection of the son of man. He teaches them that salvation is for the four corners of the world.
In your Baptism you are known by your Father in heaven. You are connected to Jesus Christ and it is He who presents you to His Father in heaven. Your salvation is delivered to you through the work of Christ. His works are for You. On the Last Day, in the resurrection, you can be sure that salvation is yours because Christ is known by His Father and Christ knows you. As He knows you, so also the Father knows you. The narrow door is opened wide for you to enter and live in a new, restored earth for all eternity. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, You have called us to enter Your kingdom through the narrow door. Guide us by Your Word and Spirit, and lead us now and always into the feast of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Treasury of Daily Prayer, p.283)
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 24:1-23; Luke 12:54-13:17
"And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" (Luke 13:16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The great reversal of Luke takes place again. Jesus heals on the Sabbath and is reprimanded for breaking the laws. He just cannot win with these picky church leaders. Nothing is ever right for them. Christ reads Scriptures and explains it, and the leadership wants to stone Him. He shows up at the temple and heals a man with a withered hand, and they accuse Him of Sabbath violations. He heals a woman on the Sabbath and again He is chastised for violating God's ceremonial laws. Christ heals on the Sabbath.
The work laws for the historic Jew were strict. No work on the Sabbath was a primary one. Yet there were all kinds of exceptions that could be invoked so that you would not be accused of violating the law.
When Christ heals on the Sabbath, it is because that's His day to work. The whole concept of resting is reversed when it comes to Christ. At creation God worked for six days and then rested on the seventh. He declared the seventh day to be a holy day. A day of rest. The Sabbath Day connected God's people to His work and rest cycle.
As Christ comes into the temple and synagogues on the Sabbath, a reversal takes place. He is the one working now. Today, Christ works on our Sabbath. As we gather in His Holy sanctuaries on Sunday, the eighth day of the week as well as the day He rose from the dead, we rest while He works. His Holy Word is spoken to us. He absolves us through the work of the Office of the Holy Ministry. He places in our ears His comforting words of reconciliation and forgiveness. He points us back to our Baptisms and gives us comfort in knowing that we belong to Him. He comes to us in His precious Body and Blood in the Sacrament of the Altar for the forgiveness of our sins and strengthening of our faith. He is doing all the work and we are merely resting and receiving. Sunday is the day of our rest and the day that Christ conquers sin, death, and the devil. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Now have I found consolation, Comfort in my tribulation, Balm to heal the troubled soul. God, my shield from ev'ry terror, Cleanses me from sin and error, Makes my wounded spirit whole. ("Jesus Comes Today with Healing" LSB 620, st.6)
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, First Article part 1
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:23-44; Luke 12:35-53
"I believe that God has made me and all creatures. . . "(Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, First Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Rome was not built in a day!" If you try to claim that Rome was built in a day you would be ridiculed for being ignorant and foolish. Rome could not possibly have been built in a day. The secular world laughs at us when we say that the world was created in six days. "How could that possibly be?" they say. Six days to put all of this together from the simplest organism to the complexities of human life? Impossible! It is inconceivable that the entire creation could come about in 144 hours.
The book of Genesis opens up with the simple phrase, "In the beginning God created. . . ." Those simple words leave no doubt that the start of everything, including time, comes from God. He is the source of all that exists. Understanding God as the source of everything is very humbling for mankind. We like to think of ourselves as the creator, not the creation. We work hard to demonstrate how much we have discovered in all of our sciences. We define life's origins in billions of years. We capture light and attempt to determine the origins of the universe. We try to develop life on our own apart from the natural process that God gave us in creation. We take from God's creation and claim it as our own. We use His subatomic particles, His atoms, His molecules, His cells and say, "Look at what WE have created!" In the end it is all God's, and His creation. We have done nothing new.
In spite of our desire to lay claim to creation, God still takes care of us. He provides all that we need to sustain this life from day to day. We pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread." He places homes over our heads, parents to raise us, food to feed us, churches for worship, and clothes to cover us. He never stops taking care of us. He not only created you, He also sustains you in all your needs. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The world seeks after wealth And all that mammon offers Yet never is content Though gold should fill its coffers. I have a higher good, Content with it I'll be: My Jesus is my wealth. What is the world to me! ("What Is the World to Me" LSB 730, st.3)
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:James 1:16-21
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:1-22; Luke 12:13-34
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God's people are to be holy people. It is how God designed it. Holiness reflects God's holiness. In the Garden of Eden man was created in the holy image of God. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they lost that holiness. The inclination of the heart is opposed to the will of God. Left to ourselves, we want nothing to do with God's desire for us to be holy. Our condition is that we are dead in our transgressions with no ability whatsoever to come to God or to be holy as He is holy.
James uses language that reflects the passive nature of our salvation. On account of our sinful condition, we cannot come to God by our own power. Rather, it is God who comes to us. James' words are very specific. He says to "receive" the implanted Word. We do not accept the Word, but rather receive the Word. The doingness is through the work of the Holy Spirit and God's Holy Word is brought to us.
Often we will hear someone say that you need to "accept" the Word of God as truth. Unfortunately, that is the wrong language to use when we speak about our relationship with God. We "receive" His Holy Word. The burden is not on us, it cannot be on us, because we are spiritually dead in our sin. James does not stop with just conversion. He reminds his hearers about their new life in Christ. As children of God, we live in a constant tension between the Old Adam and the New Man in Christ. The Old Adam desires to pursue the wants of the flesh and live in filthiness and rampant wickedness. The New Man in Christ desires to live as a holy being, in the image of a holy God. In your Baptism you have put on Christ. Daily, the Old Adam is drowned and the New Man in Christ is resurrected. In that resurrection you live with the robe of Christ's righteousness over you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Hope of the world, afoot on dusty highways, Showing to wand'ring souls the path of light, Walk Thou beside us Lest the tempting byways Lure us away from Thee to endless night. ("Hope of the World" LSB 690, st.3)
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Isaiah 12:1-6
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 21:1-24; Luke 12:1-12
For though you were angry with me, your anger turned away that you might comfort me. (Isaiah 12:1b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Approaching the end of a school year can be very stressful. The last days, weeks, and months remind us that a chapter of our life is about to end, and a new one is about to begin. The summer months are pressing in on us and plans for travel, vacations, or other summer activities are well underway. It is understandable that there may be some anxiety resting upon our hearts as these times of transition take place. We reflect on the things to come and the things that have transpired. In those reflections, memories of unresolved conflict may arise.
It is that unresolved conflict that Satan and sin use to keep us from the comfort of our Father in heaven. Our lives in sin create that chasm between us and Him. He wants nothing more than to draw us back to Him. As God the Father walks in the Garden of Eden, after the Fall, He wants to be with Adam and Eve. They have disobeyed God and have hidden themselves, for they were afraid. The image of God is lost and His wrath is kindled. He curses the serpent, the woman, the man, and even the ground is cursed. God's wrath is finally delivered to His Son Jesus Christ in His death on the Cross. God delivers the punishment of our sin to His Son. His wrath is turned away from us.
In His wrathful punishment of His Son on the Cross, our salvation is won. No longer do we fear His wrath, but rather we are covered in the comfort of His unfailing mercy, where the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation have taken place. Joy and comfort are delivered in the message that on the Last Day we will rise from the dead. We will walk upon a restored earth and under a new heaven. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus, by Your Spirit, You give us faith to cast out all fear of confessing the true faith; for we are helpless to save ourselves, and we must trust in You and You alone for our salvation. Keep us faithful to the end, that You will not be ashamed of us when You come in Your glory with Your Father and the holy angels; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 16:5-15
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 20:1-16, 22-27; Luke 11:37-54
"Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The disciples' plan of salvation was not going in the direction they had hoped. Jesus has been doing miracles, teaching in the synagogues, preparing the people for the kingdom to come and now He was talking about leaving and sending a helper. This was not what they had in mind. Jesus cannot leave. The language of death and resurrection was contrary to the way freedom was usually brought to a nation. Now He is speaking of leaving and sending someone else, and this is to our advantage?
Christ's words of departure and promise to send the "Helper" were foreign to the disciples. He was promising the sending of the Holy Spirit to equip and enable them to proclaim the Good News of salvation. God's plan of salvation was completely different from what the disciples had in mind. The disciples sought temporal freedom from the Roman Empire. Christ brought to them eternal freedom through His actions and deeds.
In our lives we, too, have our own plans. We want our lives to go as we desire. We fail to see or do not want to see God's work in our lives through Christ. Our sinfulness pulls us back from what Christ has delivered to us and points us to the temporal activities in our own situation. The Holy Spirit works in our lives, waging war against the sinful man and pointing us back to the eternal things of God. He delivers to us the Gift of salvation won for us on the Cross. Through the coming of the Holy Spirit, the disciples proclaimed the message of hope and reconciliation to the churches. It is the same message that is proclaimed today: that Christ delivered us through His life, death, and resurrection. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Come, Holy Light, guide divine, Now cause the Word of life to shine. Teach us to know our God aright
And call Him Father with delight. From ev'ry error keep us free; Let none but Christ our master be
That we in living faith abide, In Him, our Lord, with all our might confide. Alleluia, alleluia! ("Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord" LSB 497, st.2)
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Fifth Sunday of Easter
(Psalm 98:1b, 3-4; antiphon: v.1a, 2b)
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 9:9-18, 26-37; Luke 11:14-36
Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. (From the Introit for the Fifth Sunday of Easter)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "God works in mysterious ways!" We hear that phrase frequently in our lives. We attribute the unexplainable to God's mysterious way of interceding in our lives. We reduce His marvelous work to some form of mysticism or magical event taking place.
In our sinful, temporal lives we look only at the current activities that surround us. We invoke the Name of God in the hope that He'll be a "fix it" god who resolves our current struggles. We use Him as a handyman to get us through the times that we see as difficult and then we ignore Him when we are comfortable. When tragedy strikes, then we call upon Him again. In sin, our focus is only on the right now. In sin we dictate to God what we believe He needs to do in our lives so that our lives can be comfortable by our standards. We do not want to experience any discomforts that may lead to strengthening of faith and growth in our trust in Him.
The psalmist reminds his hearers to sing a new song to the LORD. No longer are they to sing a song of lament and sorrow, but rather a song of joy and comfort. The LORD has done marvelous things in the redemption of His people. No longer are they bound in slavery but they are set free from their enemies. The twofold meaning of the opening stanza of the psalm draws the reader to the immediate temporal lives that the LORD redeemed from earthly slavery and points them to the coming Messiah and His work of redemption. In our lives, God bestows upon us our daily bread of sustenance. We are also reminded of the marvelous work the LORD did through the Gift of redemption. He has redeemed us through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. A new song is sung, proclaiming that we have been set free through the blood of the Lamb. We sing a new song because He has done marvelous things. He has given us eternal life through Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice, With exultation springing, And with united heart and voice And holy rapture singing, Proclaim the wonders God has done, How His right arm the vict'ry won. What price our ransom cost Him! ("Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice" LSB 556, st.1)
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 18:1-7, 20-19:8; Luke 11:1-13
"Father, hallowed be your name. . . " (Luke 11:2b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God gives His Holy Name to us. A Name that is above all names. A Name that is more than just an identification. His Name is set apart from all other names and clarifies who He is and what He has done.
In our world today, names bring identity to individuals and have become symbols of success. Families have names that are passed down from generation to generation. Companies have names, and with those names come branding and marketing logos. Schools are given names and mascots of those schools are given names, too. Everything has a name.
God's Name is unique. His Name brings comfort that no other name on earth can bring. His Name is holy, not because we make it holy but because He declares it to be holy. In our sinfulness we loathe His Holy Name. We use it frivolously and toss it around as some insignificant name. We use His Name to deride, to curse, to swear, to lie, to deceive. We take His Holy Name and cast it among the names of other false gods and equate the value of His Name with their names. In the end, we really want nothing to do with His Name.
It is God who wants something to do with you. In His unfathomable love for you, He has called you by name. In your Baptism, the Name of the Triune God was given to you. In His Name and with the waters of Baptism you were washed and cleansed with the forgiveness of sins. You received the sign of the cross both upon your forehead and upon your heart to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified. The benefits of His death and resurrection are yours through Baptism. As you are sent into this world you carry His Name upon you. He takes you and equips and enables you to serve in the vocations that He has created. He has prepared you for His glorious return when every knee shall bow and every mouth confess His Holy Name. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
At the name of Jesus Ev'ry knee shall bow Ev'ry tongue confess Him King of glory now, 'Tis the Father's pleasure We should call Him Lord, Who from the beginning Was the mighty word. ("At the Name of Jesus" LSB 512, st.1)
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 17:1-16; Luke 10:23-42
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The lawyer was really pressing Jesus in order to justify himself. "So tell me Jesus, who really is my neighbor?" The ambiguity of the word "neighbor" was working on the heart of the lawyer. The reality that all people could be the lawyer's neighbors did not sit well with him. The lawyer was only looking at himself to fulfill the Law. His original question regarding what he must do to inherit eternal life showed that he was a man who was all about the Law. His salvation was up to him.
Jesus delivers to him the parable of the Good Samaritan. It's a parable that many of us are familiar with and have heard throughout our lives. Often we are placed in the parable as the one who is helping and assisting. We are the ones working to demonstrate our validity before others. We see ourselves as the "Good Samaritan."
Unfortunately, when we insert ourselves as the one doing the action, we usurp the work of Christ. The lawyer wants to know two things: What must I do to inherit eternal life, and who is my neighbor? With both of these questions he is seeking justification. It is the latter question that answers the first question. The Good Samaritan is not him! It is not us! Reading the text through the work of Christ we see that Christ is the Good Samaritan and we are the person lying in the road (half) dead because of our sins. We have been beaten down and left for dead by the world.
Christ comes as the person least likely to help us. In our sinfulness we despise Christ just as the Samaritans were loathed by the Jewish people. He is the neighbor who serves us and restores us to life. He pays for all our needs and then He is coming again to claim us. No longer are we left dead along the road. The Good Samaritan has washed your wounds in the waters of Baptism. He has restored you with the nurturing strengthening of faith in the Eucharist. You are in His everlasting care until He returns in the resurrection of the dead. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Christ has our host surrounded With clouds of martyrs bright, Who wave their palms in triumph And fire us for the fight. Then Christ the cross ascended To save a world undone And, suffering for the sinful, Our full redemption won. ("Christ Is the World's Redeemer" LSB 539, st.2)
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism:Close of the Commandments
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 16:1-24; Luke 10:1-22
God threatens to punish all who break these commandments. (Small Catechism: Close of the Commandments)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Nothing starts the heart pumping harder than to see those flashing lights in the rearview mirror. The law is coming for us. We might not have done anything wrong, but just the mere sight of lights behind us that starts the mind racing. What could we have possibly done wrong to warrant this?
God's Law convicts us. The Law reveals to us that we are unholy people before a holy, holy, holy God. The Law condemns us. On account of our sinfulness, we deserve nothing but punishment and eternal condemnation. However, God does not leave us to eternal death. He put in place a plan for our redemption. The First Commandment reminds us that we should have no other gods. The Close of the Commandments reminds us that there is a loving God who has given to us a Holy Law. His Holy Law reflects who He is as a Holy God.
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Our sinfulness reveals that we are in need. We are in need of a Savior. In Christ, the Holy Law of God is fulfilled on our behalf. It is Christ who has taken the punishment for our sins. We deserve the punishment that Christ received. In simple terms we say, "He got what we deserved." Christ kept the commandments perfectly. He kept them not to demonstrate how we should live our lives, but to fulfill God's Holy Law that we are completely incapable of keeping. Christ's obedience is for me! Christ's obedience is for you! In His perfect obedience is our redemption. As God looks down on you, He sees Christ's perfection covering you. He sees the work of Christ in that robe of righteousness that has been placed over you in your Baptism. No longer are you under the threat of the Law, but rather, you are covered in the blood of the Lamb. His life and death are for you!
On account of Christ, you do not need to live in the fear of God's punishment, because the punishment for your sins was taken to the Cross. You live now in the promises of your Baptism that connects you to the work of Christ. Your faith holds fast to the work of Christ. In Christ the Law is fulfilled for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
To Jesus we for refuge flee, Who from the curse has set us free, And humbly worship at His throne,
Saved by His grace through faith alone. ("The Law of God Is Good and Wise" LSB 579, st.6)
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Peter 2:11-20
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 10:1-20; Luke 9:37-60
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Three hiking trails traverse the United States from south to north: The Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. All three trails allow the hiker to go from some of the most southern areas of our country to the most northern areas. Each trail delivers breathtaking views in three different regions of our country from east to west. As one travels these trails, he becomes a sojourner, someone who is merely passing through. Experienced hikers may claim that they "live" on the trail, but generally speaking their home is somewhere not intrinsically connected to the trail.
In this world, as God's children, we are sojourners. We are travelers. The world around us is not our true home. It is our home insofar as we have a bed on which to lay our head, we have tables that we eat around, we have families, and we have a structure that provides shelter from the elements but it is not our permanent home. It is temporary. As Peter writes to his audience, he reminds them that they are merely travelers in a foreign land. In this foreign land there are deceit and temptation that have come about because of man's fall into sin. The world wants to draw us away from our walk in our Baptisms and move us into a walk with itself. The Old Adam in us draws us to the desires of the flesh and encourages us to engage in behaviors contrary to the will of God. In the end, the world does not care about your wellbeing or your spiritual health. It merely wants you to indulge and gratify those sinful desires.
In God's Holy Word we are drawn back to our Baptisms. We are reminded that we carry a mark that is not of this world but of God. Our focus is not on this world but on the world to come. The world around us is temporary and we are merely sojourners in this world. Our lives have been pointed beyond this world to the world that is to come. In the restored world, the new Jerusalem, we will not be sojourners but dwellers. We will have the classification of permanent citizens. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Jesus Christ, do not delay, But hasten our salvation; We often tremble on our way In fear and tribulation O hear and grant our fervent plea: Come, mighty judge, and set us free From death and ev'ry evil. ("The Day Is Surely Drawing Near" LSB 508, st.7)
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Isaiah 40:25-31
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 9:1-24; Luke 9:18-36
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. (Isaiah 40:28b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Captivity is exhausting. God's people were tired. The consequences of following the false gods and bending the knee to the deities around them drove them into captivity. They were no longer free. The people of God were slaves and foreigners in the land that they had been driven to in the deportation. They were tired and weary.
In sin we are held captive in the shackles of this world. Sin holds us in despair. As we compare ourselves to the Law we are left in complete contempt of our failure. We have shackled ourselves to the Law.
Our God sees our exhaustion. He sees our captivity, and through His Son, Jesus Christ, delivers freedom to us. In Christ, the Law was fulfilled on our behalf. We are set free from the condemnation of sin. As the Law beats us down and says to us, "You are not worthy," Christ says, "You are baptized and connected to my fulfillment of the Law." Christ is the one who goes to the Cross and pays the price for your sins. He did not turn His back on you and grow tired. He instead reaches out to you with His Holy Word. He speaks His Holy words of Absolution into your ears. He declares you forgiven. He takes His holy water in Baptism and covers you in His righteousness. He shows His love for you in that while you were still a sinner, He died for you.
We will never be able to comprehend His love for us. All we have is faith that holds fast to His promises and knowledge that in Christ Jesus all is fulfilled. No sin too great for forgiveness. No chasm too great for His reconciliation. His love is far greater than any human mind could understand. The world in which we live delivers bondage, captivity, and shackles. Our God, the Triune God, delivers freedom through Jesus Christ. He is the one God, and He does not grow weary with us. He frees us and sets us apart to live in this world as His people. He is the God who freed His people through His Son Jesus Christ by Christ's death on the Cross and resurrection. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus, think on me And purge away my sin; From worldly passions set me free And make me pure within. ("Lord Jesus, Think on Me" LSB 610, st.1)
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 16:16-22
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 8:1-13, 30-36; Luke 9:1-17
"Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice." (John 16:20a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The season of Easter is a time of celebration. We look back at the resurrection of Christ while looking forward to His glorious return and our resurrection. All around us in our worship life we see and hear the song of the saints going forth boldly. The white on the altar, the lingering smell of the lilies, the joyful banners that adorn our sanctuaries all remind us of what has taken place and what will take place.
Our struggle is the now. Right now, in this world and in this life, we wrestle with all that the world throws at us. We are reminded daily of the consequences of sin in our lives. Fathers still provoke their children to anger. Children still disobey their parents. Pornography and sexual immorality still abound and tempt us. Bullies still bully. Addiction still controls our lives or the lives of others we know. Siblings still manipulate each other. Death still kills us.
After the death of Christ, His disciples and followers were "holed up" in a room with the doors locked. They were lamenting His death. Their hope of being freed from Roman tyranny did not come to fruition. The world around the disciples rejoiced in the death of Christ. It seemed as if God's plan had been thwarted. While we weep and lament in the chaos of sin, the world rejoices in that chaos as God is removed from our lives. The world thrives on chaos.
In the middle of the chaos is order. God prevails now. You are baptized and in that Baptism you are connected to the death of Christ. The connection of your Baptism does not end at the crucifixion. You are also connected to His resurrection. As Christ walked from the tomb, so also will you walk from your grave. You struggle through this life, rejoicing in the knowledge that death does not prevail. Your faith holds fast to the promise that Christ has died and Christ has conquered death. In Christ, you rejoice in His resurrection as that is also your resurrection. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You show those in error the light of Your truth so that they may return to the way of righteousness. Grant faithfulness to all who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ's Church that they may avoid whatever is contrary to their confession and follow all such things as are pleasing to You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Easter)
-Rev. Timothy Davis is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
(Psalm 66:3, 5, 8-9; antiphon: v.1-2)
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 40:17-38; Luke 8:40-56
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you." (From the Introit for the Fourth Sunday of Easter)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This psalm places into our mouth and on our lips the appropriate praise for our heavenly Father. He is the Creator of heaven and earth. Even His enemies are summoned to acknowledge His power, although they "come cringing" before the Lord of glory (Psalm 66:3b).
We can think of a myriad of stories where God's people were rescued from their enemies. In many ways it seems like something that we rarely get to experience ourselves. But we do not merely sit back and read about God's mighty deeds. Instead, we live in them, because He carries out His continued work for us today. Each day He reveals His mighty arm which was stretched out on the Cross to take away our sins. God's great power was hidden and, at the same time revealed, at the Cross.
Every time your pastor proclaims Absolution to you, God is working His mighty deed for you. On that first Easter, God's power over our enemy of death was proclaimed for the entire world. Jesus would walk out of the empty tomb, risen from the dead. In the wonderful waters of Holy Baptism God the Holy Spirit has marked you with the sign of the Cross on your forehead and heart to signify that you have died and risen with Christ. Death is destroyed, Hell is overcome and our enemies have been defeated.
Jesus is the One who prepares a table before you in the presence of your enemies of sin and death. As you partake of His Body and Blood you are receiving the mighty deeds of God for your forgiveness and the strengthening of faith. "Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Merciful and everlasting God, You did not spare Your only Son but delivered Him up for us all to bear our sins on the cross. Grant that our hearts may be so fixed with steadfast faith in Him that we fear not the power of sin, death, and the devil; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Wednesday of Holy Week)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 39:32-40:16; Luke 8:22-39
And they went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. (Luke 8:24)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In our daily lectionary today we hear about one of the more famous accounts of Jesus and His disciples. They are crossing the Sea of Galilee and a storm rises up. While the disciples fear they are going to drown, Jesus is asleep.
Most of us have never been caught in a storm that threatened our lives, but we are familiar with feelings of desperation, especially in the midst of circumstances that we cannot control. Like the disciples, sometimes we feel like God is not aware of what is going on in our lives–that He is asleep at the wheel and or has forgotten about us. However, this passage is not simply about Jesus calming the "storms of life." We should be careful not to simplify what Jesus does here in the boat.
The storm that the disciples faced was real. In that very real story Jesus has all "authority in heaven and on earth," even over the wind and waves. Jesus was present at the foundation of all creation and despite His sleeping during this storm, He still has authority over the wind and waves while in the boat. By His simply speaking to the wind and waves, everything was placed back into order.
If Jesus has this ability to calm the wind and waves, He certainly has the ability to speak His Word over the waters of your Baptism where He declared from heaven to earth, "This is my beloved child." In Holy Baptism Jesus speaks over the waters of life and death. You were crucified and buried with Him in Baptism so that you, too, might rise and walk in the newness of life. By your Baptism into Christ you are safe and secure in the Ark of the Christian Church until Christ returns to bring you home to the quiet waters of paradise. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, since You never fail to help and govern those whom You nurture in Your steadfast fear and love, work in us a perpetual fear and love of Your holy name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday after Trinity)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Peter 2:21-25
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 38:21-39:8;Luke 8:1-21
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:21)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The beginning of our reading today isn't quite clear as to what we have been called to. We need to go back to verse 20 to grasp what this is: "For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God" (1 Peter 2:20).
Great, this sounds like a calling that is really motivating. We are called to "suffer"? To be honest, most of us are willing to suffer for Christ, but it has to be something big and inspiring. The nitty-gritty, day-to-day stuff that we face in our lives isn't worth it. Give us the big stuff, where it is crystal clear that we are truly suffering on account of Jesus. The crosses that God appoints for us are not inspiring or majestic, they are just painful and seem so ordinary.
The truth is that the glorious suffering of the heroes of the faith was not all that glorious for them. The luster of glory that descends on them comes from time and space between us and them. For them, it was the pain of the moment, and the ache that was happening right then. There was nothing of glory or fame or pleasure about it while they endured it.
Likewise, the Cross of Christ was not all majestic and glorious for Him to endure. It was pain and nails and sweat and humiliation and burning agony inside and out. Then it was death. That is what the price was for your salvation. "By His stripes you are healed!" Your sins have been forgiven for Christ's sake. Now He has been made Shepherd of your soul. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Why should cross and trial grieve me? Christ is near With His cheer; Never will He leave me. Who can rob me of the heaven That God's Son For me won When His life was given? ("Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me" LSB 756, st.1)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Tenth Commandment
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 34:29-35:21; Luke 7:36-50
What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor's wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do their duty. (Small Catechism: Tenth Commandment)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. While the Ninth Commandment deals with coveting "stuff" that belongs to our neighbor, the Tenth Commandment is really about coveting other people. That may sound rather odd. But think for a moment about the people who are all around you. Think about your parents or your teachers or your spouse. You might say in your heart, "I wish I had different parents," "I wish I had different teachers," or, "I wish I had a different husband or wife or boyfriend/girlfriend."
It always seems that other people have individuals in their lives who are cooler than the ones that God has placed into your life. This has caused us to do so many different things in order to separate others from the relationships that God has established. The Ninth and Tenth Commandments remind us that we are never fully satisfied with what God will give to us. We have truly squandered all that we have, including everyone around us.
Yet Jesus still seeks you out in the midst of your covetousness. Our Lord is always seeking you out, no matter how disappointed you are in Him. As you walk by the baptismal font at your church, be reminded that in that wonderful gift of Baptism Jesus has called you by name. You are His because He has set you free from the sins and temptations of your heart. Now you walk in the newness of life and by faith you can come to realize the true value of everyone Jesus has placed into your life, all because Jesus gave Himself up for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
What is the world to me! My Jesus is my treasure, My life, my health, my wealth, My friend, my love, my pleasure, My joy, my crown, my all, My bliss eternally. Once more then I declare: What is the world to me! ("What Is the World to Me" LSB 730, st.4)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 34:1-28; Luke 7:18-35
"I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice." (Ezekiel 34:15-16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In Ezekiel 34 we find God's people in a time of defeat. They are a nation in exile. But what made this worse was Israel's leaders, the shepherds, who failed in their callings. Unfaithful, they cared more about themselves than about the flock God charged them to serve and lead. So, how did God respond? He said that He would get rid of them. He would become their Shepherd, replacing those unfaithful and wicked leaders.
But here's where it gets weird. When God said that He wanted shepherds for His people, just by saying that, He was describing the people of Israel as sheep. That's not a flattering description. Have you seen how stupid sheep can be? Sheep rescued from a fire have even been known to run back into the flames from which they were just rescued. So, what point was God making by referring to His people as sheep? It was this: Just as sheep can be stupid, so can we. That's not to insult you; it's sin that makes us stupid.
So, if sin makes us stupid like sheep, and we get lost like sheep, then it makes sense why God was so angry at those shepherds who didn't care for His flock. They failed by not feeding the sheep. Earlier in Ezekiel 34, God said, "My shepherds fed themselves but did not feed my sheep" (Ezekiel 34:8). They had failed to feed the sheep.
God would become the Shepherd of His people. Jesus came, fulfilling all the shepherding roles that God had given to His old-covenant priests and prophets. He is the Good Shepherd, fulfilling the old covenant, all while ushering in the new. And so, this shepherding and feeding of God's flock takes place in Christ's Church, today through your pastor. That's how the sheep, the flock, hear the voice of their Shepherd today. As you gather together with fellow sheep, Jesus cleanses you of all the sins you have fallen into. As He cleans you He promises you, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish" (John 10:27-28). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, grant to Your church Your Holy Spirit and the wisdom that comes from down from above, that Your Word may not be bound but have free course and be preached to the joy and edifying of Christ's holy people, that in steadfast faith we may serve You and in the confession of Your name, abide unto the end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Church)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 14:1-14
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 33:1-23; Luke 7:1-17
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." (John 14:12-14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We always have a tendency to want the full road map of the future. We all crave certainty and understanding. Jesus says we crave that too much. He reminds us that He is sufficient. He is the Way, after all. "I'm not showing you the way, I am the way," Jesus says. "Believe in the Father and believe also in me, and this ought to be enough that your hearts will not be troubled."
But questions continue, and that is why we celebrate the Lord's work though Philip and James. They were not ones who are seen as great and mighty heroes of the Christian faith. Like Thomas, Philip questioned the path and the destination. Philip said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father'?"
It's never quite enough for us, is it? Even when Jesus comforts us and shows undying sacrificial love for us, we still want something a little more. The early 2020s have reminded us that we can't anticipate more and that no one has a clear picture of the future. No one can tell us what the world will look like 72 hours from now let alone six months or six years from now. The urge to know what lies ahead of us is understandable. We all want to plan, prepare and be ready. Yet Christ assures us of our greater home, the heavenly place prepared for us already. We will not be able to understand or anticipate every single twist and turn here on earth, and yet His assurance remains: "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." And this is enough. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, because of Your tender love towards sinners You have given us Your Son, that believing in Him, we might have everlasting life. Continue to grant to us Your Holy Spirit that we may remain steadfast in this faith to the end and finally come to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Steadfast Faith)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 10:11-16
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:15-35;Luke 6:39-49
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "I am the good shepherd," says Jesus. That seems to mean that there are some bad shepherds, too. How do you know which shepherd is good or bad? A bad shepherd is not concerned with the well-being of the sheep. A bad shepherd will really only live for himself at the expense of the sheep he is supposed to care for. A bad shepherd comes to steal and rob the sheep. However, do not be deceived: The bad shepherds among you will also speak in ways that will sound very attractive, all while causing us to wander further and further away from the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd, on the other hand, cares for the sheep. But He does so in ways that seem unreasonable to most shepherds. He follows the one lost sheep through rugged terrain far and wide in order to bring him back to the fold. The Good Shepherd tells us, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" (John 12:23).
As our Good Shepherd is lifted up on the Cross it may seem as if He has abandoned His sheep and failed them. However, in the Cross of Jesus Christ we are drawn safely to His side. We have the Good Shepherd who seeks us out to bring each one of us, His lost sheep, safely home to His fold. Sheltered and secure in His goodness and love, we lack nothing. We are His and He is ours, now and forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world. Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joys; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Third Sunday of Easter)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Third Sunday of Easter
(Psalm 33:1, 18-20; antiphon: v.5b, 6a)
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:1-14; Luke 6:20-38
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy. (From the Introit for the Third Sunday of Easter)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever watched something so closely that you became obsessed with it? Maybe it's your phone or TV, maybe it's a video game that you can't tear yourself away from. Our eyes are generally fixed on things that are hard to look away from. Sometimes that is good, most of the time it is bad.
The psalmist says that "The eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him." That might seem a bit uncomfortable for us to hear. When we think about the Lord looking down on us with HIs own eyes we often feel a sense of guilt, maybe even a sense of wanting to hide. We certainly don't want anyone else to see us in our sins, let alone the Lord God almighty. While it is true that God sees us in our sins, that is not why He looks upon us with His eyes. He looks upon us to see where we are at in life and to draw us back to Him. Tomorrow is Good Shepherd Sunday. It's a wonderful Sunday in the Easter season when we are reminded that Jesus is our Good Shepherd. Everyone knows that a Good Shepherd keeps a watchful eye on His flock. He keeps an eye on them so they do not wander off into danger. The eyes of the Lord are on you to bring you back to His mercy which is found in the forgiveness of all your sins. On the Last Day the Lord will look upon you with His own eyes and He will see nothing but His dear Son in you. Until then, rejoice that His eyes are ever upon you to guard and keep you until life everlasting. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, God of all grace, govern our hearts that we may never forget Your blessings but steadfastly thank and praise You for all Your goodness in this life until, with all Your saints, we praise You eternally in Your heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Prayer of Thanksgiving to God)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 31:1-18; Luke 6:1-19
And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?" And after looking around at them all he said to him, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. (Luke 6:9-11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In our daily lectionary reading from Luke we see a portrayal of the Pharisees as those who, in their attempt to protect the Sabbath, burdened it with restrictions. We remember from the commandments that we are to "Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy." In Luther's explanation we read: "We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it." Are we more like the Pharisees in Luke's story than we care to admit? How have we managed to turn God's gift of the Sabbath into a burden?
One could argue, for instance, that we have gone to the opposite extreme of the Pharisees. There are no restrictions on what we can do on our Sabbath Day. So many of us have soccer and baseball games, and multiple other activities on Sunday. Most of our stores are open and we often have taken Sundays to catch up on chores and projects around the house. When it comes to Sunday worship and the Divine Service, well, that becomes one more thing to squeeze into a busy day.
Jesus says that the Sabbath was made for humankind. It is meant to be life-giving, not life-draining. It is meant to be a gift, a time apart from the relentless demands of daily life, a time to rest in God's presence. Whether it's Sundays at church or as you are reading this devotion on a Friday, your Sabbath time is a blessed time to savor the goodness of Jesus' work for you. He worked tirelessly on your behalf and He did not rest until He was laid dead in the tomb. He is risen, and that is why Sundays have been our traditional time for the Sabbath rest. Church is a place or rest, not burden, a place of freedom, not obligation. Jesus has established your Sabbath rest in His Word so that you might be fully restored in body and soul. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge. (Psalm 16:1)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 John 5:4-10
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 25:1-22; Luke 5:17-39
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4-5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It seems as if the world can throw an awful lot at us. It seems that just as we get through one major hurdle, like the pandemic, we have to deal with wars breaking out and inflation at all-time highs. Just one of these things would be difficult to overcome. If that wasn't bad enough, we also have all the sin and temptation that we wrestle with in our day-to-day lives. It certainly seems like the world is winning against you, dear Christian.
Yet John reminds you that you are not of this world, for you have been "born of God." Jesus Christ has come to defeat sin, the devil, and our flesh, as well as this world, by the shedding of His blood. Water and blood flowed out of Jesus' side as He was hanging on the Cross. As He gave up His Spirit, He was fulfilling the victory for us over all of our enemies, including the world. Because He has overcome the world, so shall you. "For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree."
In Holy Baptism you have been washed clean by water, blood, and the Spirit in order that you may share in the victory of Christ. This testimony is true; God does not lie to you, His children, and He will return to bring you out of this world into the new heavens and new earth that will never fade away. Until then this world will rage against you and the Church. It will seem as if the world is claiming victory over us, but hold on to your Baptism, hold on to your dear Savior Jesus, who assures us that, "It is finished." The world has been overcome for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
What is the world to me With all its vaunted pleasure When You, and You alone, Lord Jesus, are my treasure! You only, dearest Lord, my soul's delight shall be; You are my peace, my rest. What is the world to me! ("What Is the World to Me" LSB 730, st.1)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Ninth Commandment
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 24:1-18; Luke 5:1-16
You shall not covet your neighbor's house. What does this mean? We should fear and love God, so that we do not craftily seek to gain our neighbor's inheritance or home, nor get it by a show of right, but help and serve him in keeping it. (Small Catechism: Ninth Commandment)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever looked at the places that other people live in and long to own their house, their condo on the beach, or their apartment in the big city? We typically talk about coveting smaller things like cars, electronics, or other stuff that belongs to our neighbors. Many people around us live in better conditions and in better homes.
How do we respond? Do we wait and pray for patience, knowing that God will provide for us according to His will? Do we uphold and protect the things that belong to our neighbor, including the home in which they live? Make no mistake: This commandment reminds us that we are consumed with all that our neighbor has and dwells in even when it's not rightly ours. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house."
Thanks be to God that these commandments lead us to recognize our own sin. Jesus Christ has come for you. As He has told us, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). He serves you while giving up His heavenly home and rightful inheritance in the Kingdom of God so that you may be forgiven. Since we are redeemed by His precious blood, even the most covetous behavior we engage in is wiped away. As we are found homeless and without any riches in our sins, He now has promised to us a place that is prepared for us, an inheritance that will neither perish nor fade away.
He takes all of your sins, every last one of them, onto Himself so that you might be set free. You are who He obsesses over and that is why He has taken on sin, death, and the devil's fiercest attacks, all so that He can declare you to be His own dearest possession and call you to be at the Father's house forever and ever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
To me He said: "Stay close to Me, I am your rock and castle. Your ransom I Myself will be; For you I strive and wrestle. For I am yours, and you are Mine, And where I am you may remain; The foe shall not divide us." ("Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice" LSB 556, st.7)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 23:14-33; Luke 4:31-44
"Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD." (Ezekiel 37:5-6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It was a dark time for God's people. Most of Israel had been exiled and there was a certain sense of hopelessness. The Temple had been destroyed, and its treasures taken. The Temple was the center of God's presence abiding with HIs people, and when that was destroyed, all seemed lost. God would reveal to Ezekiel a startling vision. His Spirit brought him to a valley full of dry bones. A place where there was no life. What Ezekiel sees is more hopelessness and despair. God asks Ezekiel if these bones can live. God then tells Ezekiel that these bones would be resurrected. God breathed on these dry and dusty bones the breath of life. At once they "came to life and stood on their feet." Moreover, they became "an exceedingly great army."
God explained that "these bones are the whole house of Israel." That He would cause His people to "come up out of your graves" and "come to life." And He would place them "on your own land."
Just as these dry bones have come back to life, we can be sure that on the last day the risen Lord Jesus will say to our dry and dusty graves, "Arise and live!" Despite our own despair and feelings of loss or hopelessness, He will accomplish His purpose. And He will bless those who bless His people. He will raise you on the Last Day. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, by the stripes which wounded Thee, From death's dread sting Thy servants free, That we may live and sing to Thee. Alleluia! ("The Strife Is O'er, the Battle Done" LSB 464, st.5)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Mark 16:14-20
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 22:20-23:13; Luke 4:16-30
And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." (Mark 16:15)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mark was one of the evangelists whom Jesus would use to proclaim the Gospel into all the world. Mark would go out after Jesus' ascension to tell that the kingdom of God was at hand and that all should repent and be baptized. Mark was never alone; Jesus was always with Him, just as He is with His Church today. But what was Mark to proclaim? This is more than just the facts about Jesus, as if He were just an important figure from the past, but is the living presence of Jesus with all His power to save. This is more than just "good news." It is news that brings about the new creation through the death and resurrection of Christ.
Today as we remember the Feast of St. Mark, we ponder that he (with Matthew and Luke) recorded for us the account of the Lord's Supper. This meal is the greatest of signs and wonders that accompany the proclamation of the Gospel. Jesus continues to pour His blessings through Word and Sacrament, which are His continued accompanying presence.
As we approach to receive that same Jesus whom Mark received, we pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed further and further throughout the world. Give thanks to God for the work He did through Mark and pray to the Lord of the harvest that He would continue to send out this proclamation to all the world. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You have enriched Your Church with the proclamation of the Gospel through the evangelist Mark. Grant that we may firmly believe these glad tidings and daily walk according to Your Word; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for St. Mark the Evangelist)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 20:19-31
Daily Lectionary:Exodus 20:1-24; Luke 4:1-15
Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We can certainly agree with Thomas in today's reading: "Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe." We don't see people rise from the dead today! We cannot sit down with someone who has come back from the grave and ask them all of the questions that we have concerning death and the promises of Jesus.
Yet how many other things do we take for granted and believe in this life even though we do not have physical proof of their existence? We believe that things like the Civil War occurred and that Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. We believe that men landed on the moon. Yet we cannot cannot speak to Lincoln or Neil Armstrong to verify that they really did what we have learned. But we are taught to believe and understand our history and embrace it.
The Bible says that were well over 500 witnesses to Jesus' resurrection. The Gospel writers recorded that Jesus was truly risen in the flesh from the dead. Jesus would be seen with His disciples, He would physically eat with them and promise them life eternal.
The Scriptures are given to us to reveal the will of God for us and for our salvation. They bear witness to all the things that Jesus has done for us through His death and mighty resurrection. We may not be able to prove His resurrection to the world, and in fact the Bible says the world will call us fools for believing such a thing. But by faith Jesus calls you blessed. We are blessed with the peace that passes all our understanding, blessed with the knowledge that even though we may die, in Christ we shall live. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, grant that we, who have celebrated the Lord's resurrection, may by Your grace confess in our life and conversation that Jesus is Lord and God; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday of Easter)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Second Sunday of Easter
(Psalm 81:1, 71, 10, 16b; antiphon: 1 Peter 2:2a)
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 19:1-25; Hebrews 13:1-21
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it." (From the Introit for the Second Sunday of Easter)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As you read through various narratives in the Old Testament, it's easy to see that when God is saving His people He is also feeding them. As the Israelites were being delivered from their slavery to Egypt, the Lord gave clear instructions as to how they would be fed. In Exodus 12 the Lord established the Passover meal for His people. They were about to be freed from their slavery under Pharaoh, and in preparation the Lord told them to take an unblemished lamb and kill it. They were to paint the doorposts of their houses with the blood of the lamb and they were also to eat. The Lord told them; "In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover."
Throughout the generations of Israel, God's people were to remember their deliverance from Egypt and how the Lord fed them at the same time. Each Sunday we gather around the Word of God where we are reminded of how Jesus our Lamb was slain for us and for our salvation. God has brought us out of our slavery to sin as we have been washed clean in the blood of Jesus. In the same way, the Lord feeds us in the midst of our salvation. We come to the Lord's table to partake of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the whole world. We eat as strangers and sojourners in this world as we follow the great Exodus out of this world and into the Promised Land prepared for us by Jesus.
Until that time comes for you, remember the Lord's salvation for you in the Cross and resurrection of Jesus. Open your mouth wide so that He may feed you with Himself the bread of everlasting life which forgives you and strengthens you in body and soul until life everlasting. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Blessed Savior, Jesus Christ, You have given Yourself to us in this holy Sacrament. Keep us in Your faith and favor that we may live in You even as You live in us. May Your body and blood preserve us in the true faith to life everlasting. Hear us for the sake of Your name. Amen. (Prayer of Thanksgiving after receiving the Sacrament)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 18:5-27; Hebrews 12:1-24
Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Leaven is yeast, which in baking makes dough rise. If you have ever made bread or rolls with yeast in them, you know that you only use a little bit of yeast. But when you put it into the lump of dough and give it time, it works its way through the entire lump and makes it expand to twice its original size, or more.
This idea of leaven became a common metaphor in the Bible for the corrupting influence of sin. Paul's point is that a relatively small amount of sin, even one sin, if it is not dealt with properly, can spread its influence throughout an entire church. Paul is reminding us of this constant battle that we have against sin within the Church. It doesn't take much guilt and shame caused by sin to bring a Christian down. In the same way, it doesn't take much sin to bring an entire church down.
However, the Church remains the Body of Christ by faith and has been made alive by the Holy Spirit through our Baptisms into Christ. In His second letter to the Corinthians, Paul will remind them that in Christ we are new creations. The old things have passed away. All things have become new. Specifically, what makes us "new" is the presence of Christ as He comes to His Church through Word and Sacrament. The Holy Spirit is the One who applies the saving work of Christ to us and strengthens our faith against the leaven of sin and evil. That is your position in Christ. Paul says "You really are unleavened." You really are righteous and holy in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O holy and most merciful God, You have taught us the way of Your commandments. We implore You to pour Your grace into our hearts. Cause it to bear fruit in us that, being ever mindful of Your mercies and Your laws, we may always be directed to Your will and daily increase love toward You and one another. Enable us to resist all evil and to live a godly life. Help us to follow the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to walk in His steps until we shall possess the kingdom that has been prepared for us in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for obedience to the Word)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Job 19:23-37
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 17:1-16; Hebrews 11:1-29
"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth." (Job 19:25)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. No one needs to convince you that over the last two years we have seen and experienced the sharpness of death. From the ongoing pandemic to wars being fought in Europe, we are constantly under the shadow of death in this life. Job experienced the tragic loss of his own family. He lost his possessions, his health, and even his sons and daughters, who perished when a severe storm destroyed the house where they were assembled. On hearing this news, Job felt thoroughly stripped of everything. He tore his robe, fell to the ground, and exclaimed, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised" (Job 1:21).
Left alone in his sin, his shame, and nakedness Job would surely not survive such tragic losses. Likewise we who have encountered and engaged with the sharpness of death around us are useless if we are left on our own. Job survived in the faith He had been given. A faith that confessed, "I know that my Redeemer lives" (Job 19:25). It meant that he, too, would rise again from the grave. But even more! Job was to live many more years. God gave him a second family and enabled him to see "his children and their children to the fourth generation" (Job 42:16).
God has not promised that He would end pandemics or wars or replace lost families, but He has solemnly declared, "I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). Also He says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). This grace is given to us in its fullness in Jesus Christ, His Son, who gave His life for our salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
He lives to grant me rich supply; He lives to guide me with His eye; He lives to comfort me when faint; He lives to hear my soul's complaint. ("I Know That My Redeemer Lives" LSB 461, st.4)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 16:13-35; Hebrews 10:19-39
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:22)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the third setting of the Divine Service, during Confession and Absolution we say, "Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins. . . " (LSB, p.184). How does one draw near to God? Is this something that we can choose to do? Is it something that we have the ability to decide on? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding "NO!" We cannot decide to draw near to God, we do not have a choice in the matter, and because of our sin we don't even want to draw near to God.
So how can we fulfill what the author of the Hebrews tells us to do? Jesus must first draw us to Himself. He has done just that through His glorious death and resurrection, won for you that first Holy Week. He poured out this Gift to you freely in your Baptism. In Holy Baptism your sins are drowned and you are resurrected in the newness of Jesus' life. The writer to the Hebrews says, "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh. . . " (Hebrews 10:19-20).
In Holy Baptism you have the confidence and assurance that your confession of sins is heard by almighty God. In Holy Baptism you are given the confidence that your Old Adam has been drowned and that you have been resurrected to new life in Christ. In Holy Baptism you can be assured that you have been drawn near to Christ and forgiven of all your sins and cleansed to walk in the newness of eternal life. We confess our sins and we know that our Father in heaven has forgiven us of all our sins on account of Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Merciful Father, through Holy Baptism You called us to be Your own possession. Grant that our lives may evidence the working of Your Holy Spirit in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, according to the image of Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for Life as a Baptized Child of God)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 24:36-48
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 15:19-16:12; Hebrews 10:1-18
And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. (Luke 24:41-42)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus loves to eat! This is quite remarkable! The resurrected Christ breaks bread with those grieving men at Emmaus, turning their tears and confusion into hope and purpose. Then Jesus shares in eating fish with the disciples in Jerusalem, with a similar impact. For Luke, Easter is less about an empty tomb then it is about food shared around a table! Ghosts and spirits cannot eat real food. The resurrected Jesus asks for and eats this fish to prove that He is truly resurrected in body and soul. If a high point of your Easter celebration was a big family meal, how appropriate–it would appear that Jesus spent Easter Day eating, and calling the ones He loved to the place where bread is broken and food is shared.
Luke challenges us to think of Easter in terms of food. We should not have difficulty in doing that. Central to our Holy Week remembrance is that wonderful meal that Jesus provided for his followers in the Upper Room on the night before He was handed over to His enemies. We hear of Jesus sitting with the disciples on that first Maundy Thursday. Jesus took the Passover bread, blessed it in a special way, then broke the bread and shared it with His friends. In words that have become woven into the fabric of our believing hearts, Jesus gave His new covenant in His blood for us to eat, drink, and be forgiven and sustained. This great act is not only a defining memory for us, but it is the way we are fed by Jesus Himself: in, with, and under the bread and wine.
This points us to the promise we hear, again and again, in the great resurrection banquet" that no one will be hungry and all will be satisfied. The last will be first and the first will be last, and the feasting will continue forever. Christ is risen: Come and let us feast! "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him" (Psalm 34:8). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, in this wondrous Sacrament You have left us a remembrance of Your passion. Grant that we may so receive the sacred mystery of Your body and blood that the fruits of Your redemption may continually be manifest in us; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Holy Thursday)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 24:13-35
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 15:1-18; Hebrew 9:1-28
When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. (Luke 24:30-31)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen! The resurrection is hard to believe and hold onto. We don't see people rising from the dead in our cemeteries on a regular basis. It would be great if we could point everyone to the resurrected Christ in our midst every Sunday. Obviously we cannot do this, but nonetheless, Jesus has not left us to fend for ourselves. Jesus says, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:19).
The message of the resurrected Christ is foolishness to the world and even at times to our ears as well, but we are not those who have no hope. This is why Jesus gave us His Word and even by that Word He instituted the Sacrament of the Altar for us and for our salvation. The first disciples doubted Jesus' resurrection even on that first Easter Sunday. They were sure that all was lost. Jesus opened up their minds to the Scriptures and finally revealed His victory over death in the breaking of the bread.
Each Sunday Jesus opens your minds in the hearing of His glorious Gospel and in the breaking of the bread. As your pastor raises the bread and the cup in the Eucharist, he proclaims, "The peace of the Lord be with you always." This isn't an earthly peace or some temporary sense of being calm. This is the peace that Christ won for you by His death and resurrection. As you come to the altar you partake of the crucified and resurrected Jesus who reveals Himself for you. By this wondrous meal you are forgiven and strengthened in this Christian faith. Jesus says to you today, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." Come to the Easter feast, come and see and receive Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Praise we Christ, whose blood was shed, Paschal victim, paschal bread; With sincerity and love Eat we manna from above. Alleluia! ("At the Lamb's High Feast We Sing" LSB 633, st.4)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Mark 16:1-8
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 14:10-31; Hebrews 7:23-8:13
And they went out and fled the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them. . . (Mark 16:8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen! So shall you be! Historically Mark, who wrote this Gospel, has been recorded as the one who fled away naked from Jesus on the night of Jesus' betrayal. Imagine that for a minute. Seeing your Lord and Master being betrayed with a kiss of peace, put into shackles and hauled off to trial. Imagine the fear that gripped Mark and the disciples. Fear that was so intense that Mark would rather run away naked in public than be caught up with Jesus in suffering.
Fear and trembling gripped the disciples, just as fear and trembling gripped the women on that first Easter morning. Fear and trembling grips us in the throes of life as well. Changes, decay, chaos, confusion, and death are looming all around us. Our fears can get the best of us and our trembling can cause us to run away from the Lord's work. It happened to the disciples, to the women, and it happens to you.
Yet within all of the fear, trembling, and astonishment, the simple words of a young man ring out for us today: "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here" (Mark 16:6). The man sitting with the white robe in the empty tomb foreshadows you on the day of the resurrection of all flesh. You shall not die eternally, but you shall live. You have received the robe of Christ's righteousness that covers all your sin. You are baptized into Christ's death and resurrection. Fears, trembling, and astonishment subside as Christ tells you today, "Peace be with you!" You are forgiven, you are restored. Christ is risen, He is risen indeed, and so shall you rise. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, for our redemption You gave Your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross and by His glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of the enemy. Grant that all our sin may be drowned through daily repentance and that day by day we may arise to live before You in righteousness and purity forever; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Resurrection of Our Lord)
-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 27:57-66
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 13:17-14:9; Hebrews 7:1-22
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (Hebrews 1:3-4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When God created the heavens and the earth and everything that fills them in six days, He rested on the seventh day. He commanded that the seventh day, Saturday, be a day of rest for His people. That seventh day is called the "Sabbath," which literally means "the rest day." But the day of rest has been disfigured by sin and sinfulness. Instead of resting in the grace of God, people (including you!) have filled it with work and play and have ignored the rest that God has given you in this day.
That's why the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is so important. On Friday afternoon, the body of Jesus was laid to rest in the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. He rested there until His return to life and His resurrection. It's like creation held its breath between one week and another, between the fullness of sin and the fullness of God's grace revealed. Jesus Christ died so that you would have the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). He rested, inviting you into the rest of His grace.
How will you spend this day, the day that seems suspended between Good Friday and Easter Sunday? Is today a day simply for Easter egg hunts or shopping for Easter clothes or the mundane activities of weekly life? Maybe. But make today also a day of resting in God's grace. As Jesus rested in the tomb for you, rest in the grace of Jesus Christ. He has taken your sins to the Cross, and now that He has died for those sins, you truly have rest. Today is a day of joy and true relaxation, because Jesus has died for you and given you what sinners without God's grace can't have--rest.
Today, if the devil, the world, and your own sinful nature come to you calling you a sinner who doesn't deserve God's rest, tell them to leave you alone, because you have the grace of God in Christ Jesus, and that gives you the fullness of God's rest. After all, it is Jesus who holds all creation together and He is the One who gives you complete and total rest. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, creator of heaven and earth, grant that as the crucified body of Your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with Him the coming of the third day, and rise with Him to newness of life, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Holy Saturday)
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 18:1-19:42
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 12:29-32; 13:1-16; Hebrews 6:1-20
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:18-20)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus is the firstborn. But wait, that sounds like a Christmas statement, not a Good Friday statement. But it is also a Good Friday thing to say. Not only was Jesus the firstborn of the Virgin Mary; but He is also the only-begotten Son of God. Colossians refers to Him as the firstborn from the dead. Revelation 1:5 says that Jesus is the "firstborn of the dead." Jesus is the firstborn, and Jesus died. The only-begotten of God, who is God in the flesh, died. Those are powerful words that don't always make a lot of sense to us. After all, how can God die?
That's not something that can be explained rationally. It can only be confessed. God took on flesh, and according to His human nature, He died. That doesn't mean that just the "human part" of Jesus died: Everything that is true of the human nature of Jesus is also true of the divine nature of Jesus. Jesus died. He is the firstborn of the dead. He is the most important person, who died for you so that you are His dear child. Colossians uses the word "preeminent" to say this. "Preeminent" can be understood as "most important" or "in the most important place."
Exodus 13 talks about the sacrifice that needed to be made for a firstborn son. It was necessary to redeem a firstborn son by the sacrifice of a lamb. You are now all the firstborn who have had the Lamb of God sacrificed for you to redeem you. That's what's necessary for you.
That promise is unchanging. From the day that Jesus hung on the Cross until now, to the day when Jesus returns in the resurrection, nothing will change the fact that He is the One who was and who is and who is to come. As you observe Jesus' death today, remember that this reality is for you, now and always. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Your cords of love, my Savior, Bind me to You forever, I am no longer mine. To You I gladly tender All that my life can render And all I have to You resign. ("Upon the Cross Extended" LSB 453, st.6)
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 13:1-15, 34-35
Daily Lectionary:Exodus 12:1-28; Hebrews 5:1-14
[Jesus said][ "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today is all about commands. That doesn't sound very Lutheran, though. Lutherans like to talk about God's Law and God's Gospel. But "commandment" is law language. Even the name for this day, "Maundy" Thursday, comes with commandment language. The word "Maundy" comes from the Latin word mandatum (like "mandate) that means "commandment." On this day we remember that our Lord Jesus commanded us to love one another. But He also commands that we receive the specific Gift of the Lord's Supper. Jesus calls you to love one another. Love other people in Christ's Church. Love your classmates, your friends, even those you might think of as your enemies. How is that going for you? Especially now, at the end of Lent, you can probably say that you haven't always loved one another and you certainly don't deserve God's goodness or love. Instead, you deserve God's punishment and anger. You haven't kept His commandment. You need help.
The Lord's Supper was given on the day of Passover. That's because Jesus is the Passover Lamb. You remember that from Exodus--how the lamb that was killed was drained of its blood and then cooked. Jesus shed His blood on the Cross for you, and Jesus declared that the bread that was broken is His Body and the wine in the cup is His Blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus has given this command: Take, eat; take, drink, because you haven't kept all the other commands He has given to you. In the Lord's Supper, Jesus gives you Himself. The One who washed the feet of His disciples is the One who died for you. He brings you the forgiveness that He won for you on the Cross and delivers it to you, here and now. Since today is another day of your being a sinner, this is another day for you to believe that Jesus is your Passover Lamb, that He shed His Blood for you and has given His own Body as a feast of forgiveness. Come, receive the promises of Jesus, just as He has commanded you for your good and for your forgiveness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, in this wondrous Sacrament You have left us a remembrance of Your passion. Grant that we may so receive the sacred mystery of Your body and blood that the fruits of Your redemption may continually be manifest in us; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Maundy Thursday)
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Luke 22:1-23:56
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 10:21-11:10; Hebrews 4:1-16
Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd. (Luke 22:3-6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Hard hearts are hard to understand. You might get this, at least a little bit, if you have ever apologized to someone and they wouldn't forgive you. That is a difficult situation. In Exodus, Moses records that there had been ten plagues calling the people of Egypt and the people of Israel to repentance. Pharaoh's heart was hardened. It even says that the Lord Himself hardened Pharaoh's heart. That can be troubling. Why would God harden Pharaoh's heart? The Lord explained why He did this in Exodus 7:3-5: "But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them." The Lord did this so the Egyptians would know this was the Lord's doing, and the people of Israel would be delivered by the hand of the Lord.
Scripture doesn't say that Judas Iscariot had a hard heart, but Luke does say that Satan entered into Judas. He agreed to turn Jesus over to the chief priests. But Satan can't do anything that God doesn't allow him to do. Why did God allow Judas to betray Jesus? Why did God let this bad thing happen to His only-begotten Son? It was in order to show His grace. It is by the betrayal and death of Jesus that hearts would be called to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. It is by the shedding of the blood of Jesus that you are made holy before God. God's work is seen even as Jesus is betrayed and as He died for you. Jesus has the opposite of a hard heart. For you, a sinner who has not obeyed God's Law, He has shown the depth of His mercy. He has rescued you from sin, death, and the devil. That's the Gospel truth. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Merciful and everlasting God, You did not spare Your only Son but delivered Him up for us all to bear our sins on the cross. Grant that our hearts may be so fixed with steadfast faith in Him that we fear not the power of sin, death, and the devil; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Wednesday of Holy Week)
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Mark 14:1-15:47
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 9:29-10:20; Hebrews 3:1-19
There were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment wasted like that?" (Mark 14:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever wasted something? Honestly, you've probably wasted time, and maybe you've been told you were wasting energy. Certainly, no one wants to waste money or food or anything else physical. Precious things are precious, and shouldn't be wasted. That's what the people thought had happened at the dinner Jesus attended. That ointment that could only be used once was being wasted on Jesus. When the objection was raised that the money could have been used for the poor, Jesus pointed out that the poor would always be in the world, but Jesus Himself wouldn't always be here. Putting this expensive, precious ointment on Jesus seemed to be a waste. But then Jesus said that the ointment was preparing Him for His death.
Jesus' death seemed wasteful, too. As He was crucified and was dying on the Cross, it would have been easy to think "What a waste of a life!" There, as Jesus' blood was shed from the Cross it could certainly seem that His life, like that precious ointment, was being wasted. But Jesus' death wasn't wasted. Instead, it was the precious blood of Jesus that cleansed you from your sin and calls you to believe in His gracious Name. Jesus didn't waste His life on you. Instead, He spent His life for you. It's like the explanation of the Second Article of the Apostles Creed in Luther's Small Catechism: "I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity." You, a poor and condemned person, were saved by the holy, precious blood of Jesus and His innocent suffering and death. Now you belong to Jesus because of His goodness. Jesus' life was not wasted on you, but He is the price of your redemption and your forgiveness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, grant us by Your grace so to pass through this holy time of our Lord's passion that we may obtain the forgiveness of our sins; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Tuesday of Holy Week)
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 12:1-43
Daily Lectionary:Exodus 9:1-28; Hebrews 2:1-18
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus was crowned with glory and honor, but it sure looks odd. The Cross with Jesus on it doesn't look like glory and honor. Instead, it looks like there is a lot of shame and tragedy on the Cross. A crown of thorns doesn't look like glory, and a man stripped naked doesn't look like honor. No, it's on the Cross that Jesus, God in the flesh, tastes death for everyone. Or to put it another way, God died on the Cross. Now, don't start thinking that the Father died on the Cross, or that the Holy Spirit died on the Cross. They didn't. But Jesus is fully God, and when Jesus died on the Cross, God died. That's a big deal! He tasted death for everyone.
That means that Jesus tasted death for you. The death your sin deserves has been died by Jesus, God in the flesh. That's not just true for you, though. It's true for everyone. He tasted death for everyone, and there is no one who is outside of Jesus' death and the mercy and grace that He has for sinners. That doesn't mean that everyone is saved, because salvation is by grace through faith. Do you believe what Jesus has done for you and that He is your Lord and your God? That faith in Jesus that you have been given is the center of your life. Jesus is your only hope and your only Savior. Thanks be to God, He shows you His glory and honor from the Cross for your everlasting life.
It's because of God's grace that Jesus came into the flesh to die for you. You see His grace on the Cross. From there the forgiveness of all your sins was earned. Jesus delivers that forgiveness to you when you are baptized into His death and resurrection and when He feeds Christians His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins. God has poured out His grace on you, and He forgives you all your sins. You are pure and holy because of Jesus' death for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, grant that in the midst of our failures and weaknesses we may be restored through the passion and intercession of Your only-begotten Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Monday of Holy Week)
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 21:1-9
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 8:1-32; Hebrews 1:1-14
And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today is a day full of strange words. Where else other than church and devotions do you see the word "Palmarum"? But that one is pretty easy--it simply means "of the palms" or "day of the palms." You could also call today "Palm Sunday," remembering that a week before Easter Jesus entered into Jerusalem as people waved branches over Him and welcomed Him into the holy city as He was called the Son of David, the One who comes in the Name of the Lord.
That reveals another strange word, the Hebrew word "Hosanna," which means, "Save us now!" It is a prayer for deliverance, and it is a prayer that Jesus, the Son of David who comes in the Name of the Lord, comes to answer. As the crowds cried out, "Hosanna," Jesus was coming to do just that, preparing for His death that would save not only the crowds, but you.
That prayer of "Hosanna" is one that is repeated in the Divine Service today. In preparation for the Lord's Supper, the words of the Palm Sunday crowds are combined with the words of the angelic song of Isaiah 6:1-8 so that Christ's Church sings, "Holy, Holy, Holy," and, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," in the canticle (Bible song) called the Sanctus. This is a confession that your Lord, Jesus, is holy, and that it is your Lord, Jesus, who comes in the Name of the Lord, not only on a donkey in Jerusalem but also in His Body and Blood in the Lord's Supper. There, given and shed for you, He brings forgiveness, life, and salvation that saves you. He gives you this will and testament as an answer to your prayer as you greet Him, the One who comes in the Name of the Lord. That's not a one time event, but an ever present reality for you, one of His Christians. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, You sent Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to take upon Himself our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross. Mercifully grant that we may follow the example of His great humility and patience and be made partakers of His resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Palmarum)
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Introit for Palmarum
(Psalm 24:7-10; antiphon: Psalm 118:26)
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 7:1-25; Mark 16:1-20
Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! (From the Introit for Palmarum)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Get ready! Palm Sunday is coming! This reading from the psalms sets the stage for Palm Sunday. It seems a little strange to address part of this psalm to the doors, the city gates of Jerusalem, but that is exactly where these words are directed. Get ready, because someone who is coming through you is the Lord, mighty in battle. The Lord Himself will pass through these gates!
This is the same Lord who created the heavens and the earth. This is the same Lord who saved Noah and his family when the world was flooded. This is the same Lord who called Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is the same Lord who rescued His people from slavery in Egypt. This mighty Lord established His people in the city of Jerusalem. The same Lord would come into Jerusalem and visit His people.
But this is not an ordinary visit. Jesus, the Lord of heaven and earth, wasn't just going to pay a social call to Jerusalem. He wouldn't just show His face and then disappear again. The Lord, mighty in battle, was coming into Jerusalem for a battle of cosmic proportions. He was coming to do the most glorious of all His actions: to bring salvation to all creation. Jesus entered the gates of Jerusalem to be betrayed, to suffer, die, and rise again. The mighty Lord has come, not just entering into Jerusalem, but entering into you and your life in the waters of Holy Baptism. He has called you His own! Not only has He entered the gates of Jerusalem, He has entered you to make you His holy temple. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Ride on, ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die. O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin O'er captive death and conquered sin. ("Ride On, Ride On in Majesty" LSB 441, st.2)
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 5:1-6:1; Mark 15:33-47
And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:39)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The words of the centurion by the side of the Cross are, for the most part, some of the most important true words spoken. Jesus is truly the Son of God. However, there is one thing the centurion gets wrong: Jesus isn't in the past. Often, when someone dies, people speak to them "as they were" or in the past tense. But Jesus isn't in the past tense. Jesus is the Son of God, and that doesn't stop. It didn't stop with His death on the Cross, and it doesn't stop during His resurrection, and it will never stop.
Jesus laid in the tomb is just as much the Savior of the world as Jesus on the Cross or as Jesus in the manger in Bethlehem. Jesus raised from the dead is just as much the Savior, too. A situation that looked hopeless and that looked like Jesus was left in the past tense isn't what it seems. Instead, the crucified Jesus was laid to rest in the tomb in order to rise again.
The fact that Jesus is not in the past tense is important for you because you will never be in the past tense, either. Jesus' eternal life gives you eternal life. You will live forever in the present tense because Jesus lives forever. The One who died is the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Him will never die--and that message is for you.
The devil might try to tell you that Jesus is disconnected and far away from you. Your own common sense might try to tell you that, too. But your Lord Jesus, the Son of God, has drawn close to you, delivering His death and resurrection to you every time it is preached into your ears, when you read about His great love for you, when you were baptized into that death and resurrection, and when you receive the Body and Blood of Jesus for you for the forgiveness of sins. If the centurion saw and believed that Jesus was the Son of God, so do you, one of God's redeemed children for whom He died. Your Savior has forgiven you all your sins and holds you continually in His grace, not in the past but in the present. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Upon the cross extended See, world, your Lord suspended. Your Savior yields His breath. The Prince of Life from heaven Himself has freely given To shame and blows and bitter death. ("Upon the Cross Extended" LSB 453, st.1)
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 4:19-31; Mark 15:16-32
And the Lord said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go." (Exodus 4:21)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart. Wait, what? The Lord is the one who hardened Pharaoh's heart, who brought about the lack of faith, who brought the ten plagues against Egypt. That doesn't sound like good news at all. How can a good, gracious, and loving God harden Pharaoh's (or anyone's) heart?
It is the will of God that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, as 1 Timothy 2:4 says. Yet not only does God allow people to disbelieve His promises and truth, He Himself even hardened Pharaoh's heart. So where do you stand? Has God hardened your heart? What about others who don't believe in God's Name? Is that God's fault, or their fault?
Luther's Small Catechism gives a good answer to this regarding the Third Article of the Apostles Creed: "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith." The Holy Spirit has called YOU to faith, enlightened YOU with His gifts, sanctified and kept YOU in the faith. What the Holy Spirit does for you He also does for the whole Church. There's nothing here about Pharaoh or those who don't believe, because that's not your business. That's God's business to deal with in His righteousness and justice. You are called simply to believe in His Name, to confess your sins before Jesus Christ who intercedes for you before the Father, and to confess that faith in the Triune God in love to your neighbors.
Is your heart hard? Even though you are fully and completely a sinner (just like Moses who didn't circumcise his children in accordance with God's commands), your heart has been softened by the Holy Spirit who has called you as God's own. You are also completely one of God's saints. Jesus Christ was crucified for you to see to your holiness and perfection. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Holy Spirit, you have called, gathered, and enlightened me with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sanctify and keep me in that Gospel always, until Jesus' return in glory and the everlasting Kingdom, through the same Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Eighth Commandment
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 4:1-18; Mark 15:1-15
Then Moses answered, "But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.'" (Exodus 4:1)
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. (Small Catechism: Eighth Commandment)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What happens when you tell the truth and people don't believe you? You know what you said is true, but they just will not believe what you have said. Exodus 4 has a lot to say about truth and belief. God revealed His truth to Moses, but Moses was afraid that the people of Israel wouldn't believe him when he told it to them. Not only was Moses entrusted with God's truth, he thought it was up to him to get people to believe God's truth.
Do you ever feel like telling the truth is a lost cause? Like even if what you say is true, people won't believe it and it won't make a difference? Perhaps if you try to set a rumor straight, people would still want to believe the rumor instead of the true account, or if you try to tell others why they have misjudged a classmate or a friend, they won't listen to you. What should you do then? One answer might be to not even try, and another response might be to try once and let it go.
But that's not how God treated Moses, nor is it how God wanted Moses to treat the people of Israel. Instead, God repeatedly told His truth to Moses, and gave Moses ways to repeatedly tell that truth to the people. The Lord gave Moses His own Name to declare to the people: YHWH, I am who I am. The Lord gave Moses three miracles. Then the Lord promised that Moses' brother, Aaron, would come and he would do the talking. Again and again, the Lord put truth in Moses' ears and in his mouth.
The Lord puts truth in your ears and in your mouth, too. He has given you the living Word, Jesus Himself. When you doubt and disbelieve, even then your Savior is the way, the truth, and the life. Even then your Savior shows you something better than a miracle: His own death and resurrection for you. He brings you the forgiveness of your sins. That's no false testimony. Jesus Christ is the truth for you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, You are the way, the truth, and the life. You put your truth in Moses' ears and in his mouth. Place your truth and your presence in me that I would not disbelieve but believe Your wonderful promises and speak that truth to all those around me, through You, my Lord, as You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Hebrews 9:11-15
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 2:23-3:22; Mark 14:53-72
[Jesus] entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Blood makes people squeamish. Some people faint or pass out at the sight of blood. Few people like to look at blood. Blood has a unique smell, a slick, sticky feel. Kinda grosses you out, doesn't it? But throughout Scripture, blood is a big deal. From Abel's blood crying out to God from the ground in Genesis 4, to the blood of the Passover lambs being collected in bowls and smeared on door frames, to the blood sprinkled in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, even on the mercy seat on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, blood is all over the Old Testament. Aren't you glad that there isn't blood-talk in the New Testament?
Well, that's when the writer of Hebrews breaks your hopefulness and points out the importance of the blood of Jesus Himself. There's nothing distant or far away about that. Just when you thought you got those squeamish, bloody thoughts out of your head, here they are again. It's important for you to know and to remember that Jesus has blood, as gross as that seems. Leviticus 17:11 says, "The life is in the blood," and it's why God commanded His people not to eat meat with blood in it. But Jesus, the fully enfleshed God, came with real flesh and real blood. That real blood, full of the life of the Son of God, was poured out for you and brings you forgiveness of all your sins. It covers you as one of God's saints whose robe has been made white in the blood of the Lamb of God.
It's serious business that Jesus shed His blood for His saints, and He gives that Blood alongside His Body to strengthen your faith, to forgive your sins, and to bring life and immortality to light. Is blood yucky? Maybe, but the blood of Jesus Christ is what you count on to save your life, because your life is in the blood of Jesus, shed for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
But Christ, the heav'nly Lamb, Takes all our sins away; A sacrifice of nobler name And richer blood than they. ("Not All the Blood of Beasts" LSB 431, st.2)
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Genesis 22:1-14
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 2:1-33; Mark 14:32-52
"God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." (Genesis 22:8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What does God expect of you? Does He expect a perfect life? Or maybe He wants proof of your faithfulness by seeing what a great job you do of telling other people about Jesus. Certainly, God doesn't expect you to offer animal sacrifices anymore, but sometimes you might wonder if more time, more money, or more of your skills at church or at youth group are going to impress God. Maybe you're already shaking your head and saying, "That's not how God works." That doesn't mean that you aren't sometimes tempted to prove your faithfulness to God. And that makes you ask, "What does God want? What can I give God?"
Isaac asked a normal, innocent question. "We have everything we need except the lamb for the sacrifice." Where were they going to get that? In the remote mountains, there wasn't a grocery store or a "Sacrifices 'R' Us" store for Abraham and Isaac to get a sacrificial lamb. How was this going to work? Abraham's answer was literally, "God will see the lamb." While many translations say something like "God will provide the lamb," or "God will see to the lamb," the clearest understanding is that God will see the lamb.
God did see the lamb, but it wasn't a fluffy, white lamb carried to the top of the mountain. It wasn't Isaac, the only son of his father, Abraham. It wasn't even the ram caught in the thicket by its horns. The Lamb that God saw was His own Son, Jesus Christ. The only-begotten Son of God was the Lamb given so that all who believe in His Name would not perish but have eternal life. God sees Jesus as the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice for you.
Where's your sacrifice? You already have one. God sees the Lamb whom He has sent to take away the sin of the world. You don't need to prove yourself to God. You don't need to do anything to earn His grace, and God won't remove His grace if you don't do the right thing to thank Him. He has provided His Son for you, and that settles the matter. God has seen His ever-present grace for you. God has not withheld His Son from you, and that's all you need. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The dying Lord our ransom paid, One final full self-off'ring made, Complete in ev'ry part. His finished sacrifice for sins The covenant of grace begins, The law within the heart. ("No Temple Now, No Gift of Price" LSB 530, st.2)
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 8:46-59
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 1:1-22; Mark 14:12-31
[Jesus said,] "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death." (John 8:51)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do you ever think that terrible things can't happen to you? Car accidents may happen to other people, but not to you. Horrible illnesses may happen to other people, but not to you. Bullies may take advantage of other people, but not of you. The devil and your own sinful mind tempt you to believe that you're invincible and that nothing can hurt you. But the truth is different from that. The truth is that bad things will happen to you since you live in this sinful world. One of those bad things, according to your human perspective, is death.
But Jesus makes a bold statement: If you keep His Word, you will not see death. If you keep Jesus' Word, you are invincible. This isn't just the hopefulness of a young person, but the promise of the fully incarnate God in the flesh. When Jesus says that you will never see death, He means it. That can be hard to wrap your head around today. We are drawing closer and closer to Good Friday. Some churches have a special focus on the Cross and the Passion of Jesus for the next two weeks. And that's right, since we preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). Jesus died and has given you His Word so that you will never see death.
But that conflicts with common sense, doesn't it? It seems that everyone dies. But Jesus promises that those who keep His Word won't see death. So do you believe in your common sense, or do you believe Jesus? Whatever your common sense says, Jesus declares that you are invincible in Him, because "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). You live in Jesus Christ, because He has made it so. He is your Lord, the One who rules over all things and calls you His very own. He has promised that you will never see eternal death because of His goodness and mercy for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, by Your great goodness mercifully look upon Your people that we may be governed and preserved evermore in body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Fifth Sunday in Lent)
-Rev. Peter Ill is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Fifth Sunday in Lent
(Psalm 43:3-5; antiphon: v. 1-2a)
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 49:29-50:7, 14-26; Mark 14:1-11
Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! (From the Introit for the Fifth Sunday in Lent)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Throughout Holy Scripture, God does some of His most important work on mountain tops. God brought Noah and the ark to rest on the mountains of Ararat. God spared Abraham's son, his only son Isaac, from sacrifice on Mount Moriah. God gave his Torah to Moses and the people of Israel on Mount Sinai. God dwelled with and for His people in the glory and the sacrifices on Mount Zion. As good as these things were, we haven't even approached the summit of God's mountainous grace.
For that we must hike to where the Torah, psalms, and prophets lead us: to Jesus, God's incarnate mountain man. Jesus feeds the multitudes and prays on the mountain sides of Judea. Jesus is transfigured on a mountain top as He and Moses and Elijah talk about His exodus to come in Jerusalem. Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and prays with His disciples on the Mount of Olives before He walks His own Cross, and all of our sin, to the top of Mount Calvary, Golgotha, the peak of His glory, in crucifixion for you. So it should come as no surprise that when Jesus ascends to heaven, He does so on a mountaintop. And one day, He will return again so that what was written in the book of Hebrews will be fully seen and rejoiced in as we dwell on Mount Zion forever.
"For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. . . But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel" (Hebrews 12:18-24). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, by Your great goodness mercifully look upon Your people that we may be governed and preserved evermore in body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 47:1-31; Mark 13:24-37
So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly. (Genesis 47:27)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Israelites were tempted to think that their time in Egypt was one of glory and ease, and that they had deserved the possessions they had and land they dwelled in. But of course, we know how the story goes. As we learned yesterday, all the good things that happened to Joseph were not because he was a perfect, deserving guy. Far from it. In truth, everything Joseph had done and received in life--the dreams, the ascent to Pharaoh's court, and so on--was accomplished by God's grace.
The same was true for the people of Israel. Even when they were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years, the grace of God watched over and was with them. God waited for the perfect time when He would lead his servant Moses to take His people Israel out of slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land. And along the way there, the grace of God accompanied His people all the more. The Passover lamb. The Red Sea Exodus. The manna and quail in the wilderness. The water from the rock. The Divine Service of the Old Testament in the sacrifices of the tabernacle. It was all given and accomplished by the grace of God for His people.
The same is true for you. It's tempting to think that we are entitled to God's mercy. That we deserve His grace. That we have earned His favor. Just like Israel, we are tempted to look at our thoughts, emotions, and works as a ladder we try to use to ascend to God, or some kind of assurance that we are loved by God. And just like Israel, we are dead wrong. That's the real kind of slavery: slavery to sin.
Thankfully, God has compassion on us as He did for Israel. Only He didn't send Joseph or even Moses. God the Father sent His only-begotten Son, so that in Jesus we would possess everything God desires to give us: His grace, mercy, peace, life, and salvation. Everything we have, all our gifts of body and soul, are given to us by God's grace in Christ Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, you have given us the good news of your abounding love in your Son Jesus Christ: So fill our hearts with thankfulness that we may rejoice to proclaim the good tidings we have received; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 45:1-20, 24-28; Mark 13:1-23
"I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life." (Genesis 45:4-5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There are many Old Testament people whose lives foreshadow and point us to the person and work of Jesus. Jesus says that His death and resurrection are foretold in Jonah's three-day rest in the belly of the fish. Jesus says that His own body is the new and greater temple. Jesus declares that Abraham saw and believed in Him long before His incarnation for us. Joseph the patriarch is no different.
Consider just a few of the many ways Joseph's life foreshadows and points us to the life and work of Jesus. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and left for dead. Jesus is betrayed by one of His own disciples so that He would be left for dead on the Cross. Joseph went down to Egypt to provide for the people of Egypt as well as for His own family. Jesus also went down to Egypt with His earthly family so that when He returned to Nazareth after Herod's death, He would begin His life and ministry that would provide life and salvation not just for Israel, but for all nations. Joseph tells his brothers that what they meant for evil, God worked for good. Jesus, our greater Joseph, takes all the sin and evil that we have worked onto Himself on the Cross, and there, He works the greatest good for us in His crucifixion for us.
Today, as we remember and give thanks to God for Joseph the patriarch, we are also giving thanks to God and remember the grace and mercy of God which kept Joseph. For the same Lord who watched over Joseph in prison, slavery, and famine, is the same Lord who watches over you in all trials and travails of this life. Like Joseph, Jesus the greater Joseph was sent by God. The Father has sent His Son Jesus before us to preserve our lives, now and forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord God, heavenly Father, in the kingdom of Egypt the needy and suffering people were told to go to Joseph and do all that he shall say to them. May the needy and suffering people in the kingdom of Your Church now be provided for by those who follow in the example of Joseph as they love their neighbors as themselves; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Seventh Commandment
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 44:1-18, 32-34; Mark 12:28-44
You shall not steal. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor's money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income. (Small Catechism: Seventh Commandment)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Small Catechism is full of questions and answers, like the famous catechism question, "What does this mean?" Whenever we spend time unpacking the meaning of the commandments and their explanations, it's also helpful to ask a few additional questions. What gift of God is being preserved and protected by God in the Seventh Commandment? How have we failed to keep this commandment? And, most important of all, how does Jesus keep this commandment for us?
Luther's short but insightful explanation reveals the meaning of the Seventh Commandment. It also reveals the gift of God in this commandment: our possessions and earthly blessings, or, in other words, our stuff. Everything we have from the kicks on our feet, to the lid on our dome, is all a gift from God.
When we come to the Seventh Commandment, it's easy to think, "Well, I haven't been arrested for grand theft auto or stolen anything lately, so I'm good to go." Not so fast! Have we always helped our neighbor to improve his possessions and income? Have we taken a pencil from school? Spent five more minutes at our lunch break at work than we should have? And the list goes on. Not one of us can say we've perfectly kept the Seventh Commandment.
Thankfully, while it's true that we have broken the Seventh Commandant, it's also true that our Lord Jesus kept this commandment perfectly in our place. How so? Consider Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 8:10: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."
You see, everything in all creation belongs to our Lord Jesus. And yet He provides for all our physical needs. And more than that, he uses the stuff of His creation--water, word, bread and wine--to give us heavenly treasures of His grace in His holy, precious Word and Sacraments as well. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Galatians 4:21-31
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 43:1-28; Mark 12:13-27
The Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. (Galatians 4:26)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Church father Cyprian once wrote that, "No one can have God as his Father, who does not have the Church as his mother." St. Augustine and Martin Luther would later quote these famous words as well. Cyprian wasn't saying anything new, though. He was quoting Paul here in Galatians.
The Jerusalem above, the Mother of us all, is free (Galatians 4:26). How is the Church our Mother? Think about all the ways a mother cares for her child. Even before a child is born, he is cared for in her womb and, Lord willing, brought safely through childbirth. So, too, in the Church we are born from above by water, Word and the Holy Spirit in Holy Baptism. God works faith in our hearts by His Word just as He creates life in the womb.
Our earthly mothers then go on to feed us, care for us, love and nurture us. So, too, in the Church, God our Father provides the daily bread of His Holy Word, Holy Absolution, Holy Baptism, and Holy Communion. In His Gifts of Word and Sacrament in the Church God feeds us, cares for us, loves us, and nurtures us.
As we grow older, our earthly mothers and fathers discipline us, teach us many things needful for our life, and most of all, lead us in the ways and words of our heavenly Father. The same thing happens in the Church, the new Jerusalem. The free gifts of life and salvation are given to us. We are children of the promise, just as Isaac was. And yes, at times we are disciplined. And at other times we are instructed in many things from the Scriptures, as in confirmation or Bible class.
In these ways, our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord and by the power of the Holy Spirit, leads us in His ways and words throughout our life. And in this holy Christian Church you are freely forgiven, and live to freely love one another as Christ first loved us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, by our baptism into the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ, you turned us from the old life of sin: Grant that we, being reborn to new life in him, may live in righteousness and holiness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Exodus 16:2-21
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 42:1-34, 38; Mark 12:1-12
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.'" (Exodus 16:11-12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yahweh provided bread from heaven. The food of angels, they called it. "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you, declares the Lord, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion for every day" (Exodus 16:4).
Israel didn't have to work for this bread. No labor, planting, or harvesting. No sweaty brows, calloused hands, or sore backs. All they had to do was go outside their tents and there it was. Manna in the wilderness. Yahweh provided just enough for each day--no more, no less.
And yet Israel still grumbled against the Lord: "We loathe this worthless food. Why did you bring us out into the wilderness to die? Would that we were in Egypt where we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full."
Bread couldn't save Adam. The bread from heaven that God gave through Moses couldn't save Israel, either. And neither will Adam or Moses save us.
For like Adam, we have hungered and thirsted for self-righteousness. We have labored to fill our bellies with the food of this world. Like Israel, we've grumbled and groaned against God's grace. We've pushed aside the Lord's bread to get all we can eat at the world's buffet. We foolishly think that slavery to sin looks more appetizing and satisfying than the Bread of life that God offers freely.
As Jesus tells the crowds in John 6, "Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died." That's the problem. Like Adam and Israel, we eat bread to our death. Ordinary bread won't save us.
The bread that Jesus gives, however, is completely different. "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh" (John 6:51). The next time you go to the Lord's Supper, rejoice! In Jesus' Body and Blood you have true Manna from heaven. Eat this bread and live forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord our God, in your Holy Sacraments you have given us a foretaste of the good things of your kingdom: Direct us, we pray, in the way that leads to eternal life, that we may come to appear before you in that place of light where you dwell forever with your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: John 6:1-15
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 41:28-57; Mark 11:20-33
Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. (John 6:10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ever heard a song, watched a movie, or read a book, and afterwards thought, "That sounds familiar; where have I heard that before?" Sometimes we call that feeling deja vu, the feeling that you've been there or heard something before.
There's something of a deja vu moment happening in today's reading from John 6. Consider some of the details of the feeding of the 5000 here in John's Gospel. There's a crowd following Jesus. They're in the wilderness near a mountain. It's close to the time of the Passover. The crowds are hungry. Jesus has the crowds sit down on the green pastures. He gives thanks. Jesus miraculously feeds over 5000; there are even leftovers. And to top it all off, Jesus is called the Prophet who is coming into the world.
That all sounds rather familiar doesn't it? Like we've heard that story before. Indeed we have, in Exodus and Psalm 23. John's account of the feeding of the 5000 comes out of God's cookbook in the Old Testament Exodus. John reveals that Jesus is Moses 2.0, not a new lawgiver, but the Prophet who was foretold. The Prophet who would be like Moses and come after him and turn the hearts of the people to God.
Coincidence? Of course not. The good things that God called Moses to do, and accomplished through Moses, point forward to the Prophet of God come in human flesh: Jesus. But of course we know that Jesus is a prophet--He speaks and teaches and foretells God's Word. But unlike any other prophet, Jesus is the one Prophet who not only speaks for God, but IS God. He not only declares God's Word, He is the Word made flesh.
Jesus' words give life. Jesus' Body and Blood are our true Bread from heaven come down to save, forgive, and heal. Jesus is truly the Prophet who has come into the world to save you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday in Lent)
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Fourth Sunday in Lent
(Psalm 122:1-2, 6, 8; antiphon: Isaiah 66:10a, 11a)
Daily Lectionary:Genesis 41:1-27; Mark 11:1-19
I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord!" (From the Introit for the Fourth Sunday in Lent)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Psalm 122 is one of several ascent psalms in the psalter, the Old Testament hymnal. In this psalm, God's faithful people would sing His praises as they made their way to the temple, the Lord's house, to receive the Lord's gifts.
Tomorrow in Divine Service we will sing or say together the Introit, taken from Psalm 122. As we sing or say these words together, God is gathering His Church, the new Israel, around His Gifts of Word, water, Body and Blood. As we sing or say these words together we are in the house of the Lord where the Lord has promised to dwell with us to heal, forgive, and save us.
Even the word "Introit" tells us what's going on. "Introit" means "to enter." In the Divine Service that's what we do. We enter the Lord's house on the Lord's Day to receive the Lord's Gifts in Word and Sacrament.
It is good for us to sing the psalms of ascent as we approach our Lord's table, because all too often we have not ascended to our Lord in praise, but have descended into sin. In our sinful flesh we descend into chaos; we sing the funeral dirge that our sins have earned. We confess that we are poor, miserable sinners. This confession of our sin may not be popular or pretty, but it is good. That's why we confess our sins just before the Introit of the day.
We start with confession, then receive the Absolution. For all the times we've descended into sin, Christ's forgiveness and love have descended to us to save us. Jesus went up to the Cross, was crucified, died, and was buried. Jesus descended into hell, and on the Third Day rose again. He ascended into heaven. He did all of this so that when you descend into sin, you will be forgiven. And you will sing with joy tomorrow and forever. I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord!" In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, you know us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright: Grant us such strength and protection as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ our Lord,. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Luke 1:26-38
Daily Lectionary:Genesis 40:1-23; Mark 10:32-52
"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give him the throne of His father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:31-33)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. An angel, the Virgin Mary, and the message that the Savior is soon to be born? Aren't we in the middle of the season of Lent? What's going on here? No, you didn't read the calendar wrong. Today the Church remembers and gives thanks to God for the angel Gabriel's annunciation of Jesus' birth to the Virgin Mary. There might still be nine months to go until Christmas Day, but in many ways, Lent is a wonderful time to remember the Annunciation of our Lord.
As we prepare to celebrate Jesus' crucifixion for us, we pause to celebrate His birth for us. As we prepare for the joy of Easter and Christ's resurrection, we stop to remember the joy of His incarnation for us. As we prepare to celebrate with the angels at the empty tomb of our risen Lord, we pause to remember the message of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary.
It might seem odd to us, celebrating the Annunciation of Our Lord as we prepare to celebrate Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. And yet, for Christians in the ancient Church, this made perfect sense. The date of the Annunciation of Our Lord is March 25th because many in the early Church believed Jesus' crucifixion occurred on that date. Additionally, many people in the ancient world linked the day of a person's conception with the day of their death. So, when we celebrate the Annunciation of our Lord in March, in the middle of Lent, the Church is remembering both the Incarnation of Jesus and the crucifixion of Jesus, two events that reveal our Lord's great love, grace, and salvation for us.
So today, with Mary, we rejoice that God has done and accomplished and made possible what we deemed impossible: His virgin birth and His death and resurrection to save us. Let it be to us, according to His Word! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, as we have known the incarnation of Your Son, Jesus Christ, by the message of the angel to the virgin Mary, so by the message of His cross and passion bring us to the glory of His resurrection; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 39:1-23; Mark 10:13-31
The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. (Genesis 39:2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Even though he was thrown in a pit by his brothers. Even though he was sold into slavery. Even though his father Jacob thought he was dead. Even though he was hounded by temptation and sin by Potiphar's wife, thrown into prison, a long, long way from home down in Egypt. Even through all that, the Lord was with Joseph.
The Lord never stopped being with Joseph. In the next chapter of Genesis we hear that God gave Joseph the ability to interpret Pharaoh's dreams, and, in doing so, was able to prepare the land for a great famine.
The Lord was with Joseph so that through him, Egypt, and even his own family, would find food when it became scarce. The Lord was with Joseph and brought about reconciliation between him and his brothers. What they meant for evil, God used for their good.
And not only their good, but yours. Because the Lord was with Joseph, the people of Israel ended up in Egypt for over 400 years. Because Israel was in Egypt, the Lord rescued them in the Exodus and delivered them to the Promised Land. Because Israel was in the Promised Land, God brought about the passing of time through the period of judges, kings, a divided kingdom, exile, and return, preparing the way for the long-expected Messiah. And in the fullness of time the God who was with Joseph in Egypt was born to be our Immanuel, God with us.
Like Joseph before him, Jesus even spent some time in exile in Egypt that He would rescue us all from slavery to sin, death, and the devil. Like Joseph before us, God is with us, too. When we are tempted to sin, the Lord is with us. When we fall into temptation, the Lord is with us to bring us to repentance and forgiveness. When we were in bondage to slavery and captive in the pit of death, Jesus was with us, just as He was with Joseph, to rescue, redeem, and restore us.
And the same Lord who was with Joseph and with us in human flesh still dwells with us in His Word, water, Body and Blood. No matter what, the Lord is with you. Today. Tomorrow. Forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Keep watch over your church, O Lord, with your unfailing love; and, since it is grounded in human weakness and cannot maintain itself without your aid, protect it from all danger, and keep it in the way of salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism, Sixth Commandment
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 37:1-36; Mark 10:1-12
You shall not commit adultery. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in all we say and do, and that husband and wife love and honor each other. (Small Catechism: Sixth Commandment)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul writes, "Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
Paul's words give us a good summary of Luther's explanation to the Sixth Commandment. Whether you are married, engaged, dating, or single, God calls you to be chaste--to honor our bodies in all stations of life.
The Sixth Commandment isn't God's way of being a spoilsport. No, like all the other commandments, God gives this one for our good. In the Sixth Commandment God is protecting and preserving for us His gift of marriage and human sexuality. Sadly, like all of God's other gifts, sinful, fallen humanity has made a royal mess of this commandment and gift as well, through adultery, pornography, homosexuality--the list goes on.
Scripture reveals the truth that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All of us have broken the Sixth Commandment. All of us have abused or misused or taken for granted God's gift of marriage and human sexuality.
It might seem like the Sixth Commandment is the worst or biggest commandment we could break. And yet, even for our sins against this commandment, there is forgiveness. No matter how great our sins are against this or any other commandment, Christ's purity and holiness and faithfulness for you are far greater. Jesus led a pure and decent life in all He said and did for you. Jesus went to the Cross, revealing the depth of the Father's love and His compassion to save you.
Indeed, you were bought with a price. In Jesus crucified, you are forgiven, redeemed, cleansed, and restored. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our heart by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Ephesians 5:1-9
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 35:1-29; Mark 9:33-50
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth). (Ephesians 5:8-9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Darkness in Scripture is always more than the physical absence of light. It is a spiritual darkness, too. The presence of disorder, chaos, and wanton evil. The darkness of sin. The shadow of death. The tenebrous shroud that overshadows God's creation which was once proclaimed, "very good."
We live in darkness. A fallen world full of fallen men, who, Jesus declares, "love the darkness rather than the Light" (John 3:19). Humanity follows the broken compass of our fallen flesh, a needle constantly pointed inward, drawn by the gravity of our sinful, selfish desires. Such is the darkness of fallen mankind, a mind, will, and heart of darkness whose thoughts are continually evil. No wonder that C.S. Lewis, when writing his science-fiction space trilogy, called earth the "silent planet." Silent and dark.
Notice Paul's choice of verbs. Once you were darkness. Past tense. Now you are light in the Lord. Present, indicative tense. In Christ, who is the Light of the world, our past sin and darkness have been changed into an eternally present reality: You are light in the Lord Jesus.
Unlike our love that so often fades, God's brilliant love for us in Christ does not flicker. His grace and mercy to you cannot be snuffed out. Christ's peace is no rolling blackout whose light comes and goes. No. Jesus Christ is the Light of the world, the Light no darkness can overcome. In His birth for us, His life for us, His death and resurrection for us, we have received God's true, enduring, endless, and eternal Light.
In Jesus, you are a child of the light. You are a city set on a hill. Do not hide who you are, but "let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). Reflect the light of Christ as you share the Good News of Jesus, born for you, with your friends, coworkers, and neighbors. This, too, is the fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Grant, most merciful Lord, to your faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Exodus 8:16-24
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 29:1-30; Mark 9:14-32
Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said. (Exodus 8:19)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God's finger brought judgment upon Pharaoh and all his idols. Flies and lice soon gave way to darkness, and eventually death, save for those Israelites whose doorposts were covered by the blood of the Passover lamb.
Pharaoh, however, isn't the only one whose hands have wrought wickedness and sin. We may not worship Ra or Amun like the Egyptians did, but make no mistake, we have our own idols all the same. Who or what is it that we look to for all our good? Who or what is it that we fear, love, and trust in above all things? Because of all the sin our hands and fingers, and sinful hearts have worked, we, too, deserve the wrath of the finger of God.
But that's not what happened. Israel was saved from God's wrath by the blood of the passover lamb. You are saved by the One who is the Passover Lamb of God in human flesh: Jesus Christ. What's more, you are saved by the very same fingers of God that saved Israel in the Exodus.
That's right, in Jesus, the Son of God and son of Mary, God has ten human fingers that touched and healed the sick. Fingers that took bread and broke it and gave it to His disciples on the night in which He was betrayed. Fingers that writhed in pain as Jesus hung on the Cross to pay for all the sin our hands have wrought.
The finger of God brought wrath and judgment to Pharaoh and Egypt. But in Jesus, God's fingers have brought you life and salvation forever. God rescued His children of Israel, just as He promised, through the blood on the doorposts, and the water of the Exodus. Our Lord Jesus does the same for each of us as well. He paints the doorposts of our mouth with His Holy Body and Blood and He saves us from bondage to sin, death, and the devil through the Red Sea of your Baptism.
So whenever you see the Scriptures, the font, and the altar, you, too, can say, "This is the finger of God come to save me." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Look upon the heart-felt desires of your humble servants, Almighty God, and stretch forth the right hand of your majesty to be our defense against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Luke 11:14-28
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 27:30-45; 28:10-22; Mark 9:1-13
"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when one stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils." (Luke 11:21-22)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "He is possessed by Beelzebub and by the prince of demons he casts out demons" (Mark 3:22). It's the ultimate Old Testament insult: If you don't like what someone says, call ‘em the devil. In the Old Testament Beelzebub was a Caananite god, the lord of the flies, the god of dung. A crass euphemism for the ruler of death. Eventually it became another name for Satan. The Scribes are accusing Jesus of being in league with the devil, like in an old country song. Problem is, that's most illogical. Divided kingdoms don't stand. Divided houses fall. If Satan is actually opposed to himself, then his days are over.
Jesus didn't join the devil's ranks. He came to defeat the devil. And it's a good thing He did. Like Adam and Eve, we're guilty of treason. "Fast bound in Satan's chains we lay" ("Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice" LSB 556, st.2). That's why Jesus, the rightful King, lands in enemy occupied territory. Jesus comes for you. To your rescue. To save you. It's a great invasion, and Bethlehem is the beachhead. The wilderness temptation is a key battleground and skirmishes break out all over. Demons are cast out in Capernaum, Galilee, and Gerasene. Jesus is on the move, headed toward Jerusalem and the Cross, the last battle.
Jesus dies the same way He is born: in humility and utter helplessness. "He must be crazy. So weak. How foolish," the world cries out. But the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisest men. And the weakness of God is stronger than both men and the devil. So, this is Jesus' battle plan: "Bind the strong man" and plunder his goods. Jesus does what we are unable and unwilling to do. Jesus the Burglar comes in human flesh, ties up the devil, storms the dragon's lair and reclaims you, His rightful treasure. We're the plunder the Divine Thief carries off after He's tied up the strong man. We who were once dogs, rebels, and sinners are now Jesus' greatest treasure in the Cross. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy, be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Third Sunday in Lent)
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 27:1-29; Mark 8:22-38
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy him." (Matthew 2:13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The last time an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, he was told not to be afraid. He was to take Mary as his wife. The child in her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. His Name is Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins, the angel told him. All was going according to God's plan of salvation.
Now, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph again. This time Joseph is warned in a dream to take the Christ Child and Mary, flee to Egypt, and escape Herod's treacherous, murderous plot to kill Jesus, the one born King of the Jews. And just as he did before, Joseph listened to the angel's word.
We don't often pay attention to Joseph. This, on the one hand, is good. Joseph isn't the center of the story, Jesus is. On the other hand, it is good to remember and give thanks to God for Joseph, guardian of Jesus. For God gave Joseph an important part to play in the story of our salvation.
It's quite the title, if you think about it: Guardian of Jesus. Wait, what? God Incarnate needs a guardian? Yes, He did. That's the joy and mystery of Christmas, but also of Lent and Easter. You see, God sent Joseph to be Mary's husband, and Jesus' guardian, so that when the time came to flee Egypt, he would be there to safeguard the Son of God and His mother. God sent Joseph to be Jesus' guardian so that in fleeing Herod's wrath, Jesus would one day grow up and go to the Cross to bear God's wrath for us. God sent Joseph to be Jesus' guardian so that Jesus would go to Jerusalem to be crucified under Pontius Pilate for you. God sent Joseph to be Jesus' guardian so that Jesus, the rightful King, would rule and reign from His crib to the Cross, and into all eternity, for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, from the house of Your servant David You raised up Joseph to be the guardian of Your incarnate Son and the husband of His mother, Mary. Grant us grace to follow the example of this faithful workman in heeding Your counsel and obeying Your commands; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 24:32-52, 61-67; Mark 8:1-21
"And this day I came to the well and said, ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go, behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, "Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink."'"(Genesis 24:42-43)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There's something in the water when it comes to wells in the Bible. In Genesis 24, Abraham sends his servant to find a bride from among his kinsmen for his son Isaac. Eventually, the servant returned home to Isaac with his bride-to-be, Rebekah. Later on, in Genesis 29, Isaac's son, Jacob, meets his future wife, Rachel, at--you guessed it--the well.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman, an outsider, at, of all places, a well. Only this time, the Offspring of Abraham isn't at the well to find a bride, but to show this woman, and all who call on His Name, that He is our heavenly Bridegroom, come to save us all by His life, death, and resurrection.
At the well in John 4, Jesus is fulfilling the promise God made to Adam and Eve, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all believers of all time and place. Jesus is that Promised Seed, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Bridegroom who has come to save us, His lost, wayward, faithless Bride. Jesus sat next to that Samaritan woman at the well, not only for her sake, but for yours as well.
"Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:13,14).
The well of Genesis 24 gives way to a far deeper well, where the water of life flows freely out of Jesus' wounded side on the Cross. Water and blood flows into the font and the chalice. And out of this wellspring of eternal life Jesus makes for Himself a Holy Bride: you, His baptized, beloved people. Indeed, there's something in the water of your Baptism: the Word and promise of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, by our baptism into the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ, you turned us from the old life of sin: Grant that we, being reborn to new life in him, may live in righteousness and holiness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 24:1-31; Mark 7:24-37
And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers in his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." (Mark 7:33-34)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Ephphatha. Be opened." This is what happens when Jesus, the Word made flesh, speaks. Jesus' Word opens. A little water in the form of spit united with His creative, does-what-He-says Word, and, "Open sesame!" The deaf man could hear. The mute man spoke. Jesus opened this man's ears and loosed his tongue. Jesus' Word opens.
Today the Church remembers and gives thanks to God for St. Patrick, missionary to Ireland. The same Lord who opened the deaf-mute man's ears and mouth, also opened the mouth of St. Patrick to declare the praises and Good News of Christ crucified and risen to the Irish people. And there, too, God opened their hearts and minds by sending His Word and Spirit to create faith in Jesus.
Our Lord does the same thing for you as well. It doesn't matter if you're Irish or not, or whether or not you're wearing any green at all. Our Lord has worked his Ephphatha for you, too. Jesus' hands, feet, and side were opened on the Cross to save you from sin, death, and darkness. Jesus opened His grave on Easter Sunday so that your grave will one day be opened again when He returns in glory. Jesus opened heaven for you when you were baptized by water, Word, and the Spirit. There, just as He did for the deaf-mute man, Jesus opened heaven for you.
O Lord, open our lips to rejoice with St. Patrick: Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger. "I bind unto myself today The strong Name of the Trinity, By invocation of the same, The Three in One and One in Three" ("I Bind unto Myself Today" LSB 604, st.1). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, you chose your servant Patrick to be a missionary to the Irish people who were wandering in darkness and error. You bound unto them the trinitarian name through Baptism and faith that they might dwell in the light of Christ. Bind unto us this same strong name of the Trinity as we remember our Baptism and walk in His light, that we may come to dwell at last in the eternal light of the presence of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Fifth Commandment
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 22:1-19; Mark 7:1-23
You shall not murder. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need. (Small Catechism: Fifth Commandment)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Last week when we read about the Fourth Commandment, we reflected upon three questions: What does this commandment mean? What gift of God is He protecting and providing for us in this commandment? And, how does Jesus keep this commandment for us? The meaning of the Fifth Commandment goes deeper than we might expect. At first, we might think, "I've never murdered anyone! I'm good to go. Kept that commandment; now onto the next." Not so fast. The catechism helps us unpack the meaning of this commandment. It is not enough that we have refrained from murdering our neighbor.
Jesus also teaches us that whoever hates his brother in his heart has broken this commandment as well. That is to say, there's an inward spiritual dimension to this commandment, not only an outward action. We easily break the Fifth Commandment without ever picking up a weapon to murder someone. Not only that, we fail to keep this commandment when we do not help and support our neighbor in their physical need. And that's the answer to our second question. God gives the Fifth Commandment to protect and preserve His gift of our physical body and our bodily needs. This is what we pray for in the Fourth Petition of the Lord's Prayer when we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread."
This is also why we pray, "Forgive us our trespasses." For we have failed to keep this commandment as well. In thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and what we have left undone, we have broken the Fifth Commandment. What we deserve is the death sentence for our sins. Only that's not what we receive. Remember that important third question: How does Jesus keep this commandment for me? Jesus keeps both sides of this commandment, the inward and the outward parts. By His every thought, word, and deed, Jesus kept the Fifth Commandment for you. And on the Cross, He left nothing undone to save you, body and soul. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, you know that we have no power to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 21:1-21; Mark 6:35-56
For this is the will of God, your sanctification. (1 Thessalonians 4:3a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Sanctification is the word of the day from Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians. Sanctification means "to make holy." If you look at church history, you'll notice that a lot of ink has been spilled about the Scripture's teaching on sanctification, and the Christian life of good works. Some say that good works are required for salvation, like paying for tickets to ride a rollercoaster at the fair. Some say that good works are harmful to our salvation, because we might be tempted to use them like a crutch. Notice the problem in both errors about sanctification and good works: They both focus the Christian inwardly, back to our navel-gazing ways.
Paul, however, points us to the work of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in our sanctification. It is the will of God, he writes. That's the way it is with anything that is called holy. It all comes from, is supported by, and happens through the work of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God's Word is holy, for it comes from Him who is holy. God's gifts of Absolution, Baptism, and the Supper are holy because they are filled with His Holy Word, promise, and life.
Anything that is holy comes from God. The same is true of our sanctification, or our life of good works. We are God's holy people because we have been declared and made holy in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Holy One of Israel.
When we look in the mirror, we see an unholy mess. Sexual immorality, lust, unbelief, stealing from others, and the list of our uncleanliness goes on, Paul writes.
Thankfully, that list is wiped clean, and you are made holy by the blood of Jesus crucified. God gave His Son to live a holy, sanctified life for you. Jesus died an unholy death to clothe you in His holiness. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son to work faith in your heart, and holiness in your life. Rejoice, for your salvation and your sanctification are the will and work of God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, strong and mighty, Lord of Hosts and King of glory: Cleanse our hearts from sin, keep our hand pure, and turn our minds from what is passing away; so that at the last we may stand in your holy place and receive your blessing; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Genesis 32:22-32
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 18:1-15; Mark 6:14-34
And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." (Genesis 32:28)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. No one likes losing. It doesn't matter if it's a job, a ballgame, a barroom brawl or Monopoly. You see, we follow the principle that if you're not first, you're last. Those are the ways of man.
But those are not the ways of God. When it comes to fighting with and for His people, God is the biggest and the happiest loser. For when God loses, we win; and when we win, God wins.
This is what happened back in Genesis 32. On the banks of the Jabbok Jacob wrestled with God. God got in the ring with Joseph and went all ten rounds. And to our surprise, Jacob won. God lost.
The remarkable thing is not that God appeared as a man, not that He picked a fight with Jacob, but that God lost. And here is the even more remarkable thing: God delighted in losing.
When God loses we win. That's the way it was for Jacob. "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have fought with God and have prevailed." Jacob is given a new name: Israel, the God-fighter. He saw God face to face and lived. God works the same for you. When God loses, you win. Look no further than the Cross where Christ, who is first, became last for our sakes.
Jesus turns the world upside down. No Cross, no glory. No death, no resurrection. Good Friday must come before Easter. And if you try to save your life on your own terms you'll lose it forever. If you lose your life for Jesus' sake you'll find it. That's the paradox of the Gospel. The Cross is Christ's glory and yours. Losing is living. Dying is life.
Christ comes ready to fight for our very lives. Jesus is not content until He has wrestled away every last sin from you and given you every last blessing of His. For when Jesus loses His life for you on the Cross, you gain everything in Him. And when He rises victoriously from the grave, death loses once again. And in Jesus you are alive. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, you so loved the world that you gave your only begotten Son to reconcile earth with heaven; Grant that we, loving you above all things, may love our friends in you, and our enemies for your sake; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 15:21-28
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 16:1-9, 15-17:22; Mark 6:1-13
"Yes it is, Lord," she said. "Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." (Matthew 15:27)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. She is desperate. She has no one to turn to. Her daughter is deeply oppressed by a demon. The woman is at the end of her rope. Jesus is all she has left. She heard He was coming into her region, the district of Tyre and Sidon, the far north coast county named after the great-grandson of Noah.
The problem is, she's a Canaanite. Canaanites were Gentiles, idolaters, enemies of Israel and God. She has no business talking to a Jewish rabbi. Yet somehow she knows Jesus can help. She's heard the stories of His healing and miracles. So she comes with all boldness and confidence: "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David. . . "
Strange words coming from the lips of a Canaanite. "Son of David" is Israelite talk. This is the language of the faithful expecting the promised Messiah.
But isn't that how it is for us, too? That we, who have no right to claim any favor from God, are given the right to be called sons of God. That's the promise of Holy Baptism. We were Gentiles, idolaters, and enemies of God. But then God threw us into the water, washed us, and gave us a new identity. We're transformed and given the faith of Abraham. Children of the promise. Heirs with Christ. We pray, "Our Father," in all boldness and confidence as dear children ask their dear father.
We pray the same way the Canaanite woman did: "Yes, Lord. You're right about me. I am a poor, miserable, mangy, mutt of a sinner." And yet He cleanses you from all sin. Your Baptism is a divine flea bath, washing away all your sin.
Jesus gives more than a crumb. Jesus gives you Himself. Jesus became the outsider and the dog for you. Jesus died for the Canaanite woman and for you. Jesus died in humility in order to raise you up and seat you at His table, not as dogs but as His beloved Bride. Where we would settle for a crumb, Christ gives a feast, His Body and His Blood shed for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, You see that of ourselves we have no strength. By Your mighty power defend us from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Second Sunday in Lent
(Psalm 25: 1-2a, 7-8, 11; antiphon: v. 6, 2b, 22)
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 15:1-21; Mark 5:21-43
Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Let not my enemies exult over me. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. (From the Introit for the Second Sunday in Lent)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We generally think of remembering something as a purely mental activity. When it comes to God's remembering, however, it's more than a mental exercise. When God remembers, God acts. When Israel was enslaved in Egypt, God remembered and sent ten plagues followed by the rescue through the Red Sea. When Hannah prayed to God for a son, God remembered and acted. God gave Hannah a son, Samuel.
So the psalmist cries out, "Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old." When God remembers, He acts. We join the psalmist in praying these words by asking God not only to remember in His eternal, merciful mind, but also to act. To rescue. To save and deliver. And He does. God remembers. God acts. God sends His steadfast love incarnate. The God whose mercy is "from of old" becomes an infant just a few days old. The God who redeemed Israel with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm from Egypt, stretches out His arms on the Cross to redeem you. The God who remembered and acted to save Israel time and time again, remembers and acts to save you once and for all.
Do you remember what the thief on the cross said as they were hanging there dying? "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Remember me. Act. Save and deliver me. That is our prayer in our sin as well. That is our prayer in the hour of trial and distress. In our time of despair and doubt. In the face of death. Remember me, O Lord. Forgive me. Lord Jesus, Son of God remember me in your mercy.
And He does. God remembers. God acts. Jesus is crucified for you. Risen for you. Ascended for you. Seated at the right hand of God for you where He lives and rules and reigns to remember, that is, to act eternally on your behalf. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we are to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 13:1-18; Mark 5:1-20
The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever." (Genesis 13:14-15)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday we heard how God called Abram. Today we hear how God gives to Abram. Even though Lot chose the proverbial greener grasses, God reveals that He is also the God who gives.
God tells Abram to look in every direction on the compass, north and south, east and west. "You see all that land, Abram? It's all yours. It's your inheritance and your descendants' inheritance."
God is the God who gives. God gives Abram a son: Isaac. God gives Isaac a son: Jacob. God gives Jacob a new name: Israel. God's gift and promise to Abram was starting to unfold. But God wasn't done giving yet. God gave Jacob many sons, one of whom was Joseph, who was eventually sold into slavery.
And then, about 400 years years later, God gave His children Israel His promise to rescue and deliver them out of bondage and slavery in Egypt. God gave them victory over Pharoah and a path through the Red Sea. God gave them the tabernacle and sacrifices for sin. God gave them the Promised Land where one day, many, many years later, God would give His own Son to keep and fulfill the promises He made to Abram so long ago.
God gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life. God is the God who gives. Jesus gives His perfect life in exchange for our failures and sins. Jesus gives His death on the Cross in exchange for the punishment we deserved. Jesus gives us His body into the grave and out again in the resurrection.
Jesus is still the God who gives. Jesus gives you a new name and makes you an offspring of Abram by faith delivered in water and Word by the Spirit. Jesus gives you His holy, saving Word of Absolution. Jesus gives you His Body and Blood in the Supper. Jesus gives you His Word and promise just like He did to Abram. And just like Abram, God is the God who gives His gifts to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, we thank you for making the earth fruitful, so that it might produce what is needed for life: Bless those who work in the fields; give us seasonable weather; and grant that we may all share the fruits for the earth, rejoicing in your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 11:27-12:20; Mark 4:21-41
The Lord had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God is the God who calls. In the beginning God called out, "Let there be light," and there was light. God called Noah and saved his family in the ark. God called Israel out of Egypt and rescued them in the Exodus. God called David to be His anointed king and foreshadow the true Anointed King, Jesus. God called prophet after prophet until He finally called His only begotten Son.
All of this was foretold to Abram when God called him to leave his own country and go to the place God would show him. God is the God who calls. Here in Genesis 12, God calls Abram to faith. God gives him a promise: "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. . . and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
God's promise to Abram is fulfilled and kept in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection for you. That's right. God's promise to Abram is also God's promise to you. The God who called Abram also calls you. God is the God who calls.
God the Father calls you to faith in His Son Jesus by the Holy Spirit. And the same Lord who called His twelve disciples to follow Him calls you out of death and into life. You are called God's child in your Baptism. You are called out of darkness into Christ's marvelous light.
And just like Jesus' disciples, you are called to follow Him in whatever vocations He gives you throughout your life. God may not call you to leave your home country and family like He did Abram. But wherever He calls you to serve and love your neighbor, He will always be with you, just as He was with Abram. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, Who did cause the children of Israel to traverse the Red Sea dryshod; Thou Who did point out by a star to the Magi the road that led them to Thee; grant us we beseech Thee, a prosperous journey and propitious weather; so that, under the guidance of Thy holy angels we may safely reach that journey's end, and later the haven of eternal salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Fourth Commandment
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 8:13-9:17; Mark 4:1-20
Honor your father and mother. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them. (Small Catechism: Fourth Commandment)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When it comes to the Ten Commandments, there are a few basic questions that we can ask ourselves every time we read them, whether in the Scriptures or in Luther's Small Catechism. Today's reading gives us the first basic question that follows each of the Ten Commandments. It's the quintessential catechism question: What does this mean? Thankfully, the catechism unpacks what it means to honor father and mother.
That leads us to the next helpful question: What gift is God giving us and protecting for us in this commandment? We might not think of God's commandments as gifts, but they certainly are. God's commandments diagnose our sin. They do damage control on a fallen world. And they discipline us, His people, in His ways. And behind all of that, the commandments also reveal God's divine, Fatherly goodness.
You see, God's Law is given because living in His ways and Word is how He gives us what is best for us. So, in the Fourth Commandment, God is giving us the gift of authority and vocation, and the gifts of family, parents, and other authorities. No matter where we go, no matter what we do, now matter who we are, we will always be under some kind of authority. Sadly, we know, sinful, fallen humanity has made a mess of God's gift of authority in every part of life, in the home, society, government, and even in the church. Why? Because every one of us is a sinner. Every one of us fails to honor father and mother. Every one of us breaks the Fourth Commandment.
This leads to the third, and most important question of all: How has Jesus kept this commandment for me? For every time we've broken the Fourth Commandment, Jesus perfectly honored, served, obeyed, loved, and cherished not only Mary and Joseph, but also His heavenly Father. He did this for you. Jesus kept the Fourth Commandment for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God our heavenly Father, you declare your glory and show forth your handiwork in the heavens and in the earth: Deliver us from the service of self alone, that we may do the work you give us to do in truth and beauty and for the common good; for the sake of him who came among us as one who serves, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 7:11-8:12; Mark 3:20-35
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When is the day of our salvation? Was it when Jesus died on the Cross and rose again? Was it the day of your Baptism into Jesus' death and resurrection? Is it when you hear God's Word and receive His Holy Sacraments? The answer, Paul says, is "Yes. All of the above! Now is the day of salvation."
Ponder that for a moment. Your salvation happened the day Jesus was born for you. Your salvation happened when Jesus lived perfectly for you. Your salvation happened as Jesus died on the Cross for you. Your salvation happened when He rose from the grave on that first day of the week. Your salvation happened when He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. In God's gracious mystery revealed in Scripture, your salvation happened before the foundation of the world. And yet, Paul says, it also happens today. Now is the day of your salvation.
That means that your salvation happens, right now, as Jesus pleads for you, prays for you, and intercedes for you at the Father's right hand. Your salvation happens when you read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest His Holy Word. Your salvation happens when your pastor declares, "In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sin." Your salvation happens on the day of your Baptism and every day until our Lord returns in glory and raises us from the dead. Your salvation happens when you kneel and receive Jesus' Body and Blood for the forgiveness of your sins.
When God's Word fills your ears, now is the day of salvation. When you remember your Baptism, now is the day of salvation. When you eat and drink Jesus' Body and Blood, now is the day of your salvation.
Because Jesus was born, lived, was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again in the past, God's gifts to you are always present tense. Yesterday's sins, today's griefs, tomorrow's burdens. They are all answered and borne by Jesus crucified for you. And not only on the Cross, but also today. For now is the day of your salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, by your Word you marvelously carry out the work of reconciliation: Grant that in our Lenten fast we may be devoted to you with all our hearts, and united with one another in prayer and holy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Genesis 3:1-21
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 6:1-7:5; Mark 3:1-19
Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. (Genesis 1:21)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What's the first sacrifice in the Bible? Is it when Noah steps out of the ark onto the dry land of the new creation? Is it the animals or offerings of the field that Cain and Abel brought to the Lord? Those are all sacrifices, but they are not the first.
If you listen to the words of Genesis 3:21, it appears that the first sacrifice to cover sin follows closely on the heels of Adam and Eve's fall into sin. It seems like such a small verse. Like a small town you pass on the interstate. Blink and it's gone. The Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed Adam and his wife.
Clothing made of animal skins could only have come from one place. An animal gave its life to clothe naked, guilty, ashamed Adam and Eve. After the curses. After the promise of the Seed of the Woman who would crush Satan's head (Genesis 3:15). God goes to work as a gracious tailor, exchanging Adam and Eve's fig leaves for a robe of sacrificial righteousness. They were covered by the death of an animal. A substitute. A sacrifice.
In the Scriptures, atonement for sin is always a bloody business. This unnamed animal here in Genesis 3. The sacrifices of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The countless sacrifices of Aaron and the Levites in the tabernacle and later the temple. It all points us to the great sacrificial death of Jesus on the Cross for Adam and Eve and all creation, and for you.
Jesus, the innocent, holy, spotless Lamb of God is bruised, beaten, and bloodied on the Cross to save you. Like Adam and Eve you are clothed in the sacrifice of another. It wasn't an animal, but the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is your substitute. Your sacrifice.
Jesus dies that we might live. Jesus hangs naked on the Cross to clothe us in the robes of His righteousness. Jesus exchanges our filthy, sin-ridden garments with His holy, spotless garments of salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan; Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 4:1-11
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 4:1-26; Mark 2:18-28
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus is tempted three times. Tempted to turn stones into bread instead of relying upon the sustenance of God the Father's Word. Tempted to throw Himself down to His death instead of dying on the Cross. Tempted to bow down in idolatry instead of fearing, loving, and trusting in the Father above all things. Each and every one of Satan's lies and empty promises are met by Jesus' rebuke: "It is written." It is the Word of God made flesh and the Word He speaks that silences and chases away the devil.
Jesus is tempted three times. Sound familiar? Adam and Eve were tempted three times as well. Only they failed. They fell. They sinned. They swallowed the devil's lies. So do we. God's Word reveals that, like Adam and Eve, we're tempted, and fall into sin. Not just three times, but daily. We're tempted by our passions while at our computers. We're tempted with doubt and despair of God's promises when we have terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days. We're tempted by our pride to live as if God did not matter and as if I mattered most. And like Adam and Eve, we fail, we fall, we sin.
This is why Jesus goes into the wilderness to be tempted, not for His own sake, but for yours. Jesus was tempted three times for all the times we are tempted. Jesus withstood temptation for all the times we fall into sin. Jesus overcame the devil's lies for all the times we have failed. Jesus was faithful for all of our unfaithfulness.
Where Adam and Eve, and each of us, have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, Jesus withstood temptation each and every time for you.
The battle Satan wages with Jesus in the wilderness is won in crucified victory on the Cross. And in Jesus crucified, all of our temptations, failures, and sins, are washed away in the blood of Jesus. For it is written, "It is finished." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord God, You led Your ancient people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide the people of Your Church that following our Savior we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday in Lent)
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the First Sunday in Lent
(Psalm 91:1-2, 9-10, 13; antiphon: v. 15a, c, 16)
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 3:1-24; Mark 2:1-17
I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." (From the Introit for the First Sunday in Lent)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Tomorrow, on the First Sunday in Lent, many Lutheran churches will sing Martin Luther's famous Reformation hymn, "A Mighty Fortress." At first, you might think this hymn is being sung a little out of season. After all, we typically sing it on Reformation Sunday in October. Strange as it may seem at first, "A Mighty Fortress" is a perfect hymn for the First Sunday in Lent.
In this hymn, we sing against the devil. As we did at our Baptism, we continue to renounce all his works and all his ways. Satan is a liar and the father of lies. So, we pick up this hymn as our Lenten war cry. When the devil throws our guilt and sins back in our face, or when he hurls his fiery darts of temptation our way, we sing, "A mighty fortress is our God!" In Jesus, our crucified and risen King, the devil is done. The ancient dragon is defeated. The serpent's head is trampled under the foot of Jesus crucified.
In this hymn, we echo the psalms: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1). Usually shadows are a bad thing. Dark deeds happen in the shadows. We live in the valley of the shadow of death. But the shadow of the Almighty is the shade of Jesus' Cross. Let sin, death, the devil, and this fallen world rage around you: In the wounds and words of Jesus, you are safe, secure, and saved.
In this hymn we also sing of God's sure and certain protection. The imagery of this hymn reflects the rich imagery of Scriptures, the psalms in particular. Throughout the psalms we find such beautiful, good, and true words like the ones we hear in Psalm 91. God is our mighty fortress. Jesus crucified is your refuge. His saving gifts of water, Word, Jesus' Body and Blood are our safe haven. His Holy Church is your ark and your shelter from the storm. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan; Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 2:4-25; Mark 1:29-45
For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Even though the season of Lent has just begun, think back to Christmas. Imagine sitting around in a circle with family or friends at a Christmas white elephant gift exchange. There's always that one person who forgets the instructions and brings an expensive gift to a clean-out-your-closet gift exchange. You brought junk, but Uncle Fred over there brought treasure.
There's a glimpse of the Gospel in this famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) Christmas tradition. It's what Martin Luther called the blessed or sweet exchange. Luther said it this way: "God is rich in divine grace to sinners: wherein by a wonderful exchange our sins are no longer ours but Christ's and the righteousness of Christ is ours. He has emptied Himself of His righteousness that He might clothe us with it, and fill us with it. He has taken our evils upon Himself that He might deliver us from them."
This is what Paul proclaims when he writes in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Jesus takes on all our sin, unholiness, and unrighteousness, and in exchange, gives us His forgiveness, His holiness, and His righteousness. Jesus takes the punishment we deserved, the death we had coming, and the wrath of God that we had earned, and in exchange, He sets us free, raises us from the dead, and showers us with His steadfast love and mercy.
Sounds awfully unfair, doesn't it? And it is. But thank God He is unfair! Thank God we don't get what we deserve, but rather, that in Jesus crucified we get the opposite of what we deserve. We receive God's grace. Thank God for His outrageous forgiveness for undeserving sinners. Thank God that Jesus, who was perfect and sinless, became sin for us, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth your right hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Joel 2:12-19
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 1:20-2:3; Mark 1:14-28
"Now, therefore," says the Lord, "Turn to me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." (Joel 2:12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Repentance is one of the watch words of the Lenten season. "Turn to Me," says the Lord. In other words, repent. Repentance means to turn away from sin and return to the Lord. Repentance means, "You were walking the way of sin and death; but now in Jesus' life and death and resurrection, you walk in His ways." As we learn and confess in Luther's Small Catechism, we live a life of repentance and forgiveness by daily dying to sin and rising to new life in Christ.
Repent. Return. Turn to Me. Sounds good. But how do we do that? How do we repent, turn away from sin and turn to God? We don't. We can't.
Wait, what? It sounds strange at first. But think about it. How do we know our sins? God's Word reveals them through His Word of Law. How do we see our sin for what it is and ask for forgiveness? The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. How do we return to God when all we really want to do is return to our sin? It is God who "repents" you, who turns your heart back to Him.
You see, God's work for you isn't done when He calls you to faith in Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work to save you and repent you as well. God shows us our sin so that He might all the more clearly show us our salvation in Jesus.
Repentance, then, isn't work we do to please God, but the work God is pleased to do in us through His Word by the Holy Spirit. Repentance isn't God's arcade game prize shop where we trade in our good works of repentance for a shiny trinket. No. From start to finish, repentance is God's work.
And wherever you find God's work of repentance, His Good News of redemption is there to save you. Confession leads to Absolution. As the prophet Joel declares, "Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm" (Joel 2:13). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and, finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 1:1-9; Mark 1:1-13
"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting." (Matthew 6:16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's not hard to imagine what the social media accounts of the Pharisees would have looked like if Twitter or Facebook had existed back in Jesus' day: Humble brags. Pre- and post-Sabbath Day selfies. More holy hashtags than spots on a dalmatian. Jesus' words here in Matthew 6 reveal that virtue signaling was just as popular in the first century as it is now. The Pharisees were obsessed with the man in the mirror. They loved showing off their holiness like Joseph and his coat of many colors. They liked to strut their righteousness like a peacock through the streets.
The problem, however, goes much deeper. What Jesus was teaching His disciples then, and is teaching us now, is that the problem of our sin, and its solution in Jesus' sacrifice for sin, is far more than skin deep. Jesus warns His disciples then, and us today, that underneath those furrowed brows and disfigured faces there is a far greater, more disfigured sinful heart that is wicked above all things.
The problem, Scripture tells us, isn't just with the Pharisees. It's our problem, too. There dwells within each of us a little Pharisee, our Old Adam, as Luther called it. Behind all unrighteousness is self-righteousness. Behind self-righteousness is the First Commandment. We do not fear, love, or trust in God above all things. Like the Pharisees, we constantly look to our own thoughts, words, actions, and emotions to justify ourselves before others, and before God. That's why Ash Wednesday is a good day. We're reminded that we are dust and to dust we shall return. That all our righteousness is like a filthy rag. We're also reminded that though our sins were as scarlet, Christ has made them white as snow. And though our unrighteousness is great, the righteousness that is given to us in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection is far greater. Be of good cheer, yes, even in Lent. For your righteousness isn't found in the mirror or on your social media feed. It's found in Jesus crucified and risen for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of Thee, the God of all mercy, remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Collect for Ash Wednesday)
-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Daily Lectionary: Job 32:1-22; John 10:1-21
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Love is all these things. Patient. Kind. All-bearing. It's almost a little intimidating. Because I'm not these things. I'm out at "patient." I'm not the embodiment of love. God is love. If I want to see a picture of love, I should start with my Savior instead of with my mirror. When you read this passage, don't think of the descriptions of love as hurdles to overcome. Replace the word "love" with the word "Jesus" and you'll be a lot closer to what Paul actually means. Love never ends. That's not a testament to the power of your relationships or the undying power of a Hallmark movie plot. It's the Omega. This passage is a description of what God is for you.
For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son. The love that bears all things bore the Cross for you. This is a love that endures. Even the grave comes undone before this love can pass away. The love that God has for you is our everything. Paul is right: Even if we speak in the tongues of the angels themselves, but have not love, we are nothing but a noisy cymbal, and if we have all the powers of all the prophets, the knowledge of every mystery of the universe, and the faith to move mountains, if that faith is not in Jesus, it does us no good. When we look at ourselves, we see love in the mirror dimly, but to look at Him is to see love face to face. That's not a call to abandon love for neighbor. It's not a pass to ignore this text. It's a joy to know that even what we do in part will pass away before the face of Him who knows us fully and still loves us enough to save us where our works and love for one another cannot. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three. Your faith and hope are not discounted, but only because they are in Jesus, love made flesh to save you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The King of love my shepherd is, Whose goodness faileth never; I nothing lack if I am His And He is mine forever. ("The King of Love My Shepherd Is" LSB 709, st.1)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Daily Lectionary: Job 31:1-12, 33-40; John 9:24-41
Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. (1 Samuel 16:13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord rejected Saul from being king over Israel. He tells Samuel to stop mourning him. He tells Samuel to anoint David. And the Spirit of the LORD remained on David from that day forward. David commits adultery and murder. Why David and not Saul? Why some and not others?
It's part of the song Hannah sings over Samuel when he is still an infant. "He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail" (1 Samuel 2:9). It's in the word "wicked." Wicked doesn't mean "naughty." It means "unbelieving." David is a sinner, the same as Saul is. Maybe worse. David, when confronted with God's Word, clung to it in repentance. The Law worked contrition. The Gospel worked hope. Saul, when confronted with God's Word, ran and turned further inward on himself to avoid it.
Faith isn't a measurement of obedience. It's the gift given by God through the means of hearing His Word. It's the trust given by the God who makes alive what sin would destroy. David heard the Word, and by the power of the Spirit, clung to it in faith as a sinner redeemed, and was guarded unto eternal life, even from himself. God speaks Law and Gospel to you. Both are good gifts for you to hear. Sinners hear Law and Gospel and say, "Amen." The wicked close their ears.
It's our nature to avoid pain. Which also means it's in our nature to avoid the sting of the Law. God doesn't give the Law to reject us, though. He didn't will Saul's fall. It's in our nature to assume that the Law is bad and must come from a bad God. The Law is a good gift from God that interjects and pulls us away from the war we wage against God. He gives us His Law because the parts of us that flee from Him and His promises need to die. Sin needs to be brought to nothing on the Cross. Old Adam needs to drown so that the new man may arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever. Hear and believe that your sins, though many, are blotted out. Jesus has died for you. You are baptized, and in this faith God will guard and keep you forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Its light of holiness imparts The knowledge of our sinful hearts That we may see our lost estate And turn from sin before too late. ("The Law of God Is Good and Wise" LSB 579, st.2)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 18:31-43
Daily Lectionary: Job 30:16-31; John 9:1-23
And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Luke 18:39)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The crowd is so offended that someone would actually need something from the Jesus who just promised to be crucified and rise from the dead to save sinners. One thing hasn't changed about the crowds who gather for the "Jesus Show." For all the talk about God's being our Savior, it's amazing how quickly we turn on each other when someone actually needs help. It starts inside ourselves with the shame we feel in having to depend on help ourselves. It's quite something to acknowledge that I actually am so broken that I need it. I'm not just here at church for the nice feeling, the community, or even just theology to study and understand. I need help. Enough to be desperate for it. Enough to beg for it. That's harder.
Because it feels like the rest of the crowd is just here to lend their support, and you're the one guy in the whole place who's different, less, and sadly, even rebuked sometimes. We want to measure gain, not loss, and show that we don't need anything. The closer we get to that, the further we get from love. Honestly, the farther we get from God, too.
Ours is a merciful God. It's a truth you hear and even sing every week. It is seen in the simplest prayer of the Church, the same one in this text: the Kyrie. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. This prayer is what the world doesn't understand about the Church. We have a God who helps sinners. The people who see more clearly than anyone are the ones in need, even if they're blind.
The blind man saw something everyone else missed, and understood something that even the disciples didn't. God came to help those in need. Need, as in, you can't "just get better." Can't just quit. God came to be merciful, to the degree that He would be delivered over to the Gentiles, be mocked and shamefully treated, and spit upon. And after flogging Him, they would kill Him, and on the Third Day He would rise. This is what mercy looks like. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, mercifully hear our prayers, and having set us free from the bonds of our sins, deliver us from every evil; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Quinquagesima)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Introit for Quinquagesima (Psalm 31:1, 5, 9, 16; antiphon: vs.2b-3)
Daily Lectionary: Job 21:1-21; John 8:39-59
In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! (From the Introit for Quinquagesima)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If God is our rock of refuge, we are refugees. It's a humbling word. It isn't just that God is our security, which sounds nice in a vague sort of way. Refugees are people who can't stay in their homeland. It's not safe. They need help. Without it they'll die. It's a bleak picture of the world in which we try to build kingdoms. Our world is dying. We don't have a home here anymore. We don't have shelter anymore. We live hand to mouth. It's a long way from the white picket fence and happy family most people covet. Lent is coming. It's a chance to recognize that homes and picket fences are not the things that save us, and to fear, love, and trust in them above all things is a certain path toward destruction. Idolatry will not save you, no matter how pretty you paint it.
But Lent also isn't a call to cast these things aside if you do have them. It was God who gave them to you. Having stuff is not a test to see whether or not you'll give them back in order to prove that you love God. It's just a reality that the stuff that makes up daily bread will turn to dust someday. Lay up for yourself treasures in heaven. Refugees migrate toward safety. The psalm is the prayer of the one who knows where true refuge lies.
We cling to God's redemption. We cling to the Cross of Christ. We cling to the forgiveness of sins won, where the righteousness of God is given to sinners. When the wages of sin press down, we have a prayer that finds hope in that which sin could not destroy and death could not conquer. Even in this vale of tears, we have a rock of refuge, who is Christ. When all else crumbles, He is our fortress. Not just some day. The redemption has already happened. Today He makes His face shine on us. Today He leads and guides us. If we are refugees, we commit our spirits to the One who grants us a heavenly home and keeps us safe until we receive it, even Jesus Christ our Lord. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Jesus, refuge of the weary, Blest Redeemer, whom we love, Fountain in life's desert dreary, Savior from the world above: Often have Your eyes, offended, Gazed upon the sinner's fall; Yet upon the cross extended, You have borne the pain of all. ("Jesus Refuge of the Weary" LSB 423, st.1)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Job 20:1-23, 29; John 8:21-38
Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin." (John 8:34)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Words of slavery are always the most optimistic. When there's no escape, you don't have to waste time hoping for something realistic. Addicts say things like, "I'm fine. It's okay. I have a plan," all the while lying in a gutter and smiling about it. It's the ugly truth about the bondage of sin. The same kind of slavery happens under the Law in the name of religion. It doesn't look like it's the Law telling you what to do. It looks like it's you who can't keep from doing the stuff that's killing you. You can even dare to think that it's your job to fix it somehow. Those are the dreams that leave you wanting to love Jesus but hating yourself while looking for an excuse for everything you do that He says not to. When you can't describe yourself without balancing your accomplishments and failures on a lopsided hill, hoping nobody notices, you know. Anyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
If your religion is just false optimism based on trying harder in the face of everything that hasn't worked yet, then Christianity has become a race towards not needing God. And that's not working. It's just the bold dreams of another addict. That's not okay with the Son. He sets sinners free. He is bound to the Cross in their stead. He bears the weight of the bondage of sin. He dies for you, and your sins are forgiven. Now you are bound to the Cross, too. That's where the real freedom is. It isn't license to do whatever you want. It's hope in an escape so rooted in reality that they buried Him in a tomb and three days later He moved the rock so you'd see. Jesus rose from death. You are free, indeed. You are free from having to fix this. You are free from being known by what the Law would call you. You are free from excuses that hide from wrath. You are even free to love yourself as God first loved you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
"This is the Christ, our God Most High, Who hears your sad and bitter cry; He will Himself your Savior be From all your sins to set you free." ("From Heaven Above to Earth I Come" LSB 358, st.3)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Acts 1:15-26
Daily Lectionary: Job 19:1-12, 21-27; John 8:1-20
In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said. . . (Acts 1:15)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever thought about going to seminary? I don't think they introduce the topic by talking about Judas in the pamphlets. That's how Matthias is introduced, though. "Let's find a new pastor because Judas messed up so bad." I guess it sets the bar achievably low. Don't be remembered as "the one who betrayed him." It also doesn't paint a cheery picture for the new guy. Matthias' introduction has more in it about Judas than about him. None of it's good, either. It doesn't seem like a great introduction to the Office of the Holy Ministry.
But Peter is preaching wisdom even before Pentecost. He stood up and said, "The Scripture had to be fulfilled concerning Judas." Even among the tragedy, God's will is done. It was not God's will that Judas kill himself. There's a specific commandment against that. It was not His will that Judas carry the burden of his own sin. Jesus bore the Cross for that. What Judas did was also not enough to thwart God's Word and promise. The Scriptures would be fulfilled. The Christ would suffer and die for the sins of the world. Nothing can stop that, and nothing should try.
It's actually a gift to anyone who would ever consider standing in a pulpit. You can and will sin and fall short of God's command. You will not embody His Law. But you will be the one through which He fulfills His will anyway. Judas' fall led to Christ's sacrifice for him and for all. Matthias, called by the Holy Spirit, will be a tool of the same God who wants all to believe and be saved. Matthias bore witness to the resurrection. Jesus, who died, is risen. For Judas' sins, for yours, and for all. None of what went wrong can put Him back in the tomb. Matthias, who we know very little about, proclaimed what we know he saw. Christ is risen. Here, God's will is done, too. The Office doesn't rest on the man, but on the will of God to speak of the Good News. To preach the whole counsel of God. To give the Gifts that sustain even as they fulfill the Scriptures that promise life to you. The Scriptures have to be fulfilled. So when your pastor preaches to you, God works salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
For one in place of Judas, Th'apostles sought God's choice; The lot fell to Matthias For whom we now rejoice. May we like true apostles Your holy Church defend, And not betray our calling But serve You to the end. ("By All Your Saints in Warfare" LSB 517, st.13)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Third Commandment
Daily Lectionary: Job 18:1-21; John 7:32-53
Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. (Small Catechism: Third Commandment)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God wasn't tired after making everything. The Sabbath isn't a chance to parrot God's catching His breath. The focus on abstaining from work on the Sabbath Day misses the point. The point of the commandment is in the word "holy." You will not be holier by sitting on the couch eating junk food. Jesus insists that the Sabbath was created for man, not man for the Sabbath, because this day was not given as a measuring stick for you to prove yourself to God by. . . doing nothing. It only serves to prove how sinful we are that we somehow fail at even doing nothing to the point that the Pharisees would pick at each other and even at our Lord. Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. Instead of looking to your works, look to something actually holy. Look to Jesus.
The Sabbath Day won't become holy to you who are unholy in your sins. There's nothing you can do to make the day holy. It's like trying to clean a table with a dirty rag. The Sabbath Day becomes holy for you when you're exposed to something holy. The Sabbath Day becomes holy to you when you do not despise preaching or God's Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it. Go to church. Receive God's gifts. He insists that a day be set aside to make you holy. The reason God set aside the seventh day wasn't because He was tired. It was so God could spend time with you. Our rest is found in receiving the Word and Sacraments that take away our sins and leave us holy.
It's also why we celebrate the Sabbath on the first day of the week, not the seventh. This is the day Jesus rose from the grave. This is the day a holy God conquered unholy sin and death. It isn't about the day. It's about the gifts. He gives you His Body and Blood to eat and drink. He gives you His Word, promising peace, forgiveness, and joy. He sets aside time and insists that you join Him so you will not remain in your unholiness and sin. He would dwell with you to cleanse you and bring you with Him to the last great day when the Sabbath rest will be unending. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
"You shall observe the worship day That peace may fill your home, and pray, And put aside the work you do, So that God may work in you." Have mercy, Lord! ("These are the Holy Ten Commands" LSB 581, st.4)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:2 Corinthians 11:19-12:9
Daily Lectionary: Job 17:1-16; John 7:14-31
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul needs to work on the art of the humble brag. This stuff's a little over the top. I don't even know what the "third heaven" is. People wonder about the thorn in his flesh. Even though we know what the shipwrecks and beatings are, they're difficult to conceive of in detail. Okay, Paul. We get it. Chill.
He's writing to the church in Corinth, which was full of people who built themselves up by their works, their gifts, and at the expense of their neighbor. He's proving a point. If these works are a measurement of Christianity, Corinth can't brag. Paul clearly can, though. He just won't. It ruins the math. If Christ is our righteousness, and we boast in ourselves, we boast in taking something away from Christ. Paul, whose righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, still isn't righteous enough to save himself. So instead, he focuses on those things that leave him unrighteous: his sinfulness, his weakness, his struggle against the devil, the world, and his own sinful flesh. There Paul finds the Cross and the victory won for him by his Savior. Where we cannot save ourselves, Jesus saves us. Where we cannot atone for our sins, Jesus dies for us. Where we cannot boast in our works, we can boast in His.
It changes the rest of the equation, too. I still don't know what the "third heaven" is or what it feels like to be beaten with rods or lowered from a window in a basket. I honestly have trouble carving out enough time to do much more than these devotions each day. I sin in predictable and sad ways. And even these things aren't enough to separate me from salvation. Christ's victory is that sure.
Where your spiritual discipline falters, where your works war against the Ten Commandments, Jesus has died for you. Boast in that. God's love for you is so powerful it would bear all of these things willingly to save you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
I come, O Savior, to Thy table, For weak and weary is my soul; Thou, Bread of Life, alone art able To satisfy and make me whole: Lord, may Thy body and Thy blood Be for my soul the highest good! ("I come, O Savior, to Thy Table" LSB 618, st.1)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Isaiah 55:10-13
Daily Lectionary: Job 16:1-22; John 7:1-13
"So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God speaks. Stuff happens. His Word does what He wants it to. He spoke. Let there be light. Then it was light. And good. It's what you would expect from the Almighty. The power displayed within words only seems to magnify the simplicity of the Bible today. His Word doesn't seem so active anymore. The Bible is still ours to read, but it's dark down here, and far from good. For all the promises of Scripture, it doesn't look like they're true yet. Usually we just put them off into the future. Someday they'll be true. But not today. That's wrong.
It's wrong because it calls God's Word effective only in terms of power. It looks to creation and sees only might, but never mercy. Isaiah promises that God's Word is effective not just in power, but chiefly in mercy. You can see it in a little word: instead. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress. It should be one way. But it's another. Your sins deserve death. Instead, Christ died for you, and you get life. God's Word insists that sinners be forgiven.
The Cross of Christ is an act of great power. It forgave the sins of all the world, but only by seeing the mercy can you appreciate the gift, because crosses don't look like much. The Cross looks messy and not ordered like creation was before the fall, but it does what God intends. It forgives sinners. His Word speaks of this Cross, and so the Bible is measured chiefly in mercy, not just in power. The words of Scripture paint a picture of the God who endures with you and for you, and promises the same resurrection He Himself has won. God's Word is not ineffectual just because it isn't acting according to the power of the Law. It's succeeding even now in bringing the Gospel to sinners. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous; Bright with Thine own holiness, Glorious now, we press toward glory, And our lives our hopes confess. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to Thee who light dost send! Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end! ("Thy Strong Word" LSB 578, st.3)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Luke 8:4-15
Daily Lectionary: Job 15:1-23, 30-35; John 6:60-71
He said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'" (Luke 8:10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus told a parable. He who has ears, let him hear, but even the disciples didn't get it, so we get a freebie. The parables contain the secrets of the kingdom of God. And we take from this one an assessment tool. What kind of soil are you?
Never mind that Jesus couldn't avoid the devil, I'm sure I have. Never mind our worries about money and family and politics, and definitely don't mention that the cares and riches and pleasures of this life make up more of our prayers than any of the other petitions combined. And never mind if you're not sure which petition I'm talking about or couldn't list the Ten Commandments if your life depended on it. We go to church, so we must be the good soil. This is what's wrong with everyone else. Seeing, we do not perceive, and hearing, we do not understand. What the Lord actually gives us is a list of all the reasons this thing shouldn't work.
Jesus explains all the reasons the Church shouldn't still be standing, all of the things we wrestle with, the enemies that assault every Christian this side of glory. But here we are. It defies the condemnation of the Law. It defies our reason and strength, or lack of both, because the Church doesn't stand on us, but on Christ and His work. When we take this parable to be nothing more than an assessment tool, we start looking at ourselves instead of Jesus. Worse, we start looking at each other. Stop looking for yourself, and start looking for Jesus. It will make more sense. An assessment tool is Law. By works of the Law no man will enter the kingdom of God. This is not about the Law, it's about the Gospel.
It's about the sower who sows recklessly to those where no growth should happen. This is not just a warning to behave better and care less about the world. It's a promise for sinners who don't. God will not forsake you to the devil, your sins, or your earthly cares. He bears the Cross for you, forgives you, and dares to call you good. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, the strength of all who put their trust in You, mercifully grant that by Your power we may be defended against all adversity through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Introit for Sexagesima (Psalm 44:1-2, 7-8; antiphon: v.23, 25a, 26a)
Daily Lectionary: Job 14:1-22; John 6:41-49
Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! (From the Introit for Sexagesima)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Sometimes the absence of everything we expected from God is so profound that even the devout begin to ask questions. Where is God? Is it real or is it all just a story? Did He abandon us? The questions seem so jarring to the piety that hangs decorative crosses in the living room and says table prayers by heart. Midwestern politeness that can't actually call attention to the thing everyone's thinking about is answered by Middle Eastern prayers of old. "God, it looks like You're doing a bad job. Get up and do what You promised."
The psalms that are full of anger and doubt give us not only the vocabulary to speak the questions we all think, but the permission to do so. God wanted you to pray this. "Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!" Ask the question out loud, then listen to the same prayer as it speaks the answer. "But You have saved us from our foes." A past tense victory that seems as much an old story as it is evidence that there should be more cool stuff to see today. It looks bleak and empty, and even the devout are starting to wonder, but God has already saved us.
A victory in the past that somehow affects even a bleak and empty present. An empty tomb contested by the devil, the world, and the reason of the sinful flesh, but marked in history the same as each tragedy that brought us to question it all. It's already finished. It doesn't need to be won again just for a little more pizazz today. Christ has already conquered sin, death, and the devil. The Holy Spirit has already united you to this victory in your Baptism. It might look like God is sleeping, but He's already won the victory. Why would He need to win it again just so you can watch?
The quiet times when we start to wonder are not marks of God's absence, but evidence that He's already fought the fight. Now we find Him where He promises to be, in Word and Sacrament. I'd do it differently, but I'm not timeless or all-knowing, or even sinless. Maybe God's way of doing things differently than I would isn't proof that He isn't real, but evidence that there's Someone big enough to be smarter than I am, someone who would save me anyway. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
To us on earth He came to bring From sin and fear release, To give the Spirit's unity, The very bond of peace. ("Awake, O Sleeper, Rise from Death" LSB 697, st.2)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Job 13:13-28; John 6:22-40
Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." (John 6:29)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. They followed Him for miles hoping to see another miracle. They tried to make Him their king after He fed them in mercy because they were so far from home. And we mistake His compassion for His desire to prove Himself to us. We mistake the miracles for the love that motivates them. We lose sight of eternity for daily bread. And the Lord rebukes us along with the crowds.
Jesus says not to chase the miracles. Don't try to earn them by your prayers or by your works. The crowd is eager, so Jesus answers. This is that work, that you believe in Him whom the Father has sent. I wonder if Jesus smirked as He made that point. We cannot by our own reason or strength believe. But the Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel, enlightens us with His gifts, sanctifies, and keeps us in the true faith.
The work that earns salvation is the work you don't do. It's not allowed to be on you. It's the will of Him who sent the Son to save you, that none given to Him should be lost. So not only does He win Your salvation on the Cross, but by Word and Sacrament He delivers this salvation to you in a way that gives the faith you need. So He makes your work His own work and gives you credit for it. He makes His works yours in return. He fulfills the Law perfectly for you, dies and rises to atone for your sins, then gives you His good works by faith. Your believing in Him whom the Father has sent is the work of God.
We don't have to save ourselves, earn our salvation, or even choose to believe. The Father sent the Son, and the Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit. He preaches through your pastor, and He feeds you with the bread of life that is His Body and Blood. Your pastor holds it up and promises it brings the peace of the Lord that will be with you always. Eat it. Drink it. Believe, and rise with Jesus on the Last Day. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
My Lord, You here have led me To this most holy place And with Yourself have fed me The treasures of Your grace; For You have freely given What earth could never buy, The bread of life from heaven, That now I shall not die. ("O Living Bread from Heaven" LSB 642, st.2)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5
Daily Lectionary: Job 13:1-12; John 6:1-21
And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I wish Paul didn't talk about Christianity as a race. I'm exhausted. My vocations pull against each other. Excelling at one thing only means falling short somewhere else. "Discipline your body," I'm told, but all the getting-things-done hacks only leave me with a neatly organized list of things I've thus far failed to do. "Run, that you may obtain the prize." I'm barely limping. Everyone feels it, knows it won't work, and still tries to do it anyway. Try harder to do the things you can't seem to get done so you don't go to hell and one day you'll go to heaven. But that's not what Paul is saying. That's of the devil.
Christianity cannot be reduced into productivity. It cannot be motivation, either by carrot or stick. If that's all it is, you're the one doing the work to save, not Jesus. It's the not-Jesus path that so displeased God with the Israelites. That's running aimlessly, as Paul warns against. It's running with no goal. Get perfect grades, accomplish everything on the to-do list. Be so good at it nobody's ever disappointed in you. But to what end? The chance to do it all again, but this time with even higher expectations?
We do not run aimlessly. We discipline our bodies and keep them under control, lest after preaching to others lofty goals of success, we ourselves should be disqualified. Sooner or later the greatest overachievers fall off that wagon. We don't run aimlessly. We run towards the Cross.
There's work to do. You're not going to be perfect. It's because you're a sinner. Instead of trying to remedy that, lean not towards hopeless sloth, but run towards the Cross for mercy. The Rock that is Christ follows you and endures where you fail. It isn't measured in your best getting better. It's measured in your death and resurrection, in your Baptism, in your eating and drinking the Body and Blood of Jesus, and in His promise that the things that matter have never been your race to run. Jesus ran that race for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Triune God, be Thou our stay; O let us perish never! Cleanse us from our sins, we pray, And grant us life forever. Keep us from the evil one; Uphold our faith most holy, And let us trust Thee solely With humble hearts and lowly. Let us put God's armor on, With all true Christians running Our heav'nly race and shunning The devil's wiles and cunning. Amen, amen! This be done; So sing we, "Alleluia!" ("Triune God, Be Thou Our Stay" LSB 505, st.1)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Second Commandment
Daily Lectionary: Job 12:1-6,12-25; John 5:30-47
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. (Small Catechism: Second Commandment)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Second Commandment usually gets reduced to a rule against saying "damn" when you stub your toe or it gets twisted around into talk about ouija boards because of that little line regarding satanic arts in the catechism. Really, it's far more profound. God's Name has great power, and He gives it to you.
The more powerful a thing is, the more rules get attached to it. There aren't a lot of laws surrounding feathers, but fireworks, cars, and guns have all kinds of regulations. It's not that any of those things are inherently evil. Some are just powerful enough that when used for good, great good can come from it, but when used for evil, great evil comes, too. God's Name is so powerful that He demands we don't misuse it, because sin breaks stuff, and God's Name is potent enough to cause great harm when used for evil.
The chief way this happens is when we lie about who He is. We attach His Name to things that aren't true. That's called false doctrine. A doctrine is just a truth. We attach God's Name to falsehood, and then the way, the truth, gets diminished. Jesus, who calls Himself both of these things, gets diminished. Pray that it never happens, because that would mean life gets diminished, too. False doctrine is dangerous because it directs people to look for God where He's never promised to be. It points people away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It isn't just, "What if God actually damned everything you asked Him to when you were angry?", it's "What if He wanted to see sin punished apart from the Cross? What if we thought we were closer to Him by our works? What if we attached His Name to lies so people lost trust in His promises?"
He doesn't say we shouldn't use His Name. The Father teaches you His identity specifically so that you'll call upon Him in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks. He teaches you to know Him through the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. He reveals Himself in true doctrine through His Word by the Holy Spirit. He gives us His identity so that we would look to Jesus and find forgiveness, life, and salvation in Him and His gifts. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
"Do not My holy name disgrace, Do not My Word of truth debase. Praise only that as good and true Which I Myself say and do." Have mercy, Lord! ("These are the Holy Ten Commands" LSB 581, st.3)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Exodus 17:1-7
Daily Lectionary:Job 11:1-20; John 5:19-29
"Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. (Exodus 17:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The people were thirsty sinners. They complained they were thirsty. Moses would have threatened to turn the whole nation around and go back to Egypt, but they would have liked that. The issue isn't their frustration over going without the things God had promised. It's that in the face of this, they decided Egypt was a better thing to fear, love, and trust in above all things. The word for that is idolatry. The worry behind it is that God won't deliver on His promises, so we'd better look somewhere else for good gifts.
So God commanded Moses to hit a rock. This doesn't make sense unless you're willing to see Christ in the Old Testament. Paul makes it easy. "For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4). The people were sinners and idolators, so in response God commanded the Rock (which was Christ) to be struck down. That from His side would flow water. That through the water from the Rock, the people would receive and be delivered from death.
Jesus was crucified for Israel's sins, and for yours, and from His pierced side poured out blood and water. The Baptism that you receive is a baptism into Christ, the living water, that you would thirst no more, that you would be saved.
The Old Testament is Christ crucified for sinners, just like the New Testament. The Old Testament, just like the New Testament, doesn't make sense if you take out Jesus, the Cross, or the ways He delivers that Cross to you. We use Scripture to interpret Scripture, and we start with the simplest truths, that Christ Jesus came to save sinners. Even where everything seems weird and a guy hits a rock with a stick, it's about Jesus. The people sometimes miss it in their grumbling, wondering if the LORD is among us or not, but God is at work to save His people. The idolaters looked elsewhere, but the LORD still baptized them for salvation. He calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, and keeps Israel, and you, too. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Life-imparting heav'nly manna, Stricken rock with streaming side, Heav'n and earth with loud hosanna Worship You, the Lamb who died, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Ris'n, ascended, glorified! Ris'n, ascended, glorified! ("Lord, Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor" LSB 534, st.4)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Job 10:1-22; John 5:1-18
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you." (John 5:14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you. It almost sounds like a threat. The man laid there paralyzed for 38 years with nobody to help him into the pool. Jesus walked up and took care of the whole thing with a few words. That's a long time to suffer when the cure is so easy. You'd think God might hurry it up a little. Better late than never, I guess. But when they meet later in the temple and Jesus only warns him to behave or else, even the mercy shown leaves a bad aftertaste due to the hanging implication of what might happen if he sins again. When he sins again. St. Valentine got his head cut off and I'm still more comfortable with that story than this one. Woe to those who think they preach better than Jesus, who would diminish His words or warning. The command to sin no more must not be ignored.
The man sinned again. He has the same condition we all do. Something worse will happen to him after this story. He's going to die. It's the last great enemy. The wages of sin is death. Sin breaks stuff, so don't lean into sin. Sin no more. Woe to anyone who would say otherwise.
But also, woe to those who ignore the promise connected to Jesus' words. Rise. Take up your bed, and walk. When God speaks, something happens. When He tells you to pick up your bed and walk, you can. When He forgives you your sins through your pastor, they're gone. When He calls you to the resurrection, you rise. So when Jesus healed a man by calling him to rise, there's more than just physical healing going on.
The man died, but was called into the resurrection by the same Jesus who told him to get up the first time. The same Jesus who went into the grave because, even though He was completely serious when He warned us to sin no more, He also knew we would. He gives us a Law we cannot fulfill. So He fulfills it for us, dies for us, and calls us to life with the very same Word that gave this man the ability to go home. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Thy work alone, O Christ, Can ease this weight of sin; Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, Can give me peace within. ("Not What These Hands Have Done" LSB 567, st.3)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading:Matthew 20:1-16
Daily Lectionary: Job 9:1-35; John 4:46-54
"Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?" (Matthew 20:15)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Fair is the enemy of good. Nobody believes it because we're so desperate for fairness that we get tunnel vision. Fair is what looks at my sister's half of the cookie and decides it's bigger, so some of it should be mine. But the Lord's commandment says, "You shall not steal." Good goes a lot farther than fair. It is not just, "Thou shalt not steal," but more. We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor's money or possessions or get them in any dishonest way but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income.
Good doesn't change. It's spelled out in God's Law that you should love your neighbor in these ways. Fair gets flexible. The workers who agreed to a wage were perfectly happy with the denarius until they saw someone who did less work get the same wage. Then fair changed. They knew they should be getting more.
When it comes to the word "fair" what we usually mean is "we covet," but we found a nicer way of saying it. It probably says something about us that given the chance, we try to impose fairness before we ever think to impose goodness. But at the end of the day, God would rather be generous than fair. He could do fair and punish every sinner with the hell they deserve. Fair is your going to hell for your sins. The Lord is not fair, but He is good. Thanks be to God. He doesn't disregard justice but He takes it on Himself. He pays for you. He gets punished for your sins. The unfair sacrifice fulfills the Law, takes your sins, and dies that you would live.
Stop worrying about what everyone else has got or what's fair. Start here, in this one place, where the Lord bore the unfair Cross for you and for all. Start here. Life isn't fair and we're on the better end of it. All of us. We can rejoice that God not only forgives our sins, but our neighbors', too. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, graciously hear the prayers of Your people that we who justly suffer the consequence of our sin may be mercifully delivered by Your goodness to the glory of Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for Septuagesima (Psalm 18:1-2a, 27, 32, 49; antiphon: vs.5-6a)
Daily Lectionary: Job 8:1-22; John 4:27-45
The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD. (From the Introit for Septuagesima)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Septuagesima. About 70 days until Easter. We can't stay on the mountain of Transfiguration forever. Thanks be to God for good days, but the bad ones tend to follow. The snares of death confronted me. That's what the passion of our Lord is for. He rescues us from the evils that confront us, not by dangling a way of escape in front of us but by running ahead of us into every unsafe place we're afraid of. The gesima Sundays count down to Easter, but that means they also introduce Lent. These aren't Sundays meant simply to make you sad. They're to speak to every awful thing you pray never happens and every awful thing you pray will stop right now.
The passion of our Lord gives us something to say to the not-so-great days. Jesus saved us from them. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and from heaven He heard my voice, but He didn't stay there. He descended to save. Our fortresses aren't the safe places that come and go or the heaven we hope for, but the Lord who goes into the unsafe places to die and rise to save. That's the thing about real comfort. It isn't a lack of bad things, but a presence of good things. A lack of bad things is just empty. The presence of a good so strong it overwhelms the rest and grants relief is true comfort. So Jesus descends from the heavens to save.
Everything you're afraid of comes from sin, death, and the devil. Jesus conquered those. We don't have to run anymore. In your Baptism He has already united you with the victory over them. By His Word, He gives you strength to find comfort in the face of them.. He has equipped us with His strength, and even forgives us our sins where we fall short of using that strength. The gesima Sundays give us words of praise to sing to the God who won't stay on the mountain, because we can't stay there, either. Your fortress goes ahead of you and with you, so that wherever you are, your prayers will be answered. Sin, death, and the power of the devil lay defeated on the side. God has saved His humbled people. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Gone the past, unknown the future--Grace supplies my daily breath; Strong in Christ through death's dark valley, Firm and faithful unto death. ("All for Christ, I have Forsaken" LSB 753, st.3)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Job 7:1-21; John 4:7-26
A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (John 4:7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I tried to find Jesus comforting the sinner in this story. But I couldn't quite shake the feeling that He was heckling her the whole time. Every response she gives is biting. She comes to see He has power, but never really finds mercy for her sins, and nobody got any water to drink. Each time that she recoils and rebuffs and retorts, she really only shows how much she doesn't want to be there. Jesus isn't berating her. He's pointing to something bigger. There's living water here. It's free. It's for her. But she's still so beat down she can't see it.
She has to work herself up every time she goes out in public. She hears what she is whenever she goes out. She's not Jewish enough. Not married enough. She would rather not go to that well anymore. She actually confesses it. Give me the water. I don't want to have to come here anymore. I don't want to be what they stare at and talk about. I don't want to be the object lesson to nice little boys and girls about cohabitation. Because the actual sin is the one thing she's the least willing to talk about. You get explanations with every response until the last. "Go, call your husband, and come here."
Jesus asked for water and never got any. He asked after her husband and never got an answer, either. Jesus asks after everything she needs and never gets it. She can't give it. But Jesus is there to do more than correct her. He's there to give. He doesn't wait until she feels appropriately sorry. Her biting answers toward Jesus say plenty about how she really sees herself. He just starts promising living water to bitter sinners. He's so blunt that the rest of us get as uncomfortable as the woman is. There's no condition.
Because nobody is saved by measuring his or her sins. We're saved by Jesus, by the living water that comes from His side. For the sins you hide away, for the statistics you've become on purpose or by accident, for your guilt. . . Jesus died for you. Your sins are forgiven you. The abortions are forgiven. The attractions you struggle with are forgiven. Your browser history is forgiven. You are forgiven. You are baptized. You have the living water that Jesus promised. You are nothing less than what happened to you at this font. Clean. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, grant us in our Baptisms forgiveness of sins that never ends; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Job 6:14-30; John 3:22-4:6
"He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John baptized. The disciples baptized. Jesus baptized. It says so. Everyone gets a Baptism. Then someone started a fight over all that purification. At least we know that people's arguing over what Baptism is isn't a new thing.
How old do you have to be? What if there's just a splash and not a dunk? Why not just run around town with a squirt gun yelling, "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"? Now the Pharisees are getting uppity and so maybe Jesus wasn't even baptizing? Except maybe He was? Or maybe it doesn't matter whose hand it was because it was always God's work. Hear John. He must increase, but I must decrease. That does a lot to explain what Baptism is.
Baptism is not a work you do for God. It isn't an "I pledge allegiance to the Jesus." It's God's work for you. The question isn't whether or not Jesus actually baptized anyone. Jesus baptizes everyone. Sometimes He used John's hand. Sometimes Peter's. Maybe even sometimes His own, made flesh. But Baptism that bestows God's good Gifts always comes from the good Giver.
A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given from heaven. So Baptism, given by the God from heaven, is for you to receive. You receive the forgiveness of sins, a new identity as God's child, and all of the life everlasting that comes with it. You decrease. Jesus increases in you. Old Adam drowns. New man emerges and arises to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.
It changes the whole equation of salvation. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:36). Now, salvation isn't tied to your obedience but only to the belief which clings to God in the water. Works of the Law can't save you. They can only damn you. It doesn't say "whoever believes and obeys." There's no room left for obedience in this equation since Jesus already saved you. The obedience that comes from this, and it will come, is just Jesus' increasing and your decreasing. Which also means there's no real need to measure it. He said, "It is finished." You're baptized. Believe this, and know you have eternal life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In Baptism we now put on Christ--Our shame is fully covered With all that He once sacrificed And freely for us suffered. For here the flood of His own blood Now makes us holy, right, and good Before our heav'nly Father. ("All Christians Who Have Been Baptized" LSB 596, st.4)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism:First Commandment
Daily Lectionary: Job 6:1-13; John 3:1-21
You shall have no other gods. (Small Catechism: First Commandment)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This commandment shouldn't actually be that hard. There's only one God. He's literally the only God there is. There was a piece of fruit on a tree and we made a god out of that. The fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was not God. But we imagined it was so that we didn't need Him anymore. It didn't work, but we've never stopped trying to get rid of the real God who loves us so we can chase after the fake ones that don't.
This commandment is at the root of every other sin. We do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things. If we did, we'd stop taking the good gifts He gives us and turning them into replacements for Him.
This commandment might be at the root of our sinful desires, but the root of this commandment is that God actually wants to be God to you. He insists on being the God of sinners. He insists on giving you good gifts. He insists on calling you back to Him over and over. He tells us not to treat the things that can't save us as if they can. Don't trust in imaginary gods. Don't trust in creation as if it were the Creator. Don't trust in yourself to save yourself. None of that works. None of it needs to, though; He already has saved you. He bore the Cross to forgive your idolatry. He insists that you have no source of salvation other than Him. Trust only that. Love only Him.
From there, even the "fear" part becomes understandable. Fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Fear doesn't just mean healthy respect. We downplay it because it seems like it doesn't go along with love and trust. Fear means that you realize you can't control God. That's the First Commandment all over again. The desire to control God is the desire to be God. To fear God is to recognize that we can't control Him, but to love and trust in Him is to recognize that we don't need to. He wants to be God to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O LORD God, dear Father in Heaven, You have given us the Law for our good, calling us to fear, love, and trust in You above all things. As we rejoice that You would insist on being God to us, help us to cast aside all idols and follow you alone, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 2 Peter 1:16-21
Daily Lectionary: Job 5:1-27; John 2:13-25
And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (2 Peter 1:19)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Peter saw the uncontainable majesty of the transfigured Christ while a voice boomed from heaven, but calls us to trust in the Bible found in nearly every motel dresser. The Church has an authenticity problem. We want the experience on the mountain, not the Book in the drawer. So we go looking for the former. Mostly we come up empty and wander into the sanctuary more or less because we know we're supposed to, but we still have that mountaintop moment in our minds.
We even try to copy it. We transfigure ourselves. Realize that every single person sitting in the sanctuary is fighting a secret battle that you don't get to see. Because we hide it. We change our faces, our clothes, and we pretend. We show up each week to a church that exists to forgive sinners and we pretend we're just here to love God. We pretend we're just fine. Authenticity? Nah.
You transfigure yourself to look better, but what you really need help with is all the stuff you're trying to escape from. You hope to find that mountaintop where all of those things melt away, leaving you feeling close to God. . . but here's the thing. Peter was there, too. He said there's something more. You want to rely on the mountaintop, the experience, but then you miss the promise He speaks to you when your heart is broken no matter how much you fake a smile.
He calls us to trust the Word, not our feelings. The Word is for when nothing feels like it should. Even in darkness it shines like a lamp for you.
You can go looking for the mountaintop, but God won't limit Himself to such a place. He wants to be where you're completely overwhelmed and doing your very best to hide it. He wants to come down from the mountain to save. He climbs down and bears the Cross for sinners in order to save them. The Word promises that this Cross on a far less majestic hill was far more glorious. It promises life to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Glimpsed and gone the revelation, They shall gain and keep its truth, Not by building on the mountain Any shrine or sacred booth, But by following the Savior Through the valley to the cross And by testing faith's resilience Through betrayal, pain, and loss. ("Swiftly Pass the Clouds of Glory" LSB 416, st.2)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Exodus 34:29-35
Daily Lectionary: Job 4:1-21; John 2:1-12
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. (Exodus 34:29–31)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God sent Moses down the mountain to talk to His people, but they were afraid to come near and hear His ten words. Moses' face shone. He reflected the God who sent him. And the people were too unclean to stand before that kind of holiness.
It's the thing sinners tend to do: We run from the Holy One. Like Adam and Eve hiding in the bushes after eating of the tree, the people of Israel hid from Moses. Like the people afraid to come near Moses, who spoke for God, we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come near Him.
There's one common theme: It's the Law. Adam and Eve ran from the condemnation of the Law. The people ran, too. We cannot by our own reason or strength, love and trust a God of the Law. We can only fear Him. So there's another common theme: the Gospel. God called Adam and Eve out of the bushes and promised salvation. Moses called the people back and veiled his face. The Holy Spirit calls you by the Gospel, enlightens, sanctifies, and keeps you.
God sends preachers of the Gospel who promise that the Cross of Christ takes away Adam's sin. Israel's sin. All the sin. Your sin. The terror of the Law is veiled by the promise of the Gospel. Your sins are forgiven you. You have nothing left to hide. No reason left to run. Draw near to God and receive His Gifts. After all, He sent Moses down the mountain with ten words of gift to all of Israel, and to you. God insists on calling out sinners who are terrified of condemnation and speaking comfort to them. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We all confess the Holy Ghost, Who, in highest heaven dwelling With God the Father and the Son, Comforts us beyond all telling; Who the Church, His own creation, Keeps in unity of spirit. Here forgiveness and salvation Daily come through Jesus' merit. All flesh shall rise, and we shall be In bliss with God eternally. Amen. ("We All Believe in One True God" LSB 954, st.3)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 17:1-9
Daily Lectionary: Job 3:11-26; John 1:35-51
And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. (Matthew 17:8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. For just a moment, Peter didn't have to look at Jesus, who looked like everyone else, and perceive that He was God incarnate. He saw the transfigured Christ. He didn't have to imagine what the victory over death would look like. He saw Moses and Elijah. He didn't have to wonder if he had made a huge mistake in promising to follow the guy who just said that He was going to be killed, only to be raised on the Third Day. The voice from the sky boomed down; this was actually a good idea after all.
Everybody wants that stuff. It's to the point where it has a name: the "mountaintop experience." The church has responded, either by trying to grant it by changing worship, or by trying to convince you that wanting to see what Peter saw is a sin and shows lack of faith. Words like "comfort" are only thought about, never felt.
Neither view is right. We can acknowledge why we want the mountaintop experience without either bowing to the desire or running from it. We want to feel safe. We want to confront the doubts we all struggle against. We want something concrete so we can hope without wavering. Maybe we are given the Transfiguration so we can see what happens when we get what we want. The disciples fell on their faces and were terrified.
God doesn't grant comfort from on high. He does it by descending. Hope doesn't come from a one-time experience, but by constant promise. See what brought comfort to the disciples who were laying in the fetal position: Lifting up their eyes, they saw Jesus only. They didn't see a lesser God. They saw a God who would descend to be like them. To offer hope, not rooted in building a tent on a perfect mountain, but carved out of an empty tomb. In Jesus only, we have all the things they looked for. A God close by. The victory over death. Hope to confront doubt. Look to where Jesus has promised to be. Look to the Word. The Sacraments. Rise. And have no fear. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, in the glorious transfiguration of Your beloved Son You confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of Moses and Elijah. In the voice that came from the bright cloud You wonderfully foreshadowed our adoption by grace. Mercifully make us co-heirs with the King in His glory and bring us to the fullness of our inheritance in heaven; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Transfiguration of Our Lord)
-Rev. Harrison Goodman is content executive for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch
Discover new insights from each line of the Psalms in Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. Read, repeat, and return to the Lord as you walk through all 150 Psalms. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Transfiguration of Our Lord (Psalm 84:1-2a, 4, 10-11; antiphon: Psalm 77:18b)
Daily Lectionary: Job 2:1-3:10; John 1:19-34
How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise. (From the Introit for the Transfiguration of our Lord)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Imagine being where the people around always sang into your ears the promise that by Jesus' death for you upon the Cross your sins are all forgiven, your works have all been declared righteous in God's sight, and your life completely holy. Imagine being where the liturgy always pointed you to the Gospel like that, where the words of Holy Absolution were constantly spoken and preached, and Jesus' Body and Blood were ever present to eat and to drink as He promises, "for you, for the forgiveness of sins." Imagine that, and you'll understand what the psalmist is talking about in tomorrow's Introit.
The world, on the other hand, convinced of its own righteousness, gathers together by its strength and choice only to talk about itself and its own works and to sing its own praises. It's enough to suck the air out of any room, and the faith out of any believer.
It's why those who are in the house of the Lord are blessed.. Because no matter how broken and damaged we are by sin, how many times defeated by Satan, finding no refuge or help within, haunted by the past, frightened by the present, fearful of the future, in the house of the Lord we have in our ears again and again what calls us to faith, what gives and sustains and restores our faith: Jesus.
Come what may in the world, we know what God has spoken, and what He has promised by the death of His Son for us. It's why being even just "a doorkeeper" at church is better than a thousand days anywhere else (Psalm 84:10). Seeing through all the lies, through all the smoke and mirrors of false promises and false hopes (1 Corinthians 15:19; Ezekiel 37:11-14), we get to hear again and again the truth, the real story, the final Word that God has spoken over us. And it's not us. It's Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds In a believer's ear! It soothes our sorrows, heals our wounds, And drives away our fear.
It makes the wounded spirit whole And calms the heart's unrest; 'Tis manna to the hungry soul And to the weary, rest.
Dear name! The rock on which I build, My shield and hiding place; My never failing treasury filled With boundless stores of grace. ("How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds" LSB 524, st.1-3)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Job 1:1-22; John 1:1-18
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Job certainly endured more than his share of pain and grief in his life. Yet through it all Job never blamed chance or fate, the devil or evil people, Mother Nature, or even himself and his own sin. No. Job received it all as from the hand of Jesus. That's what Job means when he says, "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." God says, "In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong."
Job repeats his confidence in chapter 2: "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" Again, God says, "In all this Job did not sin with his lips" (Job 2:10). Rest assured, then, there is no sin in daring to trust in Jesus like that.
"Oh that my words were written!" Job cries out in chapter 19. "Oh that they were inscribed in a book! Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!" (Job 19:23-27)
Job trusted everything about Jesus. He trusted that whatever his sins had earned from God would be forever answered for, paid for, by Jesus' death for him upon the Cross. He could live every day in the confidence that Jesus, his Redeemer, was in complete control. He could receive everything as coming from The Hand that was now forever holding on to him. So, he did.
You, too. For all that your sin deserves Jesus also paid for with His death for you upon the Cross. And with the promise of the Cross now in His Word, in His water, and at His Supper, Jesus is promising you that He means you no harm in anything He allows or sends. He's got this. He's got you. And, as with Job, Jesus promises to never let go. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
What God ordains is always good; His loving thought attends me; No poison can be in the cup That my physician sends me. My God is true; Each morning new I trust His grace unending, My life to Him commending. ("What God Ordains is Always Good" LSB 760, st.3)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Table of Duties, To Everyone
Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 14:1-21; Titus 2:7-3:15
The commandments. . . are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Romans 13:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You have probably heard it said that you can't love others until you first love yourself. That might sound cute and clever, but it's not all helpful and it certainly contradicts the conclusion of Calvary. The problem is not that we don't love ourselves. That's not why Jesus died on the Cross for us. The problem is just the opposite. We do love ourselves. More than anything. In fact, that's the very definition of sin.
The Good News is that God has all the love for you that you will ever need. Jesus died on the Cross for you. He died for every last one of your sins, for all the self-love you have now and will ever be guilty of indulging. And yes, that's a lot to die for, but Jesus did it anyway. For you.
And it gets better. For Jesus is there for you every day with the promise of His Cross in Baptism, now, washing you righteous in God's sight. He is there with the promise of His Cross in every Absolution and sermon you hear from your pastor. And He is at His Supper making sure the very definition of sin remains as far from you as the east is from the west. "For you, for the forgiveness of sins."
Do you know what this means? It means there is never a time when God is not delighting in you, calling you His own, even declaring all your works holy in His sight. Even your hitting that snooze button for the hundredth time. Or brushing your teeth. Or doing homework. Or eating lunch. Or laughing. Or crying. Or whatever. Doesn't matter. God is amazed by it all now, by you now, because of Jesus.
But, what about your sins? They are gone, died for, paid for, spoken away, washed away, fed away by Jesus as soon as they appear, and even sooner. Like I said, with Jesus God has all the love for you that you will ever need. That, then, is where you will find the courage, the strength, and the grace to turn to your neighbor with love. In fact, so overflowing is God's love for you, it can't help but spill over to others. That's what it's designed to do. And, yes, because of Jesus God is already smiling over it all. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, help us walk Your servant way Wherever love may lead And, bending low, forgetting self, Each serve the other's need. ("Lord, Help Us Walk Your Servant Way" LSB 857, st.1)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 2:22-32
Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 12:1-13:9; Titus 1:1-2:6
When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, [Mary and Joseph] brought [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. (Luke 2:22)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The next time we will hear about Jesus is 12 years down the road when Mary and Joseph return to the temple with Him. Calling it His "Father's house" then, Jesus amazes everyone with "His understanding and His answers" (Luke 2:49, 47). Today, it is Simeon who is amazed.
"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32).
In his own arms at that very moment was Simeon's God, placing Himself under His own Law (Exodus 13:1-2) to do for us what we could never do for ourselves: to keep His law perfectly, without sin. Simeon knows "a pair of doves or two young pigeons" (Luke 2:24; Leviticus 12) will be just fine for this One. For here, in this One, in Jesus, is "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
Simeon also knew, in that moment, that he was holding the One you and I now hold in the "arms of faith." For this is the same Jesus given to us in Baptism, in the Absolution, in the preaching of the Gospel, and at the Holy Supper. It's the same Jesus who placed Himself under His own Law and kept that Law perfectly. Who suffered and died for all our sins on the Cross. Who now presents you and me holy and blameless to His Father in heaven, without sin, justified, heirs to eternal life.
And that means, like Simeon, that you and I get to marvel now, too. For you and I, also, will die in peace now. Free from all our sins. Free from death. Free from wrath. Free from judgment. Free from hell. Free from having to save ourselves. For that is the salvation God has prepared for us, too, in the sight of all people, in Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and ever-living God, as Your only begotten Son was this day presented in the temple in the substance of our flesh, grant that we may be presented to You with pure and clean hearts; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of our Lord)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Romans 13:8-10
Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 11:4-17;2 Timothy 4:1-18
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul certainly doesn't set the bar very high, does he? "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." Who does Paul think we are? Sinners who are always offending God, justly deserving His now and forever punishment? I think we know the answer. We confess it every Sunday.
The world, however, ignores this judgment. Convinced of its own righteousness, it looks to the Law for confirmation of its own righteousness in its own works and thinks it has found it there. Of course, to avoid the charge of being self-serving with the Law, the world talks about the Law as being a complex and sophisticated system of morality. How insulting to hear Paul say that it's not rocket science at all. It's just, "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."
The baptized know such love. For though we are lost and condemned in our own sin, Jesus comes to us every day with the promise of His Cross in Baptism, washing us, cleansing us, not at all harming but presenting us holy and blameless to His Father. He comes not to harm but to forgive in the Absolution and sermons we hear from our pastor. And Jesus comes not to harm but to save with His Body and Blood at His Supper, "for you, for the forgiveness of sins." Yes, Jesus knows exactly who we are.
While such love may not fix or solve everything that is wrong in this life, including ourselves, it is the love God has promised and given you and me in this life. No, He has not promised us our best life here and now. But He has promised us His redeeming, forgiving, saving love in Jesus. And that makes love the one thing, the only thing, the baptized now owe all others (Romans 13:8).
Fixing and solving is a God-thing, really. Even a Last Day sort of thing. A for now thing, a baptized-thing, is just to love: to forgive, to help, to pray for, to serve and point everyone, friend and foe, to Jesus and His Cross. There's no harm in that. Just love. Just more Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heav'n, to earth come down! Fix in us Thy humble dwelling, All Thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, Thou art all compassion, Pure, unbounded love Thou art; Visit us with Thy salvation, Enter ev'ry trembling heart. ("Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" LSB 700, st.1)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Jonah 1:1-17
Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 10:1-11:3; 2 Timothy 3:1-17
But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. (Jonah 1:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's easy to conclude, when all you see is the storm, that God hates you, doesn't care, forgive, or want to help you at all but is only interested in your pain and suffering. If that's what you have concluded about God because of the storm you're in, the Book of Jonah has good news for you. Your conclusion is as far from the truth as the east is from the west.
By tossing Jesus into the raging sea of His wrath and anger toward the sin of the whole world, God has promised that, while there may be storms all around you, there is no storm at all in His heart now when it comes to you. Your sin remains as far from you as the east does from the west. Since you are forgiven, God delights and rejoices in you. All the wrath and fury stirred by your sin has forever been silenced in Him, stilled by the blood Jesus shed for you on the Cross.
Listen to Zephaniah 3: "The LORD has taken away the judgments against you. . . Fear not. . . The LORD God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you by his love" (vv.15-17). And Isaiah 62:2-5: "You shall no longer be termed Forsaken. . . For the LORD delights in you. . . And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, soshall your God rejoice over you." And Romans 8:31: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
It's easy to conclude, when all you see is the storm, that God is against you. But you'd be wrong. Jesus died for you. And the blood Jesus shed on the Cross for you now promises that in every storm you face God remains your loving, rejoicing, caring, forgiving, saving heavenly Father. In fact, His water, His Word and His Supper still promise you, through every storm, that will never change. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way; When sorrows, like sea billows, roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate And hath shed His own blood for my soul. It is well with my soul, it is well with my soul. ("When Peace, like a River" LSB 763, st.1,3)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 8:23-27
Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 9:1-17;2 Timothy 2:1-26
And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. (Matthew 8:24)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ever felt like Jesus is sleeping on the job? Something really bad happens to you. The storm is raging. The winds are howling. The sea is unleashing all its fury. Then this goes wrong. Then that goes wrong. Then everything goes wrong. And your boat is now taking on water. At such times you, too, are crying out, "Save me, Jesus; I'm perishing!" Does He hear? Or, is Jesus sound asleep on the job?
You're not the first to wonder. God's children have always struggled with fear and doubt. In the Book of Isaiah, God asks, "Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, 'My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God?'" God would speak to all our fears and doubts even then, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary" (Isaiah 40:27-28).
Sending His own Son to suffer and die for you and for all the evidence of your unbelief, washing you holy and blameless every day with the promise of Jesus' Cross in Baptism, sending pastors to speak His pardon over you, feeding you today with Jesus' Body and Blood, "for you, for the forgiveness of sins," guess what? There is no perishing, now, for you. It's gone. No matter how dark the skies get, no matter how tossed about you may be in this life, no matter how much of the sea gets into your boat, there is no perishing for you, now. That's been defeated for you by Jesus, when Jesus perished for you on the Cross.
I know there are times when it seems like Jesus is sleeping and not paying any attention. Today's Gospel promises that this is just your unbelief talking. Because the truth is, God sees you as holy now in His sight. His child. And as such, He loves you fiercely. Even in the storm. Especially in the storm. Because of Jesus. That's the truth. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You know we live in the midst of so many dangers that in our frailty we cannot stand upright. Grant strength and protection to support us in all dangers and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany (Psalm 107:1, 8, 24-25; antiphon: v.28-29)
Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 8:1-23; 2 Timothy 1:1-18
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. (From the Introit for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Tomorrow's Introit speaks of God's "steadfast love" (Psalm 107:1). That's what always holds and lasts. For while this world is constantly tossing us about like a stormy sea, filled with one upheaval after another, one thing remains constant: the promise God has forever tied to the death of Jesus on the Cross for you. You are forgiven. God declares you forever holy now in His judgment. You are an heir to eternal life.
God has not promised you your best life here and now. If anything, He has promised that our here-and-now will be filled with upheavals, trials, and troubles of every sort (Acts 14:22; Matthew 6:34b). It's why tomorrow's Introit, like a lighthouse, points the way for you by pointing to Jesus and His sacrifice on the Cross for you. Many Christians may even be singing, "When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; in ev'ry high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid rock I stand; All other ground is sinking sand" ("My Hope is Built on Nothing Less" LSB 575, st.2).
Or, perhaps many will be singing, "Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes; Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies. Heav'n's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee; In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me" ("Abide With Me" LSB 878, st.6).
Either way, by Jesus' presence for you on the Cross, and by His presence for you today with the promise of His Cross in His water, in His Word, and at His Supper, God remains constant and steadfast in His goodness and mercy toward you, as well as His forgiveness and love. For what He has promised with the Cross, He will never take back.
You may think, with all the upheavals all around you today like that stormy sea, nothing is solid, least of all the ground under your feet. But you'd be wrong. Today is just not that powerful. Nor is any upheaval or trial. God will not let that happen. Truth be told, Jesus be told, nothing is more powerful than the promise God has made with you on the Cross. It's a promise that still hushes the waves and calms the storm. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Why should cross and trial grieve me? Christ is near With His cheer; Never will He leave me. Who can rob me of the heaven That God's Son For me won When His life was given? ("Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me" LSB 756, st.1)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Romans 12:16-21
Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 6:1-7:14;Romans 16:17-27
Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil. (Romans 12:16c-17a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It seems like the smart thing to do. I mean, someone wrongs you, you wrong them back. Right? If they speak evil of you, you speak evil of them. Meet hatred with hatred, pushing and shoving with pushing and shoving. After all, if you aren't looking out for you, who is? Right?
To all that, you can hear Jesus saying, "O you of little faith" (Matthew 6:30). And He is right. Thinking I am alone in this world, with no one to look out for me but me, I often take matters into my own hands, only to end up lashing out at others. Yes, such little faith.
You, too? Repent, because those thoughts aren't true. You are never alone in this world. That our flesh insists on believing otherwise is just evidence of the unbelief still tucked away in our hearts. That's where all our sin comes from, "O you of little faith."
Good News: The antidote is not you, but Jesus. For every proof of the unbelief you and I were born with and that will be with us all the way to the grave Jesus answered for by His sacrifice upon the Cross. All the evidence of our unbelief lies forever buried now beneath His death for us upon the Cross. You are holy to God. You are His child. You are forgiven everything. God's gracious presence and happy smile are with you now and forever. Jesus' water, Word, and Supper promise you this.
So, you think it smarts when others hurt you? Guess what? It smarts God even more, because you are His dear child. He's got this. He's got you. And He will never let go. If others mean you harm, and God allows it, it's only because God is using it to accomplish a greater good for you, or for others, that you can't see right now (Genesis 50:20). Trust Him on that. If others refuse to live in peace with you, fine. You can do the honorable thing by leaving the whole business, and any vengeance, in God's hands and continuing on with the greatest work of all: love (1 Corinthians 13:13).
For how does good overcome evil? The Cross. That's how. That's always how. Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We share our mutual woes, Our mutual burdens bear And often for each other flows The sympathizing tear. From sorrow, toil, and pain, And sin we shall be free And perfect love and friendship reign Through all eternity ("Blest Be the Tie That Binds" LSB 649, st.3,5)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Exodus 33:12-23
Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 4:1-5:11; Romans 15:14-33
"And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." (Exodus 33:19b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. They had lost every right to call themselves God's children. In fact, the taste of the golden calf, which Moses had them melt into a beverage and drink, was still in their mouths when God spoke these words. They had worshiped the golden calf, calling it their god, giving it the praise and glory for their rescue from Egypt. In wrath, God swore He would disown them. "And the LORD said to Moses, 'I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them'" (Exodus 32:9).
Moses steps into the breach by reminding God of His promise to redeem His children from all their sins (Exodus 32:11-14). For it is only that faithfulness, God's continued, forever faithfulness to Jesus and the Cross, that saves sinners from all their sins. It is the only reason God does not wipe out sinners , but continues calling them, even today, even you, His own.
This is who God is. Unpack His Name, and what you get is the promise of the Cross. Jesus will carry all of your sin to its logical conclusion for you. He, not you, will be disowned by God when He suffers and dies for you on the Cross. His sacrifice now defines you before God. You are holy. You are forgiven. You are redeemed, for God's faithfulness will always be greater than your sin.
Like we often do, Moses wanted to pry deeper into the mysteries of God. But as with Moses, God simply tells you the mystery that you need to know. He points you to your Baptism, where with His Name God promises you the daily cleansing and mercy of Jesus' Cross. He sends you pastors to absolve you and to preach Christ crucified to you. He even gives you Jesus' Body and Blood at the Holy Supper, "for you, for the forgiveness of sins."
And the only mystery you need to know is known: God's faithfulness is your joy, your confidence before God. Because God's continued faithfulness to the Cross and its promise is, and always will be, your salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Jesus has come as the mighty Redeemer. See now the threatening strong one disarmed! Jesus breaks down all the walls of death's fortress, Brings forth the pris'ners triumphant, unharmed. Satan, you wicked one, own now your master! Jesus has come! He, the mighty Redeemer! ("Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure" LSB 533, st.1)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Luke 10:1-9
Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 2:1-3:10;Romans 15:1-13
"And say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'" (Luke 10:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Has come near" does not capture the full sense of the word that Jesus uses. "Has arrived" or "is present" says it better. It's what Jesus is telling His early "pastors" to teach and preach in His Name. Every leper cleansed, every sick person healed, every blind eye and deaf ear opened was a sermon in itself that said, "God and sinners are reconciled, now, in Jesus." Sins are forgiven. Judgments erased. Death defeated. Lives restored. Eternity promised.
Glad tidings to all, even to Titus who, unlike Paul and Timothy, was a Gentile. He was from Greece which, according to Jewish tradition, made him part of the "70 nation" world that surrounded Israel. By sending out the 72, Jesus is showing us that it really is the whole world God is embracing in His Son (John 3:16).
A co-worker of Paul's and friend to Timothy, Pastor Titus was now preaching and defending this kingdom's Gospel from the pulpit (Titus 1:3,9), the font (Titus 3:4-7), and the altar (Titus 3:10, 15). And the kingdom's Gospel is this: The kingdom isn't just near to us in these places. It is with us in these places. For Jesus is promised to us, is with us today, in these places.
"Peace be to this house!" (Luke 10:5) That's the kingdom's embrace you are promised at the font in Holy Baptism. It's the Jesus you hear from your pastor in every Absolution and sermon he speaks. It's the peace given you at the Supper with Jesus' Body and Blood, "for you, for the forgiveness of sins."
No matter the trial or burden you are facing, then, or the sin you must own up to, God is not rejecting you by sending you Jesus. He is owning you. He is claiming you. He is forgiving and embracing and reconciling you to Himself, setting you free from all your sin and from all your trials. And promising you a Day, even an eternity, to prove that to you. A forever Father in heaven who will never let go.
That's peace. And it's not just "near to you" with Jesus. It's with you, with Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You called Titus to the work of pastor and teacher. Make all shepherds of Your flock diligent in preaching Your holy Word so that the whole world may know the immeasurable riches of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Acts 9:1-22
Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 1:1-21;Romans 14:1-23
"Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine." (Acts 9:15a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord has a funny way of choosing, doesn't He? He finds an unbeliever, His harshest critic, His biggest enemy, an infamous persecutor. And says, "Here's my guy!" On what basis does God choose us? Certainly not on the basis of the Law and its works.
No, God does not choose you because you love or believe in Jesus, any more than He chose Paul that way. Yes, you do love and believe in Jesus. But as with Paul, that doesn't come first. Jesus comes first. Jesus always comes first. And second. And third. And last.
Don't look at it as though you are saved because you love Jesus. You love Jesus because you are saved. It's the same with believing. You're not saved because you believe. You believe because you are saved. You don't come first. Or second. Or third. Or at all in the matter of salvation. Only Jesus does.
Think Jesus, then. Think the Cross. Think Baptism. Think the preaching of the Gospel. Think the Holy Supper. Leave you, the sinner, out of it, because it is not at all on the basis of the law and its righteousness that God chooses for you. It's all by His grace (Romans 3:23-24), by His love (1 John 4:10, 19), by His choosing (John 15:16).
When Paul was baptized, "Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes" (Acts 9:18). Smile at that. For while it is debatable whether Paul ever regained his physical eyesight (Galatians 4:15), he now had the converted and clear eyes of faith. God chooses us, chooses Paul, chooses you, chooses me, chooses sinners now, because of Jesus. And only because of Jesus.
"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost" (1 Timothy 1:15). Those are Paul's words to Timothy and to us. They remind us that it's all Jesus. Always Jesus. Only Jesus. That there is no surer ground for us, no surer confidence before God, than Jesus. Only Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You turned the heart of him who persecuted the Church and by his preaching caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world. Grant us ever to rejoice in the saving light of Your Gospel and, following the example of the apostle Paul, to spread it to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Conversion of St. Paul)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: 1 Timothy 6:11-16
Daily Lectionary: Joel 3:1-21;Romans 12:14-13:14
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called. (1 Timothy 6:15a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Flee. . . pursue. . . fight." With such language, you might think Paul is talking about kickboxers in an octagon or wrestlers at WrestleMania. No. He's talking about that fighter in the pulpit, your pastor. Yes, your pastor is a fighter, too. Why? Because he's just like you. Let me explain.
Like you, your pastor struggles every day with doubt and despair over and against the promises of God. "Am I forgiven?" "Am I His?" "Does God care?" "Can I trust, in spite of everything I know, that I am holy and righteous in His sight, His child, an heir to eternal life?" Believe it or not, your pastor is a lot like you.
But as your pastor, your pastor also knows that a happy answer can never be found in us (Romans 7:18), in our prayers (Romans 8:26), our works (Isaiah 64:6), our choosing (John 15:16), our love (1 John 4:10), our desire, or anything else that is ours (Romans 9:16). The answer lies outside of us, in Jesus.
That is what makes the faith worth fighting for. The faith is not about some Jesus in us, but about the Jesus who is outside of us. The Jesus for us on the Cross. The Jesus for us in the water. The Jesus for us in the Word. The Jesus for us in the Supper. For this is the Jesus who saves, who brings us to the Father holy and righteous. This is the Jesus who calls us to faith, and keeps us there (2 Corinthians 13:5). Not the Jesus in us, but the Jesus for us.
Does God care? Am I forgiven? Holy and righteous in His sight? An heir to eternal life? Don't listen to your heart. Listen to the faith, for Baptism, the Absolution, and preaching of the Gospel, and the Supper all say, "Yes!"
That is the faith every pastor should be fighting for. And today, we give thanks to God for Timothy and for all pastors fighting "the good fight of the faith." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, You have always given to Your church on earth faithful shepherds such as Timothy to guide and feed Your flock. Make all pastors diligent to preach Your holy Word and administer Your means of grace, and grant Your people wisdom to follow in the way that leads to life eternal; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.(Collect for St. Timothy, Pastor and Confessor)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Matthew 8:1-13
Daily Lectionary: Joel 2:18-32; Romans 11:25-12:13
"I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 8:11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A great theme during the Epiphany season is that the Gospel is for everyone. It's why we sing, "Joy to the World." Not just to some, but to the world. No one is right with God because they are different somehow, or better than others. Not even you. You're not in with the Almighty because you responded the right way and met all of God's promises with faith. Or because you have this work or virtue in you that sets you apart from others and declares you to be God's child.
No. Jesus would rather we identify with the leper at His feet who, because of his present condition, has no claim at all on God. His only hope is that God lays claim on him through Jesus, no matter what. Jesus would want us to identify with the centurion who also knew how unworthy he was. "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed" (Matthew 8:8).
Faith does not say, "Look at me, God. I've got what it takes." Faith knows it has no merit, no value or worth of its own to count on. It's why faith says, "Look at Jesus, God. He's all I have to count on. In fact, He's Your claim on me, God. Your promise of love and forgiveness for me, no matter what." As rare as that may seem, Jesus calls that faith.
Are you concerned that there's nothing in you, from you, about you--no quality, virtue, or work--that sets you apart from the damned, that gets you in with God or qualifies you for His forgiveness and favor? Fear not. For under orders from God in heaven to bring His goodness and mercy to all on earth, Jesus is God's favor on you. He is God's claim on you. "Joy to the World."
Don't let anyone tell you faith means anything less--as if faith isn't so great. Faith does not mean the leper, the centurion, or you. It just means Jesus. How great is that? Like I said, a great theme of the Epiphany season is that the Gospel is for everyone. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities and stretch forth the hand of Your majesty to heal and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Introit for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany (Psalm 97:1, 10-12; antiphon: v.6, 9)
Daily Lectionary: Joel 2:1-17;Romans 11:1-24
For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad. (From the Introit for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I have a friend who had asthma as a child. He tells how, when he would suffer an attack in the middle of the night, his father would convert one of their bathrooms into a steam room by turning on a hot shower and closing the door. He would then hold him in his arms and gently rock him while saying, "Breathe." "That always helped," my friend says. "After that, I would always breathe a little easier."
With all that is going on in the world today, it's easy to start thinking that you're suffocating. By pointing to Jesus, tomorrow's Introit encourages you to breathe. Everything is under control--His control. That's what it means for Jesus to be at God's right hand. That's theology, not geography. Politicians and armies do not rule. Plagues and viruses are not in control. Mother Nature does not reign. Nor does fate. Chance. The devil. Or anyone or anything else. Only Jesus does. Breathe.
Even sin, our own sin, including the unbelief that whispers, "God is not in control!" does not rule. Seeing all of our unbelief and sin from the moment we were conceived to our final breath, God put it all on Jesus when Jesus died on the Cross for us. You are forgiven everything. You stand before God, now, holy and righteous, His child. And God will not allow anything in all creation to end in the suffocating of His holy and righteous children (Romans 8:28).
"Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name" (Psalm 97:12). In other words, "Breathe." Live in the glad confidence that Jesus is always with you. He is not gone. He just hides His power sometimes behind this world's trials and troubles (Isaiah 45:15). But He's still there. And you are still baptized. Still absolved. Tomorrow you will hear again the promise that by the Cross of Christ God still declares you His concern, His righteous child. You will even eat and drink the Body and the Blood, "for you, for the forgiveness of sins." And though everything around you changes, God's promises never will. Breathe. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest upon His unchanging grace; In ev'ry high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand. ("My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less" LSB 575, st.2)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Daily Lectionary: Joel 1:1-20; Romans 10:1-21
Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. . . .Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. (Joel 1:13-14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As the people of God gather today, the minister still takes the lead: "O almighty God, merciful Father." The rest of God's children then join in the cry, "I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment" (LSB, p.184).
With the prophet, we, too, know that there's no point digging in our heels. While there may be no direct correlation between our sin and the trials and troubles we face in life (think Job), the trials and troubles we do face could never hold a candle to the trials and troubles, both "temporal and eternal," our sins say we deserve.
The proper response among God's people to any trial, or to the locust plague Joel writes about today is not, "Why me, God?" As Luther's first of 95 theses teaches, "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, 'Repent,' He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance." In other words, the proper response is, "Thank You, God, for not giving me what I truly deserve, what my sins rightly merit. Thank You for giving all of that instead to Jesus, on the Cross, for me. And thank You for all the blessings You do give me."
You will never find such faith by looking within. It's not born by mulling over your own subjective experiences. It is born of the Gospel. That is, it is given by God Himself every day in the water and promise of Baptism. By God as your pastor absolves you and preaches the Gospel to you. By God with Jesus' Body and Blood, "for you, for the forgiveness of sins." Faith is yours as the Gospel is yours.
As the Gospel promises, everything that is yours belongs to the Cross now, and everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to you, now. There's your faith. Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
My soul, now praise your Maker! Let all within me bless His name Who makes you full partaker Of mercies more than you dare claim. Forget Him now whose meekness Still bears with all your sin, Who heals your every weakness, Renews your life within; Whose grace and care our endless And saved you through the past; Who leaves no suff'rer friendless But rights the wrong at last. ("My Soul, Now Praise Your Maker" LSB 820, st.1)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Pastor-psychiatrist duo Rev. A. Trevor Sutton and Dr. Brian Smith have teamed up to help you evaluate your technology use through a Christian perspective. Learn how to form healthy, faithful technology habits with Jesus at the center. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
Today's Reading: Romans 12:6-16
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 47:1-14, 21-23;Romans 9:19-33
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty. (Romans 12:15-16a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. COVID. Mask mandates. Vaccinations. Earthquakes. Fires. Hurricanes. The Taliban. Afghanistan. Wars. Rumors of wars. Critical Race Theory. The border. China. Russia. Defund the police. Cyberattacks. Global warming. I could say, it's all going according to plan (Matthew 24:6-14). Still, there's enough fear going around, it can get anyone lost inside themselves.
What to do? Here's what to do: Listen to your pastor. Listen as he speaks the words of Holy Absolution to you. Those words were purchased for you by Jesus' death for you on the Cross. Listen as he preaches the Gospel to you. Jesus was crucified for you, erasing the distance between you and God. Listen as he points you to your Baptism, where Jesus daily preserves your status before God as holy and righteous. Listen as he brings you the Body and Blood and says, "For you, for the forgiveness of sins." Pray the liturgy. Sing the hymns. Go home again with the peace of God given you in the Benediction.
Your heavenly Father never asks you to pick yourself up by your own bootstraps. He knows you can't. He knows you are a child. But He also knows you are His child. It's what the Gospel is for. It's why God not only gives you the Gospel, but also leaves the Gospel with you. The Gospel is not only for eternal life, it's for this life as well.
For with the Gospel, God not only frees and brings you to Himself, He frees and brings you to your neighbor. That's what Paul is writing about today. Let God play the role of God, while you play the role of neighbor. He's got this. With those who rejoice, rejoice. With those who weep, weep. He's got this. With those who fear, point to the hope God has promised all of us in Jesus. He's got this. Abhor evil and cling to the good. He's got this. In tribulation, be patient. And pray. He's got this. Bless, don't curse. He's got this. Find a way to outdo others in showing love and honor to all. He's got this.
And, best of all, through thick and thin, He's got you, too. That's the promise of the Gospel. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Christ, our human likeness sharing, Heaven's love on earth portrayed; Christ, the Shepherd, tending, caring, In His death our ransom paid: Christ, the Savior, Christ the Servant, Be your love in us displayed. ("Christ, Our Human Likeness Sharing" LSB 847, st.1)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Table of Duties, To Widows
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 44:1-16, 23-29; Romans 9:1-18
The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. (1 Timothy 5:5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. At the time of Luther, the church was saying that there were works to get to, super-duper good works, in order for you to be declared good in God's sight. Pray the rosary so many times each day. Pray to the saints. Join a monastery. Put enough money in the offering plate to make God Himself take notice. Do the penance prescribed by the priest. Make a pilgrimage to Rome. On and on went such lists.
And if all you did was go to work, change diapers, wipe noses, raise a family, provide for your children, bear with the sins of others? You were never going to be declared good enough in God's sight. Not in this life, anyways. Make it to purgatory by being at least "good enough" in the eyes of the church, and your sufferings there would do for you what Jesus' Cross here never could, according to that teaching: declare you, a sinner, holy and righteous in God's sight.
Luther knew better. The Gospel taught him better. Jesus' death for the sins of the whole world has already declared you good in God's sight. Righteous. His child. An heir of Paradise. There are no works, ordinary or super-duper, for you to get to in order for those declarations to be true for you now. Jesus' death upon the Cross for you makes that true for you now. His Word promises it to you. Your Baptism seals it for you. The Supper celebrates it for you.
And that makes even the most ordinary works you do extraordinary now in God's sight. Even just a prayer? Yes. For by the death of His Son for you upon the Cross, God has you so wrapped up in His redeeming love that there is never a moment now when He isn't delighting in you. Even if "all" you can muster is a quick prayer. Or a diaper change. Even then. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Sin, disturb my soul no longer; I am baptized into Christ! I have comfort even stronger: Jesus' cleansing sacrifice. Should a guilty conscience seize me Since my baptism did release me In a dear forgiving flood, Sprinkling me with Jesus' blood?
Satan, hear this proclamation: I am baptized into Christ! Drop your ugly accusation, I am not so soon enticed. Now that to the font I've traveled, All your might has come unraveled, And, against your tyranny, God, my Lord, unites with Me! ("God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It" LSB 594, st.2-3)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Mark 8:27-9:1
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 40:1-4; 43:1-12;Romans 8:18-39
And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." (Mark 8:29)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Peter properly says, "You are the Christ" (Mark 8:29). But because man is always trying to squash Jesus into his own scheme of things, Jesus "strictly charged them to tell no one about him" (Mark 8:30). Jesus would tell us about Himself and what it means for Him to be the Christ for us. And what a telling it is. "And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected. . . and be killed, and after three days rise again" (Mark 8:31).
Man thinks he can save himself. Jesus thinks man must get out of the way. "For whoever would save his life will lose it" (Mark 8:35). Man thinks he can give his own death in return for his life. Jesus responds, "What can a man give in return for his life?" (Mark 8:37) With his mind set "on the things of man" (Mark 8:33), what is Peter thinking? That a faith trusting its own work and merit is how best to follow Jesus? At the very least, Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34).
Nobody really wants to be ashamed of herself and her own righteousness. What we must all learn, however, is that such a cross, or such despair of self, is actually godly and wholesome. It frees us to abandon our confidence in ourselves and trust in Jesus alone. Not cheerleader Jesus. Dead Jesus. Risen Jesus. Not life-coach Jesus. Word Jesus. Water Jesus. Supper Jesus. The Jesus who takes the fruit and promise of His Cross and gives it to us as our own. Who would even bark, "Get behind Me, Satan!" to any voice trying to get in the way of His going to the Cross for us.
No, you are not the source of your confidence before God. Jesus is. The "FOR YOU" Jesus whom God sends for Peter and you. The beaten, dead, and risen Jesus. These are the things of God. And they are for Peter. And they are for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, You revealed to the apostle Peter the blessed truth that Your Son Jesus is the Christ. Strengthen us by the proclamation of this truth that we too may joyfully confess that there is salvation in no one else; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for the Confession of St. Peter)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Ezekiel 33:12-23
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 39:1-10, 17-29;Romans 7:21-8:17
Yet you have said, "I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight." (Exodus 33:12b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How do you know that you've found favor with God? When you're popular and everyone likes you? What if they don't, and even friends betray you? Is it when you are healthy and strong? What about when you are sick and weak? Is it when you are rich? What if you are poor? How do you really know you have found favor with God?
Beware of the devil's preachers. They love pointing away from the Cross. Rather than teaching you to hide yourself in the promise of Jesus and His sacrifice for you on the Cross, they teach you to ignore all that and instead to look at yourself and your circumstances. After all, they know the plans God has for you--that you will be popular, liked by all, healthy, strong, and rich in this life. Fall for that, and you will end up hating God when those plans don't work out.
Remember, Moses was a sinner, a murderer, even. Yet Moses found favor with God. Look at Moses and his circumstances, and you'd never believe it--sinner that he was, exiled from his homeland, wandering around in the wilderness for 40 years, not even being allowed to enter the Promised Land. But don't look there anymore than you would look at yourself or your circumstances to see if you have God's favor or not.
Instead, like Moses, listen to God's promises to you. "I know you by name" (Exodus 33:12). That's the promise God makes to you every day in Baptism, tying you to the promise of Jesus' sacrifice for you on the Cross. "My presence will go with you" (Exodus 33:14). That's the promise God makes with Jesus' Body and Blood at the Supper, "for you, for the forgiveness of sins." "And I will give you rest" (Exodus 33:14) is the promise God makes with you in every Absolution and sermon you hear from your pastor.
How do you know that you've found favor with God? Hide yourself! Hide yourself in Jesus. All eyes on His Cross. Because whatever your circumstances, Jesus' death declares you to be holy to God, His child, an heir to eternal life. That's the favor God has promised you in this life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy riven side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure: Cleanse me from its guilt and pow'r. ("Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me" LSB 761, st.1)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 2:1-11
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 38:1-23;Romans 7:1-20
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. (John 2:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus could have chosen anywhere for His first miracle. The Jordan River or the Red Sea. A cemetery or hospital. The temple in Jerusalem. The wilderness or some mountain top. But Jesus chooses a wedding where a man and a woman are brought together and declared one.
You say you and God are like Mars and Venus? Or maybe oil and water? You don't mix? You're always questioning God? Doubting His Word? Convinced someone, or something else, is in control? You don't fear God's threats or trust His promises like you should? You are often unfaithful in your calling as a son, daughter, student, or neighbor? At times you are even angry at God? Well, you are no different than I am, then.
Good News, fellow Martian: Just like Jesus' birth, just like Jesus' death, just like Jesus' Resurrection, and ascension, and Word, and water, and Supper, Jesus' first miracle promises you that you and God are together, now and forever. Declared to be at one with each other, in Jesus.
For all that Mars and Venus, or oil and water business? Yeah, God knows all about the unbelief and sin in us that separates us from Him. That makes us all damnable sinners in His sight. But here's the Good News: God put that on Jesus when Jesus went to the Cross for you. He became the Martian, the sinner, the "you" for you. And His blood now covers it all.
And to teach you to trust this Good News, Jesus adds His Word to water in Baptism today, preserving your union with God as holy and pure. All God sees when He looks at you now, in Jesus, is His blameless and righteous child. Jesus even adds His Word to bread and wine, making sure the wedding feast continues at the Supper: "Take, eat; take, drink; My Body, My Blood, for you, for the forgiveness of sins."
Sounded crazy when Mary told the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." But it worked out well for everyone, didn't it? It will for you, too, as Jesus tells you with His first miracle. "Fear not. Trust Me. You and God are one now, in Me. Together now, forever." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, who governs all things in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the prayers of Your people and grant us Your peace through all our days; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany (Psalm 66:1-5, 20; antiphon: Psalm 66:4; 92:1)
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 37:15-28;Romans 6:1-23
All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name. (From the Introit for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Tomorrow's Introit calls out at four times the promise of the Gospel, that "all the earth" is included at the Cross, that "all the earth" has been scooped up by God and reconciled to Him by the blood Jesus shed for all upon the Cross, and that "all the earth" belongs to its rightful Maker again--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
"Come and see what God has done" (Isaiah 66:5). That is the essence of true worship. God does not want to be worshipped by our showing Him works in exchange for His love. All we can offer God, even with our "righteous deeds," are sins (Isaiah 64:6). That's a harsh judgment, not shared at all by the world around us. Nevertheless, it is the judgment of God's holy Law (Romans 3:23).
God wants to be worshipped by your seeing and receiving the works He does for you. He sent Jesus to the Cross for you, with all your sins. Jesus died for you, for all your sins. Jesus rose for you, with all of your sins answered for in His death for you upon the Cross. Now Jesus comes to you in His Word, in His water, and at His Supper with all the promise and blessing of His Cross, declaring you holy in God's sight, His child, an heir to eternal life.
And while it may seem a huge overstatement when tomorrow's Introit cries out, "All the earth worships you and sings praises to you," don't be fooled by what you see all around you. I know, it doesn't look that way and it seems that God has been left out of the picture. But you and I also know this: "All the earth" is included at the Cross, has been scooped up by God and reconciled by the blood Jesus shed for it, and it belongs to its rightful Maker again. That means even the craziness and evil of this world must, and will, serve only the plans and purposes of your heavenly Father. What Gospel! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The world's remotest races, Upon whose weary faces The Sun looks from the sky, Shall run with zeal untiring, With joy Your light desiring That breaks upon them from on high. Lift up your eyes in wonder—See, nations gather yonder From sin to be set free. The world has heard Your story; Her sons come to Your glory; Her daughters haste Your light to see. ("Arise and Shine in Splendor" LSB 396, st. 3-4)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 2:41-52
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 36:33-37:14; Romans 5:1-21
And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. (Luke 2:51)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Stunning. The One who gave the Law places Himself under the Law, even under the Fourth Commandment. Why? For you, "to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive the adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:5). That's the promise you received in your Baptism (Galatians 3:27).
Stunning. Jesus places Himself under the Law to do for us what we cannot, and will not, do for ourselves (Romans 8:7). He will honor His father and mother. He will obey them. He will be submissive to them. He will keep the Fourth Commandment, and all the other commandments, perfectly. He will live His life in such a way that His own Law could never accuse or condemn Him.
And yet, it did. For you. Stunning. For 12-year-old Jesus would one day take His life and sacrifice it for you on the Cross. It's where the Passover sacrifices in the temple were all pointing--to Jesus, to His Cross, to the sacrifice by which you at age 12, and every age before and every age after, are reconciled to God, and promised your spot in the Father's house. In the place of sacrifice at age 12, Jesus was already thinking about you.
And Jesus still is thinking about you. In Baptism, Jesus washes you every day with the promise of His Cross. In the Absolution and sermons you hear from your pastor, He is still speaking His sacrifice over you. And at the Supper, with His Body and Blood, Jesus still makes sure that when His Father looks at you, all He sees is another Law keeper: "for you, for the forgiveness of sins." Stunning.
And while you may feel like beating yourself up for the times you have been the cause of your parents' distress, take comfort in knowing even Jesus' parents were once distressed over Him. If Jesus could be so misunderstood, don't be surprised that you can be, too. Remember that God has already declared you holy and His, because of Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Within the Father's house The Son has found His home, And to His temple suddenly The Lord of life has come. Lord, visit Thou our souls And teach us by Thy grace Each dim revealing of Thyself With loving awe to trace Till we behold Thy face And know as we are known Thee Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Coequal Three in One. ("Within the Father's House" LSB 410, st.1, 5-6)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Joshua 3:1-3, 7-8, 13-17
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 36:13-28; Romans 4:1-25
Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan. (Joshua 3:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever asked yourself, "Why is my Bible so heavy?" Jesus. That's why. The Holy Spirit just can't contain Himself. He keeps putting Jesus here and there. Out in the open. Under every branch and leaf. Again and again, verse after verse, you will find Jesus.
Our reading begins, "Then Joshua rose early in the morning" (Joshua 3:1). Why do we need to know when Joshua rose? Think Jesus. For Jesus, Joshua's New Testament namesake, also rose early one important morning--the morning that He led us across the river we call death by dying for us, our death, on the Cross.
We are told that "at the end of three days" they sent officers throughout the camp (Joshua 3:2). Why do we need to know it was "after three days"? Again, think Jesus. For it was on "the third day" (Luke 24:7) that Jesus rose from the dead for us, forever sending the bright beams of resurrection life throughout the camp of all the baptized.
In the beginning, middle, and end of our reading we get the phrases "passed over" (Joshua 3:1, 16), "pass over" (v.14), and "passing over" (v.17). Again, think Jesus. For with all your sin on the Cross, God's wrath has nowhere else to land but upon Jesus. God's wrath passed, is passing, and will forever pass over you now.
Your Bible is so heavy because the Holy Spirit can't help Himself. He can't stop talking about Jesus. He wants you to hear that Jesus is the "dry ground" your Baptism promises will be under your feet every day. That Jesus is the "dry ground" God puts under you with every Absolution and sermon you hear from your pastor. That Jesus' Body and Blood, given you at His Supper, is the "dry ground" upon which you have already crossed, and will always cross, the muddy Jordan, untouched by its death (John 6:54).
Our Joshua has arrived. And like Joshua of old, our Joshua will safely lead us across the Jordan into the Promised Land of eternal life. It's why God sends Jesus. It's why your Bible is so heavy. For you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Come you faithful, raise the strain Of triumphant gladness! God has brought His Israel Into joy from sadness, Loosed from Pharaoh's bitter yoke Jacob's sons and daughters, Led them with unmoistened foot Through the Red Sea waters. ("Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain" LSB 487, st.1)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Table of Duties, To Youth
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 34:1-24; Romans 3:19-31
Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. (1 Peter 5:5-6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Under the discipline of "those who are older," God's hand can seem quite mighty at times. Add to that the burden and pressure of all the other things life throws at you, and that hand seems even mightier.
Through it all, trust that hand. It bears you no harm at all. God's hand poured out all its harm on Jesus when Jesus humbled Himself and carried your sin to the Cross for you (Philippians 2:4-11). All that is left in God's hand, now, is forgiveness and love for you.
Through it all, then, trust that hand. God is training you as a Father (Hebrews 12:7-11) to live each day according to His promises, not according to your surroundings. He's teaching you to find meaning and life not in what could be, but in what actually is. God is disciplining you, as His child, so that you learn to find courage and strength not in your circumstances, but in His Word alone. What has He spoken to you in His Word? What has He promised you?
Jesus. That's What. That's Who. Jesus on the Cross for you. Jesus in Baptism for you. Jesus in Absolution and sermons for you. Jesus in the Supper for you. Jesus on the Last Day for you. Jesus, to forgive and to save you all the way through.
It's okay not to be the one in charge, because the One in charge is God Himself. He's the maestro. We are the orchestra, His masterpiece. I know. Sometimes, you don't like the sound of the music. I get that. He gets that, too.
But, don't ever forget this: By sending Jesus to the Cross for us, God has reconciled the entire band to Himself. And that includes you. God knows where you are. He put you there. He knows what you are going through. He's there with you. Give it time. For the time will come when God raises you up to see that His goodness and mercy were always there. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
What God ordains is always good: He is my friend and Father; He suffers naught to do me harm Though many storms may gather. Now I may know both joy and woe; Someday I shall see clearly That He has loved me dearly. ("What God Ordains Is Always Good" LSB 760, st.4)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading:1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 33:1-20; Romans 3:1-18
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. (1 Corinthians 1:26)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How insulting. Imagine your pastor walking out on Sunday morning and addressing your congregation like Paul addresses the Corinthians here, going so far as to call the majority "foolish," "weak," "low and despised," and even "not noble" (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). How rude. Right?
The story is as old as Cain and Abel. You can read in Genesis about the accomplishments of their families. Cain's has all the high achievers. Earth is clearly their home. Abel's? It's as if his people are pilgrims here, strangers and aliens. Their thoughts seem to be elsewhere.
With his offering, Cain was shocked when God didn't recognize his amazingness. In contrast, Abel trusted that God would remember the coming sacrifice of His Son on the Cross for the sins of the whole world, including his own. Heaven is clearly his home.
There is a Cain in all of us, sticking his chest out, imagining that God's got the best pickup team of all time since he has us on His side. The old Adam within doesn't always have a tail and a pitchfork. Sometimes he sports a halo and wears a crown.
Repent of that Cain within. And repenting, hear the promise and joy of the Gospel again: "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).
Not because of you, but because of God--His doing, His water, His Word, and His Supper--you are in Jesus now. That is, you are in God's wisdom now, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. You are saved not by the aid or help of grace, but entirely by grace. Insulting? Sure. But for the "foolish," the "low and despised," who have only sins to offer God? What good news!
Luther says he needs to hear the Gospel every day, because he forgets the Gospel every day. Great confession! Because it's not our smarts, our grip, or anything about us that saves us. It's all God. It's all grace. It's all Jesus. Call that our shame, fine. We call it our boast. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Thy works, not mine, O Christ, Speak gladness to this heart; They tell me all is done, They bid my fear depart. To whom save Thee, Who canst alone For sin atone, Lord shall I flee? ("Thy Works, Not Mine, O Christ" LSB 565, st.1)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Isaiah 42:1-7
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-32; Romans 2:17-29
"I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness." (Isaiah 42:6-7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What if I told you that God has a picture of you on His refrigerator in heaven and it makes Him smile every time He passes by it? What if I told you that God sees no sin at all in your past that diminishes that smile? That you are completely holy and righteous in His sight, even right now? What if I told you that God promises you nothing will change His mind about you tomorrow, that this same judgment will be yours all the way through to the Last Day and beyond?
I know. "That's not true for me," you say, "because you don't know me." At least, not like God does, right? Well, that's my loss, not God's. Because here's what you're forgetting: God promises never to deal with you apart from the prism and promise of Calvary. That's the promise He made to the whole world the day Jesus suffered and died for us on the Cross. It's the promise He made with you personally the day you were baptized. And it's the promise He keeps putting into your ears with every Absolution and sermon you hear from your pastor and every time He prepares His Table before you with Jesus' Body and Blood. "For you, for the forgiveness of sins."
You are the prisoner whom Jesus sets free every day, from every sin. You are the one Jesus brings forth from the darkness. Your blind eyes are the eyes God opens by making Jesus His forever promise to you.
And even if you are "a bruised reed" right now, or a "faintly burning wick," God always promises you Jesus: He's got this, now. He's got you, now. And He's never letting go.
That's the covenant, the promise, that God makes with you in Jesus. And He's not at all discouraged about it. It's why, because of Jesus, He smiles every time He passes His refrigerator. Your face is on it, after all. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand; I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light. Take my hand, precious Lord; lead me home. ("Precious Lord, Take My Hand" LSB 739, st.1)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Matthew 3:13-17
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-32; Romans 2:17-29
John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" (Matthew 3:14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John thinks man should be the confidence of his own life before God. Jesus thinks He should be. John thinks if there is to be forgiveness, it must be because of our own works. Thinking from above, Jesus knows that if there is to be forgiveness, it must be up to His works. It's why Jesus is baptized today.
And John does not say, "We were beginning to wonder about you, Jesus, and whose side You are on. Thanks for clearing that up for us." Jesus knows that Baptism is not something we do for God, but something God does for us. It's for the forgiveness of sins. It's why John balks at the thought of baptizing Jesus.
But Jesus is baptized because God sent Jesus for us, to be our righteousness for us. It is why Jesus answers, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15). Jesus will sacrifice His own sinless life for you on the Cross. It's why He places Himself into the water, today. For you. For in the water, Baptism washes Jesus and all His righteousness onto you as it washes you and all your sin onto Him.
That means, if heaven stands open to Jesus at His Baptism, it stands open now to you at yours. It means that as the Spirit descends and remains on Jesus, and the Father smiles and says, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," these same treasures belong to you in your Baptism.
So, when sin gets the better of you, and you don't measure up, and you wish you were a better Christian, make the sign of the Cross and remember your Baptism into Christ. You are not your own confidence before God. You are not your own righteousness with God. Jesus is, for you.
And guess what? God can't imagine a better righteousness than that. So smile. Your Baptism promises that God is always smiling on you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Father in heaven, at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River You proclaimed Him Your beloved Son and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized in His name faithful in their calling as Your children and inheritors with Him of everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for the Baptism of our Lord)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Baptism of Our Lord (Psalm 89:1, 26-28; antiphon: Liturgical Text; Psalm 89:20)
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 3:12-27; Romans 2:1-16
I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. (From the Introit for the Baptism of Our Lord)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday came the happy cry, "Arise, shine, for. . . the glory of the LORD has risen upon you" (Isaiah 60:1). That's because for God's children there is always much to do every day: learning to confess our own sins, trusting the promise of Jesus' Cross in our Baptism, in His Word, and at His Supper, helping to lighten the load a little for those around us with the good works we can do for them.
And before we even give a thought to any of it, God has already declared all of it, and you, holy in His sight. "Arise, shine, for. . . the glory of the LORD has risen upon you!"
This is why, like tomorrow's psalmist, the baptized will gather in the house of the Lord and sing not of their steadfast love, but of God's. In the liturgy, the hymns, and the prayers, our mouths will echo the forgiveness and the salvation God has spoken to us in the Absolution, preached to us in the sermon, and delivered to us at the Supper. Like tomorrow's psalmist, the baptized will confess that it is the forever faithfulness of God that makes Jesus "the Rock" of our salvation (Psalm 89:26).
The psalm from tomorrow's Introit is all about Jesus. "He shall cry to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation'" (Psalm 89:26). Hear Jesus crying this for you, as He is conceived and born for you. Hear Him crying it, for you, as He lives for you and as He suffers and dies for you. Hear Jesus crying this for you as He rises from the dead for you and ascends "to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God" (John 20:17). Hear this cry every day in your Baptism. Hear it tomorrow in the Invocation, in the Absolution and sermon, in the Supper and Benediction. For this cry is now your cry, too. From Jesus' lips to yours lips, all the way to the Father's ears.
And because the Father always hears Jesus, rest assured, He always hears you, especially when it's the words of Jesus that are on your lips. It's the promise of the Gospel. "You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation (Psalm 89:26). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Take my voice and let me sing Always, only for my King; Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from Thee. ("Take My Life and Let It Be" LSB 783, st.3)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 1:1-14, 22-28; Romans 1:1-17
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Up and at 'em!" my father would call out from the doorway as I tried desperately to catch a few more Zs. But Dad wasn't having it. It was Saturday. There were chores to do. Things that needed to be done. "Up and at 'em!" came the cry, at the crack of noon.
For years, I wondered what in the world "Adam" had to do with Saturday mornings. I didn't realize, until years later, Dad was saying "at 'em," not "Adam." Still, with a grin on his face, born no doubt more of the pain on mine than over any confusion over who "Adam" might be, Dad cried out, "Up and at 'em!" Sometimes it was just, "Rise, and shine!" Either way, I was nowhere near ready to rise and "whatever," especially on Saturdays. "Come on, Dad. There's nothing in me, from me, about me that wants to. Can't you just leave me alone, Dad? At least until I feel more like being at 'em or rising and shining"?
Dad didn't cry out to me because he knew how bright and cheery I was, especially on Saturdays, but because he knew, even then, that I was his. It's the same with God in today's reading from Isaiah. He knows our sin, and all the darkness and burden our sin, and the sin of the world, has brought. He also knows there is nothing in us, from us, or about us that wants to "rise and shine." But He also knows that we're His, now, no matter what, because that's the promise of the Gospel.
That's the promise of Jesus' sacrifice for you on the Cross. It's the promise Jesus washes onto you every day in your Baptism, speaks to you through your pastor every Sunday, and feeds you with at His Supper. God will even claim you again with Jesus on the Last Day.
So for now? You got it. "Up and at 'em!" For you are not your own light anymore. You are not your own righteousness, or hope, or brightness, or anything else with God. Jesus is. Jesus always is. And that's mighty Good News, especially on those "Saturdays." "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Arise and shine in splendor, Let night to day surrender. Your light is drawing near. Above, the day is beaming, In matchless beauty gleaming; The glory of the Lord is here. ("Arise and Shine in Splendor" LSB 396, st.1)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Matthew 2:1-12
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 66:1-20; Luke 3:21-38
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. (Matthew 2:10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Why not rejoice with "exceedingly great joy"? Though they came from so far away, the wise men were certainly included in the angelic announcement made at Jesus' birth: "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11).
Rejoice, all of them. And, rejoice, you, too. For God scoops you up with the birth of His Son and includes you, too, in that promise. Here, in this Child, is God's answer to all of your sin, whoever you are. Here, Jesus, is God's answer to your own unbelief. Here is God's answer to all the darkness and misery of yesterday's, today's, and tomorrow's sin and unbelief. For here, in Jesus, is the Good Shepherd who "lays down His life for the sheep" (John 10:11) that they, the wandering and unimpressive, now have eternal life.
It's no ordinary joy, then, that God splashes onto you every day in your Baptism. It's "exceedingly great joy." It's Jesus joy. Jesus is born to live for you, perfect faith in God and perfect love for neighbor, He not only sacrifices for you on the Cross, He now washes it over you every day in your Baptism. Your past? Holy in God's sight. Your present? Holy. Your tomorrow? Holy. Your last day? You guessed it--holy now in God's sight. So great is this joy.
No, this is no ordinary joy. It is exceedingly great joy. So great, God gives you a pastor to deliver it to you every Sunday in the Absolution and in the preaching of the Gospel. So great, God even prepares a Table of this joy with Jesus' own Body and Blood, "for you, for the forgiveness of sins."
No matter the distance, then, no matter how far away you feel from God, the star, the wise men, the Cross, and the Word, water, and Supper of Jesus all announce: "Fear not. The promise is for you, too. Always for you, too." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, by the leading of a star You made known Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles. Lead us, who know You by faith, to enjoy in heaven the fullness of Your divine presence; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for the Epiphany of our Lord)
-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Table of Duties, to Employers and Supervisors
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 65:8-25;Luke 3:1-20
Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. (Ephesians 6:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely," wrote Lord Acton at the end of the 19th century. Lords know about power. In fact, the definition of lord is "one who wields power, authority, or influence." It can also be a verb that means to wield power in a domineering way. Lord Acton recognized the problem that comes with lordship--you tend to lord it over people. It's a common human trait. Power tends to go to your head. Once you get a little taste of it, you want more and more.
Jesus once said to His disciples, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them" (Matthew 20:25). The way of the world is to exercise lordship in a domineering way. "It shall not be so among you," Jesus continues. "But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:26–28).
In the upside-down, topsy-turvy kingdom of God, lordship means becoming a servant, a slave, and to give your life for the sake of another. The nature of God's kingdom, then, impacts the way that Christians act as masters or lords. Masters and lords must not threaten—that's wielding power. Instead, they should serve. Masters and lords are not authorized to take from those they manage; they are placed in a position of authority to give.
Even the most powerful masters and lords on this earth must admit that they are at best middle management in light of the lordship of Jesus. He is the Lord of lords and every lord on earth derives his name and office from Christ. Servant, slave, and master alike all benefit from our Master in heaven, who shows no partiality, but gives His life for the benefit of all. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Dear Father in heaven, You are the Lord of lords and Master of all, and You show no partiality. Thank You for removing the threat of punishment by the grace given us in Your Son. We confess that we love to lord our power over others, and for that we need Your forgiveness. Give us hearts willing to serve, even as we have received from Your Divine Service. For the sake of Jesus. Amen.
-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-19
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 64:15-65:2; Luke 2:41-52
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's not always fun being a Christian. Sometimes it's embarrassing. Sometimes people make fun of you. Sometimes they insult you. They may even raise their hands in violence against you.
In the first centuries of the Church, Christians were routinely punished with death. In the ancient world, execution was not by lethal injection, but by sword, by saw, by lion, by cross, and by pyre. Christians today rarely face such inventive executions, thanks be to God. But we behave as if even the slightest insult against our faith is a sign that God has abandoned us. We strike back with bitter words and insults of our own, the spirit of the world resting upon us.
For as long as the Name of Christ has been around, people have insulted those who bear that Name. But in Jesus' inaugural sermon on the side of the mountain, He inverts the insult. Far from being a curse, Jesus declares insults for His Name to be a blessing. "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11–12).
We can bear insults and even injury for the sake of Christ because He bore insults and injury for our sake. No matter how vicious or inventive the insult, it all ends up as blessing because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us. He is Baptism's gift, who guarantees that all suffering turns to joy, death turns to resurrection, and insult turns to blessing.
But it's still not easy to bear insults. It's not easy to suffer. So we pray. For ourselves. For others. For those who must bear insult and so much more for the sake of the Name of Christ. But we take heart that Jesus acknowledges every insult and every injury as His own. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Comfort, O God, with Your Holy Spirit all who are in trouble, want, sickness, anguish of labor, peril of death, or any other adversity. Grant courage and steadfastness especially to those who suffer for Your name's sake that they may receive and accept their afflictions in the confidence that You will acknowledge them as Your own. Amen.
-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Genesis 46:1-7
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 63:1-14; Luke 2:21-40
I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again. (Genesis 46:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God is everywhere. "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" declares the Lord (Jeremiah 23:24). He was in Canaan. He was in Beersheeba. He was already in Egypt. Yet He says to Jacob, "I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again."
God fills heaven and earth, but He promises to be with Jacob and his family and his descendants in a special way. He will lead them on their journey into Egypt and back out again. The latter promise isn't fulfilled until about four centuries later, though. It is indeed God who leads His people out of Egypt in a visible, tangible, and powerful way, clothed in the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. The Lord Himself leads His people Israel from Egypt's slavery back to Canaan's promise.
As the Lord leads Israel down to Egypt, His presence is not as spectacular. Yet it is no less tangible. Jacob's journey is connected to sacrifice. "So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night" (Genesis 46:1–2a). The sacrifices were the ministry of the Old Testament. Each animal offered on each altar demonstrated that God Himself was with His people in a unique way. God Himself went down with Jacob and his family in the Office of the Holy Ministry.
God is indeed everywhere, Martin Luther once observed. But He is not everywhere for you. God fills heaven and earth. But that's not yet good news. Perhaps God is present to judge, punish, and avenge. His presence in the pillars of fire and cloud was most certainly not good news for the Egyptians who found themselves drowned in the sea.
The sacrifices of Jacob show how God is present for you. He is present to sacrifice Himself. He offers Himself on the altar of the Cross as the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. And He does it for you.
Life is a journey from birth to grave. Jesus Himself makes that journey. But death is not the end of that journey. "I will also bring you up again," He promises. In death and in life, Christ is with you and for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
While I am a pilgrim here, Let Thy love my spirit cheer; As my guide, my guard, my friend, Lead me to my journey's end. ("Come, My Soul, with Every Care" LSB 779, st.5)
-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Matthew 2:13-23
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 62:1-12; Luke 2:1-20
And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. (Matthew 2:23)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Nathanael asked Philip (John 1:46). Philip had just told him that he had found the fulfillment of Moses and all the prophets in Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Nazareth was quite a surprise. It wasn't a very prominent city. No great deeds were done there. It wasn't Jerusalem, the city of kings and the temple. It lacked the history of Bethlehem. In fact, Nazareth was never even mentioned in the Old Testament.
So what prophecy is Matthew referring to? He doesn't give a specific prophet or a specific reference. Biblical scholars have proposed several answers to this riddle, but one stands out. In Isaiah 11:1 the prophet writes, "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit." The Hebrew word for "branch" is netzer. The image is of a dead tree with new life growing from an unexpected root. Sounds a lot like Nazareth.
The foundations of Israel had become bankrupt. The political and spiritual institutions that God had given His people were not just ineffective, they were actively turning people away from God. John, who baptized, who was the last prophet of the Old Testament, preached, "Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 3:10).
But off to the side, away from the center, a new Branch rises from the stump. Jesus was likely labeled "Jesus of Nazareth" as a term of dismissal or even derision. But it's a Name that perfectly describes His benefits. The Branch from Nazareth is planted on a dead tree on the outskirts of Jerusalem. But from this Branch grows the fruit of forgiveness, life, and salvation.
Can anything good come from Nazareth? Everything good comes from Nazareth. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You have poured into our hearts the true Light of Your incarnate Word. Grant that this Light may shine forth in our lives; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday after Christmas)
-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 2:21
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 61:1-11;Luke 1:57-80
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:21)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Why do we begin each of these Reflections in the Name of Jesus? In one of the first sermons in the New Testament Church, Peter declares, "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Names can designate and differentiate, names can describe and denote, but only the Name of Jesus saves.
Jesus' parents didn't pick out His Name for Him. "He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb" (Luke 2:21b). When the angel delivers the Name, he also delivers the Name's meaning. "Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins'" (Matthew 1:20–21).
The Name of Jesus literally means, "The Lord saves." While this Name was reserved for the Son of Mary and Joseph before He was even conceived in the womb, it's not officially given to Him until a week and a day after His birth. Names and circumcision go together ever since God changed Abram's name to Abraham and gave him circumcision as a sign of the covenant He made with him.
But there's also something more significant about the Name of Jesus and His circumcision: The eighth day of His life outside the womb was the first day that He shed His blood. His circumcision is a prelude to the Cross. The salvation that Jesus brings is salvation from sins, "and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins" (Hebrews 9:22b).
The Name of Jesus is given to us in Baptism. Baptism moves us into His Name, and being in His Name we receive all the benefits of that Name. The Lord saves His people from their sins by shedding His blood. So, "whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Jesus! Name of priceless worth To the fallen of the earth For the promise that it gave, "Jesus shall His people save." ("Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love" LSB 900, st.3)
-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 12:35-40
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 60:1-22; Luke 1:39-56
Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. (Luke 12:37)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Happy New Year! The 365th day of 2021 will soon be ending. 2022 is just around the corner. While 2021 had its joys, many people will be glad to put it in the history books. Here's to a new and brighter future!
Do you plan to stay up and wait for the clock to hit midnight? When I was a kid, it was a thrill to be able to stay up late and be a part of the festivities. In my teenage years and in college, midnight was often when evening plans began. Now that I've put quite a few New Years in the rearview mirror, I'm lucky If I can stay awake to watch the ball drop on the east coast before I fall asleep.
Waiting for the New Year to arrive should also remind you that as Christians, we also wait for Christ to arrive. While we know that the New Year comes at midnight, the coming of Christ is different. "You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Luke 12:40).
Something strange happens when the Son of Man comes, though. In any other situation, the household waits up for the master so that they can serve his needs. But Jesus turns the tables upside down. "Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them" (Luke 12:37).
The master serves the servants! This is how things work in the upside-down, topsy-turvy kingdom of heaven. It's worth the wait. But then again, you don't really have to wait. The Master gives you a little preview of His return every Lord's Day as you recline at His altar and He serves you His Body and Blood.
Watch. Wait. And prepare for the Master's return by going to His altar. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Jesus, guard and guide Thy members, Fill them with Thy boundless grace, Hear their prayers in ev'ry place. Fan to flame faith's glowing embers; Grant all Christians, far and near, Holy peace, a glad new year! Joy, O joy, beyond all gladness, Christ has done away with sadness! Hence, all sorrow and repining, For the Sun of Grace is shining! ("O Rejoice, Ye Christians, Loudly" LSB 897 st.4)
-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 2:33-40
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 58:1-59:3, 14-21; Luke 1:26-38
And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Can God make a rock so heavy that He can't lift it? If God can do anything, He can certainly make a rock that is exceedingly heavy. But if God can do anything He could lift it. We're stuck. Either God can't make the rock or He can't lift it--and then God can no longer do anything.
But questions like this are from the devil. "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test" (Matthew 4:7). It is not our place to tell God what He can or can't do. It's not our place to put God into a paradox from which He cannot escape.
God does the paradox His way.
Luke 2:40 reports one of the most paradoxical events the world has ever seen: "And the child grew and became strong." This Child, who was also God, grew and became strong. This Child, the Lord of heaven and earth, who can move planets with His voice, grew and became strong. Presumably at some point before He became strong, He encountered a rock that He could not lift.
"Kenosis" is the term that describes how Jesus set aside His divine power in the Incarnation. It comes from the Greek word that means "to empty," as it says in Philippians 2:6–7: "Though he was in the form of God, [He] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."
The irony is that by making Himself unable to lift the rock, the Son of God shows that He can indeed do anything--including suffering and dying for humanity's sins. The Child Jesus grew and became strong, but His strength is measured in weakness. Likewise, the Child was filled with wisdom, but His wisdom is measured in foolishness. "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:25).
God could do anything (including making a rock so heavy that Jesus couldn't lift it when He was a boy). But God chooses to do the Cross. The Cross is strength in weakness and wisdom in folly. But He does it. He does it for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Abide with richest blessings Among us, bounteous Lord; Let us in grace and wisdom Grow daily through Your Word. ("Abide, O Dearest Jesus" LSB 919, st.4)
-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Table of Duties, To Workers
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 55:1-13; Luke 1:1-25
Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. (Ephesians 6:5–8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Work. Everyone's got to do it. Not everyone likes it. Some people detest it. And then there are some who do incredible amounts of work in order to avoid work.
But work is not itself bad. God works. "And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done" (Genesis 2:2). God likewise made man for work. "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it" (Genesis 2:15). But Adam inverted this scheme. He worked where he should have rested and harvested fruit when he should have been hearing God's Word.
Sin breaks work. Instead of working for the good of creation, we want to work to please God. Instead of resting to receive God's gifts, we relax our efforts when our neighbors truly have needs. Sin turns work upon its head.
But to this broken world of work, God speaks His Word. "Bondservants, obey your earthly masters. . . as you would Christ. . . rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man." Works done for others are works done for Christ! Whether you are a servant bound to a boss or a free person bound to your neighbor's needs, your works benefit the world around you. God sanctifies work once again with His Word.
And this allows us to relax before God. "Whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord," not in the way of rewards or karma, but that God also sends workers for your good. Through the work of others, God also blesses you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
With the Lord begin your task; Jesus will direct it. For His aid and counsel ask; Jesus will perfect it. Ev'ry morn with Jesus rise, And when day is ended, In His name then close your eyes; Be to Him commended. ("With the Lord Begin Your Task" LSB 869, st.1)
-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Matthew 2:13-18
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 52:13-54:10; Matthew 2:13-23
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son." (Matthew 2:13–15)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Emperor Caesar Augustus reportedly once said that it was better to be Herod's pig than his son. That's because Herod executed several of his own sons to prevent them from taking power away from him. So it's really no surprise that when he got wind of a baby born to be king, he turned to violence once more.
The Holy Family could have gone anywhere outside of Herod's reach for safety, but the angel directed them to Egypt. Perhaps Joseph was familiar with Egypt and even knew some people there who would let him lay low with his wife and newly born Son. But God certainly knew Egypt. That's where He sent His son Jacob for safety during a famine. And there, Jacob became a great nation. But a time came when Egypt's safe haven became an oppressive prison. So God called the sons of Jacob out of Egypt by His servant Moses.
The story of salvation echoes throughout history. God called His sons out of Egypt in the Exodus and He calls His Son Jesus out of Egypt. Both calls are surrounded by death, however. The flight from Egypt and the flight to Egypt are both initiated by the deaths of sons in the final plague and the martyrdom of the innocents. Even though Joseph found safety in Egypt for the Child, His death really was inevitable. The martyrdom of the Holy Innocents bears witness to the death of Jesus.
But just as God raised His Son from Egypt, He also raised Him from the dead. And because Christ is risen, the Holy Innocents will also rise. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Ah, what availed King Herod's wrath? He could not stop the Savior's path. Alone, while others murdered lay, In safety Christ is borne away ("Sweet Flowerets of the Martyr Band" LSB 969, st.3)
-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 21:19-24
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 51:17-52:12;Matthew 2:1-12
This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. (John 21:24)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John wrote many things, including several letters and the book of Revelation. But many scholars of the Bible place John's Gospel at the very end of the apostolic era, and consider it perhaps the last book of the New Testament to be written. In the final years of his life, John sets down the life of Jesus one final time. His Gospel is different from those of colleagues Matthew, Mark, and Luke. As an evangelist, John is depicted as an eagle because his Gospel soars with rich theology.
The story of Jesus could have been written in many different ways. In fact, John himself testifies, "Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25). But why did John write these things? And how do we know that his testimony is true?
John wrote the things that he wrote for a reason. "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:30–31). John writes for faith and life--faith that Jesus is the Christ and God's Son, and the life that comes in His Name.
And we know that his testimony is true because it's not just his testimony. "He who saw it has borne witness--his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth--that you also may believe" (John 19:35). He writes this just after he reports the blood and water that flowed from Jesus' side when He died. The water and the blood testify with the Spirit (1 John 5:7–8). The testimony of John is the testimony of God. For you. For faith. For life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Merciful Lord, cast the bright beams of Your light upon Your Church that we, being instructed in the doctrine of Your blessed apostle and evangelist John, may come to the light of everlasting life; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for St. John, Apostle and Evangelist)
-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Acts 6:8-7:2, 51-60
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 49:22-26; 50:4-51:8, 12-16; Matthew 1:18-25
But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. (Acts 7:55)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You can't get one day into the season of Christmas without rocks flying. Yesterday was a day of joy, of glory for God, peace on earth, goodwill toward men. Today men grind their teeth in a rage at the message of Jesus. It's perhaps the second starkest contrast in the Church's entire year of grace. Jesus is born and then Stephen is martyred.
The Greek word "martyr" means "witness." A martyr is anyone who bears witness about anything and the content of their testimony is their "martyria." Eventually the term martyr took on a more specific meaning to denote anyone who bore witness to the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus unto their own death. Their blood was the witness that they bore. Martyrdom was common in the early years of the Christian Church.
Stephen's martyria is one of the longest in Scripture. You should read the verses in between Acts 7:2 and 7:51. Stephen rehearses the history of Israel, then demonstrates that it all was a prelude to Jesus. Yet God's work is met with resistance every step of the way. Stiff-necked people always resist the Holy Spirit.
Stephen preached the Law and it enraged his opponents. But what got him killed is the essence of his martyria. "And he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God'" (Acts 7:56). It's interesting to note that every week in the creed we confess that Jesus sits at God's right hand, but Stephen specifically says that Jesus is standing.
This should remind us of the starkest contrast in the Church's entire year of grace. One Friday Jesus hangs on a tree until He is dead. And then on the Third Day after that, He stands again. That's what resurrection means--the dead man stands up again. And so Stephen's martyria is not a witness unto death, but a witness unto life--the life that we have in Christ. Stephen will stand again. And so will you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, in the midst of our sufferings for the sake of Christ grant us grace to follow the example of the first martyr, Stephen, that we also may look to the One who suffered and was crucified on our behalf and pray for those who do us wrong; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for St. Stephen, Martyr)
-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 2:1-20
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 49:1-18;Matthew 1:1-17
"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14 NKJV)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A peculiar choir gathers in the field outside Bethlehem. Angels gather before an audience of shepherds and sing a new song, for the Lord has done a marvelous thing. Their hymn of three parts praises the birth of Jesus and what it means for God and for us.
"Glory to God in the highest." Glory is revelation. The glory of God in the Old Testament was the visible manifestation of His presence in cloud and fire. But as the first chorus of the angels' hymn reverberates through the countryside, God makes Himself known in a new way. No longer wrapped in fire and clouds, the shepherds can find Christ the Lord wrapped in swaddling cloths. The flesh of a newborn baby is glory for God. The One who reigns in the highest has made Himself known by descending among the lowest.
"And on earth peace." Jesus was born in a time of relative peace in the world. But peace on earth is often maintained by force and threat of violence; the world is always on the edge of war. The peace that comes with the birth of Jesus isn't worldly peace, however. Since Adam's sin, humanity has been at enmity with God. The only solution for this war was for God's Son to cross enemy lines, to Himself become a man, and to suffer the violence that a ruler thought necessary to keep the peace. But by suffering violence, Jesus brings peace on earth. "Peace be with you," is the message of the resurrection (John 20:19).
"Goodwill toward men!" How does one please God? A mountain of good works won't begin to please Him; even our best works are like a pile of dirty rags. All our works are stained by bad intentions and inherited sin. But Jesus, the Son of the Virgin, earns His Father's pleasure by His obedience. "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased," declares the Father's voice from heaven (Luke 4:22b). The same voice that declares God's goodwill at Jesus' Baptism also declares you to be His beloved son or daughter, and that He is pleased with you for the sake of Christ.
"Gloria in excelsis Deo." Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing; Come, adore on bended knee Christ the Lord, the newborn King. Gloria in excelsis Deo. ("Angels We Have Heard on High" LSB 368, st.3)
-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 44:21-45:13, 20-25; Revelation 12:1-17
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In his book on Christian doctrine, St. Augustine writes that there are two kinds of signs: natural and conventional. Natural signs are those that have a relation of cause and effect, such as smoke signifying fire or a paw print in the mud pointing to a particular kind of animal. On the other hand, conventional signs do not have any intrinsic relation to the things they signify. They point to ideas or feelings or theology. In fact, this page is filled with conventional signs. Words mean things because the shapes of the letters of the English alphabet signify certain things when they're arranged in a certain order.
But signs are not always clear. Sometimes signs are ambiguous: They could mean one thing; they could mean another thing. They could mean several things at once or nothing at all. Signs need to be interpreted properly. If you've ever been misinterpreted, you know how frustrating it is when you mean one thing and someone thinks you mean another.
God also gives signs. He gives natural signs, like a beautiful sunrise to signify His majesty and glory. He also gives conventional signs, like the Holy Scriptures. But His signs are often misinterpreted. So sometimes He gives a sign that is neither conventional nor natural. "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).
The Lord Himself provides the sign and the Lord Himself provides the interpretation. "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel' (which means, God with us)" (Matthew 1:22–23). The meaning of this sign isn't just an idea or a feeling or even theology. It's God Himself. The unconventional and unnatural sign of the virgin conception and birth signifies that God Himself is now with us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We praise You, Jesus, at Your birth; Clothed in flesh You came to earth. The virgin bears a sinless boy And all the angels sing for joy. Alleluia! ("We Praise You, Jesus, at Your Birth" LSB 382, st.1)
-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Philippians 4:4-7
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 43:25-44:20;Revelation 11:1-19
The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5b-7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You may have already realized that I did not start where you thought I might. I skipped vs. 4, and I suggest you read it after we are done. The true hope Paul has, that allows him to be so content in every situation, (Philippians 4:11), is in this Gospel good news promise: "The Lord is at hand!" It means that what He promises is here, right now, for you.
Today is the "day before," the day before the day when God put flesh on a long-standing promise. Emmanuel will come! God will take on flesh and blood and dwell among us. The Prince of Peace will bring what His Name describes. "The Lord is at hand" to calm our anxious hearts. About 18% of the United States is on medication for anxiety. Many more limp along without treatment. We worry, fret, and fear. The cares of the day, the season, our health, and family concerns keep us up at night. How is your anxiety level just two days before Christmas?
Anxiety is not new. Since sin came into the world sinners have been anxious. Jesus addresses anxiety directly in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6). Likewise, Paul directs our anxious lives to hope and peace: "The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything." Did you notice how Paul did not direct you to the self-help section of the bookstore in order to decrease your stress? He simply and calmly says, "The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything." Jesus brings peace.
For three years Jesus preached and healed and brought peace. He calmed an anxious wedding host who ran out of wine. He slowed anxious Martha from her frenzied serving. And with the completion of His work on the Cross, He forgave you and reconciled you to God.
Your past is forgiven. It died with Jesus on the Cross. The Lord is at hand. You are forgiven. The cares of today are not unknown to our omniscient (all-knowing) God. That is why He makes promises to you. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Now go read vs. 4. That is the result of living in the peace and forgiveness of Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Wait, then, in quiet confidence, Your anxious thoughts at rest. God knows your needs before you ask And works for what is best. ("Be Still, My Soul, before the Lord" LSB 771, st.3)
-Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher is pastor of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, Black Hawk, SD. He is also the vice president of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Table of Duties, To Children
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 43:1-24; Revelation 9:13-10:11
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise),"that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land." (Ephesians 6:1-3)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever thought about why your parents want you to obey them? Yes, on a very small level it's because they are tired of hounding you and reminding you again and again to do the things they ask. But there is a much, much, bigger reason. Your parents want you to obey them because there is a promise from God waiting there for you.
God has given you so many gifts. He has made you His own child in the waters of Holy Baptism. He has forgiven you at the cost of His own dear Son Jesus, who died on the Cross for all the times you have rolled your eyes or talked back to Mom or Dad. He has promised to guide you by His Law, so you see your salvation in Jesus alone.
God has given you parents who are a good and precious gift to you. Your parents have a very important role to fill. God has put them in your life to stand in His place. They are not to be God but to teach you and love you like God does.
Your parents are standing in for God to help you do your first vocation, your first job; that of their son or daughter. Just as you "fear, love and trust in God above all things," you are also to love and listen, honor, and obey your parents.
They are there to show you the love of God by bringing you to the Divine Service, where God gives us His good and precious Gifts and where we hear His promises preached.
When that early Sunday morning wake-up call comes, it is because your parents want the best for you, because they want God's Gifts given to you. They want you to see how God provides life for you, health for you, daily bread for you. They bring you to youth group and confirmation class in order to ground you in an unchanging promise that will carry you through when your world is rocked because of your sin and the brokenness of others.
Even though you might not agree with your parents, they are a gift from God to you, to teach and shape you. They want you to receive God's eternal gifts. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
"You are to honor and obey Your father, mother, ev'ry day, Serve them each way that comes to hand; You'll then live long in the land." Have mercy, Lord! ("These Are the Holy Ten Commands" LSB 581, st.5)
-Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher is pastor of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, Black Hawk, SD. He is also the vice president of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 20:24-29
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 42:1-25; Revelation 9:1-12
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:27-28)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It is a week after Jesus has risen from the dead and beaten our old evil foe of sin, death, and the devil. The disciples have locked themselves in again for fear of the Jews. Thomas is with them this time. On the first resurrection morning he was someplace else. Jesus' first words to them, both on that first resurrection morning and now a week later were the same: "Peace be with you." Jesus' words to them were more than a polite greeting. Peace was a fact, a sure and certain reality. From the moment Jesus said, "It is finished" (John 19:30), and gave up His life as our sinless sacrifice, we all have peace with God. Even Thomas.
Thomas' situation was far more serious than "doubting." He was unbelieving, rejecting Jesus and the gifts He brings. So Jesus does what He does so well. He calls unbelieving sinners to Himself. Okay, Thomas, here is what you need. Touch my hands; touch my side. And then Jesus said this: "Do not disbelieve but believe." With a word Jesus spoke faith into Thomas.
Saving faith is not a product of physical evidence. It is not a product of human reason or the will of man. In what Dr. Luther wrote about the Third Article of the creed we confess: "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him."
Jesus calls unbelieving sinners to Himself. His means are simple. He speaks, we believe. Paul reminds us, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). Saving faith is believing what Jesus says. He said we are forgiven, and we are because He took our sin and gave us His righteousness. He said all who die in the faith He has given will rise again, because He was the firstborn of the dead. He said to Thomas, "Believe," and Thomas did.
Believing in Jesus, as Thomas did, always produces fruit. Jesus called Thomas from death to life and Thomas confessed, "My Lord and my God." Jesus says, "Believe and be baptized," and we are connected to Jesus' death on the Cross. Jesus says, "Call on Me," and we pray, and He answers, giving comfort and peace. Jesus says, "Take and eat and drink," and we are forgiven. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We may not touch His hands and side, Nor follow where He trod; But in His promise we rejoice And cry "My Lord and God!" ("We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight" LSB 720, st.2)
-Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher is pastor of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, Black Hawk, SD. He is also the vice president of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-19
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 40:18-41:10; Revelation 8:1-13
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. (Deuteronomy 18:18)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If there was anyone who spoke the Law of God to His people, it was Moses. At God's command, Moses was the Lawgiver. God wrote it with His fiery finger on Mt. Sinai and Moses carried it down to God's people. There were other faithful prophets like Aaron and Nathan, so why was Moses better? Why did God say, "I will raise up a prophet like you?"
Moses interceded for his people. They were afraid of God's harsh Law and did not want to deal with God directly, so Moses stood between them and God.
Moses delivered God's people. Moses stood before Israel's captor, Pharaoh, and spoke for God. "Let my son go, that he may serve me" (Exodus 4:23). God used Moses to put the Passover in place, where blood and a lamb would defend His people from death. God used Moses to lead those same people to the Promised land. This prophet will be hard to beat.
We are in the fourth week of Advent. Very soon we will celebrate when the sinless Son of God took on frail flesh and blood and was born into our world. In the manger in Bethlehem the greater Moses will be swaddled.
This greatest Prophet will also intercede for you. Because of your sin, God's wrath should destroy you, but there, between you and the wrath of God, is Jesus, the greater Moses, intervening on your behalf. This greatest Prophet hangs on the Cross for you. The Law that damns sinners is fulfilled completely by the greatest Prophet and then graciously gifted to you. The greater Moses, Christ the Lamb of God, delivered you from your death sentence.
Jesus is the greatest Prophet and the greatest Priest. He offered Himself as the greatest sacrifice. His blood shed, once for all, forgives you every sin of commission and omission. Jesus our great High Priest does not point us ahead to a future Savior. He fulfilled the Passover just like he fulfilled the Law of God, for you, dear saint. His blood shed. His body given to you, and you are forgiven.
Jesus is our great Prophet, greater than Moses. Jesus is our great High Priest, offering Himself as your total and complete sacrifice. In just a few days we remember again that Jesus is our great High King, born to serve, love, and forgive you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
His wondrous works and ways He made by Moses known, But sent the world His truth and grace By His belovèd Son. ("O Bless the Lord, My Soul" LSB 814, st.6)
-Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher is pastor of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, Black Hawk, SD. He is also the vice president of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 1:19-28
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 40:1-17; Revelation 7:1-17
And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." (John 1: 19-20)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I love Advent. I love preaching about John the Baptizer preparing the way of the Lord and preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
John knew who he was. He knew his purpose was to point to the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He did not try to ride on Christ's coat tails. He did not try to carve out a higher place for himself. John was confident about two things. He said, "I am not the Christ" and he knew he was not worthy to untie the strap of Jesus' sandals.
A very wise pastor once told me there are really only two things one needs to know to be a faithful pastor. The first is that there is one God who forgave your sins through His Son Jesus on the Cross. The second, and most important is, that you are not Him! When we keep that in mind things are easier.
Pride often gets us into trouble. Taking pride in your work or your family is a good thing. But pride takes a dangerous turn when we elevate or trust in ourselves. Check out the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18.
Jesus said of John, "I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John" (Luke 7:28). That is high praise! And yet John did not let that accolade go to his head. John preached repentance, and he preached the Law, so people would see Jesus as their only hope and Savior.
John, being the last of the Old Testament prophets and the first of the New, knew who Jesus was. Savior, Redeemer, the perfect and complete sacrifice for your pride and arrogance. He also knew his own sin. He was not worthy to untie Jesus' Converse.
John's boldness in preaching and pointing was not to elevate himself. It was to open blind eyes to the reality of sin and death. His preaching pointed to a long hoped-for promise of a Messiah. His preaching brought comfort, comfort to all like us who know our sin and cling confidently to our Savior, His Cross, and our forgiveness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday in Advent)
-Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher is pastor of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, Black Hawk, SD. He is also the vice president of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Fourth Sunday in Advent (Psalm 19:1, 4-6; antiphon: Isaiah 45:8a)
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 34:1-2, 8-35:10; Revelation 6:1-17
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (From the Introit for the Fourth Sunday in Advent)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I live in an area that is not affected by light pollution. One of the great joys I have is looking up at the night sky. On a cold January evening, when the days are short, it is easy to see the Milky Way. Science estimates that between 100 and 400 billion stars hang in our little corner of the night sky. They also want to date the birth of the Milky Way back millions or even billions of years.
The psalmist writes "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." So, which is it? Millions and billions of years or "and God said" on the fourth day? If you have ever thrown a pot, or built a birdhouse, or created anything, you know the created does not rule the creator. The clay does not say to the potter, "I prefer two handles, not one." The creator creates and the created receives. The hands of the potter form and shape and fire, and the pot receives its shape and purpose.
Since the fall of man, we the created have been giving orders to the Creator. Not six 24-hour days but millions and billions of years! When the created mimics the role of creator, the created will always be empty and unfulfilled. That is why created mankind, who refuses to live under the reign of the Creator God, continually pushes for change. They seek purpose, security, and independence from the eternal enemy of death.
Looking up at the Milky Way, or at the majesty of a mountain waterfall clearly shows us that there is a creator. Looking at the way God dealt with Adam and Eve after they sought to be like Him shows us His mercy. He did not give them what they deserved. He gave them a promise. He gave them, and us, a Savior. Looking at the Cross of Jesus we see our benevolent and gracious Creator offering His only begotten Son as the total and complete payment for our sin.
The Creator creates. He speaks creation into existence. He speaks words of forgiveness and peace to you through the blood of the perfect sacrifice, His Son. We, the created, receive. We live in His peace and promise. We have joy and purpose as we declare His glory and care for His First Article Gifts. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Voices raised to You we offer; Tune them, God, for songs of praise. Hearts and hands we bring in tribute For Your gifts through all our days. Alleluia! Alleluia! Triune God, to You we sing! ("Voices Raised to You We Offer" LSB 795, st.1)
-Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher is pastor of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, Black Hawk, SD. He is also the vice president of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary:Isaiah 33:1-24; Revelation 5:1-14
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When you were confirmed, you were asked, "Do you intend to live according to the Word of God, and in faith, word, and deed to remain true to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even to death?" And you answered. "I do, by the grace of God." You are in good company. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not use the same words but made the same confession.
Daniel and these three young men lived in rapidly changing times. They lived in the disappointments and temptations of exile. Golden idols with the threat of death if they did not bow down demanded a faithful confession. Ordinances that demand you pray to King Darius were in direct conflict with faithfully serving the one true God whom Daniel and we serve.
Our world is rapidly changing as well. "Woke" and "cancel culture" push hard to have you bow down to their will. Pressure to achieve and perform push us to conform to the will of a broken sinful world, sacrificing faithfulness to our faithful God.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were faithful. They worshiped God. Their confession did not waver. Even when they looked into the lion's den or stood at the mouth of the fiery furnace, they did not worship false gods. They did not give in to fear. Their confession was, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us."
Our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who has served us first, is able to deliver us. Every enemy, defeated. Every sin atoned for by "the Son of man," and His kingdom shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13). The fear that tries to paralyze and silence our faithful confession cannot withstand the baptismal identity which God has given you. You are a child of God, faithful and forgiven. Your confession is the same as Daniel and the three young men. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
I walk with Jesus all the way, His guidance never fails me; Within His wounds I find a stay When Satan's pow'r assails me; And by His footsteps led, My path I safely tread. No evil leads my soul astray; I walk with Jesus all the way. ("I Walk in Danger All the Way" LSB 716, st.5)
-Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher is pastor of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, Black Hawk, SD. He is also the vice president of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary:Isaiah 32:1-20; Revelation 4:1-11
At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. (Revelation 4:2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Can you imagine seeing what John saw? In a divine vision John is brought into the holy throne room of God. The throne in the center is where Jesus sits. He has ascended from His work on earth. He is exalted. His humiliating work of the Cross, His death and the grave are done. He has honored His Father's promise to send us hope. He has crushed Satan's head and completed His divine work (Genesis 3:15). He is completely and totally alive and victorious.
We are redeemed, forgiven, and justified by His blood as a total and complete sacrifice for ALL sin, for your sin. The angels shout, "Holy, Holy, Holy," just like in the vision Isaiah saw (Isaiah 6:3). The glory! The majesty! It is almost too much for words to describe!
John was taken into this heavenly throne room to give absolute hope that God will triumph over sin, death, and the devil. There is hope and it is for you.
What John saw can seem like a distant dream for us. We are here in the world that is fiercely divided. A difference of opinion divides you and your BFF. The culture pushes against everything you hear in church. If you disagree with your teachers or professors or are bold enough to say, "That is not true," you become a target. Fear not, dear saint. There is hope! Real, physical hope, for you, here on earth!
When you gather for the Divine Service, our victorious Lord brings hope to you. You hear the result of His Calvary victory for you when your pastor pronounces the forgiveness of all your sins. You are fully free and forgiven. You hear God's Word preached to you, and it points you to the Cross where Jesus beat every enemy, for you! We sing what John heard the angels sing when we sing the Sanctus: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of power and might." When the pastor lifts the Body and Blood of Jesus up, in, with, and under the bread and wine, and says, "The peace of the Lord be with you always," we have hope! Jesus is lifted up from death's dominion. Jesus is lifted up into heaven and is sitting on His throne waiting to return. And then, hope comes to you. Take and eat; this is the Body of Christ. Take and drink; this is the Blood of Christ for you, for your forgiveness, for eternal and everlasting hope! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee, Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see, Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee, Perfect in pow'r, in love, and purity. ("Holy, Holy, Holy" LSB 507, st.4)
-Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher is pastor of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, Black Hawk, SD. He is also the vice president of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Table of Duties, To Parents
Daily Lectionary:Isaiah 30:27-31:9; Revelation 3:1-22
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I remember the look well. I had said something to one of our kids that was insensitive and rooted in anger. I knew better, but the argument had exhausted my patience and I answered with a statement I would never have let our kids say. My very next words were, "Please forgive me; that was wrong." The look from our child was one of astonishment! Instead of being told, by me, to ask for forgiveness our child was being asked to forgive me. For the first time our child began to put together the idea that we all--parents, children, family, and friends--receive and give the forgiveness won for us by Christ on the Cross.
The Fourth Commandment, "Honor your father and your mother," might seem to come from the top down in its application, and to some extent it does. It is the head of the household's responsibility, given by God, to teach this to the old Adam in our children. It is also the head of the household's responsibility to hear and heed what Paul writes: "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).
Dr. Luther is very clear. At the beginning of each of theSix Chief Parts is this directive: "As the head of the family should teach them in a simple way to his household." Your parents should be the primary faith teachers for you. Let's face it: Not all parents do a good job of this. Sometimes our anger gets the best of us. Sometimes when the hard questions are asked, we don't have a good answer, and we get defensive. Sometimes we simply fail in this part of our vocation.
You are forgiven! Remember that. "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger," is a clear reminder that we need the forgiveness that freely and lovingly flowed from Jesus' hands and head. The rest of that verse, "but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord," is Gospel for parents and children.
Even though we sin and fall short of the glory of God, we are not disqualified from teaching our children. We are forgiven completely by Jesus. Even though we are not perfect teachers, the Holy Spirit continues to equip us.
Our children learn by what we teach and what we model. We receive forgiveness and we give forgiveness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Oh, blest that house; it prospers well. In peace and joy the parents dwell, And in their children's lives is shown How richly God can bless His own. ("Oh, Blest the House" LSB 862, st.4)
-Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher is pastor of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, Black Hawk, SD. He is also the vice president of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 30:15-26; Revelation 2:1-29
This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. (1 Corinthians 4:1-2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever read your school's student handbook, or an employee handbook from work? They are not page turners, that's for sure! They are dry, dull, and lead to despair. The handbook has one purpose. It clearly shows the rules. It shows the law. Any infraction of the rules and you are out. The handbook's purpose is three-fold. It seeks to identify who you are. It seeks to define what you are to do. And it lays out consequences when you forget your identity or responsibility.
Paul in 1 Corinthians 4 may sound very much like a student handbook. Our identity is "servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." Our responsibility is to be "found faithful." And the consequences for our failure, the consequence for our sin, is the judgment of God. If you read Paul's encouragement to the apostles through the lens of the Law only, it will lead to despair. We are not faithful. No student, no employee, no sinner is ever completely faithful. Because of that we should be found guilty, suspended, or fired.
Now look at your identity as God intended it to be seen. Not based on what others say about you. Not on your perceived keeping of the Law. Look at your identity through Jesus. You are a servant and steward. You have been bought back from certain and eternal death by the blood of the sinless Lamb of God shed for you on the Cross. You are an adopted child, into a holy and loving family, through your Baptism. Your identity is not based on you at all. It is not based on your success or your failure. Thank God! Your identity is rooted in the magnanimous love of God for you.
In your Baptism you were brought into the Priesthood of all believers. A steward reflects the will and wishes of the Master. As stewards we are merciful even as our Father is merciful (Luke 6:36). We forgive as we have been forgiven (Matthew 6:12). We love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Through Gospel eyes, which see Jesus on the Cross atoning for all your sin, you do not fear God's judgment. He judged Jesus for you. All your unfaithfulness, all your sin was placed on Jesus and died on His Cross. You are forgiven. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Spirit, water, blood entreating, Working faith and its completing In the One whose death-defeating Life has come, with life for all.("Water, Blood, and Spirit Crying" LSB 597, st.6)
-Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher is pastor of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, Black Hawk, SD. He is also the vice president of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Isaiah 40:1-11
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 29:15-30:14; Revelation 1:1-20
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her
that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins. . . (Isaiah 40:1-3)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It was the first week of school at Concordia Nebraska. I was in the commons visiting with the food service manager and I asked, "What's on the menu?" He said, "Mac and cheese, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, grilled cheese and tomato soup. Comfort food. These incoming freshmen need something to make them feel at home when they are not at home."
We all need comfort because we are not at home. We're here, sinners, in a broken, sinful world. Broken relationships leave us bitter and untrusting. Sinful, lustful thoughts drive us to steal the gifts of the Sixth Commandment. The world around us sings a siren song of selfishness and life without suffering.
Sin always has consequences, and when the weight of my sin comes crashing down on me, I expect the worst. My guess is you do the same. That is how this broken world works. You get what you deserve without mercy. But that's not how our good and gracious God works.
God's Word does what it promises. God's Word is formative. It accomplishes what it says. "Comfort!" Comfort is what it promises. Jesus on the Cross, forgiveness of sins and peace are what it delivers.
God's people didn't do anything to earn or merit God's favor. Quite the opposite. They chased false gods, and they rebelled against His authority. Completely broken, without any hope, and God gives Jerusalem "double for all her sins." Not double wrath or punishment. Not double death or eternity in hell times two. Double gift from a tender and forgiving God. He sent us Jesus who died and rose again. He gives us grace and mercy! Forgiveness and peace! Comfort and joy! Our risen Savior gives us the greatest comfort food ever as His Body and Blood are put into our mouths. Take and eat, take and drink for the forgiveness of ALL your sins.
We are not at home yet. One day soon we will be with the Lord. Sin will be done. Hell will be sealed. Until then, rest in His comfort and promises for you today. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The gifts Christ freely gives He gives to you and me To be His Church, His bride His chosen, saved and free! Saints blest with these rich gifts Are children who proclaim That they were won by Christ And cling to His strong name. ("The Gifts Christ Freely Gives" LSB 602, st.1)
Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher is pastor of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, Black Hawk, SD. He is also the vice president of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Matthew 11:2-11
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 29:1-14; Jude 1-25
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them." (Matthew 11:2-6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Why did John send his disciples to Jesus? Some say he did what any great teacher would do, he sent his students to find the truth. He sent them to be catechized by Jesus. Others say that John was struggling himself. He had been in jail for a year. He was almost certain his life would end there in prison. He had questions, questions for Jesus.
A lot of ink has been spilled trying to answer the question of why John sent his disciples. The answer is probably a combination of both. The important thing is not why John did what he did, but what did Jesus do in response?
Jesus directed John's disciples, and John and us to look at the evidence. "The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them."Jesus did not direct them to look into their hearts, or at their own emotions. He directed them to see Jesus' authority over disease, dysfunction, doubt, and death.
If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we vacillate, daily, between a sure and certain hope in Jesus' atoning death on the Cross and saying, "Are you the one to come, or shall we look for another?"
Daily we find our hope in what Jesus has done. Our blind eyes read His "Good News" and see His Cross and empty grave. That gives us His peace. Daily our old deaf Adam is drowned when we make the sign of the cross. Through our Baptism our ears are opened by His Spirit to hear His life-giving words of forgiveness for all our sins, including sins of doubt, worry, and fear. Daily our future death would try to rob us of our sure and certain hope. Jesus was in the grave first. It could not hold Him. It cannot hold you.
Your hope is not in "why." It is in what Jesus has done for you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Third Sunday in Advent)
-Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher is pastor of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, Black Hawk, SD. He is also the vice president of Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Third Sunday in Advent (Psalm 80:1, 3, 14, 17; antiphon: Isaiah 62:11b; 30:30, 29)
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 28:14-29; 1 John 5:1-21
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! (From the Introit for the Third Sunday In Advent)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever restored anything, maybe an old car or a house or even a piece of furniture that has seen better days? If so, you know the hours that it can take. Restoring old furniture can be a lot of work. Scraping off layers upon layers of old paint. Sanding creases, grooves, and scratches. Smoothing out the finish and finally whipping on a new coat of finish. Yes, time and effort are needed in order to make that which is old, dirty, and broken into a revived thing of beauty.
Restoring things takes effort and dedication, and throughout the process, the item in question does nothing to help. Wood and metal just stand there dead and lifeless, waiting on the hands and the keen eye of the one who restores in order to bring them to life again.
The writer of Psalm 80 knew that only God can restore the brokenness of mankind. This is the cry of the psalmist in the Introit for today. The writer wants the Lord God to restore His people. He wants the rough edges sanded down, the old crackled paint to be removed, the scratches and blemishes to be made like new, and finally for a new finish to be put on the people.
Sinners always need to be restored, and it is only God who can do these things. The Lord delights in His chosen people; they are His creation. It is the desire of the Lord to shine forth with a face filled with grace and mercy. He wants His people to be made new. It is only by the work of God that we who are dead, lifeless pieces are brought to life once again. Jesus brings us to life. His atonement has brought us salvation. In Baptism we are covered with Christ's righteousness, and the old, sinful stain is removed so that we are made right with God.
What a great gift we receive all the days of our lives! Now, because of Christ, God's face shines upon us. He looks down from heaven and sees Jesus, and we are restored saints, children of God, waiting for the coming of Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the restoration that you give to us each and every day in the waters of Baptism. Help us always to be mindful of the gifts we receive from your bountiful hand and continue to order our lives to your praise and glory. Through Jesus's Name we pray. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is the pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 26:20-27:13; 1 John 4:1-21
In this the love of God has made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the World, so that we might live through him. (1 John 4:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The love of God is made known to us by the coming of Jesus. During the season of Advent, we prepare for the coming of the Messiah. In John's first epistle, we read about true love, the love that your Father in heaven has for you. God loved you in that He sent His only Son into this world of sin. Jesus is the clearest picture of love that we will ever see. His life, His actions, His words, His miracles--everything that He did on earth proclaimed the love that He has for us men even though we did not deserve this love.
All of us were dead in our sins and enemies of God. We were the most unlovable people you could ever imagine. Our nature is selfish and filled with sin. As children of wrath, we love ourselves first. We hate one another, and we most certainly do not love God. Without a Savior we could never be right with God. Our sins have condemned us, and left on our own, we would be in hell.
Jesus knew that without His love we would never love one another and we would never love God. So He willingly gave up His throne and came to earth. Born of the Virgin Mary, Christ came out of the womb, born in the same way as all men. Yet He was unique, for He came into this world without sin. Loved by His Father, He loved perfectly in return. Doing the will of Father, He set out to fulfill the Law by loving the Lord His God with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength and by loving His neighbor as Himself. Jesus went to the Cross, suffering all shame and facing the divine wrath of His Father on account of sin. Jesus suffered in our place and paid our price. Jesus died for you. Jesus' love flowed down in the blood and the water. His love brought forth life and salvation to all who believe. The love Christ had for you kept Him on the Cross, and His sacrifice was accepted.
Jesus died. However, the grave could not hold Him, and because of His love for you, the grave will not hold you either. This is the love of God--sinners receiving life and salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, thank you for making known to us true love in the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is the pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading:Romans 15:4-13
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 26:1-19; 1 John 3:1-24
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever wondered why the Old Testament was written? All those pages of names and actions of people who rebelled against God? Now once in a while, we read about a fairly good guy--maybe an Abraham, Moses, or David--but more often we read about a Cain, Samson, or Ahab. Books of the Old Testament are filled with life stories of men and women who knew the truth. They heard the voice of God in the wilderness. They saw the pillar of fire. They had eaten the bread of heaven. The prophet of God had come and had spoken to them, yet they kept right on falling into sin.
Why were all these sinners written about in the Old Testament? Why did God choose to share with us the stories of all these imperfect people? Well, in the book of Romans, Paul tells us that Scripture was written so that we might have instruction, encouragement, and hope.
The Bible has pages upon pages of instruction so that we might see what God requires of us. The Bible is filled with the stories of men and women who failed to listen to God so that you and I might see that we are in good company because we, too, fail to listen to the Lord. The pages of Holy Scripture are filled with the encouragement of the grace, mercy, and long-suffering love of God. For God so loved the world that even before the fall into sin, He planned to send His Son to redeem us from all our sin.
The pages of Holy Scripture are written so that we might have hope. In the Bible we receive the glorious message of salvation. We learn that Christ came, took our place, and suffered our punishment. Jesus died on the Cross to forgive us and all those sinners in the Old Testament who had faith and trusted in the Lord. Instruction, encouragement, and hope--these are the reasons that the Holy Spirit caused the men of God to write the Bible. What a great gift we have received by the hand of God! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Holy and most merciful God, who by your Word has taught us the truth of who we are and what we need. Continue to pour out your grace and mercy upon us so that we might live for you. In Jesus's Name we pray. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is the pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Table of Duties, to Wives
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 24:14-25:12;1 John 2:15-29
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther continues to list out the duties that those who are in Christ are called by God to do. Under the category of wives, Luther simply points to Paul's letter to the Ephesians where Paul writes that wives are to submit to their husbands.
When many people hear the word "submit," they immediately get upset. How dare someone tell a wife that she should yield her power and authority to her husband! However, the Greek word that is translated "submit" means that the wife, through the working of the Holy Spirit, will put herself under obedience to her husband in the same way that she is under obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. For just as Jesus is the Head of the Church, and His Bride put Herself under His leadership, so the wife does for her husband.
Now the idea of placing oneself under the authority of someone else is hard for our sinful flesh. All of us want to be the boss. We want to be god and do what we desire. There are many times in the life of the Christian that we do not want to submit to Jesus and what He has written in His Holy Word. Instead we struggle and fight, trying to find a way to ignore the parts of Scripture we don't like. However, Scripture cannot be broken, and we all must repent of this sin. We must turn away from our failings and learn to submit ourselves to Christ, the Head, and to ask His forgiveness. Humbling ourselves, we confess our sins, and Christ forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
In order for marriage to work in a God-pleasing manner, the wife is called by God to submit to her husband. In doing so, she is simply doing the task that God has given to her. So also, all Christians are called by God to submit to Christ, to place ourselves under His authority, and to listen to all that He has spoken to us. When we do this, we are living as God has called us to live, and this is good and pleasing to Him. For as we submit to Christ through faith, we are freely given His grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, help us all to submit to the authority that you have placed over us. Forgive us when we fail and continue to guide us into the way of all truth. In Jesus's Name we pray. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is the pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading:Malachi 4:1-6
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 24:1-13; 1 John 1:1-2:14
"But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings." (Malachi 4:2a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The prophet Malachi was told by God to proclaim the coming judgment of the Lord. On that day, the Lord would come with great glory and might, and the arrogant and all evil doers would be set ablaze. The day of the Lord was a day of judgment for the sins of the people. This day of the Lord came to the nation of Israel when the holy city Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed.
This day will also come on the final day when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead. On that day all people who have lived on this earth will have to stand before the Judge and give an account of all that they have done. Can you imagine the feeling of dread and fear that will arise as the sins of a whole life are laid before the unrelenting gaze of the perfect Son of God? For those without Christ, it will be a day of great sadness. Their sins will condemn them. They will be judged and cast into the fires of hell to spend eternity under the wrath of God.
However, for all those in Christ, this will be a day of great healing. Malachi tells us that the sun of righteousness will arise with healing. Our sins will be no more because the blood of Jesus will cleanse us. This healing was bought for you on the Cross when Jesus, the true Son of righteousness, gave up His life willingly. He died so that you might be forgiven. You and I need never fear the Day of Judgment because on that day we will stand before the judge and hear that we are forgiven. Then we will be welcomed into heaven along with all believers because of Jesus's sacrifice. What a great gift that has been given to us through faith! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, I do not deserve a glimpse of heaven, and I am unable with my works to redeem myself from sin, death, the devil, and hell. Nevertheless, you have given me your Son, Jesus Christ, who is far more precious and dear than heaven, and much stronger than sin, death, the devil, and hell. For this I rejoice, praise, and thank you, O God. Without cost and out of pure grace you have given me this boundless blessing in your dear Son. Through Him you take sin, death and hell from me, and do grant me all that belongs to him. Amen. (Luther's Prayers)
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is the pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 14:1-23; 2 Peter 3:1-18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you were to look at the stories that surround the birth and life of Nicholas of Myra, you will very quickly begin to think, "What a great man!" If one can believe the tales, during his Baptism as an infant, he stood in the baptismal font for three hours on his own in reverence to the Holy Trinity. Then he refused to drink milk from his mother on Wednesdays and Fridays until after evening prayers so as to begin a life of fasting in honor of God. Later on, Nicholas cast purses down chimneys so that a poor man's daughters might have dowries. According to the legends, Nicholas was a saint his whole life. So it should not surprise us that he eventually became modeled into Santa Claus because of all the gifts he would give to those in need.
Nicholas's life story seems a bit far fetched, and perhaps not all of the stories are true. But what is true is that Nicholas, the archbishop of Myrna, was a child of God, and throughout his life he grew in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. His life and all the great things he did were not for his own glory. Instead, all that he accomplished pointed to the faith that he had received from the Holy Spirit. Nicholas was a sinner just like you and I. He died, and his death testified to the fact that he failed to perfectly keep the Law. Nicholas needed Jesus and the gift that He purchased by His innocent suffering and death on the Cross. Nicholas needed Christ to forgive him of all his sins.
Now years later we celebrate the life of Nicholas not because of who he was, but because of what the Holy Spirit led him to do. This man is a saint just as you and I are saints, but not because of our works, not because of all the great things we accomplish, but because of Christ our Savior. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Father in Heaven, we give thanks for the examples that you have given to us in the saints who have gone before. We ask that you continue to lead us to do good works so that we might also reflect Your glory and share the message of Christ with those around us. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is the pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 21:25-36
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 11:1-12:6; 2 Peter 2:1-22
"Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As the Day of Judgment draws near, the world in which we live will become even more chaotic. There will be signs and wonders. We will have wars. There will be storms and plagues. The earth will quake, and the whole world will be in turmoil. At this time, there will be many people in this world who will be terrified. The life they once knew will be coming quickly to an end, and even the heavens will be shaken. During a situation like this it would be easy for us to run around in a panic, to throw our hands in the air and give in to fear for what is about to happen. It would be a natural thing to do because deep down, we know that all this is happening because of us and our sin. Sinners will always face judgment, and, as we have learned, the wages of sin is always death.
However, Jesus tells us that on that day when the Son of Man comes in a cloud and with great power and glory, we are not to fear. Instead of being sinners terrified by what we have done, you and I are to lift up our heads and look to the heavens because on that cloud comes our redemption. What a great comfort this is for us! You see, the great Judge who is coming on that day into this world is Jesus, our redemption. He alone paid the price necessary to save us from our sins. His blood shed on the Cross has brought us forgiveness, peace, salvation, and everlasting life.
No longer do we need to fear the Day of Judgment. On that day we will not see an angry judge; instead you and I will see and hear the voice of our dear Shepherd. He will say on that day, "Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest."
So we watch and wait, gathering together as the Body of Christ, encouraging one another through songs, prayers, and by the Word of God. We're staying awake until Jesus returns, and He will come soon. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday of Advent)
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is the pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Second Sunday in Advent (Psalm 25:4–5, 21–22; antiphon: v.25:1–3a)
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 10:12-27, 33-34; 2 Peter 1:1-21
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. (From the Introit for the Second Sunday in Advent)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you are out walking in the woods, you want to find a clear path. Without a path, the way can be treacherous. Branches, brambles, and loose stones cause you to stumble and will impede your progress. Tripping and sliding with every step, you are in real danger of twisting an ankle or breaking a leg. After a while, you grow weary of all the work. Then you become discouraged, and in the end, you wonder if it is really worth the effort.
However, if you are walking through the woods on a deer trail or a man-made path, the going is much easier. A path that has been traveled over and over is smoother. The branches are pushed back, and loose stones are not in the road. As a young boy, King David was a shepherd, so he knew the importance of a good path in the wilderness of this world. In the psalms, David tells us that there is one path that will lead us out of every trouble.
The path that we need to follow is the path of the Lord. Only God can teach us His path. In the pages of Holy Scripture, we have a path that leads us through the wilderness of this land. On this path there is truth, life, and salvation. By following this path, we walk through the valley of the shadow of death and into the true light of heaven. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, you have been brought to this path. All who believe in Christ and who have received by faith the sacrifice that He offered by His death on the Cross have received the salvation of the Lord. Because of Jesus we will never be put to shame, for He leads us into the way of His truth and onto the path of life everlasting.
David asks that the Lord would make known to him His ways and to teach him His paths. We also need to make this request each day to the Lord. God promises to lead us on His path, and this path can be found in the pages of Holy Scripture and in church where we hear and receive all the Gifts God has for us. In the preaching, in Absolution, and in the Lord's Supper, we receive all that we need to support us as we walk on the path of God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Help us, dear Lord, to continue to walk on your path. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is the pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Romans 13:11-14
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 9:8-10:11; 1 Peter 5:1-14
For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. (Romans 13:11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Wake up! He is coming! He will be here soon! Get ready! The days of Advent pass quickly, and soon Jesus will be here. Christmas is in 21 days; will you be ready? The Church is always in a state of tension. Eagerly awaiting the coming of the Savior, we recognize that "salvation is nearer to us now" than ever before. Each day that passes on this earth is a day closer to when Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. It is on that day that we will see our salvation face to face.
What a day of great joy that will be, for no longer will we live in a land of darkness, a land filled with sin and death. Given a new heavenly body perfect in every way, all who are baptized and believe in Christ will receive everlasting peace because of His death on the Cross. Living in the new heavens and earth, we will no longer struggle with the things of this world.
Until that time, however, we will daily continue to struggle against our own sinful flesh. Because of the faith we have been given by the Holy Spirit, we are called by God to walk properly and live as forgiven sinners. Children of God, you and I must fight against the passions of the flesh. We cannot do it on our own, so we return each and every day to our Baptism. There we drown the old Adam and put on the new man in Christ. Then we go forth speaking and acting as God intends us to, keeping the commandments of God, living in the forgiveness we have been given.
This time of waiting passes quickly, but we have preparations to make. Things must be done. Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ means we must return each day to the pages of Holy Scripture. It is there that we read, mark, learn, and take all the things God wants us to know and to do to heart so that we might live in the light of Christ while we await His return. Our salvation is near. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, Hurry. Do not delay in bringing the blessed day when the hope of happy redemption will be fulfilled. For this reason you have ask us to pray: Your kingdom come. Since you have so commanded us to pray, give us grace and help to pray diligently, firmly believing that we shall finally come to such glory. Amen. (Luther's Prayers)
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is the pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Today's Reading: Jeremiah 23:5-8
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 8:9-9:7; 1 Peter 4:1-19
The Lord is our righteousness. (Jeremiah 27:7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the book of Jeremiah, the Lord promises that He will raise up from the righteous branch of David a King who will reign with wisdom and justice. Unlike earthly kings who are selfish, fallible, and unjust, this King will be perfect. His kingdom will have no end, and people will come into it from the ends of the earth.
Oh, what a great day for God's people! No longer will they fear those around them. No longer will there be bloodshed, pestilence, and war. This King shall set up a wall around His people that no one can breach. Naturally, the people look forward to that day. They want to know when it will come and who that King will be. In grace and mercy the Lord tells Jeremiah the Name of this great King: The Lord is our righteousness."
What a title. God is telling His people that the King will come one day to lead and save them. This King will, by His very name, point out the truth. In the "Formula of Concord" we confess, "Christ alone is our Righteousness, who is true God and man, because in Him the divine and human natures are personally united with each other." Jesus is the true King for whom the people of old have waited for so long.
It is the same for us today. During the season of Advent, we await the coming of the Lord. The days pass, and the anticipation builds as we all wait for Christmas. The day that the Child born of Mary was laid in the manger is the day that "the Lord is our righteousness" came into this world.
Our sin has destroyed our relationship with the Father and has made us His enemy. You and I can never make ourselves righteous before God. It is only because of the true King and the sacrifice that He offered on the Cross that we are made right. Jesus is true righteousness for all mankind. Without Jesus, no one can ever be right with God, for Christ alone has died and been raised for the forgiveness of all our sins and has brought us into His kingdom. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we give thanks that Your righteousness has come into this world of sin. We pray that you would send forth Your Gospel into a world that needs to hear about the King. Continue to guide and direct us by your Holy Word so that we might remain alert until you return again. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is the pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Table of Duties, To Husbands
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 7:10-8:8; 1 Peter 3:1-22
Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. (Colossians 3:19)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther lays out Scripture passages that point out the duties Christians are to follow in their daily lives. This list has different categories for the stations or vocations that you might find yourselves in. There are two Bible verses in the section which pertains to husbands. The first one is 1 Peter 3:7, where husbands are told to be considerate of their wives and to treat them with respect so that their prayers might not be hindered. This is important because if a husband is sinning against his wife, then his prayers will be frustrated; one caught in sin is less likely to talk to God.
In the second verse (above), Paul tells husbands to love their wives. The English says, "Do not be harsh," but this does not get to the point Paul is trying to make. The Greek word means "make bitter." Scripture is telling husbands that the way they treat their wives will cause wives to react in certain ways. If the husband is rough or rude, then the wife will become sharp and cruel in response. This will lead to sin and to a damaging of the relationship that God established. Husbands must guard their words and pay attention to what they say. When they fall into sin, they must repent and ask Christ and their wives for forgiveness.
A marriage will only work well if it is undertaken with love, repentance, and the forgiveness that Christ has earned on the Cross. At the same time, these words are important for all people. The way we treat others affects them, and it can cause them to react. As children of God, you are called by God to love your neighbor, to show him the love and forgiveness that God has given to you. As you do this, you are bearing witness to the love of Christ that is in you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Oh God, our dwelling place in all generations, look with favor upon the homes of our land. Embrace husbands and wives, parents and children, in the arms of your love, and grant that each, in reverence for Christ, fulfill their duties You have given. Bless our homes that they may ever be a shelter for the defenseless, a fortress for the tempted, a resting place for the weary, and a foretaste of our eternal home with You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is the pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Today's Reading: John 1:35-42a
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 6:1-7:9; 1 Peter 2:13-25
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:35-36)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John the Baptist's job was to point the way to Jesus, and he was good at his job. In John's Gospel we read about the calling of a disciple of John, Andrew, who heard the Word and followed it. The name Andrew means "manly" or "valor," and throughout his life, he accomplished many physical things. A fisherman by trade, he worked with his whole body, and this training helped him when he was called to be an apostle. Andrew's job was to proclaim the message of the Gospel and to bring people to Christ.
Right from the beginning, he did just that. The Gospel of John tells us, "He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah'" (John 1:41). This drive to bring people to Jesus filled the life of Andrew, and he continued to go forth into all the world to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the sins of the world. Eusebius, a church historian, writes that Andrew went as far as Kiev, which is now in the Ukraine, in order that people might come to a knowledge of the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done. According to tradition, Andrew died after being tied to an X-shaped cross in Greece.
We remember Andrew this day because the Body of Christ should always remember and give thanks to God for the people He has called to share the Gospel of Christ. The apostle Andrew was a blessing to the Church and to the people of God, for the Lord used this simple fisherman to proclaim His message into the ears of people who were lost in sin and needed a Savior.
The Holy Spirit used Andrew, and He uses us today. As believers in Christ, we go to church and receive the Gifts God gives to us through preaching, teaching, and the Sacraments. These things fill us up and lead us to share the message of Christ. In so doing, the Holy Spirit works through us to proclaim the Good News to those still in darkness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
All praise, O Lord, for Andrew, The first to welcome You, Whose witness to his brother Named You Messiah true. May we, with hearts kept open To You throughout the year, Confess to friend and neighbor Your advent ever near. ("By All Your Saints in Warfare" LSB 517, st.5)
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 5:1-25; 1 Peter 2:1-12
By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Hebrews 11:7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever thought about how long it took Noah to build the ark? While we don't know for sure, many people guess that Noah was working on the ark for about 100 years. Day after day, this righteous man of God worked to build a huge boat without a storm cloud in sight. Hours upon countless hours of sawing, sanding, nailing, and covering with pitch. Years of ridicule and taunting by people who could not understand why he would waste his time or energy building a boat for a God whom they did not listen to and whom they could not care less about. Years passed, and Noah continued to build.
What kept him going? Why did he go out every day to that boat and continue to build? The author of the book of Hebrews gives us the answer: It was all because of faith. Martin Luther writes, "Faith is a living bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it." This was the faith Noah had; he trusted in the word of God and did what God commanded.
Now we know that Noah was a sinner just like all people born on earth. His calling by God was based not on who Noah was but solely upon grace and divine mercy. The Holy Spirit filled Noah with an active and living faith. It was a faith that trusted in the promises of God, including the coming of Jesus the Messiah, the One who died on the Cross to save us from all our sins.
God used the ark to save Noah and his family from the flood that destroyed the earth. Today God uses the Church to protect you from this world and to keep you afloat in the floods of life. The Church is the Holy Ark that helps the people of God receive the Gifts God has given to us. Through preaching, teaching, and the right administration of the Sacraments, the Lord God strengthens our faith and protects us in this world of sin. So it is good that we remember Noah, a man of God and an heir of righteousness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and eternal God, continue to help us live by faith, trusting in your righteousness for the sake of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.
-Rev. William K. Stottlemyer is pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hancock, MD.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet. . . (Matthew 21:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today we begin the season of Advent. The word "advent" comes from the Latin word "advenire," which means "to come," and for the next 25 days, the Church will be preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ. Preparing takes time and lots of hard work. Just like cleaning the house must be done before the arrival of a special guest, things need to be done over the next few weeks as the Church prepares for the coming of Christmas. Advent hymns are sung, a wreath is put up, and candles are lit. In our lives we should also set aside time to prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of Jesus' birth. A good way to do this is to spend more time in the study of Holy Scripture and in prayer.
On this, the first Sunday in Advent, the Gospel lesson relates the triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Jesus the King rides on a donkey, and, with great celebration, enters the Holy City so that He might die on the Cross for us and for all our sin. We must never forget that this was the purpose for which He came to earth. In the Gospel of Matthew you will often read, "This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet." In fact, Matthew points it out to us 16 times, and he quotes the Old Testament 68 times in order to drive home the point that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. The promise made long ago in the Garden of Eden to Adam and Eve that a Messiah would come has now been fulfilled.
Matthew, moved by the working of the Holy Spirit, wrote down these things so that we might prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of the Christ. All has been fulfilled in Christ. As we begin our Advent journey, we look forward to the celebration of Christ's coming because this Child comes to fulfill prophecy. He comes to fulfill the Law perfectly. He comes to suffer and to die in our place. He comes to bring peace between God and man. What a great gift given freely for us! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Stir up, we beseech Thee, Thy Power, O Lord, and Come, that by Thy protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Thy mighty deliverance; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God world without end. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday in Advent)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame. (From the Introit for the First Sunday in Advent)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Like the Last Sundays of the Church Year, the season of Advent provides time for us to be trained in patient waiting. The Sundays just past taught us to patiently wait for the return of Jesus in glory. The Sundays of Advent will teach us to patiently wait for the Incarnation of Jesus.
This time of waiting is characterized by increased devotion to the hearing of God's Word and to prayer. And in that hearing and praying our trust in the Lord is renewed. We lift up our souls to God, our only confidence, for we have no trust in anyone else. He is our only hope and salvation. We may have many enemies--the world and the devil himself, and even our own flesh--but they will never exalt over us because God is with us in the flesh of Jesus. Those who give in to the enemies, who abandon trust in God will not succeed. They will be ashamed. God spare us from such foolishness!
In Christ, we wait on the Lord and trust in Him, and not in ourselves, so we will never be ashamed. We trust in the Lord, so we cling to His Word and hear what He has to say. He shows us His commandments, the way to live, and greater still that He sent His Son to take our human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. In that flesh He would bear our sins to death on the Cross in order to remove our shame and silence our enemies. In faith we wait for the Lord. We trust in God for salvation all the more.
The Lord is truly good to sinners like us. He instructs and leads us throughout our lives by His Word. Despite the attacks of enemies without and within, God leads us in His paths of love and faithfulness. He promises never to abandon us, but to be with us always, even to the very end of the world. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. See the Tree of Life growing in the heavenly city along that river and the golden street? Life in all its fullness is pictured with the twelve-fold fruit the Tree produces each month the year around. Even its leaves are filled with healing. "No longer will there be anything accursed" (Revelation 22:3).
This takes us back to the radiant pureness of the Garden of Eden, the first Paradise. Genesis 2 describes the river that watered it. And in its midst was the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Through Satan's deception and Adam and Eve's sin, the curse of death came into the world. Our first parents rebelled against God's love and ate from the forbidden tree. Death reigned and that curse was passed down to all humanity. For everyone who does not continually do everything written in the Law is cursed.
But on another tree many centuries later, the Son of God hung nailed to the Cross. He became the curse in our place. And by His death, He undid the curse of Adam's sin. The Scripture declares in Galatians 3, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'" (Galatians 3:13). "No longer will there be any curse," God declares.
The blood of the Lamb that stained the tree of the Cross removes sin's curse. You have been washed clean and made ready to eat the fruit of the Tree of Life in Paradise restored. Death is undone. Life flows from the throne of the Lamb. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Now from the tree of Jesus' shame Flows life eternal in His name; For all who trust and will believe, Salvation's living fruit receive. And of this fruit so pure and sweet The Lord invites the world to eat, To find within this cross of wood The tree of life with ev'ry good. ("The Tree of Life" LSB 561, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." (Revelation 21:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. To the world and our faithless eyes, the Church often looks like a hot mess. From our view She is not much of a Bride, but more like a schizophrenic bag lady on a city street. But that is not how God sees His Bride, the Church. She is spotless and radiant, having been washed by water with the Word (Ephesians 5:26). That's the view that John received in the Revelation and that he shares with us. The Bride, the Lamb, the new Jerusalem, are all revealed together as one glorious reality.
The wondrous news is that the vision also describes our future. The Lamb is Jesus who was slain for our sins and the sins of all the world. The new Jerusalem is our eternal dwelling place. But how can we be sure of all this? Because God says so. You can count on His Word. Earlier in the vision, John heard these words: "'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also, he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.' And he said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment'" (Revelation 21:5-6). It's all a gift, God's free gift to you.
You are a member of the Bride of Christ. You have been washed clean by the water and the Word. Are you thirsty? Drink up. Drink from the spring of life-giving water that He offers you free of charge. Come to the Supper of the Lamb and feast on Christ's own Body given and Blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. The world may continue to mock the Bride, but we rejoice in Her and give thanks that God, in Christ, has counted us worthy to be one with Her. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Bride of Christ, rejoice; Exultant raise your voice To hail the day of glory Foretold in sacred story. Hosanna, praise and glory! Our King, we bow before thee. ("O Bride of Christ, Rejoice" LSB 335, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. (1 Timothy 2:1-3)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The catechism reading for last week was directed to those who serve in civil government.This week the target of Luther's admonition is those who hold the holy office of citizen. Luther utilizes one text from Holy Scripture to address rulers but five for those who are governed. Rulers are to remember that their rule is really a stewardship of God's care and order for society and the world. The governed are reminded that those who rule are a gift from God.
Receiving the gift of civil government moves the faithful to pray for those who rule. Praying for everyone obviously means that we exclude no one. This was not an easy thing for those first Christians to do. They saw their friends and family dragged into coliseums throughout the Roman Empire where they were tortured and sacrificed. Instead of calling for Christians to revolt, Paul urges those Christians to pray for the very leaders who persecuted them.
We hesitate to pray for politicians who are revealed to be corrupt and immoral in both their public and personal lives. But there is a very good reason for us to pray even for unbelieving, immoral rulers: so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. That peace serves the Gospel. Leading peaceful and quiet lives allows us to speak the Gospel of peace to all. We quietly tell people that their hope is never in man or the rulers of men. We speak the truth that salvation is found in no Name other than the name of Jesus. We bring people to the preaching of the Word and the washing of water and the Word. We teach that the Body and Blood of Jesus is truly present for forgiveness of sins in the Holy Supper. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, as You have established all temporal authority for our blessing, to reward the good and punish those who do evil, bless those who hold public office in our land that we may live in peace with all godliness. Teach us to honor and respect those who hold office and to receive them as gifts of your gracious hand. Uphold all in public office, that they may execute their duties faithfully and diligently, in the fear of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. (1 Thessalonians 5:5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Thessalonian Christians were confused about the end. Some thought that Christ had already come, and they had missed it. But the apostle Paul reminds them that the Last Day will be so unmistakable that no one is going to miss it. Others thought that those who had died already were lost, that you had to be alive on the day Christ appears. Paul reminds them that the Last Day is resurrection day when all will rise, and believers will be joined to Jesus for all eternity.
Paul reminds them that they are not in the dark about the return of Jesus. They are prepared by the Word and promises of God. And to remain watchful and ready for the return of Jesus, Paul encourages them to remember what God has granted them for that day. "But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation" (Ephesians 6:14). They need not fear the great and terrible day of the Lord. For God has not destined them for wrath, but to obtain salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus who died for their sin, would come again in mercy.
This is our confidence as well. The uncertainty of life in the dying world can be very troubling for us. We are tempted to doubt and fear all the time. The end is lived in confidence, not fear. It is looked for with expectation, not terror. It holds the promise of resurrection and life for those who trust Christ's salvation. Christ has made you ready for His return. He declares you to be children of light, having been made so by the Light of the World. "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:11). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, let at last Thine angels come, To Abr'ham's bosom bear me home, That I may die unfearing; And in its narrow chamber keep My body safe in peaceful sleep Until thy reappearing. And then from death awaken me, That these mine eyes with joy may see,
O Son of God, Thy glorious face, My savior and my fount of grace. Lord, Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, And I will praise thee without end. ("Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart" LSB 708, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. . . I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress." (Isaiah 65:17,19a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Isaiah saw the vision God placed before him. Nearly 700 years before Christ came, God lifted his eyes to the Messiah in whom he could delight. It was a time not unlike our time. The people around Isaiah rejected God. There were plenty of struggles in life and worries of the world to catch Isaiah's attention. People were so bad that Isaiah had to wonder how long it would be before God had enough.
Isaiah knew God would punish the people all the while keeping His small group faithful to Him. To these believers God spoke words to lift them past the present struggles to the delight of the coming new heaven and new earth. "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth."
This is the work to be accomplished at the end of all time. It is a remarkable place, the new heavens and new earth. There the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. People who carry with them the horrors of death and the pain of sickness, all the shameful things we have done and encouraged. All the ways we've been sinned against or led others to sin. Those things won't come to our minds again. And there the sound of weeping and distress will be no more. There won't be stillbirths or babies who die after a short time in life. People won't pass away suddenly. Accidents won't end lives, because there will be no more death. All the celebrating of life we have done by the side of a departed relative will be completed as we realize the delights of the new creation.
These are promises that we take on faith now but are guaranteed for us by the death of Jesus and His resurrection from the grave. One day we will see it all clearly on the holy mountain of the Lord. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Sweet and blessed country, The home of God's elect! O sweet and blessed country
That faithful hearts expect! In mercy, Jesus, bring us To that eternal rest With You and God the Father And Spirit, ever blest. ("Jerusalem the Golden" LSB 672, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
"And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
(Matthew 25:10-13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I remember as a child waiting for my dad to come home from work. The difference in the way I waited depended on how the day had gone. If I'd misbehaved that day and heard those dreaded words from Mom, "Wait until your father gets home," I'd be waiting with more than a little bit of dread. But if it had been a good day then the waiting was filled with joyful anticipation.
As baptized people of God we wait for the Lord's return with joy, not fear. We are confident in His promise of the forgiveness of all our sins, for the Jesus who is coming soon is the same Jesus who died on the Cross for us to pay for our sins. The foolish virgins had no time for faithful waiting. They figured that they would be ready when the bridegroom came, and they took for granted that they had a place at the wedding feast. In their foolish figuring, they lost out. They hear chilling words, "I don't know you." For the wise virgins in the parable, the Lord's return doesn't bring panic or fear. They welcome the bridegroom with joy.
The Lord's return comes with deliverance, with salvation. It reveals all that was won for us on Jesus' Cross but remained hidden to the world and known only by faith, even our life and salvation and the forgiveness of all our sins. This Gospel news enlivens our faith and we look with joyful anticipation for our Lord's return. By His grace alone we are counted as wise and well-prepared.
As we await the return of Jesus on the day that ends all days, we receive His words with humble and wide-awake faith: "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." Come, Lord Jesus! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, absolve Your people from their offenses that, from the bonds of our sins which by reason of our frailty we have brought upon ourselves, we may be delivered by Your bountiful goodness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Last Sunday of the Church Year)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! (From the Introit for the Last Sunday of the Church Year)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The days of this world are numbered. That is a truth revealed to us in the Scripture readings for the last Sundays of the Church Year with their focus on the return of Jesus on the Last Day. The Introit for tomorrow, from Psalm 39, brings this reality home to us in a heart-wrenchingly personal way. It is an expression of David's anguish and a cry that comes from our lips, too.
We don't know the exact circumstances David was facing as he wrote this psalm, but we can surely recognize the inner struggle he writes about. In verse 4, David cries out to God, "Lord, make me to know my end and what is the measure of my days; Let me know how fleeting I am." This is a psalm of lament. David prays out of his pain. He explains his feelings to God and cries out in despair.
In this prayer, David moves from his inner struggle to the realization that his life is fleeting. David remembers that his hope cannot be found in any of his earthly circumstances or wealth; his hope is in the Lord. His early focus on worldly wealth and success faded away. He saw that God's forgiveness was his greatest treasure. "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools" (vv. 7,8).
What a beautiful thing it is that the Introit for tomorrow delivers as the words of Psalm 39 are placed on our lips. As we see this present world passing away, God grants us an eternal perspective. Our hope is in the Lord who has saved us from all our transgressions by His own Cross death, and has given us a resurrection life that never ends. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Our hope and expectation, O Jesus, now appear; Arise, O Sun so longed for,
O'er this benighted sphere. With heart and hands uplifted, We plead, O Lord, to see
The day of earth's redemption That sets Your people free. ("Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers" LSB 515, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Jeremiah said, "You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared." (Jeremiah 38:20)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The false prophet Hananiah declared in the Name of the LORD that God would come to the aid of His people. The items that were stolen from the temple would be returned, along with the thousands of Judeans who had been captured and taken away--including the son of the king--within two years' time. On the surface, this sounded great! God had come to the aid of His people in the past, so Hananiah's words seemed very reasonable. And Jeremiah agreed! Yes, Hananiah--this sounds wonderful! I agree, and I wish that the LORD does so.
But wait. Listen to what I say. Your prophecy, Hananiah, contradicts what the prophets before you, like Isaiah and I have proclaimed before. You, Hananiah--you say something else! The previous prophets promise God's judgment for your wickedness, and it is going to get much worse before it gets better (Jeremiah 28).
No one wanted to hear this kind of news, especially the king. And so, Jeremiah was tossed into a well and left to die. But it wouldn't be for Jeremiah to die on account of the rebelliousness and faithlessness of the people. He would be rescued from the pit and would continue to preach God's wrath AND God's mercy.
Centuries after Jeremiah's trials, God would send the prophet to end all prophets: His Son. Jesus would do what no son of Adam could do. He would obey the voice of the Lord. He would drink the cup of suffering. He would bear the sins of the world on the Cross and be buried in a cold tomb (Matthew 27:57-66). Now the prophecy of Jeremiah is fulfilled, and this message is spoken of us: "It shall be well with you and your life shall be spared." All thanks to Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, You desire not the death of a sinner but that all would repent and live. Hear our prayers for those outside the Church. Take away their iniquity, and turn them from their false gods to You, the living and true God. Gather them into Your holy Church to the glory of Your name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. (Matthew 27:50–51)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the Old Testament Divine Service the only way to enter into God's presence was within the tabernacle. The tabernacle was divided into two parts: the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Only the priests could enter the Holy Place and only a High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and then just once a year.
These two Holy places were separated by a thick veil. Early Jewish writings describe the veil of the temple as being four inches thick, and it took up to 300 priests to move it. The temple curtain was a preaching that the only access to God was through the mediation of the High Priest and the blood of bulls and goats.
The death of Jesus marked the end of the sacrificial system and the need for the temple curtain. In the death of Jesus, and by His blood, a new and living way to God's holy presence has been opened for the whole world. "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:19-23).
We have this access to God through our Baptism in Christ, the washing of our evil conscience with pure water. Each time we receive His Word of Absolution, hear the preaching of His Gospel, and feast on His Body and Blood, we are joined with Jesus in the heavenly places. This is the gift Jesus wins for us by His death on the Cross. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In ev'ry time of need, Before the judgment throne, Thy work, O Lamb of God, I'll plead,
Thy merits, not my own. Amen. ("O Perfect Life of Love" LSB 452, st.6)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (Romans 13:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It was most likely that Nero was the Roman emperor when Paul wrote the letter to the Roman church. If you know anything about Nero, it should be this--he was an anti-Christ figure. He lived his life in complete opposition to everything that the Gospel of Jesus stood for and what Paul wrote about in his letter to the Roman church. Nero was selfish, sexually abusive, greedy, and violent. The Christians of Rome would feel Nero's wrath in the 60s when he would blame Christians for the burning of Rome, and a year later he would have Paul executed. This is the context in which Paul writes: "let every person be subject to the governing authorities."
Paul isn't arguing that the Roman government is worthy of being obeyed because everything they do is godly. Rather, he is arguing that the way of Christ is not to fight so that one side wins and one side loses, but rather to live differently so that all sides may be freed from the bondage of violence and death and sin. Paul is arguing for the living of a Christian life, in defiance to the Roman way of living, and for the acceptance of whatever punishment is dealt out for living as a disciple of Jesus.
Our life of faith will always be cross-shaped and Paul would embody this himself in his imprisonments and ultimately in his own death. In the Table of Duties Luther uses Romans 13:1-4 to address those who rule. He will have something to say to citizens later. But here he would have those who occupy the holy office of governing authority recognize their responsibility as a servant of God for the sake of peace and good order. We include in the prayers of the Church petitions on behalf of those who rule. Rulers are given a great responsibility from God. They are to rule with the knowledge that God has placed them in their positions of authority. It benefits the Gospel when they acknowledge this, and the Church is enabled to continue to preach forgiveness of sins in Jesus for the life of the world. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Eternal Lord, ruler of all, graciously regard those who have been set in positions of authority among us that, guided by Your Spirit, they may be high in purpose, wise in counsel, firm in good resolution, and unwavering in duty, that under them we may be governed quietly and peaceably; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
(2 Peter 3:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you noticed that when you are anxiously waiting for something, like the Amazon Prime item you ordered just yesterday, it takes forever for that thing to arrive? In the reading today the apostle Peter points out to us that a person's perception of how long it is taking for the Lord to return in judgment is affected by that person's perspective. The one who mocks the faith thinks that it's taking way too long, and he uses that to argue that Jesus is never coming back and therefore that the Christian faith is nothing but nonsense.
The believer has an altogether different perspective on this. Believers see the Lord's delay as a blessing and as an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel far and wide, so that the Holy Spirit might work through that Gospel to bring more to Baptism and to life in the kingdom of God. After Jesus completed the redemption of sinners by His perfect life and His innocent suffering and death, and after He proclaimed it in His resurrection from the dead, the Lord Jesus commissioned His Church to "go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15) or, more specifically, to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that [He has] commanded [us]" (Matthew 28:19, 20).
He who loves sinners so much that He laid down His very life for us all is, by the delay of His return, giving more opportunity for His Church to love others as He has loved us by sharing His Gospel with them. He is not slow in His return. He is gracious. And you are on the receiving end of that grace. "Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace" (2 Peter 3:14). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
My Savior paid the debt I owe And for my sin was smitten; Within the Book of Life I know My name has now been written. I will not doubt, for I am free, and Satan cannot threaten me; There is no condemnation! ("The Day is Surely Drawing Near" LSB 508, st.5)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13–14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As he lay in his bed in Babylon, Daniel received from the LORD an incredible vision of the Last Day. It included four strange and fearsome beasts, the fiery throne of the Ancient of Days (God the Father) and "one like a son of man" (God the Son) receiving dominion and glory over all the world.
That name, "son of man" reminds us that Jesus shares our humanity. He's a descendant of Adam, the first man, by His incarnation in the womb of Mary. He is our Brother. He bore the sins of His brothers and sisters to the Cross and freed all the world from its sins by His death.
But Daniel didn't see Jesus in His humility that night, but in His glory, coming on the clouds, standing before the Ancient of Days, and being given authority, glory, and power. The Son of Man reigns in victory.
And this is what we are given to see of Jesus in these Last Days. This is our encouragement in these gray and latter days. Jesus has defeated sin, death, and the devil by His dying and rising. He will return in glory to judge the living and the dead.
When the books are opened on the day of His return, we will be judged as holy and righteous in Jesus. We have been joined to Jesus in our Baptism and "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). On that great and glorious day, we will join with the thousands and ten thousand times ten thousands in praise of the Son of Man whose kingdom shall not pass away. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God of God, O Light of Light, O Prince of Peace and King of Kings: To you in heaven's glory bright The song of praise forever rings. To Him who sits upon the throne,
The Lamb one slain but raised again, Be all the glory He has won, All thanks and praise! Amen, amen. ("O God of God, O Light of Light" LSB 810, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
"And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" (Matthew 25:37-40)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus tells us that He will come in His glory with an angel host and from His glorious throne he will make a judgment: sheep to the right and goats to the left. The sheep go into the eternal kingdom prepared for them before the foundations of the world. The goats go to an eternal fire. How the verdict is decided is what surprises people.
The wisdom of the world says that bad people will get what's coming to them. You know, "karma." And the good will receive a reward. What shocks the world, and our old sinful selves is that the judgment Jesus will render on the day of His return is not based on what people do but on what they are. So, in the text for this day, it is only after the separation is completed that we hear about their deeds, good or bad. The sheep are called righteous. We know how the Bible speaks of righteousness: It is a gift along with that faith that receives it (Ephesians 2). The goats lack faith and therefore righteousness.
The Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6), no matter how much good you do. But the faithful receive what has always been theirs since the foundation of the world--the kingdom. They are blessed by the Father.
And that is your standing before God in Christ. You are declared righteous before God because Jesus served you. He came all the way down into our flesh and took up our sins in His own body on the tree of the Cross. Your life is now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). Your life in this world, and the good works you do, matter to those around you: the least and the lowly. And in the doing of those works, you do it to Jesus. Blessed are you by the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that, ever mindful of the end of all things and the day of Your just judgment, we may be stirred up to holiness of living here and dwell with Your forever hereafter; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Second-Last Sunday of the Church Year)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil. . . Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. (Jeremiah 29:11a–12 )
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When you are having a challenging day--a day when you get bad news, the internet goes down, or you can't find your way out from under a challenging project--you may forget that God has called you as His own by virtue of your Baptism into Christ, planned for your welfare and given you a future with hope. The challenge is that in the dark times, you may not see the hope.
God sends the prophet Jeremiah to you and lifts your eyes from that hopelessness that may surround you. Hope is commonly used to mean a wish: Its strength, people believe, is the strength of the person's desire. That is always the wrong place to focus. What we find is that our own strength is never enough and our desires are ruled by the selfishness of sin. In contrast, the Bible presents hope as the confident expectation of what God has promised, and the strength of hope is in God's faithfulness.
Jeremiah 29 is a letter to the people of Judah who are currently in exile. The whole letter is God speaking to the people through the prophet Jeremiah, telling them that, eventually, things are going to get better. God will keep His promises to them and ultimately to all humanity in His Son. Paul's letter to the Romans reminds us that hope is firmly rooted in God: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Romans 15:13.) And the hope, joy, and peace we have flows from the wounded side of our crucified and risen Savior.
Hope isn't a matter of circumstances, it is the promise that God will sustain us when our days are filled with joy and peace or when they are terrible. Hope is the promise that Jesus will come again to judge the world and vindicate our trust in Him. Hope is like grace and faith: They are all promises that God has given to us in Christ as free gifts. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
What God ordains is always good: This truth remains unshaken. Though sorrow, need, or death be mine, I shall not be forsaken. I fear no harm. For with His arm He shall embrace and shield me; So to my God I yield me. ("What God Ordains Is Always Good" LSB 760, st.6)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. (Jeremiah 25:5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jeremiah must have felt as if he was talking to himself. The people of Judah, to whom he was sent to preach, had a long history of ignoring God's Word. And they weren't about to listen to what Jeremiah had to say. He brought them the "promise" of exile and distress as God's judgment against their sin. They had a First Commandment problem, that is, they did not fear, love and trust in God above all things. Instead, when political and economic hard times came, they turned to pagan nations for help.
Yet the Lord did not abandon his people. He continued to send them servants of His redeeming work, like Jeremiah. He issued a loving call to repentance. "Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds." They did not listen. God would "banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the grinding of the millstones and the light of the lamp. [The] whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years" (Jeremiah 25:10-11). Yet God's promise to save Judah stood, and He would bring a faithful remnant home.
We know that the promised answer to repentance is always forgiveness and mercy from the Lord. For the faithful of Judah that would mean a return to the land that God had sworn to Abraham and his seed forever. From those people would come the redeemer of the world, Jesus. Born of a daughter of the promise to Abraham, Jesus would answer for the sins of all in His death and resurrection. Hear the Word of the Lord, you, His saints. He loves you enough to call you to repentance and faith. He promises to answer with words of forgiveness. He will cause you to dwell in the land He has promised to all who love Him. He will bring you the promised land of eternal life and resurrection through Jesus Christ our Lord. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Grant us, O God, the strength and courageTo live the faith our lips declare; Bless us in our baptismal calling; Christ's royal priesthood help us share. Turn us from ev'ry false allegiance, That we may trust in Christ alone: Raise up in us a chose people Transformed by love to be Your own. ("Mark How the Lamb of God's Self-Offering" LSB 600, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Matthew 25:34)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Born into a pagan family in what is now Hungary around the year A.D. 316, Martin grew up in Lombardy (Italy). Coming to the Christian faith as a young person, he began a career in the Roman army. But sensing a call to a church vocation, Martin left the military and became a monk, affirming that he was "Christ's soldier." Eventually, Martin was named bishop of Tours in western Gaul (France). He is remembered for his simple lifestyle and his determination to share the Gospel throughout rural Gaul.
Our Lutheran confessions remind us that it is good to remember saints of old like Martin of Tours. We confess that "the remembrance of the saints is to be commended in order that we may imitate their faith and good works according to their calling" (Augsburg Confession, Article 21). A saint is not someone we go to in prayer so we can get a little extra favor in God's eyes or to get help in selling our house. A saint is one who has been made holy.
This is what the Holy Spirit has done for you in Holy Baptism, where the flood of Christ's own blood has made you holy, right, and good before your heavenly Father ("All Christians Who Have Been Baptized" LSB, 596, st.4). We remember and give thanks to God for the lives of the saints every Sunday in the Divine Service when we gather at the Lord's table with "angels, archangels, and the whole company of heaven." Who is that company of heaven but the saints? After we commune, we sing the hymn of St. Simeon ("Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace. . . "). Next, we pray that the Body and Blood of Jesus would cause us to live "in fervent love toward one another." This is a prayer that we would regard and treat one another as saints. As Paul says, "So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19). We give thanks to God for our brother, Martin, one with us in the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord God of hosts, you clothed your servant Martin the soldier with the spirit of sacrifice and set him as a bishop in your Church to be a defender of the true faith; Give us grace to follow in his steps, that at the last we may be found clothed with righteousness in the dwellings of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It always seems a little dicey for a pastor to write about what the Small Catechism Table of Duties calls "What Hearers Owe Their Pastors." It's dicey because so much sin colors the discussion. Pastors feel that they are underappreciated and would welcome a few more digits added to their paychecks. They also know the Word of God directed to preachers, that they should not be lovers of money (1 Timothy 3:3). Hearers of the Word also struggle with their responsibilities as they look at the church budget and income statement and wonder if the good reverend couldn't get by with a little less. Life in the church is messy that way with sinner pastor and sinner hearer battling it out for the fiscal upper hand.
So, what is the answer? We heard part one last week when God's Word detailed the responsibility that the pastor has toward those who gather to hear the preaching. Pastors are brought to repentance by those words and receive Absolution for their sin by the Word of Jesus. Part two of the answer is detailed in today's catechism reading. Faith receives the preaching of God's Word and the preacher, with thanksgiving. A physical act of thanksgiving is providing for the worldly needs of the preacher. The pastor is worthy of "double honor" not because of who he is, but because of his work. He labors in preaching and teaching. He works to bring the Word of God to you in the best and worst times of your life.
You in turn give thanks to God for this gift by supporting the bearer of the Word. "The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the Gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14). Rejoice in the gift that God has given through your pastor and rejoice in the opportunity to show Christ's love to him. In doing so you free him from the worries and cares of this life to continue his loving service to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Gracious God, You send great blessings New each morning all our days. For Your mercies never ending, For Your love we offer praise. Lord, we pray that we, Your people Who Your gifts unnumbered claim, Through the sharing of Your blessings May bring glory to Your name. ("Gracious God, You Send Great Blessing" LSB 782, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A recent Cornell University study on Americans' belief in an afterlife revealed that there has been very little change on this issue for more than 70 years. According to the study, belief in heaven has been true for over eight in ten people even since the late 1960s, while belief in life after death remains roughly in the range of seven in ten. That's the best that a "spiritual" world can give us, maybe an 80% chance that there is a heaven or even life after death.
I don't know what a study of the Thessalonian church would reveal, but it seems from Paul's letter that they were confused. So, Paul sets them straight. He claims the highest authority for his words: Jesus. Jesus has died and risen again. His resurrection is the proof that the dead will rise and the confirmation that He has the authority to raise the dead on the Last Day. At the command of the Lord, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God, the dead will rise.
If we are around to see that, we'll follow them to resurrection glory. The same is true for all who live and die in Christ. Sin and death have been conquered by the crucified and risen Jesus. This is our greatest strength when we face the trials and terrors of death.
We don't have a 70% or 80% chance of a resurrection to eternal life and a place at the Feast of the Lamb. We have a 100% guarantee from Jesus. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Jesus Christ, do not delay, But hasten our salvation; We often tremble on the way
In fear and tribulation O hear and grant our fervent plea: Come mighty judge, and set us free From death and ev'ry evil. ("The Day is Surely Drawing Near" LSB 508, st.7)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
And the Lord said to Moses, "Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" (Exodus 32:7–8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Well, that didn't take long. Moses had been gone a while, receiving from the LORD the Divine Service instructions for the people of Israel. While the LORD delivered specific instructions regarding the ways God would bless the people and put on them His holiness (Exodus 25-31), the people grew impatient and decided to fashion a god to whom they could offer sacrifice.
What does it take for you to doubt the good and gracious presence of God? We churn out false gods as fast as we can. Our gods, "O Israel," are money, popularity, success at school or work, the approval of the world, and the fulfillment of every disgusting appetite of our sinful selves. God brought His heavy hand of judgment on the people by the sword and a terrible plague. What do we deserve for our idolatry? We who do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things? What do we deserve? "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23a). That is the just payment for our idolatry.
But this is not what we receive. Here is the miracle of the Gospel: "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). One greater than Moses has come. "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:4-5).
Your idolatry is answered for in Jesus. Moses appealed to the mercy of God on behalf of the people. Jesus Himself intercedes for you now! You are not the object of God's wrath and anger. You are not outside the family of God but have been baptismally adopted as His own child. Return from your idolatry to the One who loves you to death in the death of His Son. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We implore You, O Lord, in your kindness to show us Your great mercy that we may be set from our sins and rescued from the punishments that we rightly deserve; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
"For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:27)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How many predictions of the end of the world have you lived through? I'm so old that I remember predictions from the 1970s and a false prophet named Hal Lindsey. Some other old folks will remember the Y2K scare of 1999. Isn't it funny how every generation can recall any number of false and deceiving prophecies of Jesus' return? I suppose I shouldn't describe faith-destroying teaching as "funny" but it is fascinating to see how the wicked one still sows confusion in the Church. That is Satan's old trick, to get the faithful to doubt the certainty of God's Word and move off into unsure speculation. Jesus does not leave us scratching our heads about the future or His return. It will happen, according to the time set by God the Father but the exact day and hour will remain unknown to us.
What is knowable for us is that Jesus will return, and the world will not miss that return. "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man" (Matthew 24:27). Christians live in the confidence that Jesus' word is sure. We can look at the world and its decay and recognize that the return of Jesus is drawing near. The day or the hour we will not know, but in the meantime, we will live by faith. Certainly, the signs of the end are all around us, including false christs and false prophets who seek to turn our attention from the sure promises of Jesus to wild speculations about the end. Don't listen to them or go after them. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). In faith, wait patiently for His return. You have nothing to fear. You are died for by Jesus and He will keep you firm in the faith until the end. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, our refuge and strength, the author of all godliness, hear the devout prayers of Your Church especially in times of persecution, and grant that what we ask in faith we may obtain; through Jesus Christ, Your son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Third-Last Sunday of the Church Year)
In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! (From the Introit for the 23rd Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Why is the Internet so slow?" we ask when the webpage doesn't load in a nanosecond. "What is wrong with these people, how long does it take to make a Big Mac?" we grumble in the drive-through while waiting fewer than two minutes. The blessing of rapid technological advancement has made us an impatient people.
This coming week in the Church Year will start the process of unlearning impatience. The Last Sundays of the Church Year give us the long perspective about our life of faith and teach us to wait in patient anticipation for the return of Jesus or our entrance into His eternal kingdom with our death. Psalm 31 is an insight into King David's concern about death, specifically his own death. We can all relate to David's concern in one way or another. We are confronted by death all the time. A tragic accident here, a heart attack there, and cancer consuming a loved one: It's all a preaching that this world and its inhabitants are dying.
Amid death and its terrors, David prays with confidence, "In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame." And we, too, can have the same confidence as David because we know to be true what David could only take on faith: Jesus Christ has come to rescue this whole world from death. He does that in a remarkable way: He dies. He is consumed by the sins of the world on the Cross so that all who believe and are baptized receive salvation and eternal life.
Jesus' bitter sufferings and death are the redemption price paid for you. Baptized into Jesus, you have a confidence that His work has rescued you from the guilt and shame of sin. His righteousness is credited to you and in Him you are delivered. We wait for the ultimate fulfillment of that promise with the return of Jesus in glory. . . or our own death. But we wait patiently on the Lord. He is our rock of refuge and a strong fortress to save. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Take heart, have hope, my spirit, And do not be dismayed; God helps in every trial
And makes you unafraid. Await His time with patience Through darkest hour of night
Until the sun you hoped for Delights your eager sight. ("Entrust Your Days and Burdens"
LSB 754, st.3)
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is often much of life that seems incomplete. There is always some academic assignment or work project waiting for its completion. If we are single, we think that we would be finally complete with a spouse. If we are given a spouse, our sinful nature thinks that we could do with a better one. I suppose that is a byproduct of life in this sinful world. In this life there is always something left to get done, always something incomplete.
We are invited to a different perspective in our reading today. We are let in on Paul's loving words to the Christians at the church in Philippi. His words are an encouragement for them. They may have been frustrated that the work of the Gospel wasn't going as well as they had hoped. Perhaps the discouragements of life brought about by their own sins or the sins of others were weighing them down. Paul reminds them that they are loved by God and by him! They are pure and blameless in Christ and "filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:11).
Despite their uncertainty, God was indeed at work in them. He saved them by the righteous life and death of Jesus. He filled them with the fruitful faith that comes through Jesus Christ. And that is what God has done for you, too. Don't be discouraged, dear child of God! All the incompleteness of your life will be unknown on the day of your resurrection. On that day Jesus will say of you, "Well done, good and faithful servant. . . enter in the [resurrection] joy of your master" (Matthew 25:23). He has begun that good work in you and will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Jesus Christ, do not delay, But hasten our salvation; We often tremble on our way
In fear and tribulation O hear and grant our fervent plea; Come mighty judge, and set us free From death and ev'ry evil. ("The Day Is Surely Drawing Near" LSB 508, st.7)
With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? (Micah 6:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Of all the prophets identified as "minor" in our Bible commentaries, perhaps Micah is the "minorist." You do know one famous line from this prophet, from the fifth chapter. "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming is from of old, from ancient days" (Micah 5:2). And really, this one verse helps us understand our reading today.
We know the fulfillment of the prophecy in Micah 5 is Jesus. He is the one born in Bethlehem of the woman, Mary, to be ruler of Israel. He ruled in humility from the Cross, thus fulfilling the ancient promise of a savior for all humanity. And He reigns in glorified humility at the right hand of God the Father. His is the sacrifice that pleases God. He offers up Himself in death for the sake of the sin of your soul. He executes God's justice by becoming the sacrifice for our sin under the burning wrath of God. He loves kindness and displays it in patient love toward us sinners. He walks humbly with God by way of His Cross. And all of this is credited to you by God's grace in Christ.
So, Paul writes, "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:5-9). You come before the LORD covered by the death of Jesus. His sacrifice is alone pleasing to the Lord. So you bow before the LORD as one who has been baptized into Christ and thus clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:27). You come to receive the fruits of Jesus' sacrifice at the table of the Lord with Jesus' own Body and Blood given into your mouth. You take heart that all the LORD requires of you has been done in Jesus! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, you have raised me up To joy and exultation And clearly showed the way
That leads me to salvation My sins are washed away; For this I thank you, Lord.
Now with my heart and soul All evil I abhor. ("How Can I Thank You, Lord" LSB 703, st.3)
He [the pastor] must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Table of Duties of the Small Catechism gives shape to the life of the believer. We are not left to make our own way in determining the contours of our holy orders and positions. Are you a pastor or do you know a pastor?
The Table of Duties tells us what God says about the shape of that work as the Office of pastor or preacher. That is the focus in our Small Catechism reading for today. This Holy Office is defined by three passages of Scripture, all drawn from what are appropriately called "pastoral epistles." Paul reminds pastors Timothy and Titus of the great responsibility they bear as servants of Christ and of God's people.
All three texts included in this section of the Table of Duties deal with unique aspects of pastoral work. First is an admonition to a life that is not characterized by open, public sin. Second is a warning against conceit (your pastors know that is their greatest weakness). And third is a reminder of the pastor's responsibility to faithfully use God's word to encourage all believers and refute false teaching.
Humanly speaking, your pastor can do none of these things well, if at all. But thanks be to God that NOTHING rests in the person of your pastor. As John the Baptist said of his relationship to Jesus, Paul wrote of himself and all pastors, "But we have this treasure (the preaching of the Gospel and administration of the Sacraments) in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Your pastor is as much of a sinner as you are. He needs the same forgiveness of Christ that he proclaims to you in the Absolution. And God gives that to him as freely as He does to you. Give thanks to God this day for your pastor. Pray that God would keep him faithful in his calling and safe from the snares of the devil. He needs such prayer. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O almighty God, Your Son, Jesus Christ, gave to His holy apostles many excellent gifts and commanded them earnestly to feed His flock. Make all pastors diligent to preach Your holy Word and the people obedient to follow it that together they may receive the crown of everlasting glory, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
"So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." (Matthew 18:35)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yikes! The words of Jesus at the end of today's reading devastate my old sinful and self-righteous self. I know it is the same for you. We shouldn't be surprised that we will need to forgive others and receive forgiveness, too. Jesus embedded this truth in the prayer He gave for us to pray, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."
As much as I'd like to soften Jesus' words about the consequences of withholding forgiveness from a fellow sinner, I can't. The words say what they say. Forgiveness between fellow believers in Jesus isn't an optional thing. It will be a necessary reality as long as we live in close proximity to fellow sinners. It may be that the hurts caused by sins done against us may take years to heal and we may need frequent confessions and Absolutions.
The powerful words of Jesus move us to recognize that our life is sustained by the forgiveness that flows from Him to us in the word of Absolution, the remembrance of our Baptism, the preaching of the Gospel and our reception of the Holy Supper. Our debt of sin has been released in the flood of Jesus' blood. This alone is the reason we can forgive those who have sinned against us. We can forgive because God, in Christ, has forgiven us. So we are then called to forgive one another unconditionally and always. To refuse to forgive puts you in the position of the pitiless servant in Jesus' parable. To persistently refuse to forgive is to be unjust and wicked. It is to live in denial of the forgiveness given to you in Jesus.
That is not how it shall be with you. Repent of your desire to withhold forgiveness to the brother or sister who desires it (or even if he doesn't). Receive forgiveness from Jesus, the forgiveness that He won at the Cross and delivers to you by Word and Sacrament. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
And he opened his mouth and taught them saying. . . "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:2,4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the Revelation to John, the apostle is given to see what we can now only trust to be real. He sees an ever-expanding vision of heaven starting with the throne of God, heavenly creatures, 24 elders, the Lamb who was slain, thousands and thousands of angels, and then an uncountable multitude of those who died but now live in Jesus. The vision John sees provides the fulfillment of Jesus' promise given in Matthew 5 and the words of the text today. "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted."
Some of you reading this devotion have experienced the deep sadness that death brings. Perhaps you've lost a grandparent or even your mother or father. It is a terrible thing to stand at the grave of a loved one and realize that they are gone from this life. We can be overwhelmed with grief. And then Jesus comes with His Word, "They shall be comforted." Our comfort is found only in Him. It was Jesus who went into death for us. He, who is our source of life, gave Himself to suffering and a crucifixion death for the whole world. On the Third Day He kicked in the gate of death and the grave by rising again and He brings the whole world with Him.
You have been died for by Jesus. You have been baptized into His death AND resurrection. Those we remember today, who have died in the Lord Jesus, now rest from the craziness of this life and rejoice before the throne of God. They, and we, are comforted always and only in Jesus. "Christ has wiped away their tears forever; they have that for which we still endeavor. By them are chanted songs that ne'er to mortal ears were granted." "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:56-57). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, You knit together Your faithful people of all times and places into one holy communion, the mystical Body of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us so to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that, together with them, we may come to the unspeakable joys You have prepared for those who love You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for All Saints)
The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Romans 3:22–25)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ask your non-Lutheran Christian friends what they would identify as the core of their faith. I'm confident most would answer, "Jesus," and God be praised for that! If you were to ask them to describe how someone might connect to Jesus, the answers may sound something like this: "You have to make a decision for Jesus," or "You need to invite Jesus into your heart and make Him Lord of your life."
That is confused language and distorts the beautiful Gospel proclaimed so clearly in the Word of God. "For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Romans 3:28). The faith that justifies doesn't come by way of our heart-felt decision but as a gift. God diagnoses the condition of every human heart. "For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:22b-23). In another place, Paul describes our condition apart from Christ this way: "When we were dead in our trespasses, (God the Father) made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4).
We have been gifted with a rescue from our death with the news that we "are justified by grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). There it is! Your redemption and rescue from sin is in Christ Jesus alone! His death alone redeems you from the death penalty that your sin would merit. His resurrection guarantees your own resurrection of the Last Day and eternal life right now! Faith, grace, gift, redemption are words that define our faith and describe how we are connected to Jesus. We give thanks and praise to God for His saving work! It's all from and in Him. No boasting our part. Grace alone. Faith alone. Christ alone!! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and gracious Lord, pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people. Keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant to Your Church Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Reformation Day)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Tomorrow the Lutheran church celebrates Reformation Day. The first Lutheran confessors were brave men. They lived in the confidence that the words of Psalm 119:48 were true. Were they to confess the truth of God's Word before the rulers of their age, they believed that they would not be put to shame. And what truth did they confess? How about this from the Introit for Reformation Day? "The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned."
We take our refuge in the redeeming work of God's only Son, Jesus. He has redeemed our life by exchanging His life for ours. His death on the Cross destroys the power of sin and death. In Jesus we are free from the shame and guilt of our sin. So, we might be tempted to do some fist-bumping over our great heritage as Lutherans. After all, we believe we get the whole salvation thing right--righter than anyone else.
Yet it just might be time for a bit of garment rending and godly repentance. We, too, often take our Lutheran birthright for granted and allow the pride of self to gain the upper hand. We fear, love and trust in many things to the exclusion of God.
In repentance and faith, we turn to that which is most sure. We confess with our forefathers in the faith, "Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Romans 3:27-28).
This gives us the confidence to stand and confess the truth like our spiritual fathers. We, too, have confidence to confess justification by faith, for Jesus' sake. And we will not be ashamed in the doing of it. "And take they our life, goods, fame, child, wife, though these all be gone, our vict'ry has been won; the kingdom ours remaineth" ("A Mighty Fortress is Our God" LSB 656, st.4). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a word of power and peace to convert those not yet your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip, and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You send it; through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Moses was tired. Like a 120-years-old kind of tired. He had been a faithful saint and sinner servant of the LORD his God. From his leading of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, to Mount Sinai and the giving of the covenant, through the 40-year wandering in the wilderness, right up to the edge of the Promised Land of Canaan and the river Jordan. Moses would not be the man to lead the people of God into the land flowing with milk and honey. That would be the job of another saint and sinner servant named Joshua. Moses must give way to Joshua.
Perhaps you know already that Jesus' Hebrew name is Joshua. Moses must give way to Jesus. The Law of God spoken through Moses serves to drive us to repentance and a sense of hopelessness in the face of our sin. Paul wrote, "Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:20-21). Moses can take you to the edge of the Promised Land, but he can't get you to the other side of the Jordan. We need Joshua to do that for us.
Jesus is our Joshua. He is true man, sharing the same flesh with Joshua, Moses, and you, yet was without sin. He took our sin upon Himself and died with it. His resurrection is the testimony of His saving work. Jesus is the perfect Joshua who carries us through the water of Holy Baptism and into the promised land of forgiveness and a life that has no end.
Moses' words of encouragement to the people are glorious. He spoke of what he knew to be true. God is faithful to His promise to deliver and save. Hear His Word and take it to heart: Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of death and the devil for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
As true as God's own word is true, Not earth nor hell's satanic crew Against us shall prevail. Their might? A joke, a mere façade! God is with us and we with God--Our vict'ry cannot fail. ("O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe" LSB 666, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you." (John 15:16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Faith bears fruit. The fruit of which Jesus speaks is first the confession of His saving Word to the world and faith that prays with boldness and confidence. That fruit bearing cannot happen without life flowing from the vine. Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). So it was that Jesus chose Simon and Jude to be apostles. They would carry out their appointed task to bring the message of salvation in the Name of Jesus to many lands. Churchly tradition indicates that Simon and Jude travelled together as far as Persia (modern day Iran) proclaiming the Gospel all along the way. While in Persia they were both killed (martyred) for the sake of their confession of Christ. We don't know anything more about these two men. Perhaps that is the way it ought to be.
We do know what is most important concerning these two. They were chosen by Jesus, filled with faith, and sent to bear the fruits of faith in this world. That is the best that can be said of anyone.
It is what we can say about you! While you do not share the unique apostolic calling of Simon and Jude, you do have a share in their Lord. It is Jesus who called you by His Word, most of you first in the watery Word of Holy Baptism. You were filled with faith and are continually strengthened in that faith as you receive His rich Word of forgiveness each day, and His Body and Blood on the Lord's Day.
And you are sent to bear the fruits of faith in the places where God the Father sends you. Simon and Jude are pretty much anonymous saints. What a great thing to say of any Christian. We are nothing. Jesus is everything! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You chose Your servants Simon and Jude to be numbered among the glorious company of the apostles. As they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so may we with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for St Simon and St. Jude)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
But that person is worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins." (Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In his teaching on worthy reception of the Sacrament of the Altar in the Large Catechism, Luther writes: "Whoever now accepts these words and believes that what they declare is true has forgiveness. But whoever does not believe it has nothing, since he allows it to be offered to him in vain and refuses to enjoy such a saving good. The treasure, indeed, is opened and placed at everyone's door, yes, upon his table. But it is necessary that you also claim it and confidently view it as the words tell you. This is the entire Christian preparation for receiving this Sacrament worthily."
Faith receives what Jesus gives. It is as simple as that. Unbelief blocks the path of those gifts. Who in the world would refuse such a gift as Jesus' Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins? Well, your old Adam would. He would rather nurse and nurture his sin. He would prefer to withhold forgiveness from all those losers who have sinned against him. Along with the Pharisee in Jesus' parable in Luke 18, the old Adam says, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector."
Yet the "treasure indeed, is opened and placed at everyone's door." Jesus died for the Pharisee and the tax collector alike. His desire is for the life, not the death, of sinners. So, Jesus comes for the broken and repentant sinners to rescue them. He feeds you with His precious Body and Blood and fills you with faith to receive that gift as the words tell you. To receive the Sacrament worthily is to trust the words of Jesus. Mistrusting the words of our Lord or trusting in our own righteousness makes us truly unworthy.
God be praised that He sends the Word of the Law to bring us to repentance and the Word of forgiveness that brings us life. And best of all, thanks be to God that such forgiveness is placed in our mouths in the Holy Supper of our Lord! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, life-giving bread, May I in grace possess You. Let me with holy food be fed, Your wounded hand now feed me. Though weary, sinful, sick, and weak,
Refuge in You alone I seek, Give me Your grace and mercy. ("Lord Jesus Christ, Life-Giving Bread" LSB 625, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I spent eight months in the country of Afghanistan as a United States Navy chaplain. Nearly every day for those eight months I had to put on a 17-pound protective armored vest and a three-pound Kevlar helmet. Many times, I wondered if I could just dispense with wearing that cumbersome gear and lighten my load. But soon enough, the sound of enemy fire or the thought of my wife and three young children at home motivated me to hoist on that armor for another day. It would have been foolish to cast aside the protection that had been issued to me. I was given the armor to protect me from danger in a dangerous combat zone.
So it is for you. Whether you recognize it or not, you are fighting on a great and terrible battlefield. The enemy is mostly unseen but nonetheless real. The spiritual forces of evil and Satan are constantly scheming to find a way to separate you from the Lord your God. You even must battle your old sinful self with its deadly desires.
The great news is that you are not alone in this fight. Christ, the victor over death and the devil, fights for you. He lords His Cross, death, and empty grave over the evil one and He provides you with the armor to ensure your survival in body and soul. The armor comes from Him. You have the belt of truth, the Word of God. You wear the breastplate of righteousness: the righteousness of Christ that covers your sinful self. You have been given the Gospel of peace, that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).You have received the shield of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), the helmet of salvation, and the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit. All these gifts are from God and are bestowed on you by God's grace in Christ. You are united to Jesus. You are baptized! His strength and might are yours (Romans 6:3-4)! It is pure gift. You are safe and sound in Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
So wield well your blade, Rejoice in its pow'rs, Fight on undismayed For Jesus is ours!
Then in Him victorious Your armor lay down, To praise, ever glorious, His cross and His crown. ("Be Strong in the Lord" LSB 665, st.5)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Everything that is, was created by God. You must take this personally. You are not an accidental being. The God who by His Word spoke creation itself into existence and marked times and seasons, created you. Every part of your being is the creative work of God. Your mind, your emotions, your physical self, are all a gracious gift from God the Father. He says of you as He did of the created order, "very good."
However, our experience in this life is not always "very good." The rebellious sin brought into the world by the man and the woman has altered our reality. Our "very good" bodies betray us. We endure depression and anxiety. Cancers and viruses take away our loved ones in death. We sin daily in thought, word and deed, abusing others made in the image of God. Something must be done to reverse the downward slide into death that dogs all of humanity.
The Son of God, through whom all things were made (John 1:3), the One who is God of God and Light of Light, came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man (Nicene Creed). The eternal Son of God suffered on the Cross and was buried in death. On the Third Day He rose again to bring
resurrection life to all who believe in Him. You must take this personally, too. You have been joined to the death and life of Jesus in your Baptism. The God who created the heavens and the earth has given you a new creation in His Son, Jesus. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again (re-created) he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). You have been re-created by the water and the Word. Your sins have been died for by Jesus and the way to a never-ending life has been opened for you. In Jesus, God the Father once again speaks over you these amazing words, "Very good." Yes, you are! In Jesus you are very good indeed. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We all believe in one true God, Who created earth and heaven, The Father who to us in love Has the right of children given. He in soul and body feeds us; All we need His hand provides us; Through all snares and perils leads us, Watching that no harm betide us.
He cares for us by day and night; All things governed by His might. Amen. ("We All Believe in One True God" LSB 954, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Two miracles occur in the reading for today. The first is obvious: The son of an official is brought from the point of death by the Word of Jesus. The second miracle is seen by faith: A fearful father is rescued from his faithlessness. I'm sure the father of the dying boy didn't think much about his wobbly faith as he approached Jesus that day in Capernaum. He had faith enough to come to Jesus, yet he believed that Jesus could not heal his son without being physically present for him. Jesus sets him straight with a promise that only He can make: "Go; your son will live." With that promise echoing in his ears, the anxious and faithful father heads for home. On the journey home he hears the great news that his son is recovering. His trust in Jesus was confirmed and he and his whole household believed.
The connection for us is clear. Jesus receives us gladly, even with our wobbly faith. We come to Him asking for humanly impossible things with the confidence that the One who can change water into wine and bring a young man back from the brink of death can rescue us. We have God's promise. Jesus said, "I am the living bread that comes down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh" (John 6:51). We feast on Jesus by faith. We trust His Word when He says, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die" (John 11:25-26).
We feast on the Bread of Life each time we come to the altar and receive the very Body and Blood of Jesus in the Holy Supper. In the Supper Jesus grants us the forgiveness that delivers us from death. With His Body and Blood He says to you, "Go: You, son or daughter, will live." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, keep your household, the Church, in continual godliness that through your protection she may be free from all adversities and devoutly given to serve You in good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 21st Sunday after Trinity)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name." (Acts: 15:13-14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. James of Jerusalem, the brother of our Lord: What a turn around this guy did! If you read the Gospels you will come upon the occasional instances when Jesus is milling around His home country and His brothers try to stop by for a chat. Now this is not in order to catch up on times gone past, but it is because they think their older brother, Jesus, has gone crazy. And who can blame them? They grew up with this man who is now claiming to be the Messiah. I wouldn't believe my weirdo brother either.
But at some point after the resurrection, James comes to faith. Paul mentions that Jesus appeared to James just like He did to Paul. And miraculously, James, just like Paul, was converted. Then God used James, this old doubter of His Son, to testify to the truth of His Son in the city of Jerusalem. James is given to be the head of the church in Jerusalem: We might call him a bishop.
His most important point of business is to distinguish between the Gospel unto salvation and those pushing the works of the Law unto salvation. The Circumcision Party had been going around Judea and Galilee and all the known world pushing the works of the Law instead of proclaiming Christ. Their gospel was a gospel of "Make yourself worthy through the works of your hands and then you might be deserving of the things of Jesus."
But James knew this to be rubbish, for how had he ever made himself worthy of Jesus? James had rejected Jesus throughout his whole earthly life and needed a special post-resurrection appearance in order to believe. There was no way that he was going to ever allow those pushing works-righteousness to obscure the Holy Gospel of Christ crucified. And so James hears Paul's testimony and the whole council agrees with him and Barnabas: Salvation is open, free and clear to the Gentiles, just as much as it is to the Jews.
It is for James' stand for the Gospel that we give thanks this day. Christ Jesus is for all and there is no work of the Law needed to make oneself worthy. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
May God bestow on us His grace, With blessings rich provide us; And may the brightness of His face
To life eternal guide us. That we His saving health may know, His gracious will and pleasure, And also to the nations show Christ's riches without measure And unto God convert them. ("May God Bestow on Us His Grace" LSB 823, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. (Deuteronomy 21:22-23c)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This seems to be a bit of a throw-away line. It doesn't make much sense in the context of the rest of Deuteronomy 21, other than the fact that it is indeed another law heaped out for the masses to fulfill. There is no real connection between unsolved murders and marrying the women whom you have made captive. And as for the direct tie to inheritance rights and how to treat a rebellious son, your guess is as good as mine.
But if you read the Old Testament in the light of the New, if you have the lens of Jesus to peer through as you trudging your way through Moses and his first five books of the Bible, then throw-away verses like this tend to have a little more meaning to them.
Paul seemed to figure this out. Or better said, the Holy Spirit apparently enlightened Paul in this matter and so he has gone ahead and enlightened us as well. In the third chapter to his letter to the Galatians, Paul is arguing against the works of the Law. For truly everyone is cursed by the demands of the Law. It lays out for us an impossibly difficult task: Just read all of Deuteronomy and tell me if you can pull it off.
But Christ has freed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. That is what Paul says in Galatians 3:13. But he isn't just making up some new sort of theology. He is harkening back to Moses, to our text in Deuteronomy. Jesus is that dead guy who is hanging on the tree. And yes, He is the One who is cursed by God. Cursed by God because your sin and my sin is upon Him. Cursed by God because Jesus has become sin.
And in this, we have faith and are saved. For faith is of the Gospel, not of the Law. Works are of the Law, but we are saved by the Gospel, by faith in the Gospel, by faith in the Gospel of Jesus, by faith in the Gospel of Jesus hanging on the Cross for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Upon the cross extended See, world, your Lord suspended.Your Savior yields His breath. The Prince of Life from heaven Himself has freely given To shame and blows and bitter death.
Your soul in griefs unbounded, Your head with thorns surrounded, You died to ransom me. The cross for me enduring, The crown for me securing, You healed my wounds and set me free. ("Upon the Cross Extended" LSB 453, st.1, 5)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:19-21)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul lays out how it is we are to serve our neighbor, how we are to love them as ourselves. There are a lot of specifics at the end of Ephesians. Paul doesn't shy away from how the Christian, the New Man in Christ, is to act. As has been said many times before, the Law shows you what love looks like. You don't have to guess. You don't have to wonder how you are to love your neighbor. The Law will tell you.
And one of the most foundational ways that we are to love our neighbor is by submitting or subjecting ourselves to them. Now, we don't like that word because it comes with the connotation of "less than vs. greater than," but that is not our Lord's intention.
We submit to each other as the situation calls for it. God is the God of order and that means we all hold different vocations. That is good. That is exactly how it should be. Within a family there is a father and a mother, children and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and each member of the family fits under or over someone else. The same thing is true for your place of work or school, your sports teams or social clubs, or society in general. We are all given different vocations and we fulfill them accordingly.
The one in subjection recognizes the authority that God has given to the one who is over him. And so we do not fight against that or despise it. We thank the Lord that He has created for us a life of order and not one of chaos.
The one in authority also recognizes something; he has been given that authority, not so that he can be served, but so that he can serve those under him. The one with authority takes his cue from the One with all authority, Christ Jesus. He came as a servant to all, even being willing to lay down his life. So, too, do we serve our neighbor selflessly and lovingly.
All of this is a good gift from above. And we always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, for He gives for our good and we receive His gifts with joy. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Penitent sinners, for mercy crying, Pardon and peace from Him obtain; Ever the wants of the poor supplying, Their faithful God He will remain. He helps His children in distress, The widows and the fatherless. Alleluia, alleluia! ("Praise the Almighty" LSB 797, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?
Certainly not just eating and drinking do these things, but the words written here: "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins." These words, along with the bodily eating and drinking, are the main thing in the Sacrament. Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: "forgiveness of sins." (Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is no parlor trick. Nor is it a simple meal of remembrance, as we would think about the word "remembrance." For when God remembers His salvation, it is not just that He thinks back in time to the day of the Red Sea crossing or deliverance from Babylon or Good Friday. He is outside of time, so to Him such an idea of "remembering" doesn't even exist. When God remembers, or when He calls us to remember, it is an incorporation into the actual event of salvation.
In the same way that the people were incorporated in the daily sacrifices of the temple (receiving the slaughtered animal's flesh, taking it home, cooking it, and eating it) so, too, are we incorporated into the sacrifice of the Cross. We don't just remember with our mind, but we remember with our mouths. We take and eat the Body of our Lord. We take and drink His Blood poured out for us.
This is the way of our Lord. He gives with real blessing, real life, real Jesus, real forgiveness in and with real things. There is no remembering the Cross at communion that doesn't also include receiving the Cross. And therefore there is no remembering Jesus and His sacrifice in the Sacrament without receiving Jesus, His sacrifice, and all that He won on the Cross.
And so, in receiving the Sacrament you receive the forgiveness of sins. With the forgiveness of sins you receive life and salvation as well, because with all sins forgiven, eternal life and eternal salvation are yours forever.
How is this all possible? Christ your Lord said it is. And His Word is not just descriptive, it is prescriptive, it is creative. His Word gives exactly what His Word says. And so yes, when you participate in the Sacrament you receive the forgiveness of sins, and you receive Jesus, because He said so. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, we praise Thee, bless Thee and adore Thee, In thanksgiving bow before Thee. Thou with Thy body and Thy blood didst nourish Our weak souls that they may flourish: O Lord, have mercy!
May Thy body, Lord, born of Mary, That our sins and sorrows did carry, And Thy blood for us plead
In all trial, fear, and need: O Lord, have mercy! ("O Lord, We Praise Thee" LSB 617, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food." (Isaiah 55:1-2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The ways of the Lord are not our ways. His thoughts are not like ours. They are far above us: As the heavens are high from the earth, so, too, are God's thoughts and ways far above ours. And this is a good thing. Often we think about this lofty fact in the light of God's being so much bigger, so much smarter than us. We think of it in regard to His omniscience, the fact that He knows all things and can see the game play out, whereas we are stuck in the game and can't see more than two moves in front of us. While this is all true, of course, I don't think this is what Isaiah means.
Isaiah tells us to come and buy wine and milk, come and purchase them both so that we can be content. And so we come, with money in hand; money that looks like our works, money that looks like our self-assured pride, money that looks like our lineage or our ancestry or anything else that pertains to the Law. We come prepared to purchase that which we need, for this is the way of our lowly thoughts.
But what we buy looks nothing like wine, nor does it taste anything like milk. We don't seem to mind, for we are quite assured that what we have purchased for ourselves is--we think--far, far better than what God has in store for us.
But our Lord's ways are so much different, so much higher. He tells us to buy, but without money, which means, of course, that we aren't buying anything. Instead, it is all a gift given. For when I don't bring anything to the table, but get the most exquisite meal anyway, that means the Lord is going about His higher work once again. Gifts for everyone! Free and clear! Bellies all full, sins all forgiven, death all dead.
Come, buy the things of your Lord! You won't believe how great the deal is. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me No thought can reach, no tongue declare; Unite my thankful heart to Thee, And reign without a rival there! Thine wholly, Thine alone I am; Be Thou alone my constant flame.
("Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me" LSB 683, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
And [Jesus] said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves." (Luke 10:2-3)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus sends out the 72. It's kind of like a dry-run for Pentecost. The disciples are to go out and preach the message of peace to all they come upon. Peace for the sinner. Peace for the unrighteous. Peace for the enemy, the filthy, the unclean, the unworthy. Jesus sends His disciples out to do a job of peace-proclamation, for God's enemy needs to hear this peace, which means I do, too.
Jesus sends out the 72 to every village and city that He is about to go into. Kind of like John the Baptist preparing the road, making the path straight. But this, too, should show us something: Jesus always follows the proclamation of the Gospel. If the peace of the Lord is proclaimed to the people, that means that Jesus is there. For it is Jesus who is the Author of our peace.
And here, too, we should make sure we understand the severity of this peace. For the peace from our Lord is not some hippy-dippy peace found in flowers and puppy dogs. It isn't some fake peace of unity, which is not a real unity because the two sides are still in opposition to each other. No, the peace of our Lord is a true and lasting peace that quells the war between God and sinners.
Today, right here and right now, you have that peace. It is a peace proclaimed into your ears by simple little men who look so similar to the 72 in our text for today. These men are your pastors and they have been sent to proclaim peace to you. And peace sounds like forgiveness. Peace sounds like the Cross. Peace sounds like an empty tomb. Peace sounds like sin atoned for and death vanquished and the serpent's head crushed. Peace sounds like Jesus. And so, wouldn't you know it? Wherever God sends His pastors to proclaim His peace, Jesus is soon to follow. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Then raise to Christ a mighty song, And shout His name, His mercies tell! Sing, heav'nly host, your praise prolong, And all on earth, your anthems swell! All hail, O Lamb for sinners slain! Forever let the song ascend! Worthy the Lamb, enthroned to reign, All glory, pow'r! Amen, amen. ("O God of God, O Light of Light" LSB 810, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
"Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find." And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?" And he was speechless. (Matthew 22:9-12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What makes you worthy to attend the wedding feast? You'd better not think it has something to do with you. If you think that you've earned a place at the wedding feast then you will also think that the wedding feast is optional. Then it is no longer a gift; it is no longer a feast to enjoy, but a tedious chore that you can do without.
But that is not what the feast is, and that is certainly not who the feast is for. Take a look at the guests who are in attendance. They were found among the main roads and out in the streets. They weren't looking for a feast to attend, but were probably expecting to go home and open up a can of Spaghettios. But there they are, both good and bad. Not a single one worthy, but all of them there.
And a garment is given to the guests. Probably a soaking wet one, a white one, a Jesusy one, a baptismal one. This is what is given to the guests and this is what is given to you. What makes them worthy, what makes you worthy, is Christ. The wedding feast is free. It is a party open for all. The invitation is to come and eat to your heart's delight the good and rich food of the King which has been prepared for you.
There is no good reason for unbelief, no good reason to not be at the wedding feast clothed in Christ. If you think there is, when confronted by the King, you will realize that all of your excuses are pointless and you will have nothing to say. But know for certain that this feast is for you. Know for certain that Jesus is for you. Know for certain that He is the One who makes you worthy. Know all of this for certain, and come and enjoy the wedding feast! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, grant to Your faithful people pardon and peace that they may be cleansed from all their sins and serve You with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 20th Sunday after Trinity)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, his holy mountain. We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. (From the Introit for the 20th Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Let us pray: Lord God, Heavenly Father, You alone are worthy of our praise. You have made Your goodness known to Your Church, Your salvation is proclaimed among us, and we are to be seen as Your great and mighty city. Upon Your mountain the joy of all the earth is to be found. This mountain is known as Calvary and upon it can be found the Cross of Your Son. Upon this Cross You have established Your Church. And because of this Cross You have given to us a fortress that cannot be shaken.
All the kings of the earth can rise against You. They can assemble their troops and ready their forces, but nothing can defeat Your Cross, and so nothing can defeat Your Church. Not even the gates of hell will prevail against Her. Your promise is that all Your enemies have been defeated in Christ. They may shout and shake their fists, but they will not be victorious. Soon they will all flee in terror, shriek at the coming of the Holy One who has defeated them. Within the confines of your Church may we dwell in safety, knowing that our enemies have no power over us.
May Your steadfast love for Your people abound in Christ. Let us rejoice in Your salvation that You have won for us, that You give to us daily in the Gifts given here within the walls of Your Church. And may this Word of salvation reach out to the ends of the earth. May the Word of the Cross be spoken into the ears of our enemies. May those who are at enmity with You be brought to repentance and know that Jesus is for them.
May this be the Church's prayer and may this be our cry of joy: That salvation is ours, but not ours alone. It is for all. You seek not the death of the sinner, but that all would come to the knowledge of the Truth. Let us live our lives within the safety of Your Church. May we know that She will not fall, that She will last forever and ever, that our children and our children's children will receive the same Christ as we receive!
Guide us in the ways of your Son, O Lord, that our confidence may never be shaken. Amen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O, then, draw away your hearts From all pleasures base and hollow; Strive to share what He imparts
While you hear His footsteps follow. As you now still wait to rise, Fix your hearts beyond the skies!
("Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense" LSB 741, st.8)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
"This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. … But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear." (Matthew 13:13, 16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The parable of the sower is often one of our favorites. We love to hear about the reckless sowing of the seed and how the sower scatters indiscriminately to the wind, letting the seed fall where it may. On the path, the rocks, the thorns, the good soil, the seed goes everywhere. What a wonderful example of how our Lord preaches His Word: He preaches it to all, no matter what.
But perhaps the sinner in us loves this parable so much because we love to be able to look around and figure out what type of soil everyone else is. We, of course, are the good soil. Just look at us and our life. Isn't that obvious? But certainly not Matty, He must be the path where the birds have scavenged up all the seed. He's never stepped foot inside a church. And Sara, she has to be the soil with all of the rocks. She has no root. Her faith falters all the time, even at the smallest bit of suffering. And Tim? His is a thorny soil, for he would rather engage in the things of the world instead of the things of God. They are all the poor soil. But me? Well, just look at me. . .
But look at me! I don't have the faith that I always claim to have. I like my sin and I'm scared of trials and tribulations and sometimes the devil snatches away God's Gospelly words of promise before I can ever even hear them. So where is my comfort amidst all of this? How can I be sure that I am the good soil when it is so obvious that I am the bad?
Perhaps my comfort shouldn't come from deciphering which type of soil I am. Maybe, instead, the comfort should come from the fact that the Sower sows His seed to me no matter my soil. Maybe my assurance is in Him and in His Word. Maybe, just maybe, His Word will accomplish the purpose for which He sent it and He will make me to be the good soil for no other reason than for the sake of Himself. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Preach you the Word and plant it home To men who like or like it not, The Word that shall endure and stand When flow'rs and men shall be forgot.
The sower sows; his reckless love Scatters abroad the goodly seed, Intent alone that all may have
The wholesome loaves that all men need. ("Preach You the Word" LSB 586, st.1, 3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
But [Jesus] answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:39-40)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What is the will of the Father? That He would break and hinder every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh that does not want His Word to be taught in truth and purity and does not want that Word to be believed in faith.
The sinner wants to see signs and wonders. The sinner tells God that he will believe in Him as long as God shows him a sign. But the signs that we want are always the wrong type of sign. We want to dictate to God the ways in which He should do things, the ways in which He should work and save and forgive. In telling God how He should be God, we are really just making ourselves god. It is the fruit in the Garden all over again. Sinners never come up with anything new; we always revert back to the original sin of wanting to be like God.
But God has already done it all for us in Christ Jesus, through a bloody Cross and an empty tomb. Believe in that, believe in Him, believe that God has already done the work of salvation and He gives that salvation to you in His Word and through His Sacraments. A Jesus risen from the dead is all that you need. The problem is that the sinner who is confident in his own ways won't even believe in the words of a once-dead Jesus, come back from the grave.
And so the sinner needs Jesus. He needs Jesus for it all: for life, for forgiveness, even for faith. For the sinner on his own can't believe in the things of an empty tomb and all that that means. So we pray that His Word is taught among us in truth and purity: free Gospel given to us without any merit or worthiness on our part. And we pray that His Spirit would bring us to, and keep us in, the faith as we hear this Word taught among us, so that we might hear Christ say to us, "You are My brother and sister." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Christ Jesus, God's own Son, came down, His people to deliver; Destroying sin, He took the crown
From death's pale brow forever: Stripped of pow'r, no more it reigns; An empty form alone remains;
Its sting is lost forever. Alleluia! ("Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands" LSB 458, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?
These words, "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins," shows us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. (Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, pt. 3)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Why do we eat and drink the Supper of our Lord? Well, first, because Christ has commanded it. But this command is not to be seen as law to be heaped upon us and to burden our conscience. It is a command of love from our gracious Savior who gives what He has promised to give, in the very way that He has promised to give it.
On the Cross was where all sins found their end. Christ took them into His body and crucified them to that tree. His blood poured out upon all sins to cover them in a sacrifice that atones for them and washes them away. And so, the victory has been won on the Cross. It is finished! But the victory is not given to us at the Cross.
We are temporal creatures who live in a temporal world with the things of time and space. Because 2000 years separate you from that Good Friday, you can't go back to the Cross to receive what Christ has won for you there. But Christ doesn't ask you to go back to the Cross. He doesn't ask you to go to Him. Instead, He comes to you. He places on your tongue the gifts of the Cross: His Body broken there for you, given to you here in time and space. And He pours down your throat the gifts of the Cross: His Blood poured out for you there, given to you here in time and space.
How can you be sure that you have the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation? Because Jesus is in you. And not just, "in you" in some sort of mystical way, but in a real and tangible way, a touchy and feely way, a tasty and certain way. Take eat, His Body given for you! Take and drink, His Blood poured out for you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Thy holy body into death was given, Life to win for us in heaven. No greater love than this to Thee could bind us; May this feast thereof remind us! O Lord, have mercy! Lord, Thy kindness did so constrain Thee
That Thy blood should bless and sustain me. All our debt Thou has paid; Peace with God once more is made: O Lord, have mercy! ("O Lord, We Praise Thee" LSB 617, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. (Ephesians 4:25)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You have a new life in Christ. That is the gift of your Baptism. Christ's Cross has been brought to you. His victory over sin, death and the grave has been splashed down upon you in the wet Word of the font. You have been buried into His death and raised to new life in His resurrection. This is who you are. It is done. You are a righteous, holy, justified, saint in Christ.
And as such, sin has no place in your life. How could it? The ways of the Old Man are now dead to you. Christ has killed them. Nailed them through His hands and feet and buried them in the cold dead ground. Put away those old ways. Speak the truth, for that is who you are. Love your neighbor even as Christ has loved you, even when your neighbor has made himself to be your enemy. Absolve those who have sinned against you. Do it now! Do it today! Do not let the devil have any opportunity to breed hate and vengeance within you.
But the Old Man is still alive within you. He wakes up each and every morning with the rising of the sun. That is why it is good to begin each day with the sign of the Cross and to remember your Baptism. For the Old Man still rages and must be put to death daily, hourly, minute by minute.
It is a battle to be sure, but it is a battle that has already been won. That is the key to it all: The victory is yours! You have been baptized. You are of Christ. Of that, there is no doubt! His death on the Cross, His empty tomb, His ascension into heaven with all things placed under His feet, all of that has been given to you. You are washed and wetted and spoken clean in Christ. You are a New Man in Christ!
And so when you fail in the things of the New Man, fear not. Return to your Baptism. Drown the Old Man once again. Receive the forgiveness of your sins. And live your forgiven life in Christ! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
"You shall not murder, hurt, nor hate; Your anger dare not dominate. Be kind and patient; help, defend,
And treat your foe as your friend." Have mercy, Lord!
"You shall not steal or take away What others worked for night and day, But open wide a gen'rous hand
And help the poor in the land." Have mercy, Lord! ("These Are the Holy Ten Commands" LSB 581, st.6, 8)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Genesis 28:10-17 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 9:23-10:22; Matthew 11:20-30
"Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." (Genesis 28:15)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jacob is on the run. He is in fear for his life. He had tricked his father into giving him a blessing that shouldn't have been his. He had stolen from his brother (not once, but twice) something that belonged to him. He had made a mess of his life all because he found it impossible to stand in the promises of the Lord.
The Old Testament is filled with scoundrels. The fathers of the Church are not the great and pious men that we sometimes think them to be. They all have their times of doubt. They all have their times of deep and egregious sin. None of them have fulfilled the Law placed before them. But they are all counted as righteous: not for the sake of themselves, but for the sake of Christ.
The sinner in us hears the promises of our God and then goes about trying to make them our own. How foolish! We can't make these things our own. God is the One who has promised these things to us and so He is the One who is going to bring them to fruition. But the sinner always wants to give God a helping hand. The problem, of course, is that our "helping hand" always makes everything worse.
We are all like Jacob in that way: God has given us the promise of life and salvation but we go and screw everything up. However, the Christian must not fear, even when he has turned his life into a giant mess. For we have a God who is faithful, even and especially when we are faithless. And so He still has the authority to bring about good, our ultimate good, our eternal good, even after all of the evil that we have brought upon ourselves. Fear not, fellow sinners! We have a Jesus who is greater than all of our sin. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen
Yea, Lord, 'twas Thy rich bounty gave My body, soul, and all I have In this poor life of labor. Lord, grant that I in ev'ry place May glorify Thy lavish grace And help and serve my neighbor. Let no false doctrine me beguile; Let Satan not my soul defile Give strength and patience unto me To bear my cross and follow Thee. Lord, Jesus Christ, my God and Lord, my God and Lord In death Thy comfort still afford. ("Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart" LSB 708, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Matthew 9:1-8 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 9:1-22; Matthew 11:1-19
"For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, ‘Rise and walk'?" (Mathew 8:5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We need Jesus to be more than just a miracle worker, more than just some carnival barker who sells us snake oil medicine out of the trunk of his car, more than some magic genie who is ready to grant us three wishes in order to make our life a little better. The problem is, we don't realize that we need a Jesus who is better than all of that. "All of that" is what we want Jesus to be. And when He isn't, we get a little angry.
We tend to not care all that much about the forgiveness of sins when temporal suffering and pain are at play. I can just imagine the look on the paralytic's face, on the faces of his friends who had lugged him all that way to see this miracle-man Jesus. For Jesus doesn't immediately heal him of his crooked legs and atrophied muscles. Instead, Jesus forgives the man's sins and tells him to take heart in that.
My goodness! If that isn't the Theology of the Cross, I don't know what is! Jesus doesn't seem to be all that concerned about the temporal, at least not until the eternal is taken care of. We could have everything under the sun placed at our feet (health, wealth, popularity, a great future) but what is all of that when our sins are still upon us?
Jesus doesn't promise us the things of temporal glory. We may very well receive those things from time to time. Then again, perhaps we won't. Maybe we won't be healed of that disease or our parents will still go through with their divorce or our boyfriend/girlfriend will still break up with us. We have no assurance of those things. The assurance that we do have is that we are forgiven. Our temporal life may be in complete disarray, but our eternal life is as sure and steadfast as a crucified Jesus and an empty tomb. And even through all of the trials and tribulations that we endure in this earthly life, the victory over them all is our victory in Jesus Christ and His Cross; for it is there that we receive the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and merciful God, of Your bountiful goodness keep from us all things that may hurt us that we, being ready in both body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish whatever You would have us do; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 19th Sunday after Trinity)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the 19th Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 78:1-3, 4b; antiphon: Psalm 35:3b; 34:17a, 6b; 48:14a) Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 8:1-20; Matthew 10:24-42
We will tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done. (From the Introit for the 19th Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Is the idea of evangelism frightening to you? Why? I don't know many people who really love the idea of going around and telling strangers about Jesus. Are we even supposed to want to talk to random people about Jesus? Remember, don't talk to strangers... unless it's about Jesus? I don't know many people who do this. I think we're afraid of it.
Perhaps the reason why the broad brush approach to evangelism is so scary is because it seems impossible. Of course, it isn't. The Gospel has been preached to the ends of the earth, which must have seemed absolutely insane to the apostles. How were they supposed to do that? Could they even have imagined that you and I would come to hear of the glorious deeds of the Lord, of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
Maybe it wouldn't be so scary if we focused and thought about the next generation instead of a bunch of people whom we don't know. Fathers and mothers teach their children. Children learn and come to fear, love, and trust in the Lord above all things. Evangelism is accomplished primarily through your vocations. It may happen that someone you don't know asks you to explain the hope that you demonstrate, but more often than not, you will be called to give witness to your friends and neighbors.
This is how many of us were brought to the faith. Fathers and mothers brought their sons and daughters to the waters of Baptism, to hear the Word, and receive the Sacrament. Friends and neighbors eventually are brought along, and the coming generations will all hear of the mighty works of the Lord. It has worked this way so far!
After all, you and I have heard of the wonders that the Lord has done and we will not be the last. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord God, You have called Your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 7:1-19; Matthew 10:1-23
"If anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town." (Matthew 10:14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How often have you worried about someone you love who does not believe in Jesus? It happens all the time. Fathers worry about their children's faith. You worry about your friends who do not love Jesus. I worry about people who have left the faith.
Stop that right now. If you have spoken the words of Christ to the people you love, then you have done enough. If you have forgiven your friends in the Name of Jesus, it is enough. If you have borne witness to Jesus Christ in your words and life, then it is enough.
We are not called to nag people into the kingdom of heaven, but rather to proclaim that it has come in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, I don't know anyone who has successfully been nagged into the faith. You're also not called to come up with new and fancy ways to argue people into the faith. That won't work, either.
You've been called simply to tell the truth, which can be a difficult enough task in a world full of lies. But there's a funny thing that happens when you tell the truth and speak of Christ. Truth always prevails over lies. Lies fall away. Clever tricks are shown to be empty. Eventually the one doing the nagging goes away. But the truth sticks.
If you tell the truth and speak of Christ, then you have nothing to worry about. If they reject these words, shake the dust from your feet and move on. They will not forget The Word of God has a way of taking root in the hearts and minds of people. Move on and stop being afraid. If they reject you, they are rejecting Christ. We've seen this before. He was rejected all the way to the Cross. He was denied and buried. Jesus is not worried, either. No, He is risen and His will is done. Do not be afraid. He is patient and wise. He knows what He is doing. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
If God Himself be for me, I may a host defy; for when I pray, before me my foes, confounded fly. If Christ, my head and master, befriend me from above, what foe or what disaster can drive me from His love? ("If God Himself Be For Me" LSB 724, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 6:10-25; Matthew 9:18-38
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. (Matthew 9:35, Evangelical Heritage Version)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Matthew 9 is a whirlwind of activity. As soon as Jesus finishes healing one person, someone else is begging for His mercy. In one instance, He is on the way to heal someone, and another person chases Him down, trying only to touch His clothes, and even she is healed. Jesus brings forgiveness and life wherever He goes. Death flees before Him.
Do not be troubled by the apparent lack of miracles in our day. Remember that these people all saw and experienced great things, but still ended up nailing Jesus to a cross. You are not saved by miracles, but by grace through faith in Christ. I sometimes think of Jesus like the star quarterback, lifted on the shoulders of the crowd, who are just thrilled that He's done something amazing. I'm wrong. He was despised and rejected, even when He was doing these great things and forgiving sins.
Matthew 9:24 says that they laughed at Him when He said that a dead girl was just sleeping. He knew the truth: that her death had been overcome. They laughed. A few verses later, He is accused of casting out demons by the ruler of demons. He did not win many friends, and most of the friends He did have ended up rejecting Him.
And yet He continued to preach, teach, and heal their diseases and sickness, even though they rejected Him and nailed Him to the Cross to die, He still calls out for their forgiveness. He casts out demons and brings life. We have not always hailed Him as our king. Have you even laughed at Jesus? Have you mocked Him? He has not rejected you. He still comes to you. His Word is still given to you, poured upon your head in Baptism, sung into your ears through the church's liturgy, and given into your mouth in Holy Communion. Jesus will not give up on you. He has come to you, and you have life. That is a miracle. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, because of Your tender love toward us sinners You have given us Your Son that, believing in Him, we might have everlasting life. Continue to grant us your Holy Spirit that we may remain steadfast in this faith to the end and finally come to life everlasting; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, part 2 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 5:22-6:9; Matthew 9:1-17
Where is this written? (Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Sacrament of the Altar is the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ given for Christians to eat and drink. This is a strange thing to believe. It looks like mere bread and wine. All that we can see with our eyes and taste with our tongue is wheat and grapes. We like to believe what we can see, feel, taste, touch, and see.
Unfortunately, our senses are not the final authority on reality. Things can be real that we cannot sense. Your home can be filled with poisonous gasses that you cannot smell. This is why you have CO2 detectors. Likewise, humans understand about 5% of what exists in the universe, while the other 95% is referred to as "dark." We just don't know how it all works, only that it somehow does.
So we must have reasons for the things we believe, particularly when it comes to matters of the Christian faith. We can't just make up things or rely on feelings, or even on our senses.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul all tell us that Jesus says that this is His Body and Blood. John also speaks of it, but in different words that assume you already know about the Lord's Supper. The presence of Christ's Body and Blood in the Sacrament of the Altar has been the life of the Christian Church since Maundy Thursday, when it was first given. Why? Because our Lord Himself has given it to us.
Make sure that your beliefs come from the Word of the Lord. Humans have believed all sorts of weird things over the centuries, many of which have proven to be harmful and even fatal. Many have strayed from the Lord's Word and were led to destruction. The Lord, through His Word, will keep you on the way of life and preserve you from death.
Lutherans are sometimes criticized for putting so much emphasis on Holy Baptism, the Office of the Keys (Confession and Absolution) and the Lord's Supper. We only do this because Jesus has given these to us. We've kind of put everything behind Christ and His words. A man-made religion just won't do. It's got to come from the Lord.
Ask the question! Where is this written? And if it is written, then we ought to believe it. The Word of God is trustworthy and true. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
His Word proclaims and we believe that in this Supper we receive His very body, as He said, His very blood for sinners shed. ("The Death of Jesus Christ, our Lord" LSB 634, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours…(1 Corinthians 1:2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I have a bad habit of skipping Paul's greetings. Get to the point, my friend. We can pretend I'm so pious that I just can't wait to get to the good stuff. The introductions are always more or less the same. You shouldn't recycle material, Paul. It's lazy.
When it comes to Corinth, I think maybe the introduction is the point. Read it. It doesn't sound like the Corinth that we hear about in the rest of the letter. This doesn't sound like a church divided. Full of sexual immorality, idolatry. Ignoring the widows in order to get drunk. Mishandling the Lord's Supper. Bragging about spiritual gifts to raise themselves above each other. Corinth is messed up. But Paul writes to the holy ones, sanctified in Christ Jesus. Because that's who they are. The thing that unites us across time and space, that lets Paul write an introduction to Corinth that sounds like the introduction to Galatia and Ephesus and Philippi, is the Gospel: grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Corinth is not known by the cesspool of sin, but by the God who promises to give grace, forgiveness, and peace. The testimony is confirmed among the believers there. Their sins are forgiven because Christ is risen from the dead. Because Christ gives them His Body and Blood to eat and drink. Because Christ unites them into one Body. The proof of Christianity isn't in our works, but God's.
He joins us into fellowship across time and space into the mercy given by the Cross. The introduction is the point because God's Word does what it proclaims. It gives grace, mercy, and peace to them, and to you. That sustains us to the end. Guiltless. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine! We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine. Alleluia! Alleluia! ("For All the Saints" LSB 677, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 10:12-21 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 4:21-40; Matthew 8:1-17
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. (Deuteronomy 10:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul." No big deal, right? Look at all the great stuff God has done for you. You owe Him. Honestly, you owe Him more than He asks. He hasn't just saved ancestors. He hasn't just given you all you have in this life. He sacrificed His Son to save you. Repent. Repent, because it isn't God who would use His good works as leverage to extract something from you. It's you who use your works as leverage to demand from God. It's you who think your good deeds require recompense from your neighbor. God did not send His Son to die as a guilt trip.
And more, it wouldn't have even worked. We are indebted to God. That's not in question. But it's like handing a 4-year-old a bill for room and board. They can't pay it. You can't, either. God doesn't want you to. He is not partial and takes no bribes. He just loves sinners. Even you, who can't hear His promises without thinking about leverage and paybacks. For even this, Jesus has died for you. You are forgiven. Not because you'll ever earn it, but because God loves you.
He loves us so much that He wants to see orphans and widows and sojourners cared for even though they can't pay. He gives it all as a gift. That which He requires of you? He fulfills it for you in the person of His Son. He works it through you for the good of your neighbor. The Law demands more than we could ever give. But God provides everything the Law demands. That way your works aren't your praise. Your God is. He is the one who has accomplished all for sinners. Jesus paid everything for you. You owe nothing. Rejoice in Him who made you free. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The royal banners forward go; The cross shows forth redemption's flow, Where He, by whom our flesh was made, Our ransom in His flesh has paid: ("The Royal Banners Forward Go" LSB 455, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Matthew 22:34-46 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 4:1-20; Matthew 7:13-29
Which is the great commandment in the Law? (Matthew 22:36)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Pharisees often tried to trick Jesus by asking Him questions that don't have good answers. Ask your dad which one of his children is his favorite. There's no good answer. So which commandment is the great one? Are there any of the Lord's commandments that are lesser or greater than another?
We all have a little Pharisee in us. We all try to get around the Lord's Word here or there. You might think that this sin might not be too bad because it isn't one of the BIG sins. Right? Can you covet so long as you don't steal? Can you look, but not actually commit adultery? Can you just hate someone and speak against them without murdering them? That is a very dangerous game.
Good news, though. Jesus doesn't play that game. He refuses to rank the commandments. Instead, He sums up the whole entire Law in two concepts: Love God and love your neighbor. That is all. You cannot itemize and rank your sins. You either love God and your neighbor or you don't.
It is not as if Jesus came to die for the little forgivable sins, but not for the big bad ones. He came to deal with all of your sins, whether you think they are small or great. The truth is that all sin is committed for the same reason: that we do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things. We let our idolatries run our lives, and so we commit all kinds of sins against God and our neighbors, precisely because God is not put first.
So, when you find yourself asking whether or not one sin is worse than another, remember the Pharisees. Don't do that. Do not play that game. It leads to death. Repent of every last one of your sins, and see that Christ has died for every single one of them. All of the Law and prophets depend on this, for these all look forward to their fulfillment in Christ. He has come to forgive all sins, even the little ones. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, because without You we are not able to please You, mercifully grant that Your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 18th Sunday after Trinity)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the 18th Week after Trinity (Psalm 122:1, 6, 8-9; antiphon: Liturgical Text) Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 3:1-29; Matthew 7:1-12
Hear the prayer of Your servants, according to the blessing of Aaron upon your people. (From the Introit for the 18th Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Apocrypha is a collection of books written during the time between the Old and New Testaments. The number of books varies according to the particular publisher, but there are usually 15 to 20 in these collections. Martin Luther's landmark German translation of the Bible included the Apocrypha in its traditional "in between" place. Lutherans used these books until American publishers left them out of their English Bibles. These books aren't considered Holy Scripture, but they're useful. They have some pretty cool stories in them. You can read about a dragon being blown up with a bomb in Bel and the Dragon. You might even sing the beautiful Song of the Three Young Children during the Easter Vigil, which is the song that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego sang in the fiery furnace.
The Apocrypha is used mainly in Introits or Graduals in today's Lutheran services. They're usually marked as "liturgical texts." Today's Introit uses one of these from Ecclesiasticus 36. This is a book of wisdom from a man named Jesus ben Sirach. It's really good. You should read it.
For instance, this text today beckons the Lord to hear our prayers according to the blessing of Aaron. You've heard the Aaronic Blessing. It is given to you at the end of every Divine Service. "The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you. The Lord lift His favor upon you and give you peace!" This comes from Numbers 6:24-26, when the Lord gave Aaron instructions on how to place His Name upon the people of Israel. Ecclesiasticus then prays that the Lord would see and hear us as people who bear the Name of the Lord.
It is the Name of the Lord, tattooed upon you in this blessing, and in Holy Baptism, by which you are seen as righteous and holy. He has put His Name on you! This is why we begin and end everything in the Name of Jesus. The Lord looks with favor on those who bear His Name, which includes you, His beloved baptized saints. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
You spirits and souls of the righteous, bless the Lord; you pure and humble of heart, bless the Lord; let us bless the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. ("All You Works of the Lord " LSB 931, v.11)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 2:16-37; Matthew 6:16-34
Do not be anxious about tomorrow. (Matthew 6:34)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What do Deuteronomy and the Sermon on the Mount have to do with one another? On the surface, it looks like these are very different writings. Our reading from Deuteronomy promises that the Israelites will defeat their enemies, while Jesus preaches that we should not be anxious because the Lord cares for us more than anything in all creation. Throughout history there have been various heresies which have claimed that the Old and New Testaments even have a different god, because so many things in them seem so unrelated, and even opposed to one another. Could the warlike God of the Exodus be related at all to the peaceful Jesus?
It may be surprising, but these two readings are telling God's people the same thing: Don't worry, because the Lord is on your side. The Israelites are, yet again, face to face with enemies, and the Lord instructs them to have no fear because He goes before and after them. He fights for them. In the Matthew reading, Jesus speaks to people faced with different enemies, but enemies nonetheless.
We are anxious and worried about all sorts of things. Money. Food. Homework. Degrees. Moab. Sihon, the King of Hesbon. Well, maybe not those last two. But you get the picture. God's people are always confronted with enemies. You will always be face to face with enemies of all sorts that seek to rob you of your peace. The Israelites were delivered from the hands of their enemies. They even triumphed over them!
You are given victory over your enemies as well. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ have given you peace which passes all understanding. Death and sin will have no power over you. Be strong in the Lord. Do not fear what comes tomorrow, for the Lord is on your side.
You are Israel, taken out of slavery to sin and death, brought through the Red Sea of Holy Baptism, and fed in the wilderness with the Word of God, and even with His miraculous meal, the Lord's Supper. He fights for you, so you may live in peace. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Faint not nor fear, His arms are near; He changes not who hold you dear; only believe, and you will see that Christ is all eternally. ("Fight the Good Fight" LSB 664, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, part 1 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:37-2:15; Matthew 6:1-15
It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Sacrament of the Altar has many different aspects and dimensions and we speak of it using an assortment of names which all reflect these varied purposes. We can never exhaust this great gift which the Lord has left to us to receive, proclaiming His death until He comes again. Every single word we can say about this gift pales in comparison to this main thing: It is the true Body and Blood of Jesus.
This is why it is called the Sacrament of the Altar. It is, of course, sometimes called the Lord's Table, which is fine, but to refer to it specifically as it relates to the altar confesses a certain thing: that this is the true Body and Blood of Jesus. An altar is a particular kind of table upon which a sacrificial victim is placed. An altar holds a body. This is the true Body of Jesus upon the altar in your church.
This Body gives life. Other food that sustains our earthly life lasts a day or two. Eating the flesh of a cow, chicken, or plants of the earth will keep you alive for a while, but you'll have to eat again tomorrow. The life of the cow is given to you so that you would stay alive. Life really is in the blood.
Unlike steaks or hamburgers, delicious as they may be, the Body and Blood of Jesus gives life that does not expire. His life is given to you in this Sacrament which is distributed from an altar. This life is eternal, for Christ is eternal. He is raised from the dead, and in the eating and drinking of His Body and Blood, you, too, are given eternal life, which means that you, too, will be raised from the dead. This is the gift that can only be given in the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, and it is given to you. No representation will do. You need the real thing, because you need real life. Yes, this crucified and risen Jesus Christ, is given to you, bodily, in this Sacrament, that you would rise when He returns. And He will return, but until then, we will continue to rejoice and receive this precious gift of life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Thy body given for me, O Savior, Thy blood which Thou for me didst shed, these are my life and strength forever, by them my hungry soul is fed. Lord, may Thy body and Thy blood, be for my soul the highest good! ("Thy Body, Given for Me, O Savior" LSB 619, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 10:17-20 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:19-36; Matthew 5:21-48
Nothing shall hurt you. (Luke 10:19)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus had earlier sent 72 disciples to go out and prepare His way. They were to go with very few supplies, announce the peace of God, and rely on the generosity of strangers for their wellbeing. This sort of thing seems fairly impossible before it happens, but is amazing when it does.
The 72 returned, extremely excited and amazed by what had happened to them. Not only were their physical needs taken care of, but demons were also cast out in the Name of Jesus. They'd seen more than they thought was even possible. Perhaps the angels fought on their side?
Jesus, of course, knew what the 72 would find on their missionary journey. He'd authorized them to stomp serpents and scorpions, and even the power of the enemy, and nothing would hurt them! Nothing! They were given authority over the devil, the world, and their own sinful flesh. And yet, Jesus tells them that this is not all about flashy exorcisms and healings. There's more to the Christian life than the immediately apparent miracles. The more important thing was for them to rejoice that their names are written in heaven.
We live in a time where it seems that the snakes, scorpions, and the power of the devil are on the rise. Do we still have authority over these things? Most certainly, yes, we do. Demons have been cast from your life through the Word of the Lord. As you are splashed in Holy Baptism, the serpents and scorpions have quickly scattered from your path.
And even more than this, your names have been written in heaven. Rejoice! The Revelation talks about the Book of Life which is held in heaven. Those whose names are written in this book are brought into the eternal city of God. Have you ever tried to board an airplane when your name is not on the list? You can't do it. The same goes for these names written in heaven. Because your name is there, you belong there. Whatever amazing miracles you witness throughout your life, rejoice first that your name is written in heaven. You belong with Christ Jesus, and ultimately nothing will hurt you, not even death. Rejoice! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Everlasting God, You have ordained and constituted the service of angels and men in a wonderful order. Mercifully grant that, as Your holy angels always serve and worship You in heaven, so by Your appointment they may also help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for St. Michael and All Angels)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:1-18; Matthew 5:1-20
Bearing with one another in love… (Ephesians 4:2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You are not alone. We are all in this together. These are not empty platitudes or meaningless slogans. This is the truth. We confess together that we believe in one holy, Christian/catholic, and apostolic Church. There are not many churches, but one, because there is one Lord, one faith, and one Baptism. This is the way it has always been and always will be.
People sometimes mistakenly say that they were baptized Lutheran or Methodist. There is no unique Lutheran Baptism, because there is only one Baptism into Jesus Christ and His Body, the Church. This is why you do not need to be rebaptized if you move to a different town and join another congregation. Not only don't you have to be rebaptized, but you will find a family waiting for you. You will find a congregation of people who bear with one another in love. You will find people who will bear your burdens and love you. You can find a similar sort of unity in many places. Sometimes people pursue this unity and fellowship in sports or other activities. For instance, we find affinity with people who are fans of the same sports teams, or even just the same sport. Rugby fans have a natural fellowship based on a game that has been around since 1823. But when was the last time you found people who loved one another because of their love of fox tossing, chariot racing, or club swinging? Those sports have all vanished, but used to be very popular. We have something better and more permanent in Christ.
The Church has been in existence since the beginning of time. By finding your unity within the Church of Christ, you are being established for eternity. Sports are good, but there will be a day when hockey and football are as popular as jousting is today. In fact, the unity which we pursue in other things is a product of the way that the Lord has designed us to love one another. Yet, it is a pale reflection of the unity we find in the Church.
The Church is forever because Christ is forever. We bear with one another in this Church, through good and bad, wins and losses, ups and downs, and whatever life will throw at us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Elect from every nation, yet one o'er all the earth; her charter of salvation; one Lord, one faith, one birth. One holy name she blesses, partakes one holy food, and to one hope she presses with every grace endued. ("The Church's One Foundation" LSB 644, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Proverbs 25:6-14 Daily Lectionary: Malachi 3:6-4:6; Matthew 4:12-25
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. (Proverbs 25:11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A word fitly spoken, depending on the price of gold and the size of your apple, is worth somewhere around $10,000. The average person uses about 7,000 words in a day. If these were all fitly spoken, you'd be raking in $70,000,000 a day. What makes such words so valuable?
Fitly spoken words are so valuable because, like gold, they are rare. Unfortunately, I let my words run to and fro without much concern about whom they reach or what they do. "Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me" just isn't true. Words can hurt, and even kill. Hurtful, slanderous, and murderous words are everywhere. Certainly they have come to you as well. You've also unleashed your own unfitly spoken words, too.
Yet, the good words do come. Words of blessing and benediction flow from the mouth of the Lord, given through the Church, and your pastor. These words are worth more than their weight. They are worth everything. Hold onto them. Remember them. Speak them. These words are given to you in abundance, but sometimes are silenced and drowned by the carelessly spoken words which surround you. These valuable words will give you life. Remember, the Lord spoke creation into existence by a Word, and by a Word, He gives you life.
The Lord's words do what they say. When the Lord says that you are forgiven, this means that you are forgiven. When the Lord places His Name upon you in Holy Baptism, this means that you are His. When the Lord says "This is my Body which is given for you," that means that He really is given, all for you. Talk is cheap and our words seem to carry little value. It is the Lord's words that are so valuable, which is why the Lord's words spoken through the Church are treasured above all things. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, Who has spoken creation into existence, Who speaks to us even today; guard our tongues against slanderous and hurtful words. Speak into us a love for Your words, which are more precious than silver and gold. Give us ears to receive Your glorious life giving words, which alone are spoken fitly. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Your incarnate Word, Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 14:1-11 Daily Lectionary: Malachi 2:1-3:5; Matthew 4:1-11
Friend, move up higher. (Luke 14:10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Sometimes Jesus teaches us things that don't seem to have any immediate practical application. For instance, just a few verses before this parable of the wedding feast, He teaches that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed which grows and gives a place for birds to rest. This is nice, but sometimes, He gives practical advice about how to live your life. I can tell you that this parable is applicable because this exact thing has happened to me.
A friend had given a banquet and I sat at the head of the table. I began to eat, and within minutes, was asked to move. It was very embarrassing. I began, with shame, to take my place at a seat of lower status. If I'd just seated myself at any other place, I wouldn't have had this shameful experience. Don't sit at the highest place. Just don't. It wasn't fun.
It isn't only about where you sit at a banquet, though. It's also about how you live your life in general. Don't go around thinking that you are the best of the best and deserve more than other people, and certainly don't act like you're worth more than others. The truth is that we are all sinners, and I'm the worst of them. Start there, and you can only be asked to move higher.
Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who are humbled will be exalted. This is a major theme of Luke's Gospel. The rich go away empty-handed and the poor have everything given to them. In Christ, the hungry are filled with good things. His ultimate humiliation on the Cross results in the most glorious exaltation of His resurrection.
You don't need to think that you are better than anyone else. That won't get you anywhere, and it also isn't true. But you also need to know that the Lord reaches down to those who are in the low places to lift them up. He has reached His hand down to you, and speaks to you as if He is already a friend. In your Baptism, you've been lifted up as His friend. Friend, move up higher. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me a spirit of despondency, sloth, love of money, and idle talk. But give to me, your servant, a spirit of sober-mindedness, humility, patience, and love. Yes, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sins and not to judge my brother, since you are blessed to the ages. Amen. (Collect for the 17th Sunday after Trinity)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the 17th Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 119:1-2, 5-6; antiphon: vs.124, 137)
Daily Lectionary: Malachi 1:1-14; Matthew 3:1-17
Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love and teach me your statutes. (From the Introit for the 17th Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord deals with you according to His steadfast love. This is love that does not fade or falter. This love does not depend on your condition or how you are feeling. The truth is that we might feel good about the Lord one day, and doubtful the next. Our plea then, is that He would deal with us according to His steadfast love, because ours just won't do the trick.
Martin Luther, in his 1518 Heidelberg Disputation, wrote that "the love of God does not find, but creates, that which is pleasing to it." The love that humans have for one another is usually based on some sort of quality that the other person has, and these can wax and wane over our lifetimes, causing our love for one another to increase or decrease. People sometimes fall out of love due to a change in another person.
Are you fearful that the Lord might stop loving you if you can't keep up with His demands? The Lord's steadfast love does hold onto you because you have done enough good, but because you are enough in Christ Jesus. He did not find you and measure whether or not you fit the bill. He found you and loves you just as you are. He has created you, and He loves that which He creates. Isn't it great to be a creature?
Paul speaks of this in Titus 3:5, that "He saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit." This is how the Lord has chosen to deal with you! He has come to you and loved you, and will not stop. There was nothing particularly loveable about you, other than you are you. You are His creation. Still not sure? He's baptized you, too, just in case you were wondering if His love might be for everyone else rather than for you. This love is most certainly for you, and is how He has chosen to deal with you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, Your mercy will not leave me; ever will Your truth abide. Then in You I will confide. Since Your Word cannot deceive me, my salvation is to me safe and sure eternally. ("Oh, How Great Is Your Compassion" LSB 559, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 9:22-38; 1 Timothy 6:3-21
They ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you. (Nehemiah 9:25-26)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Nehemiah is a record of the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Israelites' exile to Babylon. They rebuild the city and her walls, but also restore faithful worship. As part of this worship and restoration, they confess their sins against the Lord. This chapter of Nehemiah is a very good confession.
They recount all the mighty works of the Lord, which were then met with disobedience and rebellion. This is how you should confess your sins, too. Remember what the Lord has done for you, and how you rebelled against Him. He has given you all that you need, and yet you have gone looking for satisfaction elsewhere. There's no room for half confessions of things that aren't really sinful. The Lord wants to hear your honest confession. You are a sinner. The Lord forgives sins. You can be honest and open about your confession, as much as the returned exiles in Jerusalem were.
The Lord is not out to ruin your fun with His Law. The Ten Commandments are actually good for your life, and if you followed them, you'd be happy. Our problem is that we think we've got something better. Did you ever notice that there are even two commandments against coveting? That means that the Lord really wants you to be happy with what He's given you!
And yet, we rebel. We walk away from Him every day. We turn away from Him. We are Israelites ready for exile. That is good news, for the Lord never abandons His people. He will not abandon you. Turn back to Him. Repent and be restored. His Law is good. He is good. There really is nothing better out there than what He has given you.
Your life will be better if you keep His rules. And when you do not keep them, He is always waiting to forgive you, for He never stops loving you. Give it a try. Make a good confession to the Lord who loves you and has given everything for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
To those who help in Christ have found and would in works of love abound it shows what deeds are His delight and should be done as good and right. ("The Law of God Is Good and Wise" LSB 579, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Ephesians 3:13-21 Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 9:1-21; 1 Timothy 5:17-6:2
[Give] thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 3:20)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Well, that's a pretty big request, isn't it? We're really supposed to give thanks always and for everything? There's nothing that we shouldn't be giving thanks for? This is hard to believe, and perhaps even harder to practice. Think about all the awful things in the world! Are we really supposed to give thanks for suffering and hardship? It is easy to give thanks for money and nice stuff. But what about the difficult things?
St. Polycarp, as he was being burned at the stake in the year 155, blessed the Lord and thanked Him that he was found worthy to share in the cup of Christ. He did not pray for immediate deliverance from his afflictions, but gave thanks that the Lord had already provided the escape. Quite simply, nothing can harm you if you are in Christ, not even persecution. You can give thanks for everything all the time in the Name of Jesus Christ.
The key here is to give thanks in the Name of Jesus. Apart from Jesus, life is meaningless and full of suffering. Without Jesus, your life ends in death and that is that. But your life is lived in the Name of Jesus Christ. This Name was placed upon you in Holy Baptism, and Jesus goes where His Name is placed. Think about the life of Christ. His family rejected Him. He was stricken, smitten, and afflicted. He was betrayed by His friend and abandoned by His disciples. He was put to death in His early 30s in the worst way possible. If that were all, it would have been a meaningless waste.
But Jesus did not stay on a Cross or in a grave. He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father! So yes, you can give thanks for everything all the time, no matter what. Try it. You cannot die and you cannot be harmed. The Cross of Jesus has been given to you, and with His Cross comes resurrection. This is a difficult teaching, but so is the Cross. Yet, this is all we've been given. Give thanks. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, by the patient endurance of Your only-begotten Son You beat down the pride of the old enemy. Help us to treasure rightly in our hearts what our Lord has borne for our sakes that, after His example, we may bear with patience those things that are adverse to us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Office of the Keys Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 7:1-4; 8:1-18; 1 Timothy 5:1-16
Confession has two parts. (Small Catechism: Office of the Keys)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The entirety of the Christian life, and life in general, is summed up in this little phrase: Confession has two parts. That's it! I bring my sins to Jesus and Jesus forgives me. I contribute nothing to my salvation except my sins, which are forgiven in the Name of Jesus. I bring death and Jesus brings life. We often make the mistake of thinking that our life should be lived perfectly, when really it is meant to be lived in forgiveness. I am not perfect, but Jesus Christ is, and His perfection is given to me.
The Church practiced confession in a very different way prior to the Reformation. There used to be three parts to confession: contrition, confession, and penance. It was believed that you had to feel really bad about your sins, and then do something in order to earn the Absolution. Most often you would just have to say a bunch of prayers or go to church. It is even taught in some places today that you can earn Absolution simply by walking through a particular door at a particular time. We humans are very good at inventing ways to get rid of our sins, but these methods look past and away from Jesus.
If my forgiveness depends on my level of feeling bad about my sins or how many prayers I can say in order to earn Absolution, I'll never feel bad enough or say enough prayers. My sins are much worse than I think they are, and the mercy of Christ is much more than I will ever truly know it to be.
Make no mistake, your sins are taken away from you by Jesus. He forgives you all your sins. This is why you have a pastor. Jesus Christ wants you, personally, to know and to receive the gifts that were won on the Cross. And so He has sent you a pastor to speak for Him. When you hear your pastor pronounce forgiveness, it is as if Jesus Christ is speaking to you. Pastors aren't God, they just speak for Him. What Jesus says goes, and He says that you are forgiven. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Though great our sins, yet greater still is God's abundant favor; His hand of mercy never will abandon us, nor waver. Our shepherd good and true is He, Who will at last His Israel free from all their sin and sorrow. ("From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee" LSB 607, st.5)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Matthew 9:9-13 Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 5:1-16; 6:1-9, 15-16; 1 Timothy 4:1-16
"Follow me." (Matthew 9:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Follow me." Two words. That's all Jesus said to Matthew. There's no complicated plan. There aren't twelve steps or even six chief parts. I've seen some schemes for salvation that seem very difficult to even interpret, what with all of the steps, stairs, and degrees. I'm fascinated by the fact that Jesus just says these two words. He doesn't explain much.
The same sort of thing happened with the other disciples, too. Jesus just called them. He did tell Peter that he will be fishing for men, but even that did not reveal very much. I don't think they knew what they were getting into when Jesus called them. He just called them, and they followed.
Did you know what you were getting into when Jesus called you to follow Him? Who could have known, when the water was splashed upon you and the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit placed upon your head, where this would all lead? Following Jesus might lead to persecution, trials, tribulations, and all sorts of seemingly nasty things. Following Jesus also might lead to an incredibly satisfying life lived with faithful people and family surrounding you. Or both. You really can't know. All you can know for sure is that if you follow Jesus, you will go where He has gone, and He will not leave you behind.
Ultimately this means that you will follow Jesus into death and resurrection, for this is where He has already gone. You cannot be defeated. You have been called to live.
Matthew got up from his tax collection booth and began to live, following Jesus. You have been called to truly live and follow Jesus, too. Who knows where it will take you? Matthew could not have known then what we know now; that he would follow Jesus, compose the first account of the life of Christ, and that millions of people would come to salvation through these words. Wherever your life in Christ takes you, it is all lived in Christ, so it will be good. Let the adventure begin! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Son of God, our blessed Savior Jesus Christ, You called Matthew the tax collector to be an apostle and evangelist. Through his faithful and inspired witness, grant that we may also follow You, leaving behind all covetous desires and love of riches; for You live and reign with the Father and the Son, one God now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 17:17-24 Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 4:7-23; 1 Timothy 3:1-16
Then [Elijah] stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, "O Lord my God, let this child's life come into him again." (1 Kings 17:21)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord's business is resurrection. A prayer to the Lord for a resurrection is sure to be heard, for this is what He has shown that He is about. Elijah doesn't try to comfort the mother with empty words. There's no "He's in a better place" or "At least you had him for these years." She is angry, and rightly so. Death can indeed cause us to be angry. It just isn't right. You were not created to die. Mothers should not have to bury their children. No one should have to bury anyone. You were created to live.
And so, the Lord's business is resurrection. We brought death upon ourselves, and the Lord has seen fit to reverse our foolish and tragic actions. Our addiction to sin has earned death for all of us. Each and every single last one of us will die because we are all sinners. Sometimes the Lord gives us a taste of the world to come a little bit early. Elijah knew that the Lord would raise the dead, and so he stretched himself upon the child three times while crying out to the Lord. This seems bizarre, but it is not so different from what has happened to you. The Lord has touched you in Holy Baptism, stretching Himself over you, marking you as one ready to receive resurrection when the time comes. The Lord touches you in Holy Absolution, again marking you as a pre-resurrected saint. Sometimes your pastor may even lay his stole over your head when Absolution is given. The Lord comes to you, and gives His Body and Blood to you in the Holy Eucharist.
This may all look as strange as if old Elijah had stretched himself over us. And yet, touch is how the Lord has come to us. He has touched you, and set you aside to receive your life again. It has been given back to you already, and one day, you will sit up from a grave, and be given back to your Mother, the Church. That's the Lord's business. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, let at last Thine angels come, to Abr'ham's bosom bear me home, that I may die unfearing; and in its narrow chamber keep my body safe in peaceful sleep until Thy reappearing. And then from death awaken me, that these mine eyes with joy may see, O Son of God, Thy glorious face, my Savior and my fount of grace. Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, my prayer attend, and I will praise Thee without end. ("Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart" LSB 708, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 7:11-17 Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 2:11-20; 4:1-6; 1 Timothy 2:1-15
And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." … And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." (Luke 7:13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. People sometimes say silly things at funerals. We don't often have the right words to say when someone dies. Death is too big of an event and our language fails. How can we properly express our sympathy and grief to the bereaved?
I've buried dozens of people during my several years as a pastor, so I've heard people say all sorts of foolish things. I'm still not sure what we should say at funerals, but I know a bit about what we should not say. "Don't cry" is probably the worst thing that you could say. Death is the enemy! How could we not cry and feel sad when someone we love has died? Jesus Himself weeps at the tomb of His friend Lazarus! Sorrow is natural and grief is actually quite healthy, so long as it is not given over to despair. You do not need to deny the tragedy that has occurred when someone dies.
What shall we do with our friend Jesus then? Was He wrong? I do not advise any of you to use His words at a funeral unless you can do what Jesus can do. He comes to the saddest woman in the world, and tells her to stop weeping. This seems ridiculous.
This is how things will go with Jesus. It is nearly unbelievable. Not only does He command the sad mother to not weep, He then speaks to the dead son. "Arise!" Jesus does uncommon and seemingly foolish things all the time because He can follow through on them. The dead young man hears the words of Jesus, sits up, and begins to speak! Jesus tells the mother to stop weeping because He is going to raise her son from death. Our world will be filled with weeping on account of death until Jesus comes again, touches us, and speaks to us. Be assured that this will indeed happen. Your ears will hear the voice of Jesus, as clearly as you already have in Holy Baptism and in the preaching of the Word, and you will be raised from the dead. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, we pray that Your grace may always go before and follow after us, that we may continually be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 16th Sunday after Trinity)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the 16th Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 86:1, 7, 12-13; antiphon: vs.3, 5) Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 1:1-2:10; 1 Timothy 1:1-20
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. (Psalm 86:12) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When you imagine that the words of the psalms come out of Christ's mouth, you might hear the words in a different way. For instance, Psalm 86:1 becomes a reminder that our God in the flesh identifies with all who are poor and needy in this world, even as in Luke 7 He will sympathize with the grieving widow at Nain and His compassion will restore her son to life. (But more about that tomorrow.) The King of the universe and Son of David could have chosen to be born in a palace. Instead He was born to a poor newlywed couple in a lowly manger. As an adult, He would say, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head," (Luke 9:58).
Why did He suffer through being poor and needy? For you. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Yet He knew His suffering would be only temporary. Even though insolent men rose up against Jesus to end His life, as David wrote prophetically of Christ in Psalm 86:14, the Son was confident that He will glorify God the Father's name forever. And because the dead cannot praise the Lord (so it would be impossible for Him to do that forever if death ended Him), the Son of God went into Good Friday trusting that God would deliver His "soul from the depths of Sheol" (Psalm 86:13), raising Him from the dead on the Third Day.
God has baptismally put you into Christ, and so He puts these same words into your mouth. He who gave David the confidence to know that he would glorify God forever in the resurrection even after David died now puts that confidence into you. On that great Day, you will no longer suffer the weakness of divided loyalties as you do now when your sin messes up your faith. The Lord will raise you, body and soul, to be perfect and whole. And then you shall mean it when you say, "I give thanks to you, O Lord, my God, with my whole heart." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Thou hast died for my transgression, All my sins on Thee were laid; Thou hast won for me salvation, On the cross my debt was paid. From the grave I shall arise And shall meet Thee in the skies. Death itself is transitory; I shall lift my head in glory. ("Thanks to Thee, O Christ, Victorious" LSB 548, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 36:1-23; Colossians 4:1-18
That the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia. (2 Chronicles 36:22)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jerusalem is no more. God had tried to get through to His people. "But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against His people" (verse 16). God knew that the only thing that would work was to bring the Chaldean King and his army to Jerusalem for war and destroy it in 586 BC. When other kingdoms suffered a defeat like this, they were gone. Game over.
However, God still had plans for His people. He promised that the Savior of all nations would be born from this nation. And so, by grace, He raised this nation from death back to life again after their Babylonian captivity, just as He promised in Jeremiah 29:10: "I will fulfill to you My promise and bring you back to this place."
The prophecy from Isaiah 45:1-7 about this time is very amazing. Not only does the Lord name Cyrus specifically as the restorer of His people over a century before the Persian King was born, He also refers to Cyrus as being God's anointed, despite the fact that the man was a foreign pagan. Remember, God commanded His priests to anoint prophets, priests, and kings. And there are also the prophesies of the Anointed One, which in Greek is Christos, or Christ.
Just as 2 Chronicles 36:22 reports to us, God fulfilled His promises in Isaiah 45 to give military success and political power to King Cyrus for the sake of God's chosen people Israel--and for your sake! As God says prophetically to Cyrus in Isaiah 45:5-6, "I equip you, though you do not know Me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides Me; I am the LORD, and there is no other." For among those who returned to the Promised Land with the help of Cyrus were ancestors of Jesus, to whom all authority in heaven and on earth has been given. While guiding world history, Christ directed the servants of His Church to go out into all the world and find you, teaching you to know Him as the only God, so that by the forgiveness of your sins, you could live in His kingdom in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, the protector of all who trust in You, have mercy on us that with You as our ruler and guide we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 35:1-7, 16-25; Colossians 3:1-25 Josiah died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. (2 Chronicles 35:24)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. O King Josiah, what have you done? You just displayed wonderful devotion to the God of Israel by reforming the religion of your people. But now you are like all the other sons of David as you fell into great sin. You died because you did not listen to God. In many and various ways He commanded you not to go to battle Neco. The Lord warned all the kings of His people not to join foreign wars and alliances. The prophetess Huldah foretold that after your death, the curses of disaster would fall upon your kingdom (2 Chronicles 34:22-28). And God commanded you through Neco himself to let his troops travel from Egypt to fight the Assyrian king. But Josiah, you would not listen! You do not get to disobey God's Word just because it comes from a person you do not like. Why did you leave us to lament your death? Why did you need to prove your Descendant will be correct when He says, "All who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:52)?
Josiah was a great and faithful king who served God's people. Most of the time. Just like his ancestor David, he was not perfect as He broke God's commandments. Yet there will be a Son of David who comes to be our perfect King. He will never sin as He reforms and restores His people to God by forgiving all the commandments that they break.
The people of His kingdom will also grieve at the death of this Son of Josiah. On the night of the greatest Passover, unlike any other Passover ever held before or after it, when the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world gets ready to be slaughtered on the altar of the Cross, just before He is betrayed, He will say to His disciples, "You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy" (John 16:20). He could promise what Josiah could not because Jesus knew the resurrection was coming after His death. For Him, and for you. And so what our Lord promised the disciples is now a promise Your Savior gives to you: "You have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:22). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind; Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, and be Thyself our King of Peace. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. ("O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" LSB 357, st.7)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Confession Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 34:1-4, 8-11, 14-33; Colossians 2:8-23
What is Confession? Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven. (Small Catechism: Confession)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the beginning, God spoke: Let there be light. And all of creation bent itself to His will. It was good, for a little while. Not so much now. Sin breaks stuff. Maybe we can point fingers at Adam or Eve (it was Adam’s fault) and say that wasn’t your fault, even if it is your burden. The truth is, those words that sling blame don’t fix it. They can’t change creation for the better, just lament the state of it.
God still speaks with words that accomplish something, not just for Adam’s sin, but also for yours. Now He uses your pastor. "In the stead and by the command of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins." And all of creation bends itself to His will. Your sins are forgiven before God in heaven. And it is good.
With words He reshapes creation. He’s not done talking. It’s good, because you’re not done sinning. That’s not ok. Your sin breaks stuff, too. It leaves you wrecked with guilt. It leaves you alone. It leaves you set against the people you’re given to love, and the people given to love you. Understand that the words you use to sling blame, to excuse your sins, to justify yourself, and to accuse your neighbor don’t fix anything. They can’t change creation for the better, but still do plenty to make it worse.
So we hear God speak words that grant peace. He absolves your sins through your pastor. He absolves your neighbors’ sins, too. He even lets you speak the words “your sins are forgiven you” that point to the place where all sin was brought to nothing. We point to the Cross and say Jesus forgave us there. He spoke: "It is finished." Sin isn’t allowed to destroy anymore. What our sins break, He promises healing for in the resurrection. It is very good.
Today, we have to wait in the world broken by our sin, but we wait for the resurrection already started in Christ who burst from the tomb. We wait for something already begun. And while we wait, we wait with words that shape creation to what God promises it to be. And it is good. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The words which absolution give Are His who died that we might live; The minister whom Christ has sent Is but His humble instrument. ("'As Surely as I Live,' God Said" LSB 614, st.6)
Today's Reading: John 12:20-33 Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 33:1-25; Colossians 1:24-2:7
"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." (John 12:27-28)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus could ask the Father to save Him from the hour of His suffering and death. But then you wouldn't be saved. No one would. If Jesus is spared suffering and death, you won't be. Your sins will be yours and the eternal judgment of God upon you will be just.
But Jesus didn't come to bail on us. He came to go through with it. To walk the lonely road of suffering and death for sinners. For you. For the world. If He goes the way of trial and mockery and thorns and cross and death, then you are saved. His death is your salvation.
But there is more. "Father, glorify your name." How is God's name glorified? Exalted? How is God most God? When He's saving sinners. When the Father sends His Son for you. When the Son willingly undergoes that suffering and death for you.
But the glory doesn't end on Good Friday. It's not snuffed out with the last breath of Jesus. He rises again on the Third Day. Jesus hasn't just taken care of sin. He's taken care of death. And by taking care of both of those, He's taken care of you. Taken away your sins. Given you eternal life.
Your Baptism, the Absolution, the preaching, the Body and Blood--all of these are the glorious gifts of a Savior who has put you above Himself, who has done what needed to be done in order to make you right with your Creator. Jesus accomplished it. He didn't shy away from it or run. He faced it head-on and now “it is finished.” Your salvation is a done deal. God has glorified His name when He put it upon you and called you His dear child. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Merciful God, Your Son, Jesus Christ, was lifted high upon the cross that He might bear the sins of the world and draw all people to Himself. Grant that we who glory in His death for our redemption may faithfully heed His call to bear the cross and follow Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Holy Cross Day)
Today's Reading: Galatians 5:25-6:10 Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 32:1-22; Colossians 1:1-23
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Bear one another's burdens? Carry someone else's overstuffed backpack? Listen to someone else's problems? Help somebody else with their problems? You've got enough to worry about with your own mix of school, work, and family challenges. How can you have time for someone else's problems and troubles? Plus, the Bible says that Jesus fulfilled the Law, so what's with this "fulfill the Law of Christ?"
Oh yes, Christ DID fulfill the Law. Even the Law that says you're supposed to love your neighbor! He fulfilled it, not only by doing it, but also by bearing the full measure of its judgment upon sinners when He suffered on the Cross. Your sins are forgiven. The Law of God no longer can condemn you.
But there is another law. It's the Law of Christ by which He, bearing the burden of our sins, teaches us to bear one another's burdens. This is not a Law given for YOUR benefit, as if you could work your way to heaven! That's taken care of by Jesus! No, this Law is for the good of your neighbor. Your parents, your brothers or sisters, your friends, coworkers and classmates--THEY need your help. They need your help bearing the burdens of their work and lives and struggles, too.
After all, it's why the Lord has rescued you. It's why He has baptized you and made you His own, so that you will belong to others in serving them. It's why He absolves you of your sins, so that you will not hold the sins of others against them. It's why He lives in you by His Body and Blood, so that you will be knit together with others in the Body of Christ, where you learn to love and serve others.
Oh, you won't always do a good job. You'll try to bear someone's burdens and end up dropping them on their foot! That's why we live in Christ, to be forgiven for what we mess up and to have Him do in us what we would never do on our own. Or, to put it another way, the Christ who has borne the burden of your sins now bears the burdens of others--through you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O grant that nothing in my soul May dwell, but Thy pure love alone; Oh, may Thy love possess me whole, My joy, my treasure and my crown! All coldness from my heart remove; My ev'ry act, word, thought be love. ("Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me" LSB 683, st.2)
Today's Reading: Matthew 6:24-34 Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 31:1-21; Philippians 4:1-23
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life. (Matthew 6:25)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Right from the start, Jesus gets to the heart of our problems. It is a First Commandment issue: "You cannot serve God and money!" When greedy hearts try to prove Jesus wrong, they only deceive themselves. Their devotion to money and possessions stops them from fearing, loving, and trusting in God above all things. The worship of money is often an uncertain anxiousness that acts as though life is only good when I have what I consider enough stuff. The Large Catechism says, "Those who have nothing doubt and despair as if they knew of no god at all. The desire for wealth clings and sticks to our nature all the way to the grave."
The highest worship of God is faith, to look to Him in our time of need, to trust in Him with the confidence that He is a loving Father who knows what we need (6:32) in both body and soul. "The Lord will provide" (Genesis 22:14). Consider the lilies of the field. They do not have bank accounts nor insurance policies. They have to compete with weeds and rocks, drought and floods. And even when they do survive it all, their beauty lasts only a few days before their flowers fall. Despite their temporary and delicate nature, God clothes them with glory. You, however, He has created not to be temporary, but to live forever with Him. If He provides in such wondrous ways for the lilies, don't you think He will put even more effort into providing for you so that you arrive there? For you are worth more to Him than the lilies or the birds, so much so He gave up His own Son to have you.
Your worry over money is a waste. It does not produce anything good. It cannot even add one single second to the length of your life. But what you cannot do, God has done. He adds eternity to your short life through the death of Jesus. He baptismally clothes you with the robe of Christ's righteousness so that He doesn't see the ugliness of your doubts underneath. He gives you to eat of His Body and drink of His Blood shed for the forgiveness of your false beliefs. In His Son, you seek and find God's Kingdom and righteousness for you forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, we implore You, let Your continual pity cleanse and defend Your Church; and because she cannot continue in safety without Your aid, preserve her evermore by Your help and goodness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 15th Sunday after Trinity)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the 15th Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 86:4, 6, 15a, 16; antiphon: vs.1a, 2b, 3) Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 29:1-24; Philippians 3:1-21
Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. (Psalm 86:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As the internet or TV might have already reminded you, today is the 20th anniversary of 9/11. When these horrific events happened, I had only been a pastor for 2 months. I clearly remember waking up to the terrible news and thinking, "The seminary never prepared me for this!" Not that I was angry with my professors--no one expected that attack. (The military never thought an airstrike could come from inside US borders, so the fighter jets went unarmed to intercept the terrorist-controlled planes. They had no time for weapons to be loaded.)
Thankfully, God granted comfort for my anxious thoughts. Eventually I realized that though He had never used my professors to address the specifics of the unimaginable terror of 9/11, the Lord had worked through them so I would be ready to serve as pastor in the days and weeks that followed. Just as they had taught me, I prayed while I searched the Scriptures to find words of comfort for God's people who were overwhelmed by grief.
Psalm 86 could certainly have been one of those passages. Here in our time of trouble David leads us in prayer to our God who is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (verse 15)--a loyal love that is no mere feeling that runs hot and cold, but a love that gives up His own Son for us. We ask the Lord to help us not because we deserve Him to rescue us (because we don't), but we ask Him on account of His grace in Christ Jesus (verse 6).
You might be overwhelmed by some personal problem or one that affects a lot of people. You might be troubled by something you are responsible for, or by something you have no control over. Or maybe you know someone else who is facing these situations. Instead of obsessing over the obstacles that confront you, fix your eyes on the Lord. Because of His steadfast love for you in Christ, He will not ignore your prayers nor fail to act for you. He is the God who took the terrible tragedy of the crucifixion of His Son and made it to be a blessed salvation for you. Trust that now He will work good from the troubles you need to pray about. In His time, He will gladden your soul (verse 4). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, this I ask, O hear my plea, Deny me not this favor: When Satan sorely troubles me, Then do not let me waver. O guard me well, My fear dispel, Fulfill Your faithful saying: All who believe By grace receive An answer to their praying. ("The Will of God is Always Best" LSB 758, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 9:1-13; 10:18-29; Philippians 2:12-30
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s always tempting to cherry pick. It’s a big book. Grab a little here and there and you can make the Bible support anything. It’s a bad sign when the book you believe to be the Word of God is quoted by the KKK. This is how that happens: They cherry pick, taking away the context and narrative, and by doing so, take away the truth.
It’s called idolatry. Idolatry is using God’s words to parrot your own instead of letting yours respond to His in joyful liturgy. Idolatry is using a book that expresses God’s will of salvation as a place to find bumper sticker slogans that express your own will. In doing so you lose any word from outside of yourself that would actually speak from God to you. And with it, any help, answer to something you didn’t already know, and any comfort He wishes you to have.
But idolatry is chiefly found in exactly what Paul won’t let stand by itself: the idea that we must work out our own salvation. Full stop. If that’s all there is, fear and trembling won’t be an issue. So he keeps going. It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Not your words. His. Not your will. His. Not your works. His. For you. Through you.
His good pleasure is found here, in working out your salvation apart from you, but also through you at the same time. He won your salvation apart from you on a Cross thousands of years before you were born. That was even His fear and trembling as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that this cup might pass from His hands. He delivered your salvation to you in time and space in the waters of your Baptism. He sustains you in this salvation by faith. He supplies you through His Word that expresses His will. And now it’s your salvation even though He won it, and even the fear and trembling become no longer a place to find worry over salvation, but a place where the old idolater is drowned each day as the Lord raises the new man to live before Him in righteousness and purity forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen
Thy will be done, O LORD, that old Adam would daily drown and the new man arise, that the Cross which redeemed us would be made to be the source of our hope, joy, and salvation, through Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.
Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 6:1-23; Philippians 1:21-2:11
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Martin Luther said, "The world is like a drunken peasant. If you lift him into the saddle on one side, he will fall off the other side." As Christians, we know that by nature we are selfish little monsters who do not want to help others unless we get something good out of it. Repeatedly we have heard the Bible command us to fight those impulses and care for other people without thought of reward. The sinful nature pushes us to "fall out of the saddle" one way by lying to us that we have loved the right people enough and God does not expect more from us. Or, or it uses an evil conscience to pound us until we fall the other way because we have not cared for others every moment of every day. Despair overwhelms us in this case over how much of a failure we think we are.
Philippians 2:4 defends that well-meaning Christian from this false belief. It does not say that you must only take care of the interests of other people. Rather, Paul specifically says you need to deal with your own needs, and also the needs of others. It is like when the airplane flight attendants tell parents that in case of emergency, they should put the oxygen mask on themselves first and then help their children.
An even better example is that of Christ, who humbled Himself to become a servant to us in His life and death on earth. Even when He became obedient to death on the Cross, Jesus looked after the worldly concerns of His mother Mary as He told John to take care of her (John 19:27). And yet, there were times when Jesus looked after His own interests, like when crowds wanted Him to heal their diseases, but He purposely went off by Himself to pray, rest, or eat.
The unbelieving world thinks, "If I do not look out for myself, nobody else is going to do it." Christ was able to die for our salvation because He trusted that God the Father was looking out for Him.
As sinners, you and I will not balance helping ourselves with helping other people correctly. But the same God who highly exalted Jesus in the resurrection now looks out for your interests by grace for the sake of Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord of glory, You have bought us With Your life-blood as the price, Never grudging for the lost ones That tremendous sacrifice. Give us faith to trust You boldly, Hope, to stay our souls on You; But, oh, best of all Your graces, With Your love our love renew. ("Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us" LSB 851, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Baptism, pt. 4 Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 5:9-27; Philippians 1:1-20
What does such baptizing with water indicate? It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.
Where is this written? St. Paul writes in Romans chapter six: "We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Small Catechism: Baptism)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Return to your Baptism!" Before I was a pastor, I heard my Lutheran professors say this in class, my pastor preach it, and I read it in Lutheran magazines and books. I knew it was right to do, but what does it mean? Obviously they were not telling me to time-travel back to when the water went across my head and watch it happen, though that could be kind of cool to be able to do. But I was not entirely sure what they meant by it.
Luther gives us answers. In the Small Catechism, he says that you return to your Baptism by daily contrition and repentance. In the Large Catechism, he writes, "Even though someone falls from [Baptism] and sins, we always have access to it so that we may again subdue the old creature. Repentance, therefore, is nothing else than a return and approach to Baptism, to resume and practice what has earlier been begun but abandoned."
Ok, so to return to your Baptism is to repent, but what does that mean? It is not simply regret or a frustration with facing consequences. 2 Corinthians 7:10 refers to that as a "worldly grief [that] produces death." Godly repentance that leads to life is a whole different mindset. It is both sorrow over your sin AND it is faith in Christ's forgiveness. The word "repent" is from a Latin word that literally means "to re-think." You are now thinking in a different way about the sin you did AND about Jesus who died to take away that sin of yours. The Hebrew word for repentance means "to be turned." So it is not that you are turning yourself around, but your Savior God is turning you away from your sin and toward Him again. As long as you live in this old world with your sinful nature, each time you return to your Baptism the Lord will have an abundant amount of forgiveness there for you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Merciful Lord, cleanse and defend Your people united to You in Baptism by Your sacrifice. Give us grace to receive the fruits of Your cross and daily follow in Your way; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Galatians 5:16-24 Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 4:48-5:8; Ephesians 6:1-24
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Well at least you don't have to say, "The devil made me do it." No, Paul explains why you think what you think, say what you say and do what you. Your sinful nature is at war with the new creation in Christ. Your sinful flesh fights against the Spirit and so you know the right thing to do but don't do it. It's why you don't love God and your neighbor like you should.
Now understand something: If you were on your own, your flesh would win. You don't have the free will to choose to love God and others. You are born into the slavery of sin and were it not for Christ, that's all you would do.
But you have been given the Holy Spirit. Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead and sent the Spirit into the world wherever His Gospel is preached. You have that Spirit by your Baptism into Christ and because you hear God's Word preached and taught.
And the Spirit isn't just there to be a cheerleader so you can overcome your sinful nature with a little nudge or push. No, the Spirit is there to remind you that this victory over your sinful nature has already been won. The Spirit is there to stand you before God as holy and perfect in His sight, not a sinner at all, because of Jesus.
Your flesh hates that. It hates that it can't do whatever it wants and so it tries to anyway. It hates the news that it will be once and for all gone some day and so it rebels. But know this: Your sinful flesh is done for. Even when it gets the best of you in this life, its works have been wiped out by the blood of Jesus.
And the fruit of the Spirit is. . . well. . . fruit, meaning you don't have to come up with it yourself. The Spirit grows and cultivates it in you by His Word and working. That means that your whole life is under the care and direction of the Holy Spirit, whose job it is to keep you in Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Rise! To arms! With prayer employ you, O Christians lest the foe destroy you; For Satan has designed your fall. Wield God's Word, the weapon glorious; Against all foes be thus victorious, For God protects you from them all. Fear not the hordes of hell, Here is Emmanuel. Hail the Savior! The strong foes yield To Christ, our shield, And we, the victors hold the field. ("Rise! To Arms! With Prayer Employ You" LSB 668, st.1)
Today's Reading: Proverbs 4:10-23 Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 4:8-22, 32-37; Ephesians 5:15-33
I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. (Proverbs 4:11-12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Having a holiday today (for most of us) is nice, but tomorrow we have to go back to the routine. Both church and school are starting to be busy again. Some of you have already been in classes for a few weeks while others have your first day tomorrow. Sunday School, confirmation classes, and church meetings are resuming after a summer break. At some point this month or next, I will be already dreaming about what I want to do next summer. Maybe you are happier being busy, or maybe you are like me and will miss the slower pace of life.
Speaking as a father to a son, God tells us through the author of Proverbs that He guides us in the way of wisdom, describing it as a roadway of righteousness. Proverbs 4:12 reminds us that as we travel with the Lord, no matter whether the days are easy or packed full of work, He watches over us and keeps us from stumbling. Note that the wicked have it as their goal to make other people stumble (verse 16). Unfortunately for them, because they are outside of Christ's light, they cannot understand that their own sin causes them to stumble (verse 19) until they finally fall into hell.
Even after you have received salvation from Christ, you still could choose to go back to the path of the wicked, but you must not do it (verse 14)! Why would you want to get tangled up in sin again? The way Proverbs 4 describes the wicked person who is obsessed with and controlled by their evil sounds like what Jesus says in John 8:34: "Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin."
However, you are free because the Son of God this very moment releases you from your guilt by the forgiveness He won for you on the Cross. He is the light of the world (John 8:12) who shines upon you to shatter your darkness, brighter and brighter until you get to the Last Day (Proverbs 4:18), when the busy schedules of this world will be done. And you know the way to get to that Day of rest and gladness in the Resurrection, when there will be no more darkness. Jesus is the Way. And the Truth. And the Life. Even though you die, you shall live forever in Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord of all creation, give us wisdom in all things, that we may rejoice in all that is good and be defended against all that is evil; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 17:11-19 Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 2:19-25; 4:1-7; Ephesians 4:25-5:14
"Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" (Luke 17:18)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus DIDN'T say, "How come no one except the foreigner came back to say 'Thank you?'" This isn't about good manners, as if the Lord is offended because the other nine lepers didn't say "Thank You." No, to "give glory to God" means something other than just acknowledging God's gifts. True, we should be thankful to the Lord for all things. But to give Him glory means much more.
To give God glory means to RECEIVE what He has for you. It's a bit ironic that to GIVE God glory means to GET something from Him. What is that something? "Go your way, your faith has saved you." Jesus isn't telling the leper that his leprosy is gone. That already happened. No, Jesus is teaching the leper that his trust in Jesus is not misplaced. The leper knows that Jesus has healed him and is the only one who can give him salvation. So he wants to be where Jesus is. Then Jesus pronounces salvation upon this Samaritan, an Absolution in which he is declared clean before God in all ways.
The Old Testament says a leper has to show himself to the priest. What does the Samaritan do? He comes back to Jesus because he realizes Jesus is the only real priest there is. The High Priest. The One who can make him and all people clean. Jesus' perfect life and His suffering and death cleanse us from every stain of sin. In Baptism He pronounces us clean and by His Body and Blood He says that He has saved us and we "depart in peace."
The Samaritan leper teaches us what it truly means to give glory to God: not to simply tell God how great He is over and over but to receive the gifts He has for us in and through His Son. It is the greatest glory of God to save you and bestow that salvation upon you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, keep Your Church with Your perpetual mercy; and because of our frailty we cannot but fall, keep us ever by Your help from all things hurtful and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 14th Sunday after Trinity)
Today's Reading: Introit for the 14th Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 84:1-2a, 4, 10b, 11b; antiphon: vs.9-10a) Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 2:1-18; Ephesians 4:1-24
How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (From the Introit for the 14th Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Does your soul long for the courts of the Lord? Or would you rather sleep in on Sunday morning? Do your heart and flesh cry out for the living God and His Word? Or do the other things that you have going on--your sports or friends or parties or whatever--come first and then church if there's time left over? How can we pray these words of the psalm when we don't really mean them? We know we SHOULD want Christ's gifts most of all, but we don't.
Good news! The words of the psalms are always first of all of Jesus' words! Jesus longs for the courts of the Lord, to be with His heavenly Father. Even when He was a boy, Jesus was hanging out in the temple where God's Word was being taught. Jesus loved nothing more than His Father's Word. And it's His love of the Father's Word that brought Him to earth in the flesh to die for sinners who could care less about His Word. Jesus is the Word made flesh who dies on the Cross of Calvary for those who have so many more important things to do than hear God's Word and receive His gifts.
When you go to church tomorrow, you're not going because you are trying to get all hyped up and really excited for God's Word. You might be happy to go to church tomorrow. You might be grumbling the whole way there, wishing you were back under the covers in your bed. But when you go, what the Lord has for you is not a program to get you all charged up for Him. Rather, He has gifts for you. There in the Divine Service, the Lord will cover you with Jesus, who loves the Father's Word. The Lord will announce that your despising His Word is forgiven. The Word Himself will fill you when you eat and drink His Body and Blood. There, filled with Jesus, you will learn to truly love and rejoice in the gifts that Christ has for you, because the One who lives in you is Jesus, who always loves the Father's Word. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
I love your kingdom, Lord, The place of your abode, The Church our blest Redeemer saved With His own precious blood. ("I Love Your Kingdom, Lord" LSB 651, st.1)
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 19:1-21; Ephesians 3:1-21
And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. (1 Kings 19:11-12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Elijah’s hiding in a cave waiting to die. Something happened that gets passed over too often. Elijah forgot how to be disappointed. Because he forgot how to hope.
We all have those corners of our heart left abandoned, where hope has died. It's easy to rush past Elijah in the cave. Still, I don't even want to know how many people have that abandoned little corner of their heart where their hope in God died. It's not that they think He doesn't exist, but that they don't believe they can depend on Him. They may have gone without for a bit too long. They might have waited for Him to avenge them or to answer muttered prayers. Fix what's broken. Plenty of folks looked. And they did not find God.
Elijah is on the mountain looking for God, too. He's afraid for his life. He's got nothing left. Everything he fought for fell apart. There's no getting back what's gone. So God revealed Himself. Not in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but in the low, whispering Word.
The reason so many of us have given up hope is that we look for God in places He isn't. It's a trick the devil uses to grind down hope. Even fallen, sinful man loves to put hope in the wrong thing. It's called an idol. The way to kill it altogether is only from one place. So Satan points us to where God isn't (and never promised to be) and asks, "Why isn’t He there?" And he makes more sense than we want to admit.
Those are the places we wish He would be. They are the places that make us feel safe. Powerful. Fulfilled. Happy. God is not in the power of the government's protection, not in hearing the personal testimonies from famous people that say our religion isn’t horrible. God is not in the size of the bank account, or in the cookouts, or the days at the lake. He is not in the power of the earthquake or the vengeance of the fire.
If that’s the God you're looking for, I understand why it's hard to swallow the foolishness I ask of you. Trust some invisible guy who, if real, and if powerful, let you get into that mess to begin with? Never mind that He warned you, "Thou shalt not," and you sinned and did it anyway. Confess and hear Absolution. Come, lay yourself bare so I can say, "In the stead and by the command of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I forgive you this and all your sins." And what? Now it's just. . . ok?
And why? Because it's what your parents believed? Because you were raised in this church? This is hard enough on a good day, much less when you're sick, scared, or alone. When hope is being ground down. "I cannot by my own reason or strength believe." That has to come from somewhere else. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the low, whispering Word of Christ.
And He still speaks. What are you doing here? Why are you hiding? Why are you afraid? You're not as alone as you think. God would not limit Himself to your good days or your good attitude. He passes by Elijah, whispering words of peace and hope, and He passes by you, too. Not to rush past, but to dive into the valley of the shadow of death, that hope would live where there rightly should be none.
If you have the same dead corner of your heart where hope has died, know that God will not abandon you. He can save us without those things we think we need. He went without them, too. He entered this world and took on human flesh. Human need and human want. Even human sin. He bore the attacks and the lack and the sufferings and the pain. But more, He did it for you. Because of all the places we look for God and don’t find Him, He does insist on being near to you. He just wants to do it in a way that endures.
The cross. The empty tomb. Hope lives with our Lord, even hidden in caves, alone and afraid. Hope stands even as so much crumbles around us, because Christ crumbled with us and then He rose again. He carved a path through the dark, through the tomb, and out again.
To this day the Church stands to repeat these words, not because the world needs another institution, but because of all the times we've buried the last bit of hope in something in the world. Because God wants a place for you to collapse when hope runs thin, when questions get hard, when light seems gone. Because we need something to believe that actually saves. That wipes away tears, that drags us through when everything else gives out. That whispers hope to us that even death cannot destroy. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Merciful Father, by Word and Sacrament You have created Your Church in our world to be a caring family. Grant Your comfort to those who live in loneliness. Help them to find a place of healing and pleasant fellowship among people faithful to You. Amen.
Today's Reading: Galatians 3:15-22 Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 18:20-40; Ephesians 2:1-22
But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. (Galatians 3:22)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You’re imprisoned under sin. That’s you in yourself. That’s every single man, woman, and child who's ever lived, is living, or will live. That’s just who we are, in ourselves, without faith in Jesus.
What imprisons you under sin? The Scripture does, God’s Word of Law does. He condemns what you do: how you bug your sister, make your teacher, coach, or your parents mad, fail your friends, or continue to mistreat the people you don’t like or who’ve wronged you, even though Jesus says to love them. (God hates all this stuff.)
All those actions would be bad enough! But it’s not just what we do. It’s who we are! Conceived sinful. Born sinful. We live sinful lives. And we die sinful deaths. It’s what sinners do. And to sinners, sinners who act out their sinner-ness against those around us, well, the Lord God, the Creator of the universe, says, "Guilty! The sentence is 'physical death and eternal damnation.'"
That’s God’s Law against every single person ever. His Law does this because God is holy, righteous, true, and just. But He’s not just speaking it to make you feel bad about yourself, so that you’ll finally get your act together and be a good person to be saved. No, that won’t work. (It hasn’t worked yet, has it?)
He says you’re guilty in yourself and your actions, “so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” He makes that promise. You’re saved because of Jesus. In Jesus there’s mercy. Mercy not because of you. Mercy in Jesus. Jesus alone. Jesus alone for you. Jesus took your guilty sentence. (See, God’s Law was against every single person ever.) All your yucky sins and sinfulness became His. He claimed it all as His own. You get all that He is--perfect and eternal righteousness. All yours in Holy Baptism, received by faith, trusting in Jesus. The Law is true towards our sinner-ness, apart from Jesus. But you believe in Jesus, you’re baptized in Him. So you have to be innocent, forgiven! Jesus died your death and rose again for your justification, your “innocent verdict.” And that’s what you are in the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The Law reveals the guilt of sin And makes us conscience-stricken; But then the Gospel enters in The sinful soul to quicken. Come to the cross, trust Christ, and live; The Law no peace can ever give, No comfort and no blessing. ("Salvation unto Us Has Come" LSB 555, st.8)
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Baptism, pt. 3 Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 18:1-19; Ephesians 1:1-23
Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. (Acts 2:38-39)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When I was 11 years old, I went with my best friend to his Baptist Bible camp. I had a good time most of the week. (I mean, it was not as good as an HT Conference, but nothing is!) The last night there, one of the counselors told me that since I was baptized as a baby, I should decide to be baptized again so that it would be more meaningful rather than something my parents chose for me.
I came home with a brain swamped by questions. Had my parents made a mistake and done things wrong? Did my Baptism mean anything since I didn't choose it? The worst question of all was wondering what would happen if my parents or pastor found out that I was questioning my Baptism! I (WRONGLY) imagined it would go badly for me, so I kept my questions to myself, which only made things worse.
Thankfully God knew how to rescue me from these doubts without my asking Him to. During confirmation classes about two years later, Pastor Rauschek and Mrs. MacLain used the Scriptures and the Small Catechism to teach us the answers to all the questions I was too afraid to talk about. I learned that Baptism means what God says it means. It is a life-giving water, rich in grace no matter when it happens in a person's life.
My parents had made no mistake getting me baptized about a week after I was born. Again and again the Scriptures rejoice over all the things that God does in Baptism and really does not say much about what you and I do there! He unites us to Christ's death and resurrection (Romans 6), gives us a new birth from above (John 3), washes away our sins and pours the Holy Spirit into our hearts (Titus 3). Best of all, God's promises in Baptism are for adults and for children (Acts 2). And there is nothing I could do to make it more meaningful than that! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Sin, disturb my soul no longer: I am baptized into Christ! I have comfort even stronger: Jesus' cleansing sacrifice. Should a guilty conscience seize me since my Baptism did release me In a dear forgiving flood, Sprinkling me with Jesus' blood? ("God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It" LSB 594, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 2 Chronicles 28:8-15 Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 16:29-17:24; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15
But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, "Now hear me, and send back the captives from your relatives whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you." (2 Chronicles 28:9, 11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. About three centuries after David had united the kingdom of Israel, we turn to 2 Chronicles to find it is split into two. The Northern Kingdom of Israel has just won a civil war as brutal and bitter as the worst sibling rivalry. The writer of 2 Chronicles pulls back the curtains of heaven to let us know that God is directing history. The Northern Kingdom's army is His tool to discipline King Ahaz and the kingdom of Judah. The Lord wants them to repent of their false worship, which even goes so far as to include child sacrifice to pagan gods in 28:3. Yikes!
The victorious warriors are all excited about the wealth of slaves they are bringing back home. But then Obed, the prophet of the Lord, gets in the way of their victory parade. And the situation completely changes as these soldiers suddenly have compassion for their captives. Not only do they free them from slavery, but they actually give us a great example of living out the Fifth Commandment (and Seventh as well), helping and supporting their neighbors in every physical need before bringing them back to their families in Judah!
How on earth is such a change of heart possible? It's not. Not with man. But with God all things are possible. As the Lord sent His Word down from heaven through the mouth of His servant Obed, it worked repentance into the soldiers' hearts. Just like when Jonah preached repentance to Nineveh. Just like when your pastor or a fellow Christian speaks God's Word to you and it works to create and strengthen your faith in Christ, the mighty warrior of the Lord, who has freed you from your captivity to sin and clothes you with His righteousness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, in Your deep compassion You rescue us from whatever may hurt us. Teach us to love You above all things and to love our neighbors as ourselves; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 10:21-37 Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 12:20-13:5, 33-34; 2 Corinthians 8:1-24
Jesus said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live." (Luke 10:28) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Context is pretty important. What are the facts surrounding the situation? "Mom, can I use the car this weekend?" "What needs to happen before I let you drive?" "My room needs to be clean." "You got it--do this and you get the keys."
If this conversation happened when I was a teen, the condition of my room meant I would not get the car until long after the weekend was over! I probably would have tried asking, "Exactly how clean does it need to be?" Jesus sounds like He is saying that a person can do good works to get themselves into eternal life. "Do this and you will live." Context helps us to understand why Jesus says this. The lawyer asked Him a Law question, so Jesus gave the man a Law answer. And the Law starts to do its work on the man like a mirror, showing him that he had not lived a life that is clean enough to inherit eternity. He tried to justify himself by limiting the neighbors he needed to love, and that was when Jesus described a perfect standard of love in the good Samaritan--a standard the lawyer knew he could not live up to.
Neither can you. Nor can I. However, the Gospel message is that Someone completely different and foreign from us has. While keeping His life perfectly clean, Christ found us after sin and death had beaten the life out of us. He showed us mercy by taking up our burdens and paying for our healing not with silver or gold, but with His precious blood and innocent suffering and death. By His death, you inherit His eternal life for free. Now you and I go and do likewise in having compassion on those around us, not because we can save ourselves, but because this is the way we start over and live again in the life of Christ after He has saved us by His mercy. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The Law reveals the guilt of sin And makes us conscience-stricken; But then the Gospel enters in The sinful soul to quicken. Come to the cross, trust Christ, and live; The Law no peace can ever give, No comfort and no blessing. ("Salvation unto Us has Come" LSB 555, st.8)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Mark 6:14-29 Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 11:42-12:19; 2 Corinthians 7:1-16
The king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. (Mark 6:27-28)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Poor John the Baptist was trying to do God's work of preparing the way for the Lord. Yet we see that it lands him in jail and gets him killed. Look at evil King Herod Antipas behind it all, getting away with it as he is free to do whatever his heart desires.
This is one of the many ways that sin and Satan work on us, drawing our attention to what works in this world so that we think doing the right thing will hurt us and temptations will have no consequences.
But that is an illusion. Appearances can be deceiving. Herod is not free. He is a captive slave to his lusts. After getting half-brother Philip's wife Herodias to be his own, he refuses to leave his adulterous marriage behind when John calls him to repent. His sexual urges control him so that he cannot even say no when Herodias and Salome make their grisly demand for John's head on a platter. Mark reports that then Herod's guilty conscience had him terrified that Jesus was actually John the Baptist come back from the dead to get revenge. In the end, Herod Antipas loved his life and lost it all.
John, however, is completely free in the place where all tears are wiped away. Sin can no longer hurt him as he rests from his labors in heaven with the Lord. And even before his execution, John was free because the Holy Spirit filled him. Neither his own sin nor other people's opinions controlled him. He preached so people would receive God's freedom from the sins that were controlling them through the forgiveness of their sin. Now John lives, even though he died (and even though he sinned before he died), all because Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world by His death. And so He took John's sin away. And Jesus takes your sin away, too. You are free. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
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. (Collect for the Martyrdom of John the Baptist)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist (Psalm 31:1, 3, 5; antiphon: Rev. 7:14b) Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 11:1-26; 2 Corinthians 6:1-18
We appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. (2 Corinthians 6:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 2 Corinthians 5 ends with beautiful Gospel words explaining how the Father has graciously reconciled us to Himself through Christ Jesus. Chapter 6 picks up with a warning not to receive that grace in vain. The Gospel is a precious gift from God, assuring us we are reconciled to God apart from anything we can do. It is all an unearned gift. But there is a right way to receive a gift and a wrong way. The correct way is to show gratitude and appreciation, to thank and praise God for what He has done. The wrong way is to take the gift for granted or disregard it as nothing special. Paul warns the Corinthians, "Don’t receive the precious gifts of God that way, instead, cherish what you have been given. Show gratitude and honor for the One who has blessed you"
Paul goes on to talk about how he honors God for the grace he has received by faithfully carrying out the mission of the Church. He takes seriously the notion that the time is limited and the time is now to proclaim the Gospel. He also makes sure he is not a stumbling block or obstacle for anyone coming to Christ. Paul knows that he cannot cause anyone’s salvation (that is the Holy Spirit’s work) but he also knows that a scandalous life on his part will hinder the Spirit’s work.
In the last section, Paul warns the Corinthians: "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers" (2 Corinthians 6:14). Note that Paul is not saying, "Have nothing to do with unbelievers." Christians are to be salt and light to the world. We are to interact with unbelievers, especially as we share the Good News of Jesus. Yet, he is cautioning Christians against collaborating with unbelievers in a way that will cause Christians to be influenced toward unbelief.
Being ungrateful and letting ourselves be influenced by those who don't believe in Christ are ways we often receive God's gifts in vain. Thanks be to God that He renews our faith with the gifts of His pulpit and altar, and keeps us in our baptismal grace unto eternity. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Christ the eternal Lord. Whose promise hear we claim, Whose gifts of grace are freely poured On all who name Your name; With thankfulness and praise We stand before Your throne, Intent to serve You all our days And make Your glory known. ("Christ the Eternal Lord" LSB 829, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 9:1-9; 10:1-13; 2 Corinthians 5:1-21 "God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:19) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 2 Corinthians 5 overflows with spiritual treasures! Paul begins by comparing our human bodies to tents. Tents are fun for a little while, but they aren’t a permanent home. They aren’t built to last. That is what happens to our bodies and that is why Christians "groan," longing to be in our true heavenly home. As our bodies break down we are ever more mindful that real life awaits us as God intended it from the beginning. Life without pain and suffering, sorrow and tears. Life in heaven that never ends! With this perspective, a Christian does not have to fear death. With Paul (and so many Christians through the ages) we can say, "I would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord." Of course, that choice is not ours to make. The Lord decides when our time is accomplished on this earth. Until that day, each of us is to make it our goal to be about the Lord's business. For Paul, that meant being a missionary. For you it may mean something else entirely. Whatever callings you have, as son or daughter, sibling, friend, neighbor, classmate, employee, coworker, student, church member, citizen, God gives you opportunities to love and serve those He has placed around you. That is the best way to make use of the time God gives you before He calls you home. In the final section of chapter 5 we find some of the most beautiful and clear Gospel words in all of the New Testament: "God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them." And, "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Commit these words to memory. Recall them often! These words tell us how God saves us. The action is all from Him to us. The Father sends His Son; the Son gladly goes and takes our place as sinners. Though He is God, He becomes a man. In His suffering and death, He gets what we deserve so He can give us what we could never deserve: forgiveness of sins and life everlasting in heaven. It is a glorious exchange. Christ takes what is ours (sin and death) and gives us what is His (righteousness and life). And the result is perfect reconciliation with God that will never end. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. He undertakes a great exchange, Puts on our human frame, And in return gives us His realm, His glory and His name, His glory and His name. ("Let All Together Praise Our God" LSB 389, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 8:22-30, 46-63; 2 Corinthians 4:1-18 "So we do not lose heart." (2 Corinthians 4:16) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Proclaiming the Good News of Christ in the first century AD wasn’t easy. Teaching God’s Word meant facing resistance, hostility, and persecution. Paul says that he and his companions were afflicted in every way. In such an environment, it would be tempting to change the message to make the Gospel more appealing. If you made it fit in with the popular culture, then no one would take offense and you wouldn’t have to suffer. But Paul called this "disgraceful underhanded ways," and he refused to "practice cunning or to tamper with God’s Word." Paul would not compromise truth for his own convenience. But wouldn’t compromising result in more people knowing Jesus? Not really. Giving people a watered-down, false version of Jesus isn’t going to put them on the path to salvation. Further, Paul explains that if the Gospel is veiled, "It is veiled to those who are perishing," that is, to those who are lost in sin and deluded by Satan, for "the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:3). How similar things are today! While most Christians are spared physical persecution, we who by God’s grace have been called to believe in Jesus still face a lot of hostility and mockery. We, too, encounter unbelievers blinded by the god of this world. In such an environment it would be easy to give up on evangelism and say, "Why bother?" Paul tells us the answer: Just as God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, so He will raise His Christians and bring us into His presence, "so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4:15). Why proclaim the Good News if you may have to suffer? Because the end result is worth it! Grace will extend to more people, thanksgiving will increase, and all of this will bring more glory to God. So, no matter how bad things get, Christians don’t lose heart. "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. O Christ, our true and only light, Enlighten those who sit in night; Let those afar now hear Your voice And in your fold with us rejoice. ("O Christ, Our True and Only Light" LSB 839, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Baptism, part 2 Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 7:51-8:21; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18 What benefits does Baptism give? (Small Catechism: Baptism) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Lutherans understand just how important Holy Baptism is. As Luther explains in the catechism, "[Baptism] works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this. . ." Baptism is no symbol or representation of something else, it is itself a means of grace. That is, Holy Baptism channels the blessings of Christ’s work--forgiveness, liberation from death and hell, even eternal life--to the person being baptized. What benefits does Baptism give? It gives to sinners what none of us deserve but all of us need! But notice to whom this is given: ". . . to all who believe this." This is important to note, because there are some who think of Baptism as a spell that is cast or ritual that is performed which guarantees that you will go to heaven. That’s not how it works. If it worked this way, we might as well open the fire hydrant on the street corner, spray everyone who passes by with water, and shout the Trinity at them! Baptism doesn’t work this way because the gifts it bestows are only received by faith, the faith that God gives and sustains through His Word and Sacraments. For example: A child is baptized, but is raised in an anti-religious home. He doesn’t believe in Jesus or look to Him for salvation. In fact, he scoffs at the fact that he was baptized, because he thinks it is nothing but a silly superstition, or something his grandparents thought was important, but that he never cared about. This man’s Baptism won’t benefit him. It's not because Baptism doesn’t work and deliver that man salvation in Christ, but because that man hasn’t only rejected Baptism, he has rejected Jesus Christ. On the other hand, if he trusted in Jesus and looked to Him for salvation, he wouldn’t despise his own Baptism and all the blessings offered therein would be his. There is no automatic guarantee that if a person is baptized, that person will be saved. Unbelief negates the blessings offered in Baptism. This works the other way, too. People wonder about the unbaptized. Since Baptism works salvation, can the unbaptized be saved? Just as rejecting Christ can negate a person's Baptism because of a lack of faith, so also a person who has faith in Jesus, yet never has the opportunity to be baptized, will not be condemned. An example is the thief on the cross. Put simply: Lack of Baptism does not condemn, but despising Baptism does. Because you have been given the gift of faith and were baptized, you are marked as one of His own. All the blessings Jesus won for sinners--forgiveness, salvation, and life--are truly yours. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 22: 24-30 Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 5:1-16; 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:17 "Let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves." (Luke 22:26) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today the Church remembers St. Bartholomew, one of the twelve apostles. Legends abound about him, but little is known for certain, even his name! Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s Gospels all mention Bartholomew, often in connection with Philip. But no Bartholomew is mentioned among the apostles in John’s Gospel. There, we encounter Nathaniel in connection with Philip (John 1:43-51). The thinking goes that Nathaniel, which means "gift of God," was this man’s first name, while Bartholomew, which means "Son of Tolmai," was his title or family name. When we move beyond Bartholomew’s name and into his life, the information is even more difficult to sort out. Some stories have been written about this saint, saying that he traveled as far as India and took the Gospel to a group in Bombay. Another tradition has it that he and Thaddeus brought the Gospel to the kingdom of Armenia. These two are recognized as the patron saints of Armenia. That legend also makes the well-known claim that Bartholomew was skinned alive and beheaded, something which has been portrayed by many artists over the centuries. Yet another legend states that Bartholomew went to Ethiopia. We just don’t know. What is the reason for all these legends surrounding St. Bartholomew and the rest of the Lord’s apostles? It is likely because people have wanted to invent an association between their group and someone famous. They wanted to believe that someone who knew Jesus personally and was one of His insiders, also had some kind of connection with them. People still do this today. If you have a friend who has ever met a celebrity or a famous or powerful person of some kind, they have likely told you (and everyone else they know) all about it! Jesus wanted His chosen twelve to know that power and glory were not what they were to be looking for. Instead, He taught that the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven are those who appear to be least on earth, for they are servants. We may feel like the least important person on earth, but through our Baptism into Christ, we are exalted and made perfect before God. That makes us free to be a servant to others as we rejoice in this truth that remains. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Lord, help us walk Your servant way wherever love may lead And, bending low, forgetting self, Each serve the other’s need. ("Lord, Help Us Walk Your Servant Way" LSB 857, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Isaiah 29:17-24 Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 3:1-15; 2 Corinthians 1:1-22 "Is it not yet a very little while. . ." (Isaiah 29:17) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. One of the great themes of the Bible is something called the Great Reversal. This idea is that one day a great transformation will take place: The low will be lifted up while the mighty and proud will be brought down. Mary’s song, the Magnificat that we sing in church, is a great example of this. So is this passage at the end of Isaiah 29. The prophet here speaks to what God has in mind to do for His people in a "very little while." The deaf shall hear. The blind shall see. "The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel." If all of this sounds familiar, it is because Jesus defined His own ministry in these terms (Matthew 11:5). What’s more, the enemies of God’s people will come to nothing and there will be no more scoffers among His faithful. No more jaded and sarcastic "believers" who roll their eyes and doubt God’s promises. Only sincere and devout followers of God. In addition, the usual failings of those who make false claims about their enemies and deny justice to the righteous will be cut off. Their power will be taken away. But what about the lifting up of God’s people? How will they be changed? They will not be ashamed, but because of God’s working among them, the children of God will rightly praise Him. "They will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob [Jesus] and will stand in the awe of the God of Israel." Even those who have wandered off from the fold will repent and listen again to God. All of this sounds amazing! We can’t wait for this transformation to take place. But when will it finally happen? How long, O Lord? This great transformation began in the ministry of Jesus. His work of healing and restoring and encouraging showed what God has in mind to do. The removal of sickness and sorrow was a foreshadowing of what is to come. Even now, the Holy Spirit continues His work of changing hearts and leading people to a right faith in God. In this fallen world we catch glimpses of wrongs being righted and God’s people rightly praising. But ultimately, the Great Reversal will not be fully realized until the old has passed away and Christ comes again and makes all things new. Jesus’ work has already ensured that this will happen. His sacrificial death for our sins and His mighty resurrection from the dead assures us of the victory. The conclusion is certain. It’s going to happen. Just a little while. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus, quickly! Many of us are waiting. Not one of us will be disappointed. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Mark 7:31-37 Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 2:1-27; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 "He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." (Mark 7:37) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I had a friend who was born with severe hearing loss. He was totally deaf in one ear and had extremely limited hearing in the other. His first language was sign language. In his teenage years he received a powerful hearing aid that would allow him to barely hear. It was a miracle that opened up a new world for him, and yet, communication with him was still difficult. I didn’t realize how difficult it is for the deaf. I certainly didn’t when I was a teen. So please understand, the deaf miss out on more than just hearing your favorite music. They miss out on a lot of communication with people, even in their own families. As a result, I think some deaf people feel cut off and alienated, and this is in a time when modern technology and sign language exists. No such language or technology existed in Jesus’ day. I can only imagine that back then, the deaf felt like total outsiders, unable to communicate. But Jesus communicated with them. Because of His great compassion and love for others, it was Jesus’ joy to help those in need, including those who could not hear. In Mark 7, Jesus restored the gift of hearing and speech to someone who never heard a word before and would have been unable to speak on his own, but for the working of God. That is what this miracle showed, namely, that Jesus was the Son of God. He was the one the prophets had talked about, the one God promised to send who would restore sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. This is also why the people who witnessed this miracle were "astonished beyond measure." They knew they were in the presence of the Messiah. Whether you are deaf or can hear quite well, since you are a Christian, God has given you the ability to hear Him. Like a shepherd who leads His flock with the sound of His voice, the Lord Jesus speaks to His Church through His holy Word. Whether you literally hear the Word or read it on the page, Christ guides and leads you. He leads you to Himself. To safety, eternally, in the Kingdom. One day, you, too, along with all His saints, will be astonished and amazed when you are perfectly restored and all your sins removed. You will not be cut off from God or from any other believer again, but you will unite in praise of the One who redeemed you and restored God’s holy and perfect image in you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The gifts are there each day The holy Word is read; God’s children listen, hear, receive, and they are fed. ("The Gifts Christ Freely Gives" LSB 602, st.4a)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the 12th Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 70:2b, 4a, 5b; antiphon: vs.1-2a) Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 1:1-4, 15-35; 1 Corinthians 12:14-31 You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay! (From the Introit for the 12th Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Psalm 70 expresses a prayer that sooner or later, every believer in God has prayed, namely: Help! It is the most basic and often the most sincere and heartfelt prayer. David had his sworn enemies, both foreign and domestic. He had conquered rivals within Israel and many kings and armies from other nations as well. The number of men slain by him and the armies he led was easily in the tens of thousands. As a result, there were a lot of people out to get him. People who, as he put it, "delighted in my hurt" (Psalm 70:2). Some might think that a man like King David wouldn’t need any help taking care of his enemies. Remember how quickly he dispatched Goliath? But David seemed to understand that whatever success he had in battle was only a gift from God. When people tried talking him out of fighting Goliath, he told them, "The Lord. . .will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" (1 Samuel 17:37). During the pre-battle trash-talking, David told Goliath, "This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down" (1 Samuel 17:45-46). David didn’t trust in his own strength, but in all his battles, He relied on God, his help and deliverer. You probably haven’t had anyone actually plot to kill you, and hopefully, you never will! Yet, you can still relate to the need to be rescued from your enemies. Have you had kids put you down in order to build themselves up? Have they said unkind things against you and posted it online for all to see? Teenagers can be cruel and downright vicious. While going through these situations is no fun, take heart, and cry out to God for help. In fact, the Lord God Almighty has already delivered you from your greatest enemies: sin and death. Jesus, the Son of David, fought Satan and defeated him. He gave Himself up for you on the Cross, and His victory over the grave in His resurrection is complete and final. Now all who are in Him are delivered and will be forever. Therefore rejoice and be glad in Him and say evermore, "God is great!" (Psalm 70:4) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Seek Him alone Who did atone, Who did your souls deliver. O seek Him first, All you who thirst For grace that fails you never. In ev’ry need Seek Him indeed; To every heart He will impart His blessings without measure. ("Seek Where You May to Find a Way" LSB 557, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 12:1-25; 1 Corinthians 12:1-13 Now concerning spiritual gifts. . . (1 Corinthians 12:1) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Miracles? Prophecy? Healing? Tongues? Really? Paul wrote about this subject a number of times. It seems he had to clear up a lot of confusion. His point in this passage is simple. He wants his readers to know that all Christians have gifts but not all have the same gifts. The Holy Spirit, "apportions to each one individually as he wills" (1 Corinthians 12:11). Like the parts of a body, each part has a different purpose, but all parts function together for the good of the body. So it is with spiritual gifts and the Church: "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7). In the earliest days of the Church, in order to help the spread of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit gave spectacular gifts to the apostles that are not often seen today. You can read all about this in the book of Acts. Some Christians today still claim to speak in tongues and perform miraculous healings. Maybe they can. After all, the Spirit gives as He will. Yet, it is also true that there are a number of frauds and deceivers out there who pretend to have spiritual gifts in order to make money. Jesus even warned against believing in false christs and false prophets performing great signs and wonders (Matthew 24:24). God has certainly given you your gifts and abilities; what are they for? How can you use them to serve your fellow Christians and your neighbors wherever you go? These are good questions for you to ask throughout your life and especially as you finish up school or head out of your childhood home for more school at a university. How can you take what God has given you and use it for good and in service to the Church, your family, and everyone you will interact with for the rest of your life? I don’t know what unique gifts God has given you, but I do know that if you are a Christian, you already have the greatest gift of the Spirit. You confess Christ as Lord, which no one can do apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. You have been given faith in Jesus. Along with that faith comes the blessings of forgiveness, salvation, hope, and life without end. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The gifts Christ freely gives He gives to you and me To be His Church, His bride, His chosen, saved and free! Saints blest with these rich gifts Are children who proclaim That they were won by Christ And cling to His strong name. ("The Gifts Christ Freely Gives" LSB 602, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 11:1-27; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved. (1 Corinthians 15:1-2) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I imagine that in Paul’s day, if some pagan asked him, "Why are you still following that Jesus guy? Wasn’t he killed as a common criminal?" his response would be, "Because He didn’t stay dead!" The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of the Christian faith. Without it, there wouldn’t be any Gospel to proclaim and there wouldn’t be any Christians, as Paul himself says in 1 Corinthians 15:14. Jesus paid for the sins of the world with His innocent death on the Cross and then in glorious victory, triumphed over death and the grave by rising from the dead. This is the very heart of the Christian Gospel and Paul says this Gospel which Christians receive, and in which they stand, is also saving them. 1 Corinthians 15 is Paul’s great chapter on Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. He starts off by stating he "delivered" what he "received." This means that when he learned what God had done for the world in Jesus, he couldn’t keep it to himself. He had to make this news known. But it also means that he was passing on a tradition. The opening words should sound similar to the Nicene Creed: "And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures." Scholars believe verses 3-7 are an early Christian creed that Paul may have received and passed on to the Corinthians when he was their pastor. The phrase "in accordance with the Scriptures" is repeated, meaning, "Jesus died and rose again, just as it was foretold by the prophets." He also goes on to provide a list of witnesses of the resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection was not something just a few people claimed to have seen. It was not something "done in a corner" (Acts 26:26). Such a miraculous and world-changing event needed witnesses and as Paul explains, hundreds of people had seen the resurrected Christ. You have also received this Gospel and by it you are saved. Hold fast to the Good News that according to the Scriptures, Christ died and rose for you and for your salvation and by His grace, He has brought you to believe and will give you eternal life in His kingdom.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ, the Alpha and Omega, Christ, the firstborn from the dead, Christ, the life and resurrection, Christ, the Church’s glorious head: Praise and thanks and adoration And unending worship be To the Father and the Spirit And to You eternally. ("Christ, the Word of God Incarnate" LSB 540, st.6)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Baptism, part 1 Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:18-20; 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:16 What is Baptism? (Small Catechism: Baptism) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How do you answer this question? Luther’s answer is a good start: "Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s word." But let’s be a bit broader. What is a baptism? Simply put, baptism is a ceremonial washing. Christian Baptism is the kind of washing Christians do as Jesus commanded us. Before Jesus instituted Christian Baptism, there were different kinds of religious washings, some commanded by God in the Old Testament. For example, someone with a skin disease needed to wash their clothes, shave their hair, and bathe before they could be clean and return to the community (Leviticus 14:8-9). John’s baptizing in the Jordan River is another kind of ceremonial washing. This one was a baptism of repentance to prepare sinners to receive Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. What is Christian Baptism? Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus commanded His disciples to "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you and surely I will be with you always even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). To this day, we follow His command and baptize in this Name, trusting His promise to always be with us. We also keep baptizing and teaching together. A Christian is not only baptized, or only taught, but a true Christian disciple of Jesus is made through baptizing and teaching. Let’s offer another kind of answer to our question, "What is Baptism?" It is a precious gift, a great comfort, and a profound mystery as God works through it to make me His own. It assures me that for Jesus’ sake, my sins are washed away and I have been united with Christ and made an heir of His kingdom. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God’s own child, I gladly say it: I am baptized into Christ! He, because I could not pay it, Gave my full redemption price. Do I need earth’s treasures many? I have one worth more than any That brought me salvation free Lasting to eternity! ("God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It" LSB 594, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Genesis 4:1-15 Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:1-17; 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:22 So Cain was very angry. (Genesis 4:5) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We’ve all been angry and we know we will be again. But also know this: When you are angry, "sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you but you must rule over it" (Genesis 4:7). Cain, the first murderer, killed his own brother in anger. The details are missing. Some suggest Cain did not know what he was doing, but simply let his anger go unchecked and before he knew it, his brother was dead. In the emotional state of anger, we are vulnerable and easily tempted. But as God said to Cain: The anger is against you and you must rule over it. That is why it is important for us to know what is really worth getting upset about and what you should and should not do when you are angry. A lot of anger is completely unjustified. We let some things bother us way too much. Perhaps when you feel yourself getting angry you can stop and ask, "Why am I so upset? Is this really worth it?" Cain’s anger was brought on by envy. His brother brought a better sacrifice and the recognition Cain wanted went to his brother. We can relate whenever the thing we were hoping for went to someone else. These things are disappointing, but not worthy of rage. But without God’s help, we cannot rule over sin. With the aid of the Holy Spirit, we can struggle against sin and rule over it. Not perfectly. Not every time. But, Lord willing, we can rule over it long before our actions lead to horrible and irreversible consequences. Some things are worthy of anger. Even Jesus was angry, though it was tempered by compassion (Mark 3:5). The Bible tells us God’s wrath is stirred up over sin. It has to be. Yet this is the glorious mystery of the Gospel: God punishes our sin by sending Jesus to pay our debt with the result that God’s wrath does not remain on us sinners. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:8-9)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 18:9-14 Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 6:1-19; 1 Corinthians 9:1-23 "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:14) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector illustrates the principle found throughout the Bible: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (Proverbs 29:23, Matthew 18:1-4, Luke 1:52, 14:11, James 4:6,10, 1 Peter 5:5-6). Jesus presents two characters we easily recognize: the ultra-conservative, far right religious type and the extortionist. As Jesus begins the story, most people would assume He would hold up the religious Pharisee and condemn the greedy tax collector. But Jesus does the opposite. He describes a Pharisee who only wants to tell God how good he is and a publican who knows and feels his guilt. The contrite sinner is justified, while the arrogant prude is not. As religiously serious people (you’re reading a devotion after all!), we easily relate to the Pharisees. While their religious adherence was exemplary in many ways, they could be self-righteous and unloving. This particular Pharisee’s problem was spiritual pride, thinking himself so good that he didn’t need God’s grace. The tax collector, on the other hand, knew his sin and knew he needed God’s mercy. The tax collector was an outcast of society. So imagine someone today who is like him. The drug user? That creepy guy who’s really into porn? The girl who sleeps around? The kids struggling with their gender identity or sexual orientation? You get the picture. Substitute them for tax collector and you get the modern version of the story. The point is, even those who have made terrible choices and have a life full of obvious sins can humble themselves before God and receive His grace. But those who are spiritually proud will not receive the Savior, because they do not understand that they need saving. Whether our lives more closely resemble the Pharisee or the tax collector, we get in trouble when we think too highly of ourselves. As Luke explains: We dare not trust in ourselves and treat others with contempt. The goal is to trust in Jesus (not in ourselves) and treat others with love and mercy, because in Jesus, God has so loved us. Sinners who look to Jesus are justified--and not just the really religious sinners, but even the really bad ones, too. God’s grace really is that amazing. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen Chief of sinners though I be, Jesus shed His blood for me. Died that I might live on high, Lives that I might never die. As the branch is to the vine, I am His and He is mine. ("Chief of Sinners Though I Be" LSB 611, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-55 Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 5:1-25; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Luke 1:46) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday we considered what it means to magnify the Lord and today we see the best known example of it. When Mary, the Mother of our Lord, met with Elizabeth, her cousin, and they shared with each other what God was doing for them, Mary’s praise erupted. In words we all know and have probably sung many times, she said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. . ." Today is the feast of St. Mary, Mother of our Lord. It may strike some as strange that Lutherans would acknowledge a festival to the Virgin Mother, Isn’t devotion to Mary more of a Roman Catholic thing? They even address prayers to Mary using some of the words of this passage: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" The fact is, Roman Catholics over-emphasize Mary. They have made too big a deal of her role in the salvation of man. Sadly, she has become for some a distraction and an idol. This has resulted in many Protestants going too far in the other direction, so that they would never want to recognize a festival for St. Mary. When God sent His Son to take on human flesh and save mankind, He chose this woman to bear and raise Him. We also know that Mary was a devout follower of Jesus. Unlike so many disciples, she did not abandon Jesus when He was crucified, but she stayed until the end (John 19:26-27). She also was among the first believers after His resurrection (Acts 1:14). For all Mary’s faithfulness and the way God used her in His plan of salvation, we should remember her and honor her. And the way to do that best, is not by praying to her--God forbid! She herself would not want any such thing. However, we can join her in her praises of God and we often do whenever we sing her song. In the Magnificat, we join with Mary in praising God, and rejoicing in "my Savior." It is not a song about Mary, but it is about our gracious God who lifts up the humble and has mercy on those who fear Him in every generation. It is about a God who keeps His promises and fulfills His Word. It is a song we can join in singing to make great the praise of our God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Remember, Lord of life and grace, How once, to save our fallen race, You put our human vesture on And came to us as Mary’s son. Alleluia! ("O Savior of Our Fallen Race" LSB 403, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for St. Mary, Mother of Our Lord (Psalm 34:2-5; antiphon: vs. 1) Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 1:1-27; 1 Corinthians 7:25-40 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! (From the Introit for St. Mary, Mother of Our Lord) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever shared a meme with a friend? Sent them a picture or a quote or forwarded a post or a tweet? Of course you have. We do this because some things are too good to keep to ourselves and we enjoy them more when we share them with others. That’s the kind of thing David is talking about here in this psalm. David is proclaiming what God has done for him, and he doesn’t want to keep it to himself. He wants all to join in the praise. "Magnify" literally means to enlarge or make great, but figuratively it means to praise or extol, that is, to make God greater by telling others what He has done. As a pastor, I have prayed with people in desperate times, when death was near, or some tragedy occurred. I have seen firsthand how fervent prayer to God brings peace and takes away fear. Most of us have been in such a situation (if you haven’t already, trust me, you will.). At such a time, when God answers our prayer and delivers us from some evil, it is only natural that we feel grateful. We may even express that gratitude to another. But how often does our gratitude bubble over like David’s? In other words, have you ever been so moved by what God has done for you, that you can’t stop yourself from sharing with others what He has done? Why is it so easy to share a funny meme or post on Instagram, yet not so easy to magnify the Lord? We know that we have plenty of reasons to magnify the Lord, the greatest of which is that He sent us His Son to redeem us from sin and defeat the devil. Jesus has opened the Kingdom of heaven to us, and the Holy Spirit has called us to faith and made us heirs of heaven. All Christians thank God for this tremendous and gracious gift. Today, make it your goal to magnify the Lord. Tell someone else how grateful you are to God for blessing you and filling you with hope and see if sharing this with someone else also increases your joy. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Tell how the Father sent His Son to save us. Tell of the Son, who life and freedom gave us. Tell how the Spirit call from every nation His new creation. ("Rise, Shine, You People" LSB 825, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 31:1-13; 1 Corinthians 7:1-24 It is better to marry than to burn with passion. (1 Corinthians 7:9) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Because Christians are counter-cultural on sexual matters, you might be tempted to believe the lie so many people tell, namely, that Christians are uptight when it comes to sex. Maybe you’ve heard people suggest that we are a bunch of backward, sexually-repressed prudes? In yesterday’s reading at the end of 1 Corinthians 6, we heard Paul’s strong words: "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." Given statements like this, no wonder some think Christians have a negative attitude toward sex. But in chapter 7 it becomes clear that Paul has more to say on the subject. As chapter 7 of 1 Corinthians teaches, sex is not bad, but it belongs in the proper context and that context is marriage. Then as now, people had all kinds of practical questions when it came to living out the Christian faith. Should I get married? Is divorce okay? Should I get remarried? So, Paul gives counsel in this chapter and it is measured and reasonable. Throughout, he honors marriage as a good gift from God that allows the only God-pleasing context for sex. He is not a prude but he knows how powerful the sex drive is and the kind of unintended and painful consequences that come about from unrestrained sex. That is what he is trying to save people from. And that is what we should always keep in mind when we consider God’s laws. God’s goal is not to repress us and deprive us of pleasure, rather, His desire is for us to live good and faithful lives. To have loving and godly families that create safe homes for children to grow and thrive. In short, God’s laws are meant to spare us the awful consequences of sin and instead bless us and the coming generations. Of course, no matter how hard we try, as long as we are in this flesh, sin is always present along with its painful consequences. Only one man could live a life in the flesh without sin, and this He did to bless you forever so that when this life is over, you will live in a new resurrected flesh without any shame, sorrow, guilt, or tears. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Lord if You are not the builder, Then the house is built in vain, For a home without Your presence Shall without true love remain. Yet when You within a marriage Come and dwell with grace divine, There You will the empty vessels, Changing water into wine. ("Gracious Savior, Grant Your Blessing" LSB 860, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 28:3-25; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20 You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 1 Corinthians 6 is so on point for our current day, that the Holy Spirit could have inspired it to have been written last week! The writer begins by talking about Christians taking each other to court. Then, as today, some people would see any grievance (even with a fellow Christian!) as an opportunity to get a lawyer and make someone pay. Paul strongly condemns this as unrighteous and then goes on to cite more examples of unrighteousness, including many sexual sins in particular. He goes there because Corinth was known for being a sexual sewer. Every kind of sexual sin going on today was happening then. There is nothing new under the sun. So, the apostle addresses the sins of his day and teaches. His words have much to say to people today. But these are not the only sins that condemn those who commit them. Any sin a person clings to and refuses to repent of can separate him from God. It’s not that God is unwilling to forgive certain sins, but rather, that the sinner who clings to his sin refuses God’s forgiveness. And here is the proof that God forgives the sexually immoral and all other kinds of sinners: After listing these sins that lead to condemnation, Paul writes, "And such were some of you." (Note the past tense.) The Christians at Corinth hadn’t always been Christians. Some of them had left behind broken lives and very sinful behavior. What happened? Who changed them? Paul explains, "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." God brought them to trust in Jesus. They were baptized and united to Christ. They were now children of God and no longer slaves to sin. By paying for their sins with His innocent life, Christ set them free for all eternity. Therefore, their past sins no longer identify them. They are no longer idolaters, homosexuals, drunkards, and the rest; they are now baptized into Christ and find their identity in Him. You also are a baptized child of God, a Christian who has been reborn. Your past repented-of sins no longer define you because Christ took your sins on Himself and paid for them with His life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. My sins are washed away; For this I thank You, Lord. Now with my heart and soul All evil I abhor. ("How Can I Thank You, Lord" LSB 703, st.2b)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Conclusion Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 26:1-25; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 Amen, Amen means, "yes, yes it shall be so." (Small Catechism: Lord’s Prayer, Conclusion) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christians are taught from a young age to conclude prayers with this word. That isn’t required, you know. Sometimes, when the person leading the prayer has rambled on in different directions and you aren’t even sure what was prayed for, you might not want to say, "Amen!" When you say, "Amen," to a person’s prayer, it means you signify your agreement. It’s as if you are saying, "That’s right! God, please let it be so!" When we pray on our own, we can also say Amen. But how can we be sure about our prayers? Sometimes, when we are desperate, hurting, or unsure, we sense the need for prayers, but the words escape us. Paul says that at such times, the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with "inexpressible groanings" (Romans 8:26). To be honest, I’m not sure what that is. I don’t literally groan when I pray. (And I wouldn’t admit it if I did!) We don’t have to guess, though, because our Lord has given us a prayer that gives comfort and solace. It is the prayer our Lord Himself taught His disciples to pray. Many of you could say these words before you even knew what they meant. Hopefully, you now say this prayer regularly. You can say it with confidence. As Luther explains, "I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven, and are heard by Him; for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us." Not every prayer deserves an "Amen" at the end, but the Lord’s Prayer always does. It covers all the bases. We begin by calling on the Name Jesus gives us the right to call God: our Father. We pray for the things that tend to His glory: for His Name to be holy, His kingdom to come, His will to be done. Then we acknowledge that all we have is just a gift from Him. We express our need for forgiveness. We pray for help and protection to stand firm in the face of trials and to be delivered from evil. Because of who taught it and what it says, this prayer is always the right prayer to pray, and in response to it we say with all confidence, "Amen! Amen! It shall be so!" In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Amen, that is, so shall it be. Make strong our faith in You, that we May doubt not but with trust believe that what we ask we shall receive. Thus in Your name and at Your Word we say, "Amen, O hear us, Lord!" ("Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" LSB 766, st.9)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Romans 9:30-10:4 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 25:23-44; 1 Corinthians 4:1-21 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. (Romans 10:3) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I used to wait tables when I was in college. Every once in a while something strange would happen: I would bring the bill to the table and one guy would insist that he pay it, and then, just as insistently, the other guy says, "No way! I got this." Most of the time the issue resolved quickly, but sometimes it escalated into an argument, each one refusing to let the other pay for him. Who wouldn’t want a free meal? Why try so hard to refuse another’s generosity? The apostle Paul knew something about why. He knew that some people are determined to earn things themselves and can’t accept a gift. In Romans 9, Paul is writing about salvation and why so many of his fellow Jews would not believe in Christ as God’s perfect righteousness for us. Think of it! Christ gives Himself for us. He pays the debt of sin with His life. There is now no reason for anyone to be condemned. Trust Him! Look to Him for salvation and you will have it! All your sins are covered and He wants you to receive what He purchased for you with His own blood. Christians respond with faith that says, "Amen! Yes Lord! You covered me with Your robe of righteousness. Unworthy though I am, You have had mercy and greatly blessed me. For all You have done for me in Jesus, thank You, thank You, thank You!" This is the way faith responds to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, for some It is too much to admit they are sinners. Like two guys in a restaurant fighting over the bill, some just don’t want to feel like they owe anyone anything. That’s why so many Jews, after generations of legalism and ingrained works-righteousness, rejected the idea that they weren’t good enough, that they needed righteousness to be given to them by another. Like so many, theirs is the way of pride, not humility, and that’s why they refuse the meal. They don’t want to receive a gift. Even if He is the Son of God. By God’s grace through the Holy Spirit, you have responded to the kind invitation in faith. God has brought you out of the ignorance and pride of unbelief and enlightened you with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The humble heart and lowly God raises up on high; Beneath His feet in terror the haughty soul shall lie. The heart sincere and right, That heeds God’s invitation And makes true preparation It is the Lord’s delight. ("Arise, O Christian People" LSB 354, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Jeremiah 8:4-12 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 25:1-22; 1 Corinthians 3:1-23 Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? (Jeremiah 8:5) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ever hear of backsliding? It's when someone tries to get right, but keeps messing up and failing again. Maybe you’ve heard the expression, "one step forward, two steps back"? That’s backsliding. Israel turned away in "perpetual backsliding," so the Lord tells the prophet to address this problem. What were Israel’s failures this time? Jeremiah gives many examples in today's reading. The men who thought they were wise rejected the Word of the Lord. (v.9) leading the Lord to decry them: "From the least to the greatest everyone is greedy for unjust gain; from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely." The people of Israel were ignorant and corrupt and did not listen to God’s Word. And so, they were backsliders. But here’s the thing: You are, too. Every believer has experienced backsliding. Our faith walk is never in a straight line. We all make missteps and sometimes slide back. When this happens, we need to repent, to turn and correct course. We need to hear God’s Word again and, like wandering sheep who hear their shepherd, be led back to God through His Word. Listening to God helps us in our walk. He gives us strength to resist temptation. Still, we cannot conquer all sin in this life and so, backsliding and the sorrow and shame over sin that inevitably follows is the frustrating experience of all Christians. But that is far from our only experience. Christians also know love, joy, peace, hope, contentment, wisdom, and more, because in Christ we know our sins are taken away. He has removed our guilt and shame. One day, we will be fully restored and sin will be no more. Only Jesus could walk a perfectly straight line. He is the only man who never needed to repent. And Jesus has already come and walked that perfectly straight line, pressing forward, never back, all the way to the Cross. He came to live a perfect life for us and to die an innocent death for us. His life and death, and victory over death, give life and salvation to all who believe in Him. So keep listening and following. When you backslide, repent and return to God’s Word and rejoice again in the grace of our Lord. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Herald, sound the note of pardon Those repenting are forgiv’n; God receives His wayward children, And to them new life is giv’n. Sound the trumpet! Tell the message: Christ, the Savior-king, is come! ("Herald, Sound the Note of Judgment" LSB 511, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 19:41-48 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 24:1-22; 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:16 "And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it. . ." (Luke 19:41) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus is filled with love for Jerusalem. That is why He weeps. Jesus knows that in a generation, the city and its temple will be destroyed. Jesus prophesies, and every painful detail comes to pass. It came to a head in 70 AD. Romans were harsh occupiers and the Jews were rebellious; but when taxes were refused and Romans were killed, it was one rebellion too many. The Roman General Titus led several legions of troops against Jerusalem around the time of Passover. Consequently, Jews from all over Israel were in Jerusalem for the feast and would get caught in the siege. At first, the Jews fought valiantly, holding the city for months. It seemed the Lord would deliver Jerusalem from this vastly superior force. But resistance only infuriated the Romans. Eventually, they broke through the city walls and their bloodlust was unstoppable. The soldiers ruthlessly slaughtered and looted. Even Titus couldn’t control the chaos. When it was over, the temple was burned to the ground, the golden items in it were pillaged, hundreds of thousands lay dead, and the city for which Jesus wept lay in utter ruins. Jesus wept. He knew the same people who had rejected God’s prophets, would soon be refusing the Son shouting, "Crucify Him!" Jesus knew their refusals would not be tolerated. Eventually, God curbs evil and punishes the wicked. Even so, knowing all this would play out, Jesus wept, but He did not turn back. He continued to His Cross to die for all, even the evil and ungrateful people for whom He would pray, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). God does not delight in the death of anyone. That is why He sent prophets to warn, to give people a chance to repent. God still sends messengers to warn His people, to preach and teach, and to draw us to Himself. God warns against the evil that comes about whenever we get caught up in sin. He wants to spare us from the awful fallout. He doesn’t want us to suffer. Some heed His warnings, many do not. Jesus wept but still headed to His Cross. He knows we are sinners. But His love and compassion outweigh His anger and frustration. Even when we have to suffer the consequences for some sin we have committed, God does not forsake us. He is still on our side, filled with love for us and wanting us to be blessed. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus, Thou art all compassion, Pure, unbounded love Thou art; Visit us with Thy salvation, Enter ev’ry trembling heart. ( "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" LSB 700, st.1b)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 55: 1, 4-5, 16; antiphon: vs. 16a, 17b, 18a, 22a) Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 20:24-42; 1 Corinthians 1:1-25
I call to God, and he hears my voice; he redeems my soul in safety. (From the Introit for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The psalmist says that God is near enough to you to hear your voice. He is close enough to carry your burdens and sustain you. It sounds great, but plenty of Christians still collapse under burdens too heavy to carry. Plenty cry out to God and don't hear an answer. Fear and trembling come upon them, and horror overwhelms them. The Lord promises to save, but if you don't know where to look, the promises seem empty.
His will is not to hide when we need mercy, but become all the more apparent. This was never meant to be a secret, a riddle, or some kind of inner peace that you have to achieve. Where you look for God in days of trouble matters. There is a place He has promised to be. You won't find Him anywhere else. It is where He redeems your soul. In the darkest of times you'll find God on the Cross for you.
To look elsewhere is usually to come up empty. Sometimes God works in great power. Sometimes He doesn't. Sometimes your enemies fall. Sometimes they don't. But God always works in great weakness. God becomes man, and He bears the Cross to save those who can't save themselves. He conquers sin, death, and the power of the devil, not by strength, but by weakness, so that those who can't find strength to go on can find God to carry them. It's easy to find God in our trials. He's right where He said He would be. He's a God who can save even in weakness. Cast your burdens on the Lord. Then look to where He bears them upon the Cross. That way we can call our salvation finished even while we still feel fear and trembling.
The answer to the prayers of burdened Christians is "It is finished." The path forward is through the grave and back out again. The hope that surpasses all understanding is that Jesus sustains you by a victory won in weakness. You wear that victory in your Baptism, which isn't a promise that nothing bad will happen to you. It's a promise that nothing bad that can happen to you will keep you in the grave. No burden put on you can stop you from rising, and nothing you can ever do can stain the white robes of salvation you already wear. God has redeemed your soul in safety. In the Name T of Jesus. Amen.
But God had seen my wretched state Before the world's foundation, And mindful of His mercies great, He planned for my salvation. He turned to me a father's heart; He did not choose the easy part But gave His dearest treasure. ("Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice" LSB 556, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 20:1-23; Acts 28:16-31
He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. (Acts 28:30–31)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The end of Acts seems anticlimactic. Paul is under house arrest in his own rented house, awaiting another trial. He preaches to the Jews who live in Rome. Some believe. Some don't. So he keeps doing it. It lasts for years. There's no "mission accomplished" parade. There's no grand finale. Just another sermon each day. It's been going on ever since. Paul was eventually martyred, but others were sent to take up his words and continue to preach.
The day-to-day preaching of the Gospel seems easy to forget in a world that looks only for the next conflict, the next bit of breaking news, or the next bit of excitement. Yet this is what God used to save countless souls. Paul preached the same as Isaiah, and the same as your pastor today.
When it goes on for years, and hearing people still don't understand, it's easy to grow frustrated. It's easy to wonder if God is actually working at all. It's easy to assume that God has moved on, that He left the Jews for the Gentiles, and our generation for another yet to come. It is not God's will that any be damned. It's easy to tell, first because Christ died for all the world, and second, because by the power of the Holy Spirit, these people are sent as preachers.
Isaiah was sent to the unbelieving of Israel. Paul was sent to the Jews. We are given pastors. All proclaim God's Word, not of their own will, but His. He insists that His Word be spoken, even when people will reject it, because He wants none lost. Over and over, He pours out His Word, and bit by bit, more believe.
It seems anticlimactic, but this is how God chooses to work. He speaks through ordinary men called pastors. Baptizes through ordinary water. Feeds you with His Body and Blood through ordinary bread and wine. The active thing is the easiest to miss: His Word. God's Word is still among us. Thanks be to God that it is at work to save. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
May God bestow on us His grace, With blessings rich provide us; And may the brightness of His face To life eternal guide us, That we His saving health may know, His gracious will and pleasure, And also to the nations show Christ's riches without measure And unto God convert them. ("May God Bestow on Us His Grace" LSB 823, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 19:1-24; Acts 28:1-15
Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:12–13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you look at the sinners, the rebelling Israelites, the Pharisees in the Scriptures, and you don't say, "Wow. . . that's me," then you are not a Christian. These are God's own words. Christ says, "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32). If you don't see yourself as one of the sinners, one of the sexually immoral, or those who put Christ to the test, or those who grumble over the Word of God and His chosen leaders, Christ did not come to call you. If you are not one of these sinners, the Church isn't for you. Christ isn't for you.
We're supposed to identify with the side that God is mad at, not with Him and the righteous ones. He tells us that's why these things were written down for us. "Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction." These things are here as examples for us. We're supposed to identify with them. We're supposed to see the consequence of our sin. We're not supposed to like it. There are parts of the Bible we won't like. They're supposed to upset us.
We're upset because we're starting to realize that we're sinners. The things we have done, the things we do, and our sin inherited from Adam are all the exact opposite of God. In these examples, we see what happens to these people whose actions and words strike so close to home. Twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. They were destroyed by serpents. Destroyed by the Destroyer Himself. Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed, lest he fall.
Paul never promises that God won't give you more than you can handle. God gives you His Law, which you clearly can't handle. He does, however, provide the way of escape. It isn't that we can just escape being sinners. It's that we can escape the destruction such sin brings. We can escape and take refuge under a powerful promise. God is faithful. When we were still sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. When we repeated the sins of our forefathers, God bore the wrath Himself upon the Cross. God is faithful. He provides the way of escape. That way is Jesus, who bears the Cross for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, when we fall or go astray, Absolve and lift us up, we pray; And through the Sacrament increase Our faith till we depart in peace. ("Lord, Help Us Ever to Retain" LSB 865, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Seventh Petition Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 18:10-30; Acts 27:27-44
But deliver us from evil. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Seventh Petition)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's dark down here. There's a lot of evil in the world. It's one of the rare places we can agree with the atheists. The difference is that we can find an evil one, the devil, stirring the pot. We can label the roots of so many of the evil things men do to each other in the Ten Commandments. Even if you don't know the name of it, though, the prayer stands. We want to be free from it. Deliver us from evil. Deliver us from everything that works for our harm under the kingdom of Satan.
We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.
If you make this a future event, Christianity becomes nothing more than a race to the end, which is why so many Christians talk about life in heaven more than life today. If you see God delivering you from evil everywhere His name is hallowed, everywhere His kingdom is manifest, and everywhere His will is done, there can be comfort today, too. You were delivered from evil where God brought you His Holy Name and given You His Holy Spirit. You can find deliverance from evil in God's Church. Here, your sins are forgiven, and you are given an identity not rooted in shame and vice. Here, you are tied to the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting in a way that even the prince of this world cannot undo.
Here, you are kept safe and secure until at last you join the Church triumphant at rest. In all of it, the comfort lies in the source of deliverance, not the distance you happen to be from the evil. God remains the source of every good, even in the face of death. He has already worked a blessed end for you upon the Cross, that even in the darkest of days when evil seems to pervade everything, you can look to your victory in Christ's death and find certainty that you are already delivered. The difference between the Church triumphant and the Church militant, the saints in heaven and the saints on earth, isn't that one has been finally delivered and the other is still waiting for it. All of us are delivered from evil, it's just that some of us who are at rest can see it a little clearer. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
From evil, Lord, deliver us; The times and days are perilous. Redeem us from eternal death, And, when we yield our dying breath, Console us, grant us calm release, And take our souls to You in peace. ("Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" LSB 766, st.8)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:48-18:9; Acts 27:9-26
Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. (1 Samuel 17:51)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You are not David. Your challenges are not Goliath. This is not a promise that if you just believe enough, you'll conquer anything you put your mind to, no matter how big it is. That's called works-righteousness. We don't do that here.
Be honest with yourself. Nobody prays that they would be weaker so that God's strength would be magnified. We want to be superheroes. We want to be the one who conquers. We want to overcome challenges. We want to be Goliath. That desire has to die. This isn't you vs. the world. This is true God against false gods. Christ against my idols, like power, wealth, and might. Only the true God can stand. The false gods will all turn to dust eventually.
You are not David. Jesus is. He kills Goliath, your sin, the death-bringer. He doesn't do it as we expect, in an epic end game battle with cameos and powerful music. He doesn't grab a mythical weapon used by mighty beings in an awe-inspiring moment. He doesn't watch too many movies. He overcomes not by strength, but by weakness. Christ, the Son of David, conquers sin on the Cross. Goliath died. Old Adam died. Sin died. Jesus won by weakness. Death is swallowed up in victory.
Then He cuts off Goliath's head with his own sword. Death is destroyed by death. Christ's death undoes your own. Our hope becomes centered not in superhero movies and idolatrous might, but in a weakness that overcame the strength of the world. It scattered the forces of darkness. It undoes the accusations of the evil one. Point to the Cross, where your David, Christ, overcame your sin, Goliath. The evil warrior is fallen, and nobody can stand behind him and threaten you.
The head becomes the trophy, the mark that death was destroyed by death. It's why we cling to the crucifix. We hang them on our walls and wear them on our necks. This is our trophy, because our sin was brought to nothing there. We are old Adam, slain Goliath, and we are the new man. United to Jesus in death. United to Him in resurrection. The Cross is our hope and trophy. Christ has conquered, and you get the spoils. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Morning Star, how fair and bright! You shine with God's own truth and light, Aglow with grace and mercy! Of Jacob's race, King David's son, Our Lord and master, You have won Our hearts to serve You only! Lowly, holy! Great and glorious, All victorious, Rich in blessing! Rule and might o'er all possessing! ("O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright" LSB 395, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 2 Samuel 22:26-34 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:20-47; Acts 26:24-27:8
With the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. (2 Samuel 22:27)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. To know God by the Law alone is to know a tyrant. It's a picture of a God who waits in heaven for the chance to send people to hell. He comes across as distant to those in need and only present to punish. Using the word "Father" only twists the knife. It isn't just an adversarial relationship. It's a hopeless one. That kind of bitter hopelessness only twists sinners even further in upon themselves. With the crooked you make yourself seem torturous.
To know God by the Law and the Gospel is to know a Father. With the purified He deals purely. With the blameless, He shows Himself to be not a tyrant, but blameless. It isn't that God isn't so bad if you happen to be so good. The Law which shows us our sins wasn't given as an obstacle to overcome. It's just reality. Sin breaks stuff. That's not okay. You don't have to like it, but as we are bent in on ourselves, loving our sin more than our Lord, we can only see a game to be won or a tyrant to overthrow. That's not a battle you're going to win. God is bigger than you are.
His way is true. We just happen to be on the wrong side of that. But He does not sit in heaven waiting to damn. He descends into the pit to save. He is a shield for those who take refuge in Him. He makes you blameless by taking your sins upon Himself to bear the Cross for you. He makes you pure by the waters of your Baptism that give you an identity in His mercy, not in your works. The Law will either drive us to the grave or to the Gospel. God does not want us lost in the darkness of death. He is your lamp that lights up your darkness. He is the shield that protects you, even from yourself. God is the One who has made your way blameless. That way is the Cross. He bears the torture your sins warrant. He insists on being a refuge, not to the good, but the sinners. To know God as good isn't to know yourself to be good first, but to hear the Gospel, the forgiveness of sins, and the light that shines in the darkness. It is to know Christ crucified for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen
Jesus, refuge of the weary, Blest Redeemer, whom we love, Fountain in life's desert dreary, Savior from the world above: Often have Your eyes, offended, Gazed upon the sinner's fall; Yet upon the cross extended, You have borne the pain of all. ("Jesus, Refuge of the Weary" LSB 423, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 16:1-13 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:1-19; Acts 26:1-23
The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. (Luke 16:8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's easy to take a look at God's Law and assume that we're more loving than He is. We take a lot of pleasure in assuming we're more loving than God Almighty, except then we get really upset that life's not fair. We look around at who gets hurt. Punished. Who sits alone. Who loses everything. And who gets a freebie. It's not just that it isn't equal. If we were really concerned with that, we'd give what we have to the people who don't. It's more that it isn't fair. Some of the ones getting way too much are sinners we don't like.
But God commends the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. By shrewdness he means theft. The manager makes his retirement at the master's expense. He trades on his name, his wealth. What's the master going to do? Just ignore it and demand the original amount? He'll look like a tyrant. He'll be forced to be generous. But God seems pretty pleased, too. What if He actually wanted to be generous the whole time? What if God was even generous to sinners? Not by pretending they're not sinners, but by loving them anyway. Ignoring sin is not the same as forgiving it.
I can ignore the sin of those I love. It's harder to actually call it what it is and love them anyway. It's easy to love your friend when he hurts other kids: Just don't care about the other kids. God knows all the ways sin breaks stuff that we don't want to see. He calls it horrible and loves you anyway.
God calls right "right," and wrong wrong," but then forgives sinners out of mercy, not by pretending there are no debts to pay, but by paying for their sins Himself. This is what kind of God we have. He's not concerned with fair, just with love. Mercy. Forgiveness. He gives it to you. We trade in dishonest wealth here. Unfair mercy. We didn't earn it. It's not about what we deserve. It isn't about how sneaky the steward was, but how merciful and generous the master is. This is what the unrighteous manager trades in. He expects mercy and is commended for it. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Let Your merciful ears, O LORD, be open to the prayers of Your humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please You; through Jesus Christ, You Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 54:1-3, 7; antiphon: vs. 4-5) Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 16:1-23; Acts 25:13-27
For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. (From the Introit for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The psalms are of little present worth if you can't pray them along with David. When you reduce Sunday school stories to history or trivia, your prayers will falter when you actually need them to do something more than thank God for stuff. These words given to David are shaped by the Holy Spirit, and that same Spirit passes them on to you. These are godly prayers, even if they aren't cheerful. They're full of desperation, fear, and a plea for vengeance: in short, all the stuff Bible trivia teaches us to pretend we don't feel. You have these feelings. The psalms give you a place to put them. God gives you the psalter so you can pray along with David.
The psalms are of little present worth if David can't pray them with Christ. David's desperation and fear are met with the promises of the Lord to help, but the true comfort of the psalms is not a far-off answer to present enemies, but a present God who suffers even these for us. Christ prays these words, too. He prays for those who plot against Him and who scourge Him. He prays upon the Cross for a victory over the last great enemy, death, and He is delivered through it for you. He is risen to look in triumph on sin, death, and the power of the devil. That Christ prays these psalms, too, means God isn't just Someone who answers prayer, but Someone who becomes the answer to our prayers. He connects His suffering to your redemption. He joins His death to your life. His all-atoning sacrifice gives us not only words to pray, but boldness with which to pray them. What can our enemies do to us when we are already joined to the resurrection?
David prays the psalms and the help is already there, even as ruthless men seek his life. These aren't merely the journal entries that correspond to David's story. They're inspired words that transcend time because God joins these prayers to Himself. The names of the enemies might change, but all of them come undone when Jesus becomes both the helpless and the helper upon the Cross, upholding our life even as He loses His own. David's answer is in the crucified and risen Lord. So is yours. They're prayers Christ prayed for us all, so that David can find comfort in them, and so can you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Christ, You walked the road Our wand'ring feet must go. You faced with us temptation's pow'r And fought our ancient foe. ("O Christ, You Walked the Road" (LSB 424, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Acts 20:27-38 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 15:10-35; Acts 24:24-25:12
And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:32)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul writes to pastors, overseers of the flock, about the dark days to come. Wolves will come and will not spare the flock. Some pastors will speak twisted things. Paul was leaving and wouldn't see them again on earth. Paul was martyred. Even to the faithful, he has to insist that he did not shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God to them. That's because there are parts of it that folks didn't want to hear. He may not speak with happiness, but he speaks with confidence.
The Church on earth wasn't promised a cheery existence. Despite what people tell you about how much better things used to be, there were no glory days. There really never have been. The generations of Christians just had different dresses to put on the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh. That's the reason Paul's so confident. Those three enemies that always seem like they're on the verge of defeating us were already vanquished on the Cross.
This isn't about Paul. This isn't about those pastors. This isn't about you. It isn't our job to keep the Church going. This is about the Word, which is able to build up and give the inheritance of the holy ones. Confidence comes from the promise of Christ, not from today's circumstances. Paul lists all sorts of things that will assault Christians. In the face of them, the Word is still able to give that inheritance to them. Nothing else can do that, so nothing else can stand. The Church has already been obtained by the blood of God. If She has the Word, She need not be afraid.
That's why it's so important to be steadfast in the Word. Paul insists that he declares the whole counsel of God, not just the parts people want to hear. The whole counsel, even the scary truths about the world, even the Law that condemns each sinner. The whole counsel calls us not to seek help and hope in that which cannot stand, but in that which gives the inheritance, and so gives true comfort.
Yes, you are a sinner. Yes, Christ died for you. You will be near the Cross. It will hurt, but it will save. It has already defeated the enemies who scare you. These might be dark and latter days, but the Word that still builds you up gives you the inheritance that cannot be taken from you. In the Name T of Jesus. Amen.
May glorious truths that we have heard, The bright sword of Your mighty Word, Spurn Satan that Your Church be strong, Bold, unified in act and song. ("Lord Jesus Christ, With us Abide" LSB 585, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 14:47-15:9; Acts 24:1-23
"Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." (1 Samuel 15:3)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Context matters, especially in the Old Testament. The Israelites weren't meant to have a king. They insisted on having one anyway, to be like all the cool nations. God warned them. If all the other nations jumped off a bridge. . . Nevertheless, they persisted. God gave King Saul as punishment to Israel. It probably doesn't feel great to be the human embodiment of punishment to an entire nation. He's in over his head. He usually tries to do the right thing, but he does it the wrong way. It's the same for us with the Law. We want good intentions to count, even though we make a mess of everything.
The Amalekites had a history with Israel. They picked off the weakest of the people as they left Egypt, nipping at their heels, taking the ones who couldn't defend themselves. They were a plague upon the people of Israel that God promised Moses He would blot out.
And scene: Samuel speaks to Saul. "Thus says the Lord, kill them all." And not just the men, but the women and the children, too. Also the animals. Devote everything of the Amalekites to destruction. Saul shows mercy to the Kenites. He doesn't spare the women and children, but he keeps their stuff. He kept Agag their king alive, and kept all the best animals. He wanted to use those animals as a sacrifice to the Lord. While their king watched, humiliation style. The prophet Samuel is furious. This is not what was called for.
Because God doesn't glory in destruction, even of the wicked. He will not take sacrifice from the blood we spill upon each other. He doesn't want anyone devoted to destruction. He sends His Son for that, for you, for all. That is to be the sacrifice. There can be no salvation in any other place. As terrible as these things are, recognize the picture they paint. There is destruction apart from the Lord. The Amalekites insisted on not only being apart from God, but on preying upon His children. If they lived, wealthy, until age 100, what would still happen? We are given a physical picture of the spiritual condemnation apart from Jesus. He warns even as He protects His people. Don't be apart from Jesus. No sacrifice but Jesus can cover your sin, but that sacrifice has already been made for you. It is enough to save and protect you. Recognize what happens here as horrible. Being apart from Christ is horrible, but being under Him is salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Not all the blood of beasts On Jewish altars slain Could give the guilty conscience peace Or wash away the stain. ("Not All the Blood of Beasts" LSB 431, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Sixth Petition Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 13:1-18; Acts 23:12-35
Lead us not into temptation. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Sixth Petition)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. After "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," God teaches us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation." I wonder if it's to remind us that Christian life isn't linear. You can take the Fifth Petition and run in a straight line one of two ways. The first is the idea of onward and upward. "I'm forgiven and now I build and that only goes one way. Constant improvement until perfection. Until I basically don't sin. Christian life is only measured in progress." The second is continuing straight on in what we were doing in the first place. "Since I'm forgiven, might as well keep sinning. Shall we sin that grace may abound. . . " then quick, stop reading before it says, "BY NO MEANS." Since I know I'm forgiven I'll just do whatever I want. "Don't worry about who your sins hurt, don't worry about the God who calls you to strive against those desires. Christian life is measured only in freedom to do whatever I want while yelling stuff about grace."
Both are wrong. You're given this petition so you remember not just that you're forgiven, but that you're still in a bad spot. There's temptation there. So we pray, "Lead us not into temptation." It's not onward and upward or right on in sin. It's death and resurrection. Over and over. We are constantly in need of the Cross' forgiveness, and constantly strive to live in the resurrection's freedom from sin. We constantly beg to be free from temptation because we're constantly falling into it. It's war against old Adam, but it's fought in Christ, not in you. So even while we pray, we find comfort that He already won the victory. There is no comfort in beating the drum of the Law or in claiming that your actions should have no consequences while everything else falls apart because you keep doing dumb stuff. There is comfort in the Lord who tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory. We pray that we would see the victory we already have in Christ and cling to Him until we see it face to face. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lead not into temptation, Lord, Where our grim foe and all his horde Would vex our souls on ev'ry hand. Help us resist, help us to stand Firm in the faith, a mighty host, Through comfort of the Holy Ghost. (Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" LSB 766, st.7)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Jeremiah 23:16-29 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 12:1-25; Acts 22:30-23:11
"Am I a God at hand," declares the LORD, "and not a God far away?" (Jeremiah 23:23)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There are preachers who aren't sent by God. The word for them is "false." Preachers who are sent don't just tell you about God. Anyone can do that. Preachers speak for Him. They speak from the mouth of the Lord. He has words He wants you to hear. He doesn't want them lost to people who claim to speak for Him. He doesn't want to be known by words that aren't His. He doesn't want to be spoken for. He wants to speak. It's no less ridiculous than the God who speaks out of the sky, but it might be harder to believe. There aren't a lot of voices speaking from the sky claiming to be God. There are lots of preachers, though. Determining the real ones from the false ones seems important.
Jeremiah seems to leave us with a simple test. False preachers preach to itching ears. Itching ears want to be affirmed, not repented. If your preacher never says anything to make you feel like a sinner, he's false, or you need to listen more closely. If you're a preacher and can do this stuff without offending anyone, you're doing it wrong. The Word breaks rocks into pieces.
Sent preachers speak for God, so the words they speak agree with the rest of Scripture. True preaching does not build up those who despise the Word of the Lord, but it saves those lost to their sins. Simply put, real preachers preach the Cross for sinners.
Don't worry about false preachers. God seems to be plenty focused on them. He'll handle them. Pray you're not one of them. Don't listen to them. Listen to your sent one. Cling to the Word. It promises a God close at hand. He is not just a God who the false preachers can't escape from. He's a God who will be near to you. He's a God who insists you hear His Word and promise. He insists on being the one who cares for you. He insists on being near to you in this way, to comfort, to forgive, and to save. Where your preacher speaks, God is near to help you. The Word breaks the rock into pieces. It breaks down sinners, but it does more. It crucifies the Rock, which is Christ. It forgives sinners. God has words that forgive you, and He sends you a preacher so He can tell them to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The sower sows; his reckless love Scatters abroad the goodly seed, Intent alone that all may have The wholesome loaves that all men need. ("Preach You the Word" LSB 586, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 10:1-27; Acts 22:17-29
"But to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." (Mark 10:40)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Sons of Thunder don't know what they're asking for. "Let us sit, one at your right hand, and one at your left, in your glory." I guess their nickname makes sense. It sounds like they want to be tag team champions of the world. They want the glory to be revealed in terms of power, not mercy. But the Son of Man is glorified on a Cross for sinners. To be at His right hand and His left in His glory is to be crucified with Him. That was an honor bestowed to thieves. It was prepared for them.
Sounds terrible, until you consider what it means. It was prepared for them that they would hear mercy right from the Lord's mouth. It was prepared that they would hear a sermon at the right hand of God. Paradise was prepared for at least one of them, too. They deserved to die because of their sins, but God prepared it so that they would receive mercy, even if He had to die between them to give it.
The Sons of Thunder would have hard lives that looked like Christ's. That was prepared, too. Eventually, they would drink from the cup of suffering. But it was prepared that Jesus die for them first. That way they're not alone in it. They were already brought through it. They were baptized, not just into Jesus' pain, but His death, and so also His resurrection. You were, too. Do you not know that in Baptism, we are united with Him in His death? We will certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His, too. The Sons of Thunder went to death in boldness, not because they were the greatest tag team duo to grace the squared circle, but because they first received the gift of life. It was prepared for them. And it was prepared for you. You drank from it, too. In Baptism, you died with Jesus. In Baptism, you rise with Jesus. You might suffer more yet, but you are already raised with Him. Focus on the mercy, and know He'll bring you through that, because He already died to accomplish it. It is prepared.
That shapes authority, too. Authority is a burden to the Christian. It's not about power, but mercy. It's not to be served but to serve. Authority is a gift. These are the places God has prepared to serve you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
He brings me to the portal That leads to bliss untold, Whereon this rhyme immortal Is found in script of gold: "Who there My cross has shared Finds here a crown prepared; Who there with Me has died Shall here be glorified." ("Awake, My Heart, with Gladness" LSB 467, st.7)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Matthew 7:15-23 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 9:1-27; Acts 21:37-22:16
A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. (Matthew 7:18)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. So I know we're the grumpy church. It's what others say about us. It's what our own members say about us. We're too picky. Unloving. We can't get along with anyone. We can't even compromise. Why does it matter? Because it would be easier if we would just relax. Major in the majors, get along.
Believe it or not, I don't have fun being the grumpy pastor. I'm not entertained by having folks mad at me. I'm not encouraged by my own members' grumbling. I hate it. The thing is, if someone says 2+2 is 4 and someone else says 2+2 is 5, they can't both be right. If someone speaks visions of their own minds and not of the Lord, they are wrong. Here's the thing: They're not harmless. Wolves are in sheep's clothing, not other sheep. Wolves devour the sheep. "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but He who does the will of My Father in heaven."
It's not about how much you can accomplish. Prophesying, casting out demons, even doing great wonders is not enough. The will of our Father in heaven is that we believe. That's it. Hear the true Word and cling to it. It really saves.
If it's going to be good, virtuous, if it's going to have any chance of helping us in this mess of a world with the mess of our problems, it has to be true. We can't expect to be saved based on a lie, not even a soothing one. And there are false prophets out there, dressed in sheep's clothing, telling soothing lies, who inwardly are ravenous wolves. Their lies do not save. Good trees make good fruit, and bad trees make bad fruit. even if it's done in the Name of Jesus.
You don't expect grapes from thorn bushes. You don't expect good fruit from a bad tree. You don't expect salvation from a false preacher. The bad trees are cut down and burned. The only tree that matters is the Cross. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'" (Galatians 3:13).
The good fruit of the Cross is forgiveness. All other trees will be cut down and thrown into the fire. There is no other Name by which men will be saved. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Holy Spirit, our delight And source of consolation, Protect us from the devil's might Through Jesus, our salvation, Who by His death upon a tree Has rescued us from misery: To this we hold forever. ("All Glory Be to God on High" LSB 947, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Eight Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 48:1, 3, 11, 14; antiphon: vs.9-10) Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 8:1-22; Acts 21:15-36
Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments! (From the Introit for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We recoil at a God who sits in judgment of our actions. It's so hard to reflect on those vulnerable moments of our past without explanations to go along with our mistakes. Those excuses are called self-justification. We want to add something to our actions to make them seem less wrong. An excuse. A blame directed at someone else. A reason why. We try so hard to justify ourselves that the idea of being judged skips right over terrifying and leaves us either despairing or furious. But it's not a question of if we will be judged. We confess it in the creed. On the Last Day, the Son will come again to judge the living and the dead. I didn't read anything about Jesus' taking into account our excuses, either.
Still, we can't help it. We self-justify like we breathe. We dive into every awful day and insist that our explanations for what happened change what actually did happen. We're chasing after a favorable judgment. We're trying to find a way to hear the word "judgment" without cringing. That won't come from excuses. That will only come from the Gospel.
Only within Mount Zion, within God's temple, do God's judgments become something other than a need to justify your sins. They become a source of joy. Within Mount Zion, we hear that the Lord's judgments were rendered against the Son upon the Cross. He has judged Him guilty of all your sin. He has judged you innocent, righteous, and holy. Your self-justifications are laid down, and your cross is taken up. Your excuses are cast aside for forgiveness. Let Mount Zion be glad!
This is why we preach and sing in the temple. It isn't a chance to earn points with God that we can cash in for heaven. It's to tell, over and over, of the Cross where the judgment happened. Of what it looked like. Of whom it's for: you. You have been judged innocent. We think on that steadfast love. We praise His righteousness for us, and not our own. The Cross silences our excuses and leaves judgment as a hope and not a fear. This is our God, forever and ever. Never will you be judged. Always, Jesus is your justification. Let the daughters of Judah rejoice! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
He blotted out with His own blood The judgment that against us stood; For us He full atonement made, And all our debt He fully paid. ("The Death of Jesus Christ, Our Lord" LSB 634, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 6:19-7:17; Acts 19:1-22
And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." (Acts 19:2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Church needs constant teaching. Woe to those who think they've learned it all in confirmation! Imagine if the disciples who Paul met by Ephesus responded as we do today. "What do you mean Holy Spirit? I've been in this synagogue all my life and never heard of that." Also, woe to those who think theology is about winning arguments rather than teaching. Imagine if Paul replied the way stubborn clergy do: "I went to seminary. You didn't. I know better than you. We're doing it this way now."
Instead, Paul taught. He catechized. For months. Then years. Miracles happened. Not just the healings from afflictions. Even greater. People believed. They were baptized in the name of the Triune God. They taught others. Even unbelievers were given hope.
The doctrine of the apostolic faith is unchanging, but the visible Church on earth is always in the process of learning it. If you look around and see nothing but ignorance, rejoice, because that is daily being overcome by the patient teaching of God's Word. Also, relax, because this teaching is done by the Holy Spirit, whose job it is to create and strengthen faith. It's His to accomplish in His time. If you look around and find something you haven't learned yet, compare it to God's Word. Go back to your catechism. You might be a part of something wonderful, the spreading of the true Word of God and the strengthening of His kingdom. It happens slowly, sometimes over generations, but the Holy Spirit is at work wherever the Word is taught in its truth and purity. If you can't find these new teachings in God's Word and your catechism, reject them.
The visible Church will have ignorance and schism until the Last Day. It will also have the Holy Spirit daily destroying those things with the light of the true Gospel of Christ. When things look bleak, don't look for miracles or an overnight growth in understanding. Just return to the Word, where the Body of Christ is always being built up. Rejoice that God has promised to accomplish this work, and that none given to Him will be lost. This is why God blessed you with a catechism, that you would return to the same teachings over and over. Don't put the book down after confirmation. Reread it, and year after year, God's Word will correct, reprove, and give hope. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Help us Your holy Law to learn, To mourn our sin and from it turn In faith to You and to Your Son And Holy Spirit, Three in One. ("Lord, Help Us Ever to Retain" LSB 865, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 20:1-2, 10-18 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 5:1-6:3, 10-16; Acts 18:1-11, 23-28
Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" (John 20:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Part of me wants to focus on Mary's announcement. She gets to tell the disciples the good news. Christ is risen! It feels like a redemption story. From the often-assumed belief that she was the prostitute who worshipped at Jesus' feet (that woman isn't named in the Bible), to fiction about her marital status (not in the Bible at all), to her confusion of the risen Lord with a gardener (that one's in there), Mary Magdalene gets a lot of the focus, but rarely in a good way. We want her to turn her life around, and then share the good news.
The truth is, we don't know the name of the prostitute who worshipped at Jesus' feet. A pope named Gregory the Great decided that it was this Mary. We know Jesus wasn't married. Fiction writers have decided otherwise. So much of what we want to believe about Mary Magdalene has to do with what people assume she did. Most of it is wrong. All of it misses the point. Jesus doesn't know her by her deeds or her past, but by her faith. He says something to her. "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." She has the same Father as the Son of God does.
If you want to know who Mary Magdalene was, set aside myth and hold to the Word of God. She is a daughter of the Father. She is a saint by faith in Christ. It's true for you, too. You are not known by what people say about you, true or not. You are not known by your past. You are known by the same thing Mary is known by: your identity is a child of God. You have the same Father as Jesus and Mary. You are baptized. In this water, you are united with Christ just like Mary. You are an heir to the kingdom of heaven. You are so precious to the Son that He who redeemed you from sin and death only talks about you as His brother or sister. People talk. Most of them get it wrong. Christ is still risen. You are still baptized. You have a Father in heaven. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We sing Your praise for Mary, Who came at Easter dawn To look for Jesus' body And found her Lord was gone. But, as with joy she saw Him In resurrection light, May we by faith behold Him, The Day who ends our night! ("For All the Faithful Women" LSB 855, st.11)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Fifth Petition Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 4:1-22; Acts 16:23-40
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Fifth Petition)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is one sentence we wish could be divided into two separate things. Having my forgiveness and my willingness to forgive others linked together is a damning thing. Still, Jesus is clear. In Matthew 6:14–15 He says, "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." It sounds like my grudge from the sixth grade is enough to undo my Baptism. It sounds like my heart is enough to undo the Cross.
That's because looking in my heart for forgiveness never goes particularly well. Ask the kid I still don't like from middle school even though I can't remember his last name anymore. Forgiveness doesn't come from your heart. It comes from the Cross. Always. The forgiveness for your sins comes from the Cross, not from your asking for it. Jesus died 2,000 years before you could ask Him to forgive you. Faith clings to this forgiveness and finds comfort there. Forgiveness from the Cross addresses your heart.
It works that way for your neighbor, too. Forgiveness for their sins comes from the Cross to address your heart. When we stop looking at the Cross for forgiveness, there's a problem. We pray in this petition that we would see our enemies the same way Jesus sees them. Died for. Either there's forgiveness for sinners or there's not. Saying there's no forgiveness for sinners isn't going to work well for you. Taking your grudges to the Cross and seeing that your neighbor's sins against you were so vile that He had to bleed to cover them is a gift. That is where your neighbor's sins are punished. That is where wrath is abated. Seeing that justice was done lets you see your neighbor as someone who doesn't owe you anything anymore. Jesus paid it.
Forgiveness isn't about what we deserve. It's about what was given. You don't earn your forgiveness by forgiving others. Instead, you get to see the God who forgives whether you're angry or not and you can say, "Amen." This is true. I'm angry, but they're still forgiven. Lord, address my heart with comfort so that I can find peace in your Cross, forgiveness for my sins, and forgiveness for my neighbors', too. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Forgive our sins, Lord, we implore, That they may trouble us no more; We, too, will gladly those forgive Who hurt us by the way they live. Help us in our community To serve each other willingly. ("Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" 766, st.6)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Romans 6:19-23 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 3:1-21; Acts 16:1-22
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Only someone who has spent all their life under slavery can be set free and ask, "What do I do now?" If you don't know what freedom really looks like, how would you know what to do when you're free? Only someone born under the threats and coercion of the Law can imagine that "freedom" looks like Netflix and a whole tub of ice cream just because serving your neighbor can be hard sometimes. What do you really gain from the bottom of the ice cream tub? What hope is found in ignoring your problems to binge-watch junk? I am speaking to you in human terms, because of your natural limitations.
You are free from the Law's demands. It cannot condemn you in Christ Jesus your Lord. You have the free gift of God, eternal life, purchased by His death upon the Cross. When you return to pet sins, Jesus still died for you, your sins are still bled for and forgiven. That's not the question. The question is "Do those things actually help?" When we get stressed or angry, scared or just bored, we go looking for hope in something familiar, and we return to the things that held us captive. Real hope is never found there, though.
Christianity is not asking the question, "Can you do whatever you want?" Instead, the question is "Where is hope which endures?" Christ endured death and rose again. Hope in something that leads to holiness and eternal life. Hope in something that isn't just numb. Everyone's owned by something. Either we're owned by our passions and our sins and we're not free to rise above them and build something that's more than comfortably numb, or we're owned by the God who purchased us with His own life so that He can keep us and shelter us now and to eternal life. One leads to death. The other to life.
The free gift of God, eternal life, is given only to sinners. It's given to you. You don't have to earn it. You're free from sin. Free from death. Allowed to ask, "What do I do now?" It's answered by the God who simply says, "Live." Live in the things that produce hope. Live in the Law of God, free from its curse, because you were made alive in the Gospel, which promises that hope is a gift, not an escape. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
No son of man could conquer death, Such ruin sin had wrought us. No innocence was found on earth, And therefore death had brought us Into bondage from of old And ever grew more strong and bold And held us as its captive. Alleluia! ("Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands" LSB 458, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Genesis 2:7-17 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 2:18-36; Acts 15:22-41
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God made everything and it was good. He made Adam of the dust of the ground. Eve would be there soon. Very good. He put them in the Garden, full of every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. Awesome. The Tree of Life was there. Dope! Also the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil: If you ate from it you died. Good?
God calls it good. The issue is we're pretty sure it's not. We consider the tree, at best, a test from the all-knowing God who would have seen this coming.
When we don't like something God is doing, we figure He either messed up or is trying to test us. Because we know good and evil now, we just get the two mixed up, so our motives seem purer than the God we call holy. The tree was never a test. It was where God instituted His Church. This was for worship. It was the one place Adam could see God as bigger, and could worship the mystery of God. It wasn't there to hurt him and Eve, but to help them. To ward off the idea that they know more than God. To remind them to fear, love, and trust, and to give them a chance to practice it. The tree was good. The problem started when we decided it wasn't. Because if the tree isn't good, what do you think of the God who put it there?
God knows more than we do. . . but what if we can't trust Him? Eve grew afraid of the tree and wouldn't even touch it. She explains it to the devil. Not "Don't eat it," but "Don't touch it. Don't even go near it." Except "it" is church.
God knew it would happen. Adam's sins. Eve's. Yours, too. The Tree of Knowledge showed the problem, but not how to fix it and live. But that was never the job of that tree. Salvation was never a test. We fell by the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but God saved us by the tree of the Cross. His intent was always to save and to love. This was never His backup plan. The Tree of Life was always a Cross. It just took a few thousand years to see the Son hanging on it. But it was always intended for Adam, Eve, and you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Now from that tree of Jesus' shame Flows life eternal in His name; For all who trust and will believe, Salvation's living fruit receive. And of this fruit so pure and sweet The Lord invites the world to eat, To find within this cross of wood The tree of life with ev'ry good. ("The Tree of Life" LSB 561, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Mark 8:1-9 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:21-2:17; Galatians 6:1-18
"I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat." (Mark 8:2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There's a difference between a father who spends time with his kids and one who avoids them by being at work. There's a difference between kids who get As and kids who get detention. There's a difference between the doctor saying there's a cure or telling you that you have only weeks left to live. All the world measures. It's how things work. Literally everywhere. And it's exhausting. It's depressing. Because I know which father I am. . . maybe better than a few, but still not great. You know which kid you are. We know because there are standards. We call it the Law. A picture of good. Anything less. . . just isn't. Everywhere else in the world we live and die by laws. Do enough. Be enough. Have enough. We see the shortcomings here just fine. Laws measure. They point out where things aren't enough, and so we do, too. So any miracle that defies the word "enough" catches our attention, like when Jesus feeds 4,000.
It's so easy to miss the greatest part of it. Get lost in the details. In the numbers. In the crowd. In the miracle. It all flows from one thing. He had compassion on them. For all we measure here, we miss the point. We want to measure. How much do we need? Is there enough? You measure it on the Cross, where the word "enough" sounded like "It is finished." He shed His blood for the forgiveness of all your sins. Not portioned, but poured out for forgiveness. For you. The Law measures. The Gospel just gives. All your sins.
You can interject that you don't need it because you just got that in Absolution. You're already baptized. Shut up. Here's more mercy for you. The Law says, "Do this." The Gospel says, "It is finished." Over and over again. It covers all sin. All shortcomings. All failure. There is no measuring here.
We will be a Gospel church. Without His compassion we will faint along the way, but know that it is yours, it is boundless, and it accomplishes all that is needed. Gather up all your failure and sin and dump it at the Cross. For everywhere that you don't measure up, for every place you're insecure, for every place you compensate or bargain or cheat, there is mercy for you. Your sins are forgiven. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, whose never-failing providence orders all things both in heaven and earth, we humbly implore You to put away from us all hurtful things and to give us those things that are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 47:3, 6-8; antiphon: vs.1-2) Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:1-20; Galatians 5:1-26
He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. (From the Introit for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's hard to sing praises to our King who puts all nations under our feet when we're not even happy with our own country. It would be a gift to the Church if we cared about false doctrine the way we care about the faults of the other political party. It would be a gift to your conscience, if you considered what it looked like when all things were put under Christ's feet, especially if you've been unhappy with the leaders God has given you at one time or another. "He worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:20-23).
Christ rose from the dead and Pilate still ruled Jerusalem. Christ was risen when the Church hid in catacombs. Christ is risen when the president you'd never vote for is in office. All things are under His feet. If you can only imagine God being able to reign over nations you approve of, you'll have to discount most of Scripture, where even evil kings are used for God's purposes, not to build a utopia on earth, but to save sinners from the last great enemy, death.
His kingdom is not of this world. Please. Stop responding with, "But what if we build it" and start saying, "Amen." If you want to see your God upon His throne, look to the ascension, not the 24-hour news. You can't find a country on earth where God isn't capable of forgiving sins. You can't find a leader on earth who can keep you in the tomb when God says "rise." Even where the Church faces persecution, the Word cannot be bound. Our prayers are not just for peaceful times, but for comfort in the knowledge that even if we've been unhappy with politics in the last few years, our God is still working forgiveness, life, and salvation. Christ is risen from the dead. All things were put under His feet. You are united with Him in this resurrection, so in the same way, all the nations are put under yours. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
And when in pow'r He comes, Oh, may our native land From all its rending tombs Send forth a glorious band, A countless throng, With joy to sing To heav'n's high King ("Before You, Lord, We Bow" LSB 966, st.5)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Judges 16:4-30; Galatians 4:12-31
So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. (Galatians 4:31)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Abraham had two sons: Ishmael of the flesh, by Hagar, his wife Sarah's slave, and Isaac of the promise, by Sarah. Full stop. Think about how humiliated Sarah had to feel giving her husband to her servant. She trusted God. He promised Abraham a child. She believed Him. She just figured she had to help. Ishmael, born of people trying their best. Your little league trophy lied to you. Trying your best isn't good enough. The flesh is humiliating.
To stand before God based on what you can do is to live according to the Law. It is to live in slavery to what you cannot do, what you cannot be, what you cannot achieve. It is to exist in slavery to sin and death. Sinai is not a mountain of hope. It is not a promise of salvation. It is a bargain over earthly trinkets, and the inability to hope for something that outlasts them.
But Jerusalem above is free. She is our mother. You are free from the Law. You are free from slavery to the best you can do, to the strings attached. You are not a child of God based on what you can do or how you can help. You are a child according to the promise. You are a child of the Gospel. God has promised you adoption. A place of honor. A place not earned but given. A place for you. After all, you are baptized. This isn't about your contributing, but about God's delivering a promise.The forgiveness of sins. Rescue from death. Salvation. The hope of something that endures where everything else in this world fails. An identity apart from the humiliation of the Law, but in the glory God gives His beloved.
This isn't a someday promise to finally receive when you leave this world. It's a now promise. It's a here promise. It's a for you promise. It's a Baptism. It isn't just heaven that's clothed in white robes. The Church militant wears them, too. The saints on earth are children of God. You have already been purchased from slavery, not with gold or silver, but with the holy and precious blood, the innocent suffering and death of Christ. Do not submit again to the yoke of slavery under the Law. Do not submit to the yoke of doing your best and the humiliation and death it brings. Live in the promise of freedom, given through your Mother Jerusalem, the Church, where God sustains you according to the promise. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In the water, in the Word, In His promise, be assured: Those who are baptized and believe Shall be born again. Father welcomes all His children To His fam'ly through His Son. Father giving His salvation, Life forever has been won. ("Father Welcomes" LSB 605, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Judges 15:1-16:3; Galatians 3:23-4:11
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4–5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Law was our guardian. The lLw's job is not to love you, but to hold you captive. The Law can't make you hate sin, just punishment. The heart is still full of lust and evil and envy and hate. The Law can't make you love what God commands, only fear what happens if you don't. The Law can't give you a good conscience. The Law can't give you righteousness. The Law can't give you freedom. The Law can't give you anything. It can only demand. The Law is one thing. The Gospel is another.
The Gospel cannot demand. It can only give. Christ gives you His righteousness, His holiness, even His identity. Now, you are no longer under a guardian, but sons of God, through faith, and heirs according to the promise. You are baptized. The Law doesn't own you or hold you anymore. It cannot speak to your conscience. That is the job of the Gospel. You have put on Christ, who is your righteousness.
The Law doesn't cease to exist. It is still a reflection of the Law giver. The Law reflects the character of God. It shows how things are supposed to be. So for you, it shows what you are not. Christ was not born into the world to eliminate how things are supposed to be, but to set aright what sin broke. So He was not born apart from the Law, but under the Law. He allows the Law to hold Him captive. He suffers the wages of sin. He dies to forgive you all your sins. He redeems you from the Law that held you captive, and adopts you into His own family. This isn't so that you would hate the Law, but so that you would be free from it. We love the Law because we wear Jesus in our Baptism. He fulfills all the Law demands. Where the Lord is, there is freedom from the captivity of the Law. You are free from the curses of the Law. You are free from sin, free from death, free from terror. You are in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In Baptism we now put on Christ—Our shame is fully covered With all that He once sacrificed And freely for us suffered. For here the flood of His own blood Now makes us holy, right, and good Before our heav'nly Father. ("All Christians Who Have Been Baptized" LSB 596, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Fourth Petition Daily Lectionary: Judges 14:1-20; Galatians 3:1-22
Give us this day our daily bread. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Fourth Petition)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This petition, probably more than any others, drives us to prayer. We have daily needs we see going unmet. We somehow figure this petition is supposed to fix that if we just do it right. God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. If you don't pray, God still gives you daily bread. If you're evil, daily bread is for you. Prayer isn't currency. It's comfort.
God doesn't give everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body only to the well behaved or the ones who pray enough. He gives it to sinners, even unbelieving ones. Because Jesus loves sinners. He loves you. He even loves the sinners who don't believe yet. He loves them enough to die for them. A grilled cheese falls under the same banner of grace as forgiveness of sins. God won't deal with you according to what you deserve, but according to His love for you. He would give good gifts for your good. All of it is an undeserved gift.
And in this petition, He reminds us that it's okay to look in normal places for it. He gives daily bread through means. He could float said grilled cheese in front of you and make it glow in the dark. Instead, He gives you a grocery store. It's a freeing thing. Prayer isn't a way to make God work apart from means, but a reminder that He works through them, even fallen means. If God has promised to work through fallen sinners to provide daily bread to you, you can see and know that God is caring for you here. God doesn't need a sinless farmer to grow crops. He doesn't need sinless families to care for you. Yet this is exactly how God has promised to take care of you. He doesn't just do it for this life, but to drive you to the next. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Give us this day our daily bread, And let us all be clothed and fed. Save us from hardship, war, and strife; In plague and famine, spare our life, That we in honest peace may live, To care and greed no entrance give. ("Our Father, Who From Heaven Above" LSB 766:5)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Romans 6:3-11 Daily Lectionary: Judges 13:1-25; Galatians 2:1-21
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (Romans 6:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Guilt is potent stuff. We drag it around behind us. We attach it to others. We let a singular event define us. The accident, the mistake, the divorce, the incident. The sin. Everywhere we go it follows us. It's on our minds. It's on everyone else's. We can't seem to go anywhere without being known as that guy. Or we might be her. . . you know the one.
It's like that one little moment owns us. More people understand what it's like to be a slave to sin than you'd think. As hard as you struggle against it, as much as you want to put it behind you, it owns you, it holds you captive.
It's like we come to church to set it down. Hear about the love of God, about forgiveness. Lay that sin on Jesus. Hear Absolution. Then, when church is over, pick it up again on our way out the door. How many times does someone have to confess the same sin over and over before they're finally forgiven? How many times before you can look at yourself in the mirror? How many times before you can look at your neighbor as anything other than undeserving of any good thing for their sin?
The singular event that defines you is not your sin. It is your Baptism. You are baptized. Tied to a real Cross where Jesus suffered and died to forgive the sins that have such power over you. Tied to a real resurrection where you are free from those sins. Today, you are baptized. You have this identity today. That means there is actual salvation, not IF you manage to accomplish something yourself, but BECAUSE Christ has given you this gift. Your identity is not "sinner." You are a child of God. Be free from your past. That past was crucified with Christ. You really are forgiven. He bled and died for you. You're baptized and united to forgiveness. He is risen from the dead, and you are united to that freedom from the sin that's really gone. You are baptized. Reckon yourselves forgiven. Dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. When you can't forget your sin, remember your Baptism. Remember who you really are. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In Baptism we now put on Christ—Our shame is fully covered With all that He once sacrificed And freely for us suffered. For here the flood of His own blood Now makes us holy, right, and good Before our heav'nly Father. ("All Christians Who Have Been Baptized" LSB 596, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Exodus 20:1-17 Daily Lectionary: Judges 7:1-23; Galatians 1:1-24
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." (Exodus 20:2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is who your God is. Not just the first couple verses, but the whole thing. The Law is a reflection of the Law maker. In my car, there are 11 commandments. God gets His 10. I add one more. Thou shalt not listen to country music. It's a reflection of who I am: someone with taste.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. This is who your God is. The Lord who absolutely insists on being your God. There's no room for any others. He wants to be the One to care for you.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Your God has a name so powerful it has to be used with care, and He wants you to have it, to call upon Him, pray, praise, and give thanks.
Your God wants to spend time with you, so He rests with you and gives you gifts on the Sabbath. Your God wants to work through sinners to love you, so He gives you parents worthy of the same honor due to Him. They sometimes fail to earn it. That never stops God from working through them for your good. He loves you so much that He wants you to have people to represent that love. Honor your father and your mother as gifts from Him. Life goes better that way. Sin breaks stuff.
Your God loves life, and insists that you live. Nobody's allowed to kill you. Your God wants you to have a healthy marriage. He walls it off and demands it be defended. He wants you to have and keep your stuff. He values your name and gives it all the protection He gives His own. He even cares about your heart, and knows what will pollute it. He calls us out of sin because sin breaks stuff. He calls us toward that which builds up because He loves us.
We don't listen. The Law shows us our sin. It shows us we're not God. We don't need to be. He is, and He brought Israel out slavery to Egypt and us out of slavery to sin and death. The Law paints a picture of God. The Gospel paints a picture of you. You are the one He saves. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The Law of God is good and wise And sets His will before our eyes, Shows us the way of righteousness, And dooms to death when we transgress. ("The Law of God is Good and Wise" LSB 571, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Matthew 5:17-26 Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:25-40; Acts 15:6-21
"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." (Matthew 5:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. But the Pharisees weren't villains who twisted fancy mustaches. They were men who thought family mattered. They stood for morality and the good of their people. They supported their church. They were the upright people you'd expect to see standing against the darkness of the day. They were the ones building something that would last another generation. But that wasn't enough. Their temple was torn down. Not one stone stood upon the other. Everything they fought for wasn't enough, not for this world, and not for the next. If doing better is the goal, they didn't do enough.
It cuts deeper than the outward actions. It's about the heart. Hate is murder. Lust is adultery. If your identity is found in the Law, you're lost. If this is about what you do or feel, it's not enough. That's why Jesus starts by saying, "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." The Law still stands, but the Law is fulfilled in Him. Your identity isn't from the Law, but is found in the Gospel. You are righteous.
This identity lets you face the fullness of the Law without fear. You don't need to downplay it or excuse it. You don't need to justify yourself by abolishing the parts that would make you look like a sinner. Your sins are forgiven. You are in Christ. When the Son of God calls you holy and forgiven, the Law can't give you an identity. You don't need to work around the Law. Jesus fulfills it for you. The more you relax the Law to flee from what it would call you, the more you try to not need Jesus.
If we could fulfill the Law perfectly, it wouldn't be that hard. To relax the Law is to point away from Jesus. To see the Law fulfilled and not relaxed one iota is to see Jesus. To teach the Law fully is to teach Jesus. To call on you to actually strive to do the same is to hope in Jesus. Be not afraid of your failure or your sin. Christ has fulfilled the Law. Christ has won your forgiveness. This is just who you are now. Righteous. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
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. Amen. (Collect for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 28:1-2, 7; antiphon: vs.8-9) Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:1-24; Acts 14:19-15:4
The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. (From the Introit for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The tense matters. The Lord is the strength of His people. He is the saving refuge of His anointed. Right now. Today. I am helped. It started in the past. Christ was crucified for you. It's still true now. The tense matters because if you understand what God has done, and who God is now, it makes the things you're afraid of much less scary.
The psalmist has real fears. Real enemies. Sometimes life falls apart in the kind of way that words can't really describe with appropriate language. I'm amazed at pious Christians who sit in the dumpster of what was and try to figure out whether or not it's a sin to wonder if God isn't listening, or how He answers. Digging through the damage sin does and looking for more sin doesn't actually fix anything.
You have the feelings. Here, God gives you something to do with them. He gives you the tenses to answer them. The Lord IS the strength of His people. He IS the saving refuge of you. Right now. Today. You are helped. You have these fears. Bring them to the Lord. Recognize that, even as it was His job to do the saving before, it still is now. The things that leave you sleepless wouldn't have stopped Him as He dealt with David, nor will they stop Him today. You might be overwhelmed, but God isn't. He gives us more than we can handle, teaches us to curse any Hallmark card that says otherwise, then holds us in our Baptism while He handles it and drags us along.
To pray the psalms is to realize that God isn't deaf to you. He's already worked to save. Praying them will help you to hear that God isn't silent, but has already given you a place to put your concern as He drags you along towards salvation. It's to meditate on everything God has done in the past, focus on His character, and realize that He hasn't changed, so the things that leave you rocking in the fetal position are faced by the God who shepherds you in mercy. He speaks about the thing you're going through as if you're already saved from it. Because you are. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
From God's joy can nothing sever, For I am His dear lamb, He, my Shepherd ever. I am His because He gave me His own blood For my good, By His death to save me. ("Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me" LSB 756, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Judges 4:1-24; Acts 14:1-18
He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well. . . (Acts 14:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Miracles aren't the cause of faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. It wasn't the signs and wonders that made Jews and Greeks believe. It was what was spoken: the Gospel. Christ is risen from the dead. They did miracles, too, but that really only served to further the divide between those who believed and those who didn't.
At Lystra Paul met a man who had faith to be made well. That doesn't mean he believed enough to earn a miracle. It means he believed enough to see it done. Miracles aren't a prize for believing enough. They're a down payment on the resurrection. Miracles are the undoing of the damage sin does. The resurrection is a good example. Miracles are from the same God who rose. Miracles are something we who by faith believe in the resurrection finally see where all the world doesn't. Only in faith will you ever see a miracle. Because a miracle is God working to undo sin. If you don't believe in sin, the miracle will always have a different explanation. From Pharaoh and his magicians to YouTube atheists of today, apart from faith, everyone finds an excuse.
Some miracles are harder to explain. Some are just so common to us we're not impressed anymore. If you put this man from Lystra in a modern hospital he'd call that a miracle, too, not because of the means God used to heal what sin broke, but because he received it from the Lord. All of it points to the same. God wants sinners to be forgiven. God wants you to rise from death like His Son. God even gives miracles to the people who refuse to see them that way. He gives rain from heaven to good and evil alike. He provides daily bread for the ones He redeemed, not the ones who supposedly had enough faith to get more than someone else.
The miracle here is that the apostles preached and pointed only to Christ. The people went from trying to kill them to trying to kill others for them. They pointed only to Christ. And by the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit, people believed. They rose from death. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous; Bright with Thine own holiness, Glorious now, we press toward glory, And our lives our hopes confess. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to Thee who light dost send! Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end! ("Thy Strong Word" LSB 578, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 Peter 3:8-15 Daily Lectionary: Judges 3:7-31; Acts 13:42-52
But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled. (1 Peter 3:14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?" For some reason we read that and assume there should be no answer. If we really love God, how can He let us suffer? Peter wrote that line to a church experiencing martyrdom. Turns out he'd die a martyr himself, crucified upside down. He made his defense for the hope that was in him upside down. On a cross. I don't think he's trying to make the point we think.
We imagine that Christian witness is about power, intellect, charisma. "Look how that person found Jesus and got his life together." We imagine a witness apart from lowliness, humiliation, suffering. Nobody signs up for that stuff. We want a Christianity that makes our lives easier. It leaves us in the awkward position of trying to witness about a religion whose symbol is the Cross. When we imagine a Christianity apart from suffering, we imagine a Christianity apart from the Cross. When you flee from suffering you flee from the Cross. Peter calls suffering for righteousness' sake a blessing. As someone who hates paper cuts, that's discouraging. I don't want to hurt.
Peter doesn't promise a religion apart from suffering, but He doesn't speak of a God apart from it, either. You will not find God in a place with no suffering. You find Him on the Cross for you. That doesn't just change how we see suffering. It changes how we see ourselves. Jesus didn't bear the Cross for those who were zealous for what is good. He bore the rCoss for the people who got what they deserve, who suffer for doing evil, for the sinners. For us. And that Cross names you forgiven. Righteous.
I don't know if Peter had courage or cowardice upside down on that cross, but I know he's baptized. I know that afraid or not, God had already saved him. The upside down cross they put him on became a joke we tell each other. The world calls it satanic, but the Petrine cross is an ancient Christian symbol, a reminder that salvation is ours today no matter what they call us. God bore the Cross first, so that ours would be like His. We are the baptized. We don't stay dead. Here is your hope. Here is your defense. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The band of the apostles in glory sing Your praise; The fellowship of prophets their deathless voices raise. The martyrs of Your kingdom, a great and noble throng, Sing with the holy Church throughout all the world this song: "O all-majestic Father, Your true and only Son, And Holy Spirit, Comforter--forever Three in One!" ("We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God" LSB 941, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Third Petition Daily Lectionary: Judges 2:6-23; Acts 13:13-41
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Third Petition)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. On behalf of the almighty Lord, thanks for the permission, I guess. . . Now the creator of heaven and earth who worked just fine without you can finally act. Who knows what would have happened without your help. Nobody actually believes that God is impotent to act without your permission. It's just we're wary of what we can't control. God's will is done even without our prayer. We pray in this petition that it be done among us also. We pray in this petition to remember that God's will being done is a good thing.
God doesn't need your permission to do His will because He's stronger than you. This petition is a chance to remember that He's smarter than you. He can even understand how to work the fancy settings on your washing machine. If you can't do that, don't presume to know better than God. Oh, also, He's holier than you, too. He doesn't have to start church by saying "I, a poor miserable sinner," which means His will doesn't get tainted by sin like yours does.
Thy will be done, because God's will is to be merciful to sinners. To you. The world is still full of things we don't understand. "Why?" isn't a super helpful question when the answer is so complex that only the maker of heaven and earth would understand it. This petition is a focus on the "who." Who is your God? The One who redeemed you by dying. The One who won't stand back from your distress. There are some parts of His will that He hides from you because you wouldn't understand, but even more so because you shouldn't have to trouble yourself with having to solve those problems. I don't make my kindergartener prepare dinner. I just tell her she's loved and then I feed her.
So God points us to where His will is visible. Where He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh: on the Cross. Where He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die only to rise again: in the church. Here, God makes clear that His will is to save sinners like us. It's done even without our asking. We get to pray and find comfort that it's done among us also. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Your gracious will on earth be done As it is done before Your throne, That patiently we may obey Throughout our lives all that You say. Curb flesh and blood and ev'ry ill That sets itself against Your will. ("Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" LSB 766, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God doesn't play well with others. Put away foreign gods. He is a jealous God. It's not that He can't handle competition. He very clearly can. Look back at how He led Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Look at how He brought Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt. Look at what He did to their armies and the false hopes they had in themselves. He exposes the false gods for what they are. This isn't just an "our God can beat up your god in a fight" boast. This is why: Those false gods can't save the people who trusted in them. They couldn't save Pharaoh or Balak. They couldn't save Jericho or any of the various "ites," either. They don't have the power to save. As they stand against His people, it becomes clear. Those who would destroy the ones God calls blessed dash themselves to pieces. But that isn't what God is concerned about.
Even this is about the forgiveness of sins. False gods only work in power, not mercy. The Lord works not only power that they can't, but mercy that they won't. The reason that He won't share you, that He absolutely insists that you serve Him and Him alone, is that no other gods forgive sins. They are law gods. Ours is the God who promises not just to save us from the world, but from ourselves, from our sins. He is the God who works in mercy to those He loves, and to you.
We hear this, say Amen, and then try to mix the two. I want mercy from Jesus, but a little power from money, from fame, from popularity, from strength. "I love Jesus and." But the "and" at the end can't forgive your sins. When you mix the two together, you stop looking to God for mercy, because the "and" makes it all about power. The Lord becomes a means to an end. He did more than lead slaves out of Egypt through the Red Sea. He led them out of death through the forgiveness of sins. He died for us that we would live. As for us, we will serve the Lord. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
A righteous Helper comes to thee; His chariot is humility, His kingly crown is holiness, His scepter, pity in distress. The end of all our woe He brings; Therefore the earth is glad and sings. To Christ the Savior raise Your grateful hymns of praise. ("Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates" LSB 341, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 19:11-12 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 23:1-16; Acts 12:1-25
And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. (1 Kings 19:12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Elijah is hiding in a cave waiting to die. He forgot how to be disappointed, because he forgot how to hope. That's bad. Hopelessness is not natural. We were created to hope. God made us to worship Him, to fear, love, and trust in Him. Children are born trusting in their parents' voices. They look at the world in wonder and pretend to be the things we've long given up on. Hope only goes away painfully--by having it beaten and crushed and kicked until it's ground down to nothing. One of the hardest things in the world is to see children who aren't disappointed by their parents anymore. Elijah is hiding in a cave, not because he doesn't believe God exists, but because he doesn't think he can depend on God.
The reason so many of us have given up hope is that we look for God in places He isn't. It's a trick the devil uses to grind down hope. Even fallen sinful man loves to put hope in the wrong thing. It's called an idol. So Satan points us to where God isn't and asks why He isn't there. That makes more sense than we want to admit. God is not in the power of the fire or the earthquake. The small whispering word doesn't seem too impressive. I cannot by my own reason or strength believe that God works in mercy and not in power. That has to come from somewhere else. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the low whispering Word of Christ.
And He still speaks. What are you doing here? Why are you hiding? Why are you afraid? You're not as alone as you think. God would not limit Himself to your good days or your good attitude. He passes by Elijah, whispering words of peace and hope, and He passes by you, too. Not to rush past, but to dive into the valley of the shadow of death, that hope would live where there rightly should be none.
There were great earthquakes and sham trials by firelight that pierced the darkness where they accused our Lord of blasphemy and worse, as Peter hid in the courtyard. There was wind that blew as it wished, and the gale of the crowd who cried for His death. But the words worth hearing were whispered from a Cross: "It is finished." He has died for you. The sun came back to the sky, the earth stopped shaking, but it's still finished. Hope. For Christ is risen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
To hope grown dim, to hearts turned cold Speak tongues of fire and make us bold To shine Your Word of saving grace Into each dark and loveless place. ("Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide" LSB 585, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 5:1-11 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 10:1-25; Acts 11:19-30
. . . Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." (Luke 5:10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We see the boat sinking and the nets ripping, so we figure we need to fix them. The Church is falling apart: If we don't do something it won't be here for long. How do we catch the fish? I know it's a miracle, but this still seems like it should be our job. Lure ‘em in. We need charisma. Programs. Something other than people too old and funny looking to be in TV commercials. This is what ego does. After making everything all about you, it looks in the mirror and realizes that's a mistake.
The devil whispers to us our insecurities, our fears. The old Adam builds chapels to them instead of to God in the vain hope that those fears will leave him alone. We dump baskets of cash on the altars of our fears as offering, and then pray fervently that things won't look exactly like Jesus says they look. It's dark. It's late. We're tired. The boat is sinking and the nets are ripping.
Of all the stuff we're convinced is wrong here, what makes it your job to fix it, and more, what makes you think God can't work until you do? You miss the point. God is present on a sinking ship. Let it be His job to catch the fish, keep the boat floating, and keep the nets from ripping to shreds. Disappear into the net. Not as worthless, but as one whom God intended to catch.
He backs it up by action. You matter enough to bring Him to the Cross. You matter enough for Him even when your ego thinks it must get in the way. The Church is not a group of people burdened with a pyramid scheme. It is the sinners who have been dragged into the boat and kept in hope. It will stand, not because of us, but simply because God's Word calls it into existence from nothing and sustains it. "But at Thy Word" was and is enough.
The nets are still ripping. The Church will be full of schism and suffering and sin and pain and fear, but it will hold because God spoke and still speaks. Even now, God works in a sinking ship to bring life to you and all whom He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies and keeps with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, the Church's head, You are her one foundation; In You she trusts, before You bows, And waits for Your salvation. Built on this rock secure, Your Church shall endure Though all the world decay And all things pass away. O hear, O hear us, Jesus! ("Lord Jesus Christ, the Church's Head" LSB 647, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 27:1a, 11-12, 14; antiphon: vs. 7, 9b) Daily Lectionary: Joshua 8:1-28; Acts 11:1-18
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (From the Introit for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Only a prayer focused on the character and promises of God can pray the word "wait." "Wait" is not in the vocabulary of fear. Or need. Or threat of violence. When the focus of our prayer is our fear and not our God, "wait" doesn't work because we need help now. When our prayer can only be answered by our enemies disappearing and their plans coming undone, help isn't actually measured in the presence of a good God, just in a lack of evil around us.
If your prayer can only be answered by a lack of evil, God will seem very silent. When God's silence in the face of these prayers sounds like you are being forsaken, pray Psalm 27. Each verse is a reflection on His character and ability to combat the fears and enemies that surround us. You have a gracious God, a God who gives good gifts. How could He not hear and answer? Your Lord is light and salvation. Who can undo what Christ has declared finished? The way of the Lord is also the truth and the life. It is a level path that enemies cannot make treacherous. So even surrounded by adversaries, false witnesses, and violence, we can wait in strength and courage, because we wait for the Lord.
Even as we wait for Him, we start to see Him at work, not in the absence of evil, but working good in the midst of it. Prayer that focuses on God can find Him working where He promised to be, among and for sinners. He is with us in the valley of the shadow of death. He makes the rough places plain. He daily and richly forgives your sins. He richly and daily provides you with all you need to support this body and life. He defends you against all danger and guards and protects you from all evil. Start with His fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, especially if you're having trouble seeing God's goodness simply because there's evil around. God's divine goodness and mercy was what put Christ on the Cross to win you a salvation that no evil could take from you.
Prayer focuses on the character and promises of God. That means if we have to wait to be free of an evil, we can do so knowing with all certainty that we have already been given the victory over it, as surely as Christ is risen from the dead. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Be still, my soul, before the Lord; On God in patience wait. God's love, unseen, surrounds your life; God's help will not be late. ("Be Still, My Soul, before the Lord" LSB 771, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-56 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 7:1-26; Acts 10:34-48
And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. (Luke 1:50)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Nobody likes it, but at least we understand when sinners get hurt by their sin. But what about when you can't figure out whose fault it is? The "church answer" is that the world was broken by Adam's sin. It's true. It just doesn't do much to address that hollow feeling in your stomach that comes from not being able to do anything about it. Or the anger from trying to believe in a God who says He can do something, but doesn't seem to. For all the talk about His love, His forgiveness, His miracles, things still look pretty much the same.
This Christmas text doesn't seem helpful. Today, we step back to a Mary who would have gotten pregnant around the end of March in order to give birth around the end of December. She's pregnant and visiting Elizabeth, probably right around the beginning of June. The Visitation which we celebrate today is carried out by the same God who shaped creation with a Word. Even while being knit together in Mary's womb, He is on a mission to right what has been wronged. Mary sings it in the Magnificat. It's not about what's fair. It's about help for those wronged by sin. Mary sings hope for you.
You. Wrecked one. Damaged by sin that goes so deep it's in the air we breathe and ground into the earth we stand on. You will find a God who looks upon those who are humbled and gives mercy. Who fills the hungry and helps His servant Israel. Those who are knocked down and scattered aren't getting their karma, this isn't economic redistribution. The difference between those brought down and those lifted up is one thing and one thing only. His mercy is on those who fear Him. His mercy is for you and all who believe.
He sees you. Your struggles. Your humiliation. This mess referred to as "your estate." He regards you in mercy. John knows it and rejoices even as he, too, is being formed. God doesn't work by stepping back from creation to do something different, but steps towards you, whom He loves. What is wrong is made right again in bearing that destruction Himself upon the Cross and rising whole and new. In a world that doesn't look like it should--yet--we can know what's coming and sing Mary's hymn, too. Our souls magnify the Lord because even now while we wait, our Lord regards us in mercy, and He acts. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
My soul now magnifies the Lord; My spirit leaps for joy in Him. He keeps me in His kind regard, And I am blest for time to come. ("My Soul Now Magnifies the Lord" LSB 934, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Romans 12:14-21 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 6:6-27; Acts 10:18-33
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. (Romans 12:14)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I can tell you something is a sin because it's in the Bible. Fine. If you want to know why, wait till it's been done against you. It's called wrong because it hurts. Sin breaks stuff. It's easy to see why something is a sin when it's done against you. It's harder when you're the one hurting others, accidentally or otherwise. We get so wrapped up in our passions that we lose sight of the damage we wreak, but when someone hurts us, things get cleared up real quick. It can leave you wanting a God who punishes others more than a God who forgives you, spending each day watching those who hurt you, waiting for them to get theirs. Sometimes they do, but more often than not it looks like they don't. Even if they do, it doesn't give you peace.
If all you can really hope for in life is to see someone else hurt, you don't want peace for yourself, and you'll never get it, either. There's too much sin in this world to keep track of. Even more, it says something about the kind of God you expect. He says He treats all sinners the same. That includes you. Either He forgives you and those who sin against you or He doesn't. They're connected, even into the prayer we pray each day. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."
It's not God dangling your forgiveness in front of you for you to earn by coming up with something of your own. It's a reminder that all forgiveness, for you and for those who sin against you, comes from the same place: the Cross. Remember that Jesus died for your neighbor. "Vengeance is mine," says the Lord. He doesn't ignore what was done against you. He pays for it Himself on the Cross. There's nothing left to repay because Jesus has already paid the price. You can even go look at it. See the crucifix. It's God's justice for every pain caused by someone else, for every pain you held onto, and for every pain you've caused, too.
Vengeance is the Lord's. He paid it to His own Son. He overcame evil with good. Start there, and there is a place for kindness and love for your enemy to be sustained, and even to grow. Bless those who curse you. Call them sinners whom Jesus died for. Heap burning coals on their heads. Show them the source of all that's pure. Show them the censer full of burning coal that touched Isaiah's tongue and put away all his sin. Show them what forgiveness looks like. Show him where it comes from: not your heart, but the Cross. That's forgiveness that overcomes evil with good. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Second Petition Daily Lectionary: Joshua 5:1-6:5; Acts 10:1-17
Thy kingdom come. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Second Petition)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We expect the kingdom of God to be separate from the world. God's kingdom must be a place where no bad things happen, where no sinners do sinful things, where we want for nothing. We figure we can pray this to hasten the Last Day. We try to imagine what it will look like. We lose sight of what the Word says.
Jesus said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." At hand means not far away. Not someday. Here. Now. Where Jesus is. We don't pray, "Thy kingdom come," to help or encourage God to show up, but so that we would see that the kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, and we pray in this petition that it may come to us also. Then we can look at how it does come.
God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity. The kingdom of God is where the King is working. And God is working here for you. This petition calls attention to the fact that God doesn't need things to look perfect in order for Him to dwell with us. It points to the Lord who brought heaven to earth as angelic choirs sang of His birth, as He healed the sick and forgave the sinners, as He conquered death upon the Cross and rose from the grave, and as He feeds you with His Body and Blood to bring the same to you. The same God works where His Word is preached and He calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, and keeps the whole Christian Church on earth, daily and richly forgiving your sins, and the sins of all believers.
This petition is a gift because it points to the places where God is already doing these things. That turns the prayer from a burden into a gift. Now you don't have to hasten God's kingdom. He's bringing it by His Holy Spirit where His Word is preached and His Sacrament is administered. You can know where it is and pray that it is given to you, too. You can find comfort in receiving the gifts. Now you don't have to imagine the resurrection to finally be near God. You can find Him brought near to you. The kingdom of heaven is at hand where the Holy Spirit works repentance by God's Word, that by believing it, you would find comfort in praying to Your Father in heaven, and have life in His only Son. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Your kingdom come. Guard Your domain And Your eternal righteous reign. The Holy Ghost enrich our day With gifts attendant on our way. Break Satan's pow'r, defeat his rage; Preserve Your Church from age to age. ("Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" LSB 766, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Matthew 16:13-20 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 4:1-24; Acts 9:23-43
Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Who do you say that the Son of man is? We're still asking the same question. We're past the days when people haven't heard the name Jesus, but if you listen, you will hear that we all seem to be talking about someone different.
Who do people say that the Son of man is? Some go for the high road and say He is just the example. He's the guy you follow when you feel bad about being bad. He helps you behave better until you don't want to be bad anymore. But most of the time He just ends up being the guy used to bash you over the head when you don't do what someone else wants you to.
Some go for the low road and say He is a bigot. That He calls people sinners in a hate-filled book which does nothing but set the scene for hate crimes in the name of religion. Bigot-Jesus picks the sinners who sin differently than I do and says there's no forgiveness for them until they change, never mind that I've been here confessing the same sins week after week for years.
Have you noticed a common theme yet? Grab hold of the Law, ignore the Gospel completely, then weaponize religion. It's what the people wanted from Elijah. It's what they wanted from John the Baptist and Jeremiah, who were ridiculed and hated by the world and the religious alike, not because they were wrong, but because they called everyone to seek mercy in the Lord, who not only calls sin wrong, but loves sinners enough to forgive them.
But who do you say the Son of man is? This is not a "What does Jesus mean to you?" essay. That's where all of those other ideas went wrong. Not one is a confession of who God is, just speeches about how we'd use Him. You can try to use the Law, but you can only receive the Gospel. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
It makes it look like everyone who hates Him was right all along. Yours is a God who bleeds. Yet He did it for them, and for you. He did it to forgive every standard you fell short of. Every demand of the Law. He died for every sinner who is sinking in despair and hate and pain. He did not wield a weapon, but took up a Cross. He did not come bearing only Law, but brought with it the Gospel. Yours is the God who gives mercy. Yours is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and you have life in His Name. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O love, how deep, how broad, how high, Beyond all thought and fantasy, That God, the Son of God, should take Our mortal form for mortals' sake! ("O Love, How Deep" LSB 544, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Genesis 50:15-21 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 3:1-17; Acts 9:1-22
"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." (Genesis 50:20)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Joseph's brothers are afraid. What if life is fair? What if Joseph's mercy is for their father, but not for them? They know what they deserve. They beg him for mercy, and he weeps. Maybe he's remembering all he went through, or is still mourning his father. Maybe he's humbled. Maybe he's just heartbroken that his brothers still don't understand. That's the problem with speechlessness. It leaves us trying to understand the response based on our own feelings. It leaves us to fill in our own answers. We do the same before the Lord. Since His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways, predictably, we usually get it wrong.
God doesn't want us to fill in the silence on our own. Joseph, full of the Holy Spirit, answers his terrified brothers with a promise that comforts us all. "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today."
He tells them the truth. They meant evil for him. Then He points to God, who has a power that nothing in all His creation has. God meant it for good. He took all of their evil and wove a web that would bring good out of it. That doesn't make the evil acceptable or justify those who commit it. Only the Cross can do that. But it highlights the God who will not leave us to the damage we do to each other and ourselves. He works good from our evil. Only God can take something already ruined and bring about something perfect. Look to the passion of our Lord. Evil everywhere, yet God meant it for good, that many people would be justified, kept alive through death, as they are today. The evil is still evil, but it cannot derail God's purpose: that many would be saved. You can see that in the Cross, too. Now evil is forgiven. You are forgiven.There are times we don't see what God is doing yet, and places He's speechless. It's okay to say that. We go first to the Cross, where God speaks. It is finished. You are saved. At the Cross we can understand the places He's silent.
The greatest thing Joseph can tell his brothers is that they aren't the main actors. God is. It means God did this to Joseph. But again, we can find Him nearby--on the Cross. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Be of good cheer; your cause belongs To Him who can avenge your wrongs; Leave it to Him, our Lord. Though hidden yet from mortal eyes, His Gideon shall for you arise, Uphold you and His Word. ("O Little Flock, Fear not the Foe" LSB 666, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 6:36-42 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 2:1-24; Acts 8:26-40
"Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you read it on its own like it's usually quoted, "Judge not lest ye be judged," is the only command that gets easier the less you care. The less you care about your neighbor, the less you care what they do. The less you care about God's Word, the less you care to talk about uncomfortable things like sin. It's the religion of today, but it's a lonely and bitter one. It can't cope with tragedy. It can't find the source of pain. It can't fix it. It can only lift itself up above someone else who broke its chief commandment. Thou shalt not judge.
There is a second like it: Thou shalt not be a hypocrite. It's catching, even among us. We bring God's Word to bear whenever we notice something our neighbor can't do, so we won't get accused of judging them. We bring it to bear whenever there's something we can't do either, so we don't get accused of being hypocrites. The only thing we're showing is that we care more about what our neighbor thinks of us than what they're going through. This leaves nothing to offer anyone in pain. It speaks only to sinners, but never to victims. It lacks mercy. And that's the whole point of this.
It begins with a promise. Your Father in heaven is merciful. You are of mercy now. Be merciful. It ends with a speck in your neighbor's eye. This is not a call not to ignore your neighbor in pain, but to help them, even if you have to confront your own sin and receive forgiveness for it first. Actually, that's a good plan either way. There is a log in my eye even as there is a speck in yours. The question is, should we leave it there and go on ignoring each other in pain, or should we talk about mercy? Don't worry about judging. Focus on mercy.
Mercy comes from only one place. Jesus gives real mercy. Not just empty words. He backs His by deed and truth. He gives it only to hypocrites who hope in something greater than themselves. It's bad to be a hypocrite, but Jesus saves sinners. He bears the damage sin does and names you forgiven. He calls your neighbor forgiven, too. The more you deal with your neighbor as someone for whom Jesus died, the more peace you find in seeing his sins forgiven. Start with Jesus. End there, too. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, grant that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by Your governance that Your Church may joyfully serve You in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 27:3-4a, 5; antiphon: vs. 1-2 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 1:1-18; Acts 8:1-25
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (From the Introit for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The young man had been taught the faith from the Bible and the Small Catechism. He'd stood before the congregation and confessed that faith as his own. He was confirmed and this verse was given to him as a blessing: "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)
God made a promise to the young man. He Himself would be the light that would guide him through the world. He would give salvation to the young man by grace through faith in Christ. He would be a stronghold of peace and wisdom and protection all his life.
And yet since that day the young man has never been in a church. It's sad that the promises he made were forgotten so easily.
But far sadder is that this verse, and the whole of Psalm 27, conveys a promise that God spoke to the young man which he has never valued. No one could ever buy the blessing which God rejoiced to give him freely in Christ. The comfort that comes from this promise could have been with the young man every day of his life. Every time he came to church to hear more of God's Word and partake of the Supper, he would have come to appreciate more and more the light of Christ and His salvation.
Lord, have mercy on him, and bring him back to the grace you gave him in Baptism and the promise he made in confirmation. Amen! Why share his tale? Because it is the tale of so many people. Do not forget the promise you make in your confirmation. God remembers. The Church remembers. So should you. But most of all, do not abandon the light and salvation that God gives to you in Christ. Today is a day to remember the salvation of Christ. Don't let it go by. The Spirit calls you to repent and believe.
And to those who love a person who has forgotten their Savior: Don't give up hope. While there is yet breath, the Spirit calls to them to repent. Pray. Christ prays with you. All the Church does, too. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
(Your name), the almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given you the new birth of water and the Spirit and has forgiven you all your sins, strengthen you with His grace to life everlasting. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 31:10-31; John 21:1-25
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The world has much to say to young people about who they are and what they should look for in life.
In recent years, this advice has gone from bad to awful. Our country has closed its eyes to the fact that God made human beings male and female, and that He gives a man and a woman into marriage. When these basic truths are lost, life gets harder for those who believe in Christ. How do we live in light of what is good when our society willingly calls good evil, and evil good?
Proverbs 31 speaks to us about what is true and valuable in life. The woman in this chapter is a believer in God. She's forgiven in Christ and He works in her to bear fruit in the good works she does for her family and neighbors.
The wife described here isn't saved because she rises early to work and cares for her household well. She's saved by God's grace. No woman does all these things all the time. But this chapter is of great value because it speaks honestly about the type of good works that are available to a married woman. She cares for her husband and children (if God gives them). She works diligently in whatever vocation she has. She cares for the poor, and she instructs others using words of wisdom and kindness.
A married life between a godly husband and wife is wise and beautiful. It provides tremendous opportunities to give and receive love. It helps protect you against the troubles of traveling through this sin-broken world. You'll rarely receive praise from the world for being a godly wife. But you will receive praise from the man whom you love and the children you share. Or you will receive praise from a wife who loves and values you as a husband.
Proverbs 31 doesn't promise you things will work out in the way it describes. Not everyone marries or has children. But it does guide you to be a woman (or a man!) who trusts in God for salvation and serves her family in love. If you don't marry and have children, you haven't failed. The Proverbs 31 woman had several vocations where she served others in love. Christ is always your Lord and He strengthens you in whichever way He provides. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Then here will I and mine today A solemn promise make and say: Though all the world forsake His Word, I and my house will serve the Lord! ("Oh Blest the House" LSB 862, st.5)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 1:57-80 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 30:1-9, 18-33; John 20:1-18
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways. (Luke 1:76)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Church has been celebrating the incarnation of Christ since the Gospel was first proclaimed (Genesis 3:15). After Adam and Eve sinned, God called them out of their hiding place of fear and shame. He promised to send a Messiah to rescue them from sin and death. The Seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head.
The promise of the Messiah is woven throughout the Old Testament, through the words of Moses and the prophets, and through the sacrifices and feasts the Jews were commanded to observe. Believers looked with hope and anticipation to the time when God would send the Christ.
And ever since Jesus won His victory on the Cross, the Church has continued to celebrate the mystery of the incarnation. All year long we find events that remind us that the Son of God became man. From the Annunciation, Visitation and Birth of John, to Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and the Presentation, Christ our incarnate Lord is proclaimed.
The mystery of the incarnation is so wonderful that we think about it all the time, just as our brothers and sisters did in the Old Testament. Today, we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist, and we rejoice that his entire life was spent pointing to the incarnate Lord.
When the angel Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to Jesus the Messiah, he told her that her aged cousin Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy. Mary went immediately to see her.
At the sound of her greeting, John the Baptist, yet in the womb, leapt for joy because his Messiah, Jesus, was present in Mary's womb (Luke 1:41-45). John believed in Jesus even before he was born, and proclaimed Him as Messiah even before he could speak.
He did this all his life. Through his preaching and baptizing he called people to repent and be ready for Jesus. He still speaks that message to us today. On his birthday, we hear his joyful call to repent and believe in Christ, the incarnate Son of God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, through John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, You once proclaimed salvation. Now grant that we may know this salvation and serve You in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, First Petition Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 27:1-24; John 20:1-18
Hallowed be Thy name. What does this mean? God's name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also. How is God's name kept holy? God's name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven! But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God's Word profanes the name of God among us. Protect us from this, heavenly Father! (Small Catechism,Lord's Prayer, First Petition)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you could ask for anything in the world and be confident you would get it, what would it be? Before you answer, remember the old saying, "Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it." Receiving what you ask for can bring unintended consequences.
Thankfully, Jesus guides you in the Lord's Prayer to pray for the best things possible. In the First Petition, you begin by asking for God's Name to be holy. This might seem strange, since God's Name is always holy anyway. But you're asking that God's Name will be holy in your life, in your family, and congregation.
God makes His Name holy in you through His Word, the Bible. He causes you to hear it and understand it and believe it. He sends you pastors and teachers who explain it clearly. He gives you a good congregation in which to gather to hear Christ preached and to receive the Sacraments. In this petition you ask that God's Word would be given to you in its truth and purity. You're asking that no false doctrines would be taught, so that no one is deceived. You're also asking that you, your family, and your congregation would hear the Word of God and follow it faithfully, living according to what God says.
And finally, you're also pleading that anyone who has fallen away from believing or living according to God's Word would be drawn to repent and believe again. And may the Gospel of Christ also reach those who have never heard the Word. Lord, have mercy!
"Hallowed be Thy name." Rejoice in the teaching of Jesus and ask for this petition first. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Your name be hallowed. Help us Lord, In purity to keep your Word, That to the glory of Your name We walk before You free from blame. Let no false teaching us pervert; All poor deluded souls convert. ("Our Father, Who from Heaven Above LSB" 766, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 Peter 5:6-11 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 25:1-22; John 19:23-42
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Imagine you're on a nature hike. You're strolling down your favorite trail, taking in the sights and scents of nature. Suddenly you hear a loud ROAR down the path. You look up and see a lion prowling toward you. That would change your trek a bit, wouldn't it?
Peter compares Satan to a roaring lion, seeking prey to devour. His prey is a baptized child of God. He hunts with temptations to sin, lies about God's Word, and persecution from the world. A Christian walking through this world cannot ignore Satan's roaring threats any more than a hiker can ignore a lion on the trail.
When you were baptized into Christ, you were made God's child. You were marked by God as His own. He forgives your sins. He sends His angels to watch over you. You are redeemed by Christ the crucified.
And Satan hates all of that. He hates Christ. He hates you. As you go through this world, it is vital that you remember this. But Jesus, the Good Shepherd, knows how to deal with a lion. Look to Him to keep you safe from harm.
First, be a humble sheep in His flock. Don't be proud and go running away from Him. Even when times are hard, follow where Jesus leads. He knows what He is doing.
Second, look to Him for all you need. As a sheep bleats when hungry or thirsty, you can bleat to Jesus, too. Tell Him your anxieties. Trust that He cares and can help. Thank Him for His mercy even before the help arrives.
Third, stay with the flock. You are not alone. The lion threatens all your brothers and sisters in Christ. You're all in this together. Together you hear God's Word, sing His praise, partake of the Supper, and help one another. You're much stronger when you go through trials with your church family.
God is faithful and He will strengthen you. His strength will be a blessing long after the hardships are over. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
I walk with Jesus all the way, His guidance never fails me; Within His wounds I find a stay when Satan's pow'r assails me; And by His footsteps led, My path I safely tread. No evil leads my soul astray; I walk with Jesus all the way. ("I Walk in Danger All the Way" LSB 716, st.5)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Micah 7:18-20 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 24:1-22; John 19:1-22
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. (Micah 7:18)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God is a just Judge and a forgiving Savior. God created a perfect world, but that world rebelled and turned to sin. He watches over all people and all things. He works to keep order and peace in the world through His Law. He judges those who are wicked, because He is a holy God and will not abide evil. As we walk through this broken world and endure the sins others commit against us, we understand how vital it is that God is just. It would be awful to have a God who didn't care.
But God's justice is applied to all people equally. The just Judge applies the Law to all of us and we are found guilty. We have sinned against God and against our neighbor. For that we truly deserve both temporal death and eternal damnation.
But God doesn't want to punish people. He rejoices to give grace and forgiveness. You can hear that in our reading from Micah 7. Israel had sinned badly. They lied about God's Word. They stole from the poor. They truly deserved the punishment God gave them. But that would not be the end of the story.
God also gives forgiveness. "He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:19). God rejoices to give forgiveness! "He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love" (Micah 7:18b).
But how can God be both a just Judge who holds people accountable for sin, and a gracious Savior who forgives sins?
The answer is the Cross of Christ. Jesus willingly took the punishment for our sins. God's justice was fulfilled as Jesus died. But since Jesus had committed no sin, death could not hold Him once the punishment was finished. He rose again!
All who believe in Jesus are forgiven by grace. God has punished Christ for your sins so that He can graciously forgive your sins through faith in Christ. Who else is a God like this? In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Since Christ has full atonement made and brought to us salvation, Each Christian therefore may be glad and build on this foundation. Your grace alone, dear Lord, I plead, Your death is now my life indeed, For You have paid my ransom. ("Salvation unto Us Has Come" LSB 555, st.6)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 15: 1-10 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:22-23:12; John 18:15-20
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." (Luke 15:1,2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There are two groups of people drawing near to Jesus. Jesus loves them both. The tax collectors and sinners (TC&S) have been alienated from God because of their sin but Jesus has called them. He has forgiven their sins and they rejoice in His grace.
The Pharisees and scribes (P&S) are also there. They love the Old Testament. They know that Jesus is a great teacher, but they don't understand that He is the Son of God, the Messiah promised in the Law and the prophets.
The P&S see Jesus eating with the TC&S. They fear that Jesus is condoning their sins. This fear makes them angry at Jesus.
But Jesus isn't condoning their actions. He's forgiving their sins. He will pay for them by dying on the Cross. Their sins will be cleansed by His blood--and so will the sins of the P&S. The death of Christ is the only source of forgiveness in the whole world, but thankfully, it's available to all!
Jesus wants the TC&S and the P&S to live together as one flock, one family in God. In these parables, He teaches them (and us) how to be one Church.
The TC&S are the lost sheep and the lost coin. Jesus is the One who searches for them. If He doesn't find them, they will perish. The driving force of each of these parables is the great desire of the person searching for the lost thing.
After the One who searches finds the missing treasure, He calls His friends and neighbors together. They're invited to rejoice with Him. But do they rejoice? The text doesn't give their response. Will the P&S join to celebrate with Jesus that He has found the people who were lost? Or will they stand in stony silence?
Dear friend, remember two things. One: Jesus rejoices that He has found you, and you are His through repentance and faith. Two: Jesus also rejoices over the other people whom He rescues. Join Him in His joy, no matter what sins you or they have done. What Christ washes away is cleansed in truth. Christ makes you all one holy Church! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Jesus sinners doth receive; Oh, may all this saying ponder Who in sin's delusions live and from God and heaven wander! Here is hope for all who grieve: Jesus sinners doth receive. ("Jesus Sinners Doth Receive" LSB 609, st.1) Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Third Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 25:1-2a, 5b, 15, 20: antiphon: vs. 16, 18) Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:1-21; John 18:1-14
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. (From the Introit for the Third Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In our Gospel reading for this coming Sunday (Luke 15:1-10), we hear about how the tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to hear Jesus. These were people who had done things that were truly wrong. They'd harmed people in their families, their community, and their congregations. They could not fix the hurt they had caused. People looked down on them because of the pain they'd caused.
But Jesus welcomed them. He forgave their sins and healed their shame. They had sinned, but Jesus had taken those sins away. They could trust Christ to be their strength and their comfort.
Our Introit for this coming Sunday is from Psalm 25. It describes faith in God from the perspective of one who depends on God to forgive his sins and heal his shame. It gives words so the heart can understand the kind of love that God alone can give.
God gives this welcoming love to you. This psalm is given to you so you can pray it back to God. Your heart cries out to Him, "Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins" (Psalm 25:1,2a). Christ Jesus is the kind of Savior who hears you and turns to you in grace.
Jesus finds you lonely and afflicted and comforts you. He comes to you in your isolation when you've let down the people you love and let yourself down. He comes to you in the desolate place where your own thoughts about yourself are even more harsh than the things your worst enemies could say about you. He speaks another Word in that maelstrom of guilt and shame.
Jesus speaks peace. He speaks forgiveness. He speaks love. And what He speaks is truly yours. Christ alone has the power to give this to you. He is God Almighty. His love isn't yours on condition of doing better. It's not yours because you will try harder to be good. No. He just plain forgives you. He loves you. He brings peace to you. And no one else can. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed But yet in love He sought me And on His shoulder gently laid And home rejoicing brought me. ("The King of Love My Shepherd Is" LSB 709, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 20:5-25; John 17:1-26
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Proverbs 9:10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The world can be a confusing place for people of any age. You're introduced to opinions and ideas all the time. How can you evaluate them and embrace what is wise and reject what's wrong? How do you apply the wisdom of God to real life? The book of Proverbs is an ideal help--full of practical statements about how to live in a godly way. The more you ponder and remember them, the more the Holy Spirit uses them to guide you.
Look at our reading for today. There are 15 verses. They're short and to the point. Some speak to the same topic, like verses 10, 17, and 23. They teach you that God values honesty. He notices even small business transactions to make sure they are just, and because God values justice, you can look to Him when you're wronged.
Verses 18 and 25 teach you to contemplate what you should say so you don't speak rashly. Verse 13 teaches you to be diligent and work hard. Verse 19 warns you to watch out for people who repeat things that are told to them in confidence. If they tell you the secrets of others, they will tell other people your confidences, too.
Verse 20 tells you how much God pays attention to the Fourth Commandment. Honor your father and mother, that it may be well with you. Then it flips the coin to show you the other side. Those who curse their mother and father will have their lights snuffed out and be in darkness.
Verse 7 is related to that. A righteous man who walks in integrity passes a blessing on to his children. Give thanks to God for righteous parents who love God's Word. Strive to be a blessing to others as they have been to you.
But remember verse 9! No one can say that they have made their heart pure. No one can say they are clean from sin by their own deeds. Not you. Not your parents. Not your pastor or teacher. The most important wisdom is that Jesus forgives your sins by grace. We repent daily of our sins, daily He cleanses us, and daily He leads us in wisdom and love. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, without Your help our labor is useless, and without Your light our search is in vain. Invigorate our study of Your holy Word that, by due diligence and right discernment, we may establish ourselves and others in Your holy faith; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 John 3:13-18 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 17:1-28; John 16:17-33
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. (1 John 3:16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today, the apostle John makes it clear that there are two groups of people in the world: those who hate their brother and those who love their brother. To which group do we belong?
We are those who have been loved by Christ Jesus. He rescued us from our sin, from the hatred we had shown against God and our neighbor. He has cleansed us in His blood and given us new life in Baptism. We are no longer children of the world. We are children of God (1 John 3:1). He then sends us out to love our brothers.
Sadly, the world is full of people who deny Christ and hate Him. As they hate Christ, they also hate those who are in Christ and part of the Church. Do not be surprised when the world hates you. This is the normal course of history.
Fear not, for you are in Christ, He goes with you through this sin-broken world. He looks after you. He sends His angels to protect you. And you are surrounded by your brothers and sisters in Christ who help you. Stay close to Christ and to your family in Christ in your congregation. This is especially important as the troubles in our world grow!
So how do we respond to the hatred of the world? Not in fear, for Christ is victorious. Not in hatred, for Christ loves and does not hate. Rather, we respond in love. We love our brothers and sisters in Christ and help one another. Sometimes we give help. Sometimes others help us. But our lives are marked by the love of Christ in deed and in truth.
We offer love to those outside the Church, too. Never underestimate the power of God's love when shared with someone who has only known the darkness of sin and death! Sometimes our love is rejected. Fear not! There's tremendous strength in giving love when you are hated.
Remember the power of prayer, as we ask God for justice and peace in the world (1 Timothy 2:1-4). The love of Christ gives great strength to the people of God. Sometimes we may forget that, but Christ will remind us of it, and it will be beautiful. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, grant us a steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, a cheerful hope in Your mercy, and a sincere love for You and one another; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Introduction Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 16:1-24; John 16:1-16
Our Father who art in heaven. What does this mean? With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father. (Small Catechism, Lord's Prayer, Introduction)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Imagine for a moment that you wanted to show tenderness to a little puppy you had adopted. What would you do? You'd stoop down to it. Pick it up gently. Hold it close to you. Speak softly to it and pet it. And you would do all of this over and over again, so this helpless creature would learn to trust you, to look to you for good, and to rejoice in your care.
How does God show you tenderness when He wants you to know that He is the One who has created you and cares for you? How does God show you tenderness when you have been adopted as His child in Baptism? How does God teach you to look to Him for good and to rejoice in His presence?
He teaches you this in the Lord's Prayer. Your Father tenderly invites you to believe that He is your true Father and that you are His true child, so that you may ask Him boldly for the things included in the Lord's Prayer, which encompasses all that you need for this daily life.
This prayer was given as a gift from God when you were baptized. Every time you pray it, you pray to your dear Father, along with Jesus, who taught it to you and prays with you, through the Spirit who draws you to faith.
You pray for the things Jesus taught you to ask. You ask for them from the Father who promised to give them. You receive them by the faith the Holy Spirit has worked in you.
Each time you pray this prayer, it's a miracle of the Holy Trinity into whom you have been baptized and by whom you have been saved. Your Father tenderly invites you to believe that you are His child by this new birth, so that you can come to Him with all the confidence of one who is saved by the grace of Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Our Father, who from heaven above bids all of us to live in love As members of one family and pray to You in unity, Teach us no thoughtless words to say but from our inmost hearts to pray. ("Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" LSB 766, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Proverbs 9:1-10 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 15:1-29; John 15:12-27
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Proverbs 9:10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The time we live in is filled with many confused people who think they are wise, but are not. The prevailing wisdom of our age is to reject the clear teaching of the Bible about what is true and false, right and wrong. Those who have rejected God's Word and His ways cry aloud to people to follow after them on the path they have chosen. You can hear their siren call in the government, schools, and streets. It's in much of the media and all over the internet.
How can a young person today distinguish what is actually wise when there are so many voices shouting their own brand of "wisdom"? The book of Proverbs is a good place to start. It's filled with Holy Spirit-inspired wisdom regarding how to walk in a good way through this mixed up world.
In Proverbs 9:1-12, you hear Wisdom calling out to you to hear her teaching and fear the LORD. She tells you the good you will get from her: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it" (Proverbs 9:10-12).
In Proverbs 9:13-18 you hear a different voice: Folly calls out to you. She entices you to a life of sin that sounds sweet but leads to death. She calls you to forget God and come to her feast of pleasure. But the guests at her feast are already dead--they just don't know it yet.
Proverbs is an exceptionally good book to read regularly. It calls you to fear the LORD. To respect that He is God and He is a just judge. To trust that He is merciful to forgive all who repent and trust in Christ Jesus for forgiveness. Proverbs teaches you to reject the dangerous things of this world that lead to death, and to trust in God, who leads you to life everlasting. . In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Wisdom's highest, noblest treasure, Jesus, is revealed in You. Let me find in You my pleasure, and my wayward will subdue. Humility there and simplicity reigning, in paths of true wisdom my steps ever training. If I learn from Jesus this knowledge divine, the blessing of heavenly wisdom is mine. ("One Thing's Needful" LSB 536, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: John 15:1-11
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me." And he said, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so." (2 Kings 2:9-10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In 2 Kings 2:1-14 we read how the LORD took the prophet Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, accompanied by a fiery chariot. Elisha had been his assistant for many years. Before Elijah was taken up, Elisha asked for a double portion of the Holy Spirit, who had been with Elijah during his ministry. God gave that to Elisha, and he went on to serve as a prophet for many years. The courage and wisdom he had to do the work God gave him to do was there because of the Spirit.
The blessing given to Elisha reminds us of Ascension Day, when the apostles watched Jesus ascend into heaven. Ten days later the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Church to empower the apostles to be witnesses for Christ. The Gospel was preached and faith was created. People were called to repentance and were reborn in Holy Baptism. The Spirit caused the Gospel to spread, and He is still doing that today through the same Word and Sacraments.
So as we hear about Elisha, and the strength the Spirit gave to him, we also thank God for the Spirit given to us in the Word and in Baptism. That same Spirit brought us to Christ and keeps us in Christ. He comforts us with the Gospel so that we learn what Christ taught and come to trust in Him. He strengthens us to serve others in the love of Christ, doing the vocations we are given in this world.
Thanks be to God for the work the Spirit did in and through the prophet Elisha. Thanks be to God for the gracious work the Spirit does to bring us to Christ and keep us in Him always. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Lord God, heavenly Father, through the prophet Elisha, You continued 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.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 14:15-24 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 13:1-25; John 14:18-31
When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" (Luke 14:15)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The LORD is our God who has created us. He provides all that we need to support this body and life--in the Lord's Prayer, we call this "our daily bread."
The LORD our God redeemed us from sin and death. Jesus said, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh" (John 6:51).
We need our daily bread in order to survive physically in this world. We need Christ, the Living Bread, to have peace with God in this world and eternal life in the next.
In the Lord's Supper, our daily bread and the Living Bread come to us at the same moment. Jesus gave us the Sacrament so that we eat and drink His Body and Blood under the bread and wine for the forgiveness of our sins.
This feast lasts forever. Christ gives it to His Church, and by His grace we will partake with Him at the marriage feast of the Lamb, which will never end (Revelation 19:9). Who could possibly number the blessings God gives us in the Lord's Supper?
A person at the table in our reading today said, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" But Jesus responded with a warning we all need to hear. Most people in this world will reject the invitation to eat bread in the kingdom of God because they are too concerned about their lives in this world.
People give excuses why they won't come to church or partake of the Supper. The things that distract them aren't bad, but they have made them more important than God, and that is bad. They forfeit a relationship with God, the giver of all good things. They don't care about the Giver, but they only want the gifts. So many people leave the best gift God gives on the table.
Lord, keep us in your grace and call back to your feast those who have wandered. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, since You never fail to help and govern those whom You nurture in Your steadfast fear and love, work in us a perpetual fear and love of Your holy name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Second Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 18:1-2a, 27, 30a, 49; antiphon: vs. 18b-19) Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 10:1-23; John 14:1-17
The Lord was my support in the day of my calamity. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. (From the Introit for the Second Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our Introit for the Second Sunday after Trinity comes from Psalm 18. It is a long psalm, so the Introit makes it accessible for the worship service, but do yourself a favor and read the psalm in its entirety. David wrote most of the psalms. This psalm was so important to him that it is also found in 2 Samuel 22. David celebrates here that God rescued him from the hand of Saul and from all his enemies.
Over the years David had many enemies. Think about it this way: How many people in the world do you know who have been attacked by a bear? How about a lion? How about a 9-foot-tall highly trained, magnificently equipped, enraged warrior? How about an army of thousands of his friends? How about a king who is consumed with jealousy? And his whole army?
But David was safe through all these attacks and more. He says,"The Lord was my support in the day of my calamity. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me" (Psalm 18:18b-19).
This psalm is a beautiful one to read well and often because it gives you words to express thankfulness to God. You probably have never been attacked by a lion, a giant, or a king and his army. But this psalm still applies to you because it also speaks about Christ Jesus, and you are baptized into Him.
David was the King of Israel, but so is Jesus. Christ came as the descendant of David, and He is enthroned forever. He is the King of the Jews who was falsely accused by powerful enemies and then hung upon the Cross. He defeated one who is greater than Goliath, when He crushed the serpent's head upon the Cross. He burst out of the tomb on Easter, never to die again. And He brings us with Him from death to life.
In this psalm you join with David in praising the LORD as you thank Jesus for His victory that saves you. And you also thank Jesus, your Good Shepherd, that He protects you on the way through this hard world. Thanks be to God! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In God, my faithful God, I trust when dark my road; Great woes may overtake me, yet He will not forsake me. My troubles He can alter; His hand lets nothing falter. ("In God, My Faithful God" LSB 745, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Mark 6:7-13 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 9:1-18; John 13:21-28
Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyrus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 4:36-37)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today we thank God for redeeming Barnabas by grace through faith in Christ! We praise God for all that He worked through Barnabas for the good of the Church. Barnabas teaches us to be strong in the Gospel and active in charity.
Barnabas trusted in Christ. The apostles gave him the name Barnabas, which means "son of encouragement." He was generous with his gifts and used them to encourage others, as he did here, selling his field and giving the money to the apostles to support the work of the Gospel.
Barnabas was bold. After Saul (also known as St. Paul) was converted to Christ, he came to Jerusalem to see the apostles. They refused to see him because they thought it might be a trap. But Barnabas brought Saul to them. and they learned they could trust Saul.
When the Gospel was preached to the Gentiles in Antioch, the Church chose to send Barnabas to build up the new believers in Christ. Barnabas was known to all as "a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith." He exhorted the new believers to be faithful to the Lord Jesus and not to abandon their faith when things got hard.
Barnabas went to Tarsus so that he could bring Paul to Antioch, where they continued preaching and preparing for their missionary journeys (Acts 11:23-26). Think of how important it has been for the Church through the ages that Barnabas sought out Paul and supported him!
May God bless the Church today with believers like Barnabas who encourage others in Christ, love the Word of God, and give charity to support the work of the Gospel! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Almighty God, Your faithful servant Barnabas sought not his own renown but gave generously of his life and substance for the encouragement of the apostles and their ministry. Grant that we may follow his example in lives given to charity and the proclamation of the Gospel; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 8:22-36, John 13:1-20
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. (John 13:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus was about to go out to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He would be arrested. Then He would be tortured, falsely tried, and crucified. But before He went out to be the sacrifice for our sins, He got up from His dinner and girded Himself to wash the disciples' feet. One by one He cleansed them and taught them that as He has served them, so they ought to serve one another.
Only the next day, Christ would be taken down from the Cross and prepared for burial. His body (and feet) were coated with the blood that poured from His many wounds. As His followers prepared His body with spices, they also gently would have cleansed away the blood that had caked around His feet. They washed the feet of the One who had washed them. From His nail-pierced feet, they tenderly cleansed away the very blood that cleanses us from our sins.
Christ doesn't kneel before us and wash our feet as He did that night, but we have been washed in the blood that poured from His wounds, dripped down His body, and dried on His skin. That blood has washed us in our Baptism. In those waters, the Spirit washed us in Christ, joined us to His death, and we now live in peace with the Father.
We bear the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are justified by His grace and adopted into His family, the Church. And in this holy Church, you turn to your neighbor. In your neighbor, you see someone else cleansed by Christ--another person loved by the same Savior who has loved you. You see your neighbor in need. In need of love and compassion and service in any of the thousands of ways that life brings.
And now you understand the point of Christ washing the disciple's feet. Jesus serves you. Jesus serves your neighbor. Jesus invites you to serve them along with Him. Don't consider it beneath you to serve your neighbor. Instead, treasure the incredible lifelong honor of serving alongside Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Jesus took the role of servant when upon that gruesome span, For all human sin He suffered as a vile and loathsome man; On the cross poured out like water to fulfill the Father's plan. ("Jesus, Greatest at the Table" LSB 446, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Third Article, part 2 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 8:1-21; John 12:36b-50
In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise up me and all the dead and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true. (Small Catechism, Apostles Creed, Third Article) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John 12 is a helpful reading for our devotion today as we look at the explanation of the Third Article of the Creed. Jesus is reaching the end of His public ministry. He's taught for three years, performing miracles and signs that clearly show He is the Messiah. The Spirit has worked through His teaching to draw many to faith. Whenever the Gospel of Christ is proclaimed, the Holy Spirit accompanies it with power to draw people to faith in Christ and give them salvation. The Spirit calls people to faith, forgives their sins, enlightens them to understand the Gospel, and sanctifies them as they walk with Christ. But whenever Jesus taught or did miracles, some people hardened their hearts and refused to believe in Him. The Spirit brought the light of Christ to them, but they loved the darkness, so they were left in their blindness. This is a good warning to us all. Let us not despise the gifts of Christ! Thanks be to God that the gifts of Christ are still here for us all. The Word is here before you now. The Word will be proclaimed this Sunday. The forgiveness of sins is yours in Christ Jesus through the Means of Grace (the Word, Holy Baptism, and Holy Communion). You can trust that He saves you by His grace. The Spirit who has drawn you to faith keeps you in the faith and showers upon you the forgiveness of sins by the blood of Christ. The Spirit does this all your life. He is faithful to keep you in faith until you are home in heaven. And on the Last Day, when Christ comes again, the Spirit who has given you life in Christ will raise you from the dead. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast, Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host, Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: Alleluia! Alleluia! ("For All the Saints" LSB 677, st.8)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 John 4:16-21 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 5:1-23; John 12:20-36a
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Faith is not easy. It can be hard to believe that God loves us as much as He does, because we know all the ways that we have sinned against God, against other people, and even against ourselves. We know we deserve punishment from God, yet He comes to us in love and saves us.
1 John 4 is a beautiful chapter because it tells us how God gives us His love in Christ. "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:9-11).
Love starts with God because He is love. He made His love clearly manifest to you by sending His Son Jesus. He has brought you to Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that you may have life in Him. Jesus is the propitiation for your sins. He is the sacrifice that takes your sins away, so you have peace with God.
It can be hard to believe that God loves you this much. But God is persistent! He strengthens you in faith through His Word, in your Baptism, and at the Supper. The Holy Spirit works through all these things to bring you the love the Father has given you in Christ Jesus.
This is why we love others. This is why hating someone is not an option. Christ loves you and He loves the person you hate. He wants them to repent and be saved. Would you dare ask Him to stop loving them and to join you in hating them? God is love. He won't do that. He won't join you in hate. Instead, He brings you into His love.
At times, it's hard to love others. Sometimes certain relationships aren't safe. Turn to Christ. He forgives you. Ask Him to help you forgive. He is the Lord of love. You can trust Him to help. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, grant us a steadfast love in Jesus Christ, a cheerful hope in Your mercy, and a sincere love for You and one another; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Genesis 15:1-6 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 4:1-27; John 12:1-19
And (the LORD) brought (Abram) outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:5,6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When Abram was 75 and his wife Sarai was 65, the LORD spoke to him and said, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:1-3).
Abram believed God told the truth and he obeyed. They left their home and settled in Canaan, waiting on the LORD to fulfill His promise. They waited. And waited. Abraham was 100 when Sarah gave birth to Isaac. Decades after the initial promise, God shows Abram the stars of heaven and says his descendants will outnumber them… and Abram still believed God.
Paul describes Abraham's faith in Romans 4: "In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, ‘So shall your offspring be.' He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead… or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness'" (Romans 4:18-22).
Faith doesn't just save Abraham. It saves all who believe in Christ. Paul continues, "But the words ‘it was counted to him' were not written for Abraham's sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification" (Romans 4:23-25). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The whole triumphant host give thanks to God on high. "Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!" They ever cry. Hail Abraham's God and mine! I join the heavenly lays: All might and majesty are Thine and endless praise! ("The God of Abraham Praise" LSB 798, st.9)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 16:19-31 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 3:5-24; John 11:38-57
…"If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead." (Luke 16:31b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today, we meet Lazarus. He has the distinction of being the only character in Jesus' parables to be given a name. Lazarus means, "One whom God helps."
Every day, Lazarus' friends lay him outside the gate of a rich man so that he might receive scraps from the rich man's table. God intended to help Lazarus through the compassion of the rich man. The bounty given to the rich man should be shared in mercy with Lazarus, and God would bless both of them. But the rich man closed his heart toward Lazarus. Instead of helping him, he left Lazarus to suffer in hunger and illness, poverty and shame.
Soon, both die. God lives up to the promise in Lazarus' name. The angels carry Lazarus away from the sorrows of this world to the peace of eternal life. The rich man is sent to hell. His lack of faith in God and lack of repentance for his sins lead him to eternal punishment. Even in hell he still has no respect for Lazarus. He suggests that God send Lazarus down to the fires of hell for the miniscule comfort of a drop of water on his tongue.
God would have none of it. God gave these good things to Lazarus and they will never be taken away. The rich man begs God to send Lazarus to his brothers to warn them that they, too, will be damned if they don't repent. But God has given them mercy already! Moses and the prophets call them to repent and believe. If they will not hear them, why would they believe if someone (Jesus!) were to rise from the dead?
In Baptism we are all Lazarus--one whom God helps! Jesus teaches us that the Church is a place of mercy. God has mercy on us in Christ Jesus. And because God has had mercy on us, we should show His love by serving our neighbor.
We gather together and hear Moses and the prophets, Jesus and His apostles. Through their words the Holy Spirit brings us to repent and believe so that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. All glory be to Him! Amen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
"Come unto Me, ye weary, and I will give you rest." O blessed voice of Jesus, which comes to hearts oppressed! It tells of benediction, or pardon, grace and peace, Of joy that has no ending, or love that cannot cease. ("Come unto Me, Ye Weary" LSB 684, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the First Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 13:1-4; antiphon: vs. 5-6) Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 1:8-33; John 11:17-37
[O Lord,] I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. (From the Introit for the First Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Psalm 13 was written by David during a time of suffering, likely while he had to flee for his life from King Saul. He spent years in hiding and was at times a hair's breadth away from death. At times David got weary. At times he felt forgotten. At times he cried out to God in frustration, as he does in this psalm. He pours out the anguish of his heart before God. But note how the psalm ends.
David confesses his faith. "I have trusted in Your steadfast love…" All his life, David counted on the fact that God's love is strong and never fails. He knows that despite the trouble he endures, God's love has not changed. "My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation…" David is confident that God will save him from Saul. He's also sure that God will save him from his sins and give him eternal life. He waits with confidence for that salvation. And then we read something amazing: "I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me." David's troubles are still there, but in faith he proclaims that God is already good to him. David praises God, trusting His mercy, even before he sees the answer to his prayers. We can relate to the type of trouble and frustration that David expresses. We learn from this psalm to trust the Lord's promises in Christ even while we are in the midst of trouble. God's eternal faithfulness was shown when Christ died and rose for us. He washed us into that death and resurrection of Christ in Baptism. As the Father was faithful to raise Christ from the dead, so He is faithful to raise those who are joined to Christ in Baptism. The troubles of life come and go, but the love of God to us in Christ Jesus is forever. Sing this psalm with David and with all the Church, because God has dealt bountifully with us in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, because of Your tender love toward us sinners You have given us Your Son that, believing in Him, we might have everlasting life. Continue to grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may remain steadfast in this faith to the end and finally come to life everlasting; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 12:1-14; John 11:1-16
Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them." (Ecclesiastes 12:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God gave King Solomon special wisdom from God so that he could be a good king over Israel (See 1 Kings 3). You hear powerful wisdom from Solomon in our reading today from Ecclesiastes 12, but it's not easy to hear. He describes the dark days that come to a person and their family when they are about to die. It's a stark reading.
So why read it? Because death is a reality and it comes to all people. People who live their lives trying to ignore the end of life get lost in vanity. But is it wise to think only of death, since life is temporary? Definitely not!
Solomon teaches us that we should honor life! But how? By remembering the Creator of life. The only way to handle the challenges of this world is to be close to our Creator who gives us life. He keeps us safe from death so that we can receive with thanksgiving the good that He gives each day.
When do you start remembering and honoring your Creator? While you are still young, so that your years are marked by thankfulness as you receive His gifts.
How do you remember your Creator? Luther gives you a simple way in the Small Catechism, where he explains the Apostles Creed, the path of baptismal life in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
This is the path of wisdom. The articles of the Apostles Creed teach you about the Father who created you, the Son who rescued you from sin and death on the Cross, and the Holy Spirit who brings you to faith in Christ and gives you peace with the Father.
This is the life of Baptism into Christ. When you remember your Creator in your youth, you're remembering you are baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God has made you His own child in Baptism. This baptismal life is not vain or futile like the lives King Solomon decries, but it is a life of peace in Christ now and forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless; Ills have no weight and tears no bitterness. Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still if Thou abide with me! ("Abide With Me" LSB 878, st.5)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Romans 11:33-36 Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 11:1-10; John 10:22-42
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! (Romans 11:33)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Romans gives a beautiful explanation of how God saves sinful man through His Son, Jesus Christ. Make it a regular read throughout your life. You'll always find a richer and deeper understanding of your faith. The call to repent of sin is so strong, but the grace of God in Christ Jesus is even stronger, speaking forgiveness to you.
In Romans, Paul shows you that you have no power to conquer sin through your works, but that God in His wisdom and power defeated sin to save you.
Romans demonstrates the depth of Christ's love in that He died on the Cross to redeem you. It teaches you the power of forgiveness and love as you are baptized into the death of Christ. It proclaims God's love in Christ for both Jews and Gentiles. This is a beautiful book. Every time you read it, you grow in appreciation that the almighty God has such power to save you.
Could you possibly measure the riches of salvation God has for you in Christ? Could you count the blessings God has given you in creating you? Could you quantify the depth of love He has toward you that He rescued you from sin and death to bring you to heaven?
All of time is an ongoing story of God's love--how He created you, redeemed you, and keeps you in faith in Christ through the Gospel. All of eternity is marked by the glory of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Romans reveals this glory, telling how the Holy Trinity works so completely to save you and keep you in the faith.
When we look not at the glory of God's creation, but also at the problems that sin brings into this world, who can figure out a solution? God can. God's answer is the Cross of Christ--the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…" (Romans 1:16a). He has worked this blessing, He has given it to you, and He will bring you home. Glory be to God! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Holy Father, holy Son, Holy Spirit, three we name Thee; Though in essence only one, undivided God we claim Thee And, adoring, bend the knee while we own the mystery. ("Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" LSB 940, st.5)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Third Article, pt. 1 Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 10:1-20; John 10:1-21
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. (Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Third Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our focus today is this section from the Small Catechism which teaches you about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One who drew you to faith through the Gospel and He is the One who keeps you in the true faith all your life.
In John 10:16 Jesus says, "And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd."
You are one of those sheep. Jesus is talking about you. He brought you into His flock, the Church, through faith. The Holy Spirit worked this faith in you through the Word of Christ.
The Holy Spirit inspired the apostle John to write the Gospel named after him. The Spirit caused these words of Jesus to survive through the centuries until you could hear and read them. The Spirit guarded this message as it was preached from generation to generation. The Spirit made sure that this Word was written, translated, printed, and proclaimed to all nations, keeping the Gospel alive in the Church. And now the Holy Spirit brings this message to you.
Jesus is not just a Good Shepherd a long time ago. He is not just a Good Shepherd to other people. Jesus is your Good Shepherd. The Spirit causes you to know and believe that when Jesus says He loves you and forgives you, this is the truth.
The Spirit brings you into the fold and makes you listen to your Good Shepherd's voice--so that you trust that your Savior who died for you and rose from the dead for you will also lead you through this world and bring you all the way home to heaven. Thanks be to God! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
"Come, holy Light, guide divine, now cause the Word of life to shine. Teach us to know our God aright, and call Him Father with delight. From every error keep us free; Let none but Christ our master be That we in living faith abide, in Him, our Lord, with all our might confide. Alleluia, alleluia! (Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord LSB 497, st.2)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: John 9:24-41
Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." (John 9:39)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In John 9 we see a man with tremendous courage. He had been born blind, and Jesus had given him sight. It was such an amazing miracle that everyone was praising Jesus, which caused the Jewish leaders to bring the healed man before the synagogue. The man proclaimed boldly that Jesus had to be from God. For this confession of faith, he was kicked out of the synagogue and was made an outcast.
The leaders of the synagogue wanted to condemn Christ by threatening those who believed in Him. This man knew that once he was blind but now could see. He would rather stay with the One who gave him sight than sit with the ones who preferred blindness.
Today the Church remembers Justin Martyr (100 – 165). Justin lived most of his life in spiritual blindness until he heard the Gospel and was drawn to faith in Christ. He was well-educated and used his gifts to defend the Christian faith and to teach others the truth. During a time of Roman persecution, he and six of his students were put on trial. They were told that if they sacrificed to the Roman gods, they could go free. Justin and his students refused because they would not worship another God. They trusted in Jesus alone, so all of them were beheaded.
Justin's witness of Christ has encouraged believers ever since. The Holy Spirit drew Justin to faith. When he was on trial, the Holy Spirit strengthened him and give him the words to say. What Jesus said in Mark 13:11 proved true: "And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit."
Jesus saved the blind man and He saved Justin. The Holy Spirit gave courage to them both when they needed it. Jesus saved you and He promises to give you courage in need. We thank God that He was there for both of these men. We also thank Him that He is there for us, building us up in faith through His Word. He will give you the strength you need for each day. No matter what comes, God is faithful. You can trust Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, You found Your martyr Justin wandering from teacher to teacher, searching for the true God. Grant that all who seek for a deeper knowledge of the sublime wisdom of Your eternal Word may be found by You, who sent Your Son to seek and to save the Lost; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Isaiah 6:1-7 Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 8:1-17; John 9:1-23
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" (Isaiah 6:3b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Isaiah goes into the temple and sees the Lord God sitting on a throne. God is so glorious that even the train of His robe fills the huge building. John 12:41 tells us that Isaiah is seeing the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, before He became incarnate and was born of the Virgin Mary.
The LORD had always been present each time people came into the temple to worship, just as He had promised. But now Isaiah sees Him in His glory. He also sees and hears the holy angels praising God, saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" (Isaiah 6:3) From the days of the early Church, we have heard this as praising the Holy Trinity. The angels proclaim God is holy (singular) but say it three times, reflecting that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each holy.
And how does Isaiah respond to seeing the Lord in His glory? He says, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" (6:5) When Isaiah sees God in glory, he is acutely aware of his own sin, so much so that he centers on the uncleanness of his lips. Every word he says, every breath, every bite of food, all of it is soiled with sin. He is also in the midst of people who are unclean in the same way. For his own sin and the sin of the people, Isaiah deserves to perish.
But God has come to save Isaiah, not to condemn him. An angel touches his lips with a coal from the altar and his sin is taken away. Isaiah can be in God's presence in peace.
When we come to church to hear the Word and receive the Sacraments, we also stand in the presence of God, though we cannot see Him. This is why we start our service confessing our sins like Isaiah did, and we hear God declare us forgiven. We, too, need our sin taken away. It's not done with a burning coal, but with the blood of Christ shed on the Cross. It touches our lips under the wine in the Supper and we are forgiven. By the blood of Christ, you have peace with God. You are cleansed to be His child by grace, forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea. Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! God in three persons, blessed Trinity! ("Holy, Holy, Holy" LSB 507, st.4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 3:1-17 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 35:9-30; Luke 24:28-53
Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (John 3:5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Nicodemus knew that Jesus was a teacher sent from God, but he wanted to learn more, so he came to Jesus at night. What he learned was greater than he could have imagined. For Jesus is not just a teacher sent from God. Jesus IS God. Nicodemus conversed with the very Son of God, who would teach him about the Holy Trinity. Nicodemus would never be the same. Jesus started by teaching about the Holy Spirit--the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. For Nicodemus to have eternal life in the Kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit must give him rebirth in Holy Baptism.
Nicodemus could not comprehend this, so Jesus explained more. During the Exodus, the Israelites complained against God, and God sent venomous snakes to bite them as a punishment (Numbers 21:4-9). In agony the people cried to God, who provided a way to be saved. Moses raised a bronze serpent on a pole in the middle of the camp, and all who had been bitten and looked at the serpent were healed.
Now in Nicodemus' time, the Son of Man (Jesus--the Second Person of the Holy Trinity) had come. People who have sinned against God and thus have earned death and damnation can look in faith to Jesus,lifted up on the Cross for their salvation. Whoever believes in Him is set free from the punishment for sin and has eternal life.
But Jesus had not come of His own accord. God the Father, the First Person of the Holy Trinity, had sent Him. God loved the world in this way--that He saved it at the cost of His only Son. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. This faith is worked by the power of the Holy Spirit in the Word and in Baptism.
The Father sent His Son to die and rise again. The Spirit joins you to the Son through Baptism into His death, so that you are reborn into His life (Romans 6). This is why we are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Three Persons, yet one God.
What Jesus taught Nicodemus, He also teaches to you. This eternal life is yours freely by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of a true faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us steadfast in this faith and defend us from all adversities; for You, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Holy Trinity)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for Holy Trinity (Psalm 8:1-2a, 3-5; antiphon: Liturgical Text) Daily Lectionary: Numbers 32:1-6, 16-27; Luke 24:1-27
Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. (From the Introit for the Holy Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Introit for Trinity Sunday is based on Psalm 8. This psalm is pretty short and a good one to memorize. It gives you language to express humble awe at God's power in creation, and gratitude for His grace to save you in Christ.
How beautiful is this psalm? Think of it like this: If you were going to praise God for His glory and majesty, where would you begin? Most people would pick something big, mighty, and powerful. But David (who wrote the psalm) starts with a helpless baby who coos, laughs, and cries. Why a baby? Because a baby cannot do anything to protect himself, yet he exists. God made him and God protects him. Even when Satan, the great enemy, comes after the child, God protects him.
But there's more! When people fell into sin they were condemned to death and damnation. God would not let this be! God alone created us, and God alone could save us--so He did. The Father sent His Son. Jesus is true God and true man! He came to save us and defeat the enemy and the avenger. Christ came as a baby. He was born a man, a little lower than the angels, yet still eternally God. The mere fact that the eternal Son of God could cry and laugh as a human baby gave glory to God!
And there's still more! Jesus won the fight against Satan when He died on the Cross. Risen from the dead, He gave us the gift of Baptism. The Holy Spirit brings this gift to us. We are baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We are born again as children of God, forgiven and at peace. We sing our praises to God as baptized children. Our songs glorify Him--His work of salvation has been accomplished and we are the living proof.
When we pray this psalm on Trinity Sunday, we join with believers around the world and in every age, praising the triune God! One God in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This God has created, redeemed, and sanctified us. Let us give glory to Him because He has shown His mercy to us! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Father most holy, merciful and tender; Jesus, our Savior, with the Father reigning; Spirit of comfort, advocate, defender, Light never waning. ("Father Most Holy" LSB 504, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Genesis 11:1-9 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 27:12-23; Luke 23:26-56
Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As we continue to celebrate Pentecost, we rejoice that the Gospel of Christ Jesus has gone all around the world to all tribes, nations, peoples, and in many languages. Everywhere it has gone, the Spirit has blessed the preaching of Christ so that many people have believed and been saved. One of the beautiful things about the Christian Church is that there are people from every culture, every age, every stage of life--joined together as one in Christ.
Our lifestyles, cultures, and languages differ, but we are united together as one family in Christ. He has saved us all. He gives the same Baptism to us all. He gives the same forgiveness to us all. We all have the same hope, the same comfort, the same peace, the same love, the same grace, and the same Holy Bible that proclaims His victory over sin and death. And we will all rejoice together and praise His Name in the same heavenly kingdom.
Our reading today tells of a dark day in history. At one time people all had one language. They were united, but their goal wasn't to follow God. Instead, they wanted to make a name for themselves. They started by building a tower into the heavens, but it would have devolved into a truly destructive, organized wickedness. So God confused their language and scattered them over the face of the earth to limit their ability to unite around evil.
God didn't want us to be divided forever. He would come and unite us as one again, but not to serve the pursuit of power or the will of sinful man. We would be united by the One man who had never sinned--who came to serve and to give His life as a ransom. We would be united in Christ Jesus.
The Holy Spirit brings the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith in that man, Jesus. The Spirit has caused the Gospel to be preached to all the peoples who were scattered. In every land from every tribe, He has brought people to faith in Christ through that Gospel.
That Gospel comes to you, too! You have been baptized into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. You share this new birth with believers all around the world and across time. With them you thank God and praise His Name. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Send us Thy Spirit, teach us truth; Thou Son, O set us free From fancied wisdom, self-sought ways, to make us one in Thee. ("In Adam We Have All Been One" LSB 569, st.5)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Acts 2:1-21 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 24:1-25; Luke 23:1-25
But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine." (Acts 2:13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today, we hear the account of what happened on Pentecost. The believers were all together. The mighty rushing wind blew around them, and then tongues of flame appeared on the believers' heads as the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church and the disciples began to speak in tongues. This was not a language of babbling sounds. The apostles were given instant knowledge of complex human languages from all over the world--languages which they had never studied. Jerusalem was a big city, filled with people from all over the world who had gathered for the feast of Pentecost. So many were amazed to hear their native language in this city so far from home.
Even in the face of the glory of God in action, there are always some who mock. The Holy Spirit Himself is giving humble believers in Christ the ability to speak languages they've never heard! The crowds are hearing the very first sermons proclaiming the glorious resurrection of Christ! Yet some can only laugh and accuse them of drunkenness. Rather than repenting and believing the Gospel, they make a stupid joke and continue to live in darkness. If Satan could influence people to sneer on this glorious Pentecost day when the Holy Spirit was there in great power, then Satan can always find people to deride the Gospel whenever it is preached or shared. But what is that to us who are in Christ? Their impotent, hate-filled jests cannot stop the Gospel from giving life to all who believe, any more than a person can bring darkness into the world by poking fun at the sun.
This message--Christ crucified--has power. The Spirit uses it to create faith, give forgiveness, work peace, and rescue us from death and hell. God grant us courage to not fear little things like jibes and jests when we have the very Gospel of Christ to share. The apostles testified that day about the death and resurrection of Christ, which they witnessed. In that one day, their preaching brought 3,000 people out of death into life in Christ. We still have their testimony that Christ rose from the dead, and we still proclaim it. Nothing stops His power to save through the Gospel, especially not mockery. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Come Holy Ghost, God and Lord, With all your graces now outpoured On each believer's mind and heart; Your fervent love to them impart. Lord, by the brightness of Your light In holy faith Your Church unite; From every land and every tongue This to Your praise, O Lord, our God, be sung:Alleluia, alleluia! ("Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord," LSB 497, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Second Article, part 3 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 23:4-28; Luke 22:47-71
…that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true. (Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Second Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. These words in the catechism offer sweet comfort. They follow on what you read earlier in the explanation to the Second Article of the Creed. There you heard how Jesus is true God and true man. You heard that He redeemed you when you were lost in sin and condemned to death and damnation.
Jesus purchased and won you from sin, death, and the power of the devil. He paid the price to set you free from condemnation. Christ has defeated the deadly enemy, Satan--you are free from his tyranny. All this Jesus did at the cost of dying on the Cross, shedding His blood to rescue you.
He did this because He loves you. He wanted to make you His very own. He wanted you to have a life where you are protected and free to serve Him and others in His love. He rose from the dead so you will rise in Him. He lives forever so you will have eternal life. He reigns forever to be your King. He protects you from the evil in this world and brings you home to heaven. There are evil powers in this world. Satan is all too real. There are many people and institutions on earth that are influenced by him.
But Christ your Lord is King. When Satan or the world intends evil against you, He protects you. It doesn't mean that everything that happens to you will be good, but it does mean that the evil end that Satan intends for you is thwarted. Christ can take even that and turn it to good.
Stop for a moment and think about how amazing it is to be loved like that by God! How amazing that God would pay such a heavy price to rescue you in Christ. How amazing that He lives to watch over you, protect you, and give grace and peace to you--now and forever. You can know with absolute certainty that this is true, through God's promise in your Baptism and by His Word which is never broken.
Christ is your King. Let us pray together that the Spirit will draw more people into the Kingdom of Christ while there is still time. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You have called Your Church to witness that in Christ You have reconciled us to Yourself. Grant that by Your Holy Spirit we may proclaim the good news of Your salvation so that all who hear it may receive the gift of salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 10:1-10 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 22:21-23:3; Luke 22:24-46
"When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." (John 10:4,5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today we continue our celebration of Pentecost as we hear that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Here is another reading for Pentecost that doesn't mention the Holy Spirit by Name, but still teaches us so much about His work.
In this text, Jesus teaches us that He is our Good Shepherd. He is risen from the dead and lives to guide His little flock, the Church, to heaven. He does this with His voice. Jesus speaks love and forgiveness to us in the Word of God as we read the Bible and hear the Gospel preached in Church. Jesus speaks love and forgiveness to us in Baptism and in the Supper--the Sacraments He established for us. We hear the voice of Christ in the catechism, as we are taught good doctrine from the Bible, so that we know how to avoid the voices of strangers (false teachers).
Jesus gives these gifts. At each step the Holy Spirit is the One who brings these gifts to you and causes you to believe in Jesus, so you receive His gifts by faith. Without the Holy Spirit, you would never have heard of Jesus, nor could you have believed in Him. You would have been lost forever.
But thanks be to God that the Spirit loves you and does His work! The Spirit brings the voice of Jesus to you through the Word and the Sacrament. The Spirit causes you to believe that when Jesus promises you forgiveness, it is truly yours. When you face times of trial and temptation, fear and doubt, the Spirit brings the peace and comfort of the Gospel to you and keeps you in Christ.
When you hear the voice of Christ say in the Scripture that you are His little lamb and you are safe with Him, it's the Spirit who causes you to trust that Jesus speaks the truth. The Spirit causes you to trust this Word of Christ so thoroughly that you base the safety of your whole life in this world and the next on Christ your Shepherd. The Spirit does this work with great strength, with tender gentleness, with patience and wisdom. He gives you the treasures that Christ won for you on the Cross and at the resurrection.
We thank the Holy Spirit for His gracious work, and praise Him with the Father and the Son, now and forever! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The King of love my shepherd is, whose goodness faileth never; I nothing lack if I am His and He is mine forever. ("The King of Love My Shepherd Is" LSB 709, st.1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 3:16-21 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 22:1-20; Luke 22:1-23
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost. Now, for two days after Pentecost, the Church focuses on readings that help us remember important things about the Holy Spirit and His work. The Gospel reading for Pentecost Monday is the much-loved Gospel proclamation from John 3. We hear anew that God the Father gave His only Son, Jesus, and that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Thanks be to God!
But did you notice something? In this reading, the Father and the Son are mentioned directly, but not the Holy Spirit. Is the Spirit missing in John 3:16? By no means! The Holy Spirit is here in this beautiful verse, because He and He alone is the One who creates faith in the heart of a believer. When it says, ". . . that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life," the Holy Spirit is right there. For only the Spirit can create this faith in a believer and keep it alive day in and day out until a believer is in heaven.
The Spirit is the One who inspired the apostle John to write these words of Jesus. The Spirit is the One who caused these words to be preached to all nations. And the Spirit is the One who led translators to provide these words of Christ in your language so you can read them and know accurately what Jesus said.
From the moment these words were spoken by Christ, the Spirit has been working to make sure that what He said would be brought to you (and to all the Church around the world), that these words would strengthen your faith and build you up in Christ. And He continues to do this work in you throughout your life. When you sit down in your old age to read John 3 once more, the Spirit will work through that Word yet again to build you up in Christ. As you hear Christ in this text you know your sins are forgiven and you have eternal life. It is the Spirit who brings this Word to you and causes you to believe it and who keeps that faith alive.
For all these things we give thanks to the Holy Spirit and praise Him for His work! We turn our attention where He directs us in this text, to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom the Father sent to save us. Thanks be to God! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
God would not have the sinner die; His Son with saving grace is nigh; His Spirit in the Word declares how we in Christ are heaven's heirs. ("God Loved the World So That He Gave" LSB 571, st.3)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A joyful and blessed Pentecost to you! Today we celebrate the day that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Church. We rejoice that He caused the Gospel to be preached--starting in Jerusalem and then to the ends of the earth--all the way to us in our day.
We have so much to be thankful for today! In John 14:27, Jesus gives His peace to the disciples. He goes to the Cross to make that peace possible. On Easter Sunday Jesus again says to them, "Peace be with you" (John 20:19), and peace is theirs by grace through faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit caused them to hear Jesus's words and believe that they truly had peace with God.
But this peace wasn't just spoken to them. It's also spoken to you and to all people. On Pentecost, we rejoice that this peace is here for you in Christ Jesus. Think of all the things the Spirit has done to make it possible for you to hear the Gospel!
He strengthened the apostles to preach Christ. He inspired them and the evangelists to write down what Jesus said and did. The Spirit oversaw the gathering together of all the books of the Bible. He made sure this Holy Word was protected and preached from generation to generation. He blessed the work of translating the Bible into different languages so that you could hear the Word and read it in your own language.
It's a miracle of the Holy Spirit that the words Jesus spoke are even available for you to hear. But the Spirit works another miracle. Through the Word He has created faith in your heart. Through the washing of Baptism, He has cleansed away your sin with the blood of Christ. It's a miracle that when you hear the words, "Peace be with you," you hear and believe that Jesus gives you peace this day. Apart from the Spirit, you could never believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him.
The Spirit has brought the Gospel to you and drawn you to faith in Christ by this Gospel. This is worth celebrating! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and ever-living God, You fulfilled your promise by sending the gift of the Holy Spirit to unite disciples of all nations in the cross and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ. By the preaching of the Gospel spread this gift to the ends of the earth; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Pentecost)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 14:15-21 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:22-21:9; Luke 20:45-21:19
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth." (John 14:16-17a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We are on the verge of moving from the season of Easter to the season of Pentecost, which begins on the 50th day after the resurrection of our LORD! What an exciting day! It is the day when the LORD kept His promise recorded by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-29). On that great day our heavenly Father and our LORD Jesus Christ poured out upon the Church the Holy Spirit who leads Her to fulfill the Great Commission of The LORD Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20).
Sometimes people get confused about this. They ask, "But didn't God's people have the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament?" Yes, they did, but in a different way. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was especially connected to God's house in the form of the tabernacle and later to the temple, run by specially appointed priests who conducted holy sacrifices for the people of God. But do you recall what happened to that temple when Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary? The curtain of the temple was torn in two (Matthew 27:51). This meant that the holy sacrifices performed in the temple were no longer necessary because the final sacrifice for sin had just been rendered by Jesus on the Cross.
The Holy Spirit was now "moving out of" the Old Testament houses, so to speak. It was time for the Holy Spirit to "move into" the house called the Church. And what is that? The Church is not a building made with physical materials, but consists of all Christians--new priests, "royal priests" (1 Peter 2:9)--who confess Jesus and who gather around His Word and Sacraments. Upon this Church the Holy Spirit has been poured out.
But how do you know that YOU share in the great gift of The Holy Spirit? You know because in the Church you were baptized into Jesus! Titus writes, "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 3:5-6). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and ever-living God, You fulfilled Your promise by sending the gift of the Holy Spirit to unite disciples of all nations in the cross and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ. By the preaching of the Gospel spread this gift to the ends of the earth; through the same Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:1-21; Luke 20:19-44
[Jesus] said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." (Luke 20:25)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Living as Christians in the world means that we live in the two kingdoms God has made for us. One kingdom is called the "Kingdom of the Right," otherwise known as the Church, and the other kingdom is called the "Kingdom of the Left" and refers to the state. The Church is also known as the kingdom of grace, while society (or whatever word we choose) is where earthly power lies. The Church emphasizes the Gospel, whereas the civil government must use laws to properly function. Both kingdoms are of God. God leads both kingdoms. We just need to remember that they serve entirely different functions and purposes.
But wait a minute. How can we say that God is in charge of both kingdoms when Jesus in Luke 20 says, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's"? It sounds like Jesus was saying that when it came to the Left, that Caesar was in charge. Well, the answer is that we have a classic "both-and" situation here. Caesar was indeed in charge of the state at the time, but only because Jesus let him be. In other words, Jesus has ultimate authority even in the realm of earthly power, but He has chosen to permit the governing authorities that He has established (Romans 13) to run the government. He's okay with that and doesn't worry about it, because God is the One who is always in control of the big picture. That's why Jesus said what He did when Pontius Pilate was interrogating Him. Pilate said to Jesus, "Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" Pilate spoke truth, but then Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above" (John 19:10b, 11a). And Jesus spoke truth.
So when you honor the governor or the president, and you should regardless of their shortcomings, you are really honoring Christ, the King of kings, the One who guards and keeps you in this world and into life everlasting. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Living God, Your almighty power is made known chiefly in showing mercy and pity. Grant us the fullness of Your grace to lay hold of Your promises and live forever in Your presence; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:41-17:13; Luke 20:1-18
"When then is this that is written, 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him." (Luke 20:17-18)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It starts to mess with our prideful sinful nature when other people receive praise and honor while we do not. Well, no one gets more praise than Jesus. The Father has given Him the position of all power and authority. People are therefore easily offended by Him. In fact, Jesus is so important that He is described as the "cornerstone." This is a fascinating word and usually refers to a foundation stone. In fact, whenever we sing the hymn, "The Church's One Foundation" we are reminded that Jesus is indeed our foundation and we build upon Him, our Rock (Matthew 7:24-25).
However, there is another sense of "cornerstone," and that is a keystone that is not below us on the ground, but above us in the ceiling. It is a stone towards which all other stones are aligned. This stone determines the integrity of the building. So the cornerstone might be below you, by your feet, or above you, over your head. In this light, God warns against pride and rebellion, especially when people reject the Word of Christ. Depending on the extent of our rebellion against Jesus, we might either stumble and fall over our Savior, or even worse, be crushed by Him in judgment. Christ is Savior and He is also Judge. If we reject Him, we reject God's building, God's holy place, God's house. Thank God that He in His great love and mercy, has led you through His Word and Sacrament not to reject His Word, not to be like those in the vineyard who rejected God's prophets and Jesus. Instead you embrace Christ who has made you one of His living stones (1 Peter 2:5), built up with your brothers and sisters into His spiritual house, a royal priesthood. Through faith in Jesus, you do not stumble over Him, but you bow before Him. You are not crushed by Him, but you are raised up by Him. Jesus gives you a firm foundation and a perfectly aligned shelter. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
LORD Jesus, You are the stone that the builders rejected. But on the third day, You became the cornerstone. By Your Word and Spirit, open our hearts to receive You as the beloved Son sent from the Father so that we might always embrace suffering as the means by which we enter into Your glory; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Second Article, pt.2 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:23-40; Luke 19:29-48
[Christ] has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and earth. (Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Second Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Luther wrote the above explanation for the part of the Creed describing what Jesus did to save us from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Luther was just being Luther, relying on Scripture as his guide. Luther knew, for example, 1 Peter 1:18-19: ". . . knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." A wonderful and very biblical way of teaching how Christ saved us is expressed in this idea of redemption.
We lost and condemned ones were "purchased and won" by Jesus. Jesus paid for us to be forgiven and saved. So, okay, but what currency did Jesus use to purchase us from death to life? He didn't pay with gold or silver. That would not do. Not good enough. Instead, He paid with what is more valuable than anything in the universe: His blood, God's blood (Acts 20:28). Alright, but who did He pay? Did He pay the devil? No, that would have been giving the devil far too much credit! Only God has the power to release from death to life, so God paid God. Jesus paid His blood to the Father, and our heavenly Father accepted His Son's payment. It was enough. It was more than enough to purchase us back to life. It was the payment that was necessary to get us out of the clutches of death. It was that strong and powerful a payment.
We learn from Leviticus 17:11 that life is in the blood. Well, the life of God was in Jesus' blood, so yes, that blood has the greatest purchasing power in the universe! It's true: You have been "purchased and won" from "all sins, death, and from the power of the devil; not with silver or gold, but with [Christ's] holy, precious blood!" In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O King who comes in the name of the LORD, through Your birth and death, earth and heaven were joined together in peace. May your coming as King into Jerusalem in humility on the donkey help us to see that You continue to come to us as our King hidden in humble water, humble words, humble food; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 Peter 4:7-14 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:1-22; Luke 19:11-28
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A long time ago in the 20th century, a rock band called The Beatles wrote a very famous song called, "All You Need Is Love." People have fun analyzing this idea. The bottom line is that it is absolutely not true, and absolutely true at the same time.
How do we sort this out? By defining what kind of love we are talking about. If we mean romantic love, desire, or affection, then the statement falls flat and can't be backed up. People need more than these loves, as important as they might be. However, if what you mean is "agape" love, the sacrificial and committed love of God for you in Christ, now you're cooking.
Why is this verse true? Because this love was and is the love of God the Father that drove Him to send His Son Jesus to save us from sin, death, and the power of the devil. In other words, this love is responsible for our lives. Without this love, we would not know life. Take away this love, life doesn't exist. This love was what moved God to create the heavens and the earth, and this love is what moved God to give Jesus to restore the heavens and the earth. This love is GIFT love. And here's the rest that God wants us to know: Once we receive this love of Christ, we aren't supposed to keep it to ourselves. We are to share it with others. God calls us to love others and when we do we cover, with this love, "a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8).
True love covers sin and that means true love covers death, like the death of hostility. People can offend us and hurt us, and this can cause terrible rifts in relationships, but love can restore. Love can forgive, cover, and bring life back even into broken relationships. When this happens, a multitude of sins get covered, like all of yours are covered through the love of Christ for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
LORD God, heavenly Father, as we struggle here below with divisions among us, searching for peace among men, remind us daily of the peace of heaven purchased through the bloody death and triumphant resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our LORD, who with You and the Holy Spirit is one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Ezekiel 36:22-28 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:25-45; Luke 18:35-19:10
"[God says] I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . " (Ezekiel 36:24-28)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Eight times. . . EIGHT times God describes in just five verses what HE will do for His people, and you know what? What God does covers EVERYTHING! He does the work not only for our justification, but He also does the work for our sanctification. He is 100% responsible for our ENTIRE lives in Christ.
Every aspect of our Christian faith--our new lives, our love, our ability to pray, to serve, to worship, to engage in witness, our certain hope, our ability to forgive, heart-felt endurance, compassion, the fruit of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, our ability to confess our sins, to hold to Christ, to remember our Holy Baptism, to thirst for the Holy Supper--EVERYTHING is from God's "I will." We are so blessed in our biblical Lutheran confession to know this and to constantly confess this.
Many people who identify themselves as Christians miss this crucial teaching. Even many Christians think that our new lives are a 50/50 co-working with God. They wrongly believe that God does His part, and we must do ours. God reaches down to us, and we must raise our hand to reach Him. He invites and we must accept. He comes and we must open our hearts, etc. etc. etc.
No! We can't reach up because on our own we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). We can't accept without the Holy Spirit's instigating faith in us. We cannot open our hearts because without Christ our hearts are hard and sick. If not for God's "I will," we would be lost, completely lost.
God says, "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness" (Ezekiel 36:25). Think Holy Baptism. God does the cleaning. God does the saving. "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules" (Ezekiel 36:27). This is sanctification, the new life. Who makes it happen? God does.
On account of His gracious "I will," you are now counted among His people: "You shall be my people, and I will be your God" (Ezekiel 36:28b). The One who says to you, "I will" makes it happen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O LORD, stir up the hearts of Your faithful people to welcome and joyfully receive Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, that He may find in us a fit dwelling place; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 15:26-16:4 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:1-25; Luke 18:18-34
"[The Holy Spirit] will bear witness about me. . . I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away." (John 15:26c,16:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today is Exaudi Sunday. It means "hear." God gives us complete assurance that He hears us. And when He hears us, He assures us that He will never let us go (John 10:28-29). We therefore teach that our election is certain in our justification and our justification is certain through faith in Jesus.
Do you want to be sure that faith is still alive? Do not consult your feelings! Instead, confess your sins and receive Holy Absolution. Hear God's Word, always return to your Holy Baptism, and run to get the Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Through these, faith is safe. Thus, Jesus comforted His disciples by promising them that the Holy Spirit was coming to bear witness about Jesus.
Someone has called the Holy Spirit the "unselfish" person of the Holy Trinity (not that the other persons are selfish). The Holy Spirit doesn't call any attention to Himself, but only to Jesus. And true to form, Jesus isn't selfish, either, as He is always giving glory to the Father. Oh yes, the Father isn't selfish, either, since He delights in His Son.
The point here is that the Holy Spirit is always putting Jesus before your eyes of faith and this is what keeps your faith living and secure. Why did Jesus teach that the Holy Spirit would come to do this? In John 16:1 Jesus said, "I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away." Our eternal security comes from the Holy Spirit's constantly keeping Jesus in front of us. As long as that is going on, then we are 100% safe. Jesus taught this precisely so that we would not fall away from the faith.
God will never break His promise to be for us in Christ. At the same time, we are taught NEVER to desert Christ and His Word. The Word is that vehicle through which the mighty and comforting Holy Spirit works. We must therefore hold to the Word. Even when we are weak, completely aware of our sins, and discouraged, when we hold to the Word, then we are safe in the arms of Jesus. Then we know He has not abandoned us as we continue to hear the Word! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O King of glory, LORD of hosts, uplifted in triumph far above all heavens, leave us not without consolation but send us the Spirit of truth whom You promised from the Father; for You live and reign with Him and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Seventh Sunday of Easter)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Seventh Sunday of Easter Daily Lectionary: Numbers 13:1-3, 17-33; Luke 18:1-17
Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud. Alleluia. Your face, LORD, do I seek; hide not your face from me. Alleluia. Your face, LORD, do I seek; hide not your face from me. Alleluia. (From the Introit for the Seventh Sunday of Easter)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. One of the mysteries of the faith is that the LORD is a God who hides Himself. Isaiah 45:15 teaches, "Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior." He does it because people seek Him out of selfish motives.
Jesus told people not to tell others that He was the Messiah. After Peter correctly confessed that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus "strictly charged [the disciples] to tell no one about him" (Mark 8:30). Jesus said this because so many people wanted to turn Him into an earthly king. So once again: God hides Himself when people seek Him for all the wrong reasons.
The psalmist in Psalm 27 is not seeking God for the wrong reasons, but for the right reasons. He is in distress, so He cries aloud (vs.7a). He does not come to God in pride, but in humility; He does not come to tell God what to do, but comes seeking God's help (vs.8b). He seeks God's face for salvation (vs.1), and He seeks God's way to be his way (vs.11a). Again, he sought God out for all the right reasons. For these reasons, the psalmist is bold and right to pray to God to break out of His way of hiding Himself. The psalmist has strong faith in God's love and mercy in Christ to pray, "Your face, LORD, do I seek; hide not your face from me" (vs.8b-9a).
We should have the same faith and attitude towards God. Why? Because Jesus has made it plain to us that He came for sinners who know they need Him, for people who seek Him for all the right reasons. For those given faith, like YOU, Jesus reveals God as the merciful God, as the God of love. For you, God does not hide Himself, but has sent His Son so that you will know how to find Him every time--through His Son! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Teach me your way, O LORD. . . Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen." (From the Introit for the Seventh Sunday after Easter)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Acts 1:1-11 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:24-29; 12:1-16; Luke 17:20-37
[Jesus] said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority." (Acts 1:7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. No one knows when Jesus will come again in glory on the Last Day. Only God knows. Over the centuries many so-called "Christian" teachers have claimed to know when the Last Day would be. But the LORD Jesus said, "It is not for you to know times or seasons [regarding the Last Day]." So whenever we hear someone going on about knowing when the Last Day will be, we must instantly conclude that they are a false teacher and not listen to their teaching.
This is consistent with other things our LORD taught. For example, "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34). If any wisdom will keep us safe about Last Day predictions, then Matthew 6:34 is it. We have enough to focus on for today,especially since today is all we know we have on this earth! Luke in Acts 1 continues to teach us. The LORD Jesus before He ascended, led His disciples to anticipate the coming and pouring out of the Holy Spirit which happened at Pentecost for them and at your Baptism for you.
Once we have received the Holy Spirit and His gift of faith worked in us through Holy Baptism, then what? Jesus said, "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8b). So get back to when you were given the Holy Spirit at your Holy Baptism. Return to your Baptism every day. You have died with Christ and now you live with Him. And do whatever He has put in front of you to do. Befriend those around you. Get to know them and love them, and don't worry about when the Last Day will be. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
LORD Jesus, Your kingdom continues to be in our midst as You come to us now through holy water, holy words, and holy food. Help us to see that Your kingdom is a kingdom of suffering, but that through suffering, we will be prepared to enter into glory when You return on that final day; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 24:44-53 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:1-23, 31-35; Luke 17:1-19
While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him. (Luke 24:51-52a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. People easily get the wrong idea about the ascension of our LORD, which occurred 40 days after the resurrection and 10 days before Pentecost. The popular and wrong understanding is that Jesus was putting distance between Himself and us. With this false idea, then, Pentecost becomes a kind of "replacement theology" in which the Holy Spirit replaces Jesus on earth. In fact, just the opposite is the case. The ascension was a glorious event demonstrating Jesus' unlimited power. The ascension showed that nothing could ever interfere with Jesus' ability to be closer to us than ever before.
But the disciples did see Him ascend, right? Yes, they did, but Jesus did not permit this to imply that He would be limited, but rather to demonstrate power and authority, to show that the One ascending to heaven is unlimited. In other words, Jesus "sitting at the right hand of God the Father" in heaven is not a restricted physical location. Rather, it means that Jesus reigns everywhere, fully present with His people at all times and in all places.
The ascension proves the LORD has power to be closer to you than ever. Jesus knew the amazing gift that would result after the ascension. He once said to His disciples, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23). The ascension means that Jesus has kept this promise, and has the ability to make His home with those baptized into His life, death, and resurrection.
One more thing: Notice what the disciples did when Jesus ascended. The Word says, "And they worshipped him" (Luke 24:52a). To say that Christ is with us isn't just something we tell ourselves to feel religious. The disciples experienced the ascended LORD's reign as they worshipped Him. As we worship Him we, too, receive His Word and Sacrament. In this way we also experience His ascension power: He's right there with us, putting His Word into our ears, and putting His Body and Blood into our mouths. Ascension means that Christ has kept His Word to never leave us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, as Your only-begotten Son, our LORD Jesus Christ, ascended into the heavens, so may we also ascend in heart and mind and continually dwell there with Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Ascension of Our Lord)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: The Apostles Creed, Second Article, pt.1 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 10:11-36; Luke 16:19-31
And [I believe] in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our LORD, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. (Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Second Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What does this mean? "I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my LORD," the explanation says. It is properly said that justification, God's declaring us righteous in His sight on account of Christ, is the central article or teaching of the Christian faith. It's true. It is incredibly important, but if someone does not know the person of Christ, WHO He is, then even the teaching on justification will be off.
This first part of the Second Article of the Creed is super-duper important. We must believe, teach, and confess, and trust and rely upon in our hearts and souls, the fact that Jesus is true 100% God and true 100% man. Everything of the Christian faith rests on this truth. Fourth-century Church father Gregory of Nazianzus wonderfully and accurately taught: "Whatever Christ did not become [or take onto Himself], He did not redeem." In other words, Jesus had to be as human as you are, taking your place, in order to save you. He had to wrap Himself in real human flesh with a real human brain and a real human soul. And because He was really human like you He was able to be your substitute in the eyes of God.
There is no negotiating here. Jesus is either completely a human being like us or He is not. Thank God that He was, and still is, but there's more. If He is merely fully human, and not fully God then our justification would still be in trouble. Thank God that He is also 100% God. As a result, He had the divine right and authority not only to take our place so that His life, suffering, death, and resurrection could be counted as ours, but also to forgive the sins of all people of all time. He can because He is truly God. Our Christology confesses that Jesus is true God and true man! Praise Him! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, You are the strength of all who trust in You, and without Your aid we can do no good thing. Grant us the help of Your grace that we may please You in both will and deed; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: James 1:22-27 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 9:1-23; Luke 16:1-18
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our LORD Jesus Christ did not come into the world to save ideas and beliefs. He did not come into the world to save audio presentations and visual images. "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost" (1 Timothy 1:15). I always recommend inserting ourselves at the end of this verse.
We can't reduce Christ's saving work to the saving of ideas, thoughts, and words, but of sinners, and sinners are real people with real lives--they live and move and have their being (Acts 17:28). They do things, they act, they impact the lives of others and the world. Jesus came to save these real people with real lives who do real things. So what happens when such people are saved? Their real lives are impacted, not just their beliefs. James is warning us, "For if anyone is a hearer of the word [only] and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at hi mself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like" (James 1:24-25).
When the Christian faith is only a "belief" for someone, it is only a passing thought. But this faith that God creates in us through the Word holds to a strong and mighty Christ, and Christ is so strong and mighty that He affects our very lives. How does Christ do this in us? It isn't by looking into a dumb mirror, but by looking into what James calls "the perfect law, the law of liberty" (James 1:25).
This is a place in the Holy Bible where "law" does not mean strict convicting law, as in "Law" vs. Gospel. Here the word "law" refers to the WORD, and especially the Gospel! What is the only thing that gives you liberation from the bonds of your sin? The powerful Gospel of Christ! When the Gospel is yours, and your sins are forgiven through faith in Jesus, then watch out: Your faith isn't just thoughts and words, but real actions. You live for Jesus and you love those around you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O LORD, keep Your Church in Your perpetual mercy; and because without You we cannot but fall, preserve us from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Numbers 21:4-9 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 8:5-26; Luke 15:11-32
And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." (Numbers 21:8)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God sent the fiery serpents to the rebellious people of Israel in the wilderness. They were sent to bite the complaining and unfaithful people, to kill them. This was the wrath of God poured out at that time and place. In response to this judgement against sin, the people cried out. They came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that He take away the serpents from us" (Numbers 21:7a).
The LORD had mercy on the people and responded in grace toward those who cried out to Him in distress while confessing their sins. But the LORD demonstrated His grace in a really fascinating way: He told Moses to make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, so that when the people looked up to it, they would be healed (Numbers 21:8-9). Let's get this right: The image of the thing that was killing the people was going to save them. Hmmm.
Jesus told Nicodemus, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life" (John 3:14). We have our "fiery serpent," too, and it is just as deadly: our sin. So God did not change His method. He took the thing responsible for our death, our sin, and put it on the Cross. Jesus became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). He was our sin on the Cross. The thing killing us was now up high on a "pole," so that whoever would look at Jesus on the Cross would know what God had done with their deadly sin. It isn't on you anymore. Look up to Jesus, trust in Him, and rejoice. You're saved from your fiery serpents. They were nailed to the Cross of Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
LORD God, our heavenly Father, You stood afar off, waiting to see Your prodigals appear at the gate. Then, running to us, You overwhelmed us with grace and invited us to sit at table, to rejoice at our homecoming. Help us to repent of our sins and strip us of every thought that we might merit Your salvation. Then bring us home to be with You at the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which has no end; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our LORD. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 16:23-33 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 3:1-16, 39-48; Luke 14:25-15:10
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." (John 16:23b)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today is Rogate Sunday, which is Latin for "Pray ye." As we continue to celebrate the resurrection of The LORD Jesus Christ, we gain important insight about prayer. Christians who are "in Christ" pray and pray and pray, so it makes sense that today's theme is "pray ye." It's what those who belong to the RISEN Savior do.
But what is the relationship between Christ's resurrection and prayer? In a very important sense, no one can call God "My Father" like Jesus can. Jesus is "begotten" of the Father, the only One in the universe with this distinction. That means that Jesus eternally progresses from the Father. He is One with the Father and extends from the Father with God's nature, power, and authority. This "extension" however does not make Christ subordinate; He is very God of very God. This is a theological progression, not a time-based one or a rank. In this sense, Jesus calls the Father "My Father" in a way that no one else can, and yet, Christ's resurrection even changed prayer for every child of God who is baptized into Jesus.
Jesus is our Mediator and will be forever, and yet at the same time, because our Mediator is so close to the Father, Jesus shares this closeness with you and me! You can now come to the heavenly Father directly in the Name of Jesus. Christ has won direct access to God for you! Jesus is our bridge to the Father (the WAY, John 14:6), and at the same time, Jesus wants you to know that His Father is yours, too. In John 14:26-27 He says, "In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God." Heaven is now open to you, Christian. You can now pray directly to the Father. God listens to you because He listens to His Son who covers you. God answers you because He answers His Son in whom you're wrapped; and God loves to receive your prayers. So, pray ye! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, the giver of all that is good, by Your holy inspiration grant that we may think those things that are right and by Your merciful guiding accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit. Amen. (Collect for the Sixth Sunday of Easter)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Sixth Sunday of Easter (Psalm 66:1-2a, 17, 19-20; antiphon: Isaiah 48:20b) Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:21-33, 39-44; Luke 14:1-24
But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. (From the Introit for the Sixth Sunday of Easter)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Prayer is not magic nor is it designed and intended for the purpose of coaxing, convincing, or making deals with God. Prayer is rather the heartbeat of faith, the holy faith-generated language towards God. Prayer is also the work of the Holy Spirit in and through God's people who trust in the LORD. Sometimes He is the One interceding for us in prayers we can't even put into words (Romans 8:26). Again, it is not for changing God's mind, but it expresses the change we have received when God put us into the life, death, and resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ through Holy Baptism.
Still, doesn't prayer, besides thanking and praising God, also ask God for things, whether they be for ourselves or others? Yes! Throughout Scripture prayer is asking. In fact, Jesus invites and commands us to do so! For example, "If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it" (John 14:14). Also, "And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Luke 11:9). Furthermore, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24).
So what's the catch? True prayer to God comes through faith in Christ, and faith in Christ always desires what Christ desires. Yet we still contend with our Old Adam, even when we earnestly pray. This means our motives are rarely pure. However, the key is to pray in the Name of Jesus for that which is according to His will (as we pray in The LORD's Prayer), and pray that God will turn your will to His This is so because there really is no other kind of prayer than those prayers which spring from faith in Jesus, when we pray for what Jesus wants for us. Yes, these will be answered every time, for our good and for His glory. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O LORD of grace and mercy, teach us by Your Holy Spirit to follow the example of Your Son in true humility, that we may withstand the temptations of the devil and with pure hearts and minds avoid ungodly pride; through the same Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:1-20; Luke 13:18-35
"[The kingdom of God] is like a grain of mustard seed. . . Strive to enter through the narrow door." (Luke 13:19, 24a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The things of God and our salvation (being rescued from sin, death, and devil) are presented in humble ways, unimpressive to the world. This is the way God operates in the world. He lets the world have its own standards of what important things should look like. The world presents these things as glitter and gold to make them look grand and impressive to the human eye. Why? Because the world values the things of human pride and accomplishment, and human pride always thinks bigger is better and that more is always better than less. My wife, however, reminds me that "less is more." She's right.
So God goes the opposite way of human pride. He chooses humility as the sign of His presence for salvation, that which is far greater than the greatest things in the world. The Kingdom of God itself begins with a "mustard seed" (Luke 13:19), seemingly insignificant. As insignificant as when a 30-something Jewish man, a carpenter's son, was nailed to a cold Roman cross outside the city gates of Jerusalem. No biggie, just another execution of a convicted criminal, not exactly a sold-out concert of world-famous musicians where fans are going nuts.
And the entrance into this Kingdom is not wide, grand, and surrounded with strobe lights. It, too, is humble. It is narrow. It is as inconspicuous as a few drops of water, or some ordinary bread and wine,, because God doesn't want His holy things to be seen in the superficial "big" things in the world. The things of God only catch the eye and the faith of the humble; but the proud don't care about the things of God, and would rather get the catchy things, the "awesome" things that will turn to dust. But you've been baptized, Christian. So embrace humility in Christ, grab the mustard seed, and rejoice that you have entered the narrow door: Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O LORD, You have called us to enter Your kingdom through the narrow door. Guide us by Your Word and Spirit, and lead us now and always into the feast of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: James 1:16-21 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 24:1-23; Luke 12:54-13:17
Of [God's] own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The letter of James has gotten a bad rap because many feel that he contradicts Paul's statement that we are justified by faith apart from the works of the Law (Romans 3:28). Even Luther himself once thought less of James, but as Luther matured, his view changed. But first impressions can be confusing. After all, James does teach: "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." But we must know that he is not contradictory to Paul, but complementary.
How so? Paul is teaching about our justification before God. This can only be by faith alone. James is teaching about our justification before people. How will anyone ever know you have genuine faith? Well, you can talk all day long, but if you have no good works, then people will consider you a hypocrite. How can we be sure that James was not confusing Law and Gospel? We know it from James 1:18. How is a Christian "brought. . . forth"? How is a Christian made a Christian? How does a Christian even get to the point of demonstrating (or giving evidence) of their faith through works? How does any of it even begin? Is James teaching that the answer is by what we do, or by what we are, or by what we try to be or try to do? No, not even close.
Read the verse again: "Of [God's] own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." James gives 100% credit and acknowledgment that our new lives ONLY and SOLELY come from being "brought. . . forth by the word of truth." The Word of Christ has created our new lives, justified by faith (before God) and proven by works (before people). Without the Word of Christ, we would have no faith, and we could do nothing that is good. James attributes our new lives solely to the work of God in Christ "by the word of truth." Rest assured that He is working in and through you to bring forth good fruits. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Jesus, LORD of the Sabbath, rescue us from our hypocrisy, which keeps us from seeing You as the center of all of Scripture and acknowledging the present time as the time of salvation. Call us to repent of our self-righteousness so that we might look to You alone as the source of our life; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: The Apostles Creed, First Article, pt.3 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:23-44; Luke 12:35-53
All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true. (Small Catechism: The Apostles' Creed, First Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Sometimes Lutheran Christians can get bashful when it comes to talking about the new life we have in our Risen Savior and the resultant good works which follow. Luther wasn't bashful as he discussed faith and what must come from faith: "Faith, however, is a divine work in us that changes us and makes us to be born anew of God. . . It does not ask whether good works are to be done, but before the question is asked, it has already done them." It is therefore not surprising that when Luther wrote the explanation to the Creed, he expressed what should come from us in response to the grace of God: "It is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him."
Did Luther actually say, "serve and obey [God]?" Yes, He did! The amazing free grace of God in Christ which is responsible for all our First Article gifts: iPhone, clothes, games, bed, the transportation that gets us from point A to point B, and the food we eat (we could go on all day) comes from our heavenly Father's good and merciful heart toward us in Christ. The Father's wonderful grace, by the Holy Spirit's urging and enabling us through the powerful Word and Sacraments of Christ, leads us to serve and obey God. It's that simple.
But don't we still battle the sinful nature? Of-course we do, but that battle does not cancel the new movements of the Holy Spirit in us responding to our Father's outpouring of His goodness and mercy. In fact, the new life is more prominent than the old precisely on account of God's goodness and mercy for us. So, the apostle John recorded, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3). But why do we want to? We do so in response to God's "divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Merciful LORD, cleanse and defend Your Church by the sacrifice of Christ. United with Him in Holy Baptism, give us grace to receive with thanksgiving the fruits of His redeeming work and daily follow in His way; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:1-22; Luke 12:13-34
And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. . . Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:22, 32)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Rev. Friedich Wyneken was driven to spread the saving Gospel of the LORD Jesus Christ. He is a tremendous example to us of someone who lived out the Great Commission of our LORD. He arrived in Baltimore, Maryland, from Germany in 1838 and then went westward to expand the Kingdom. He labored intensely and realized he needed help, so he returned to Germany to ask for it. He came back to America with more pastors to not only reach the many Germans coming to America, but also to reach Native Americans. As the need for pastors increased, he became a co-founder of a practical seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and later returned to the East Coast to serve as a congregational pastor. The LORD, however, increased his service as he became the second president of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.
It is hard to imagine all the challenges that Pastor Wyneken faced during his lifetime, especially as the country was headed towards civil war, but today's lectionary from Luke's Gospel gives us a good indication of what energizes such servants. When we know Christ as our Savior, then we also know that He is almighty and all compassionate. We can trust Him when He bids us not to be anxious. He really will provide for all our needs as we walk faithfully in our God-given vocations. Furthermore, we can continually take stock that no matter the hardships, the LORD has told us why we never need fear: "for it is the Father's good pleasure to give [us, we who are baptized into Jesus] the kingdom." And with the kingdom of God granted to us, we will also have all that we need in order to accomplish what God has put before us to do. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
LORD Jesus Christ, You want all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. We give You thanks for sending Friedrich Wyneken as missionary and pastor in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan to evangelize the Native Americans in these states, to be a founder of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, and to serve as second president of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Protect and encourage all missionaries who confess the true faith among the nations by proclaiming Christ crucified; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Isaiah 12:1-6 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 21:1-24; Luke 12:1-12
You will say in that day; I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry at me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid. (Isaiah 12:1-2a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The opposite of faith is not merely unbelief, but fear. How can we trust someone if we fear him? Fear gives every occasion for doubt and where there is doubt faith is always undermined. When we convince ourselves that God is angry at us we fear Him instead of trusting Him. Instead, we wonder when He is going to pull the rug out from under us.
There are two "fears" in Scripture: servile, which anticipates punishment, and filial, which expresses a love so strong that the Christian lives in honor and reverence toward God.Here we are of course speaking of the former, and not the latter. God wants us to live in the holy fear of faith that holds to Christ and bows down to worship Him.
Isaiah the prophet received God's revelation and truth: "For though you [God] were angry at me, your anger turned away." Soak that in. Yes, God was angry. That's right, "was," and as you know "was" is past tense. God is no longer angry at you. Think about it: There is only one reason God could be angry at you. That would be on account of your sin. But in the greatest love and mercy the world has ever known, the heavenly Father placed all your sin, all the reasons He could be angry at you, on His Son, Jesus Christ our LORD.
Thus Paul writes in Galatians 3:13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written – 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.'" God only pours out anger, wrath, and punishment on cursed people, people guilty of sin and worthy of death, the death that sin brings. But Jesus took your sin; He became your curse. He died in your place under God's righteous anger and judgment against sinners. Jesus stood in for all the sinners, including you. Jesus took God's anger for you. As a result, God's anger is gone from you, and that is why you are now free to say with Isaiah, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid!" In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
LORD Jesus, by Your Spirit, You give us faith to cast out all fear of confessing the true faith; for we are helpless to save ourselves, and we must trust in You and You alone for our salvation. Keep us faithful to the end, that You will not be ashamed of us when You come in Your glory with Your Father and the holy angels; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 16:5-15 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 20:1-16, 22-27; Luke 11:37-54
Sing to the LORD a new song, Alleluia, for he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. Alleluia. (From the Introit for Cantate Sunday)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This Sunday--Cantate Sunday--leads us to the theme of "Sing ye." Because of our sinful nature, we totally underestimate the importance of singing our faith and joy to the LORD. St. Augustine said, "He who chants (or sings the Word) prays twice." Why did he teach that? Because to sing aloud the Word of Christ is to enliven and rouse our entire being and spirit. The lungs, our diaphragm, and our vocal cords get in on the action of our prayer. Our body gets more in tune with our spirit and our spirit with our body as we dedicate ourselves to praying. Singing is more intense and focused on praising God. It also makes a greater impression upon our minds as we seek to "set [our] minds on things above" (Colossians 3:1). But what of the content and focus of our singing and chanting? John 16:5-15 gives a great place to begin. This is another one of John's great "I Am" statements of Jesus. Jesus taught, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). We can take His Word and put it into singing and chanting, and when this Word of Christ becomes ingrained in our hearts, souls, and minds, it impacts our lives, enabling us to live in Christ and to walk with Christ.
What should inspire us Christians to live this way and to sing and chant ? This should: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). You have the greatest love from your Best Friend Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, You make the minds of Your faithful to be of one will. Grant that we may love what You have commanded and desire what You promise, that among the many changes of this world our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Fifth Sunday of Easter)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 14:1-14 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 9:9-18, 26-37; Luke 11:14-36
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If I had to recommend ten Scripture verses to memorize, John 14:6 would be on that list. Jesus is more important than anybody or anything. We need Him. We are wise when we live for Him. By the grace of God, Philip and James, apostles, most certainly did. They gave their lives for and to Christ. They became martyrs and were killed for their faith in Jesus, so they were not only apostles, but also martyrs.
History teaches that Philip was crucified, so he is symbolized by a Latin cross. James the Lesser (not to be confused with James the brother of John or James the half-brother of Jesus and bishop of the church in Jerusalem) was beaten to death by a club that adorns his symbolic shield. Both were "strangers and exiles on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13) and "the world was not worthy [of them]" (Hebrews 11:38). There is quite a bit recorded about Philip in Holy Scripture. After the LORD called to him, "Follow me!" Philip found Nathanael and reported that the Messiah predicted in the Old Testament had been found (John 1). Later, Greeks who had heard about Christ came to Philip and asked, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus" (John 12). Finally, right after Jesus spoke those powerful words at John 14:6, it was Philip who asked the bold question (that the others were probably also thinking): "LORD, show us the Father, and it is enough for us" (John 14:8). Jesus replied, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" (John 14:9) Jesus was teaching that the Persons of The Holy Trinity are completely undivided. Do you want to know God? Then know Jesus! At the same time, Jesus maintained the distinction of Persons. For this Person Jesus, the Savior of the world, Philip and James gave their lives!
You may or may not be asked to give your life for the faith. But even for you, God has been shown in the Person of Jesus, bestowed on you through your Baptism, your hearing of the Word, and your partaking of the Sacrament of the Altar. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, Your Son revealed Himself to Philip and James and gave them the knowledge of everlasting life. Grant us perfectly to know Your Son, Jesus Christ, to be the way, the truth, and the life, and steadfastly to walk in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 18:1-7, 20-19:8; Luke 11:1-13
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "LORD, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." And Jesus said to them, "When you pray, say:. . . " (Luke 11:1-2a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Some people who criticize our beautiful and powerful liturgy say that it is not from the Word of God. Ah, wrong, because all of it is. The LORD's Prayer is a sublime example of this fact. It is, of course, presented in two places in the New Testament: Matthew 6 and Luke 11. Matthew's version has seven petitions, just like we learn it in the catechism, and Luke's version has five. But don't despair about the shortened version. The missing third petition is incorporated into the first and second petitions in Luke's version; and the missing seventh petition is incorporated into the fifth. Luke retains the crux of this supreme prayer taught by our LORD.
It is a complete prayer. In the first two petitions we pray that we would live holy lives in faith, and in the third we pray for all our daily needs. The fourth petition regards sharing Christ's forgiveness with others, and in the fifth we pray for spiritual protection.
But Jesus teaches even more on prayer here in Luke 11. Jesus said, "And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Luke 11:9). Look at this: Ask, Seek, Knock. What is the LORD emphasizing about prayer? Ask, ask, ask! Ask in faith. Ask away according, of course, to His gracious will and then trust Him! The sainted Rev. Dr. Robert Preus taught that God always answers the prayers of His children, but rarely answers the way we think He should, and God always answers for our good. Pray for the two reasons we have been given: that God commands us to pray; and that God has promised to bless us according to His will when we do. That's all the motivation we need. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation. Amen. (Luke 11:2b-4)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 Peter 2:11-20 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 17:1-16; Luke 10:23-42
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The forgiveness of sins is not permission to sin. The Holy Spirit teaches us through Peter that we are not to go along with sin. Christians easily get confused. "But if we are daily to return to our Baptisms by confessing our sin, how can we not sin?" In other words, it sounds like God's Word is saying, "Don't sin!" AND "Confess your sins every day because you do sin!"
God's Word is not contradicting itself. We sin out of the weakness of our sinful nature. No matter how hard you try, you will feel the weakness of your flesh, because sin is always there and that means that you sin every day. This, however, is not the same as following sin and treating it as your master, because you have a new Master: Jesus! He has forgiven your sins. In other words, there is a vast difference between feeling, confessing, resisting, and battling sin on the one hand versus going along with sin, deliberately living in it, and permitting it to control your life. These two could not be more different.
If sin controls us, we excuse it and go along with it, saying, "That's just the way I am." If Christ controls us, then we hate sin, are in pain over it, and fight it, so that when we do sin, we never excuse it, but confess it. The difference is night and day. Thus, as Christians we listen to Peter and "abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul."
But how? Return to Christ who took your sin. Return to your Holy Baptism, when you died in Christ, so that when sin comes knocking on your door to tempt you, you can answer by saying, "That sinner doesn't live here anymore because He died with Jesus!" Then go forth following in Jesus, and when you do sin, don't laugh it off, but come running back to Jesus who on the Cross heaped it on Himself to cover it with His blood. Rejoice! You are a sojourner and exile as you travel through this world of sin. You don't belong to sin, you belong to Jesus and His Kingdom, so when you're tempted to sin, get back to your real Master! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
LORD Jesus Christ, in Your deep compassion You rescue us from whatever may hurt us. Teach us to love You above all things and to love our neighbors as ourselves; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: The Apostles Creed, First Article, pt.2 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 16:1-24; Luke 10:1-22
He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil." (Small Catechism: The Apostles' Creed)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Life is dangerous. We do not really like to talk about it, but it feels like there is danger around every corner. The most insidious danger, however, is evil, or what Paul refers to as "unrighteousness" in Romans 1:18: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth."
It is true that God's wrath will be revealed on the Last Day when the LORD judges all people, but the wrath of God is revealed now, too (this is a both-and). How do we see it? We see it in all the pain and trouble that is caused by the evil that is here and now. This evil in the world is both progressive (it gets worse) and contagious (it spreads like a virus).
But God in His mercy has done something about it. That is, there is something else that has been revealed for the here and now, namely, the power of the Gospel. It is the righteousness of faith as the gift of our faith holds to Jesus! This is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe! (Romans 1:16-17) You have Christ now, baptized Christian, and to have Christ is to have the One who has conquered and conquers all evil. When faith seizes Jesus (holds to Him like crazy), then Jesus' life becomes ours. He becomes our covering and shield, and He becomes our defender against all evil in this world. This is not a cosmic battle between equal forces, no! Jesus has already conquered! He is our champion and He is our warrior against evil. He has all power and authority and Satan in the face of Jesus has none. Yes, there is danger around every corner, but while holding to Christ and His righteousness for you through faith in Him, you have nothing to worry about. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
I walk in danger all the way. The thought shall never leave me That Satan who has marked his prey, Is plotting to deceive me. This foe with hidden snares May seize me unawares If I should fail to watch and prey. I walk in danger all the way. I walk with Jesus all the way, His guidance never fails me; Within His wounds I find a stay When Satan's pow'r assails me; And by His footsteps led, My path I safely tread. No evil leads my soul astray; I walk with Jesus all the way." ("I Walk in Danger All the Way" LSB 716, st.1, 5)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Isaiah 40:25-31 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 10:1-20; Luke 9:37-60
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:29-31)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This Scripture from Isaiah is magnificent. First, it teaches us about our condition apart from God's help and grace: We are faint; we have no might, we are weary, and can easily feel exhausted. All of this is true because we are poor sinners. No doubt about it: On our own we can do nothing. Jesus once said as much: "Apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5b). These things are true on account of our core sin. It is a condition that is so serious that it leads to death. It causes us to moan as we must confess what cannot be denied: We are very tired sinners, weary from trying to make life work and be good from our own effort, our own imagined power.
All of this is what the LAW shows us. But then Isaiah reveals the wonderful and amazing GOSPEL: God, in the greatest love and mercy ever known, sent Jesus to be the One we "wait" for (another word for sure and certain hope). And what does the LORD do for us poor sinners who wait on Him? He gives us His power and He increases and renews our strength. And just as we are collapsing under the weight of our sin, He causes us to rise-up, by His grace, to run and yes, even to soar with life as if mounting up with wings like eagles!
Isaiah the prophet knew, from His point in history, that Jesus was coming, and he taught what Jesus verified: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29). By grace, through faith in Jesus apart from anything you try to do, the LORD has renewed your strength. It's time to soar! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
LORD of all power and might, author and giver of all good things, graft into our hearts the love of Your name and nourish us with all goodness that we may love and serve our neighbor; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Mark 16:14-20 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 9:1-24; Luke 9:18-36
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."(Mark 16:16)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. St. Mark, the Evangelist was not an apostle, but he ministered to and assisted Peter. It is probably accurate to say that Mark knew of the details of Jesus' public ministry directly from Peter. Mark had also worked with Paul and Barnabas, and was known as "John Mark." Though he was the subject of a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15:37-40, we know that later in time by the grace of God, Paul was reconciled to Mark.
In 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul wrote to Timothy mentioning Mark: "Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry." Mark had become a powerful disciple of Jesus! In fact, history teaches us that he completed his service to the LORD as the bishop in one of the most important strategic locations of the earliest Church at Alexandria in Egypt. It was there that he died as a martyr for the sake of the Gospel.
Mark knew this saving Gospel well and he knew how one could be united to Jesus in Holy Baptism so that there would never be any doubt that the Gospel was personally received. There are several key passages on Holy Baptism in the New Testament, but Mark 16:16 might be among the most vivid in stating Baptism's indispensable nature for giving assurance of salvation. Jesus said, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:16). Notice that Baptism is not associated with condemnation but is absolutely associated with salvation.
Peter, who most likely gave Mark important details for his Gospel, backs Mark regarding the importance of Holy Baptism: "Baptism, which corresponds to this [Noah's water], now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 3:21). Baptism saves us because God uses it to unite us to the risen Jesus. And to be united to the risen Jesus is to be rescued from sin and death. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You have enriched Your Church with the proclamation of the Gospel through the evangelist Mark. Grant that we may firmly believe these glad tidings and daily walk according to Your Word; through Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 16:16-22 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 8:1-13, 30-36; Luke 9:1-17
"Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy." (John 16:20)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. At first glance, John 16:20 can seem like a pretty challenging verse. Why would other people in the world be rejoicing, while believers (specifically the first-century disciples living when Jesus was crucified) are weeping and lamenting? Think about that: While you are super sad about something, others are super happy for the same reason you are super sad. I know, this just seems wrong. There is a reaction called schadenfreude which means "pleasure derived by someone from another's misfortune." This seems really twisted.
But think about this: if some people hate God and hate His Word, then if His Church and God's people are sinking or seemingly failing, sure enough, the world will celebrate. They will say, "Finally, this annoying Christian faith is going down the tubes!" Make no mistake about it, there are many people in the world who would just be fine if the Christian faith just disappeared and who would be glad to rejoice in your despair.
Jesus was warning the disciples that the day was coming when the disciples would weep and lament, when Jesus was crucified on the Cross and executed by the Romans as a common criminal. When this happened, those against Jesus were glad and rejoiced. But the LORD went on to fill His disciples with hope, certain and true. Yes, they would be sorrowful, but then something was going to happen: They would suddenly have their sorrow turned to joy! What would cause that? You know: It would be when on the Third Day their Savior, who bled to death on the Cross, would come forth with power from the tomb. Their great sorrow would be turned to great joy.
There is an application here for us. There are many times when it feels like Christians are in the real minority and that the ways of the world are winning out, but remember, Christian, that Jesus is coming again in glory. When that day comes our sorrow will be turned to joy. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You show those in error the light of Your truth so that they may return to the way of righteousness. Grant faithfulness to all who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ's Church that they may avoid whatever is contrary to their confession and follow all such things as are pleasing to You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Easter)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Fourth Sunday of Easter (Psalm 66:3, 5, 8-9; antiphon: v.1-2) Daily Lectionary: Exodus 40:17-38; Luke 8:40-56
Shout for joy to God, all the earth. Alleluia. Sing the glory of His name; give to Him glorious praise! Alleluia. (From the Introit for the Fourth Sunday of Easter)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Fourth Sunday of Easter tomorrow is known as Jubilate Sunday. Jubilate from the Latin means "Rejoice." Joy, real joy--isn't this something we all want in our lives? The psalmist is, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, revealing to us where genuine joy comes from. It is as if the psalmist had a bird's eye view of what would occur centuries later (from his standpoint), when Jesus would rise from the dead and conquer the grave. Psalm 66:3, which is part of this Introit, states, "Say to God, How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you." These words apply especially to our greatest enemies: our sin that leads to death, the world, and the devil (and his demons). These enemies were and are overcome by the LORD's awesome deeds, especially His most awesome deed which was conquering death.
Now these enemies must cringe before Him (that is, be bent in fear knowing that they are utterly conquered and defeated). The psalmist knew what to focus on, because he knew what sealed the deal, so, to, speak, when it comes to knowing that God's deeds are awesome indeed. Psalm 66:8-9, also part of the Introit, says, "Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living, and has not let our feet slip." Could there be any greater reason to shout for joy? What do we desire more than life itself?!
On account of the LORD's awesome deeds, all who trust in Him will be kept among the living, through the might of the One risen and who raises the dead. Knowing these things, how can we not rejoice? Every possible reason to live in fear has been overcome by the joy of knowing that not even death can take our joy away. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
LORD Jesus, You took our illnesses and bore our diseases, bringing hope to the sick and the dying. In Your death on the cross, You completed Your work of bearing all our burdens and on the third day showed us in Your resurrected body the firstfruits of the new creation. Heal us now by Your Word and Sacraments, and raise us up on the Last Day that we might live with You forever; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 39:32-40:16; Luke 8:22-39
[Jesus] rebuked the wind and the raging waves. . . [and] the demons came out of the man. (Luke 8:24, 33)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It is easy in life to feel overpowered and outgunned. I was pretty big in high school and during my third year on the varsity squad as a defensive end rushing quarterbacks, there were not many offensive linemen who could stop me. But one Friday night under the lights, the offensive lineman was 6'7" and weighed a lot more than I did, and he was lightning fast. I had the most humiliating game of my high school football career. There was nothing I could do against this guy. I tried to go high, I tried to go low, around, fake, twist. . . nothing. He was more powerful than me.
There are many things that can happen to us that make us feel totally weak, helpless, and unable to get through. This is what poor sinners experience. But thanks be to God, that our Heavenly Father sent Jesus! When our LORD conducted His public ministry He led disciples who were just people like us. They knew limitations and they were easily scared. For example, who wouldn't be upset in the face of a storm that you thought might kill you? Who wouldn't be afraid of someone possessed by many demons? Well, there was someone unafraid. You know who that was: Jesus. Why wasn't He afraid? Easy answer: Because He is the One and only One who has all power. He did not simply come to proclaim your salvation, but He had and has the power to accomplish it! He has power over the wind and raging waves; and He has power to command and control the strongest demons. So powerful is the LORD that even death was too weak for Him. Our sin, the world, and the devil cannot get by Him, not over, not under, not around. . . He is just too strong and that is why we are 100% safe in the arms of Savior Jesus.
Just one more thing. Sometimes atheists argue this way: "If God is all powerful and all good, then why hasn't He done anything about all the evil in the world?" Their question has a mistaken presupposition: They are assuming God has not done anything about the evil! Yes, He has! He sent Jesus! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, You have prepared for those who love You such good things as surpass our understanding. Cast out all sins and evil desires from us, and pour into our hearts Your Holy Spirit to guide us into all blessedness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 38:21-39:8; Luke 8:1-21
A sower went out to sow his seed. . . And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold. (Luke 8:5a & 8a)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The parable of the sower is a golden source of teaching about the Christian life. It can also be a little scary, so understanding it is important. Let it be said up front that Lutherans believe our salvation is secure through faith in Christ. God does not mince words: "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). And "never" means never. At the same time, the parable helps us to learn about the gift of saving faith.
Saving faith holds on to the Word of Christ even in the face of what makes the path, the rock, and the thorns so dangerous. Jesus is giving us a big "heads up" here so that we would not be surprised at what we encounter throughout life. We know that the devil will try to take faith away from our hearts (Luke 8:12); we know that the time of testing tempts us to fall away (Luke 8:13); and we know that the thorns of life try to make us lose our faith through many different distractions (Luke 8:14). We know these things. We have been told these things because God loves us! He wants us in heaven. He has given us Jesus to make it happen! And as we live in faith, then we know eternal life is absolutely ours. Therefore, we prepare for what will come.
So how do we prepare? We are ready for anything when our faith abides in "the good soil," but what is this? It is the Christian heart that lives in Holy Baptism and daily repentance, confessing sin constantly, knowing our great need for Jesus, but also knowing we are forgiven. And then what? Well, our Lutheran confessions permit one more item on this list: the fruits of repentance. That is, the Christian has a heart of "good soil" that by the Holy Spirit and the Word of Christ, is always doing good works--not because we have to, but because we get to. This is why it grows and yields a hundredfold (Luke 8:8). This is Jesus' promise to work in and through you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Sower of the Seed, the women supported You from their own means during Your ministry of releasing creation from its bondage. Give us strength to support the work of sowing the seed of Your forgiveness in the world through our almsgiving as we embody in our lives Your mercy and charity; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: The Apostles Creed, First Article, pt.1 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 34:29-35:21; Luke 7:36-50
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. (Small Catechism: The Apostles Creed, First Article)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When Dr. Luther taught the meaning of the First Article, he started by teaching what God gives or provides according to His almighty power. Luther wrote, "I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life."
One of the greatest lies of our culture today is that what is "ours" is ours: "Our" bodies are ours, "our" lives are ours, "our" time is ours, etc. Wrong! Consider God's Word: "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19b and 20a). You were also created with a price, with a "price tag" that means you have infinite value because you belong to God. You are not your own. All that you have in accord with First Article gifts has come from God. To claim these things as our own is to ignore the Creator, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to pretend that what is the LORD's is only ours. This is not only an illusion. It is also a sin.
The LORD, however, is so good, so kind, so loving, and so merciful that not only did He heap our selfish, gobble-up-everything-claiming-it-as-our-own sin upon Himself to cover it with His atoning blood, but then He chose to actually GIVE TO US His Kingdom! How? By giving us Himself, the King! Christians are now in this amazing situation: They speak the truth when they say that what is theirs is really God's, but now in Christ, what is Christ's is also--really and truly--also theirs. How do we live in this Law/Gospel reality of what belongs to God and what belongs to us? We say that every good and perfect gift is from above (James 1:17), and that whatever we say is "ours" is only because our Savior Jesus has given it to us to care for and to also say, "To God alone be all the glory!" In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us Your gifts of faith, hope, and love that we may receive the forgiveness You have promised and love what You have commanded; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 Peter 2:21-25 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 34:1-28; Luke 7:18-35
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Believing God and trusting God that your sin (your core condition) and sins (all the sinful things you've ever thought, said, and done) have been taken away can be hard for us. In fact, without the Holy Spirit's working through the Word of Christ to give us faith, it is impossible for us to believe! But thank God it is true and thank God that the Holy Spirit is powerful in creating saving faith so that we personally receive Christ for us. Still, even after we receive the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation, we are still in possession of a great mystery: Even though we still feel our sins, it is true that in Christ those sins we feel are also gone. Now that is a mystery, something too marvelous for us to comprehend. And yet, it is 100% true. Why? Because God did something for us called imputation. God, with all power and authority imputed, or cast upon Himself, our sin. There was no sin in Christ, and yet, because He imputed our sin upon Himself, Jesus took the place of all sinners! Your sin was on Him. My sin was on Him. The sin of all people of all time was on Him. He was so sinful in fact, that the Heavenly Father looked away from His own Son as He was dying for us (Matthew 27:46). By doing this, God was confirming that He accepted what His Son was doing for us that day. He was our sin and He bore our punishment and He died our death with sin still on Him. So, yes, as. Peter writes, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree."
Because Jesus did this, we live in God's gift of faith in Christ and in this faith, we get back to our Baptism into Jesus every day. We "die to sin and live to righteousness." And when tomorrow comes, we do it all over again! By grace we live this way, because by the wounds of Christ we have been healed. God no longer sees sins on you. Jesus took them. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus, prepare us to receive Your very body and blood by giving us repentance to weep over our sins and then rejoice that in You the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have Good News preached to them; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 33:1-23; Luke 7:1-17
For thus says the LORD God: "Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out." (Ezekiel 34:11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The LORD spoke these words to Ezekiel the prophet because God's under-shepherds had neglected His people. They were unfaithful shepherds, unreliable, not feeding the sheep, but only feeding themselves (Ezekiel 34:2). The LORD would not stand for it and announced His solution: He Himself would be the shepherd of His sheep, His people (Ezekiel 34:15). God has stood by this resolution ever since.
But really?! The last time I checked, my pastor was just a man. Where is God as shepherd? The answer is that while it is true that your pastor is "just a man," he serves in a way that is not his own. The called and ordained pastor serves in the Office of Christ, by the authority of Christ, and through the Word and Sacraments of Christ. What the pastor speaks is Christ's Word, not his own.
Luke 10:16 records the words of Jesus when He spoke to the first under-shepherds who were genuine and true--that is, who would be as Christ to God's people: "The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me." Okay, but how do we recognize the true under-shepherds who bring the Chief Shepherd Christ? The answer is quite clear: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." Always "test the spirits," that is, test whether what is being preached and taught is in accord with the Word of Christ. Be as the Bereans were. What did they do when they heard Paul preach? Acts 17:11b tells us, "They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."
So, at the end of the day, we know that Christ is shepherding us through His Word! The sheep of God follow the True Shepherd because "they know his voice" (John 10:4). "A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." But we do know the voice of Christ so that we recognize the true under-shepherds who give us Christ, the Chief Shepherd. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, by Your almighty Word You set in order all things in heaven and on earth. Put away from us all things hurtful, and give us those things that are beneficial for us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 10:11-16 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:15-35; Luke 6:39-49
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We throw around the word "good" quite a bit. Ice cream is good, apps are good, your favorite [fill in the blank] is good. . . so many things are "good," but not like what God's Word means when Jesus is called "the Good Shepherd." This "good" describing Jesus is packed with meaning. It could also be translated as "beautiful" or even "virtuous."
You've heard of "superfoods" that are especially healthy. Well, the "good" pointing to Jesus is a "supergood." This is the kind of good that is beautiful in the sense that if you were lost or afraid or in lots of trouble, He would be "a sight for sore eyes," and not like ice cream or a good app that won't do you any good if you're dying. Or you would recognize Jesus as virtuous, full of the best things of human character: someone absolutely trustworthy, dependable, reliable. He will never let you down. In fact, this "Good" Shepherd is so beautiful and virtuous that He was willing to take your guilt, your trouble, your condemnation, your punishment, all of your bad, and put it all on Himself. That's the kind of "good" we're talking about.
Who is this good? Not a soul on planet earth, except for One whose Name is Jesus. But the word "good" here doesn't hang in the air. It is an adjective describing "shepherd." Shepherds guide helpless sheep with a rod and a staff. He is good in how He guides us through life. Protecting us against all that is harmful through His rod, and rescuing us from all of our trouble through His staff. His goodness is experienced through His leading.
Not in a million years should we ever want to follow anyone else, because no one else and nothing else is this good. But how can we be so certain? The proof has been made known: This Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep. But this Good Shepherd was not only good in the past, He is also the Good Shepherd today in this world, in our time! He still leads us with His good rod and staff. He still keeps us protected and provided for in His good sheepfold, the Holy Church. Here, we receive His good gifts, His good Word and His good Sacraments, and through these we know Jesus who is truly good. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world, Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joys; through Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Third Sunday of Easter)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Third Sunday of Easter (Psalm 33:1, 18-20; antiphon: v.5b, 6a) Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:1-14; Luke 6:20-38
The earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. Alleluia. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made. Alleluia. Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine." (From the Introit for the Third Sunday of Easter)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Tomorrow is the Third Sunday of Easter and is traditionally known as Misericordias Domini, which means "goodness of the LORD." The psalmist, in writing Psalm 33 by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is asserting the goodness of God. He says at the beginning of our Introit, "The earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD." Wait a minute. Was the psalmist looking upon the same earth that we are looking at?! We see all the things that Jesus warned us about, "wars and rumors of wars. . . famines and earthquakes in various places. . . And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:6a, 7b & 12). Is this the earth full of the steadfast love of the LORD?
Don't be distraught, Christian, and remember: Context is everything. Note that the psalmist also wrote, "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made." There is only one way for us to see the goodness of the LORD and that is through the WORD, the incarnate Jesus Christ, and His coming to us now through WORD and SACRAMENT. It is only when we find the WORD on earth that we are given eyes of faith, through which the WORD shows us God's working even through what is very, very bad.
This doesn't mean that bad stuff is good. No, bad stuff is bad, but it does mean that God works even through the bad stuff to find a way to bless us for our good! Want proof? Then ponder this: The most horrific thing that ever happened was that the innocent Son of God was crucified, but through it, God worked out His greatest goodness. On the Cross Jesus took our sins and covered them with His blood so that through Jesus, the earth might be full of the steadfast love of the LORD. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. The earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. Alleluia. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made. Alleluia." (From the Introit for the Third Sunday of Easter)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 31:1-18; Luke 6:1-19
In those days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Anything you can say about God, you can say about any of the Three Persons of The Holy Trinity with one big exception to the rule: only the Son--very God of very God--took on flesh, becoming a man. So, we may say that Jesus created the heavens and the earth, and we may say that the Father saves us, and we may say that the Holy Spirit knows all things, but we may not say that the Father prayed or that the Holy Spirit struggled. No, it was only Jesus who did these things.
Philippians 2 describes what Jesus did as the God-man: "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant. . . he humbled himself" (Philippians 2:5, 7a & 8a). Our LORD always possessed the full power of God, but He voluntarily limited Himself ("made himself nothing") so that He was fully able to be like us in every way, except without sin. So Jesus, also as true man, truly prayed to the Heavenly Father. Jesus was always God, but we may correctly say, "He was a man praying to God."
And here is the big lesson for us about prayer: even Jesus who was a sinless person needed to pray. He felt the weight of sin in the world and the attacks of the devil. As a result, He yearned to pray. Lutheran Christians know how to pray: We engage in a two-way conversation. We hear God speaking to us through the Word of Christ and then we speak back to God in prayer, often just praying God's Word back to Him as we do in the psalms. If Jesus needed to pray, then we need to pray infinitely more. He heard the Father speak to Him as He had perfect communion with the Father, and He prayed to the Father. We emulate our Savior, take His Word into our hands and upon our lips and listen to God speak to us, and then we pray, since we are His baptized children. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus, our Sabbath rest, You called the twelve apostles to go out into all the world to carry on Your proclamation of the kingdom of God and Your miracles of release. May Your Church with its apostolic foundation continue to announce the Good News that in You there is healing and forgiveness; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 25:1-22; Luke 5:17-39
"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:31-32)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The evangelist Matthew was once very sick in his spirit, and he urgently needed a physician. Such was his condition when Jesus called him to follow, and everyone knew it. It is well-known that the two types of people considered to be the lowest of the low, during this place and time when Jesus walked the earth, were prostitutes and tax collectors. Matthew was a tax collector, and the people viewed tax collectors as robbers who took more than was owed, completely taking advantage of people for personal gain. Matthew was not ignorant. He knew what he had been doing. He knew that he was a sinner. He knew that his spirit was sick. What a remarkable text here from Luke 5:27-32 when Jesus called Matthew. Unlike Jesus' conversation in John 4 with the woman from Samaria, for example, there was no discussion about his past sin. Jesus did not moralize or lecture; the LORD did not accuse nor psychoanalyze. He saw Matthew, the sin-sick man, and just called him: "Follow me." That's it. Done deal. Jesus just called him to follow, and the rest was history. Luke 5:28: "And leaving everything, he rose and followed him."
We know that if a person is complacent, ok and satisfied in their sinning, we must rouse them and ask the Holy Spirit to convict them through the Law, but on other occasions people already know that there is something wrong with them. They are already full of shame before we utter a syllable to them. When we meet folks like this, we don't need to beat them down with Law, we just need to love them with Gospel and tell them that Jesus is loving them, too.
This is true for us as well. Sometimes we feel stuck in our shame, taking our sin to mean that we are just defective, rejected people. But Jesus won't stand for this. He calls us when our lives are all messy and full of shame, and in the greatest love and mercy the world has ever known. He calls to us, "Follow me." We don't have to jump through hoops, but get to leave our lives of serving sin, and then by God's grace, put one foot in front of the other as we follow Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O LORD, absolve Your people from their offenses that from the bonds of our sins, which by reason of our frailty we have brought upon ourselves, we may be delivered by Your bountiful goodness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: The Close of the Commandments Daily Lectionary: Exodus 24:1-18; Luke 5:1-16
What does God say about all these commandments? He says, "I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep my commandments." (Small Catechism: The Close of the Commandments)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Luther teaches on the meaning of the close of the commandments: "What does this mean? God threatens to punish all who break these commandments. Therefore, we should fear His wrath and not do anything against them. But He promises grace and every blessing to all who keep these commandments. Therefore, we should also love and trust in Him and gladly do what He commands."
Too often we hear a watered-down version of what it means for the Christian "to fear God." It is true that we don't walk around waiting for God to zap us with lightning. God wants us to know that on account of Christ He truly loves us. At the same time, we should be afraid to break God's commandments. We should hate the thought of doing so. Therefore, as Luther teaches, if we break God's commandments, we should fear God's wrath. Is this for Christians, too? Absolutely! So, our Lutheran confessions in many places teach us that Christians are familiar with the "terrors of conscience," because according to our sinful nature, we break God's Law.
What does God want us to do? Does He want us to run and hide from Him like Adam and Eve did in Genesis 3? No way! Does He want us to rebel against Him and act like we don't care? Ridiculous! Does He want us to pretend that we don't sin? Definitely not! Instead, He says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). This is what we do every day as we live in our Holy Baptism into Jesus! What should motivate us? The fact that God is "a jealous God." This doesn't mean that God is insecure (that's the sinful meaning), but that God loves us so much that He fights for us at all cost, even to the point of giving up His own Son to forgive us for our law-breaking. As we live as Christians now, we do not live fearing God, but we live fearing the prospect of rebellion, and when we do break His commandments, we run to Jesus, the friend of sinners. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
"You have this Law to see therein That you have not been free from sin But also that you clearly see How pure toward God life should be." Have mercy, LORD! ("These Are the Holy Ten Commands" LSB 581, st.11)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 John 5:4-10 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 23:14-33; Luke 4:31-44
Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is a real impact upon our lives when the Holy Spirit, through the Word and Sacraments of Jesus, creates in us the gift of faith. Luther in his preface to his Romans commentary wrote, "Faith is God's work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God (John 1:23). It kills the Old Adam and makes us completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts, and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with it." How can we be sure of this? "For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree" (1 John 5:7). John 19:34 records: "But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water."
After Jesus rose from the grave, He gave His Holy Spirit to His Church (breathing the Spirit upon the apostles and pouring His Spirit upon the Church) and guess what? The Holy Spirit still uses the water of Christ and the blood of Christ to flow upon and into Christians. You have received Christ's water in Holy Baptism and you receive Christ's Blood in Holy Communion. Through these, the Holy Spirit protects you! Christ for you means that you have the Victor over anything and everything in the world that threatens the forgiveness of your sins, your eternal life, and your great salvation in Christ.
This does not mean that sin, the world, and the devil will not still harass you and even cause you great pain (we get to taste some of His suffering for us), but it does mean that nothing in this world is stronger than the One your faith clings to! Nothing! "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life" (1 John 5:11-12a). And who overcomes the world? "The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 John 5:5). Your Savior is so strong for you that your enemies cannot snatch you out of His hand (John 10:28). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus, in Your ministry of teaching, casting out demons, and healing the sick, You proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom of God. Send us into all the world to announce that today, in You, Scripture has been fulfilled, the new creation has come, and the healing of the nations is here; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the LORD God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. (Ezekiel 37:12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. While the Old Testament teaches the resurrection of the flesh as we see in Job 19, Ezekiel 37 is not about the resurrection of the body, but it is about the renewal and "resurrection" of hope and vitality for living in faith. The powerful scene of the valley of dry bones describes the people of Israel in exile in Babylon before their liberation by the powerful Persian emperor and conqueror Cyrus the Great (as history knows him). But before Cyrus, God's people had lost their homeland, they were like slaves in a far-away land, and the confidence they once had as the people of God seemed like a distant memory. They had lost hope, so that they were full of dryness in spirit, and full of the feeling of death in their collective soul. That is why God describes His people here as a great valley of dry bones.
Have you ever felt dry? Have you ever lost hope? The psalmist proves to us that it is possible for a believer to feel this way. Psalm 32:3-4 says, "For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer." For us, though, we don't need any mere man, even a powerful mere man like Cyrus the Great, but only Jesus Christ, who is not a mere man, but the very Son of God!
This is how Jesus rescues us from our sinful exiles; this is how Jesus raises our "dry bones." "I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin" (Psalm 32:5). As Jesus keeps us in our baptismal grace, we are lifted up and renewed day by day. We are no longer exiles and slaves to sin, but we are released from bondage to sin and we have a new Master, the LORD of life who showers upon us new hope, and this hope does not disappoint nor put us to shame (Romans 5:5). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord God, heavenly Father, Your Son announced in the synagogue of His hometown of Nazareth that as the Messiah, His teaching and miracles demonstrated His presence in creation to release it from bondage and bring healing by making all things new. Give us faith to see that His teaching and miracles continue today in the healing medicine of Your Word and the Sacraments, which put to flight the diseases of our souls; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: John 20:19-31 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 20:1-24; Luke 4:1-15
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. (John 20:19)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This marvelous Easter text is one of the most important in leading us to worship our Risen LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. At the same time, it is teaching us something about our Risen LORD according to His Person as true God and true man. In our Lutheran Confessions, Solid Declaration, Article VII on The Holy Supper, we learn that there are three ways in which Jesus can be in a given place. One of those is the way He was present as recorded in John 20. Here, space cannot contain Him, so Jesus was able to leave "the closed grave and came through closed doors" [John 20:19]. So locked doors and hard walls can't keep Jesus from really and actually coming to you and being with you. At the same time here in John 20 the disciples were able to know Jesus' real presence. He was actually there with them in His body! In fact, Thomas got to touch Him! (John 20:27). In other words, Jesus can do both at the same time: have nothing touch Him as He passes through locked doors and walls, and yet be touched and touch at the same time! How does He do it? He's God! It is not too difficult for Him.
So, what is really important about this fancy schmancy theological overview? Just this: This is the same way that Jesus comes to you in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar! He does not need bread and wine to contain Him (they can't), and yet when you receive the sacramental bread and the sacramental wine, He really and truly and actually comes to you! In the Holy Sacrament, His Body and His Blood enters your mouth, enters your whole life, and this is one way that He is keeping His promise to be with you always (Matthew 28:20). In our sin, we doubt that Jesus can do this, but in this very Holy Sacrament and in His Word proclaimed, we poor sinners are given and increased in holy faith so that we may walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, grant that we who have celebrated the Lord's resurrection may by Your grace confess in our life and conversation that Jesus is Lord and God; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday of Easter)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Introit for the Second Sunday of Easter (Psalm 81:1, 7a, 10, 16b; antiphon: 1 Peter 2:2a) Daily Lectionary: Exodus 19:1-25; Hebrews 13:1-21
Like newborn infants, Alleluia, long for the pure spiritual milk of the Word. Alleluia." (From the Introit for the Second Sunday of Easter)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Introit for tomorrow, the "entrance" or "beginning" that tells us the theme of the service, is for the special Sunday known as Quasimodo Geniti, "like newborn babies." That is, this Sunday's theme teaches us that we should be like newborn babies. But in what way? So that we would "long for the pure spiritual milk of the Word."
Have you ever observed a hungry baby? Getting fed is basically the only thing on their minds! Christians still have a sinful nature and because of that, one of our worst problems is being complacent and no longer feeling the need for God's Word. In sin, we do not long for or thirst for the Word of Christ. Or course, this is exactly where our sin, the world, and the devil want us to be. In time, we might just turn away from God's Word altogether (may it never be!).
When the Holy Spirit convicts us of this sinful way of no longer longing for the Word of Christ, we confess our sin, and receive Christ's forgiveness and then we live not as unwise, but as wise. We train ourselves by the grace of God and through the Word and Sacraments (the Holy Spirit always working through these) to enter each day with a longing. The longing that says once again this day, "I need Jesus, and I know where to find Him! I receive Him through His pure spiritual milk, His Word. For this I long." Luther taught this in respect to receiving Holy Absolution, through which the forgiveness of Christ is imputed to us. Luther wrote: "If you are a Christian, then you ought to be happy to run more than a hundred miles to Confession and not let yourself be urged to come." This is what longing for the Word looks like. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob! In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder. I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it; and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Like newborn infants, Alleluia, long for the pure spiritual milk [of the Word.] Alleluia. (From the Introit for Quasimodo Geniti Sunday)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 18:5-27; Hebrews 12:1-24
Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump. (1 Corinthians 5:7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Leaven" here is a metaphor, so Paul is not talking about yeast that makes dough rise. In 1 Corinthians 5:7, "leaven" stands for the old life, the old man, the sinful nature; the flesh. Before you were baptized (or if you were baptized later in life, before you came to saving faith through another means of grace), you were only "leaven," only unregenerate, only against God. The state of being "leaven" is described thoroughly in Romans 5:6-10: You were weak, ungodly, a sinner, and an enemy of God. This condition is so permeating that this leaven infiltrated your very core, or perhaps better said, your heart, so that nothing but more leaven could rise out of you (Matthew 15:18-20). Such leaven spreads to everything you do, and say, and think by nature, all of which is the old leaven of sin and death. In this condition, a person is spiritually dead.
But God in His mercy saw us in this old leavened state, and loved us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus, to come and do something about our old leavened lives. Jesus put on our humanity, became our brother, even while still being Almighty God,and did something about the old leaven. Through Himself, He has given us His perfect unleavened bread, His very body to make our lives holy and unleavened. We now have the new life of Christ that covers our old leaven of sin. His sinless and unleavened life has covered you ever since you were baptized into Him, so that now the Holy Spirit is busy daily doing something in and through you: leading you to confess the old leaven, to "clean it out" according to what Jesus has done for you.
We confess it to God, and through Christ, God takes it from us, and then reminds us where He put it all: on His Son when His Son was on the Cross with all our old leaven. In Christ, God sees you as unleavened. On account of Christ, all the old leaven is gone! You are now His new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, You show those in error the light of Your truth so that they may return to the way of righteousness. Grant faithfulness to all who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ's Church that they may avoid whatever is contrary to their confession and follow all such things as are pleasing to You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Job 19:23-27 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 17:1-16; Hebrews 11:1-29
"And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh in my flesh I shall see God." (Job 19:25)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. People say a lot of things that either criticize Scripture or reveal their lack of familiarity with Scripture. For example, many perpetuate the idea that the Old Testament does not teach the resurrection of the body. Job 19 disproves this assertion. In fact, Job in chapter 19 is adamant about what he is saying here. It is so important that he wants the truth of his words to be "with an iron pen and lead, engraved in the rock forever!" (Job 19:24) Nothing can contradict this truth. What truth? That after we die, our physical bodies will turn to dust . We will be reduced to practically nothing. The Greeks taught that our atoms would just dissipate into the rest of the universe. Job admits that yes, his body would be "destroyed"; reduced to ashes. Yes, this is true, but that is not everything.
Job then states the rest of the story: Something happens after death that will enable him to see God with his own eyes! (Job 19:26-27) How could Job possibly testify so strongly to this? It appears at first glance to be a contradiction, but it is not. Job was describing the effects of the resurrected body. The Gospel is not just that God put your sins on Jesus for Him to cover your sins with His blood, but the Gospel includes what God promises you on account of Jesus' rising from death. And this is no silly metaphor or "spiritual" resurrection, but it means that His body that died (the same one buried) came back to life.
Yes, bodies that die turn to dust, and the rest of the story is that God reassembles the body--in a miraculous way--so that not only will our bodies be restored, but they will be better than ever before (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). In other words, the Good News is that death is not your end, dear Christian, because after you die, you shall be raised and you will see Jesus with your very own eyes! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, through Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, You overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life. We humbly pray that we may live before You in righteousness and purity forever; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Small Catechism: The Tenth Commandment Daily Lectionary: Exodus 16:13-35; Hebrews 10:19-39
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (Text from Luther's Small Catechism drawn from Exodus 20:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor's wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do their duty" (Luther's Small Catechism). Have you heard the old saying, "The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence?" Well, for our sinful nature, this is a highly accurate statement. The flesh is never satisfied. Its cravings and desires are insatiable. Our sin is never satisfied.
King Solomon described this problem in respect to the love of money: "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money [or "will never have enough"]" (Ecclesiastes 5:10). Why is this true? God tells us why: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) These dark cravings easily turn toward our neighbor and what our neighbor has in his or her life, like their close relationships.
Have you ever been jealous of someone else? If so, then maybe it was because you envied their popularity, or even because they had or have a friend that you always wanted to be close to. When our sin zeros in on envy, coveting, and evil desire, then we don't want our neighbor to have what they have. Instead, we want what they have. This is how the Tenth Commandment is broken.
But your sin was put on Jesus! He took it out of obedient love to the Heavenly Father for you. He went to the Cross and covered your sin, including all your coveting, on the Cross; and He rose to prove that since you are baptized into His death and His resurrection you do indeed have a new life! That life realizes this: You have the Kingdom of God (Luke 12:32). You already have the best of the best of life; in Christ, you have all things good and holy and lasting and rich! You don't need anything else! Now, because God takes care of what you have, in Christ you can help your neighbor take care of what they have. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
"You shall not crave your neighbor's house Nor covet money, goods, or spouse. Pray God He would your neighbor bless As you yourself wish success." Have mercy, LORD! ("These Are the Holy Ten Commands" LSB 581, st.10)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Acts 10:34-43 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 15:19-16:12; Hebrews 10:1-18
So Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality." (Acts 10:34)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.There are at least two very different ways to take this revelation from Luke, who wrote these words by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. One way is to take the fact that God shows no partiality as really bad news. I mean, how fair is that?! So I can go to all this effort to be a good person, do the right thing, be honest, hard-working, etc., but then God is going to treat the rebel and the bad guy like He treats me? It does not seem right and let's face it: Such frustration can cause a person to stray from God altogether. After all, we want proper credit for what we do, especially when we think what we do makes us better than others.
On the other hand, we might understand that God's showing no partiality is a really good thing. He will still be the God of grace even for us. He is the God who sent His Son for sinners and mess-ups and is still impartial enough to consider me among the saints of God. That is, God's impartiality means that I have a chance to be with the "good guys." It's just important that we understand what makes the "good guys" good.
These are the ones who are "acceptable" to the LORD (Acts 10:35). But being acceptable to God is not because we accept Him. . . no, instead His acceptance of us happened a long time ago when His Son Jesus,our Savior, lived, died, and rose for us! Indeed, our salvation is not about our opening our hearts to accept Jesus; but about the Heavenly Father's opening His heart to us by sending His Son to be our Savior! We are accepted and experience God's impartiality through the Good News of peace that has been preached to us (Acts 10:36). Jesus was anointed (Acts 10:38) and that means He has power and authority to heal ALL sinners. Remember God shows no partiality, so "all" means "all"! Yes, it is true as Luke writes, "They put him to death by hanging him on a tree," and many thought it was game over for Jesus, but here's the rest of the story: "God raised him on the third day. . . [and] everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name" (Acts 10:40, 43). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, through the resurrection of Your Son You have secured peace for our troubled consciences. Grant us this peace evermore that trusting in the merit of Your Son we may come at last to the perfect peace of heaven; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Luke 24:36-38 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 15:1-18; Hebrew 9:1-28
. . . Jesus. . . said to them, 'Peace to you!" (Luke 24:36)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When the LORD Jesus says, "Peace to you!" it's not like He's saying, "I wish you well," or "I hope you feel better," or "Even though I don't know how things are going to work out, here's hoping for the best." Ah. . . no! When God proclaims peace upon you, it is created upon you; it becomes a reality upon you, so that peace for you is as empirical and objective as the iPhone you're holding right now or the thing upon which you are sitting. Think of the opening of Genesis, "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). When God speaks, what He speaks becomes. The spoken thing is now an "is" reality.
Peace IS now yours because Jesus has spoken it to you! He speaks it every time you attend Divine Service, as the pastor in Christ's Office says, "Peace be with you." That's Jesus speaking to you and casting His peace upon you. Why is this so important? Because we--according to our core sin--are like those Emmaus disciples in Luke 24. We are ". . . troubled. . . [and have] doubts [arising] in our hearts" (Luke 24:38). That's what sinners do. In fact, the old man does nothing but doubt, fret, complain, and curse. But when Jesus sees you like this--like He saw the Emmaus disciples--He has compassion upon you as He had compassion upon them. So His response is not to condemn you, but in the greatest love and mercy impart to you His peace, which means that you are right with God through the life, death, and resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ.
But how can we know this with absolute certainty? Well, if we sneak ahead a little bit to Luke 24:39 we see what Jesus did with the Emmaus disciples: He got REAL with them! He showed them His hands and His feet and told them that they could touch Him! Well, guess what? He gets REAL with you, too! You go to the Divine Service and receive Jesus' REAL Absolution through the REAL pastor; and then hear Jesus' REAL Word through Jesus' REAL preaching Office; and then--best of all--you receive the REAL Body and Blood of Jesus in the Holy Sacrament. You get to see exactly how and why the peace that Jesus gives to you is not theoretical, but absolutely the real deal. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O God, in the paschal feast You restore all creation. Continue to send Your heavenly gifts upon Your people that they may walk in perfect freedom and receive eternal life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Mark 16:1-8 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 14:10-31; Hebrews 7:23-8:13
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene. . . (Mark 16:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. According to Scripture, who is the first person to go to the tomb of the LORD Jesus after He was buried? Answer: Mary Magdalene. Jesus had once healed her, exorcizing seven demons from her (Luke 8:2). We can't begin to imagine what her life was like. She was lower than low and practically freaked people out. She must have been repulsive. "Total loser" would have been an understatement. But Jesus came for sinners--people dead in their trespasses and sins like you and me.
Jesus did not hesitate to love her and have mercy on her. He healed her and she became one of the Lord's most ardent believers. What happened from there was amazing. Not only does she have the distinction of going to Jesus' tomb first (while the apostles were hiding out), but after everyone else left, Jesus appears to her first (John 20:11). Mary Magdalene went on to be the first proclaimer of the resurrection of Christ (John 20:18). The one so lowly was the one lifted up so highly! Why? Because Jesus is for sinners, even the absolute worst of them!
But we must not forget that the Scriptural testimony about Mary is not random. Her lowest point was when she was possessed by demons (a seemingly hopeless situation), but her highest point is right here in Mark 16. This time she was with the risen Lord. She witnessed firsthand that Jesus even has power over death. No wonder the demons must obey His commands! While the raising of Christ is attributed to both the Father (Acts 2:24) and to the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1), it is--in true Trinitarian fashion--credited also to Jesus Himself. Jesus said, "No one takes [my life] from me. . . I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again" (John 10:18).
This One is the Master of the wind and the waves, the Master of all disease and disability, the One with all authority over principalities and powers. . . and yes, even the Master over death. Mary had already experienced His power, and now the rest of the world would know for whom His power is especially made known: exceptional sinners like Mary Magdalene, and like you and me! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God the Father, through Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, You have overcome death and opened the gate of everlasting life to us. Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of our Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by Your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Resurrection of Our Lord)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch
Today's Reading: Matthew 27:57-66 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 13:17-14:9; Hebrews 7:1-22
O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1, from the Introit for Easter Day)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus' Name is excellent. It's greater than any Name in this age and also in the age to come (Ephesians 1:21). "At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth" (Philippians 2:10). The angels speak that Name to the women that first Easter morning. "I know you seek Jesus the Crucified. He isn't here because He was raised, just has He said" (Matthew 28:5–6). Jesus had added resurrection glory to crucified glory. He's enthroned in power on the Cross, dying for you and the whole world. His Name was there, too: "Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews." But now He is always the Crucified. He bears the scars in His own body. As John sees in Revelation: "I saw in the middle of the throne. . . a Lamb standing, looking as if He'd been slain" (Revelation 5:6).
But before that, He was buried. God was lying dead in a tomb, His lifeless body placed there. God took His rest on the seventh day. This makes your grave holy. Your resurrection from the dead will be holy by His resurrection from the dead.
You will die. It's going to happen. You could be hit by a bus tomorrow, or you could die in your sleep when you're 100. You could die from cancer or in a storm. Your body will be laid to rest. But that's not the end for you, dear Christian, because Christ has baptized you into His death and resurrection, burying you with Him, you will rise again to new life. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Jesus placed His Name upon you. You've been marked by Christ the Crucified in your Baptism.
Jesus died. You will die. Jesus was buried. You will be buried. Jesus rose. You will rise. Tomorrow in the Divine Service you will receive the Body and Blood that was dead, buried, and raised. Jesus keeps you with these in body and soul to life everlasting. Jesus the Crucified lives forever. You will live forever. In Him you already do. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord Jesus Christ, we give You thanks that through death You have destroyed the power of death and delivered us, who are subject to lifelong bondage through the fear of death, comfort us with Your precious merit and assist us in our last hour by Your grace; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Holy Saturday)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch