September 20, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 18 - Psalm 37:5-7; antiphon: Psalm 37:4Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 4:7-23; 1 Timothy 3:1-16“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act” (Psalm 37:5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Waiting for the Lord to act when things do not appear to be going the way they should be going is one of the most difficult things to do. We see whatever evil is going on. Does God? If He does, why does He allow it to continue? When will He intervene? Will He? In Psalm 37, David says, “Fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil” (37:7-8, emphasis added). God certainly knows all the evil in the world, and He knows it far better than we will ever know it! He knows not only all the evil that is happening right now but all the evil that has ever happened and will ever happen. But God does not only know of evil. Not only will He set it right when evil-doers are caught and punished; not only will He put all things right on the Last Day, ridding His creation of sin, death, and the devil; He has already put evil right on the cross. Jesus’ crucifixion is where all evil comes to its full expression, in the killing by creatures of their Creator. And Jesus takes all that evil, including your sin and mine, and dies under its weight. By doing that, He buries sin and death in His grave and leaves it there when He rises from the dead. It is true that we still see evil in the world after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, but that is only the death rattle of this old creation. The present form of this world is passing away (1 Corinthians 7:31). God has made this known to us by His Spirit. And He has made us part of this same story in our Baptism; the same old/new, death/resurrection line now runs through us as it does through the creation. Because of this, we can be still before Yahweh and wait patiently for Him (Psalm 37:7). When Christ is revealed, then He will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body (Philippians 3:21), and “He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday” (Psalm 37:6). Your future is assured by Christ’s resurrection, so you can be patient as God works all things together for our good in Christ. He who has called you according to His promise in Christ is faithful. He will surely do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.In the midst of evil, O God, grant us the assurance of Christ’s victory over sin, death, and all evil, so that we may wait patiently for the revealing of that victory in the whole creation. Amen. -Rev. 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.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 19, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: Table of duties: of civil governmentDaily Lectionary: Nehemiah 2:11-20, 4:1-6; 1 Timothy 2:1-15“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. Sometimes, we think that if other people are not doing what they are supposed to do, then we can do what would otherwise be wrong. We think that we will do what we’re supposed to do when they do what they’re supposed to do. We’ll obey our parents when they do everything God has commanded them to do. Husbands will only sacrifice themselves for their wives when their wives submit, and wives will only submit when husbands act like Jesus. Likewise, we think that we will be subject to the governing authorities when the governing authorities do what God has given them to do. But all of those are contrary to God’s word. The fact is, of course, that the sinners in the government, in families, and in marriages will never do everything that they are supposed to do. But God’s Law does not have exceptions. We don’t get to decide whether we will follow God’s word based on what other people do. We obey God, not people. And obeying God means that we obey those whom He puts into authority over us, whether parents or governing authorities (which are extensions of the Father’s authority). The explanation of the Fourth Commandment reminds us: “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.” What does this mean? What should we do when the government does not act according to God’s will to protect the innocent and punish the evildoer? The most obvious example is when governments persecute Christians. What will submission to the governing authorities look like in that case? It will mean continuing to hear God’s word and receiving His sacraments. The government may abuse its authority and put us in prison or put us to death. Even so, we trust the God who instituted them more than those He put into authority. As Jesus says to Pilate, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11). Jesus does not deny Pilate’s authority to put Him to death, but He tells Pilate that his authority comes from God. We must continue to do what God has given us to do according to our vocations. We pray that everyone else properly carries out the vocations God has given them. We pray that when they do not act rightly, God will replace them. Above all, we pray that God will have mercy on all of us in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord God, you have put into place all authorities. Cause them to serve according to Your will, for the good of all people. Give us full trust in You, so that whatever anyone does, we are assured of Your mercy in Christ. Amen.-Rev. 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.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 18, 2024 Today's Reading: Haggai 1:1-2:23Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 1:1-2:10; Haggai 1:1-2:23; 1 Timothy 1:1-20“The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The people who returned from exile in Babylon had begun to rebuild the temple, as Cyrus, the Persian king, had allowed them to do. But then, in the face of opposition and threats, they stopped building. So God sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to exhort them to start again and give them a promise about His ongoing presence among them. In the face of the idolatry and the blasphemy of the priests and people, the prophet Ezekiel saw the glory of Yahweh depart from the temple (Ezekiel 9-10). Now, after the exile, God promises through Haggai and Zechariah that the glory will return to the temple and that the glory will be greater than it was previously. But this will not be a glory according to human expectations. “Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes” (Haggai 2:3)? The appearance does not match the reality of the promise. The temple is tied to the giving of peace, of shalom, which is a whole, entire peace and well-being, where everything is right and there are no more enemies against God’s people. God has them rebuild the temple, even though they are currently surrounded by threats and opposition, based on His promise and their trust in Him. But the temple always points forward to the day when there will be no more threats, only shalom. So Jesus promises that the temple will be torn down and He will rebuild it in three days. He cleanses the temple because something greater than the temple is here. When that hour comes, when it appears as if Jesus, the place of God’s presence and shalom, is being destroyed, that is actually the glory of God being revealed in the world. “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23), and “when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to Myself” (12:32). Jesus says that His servants will be where He is, and where He is, in that place, God will give shalom. We wait, like the returned exiles, for the day when all enemies and threats will be removed from this creation, but He gives us His saving presence now—even in the midst of our enemies—at the Table, in the flesh and blood of our temple, Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord, be present with us in the midst of all threats to body and soul, and keep us from our enemies of sin, death, and the devil, until we have the fullness of Your peace and glory in the new creation. Amen.-Rev. 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.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 17, 2024 Today's Reading: James 3:1-12Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 36:1-23; Philemon 1-25; Colossians 4:1-18“From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” (James 3:10)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Isn’t it strange how little control we have over our tongues? Why do we continually have to apologize to people because we “didn’t mean to say that”? What did we mean to say? And if we meant to say something else, why didn’t we say that? The tongue is a restless fire, and the words we say can burn down or build up. And it’s not only James who says it. Jesus says, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,” (Matthew 12:36). The words we speak mean far more than we often think. There is an old campfire song that goes, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.” It only takes a single word to change completely a relationship. Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words can also harm and destroy. It should not be so.But it is also a word that restores, heals, and forgives. It doesn’t start with our words, trying to “take them back” or fix what we’ve said and done. Sin is not like that. There is no fixing what has been broken in the past, what has been burned down, and all the idle and useless words we’ve spoken. It is only an entirely new word, a pure word, a living word, that can rebuild and restore. The Word made flesh enters a world of lying words, damaging words, and killing words and embodies the life and forgiveness of God. He hears words like “Crucify!” and He speaks words like “Forgive.” He hears words of death, and He speaks words of life. He hears words like “If He is the Son of God, let Him come down from the cross and save Himself,” and He speaks the dying word, “It is finished.” But this Word will not be silenced. He rises from the dead, and the first word He speaks to the disciples in the Upper Room is “Peace.” Peace between God and people; peace between people. Peace that heals where our words have broken; peace that pours quenching water on our burning, igniting words. Peace that spreads from the risen Jesus to His people, spreads from one of His baptized believers to another, spreads from the baptized people of God to those who do not know His peace. His Word is not idle or useless or powerless. His Word alone does at all times the good that He means to do: I forgive you. Take and eat, take and drink; this is My Body and Blood, given and shed for you. His Word is everything, for us and between us, until we see the truth of His Word: “Look! I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5)! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord, cleanse our tongues with Your forgiving word, so that we, too, may speak healing and forgiving words to one another. Amen.-Rev. 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.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 16, 2024 Today's Reading: Isaiah 50:4-10Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 35:1-7, 16-25; Zephaniah 1:1-3:20; Colossians 3:1-25“He who vindicates me is near…” (Isaiah 50:8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the words of Isaiah the prophet, we hear our Lord, the Man Jesus, who suffers as the holy and righteous Servant of God. As a man, He hears the Word of God, learns it, grows in the knowledge of it, and obeys it (see Luke 2:52). He does not exercise His human will in rebellion to His Father’s (and His) divine will. He goes willingly to the suffering and death that is the wages of human sin. He gives His back to those who strike and His face to those who pull out the beard. He does not hide from disgrace and spitting. The Lamb goes uncomplaining forth.  But He doesn’t do this for Himself. He does it for you. His knowledge, earned in the flesh by His life, suffering, and death, is for all the unrighteous, for those who do not do the will of God, who do not want to hear His Word, and who rebel against Him. “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11).He knows His Father and has full human trust in Him. So He knows that He will not be left in the humiliation of the cross or ashamed in His trust. The Father raises Him from the dead and vindicates Him. So we, too, have been given Jesus’ holy confidence in the Father: “Behold, the Lord God helps me; who will declare me guilty?” (Isaiah 50:9a). Paul says it this way: “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? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Romans 8:31-34).The One who has been vindicated in righteousness, the Holy One whom the Father would not let see decay in the grave, now stands alive forever, interceding for you by His death and resurrection. If this is how God has helped you, neither sin nor death nor anything else can condemn you as guilty. Nothing in all creation will be able to separate you from the love of God that is Christ Jesus, our Lord. If God is for you, who can be against you?In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord God, You have justified and vindicated us in Christ. Cause all those who walk in darkness to trust You, the Light of the world, and keep us forever in that same faith. Amen.-Rev. 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.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 15, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 9:14-29Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 34:1-4, 8-11, 14-33; Nahum 1:1-3:19; Colossians 2:8-23“But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.” (Mark 9:27)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Between predictions of His death and resurrection, Jesus’ divine glory is displayed on the mountain, and Jesus gives life to an apparently dead boy in the valley. This is beyond the disciples; it comes only from firm belief and prayer. Jesus is the true believer and the doubtless pray-er, but He is in the midst of an unbelieving generation. Apparently, the other nine disciples had been waiting at the foot of the mountain for Jesus, Peter, James, and John to return. While they were gone, a man brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus, but since Jesus wasn’t there, either the man or the disciples decided to try the exorcism on their own. Jesus comes down the mountain, and the disciples, the crowd, and the scribes are arguing with each other. Jesus says, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?” (Mark 9:19) When Moses came down from the mountain and found the people worshiping a golden calf in place of Yahweh, God said that Israel was a stiff-necked, stubborn, idolatrous people (Exodus 32:7-10). People have not changed from that generation to this. We still alternate between pride and helplessness; we still waver between trust in God and the gods we make with our own hands or in our own minds. “I believe; help my unbelief!” There is no cure except death and resurrection. We have been this way since childhood— from conception. So Jesus goes to Gethsemane to pray, to weep, and to bear all the unbelief of all generations. This is how long He puts up with us: to death on a cross, to the grave. This devil, this death, this sin; they can only be driven out by death and resurrection, just as He says. And He gives a glimpse of it with this boy. “And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, ‘He is dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.” (Mark 9:26-27). So the Jesus who died and rose stretches His hand out to those dead in sin and pulls them up from the water by His Word, and we arise to live in new life before Him forever. “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him” (Romans 6:8). I believe; help my unbelief! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord Jesus Christ, our support and defense in every need, continue to preserve Your Church in safety, govern her by Your goodness, and bless her with Your peace; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.-Rev. 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.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 14, 2024 Today's Reading: John 12:20-33Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 33:1-25; Jonah 1:1-4:11; Colossians 1:24-2:7“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The cross looks like defeat, but faith sees the victory of Jesus over sin and death. The cross looks like helplessness, but faith sees the power of God for salvation. The cross looks like humiliation, but faith sees the exaltation of Jesus and His coronation as King. “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” The death of Jesus on the cross is a result of sin. And since everyone who has ever lived on the earth (except Him) is a sinner, the cross is where He draws all sinners to Himself. He “came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:17-18). The Greeks said to Philip, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:20). In response, Jesus spoke of His coming death as His glorification and said, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also” (12:26). The servants of Jesus are with Him in His death: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). Jesus gathered you to Himself on the cross by your baptism so that you would be always with Him, not only in death but even more– in His resurrection. “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5). This is the mystery and contradiction of the holy cross: here, Jesus wins victory in defeat, power in weakness, and exaltation in humiliation. “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. … 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” (LSB 454:1, 4)!  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.-Rev. 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.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 13, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 17 - Psalm 31:14-16; antiphon: Psalm 31:24Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 32:1-22; Hosea 1:1-14:9; Colossians 1:1-23“But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’” (Psalm 31:14)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What does it mean to have a God? We confess that the First Commandment requires us to “fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” So whatever it is in which we put our trust is our God. Whatever we fear can easily become our God. What we love with our time, money, and energy is our God. Let’s not try to get out from under this judgment of God’s law. We are no different from the Israelites, who made another God when Moses did not show up for a month. When we do not find the answers we want or think we need, when our money, the government, or our families seem more immediate, and we turn to them most quickly when we are in trouble, then we have our gods exposed. But the God who delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt refused to let the people have any other gods. No other god made everything that exists. No other god delivered them from slavery. No other god would bring them into the land that Yahweh had promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. “I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God” (Exodus 6:7). God does not want us to make other gods for ourselves, not so much because we should choose Him out of all the gods there are, but because there are, in reality, no other gods. “Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any” (Isaiah 44:8).So the only God there is sends the only Son in order to gather all of us god-makers back to Himself. Idolaters are as idolaters do, and so the only true God gets crucified as a false god. But the resurrection demonstrates that He alone is God. “Ask ye, who is this? Jesus Christ it is, of Sabaoth Lord, and there’s none other God” (LSB 656:2). And the Spirit of this Jesus preaches the true God back into our ears and hearts by His Word, and creates a true fear, love, and trust. And now we rejoice with all the believers in the true God, and we pray with the psalmist: “But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, Your dwelling is with us in Christ. Dwell with us always, that we may be Your people, and that You may be with us as our God (Revelation 21:3). Keep us as Your people until the final day, when we say, Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him! Let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation (Isaiah 25:9)! Amen.-Rev. 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.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 12, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: Table of Duties: What hearers owe their pastorDaily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 31:1-21; Philippians 4:1-23Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Along with the rest of these passages in this part of the Table of Duties, or the “House Table,” this is a difficult word. We live in an age where it’s everyone for him- or herself, where we do not trust leaders of any kind to do what is good and right for us. Even if we know that not every leader of a certain type is represented when individuals fail, still we have heard a lot of stories about leaders, including pastors, failing to live up to their office or their promises. So why would we obey them and submit to them? Here, the author of this letter is clearly talking about pastors, since it says that “they are keeping watch over your souls.” And just as it is no advantage or benefit for children to disobey their parents, so there is no advantage for Christians to refuse to hear their pastors. Pastors, like parents, are no less sinful than hearers or children. They do indeed fail, just as parents, children, and all Christians fail. When pastors fail, it can be much more public, which is why James says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways” (James 3:1-2). It is also why three of Paul’s letters in the New Testament are addressed to pastors. But the fact that pastors are sinners does not remove the obligation to hear the Word they preach, and obey and submit to their preaching of that Word. Just as we must obey our parents, who are sinners, so hearers obey the word and promises attached to the Office of the Holy Ministry. Our confidence and certainty, however, are not tied to the person who may fail in his office or promises. We are bound to the Office into which God has put men and the promises He has attached to that Office. And God does not fail! In spite of pastors’ failings, God will deliver to you forgiveness of sins through the Office of the Ministry. God will deliver to you the certainty of His own promises in Christ. And that’s good news, not only for hearers but also for pastors, who will have to give an account to God of their ministry. God keeps pastors faithful in their Office and keeps hearers faithful to the Word delivered through that Office! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, Your Son sent apostles, and the apostles sent others after them to preach Your Word and administer Your Sacraments. Grant us grace to hear Your Word and receive Your Sacraments in faith, so that together we may all come to eternal life. Amen.-Rev. 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.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 11, 2024 Today's Reading: Philippians 3:1-21Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 29:1-24; Philippians 3:1-21“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8a)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When it comes to salvation, there is Jesus, and there is everything else. We can divide everything into categories: is this Jesus? Or is this something else? If it is something else, it cannot save me, and it has no life in it. Daily, weekly, we are brought back to this reminder that “all the vain things that charm [us] most” are empty. When we put our trust in something other than Jesus – otherwise known as an idol – it will always fail us. People fail us, the government fails us, money fails us, we fail ourselves. So, write it all off now. Count it as loss. Consider it “rubbish” (which is a polite word for what goes in the toilet). All of it together is nothing compared to the far better thing that Jesus is your Lord. He has purchased you not with the perishable, empty things of this world, like gold and silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. And that purchase price is confirmed by His resurrection, which makes that gain eternal. The goal is to be found in Jesus, having His righteousness, which will lead to resurrection, whatever suffering might come to us in this life. Paul had a pretty good claim to boast in his own righteousness: everything in his life, his genealogy, his belonging to the covenant, his blamelessness under the law as a Pharisee. But even that would not put him with Christ, and therefore with God’s eternal life. There was, for Paul, Jesus on one side and everything else on the other. One meant a righteousness of his own in which he could boast, and the other meant life and resurrection. He realized that the only one worth boasting about was Jesus. “Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my God.” Is this thing, whatever it is, something other than Jesus? Then I will lose it anyway. Is this Jesus? God will not only give me Him and His righteousness through faith, but He will give every other good thing along with Him (Matthew 6:33). “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. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast Save in the death of Christ, my God; All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood (LSB 425:2)-Rev. 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.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 10, 2024Today's Reading: James 2:1-10, 14-18Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 9:1-13, 10:18-29; 2 Kings 13:1-18:8; Philippians 2:12-30“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. St. James reminds us that there are no exceptions under the Law of God. Just as Jesus Himself says that even lust is adultery, and even hatred is murder (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28), so James says that there are no exceptions to the command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” You could keep the whole thing, but if you stumble at even one point, if you fail to love even one person, you are guilty of the entire Law. The Law is whole, not divided. So, a failure to love one person is, before God, the same as failing to love everyone. Love, like the Law, cannot be divided up.Our failures to love are failures of faith. There is no true faith that does not produce works. We cannot claim to have faith if it does not show itself in works. The reason such faith is dead and cannot save is not because it does not have works, but because it is not faith. As Paul tells us in Ephesians, the one who walks around in sin and trespasses is dead in those sins. But the one who has been saved by grace through faith alone walks around in good works (Ephesians 2:1-2, 8-10). Being dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus always produces love for those around us.Of course, we still fail at love because we still have an unbeliever living in our flesh. The Old Adam refuses to believe, and so refuses to love. Jesus, however, completely trusts His Father, and so loved, and loves, completely. He loved us so completely that He would not leave us dead in our sin. “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-7). Until our sinful flesh dies completely, we live as two because both Law and Gospel are entire: a living believer in the Father through Christ, loving our neighbors as ourselves, and a dying unbeliever, dead in sin, refusing to love. “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-25).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 (LSB 683:2)-Rev. 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.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 9, 2024 Today's Reading: Isaiah 35:4-7aDaily Lectionary: 2 Kings 6:1-23; 2 Kings 6:24-8:2; Philippians 1:21-2:11“Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not!’ Behold, your God…will come and save you.” (Isaiah 35:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What I like about those words, “anxious heart” is that “anxious” is directly related to speed or haste. The “hasty heart.” And isn’t that how it is for us? Anxiety comes because we believe everything depends on us. We have trouble depending on other people, let alone on God. God seems distant from us, which causes us to feel like we have to work harder, and the harder we work (at school, at work, at relationships, at life), the more anxious we become. Everything speeds up, everything is now, and we find ourselves in the center of that swirling, self-involved storm. This is part of the point of the Sabbath command in the Old Testament. It is not only about resting our bodies from work; it’s about resting our bodies, minds, and souls from thinking that everything depends on us. No doubt, we have responsibilities and things we have to do. The various relationships into which God has put us have the requirement of loving service attached to them. But our worth and our identity are not in our work or our success. As soon as we think they are (and pastors are no more immune to this than anyone else!), our working and doing speed up, and anxiety comes crashing down on us. God wanted to make sure His people knew that all things depend on Him and not on them. They (and we) are not God. But now the Sabbath is not one day only, in which we rest from our work and hear God’s Word (although we certainly need that and received it yesterday). Now, the “Sabbath rest” of God is found entirely in Jesus, who fulfilled the Sabbath command when He rested on the seventh day from all His saving work that He had done. And you are always in Jesus, baptized into His Name. In Christ, you are completely surrounded by God’s rest, which is not simply taking a break from work but being protected from all the enemies of God’s people, particularly sin, death, and the devil. God has come to save you, to “pay you back,” not with punishment for sin, but with the blessing of Christ and His eternal life.   Everything around you says to hurry, speed up, go faster, and do more. But rest and find peace in the promise of Jesus that everything depends on Him. Because you belong to Him, you can go about your daily work without anxiety, without a hasty heart. Be strong. Fear not. Your God has saved you and will keep you until the day when all things are restored and the dry deserts of anxiety give way to the refreshing springs of peace.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord Jesus, think on me, By anxious thoughts oppressed; Let me Your loving servant be And taste Your promised rest (LSB 610:2)-Rev. 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.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 8, 2024Today's Reading: Mark 7:24-30, 31-37Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 5:9-27; Philippians 1:1-20“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 puts His fingers in the deaf ears of the man and touches the man’s garbled tongue with His holy saliva, and He looks up to heaven and sighs. It is a word that can also mean “groaning.” Just as Jesus weeps at the grave of His friend Lazarus, here He groans at ears and a tongue that do not do what He made them to do.It was not always this way, of course. In the beginning, there was no sighing, no groaning. But it was not long before groans and sighs show up. The noun shows up in the Greek translation of the Old Testament already in Genesis 3! In the curse that follows sin, God says to Eve that He would multiply her pain and groaning (Genesis 3:16, Septuagint). Groaning goes with sin, with the burden of our sin and the sins of others that weigh us down. Sighing is the nature of the whole creation. In Romans 8, St. Paul says that the whole creation groans together, and not only the creation but we groan also (8:22-23). If you’ve ever gotten to the end of a day, or a week, or a semester, or a year and found yourself sighing; if you’ve ever found yourself grieving, struggling, guilty, or ashamed, and you groan or sigh because you can’t see a way out or a light at the end of the tunnel, you know the nature of this creation. It is hard to hear the Word of God, and it’s hard to speak God’s promises, even to yourself. Things are not the way they’re supposed to be. But Jesus knows, too. Just as God heard the groaning of Israel in slavery (Exodus 2:24; 6:5) and their sighing under their oppressors (Judges 2:18), God has heard your sighs and groans. Not only are all things made through Him, but He entered this world in a body made for Him. And though He is without sin, He, too, groans because He is in the midst of it. It is all around Him, and it is not the way He wants it to be. He groans and weeps and suffers and dies. He rises from the dead, and as a sign of that resurrection, He puts His fingers in the deaf man’s ears and loosens his tongue with a touch. So He opens your ears to hear again His promises and your tongue to sing His praise. This, too, is a sign of the coming resurrection, when, as God promises through Isaiah, “the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 51:11).In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord, let Your merciful ears be open to the prayers of Your humble servants and grant that what they ask may be in accord with Your gracious will; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.-Rev. 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.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 7, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 16 - Psalm 28:1-2, 6-7; antiphon: Psalm 28:8Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 4:38-5:8; Ephesians 6:1-24“The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.” (Psalm 28:8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What separates those who have faith in God and those who do not? If you look just at the outside of someone’s life, you may not see much of a difference, especially when it comes to having difficulties or experiencing suffering. Believers and unbelievers alike face hard times in their lives and even great tragedy. Being a Christian doesn’t give us a pass from heartbreak or disaster, but we do know who to put our trust in when we are overwhelmed with hardship. We turn in faith to God and call on his name.  In this psalm, we find David at his rope’s end; he feels himself sinking under the weight of his struggles. He doesn’t turn inward to find inner strength; he has none. He doesn’t turn to other people or things to give him hope or peace. No, David turns to the one who will not let him down, no matter how bad things may seem. He turns to the Lord, who is his rock and his refuge. That’s what faith does, and that’s who faith trusts: the one true God who promises to hear us and never abandon those who belong to him. David is teaching us what faith looks like in the middle of the whirlwinds and storms of life.  David is not only a portrait of every believer but a foreshadowing of our Lord Jesus. He, too, was not exempt from suffering, even though he was God. He, too, felt abandoned at the grimmest time of his earthly life – being crucified and dying on a Roman cross. He cried out, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). And yet, Jesus never loses faith. He endures in faith and finally calls out in his dying breath, “Into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46) That’s faith talk. That’s what faith does, even in the darkest of times when you feel God is nowhere in sight.  David prayed, and he invites us to pray in the thick of our struggles through the words of this psalm, “The Lord is my strength and my shield, in him my heart trusts, and I am helped” (Psalm 28:7). We may not see it, and we may not feel it, but faith prays and trusts in the Lord who is our saving refuge. David’s prayer and ours finally finds its “amen” in Jesus. “Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever” (Psalm 28:9). Our Good Shepherd has laid down his life for us and will carry us through life and into the joys of heaven! 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. (LSB 423:1) -Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 6, 2024 Today's Reading: 2 Kings 4:8-22, 32-37Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 4:8-22, 32-37; Ephesians 5:15-33“And he said, “At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.” But the woman conceived, and she bore a son about that time the following spring, as Elisha had said to her.”  (2 Kings 4:16-17)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God is in the business of resurrection. He brings life into the non-living. It’s who He is– He is life, and it’s what He does– He is the giver of life. God may give life directly by Himself, or He may use someone or something else, but He is always the source.  In the beginning, God brought forth life out of nothing by His Word and Spirit. He breathed life into dead dust, and Adam became a living being. He gave life to Sarah’s womb, and she bore a living son, Isaac. Scripture is full of stories such as these, and they tell the wonderful story of the life-giving God who is in the business of making alive what is dead.  Elisha, the prophet of God, told a woman from Shunem that she would have a son, although she and her husband could not have children. Sound familiar? Sure enough, God was true to His Word, and she bore a son. Tragedy struck, and her first-born only son died. In faith, she sought out Elisha and told him the news. Elisha entered into the room of her dead son, prayed to the Lord, touched him, and he awakened from death.  “Talitha cumi… Little girl, I say to you, arise” (Mark 5:41). Jesus spoke these words over the lifeless body of Jarius’ daughter. Death had to bow to the Lord of life. Jesus’ words breathed resurrection life into her, and she became a living being.  Word, breath, Spirit, and life – God’s instruments for resurrection given to the dead to make alive. “And you were dead in [your] trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). What hope do we have of life when we are already born dead? Like Adam, Sarah, Jarius’ daughter, and the son of the Shunammite woman, who needed life to be given to them, so do we, and God did.  “God, being rich in mercy…made us alive together in Christ, by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4). Jesus died! He was buried! And on the third day, he rose again from the dead that he might be the firstfruits of those who have died (1 Corinthians 15:20). And if Jesus is the firstfruit, that means there are certainly more to follow.  Christ has covered all your sins by His death, and He has conquered your grave through His life. We Christians do not fear death. No, Jesus’ words trump our sin and our death. They hold no power over us. His Word has been spoken over you. They are words of life. You are forgiven! Arise! Eternal life is yours! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.It was a strange and dreadful strife When life and death contended; The victory remained with life, The reign of death was ended, Holy Scripture plainly saith That death is swallowed up by death, Its sting is lost forever. Alleluia! (LSB 458:4)-Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 5, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: Table of Duties: To bishopsDaily Lectionary: 2 Kings 2:19-25; 4:1-7; Ephesians 4:25-5:14“He 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 1:9In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s good to know what you are getting into when deciding on a vocation. I remember taking a college and career class in high school. We would explore different professions, finding out the educational requirements as well as the job description for a particular occupation. I’m not sure if the job of “pastor” was included on the list we could choose from. If it was or wasn’t, you could not find any better job description for a pastor than the one given to Titus by the Apostle Paul.  The pastor only has one job: hold firm to the Word of God and faithfully hand it over; that’s the job description. We know there are other responsibilities a pastor has, but if they fail in their primary duty, does anything else really matter?  “Hold firm to the trustworthy message as he has been taught.” Thank God for all those who have put the Gospel into our ears. Thank God for all the pastors and teachers who have been true and faithful voices of his Word. This is why Paul encourages a young pastor named Timothy to guard the Gospel that was entrusted to him so he may hand it over to others who will faithfully pass it on as well. It is easy to lose sight of the job description for both pastors and parishioners. Paul knows this, so he is persistent with young pastor Timothy to fight the good fight, wage the good warfare, and do not neglect the gospel of Christ entrusted to you. Hold firm! Declare and defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the duty of a pastor – to be a faithful voice of Jesus. And you can be sure the Devil will do all he can to tempt pastors to deviate from their primary calling. Timothy needed Paul, and he needed the support of his congregation to be strengthened to carry out his duties faithfully. So let us, too, be a source of encouragement and strength to those who are called to be servants of God’s Word. Pastors need our prayers and need our support to continue to fight the good fight. As we do this, we, too, find ourselves in battle, striving side by side for the faith of the Gospel. Help us, Lord, we pray. 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. (Collect For the Holy Ministry)-Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 4, 2024 Today's Reading: Ephesians 4:1-24Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 2:1-18; Ephesians 4:1-24“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” (Ephesians 4:1) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul is behind bars! He’s got time on his hands, which gives him time to think, to pray, and to write. What’s on his mind? You and me and all those who have come to faith in Christ. He has words of encouragement to build us up as we live out our faith together.  “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” This is not Paul laying some law on us that we “must do” to be a worthy Christian. You can see it that way if you think living out your Christian life is something that is up to us. That would be a burden too heavy to live under, wouldn’t it? Where is freedom in that? Where can we find joy in that? No, rather, Paul is urging you to live out who you are already in Christ in light of how God has called you.  You have been called not by the law but by the gospel. You have been called out of darkness into Jesus’ marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). So, we now walk as children of the light because that’s who we are (Ephesians 5:8). You have been called by grace through faith to believe and to receive our Lord’s gospel Gifts and those Gifts are at work in you!  Paul goes on to describe the life reborn by God’s grace; it is a life marked by humility, gentleness, patience, and selfless love. Isn’t this how God has acted toward us: Humbling himself – becoming a man to save us; having compassion and being tender-hearted toward us – giving us what we don’t deserve; being patient and not calling us to judgment but rather working repentance and faith in us; loving us even when we were unlovable? Paul’s urging is not another law. Rather, he is passionately calling us to live out who we already are in Christ. And Christ is at work in us so that our lives are masks of His. This, too, is all Gift – Gifts given by the Spirit of God. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). In other words, you are free! Free to live your life hidden in Christ with Christ living in you! This is your calling. This is the worthy life of faith, fixing our eyes on Jesus as we live out our life of faith together. Christ for you! Christ in you! Christ through you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Heavenly Father, direct us by Your Spirit that we may daily grow in grace and the knowledge of our Savior until we shall stand before You in the joy of everlasting glory. Amen.  -Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 3, 2024 Today's Reading: Ephesians 6:10-20Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 19:1-21; 1 Kings 20:1-22:53; Ephesians 3:1-21“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We are in a war! Make no mistake about it: being a Christian has thrown us into battle. Our enemy is three-fold: the world, our flesh, and the Devil himself. Satan is the Commander-in-Chief overseeing and enabling his troops for battle; he is behind every opposition to faith, every doubt that undermines faith, and all the temptations that cause faith to stumble. Our combat is against spiritual forces of evil!We are way over our heads when it comes to this fight. Who has the strength and weaponry for such combat? We are outnumbered and are fighting against an enemy we can’t see. It makes a person want to give up! What hope do we have to win such a war? That’s what Israel thought when Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan to check out the land God had promised them. All they saw was an enemy they could not defeat on their own, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are” (Numbers 13:31). They wanted to go back to Egypt, back into bondage, rather than trust God’s promise that the land was theirs. They trusted their eyes and not their ears; they were trusting in their strength and not in the might of God to deliver on his promise.  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Ephesians 6:10). There it is! The key to victory! We enter daily into battle not in our own power but in the strength of our almighty God. And we fight with our ears! For it is through our hearing that faith is given and strengthed to trust in our Lord’s unfailing promises and Gifts. He gives us armor to fight against and withstand the devilish attacks. It’s not our armor but God’s, and He dresses us up for battle with Gospel gear wrought by Jesus himself.  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit – the word of God – all these are Gifts for you. They all have one thing in common: they all find their source in Jesus. You are dressed up in him – your Baptism assures you of that. Greater is he that is in you and he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). So we enter into daily battle in Jesus with faith grabbing onto him, and in him we are more than conquerors! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.God’s Word forever shall abide, No thanks to foes, who fear it; For God himself fights by our side With weapons of the Spirit… They cannot win the day. The Kingdom’s ours forever! (LSB 657:4)-Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 2, 2024Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 18:20-40; Ephesians 2:1-22“And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. (Deuteronomy 4:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” This was the question asked of Jesus by a Jewish lawyer, an expert in the Law of Moses. How did Jesus answer him? He pointed the lawyer back to the words Moses had written down in the Law; “Do this and you will live.” It’s really not all that complicated, inheriting eternal life. It’s actually quite simple: keep the Law given to Moses, and you will live forever with God in the Promised Land of Paradise. It's true; you can climb the ladder into heaven without Jesus – you can save yourself. God promises eternal life to you, but there is one condition. You must keep the entire law of God perfectly from the heart. To simplify things further, you could reduce the whole Law of God into just two: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself– that’s it. Do this, and you will live. God guarantees it.  God isn’t playing games with us by making an impossible promise. He knows we can’t be perfect, as He is perfect. He knows we do not and cannot love Him perfectly from our hearts, let alone love others in complete selflessness – but that really is the point, isn’t it? God uses the Law to bring us to the point where we realize we can’t keep our end of the bargain. God wants to bring a confession out of us, “Who then can be saved?” When the Law has done this, we are ready for Jesus’ answer: “With man it is impossible, but not with God” (Mark 10:27).Jesus has done what we cannot do. He alone whole-heartedly loved and obeyed His Father. God sent His own Son not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, every bit of it. Jesus has made what is impossible for us possible! He fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law for you (Romans 8:3-4). What’s the catch? What’s the condition so that we might be certain that eternal life is ours? There is no condition; there is only the promise: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). There is nothing left to do that Jesus has not already done, and Jesus has done it all for you! 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 (LSB 555:8)-Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

September 1, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 7:14-23Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 18:1-19; Ephesians 1:1-23“Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?...What comes out of a person is what defiles him.” (Mark 7:18-20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever heard the question asked, “Do we sin because we are sinners, or are we sinners because we sin?” How one answers this question reveals what they think is the source of our sin problem and how we can “fix it.”  The Pharisees, as true devotees to the Law, believed we are sinners because we sin. On the surface, this idea makes sense and seems true to experience; after all, it is the dominant view of the religions of the world. Yet, what is at the heart of this view of sin and us– because it is a matter of the heart. The gist is this: a person is born with a pure, undefiled heart and only becomes a sinner when one chooses to sin. So, what’s the remedy? Stop sinning! Make better choices! Control yourself, and you will become less and less sinful. We can clean ourselves up by keeping the dos and don’ts of the Law. A person, in theory, by avoiding sin, has the power within to make themselves pleasing to God. In other words, we become our own saviors. Jesus had a problem with this sort of religious self-cleaning attitude and practice.  Jesus gets to the heart of the matter by getting to the source of our “sin problem.” We sin because we are sinners. We have a heart problem. We were born with an unclean, defiled heart, and we can’t “fix it” by changing our behavior or by our self-determination to do the things we know we should and to stop doing the things we know we shouldn’t. You do not cure a disease by simply making the symptoms go away, and you cannot cure our sin problem by doing this or avoiding that. We need a new heart, and we can’t fix that! We need a physician of the soul to do heart surgery.  Jesus not only helps to identify our sickness (our hearts), but He actually does something about it. He’s not into symptom management; rather, He goes after the disease for it’s a fatal one. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:12). Jesus has taken our disease upon Himself and dealt with it once for all. He has given us a new heart wrought by the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:9). God no longer sees us as “sinners who sin” but as new creatures in Christ purified in him! You are a walking miracle of redeeming grace! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O my Savior, help afford By your Spirit and your Word! When my wayward heart would stray, Keep me in the narrow way; Grace in time of need supply While I live and when I die. (LSB 611:5)-Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

August 31, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 15 - Psalm 51:7, 10-12; antiphon: Psalm 51:2Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 16:29-17:24; 2 Corinthians 10:1-13:14; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow… Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:7, 10-12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Psalm 51 is a prayer of a broken man. David has nowhere to hide; his sin is exposed. He has nowhere to turn except to the one he has sinned against. David knows he has a gracious and merciful God, and so it’s to God he turns with pleas for forgiveness and restoration.  Can you relate to David and his prayer? Are we as honest and as utterly broken over our sin as David? When we are caught red-handed and the darkness of our heart is exposed, where do we turn? Where do we go? We, too, turn to David’s Lord. We find God’s tender answer to our pleas for forgiveness in Jesus. After all, He is the one in whom all the prayers for mercy find their “amen.”  Jesus knows our struggles and our failings, and He did something about it. He shed his blood so that “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” (Ephesians 1:7). Jesus also knows how we are prone to question, “Am I really forgiven? I don’t feel like it.” The Devil loves to create doubt in us as well, “How can God forgive you? Look what you’ve done! Again!”   God does not want his children to live in doubt. His forgiveness is real, complete, and certain. He wants you to be certain, too, so that you might live in the joy of his gracious love, so he gives you the Gift of Baptism.  In Baptism, we find all of David’s pleas before God answered in the promises of your Baptism. By the water of your Baptism, God has washed you and made you clean from all your sins (Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Acts 22:16). You have been born again from above by water and the Spirit, making you a new creation with a new heart (John 3:3-5). Through your Baptism, you are joined to Christ, and so He is present with you always. He has wrapped you in the garments of salvation; you are clothed with Christ (Isaiah 61:10; Galatians 3:27). In your Baptism, you now live walking in newness of life – God upholding you by His Spirit (Romans 6:4). What grace! What love! For you! 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. (LSB 596:4)-Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

August 30, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: Daily Prayers: Asking a Blessing & Returning ThanksDaily Lectionary: 1 Kings 12:20-13:5, 33-34; 1 Kings 14:1-16:28; 2 Corinthians 8:1-24Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. [He] gives food to every creature...the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love. (SC Returning Thanks)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Prayer is faith talking. Faith can’t help but want to talk to God. It’s what faith does; it prays. Those of faith look to God, trusting who He is and what He has done, is doing, and will do for us. Faith grabs a hold of God’s promises and speaks them right back to Him, believing He is making good on them. Prayer is a Gift from God himself. The faith to believe and the desire to call on Him are all Gifts from above. Faith does not come naturally to us, and neither does prayer. Faith must be gifted, and prayer must be taught, and both of these are accomplished by God’s Word and Holy Spirit. Martin Luther knew this, which is why he includes at the end of his Small Catechism prayers for the morning and evening as well as before and after meals. It is most appropriate that a book written to teach the Christian faith ends with teaching us how faith ought to pray. God is good and is a gracious giver of good Gifts. When we believe this, we can’t help but give thanks. God created me and still takes care of me, believing this we can’t help but recognize that every day is a Gift from God and declare with the Psalmist, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). We know by faith that each day we are faced with temptations to sin and are harassed by the world and the Devil himself, so we pray that God will keep us from sin and protect us from evil and the Evil One. In faith, we realize and confess that we daily sin, so we are bold to pray that our heavenly Father forgives us all our sins where we have wronged Him and others. By faith, we trust our Lord will provide all we need to get through the day, so in prayer, we look to him, knowing he graciously supplies with an open hand.  Faith can’t help but give thanks for all the ways our good Father in heaven daily cares for us, especially when we have come to believe He does all this not because we have earned or deserve it but solely out of His goodness and merciful love for us. God’s goodness and mercy meet you every morning and follow you not only through your day but every day of your life. Indeed, the Lord delights in those who put their hope in His unfailing love. That’s what faith does. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.We thank You, Lord God, heavenly Father, for all Your benefits, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen-Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

August 29, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 6:14-29Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 11:42-12:19; 2 Corinthians 7:1-16“When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.” (Mark 6:29)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John the Baptist is dead, beheaded at the order of King Herod. John was the last of the Old Testament prophets, and like many of the prophets of old, he was killed for being a faithful voice of God. He preached the law in its fullness; “repent” was his cry. Yet John was unique among the prophets, for he was able to point to the one who came to fulfill the law and usher in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God - “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29b). By this, John fulfilled his calling to be the one to pave the way and prepare the people for the coming of God’s Messiah.  People didn’t know what to make of John. He was a radical in the way he dressed, how he lived, and the message he preached. It didn’t matter who stood before him; his message was the same, “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). He was a law preacher who frightened some and angered others; however, his voice wasn’t meant to be the last one heard. One was coming after him, who would proclaim and give the very forgiveness that law-breaking people need. People didn’t know what to make of Jesus. Some thought the miracle-working preacher was John the Baptist raised from the dead. Others thought he was Elijah or a great prophet. Even John the Baptist, his cousin, sent some of his followers to ask Jesus, “Are you the one or should we look for another?” Jesus’ reply leaves no doubt what we should make of Jesus, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.” (Luke 7:20, 22-23)  God sent John to be a witness. He did so through his preaching, his baptizing, his finger pointing to the Lamb of God, and even through his skeptical question, “Are you the one?” The Good News that Jesus preached is God’s answer to John’s “repent.” There is no sin Jesus’s blood does not cover; there is no person whom God’s Lamb did not die for. Jesus’ death and resurrection is our hope for everlasting life. John is dead. His body was laid in a tomb. His bones are still there. But the tomb of John’s Savior and yours is still empty. Jesus is risen! So will John, and so will you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.John confessed Him as the Savior– “Look, the sinless Lamb of God!” Yet he dared not loose the sandals Of the One God’s love had shod. Oh, how fair the feet of Jesus, Bringing news of peace to us, Christ, the herald of salvation, Preaching mercy from the cross: (LSB 404:2)-Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

August 28, 2024 Today's Reading: 2 Согinthians 6:1-18Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 11:1-26; 2 Согinthians 6:1-18“Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God has good ears. He always listens to the cries of His people and never turns a deaf ear to them. God has a gracious heart prompting Him into action to rescue those who cannot deliver themselves out of their troubles. God told Moses that He heard the cries of His people and would deliver them out of slavery in Egypt, and he did. Jonah cried to the Lord out of the belly of a fish; God heard and answered Jonah by delivering him onto dry land. Jesus heard the cries of two blind men, “Lord, have mercy on us.” He touched their eyes, and immediately, they recovered their sight!  All of these whom God delivered could say with the psalmist, “Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free” (Psalm 118:5). We could say the same for us. Like Israel, we were in bondage. We were enslaved to sin without any way out. Like Jonah, we were caught up in our rebellious, self-serving ways only to be headed for Hell. Like the blind men, we were groping around without sight and forever lost in darkness. God has heard; he has listened. His gracious heart compels Him to answer your pleas for help; it pleases Him to do so, and He has delivered you. Jesus is God’s answer for all of our cries of Hosanna, “save us, we pray.” Jesus comes; He seeks, and He saves the lost. “In a favorable day of salvation I have helped you.”God is extravagantly rich in His grace. It will never run out for you, and He will never tire of handing it over to you. As a matter of fact, He keeps on giving, so you are sure not to miss out! He sends a preacher to proclaim His forgiveness for you; He delivers the forgiveness Christ won for you through the words of Absolution; He attaches His saving and forgiving Word to water in Baptism and to bread and wine in our Lord’s Supper. Let us not neglect so great a salvation; let us not receive the grace of God in vain. Now is the day of salvation, today and every day. God hears; He comes, and He delivers! 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. (LSB 566:3) -Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

August 27, 2024 Today's Reading: Ephesians 5:22-33Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 9:1-9, 10:1-13; 2 Corinthians 5:1-21“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Wives, submit to your husbands…Husbands, love your wives.” Here we have the apostle Paul’s Holy Spirit-inspired instruction for a God-honoring Christ-centered marriage: submission and respect on the part of the wife and selfless, sacrificial love on the part of the husband. This certainly isn’t the kind of picture drawn up in our current day and age of how relationships ought to work. Submissive wives and selfless husbands, the idea seems outdated and offensive.  Yet, isn’t this how Christ has loved us? Think about how Jesus demonstrated His love for us in His actions. He humbled Himself by becoming a man– God taking on human flesh. He submitted Himself to His Father’s will, even to the point of dying on a cross. He loved selflessly and sacrificially by laying down His life for us, dying our death, taking our punishment upon Himself, and giving up all His rights so that we would have the right to become part of God’s family.  It is out of this love of Jesus for us that we are now free to love one another; after all, this is the kind of love that the Holy Spirit is working in and through us. What does this kind of love look like? It submits to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21), not just wives to husbands but all of us to one another. As Christ loved us selflessly, giving Himself up for us (Ephesians 5:2), we also live together in this kind of selfless love, not just husbands toward wives, but this love marking all our relationships with each other.  This kind of love is counterintuitive and most definitely countercultural, but isn’t that the nature of the Gospel? It offends our inclination to want to keep score and get what we deserve. Grace throws all of that out the window and frees us from focusing on ourselves and instead to look to others in love. This is how God has loved you. This is the kind of love God is working in us for others. This is the kind of love a God-given marriage is built upon and how husbands and wives love one another as Christ continues to love them. May our Lord grant us the grace and working of His Spirit to love one another as Christ has loved us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.In this union I have joined you Husband and wife, Now, My children, live together As heirs of life: Each the other’s gladness sharing, Each the other’s burdens bearing, Now, My children, live together As heirs of life. (LSB 922:5)-Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

August 26, 2024 Today's Reading: Isaiah 29:11-19Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 8:22-30, 46-63; 2 Corinthians 4:1-18In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. (Isaiah 29:18)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you love books, I can think of no better time to be living than now. Books are everywhere: in print, on-demand, digital books you can read on your phone, and books you can listen to in your car or while you work out. The Christian Bible remains the most widely published and read book in the world today; it is easily accessible through every form of media presently available – you can even listen to the Bible through your wristwatch!The Bible is unlike any other book ever written; it is the very Word from God– words breathed out by God through human authors. It is alive, and it is active! It exposes and it enlightens. It kills, and it makes alive. Yet, someone can read the Scriptures and not see it as if they were blind. One can listen to God’s Word and not hear it as if they were deaf. The Spirit of God must open the ears of the spiritually deaf to hear and believe! “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The Spirit of God must enlighten the spiritually blind so that with their heart they see and believe in the Gospel.  This is the Lord’s doing; this is the God’s work. By His Word and Spirit, He lays bare our hearts and exposes the darkness within. He reveals our thoughts and intentions of the heart so that nothing is hidden from His sight. He works in us repentance that confesses what God has exposed to be true: I am a sinner; and then, the miracles of miracles, God works faith in us to believe His Gospel Word. “...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:9-10).  “Out of our gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.” This is the grace of God at work in us, giving us the eyes of faith to see and ears to believe in His outrageous words of promise– words that do and give what they say. God’s Word is unlike any other word put down in a book, for God’s Word is living and giving – giving faith, forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation! So, take up and read! Hear and believe! These Words of God are for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“Blessed Lord, 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, by patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.” (LSB: Prayers -148)-Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

August 25, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 7:1-13Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 7:51-8:21; 2 Corinthians 3:1-186 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Mark 7:6-7) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Old Adam in us loves math; he is forever adding and subtracting, multiplying and dividing. When it comes to God’s Word, the Old Sinner in us falls into the temptation to add to the Word of God or to subtract from it. We make the Scriptures say more than they do by adding our ideas and reasoning to the inspired Word, or we take away from the words of Scripture, especially when those particular words don’t fit our views of who God is and how He works out His plan of salvation. The Pharisees were at the top of their class in mathematics. They added their own ideas of law-keeping to the Scriptures as if following these man-made laws would multiply their righteousness before God. They were so caught up in religious accounting, micromanaging the dos and don’ts of the letter of the law, that they neglected the very spirit and heart of the law – to love God and neighbor by faith. This kind of love can only come from faith, and by this faith alone does God count one as righteous; without faith it is impossible to please God.  God has solved our math problems in Jesus. The accounting books have been settled on the cross of Christ. There, all our sins were nailed to His blood-stained cross, and there, our Lord took all our sins upon Himself and canceled our record of debt against God’s holy law! You are washed, you are clean, you are forgiven, you are made holy and blameless, all on account of Jesus. There is nothing to add to His cross, and we dare not subtract from it. This is the miracle of the Christian faith that we actually and simply believe what God has declared to be true for us on account of Jesus. I know the math doesn’t add up, but God is not bound by our formulas for how we think we are to be saved. Grace throws the math out the window and welcomes you to believe the logical ridiculousness of the Good News for you in Jesus Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”  (Jude 24-25)-Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.

August 24, 2024Today's Reading: John 1:43-51Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 5:1-18; 1 Kings 6: 1-7:50; 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:17Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (John 1:45-46)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The many blunders of the disciples seem overwhelmingly comical. First, Philip says to Nathanael (Bartholomew) that, ‘We have found him…’ Really, Philip? Jesus *literally* just found you and called you to follow Him. But, okay– you, with Peter and Andrew, ‘found Jesus.’ Next, when Philip excitedly tells Nathanael about it, he replies with judgment:  ‘Can anything good…?’ As if Nathanael knows what good even is. These guys are hilarious! Honestly, we would have been better disciples than these guys… right? Sinners tend to make everything all about them. We filter that which we see or hear through our own experiences. Nathanael was unimpressed when he first heard about Jesus - a guy from Nazareth? That doesn’t seem all that good. He knew all about Nazareth, and this ‘Jesus’ couldn’t be that impressive.Sinners’ low threshold of ‘good’ is even more apparent when Nathanael meets Jesus and is blown away by the fact that Jesus knew he had been sitting under a fig tree; that was all it took for Nathanael to be impressed. It seems a bit silly that this guy was chosen as a disciple– he seems kinda lame and underwhelming. And yet ‘good’ is truly seen in how Jesus interacts with Nathanael and all His followers. Jesus chooses regular, kinda lame, underwhelming people to be His own. He would take that which makes them imperfect (their sin) and makes it His to carry and His to pay for. Jesus loved Nathanael. Jesus died and rose again to save him from his sin. Nathanael is a saint because Jesus’ Death and Resurrection was for him.You and I? Well, we can be kinda lame and underwhelming too. We have sin, and it causes problems. We make ourselves the center of the story and declare our own version or understanding of situations ‘good.’ We need to be called out of our self-centered deadness and given new life. Thanks be to God that in Baptism, that happened. We are saints through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. We, like Nathanael, are counted as Jesus’ followers. We receive His Word preached, His Body and Blood in the Supper, and Absolution spoken in the Divine Service. Thanks be to God that He sent His Son Jesus to save and redeem the whole world– including those who might be kinda lame and underwhelming.   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!” (LSB 941:2) -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 23, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 14 - Psalm 26:1-2, 6-7; antiphon: Psalm 26:8Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 3:1-15; 1 Kings 3:16-4:34; 2 Corinthians 1:1-22O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. (Psalm 26:8) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s been a long week. Sin made stuff hurt. Work was hard. Living with fellow sinners was hard. Seeing your own insecurities was hard. The devil pokes at all the bruises that we try to hide. We know that we aren’t enough, but we try to keep trying. The world is an unkind place to be. We see ‘better’ all around us, and yet we can never quite achieve it. Indeed, every morning, the Old Adam gets up with us, chained to us, even as it is daily drowned in our Baptism. And yet, this Psalm invites us to rejoice that Sunday is coming; the Divine Service is coming! We get to be in God’s House! We get to be where He promises to be. We get to be forgiven alongside our neighbors (those other sinners) and breathe a sigh of relief. We get to be reminded that sin, death, and the devil have been defeated. We get to receive assurance that our identity is found in Jesus; He is enough, and so we are enough. We join David in this declaration– we love the habitation of God’s House! We love that we get to be where His glory dwells! And what is that glory? God’s glory is His perfection given to you through Jesus’ Death and Resurrection. God’s glory is His plan of salvation– to redeem you. God’s glory is the unfailing love and faithfulness in His creation and adoption of you. God’s glory is the Gifts we receive in His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. Maybe today was a tough day. Maybe today was a decent day. In either case, you get to take a moment and remember, like David, that you are a child of God. You get to be reminded of your identity found in your Baptism. You get to join your thankful voice and declare that you, too, love God’s House and rejoice in the place where His Gifts are for you. Sin breaks us down and causes pain. And yet, we have relief, joy, and hope because our Lord always keeps His promises and delivers them exactly where He said they would be. Look forward to the Divine Service in His House, where you will be reminded that you are forgiven, loved, and redeemed. Have hope that your God always keeps His promises– and that includes giving you grace, life, and peace. Thanks be to God that we get to continually go to God’s House! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Here stands the font before our eyes, Telling how God has received us. The altar recalls Christ’s sacrifice And what His Supper here gives us. Here sound the Scriptures that proclaim Christ yesterday, today, the same, And evermore, our Redeemer. (LSB 645:4) -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 22, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: Daily Prayers: Morning PrayerDaily Lectionary: 1 Kings 2:1-27; 1 Corinthians 14:1-16:24; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. (Morning Prayer) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This little sentence delivers so much comfort. ‘Into God’s Hands.’ The very hands that bore nails during His unfair, yet very good, crucifixion. The very hands that are marred with scars from His sacrifice. Those are the hands about which this prayer is speaking. ‘Commending myself.’ To be honest, there is nothing commendable about me (and all sinners). In fact, on our own, we are dead. We sinners are not great caretakers. Our every decision is marred with sin. We are inherently selfish and short-sighted. So, commending myself - presenting myself before God - sounds a bit terrifying. But this prayer has already reminded us that the hands into which we are presenting ourselves are Jesus’ hands. They are hands that showed their love in this way: bearing our sins and defeating our enemies. So, commending ourselves before God does not have to be terrifying but is relieving. We are Baptized. We are covered by Jesus and get to remember that every time we pray. ‘My body and soul, and all things.’ A lie that sinners tell ourselves is that our bodies are our property to do with as we choose. We think we stand independent and want to be segregated from our neighbors. Lord have mercy. In this prayer, we are reminded that our bodies, our souls, and all things are tied together. And, they are commended - presented - to God. Into Jesus’ nail-scarred hands, all things are presented, are declared good through Baptism, and are redeemed. There is comfort and assurance in this little sentence in a simple morning prayer. As you pray, using this prayer, the one that our Lord taught, or your own simple words, slow down and think about the amazingness of Who you are talking to and how He loves and cares for you. Prayer doesn’t seem to make sense:  the perfect God of all things would desire to hear from us? And yet, that is exactly what we have. We get to bring all of our cares and concerns - even our whole selves - to Him and be cared for in His loving and merciful Hands. As you pray and after you pray, be confident and sure that your Savior has heard you, loves you, and will continually show you mercy. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy, Whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy: Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,  Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day. (LSB 738:1)-Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 21, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:14-31Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 1:1-4, 15-35; 1 Corinthians 12:14-31But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. (1 Corinthians 12:18-20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is such a profound statement that Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes. God, in His perfect wisdom, arranged all the members of the body. He put together the human body with perfect care, intentionality, and purpose. In context, these words describe the Body of Christ– the Church. Again, the profoundness is amazing! God created every single person with intentionality, purpose, and care. He gifted each person with their abilities, opportunities, skills, and strengths. This is awe-inspiring! You are you– created uniquely and special. And yet, well, why does my sinful nature chafe at this…? In our sin, we despair at being unique or different. In our sin, we really would rather be the foot instead of the elbow. In our sin, we would rather be ‘important’ instead of merely attached. In our sin, we would rather be ‘that person’ and not ourselves. Sinners are constantly comparing, competing, minimizing, or attempting to be ‘better’ by our own merit. We struggle against the boundaries of who we are. We are sure that if we could just be fill-in-the-blank (faster, thinner, taller, smarter…), we would be fill-in-the-blank (enough, happier, content, accepted). ‘If only we could…’ is how we think. Lord have mercy. Today, rejoice in your Baptism– that you are clothed with Jesus. Remember that you were created with a purpose and have been given Gifts that God chose for you. Look at your neighbor with admiration and wonder: God gifted them differently, and how amazing is that! Consider the settings in which you have been placed– your vocations. Are you a sibling? Spouse? Parent? Student? Teacher? Friend? Thanks be to God! You were created, chosen, redeemed, and mercied by a Loving and Faithful God. You are clothed in Jesus, redeemed by His Blood, and have been given life. Your life is uniquely yours. The abilities and talents you have are meant to show care and love to the neighbors you have been given. Most of all, remember and rejoice that you are part of God’s Family. You belong in the Body of Christ. You are connected to Jesus. The Old Adam that you drag around with you is going to keep wanting to compare and despair. But remember, even in those moments, the Truth is that you are loved, forgiven, and intentionally created by your Heavenly Father, Who did not spare His perfect Son but sacrificed Him for you. 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. (LSB 602:1). -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 20, 2024 Today's Reading: Ephesians 5:6-21Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 12:1-25; 2 Samuel 13:1-19:43; 1 Corinthians 12:1-13Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do not be foolish. That seems like a pretty easy suggestion by Paul. Who likes to be foolish anyway? However, context matters. The entirety of Paul’s sentence matters: understand what the will of the Lord is. Now we have something to consider. The will of the Lord is foreign to sinners. We sinners like to compare ourselves to others and come out on top. We sinners like to win. We sinners like to scrap and fight and work towards being the best. But in all of that, the definitions of ‘better’ and ‘best’ are according to our own sinful standards, and that is, well, foolish. We sinners see ‘now’ and think ‘only.’ We must succeed at all that we do right now. We must be enough by our actions, work, and choices. We must accomplish all our self-made goals. Do you notice what (who) is at the center of all this work? Yep– we the sinners. This is foolish. In contrast, God created His people for relationships with Him and with one another. God gives us neighbors to care for and by whom we are shown care. Most importantly, God’s will is that all people know that He is their God; He sent their Savior Jesus; He has forgiven their sins. God would have all people know that they are forgiven, loved, and mercied; this is God’s will. This is what we sinners foolishly forget or ignore. Repent of your short-sightedness; repent of your foolishness. Go to the Divine Service, make the sign of the cross and remember your Baptism, hear the words of Absolution, hear God’s Word spoken to you, and eat and drink Jesus’ Body and Blood. In these Gifts, we sinners are saved from our foolishness. In these Gifts, we are told God’s will and are reassured that we are enough in Jesus. In these Gifts, we are covered by Jesus’ Death and Resurrection. Through these Gifts, we can love and see our neighbors as blessings. Thanks be to God that He is merciful to foolish sinners - all foolish sinners - including the one looking back at you in the mirror. Rejoice that you are a Baptized Child of God and that you are not left in your foolishness but are found in Jesus.  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. (LSB 709:3) -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 19, 2024 Today's Reading: Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 11:1-27; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods (Joshua 24:16). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.To be honest, the people’s response here seems laughable. ‘Far be it from us…’? Seriously!? The Israelites were the worst. They. Kept. Sinning. They would repent and follow the Lord, only to be led astray by another people group, another king, another god… They would suffer, crawl back to God, and repent. The Israelites were not faithful. Frankly, they weren’t even honest. They made this statement, but really, they were going to stray again. This statement seems silly. Good thing I’m not like…oh…wait…Sinners sin. We are the worst. We perpetually fail. Maybe we’ll try again, but it’s hard. Sometimes, we seem to make a bit of progress, but then we mess up again. We chafe against the boundaries that God calls good. We see our neighbors as competitors or nuisances. We suffer the consequences of sin. Maybe we aren’t so different from the faithless Israelites. Thanks be to God that He remains faithful when we are faithless. Thanks be to God that He continued as the Israelites’ God, even as they would stray and follow idols. Thanks be to God that He gives us the same mercy. We feel the consequences of sin, but we are not defined by them. We drag the Old Adam around with us, but we are identified by our Baptism and are saints. We are loved and forgiven. The Israelites hoped for and looked to the coming Savior. We look back to Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, knowing that it happened for us. We remember our Baptism and know that we are washed in Jesus’ Blood. We go to the Divine Service, receiving His Body and Blood for us. We rest in God’s promises, made and kept for us. When we wake up to a new day, hopeful that today will be different…we cling to the assurance that every day is a day that we are covered by our Baptism. We can, in faith, declare our desire to love and serve our neighbor– to show them the forgiveness we have in Jesus. But when we fail, like the Israelites, and go back to the same sins and idols, we rest in Jesus. We claim His faithfulness as our own; we live in our Baptism, hear from His Word that we are forgiven, and cling to His promises.  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? (LSB 594:2) -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 18, 2024 Today's Reading: John 6:51-69Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:18-29; 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:16It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (John 6:63)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. These words speak of the reality that all Baptized Christians know all too well. In the Divine Service, we rejoice in the Words we receive. Our sins are forgiven. Jesus died and rose again for us. We eat Jesus’ Body and Blood for the forgiveness of all of our sins. We are redeemed and forgiven, mercied and loved. God’s Word gives life. It does what it says it will. The problem, though, is that we still have this flesh - and ‘it is no help at all.’ The battle of the sinner and the saint happens every morning. We wake up, by God’s Grace, and are given another day to live redeemed and love our neighbor. But the Old Adam drags itself along, needing to be daily drowned. We sin and are sinned against. We hurt our neighbors instead of helping them. We receive pain instead of help from our neighbors. It hurts living in and with this flesh. We have hope, though. We have The Word - Jesus Himself - as our Advocate, Savior, Friend, and Redeemer. We are not seen in our sin but are covered by our Lord. We cling to God’s Word that declares us His in our Baptism. We live another day Baptized– with the hope of the Resurrection as our reality. We remember that Jesus paid for our sins and the sins of our neighbor on the cross and defeated them by rising again. We remember that in the Divine Service, we eat and drink Jesus’ Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper and truly are forgiven. Indeed, the flesh is no help at all. But, you are not defined by your flesh. The Spirit has given you life. Jesus’ Words hold and declare you loved, mercied, forgiven, and redeemed. You have life in Christ, your Savior, Who is with you now and always. You have the identity as a Baptized Child of God. You live in Christ, and even while you struggle in this flesh, you have the assurance of life everlasting.  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 steadfastly follow His steps in the way that leads to life eternal; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 17, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 13 - Psalm 111:1-5, 9; antiphon: Psalm 111:10Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:1-17; 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:22Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. (Psalm 111:2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Creating the intricate and yet wholly expansive world with His Word. Destroying His entire creation with water and yet preserving life through one family in one big boat. Parting bodies of water for His people’s safe passage. Feeding His prophets with the help of birds. Using the small and weak to defeat the large and strong. Bringing the dead back to life. Calming nature. Feeding a lot with a little. Healing the sick with Words. Dying on the Cross and Rising again. Great and delightful. Studying the great works of the Lord is beautifully overwhelming and delightfully humbling. Consider the fact that the Creator of all, the Author of perfection, also created you. Sin broke God’s perfect plan. He created a world for His people, but doubt and mistrust ruined it. And yet, before His creation even came to be, He had a plan for the redemption of His people. He promised Jesus even as the perfect and holy creation was marred. God continually provided for His people and weaved together the story of their, and our, salvation. We, Baptized children of God, get to look back and marvel at all that our Lord has done. We, His Beloved, get to read, learn, study, and remember all the mighty and amazing works that God has done. And the awe-inspiring fact about studying the works of our Lord is that their amazing qualities continue to bring about jaw-dropping wonder. Today, consider the works of the Lord. Remember that the Lord Who designed the hummingbird, the hammerhead shark, and the banana tree also made you. Remember that you were dead in your sin, lost in damnation, but God, in His mercy and faithfulness, sent His perfect Son Jesus to die in your place. Remember that He breathed new life into you at your Baptism and continues to sustain your body and life. Remember that you get to attend the Divine Service, receive Absolution, hear about the great works of the Lord, receive Jesus’ Body and Blood for you, and have hope for today and tomorrow. We, God’s Beloved, delight in studying about God’s works, for we know that through His abundant love, grace, and mercy, these works are for us and for our salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him! All that has life and breath, come now with praises before Him! Let the Amen Sound from His people again; Gladly forever adore Him! (LSB 790:5)-Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 16, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: Who receives this sacrament worthily?Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 6:1-19; 1 Corinthians 9:1-23But 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, Who receives this sacrament worthily?) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. ‘Truly worthy’ is an interesting phrase. In my broken mind, I immediately wonder, can I be ‘kinda worthy’ or ‘mostly worthy?’ How much ‘unworthiness’ can be included before I lose the ‘truly worthy’ status? What if I was worthy yesterday but am not worthy today? This seems really tricky. Should I *not* take the Lord’s Supper? I mean, I can’t say that I am truly worthy all the time, right? Wait. Maybe this isn’t as ‘all about me’ as I think it is…We sinners love to measure. We want to be the fastest, the tallest, the prettiest, the most successful… if there is a comparison or a measurement, we want to achieve the best. So, to our sinful minds, we also want to be the worthiest. ‘If I am more worthy than *that sinner,* I’m doing pretty good.’ We tend to approach these words as a challenge to prove our worthiness. However, that is not how God’s grace works. These words are in the part of the Small Catechism that is about the Lord’s Supper. Jesus’ Body and Blood are beautiful, freely given Gifts. There is no ‘achieving’ worthiness by trying. The sinner in me, though, is still unsure. If we admit that we are truly unworthy, even dead, in our sinfulness, how can anyone actually receive the Lord’s Supper? We remember our Baptism. In Baptism, every sinner was drowned, and a new creation was born. In Baptism, we were covered with Jesus. In Baptism, we are clothed with Jesus’ Death and Resurrection; we are good, holy, perfect, and yes— truly worthy. These words point to Jesus. He is truly worthy, and He has covered you in your Baptism. These words tell us that Jesus died and rose again FOR YOU. These words are believed by faith, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit and sustained by eating and drinking Jesus’ Body and Blood. These words point to Jesus; He breathed you back to life in your Baptism, He paid the price for your sins, He defeated sin, death, and the devil, and He continues to sustain you now and into eternity. Yes, Baptized Child of God, in Jesus, you are truly worthy.  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. (LSB 555:1) -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 15, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-45, 46-55Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 5:1-25; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy (Luke 1:54) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever considered the memory of God? He was before there was time. He literally created everything that is in this world. He is All-Knowing. He, well, knows every moment of sin, pain, and suffering that His creation has caused and endured. He watched the perfection break. Sin grieves our Lord. And yet, before the moment that Adam and Eve sinned, God had a plan to redeem His people. God promised a Savior Who would pay for the sins of the whole world; in every moment of sin and brokenness, God chooses to forget it. Instead, our Lord remembers His promise to be merciful and give forgiveness. The Old Testament includes a lot of accounts of sinners sinning and God remaining faithful. There is a continuous cycle of warning, sin, hurt, repentance, and forgiveness. The Old Testament is pointing sinners to the Promised One— He is coming! There will be a child born of a virgin! He will pay for the sins of the whole world! God is faithful and merciful. In today’s reading, Mary is singing about the amazing miracle that she has experienced. The angel of God came to HER and declared that she will carry Jesus, the Savior of the Nations! She visits her cousin Elizabeth; baby John, still in Elizabeth’s belly, knew Who was growing within Mary. There is great rejoicing! Mary sings a song of praise. In this song, she witnesses to what she knows about God and about God’s character. And she, like others who had read and knew the Scriptures, trusted that God is merciful. God does keep His promises! God is patient with His people and remembers them with mercy. We, too, have a very similar pattern as those in the Old Testament— we know God’s Law, we sin anyway, we suffer hurt and pain, we are called to repentance, and we are forgiven. We, like Mary, sing God’s Word in faith; we come to the Divine Service, we receive absolution, we hear God’s Word preached, and we eat His Body and Blood. We, too, rejoice that God’s memory is merciful; He remembers His people and always keeps His promises. Today, we rejoice with Mary, the Mother of our Lord. We, like her, are reminded of God’s faithfulness and mercy. We, too, give thanks that God does not remember our sin but remembers His mercy. We, too, receive His Gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O sing of Christ, whose birth made known The kindness of the Lord, Eternal Word made flesh and bone So we could be restored. Upon our frail humanity God’s finger chose to trace The fullness of His deity, The icon of His grace. (LSB 362:1) -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 14, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:25-40Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 1:1-27; 1 Corinthians 7:25-40I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:35) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We sinners become easily distracted. We think we can multitask, but usually, we end up starting too many projects and finishing too few of them (or we complete them, but they are not done well). This spills over into our vocational roles, too. We are excited about a new job/home/relationship and fixate. We replace the time we have to receive Jesus with work or effort for something else. Vocational roles are Gifts, but we sinners tend to create idols out of Gifts. Paul is teaching the Corinthians (and us) that we should not replace God with anything or anyone. The First Commandment reminds us that there is only One True God, and we are to worship Him only. Paul is pointing back to God and teaching that vocations are good, but they are not God. Being a husband, a wife, or remaining single— are all good roles to fulfill. But none of them redeem you or save you. Our identity is in our Baptism. We are washed in Jesus’ Blood and given a new life; we are holy, redeemed, and part of God’s family. Our identity defines us now and into eternity. We get to love and serve specific neighbors in our lives. Think about those around you: parents, siblings, spouses, friends, teachers, classmates, etc. It is good to love and care for those around you. But we sinners need the reminder that God is first, and He is the Good and Right Recipient of our love and devotion. And it is only from His love that we can even begin to know how to love and care for those other neighbors. Boundaries and vocational roles are good Gifts from a Gracious God. Rejoice that you have God’s love and mercy and are claimed as His Child. Share His love with those around you and continually remember that God is God, Gifts are Gifts. When you make the Gifts your god, repent. Come to the Divine Service and receive Jesus’ Body and Blood. Hear the Gospel. Remember your Baptism. Then, go back to your neighbors - those Gifts - and tell them about God and His love for them.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.So use it well! You are made new – In Christ a new creation! As faithful Christians, live and do Within your own vocation, Until that day when you possess His glorious robe of righteousness Bestowed on you forever! (LSB 596:6)-Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 13, 2024 Today's Reading: Ephesians 4:17-5:2Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 31:1-13; 1 Corinthians 7:1-24Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. (Ephesians 5:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What does it mean to imitate God? The sinner in me would enjoy having the ultimate power. I could call down fire on people who I don’t like - those sinners (not me) - those *other* sinners. It seems great to think about having all the knowledge, all the power, and all the authority. I could do whatever I wanted! But maybe that’s actually the problem. As sinners, we work by the Law. We want things to be fair. We want others to get punished. We want to ‘get away with something.’ In general, we are the worst. In fact, we are dead in our sins. And yet, God comes to us while we are dead and breathes new life into us. In Baptism, He washes us in Jesus’ Blood and claims us as His own. We humbly receive more than our sinful minds can even understand. So, what does it mean to imitate God? Well, the rest of the verse gives us some context— we imitate God as beloved children. We get to witness to others what it means to be beloved! We get to share the Gospel— the Good News that Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world and that we are truly forgiven. We have God’s love. We have God’s mercy. We have God’s Name. We have God’s kept promises! We have the best message ever! As sinners, we have to be reminded that we are the worst— we would prefer to live and die by the Law. But as Baptized saints, we rejoice in being the Lord’s beloved. We rest securely in our identity as children of God. We go to the Divine Service and receive in our ears, on our lips, and in our mouths the assurance of Jesus’ love and forgiveness. That is what we get to imitate. That is what we get to reflect to those around us. And when we fail, as we will, we remember: we are beloved children. We come back to God and receive His forgiveness anew. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, ‘tis not that I did choose Thee; That, I know, could never be; For this heart would still refuse Thee Had Thy grace not chosen me. Thou hast from the sin that stained me Washed and cleansed and set me free And unto this end ordained me, That I ever live to Thee. (LSB 573:1)-Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 12, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Kings 19:1-8Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 28:3-25; 1 Samuel 29:1-30:31; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. (1 Kings 19:4b-5a)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Elijah did some amazing things through the power of God: he declared a drought to an evil king, helped a widow eat, raised a dead son (1 Kings 17), confronted that evil king, called down fire against false gods, and killed their prophets (1 Kings 18). Those sound like amazing mountaintop experiences; it seems as though Elijah should be feeling nothing but excitement! But then we get these verses… he wants to die, declares to God that ‘it is enough,’ and takes a nap.  These words are so relatable. How many of us have had a great or fine or awful or just okay day and decided that it’s been enough? We’re done. We want to get off the ride, call a ‘life timeout,’ and just stop. Things hurt. People are mean. Our own weaknesses stare us in the face. It’s more than enough— it’s too much. Maybe we want to die. Maybe we need a nap. But everything hurts. After Elijah lays down to sleep, an angel - a messenger from God - comes to him, wakes him up, and invites him to eat. There was food and water for Elijah. After he eats, he rests. Again, God’s angel wakes him up to eat and encourages him to travel on. There is care for Elijah’s body and spirit. The depth of God’s mercy is boundless. When Elijah declares to God that he is done, God meets Elijah with grace. Have a nap, Elijah. Have some food and water for strength, Elijah. Listen to my messenger and live, Elijah. God is the same with us. He is with us in the deepest, darkest moments we experience. He sent His Son Jesus into our sinful world to show us mercy. Jesus declared, ‘It is finished’ from the cross—He was enough to fulfill the Law and pay for the sins of the whole world. God gives us rest in the Divine Service— come and receive. Hear your forgiveness declared. Hear the promises that I have kept for you. Hear about your Savior Jesus. Eat His Body and drink His Blood. Go back into the messy world, forgiven, loved, and knowing that you are not alone. We, like Elijah, have dark moments. But take heart, Jesus defeated the dark for you. And, in your Baptism, you are never alone and always have God’s peace. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lamb of God, pure and holy, Who on the cross didst suffer, Ever patient and lowly, Thyself to scorn didst offer. All sins Thou borest for us, Else had despair reigned o’er us: Have mercy on us, O Jesus! O Jesus! (LSB 434:1)-Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 11, 2024Today's Reading: John 6:35-51Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 26:1-25; 1 Samuel 27:1-28:2; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” (John 6:41)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. To be honest, it seems astonishing that the Jews in this reading would DARE to grumble about Jesus and His announcement that He is the Bread of Life. I mean, He is JESUS! And, honestly, they had previously heard about or experienced various miracles He had done. All this talk about bread came after Jesus fed over 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. In fact, the Jews were ready to make Jesus the King! So, where in the world do they now get the idea that they can grumble and complain that Jesus isn't who they think He should be? Oh. Wait. Jesus is teaching about Who He is and what He will do. He is the Bread of Life. He is the One Who will pay for the insatiable hunger that the Law demands. He is going to starve death and breathe life into the whole world. But that isn’t what the Jews are interested in. They want their immediate needs met. They want full bellies, and they want them now. How dare they? But wait..have I ever grumbled over something that was actually a Gift? Oof. We sinners are very short-sighted. We see the now, we see the immediate problem, we feel the pain, and we want a solution. Thanks be to God that His mercy is for the now and for the not yet. He cares about our pain and our immediate needs; He invites us to pray about them daily and promises to hear us. And yet, He is also the Bread that will cease all hunger. He will feed His people for eternity. In our pain, weakness, and, yes, even grumbling, we have a merciful and loving God Who gives us Himself. Jesus went to the cross to pay for our sins and rose on Easter, defeating all of our enemies. In the Divine Service, He gives us Himself - His Body and Blood - for our forgiveness, life, and salvation. When you (like me) feel the pain of your current moment, you get to look back to the cross and forward to the Lord’s Supper. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Jesus is the One Who loves and cares for you now and for forever.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Gracious Father, Your blessed Son came down from heaven to be the true bread that gives life to the world. Grant that Christ, the bread of life, may live in us and we in Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 10, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 12 - Psalm 34:8-10; antiphon: Psalm 145:16Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 25:23-44; 1 Corinthians 4:1-21Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! (Introit for Pentecost 12; Psalm 34:8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Many of our readings this past week revolved around the theme of eating. God gave the Israelites manna in the wilderness. In our last Catechism reading concerning bodily eating and drinking in the Sacrament, Dr. Luther invited us to rejoice in the words of Jesus: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Even yesterday’s reading from 1 Corinthians 3 concerning the ministry began with Paul’s concern that the Corinthians get solid spiritual nourishment. Last Sunday’s Gospel ended with the people’s intrigue over Jesus’ words about the bread of heaven that gives life to the world and the people’s desire to know more (John 6:34). Jesus will flesh that out more in tomorrow’s Gospel reading.Tomorrow’s Introit follows suit, reminding us that the Lord sees to our needs. You have a God who provides for you and takes care of you. It’s just as we confess in Luther’s explanation of the First Article of the Creed, “He richly and daily provides me all that I need to support this body and life.” In the explanation to the Third Article, we confess that in the Christian Church, God the Holy Spirit “daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers.” Your God provides now and for eternity.The Psalmist graciously invites you to “taste” this delightful truth. David prayed this when God had delivered him at a time when he was on the run from Saul, shortly after David and his men were given the Bread of Presence to satisfy their hunger (1 Samuel 21). The Psalm is not some guarantee of earthly prosperity. It’s a word of witness and encouragement of one individual from the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us as we run the race looking to Jesus (Hebrews 12:1). David was running the race, trusting God’s promise, His presence and protection for refuge in the midst of real danger.You come to the Divine Service for refuge in the Lord. You bring your sins and all of your scars from running the race with endurance. Taste and see that the Lord is good! Taste the sweet Absolution that declares you forgiven by the One who suffered, died, and rose for you. Taste His body on your tongue and His blood on your lips, and know with absolute certainty that the Lord is good. Blessed are you as you take refuge in Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.That this forever true shall be He gives a solemn guarantee: In this His holy Supper here We taste His love so sweet, so near. (LSB 634:3)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 9, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-23Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 25:1-22; 1 Corinthians 3:1-23What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:5-6)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Your pastor is a gift from God. It doesn’t matter if he’s your favorite or not. It doesn’t matter if his sermons aren’t the most exciting ones you’ve ever heard. What matters is that he is faithful to God as he preaches, teaches, provides pastoral care, and leads a holy life. You may attend a church that has a long history or one recently planted. Either way, a foundation was laid. That foundation is Christ and Him crucified. Your pastor’s preaching builds on that foundation. The irony about many in the Corinthian congregation is that they thought they were super spiritual when they were really quite immature. In the first two chapters, Paul oriented them away from themselves toward the cross of Christ. The Corinthians thought all that to be foolishness. Surely, the Christian faith can’t be about a suffering and dying Savior; it must be about signs and wonders, speaking in tongues and with great spiritual eloquence. Paul chucks all of that when he says, “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, infants in Christ” (1 Cor. 3:1).Their spiritual immaturity manifested itself in so many ways, including their favoritism with regard to pastors. Apollos was supposedly a very talented preacher. Paul himself was trained in rhetoric. But he reminded the Corinthians that he did not come among them with lofty speech so as not to detract from Christ (1 Corinthians 2:1). Paul planted churches. Apollos watered. God gave the growth. It was all Jesus. It’s no different today. Your pastor waters. He carries out his call faithfully to give you Jesus.The Corinthians were gifted people. There were amazing pastors who served them. But look at what a disaster Paul encountered there: pride, divisions, sexual immorality, idolatry, and the list goes on. Nevertheless, he addressed them as brothers. He took them to task with the Law for being immature and of the flesh. But he reminded them whose they are: “You are Christ’s.” So it is for you, dear Christian. Rejoice that your pastor does the same. He nourishes you with God’s living and powerful Word and the Sacraments so that you grow into Him, who is your Head, even Jesus Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Help, Lord Jesus, help him nourish All our children with Your Word That in fervent love they serve You Till in heav’n their song is heard. Boundless blessings, Lord, bestow On his faithful toil below Till by grace to him be given His reward, the crown of heaven. (LSB 681:3)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 8, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 24:1-22; 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:16How 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)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Did your mother ever say to you, “Eat something, and you’ll feel better”? Often, eating does make us feel better when we’re down. Eating can give us pleasure. But the opposite can also be true. For those who struggle with overeating, eating can bring guilt and shame. Either way you look at it, eating can do something. However, when it comes to the Sacrament of the Altar, obviously, eating is part of it, but it’s not the main thing. It’s not what does great things.You can go to the Lord’s Table, receive His Body and Blood under the bread and wine, and feel great! There are times that I’ve gone to Communion and I return to the pew feeling such peace. That’s wonderful. But there are other times when I’ve received the Sacrament and still felt guilty and unworthy because of the weight of my sin. It’s not really about what you do or what you feel. In his explanation of the Sacrament of the Altar in the Small Catechism, Dr. Luther points you to the words of Christ Himself: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”Every time that the Lord’s Supper is celebrated, the pastor speaks the very words that Jesus spoke when He instituted this most holy meal. These aren’t magic words, but they are powerful words. They are the words of Jesus for you. You hear Christ’s words also during the distribution. As you receive the cup, the pastor or maybe an elder in the church usually says, “The blood of Christ shed for you.” Then you eat and drink.Eating and drinking are part of the Sacrament, sure. After all, Jesus instituted His Supper for us Christians to eat and drink. But our actions never bring about God’s grace and forgiveness. God does it all. Jesus accomplished your salvation on the cross. Faith grabs hold of this amazing Gift of forgiveness offered to you in the Supper. Faith clings to those sweet words of Jesus, trusting His promise and resting in the peace of sin forgiven. And even faith is a Gift of God worked by His Holy Spirit. To God be the glory! Great things He has done and still does for you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.We eat this bread and drink this cup, Your precious Word believing That Your true body and Your blood Our lips are here receiving. This Word remains forever true, All things are possible with you, For you are Lord Almighty. (LSB 622:4)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 7, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 20:24-42Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 20:24-42; 1 Sam. 21:1-23:29; 1 Cor. 1:1-25For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” (1 Samuel 20:31)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Saul was paranoid. He was obsessed with retaining his royal power. Even though he knew that David had been anointed king of Israel in his place, his jealousy and his pride fueled a murderous rage against the son of Jesse. Saul’s rage was so intense that even his own son Jonathan got caught in the crosshairs and almost became a casualty. Saul was only interested in an earthly kingdom; he saw his son as the future heir.Sometimes, in our short-sightedness, we get lost in our little earthly kingdoms and forget that God’s kingdom is much bigger. Whether it involves our place in the family, with friends, at school, at work, or even at church, we like to have it our way and maintain things just the way we like them. Last Sunday’s Gospel revealed what kind of king the Israelites wanted: one who could feed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish, with plenty of leftovers. They couldn’t see beyond their own self-interests either. So it is with the Old Adam.Israel wanted a king so they could be like the nations, even though Yahweh God had called them to be distinct. Yahweh Himself was their king. Nevertheless, Yahweh made provision for a king. Saul proved to be a failure, following his own impulses rather than God’s Word. Yahweh chose another king–David. In 2 Samuel, we see again that God is working something much bigger than establishing the nation Israel in the Promised Land. He’s at work to establish His eternal kingdom in Christ. He’s at work for you.No wonder Satan drove Saul into a murderous rage against David! Something bigger than the kingdom of Israel was at stake. Kings wanted Jesus, the Son of David, dead. Remember murderous Herod? The religious establishment wanted Jesus dead, too. They lied, deceived, and plotted to kill Him. He didn’t fit into their vision of the kingdom. They nailed the King of the Jews to a cross. Their murderous plot succeeded. But like St. Paul says, “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). At the cross, God was at work for you, for your eternal salvation. Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, you have a place in God’s eternal kingdom. Rejoice and sing! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Crown Him the Lord of Life, Who triumphed o’er the grave And rose victorious in the strife For those He came to save. His glories now we sing, Who died and rose on high, Who died eternal life to bring And lives that death may die. (LSB 525:4)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 6, 2024 Today's Reading: Ephesians 4:1-16Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 20:1-23; Acts 28:16-31There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call– one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4–6)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ephesians 4 confesses that the Holy Christian Church is one, even as our God is one. The Church is a reflection of her Lord. Sadly, it doesn’t always appear to be one here on earth. In the two thousand-plus years since the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, countless denominations of Christian churches have appeared. It can be confusing and discouraging. It can even be offensive to some, so much so that they abandon the Church altogether.We can’t make the Church one by our doing. Many have attempted and still attempt to do so today by stripping away what they think gets in the way–doctrine, a pure confession of faith based on God’s Word. In the end, non-denominational churches end up being another denomination. They often put more focus on what the church does–love and good works, which may look great on the surface, but it is a false unity. The biggest casualty of all is the Gospel–the Good News of salvation through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus for you. It gets lost and left behind as no longer useful.When you confess in the Creed, “I believe in the Holy Christian Church,” you recognize and affirm that the Church is an article of faith. It’s God’s beloved creation through the Gospel. Sure, the Church has an outward manifestation, too. The marks of the Church are the Word and Sacraments. Where Christ crucified is preached, there you will find true believers. There will likely be unbelievers there as well. Jesus said that the wheat and the weeds would be mixed together until He comes again (Matthew 13:30).If you look in the mirror of God’s Word, you see your own sinfulness. You’re pretty good at seeing the sinfulness of others as well. Thanks be to God that appearances are not all they’re cracked up to be! Thanks be to God, who works faith that clings to Jesus and His promises of forgiveness and life. By faith in Christ, you are justified, declared righteous, holy, and forgiven before God. The word “one” appears seven times in this passage–one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all. That’s the number of completion. It’s all His doing for you. Thanks be to God! 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. (LSB 644:2)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 5, 2024 Today's Reading: Exodus 16:2-15Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 19:1-24; Acts 28:1-15“I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’” (Exodus 16:12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Last week, we read that David cut off Goliath’s head so that the whole earth would know that there’s a God in Israel (1 Samuel 17:46). God’s power testifies to who He is. We have every reason to know Him: to fear, love, and trust in Him above all things. But self-absorbed sinners often quickly forget. The Israelites proved this time and again.Their grumbling over empty stomachs happened on the heels of what God had done for them at the crossing of the Red Sea. They had seen His power over Pharaoh and his army. Freed from bondage in Egypt, they were making their way to the Promised Land. When Pharaoh and his army were in pursuit, God’s display of power and protection for His people was so incredible! He parted the sea for His people to cross, then put an end to Pharaoh and his army. Afterward, Moses and the people sang, “The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation” (Exodus 15:2).God’s miracles are powerful testimonies to who He is. But when the Israelites were hungry, they threw God’s mercy back in His face and accused Him of evil. “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:3). But what was God’s response? “Behold, I am about to rain down bread from heaven for you” (Exodus 16:4). God provided manna and quail. God continually acted to show them that He was their one true God.While you were still a sinner, God acted. Christ died for you. St. Paul says that’s how God shows you His love for you (Romans 5:8). In Christ, you know for certain that He is your one true God. Paul says that in the context of suffering. The road from Egypt to the Promised Land could not have been easy. Your pilgrimage isn’t easy either. It’s filled with ups and downs. In the midst of such uncertainty, God rains down manna from heaven. He gives you His Son, not just some spiritual boost, but Christ’s very Body and Blood for forgiveness, life, and salvation. Now, you can sing God’s praises with joy as you journey from Baptism to resurrection on the Last Day. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Thank the Lord and sing His praise; tell everyone what He has done. Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear His name. He recalls His promises and leads His people forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia, alleluia. (LSB Divine Service, Setting One- Thank the Lord)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 4, 2024 Today's Reading: John 6:22-35Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 18:10-30; Acts 27:27-44Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:28-29)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus exposes the motives of those who sought Him after the feeding of the five thousand. They were chasing after food that perishes. Their primary target was what they needed for day-to-day life. That’s important. You gotta eat! But it can’t be what drives you. We work to put food on the table and have money in our pockets to buy what we think will satisfy us. None of it lasts. Jesus calls us to look beyond our day-to-day needs to our eternal needs, to Him who gives life to the world.Doesn’t it please God to do our duty each day as we live out our vocations? Isn’t it God-pleasing to work and put food on the table for our good and the good of our families? What could be more godly than that? When Jesus challenges His hearers on this, they ask the natural question: “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” So Jesus tells them what is God-pleasing: Believe in Him! Faith in Jesus pleases God.When people hear that the Christian faith is about Jesus, believing and trusting in Him for eternal salvation, many of them are disappointed and turn away. Isn’t religion supposed to make you a better you? Shouldn’t the Christian faith make this a better world? You know just how evil this world is. The “religious” Jews put Jesus to death. They rejected Him and His kingdom. You reject Him in your sins, too. God knows how evil it is. In Jesus, God stepped into this world. He became a physical, human part of it. He did this to redeem the world, to redeem you from all the evil of sin, death, and the devil.Jesus did come to make a better world. His resurrection is the greatest sign that the new creation is upon us. Faith clings to Jesus and longs for the end of this evil world and the dawn of the new, eternal one. Faith in Jesus, the Bread of Life, indeed pleases God. Your faith is nourished by the Bread of Life at His Table. He strengthens you with His Body and Blood to go out and love your neighbor, to provide for his or her needs, driving them right into the loving embrace of Him who gives life to the world. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Merciful Father, You gave Your Son Jesus as the heavenly bread of life. Grant us faith to feast on Him in Your Word and Sacraments that we may be nourished unto life everlasting; 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 11th Sunday after Pentecost)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 3, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 11 - Ps. 78:23-25; antiphon: Ps. 78:72Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:48-18:9; Acts 27:9-26Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance. (Introit for Pentecost 11)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In college, I sang a beautiful piece with two friends called “Panis Angelicus,” Latin for “bread of angels.” If I had to describe the sound of it all, I would say that it was heavenly. Music and other earthly gifts can work on our emotions, transporting us out of the humdrum of life to feel and experience amazing things. That’s truly wonderful. But as “heavenly” as it all sounded to me, as good as it felt, the emotional high faded not long after the music stopped.God gives us good gifts that make us feel good, but they’re not the be-all-end-all. When we talk about worship, much of our discussion often revolves around music. Some music, whether you’d label it traditional or contemporary, is highly emotional. That’s not necessarily bad, but it is when it drives everything. Worship isn’t about what we want. It’s not driven by our feelings, our likes or dislikes. Worship drives us to Christ.In Psalm 78, the Psalmist recounts the great deeds of the Lord, which should be shared from generation to generation “so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments” (Psalm 78:7). He reminds Israel that God brought them out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and fed them in the wilderness. Nevertheless, the people continually forgot it all.Like Israel of old, we’re stubborn. We complain. We test God. We sin against Him. We forget His awesome deeds for us in Christ. The beauty of the Divine Service is that God remembers us. He gathers us in His presence. He reminds us of His awesome deeds for us. We confess our sins. We receive His word of pardon. We hear the Gospel, the story of Jesus and His saving works. We confess our faith in God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We sing His praises. How does it all culminate? God gives us the bread of angels. He gives us the Body and Blood of Christ for forgiveness, life, and salvation. The liturgy prepares us and carries us to that glorious culmination at the Lord’s Table, where we eat the bread of angels. It’s literally heaven on earth. We’re in the presence of our Lord, at His banquet, with Him both host and meal.The antiphon from tomorrow’s Introit echoes, “With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand” (Psalm 78:72). Tomorrow in the Divine Service, Jesus shepherds you and guides you with His nail-pierced hands to His Table. He opens the doors of heaven and rains down upon you food in abundance. It doesn’t get more heavenly here on Earth than that! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.King of kings yet born of Mary, As of old on earth He stood, Lord of lords in human vesture, In the body and the blood, He will give to all the faithful His own self for heav’nly food. (LSB 621:2)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 2, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 17:20-47Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:20-47; Acts 26:24-27:8This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel (1 Samuel 17:46).In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Wasn’t it enough that David slew the giant Goliath? Did he really have to cut off his head, too? Often, God’s acts of judgment seem extreme to us. It’s enough to turn a lot of people away from the Old Testament and even the Church. Sometimes, the blood and gore do seem extreme, but when it comes down to God’s enemies, He goes all the way to make sure that you are saved and protected from all evil. He leaves no stone unturned. God is almighty and powerful. God saves His people.So often today, Bible stories like David and Goliath are twisted into turning you and me into the hero. They’ll say if we believe enough or trust God enough, He’ll make us strong to defeat our enemies, whatever “Goliath” in your life stands against you. No! Sure, David was revered after he defeated the giant. He became more and more popular with the people. His success grew. But David didn’t slay the giant Goliath for his own glory. He did it so that “all the earth would know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Samuel 17:46). After a small stone from a sling brought the giant down, David put the fear of God in the Philistines by leaving no doubt that their champion was dead by the hand of God. The Philistines fled.God acts so that all may know that He is God. It was the same for the Israelites when God acted to bring them out of Egypt. The ten plagues, the drowning of Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, all of it was so that Egypt and the nations would know that Yahweh was the one true God. Yahweh is mighty in power. Yahweh saves His people.The blood and gore of the cross are gruesome, but God left no one in doubt that His only Son was dead. He was cut off from the land of the living (Isaiah 53:8). But so that all may know that He is the One True God, He raised His Son to life again, life imperishable. Not even death can stop the Lord from saving His people. Jesus has defeated death. He cut off its head.Isn’t it enough that Jesus died and rose? Does He have to wipe out all of God’s enemies? Even the New Testament can get pretty gruesome when it comes to the final defeat of God’s enemies. Jesus treads the winepress and is covered in the blood of those who defied the living God. Remember: God acts so that all may know that He is the One True God. In Jesus, He acts for you. At His return, the victorious Christ brings the final defeat of sin, death, and the devil and renders them powerless, all for you so that you can “live under Him in His Kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness” (Small Catechism, Explanation of the Second Article). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Wisely fight, for time is fleeting; The hours of grace are fast retreating; Short, short is this our earthly way. When the Lord the dead will waken And sinners all by fear are shaken, The saints with joy will greet that day. Praise God, our triumph’s sure. We need not long endure Scorn and trial. Our Savior King His own will bring To that great glory which we sing. (LSB 668:3)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 1, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:1-19; Acts 26:1-23What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? These words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show 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)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In today’s Old Testament reading, the Philistines and the Israelites are lined up for battle, with a valley between them. The Philistines stood strong with their champion, Goliath of Gath, in front, taunting the Israelite army, so much so that Saul and all Israel “were dismayed and greatly afraid” (1 Samuel 17:11). Israel had no such giant champion. At the end of the reading, David, the shepherd boy, arrives, not even to save the day but to deliver bread and cheese to his brothers and the commander of the army. And there, God does something extraordinary with what is ordinary. David defeats Goliath.In the Lord’s Supper, God takes something ordinary and makes it extraordinary. Sometimes, we Lutherans are like the Israelites, lined up for battle. A large portion of modern evangelical Christianity says that there’s no benefit, no Gift given to those who partake of the Lord’s Supper. They say that the Lord’s Supper is just bread and wine, symbols that represent the Body and Blood of Jesus in a meal that we eat merely to remember His sacrifice at Calvary. There’s a huge valley between them and us.Now, we’re not literally lined up for battle, certainly not against fellow Christians. But we are lined up for battle against the devil who takes every opportunity to diminish Christ, steal you away from Him and His Gifts, and leave you in doubt about His love for you. In the midst of your doubt and fear, God brings His Word and promise. Dr. Luther rejoiced in the words of Christ: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Faith clings to the promise of Jesus. Faith receives exactly what Jesus promises–forgiveness, life, and salvation.The Sacrament of the Altar may appear weak and insignificant. It may not make sense at all that in it, God gives you Gifts of eternal significance. But when you’re lined up for battle against the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh, the Lord stands ready to strengthen you in this holy meal with His divine Gifts. Even when you’re at your weakest in the fight, the Son of David comes with the provision of His Body and Blood, by which He defeated sin, death, and the devil for you. He sends you forth, not in fear and doubt, but strengthened in His certain victory over death. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.God descends with heav’nly power, Gives Himself to me this hour In this ordinary sign. On my tongue His pledge receiving I accept His grace, believing That I taste His love divine. (LSB 620:4)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

July 31, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-23Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 16:1-23; Acts 25:13-27Then 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. In the Old Testament era, God’s Spirit came upon certain individuals and was manifest in different ways. Often, He gave the gift of prophecy, but not always. Bezalel was filled with the Spirit of God to equip him for craftsmanship in the building of the Tabernacle (Exodus 31:3). God took “some of the Spirit” that was upon Moses to put upon seventy of the elders of Israel to assist in the work of serving the people (Numbers 11:17). When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. Joshua was “a man in whom was the Spirit” (Numbers 27:18). The Spirit of the Lord was upon judges like Othniel (Judges 3:10), Gideon (Judges 6:34), Jephthah (Judges 11:29), and others. When Saul was anointed the first king of Israel, the Spirit came upon him, and he prophesied (1 Samuel 10:10).The Spirit also rushed upon David when he was anointed by Samuel as Saul’s successor, the king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:13). Whereas the Spirit often remained for a time on others, the Spirit remained continually with David. He was the Lord’s anointed. Later, in Psalm 51, when considering the reality and gravity of sin, David prayed, “Take not your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11). Perhaps he was remembering when God removed His Spirit from hard-hearted Saul, rejecting him as king over Israel. David continually needed God’s Spirit to serve God’s people faithfully as their king.The Holy Spirit descended upon the Son of David at His Baptism. John the Baptist said, “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on Him” (John 1:32). The Spirit confirmed to John (and to you and me) that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The Spirit confirmed that Jesus is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. After Jesus’ bloody Baptism on the cross and His resurrection, He sent forth His apostles to make disciples by baptizing and teaching.At your Baptism, the Holy Spirit rushed upon you and remains on you. He sanctifies and keeps you in the one true faith, anchoring you in Jesus to bear good fruit. Through the Means Of Grace, He forgives your sins, equips you for daily life in your vocation, and enables you to confess Jesus. He keeps you awake and watchful for the final resurrection. Come, Holy Spirit! Come, Lord Jesus! 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! (LSB 497:1)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

July 30, 2024 Today's Reading: Ephesians 3:14-21Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 15:10-35; Acts 24:24-25:12Now 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. Are your prayers big? Jesus teaches us to ask (Matthew 7:7-8; 21:22), so pray! Ask! Go big! We probably think our prayers are big. We pray for our loved ones who are sick and need healing. We pray for miracles, like when a dear one has cancer or is near death after a tragic accident. We pray that God would bring peace where there is war. Those are big prayers! But even the smaller ones can tend to seem big at the time, like asking God to make things work out with my crush or to get into the college I’ve dreamed about. But are any of these things really that big? I don’t mean to minimize our requests or discourage praying for any of those things. Jesus says to ask, so ask! Ask big!In Ephesians 3, St. Paul prays for the spiritual well-being of the Ephesians. He had just rejoiced in the mystery of the Gospel, namely that “the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (3:6). That’s BIG, bigger than what most Jews could think or ask. When some people brought Jesus a paralytic for healing, Jesus first forgave his sins (Matthew 9:2). A paralytic getting up and walking is big, but isn’t the forgiveness of sins even bigger?Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). That’s a BIG prayer. It’s one that you and I pray often, just as Jesus taught us. Thy will be done! It’s a hard prayer to pray when we want that loved one healed. But, just as Paul teaches the Ephesians, God “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (3:20). God has indeed done the biggest thing of all. In Christ, God has saved you from eternal death by His suffering and death on the cross. That’s God’s good and gracious will for you and certainly bigger than anything we could ask or think.Paul prays that the Ephesians would get just how BIG God’s saving love is. It seems rather small that Christ dwells in your heart through faith, but in Him, you are filled with the fullness of God. By His Spirit, you experience the breadth, length, height, and depth of God’s love for you in Christ. Rooted and grounded in THAT love, with the power of His Spirit at work in you, everything else appears pretty small. Sure, you still pray for your loved one to be healed. Of course you do! But faith clings to the promise of eternal life in Christ. Faith clings to Jesus, even when our prayers aren’t answered in the way we had hoped. Faith rejoices that even death itself is undone in the One who loves you so much that He died and rose again for you.The last part of Luther’s explanation of the Third Petition of the Lord’s Prayer in the Small Catechism reads: “God’s will is done when He strengthens and keeps us firm in his Word and faith until we die.” That echoes Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians and for you and me. To God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Hear us, Father, when we pray, Through Your Son and in Your Spirit. By Your Spirit’s Word convey All that we through Christ inherit, That as baptized heirs we may Truly pray. (LSB 773:1)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

July 29, 2024 Today's Reading: Genesis 9:8-17Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 14:47-15:9; Acts 24:1-23I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9:11)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Floods destroy! The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says that floods are the #1 natural disaster in the United States and average over 2.4 billion dollars in losses per year for the past decade. Even just an inch of water can cause costly damage. A flood that destroys the earth? Wow!It’s not just the earth that was destroyed; it’s “all flesh.” Moses writes, “And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind” (Genesis 7:21). We see on the news and around us the destruction of homes, buildings, and other property devastated by floods. Some floods bring catastrophic death tolls. But none of that even compares to the destruction wrought by the great flood. All flesh perished, with the exception of eight people.Why were Noah and his family saved? Noah didn’t walk on water, but he walked with God (Genesis 6:9). Noah was righteous. That doesn’t mean he was sinless. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). True for Noah. True for you. Sin brings death. Noah died. He didn’t die in the flood, but he still died. Genesis 9 concludes: “All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died” (Genesis 9:29). But Noah died fearing and trusting in God.Noah and his family were preserved in the ark from death by water. They were saved from worldwide destruction. God promised never to destroy the earth again with water. He put a rainbow in the sky as a sign of His covenant promise. But that promise anticipated an even greater one. As the line of humanity continued, God’s promise to Adam and Eve to redeem all flesh through the son of the woman endured. God spared Noah and his family to save you from the evils of sin, death, and the devil. Jesus, God in human flesh, was cut off (Isa. 53:8), taking upon himself the punishment you deserve at Calvary.Now Jesus has unleashed a life-giving flood that saves you– Holy Baptism. In Baptism, God has established His covenant with you. You’re dead to sin and alive to God in Christ! You are righteous. You walk with God. 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? (LSB 594:2)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

July 28, 2024Today's Reading: Mark 6:45-56Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 13:1-18; Acts 23:12-35He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” (Mark 6:48–50)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Israelites needed a path through the Red Sea as they fled from Pharaoh and his chariots. Jesus needs no path. He doesn’t need a boat or a jet ski. He is Yahweh incarnate. He can take a stroll on the water. He is Lord over all creation. God tramples the waves of the sea (Job 9:8).After feeding the five thousand, Jesus sent His disciples away in a boat. From John’s account of that miracle, Jesus went away quickly as the people tried to make him their king by force. He went off by Himself to pray but found himself alone on the shore without a boat by evening. He needed to get to the other side of the sea. So He sets out on foot. He saw the disciples in their boat, fighting the headwind as they made their way across. Mark says that Jesus meant to pass them by.“Jesus passing by” brings up images from the Old Testament. Yahweh passed by Moses and proclaimed His name and His Gospel-forgiving nature (Exodus 34). Yahweh passed by Elijah, and a great wind followed (1 Kings 19). On the Sea of Galilee, Yahweh incarnate almost passed by His disciples. They saw Him and cried out in terror and desperation, thinking He was a ghost. God is spirit, but real flesh in the person of Jesus. Jesus heard the fearful cry of his disciples but didn’t keep going. He got into the boat and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”Jesus hears your cries as you row against the headwind of sin and death, making no headway. He doesn’t just pass you by. He comes to you with the life-giving fruits of His cross. He comes to you in the water of Baptism and pulls you into the ark of His Church. He doesn’t merely pass you by at His Table but puts His very Body and Blood into your mouth. The disciples were astounded and still didn’t understand. But Jesus leaves you with no doubt of who He is for you– your God, your Savior, who carries you through death and the grave to life eternal. Take heart! He is God in the flesh for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and most merciful God, the protector of all who trust in You, strengthen our faith and give us courage to believe that in Your love You will rescue us from all adversities; 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 Tenth Sunday after Pentecost)-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. LouisAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

July 27, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 10 - Psalm 145:1-3, 6-7; antiphon: Psalm 145:5Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 12:1-25; Acts 22:30-23:11Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. (Psalm 145:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do you meditate? In our Psalm today, David does! It’s important for us to distinguish the meditation that Scripture extols from the meditation that the world would teach us. Meditation, as the world understands it, is usually intended to empty our minds or to broaden our minds to the point that we’re free from constraints. In God’s Word, meditation doesn’t “free our minds” but draws us deeper into His Word! Being empty-headed is not seen as a goal but as part of the problem! So, when David meditates on God, his attention is focused on the “glorious splendor of [God’s] majesty” and “[God’s] wondrous works.” In other words, what does it mean for God to be God? And what does this look like in time and space? David answers the first by saying that God is “unsearchably great!” That’s not usually a phrase we use, but it’s the truth. No amount of searching, contemplating, or imagining could adequately describe how great the Lord is! But, in a way, you should expect nothing less than an answer like that. After all, if a god isn’t beyond understanding, almighty, majestic—he’s not much of a god, is he? That’s why the second part is so very important for our own meditation upon the Lord! What is God like? Let me tell you what He has done! That’s what the rest of Psalm 145 essentially says. You know what God is like because of what He has done for His people. God’s actions speak plenty loud—they shout His great love for us! They show us His redemptive work, time after time. And these actions are chiefly known through the sending of His Son. Do you want to know what kind of a God we have? Look to the cross. Peer into the empty tomb. Listen to Jesus’ words of peace and forgiveness. Hear Jesus as He tells us that He goes to prepare a place for us. Trust that He has restored you into the favor of God as dear, forgiven children. It shouldn’t surprise us that Christian meditation isn’t about us at all. It’s about Christ. We fix our eyes on Him, lest we become distracted by the temptations and allures of this world. God has invited us to meditate upon this unsearchably great majesty, on these wondrously loving works. And that meditation keeps us anchored in Christ! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Before You, Lord, we bow, Our God Who reigns above And rules the world below, Boundless in pow’r and love. Our thanks we bring In joy and praise, Our hearts we raise To You, our King! Amen. (LSB 966:1)-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 26, 2024Today's Reading: Catechism: What is the Sacrament of the Altar?Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 10:1-27; Acts 22:17-29The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What is it?! That’s the question I hear children ask their parents at the Communion rail all the time. I’ll admit that I’ve heard a wide range of answers whispered into those little ears in response. There are a few I’ve heard that have left me thinking, “Don’t cringe!” Recently, I heard an answer that actually made me grin. “He’s right here,” said the little boy’s grandma, as she held the host in her hand, “and in heaven, too.” Perfect. I love it. Praise God. We shouldn’t budge an inch on this. “What is this bread?” one of our hymns asks… “Christ’s body risen from the dead!” comes the answer! We have here, from our Lord Jesus, the food from the table He prepares before us— the meal from the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom. When Jesus instituted this Blessed Meal, He did so that we might receive the great benefits of His Gospel in a tangible way through one of the most common experiences we can imagine: eating and drinking. Bread is a nearly universal staple of mankind; this began with Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden. “By the sweat of your brow, you will eat bread,” God told our first father. Bread is the food of the Fall. It requires multiple steps, processes, and preparation to create, and it is fleeting. Israel learns that man can’t live by bread alone in the wilderness, and the manna God gave them spoiled in a day’s time! But Jesus takes this food and repurposes it. Just as man lives by the Words that proceed from the mouth of the Lord, we are given daily bread that will never spoil but endures to eternity! Just as Christ’s body is given for us Christians to eat, so also is His precious blood poured out for us to drink, trusting His words. Paul reminds us that eating and drinking the bread and the cup is a participation in the Body and Blood of Jesus. We are connected to Christ through eating and drinking in faith. So come, dear Christian, to the altar. It is Christ. It is for you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord, our God, in Holy Baptism You have called us to be Christians and granted us the remission of sins. Make us ready to receive the most holy Body and Blood of Christ for the forgiveness of all our sins, and grant us grateful hearts that we may give thanks to You, O Father, to Your Son, and to the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 25, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 9:1-27; Acts 21:37-22:16“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I think it’s fair to say that James and John act and behave in the way that we likely would if we had no filter. What I mean by that is most of us would have a little restraint before we asked Jesus something like James and John did in Mark 10. They effectively ask, “What’s in it for us?!” Most of us were raised better than that! Right?! Maybe the sons of Zebedee’s raising should be called into question since, in Matthew 20, in a very similar situation, James and John’s mother made the same request of Jesus, only on their behalf. If we’re being honest, I think we all want some sense that what we get out of something will be “worth it” in comparison to what we’ve put into it. It only makes sense that the result and reward would line up with the sacrifice required. But that’s why the Christian faith is earth-shatteringly different from every other religion in the world. What you put into it doesn’t have any bearing on what you get out of it. All of your works, whether wicked or righteous, are filthy in the eyes of God. But the same is not true of Jesus. His works are perfectly pleasing to God. His works are exactly what God has commanded of His creation. And His works are exchanged to all who trust in Him for salvation. Jesus wasn’t concerned with giving out seats at His left or His right. He was concerned with preparing places at His wedding banquet. And that’s the beautiful thing about our Lord! He came to serve US! We all too often get things backward. Jesus sets things straight by coming not to be served but to serve. To give His life as a ransom for many—even for all! What’s left is for us to look all the more to Jesus, not asking for more, but trusting that He has in store for us exactly what’s best for us. Lord, give us such eyes of faith to see! 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 with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. -Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 24, 2024 Today's Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 8:1-22; Acts 21:15-36“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. One of my favorite introductions in the Bible belongs to King David. You probably remember the scene. Saul had been rejected by the LORD, and Samuel was sent in secret to Bethlehem, to Jesse, and each of Jesse’s sons passed before him. None of them were pleasing in God’s eyes. “You have any more of those sons, Jesse?” You can almost hear the worry in Samuel’s voice…this was supposed to be the place, right?! But there was one more—he was watching the sheep. That boy would become the King of Israel. He would shepherd God’s people, and he would own the words of the 23rd Psalm, taking comfort by confessing, “The LORD is my Shepherd!” By the time the prophet Jeremiah lived, Israel had been ruled by a long line of kings who were anything but shepherd-like. So God intervenes. God Himself would step in to shepherd His people. He would gather them from the places they were scattered. He would lead them and feed them. But then He would raise up other shepherds. Better shepherds. Well, One Shepherd in particular. Jesus came as the fulfillment of this prophecy, and where David and the rest of the kings of Israel failed by sinning, Jesus didn’t. He came to bring righteousness to all who believed in His name. He came to be the righteousness of God through His perfect life, innocent death, and glorious resurrection. All of this He did for YOU! Think about it like this: God surveys the scene of those who have been set apart to serve as His shepherds. One by one, He sees that their lives are marred by sin, and they themselves have wandered like sheep! God’s great love sent Jesus to be the last and ONLY shepherd we’ll ever need. He has been through the valley of the shadow of death. He has emerged on the other side, alive again forever…and you, His dear sheep, will live in His house forevermore! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Savior, like a shepherd lead us; Much we need Your tender care. In Your pleasant pastures feed us, For our use Your fold prepare. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, You have bought us; we are Yours. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, You have bought us, we are Yours. Amen. (LSB 711:1)-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 23, 2024 Today's Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 6:19-7:17; Acts 19:23-21:14; Acts 19:1-22So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. (Ephesians 2:19-21)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is going to be a dangerous rhetorical question…Have you ever felt like you didn’t fit in? Just so that question doesn’t hang out there in the void, I’ll answer: YES! YES! A thousand times, yes! There were times when I tried doing the popular things, and sometimes it worked, other times it didn’t. There were times when I didn’t do the popular thing, opting for what I knew to be the right thing, and that didn’t make many friends, either. In our reading today, we’re reminded of a distinction that existed in the first century that we don’t really experience today: Jewish vs. Gentile Christians. There are, unfortunately, divisions among Christians today, but it’s hard to imagine the kind of animosity that existed among those who had the promises, the covenant, the lineage, the Scripture—you get the idea. From their perspective, these Gentiles had always been unclean, even idolaters and enemies of God. And now they were just going to receive the same salvation as God’s people of old?! Without any kind of sacrifice?! Without any obedience to the law of Moses and the traditions of the elders?! But that’s the beauty of Jesus’ perfect, innocent blood. It brings people into the family of God. It tears down the division lines between those of Abraham and those of every other family on earth (remember that they would be blessed in Abraham’s offspring, too! Genesis 12:3, 28:14). Paul continues by saying that not only are Gentiles brought into the family of God through the blood of Christ, but God is using all believers to build Himself a house, a Temple, in which His glory dwells, established on the preaching of the apostles, with Christ Himself as the cornerstone, and you and me and all Christians fitting perfectly into the places that God has intended for us from before the foundation of the world! With a place like that, who could ever hope to fit into this world that’s passing away?! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Paschal Lamb, by God appointed, All our sins on Thee were laid; By almighty love anointed, Thou hast full atonement made. All Thy people are forgiven Through the virtue of Thy blood; Opened is the gate of heaven, Reconciled are we with God. Amen. (LSB 531:2)-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 22, 2024 Today's Reading: John 20:1-2, 10-18Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 5:1-6:3, 10-16; Acts 18:1-11, 23-28Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. (John 20:18)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mary Magdalene gets an unfair rap if you ask me. Scripture tells us that Jesus had driven seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2)—she may have been the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet (Luke 7:36-50), but that’s speculation. Church tradition suggests some other sinful things about her past, and I’m not really here to disagree with the Church’s handed-down tradition, but let’s remember Mary Magdalene for what she got right—it’s really important. Mary, not to be confused with any of the other Marys in the Gospels, was there at Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection! While the disciples were running, hiding, and denying, she stood by and watched it all happen! While the disciples were in a grief-stricken stupor early in the morning on that first day of the week—and indeed the First Day of the new life that is in Christ for all who believe—she made provisions and journeyed to the tomb. No doubt, she was stricken with grief, eyes weary from tears, and when she saw the stone rolled away, she ran and told Peter and John. After they saw the empty tomb, they went their own ways. But not Mary. She stood there, lost in thoughts of what this could possibly mean, and then she saw Jesus. She knew Him when He called her name. Isn’t that just the greatest thing? Blinded by grief and unfamiliar with the resurrected face of Jesus, He calls her by name. He names us, too. That’s the blessing of Baptism. Your name is spoken out loud, not so that the congregation can hear it, and certainly not because God needed to hear it…but because you do. Yes, Christ appoints pastors in His stead and by His command, but Jesus calls your name as you are baptized into His name—and His death and resurrection, too! And our response is just the same as Mary’s: we go, we run, we spread to anyone and everyone we can find, and we joyfully announce that Christ—who was crucified, dead, and buried—is alive again forever! Or, as Mary so beautifully put it to the apostles whose hearts were broken: “I have seen the Lord!” 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. Amen. (LSB 855:11)-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 21, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 6:30-44Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 4:1-22; Acts 17:1-34; Acts 16:23-40When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. (Mark 6:34)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Sometimes, I read a passage of Scripture, and it’s so familiar to me that I struggle to hear it as if it were the first time. Does that ever happen to you? Sometimes, we’re afflicted by an “I already know how this one ends” attitude. One of the things I’ve found helpful over the years is to zoom in on the details of a familiar account, not losing sight of what the main point is, but giving special attention to the way the Spirit moved the authors to tell their story. Today, we take up Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000. It begins with Jesus inviting the disciples to join Him in a desolate place that they would reach by boat. The crowds had been intrigued by Jesus, and it seemed as if Jesus was trying to give His guys a breather. But the crowds followed them anyway…into a place where there wasn’t any food. Jesus cared for them the way a shepherd cares for sheep, showing compassion. After a back-and-forth conversation about who should give the folks something to eat, Jesus instructed them to give them something to eat. “200 hundred days’ wages couldn’t feed this mob of people!” They replied. “What have you got?” He asked. He gave thanks over the five loaves and the two fish…and then the disciples distributed them so that everyone had their fill. There were twelve basketfuls of leftovers, one for each disciple. Just like the disciples, we get worked down by the circumstances of this life. We are hard-pressed on every side. But Jesus has not left us alone nor desolate; like a shepherd, the Good Shepherd, He has compassion on us. He gives us more love than we can even fathom. His forgiveness and provision know no bounds. And the desolate place turns out to be the place called the Skull. How can there be life in such a place as this?! Look to the cross—to the place where the Shepherd lays down His life for you. Flowing from that innocent death are life and salvation, life overflowing into eternity. The Lord provides. Taste and see that He is good! Or, better put: take and eat, take and drink. This Shepherd’s Body and Blood are yours as a guarantee! 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. Amen.-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 20, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 9 - Ps. 147:7-11; antiphon: Ps. 145:16Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 3:1-21; Acts 16:1-22You open your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Psalm 145:16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The antiphon for tomorrow’s Introit should be familiar to us: “You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing.” In the Small Catechism, this verse and the one before it, “The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due season” (Psalm 145:15), are spoken before each meal prayer is offered. This is the appropriate mindset for all Christians: to recognize that God is the Giver of every good and perfect Gift. His provision sustains all of creation. We don’t have eyes to see or ears to hear creation respond to God’s generous Gifts. And far too often, we fail to lift up our voices in thanksgiving and praise to God. This shortsightedness and thanklessness is sin. Part of being the pinnacle of God’s creation is that we are appointed to offer acceptable praise to Him for all His goodness to us and to all of creation. And yet, thankfulness doesn’t always come naturally to us. We simply forget that God, in His wisdom, sends rain on the wicked and the just… and sometimes He withholds rain from the wicked and the just, just the same. God created the predator and the prey. It’s easy for us to forget the scope of God’s perfect attention to detail, His active hand in every atom in creation. What is the remedy for this forgetfulness? Thankfulness. Giving thanks to God for the good that He has done. And widening our gaze to see that He has done good, not only for us but in every corner of creation for every second of its existence! God does more than satisfy the desires of every living thing; He sees that we are well-supplied beyond our wildest dreams! Put another way, He loves us with the perfect love of a Father. He has seen to all of the details and overseen the greatest needs that exist in creation. And in every instance, He has done what He always does! He opens His hand to feed us. He gives us what we need, even before we’ve asked. He supplies us with more than we need for this body and life– He supplies us what we need for eternity. He has given a Savior from sin, an antidote to death, and His Spirit to dwell inside us, perfecting our prayers and tuning our thanksgiving so that our voices may be added to the whole heavenly host, giving thanks to God forever! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His steadfast love endures forever! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Feed Thy children, God most holy; Comfort sinners poor and lowly. O Thou Bread of Life from heaven, Bless the food Thou here hast given! As these gifts the body nourish, May our souls in graces flourish Till with saints in heav’nly splendor At Thy feast due thanks we render. (LSB 774)-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 19, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 2:18-36Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 2:18-36; Acts 15:22-41And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. (1 Samuel 2:35)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This past school year, I taught Old Testament class at our local Lutheran High School. When we made it into the book of 1 Samuel, we were still in the “Judges” mindset of things, when “there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” (Judges 17:6, 21:25) And this seemed to be the case in the early chapters of 1 Samuel, too. Eli was the priest and judge at that time, and the young boy Samuel was in his care. But Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phineas, were worthless. That’s not my opinion, it’s in the text! (1 Samuel 2:12) They were worthless because they took larger portions of peoples’ sacrifices than they were authorized to take (2:13-16); they took advantage of the women who served at the tabernacle (2:22); and if all that wasn’t enough, we’re told that they didn’t know the LORD (2:12). Priests who didn’t know the LORD?! How could that be?! Believe it or not, there are “pastors” in “churches” today who teach a kind of agnosticism that says there “might” be a God…MIGHT?! Maybe you can tell that I’m a little fired up about this. It turns out that, in the case of Hophni and Phineas, Eli’s parenting was to blame. He attempted to correct them… but it didn’t work; it wasn’t enough. God’s will was to raise up another… a faithful priest to serve Him. Now, we’re tempted to think this is Samuel. I mean, he takes over the priesthood after Eli and his sons die. He’s a faithful priest, prophet, and judge. But this is one of those times when widening our gaze to look beyond the first likely candidate is helpful. And yes, looking past Samuel, we see the perfect Priest, Prophet, and King– Jesus Himself. In Christ, God has established His house forever. You, dear Christian, and all who call upon the name of Jesus for salvation have been given a place in that household, free from the fear of ever being deemed worthless; God delights in you for the sake of His righteousness! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and most gracious God and Father, we implore You to turn the hearts of all who have forsaken the faith once delivered to Your Church, especially those who have wandered from it or are in doubt through the corruption of Your truth. Mercifully visit and restore them that in gladness of heart they may take pleasure in Your Word and be made wise to salvation through faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. -Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 18, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism – What sins should we confess?Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:21-2:17; Galatians 6:1-18If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (John 20:23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The conscience. It’s our concept of right and wrong. It’s the referee that tells you whether a thought, word, or deed was in or out of bounds. It’s the TV chef who tells you whether the dish that is your life is a delicious masterpiece, pleasing in God’s eyes, or whether it should be tossed in the trash and ridiculed mercilessly. Maybe that was a bit of a stretch. But we’ve all felt the weight of our sins pressing on us. We’ve all had those moments when we’ve felt utterly alone in that sin, ashamed to tell another soul just how bad we are. And in times like those, more often than not, our conscience just isn’t capable of delivering the goodness of the gospel that we need to hear. Don’t get me wrong; God gave us our consciences when He wrote His law on our hearts. But like so many of God’s good Gifts, our conscience is often co-opted for the evil plans and purposes of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature (The Lord’s Prayer– Third Petition Explanation). So what can we do? Where do we turn? Fortunately, the Good News isn’t something that we find inside ourselves, but in the life and death and resurrection of Jesus—all of which are applied to our wounded souls with words. Whether spoken or written, language is the vehicle God has chosen to combat the devil’s wiles. And to speak such words, God has ordained pastors. He has sent His Church into the world with the command to forgive sins and to speak peace into the turmoil of lives wrecked by guilt and shame. If you’ve never been to Confession, talk to your pastor about it! Most of the times that I’ve heard folks’ confession, it started out as a “Pastor, can we talk about something?” conversation. And in most cases, when someone needs to talk with their pastor, sin is at the root of the problem. Private Confession is almost like when you go to your doctor and he instructs you to “tell me where it hurts.” Whether you’ve committed sins or you’ve been sinned against, sin hurts. It damages consciences. It makes us “know and feel” sins in our hearts– but we don’t have to carry these sins alone! Burdens like these were atoned for at the cross, and Holy Absolution proclaims the very same. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, on You I cast my burden– Sink it in the deepest sea! Let me know Your gracious pardon, Cleanse me from iniquity. Let Your Spirit leave me never; Make me only Yours forever. (LSB 608:4)-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 17, 2024Today's Reading: Galatians 5:1-26Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:1-20; Galatians 5:1-26But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Well? What’s next? That was the question in the churches of Galatia when Paul continued on his second missionary journey. They had come to faith in Christ when they heard the gospel that Paul proclaimed, but shortly after Paul left, other teachers arrived, suggesting that Paul had only given them the basics of the faith…now it was time to make their commitment to Jesus a little more serious. That’s how they get you. I’ve heard it called the “Jesus plus” problem. When Christianity tries to add something to Jesus, you wind up losing Jesus and putting your faith in whatever that other thing is (your works, your effort, your emotions). Paul heard about the Judaizers who were drafting right behind him and poisoning the well. It’s no wonder that Galatians is among Paul’s most emotionally charged letters! The whole book could be summed up in his questions, “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:2-3). You didn’t save yourself! What makes you think you’re going to keep yourself saved?! Of course, Paul isn’t anti-good works. But good works belong in the proper place, in freedom. The Christian church in America is often tempted to ask, “What’s next?” We foolishly think that we could ever graduate from the simple truth of the Gospel: Jesus loves you; He died for you; He lives for you. Paul sets us free in his letter to the Galatians– not free to live however we want– but free from the burden of keeping God’s law! What do we do with freedom like that? Paul says it like this: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) So your life as a Christian is less and less about you and more and more about Christ. As John the Baptist put it, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) And as Christ increases in us, the fruit of the Spirit buds, blossoms, and blesses our neighbor. Go forth in freedom, for Christ is alive in you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Fruitful trees, the Spirit’s sowing, May we ripen and increase, Fruit to life eternal growing, Rich in love and joy and peace. (LSB 691:1)-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 16, 2024Today's Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14Daily Lectionary: Judges 16:4-30; Judges 17:1-21:25; Galatians 4:12-31Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him… (Ephesians 1:3-4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “What was God doing before creation?” the confirmation student asks his pastor. The pastor leans back and replies, “Well, St. Augustine answered that question like this: ‘He was preparing a punishment fit for those who ask such trifling questions…’” I think we can all hear the sarcasm in that answer… But in all seriousness, our lesson today gives us some insight into the mind and heart of God. “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” (Ephesians 1:4). Now, before we get carried away, let’s make a few careful observations about this reading. First, when Paul talks about election/predestination, he’s always talking about “us.” It’s a conversation of comfort and joy for Christians– not a statement about those who don’t believe. Re-read the lesson, and notice how many times “our,” “we,” and “us” pop up! Second, pay close attention to that little preposition “in Him.” We’re not the elect of God apart from Jesus but IN HIM. It’s crucial for us to see that any time Paul’s talking about those who are saved, it’s always IN CHRIST. This corrects that error that some folks slip into when they teach that if you’re elect, you’ll be saved– one way or another– as if there could be a possibility of salvation apart from Jesus! Finally, pay attention to when all this stuff takes place. (It may be helpful to go back and read it one more time!) You’ve got God saving us in Christ from before the foundation of the world; you’ve got God giving us redemption through the blood of Jesus shed on Good Friday; and you’ve got God sealing us with the promised Holy Spirit when we heard the word of truth and believed it. This little section of Ephesians is packed full of blessings for you, dear Christian. If you ever doubt that God could love a sinner like you, flip to Ephesians 1 and take comfort in the knowledge that, before God said, “Let there be light,” you were on God’s mind: He has blessed us in Christ to the praise of His glory! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty Father, in Your Son You loved us when not yet begun Was this old earth’s foundation! Your Son has ransomed us in love To live in Him here and above: This is Your great salvation. Alleluia! Christ the living, To us giving Life forever, Keeps us Yours and fails us never! (LSB 395:4)-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 15, 2024 Today's Reading: Amos 7:7-15Daily Lectionary: Judges 15:1-16:3; Galatians 3:23-4:11Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ (Amos 7:14-15)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I don’t envy Amos. If you haven’t read the book lately, I’ll briefly remind you of what this minor prophet was given to proclaim to God’s people. The book is nine chapters long. There are five verses of Gospel promise given at the very end of the book. For 136 verses, the full force of God’s law and judgment pour forth from Amos’ lips. Like most of us, I can’t imagine that Amos relished his calling to be the bearer of such. bad. news. And yet, this was his calling from the LORD. In our reading today, he makes it plain that none of this was his idea! God called him to leave behind his sycamore fig trees and his flocks in Judah. His ministry would be in the Northern Kingdom, pruning the calloused hearts of Israel, who had, in large part, forsaken the LORD. You may remember hearing about the “sin of Jeroboam” throughout the pages of 1 and 2 Kings. Jeroboam set up “high places” for the Northern Kingdom to worship (instead of traveling to the Temple in Jerusalem). If that weren’t enough, he created two (that’s right, two!) golden calves in Israel, instructing the people to worship the LORD at these. This is the state of things when Amos sees his vision of the plumb line. This tool is essentially a string with a weight at the bottom. Its job is to show whether or not something is pointing straight up and down. Going to build without one? You might wind up with a leaning tower of Pisa. When God showed Amos the plumb line, the message was clear: Israel was out of plumb. Such a structure must be torn down and rebuilt! But, you know…the Gospel promises in Amos speak to this very image: “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old…” (Amos 9:11) The LORD Himself will rebuild His people through the resurrection of His Son, David’s heir! In Him, we are built up, straight and true, a plumb delight in the eyes of God! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Anoint them prophets, men who are intent To be Your witnesses in word and deed, Their hearts aflame, their lips made eloquent, Their eyes awake to ev’ry human need. (LSB 682:2)-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 14, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 6:14-29Daily Lectionary: Judges 14:1-20; Galatians 3:1-22But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” (Mark 6:16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. While John the Baptist was the first figure to appear on the scene in St. Mark’s gospel (Mark 1:4), his ministry and witness were abruptly halted when Herod had him arrested. We wouldn’t have even known that John had been arrested, except that Mark reported it as a timestamp for the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (Mark 1:14). In today’s reading, John has already been beheaded, and the body of the text recounts the events of his martyrdom at the hands of Herod. We should note from the start that Herod didn’t know what to make of Jesus. He was more open to believing that John had risen from the dead than the possibility that there could be another preacher following after him! This is a timely reminder that, in St. Mark’s Gospel, no one in the account really understands who Jesus is until the centurion sees Him dead on the cross and confesses Him to be the Son of God! But let’s get back to John. From Herod’s guilty conscience concerning John, the narrative steps back in time to John’s arrest for his preaching against Herod’s adulterous marriage to Herodias. Herod is here depicted as conflicted with regard to John. Sure, he imprisoned him, but he held him to be a prophet. It apparently never resulted in repentance, but he was, for a time, unwilling to put him to death. All of that changed on Herod’s birthday when a risqué dance and a foolish vow revealed just how spineless Herod truly was. John was reduced to a party favor for a puppet king. But Jesus says, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18). Jesus promises Christians that we “…will be hated by all for [His] name’s sake, but the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Mark 13:13). Persecution would be a terrifying prospect if our hope weren’t rooted in the death and resurrection of Christ! Since Christ is risen, we know our lives have been hidden away in Him through the waters of Holy Baptism. Death has no dominion over us! God grant us to joyfully pray: “Lord, it belongs not to my care Whether I die or live; To love and serve Thee is my share, and this Thy grace must give. If life be long, I will be glad That I may long obey; If short, yet why should I be sad To soar to endless day?” (LSB 757:1-2) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord, You granted Your prophets strength to resist the temptations of the devil and courage to proclaim repentance. Give us pure hearts and minds to follow Your Son faithfully even into suffering and death; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 13, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 8 - Psalm 143:1-2, 8a; antiphon: Psalm 143:11Daily Lectionary: Judges 13:1-25; Ruth 1:1-4:22; Galatians 2:1-21Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness! (Psalm 143:1)In the Name + of Jesus, Amen. Someone once said, “We don’t pray so that God can hear us; we pray so that we may hear God more.”  Have you ever felt like your prayers are going unanswered? Are you just talking into thin air? King David knew that feeling, too, so he began his prayer with a simple yet powerful statement: “Lord, hear my prayer.” There is no other request, there is no begging or negotiating with God.But David didn't just stop there. He knew that God was faithful and righteous. That's why he rooted his prayer in God's character, knowing that God had made a covenant with His people and would be faithful to it. And because of God's grace and mercy, God’s ears were opened to David and Israel’s prayers.This Psalm reminds us that we have no right to be in the presence of God apart from His faithfulness and righteousness. But because of Jesus, who fulfilled God's covenant and granted us His righteousness, we can come to God with our desperate pleas. In the Divine Service, you hear your Lord speak to you! Forgiveness, mercy, and strength are yours. Now, in your life of prayer, you are given the words to pray back to God. We, too, do not beg or negotiate with God. We simply pray, “Thy will be done.”  You may notice in the Divine Service that we pray, “Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer” or “Let us pray to the Lord, Lord have mercy.”Our prayers are rooted in God’s grace and mercy given to us by the new and eternal covenant found in Jesus’ blood. Jesus has answered your greatest prayer for forgiveness, life, and salvation on the cross, and He speaks to you, “It is finished.” Your prayers rise to the throne room of God like incense, thick billowing, sweet-smelling smoke that God takes delight in. He has shown you mercy; He has shown you righteousness in His Son. Even when our prayers fail, Jesus’ blood now speaks on your behalf before the throne of God day and night, for He is faithful to you. In the Name + of Jesus, AmenRise! 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. (LSB 668:1)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 12, 2024 Today's Reading: Galatians 1:1-24Daily Lectionary: Judges 7:1-23; Judges 7:24-12:15; Galatians 1:1-24I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-7)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Imagine sitting in a church, and your pastor starts the sermon by greeting you with "Grace and peace to you," but then suddenly switches to a serious tone and asks, "What are you people thinking? Have you lost your mind? Have you gone crazy?" You would probably be taken aback, right? But that's exactly what the apostle Paul did with the Galatians. And there was a good reason for it. The Galatians were on the verge of losing the only true Gospel to save them from eternal damnation. False teachers had distorted the Gospel of grace in Christ into a religion of works, and the Galatians had fallen prey to it. Paul's stern tone was meant to shock them into realizing the gravity of the situation, and he went on to explain why only one Gospel saves. This message is just as important for us today as it was for the Galatians back then. False teachers are still out there, trying to twist and distort the true Gospel of Christ into something else.Paul simply points the Galatians back to Christ, who gave Himself for our sins. By His death on the cross, He delivered us from “the present evil age.” He took the punishment we deserved and suffered death under God's judgment in our place. He is our righteousness, our redemption, and the atonement for our sins. Paul was rather serious with the Galatians over their corrupt gospel. It simply was not acceptable in his sight or the sight of God. Likewise, your pastor might seem serious and even narrow-minded when teaching and preaching the Gospel. There is a reason for all of this; no other Gospel can save us apart from our Lord Jesus Christ. 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  (Prayer For blessing on the Word, LSB 308)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 11, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism – What is Confession?Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:25-40; Acts 15:6-21What 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.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The sacred Scriptures tell us, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23, NKJV). Does that really matter to you? You know you have sinned, you know you have fallen, you know you deserve death and damnation, but do you even care? Many of us act like it doesn't even matter. We show little regret and are mortified if we have to fess up to our sins.  If you ever read about people who commit terrible crimes like murder, you will find that almost all of them felt an undying urge to tell someone what they had done. The more they kept their crimes to themselves, the more they had to tell something to someone. This is how God deals with us, as His Law is written on all of our hearts. By His Law, our consciences are seared by the sword of His Word. We may act confident, but deep down, we are in chaos and terrified. The Law speaks to everyone those words spoken to our first parents in the Garden, “Where are you and what have you done?” whether you want to hear them or not. This is why the Law of God is good for us– it reminds us that sin is a part of our very nature. We will not be entirely free from it in this life.This is why God has given us the gift of Confession and Absolution. Confessing sins probably doesn’t seem like a gift; who wants to admit they are wrong? Yet God does not give us this gift to make sure we feel poor and miserable all the days of our life. He gives us confession to take our sins and to lay them on  Jesus on the cross so that He may do away with them once and for all.You may notice in movies or books that criminals who are sentenced to death are usually visited by a priest or pastor for the condemned to confess and receive forgiveness in Christ. This is why you have your pastor. In our sins, we stand condemned to death. Yet your pastor stands ready to hear your confession privately and fully confidential. He stands ready to proclaim that Christ has died and risen to take all of your sins and death and bury them in His tomb, never to return. The Absolution your pastor speaks is the greatest gift you can ever receive; it is your sentence of life that is to be lived eternally and without fear in the Glory of God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, on You I cast my burden– Sink it in the deepest sea! Let me know Your gracious pardon, Cleanse me from iniquity. Let Your Spirit leave me never;  Make me only Yours forever. (LSB 608:4)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 10, 2024Today’s Reading: Judges 6:1-24Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:1-24; Acts 14:19-15:5And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” And the LORD said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” (Judges 6:15-16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever felt weak? It's not a feeling we like to admit, especially in a world that values strength. We're told to play to our strengths and never to show weakness. But what if weakness is exactly what we need? In Judges, the Midianites overpowered Israel for seven years until God chose Gideon, the weakest of the weak, to save his people. And God promised to be with him. It's a reminder that we don't have to rely on our own strengths or abilities. Jesus is the greater Gideon, who came in weakness for us and our salvation. Paul puts it this way: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8, NKJV).Jesus is the ultimate source of strength and victory by being the weakest among us. He has fought and won your greatest battles against sin and darkness, telling us, just like Gideon, “I am with you always…” (Matthew 28:20b, NKJV). When you enter into the Divine Service, you acknowledge your weaknesses and sins and surrender them to Jesus through repentance of all sins. Note how many times you hear in the Divine Service: "The Lord be with you.” This is a powerful declaration that you are in the presence of the Almighty, who fights for you, forgives you, and strengthens you through His Word and Sacraments. The world calls the sacred Scriptures: water, bread, wine- weak; but for us, they are the strength of Almighty God, who is here for you. “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;” (1 Corinthians 1:27, NKJV). 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! (LSB 578:3)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 9, 2024Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10Daily Lectionary: Judges 4:1-24; Judges 5:1-31; Acts 14:1-18But 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. You must accept the truth that you live and breathe for yourself. You crave control, demand things to go your way, and expect everyone to bow down to you. You are your own little planet revolving around you. But let’s face it: your life is miserable, full of pain, suffering, guilt, and shame. Your world seems to be falling apart, and you feel helpless. The Christian faith doesn’t promise to restore your world to your satisfaction. It demands your complete self-destruction. God's Law is designed to break you down and put you to death. But the more God tears down your world, the more you'll become aware of His infinite love for you. He breaks you down to build you up into His holy dwelling. He shifts your focus from yourself to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. But don’t mistake this for a means for everything to go all smooth and easy. God is not in the business to make you succeed, to be healthy, or to be wealthy. That’s not the purpose of building you up. God is your success, health, wealth, and life, even when Satan ravages you in body and soul. All of this was made possible by the blood of His precious Son, who died for you. This is what it means to live under the cross of Jesus. In your Baptism, you inherit the Kingdom of God, and you're given faith. Faith is about trusting God to be everything you need in life despite your sins and your own world falling apart. He is your strength when you’re weak and your health when you’re ill. His grace is sufficient for you, and His power can only be made perfect by your weakness. Your world may be destroyed, but take heart: you have inherited the Kingdom of God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts that He may rule and direct us according to Your will, comfort us in all our temptations and afflictions, defend us from all error, and lead us into all the truth, that we, being steadfast in the faith, may increase in all good works and in the end obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Holy Spirit, LSB 310)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 8, 2024 Today's Reading: Ezekiel 2:1-5Daily Lectionary: Judges 3:7-31; Acts 13:42-52And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. (Ezekiel 2:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We often consider Biblical figures like Ezekiel as “powerhouse” models of faith and devotion. However, when you stop and look at our reading today, I bet that Ezekiel wasn’t exactly thrilled at what God told him to do. God called Ezekiel to serve as his prophet. However, how God called him seems troubling. It could be described as disheartening. God says, “I send you to nations of rebels who have rebelled against Me.” He warns Ezekiel that they may not listen and not only won’t listen but will be stubborn about it. It is easy to point fingers at those who are rebellious or stubborn, but take a long, hard look in your mirror. In your sins, you have been rebellious and even stubborn about it, wanting to have your own way all the time. Paul puts it this way: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:7-8, NKJV). God doesn’t need to seek you out. He doesn’t need to call you back to Him. In your rebellion, He has every right to fight back and destroy you. Yet, just like Ezekiel, God sends those to seek you out with His forgiveness and restoration. Just as He sent prophets and teachers, today, He sends you pastors to call you to repentance and to be restored by the blood of Christ.God sent Ezekiel to point His people to the promise of restoration through the Messiah. No matter the response to Ezekiel, God would seek and save His rebellious people. In the Office of the Ministry, your pastor is sent to point you to Jesus. Your pastor places before you Jesus, who comes to you no matter how rebellious or stubborn you are. Through the grace of Jesus, you are brought back into His Kingdom not as a rebel but as a beloved child and heir of everlasting life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.God of the prophets, Bless the prophets’ sons; Elijah’s mantle o’er Elisha cast. Each age its solemn task may claim but once; Make each one nobler, stronger than the last. (LSB 682:1)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 7, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 6:1-13Daily Lectionary: Judges 2:6-23; Acts 13:13-41Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. (Mark 6:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Being offended is a common occurrence these days. Talk about your favorite music, politician, sports team, or food; inevitably, someone will get offended. You and I are no better. Everyone finds offenses, yet they cannot see what is in front of them in terms of God’s abundant blessings. This is because we are too focused on ourselves as individuals. We want what we want, and God better act the way we want Him to act; otherwise, the offenses fly. This is not new. It was also the case with Jesus in His hometown of Nazareth. People took offense at His presence and actions, even though He was using the right words to teach God's love and truth. This led Him to say, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” (Mark 6:4, NKJV). The offended people prevented Jesus from helping others, except for a few healings. Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith.Despite the offense, Jesus continued to show compassion, mercy, forgiveness, healing, and even resurrecting people from the dead. These actions were all offensive to many people, to the point where they cost Him His life. On the cross, Jesus became the greatest offender in the history of the world. He took on your sin and offenses against God and paid the price. On the cross, He was so despised and offensive that even His Father turned His back on Him, leaving Him alone and dead. Christ did all of this so that we could be accepted and pleasing in the sight of God. By shedding His blood for us, there is no more offense or condemnation in God's sight. We are now holy, innocent, and blameless in the sight of God, and all things are in agreement and in perfect order between us and God.The disciples were sent out with nothing but the Gospel, and Jesus told them there would be times of acceptance and offense. Today, the church is given the Gospel and nothing more. The world is offended by the Gospel. As we are brought into this new reality of life, we are called to practice things that offend many. We are called to love, help, consider others above ourselves, and serve without our own interest. Christ does this in and through you. You will be offensive; you will be offended. Our Lord says it Himself: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12, NKJV). Confess your sins and pray the Lord would not find offense in you but that He would heal and forgive. Pray that He would strengthen your faith in Him and fervent love towards one another. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, Your almighty power is made known chiefly in showing mercy. Grant us the fullness of Your grace that we may be called to repentance and made partakers of Your heavenly treasures; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect of the Day for Pentecost 7)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 6, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 7 - Psalm 132:13-16; antiphon: Psalm 34:8Daily Lectionary: Joshua 24:1-31; Judges 1:1-36; Acts 13:1-12For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread. (Psalm 132:13-15) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Scriptures talk about several times where the people of God built a place for God to live with His people. In Isaiah, we read, “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?" (Isaiah 66:1, NKJV). Although God doesn't live in houses built by humans (Acts 7:48), He comes to live among His people.God dwelt with His people in the Old Testament in many and various places. In the New Testament, we hear how the Holy of Holies has become flesh for us. The Holy Gospel tells us: “And the Word became 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.” (John 1:14, NKJV).Today, we don't have the Old Testament temple or even Jesus in the flesh living among us, but this doesn't mean He is not present. This Sunday's Introit teaches that God promises to live with His people even today. That's why we go to church; that's where God dwells among us. At the church I serve, we have a quote from Genesis right outside of the entrance to the nave and sanctuary. The quote is from Genesis 28:17, which says, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” When you enter into the Divine Service at your church, you are entering into that place where heaven meets earth. By His Word, He is present at the altar, font, and pulpit as He speaks to you His forgiveness, washes you of your sins, and feeds you His wonderful provision of His Body and Blood. Angels and archangels and the whole company of heaven are with you as you gather around the feast of the Lamb in His kingdom that Has no end. Just as the Lord chose Zion for His dwelling place, your church is the resting place of the Almighty present before you to bless and keep you all the days of your life. 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 same of Your name. Amen. (Thanksgiving after receiving the Sacrament, LSB 308)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 5, 2024 Today's Reading: Joshua 23:1-16Daily Lectionary: Joshua 23:1-16; Acts 12:1-25but you shall cling to the LORD your God just as you have done to this day. For the LORD has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. (Joshua 23:8-9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. My father died 20 years ago, and I have a lot of memories of him and some things I have forgotten. I can recount the joyous times with him and when I fought against him. The greatest memory was when I was able to sit with him the day before he died. My family was all there, and he was able to recall his life, his memories with us, and even impart some final words of wisdom. It was a beautiful thing, even in the face of death. In Joshua 23, we see Joshua as an aging leader. He has gathered the Israelites at Shechem, the sacred ground of their forefathers' covenant with God. Joshua imparts his final counsel, emphasizing the crucial balance of faith and living in the covenant of God. He urges the people to remain steadfast in their covenant with the Almighty. Joshua reminds them, “You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God is He who has fought for you.” (Joshua 23:3, NKJV). He is passing on the Lord's words of wisdom to those who come after him. This is how our Lord works with you as well.  Even in the face of joy and sadness, sin and forgiveness, life and death, our Lord reminds you of all He has done for you. This is why you have the Sacred Scriptures, which recount all that the Lord has done for the life of the world. When someone dies, they usually pass along their last will and testament, an inheritance they prepared for their loved ones. On that first Holy Thursday, before His betrayal and death, Jesus passes on to His disciples and you the wisdom and gifts of His salvation. Each Sunday, you partake of Jesus' last will and testament given and shed for you in the blessed Eucharist. This sacred Gift is focused on you to point you to the inheritance prepared for you in eternity. Yet, as you come to the Lord's table, you are not alone. We hear the pastor chant, “...with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.” At the Lord's table, you gather at the sacred ground of Jesus' cross with all of those who have gone before us. It is where we see the Lord and what He has done for us as He has fought and won for us our salvation. Each Sunday, you have that great reunion where you, Joshua, my dad, and all the faithful are seated around the Lamb's kingdom which has no end. Until then, we hold on to the covenant of Jesus' blood for us. It is veiled but revealed to you through the Word and Sacraments. This is wisdom for the ages; it is the Lord's ongoing gift of love and forgiveness for you. It is and will be a beautiful thing. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Feast after feast thus comes and passes by, Yet, passing, points to that glad feast above, Giving sweet foretaste of the festal joy, The Lamb's great marriage feast of bliss and love. (LSB 631:7)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 4, 2024Today's Reading: Catechism: The Sacrament of Holy Baptism – FourthDaily Lectionary: Joshua 10:1-25; Joshua 10:28-22:34; Acts 11:19-30What 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.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We have often been reminded to remember our Baptism and that we have been baptized into Christ, making us God's dear child. However, despite this knowledge, we often find ourselves feeling alone, stuck, and fearful of our own destruction and death. It seems that Baptism alone does not take care of the messes we create or those caused by others.Luther reminds us that although we are baptized, we are still stuck with our Old Adam. This part of us will never go away and will continue to tempt us to deny Christ and live for ourselves. The world also tells us to prove ourselves, make a name for ourselves, and be our own god, while the devil prowls around reminding you of your sins and that you deserve death.We are in a continuous struggle in life; we are forgiven, yet we still sin and will continue to do so until we die in this world. God's Law still remains, reminding us daily that we are sinners and that we love to follow our Old Adam. Paul puts it this way: “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. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 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 7:18-20, NKJV).Remembering our Baptism means living in the newness of life that Christ has given us. It is not just about recalling the date and time when water was splashed on you. It is about remembering that Christ put our Old Adam to death with Him on the cross, and we are now a new creation. Paul reminds us of this: “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4, NKJV). Jesus says this: “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38, NKJV) A river can be a blessing, but it can also kill. As you remember your Baptism, repent. Cast off the Old Adam into the raging river of water and blood that flows from Jesus' side for you. By that same water and blood, you have the newness of life in Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.My faithful God, You fail me never; Your promise surely will endure. O cast me not away forever If words and deeds become impure. Have mercy when I come defiled; Forgive, lift up, restore Your child. (LSB 590:3)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 3, 2024 Today's Reading: Joshua 8:1-28Daily Lectionary: Joshua 8:1-28; Acts 11:1-18And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land. (Joshua 8:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There are those Christians today who have no use for the Old Testament. In fact, some people have thought that there must be two Gods found in the Bible, one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament. The Old Testament god is an angry old man, full of wrath, shooting lightning bolts and fire at everyone. He loves war, destruction, and bloodshed. The god of the New Testament is one of acceptance– kind and peaceful. He is always laughing, walking around with baby sheep, and happy with everyone. This view is far from the truth; the Lord our God is one. He does not change in both testaments of the sacred Scriptures. The Old Testament often refers to God as “The Lord of Hosts” or “Yahweh of Armies.” Yahweh of Armies is used to describe God's role as a protector of his people, even when they are engaged in battle. In Joshua chapter 8, Yahweh of Armies speaks the battle plan, which shows signs of God's mercy as He takes into account the sin and weakness of those He is fighting for. Although the destruction of Ai and Bethel may seem ruthless, Yahweh of Armies fights for His people by protecting them from their enemies and defending His holy name. Israel's army is involved in the fighting, even though they, as a nation, must repent of their sins. We are at war today. We are fighting against sin, temptation, and the devil, but the biggest enemy we face is ourselves. We have been the cause of war, destruction, and death. However, Yahweh of Armies fights for us by going to war for us through His suffering and death on the cross. Jesus fights what seems to be a losing battle. He goes to war by losing His life, seemingly losing the war against the enemies of sin, death, and the devil. But through His glorious resurrection, He has won the victory for us. In the Eucharistic liturgy, we sing the words of the Old Testament, “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Sabaoth." The word “Sabaoth” means heavenly armies. The Old Testament always points us to Jesus, who fights for us even now today. By the Word and Sacraments, our Lord forgives and strengthens you to meet the challenges and spiritual warfare we face each day as we call on Him to fight for us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The Son of God goes forth to war A kingly crown to gain. His blood-red banner streams afar; Who follows in his train? Who best can drink His cup of woe, Triumphant over pain, Who patient bears his cross below– He follows in His train. (LSB 661:1)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 2, 2024Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-15Daily Lectionary: Joshua 7:1-26; Acts 10:34-48For 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)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Everyone today desires equality, whether it is among races, creeds, sexual identities, or economic opportunities. Equality isn't bad. However, despite our efforts to achieve it, we still witness inequality around us. Even the groups fighting for their specific form of equality cannot agree. The truth is that life will never be completely fair, and there will always be inequality. Our Lord also tells us, “For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good…” (Mark 14:7a, NKJV). As Christians, we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. Martin Luther stated in the explanation of the Eighth Commandment: “We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.” This is our Christian duty, but we often fall short. We tend to live for ourselves, strive to improve our image, and even love money. We must repent of this foolish behavior and cling to the cross of Jesus. “...He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9b, NKJV). Jesus is wealthy beyond measure, having created all things for Himself and standing with no equal among us. Yet, from His birth, upbringing, ministry, passion, death, and resurrection, He became the poorest of the poor for us. He took on our sins, becoming sin, death, and the cursed one of God to make us equal with Him. Through the forgiveness of sins, we have wealth beyond measure. In the Kingdom of God, there is no equality; He has not been fair to us. If He were fair, we would be condemned forever. Thanks be to God that Jesus became poor so that we might have His grace's riches now and forever. 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! (LSB 730:3)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 1, 2024 Today's Reading: Lamentations 3:22-33 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 6:6-27; Acts 10:18-33The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Every day, we go through the motions of our daily routine– wake up, jog, make coffee, have breakfast, wash, rinse, and repeat. But some days, memories of our past mistakes and sins creep up on us, making us feel hopeless and weighed down. Read all of Jeremiah's words in Lamentations chapter three. Up until our appointed verse, Jeremiah's lament is all over his sin and the wrath of God. He, too, remembers and despairs over the sins of the past. “Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall. My soul still remembers And sinks within me.” (Lamentations 3:19-20, NKJV). It takes 22 verses for Jeremiah to get to the mercy and promises of God. God's message to us is clear, “Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed,... they are new every morning;” (Lamentations 3:22a; 23a, NKJV). This mercy has been poured for you freely by the blood of Jesus. The same blood that has washed you clean in your Baptism. As we wake up each morning, let us remember that we are baptized into Christ. You have been marked with the sign of the cross on your forehead and heart. This mark is permanent, a promise from the blood of Christ that can never be removed. Your Baptism is a reminder that there is forgiveness for all sins, and your past mistakes are no longer remembered by the Lord. They have been drowned in the depths of the sea, and as far as the east is from the west, they are no longer remembered. This is the faithfulness that Jeremiah speaks to himself and to the sin-ridden people of Israel. It is the faithful love of God that is here for you every morning. So try a new routine! Before the coffee pot turns on or you put on your jogging shoes, remember your Baptism daily. When you wake up, make the sign of the cross, say the Lord's prayer and the Creed, and remember that you are a child of God. You are changed, and no matter what the day holds for you, God's merciful forgiveness will never be consumed; He is faithful to you. 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? (LSB 594:2)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

June 30, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 5:21-43Daily Lectionary: Joshua 5:1-6:5; Acts 10:1-17And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. (Mark 5:25-26)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When you think of the Christian faith, blood is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. However, blood is a recurring element in the Bible. From the first sacrifice that God performed to clothe Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis to the song of Revelation that praises the Lamb that is slain whose blood sets God's people free, blood is a central theme throughout the Bible. In the story of the woman with a blood flow, we see Jesus present in flesh and blood among the crowd. The woman had an ongoing problem that she couldn't manage to stop, but when she touched Jesus' garment, her blood flow was immediately dried up, and she was healed. This is because Jesus came to let His blood flow for the life of the whole world, and it is what healed the woman, and it can heal you, too.All of us, including the woman in the story, are sinners who need cleansing. We need cleansing from our sins to stand before God whole, clean, and at peace with Him. That precious cleansing has been given to you at the font. The baptismal waters connected to the Word of God are where Jesus has planted His cross as a lifespring for cleansing and restoration. From Jesus' side on the cross, you have His blood and water flowing freely for you and for the life of the whole world. John puts it this way: “This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.” (1 John 5:6-8, NKJV). In Baptism, you do not touch the hem of Jesus' robe; rather, Jesus clothes you with His robe that covers all your sin. Not only does He clothe you, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, He declares you healed in both body and soul.Jesus came to suffer and die for our sins so that we could be forgiven, at peace with God, and saved for eternity, whole and sound. Believe in Him, trust in Him, for the blood of the Scriptures, the blood of Jesus Christ brings you life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Heavenly Father, during His earthly ministry Your Son Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead. By the healing medicine of the Word and Sacraments pour into our hearts such love toward You that we may live eternally; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect of the Day for Pentecost 6)-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock, AR.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

June 29, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 16:13-19Daily Lectionary: Joshua 4:1-24; Acts 9:23-43And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 16:17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Peter’s confession, Paul’s conversion and witness. Both serving as apostles proclaiming the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles according to their mandate from Jesus Himself. Simon, Son of Jonah, called Peter, did not have Jesus' true identity as the Christ, the Son of God, revealed to him by his earthly eyes. Rather, it was revealed to him by faith, and Peter understood that the Father sent Jesus, His Son, to do the work of being the Messiah. Peter, after his restoration following his denial, continued the painful, hard work of proclaiming Christ crucified for you even to the point of his own execution.Paul, formerly called Saul, was a zealous enemy of the Gospel. Jesus had the last laugh, appearing to him on the road to Damascus. When Saul was blinded and following his conversion, he was baptized by Ananias. Paul, a servant of Christ, would travel and proclaim the Gospel as far as his legs would carry him. Paul, too, found himself imprisoned and facing execution for the word he proclaimed.These two men, by their confession, witness, and boldness in preaching the Gospel to all, are to be remembered by us today. Not because either of them is the rock the church was built on, but rather that these men clung to the rock that is Christ Jesus. The firm foundation that the church clings to is built not on the works and merits of men but on the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, who purchased and redeemed us lost and condemned sinners, including Peter and Paul. These men confidently and shamelessly proclaimed God’s Word to all people, proclaiming the joy of no longer living under the yoke of sin under the Law but free to love one another and live by the grace and life given to them in Christ Jesus.This is not revealed by our own flesh and blood but by our heavenly Father who promised to redeem us by His Christ, His only Son Jesus, that we may be sons of God ourselves. Thanks be to God for His saints and martyrs of the faith and for preachers like Peter and Paul, who confessed boldly Jesus is the Christ the Son of God. 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.- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing.

June 28, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 6 - Psalm 121:5-8; antiphon: Psalm 121:1-2Daily Lectionary: Joshua 3:1-17; Acts 9:1-22The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 121:8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When your enemies have surrounded you, where else could you look than to the hills? The psalmist presents this to open Psalm 121. Immediately acknowledging that although their enemies are upon them, although there is evil in the world, their help comes from the Lord (v. 2). When all seems hopeless, when you feel like you just can’t win, or that failure has been the only consequence for you lately, call upon the Lord and look to Him for your help. God delivered His people from the hands of their enemies time and time again. Not only that, but God did not slumber or sleep on account of Israel’s unfaithfulness to Him. God promised to keep them from all evil and to redeem His people from sin and the evil one after the Fall.The Old Testament has example after example of this, all pointing to the one the Lord the prophets foretold, Jesus. The Son of God, who made heaven and earth, who would keep you and all believers in the true faith from all evil. Jesus, by giving His life, keeps you in His crucified arms. Receiving the condemnation of the Law for sin and the ridicule of the world, He dies our death in our place. Jesus does not slumber or sleep until the work of redeeming you from sin is done.It is in Jesus, the one who was promised, that the Lord is your help and your salvation. Jesus lays it all on the line for you. Where the Lord God, the maker of heaven and earth, sees you and proclaims you His beloved child. Just as comforting as these words were for the people of Israel as they went up to the temple, you sing and hear these words of the psalmist as already fulfilled and accomplished for you. God the Father has kept you as His own in His Son Jesus and continues through the work of His Holy Spirit, keeping your going out and coming in from this time forth and forevermore.You have no need to look to the hills but look to Christ, and you will see your help and your salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Then, gracious God, in years to come, We pray Your hand may guide us, And, onward through our journey home, Your mercy walk beside us Until at last our ransomed life Is safe from peril, toil, and strife When heav’n itself shall hide us. (LSB 899:5)- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing. 

June 27, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: The Sacrament of Holy Baptism - 3Daily Lectionary: Joshua 2:1-24; Acts 8:26-40Certainly not just water, but the Word of God in and with the water does these things… - Dr. Luther, SC, Baptism 3In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Dr. Luther lays it all out so plainly: “For without God’s word the water is plain water and no Baptism. But with the word of God it is a Baptism…” This is not just a washing or removal of dirt from the body (1 Pet. 3:21) but, as Luther says, “a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit.”Just as Christ instituted, the disciples, now apostles, should go out through all the world, baptizing and making disciples of all nations. He doesn’t give specific step-by-step mandatory instructions or how one must perform a Baptism. He says you baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This is so that, throughout your life here on earth, if the water and the Word of God were used at your Baptism, you could have the utmost confidence that the benefits of Baptism are yours. Do not let anyone trouble you otherwise with method if you were baptized with the means (the water and the Word) as Jesus Himself instituted them.This is the Gospel for you, where you have had God’s name put on you. God claims you in the waters of your Baptism as His child. What a beautiful blessing Baptism is. From it, we receive the Holy Spirit, faith, and the blessings and benefits of the Gospel in Jesus Christ, our Lord.Again, have no doubts of your salvation and place before God. You are His beloved child, marked in the waters of your Baptism where the water was administered and the word of God proclaimed, marking you as a member of the body of Christ, your crucified and risen Savior.Baptism is not just plain water, but water and the Word for you, to give you what the words and promises of God declare. 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. (LSB 601:1)- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing.

June 26, 2024 Today's Reading: Job 38:1-11Daily Lectionary: Joshua 1:1-18; Acts 8:1-25Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. (Job 38:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Let’s face it: Job has been through a lot.However, God has heard enough. God Himself comes on the scene, so all must be well. Job’s problems are over. Not quite.While God allows the suffering and attacks to come upon Job and his family, God will assure Job that He is the one who will deliver Job from this. It’s easy for us to blame God when life doesn’t go our way. Job certainly has much to complain about, but God has come to remind Him, a simple man, not to peer into the knowledge of God.Now God is hiding Himself? How can I trust Him?! Yet, it is exactly in the God who hides Himself, veils Himself, rather, so that we can stand before Him and cry out to Him as Job does. Job encounters God, hidden, hearing His majesty and power displayed in all that He has done and proclaimed, but it's this awe-inspired, humbling debate Job has with God that puts it all in perspective. Job cannot deliver himself from his afflictions. God works through your suffering to turn you to where He is revealed to you. This is not God showing only His good side, but God fully revealed to you. See God and His love for you, despite the sin, despite the fallenness of the world, revealed to you in Job’s redeemer, your redeemer, Jesus. When your suffering seems great, and the world around you feels like it is collapsing. When you feel like God is far from you or punishing you. Don’t look to the world or inside yourself. Go to the Word that comforted Job—the same God of His word who delivers and preserves you. No suffering, no crisis, no outcome is too much for your God to deliver you from. Just as God has fulfilled His promises to Job and His people of old, His promises are all for you.Your God, the one who created all things, laid its boundaries, and established the limits of the universe, cares for you. His Son, Jesus, the crucified one, who has suffered in every respect of his humanity as we have, is interceding for you at His Father’s right hand. He has not forgotten you, and He will not forsake you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Frail children of dust and feeble as frail, In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail. Thy mercies, how tender, how firm to the end, Our maker, defender, redeemer, and friend! (LSB 804:5)- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing.

June 25, 2024Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 31:10-31; John 21:1-25We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities… (2 Corinthians 6:3-4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The day of salvation is not far off, but now St. Paul tells us. Paul, as a servant of God, has told the Corinthians before that he is all things to all people for the sake of the Gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:22-23) This not only applies to Paul but to all Christians. Now, Paul is not giving a license to sin, to be lazy, or to be slothful. What he is saying is that in whatever situation God has placed you in life and whoever God has placed in front of you, you are to love and serve them as we have been loved by God through His Son Jesus.This is not on you. God will put people and these works at the proper time, and we pray that we would be faithful witnesses of the Gospel and love our neighbors. In all afflictions, hardships, and calamities that come our way, we may commend ourselves to God and endure these things to the end of our lives. The Corinthians were a stubborn people, and our world is not so different. The Gospel is offensive to those who do not believe it. However, we do not shout at the world or run from its sinfulness and stubbornness. We also don’t seek out trouble for ourselves, either. Rather, we live out our lives according to the roles God has given us. As students or workers. As parents or children. As husband and wife. We love one another and bear one another’s burdens. We protect those who cannot protect themselves. Because, just as Paul says, the Christian is free to do these things. “Through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as imposters, and yet are true;” (v. 8)Thanks be to God that He has delivered us from bondage to sin and united us to His Son and His life-giving resurrection, given not to serve the passions of our flesh but free to love one another and widen our hearts for the sake of the Gospel.The sanctified life is the life of one justified before God in Christ Jesus. The daily life before your neighbor will follow. Remember your Baptism. The Holy Spirit is active and at work to keep you in the one true faith and move you where God desires you to be for your neighbor. This is the cruciform life of the Christian. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Be still, my soul; the Lord is on your side; Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; Leave to your God to order and provide; In ev’ry change He faithful will remain. Be still, my soul; your best, your heav’nly Friend Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end. (LSB 752:1)- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing. 

June 24, 2024Today's Reading: Luke 1:57-80Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 30:1-9, 18-33; John 20:19-31“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. John was special. I mean, being the cousin of the Messiah is pretty distinguishing. It was more than that, though. He was the one who his father Zechariah sang, “will go before the Lord to prepare His ways.” (v. 76) We can certainly learn a lot from John the Baptist. Maybe not fashion, and I don’t recommend switching to a wild honey and locust diet. However, he was the one who came crying out in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Luke 3:3) We learn what it means to faithfully witness against sinful people like the religious leaders of John’s day and even against political leaders like King Herod. What John did best was point people to the one who would come after him. John is the opener for Jesus. We could say this about all the prophets of old, really. They are preparing the people of God for the one who will save them from their sins. Who will rescue them from their enemies.The disappointment for the people of John’s day and in our own day is that this is not a guarantee of prosperity or political freedom in this life. John is sent to preach repentance to point people to their need for a savior. Jesus, our Savior, comes to rescue you from your enemies of sin, death, and the devil. While we sojourn here in our earthly lives, we will suffer much for the sake of the one John paved the way for.We suffer knowing that we have a much greater reward than earthly treasures. We pray that God would give us all that we need to support this body and life and that, if the time comes, we are faithful witnesses of our Savior. We will struggle against sin and the enemies of this world, but we will not be overcome. You can be certain as John was that nothing in this life can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. John’s birth foretells the Messiah’s birth, His baptism, and the beginning of His earthly ministry. John, as the prophet Isaiah and Micah foretold, points you to Jesus, who would, from the start, be on His way to fulfilling God’s plan of salvation to his people for the forgiveness of their sins. 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.- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing. 

June 23, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 4:35-41Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 27:1-24; Proverbs 28:1-29:27; John 20:1-18And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus doesn’t have a smile on His face, and the disciples don’t seem like they have a handle on what just happened. After all, a storm of monumental proportions just occurred. They were goners, done for; the boat was filling with water. While the disciples are panicking, Jesus is…sleeping?This storm is nothing to Jesus, so why should He be worried about this? His disciples could just call on Jesus to handle this. But they don’t. In fact, the disciples fail, and their fear sinks their faith entirely. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (v. 38) Hold on a second; this is Jesus, the man who cleansed lepers, healed a paralytic, and restored a man’s withered hand. He has clearly shown He is Lord over all creation.Jesus does care, so He gets up and rebukes the wind and tells the sea, “Peace! Be still!” (v. 39) And to the disciples' astonishment, they realize there’s more to this Jesus than just healing miracles and exorcisms. This Jesus is the one who, despite their unbelief, saves them and ensures their safe passage. Hindsight is 20/20, and, looking back, the disciples had to have seen how foolish they were. We can feel quite comfortable in their shoes. The moment something goes wrong, a diagnosis from the doctor doesn’t sit well, the car won’t start, you bombed the test you prepared for all week, you said something you didn’t mean to your sibling or parent. The whole world can seem like it’s spinning out of control. Let me tell you, friends. The Jesus who commands the winds and the sea has come into our human flesh for you. He’s come to live under the Law and fulfill it perfectly for you. He’s come to see your struggle against sin and take its yoke from you. He’s come to die for you that you might not taste the sting of death. He rose for you and ascended for you, that you might know He is at your heavenly Father’s right hand, ruling over all things for you. Jesus, the Lord over all creation, the manifestation of God’s love and mercy, has come and will come again on the Last Day for you. And until that day, you have your fellow brothers and sisters to bear the burdens of this life, as well as the Means of Grace that Christ has promised to be there for you as often as you run to receive them. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, in Your mercy, guide the course of this world so that Your Church may joyfully serve You in godly peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing.

June 22, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 5 - Psalm 107:29-32; antiphon: Psalm 107:28Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 25:1-22; Proverbs 26:1-28; John 19:23-42Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. (Psalm 107:28)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Truly, as the Psalmist says, “Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 107:1) Although a man’s faithfulness waxes and wanes, the love of the Lord certainly does endure forever. This introit points us to the scene of our Gospel reading for Sunday.They cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. (v. 28) Jesus is awoken by His disciples and does exactly as the Psalmist says, “He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” (v. 29) All leaving the disciples scratching their heads wondering, “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” (Mark 4:41)Our Lord is over all the chaos and the calamity of our world. He calms the storms and quiets the seas of our suffering and hardships in this life. We may suffer and cry out, “My God, when will the storm end?” Your God is there for you. He will not leave you or forsake you to the storms of your daily life. Cry to the Lord in your trouble; call upon the one who commands all of creation in the heavens and the earth. The one who created all things has created all things new in Christ Jesus. God Himself came into our flesh and suffered as we have. He brings you through the pain and tough times to the other side of the sea, to your desired haven (v. 29) so that you would see the steadfast love of your God and give thanks and praise to the one who has delivered you.No, Jesus is not calming seas and storms in front of you. However, He’s still present for you, working the forgiveness of sins, comforting your doubts, and calming your despair. He’s present for you where He’s promised to be found- in His word proclaimed by your pastor. He’s present, giving you life and salvation in the words of the holy Absolution. For where there is forgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation.Christ Jesus calms the storms of sin and death by uniting you to His death and resurrection in the waters of your Baptism. He’s given for you to eat and to drink and strengthen you in your faith that you would weather the storm and know that the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Evening and morning, Sunset and dawning, Wealth, peace, and gladness, Comfort in sadness: These are Thy works; all the glory be Thine! Times without number, Awake or in slumber, Thine eye observes us, From danger preserves us, Causing Thy mercy upon us to shine. (LSB 726, 1)- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing. 

June 21, 2024 Today's Reading: John 19:1-22Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 24:1-22; John 19:1-22Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” (John 19:19)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The circumstances of this were cosmic and eternal. Jesus is at His coronation. It's not all the bells and whistles like you would see at Buckingham Palace. Jesus’ coronation takes place as a criminal trial. Now Pilate does his best to get Jesus off. However, it’s no use; the political situation and the religious leaders are stacked against Pilate.Little did he know he would send the King of Kings to His throne to be unveiled for the world to see. Jesus is unlike any other king. Who, instead of a crown of jewels, wears a crown of thorns. The robe He wears is not meant to honor but to mock Him. What king would rule a people this way? What God would allow Himself to be treated this way by the ones He created? Your God does.Jesus bears the scoffing, the mocking, and the pain of each hour of Good Friday. Then Pilate washes his hands of Jesus and delivers Him over to be crucified.The time comes to deliver the King. Jesus, lead to the cross, like a lamb to the slaughter and uncomplaining forth He goes. Nailed to the cross lifted up high on a tree for all the world to see. Pilate’s inscription, those provocative words that make the Jewish people turn up their noses, proclaim that Jesus, Mary’s son from Nazareth, is crucified for being the King of the Jews. Cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree (Gal. 3:13), yet by Jesus’s crucifixion, His coronation is complete. Taking on your enemies of sin, death, and the devil; in death, He is victorious. The crucifixion of Jesus is not a gloomy wake but a glorious exaltation of the Lamb of God, who, by death, conquered death and rests in the tomb to rise again on Easter morning.The circumstances were cosmic and eternal. Jesus goes to the cross for you so that you would cling to His cross as a source of light and life in the darkness of this sinful world. Risen and ascended at His Father’s right hand until He will come again in glory to take us into the life of the world to come. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.What fading flow’rs His road adorn; The palms, how soon laid down! No bloom or leaf but only thorn The King of glory’s crown. The soldiers mock, the rabble cries, The streets with tumult ring, As Pilate to the mob replies, “Behold, behold your King!”  (LSB 444,3)- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing. 

June 20, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: The Sacrament of Holy Baptism 2Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:22-23:12; John 18:15-40It 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. - Dr. Luther, SC, Baptism 2, Question 1In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What benefits does Baptism give? Baptism now saves you… (1 Peter 3:21) and in it, you are united to Christ’s life-giving death and resurrection. (Romans 6:3-4) If you ever need assurance of your salvation, that your sins are forgiven, that you are God’s child, and the devil has no claim on you, then turn to the words from God Himself. It is in His words and promises that God reveals to you how much you mean to Him.Baptism defines your life as a Christian. It is not a starting point but the daily reality of your Christian identity. In the waters of your Baptism, the death of your life to sin and your new life united to Christ are present. This paradox of being simultaneously sinner and saint begins. But the comfort of the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation with the words and promises of God joined to the water is the daily reminder as we get up each day and wrestle against our old Adam.The words and promises of God in the last chapter of Mark are of great comfort, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16) This is not meant to cause you to speculate on your faith and worry about you and your place in your salvation. Rather, it is to drive you to Christ, your savior, the One who your forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are founded in. He has rescued you from death and the devil and gives to you His child eternal salvation as the words and promises of God declare.Rejoice in your Baptism, and remember daily that you are a baptized child of God. There is no more peaceful, grander reality than this. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Christian, firmly hold this gift And give God thanks forever! It gives the power to uplift In all that you endeavor. When nothing else revives your soul, Your Baptism stands and makes you whole And then in death completes you. ( LSB 596, 5)- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing. 

June 19, 2024 Today's Reading: John 18:1-14Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:1-21; John 18:1-14So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” (John 18:1-14)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. They were afraid, yet he addressed them calmly. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” These men led by Judas to come and arrest Jesus of Nazareth came armed with torches, lanterns, and weapons. The disciples were afraid. Their beloved teacher, the One whom Peter confessed as the Christ, the Son of the living God, would soon be taken away from them, and they would be scattered, just as Jesus said they would.So Peter goes down fighting, lopping off the ear of a servant, and then with all of his brother disciples, they high tail it off to where they can safely watch the Lamb of God be led to Golgotha to take away the sin of the world.They were afraid. Yet the One who knew all that would happen to Him goes willingly. The sham of a trial, the mockery and beatings He would endure. The rejection and ridicule by His own people. Yet He endured it all for you. The cup that the Father had given Jesus would be consumed by Him. To Peter and Pilate’s shock, it would not be kept away by force. Jesus would usher in the fullness of time and the kingdom of His Father. This is exactly what God had promised, yes, at the Garden of Eden after the Fall, but also from the beginning. The Word that through all things were created would be put to death. Yet by His death, eternal life is secured for all who believe. Through the ugliness of the cross on Good Friday, the serpent's head is crushed, death is swallowed up forever, and you and I are met with the welcoming hands of our crucified and risen savior. Doubts and fears may discourage us in this life, but know that Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God, has come to put your fear at ease. He suffered for you, died for you, and rose for you so that you might take on all uncertainty in this life with the peace that He freely gives. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.He died that we might die to sin And live for righteousness; The earth is stained to make us cleanAnd bring us into peace. For peace He came and met its cost; He gave Himself to save the lost; He loved us to the uttermost And paid for our release. (LSB 432, 2)- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing.

June 18, 2024Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 20:5-25; Proverbs 21:1-31; John 17:1-26For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (2 Corinthians 5:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We groan through the daily grind of our earthly lives. This tent that Paul speaks of, our bodies, gives us constant reminders of how fragile and temporal we are. The effects of sin on us and creation take its toll. If not like Paul through the bodily harm and threats from persecution, we see this long term through the aging and frailty of our own bodies.We do not suffer this as those who are unprepared or found naked, as Paul says. We, the baptized, are united to Christ Himself and made new creations. As we grapple with the suffering and times of despair in our earthly lives, we remember that we are in this tent of our bodies for a time. That’s not to say that we will leave our bodies for a spiritual reality, but that God Himself has prepared a body for you clothed in the glory and righteousness that is bestowed upon you in Christ Jesus.Even though we may see pain, injury, and ultimately death, we do not despair as the world does. We have the daily reality of our Baptisms to fall back on. In your Baptism, you were united to Christ’s death and resurrection. United to Jesus, you give thanks for the days here in our earthly tents, so to speak, but rejoice that all has been prepared, and when our mortal bodies meet death, they will be swallowed up with life.On the Last Day, we and believers of every tribe and nation will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. As the Lamb ushers in the end of time and reigns from His throne, the old tent will pass away, and life in eternity with our God will be the reality. Come, Lord Jesus. 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. (LSB 601, 1)- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing. 

June 17, 2024 Today's Reading: Ezekiel 17:22-24Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 17:1-28; Proverbs 18:1-20:4; John 16:17-33“And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.” (Ezekiel 17:24)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The kingdom of Israel, by this time, has been hauled away to Assyria. The kingdom of Judah, which remains, is struggling to prop itself up. Corruption and idolatry are where God’s chosen people have placed their trust. Yet the word of the Lord still comes to them through the prophet Ezekiel. These verses are taken from the ending of God’s parable of the eagle and a vine. The line of David had continued just as God had promised, but those who had taken the scepter generation after generation looked after their own interests.The Davidic line, by all measurements of success, had failed. Judah and her kings chased false gods rather than the God who preserved them. The God who stayed the Babylonian conquest for Hezekiah would no longer hold them back. The king and his princes, the people of Judah, will be hauled off to Babylon. This wicked generation will never see the land God gave to them again.There is hope, though. While God certainly punishes sin and the wickedness of His people, He remembers those who hold on to His word and promises. We all struggle with sin and feel lost in a world that tosses us around with the winds of desire. When you feel lost, cling to the One who brings the high trees of the world, the Babylons and great empires, to take the low trees, the faithful remnant high. You have the assurance that the faithful in Judah had through Ezekiel, the one who proclaimed it to them. “I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.” (17:24)God does conquer the sin, the anxiety, and the fear of this life for you, not through political wheeling and dealing, not through chasing idols to earn worldly security. God takes all the sin, fear, and anxiety of us who struggle against our sinful flesh- He takes it upon Himself in His Son Jesus. He doesn’t take it and give you a list of how to make things right. Jesus takes your sin, covers it in His blood, and swallows it up in His death. Christ’s life of His resurrection is your life. God has spoken by the prophets and done it through Jesus His Son. Fear not; cling to the words and promises of God as they are given to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Christ, the shoot that springs triumphant From the stump of Jesse’s tree; Christ, true vine, You nurture branches To bear fruit abundantly. Graft us into You, O Savior; Prune our hearts so we remain Fruitful branches in Your vineyard Till eternal life we gain. (LSB 540, 3)- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing. 

June 16, 2024Today's Reading: Mark 4:26-34Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 16:1-24; John 16:1-16And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.” (Mark 4:26)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus spoke to them in parables. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. (4:34) Why did the crowd not get the full picture? What set the disciples apart? Let alone what does the kingdom of God have to do with scattering seeds or a tiny mustard seed?Jesus spoke to them in parables. The crowd was missing the point because they weren’t looking in the right place. Jesus was not telling them these parables because he wanted to make them think about the world or become the next great rabbi for them to follow. No, Jesus, even in the parables, cuts right to the image of the coming of the kingdom and the harvest at the end of the age.The sower sows the seed of the Word of God. From that point on, the sower can care for that seed. How that word convicts or grabs a man’s conscience is not his doing but God’s. Jesus spoke to them in parables because it is through simple words that God is active. Jesus spoke to them in parables so that those with even a mustard seed’s size of faith would hear these words from the Word of God made flesh itself and believe. That those words would take root, that God would grow that seed, care for it, and guide that person through their daily life to the harvest.God does this still today for those with great and little faith. God Himself is the worker and author of faith through the preaching of His Gospel and proclamation of forgiveness of sins. God desires not that man would stand far off trying to discern how to reach God, but that man would hear the words of life from Jesus, drown their sinful flesh, die in the life-giving waters of Baptism, and receive the life-giving meal of Jesus’s Body and Blood under the simple means of bread and wine.Jesus spoke to them in parables just as the Word itself was veiled in flesh so that those who believe would see God’s salvation 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.- Vicar Justin Chester, Vicar at Shepherd of the City, Fort Wayne, INAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing.

June 15, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 4 - Psalm 92:12-15; antiphon: Psalm 92:1Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 15:1-29; John 15:12-27To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Psalm 92:15 In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We have this predicament where the people we feel most comfortable taking shelter with are the ones who can relate to our flaws, faults, and sins. We feel the least comfortable confessing to someone who doesn’t struggle with the vices that are crushing us. It’s easy to confess to people who sin like me. They’re unrighteous like me. So they’ll never judge me. They can’t, or they’d be judging themselves. We take shelter with the sinners like us, but they can’t save us. They can only commiserate.  It magnifies what the Psalmist sees in the LORD. A rock for himself, yet one who has no unrighteousness in Him. The LORD is shelter for sinners. Stability for sinners. But He is more. He calls the faithful “righteous.” He knows them not according to their sins. He makes those His own, brings them to nothing on the cross for you, then rises free of them. You have no sins left. You are as righteous as He is now.  It changes the nature of confession. Confession is not built around commiserating together in a pit you can’t escape. Your sins aren’t too gross for God. They won’t make Him turn away or pull back. Not even if it’s the millionth time you’ve sinned. We confess to a God who isn’t like us so that we might become like Him. We who are unrighteous bring our unrighteousness to God, and He calls us righteous. Forgiven. Over and over and over again. It actually happens in church. It’s terrifying to confess your sins in front of your pastor. He’s not there to commiserate and tell you he did the same thing. But he was sent by God to forgive you and remind you that you are not unrighteous. You are forgiven and loved. In this forgiveness, we flourish and grow, giving thanks to the LORD. His praises are worth singing because He is our rock, our shelter that has actually saved us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Built on the Rock the Church shall stand Even when steeples are falling. Crumbled have spires in ev'ry land; Bells still are chiming and calling, Calling the young and old to rest, But above all the souls distressed, Longing for rest everlasting. (LSB 645:1)- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 14, 2024 Today's Reading: John 15:1-11Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 14:1-27; John 15:1-11I 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 15:5In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. To abide means to make your home somewhere. Abide in Jesus. Ask what you wish, and it will be done for you. You will bear much fruit. You will be loved. You will have value. You will have Commandments to treasure that will guide you, and even when you fail to fulfill them, the love you abide in forgives you. Christianity isn’t so complicated. Be near Jesus. When things are good, rejoice in Jesus. When things are bad, find shelter in Jesus. When you are guilty, be forgiven in Jesus.It might be more comforting if Jesus didn’t tell the disciples how He was going away, literally a paragraph above this one. Abide in me or you will wither and be thrown into the fire, but also, I’m leaving now, bye. Jesus is preparing the disciples for His passion. He is going away to die for them and for you. He is going away to make the vine worth abiding in, to pay for the forgiveness you receive in blood, and to earn your place in the resurrection, where you will be given all good things you ask for.  Jesus departs from the disciples. He dies. He rises. He ascends. And now we can share their frustration. The God-man doesn’t tour towns in the Middle East where we can go visit when we need something.  It changes the word abide, not because we don’t make our home in Jesus anymore, but because to abide with Jesus doesn’t mean to visit Jerusalem. It means to go to church. The Holy Spirit is sent where His Word is preached, where His sacraments are administered. He doesn’t insist you follow Him from town to town. He calls you to the font to be baptized into His death and resurrection. He calls you to abide in Him in your Baptism that gives you all that He promises. Love. Shelter. Comfort. Forgiveness. Worth. Abiding in Jesus isn’t limited to those who go on tour with Him or even those who copy His good deeds. He brings Himself to you in your church. Now you know where to find Him, and He is never far, so that when things are good, He is there to rejoice with. When things are bad, He is there to shelter you; when you are guilty, He is there to forgive. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Christ, holy Vine, Christ, living Tree, Be praised for this blest mystery: That Word and water thus revive And join us to Your Tree of Life. (LSB 595:5)- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 13, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: The Sacrament of Holy Baptism 1Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 13:1-25; John 14:18-31What is Baptism? Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s word.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the beginning, God spoke, and stuff happened. Creation forms itself to His word. God said light. It was. And it was good. In Baptism, God joins that same powerful word to water. That’s why Baptism is efficacious. There are major facets of Christianity today that view Baptism as “only a sign.” They mean it doesn’t do anything and still insist that it shouldn’t do anything for babies. This is how we respond.  Does God’s Word do something? Because without God’s Word the water is plain water, but Baptism is not just plain water. It is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word. God sticks His Word in the water, so the water becomes more. Enough to save you. Forgive you. Give you an identity not rooted in what you can do or become on your own. Not rooted in your promises to be better. Not rooted in how you feel about Jesus. Only rooted in what His Word promises for you. And His Word promises to unite you to Christ’s death and resurrection. It promises to make you an heir of salvation, a member of God’s family. Your Baptism matters because it contains God’s Word, and that Word delivers everything it promises. Are you baptized? Then you have all that God has promised you. It doesn’t just matter to win arguments with Baptists. It matters when you struggle to believe God’s Word, and doubt. It matters when you struggle to feel God’s presence. It matters when you struggle to feel like you’re of value. You are baptized. God gives that Gift to you, even you who struggle with doubt. God gives it to you who struggle daily with sin. To you who feel far from God. To you who feel worthless. And God gives it for you so that you would never have to measure those other things and can simply ask, am I baptized? And the answer is yes. You have all that God’s Word promises you, today. 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 His Word; The triune God Himself Gives pow'r to call Him Lord. (LSB 602:2)- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 12, 2024 Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 10:1-23; Proverbs 11:1-12:28; John 14:1-17So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christians don’t measure hurt differently than the world. Just time. Jesus is already raised from the dead and will bring us with Him into His presence. We are already tied to everlasting life. That doesn’t make today hurt less, but it puts the word “today” in perspective. Which matters when things hurt. Pain shortens time into the moment. All of eternity shrinks into the toe I just stubbed. There is no path forward from the relationship imploding in the moment. Pain makes the now seem so much larger than it actually is. Christ’s promise of resurrection stretches time back out. Today is still allowed to hurt. Jesus never promises a today that hurts less. But He does promise to be a God who will not allow you to hurt alone. He’ll hurt for you, too. He bore a cross that probably didn’t just tickle. But He did it to save you from the todays that hurt too much. So we do not lose heart. Our outer self wastes away. Things break in this world, us included. But our inner self won’t just renew after it’s all too much and we die. You are renewed today in the midst of the pain. In the midst of the decay. In the midst of everything that is wrong, daily, you are renewed in your Baptism. New Man emerges and arises to live before God in righteousness and purity forever. You are tied to the victory that stretches time back out today. So we look to that. The things that are unseen in the font. Forgiveness, life, and salvation. You are baptized. Today’s afflictions will disappear under the weight of the glory of the resurrection in the same way I can’t remember what I had eight years ago for lunch. 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.- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 11, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 6:7-13Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 9:1-18; John 13:21-38So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. Mark 6:12In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. More is assumed about Barnabas than is actually known, which is probably ok. Jesus sends out the 12 to conquer disease and demons alike in His name and warns them that it won’t get them rich, or even always a place to crash for the night, but don’t bother preparing for it, which is somehow good, since it came from the God who sets the standard for goodness. Preach repentance and give all the good Gifts it brings. Preach Law and Gospel. Sinners need forgiveness. Jesus forgives sinners and gives them everlasting life in His death for them. It’s missions in a way that is hard to codify with programs, checklists, and seminars. The results are hard to measure, but we’ll see people who heard, believed, and even now live in Christ who conquered death when we join them in victory.  Still, mostly the Church is more concerned with what it doesn’t have than what it does. Not enough money. Not enough programs. Not enough kids. All worldly advice is that it takes money to make money, and it takes an active youth group to attract more youth. To the one who has, more will be given and all that. But the 12 were sent without. Barnabas preached likely to martyrdom. And you know his name even though there were many who’d see him killed just to stop him from talking. It’s refreshing to consider missions as Jesus sends the 12. The Church was never called to growth, just faithfulness. God handles the growth when and where He pleases. He doesn’t tell the 12 how to grow the Church, fundraise, or do any of the things we’re sure are needed. He tells them to go preach and watch as creation mends itself according to their faithful words.  You’ll go out into a world and feel ill-equipped to confront it in your faith. That’s fine, too. The Church was not founded on what we brought to the table. It stands on Christ, who forgives your sins and the sins of all believers. It stands on His Word, which you learn and hold dear. The 12 preached. Barnabas was used by God as God saw fit, even if nobody really knows much about it. You don’t need to build something that will be remembered in history to support a faith you love. Pray for faithfulness, hear God’s Word, and be unafraid, because the hope you cling to endures all things. What’s miraculous is that it can even help others, too. 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. (LSB 518:17)- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 10, 2024 Today's Reading: Genesis 3:8-15Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 8:22-36; John 13:1-20I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Whenever the All-knowing asks a question, it’s not because He’s curious about the answer. It’s not even because He needs us to figure it out. It’s usually because we think we already did, but have confused Law and Gospel, and that needs to be sorted out.  The devil will have us confuse the two. The deceiver will have us look to the Gospel when what we need is the Law. Except a gospel with no law has nothing to forgive, so it just papers over what’s wrong with the notion that things are fine. Fig leaves and bushes try to cover death. The idea that God loves everyone is easier to bear if He doesn’t have to love sinners. So the devil points us away from the Law that convicts us of sin and tries to leave us content hiding from each other and God in the bushes.  And the accuser will have us look to the Law when what we really need is the Gospel. It will leave us slinging blame. Accusing each other of fault to make ourselves seem innocent, or at least less guilty. The woman, whom YOU gave to be with me, she gave me the fruit of the tree, and I ate. This is her fault. Eve learns from her husband. Actually, it’s Satan's fault I ate. He deceived me. So when the All-knowing asks a question, it’s often to correct the mix-up. He confronts Adam and Eve with a question of the Law that leaves them recognizing something terrible has happened. And when they need the Gospel but have confused it with heaping blame at others by the Law, He corrects that too. Convicted of their sin and desperate for hope, they hear a promise. God doesn’t even wait for their apologies before promising to send the Son, born of the seed of woman, to crush the head of the serpent and redeem them forever. The answer to the questions God asks is sort of like Sunday school. The answer is usually Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.What mercy God showed to our race, A plan of rescue by His grace: In sending One from woman's seed, The One to fill our greatest need - For on a tree uplifted high His only Son for sin would die, Would drink the cup of scorn and dread To crush the ancient serpent's head! (LSB 561:3)- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 9, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 3:20-35Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 8:1-21; John 12:36b-50…but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin  Mark 3:29In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Only the wrong people worry about committing the unforgivable sin. The old saying goes, if you’re worried about committing this sin, you haven’t, because the sin against the Holy Spirit is unbelief, and if you’re worried about it, it’s because you care, which is a sign there’s belief.The problem isn’t just that it gives people prone to worry the new worry that maybe they don’t worry enough about their faith. It also leaves them to find comfort in the worry Jesus tells them not to have. Don’t worry; your worry is a sign that nothing is wrong. But if you don’t worry, is something wrong? Maybe we’re overcomplicating things by trying to make them simple.  So Jesus attaches this worrisome verse to a parable about a strong man. The comfort doesn’t come from how you feel about Him. The comfort comes from whether or not he’s been bound. Jesus enters Satan's house, binds him, and then plunders the house. You were Satan's. But Christ has bound his accusing tongue. He has forgiven your sins. He has died so that you would not be owned by the devil anymore. You belong to Christ now. If you wonder whether or not you have committed the unforgivable sin, don’t ask how worried you are about committing the unforgivable sin. Ask yourself, has Jesus overcome the devil? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? If Christ has conquered, and that’s good, you have not committed the unforgivable sin. Breathe. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and eternal God, Your Son Jesus triumphed over the prince of demons and freed us from bondage to sin. Help us to stand firm against every assault of Satan, and enable us always to do Your will; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. - Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 8, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 3 - Psalm 28:7-9; antiphon: Psalm 28:6Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 5:1-23; Proverbs 6:1-7:27; John 12:20-36aThe LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; Psalm 28:7a In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The psalm starts with God’s identity before it ever addresses what needs doing. It isn’t just propriety that beckons Christians to pray “our Father, who art in heaven” before petitioning Him. The answers to the prayer are found in the identity of God, not the world around us.  I’m worried about today. But my comfort comes from who God is, not what’s wrong or right with today. The LORD is my strength and my shield. That part doesn’t change with today. It answers today. So I am helped because He is my shield. When my heart trusts in Him, it exults. The only thing that can change isn’t His identity, just the focus of my heart. So I’m given this psalm to pray to remind me of who God is so that I can exult with David.I’m worried about tomorrow. But my comfort comes from who God is then too, what might or might not come. The LORD is our Shepherd. He will carry us forever. We will be saved. It’s not up for debate unless He stops being our Shepherd. And He won’t. He bore the cross. That part is done. He rose from the grave, and in your Baptism, you are already united in the victory. The Shepherd can’t stop being the Shepherd, so you can’t stop being saved. We start with God’s identity before we list what’s wrong. If we did the opposite, I guess we could convince ourselves we can find salvation without God as long as we’re good problem solvers, but that won’t last forever. There are problems we can’t solve, and as long as they stay messed up, salvation looks out of reach. So, instead, we start with God, who has already died and risen, who is already victorious, and whose identity doesn’t change. There’s more comfort in a good God that won’t change than wishing everything we don’t like would. God’s identity is the comfort that never yields, even if the things around us won’t stop shifting. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, be our light when worldly darkness veils us; Lord, be our shield when earthly armor fails us; And in the day when hell itself assails us, Grant us Your peace, Lord  (LSB 659:3)- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 7, 2024 Today's Reading: John 12:1-19Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 4:1-27; John 12:1-19For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” John 12:8 In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This side of glory, the poor, you will always have with you. And for some reason, it’s used as an excuse. Ironically enough, it seems to apply even though we don’t have Jesus with us anymore the way He is in the text. But hey, why work on what you can’t fix? Feigned helplessness is the best. Why work out if you’ll always be overweight? Why struggle against sin if you’ll fall back into it? Why donate to a charity that feeds the homeless if it won’t feed all of them? Helplessness feels great to sinners because it’s a chance to free ourselves from the burden of viewing love for neighbor as a sacrifice instead of just a wish for better. It will just be this way. So, let’s go back to what feels good enough to distract us from it. Double points if it feels virtuous, like calls to action on social media or pointing out other people’s problems.  Jesus stops Judas from taking the ointment from Mary and selling it. He says to save it for the day of His burial. But it didn’t fix that either. He still rode into Jerusalem and died. Which was a good thing, remember? Maybe the ointment wasn’t given to fix anything at all, only to point to what actually could. Christ’s death for Mary and her devotion, for Judas and his sin, and even for the poor, who would still be poor after He breathed His last. The death and resurrection of Jesus is for you in your helplessness, not so you can shove aside the burden of addressing what’s wrong in front of you, but for you to know that you don’t hang hope on the other side of fixing it. Even the least of these can receive it. It will be fixed in the resurrection, but until then, you still have the same Christ who saves you from yourself and from the world. You still have a life death cannot destroy, and treasure thieves cannot break in and steal. You have His love, manifest in Word and Sacrament, and you have the love of your neighbor too. And it frees us to love each other without the burden of solving every problem. Wishes for better sacrifice nothing and won’t be satisfied until things are fixed, even though that won’t happen on this side of glory. They leave nothing but angst. Love is a sacrifice, even if your sacrifice won’t make things perfect. Christ already did that. Relax. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Draw near and take the body of the Lord, And drink the holy blood for you outpoured; Offered was He for greatest and for least, Himself the victim and Himself the priest. (637:1)- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 6, 2024Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord’s Prayer - The ConclusionDaily Lectionary: Proverbs 3:5-24; John 11:38-57For 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.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We’ve memorized what amen means. Yes, yes, it shall be so. We rarely contemplate how much it says. We know amen doesn’t mean prayer is over now. But we rarely focus on the fact that amen doesn’t mean “maybe this won’t happen, even though deep down I don’t know how to pray without that reservation.” When we say amen, we’re not just certain Jesus is our guest and all His gifts to us are blessed; we say we’re certain our aunt’s incurable cancer will be cured by God’s merciful hand. We say we’re certain there will be peace going forward, even though there’s only been war going back as far as the Fall. We say the impossible isn’t just possible. We say it’s outright going to happen. Yes, yes, it shall be so. And that’s insane. Then again, it’s insane that someone would die and then rise from death to live again. It’s insane that He would face this suffering for the ones who sin against Him to save them from themselves. The cross is insane. The love that drives God to bear it willingly to save you is insane. And the hope that comes from it defies all reason, too. Christ is risen. All who trust in Him will rise. In Christ, cancer has claimed 0 lives. They’ll just rise again. In the resurrection, we expect with all certainty there will be no more war or sin. The impossible isn’t just possible. It’s outright going to happen. So when we say amen, we tie it to the love that bore the cross and conquered death. It isn’t trust in an event, but in the one who will work it. So it isn’t a trust in the timing or method you’re thinking of, but the one who works all things for good. Even if it isn’t until after the resurrection, you’ll get that Godly prayer. And if that seems too far, the same love will carry you to that day when you can’t get there alone. So let your amen be insane. Let it defy your reason and strength. Let it defy your fear. It doesn’t rest on anything other than God’s love, which is greater and more certain than all those things anyway. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.No blinding sign we ask, No wonder from above. Lord, help us place our trust alone In Your unswerving love (LSB 424:3). - Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 5, 2024 Today's Reading: John 11:17-37Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 1:8-33; John 11:17-37Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. John 11:21 In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I think John made sure to get this in the story, not to leave us with a bad impression of Martha marked on one of the hardest days of her life, but I think it’s to give us the words to speak on our own. It’s bitterness and genuine anger rolled up in a confession of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. It isn’t just an accusation. It’s a recognition. It doesn’t ignore the problem because of Jesus. But it doesn’t dismiss it either.Something wrong happened. God could have stopped it. There will be a resurrection someday. But today, hope feels far off. Because we tend to root hope in the answer to prayers, not the God answering them. So, hope is a Lazarus who isn’t dead. But that leaves hope very far away when he’s four days in the tomb and rotting. Hope is an alternate reality or someday too far away. Out of reach.  Every time the followers of Jesus put their hope in something He can control but not in Him, it falls apart. Because hope is not found in God answering prayers. Hope is found in God. So Jesus answers, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”It's not a call to see what God can do. It's a call to see who He is. Even Martha sees what can be done. It almost makes it more frustrating. “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” But that Last Day isn't here yet.  It's a call to see where God is. Standing at the entrance to the tomb, weeping over the loss. Not far. And so where God is, there is hope. And Jesus draws near to dead Lazarus. Hope is not measured in anything other than the presence of Jesus. The story stops here, but you know how it ends. Today, it stops with Jesus being near. That's a good place to stop. Because if Jesus is near, there is hope. Jesus doesn't give resurrection. He is resurrection. If He is near, have hope.  Which may be why He gives us His Body and Blood in church. So that hope can be measured in more than “Did I get what I wanted?” or “Did I die and go to heaven and on the Last Day rise?” It’s measured in “Is Jesus here for me?” and the answer is Yes. Amen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Then is our comfort this alone That we may meet before Your throne; To You, O faithful God, we cry For rescue in our misery (LSB 615:2)- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 4, 2024Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:5-12Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 12:1-14; John 11:1-16Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:10 In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You only have to escape the things that can beat you. Nobody runs from puppies. Unless they’re allergic, I guess. It’s hard to find something in this world that someone’s not afraid of. I guess that’s the point. There’s lots of affliction. Lots of things that leave you at a loss for words. Persecution on a large and small scale. Too many struck down. Even puppies are scary to someone. Let alone cancer, calamity, and the plain old-fashioned evil we do to each other, with or without self-righteous excuses. Paul tells us ours is a religion of endurance, not escape. We will be afflicted in every way, but not crushed. Perplexed but not driven to despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Struck down but not destroyed. Christianity will not help you escape those things. Anyone telling you otherwise is lying. But you only have to escape the things that can beat you. None of those can. You carry the death of Jesus in your body, so the life of Jesus is also being manifested in your body. You are baptized. You are united to Christ in His death, and so you are united to Him in His resurrection. Now. You’re already safe from all you want to run from. Escape sounds better because of the lack of suffering. It isn’t, though, because as long as the world’s this sinful, and quite frankly, as long as you’re this sinful too, you’ll always be running in a religion of escape. Always afraid. But those things can’t beat us anymore. We already wear the victory. So we don’t run. We endure. Not by willing ourselves forward and talking about courage or effort. We endure by gathering everything that overwhelms us and taking it to our church where our pastor confronts it with the same promise Paul gives Corinth. We hear the Gospel. We receive the Sacraments. And there, we are united to what cannot but endure, and it drags us along as well. Death might be at work in us, but life is at work in Him. 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. (LSB 676:2)- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 3, 2024Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 5:12-15Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 11:1-10; John 10:22-42Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Deuteronomy 5:12In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The key word in the commandment is holy. God calls us to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy: clean, pure, holy as the LORD your God is holy. So it probably has to have more to do with what He does on it than what we do. You can’t clean a table with a dirty rag. Unholy people who do unholy things can’t sanctify a day. So on the Sabbath, God commands us to be near Him. Hear His word. Hold it sacred. Gladly learn it. Receive His sacraments. Rest in His promises that cleanse us from all that is unholy and make us clean ourselves.  It is not a day set apart for Christians to show God how much they praise Him. It is a day even commanded to be given to sojourners and servants. God does not dangle rest on the other side of work as a reward for the worthy. God wishes to be a God of the unclean, making them clean in Himself. He sends His Son to die on a cross to make you that way. Jesus died for you. In His blood, you are made clean. In your Baptism, you are washed and made holy.  That holiness is not just for us but for all of creation. Even the animals are called to the Sabbath. Jesus' love for you is such that He does not just redeem you, but all of creation for you. All creation groans with eager expectation of the life to come. But until then, we rest each week. We go to church, and even invite others who need rest, too. We hear His Word that gives even as it promises. We eat and drink His Body and Blood that forgive even as they tie us to the life where we will finally be free from all that makes us need such a blessed meal of rest. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Come unto Me, ye weary, And I will give you rest. O blessèd voice of Jesus, Which comes to hearts oppressed! It tells of benediction, Of pardon, grace, and peace, Of joy that hath no ending, Of love that cannot cease. (LSB 684:1)- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 2, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 2:23-28 (3:1-6)Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 10:1-20; John 10:1-21And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Mark 2:27In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Pharisees confront Jesus about the disciples eating on the Sabbath because they plucked the heads of grain themselves. That’s too much work. Arguments about doing work on the Sabbath don’t make sense to me. Not because of the New Covenant; but because the place I feel the least amount of rest is usually when I’m left with nothing to distract me from my own thoughts. Doing absolutely nothing on a day is a great way to make sure that I feel no rest at all.  Jesus won’t bicker with them over how much work counts as rest. Instead, He points to starving David. To the man with the withered hand. Should they have rest, or should they be left alone with what’s wrong and do nothing about it? Their answers don’t matter. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath is to give rest, not measure it. So Jesus feeds. Jesus heals. Jesus defends those confronted by the accusations of the law by standing and bearing the attacks Himself so that those found guilty might instead just be those who have been given rest.  It's good to do less work on the Sabbath, but only because it’s very good to receive the true rest that is in Christ. Go to church. Find forgiveness for your sins in a Christ who defends you from the accusations of the Law. Find a meal that nourishes the soul, the Body and Blood of Him who died that you would live. And there, find healing, not just from the diseases of today, but from death forever. The Sabbath is rest because on it, we receive the Gospel. We hear it, we eat it, and in it, we live.  It will never satisfy those who want to live by the Law. They’ll always want something else to measure, but on the Sabbath, Jesus only gives rest to the weary who can’t be left alone. Leaving me alone with nothing to do but sit with my thoughts is no rest at all, so leave me with the words and promises of God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Eternal God, Your Son Jesus Christ is our true Sabbath rest. Help us to keep each day holy by receiving His Word of comfort that we may find our rest in Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. - Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 1, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 2 - Psalm 62:5-8; antiphon: Psalm 62:1Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 9:1-17; John 9:24-41For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,  for my hope is from him.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.  On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah (Psalm 62:5–8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Who can you trust? Perhaps the list is very long for you. Trust is not something one should give out very easily. This is especially true if you’ve been the victim of injury or wrong by other people. Maybe you’ve lived a life where you can trust people and give it out freely and easily, for better or for worse. Maybe someone who was supposed to be trustworthy hurt you. Maybe a parent. Maybe a boyfriend or girlfriend. Maybe a teacher. Maybe your friends at the lunch table aren’t acting like friends should. Maybe someone told everyone something only they were supposed to know. The trust is broken, and it’s harder to trust them in the future. Maybe you’ll never trust them again. This is sin and its consequences. It poisons families, it destroys relationships, it shatters trust. But who then can you trust? For sure, you should not adopt a hermit mindset, where you can trust nobody, and so you withdraw from society. That will make you go crazy (and you’ll become depressed pretty quickly). But recognize that there is One who sits above the swampy bog of lies and sin. That One is God. The same God who saves you, the same God who knows you, the same God who called you by name; He is a rock and fortress, a mighty refuge from sin and death. When nobody else can be trusted, dear Christian, flee to God. Remember that He has called you in your Baptism and feeds you at His table. In Him can you trust. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord;  Peace in our time, O send us! For there is none on earth but You, None other to defend us. You only, Lord, can fight for us.  Amen. (LSB 777:1)-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 31, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-45 (46-56)Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 8:1-17; John 9:1-23And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:41–43)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Isn’t it interesting that creation cannot help but acknowledge who Jesus is and what He has come to do for them? I think it’s wild that the first person to acknowledge who Jesus was was a baby who wasn’t born yet. The whole creation cries out for the birth of the King. The Visitation of St. Mary to St. Elizabeth is a prime example of this. John the Baptist knew this even before he was born. Isn’t that amazing? We can learn another thing from the story of the Visitation. We can learn that faith is entirely the work of God. John the Baptist had not even been born yet, and yet he knew who he was greeting when Mary came around with Jesus in her womb. Nobody could have taught him. This was not someone at the “age of reason.” But this baby, still in the womb, was granted the Gift of faith by the Holy Spirit. In the same way, Elizabeth is given the same faith! Right as Mary rolls in, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (verse 41), exclaiming with “a loud cry, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (verse 42). Elizabeth was given faith from the Holy Spirit to recognize Mary and Jesus in her. Thanks be to God for that same faith and that same Holy Spirit. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.For He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden.For behold, from this day all generations will call me blessèd.For the Mighty One has done great things to me, and holy is His name;and His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. (Magnificat)-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 30, 2024 Today's Reading: The Lord’s Prayer - Seventh Petition Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 7:11-29; John 8:39-59The Seventh PetitionBut 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.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Evil is ugly. And evil is something we must contend with here on this fallen earth. Ever since the Fall into sin (Genesis 3), evil has been stalking humanity. And what is evil? Evil is not just a cartoonish phrase, as if evil is some man with an eyepatch and a twirly mustache plotting world domination. Evil is death. Evil is sin. Evil is what stalks us, tempting us. Evil is certainly manifested in the person and work of the devil and all his minions, but as sinners, we have evil within us, too. Concupiscence (now there is a fancy word) is the inborn desire that all humans have, that is, the inclination to evil. It is what St. Paul writes about when he says, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. (Romans 7:19) Evil is something we must be rescued from, and fortunately, Jesus is in the business of rescuing. That is what we pray in this Petition of the Lord’s Prayer. We pray that our Father would give us delivery and safety from all the things that a fallen world throws at us. But we Christians ultimately do not need to fear evil. Regardless of what this tired, evil world throws at us, our God delivers us from them all. Even the final plan of sin, that is death, is transformed in Jesus from everlasting torment to a blessed sleep awaiting the sure and certain hope of the resurrection. Will evil come? Absolutely. But Christ will deliver you from it. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Though hordes of devils fill the land   All threat’ning to devour us, We tremble not, unmoved we stand;  They cannot overpow’r us.  Let this world’s tyrant rage;  In battle we’ll engage.His might is doomed to fail;  God’s judgment must prevail! One little word subdues him.God’s Word forever shall abide,  No thanks to foes, who fear it;  For God Himself fights by our side  With weapons of the Spirit.  Were they to take our house,  Goods, honor, child, or spouse,Though life be wrenched away,  They cannot win the day. The Kingdom’s ours forever! (LSB 657:3,4)-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 29, 2024Today's Reading: Ecclesiastes 6:1-7:10Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 6:1-7:10, John 8:21-38All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind. (Ecclesiastes 6:7–9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How satisfied are you? Do you ever get that question, besides in emails about something you just bought? Do you ever think about how satisfied you are with life? Ecclesiastes can certainly paint a pretty grim picture of life. The first chapter of Ecclesiastes tells us that “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) The preacher (frequently cited as Solomon) goes on to say that all things in life are “striving after wind.” Have you ever felt that way? I know I sure have. Sometimes, you do something, and none of it seems to matter. Nothing you do seems to go anywhere; nobody appreciates it, and you might as well have done nothing. At least you could have slept in that day and felt a little less tired. It’s all striving after the wind, right? What Ecclesiastes paints for us is the unfortunate reality of life apart from God. Nothing matters apart from God. If the soul does not have God, it cannot be content. All someone can do is just toil and hope to fill their belly. But the one who has God, the one who has their sins forgiven, can look forward. Rather than looking at life as being trapped on a rock hurtling through space, waiting your turn to die, you can view it as a blessed opportunity to serve and love your neighbor. And even death, that old foe, takes on a different tone. No longer is death simply the grisly end, but since the grave has lost its sting in Christ, the one who falls asleep in Jesus may look forward to the Ressurection of the Dead, to the new and perfect creation. Striving after the wind? No thanks; we are striving after something far better. We have been given something far better. We have been given the forgiveness of sins. We have been given The Sacraments. You’ve been covered with the water of Holy Baptism. You have been given peace with God. No need to strive at all. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Now through His Son doth shine  The Father’s grace divine.  Death was reigning o’er usThrough sin and vanity  Till He opened for us  A bright eternity. May we praise Him there!   May we praise Him there! (LSB 386:3)-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 28, 2024Today's Reading: Acts 2:14a, 22-36Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 5:1-20; John 8:1-20This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. (Acts 2:32–33)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This sermon must have been absolutely terrifying to hear. Imagine sitting there, slowly having it dawn on you that the one that you delivered up to be killed was innocent. Not only was He innocent, but He was the very Son of God. And not only was He the very son of God who was innocent, but He is now risen from the dead. Uh oh. They are hearing Peter’s sermon and they are absolutely crushed by the weight of the Law. They are at fault. They have sinned, gravely, in thought, since they hated Jesus. They have sinned in word, for they accused Him of many evil things of which He was innocent. They have sinned in deed, for they delivered Him up to be crucified. What is in store for them now? When I was a kid, at my church growing up, we would do something a little different on good Friday. The pastor would have us read the account of the trial of Jesus. He would read the parts of Pilate, and the people would read the parts of the crowd. This was one of the hardest things to do. Because it really makes you think. You put yourself in the place of the crowd, and you connect something. Jesus was not crucified purely because a group of men two thousand years ago conspired against Him. Jesus was crucified because of my sins. Jesus had to die because I am a sinner. It sure hits different when you hear yourself call out, “We have no king but Caesar!” It crushes you to say, “Release for us Barabbas.” You want to hang your head and mutter the words, “Crucify him! Crucify him! Crucify him!” I sure knew what it was like to hear Peter’s sermon. But there is good news, beloved in the LORD. Jesus, risen from the dead, is not out for blood. He is not out with a vengeance to get even with those who caused His death. Jesus is eager to receive the broken in heart and the contrite in spirit. Jesus, out of love for God’s creation, took on the sin of the entire world (yes, even your sin) and died. He did so willingly. He did so lovingly. Jesus invites those repentant sinners to His table to receive His Body and His Blood for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus invites you to receive the forgiveness of sins, physically, with your lips, and with your ears! In the name of Jesus. Amen. God came to us then at Pentecost,  His Spirit new life revealing, That we might no more from Him be lost, All darkness for us dispelling. His flame will the mark of sin efface  And bring to us all His healing. (LSB 503:4)-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 27, 2024Today's Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 4:1-16; John 7:32-53And I said: “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!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” (Isaiah 6:5–7)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Isaiah was a smart one. He knew what was going on around him. You see, for sinners, the presence of God is absolutely bad news. What happens to sinners in the presence of God? Death. Blown up. Toast. Zapped. Whatever fun phrase you use to describe it, the point is this: God is perfection, and perfection will not abide chaos and sin in its presence for very long. And so Isaiah is afraid. Isaiah is not only reflecting that the people he dwells with are unclean and say unclean things, but he is aware that he himself is a sinner. He thinks he is done for.And so what happens? Is Isaiah zapped by God? Absolutely not. What Isaiah experiences is one of the most awesome absolutions anyone has ever experienced. He confesses his sins (“I am a man of unclean lips”) and is then forgiven by God, which is the angel touching his lips with the coal. Notice that God does not say in response, “Yes, you are. Your lips are filthy” or “Yes, you are, and so you better get fixing it.” God simply directs one of his ministers (in this case, an angel) to absolve Isaiah so he can continue his work on behalf of the LORD. Believe it or not, you get the same thing. No, you don’t quite have an angel touching your lips with a flaming coal, but you do still have one of the LORD’s pastors ready and waiting to hear your confession and pronounce that your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for. In the Divine Service, you make the sign of the cross, remembering that you are a baptized child of God. Like Isaiah, you are given something on your lips: Jesus’ Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper. This also delivers to you God’s forgiveness. You are covered with Jesus and are now perfect before God; you get to continue in the work that God has placed before you as you love and care for your neighbors. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty, everlasting God, for our many sins we justly deserve eternal condemnation. In Your mercy You sent Your dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who won for us forgiveness of sins and everlasting salvation. Grant us a true confession that, dead to sin, we may be raised up by Your life-giving Absolution. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may be ever watchful and live true and godly lives in Your service; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Before confession and absolution, LSB)-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 26, 2024 Today's Reading: John 3:1-17Daily Lectionary: Numbers 35:9-30; Acts 1:1-7:60; Luke 24:28-53And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, (John 3:14)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We can learn a lot by reading all of Holy Scripture. Now, you might be thinking, “Thanks, pastor, for the most obvious statement in the world,” but what I say is true. When we read the Scriptures, it is great to read and link both the Old Testament and the New Testament. We get a nice link by Jesus here with the story of the bronze serpent.If you are not familiar with the story of the bronze serpent, I’ll recap it for you. The Israelites are wandering in the wilderness, and they are doing what the people of God do best, that is, unceasingly complain. They are leveling their typical charge against Moses (and thereby against God indirectly). They whine, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?” (Numbers 21:5) Not only do they accuse Moses (and again God) of trying to kill them, they then complain about what the LORD provides for them, calling that food “worthless.” And for their ungratefulness and complaining, God sends them punishment in the form of “fiery serpents” to bite them. And bite them they do, and some die. While the others are sick, Moses intervenes, and God sends a way to be saved from their sins. He instructs Moses to build a bronze serpent and put it on a pole, and anyone who looks upon it would live. Isn’t it interesting that this is what Jesus uses to teach Nicodemus, the man who was so “wise?” Just like there was no venom in a serpent of bronze, there is no sin in Jesus, who would be lifted up, just like the serpent, so that all who looked on him in faith would live. The words given to Nicodemus are the same words we have today. On Good Friday, we saw the Son of Man lifted for the sins of the world so that all who looked upon Him in faith might live, not saved from a mere snake bite, but from the scourge of sin and death. In church, we physically receive the flesh and blood of Christ in our mouths to save us from eternal death. 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.-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 25, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity Psalm 16:8-11; antiphon: Liturgical TextDaily Lectionary: Numbers 32:1-6, 16-27; Luke 24:1-27Blessèd be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity. Let us give glory to him because he has shown his mercy to us.I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Trinity is a hard doctrine to understand. It really hurts your head, doesn’t it? How can God be “three in one” and “one in three?” Wouldn’t it be easier to say that the Trinity is like an egg, or like the three states of water? While this might be tempting, it’s easy to fall into error about the Trinity. Many of the common analogies for the Trinity fall into unhelpful ways of talking about it that lead people down the wrong path. But let’s see what we do know about the Trinity.First, there is God the Father. What do we know about God the Father? Well, the name God the Father gives us a pretty good jumping-off point. One, he is God. This is the God who created the Heavens and the Earth, and created you and me. Creation is definitely His department.Secondly, there is God the Son. This is Jesus, and His work is super easy to spot. Jesus’ work is redemptive. And this redemption happens on the cross. When Jesus took all the sins of the world on His shoulders (yes, even the ones you have never, ever told anyone about) He paid the debt with His blood. Jesus is still among us too, at altars around the world every single day in the Lord’s Supper, the Shepherd dwelling with His sheep.Third, there is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a behind-the-scenes actor. The work of the Holy Spirit, like the Fathers is creation and the Son’s is redemption, is sanctification. That means making you holy. The Holy Spirit does this by giving you the faith you need to be saved. You received the Holy Spirit at your Baptism. The Spirit drives you to see that you need the Gifts of God, you need The Sacraments. He drives you to confess your sins and in faith receive the Absolution won by the Son. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.God the Father, light-creator,  To Thee laud and honor be.  To Thee, Light of Light begotten,Praise be sung eternally.  Holy Spirit, light-revealer,  Glory, glory be to Thee.Mortals, angels, now and ever  Praise the holy Trinity! (LSB 578:6)-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 24, 2024Today's Reading: Acts 2:1-21Daily Lectionary: Numbers 27:12-23; Luke 23:26-56When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. (Acts 2:1–6)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Can you understand what’s going on in church? Maybe something is a little confusing to you, like how come we make the sign of the cross here or why do we say this prayer here (in this case, ask your pastor! He’s always happy to answer questions.) But when I ask whether you can understand what’s going on in church, I mean do the words going into your ears sound like words you can understand? Is the language the language you speak? Does your pastor preach so you can understand it? If so, thank the Holy Spirit. You see, God is a fan of words. That’s how He acts. He doesn’t need anything else to accomplish His purposes. In Genesis, when God created the heavens and the earth, how does He do it? He doesn’t do it like so many pagan gods do it: by defeating some enemy and making the world out of their corpse (yuck.) No, our God just speaks and it happens. Let there be light and…. There was light. Let the waters be separated…. And they were separated. This is not a power reserved for God the Father either. When Jesus rebukes demons, they must go. When Jesus commands Satan himself to depart from Him, Satan, as a creature, must bend to the will of his Creator. God’s Word is living and active, and it is all God needs to work His will.But that Word did not stop with the early church either. That Word is still living and active today. God’s will is still done by means of the Word. By the preaching of His Word by pastors, God’s people get to know Him better. By the proclaiming of the Words of Institution, Christ’s Body and Blood are on the altar. By the words of Absolution, you are forgiven. God’s Word is living and active, in a way you can understand. Thanks be to God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,  And make our hearts Your place of rest;Come with Your grace and heav’nly aid,  And fill the hearts which You have made. (LSB 498:1)-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 23, 2024Today's Reading: The Lord’s Prayer - Sixth PetitionDaily Lectionary: Numbers 24:1-25; Luke 23:1-25And lead us not into temptation.What does this mean? God 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.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Let’s be honest. You’re no stranger to temptation. You go to school, you’re tempted. Maybe you’ve seen other kids pass around something on their phones that, well, let’s just say you hope your parents never see. Go on the internet lately? It’s a temptation factory. Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Facebook, all of them serve up hot and fresh temptation; ready rabbit holes for you to fall into. Maybe you’ve given up the internet. But your sinful flesh is able (and ready) to whip up some homegrown temptation. You can run, but you can’t hide, it seems. Temptation is everywhere, and you’ve fallen into it. And you’ve fallen into it deep. And so what to do? The old evil foe (that’s Satan) wants you to isolate and try to tackle it yourself. He’ll whisper to you that “you’ve got this, no need to drag anyone else into it. God doesn’t need to know, you can do this.” This, like anything else Satan says, is a lie. Satan loves for you to cut yourself off and descend into the “do it yourself” rabbit hole. It’s great for your house, but not for your soul. Sinful man needs something better than to endlessly gaze inwards. That’s how we wind up in despair, again and again. Christ brings the medicine of immortality. This medicine is the antidote for temptation and the sin that is sure to follow. Do not turn in on yourself, dear Christian. Turn instead to the Great Physician. Temptation is everywhere, and make no mistake, you will fall into it. But Christ brings that forgiveness. This forgiveness is the medicine for temptation, and for sin. It’s not just a theoretical forgiveness either. You can hear this forgiveness. Every Sunday, you hear the man who stands in the stead of Christ say “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” 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. (LSB 766:7)-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 22, 2024Today's Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14Daily Lectionary: Numbers 23:4-28; Luke 22:47-71Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 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. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.” (Ezekiel 37:11–14)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What an image we have been given in our reflection for today. Can you imagine? Being taken to a valley, a rip in the earth, that is full of nothing but bleached, white bones. The wind hits your face and it’s hot and dry. This is a scene that should be absolutely foreign to humanity. Because this is a scene that could only occur after the Fall. People were not made to die. Man was made to live forever. It was only after the temptation and the fall into sin, when creation descended into bloodshed and murder, that such a scene was possible. And what a statement. What a scene to be confronted with as Ezekiel. So much death. So many bones you can’t accurately count them. God asks Ezekiel a question. “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel’s answer is a stark confession. Ezekiel’s answer is a reflection on the state of fallen humanity. Only God knows if these bones can live. Only God can make these bones live. Only God can make our fallen selves live. Only God can open [our] graves and raise [us] from [our] graves. And we see, like the whole house of Israel, that we shall be raised from our graves. How is this accomplished? Paul writes in Romans, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:3-5)Christ dies, so will we. But Christ rises, and so will we. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.If Christ still lay within the tomb Then death would be the end, And we should face our final doom   With neither guide nor friend. But now the Savior is raised up,  So when a Christian diesWe mourn, yet look to God in hope—  In Christ the saints arise! (LSB 486:2)-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 21, 2024Today's Reading: John 10:1-10Daily Lectionary: Numbers 22:21-23:3; Luke 22:24-46“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” (John 10:1–4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The shepherd goes before the sheep. The sheep follow the shepherd. This has been the pattern of sheep for forever. The shepherd leads the sheep where they should go, and they follow him. What is the task of a shepherd? The shepherd, simply put, cares for the sheep. The sheep trust the shepherd. Sheep are, by nature, very dependent animals. Left to their own devices, they have a tendency to get hurt and die. Go on YouTube and just search “shepherd rescues sheep.” One of my favorite of those results is the sheep stuck in a crack in the ground, only for the shepherd to yank it out, and it promptly gets stuck again. Sheep need care. Sheep need a shepherd. Sheep need the shepherd to find food for them, to rescue them from peril, and to drive off predators from the herd. They cannot do this on their own.Scripture makes it very clear that we are sheep. Jesus isn’t just giving a running commentary to the people on how shepherds work. The people already knew that. But rather, Jesus is telling them what God does for them. More specifically, what God incarnate (that’s Jesus Himself, for those keeping score at home), does for them. The Good Shepherd literally dies for the sheep. This, dear saints, is good news for us too. Because we have not been turned loose in this world to wander. God’s flock are not left to their own devices to get stuck in the ditches and cracks of sin and to die. We are not left to get preyed upon by Satan’s wolves. Christ is the Good Shepherd, the best there is! He rescues His sheep and uses His undershepherds (pastors!) to bind up the wounds they sustain from life in this fallen world. Thanks be to God that we have a shepherd, the best there is, our savior Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Savior, like a shepherd lead us;  Much we need Your tender care.  In Your pleasant pastures feed us,  For our use Your fold prepare.  Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,   You have bought us; we are Yours.  Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,  You have bought us; we are Yours. (LSB 711:1)-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 20, 2024 Today's Reading: John 3:16-21Daily Lectionary: Numbers 22:1-20; Luke 22:1-23For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 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 3:16–17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You may have heard the first of the two verses above described as “the Gospel in a nutshell.” It clearly states the “what” that God did to save the sinful fallen race of humanity, AKA you and me. But it doesn’t reveal the “why,” the reason that Jesus came and did what He did. And that second verse is critically important because it tells us not only what Jesus did, but what he came NOT to do. You see, Christianity is truly unique among world religions. In other religions, the “gods” don’t really like people. I’m not talking about in an “I don’t like people” way that you might joke about, where you like to stay on the couch and read a book rather than go out. I’m talking in more of a “we hate humanity” sense. In other religions, the gods either want to destroy humanity or enslave it, using us mortals to get food, or to play cruel games with us, or worse. But dear Christians, that is not the kind of God we serve. The difference (aside from the obvious, that God is the one true God) is that God loves His creation. He looked upon it in the beginning and saw that His creation was good. And when humanity fell into sin, He loved it still. He promised right after to send a Messiah to save fallen creation from sin, death, and the lies of the devil. And here in John’s Gospel, we get the picture of this Messiah: Jesus. We see that God did not send Jesus just to preach condemnation, as Jonah wanted to with the Ninevites, but to save creation. Is there sin to be condemned? Absolutely there is. Sin is ugly and it is wrong. A huge part of the Christian life is repentance for the sin that we commit daily. But our lives as Christians do not end there. It does not end with us sitting in the wreckage of our sin with a sign around our necks that says “condemned.” Christ comes in, pays for the consequences of our sins by dying and rising again, and binds up your wounds with words through your pastor, straight from the mouth of Jesus himself. “I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” These words were spoken at your Baptism and are repeated in the Divine Service. We are truly loved by Jesus. In the name of Jesus. Amen. God said to His belovèd Son:  “It’s time to have compassion.  Then go, bright jewel of My crown, And bring to all salvation.  From sin and sorrow set them free;  Slay bitter death for them that they  May live with You forever.” (LSB 556:5)-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 19, 2024 Today's Reading: John 15:26-27;16:4 b-15 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 21:10-35; Luke 21:20-38“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” (John 15:26–27)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do I have to do this by myself? Do I have to do this all on my own? Am I strong enough? Have I done enough reading? Am I smart enough? These are all questions that flew into my mind when I first learned the faith. Study church history, or read the Acts of the Apostles, and you will know that at some point, confession is required of Christians. Now, this is not always the huge affair, where you have a sword to your neck or lions licking their chops on the sand of the coliseum. It might even be completely innocent, and not malicious at all. It could be your friend who doesn’t go to church at your lunch table asking, “Now what is it that you Christians believe about __________?” It could be your coworker at the water cooler asking why you even bother going to church every Sunday when you can read the Bible at home. Sooner or later, you must give an account. You must confess. And this possibility makes some of us (me included) very nervous! Think back to the questions from the beginning. Do I have to do this all by myself? Am I able to do it? These questions were probably going through the Apostle’s minds as Jesus was telling them what they must do. But there is a problem with those questions. They are all “I” questions. It’s focusing on the wrong person. The Good News that Jesus gives the Apostles is the same Good News for you: You aren’t doing it alone. You have a helper. And this helper gives you the words to say; He gives you the answers to the test. And who is this helper? Is it some angel that only you can see holding up a sign with the words to say? No, but that might be pretty cool sometimes. But this helper is even better. This helper is the Holy Spirit. And that test, that moment of confession when words are required, won’t be the first time that He has rolled onto the scene in your life. Because this is the same Holy Spirit given at your Baptism. It’s the same Holy Spirit that leads you to confess your sins every week. It’s the same Holy Spirit that leads you to receive the Sacrament of the Altar in faith. Are you able to do it on your own? No, but you don’t have to. You have a helper. 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. Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 18, 2024 Today's Reading: Psalm 104:24, 27-28, 30; antiphon: Liturgical TextDaily Lectionary: Numbers 20:22-21:9; Luke 20:45-21:19These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. (Psalm 104:27-28)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Scripture begins and ends with God providing a feast for His people. In Eden, the Lord gave every tree of the garden to eat of freely, save the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In Revelation, John sees and hears the joy of the marriage supper of the Lamb, a heavenly banquet with Christ at the center. From Genesis to Revelation, God has spread a table of His goodness and mercy. The whole Bible stretches out like a banqueting spread of God’s grace.Psalm 104 reminds us of this in beautiful words. The Lord opens His hand, and His creatures are filled with good things. This is what God does. Where He is present, there’s a feast. Israel ate the Passover lamb as they were saved from death in Egypt. Moses and the elders ate on Mt. Sinai in the Lord’s presence. King David wrote a psalm about the Lord preparing a table in the presence of our enemies (Psalm 23). The Lord provided food for His prophet Elijah in the cave. And the list goes on. God’s Word is a long menu of his mercy, an endless buffet of His grace and steadfast love.Psalm 104 also reminds us that without our Lord opening His hands, we would all starve. We would all go hungry. Through His goodness and mercy, He gives us our daily bread, as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer. The same is true in our life of faith before God. Apart from the goodness and mercy of God, we are spiritually dead as well. But the Psalmist knows this as well. So the Lord opens His hands, and we are filled with good things on our earthly tables and at our Lord’s table.It’s no accident that when God becomes man, wherever He goes, there’s food and a feast. He changes water to wine. Feeds thousands. Declares Himself the Bread of Life. He takes bread and wine on the night He was betrayed and declares, “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Take, drink; this is my blood of the new testament which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus opens His crucified and risen hand and fills you with good things, His Body and Blood for you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, You bless the earth to make it fruitful, bringing forth in abundance whatever is needed for the support of our lives. Prosper the work of farmers and all those who labor to bring food to our table. Grant them seasonable weather so that they may gather the fruits of the earth in abundance and proclaim Your goodness with thanksgiving; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.- Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 17, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 20:19-44Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:1-21; Luke 20:19-44Then 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. A good chess player will see his opponent’s opening move, a queen’s gambit perhaps; but a great chess player will counter the opponent with a challenge or trap of his own. In today’s Gospel reading, there’s a chess game going on, and the pharisees’ disciples think they have Jesus in check. But Jesus turns the tables on His opponents; He issues a challenge of His own…not for trophies or titles, but to bring His hearers to repentance and forgiveness.They ask Jesus, Tell us, then, what you think. "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” In politics, this would be called a gotcha question. If Jesus answers, “No, it isn’t lawful,” the political Herodians might have reason to go after Jesus for being a traitor or a religious nutcase. And if Jesus answers, “Yes, it is lawful,” then the Pharisees can peg Jesus as a traitor and blasphemer for supporting the Romans. But here’s the thing: Jesus’ opponents don’t really care about the answer. They only want to trap, discredit, and destroy Jesus. When Jesus replies, He makes His checkmate move. “Render, or pay to God the things that are God’s.” The issue is whether or not the Pharisees – and all who hear Jesus words – believe that He is and bears the authority of God, as the Son of God, as the one the Father sent with all authority to teach, preach, heal, forgive, live, die, and rise from the dead. And what did Jesus do when he came with the authority of the Father? Jesus came into our flesh to render to God what was God’s, namely our humanity, and to restore the image of God to our flesh. He rendered to God the things that are God’s. He did it “not with gold or silver,” not with the coin of Caesar, but with His holy and precious blood, and with His innocent suffering and death at the hands of the Pharisees and the Herodians and the Roman government, all of whom served as God’s instrument that you would belong to Him, be holy in Him, be saved and declared righteous in him.  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 lost not the things eternal; 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: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 16, 2024Today's Reading: The Lord’s Prayer - Fifth Petition Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:41-17:13; Numbers 18:1-19:22; Luke 20:1-18We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by His grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us. (Explanation to the 5th Petition)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you run the 100-yard dash and win, you expect to get a medal or ribbon. If you go to work, you expect a paycheck. If you play Super Mario Brothers and defeat Bowser, you expect to rescue Princess Peach. This is the way the world works; you get what you deserve. You earn what you have worked for, and so on. When it comes to the Gifts of God, we expect God to play by our rules. But guess what? God doesn’t do what we expect. God doesn’t give us what we deserve, and that’s a good thing.If God gave us what we deserved or rewarded us with what we had earned, what would that mean? Quite simply, death. The wages of sin is death, St. Paul writes in Romans 6:23. This is why Jesus gave us the Fifth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” In the Fifth Petition, we pray for forgiveness. We pray for a gift from God that we do not deserve. And the good news is that God gives us both mercy and grace. In His mercy, He doesn’t punish us as we deserve. Instead, Jesus takes all of the punishment for our sin and God’s wrath of judgment upon Himself on the cross. In His grace, He also gives us what we don’t deserve: His forgiveness, life, and salvation. This is what we pray for in this Petition, and by God’s grace and love, this is what He gives us. By God’s grace, we also are called to give this undeserved forgiveness to others as well. And we pray in this Petition that we would love and forgive others as God in Christ has forgiven us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; 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: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 15, 2024Today's Reading: Luke 19:29-48Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:23-40; Luke 19:29-48Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! (Luke 19:38)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Even though the church calendar says we are in the seventh week of Easter, think back for a moment to Palm Sunday and then further back to Christmas. What do Christmas and Palm Sunday have in common with one another? The more you think about it, the more similarities you find. Both Jesus’ birth and entry into Jerusalem were foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament. Both Christmas and Palm Sunday point to Jesus’ humility; He was born in humility, wrapped in swaddling cloths, and laid in a manger. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in humility. And yet He is also a king, both in His birth and on Palm Sunday as He makes His way to the throne of the cross.Jesus did all of this to bring peace between God and sinners. And that word peace is another thing that connects Christmas and Palm Sunday. At Jesus' birth, the angels announced to the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.” As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds shouted out the same joyful words. “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” Turns out that Christmas and Palm Sunday have a lot in common. Christ Jesus, who was born in our human flesh, entered Jerusalem to go to the cross and die in our place as God and man. The angels announced that the Savior from sin and death had arrived in Bethlehem and the Palm Sunday crowds announced that the Savior had arrived in Jerusalem to go to the cross to make peace by His death on the cross. God reveals his glory in Jesus’ incarnation for us and His glory in his crucifixion for us.But these words are not only a past event. We continue to join the angels and crowds every time we prepare to receive the Lord’s Supper, singing the same words. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!” Jesus, who was born for us and entered Jerusalem to go to the cross for us, now is present with us and for us in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. The same body and blood of Jesus, who was born for us and died on the cross for us, is given for our forgiveness, life, and salvation. And blessed are you in Jesus' gifts. 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 Jesus Christ, 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: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 14, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 John 5:9-15Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:1-22; Luke 19:11-28These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:13-14)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther explains the opening of the Lord’s Prayer, the words “Our Father,” by saying that with these words, God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father. Whenever I hear these words, I think of my own children who, with boldness and confidence, ask for a treat after dinner. Why? Because they know their father loves and cares for them, so they ask with boldness and confidence!Boldness. Confidence. You might not think about those words when it comes to prayer, but that is how we are instructed to pray as Christians. Why? Where is our confidence? Not in ourselves and not in anything we think, say, or do. No. There’s no confidence in our sinful flesh. Our confidence is in Christ crucified for us. The catechism teaches us to pray this way because Jesus lived, died, and rose again for you. We have boldness and confidence before God the Father through Jesus, who continues to be our intercessor and mediator before God. We pray in boldness and confidence, knowing that our confidence rests on Jesus and in the Father’s love for us in Jesus.This is what St. John is teaching us in 1 John 5, that our confidence in prayer rests not upon our shoulders, but on the shoulders of Jesus who bore the sins of the world on the cross. Because Jesus saves and gives eternal life, you can be confident that He hears your prayer. Our Lord commands us to pray but also promises to hear us. St. John also teaches trust along with confidence in Christ. Whenever we pray, we pray, “Thy will be done.” And even though we don’t always know how God will answer our prayer, we can pray in confidence knowing that God’s will towards us is good and gracious in 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 and chances 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)- Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 13, 2024 Today's Reading: Acts 1:12-26Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:26-45; Numbers 15:1-41; Luke 18:35-19:10So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us - one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection. (Acts 1:21-22)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Some skeptics like to throw shade at the Christian faith by comparing the life and work of the disciples to a game of telephone. The original message has been changed, corrupted, or misheard over time, so they say, or something like those lines. Readings like Acts 1 are a great reminder that this couldn’t be further from the truth. The Christian Gospel, your faith, and the events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection weren’t passed down willy-nilly but with great care, attention to detail, and historical evidence. One of the important pieces of evidence in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is the fact that there were eyewitnesses. And not just one, not even just the Twelve. Acts 1 reminds us that there were many other disciples who were present with Jesus for those three years. From the time of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River to His ascension forty days after His resurrection. Not only that, Paul says, there were over five hundred more eyewitnesses after Jesus rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15). These disciples weren’t playing a game; this was deadly serious. They saw Jesus dead on a Friday afternoon outside of Jerusalem, and they saw him again numerous times alive again before His ascension. The disciples, like Matthias, are reminders that the Christian faith is founded on fact, not fantasy. Jesus’ death and resurrection are historical events, not hearsay. What Jesus did to save you was witnessed by men like Matthias and the women at the empty tomb. His promises are trustworthy and true. Jesus promised He would die and rise, and He did, just as He said. Jesus gave us disciples to faithfully, and at times under great peril to themselves, deliver accurately and reliably the Good News they witnessed. Thanks be to God that we have so many eyewitnesses who testified to His resurrection and still are witnesses to us today. 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, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday of Easter)- Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 12, 2024 Today's Reading: John 17:11b-19Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:1-25; Luke 18:18-34Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When Moses came near the burning bush in Exodus 3, the Lord said to him, “Do not come near, take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”  When the prophet Isaiah saw the Lord enthroned in glory in Isaiah 6, the angels sang out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Wherever the Lord is, there is holiness. Whatever He declares holy is holy. The problem for us is that whenever we see God’s holiness in the Bible, we are reminded that apart from Him, we are unholy. We have no holiness of our own. Moses was afraid. Isaiah confessed his sin. So do we, whenever we gather in Divine Service. We confess that we are poor, miserable sinners and that we have sinned, that we are unholy in thought, word, and deed. But then something miraculous happens. God speaks His holy Word in holy Absolution to forgive all our sin. God called and ordained your pastor into the office of the holy ministry to be a servant of the Word. God who is holy gives holy Gifts to declare unholy sinners holy in His name. In Holy Baptism, you are washed and baptized into the name of the holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In holy Absolution, you stand forgiven before God who is holy. In the Holy Supper, you receive Jesus’ Body and Blood for forgiveness, life, and salvation.How does our holy Lord do all of this? By his holy Word, just as Jesus prays in John 17. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. To sanctify is to make and declare holy. That’s exactly what our Lord Jesus prays for and what God does. Through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, God gives us a holiness that is not our own. God’s holiness is always received from God, not achieved by us. So the next time you read or hear God’s Word, remember that God is sanctifying you. When you go into His house, God is there to give you holy Gifts in water, word, bread and wine. When you fear your sin and death, do not be afraid. You are holy in Jesus. You have His Word on it. 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 have 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)- Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 11, 2024 Today's Reading: Psalm 27:1a, 4-5, 10, 14; antiphon: Psalm 27:7Daily Lectionary: Numbers 13:1-3, 17-33; Luke 18:1-17Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:14)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christianity is a waiting game. Much as you might want immediate results, the Psalmist teaches you that you have to wait. When affliction hits you, when there’s suffering among your friends or family, when blessings are coming but they’re not here yet, you’d love for God to step in immediately. But most of the time, God does not deliver His blessings, relief, or healing according to your preferred time schedule.So you have to wait for the Lord. You have to bear the affliction. You have to endure powerlessness. You can only anticipate the good that’s coming sometimes. That’s hard. Not only is that hard, that also can be faith destroying. Jesus’ parable of the sower in Matthew 13 teaches that some receive the Word with joy for a time, only to fall away from it in times of persecution or suffering. Our sinful nature does not like to wait. Perhaps that’s a good reason why God teaches us that we must sometimes.When God acts, He acts always at the right time. Whenever He withholds blessings, it is so your heart might learn to rely on His Word and promises. Suffering teaches reliance on God’s Word for those who are willing to learn that lesson. Whenever God turns His face away in anger, it is so you might offer prayers to God and remind Him of His Word and promises that He has bound Himself to. When God allows suffering, it is so your heart learns that this world is not your friend but a valley of sorrows. But He also promises grace and every blessing to all who trust in His Word and conform their lives to living according to His Commandments.Therefore, Christianity is a waiting game of epic proportions. But as you wait for the Lord to show His mercy, you can be strong. Your heart can take courage. You can be bold. For God has not cast off His people forever. His anger may last a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime. In Jesus, God has acted for your eternal good and blessing. In Jesus’ death, God was reconciling the world to Himself. By Jesus’ death, the Christians’ heart finds all strength and courage. He suffers for your sins so you do not fall under God’s eternal anger. Jesus is forsaken by God so that you would never be. Nothing makes a heart so courageous and strong as hearing the Gospel, that Jesus died and rose for you and your sins are forgiven. He also died in the fullness of time. God always acts at the right time. And that’s good enough for faith. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord, grant that our hearts do not lose courage as we wait for Your mercy, but instead find strength in Your Word and promises given in Jesus. Amen.- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 10, 2024 Today's Reading: The Lord’s Prayer - Fourth PetitionDaily Lectionary: Numbers 11:24-29, 12:1-16; Luke 17:20-37What is the 4th petition of the Lord’s Prayer?  Give us this day our daily bread.  What does this mean? 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.What is meant by daily bread? 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. (Small Catechism, 4th Petition and explanation)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God is not interested in man’s soul only, but also man’s bodily life. The same God who sent His Son to save sinners also spoke Creation into existence. The same Father who gives His Holy Spirit also provides material needs. Lutherans call it all “daily bread.” Not that you’re going to eat shoes or weather, or slab some butter or jelly on faithful neighbors. These are also “daily bread,” just not that kind.  Rather, everything good is given to you by God. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray that we realize this. But you probably don’t think of it. If you saw God at work every time He was sustaining your being, you’d be shocked. You probably wouldn’t be able to see anything else but God’s hand giving gifts. From your socks to your comb, even the guy cooking fries at the restaurant you ate at last Saturday, God’s hand is everywhere, on every vocation that’s not sinful and is everywhere, giving daily bread.You don’t always realize this because God keeps Himself hidden. In this way, God works to keep saving faith in Christ living. God does not want us to rely on sight, but on faith in Christ and His saving death and resurrection and the Word that proclaims this. When we rely on our sight, we’re disappointed. That’s when we see some people having more than others, instead of trusting that God gives all people daily bread at the needed time. Relying on sight also leads us from trusting in God’s love when He withholds daily bread for a time. Yet, because Jesus has turned God’s heart to us by His innocent suffering and death, believers can be full of hope even when everything else fails. Even if it’s bad weather, or your shoes are stinky, or your government does shady things - God still gives you what you need. For He gives what you ultimately need- salvation through faith in His crucified and risen Son. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Heavenly Father, because you have such Fatherly love and mercy for those You have made, even sending us Your Son to die for our sins, teach us to always realize Your faithfulness to us. Amen.- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 9, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 24:44-53Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:1-23, 31-35; Luke 17:1-19And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:50-51)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus ascends. You might wonder why this matters. It seems like the Ascension is the least important thing in the Apostles’ Creed. Ascension Day is never seen as on the same level as Christmas and Easter. Ascension Day often gets ignored. Your church may not even have an Ascension Day service.But the Ascension is amazing! Notice what Jesus does when He ascends. He blesses His believers. But what is even more important is that Jesus never stops blessing His believers. While He ascended, meaning even as Jesus was being lifted up into God’s immediate glory, Jesus speaks nothing but blessing. And now that Jesus has entered into God’s heavenly presence with His body, it’s like Jesus cannot stop blessing His people.A blessing is not just a pious-sounding wish. A blessing is not, “I hope something good happens to you, even though I can’t promise that it will.”  Blessings in Scripture were powerful words that brought about good Gifts. In Genesis, Isaac could not repeat Jacob’s blessing for Esau. His blessing gave a specific gift for the person who received it. Jacob’s blessings for his 12 sons likewise were very specific. They were words of power to bring about what his Words spoke of. In the gospels, Jesus cannot bless someone who hates Him. He does not bless the devil, nor the Pharisees who denied that He was God’s Son. Instead, Jesus blesses those who want to be close to Him and those who cannot bring themselves to Him. He blesses little children, Peter for confessing the truth about Jesus, and those who are not offended at Him. On the Last Day, Jesus will say to the faithful, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34)The Ascension means that Jesus gives unending blessing for you. His blessing is an ongoing reality and will be even past the world’s end. That means when your conscience accuses you, you can instead rely on your ascended Lord, who does not accuse you but blesses you. If you face tragedy, loss, even death, the blessing of the risen Christ ascends over this and constantly speaks peace for you. His Word is a Word of power. Jesus cannot stop blessing you now in the preaching and the Sacraments. He who died for your sins and is risen now ascends into heaven with unending blessing on His lips. Amazing. 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 continuously dwell there with Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 8, 2024 Today's Reading: Numbers 10:11-36Daily Lectionary: Numbers 10:11-36; Luke 16:19-31And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.” (Numbers 10:35-36)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The ark of the covenant was basically a very decorated, ornate box. It was a man-made thing. In Exodus 25, God gave Moses instructions on how the ark was to be built. Yet, despite it being a man-crafted thing, the ark was of divine origin. Therefore, the ark was both of God and of man. God designed it. Man built it.Moses speaks when the ark was moved or brought back. “Arise, O Lord!” “Return, O Lord!” But it was this man-made box that was being moved! People had to pick it up and move it every time they were marching to the next spot. The ark didn’t do anything. It just sat there. It sounds like Moses was speaking to a box, and thinking this man-made box was God Himself!Moses is not committing idolatry, though. He says this because God used the ark of the covenant as His throne. 1 Samuel 4:4 speaks of “the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim.” This referred to the two cherubs on the golden mercy seat lid that covered the ark. So when we see the ark in the Old Testament, we see it as the place where God chose to locate Himself in all His power, to give mercy in the proper way to His people. That’s why even though the ark was picked up by men, it was still as though God Himself was moving. God Himself was leading, because He commanded by His Word where His people were to go or where they were to stop.Jesus is like the ark of the covenant. He is both of God and of man. Begotten of the Father from all eternity, yet born of the virgin Mary. Like the ark of the covenant, Jesus is where God has chosen to locate Himself in His power, to give mercy in the proper way to His people. This is what the Catechism teaches about Jesus. Basically, there are three points to remember about Jesus’ divine and human natures: 1) These two natures are one person, 2) These two act as one for your salvation, and 3) The divine nature shares with human nature. And all for you and your salvation. The incarnate Son of God in human flesh lived perfectly in your place. He bore your sins. He suffered and died. He rose in your place as well. All so that you could come before God the Father safely, forgiven of sins, and cleansed from all unrighteousness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Arise, O Lord Jesus, and rescue us from our enemies of sin, death, and the devil. Amen.- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.  

May 7, 2024Today's Reading: 1 John 5:1-8Daily Lectionary: Numbers 9:1-23; Luke 16:1-18[T]his is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 John 5:4b)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Historians remember people in previous centuries who took over much of the world. These are the famous conquerors such as Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, and Genghis Khan. These world leaders conquered much land and territory in their times. They led powerful armies, made treaties with other rulers, and in general, won a lot of their battles.Jesus is not on the list of world conquerors, not exactly. He never raised an army or took land. He never owned land Himself as far as we know. And it’s even more definite that you are also not a world conqueror. You don’t own land. You haven’t raised an army or taken over cities. You take math and P.E. classes, for crying out loud. That’s usually not what world conquerors do.Yet today St. John says in his epistle that you and all believers have overcome the world! Everyone who is born anew as a child of God has overcome the world! You are born anew at the font, that is, Baptism has given you a new birth and adoption in Jesus. Because of this, you are joined to Jesus mystically. We don’t see it. You might feel different, you might not. But it is a reality. Baptism gives supernatural Gifts- being joined to Jesus, being given the Holy Spirit, adopted into God’s family, forgiven of sins, and rescued from the devil. Faith receives these Gifts. Faith works with Baptism. Baptism joins you to Jesus mystically, like a branch is connected to the vine. Faith means that you are as a living branch and not a dead one. Both Baptism and faith are important and needed.Why does our faith overcome the world? Because by Baptism and through faith in Christ, we are joined to Jesus. In John 16:33, Jesus says, “I have overcome the world.” He has overcome the world by His righteous, innocent life because He never fell to temptation or believed the world’s depraved ideas. Jesus has overcome the world also by sacrificing Himself to die for your sins which the world could not do, and rise again from the dead, which the world cannot overcome. Baptism joins you to Jesus. Faith receives Jesus’ benefits. So because you are joined to Jesus who has overcome the world, you overcome the world as well. You are not on the list of world conquerors… but perhaps you, I, all believers, and Jesus especially, should be. As Romans 8:37 also reminds us, "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." 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! (LSB 730:3)- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 6, 2024 Today's Reading: Acts 10:34-48 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 8:5-26; Luke 15:11-32While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. (Acts 10:44-45)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The first believers in Christ’s salvation were Jews. They grew up in the Jewish religion. The men were circumcised as infants. The people ate the clean foods Leviticus taught. They sacrificed at the temple when they came to Jerusalem for the annual feasts. Then, the savior promised in Scripture finally came. Jesus, the crucified and risen, was actually the Christ! Some Jews believed it and were brought into Christ’s salvation.With this in mind, you can understand why the “Jewish” Christians were astonished in Acts 10. It shocked them when they heard Peter speak of a vision from God that led to a Gentile converting. It continued to shock their world when the Gift of the Holy Spirit poured out on Gentiles, too. We might think the Jewish believers were snobs. We might be tempted to think the Jewish believers were acting like popular kids who didn’t want the chess club joining their lunch table. But that’s not the case at all.It’s more that the Jewish believers could not understand how the Gentiles did not follow God’s Word before they became believers! God’s Word commanded certain sacrifices, circumcision, kosher foods, rituals, Jewish feasts, etc. But the Gentiles came to faith apart from these parts commanded by God’s Word! A Gentile was primarily a pagan idolater. A Gentile didn’t mean a different ethnicity, but one who followed any of the non-Christian religions out there. And the Holy Spirit came upon them! It would be as if God had decided to zap an unbeliever at your school who heard the Gospel only once, and that day, he started going to your church and catechism class.The reason the Gentiles came to faith was that they heard the Gospel. What about the ceremonial laws? Jesus fulfilled them, including the sign of circumcision, the clean foods, the rituals, the sacrifices, and the feasts. All of it is fulfilled in Jesus, especially by His innocent suffering and death and His resurrection from the dead. Since Jesus has fulfilled all of the Law, the Old Testament ceremonial laws are now put aside. They were the shadow; Christ is the substance. The moral Law remains in place, but Jesus has kept this Law for you perfectly and done everything needed for your salvation. Hear God’s Word and trust in Jesus, and you likewise have this salvation, too. Through faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you make a beginning at keeping the moral law too. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The Gospel shows the Father’s grace, Who sent His Son to save our race, Proclaims how Jesus lived and died That we might thus be justified. (LSB 580:1)- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 5, 2024 Today's Reading: John 15:9-17 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 3:1-16, 39-48; Number 4:1-8; Luke 14:25-15:10“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”  (John 15:12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Love is commanded. Therefore, this kind of love that Jesus speaks of is not a feeling. You cannot command anyone to feel a certain way. As much as you might wish to be able to command that hot girl in English class or the guy across the row in band to feel attraction to you, sadly, it doesn’t work that way.The love that Jesus commands is action. Self-giving action, at that. This is not the kind of self-giving that a girl does when she finally gives in to pressure from her boyfriend to have sex. That’s not self-giving, that’s giving in. Jesus does not command sin, for sin is dangerous and destructive to people. Sex before marriage, for example, is a monstrous faith destroyer. That is why God set up His Commandments- to safeguard and protect you from dangers that would harm the good Gifts that God gives. Getting back to the self-giving nature of love, it is the kind of action that sacrifices money, time, a caring heart, and perhaps your popularity to help someone under affliction.Chief among the Commandments is love. Your love for fellow believers (especially in your congregation) is to reflect Jesus’ love for you. You cannot truly know love, that is, without learning God’s Word and believing the Gospel. You cannot truly show love where you are ignorant of the self-giving Jesus gave when He laid down His life for sinners. For Jesus not only commands love- He commands a specific love. This specific love mirrors Jesus’ own actions for us.Because no one can keep this commandment by nature, we confess our lovelessness and receive Jesus’ Absolution from our pastor as from God Himself. Our pastor’s Absolution delivers forgiveness for our lovelessness. And it also refreshes us in Jesus’ love for us. His love is action, meaning that in Confession and Absolution, Jesus is acting to communicate the righteousness He won for you by His death. Risen from the dead, Jesus has broken the power of death and defanged the devil. There is no condemnation for you who believe this. Therefore, receiving Jesus’ love in the act of hearing the forgiveness of sins, we can then show the same kind of heart and forgiveness to those who sin against us lovelessly. God grant Your Spirit that we might! 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, one God, now and forever.- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 4, 2024 Today's Reading: Psalm 66:1-2, 8-9, 20; antiphon: Psalm 66:16Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:21-33, 39-44, Numbers 1:1-2:34, Luke 14:1-24Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! (Psalm 66:20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is a common misunderstanding about prayer. Many people think that God hears prayers better if more people pray. That’s why many people ask anyone and everyone to pray for their sick relative or their friend who is suffering. Now don’t get me wrong. Christians should pray. God commands us in the Second Commandment to pray and use His name rightly. God also promises to hear us when we pray, and will answer our prayers by what is best in His good and gracious will.But it’s not true that God hears prayers better if more people pray. The prayers of many are not louder to God than prayers made by just one. The amount of people who pray doesn’t matter as much as the faith of the people who pray. Everywhere in Scripture, prayer is connected with faith in Christ. Those who have saving faith in Christ are heard and blessed. Those who do not have saving faith in Christ, or who pray to false gods, are not heard and not blessed. So, for example, God refused to hear the prayers of the unrepentant Israelites in Isaiah 1:5, whose hands were covered with blood - metaphorically speaking. Or consider when God spoke to the idolatrous Judeans who blended their worship with their idol-worshiping neighbors’ worship. Jeremiah writes of this in Lamentations 3:44, saying, “you have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.”This is why the Psalmist today is so cheered that God hears his prayers. It is a sign that this psalm-writer is still in God’s love and grace. He has not fallen out of saving faith in the Christ who was to come (who has come now, Jesus). Rather, the Psalmist is relieved that God hears His prayers because that also means that he will not be condemned like the unbelieving world.What about your prayers? If you don’t pray regularly, repent and believe the Gospel, and then do it. Make prayer part of your routine, saying many private prayers throughout the day. Where God does not say yes right away, that does not mean you are lacking in saving faith. It might mean God has better plans. It might mean God wants you to wait a little bit so your heart is in better condition to appreciate His Gifts. But where God does answer your prayers with a resounding “yes,” you can be thankful, cheered, and moved just like the Psalmist. For your loving heavenly Father knows your needs, and by answering your prayers, it shows that you continue to be His dear child through faith in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Heavenly Father, continue to look on us in grace, that believing in Your Son and His salvation, we offer up regular prayers, trusting in Your good and gracious will.  Amen.- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 3, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 13:18-35Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:1-20, Luke 13:18-35“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”  (Luke 13:24)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Years ago, adults were shorter. If you want proof, go to the country of the Netherlands sometime and take a tour of some of the old Dutch windmills. The doorframes between rooms in windmills are so short that no adult except those who are under 5’0 can walk in comfortably.A Dutch windmill door is a lot easier to enter than the narrow door Jesus speaks of. This is not a physical door, portal, or gateway. This narrow door is the way into eternal salvation on the Last Day. Jesus says many people will seek to enter salvation on the Last Day and won’t be able to. The reason is they seek to enter it by their works, who they are related to, how much money they have, etc. And there’s the problem - no one is good enough by his merits to enter. Being related to someone cool doesn’t grant access. And money? Ha! What does money matter to God who created gold and silver by a mere word?Only One can enter that narrow gate by His works: our Lord Jesus Christ. It is as if that door is Jesus-shaped, and only He can go through it. As true God and man, Jesus was perfect under the Law. But Jesus did not want to be the only person to be saved eternally and enter that narrow door. So, He also gave up His perfect life to die for your death sentence. Jesus willingly took God’s condemnation against your sins on Himself at His cross. Now He is risen, showing that your sins are paid for completely. Now Jesus lives, showing that all of God’s anger at Your sins has been poured out. Jesus’ resurrection shows there is a doorway through eternal death - and it leads through His grave.In Holy Baptism, you are joined to Jesus in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:1-6). Your sinful nature drowned in the font, and you rose up to newness of life. Baptism has joined you to Jesus’ body (1 Corinthians 12:13). Baptism gives Gifts of life, rescue, and salvation. Faith gladly receives these Gifts that Baptism gives and continues to give every day. If you are joined to Jesus’ body in your Baptism and trust in His salvation, you are also able to enter through that narrow, Jesus-shaped gate in Him. Joined to Jesus by Baptism and made alive through faith in Him, you also enter with Him into eternal salvation. Not by what you deserve - but by simply trusting the free salvation that is in Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Heavenly Father, keep us in the true saving faith, that mindful of Your baptismal grace, we may trust that we are joined to Your Son and enter with Him through the narrow gate into life eternal. Amen.- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 2, 2024 Today's Reading: The Lord’s Prayer - Third PetitionDaily Lectionary: Leviticus 24:1-23, Leviticus 25:1-55, Luke 12:54-13:17What is the Third Petition? Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  What does this mean? The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.How is God’s will done? God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die.This is His good and gracious will. (Small Catechism, 3rd Petition and Explanation)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When Scripture speaks of God’s will, it simply means what God wants. And what does God want for you? First, to do for Him. Basically, the Ten Commandments. The Commandments are God’s will, not suggestions. Whatever work is good, that is described by the Ten Commandments. God is pleased when these Commandments are done. So when you do these works, which Christians can only begin to do in this life, you are serving God. You also serve God when you serve your neighbor. The Catechism reminds us with every explanation to the Commandments that begins by saying, “We should fear and love God so that we…” Because of our sinful nature, we cannot keep the Commandments well enough to justify ourselves. So for this part of God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, God Himself must act.God wants second, for Him to do. God wants to rescue you from your sins and to redeem you. To do this, He sent His Son Jesus to die for you and to rise for your justification. Jesus, the perfect, spotless Lamb of God, was sent to die for your sins by God’s good and gracious will. Now, having ascended, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit who speaks of Him. The Holy Spirit operates by the pure preaching of the Word and by the Sacraments. This, too, is God’s will. Luke 7:30 says that the Pharisees and teachers of the law rejected God’s will by not being baptized by John. So receiving the Sacraments is part of God’s will. Not as a commandment to obey, but as a Gift of grace to receive. By the Means Of Grace, faith in Jesus is strong. God wants to declare you righteous by Jesus through faith in Him alone.These two ways are how God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven. By this, the will of our spiritual enemies is broken and hindered. God be praised. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Heavenly Father, guard our faith and our life so we believe Your Holy Word and walk according to Your Commandments, and that we entrust our lives to Your good and gracious will. Amen.- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 1, 2024 Today's Reading: John 14:1-14 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:23-44, Luke 12:35-53Philip said to him, “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?” (John 14:8-9a)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Poor Philip. He’s trying to ask Jesus the right question, and Jesus just shakes His head. ‘Oh, Philip. Haven’t you been paying attention to what I’ve been teaching you?  Shouldn’t you know this by now?’ You kind of feel bad for the guy. If you ever felt embarrassed in catechism or Sunday school when you asked a question everyone else thought was dumb, you’d feel worse if Jesus thought that!And it’s not like James the Less (that is, the son of Alphaeus, not the brother of John) was doing any better. This apostle never says anything in Scripture. He is always silent, never daring to speak up. You’d feel bad for the guy, but you don’t notice him! He’s doing his best to pretend like he’s a statue. Silent, unnoticed, hoping to skate by without any undue attention. The problem is, no one should be silent. We are called to confess Christ, to learn from Him, and to pray to Him.But Jesus came to gather only flawed people like Philip, James, and yourself around Him. Jesus does not come to gather the most eloquent speakers, the smartest kids in the class, or perfect physical specimens of beauty and strength. Jesus calls flawed people. He calls not only the timid and clueless. He calls sinners - sinners like Philip, James, and you. He calls people who deserve nothing but death and God’s anger because of their greed, self-serving, and self-righteous thoughts.Yet to such flawed people like Philip, James, and us, Jesus gives His righteousness. This is not on the basis of our works but on the basis of faith in His works for us. His merits are applied to us. And His merits are not just the good works of a good, regular guy. This is the eternal Son of God, who is one with the Father and who makes the Father in all His goodness and mercy present to us. When God the Father comes to us in Christ, He also comes to create us anew. When we receive His Means Of Grace in faith, God takes our flaws and minimizes them. His Word and faith make us more courageous, more alive, without fear or shame. That makes us even more bold to confess Him to others. 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 the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

April 30, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 John 4:1-11, 12-21Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:1-22, Luke 12:13-34Beloved, 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. (1 John 4:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Test the spirits? Are we talking about multiple choice? Fill in the blank? Maybe it’s the dreaded essay test! Or worse - the kind of theological interview many seminarians take to be pastors. The theological interview is basically an hour-long spoken examination before two intelligent professors who can ask any theological question they want! That’s not what St. John means, thankfully! “Testing the spirits” is John’s way of saying that you are to test the Scriptural faithfulness of every preacher you hear.Why does John speak of spirits? What’s that about? That’s because, in the New Testament, no one could be a public preacher without having some spirit influencing him to speak. It was either the Holy Spirit, or it was an evil spirit. The Holy Spirit sends out pastors who speak of Jesus and His free salvation for you. They proclaim Scripture’s teaching purely. We know they are influenced by the Holy Spirit because Jesus says in the gospel of John 15:26, “The Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, will bear witness about me.” All false spirits, however, send out preachers who persistently teach against what Scripture says. They may preach leadership skills or how to become a better person. They may preach that babies are innocent of all sin and don’t need Baptism, or that God chose to only save some people and not all. Whatever it is they say, they don’t speak according to Scripture.Test the spirits! But how can you know if your pastor is speaking Biblically or not? You hopefully haven’t read the Bible as much as he has! But, you are taught the entire Christian faith by the Small Catechism. This is the “layman’s Bible." This directs you to what God teaches. His Commandments teach what you are to do, but they convict your heart if you have not done them. The Creed teaches what God has done for you, to create you, but also to save you. God sent His Son to redeem all Creation, and the Holy Spirit now proclaims Jesus’ salvation by the mouths of His pastors! The Lord’s Prayer teaches you how to pray to God. The Sacraments of Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper teach you how God continues to give you His healing Gospel in the life of the Church. If your pastor is preaching what is in line with this? Tell him you appreciate it, and you appreciate him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Send, O Lord, Your Holy Spirit On Your servant now, we pray; Let him prove a faithful shepherd That no lamb be led astray. Your pure teaching to proclaim, To extol Your holy name, And to feed Your lambs, dear Savior, Make his aim and sole endeavor. (LSB 681:1)- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

April 29, 2024Today's Reading: Acts 8:26-40Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 21:1-24, Luke 12:1-12Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:35-36)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is one prayer God always answers “Yes” to. That is if you pray that God sends you someone to confess the Gospel to. God always sends someone across your path, so that person can hear, too. Whether they’ve heard it before or not, either way, God is great at putting His people in the right places where His Gospel can be confessed.Philip comes to the Ethiopian official at God’s prodding. Philip was a public preacher of God’s Word. Hearing the man read from the book of Isaiah, Philip stopped him and asked if he understood it. The man did not. That shows us that you can’t just give a Bible to someone who doesn’t have faith in Christ. He won’t know how to read it. He’ll be confused. He might read Leviticus and think Christians make animal sacrifices. People must be taught. You must be taught. For this reason, God sends you your parents and your pastor. Both are needed for the teaching of the faith to you.The Ethiopian heard the Gospel that Philip preached, beginning from that Isaiah text. Jesus Christ was crucified for sinners. Like a Lamb before its shearers, so Jesus went before Pontius Pilate and the Jewish leaders silently. Jesus did not try to get out of dying and have someone take His place. He came to take YOUR place, under sin, under death, under God’s wrath. That way, you would be gifted with the opposite - His place, free from sin, rescued from death, and under God’s mercy. He did not want to save Himself. Jesus wanted to save you. That’s why He did not offer any defense before Pontius Pilate to spare His life.The Holy Spirit worked through the Word and gave the Ethiopian faith in Christ. Philip preached, the Ethiopian eunuch heard, faith was created. Notice that Acts specifically says that Philip told him the Good News about Jesus. And what did this Good News include? After hearing Philip, the Ethiopian wanted to be baptized. This shows us that Baptism is also part of the Good News of Jesus. Baptism is Gospel. Baptism is not some unneeded extra while the Word of Jesus’ death is all that matters. No, Baptism is God’s work for you by Word and water. By Baptism, you are adopted into God’s family, gifted with God’s name, given the Holy Spirit, and have an eternal promise of God’s mercy by that Sacrament. That sounds like Good News to me. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Christ, holy Vine, Christ, living Tree, Be praised for this blest mystery: That Word and water thus revive And join us to Your Tree of Life (LSB 595:5).- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

April 28, 2024 Today's Reading: John 15:1-8Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 20:1-16, 22-27, Luke 11:37-54“Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” (John 15:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In Numbers 8:5-22, Moses describes the cleansing ritual for the Levites, the servants of the Lord, at His Tabernacle. They had to be set apart from the other Israelites to be devoted to the Lord’s service. But first, the Levites had to be made clean. Their sinful nature made them unclean, of course, just like all others by nature. Your nature, too, is corrupt, and you need God’s cleansing by the Gospel.The Levites were cleansed first by being sprinkled with purifying water. They had to shave, they had to wash their clothes and themselves. After this came sacrifices. Two bulls were sacrificed, one as a burnt offering and one as a sin offering. A grain offering was also made in thanks to God. Finally, the Levites themselves were offered as a “wave offering.” This Old Testament ceremony brought something that belonged to people and dedicated that to be the Lord’s. Only after this could the Levites serve the Lord.But Jesus says you are made clean a lot easier. You are cleansed by His Word. However, remember that Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). So when Jesus says His Word has cleansing powers today, we can also see a fulfillment of the Levite’s cleansing.First, you are washed in Baptism. Baptism is truly cleansing because forgiveness of sins is delivered here. By this, you become a branch in Jesus the Living Vine and more than just a servant - You are His friend. Next, Jesus offers Himself as our burnt offering. God’s anger at your sins is poured out completely on Jesus at the cross. Repent. But also believe that for all your sins, Jesus suffers the punishment. Jesus is also our sin offering. Jesus transfers you out of all of the eternal fallout of your sins, even if there still remain worldly consequences for those sins.. On the Last Day, you will be transferred out of these too. By faith in His death, you are now transferred from the kingdom of sin into God’s righteousness. You are even free from sins that were done against you! After this, faith gives thanksgiving to God for His mercy to you.Now, Jesus’ word carries this forgiveness to you. Hearing Jesus’ word makes you clean. For His death has won your salvation, and His Word communicates this to you. God be praised! 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, our Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

April 27, 2024Today's Reading: Psalm 145:1-2, 8, 10, 21; antiphon: John 16:16Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 19:9-18, 26-37; Luke 11:14-36The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (From the Introit for Easter 5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Unfortunately, the Old Testament picture of God most often seen in our world is that of a grumpy, angry, and spiteful old man. There is even the idea that there is an “Old Testament God” and a “New Testament God,” that they are completely different gods.You, of course, know this is foolish and untrue. But the picture is still so common that it isn’t strange to hear someone say that they “will go all Old Testament” on a problem they have.Yet, King David, himself an Old Testament king, says the opposite about his and our God. He says that He is gracious and merciful. And he’s right. For every example of God unleashing great wrath and vengeance, there are multiple examples of God withholding that punishment as long as possible, giving the sinners every opportunity to repent and turn to Him.That is exactly who God is for you. He could have blasted Adam and Eve back to dust when they fell. He could have drowned Noah and his family, too, during the Flood. He could have killed all children in the Tenth Plague in Egypt, and not just the oldest of those not protected by the Lamb’s blood.Even in those cases, Almighty God withheld His wrath as long as He could. Noah preached for 120 years while he built the ark, Moses had already pleaded with Pharaoh nine times, and while Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, they were given a promise, the greatest promise anyone could get. A savior was coming.While the God of the Old Testament is indeed just and pours out His wrath when needed, so did the God of the New Testament. Only, in the New Testament, that same God poured out all of His wrath at one time and in one place: upon Jesus.Yes, God is merciful and abounding in steadfast love. He took all of the wrath and suffering and punishment and darkness and abandonment that was coming for everyone on earth and poured it out on His Son.He took all of that wrath and punishment from you and redirected it to one who was willing to die in your place. It is hard to grasp, but it is also true. Someone loves you enough to suffer in your place. Because Jesus does this, mercy and grace are yours, for you, too are covered in the Lamb’s precious and saving blood. 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. (Collect for those outside the Church)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 26, 2024 Today's Reading: The Lord’s Prayer - Second PetitionDaily Lectionary: Leviticus 18:1-7, 20-19:8; Luke 11:1-13Thy Kingdom Come. What does this mean? The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also. (The Lord's Prayer, the Second Petition, Small Catechism)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Where is God’s kingdom today? We are assured that God’s kingdom comes without our prayer, but where can we see it? How do we know he’s with us, or that we are even a part of His kingdom?Some want to see a theocracy on earth, where everyone is under a “Christian” ruler who makes sure God’s work and will are done everywhere on earth through legislative and social means. The problem is that God never promised to work that way in our world. Even the Old Testament kings were only there to get God’s people to the place where the Messiah would come. Certainly, on the Last Day, God will come in great power and glory and we will all live under Him in his eternal kingdom forever, but what about now?Now, we look for where God Himself promises to be. Where God says He will come to us and grant us His Gifts. God is present everywhere, for He is God; He fills all of creation as the Almighty Creator. But if you want to meet Him directly, or at least as directly as a sinner can meet the holy and righteous God, you go where He promises that you will see and hear Him. In His Word, in the Divine Service, in His Sacraments.We call this God’s ‘Kingdom of Grace.’ It is where He promises to hide His indescribable glory behind simple earthly things so that we are able to receive from His hand all of His Gifts without fear of being slain by His glory.Remember when Isaiah saw God in His glory in the temple and thought He was a dead man (Isaiah 6)? You never have to be afraid of that. Jesus has already come to you, washed you in his blood, raised you from your death, and made you a new creation by His death and resurrection. God’s gracious kingdom is open to you whenever you gather before His altar. Rejoice that you have such open and free access to the Lord of Creation, for He is always there, ready to give you His Gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation freely for Jesus’ sake. 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.  (LSB 766:3)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 25, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 16:14-20Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 17:1-16, Luke 10:23-42Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. (St. Mark 16:14)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ouch. Rebuked by the risen Jesus. Scolded by the holiest of all (God-)men. They were used to Jesus doing this to the Scribes and the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, but His own disciples? It wasn’t unheard of, after all; He called St. Peter “Satan” and grilled Sts. James and John over wanting the seats of honor when Jesus came into his kingdom. That doesn’t mean these words didn’t sting, though.St. Mark the Evangelist, also known as John Mark in the New Testament, wrote this gospel from the recollections of St. Peter (according to church history and tradition). He gets a bit of a pass, maybe, for not being in the room when Jesus spoke these words, but they certainly had an impact on him.History and tradition say he went to Rome and recorded this Gospel from St. Peter’s memories, and then went on to found the Church in Alexandria, Egypt, where he was its first bishop and he ultimately suffered a martyr’s death. Before that, he accompanied St. Paul on his first missionary journey before traveling with Barnabas to Cyprus.That’s quite a lot of traveling for a man who wasn’t in the inner circle of Jesus’ apostles. What it does make clear, though, is that St. Mark took to heart what Jesus said in that room about going into all the world and proclaiming the gospel. Through his work of writing this gospel and proclaiming Jesus, that same message of salvation and truth spread farther and farther from Jerusalem until it covered the globe.Today, you are able to read this gospel at a moment’s notice. It’s just a few taps away on your phone, which I’m sure would be an absolute amazement to St. Mark! But this is the love that God the Father, the risen Christ, and the Holy Spirit have for their people. They make sure that the Word which brings salvation spreads to every ear that needs to hear, sits upon every tongue that needs to speak, and enlivens water, bread, and wine so that it pours out its saving work upon God’s children, wherever they may be. Thanks be to God for his mercy! 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 the Commemoration of St. Mark, Evangelist)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 24, 2024Today's Reading: Luke 10:1-22Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 16:1-24, Luke 10:1-22“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.” (Luke 10:16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today, Jesus ordains seventy-two apostles and sends them into the countryside to herald His coming and preach His Word. He gives them very specific instructions about what to do, and He also gives them His authority.Not just any authority, but the authority of Almighty God. By hearing the sent one, they hear God himself speaking. By rejecting the sent one, they reject God himself.That probably gave the seventy-two a pretty strong case of the shakes. Like a newly-ordained baby pastor straight from the seminary, they were going out to speak life and death to these unsuspecting towns. Sure, they had Jesus’s promise and Word and authority, but would anyone take them seriously? Would their Certificate of Ordination actually mean something?Jesus is up front about it, too; He sends them out “as lambs in the midst of wolves.” They know right away that this is an uphill task. But it isn’t a hopeless one. He doesn’t send them out demanding success or else! Just go and preach the Word. Let the Holy Spirit handle the rest. If they are receptive, stay around for a while. If they reject you, move on to the next town. It isn’t about you, Jesus says, it is me they don’t like.You’ll face this issue yourself if you haven’t already. Simply being Christian is enough to cause friction among your peers, even before you get to talking about the kingdom of God. So take heart in knowing that it isn’t you they don’t like; it’s Jesus.And He’s already won this fight for you. He’s already washed you in his blood and brought you into His kingdom. While you pray that everyone you know joins you, you know their salvation isn’t up to you. The Holy Spirit moves in ways you can never understand to bring to faith those around you. So go, Christian! Go into the countryside and hallways and sports fields and tell people the kingdom of God has come near. Live as a faithful child of God and trust that the Holy Spirit will take care of the heavy lifting for you. That’s His work, after all. He’s already called you into that kingdom! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and take them to heart that, by the patience and comfort of Your holy Word, 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. Amen. (Collect for the Word)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 23, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 John 3:16-24Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 10:1-20, Leviticus: 11:1-15:33, Luke 9:37-62And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. (1 John 3:23–24)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Love one another. That’s easy in principle, right? I can love my neighbor ‘over there’ in my mind pretty easily. But my annoying neighbor in math class? My borderline bully of a neighbor in PE? Hmmm. Not so easy.“Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and truth.” Those are hard words to hear. Those words from St. John call you to action. They call for actual acts of love for your actual neighbors. Even the neighbors you might not like very much. Being a ‘little Christ’ to those around you isn’t easy. Of course, the example you have is Jesus Himself. How can you even try to match the example of Jesus? You can’t. Period. There’s no way you can love your neighbor to the extent that Jesus has loved you and everyone else on earth.And that’s OK, because He is God, and you are not. Still, you are called to love your neighbors, as hard as it might be. And, truly, that’s a good thing. When you love your neighbors, you show the world, even in a limited way, how God in Christ loves them and you.And when you don’t love your neighbor as you should, it casts Christ and the church in a bad light. There have been far too many examples of that from the church ever since Jesus ascended to the Father, unfortunately.Yet, He is gracious in all of that and still loves and forgives and calls and gathers His saints together. He commands that you believe in Christ. Again, that is something you do only because the faith He gives you believes for you. That same faith that you have which believes in Christ also helps you love your neighbor. Don’t get in the way of the faith Jesus gave you; it’s doing the work of saving you, of loving your neighbors, and leading you to be a light in this world. It’s the Word of Life, it will never steer you wrong, but lead you in the way of peace and salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Heavenly Father, grant Your mercy and grace to Your people in their many and various callings. Give them patience, and strengthen them in their Christian vocation of witness to the world and of service to their neighbor in Christ's name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.  (For guidance in our calling)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 22, 2024 Today's Reading: Acts 4:1-12Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 9:1-24, Luke 9:18-36“This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 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 4:11–12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do you think the world revolves around you? Sometimes, you can get so wrapped up in things and activities that you suddenly think the entire world exists to serve you and you alone.But that’s not true. Jesus is the center of the world. The center of the whole cosmos, actually. It all revolves around Him, no matter how important you think your next game or test or play is.He is the cornerstone, that upon which everything is built and everything has its foundation. It can be hard to wrap your mind around that because you don’t see Jesus in our world physically. The leaders of the Jews knew who Jesus was, they had seen Him die and rise, but even they didn’t want to believe Jesus was the center of everything.They had a plan. They had a reason to pretend Jesus wasn’t real and didn’t actually rise from the dead, and it all centered on them being the most important people in town. Notice that St. Peter calls them “the builders,” the ones who were to build upon Jesus, the Word from which all is created and has its being.So also in our day, the church builds (and is built!) on the Crucified Christ as the foundation. Everything we do, everything we say, everything we sing, everything we pray, finds its source and hope and basis in Jesus.That is wonderfully freeing! You don’t need to try and come up with a way to make Jesus appealing, because He is the very foundation of all things. He alone is the one through whom salvation is given. His Word creates and sustains. His Gifts comfort and save. It is truly all about Jesus, and what He gives for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Christ is our cornerstone, On Him alone we build; With His true saints alone The courts of heav’n are filled. On His great love Our hopes we place Of present grace and joys above. Here may we gain from heav’n The grace which we implore, And may that grace, once giv’n, Be with us evermore Until that day When all the blest To endless rest Are called away. (LSB 912:1, 2)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 21, 2024Today's Reading: John 10:11-18Daily Lectionary: Leviticus: 8:1-13, 30-36; Luke 9:1-17“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (St. John 10:17–18)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Introit for today is Psalm 23, where King David talks about the Lord being a shepherd, the greatest shepherd, actually. And Jesus says today that He is that shepherd David spoke of.Not only does He keep a sharp eye on His sheep with rod and staff, protecting and saving them, He also lays down His life for them. His sheep are so important, so valuable, that He dies for them.The Son of God is so powerful that He can lay down His life by His own choice and come back to life again afterward. This is what so confounded Satan and his demonic hordes. Satan thought he had won; Jesus was dead! But He wouldn’t stay that way. Nope, not a chance.He leapt in front of the greatest danger that anyone could face: eternal death and separation from God fueled by the sins of every person who ever has or will live, and He died dragging that death and destruction into the grave with Him.And then, after burying it there, He came back to life, He rose from the dead. Because He has the authority to do this (and actually does it!), you never have to be afraid that He will abandon you like some hired hand. He knows you are His own sheep, He knows you by name—He spoke your name in your Baptism, after all.This is who keeps watch over your soul. This is why you need fear no evil, for He is always at the ready, guarding and keeping you for eternity. When you run and hide, when you have enough of His mercy and flee his protection, His mercy and goodness still seek you out, for He’s literally been through Hell for you.It doesn’t matter where you go or how long you’re gone; He will seek you out and gather you up in His arms to your dying breath because His blood has washed you, His name is upon you. He has a place set aside for you in His house forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; 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 Fourth Sunday of Easter)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 20, 2024Today's Reading: Psalm 23; antiphon: John 10:14, 15bDaily Lectionary: Exodus 40:17-38, Leviticus 1:1-7:38, Luke 8:40-56Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (From the Introit for Easter 4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Tomorrow, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. It’s when you’re reminded that Jesus guides and shepherds you through this life until He gathers you into the eternal sheepfold of the New Creation. Of course, Psalm 23 is the Introit appointed for tomorrow. King David’s comforting words of guidance lead into the Divine Service, making you ready to hear how Jesus’s rod and staff keep you from harm. But these words shouldn’t be reserved for one day. Nor should they be reserved for funerals, as it so often seems. These are words that bring everyday Christians hope and peace every single day.The shepherd’s rod is that which drives away evil—it keeps the hungry lions at bay. It’s there to crack the skulls of those who would devour the sheep. The staff is the iconic shepherd’s crook, that long stick with the hook that is used to pull wayward sheep back onto the path.Every day of this life on earth, in this sinful world, is one in which the Evil One lurks like a roaring lion, seeking to devour you. And even though he lurks, hidden, Jesus is there with His rod—His club—ready to defend you from the attacks of the Evil One and rescue you.But don’t forget your own cluelessness. So often, you’re safe, because Jesus is on the case. Never underestimate the collective stupidity of a flock of sheep that darts off in every direction at the slightest provocation, though!All it takes is one “BOO!” and you’re off. Charging into uncharted territory thinking it is safer there than with the Good Shepherd. Soon enough though, He appears with His staff ready to pull you out of the mess you’ve gotten yourselves into.Remember when St. Peter thought that forgiving someone seven times was the height of grace? And Jesus said, “Nope. SEVENTY times seven!” That’s how it works with your Good Shepherd. You’re in the valley of the shadow of death. Living this life, knowing that traps and danger are all around, and your Lord Jesus keeps coming into the fray to save you, to deliver you, to snatch you from the clutches of death and destruction.Yes, the valley of the shadow of death is frightening. But Jesus has already been there for you. He’s made it a safe passage. And He will lead you through to the other side in safety. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.And so through all the length of days Thy goodness faileth never; Good Shepherd may I sing Thy praise Within Thy house forever! (LSB 709:6)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 19, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 8:22-39Daily Lectionary: Exodus 39:32-40:16, Luke 8:22-39And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. (Luke 8:36–37)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “We don’t like you, Jesus. We appreciate that you healed that demon-possessed guy and got him to be civilized again, but we’re afraid of you now. So, if you wouldn’t mind, please go far, far away.”That’s not exactly the response you might expect after a miracle. Of course, there is a bit more to it. The exorcized demons possess a herd of pigs and drown them, causing the loss of a good bit of income, so I can understand their fear. What could happen next, after all?Trust is the issue. Who do they trust? Who do you trust? The newly demon-free man wanted to follow Jesus back to Galilee and on a “glory tour” of sorts. He wanted to see all the wonderful things Jesus would do, but Jesus told him that his greatest work would be staying home and telling others how he was healed.The disciples have the same problem. Just before this, they are amazed at Jesus’ power over the storm. They can’t quite wrap their heads around what happens. And, to be honest, they are a bit afraid, too. They’re not sure what to think.You have seen what Jesus has done for you. He has raised you from death in your Baptism. He has taken your sin away in His death and resurrection. He comes to you mysteriously in bread made body and wine made blood to strengthen and comfort and forgive you.Are you still a bit afraid of Him, though? Are you not sure that you can trust Him, since He has the ability to do such mighty things? Do you wonder when He might turn on you, a sinner who can’t do His will? A healthy fear of God is a good thing. The LORD is a great God, a great king above all gods, we sing. And everything he does—calming storms, driving out demons, comforting the hurting, forgiving sins, rescuing from sin, death, and Hell—He does for you, because of His great love for you. And because He does these things for you, you can trust Him. You can trust that He’s caring for you the best way He can; by preparing you for the resurrected life with Him for all eternity. 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? (LSB 724:1)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 18, 2024 Today's Reading: The Lord’s Prayer - First PetitionDaily Lectionary: Exodus 38:21-39:8, 22-23, 27-31; Luke 8:1-21Hallowed be Thy name. 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. (The Lord's Prayer, the First Petition, Small Catechism)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God’s name is inscribed upon your forehead and heart in Holy Baptism. That’s an almost scary thing. God Himself has ‘marked you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified’ we say in the baptismal rite.This means that wherever you go, you bear God’s holy name upon you. You go out into this dark, sin-wracked, and dying world with the mark of Almighty God Himself upon you. The demons see that and know whose side you are on immediately. That is also a scary thing because it makes you an easy target for their attacks.And those attacks come in strange and mysterious ways. Sometimes it is a temptation from a friend. Or a random Instagram reel or TikTok. There are so many ways that the world, the devil, and yes, even your own sinful flesh, rebel against that mark of God’s holy name upon your forehead.How do you keep God’s name holy in such a dangerous and sin-filled world? How can you lead a holy life when waves of sin constantly wash over you? By going to church, by receiving the Lord’s Supper. By participating in Bible Study. By spending time in daily devotions. By remembering your Baptism.Sure, those all sound mundane (and probably even boring), but that is how God promises to be with you. That is how Christ Jesus promises to strengthen you and your faith. He uses the things of this world (which He created) to remind you that you have been recreated in Him.Gather together where God’s Word is taught in truth and purity. Hear the preaching of that living Word of God. Taste on your tongue with joy the Gift of Jesus’s Body and Blood. Dip your fingers in the baptismal font’s living waters. Let God Himself remind you again and again of what he’s done for you.Open your ears to those words. Let His Gifts wash over you and give thanks for what He has done for you in Jesus. Remember that you are baptized and you are safe in God’s hands. Live your life in the sure and certain hope that because Jesus lives and has saved you, that God’s holy name will always be with you until He comes again. 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. (LSB 766:2)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 17, 2024 Today's Reading: Exodus 34:29-35:21Daily Lectionary: Exodus 34:29-35:21, Exodus 35:22-38:20, Luke 7:36-50And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the LORD’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. (Exodus 35:21)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you ask most pastors, they would be ecstatic if they never, ever, ever had to talk about money in the Divine Service ever again. It always feels a bit uncomfortable, because even though the Offering of the Church is a free gift from the people of God, it always feels a bit like ‘asking for money.’At the same time, though, churches do need funding to keep the lights on, pay their church workers and support staff, and to make the worship space look like a place where the Most High God visits His people, regardless of the building where you gather.When Moses asked the Children of Israel to bring offerings together, he was planning to build the Tabernacle to the Great I AM’s exacting specifications. There was a specific plan for the Tabernacle, which we don’t have to follow today in our churches since there isn’t one specific place on earth where Christ is present, but upon every altar where his Word is taught in its truth and purity and where His sacraments are administered according to His institution.One way that we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and mind is by returning to Him a portion of all we earn as a way of thanksgiving and praise for all He has done for us. Offerings can be musical, or hands-on during a workday or servant event, or as an acolyte or usher. They primarily take the form of monetary gifts, though, in the offering plate. Has your heart been stirred or your spirit moved by what the Lord God has done for you in Christ? Are you thankful for the salvation Christ won for you on His cross? One response of praise and thanksgiving is to set aside some of your income (paycheck, allowance, etc.) to return to the Lord’s church on a regular basis.It can be a wonderful feeling to return in joy to the Lord just a tiny portion of all that He showers upon us. It is just one more way to say thank you to the Lord for lifting you out of sin and death and setting you on the way of forgiveness and salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.We give Thee but Thine own, Whate’er the gift may be; All that we have is Thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from Thee. May we Thy bounties thus As stewards true receive And gladly, as Thou blessest us, To Thee our first-fruits give! (LSB 781:1, 2)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 16, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 John 3:1-7Daily Lectionary: Exodus 34:1-28, Luke 7:18-35Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. One of the hardest things for us to understand is what the resurrected life will be like. When we get to the New Jerusalem, the New Creation, how will we live? What will we look like? How does all of this work? After all, I’m not sure I’ll ever learn to play the harp while floating on a cloud and trying to keep my halo on straight!Faith. Trust. Promises. These are words our sinful flesh has a hard time grasping and holding onto. And the best part about that is that we don’t have to try and grasp those things, because our faith does the grasping and believing!Every day, faithful Christians wonder if they are good enough for Jesus to “take them to heaven.” And every day, that same Jesus encourages them through His Word that that isn’t the right question. We are God’s children NOW, St. John says. Because of your faith, given to you in your Baptism, you are now God’s child. Right now. This very minute. And that faith that He’s given to you in your washing and recreating is what grasps the promise that you have a future with Him in eternity.We still can’t fully understand what that will look like, but that’s OK, because we have His further promise that we will see that future when He comes again for us. On that Last Day, on the day of the resurrection of all the dead, we will see what we’ve been waiting for, and it’ll be better than the greatest unboxing video of all time.We are God’s children now, indeed. Live every day in that promise. Trust that promise, given to you, and rely on it when times are good, and especially when it is hard to believe, because Jesus has redeemed you, bought you back, wrapped you in His arms, and holds you near in a way that will be made so perfectly clear when He comes again for you.You are God’s child now. He’s not going to let you go. Hold Him to that promise, because He holds Himself to it, because He loves you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.But, lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day; The saints triumphant rise in bright array; The King of Glory passes on His way. Alleluia! Alleluia! 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! (LSB 677:7, 8)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 15, 2024Today's Reading: Acts 3:11-21Daily Lectionary: Exodus 33:1-23, Luke 7:1-17And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. (Acts 3:16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus’s healing miracles can sometimes make us feel less than. They can make us feel left out or unimportant. Why does this person get to be healed, and here I am, still suffering from the thing I’ve prayed over and over again for God to heal or take away? Why doesn’t He do for me what He does for these people in the Bible, like the disabled man Peter healed? That’s a complicated answer beyond this brief page. But this fact remains: that man may have been healed, but he did eventually die. And that’s the thing about us all; we will all die unless Jesus returns first.But that is where the comfort of this text comes in. We will all surely die, but we will also all be surely raised on the Last Day. And the faith that we have in Jesus now will lead to perfect health in the life of the world to come, and that life never ends.That life is one that lasts forever. That perfect health will last forever. That newly-resurrected body will never give you the problems it does now. Your Baptism created within you the faith that gives perfect health. Your Baptism gave you life everlasting. It is something you have right now. You may not see or feel it, but that is Jesus’s promise to you: by virtue of your Baptism, you now have eternal life and you now live forever.You can’t see the fullness of that just yet, none of us can, but it is yours. Oh, sure, your sinful flesh will want to deny that every single day. “There’s no way I can have eternal life, just look at me!” No! Jesus has said to you in your Baptism that you indeed are recreated to live forever. The promise of His Word, given through Holy Scripture backs that up. He has declared it, and you trust His Word, given into your ears.That’s what faith is; trust created in you by Jesus to hear and believe His promises for you. Perfect healing is yours. Life forever is yours. Everlasting comfort is yours. Because of Jesus, because He loves you and wants you with Him forever. 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. (LSB 421:4)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 14, 2024Today's Reading: Luke 24:36-49Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:15-35, Luke 6:39-49“See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” (St. Luke 24:39–41)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Have you anything here to eat?” That’s the strangest thing ever to hear from the Risen Lord after the resurrection, isn’t it? But He has a good reason to ask: “a spirit does not have flesh and bones.”This Jesus that appears to the disciples (hidden away behind locked doors, no less!) isn’t some spiritual apparition. He isn’t a figment of their imaginations. He stands before them in the flesh, and, as we all know, you have to eat to live in this world. The risen Jesus needed to eat just as much as you do, because He is a real, living person.And that is the comfort in these words. That Jesus, risen from the dead—the one who bore all your sins in His body, who died a horrible death upon His cross, who descended into Hell and came back, who conquered death, who rose from the dead and lives even now—needed a snack. Even in His resurrection, He identifies so closely with His creatures, He is still so completely man (while being completely God) that He eats with his closest friends.Truth be told, He kind of has to; because they are still a bit unsure if this is all real. St. Luke says they “disbelieved for joy.” That is, they were so absolutely stunned and overjoyed to see Jesus again that they couldn’t believe their good fortune. You know how that works, right? You get news about something that is so astounding and so earthshaking that you can’t believe it is real, even as you jump for joy upon hearing the news.How does Jesus calm them down and remind them that He is indeed with them in the flesh? By eating with them. By doing the most human thing possible; sharing a meal with those He loves. Don’t forget in this Easter season of glory and Alleluias that your Lord Jesus needed to eat because He became man for you; to bear your sin, to wash you with His blood, to fulfill God’s Law for you, and ultimately to make a place for you at His eternal table. 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)- Pastor Duane Bamsch is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 13, 2024 Today's Reading: Psalm 30:1-5; antiphon: Psalm 16:11bDaily Lectionary: Exodus 32:1-14, Luke 6:20-38Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”(Psalm 30:5b, from the Introit on the Third Sunday of Easter)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Psalm used for the Introit tomorrow is a Psalm of thanksgiving and praise. It expresses the joy of having been delivered from a terrible situation. However, we tend to get so wrapped up in the joy, that we forget how it must have felt in those moments before the Lord gave relief. This Psalm is written in the first person. That makes this Psalm my prayer. Before I was drawn up, I was at the bottom. The foes were about to have an opportunity to rejoice over me. I had to cry for help. My soul was in Sheol, down in that pit. There was a whole night of weeping. And from the moment it started, I wanted it to be over. But it was not over right away. It did not end at my first prayer. I had to endure the night. In this sinful world, there will always be something that I must endure. Running away from it often only gets me into more trouble, more suffering. Covering it up only takes the joy out of everything else. I must learn to endure many things in this life, because I need to endure.But needing to endure is not a sign of the Lord’s absence. It’s a sign of His presence. Because Christ endures with me. And Christ endures even more for my sake. Because Jesus Christ died on the cross for me and rose for me, I have His promise that I will not have to endure forever. There is an end to what I suffer. It may not be this moment. It may not be this day. But there is an end to suffering. There is an end to what I must endure. And when that end comes, there is nothing so joyful in all the world. Especially with Jesus enduring with us. And that’s our Introit tomorrow. There is joy when we receive a hard fought victory. There is joy in getting the help we need. There is joy in being healed. There is joy in the resurrection. There is joy in the forgiveness of sins. There is joy in being named a child of God. And that such joy comes at the end of endurance only magnifies the joy to a level we could never understand without going through all that. Jesus Christ is our morning. He has endured all for you. And endures all with you too. 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. (LSB 644:3)- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 12, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 6:1-19Daily Lectionary: Exodus 31:1-18, Luke 6:1-19And He said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Luke 6:5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the New Testament reading from the daily lectionary today, Jesus and the Pharisees butt heads over the Sabbath. The Third Commandment is indeed, ‘Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.’ God did command that no work should be done on the Sabbath. But the word Sabbath in Hebrew means ‘rest.’ (It also means ‘seven.’) Abstaining from work is certainly one way to rest. But it is not the only way.When Jesus’ disciples plucked grain and ate it, they received rest from their hunger. When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, that man received rest from his affliction. When Jesus healed the diseases of the multitudes, and drove out unclean spirits, those people received rest from sicknesses and oppression. But the Pharisees were furious, and plotted together what they might do to Jesus. Because Jesus ignored the lesser rest in order that people might have a greater rest. We still do this today. We so want the lesser gifts that our Lord gives that we despise the greater. We pray about a test, or because we’re late, and we want to get through that moment well. But maybe missing that moment is something the Lord has for us in order to strengthen our faith, and teach us endurance. But we end up placing such importance on that moment, that we resent God for letting us go through that, and want nothing to do with the forgiveness of sins or eternal life. The Pharisees and we aren’t all that different.Therefore repent. Turn to Christ and hand over your sin. Because He has done something truly remarkable with the Sabbath. In Genesis, on the seventh day, God rested from all His labors. Good Friday was the sixth day. And moments before sundown, which marked the beginning of the Sabbath, Jesus was placed in a tomb. And there He rested. The entire Sabbath Jesus rested from the work of giving us the greatest rest of all. Jesus rested from all His labors of the cross where He earned our forgiveness and salvation. Forgiveness even for failing to see the rest He has given us. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. He gives the greater rest. Therefore find rest in Him. Find sin, death, and the devil conquered. Find all your greatest troubles and fears overcome. Find rest from your work, from your life, from everything you have been given to endure. Christ is our rest. So rest in Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.I heard the voice of Jesus say,  “Come unto me and rest; Lay down, thou weary one, lay down Thy head upon my breast.” I came to Jesus as I was, So weary, worn, and sad;I found in Him a resting place, And He has made me glad. (LSB 699:1)- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 11, 2024 Today's Reading: The Lord’s Prayer - IntroductionDaily Lectionary: Exodus 25:1-22, Exodus 25:23-30:38, Luke 5:17-39Our 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.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We usually know Luke 15:11-32 as the parable of the Prodigal Son. But the person in the story who acts the least like we think he should is the father. The father in that story gives a reckless son his inheritance early, knowing he will squander it. The father should be stern and teach his son a lesson about respect when he finally returns. But instead he sacrifices his dignity to go running to him, sacrifices his property in order to fully restore the son to inheritance rights, and throws a feast for his son to let all his neighbors know that he will not let his son be shamed. Such actions cost a lot, both in money, and in social standing. But the father was willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of his son. This is how God the Father treats us. Our sin is an open rebellion against Him. And yet, instead of leaving us to die in our sin, the Father sacrifices His Son Jesus in order to save us. No price was too high, no shame too great, no loss too much when it came to saving us. God was willing to get His hands dirty in order to get us out of the dirt of our sin. He let that sin fall upon Him, rather than let us die forever with it upon ourselves. That’s what love does. And God loves us. Even while we were still sinners, God loves us.Therefore we pray to God as children go and ask their own fathers for what they need. We might have a really good Dad that God gave us, we might have a Dad that isn’t so good. But our Lord is the perfect Father. The example for all fathers to follow. So we go and ask Him for what He has promised. And, like the crazy father in the parable, He plans to say yes to all of it. Every promise He has made. His name, His kingdom, His will, daily bread, forgiveness, deliverance, all of it. He wants us to call upon Him and ask for it. And He will give it. That’s a promise. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 10, 2024 Today's Reading: Exodus 24:1-18Daily Lectionary: Exodus 24:1-18, Luke 5:1-16Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. (Exodus 24:9-11)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There’s a lot going on in the Daily Lectionary’s reading from Exodus today. The Lord renews His covenant with His people. Moses heads up Mt. Sinai. And just before that, at Sinai’s base, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders join Moses in seeing God. That’s really cool! Don’t you wish you could see Jesus like they did? We must admit that we don’t see Jesus in the same way. Jesus Himself told Thomas in last Sunday’s Gospel lesson, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) And yet, our Lord has given us a place to go that’s very much like how they saw God in Exodus 24. When you’re in Church next Sunday, pay attention to the altar. What’s on it? You’ll find bread and wine. When Christ’s Word is spoken, that bread and wine are now also the body and blood of Christ. The same body that hung as a sacrifice on the cross. The same blood that was shed for your forgiveness. We see Jesus there. We behold God, and we eat and we drink. The same way they did at the foot of Mt. Sinai. The altar is the place where heaven and earth meet. It’s where God is seen. Maybe in a little different way than Moses, Thomas and the rest saw. But our Lord cares enough about you to rend the heavens and come down. He meets you where you are, down here in the dirt of your sin, and the grime of your fallenness. And He comes to cleanse you. Taking away your shame. Forgiving your sin. Comforting your grief. He doesn’t worry what will happen to Him, even when it’s a cross. You’re worth getting dirty for. You’re worth dying for. This is what Christ has done for you. And it’s what Christ continues to do for you. And we get to see it every time we’re in Church. We get to see Jesus. And not just see Him, but hear Him, taste Him, smell Him, touch Him. He engages all our senses so that we may know that He is here indeed, and here for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face; Here would I touch and handle things unseen;Here grasp with firmer hand the eternal grace, And all my weariness upon Thee lean. (LSB 631:1)- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 9, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 John 1:1-2:2Daily Lectionary: Exodus 23:14-33, Luke 4:31-44If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Last Sunday’s Epistle reading from 1 John has a familiar couple of verses if you’re used to using Divine Service, settings One or Two. As we prepare to confess our sins, we speak responsively verses eight and nine from chapter one. But have you ever stopped to think how strange it is that Christians regularly confess our sins? People without faith don’t generally confess to having done anything wrong. Our sinful hearts train us from birth to justify our every action. The toddler who knocks over the lamp blames his stuffed animal. When that excuse doesn’t work, he learns to make his self-justification more believable next time. Even at ten years old, he has learned to be ready to explain why he’s done every action, just in case anyone questions him. Self-justification is such a part of our lives in this world, that we expect it from everyone. No one confesses to having done anything wrong, at least not in any meaningful way. People might admit to doing something that everyone else does, or something that has no actual consequences. Someone famous, when caught doing something really bad, might make an apology tour. Not because they think they did anything wrong, but it’s the price to pay to retain their fame, money, or power. When someone does end up doing something that they can’t justify, it breaks them. They live the rest of their lives in regret, in grief, in despair. It drives them to madness, and they believe that they are without hope, without forgiveness, without mercy, because they recognize that they have sinned, and they cannot fix that. But Christians confess their sins all the time, and we don’t fall into madness or despair over it. Why? Because not only do we know we have sinned, we also know that God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Christ Jesus has taken all our sin away. He paid sin’s price. He died on the cross in our place. And He’s given us His perfect life in exchange. That good news overcomes our attempts of self-justification. That good news overcomes our despair. That good news is for you. And we trust our Lord enough to confess all our sins to Him, knowing that He has already forgiven all. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.I lay my sins on Jesus, The spotless Lamb of God; He bears them all and frees usFrom the accursed load. I bring my guilt to Jesus To wash my crimson stainsClean in His blood most precious  Till Not a spot remains. (LSB 606:1)- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 8, 2024 Today's Reading: Acts 4:32-35Daily Lectionary: Exodus 22:20-23:13, Luke 4:16-30And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Sunday’s first reading from Acts makes the early church sound perfect. Everyone shared, nobody had need, and Jesus was preached every day. If our world lived like that, a lot of our problems would be better off. Do you know how long that lasted? Three verses later, in chapter five, sin broke it. What’s even better than giving up everything and being taken care of completely by the Church? Giving up only part of that, and still being completely taken care of. Ananias and Sapphira had figured out how to game the system. How to get all the stuff without the same sacrifice everyone else made. The surprising part is that Peter speaks the Word of the Lord concerning their sin, and they die. As a result, “great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard these things.” (Acts 5:11) What is the First Commandment? You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Sometimes we’ve been taught that fear means respect. But that’s really more trust, not fear. Fear is knowing that God is rightly angry over sin. Sin hurts those our Lord loves. Remaining in our sin is to continue hurting those whom God loves. We should be afraid of God because of our sin. Just as Ananias and Sapphira should have feared God before sinning the way they did. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10a)But fear isn’t the only thing we are called to. Our Lord is angry over sin, yes. But He has also poured out all that wrath upon Christ at the cross. Jesus stood in our place, endured what our sin earned. He loves us in that He sacrificed everything for our sake. Our love isn’t the cause of our faith, it’s the result of God’s grace. We love because He first loved us. And we trust Him, because He’s shown Himself trustworthy in keeping His promises. Promises that He fulfilled in His death and resurrection. That’s why the early church lived the way it did. Because Christ took care of their greatest needs already. Sin, death, and the devil have been overcome. And in the middle of it all? Preaching of the resurrection of Christ. That’s what was at the center then. And it’s still at the center now. Christ crucified for you. Christ risen for you. Christ forgiving your every sin. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Let all mortal flesh keep silence  And with fear and trembling stand;  Ponder nothing earthly minded,  For with blessing in His hand  Christ our God to earth descending  Comes our homage to demand. (LSB 621:1)- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 7, 2024Today's Reading: John 20:19-31Daily Lectionary: Exodus 20:1-24, Luke 4:1-15…Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. (John 21:19b-20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Scars tell a story. I got a new scar on my chest not long ago. I had gallstones, one the size of a golf ball. That’s got quite a story behind it. Others have scars on their arms, legs, faces, and those come with stories too. Some of them are entertaining. But some of them are difficult stories, with a lot of pain behind them. And for some, the pain is still there. Those are the scars we hide. There are also some scars that we can’t see, buried deep down. Emotional scars, some of which have not fully healed. All of these scars tell a story. A story of when we were hurt. I’ve been asked more than once, “Will we still have our scars in the resurrection?” After all, the disciples put their hands on Jesus’ scars. And it was by those scars that we believe. But we really do want our painful scars gone. Isn’t that why Jesus came? Isn’t that why Jesus died? To make those scars that hurt us go away? Yet the scars of Jesus also tell a story. Scars from the whip. Scars from the nails. The scar from the spear. These tell the story of Jesus saving you. Jesus got all those scars by paying for your sins, by dying in your place, and by giving you His perfect life in exchange. Jesus didn’t die to take away your scars. Heal your wounds? Yes. Bear your pains? Absolutely. But those scars are too important to hide away. Too important to remove. Because scars mark the place where a wound has healed. If your wound is still open, Jesus is there to heal that wound. But when healed, the scar remains. Your scars, all of them, mark the place where Christ has healed you. They mark the place where Jesus is with you even now.Because you share your scars with Jesus, those words, “Peace be with you,” now mean so much more. There is not a single sin that isn’t forgiven. There isn’t a single wound that can’t be healed. There isn’t a single death which hasn’t already been overcome. And every day you see that scar. Every day you feel that scar inside. Every day that scar reminds you of the painful story that goes with it. It is also a reminder that Jesus died for that. Jesus rose for that. Jesus is with you right now for that. You have His peace. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord by the stripes which wounded Thee, From death’s dread sting, Thy servants freeThat we may live and sing to Thee. Alleluia!  (LSB 464:5)- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 6, 2024 Today's Reading: Psalm 105:1-5, 8; antiphon: 1 Peter 2:2-3 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 19:1-25, Hebrews 13:1-21Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:2-3, Antiphon for the Introit on the Second Sunday of Easter)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In tomorrow’s Introit, we are told to “long for the pure spiritual milk.” We need to be fed in our faith just as much as we need food for our bodies. That food comes from Christ. And usually, this is where we would talk about the Lord’s Supper. But our Introit does something different here. Instead of solid food, we are told to be like infants, and have milk. This is often compared in the New Testament to the very basics of the Christian faith. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food.” (Hebrews 5:12). As a result, you may hear fellow Christians say things like: “The death and resurrection of Jesus is the basics of the faith. We want to move on from that milk to more meaty topics.” But anything that leaves out the death and resurrection of Jesus loses the very center of what makes it Christian. Besides, spiritual milk is good for you, no matter how mature in the faith you think you are. Remember, the promise made to the people of Israel. They were coming into a land flowing with milk and honey. And the Lord didn’t just mean a parcel of land in the Middle East. His Church is the place where we are fed that pure spiritual milk. We live in the death and resurrection of Jesus. We never graduate from that good news. It remains at the center of our entire Christian lives. Is there meat to dig into as well? You bet! But it always returns to Christ at the center. After all, where else are you going to find the forgiveness of sins, given freely? Where else are you going to find life after death in the resurrection of the flesh? Where else are you going to find your salvation if not in Christ’s own work, done on your behalf? Therefore, long for the pure spiritual milk that Jesus has for you. Only with Jesus at the center can your faith grow. And He’s the one who gives the growth. By keeping you in His Word, and giving you His gifts in the sacraments. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Jerusalem the Golden, With milk and honey blessed The promise of salvation, The place of peace and rest We know not, oh, we know not  What joys await us there:The radiancy of glory, The bliss beyond compare  (LSB 672:1)- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 5, 2024 Today's Reading: Hebrews 12:1-24Daily Lectionary: Exodus 18:5-27, Hebrews 12:1-24Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1b-2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We’re not really built for endurance in our society today. We have a way out of, or away from just about any kind of suffering we can imagine. We will even avoid things that are mildly inconvenient, or mask over them by retreating to our phones for that next dopamine fix. When difficult things come, we do not know how to handle them, or what endurance even looks like. But our Lord built us for endurance. Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) And, “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) St. Paul also says, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame….” (Romans 5:3-5a) Or as the verse that my pastor gave me on my Confirmation day says, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer… Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)You see, there is more joy when suffering is over than can ever be achieved by running away from it. And Jesus has that in store for us, both in this life, and into the next. That’s why we confess our sins, and receive forgiveness instead of pretending we have no sin. That’s why we endure the cost of being a Christian in this pagan world, with the sure and certain hope of eternal life. And that’s why Jesus, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross. His joy was in your salvation.After Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30) on the cross, He cried out with a loud shout. I think it was a shout of joy. Because it shook the earth, tore the curtain of the temple in two, and raised the dead. But the suffering was done. He endured. Your forgiveness is won. And now, it was time to rest. Remember, the Lord has built you for endurance. He is the one who gives it to you. He is your founder and perfecter. And His gifts of life, forgiveness, and salvation are worth enduring all for. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!  Unto Christ our heav’nly king, Alleluia!  Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!  Sinners to redeem and save, Alleluia!  (LSB 457:2)- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 4, 2024 Today's Reading: The Lord’s PrayerDaily Lectionary: Exodus 17:1-16, Hebrews 11:1-29In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Prayer is a conversation that God starts in His Word. This fact still surprises a lot of Christians. We tend to think that prayer is us sending our requests to God, and then hearing back nothing at all until something happens. That’s missing the very half of prayer that we need. God initiates the conversation with us. He has a lot to say to us. And it is written down in the Bible for us to read. And it’s there where the Lord teaches us how to pray. In Divine Service settings One and Two, the pastor says right before we all pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:” These words come from the disciples in Luke 11:1. Jesus tells His disciples in the very next verse, “When you pray, say:” And He gives us the Lord’s prayer. Jesus teaches us how to pray with these words. And this prayer that Jesus gave us covers everything we could possibly need. Over the next few weeks, we’ll get a chance to look at those words in depth here on Thursdays.But our Lord teaches us to pray, not just with these words, but with all the Words of Scripture. The Psalms are also known as the prayerbook of the Church. They’re the words that the Old Testament Church prayed. They’re the words that Jesus prayed. And we still pray those words today. In those Psalms, we have prayers for all kinds of places we find ourselves in life. There are prayers of joy, prayers of sorrow, prayers for being in need, prayers for repentance, prayers for endurance, prayers for overcoming our enemies, and prayers for our enemies. We don’t just find prayers there either. Every place where the Lord has made a promise to us is a place where we learn how to pray. For our Lord wants us to pray to Him and ask for the things that He has promised to give. In that way, all the Bible is our prayer book. And we can expect the Lord to answer ‘yes’ when we ask for what He has promised to give. Every part of the Lord’s prayer calls upon a promise of God. And He fulfills his promises.Therefore pray. Pray as the Lord has taught us. Pray as the Word of God teaches us. Pray, because prayer is a conversation that God starts in His Word, and He wants to talk to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

April 3, 2024 Today's Reading: John 21:1-14Daily Lectionary: Exodus 16:13-35, Hebrews 10:19-39When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. (John 21:7b)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Why does Peter throw himself into the sea? Perhaps Peter was just so excited to see Jesus that he couldn’t wait to get to shore. But the problem is they weren’t very far from shore in the first place, especially since Jesus could talk to them from it. Also, Peter isn’t mentioned in our reading today as actually getting to shore, or to Jesus. In fact, the next we hear about him, he’s getting back on the boat to bring the fish in the net. Almost like he’s avoiding Jesus. Which might be exactly the case. You see, Peter denied Jesus three times. And that denial hurt Peter to the core. He had been living with that sin unconfessed and unforgiven for a while now. And the longer we keep those sins hidden, the harder it is for us to give them over to Christ, who has paid for them all. In Peter’s case, it took Jesus calling him three times to feed His lambs for Peter to understand that Christ’s forgiveness covers every sin. So it’s not too difficult to see Peter, stripped for work, needing to cover his shame.We too have sins that need forgiveness. We too have denied Jesus when we should have confessed him. We too are ashamed of what we have done. We might acknowledge that sins are forgiven, but maybe, because my sin was so bad, I’m too disgraced to join in with everyone else. We’re far more comfortable just covering everything up. Hiding from everyone, especially Jesus, lest my shame be exposed for the world to see.But where did Peter, in all his shame end up. In water. Where is all our sin taken away? Where is all our shame clothed with Christ’s righteousness? Where is all our disgrace covered and cleansed? In water. You are baptized into the death of Jesus. By that water, and by the Word connected to that water, all your sin has been taken away. By your Baptism, Jesus forgives you completely. Every sin, no matter how bad, they’re all taken away. He died for them all. And this is yours. It is not earned. It is not by your own works. Jesus gives this forgiveness to you freely. He assures you that by His cross, He has paid for that sin in full. And He has sealed that promise by baptizing you…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!  (LSB 594:1)- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

April 2, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 24:36-49Daily Lectionary: Exodus 15:19-16:12, Hebrews 10:1-18[Jesus] said to them,“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:46-47)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you ever find the need to explain what Christianity is to someone who doesn’t know, here’s how I do it: There was a guy two thousand years ago who claimed to be God. To prove it, He said that they would kill Him, and on the third day He would rise from the dead. They killed Him, and on the third day, He rose from the dead. Maybe He’s right about that God thing. Well, that guy who rose from the dead said that the Law and the Prophets, and the Psalms, what we call the Old Testament, is all about Him. In what way? That repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations. That guy is Jesus. And what He came for was to forgive our sins. That’s why He died. Because those sins needed to be paid for. And He paid them in full for you, for me, for the world. Because we are forgiven, we are able to confess our sin, openly acknowledge it, and repent.Do you realize just how hard that is for sinful people to do without faith? Someone might confess something that they don’t think is wrong. Or something that they think everyone else does, so there is no harm in it. But the Old Adam in our hearts cannot bear to confess anything that we can stand accused by others with. Those that have no choice but to confess that they’ve harmed others find that, apart from faith, their sanity is broken. The idol of self is shattered. Despair is all they have.And yet Christians regularly confess such things. I, a poor miserable sinner. We confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. It is the same sin confessed, but we are not broken by confessing it. Just the opposite. It is taken away, we are forgiven, and we are left with the joy of Christ. Delivering Jesus’ forgiveness to you is the joyous job of your pastor. Go to him. Confess your sins. Hear those words of Jesus from your pastor’s mouth. You are forgiven in full. That is miraculous. And that’s who Jesus is. 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  (LSB 486:1)- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

April 1, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 24:13-35, 36-49Daily Lectionary: Exodus 15:1-18, Hebrews 9:1-28And He said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. (Luke 24:17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday, we heard that Jesus has conquered death by His resurrection. That’s good news for us. We no longer need to be afraid when we face death. But how do things change when it’s someone we care about who dies? The harsh reality is that everyone dies, because that’s the wages of sin. Even our loved ones die, whether that ’s today, or a day down the road. And that day hurts so badly that we often don’t know what to do next. Death is our enemy. Death is what attacks us like this. And on our own we have no defense. Sad feels like too light a word to describe what Cleopas and his friend were enduring. Sad is too light a word when we are grieving.But Jesus doesn’t leave us alone when death comes near. He joins us on the road. He weeps with us (John 11:35). He comforts us (John 14:27). And He does something about it. Jesus enters into death in our place. Jesus dies for our sins. So that on the third day, Jesus’s resurrection would be an end to death, and a promise of our resurrection, and the resurrection of those we love in the faith unto eternal life. But that promise isn’t just for sometime down the road. It’s also for today. What does Jesus do with Cleopas and the other disciple? “He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.” If those words sound familiar, they should. It’s the same language used in the Words of Institution at the Lord’s Supper. Many Churches have communion rails that are in the shape of a semicircle. It’s that way for a reason. When we receive the Lord’s Body and Blood, we do so with the whole Church. Not just the whole Church on earth. But all those who have died in the faith as well. We are with them even now, gathered around the rail, receiving Jesus. Jesus comforts us in our grief, both now, and in the hope of the resurrection.Death will still try its hardest to be our enemy in this world. Its attacks still hurt more than we can bear. But not even death can stop Jesus from bringing His resurrection and His hope to us, through His Word, through His baptism, and through His body and blood. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Who are you who joins our journey,  Walking with us stride by stride?  Unknown Stranger, can You fathom  Depths of grief for one who died? Then the wonder! When we told You  How our dreams to dust have turned, Then You opened wide the Scriptures  Till our hearts within us burned.  (LSB 476:2)- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

March 31, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 16:1-8 Daily Lectionary:Exodus 14:10-31, Hebrews 7:23-8:13“You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.” (Mark 16:6)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you haven’t noticed, death is the one thing our whole world is running away from. We hide death away in hospitals and nursing homes so no one can see it. We ignore death when it rears its head in public. Many times, we don’t even pay attention when it is our own family that is dying. We’re so afraid of it, that we can’t even look death in the eye when it’s right in front of our faces, unless we dress it up as something it isn’t. We are afraid. We’re afraid because we are powerless against death. And no one has ever beaten it…Except One.And that One changed everything. Mary, Mary, and Salome were looking for a dead Jesus. But they don’t find Him in the tomb. Instead they are told that He is not here. He is not in the grave. He is not dead. He is risen. Jesus lives! What does this mean? It means that death has been overcome. Not just for Jesus, but for all people. The grave is not the end. The thing that we’re the most afraid of has been conquered. And that changes everything.Resurrection is now on the table. Jesus died and then rose for you. Jesus gives you His resurrection. It is yours. All the things we feared about death no longer have any bite to them. We no longer need to ignore death, or ignore those who are dying. We can look death in the eye and not be afraid, because we have a Savior that is stronger than even death itself. Even if death does take us or those we loved, it can’t hold anyone for long. The day is coming when all will rise. The faithful will enter into eternal life with Christ, and the unfaithful will be judged, but death will no longer have a single trophy to mount on its mantlepiece. That’s how big the resurrection of Jesus is. Our enemy, death, has been defeated by Christ. That’s why Easter Sunday is so central to the Church. Death can no longer be our end. Even when we die. And that’s why every Sunday is a little Easter. This news is so big, it’s the center of our faith. This is the day Jesus rose. This is the day we receive the promise of His resurrection. All because Jesus lives! He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Jesus lives! And now is death - But the gate of life immortal;  This shall calm my trembling breath -  When I pass its gloomy portal. Faith shall cry, as fails each sense: -Jesus is my confidence! (LSB 490:5)- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Kentucky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

March 30, 2024 Today's Reading: John 19: 38-42Daily Lectionary: Exodus 13:17-14:9, Hebrews 7:1-22Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.  So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. (John 19:41-42)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As Jesus' body is laid to rest all the world can see is defeat.  That is what the grave shouts from the cemetery.  You can’t see victory at a funeral.  You can’t see victory in the tomb.  You can’t see victory in death.Harken back to the days of Genesis where God caps off creation with a resounding, “It is very good!” because it is.  There is only life at creation, pure and perfect life in God.  Fast forward to Good Friday and God says something, too, “It is finished!”  But in saying these words it is like He is saying, “It is very good!” because once again there is life.  It seems strange to say, I know, when staring at death’s pale face, but this death, Christ’s death, is good.  It is good in the sense that it is of God and is of the Gospel.  For the death of God in the flesh can only mean one thing:  Life and salvation for all those to whom death draws near. And so as God rests in peaceful slumber this Holy Saturday, His work of salvation is finished.  It is good.  It is very good!  And this is a sermon that needs to be preached.  We will hear that sermon tomorrow, but Satan will hear it tonight!  …  In the darkest pits of hell Satan is found cowering in the corner as the Lord of Life comes bursting through its shadowy gates, trampling underfoot any power the demons thought they had.  And Jesus preaches, oh He preaches!  He preaches of His victory!  He preaches of sins forgiven.  He preaches of the Garden where He promised that a serpent’s head would be crushed, and He preaches of the cross where that promise was kept.  He preaches to death itself, that it is dead.  He preaches, “It is finished!” and all our enemies know it to be true.So rest in peaceful sleep tonight, Jesus.  Your work is now finished.  And we will see you once again in the morning, Easter Sunday, when the stone is rolled away and the tomb is left empty forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O darkest woe!  Ye tears, forth flow!  Has earth so sad a wonder?  God the Father’s only Son Now is buried yonder.  Thy Bridegroom dead!  God’s Lamb has bled Upon thy sin forever, Pouring out His sinless self In this vast endeavor.  (LSB 448:1,4)- Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 29, 2024 Today's Reading: John 18:1-19:42, John 19:17-37Daily Lectionary: Exodus 12:29-32; 13:1-16; Lamentations 5:1-22, Hebrews 6:1-20, Psalm 22When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic.  The tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” (John 19:23-24a)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever thought about what happened to that seamless tunic?  …  One of those soldiers went home with it that day and wore it as his own.  Ponder that for a moment:  This sinner's nakedness is now covered by the literal clothes of Christ.  … Sure that sounds strange, but isn’t that exactly what Jesus does for the sinner?  Isn’t that the whole reason why Jesus came into our flesh:  to take away our sin and guilt and shame and replace it with something else, something of His, something that would turn us from shameful sinners into righteous and shameless saints?Jesus’ cross comes to you.  It already has.  It continually does.  And that means the forgiveness of sins here in time and space.  That means the righteousness of Jesus given for you right here and right now where you need it the most.  On the cross we see a perfect God, who is perfect no longer.  He is sin.  He is your sin.  He is a sinner.  He is you.  And so He wears the clothes of a sinner:  shameful nakedness.  He takes upon Himself your clothing, your sin, your guilt, your shame, your nakedness.  And then He exchanges it with His own righteousness:  a seamless tunic, not ripped apart, one whole piece from top to bottom, clothing your sinful shame, making you righteous and perfect.In a watery grave you put on the seamless tunic of Christ’s righteousness, you put on Christ Himself.  That is your baptism:  the cross for you.  And there God exchanged your clothes for His, there you put on the robe of righteousness, never to be taken off, never to be exchanged for another.  On the cross Jesus declared, “It is finished!”  Nothing more needed to be done.  He put on your sin and hangs naked on the cross.  And now in time and space, to last unto eternity, you wear His seamless robe of righteousness to cover your nakedness.  It is the blessed exchange!  It is Jesus for you!  It is always Jesus for you.  Even in the smallest of details. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Be Thou my consolation, My shield, when I must die; Remind me of Thy passion When my last hour draws nigh.  Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, Upon Thy cross shall dwell, My heart by faith enfold Thee.  Who dieth thus dies well.  (LSB 450:7)- Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 28, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 14:22-26 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 12:1-28, Lamentations 4:1-22, Hebrews 5:1-14, Psalm 31And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.”  And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.  And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” (Mark 14:22-24a)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We like to take the Lord’s Supper and turn it into something that it isn’t.  Don’t be surprised, we do that with a lot of good things.  In fact, we do that with almost all of the good things that God has given to us.  We want to wrestle them away from His almighty arms and then pretend to give them back to Him as if they were ours all along.But these things, the things of the Gospel, the things of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the things of worship and the Divine Service, they aren’t ours.  Well, let me rephrase that…  They are ours.  They are just not ours to give, but instead they are ours to receive.  Our Lord gives good and everlasting gifts, Himself and His cross, forgiveness and everlasting life, through these tangible things.  And He does so because we are tangible.  We have skin to feel and ears to hear and tongues to taste, just like our Lord created us to have.And so our Lord gives us His Supper.  Fulfillment of the Passover feast.  That which brought the Israelites salvation, of which they celebrated for generations in order to be incorporated into that first Exodus, now comes to a close in a new meal and new covenant.  No need to sacrifice lambs anymore, for the true Lamb has already been sacrificed.Christ comes to you in time and space, His true Body in the bread and His true Blood in the wine, in order that your troubled conscience might be comforted and you can be united with Him.  …  He instituted this very Supper in order that you might know that your sins are forgiven.  No doubt about it, Christ is for you, His cross and salvation are for you.  And how can you be so sure?  Because He has brought it so close to you that you can taste it. n the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The holy Lamb undaunted came To God’s own altar lit with flame; While weeping angels hid their eyes, This Priest became a sacrifice.  The veil is torn, our Priest we see, As at the rail on bended knee Our hungry mouths from Him receive The bread of immortality.  (LSB 624:3,5)- Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 27, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 14:12-21Daily Lectionary: Exodus 10:21-11:10, Lamentations 3:1-66, Hebrews 4:1-16Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.”  They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?”.  (Mark 14:18-19)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever found it odd that the disciples need to ask Jesus if it is them?  Each one asks Him, “Is it I?”  I always thought that you would probably know if you were about to betray your friend and turn him over to a bunch of murderers.  But maybe I’m wrong about that…And another thing… Jesus doesn’t seem to clear anything up, does He?  He doesn’t comfort Peter with an, “Of course not,” or take John aside and tell him he can breathe a sigh of relief.  No, He just lets it awkwardly hang there, giving some ambiguous answer of how it is one of the twelve dipping bread into oil with Him.  But all of them had surely done that.  Is Jesus saying that any of them are capable of betraying Him?I hope that isn’t the case because if any of them could’ve betrayed Him then that means that I could’ve betrayed Him.  …  But, then, who am I kidding, why do I think that I am above such a thing?  I know the wretchedness of my heart and the evil that lurks within.  Maybe I should stop pretending I am better than I really am and just go ahead and number myself with Judas.Notice that Jesus doesn’t comfort any of His disciples with the Law or with a call to their own self-righteousness, for that would only bring them despair.  Instead, He just moves on to the Gospel, to the only thing that can and will relieve a terrified conscience who has just figured out just how depraved he really is.  …  And so Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper.  We’ll talk about that tomorrow, but just know that it is pure Gospel!So in the midst of your doubting and your terrified conscience perhaps you should stop asking, “Is it I, Lord?”  Of course it is you.  …  So move on from that question to the one that matters, ‘Is it you, Lord, who will save me from my sin?”  And He will say, “Yes!  I am your Passover Lamb that has been slain for you!” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.On whose hard arms, so widely flung, The weight of this world’s ransom hung, The price of humankind to pay And spoil the spoiler of his prey.  O tree of beauty, tree most fair, Ordained those holy limbs to bear; Gone is thy shame, each crimsoned bough Proclaims the King of Glory now. (LSB 455:4,5)- Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 26, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 14:1-15:47, John 12:20-50Daily Lectionary: Exodus 9:29-10:20, Lamentations 2:1-22, Hebrews 3:1-19Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.  So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” (John 12:20-21)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I have this phrase, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus,” on my pulpit, staring back at me each and every time I climb up there to give a sermon.  I have it up there to remind me that I have only one job to do:  Preach Jesus.  If I fail to do that simple, but momentous, task then I have failed to do what my Lord has called me to do and I have failed to give my congregation what they need.Pastors sometimes get into the habit of wanting to be kitschy, wanting to entertain their congregations with the new and coolest theology.  Pastors are sinners too, and sometimes the foolishness of the cross just seems too darn foolish to preach each and every single Sunday.  But if it was good enough for St. Paul (“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Corinthians 2:2) then it should be good enough for your pastor.Notice what happens in our text after the Greek travelers told Philip that they wanted to see Jesus…  Philip goes to Andrew, and then Andrew and Philip go and tell Jesus and immediately Jesus starts talking about His crucifixion.  It’s in coded language of course, using words like “hour for the Son of Man to be glorified,” and “when I am lifted up from the earth,” but it is all there for those who have ears to hear it.  Meaning that when Jesus wants you to know something about Him He wants you to know nothing apart from the cross.If the cross isn’t part of the equation then the answer is going to be wrong, and I’m not talking about some throw-away line at the end.  If your pastor’s sermon doesn’t have Christ’s death as the cornerstone then go up to Him after the service and ask to see Jesus.This is Holy Week.  Everything that has to do with Christ centers around this week, centers around the crucifixion, because the cross is the only reason why God became incarnate:  to die for you.  If you don’t get Christ and Him crucified every Sunday, demand that you do! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth, The guilt of sinners bearing And, laden with the sins of earth, None else the burden sharing; Goes patient on, grows weak and faint, To slaughter led without complaint, That spotless life to offer, He bears the stripes, the wounds, the lies, The mockery, and yet replies, “All this I gladly suffer.” (LSB 438:1)- Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 25, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 1:26-38Daily Lectionary: Exodus 9:1-28, Lamentations 1:1-22, Hebrews 2:1-18And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” (Luke 1:30-31)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Since the Fall our sinful nature can’t comprehend a God who does things the way in which He does.  We would think for Him to work in only high and mighty ways above us and apart from us, but our Lord isn’t who we think He is.  And so today we hear about a God who doesn’t deem Himself so high and mighty above us as to leave us in our fallen flesh.  But instead, we have a God who deemed us worthy enough that He would become one of us and save us from our fallenness, not to save us from our humanness.And He does so even as a little embryo floating down fallopian tubes, even as a soiling-himself infant in a cattle stall, even as a stumbling toddler and a pubescent teenager and twenty-something carpenter and a thirty year old dead man on a cross.  He does this as He bursts out of the tomb, not leaving the shell of His humanity in the grave to rot, but raising it up in perfection while still bearing the marks of the cross so that we might forever know that the death of this God-man means the life of mankind.  And even to this day He has done this by assuming our human nature up into the heavens, seated at the right hand of God giving us the very thing that we always desired, but were too shortsighted and ignorant to understand.  For we were always going to reign until eternity with Him; not by us becoming like Him, but by Him becoming like us.Is there any better way to prepare ourselves for the coming Holy Week; to prepare ourselves for the institution of a Supper of the flesh and blood of Jesus; to prepare ourselves for a dark Good Friday when the Son of God hangs derelict on a tree with human hands and feet nailed and human blood flowing mingled down; to prepare ourselves for the empty tomb and the risen Jesus in the flesh; is there any better way for us to prepare for all of that than by us celebrating today the Annunciation and human conception of our God?  …  If there is, I know not of it. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Why lies He in such mean estate Where ox and ass are feeding?  Good Christians, fear; for sinners here The silent Word is pleading.  Nail, spear, shall pierce Him through, The cross be borne for me, for you; Hail, hail the Word made flesh, The babe, the son of Mary! (LSB 370:2)- Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 24, 2024 Today's Reading: John 12:12-19 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 8:1-32, Psalm 118, Hebrews 1:1-14So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s a strange thing to see a king riding triumphantly to His death, especially when He knows about it while no one else does.  The Pharisees want Him dead, that certainly is the truth, but they aren’t quite sure how to accomplish this yet.  There is still a lot of scheming and bribing that has to get done.  Whatever the case, Jesus will end up on that cross, one way or another.  But no matter how it may look, no one places Him there.  He goes willingly.And so the crowds that once saw Him raise Lazarus from the grave follow Him with palm branches waving, shouting from the top of their voices, “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”  …  They are calling for salvation even if they don’t fully understand what it is they are asking, for that is what Hosanna means, “Save us.”  But whether they understand it or not, Jesus will save them.  It is going to look strange.  It is going to look weak.  It is going to look broken and bloody.  It is going to look like death.  But this King knows that it is only through His death that His servants will have life, so onward He goes.  He will not be denied His crossly-throne.We join in this cry of victory, in this plea for salvation, uniting ourselves in song with that palm-branch-waving crowd.  We do this in the Service of the Sacrament in the words of the Sanctus.  Every single Lord’s Day, a new Palm Sunday all over again, as our King comes to us in simple and meager ways.  The only difference is that on that first Palm Sunday Jesus was riding to the cross, every Lord’s Day after He is riding from the cross in order to give to you what He won there.“Hosanna!  Lord, save us!”  And He does, every single time, as He feeds us with His broken Body and Blood outpoured.  …  How fitting… with your tongue you cry out for salvation and with your lips you receive it! 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.-Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 23, 2024 Today's Reading: Psalm 24 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 7:1-25, Mark 16:1-20Lift up your heads, O gates!  And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.   (Psalm 24:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God comes to us.  That is what He does.  Time and time again, He comes to His lost and fallen creation.  He comes to people.  He communes with them.  He bestows grace and favor.  He comes down from heaven, to this earth.  He comes.  …  For David this happened in a tangible sort of way.  The Ark of the Covenant, the mercy seat of God, was now being brought into the city of Jerusalem.  For the first time the Ark was there.  For the first time, God located Himself in the holy city, the hill of the LORD, Mount Zion.Thousands of years later He comes in the strangest glory, in beaten, bloody, stripped, and naked glory.  He ascends the hill of the Lord, the hill of Calvary; right there in the city of David where He had entered all those years ago.  His clean hands clinging to the shame of your cross.  His pure heart bearing the weight of your sin.  There is the glory of your Lord, O Jerusalem.  There, despised, rejected, dismissed by all the world.  Up there on that tree is the strength and might of your God in all of His weakness.  Fighting tooth and nail in a battle with sin and death and Satan.  …  Lift up your heads, O Jerusalem, and gaze upon your King of glory!Be lifted up, O ancient doors, because your King comes to you.  He in His glory, He with His cross, He comes to you!  In a flood which washes your filthy hands and impure hearts. He comes, bringing His death so that you might be buried within, bringing His resurrection so that you might have life eternal.  In a Word He comes:  Absolution spoken from the lips of a pastor which brings to you the sureness that, “It is finished!”  In a meal, body and blood given to you, He comes.  Communion with God, fellowship with your Savior, unity with those who kneel next to you.In all of this He comes, bringing in tow the gift of the cross, making your hands clean and your hearts pure.  He comes blessing you with His righteousness that allows you to stand in the holy place of God and ascend the hill of the Lord.  Jesus is your God of salvation, and He comes to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Who may ascend Mount Zion’s holy hill To do God’s will?  The One whose unstained hands Can meet the Law’s demands, Whose purity within Reveals One free from  sin.  Come, praise this King who claims the cross as throne– Praise Him alone!  (LSB 339:3)-Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 22, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 10:32-34Daily Lectionary: Exodus 5:1-6:1, Mark 15:33-47[Jesus said,] “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles.  And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him.  And after three days he will rise.” (Mark 10:33-34)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus is leading His disciples to Jerusalem.  This may sound like a simple and unimportant point, but it holds more meaning than what we first might assume.  For it is God who leads His people along the Way.  While it may seem sometimes as if we are wandering aimlessly through this Vale of Tears, it is our Lord who is always in front of us, leading us to the cross.  And what better time to be reminded of this than two days before Holy Week when we will be led from Palm Sunday all the way to Good Friday and the place of our salvation?  …  Now back to the text…It is interesting that some who are following Jesus are amazed and excited while others are afraid.  Judging by what happens immediately following our text, of which we heard about last Sunday, it would seem as if those who were amazed were the Twelve.  They still don’t understand what it means that Jesus is the Messiah.  They still don’t quite grasp the enormity of what is about to transpire in only a few days, even though Jesus has already told them.And so He tells them again.  And perhaps we should take note of this.  The most important thing that Jesus ever did, the whole purpose for Him becoming incarnate and taking on human flesh, is so that He can go to the cross and die for the sins of the world.  …  The sinner in us often gets tired of hearing about the cross.  We want the glory without the suffering.  We want the “Now what?” after Good Friday.  But without Good Friday nothing else matters.  Without Good Friday all the “Now what’s,” in the world are pointless.So gird your loins my brothers and sisters.  Next week Jesus is once again leading you to the cross, so that He can once again tell you everything that He has done for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Then, for all that wrought my pardon, For Thy sorrows deep and sore, For Thine anguish in the Garden, I will thank Thee evermore, Thank Thee for Thy groaning, signing, For Thy bleeding and Thy dying, For that last triumphant cry, And shall praise Thee, Lord, on high.  (LSB 420:7)-Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 21, 2024 Today's Reading: The CreedDaily Lectionary: Exodus 4:19-31, Mark 15:16-32Who 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. (The Second Article:  Part Two)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Second Article of the Creed is about Jesus, it is about Jesus for you.  It is the salvation story simplified into the smallest little paragraph.  …  God took on human flesh, He incarnated Himself to be one of us.  He stepped out of the glories of heaven, the vast everythingness and everywhereness of His infinite omni-ness and He placed Himself as the smallest speck within a virgin’s fallopian tubes, all so that He could float down into her uterus and be one of us, one with us in every way.Out of the womb and into the fallen world; perfect God yet perfect man.  The Law ever before Him, ever being fulfilled in every active way imaginable, passively crossing every single “t” and dotting every single “i” in perfection.  Jesus standing as Israel, God’s son, before the Father:  Israel as Israel should have been (perfect) and Israel as Israel truly was (sinful):  The paradox of the Gospel as Jesus stands as both perfect sacrifice and at the same time, sin itself.Then off to the place of purchase and triumph, Calvary and Golgotha, wallet full of a priceless currency that doesn’t glisten like gold or silver, but instead pulsates with the blood-red vibrancy that courses through His veins.  …  Perfect Lamb led to the slaughter so that His blood could cleanse us from all our sins.  Innocent as only God can be, yet held guilty for every last crime of humanity.  All sins forgiven, all shame remitted.  Death killed and laid to rest in His tomb.  Satan’s head crushed by a nail-pierced heel.In fancy theological talk we call this “The Great Exchange”, for that is what Jesus did for humanity every step of the way.  What is His is now exchanged for what was ours:  sins for righteousness, death for life, dirty shame for a clean conscience.  …  All of this culminates next week on Good Friday, when Jesus cries out, “It is finished!”  And for the sake of Christ, it is. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lamb of God, pure and holy, Who on the cross didst suffer, Ever patient and lowly, Thyself to scorn didst offer.  All sins Thou borest for us, Else had despair reigned o’er us:  Have mercy on us, O Jesus!  O Jesus!  (LSB 434:1)-Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 20, 2024 Today's Reading: Hebrews 5:1-10Daily Lectionary: Exodus 4:1-18, Mark 15:1-15And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:9-10)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You hear a lot of priestly stuff and temple stuff and tabernacle stuff in the book of Hebrews.  It can be a little overwhelming and perhaps even a little confusing for those of us who are not as well versed in the Old Testament as we should be.  So at risk of over simplifying it all, let’s just say that the writer of Hebrews is showing us how Jesus fulfills the entirety of the Old Testament; and He does so for you.Jesus is a priest.  We have all heard that before, but He isn’t a priest in the normal order of priesthood.  He doesn’t come from the line of Levi.  His umpteenth great grandfather wasn’t Aaron.  And so He isn’t a priest like we would see in the temple.  Don’t get me wrong, He has some similarities with the Levitical priesthood, namely standing as a mediator between God and His people, but there are some differences as well.  And the major difference is that Jesus is an eternal priest, whereas all the rest were merely temporal.But there is more…  Melchizedek was the king of Salem.  His name means “King of Righteousness” and His title means “King of peace”.  For Jesus to be a priest in this order means that He is an eternal priest who eternally brings righteousness and peace to His people.  …  Priests stand as mediators.  They stand in the stead of God for the people and in the stead of the people for God.  This Jesus does more perfectly than any priest in the order of Aaron because every other priest had to first offer sacrifices for his own sins, but not Jesus.Jesus only offers a sacrifice for us, for you.  And opposite the Levitical sacrifices, which were made up of bulls and goats and rams and lambs, perpetually and habitually being slaughtered day and night, Jesus' sacrifice was once and for all.  He, the priest, He, the sacrifice.  He, in the order of Melchizedek, He, in the order of the Passover Lamb.  …  Jesus gives you gifts as your High Priest and those gifts stem from His sacrifice on the cross.  So receive from your kingly priest the gifts He has for you:  life, salvation, and forgiveness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.They rise and needs will have  My dear Lord made away; A murderer they save, The Prince of Life they slay.  Yet cheerful He  To stuff’ring goes That He His foes From thence might free.  (LSB 430:5)-Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 19, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23Daily Lectionary: Exodus 2:23-3:22, Mark 14:53-72And [Joseph] 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 2:14-15)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Is it too much to say that fathers are important, that fathers matter, that there is a difference between men and women, and a distinction to be made between the role they play in raising children and nurturing the next generation?  Not too long ago all of that would have been simple and easy to proclaim, almost as if it is woven into the fabric of God’s good nature.   But times change, things get weird, people go a little bonkers and so perhaps it is good to take the time to think about these things every once and awhile.So are fathers important?  God certainly seems to think they are.  So much so, that He made sure that His Son had a defender, a protector, a guardian.  And this great champion of Jesus, this guardian of Christ, was none other than Joseph: a devout and merciful man who before the visit from the angel had decided to divorce his betrothed in private so that the crowds wouldn’t smash her head with rocks until she and the baby inside of her were dead.And so I suppose it says something about the nature of fathers that our Heavenly Father made sure His Son had an earthly father, not a second mother, not a family friend, not a bigger brother or a kindly uncle, but a father.  And in our text for today Joseph fulfills one of the most important duties of the vocation of fatherhood, and that is to protect his children.So down to Egypt Joseph races with his bride and his son, all so that the prophet Hosea could be fulfilled, all so that Jesus didn’t die in the streets of Bethlehem at the hands of Herod.  God provided His Son an earthly father so that Joseph could make sure that Jesus made it to the cross.  …  I know that seems weird, but how else could we look at it?  Jesus needed to fulfill the Law in our stead and then die as a sacrifice on the cross for our forgiveness and our Heavenly Father partly used Jesus’ earthly father to accomplish that.  …  So let us give thanks to our Heavenly Father for Joseph, the Guardian of our Lord.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.We sing our thanks for Joseph, The guardian of our Lord, Who faithfully taught Jesus Through craft and deed and word.  Grant wisdom, Lord, and patience To parents ev’rywhere Who guide and teach the children Entrusted to their care (LSB 517:14)-Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 18, 2024 Today's Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-37Daily Lectionary: Exodus 2:1-22, Mark 14:32-52And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord.  For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  If you remember anything about Jeremiah you will remember that this guy loves to weep.  Day and night tears streamed down his face, not because he was a cry baby, but because of the grief that he bore over the people of Israel, the nation of Judah.  And because Jeremiah was God’s prophet, his tears were God’s tears.  …  Remember, the people were in exile and this was all from their own doing.  For generation upon generation they had played footsie with other gods, batted eyes with foreign idols, and found themselves in the backseat of Baal’s car.Their sin was idolatry, First Commandment stuff, but it was often expressed in terms of the Sixth Commandment because YHWH was their true Bridegroom that they had spurned.  Jeremiah and the many prophets before him had constantly warned the people of their idolatrous adultery, but the people never listened.  And so now they find themselves in Babylon, Jerusalem destroyed, Temple torn to the ground.  Things couldn’t get any worse.  They had broken the covenant God had made with them and now they reap the fruit of their labor.But mystery of all mysteries, God is not yet finished with them.  Like an ever faithful husband He promises to make another covenant with them.  Not like the old one cut with the blood of bulls and goats, but a new one cut with the blood of a firstborn Lamb.  It is this covenant that will last forever, that will never be broken.  And the knowledge of the Lord will be written on their hearts, on your hearts, because He will forgive their iniquity in Christ and remember their sin no more because of the sacrifice of His Son.And this promise of God will be yours until the eternal vastness of the heavens can be measured, which is just His way of saying, “This covenant in Christ will never end.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Come to Calv’ry’s holy mountain, Sinners, ruined by the fall; Here a pure and healing fountain Flows for you, for me, for all, In a full, perpetual tide, Opened when our Savior died.  They that drink shall live forever; ‘Tis a soul renewing flood.  God is faithful; God will never Break His covenant of blood, Signed when our Redeemer died, Sealed when He was glorified.  (LSB 435:1,4)-Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 17, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45Daily Lectionary: Exodus 1:1-22, Mark 14:12-31[Jesus said,] “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43b-45)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, otherwise known as the sons of Thunder for their boisterous and blustery natures, come to Jesus with a request.  Actually, it isn’t so much a request as a demand.  (Isn’t that just like the sinner to demand that God does something for him?)  Well, anyway, they want to sit at Jesus’ right and left when He comes in glory.  Now I know that we are supposed to put the best construction on everything, but I’m pretty sure that the only reason that they ask this is because they assume that Jesus’ glory is going to look like a throne and a crown and a scepter of might and a courtroom of servants for as far as the eye can see, and they want to get in on the action.  Goodness, I most certainly would!!!Ah, the sinner and his narrow understanding of greatness…  Jesus sits down these two thunderous brothers (and us while He’s at it) and teaches them/us a better way:  To be first is to be a slave.  To be great is to be a servant.    For you see, greatness isn’t measured by how many people have bowed before you, but by how many people you have bowed before.But lest we think that Jesus is laying out for us a path of greatness that we must walk, He would instead have us know where His true glory is to be found.  He is making His way to Jerusalem; in fact, it is in the very next chapter.  And from there He will ride His humble mule of a mount all the way to the cross.  For it is at the cross where true greatness is found.  It is at the cross where Jesus’ glory is put on full and gruesome display.  Broken servant-body hanging derelict for you.  The blood of a slave gushing forth to cover all your sins.In the weakness of the cross is where we find the greatness of our God.  And that is not a greatness that we must earn, instead it is a greatness that we may freely receive. 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.-Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 16, 2024 Today's Reading: Psalm 116:1-4, 8; antiphon: Psalm 43:1 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 49:29-50:7, 14-26; Mark 14:1-11But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.”  (Mark 14:6-8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Imagine what it must have looked like: everyone is gathered around having a civilized dinner with this fascinating teacher, then this woman bursts in and breaks her jar of oil and pours it on His head. You can picture the stuttered incredulity, yet she is presumably unfazed, even in the face of a scolding over her wastefulness. The Bible has a great deal to say about care for the poor, and with this backdrop it seems perfectly reasonable that people would be concerned about this woman’s waste of three hundred denarii, as that was almost a year’s wages. One expects Jesus to whole-heartedly agree with their concern, yet Jesus commends her, calling her act beautiful, and declaring that wherever the Gospel is proclaimed in the world this story will be told in memory of her. Funny that despite that Mark seemingly still forgot her name. Jesus sees and understands the devotion of the woman in Bethany. Her actions are not frivolous, rather they are an unrestrained act of worship. She also recognizes the urgency of the moment, as Jesus will soon die, and dedicates her savings to the care for Jesus’ body. This is really an extraordinary thing, as one can surely understand dedicating your savings to a cause that will continue, then it seems like more of an investment, but to dedicate your savings to anointing a soon dead messiah is foolishness. Yet the woman in Bethany brings what she has and willingly pours it all out for Jesus. She has a job to do, worship to offer, love to bring to the soon crucified king, with no time for concerns about practicalities. With these actions she places His death in the center of her own life, literally pouring out her savings to honor it, and in this way shows us all the meaning of discipleship. As we begin to turn our faces toward Golgotha, we too have an opportunity to contemplate what it means to honor the body poured out for us for the forgiveness of sins. We do not honor Jesus by somehow trying to pay Him back, but by receiving the gifts in His body and blood as He has ordained, and perhaps we can consider the delicious impracticality of clinging to that promise.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.What language shall I borrow To thank Thee, dearest Friend,  For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?  O make me Thine forever!  And should I fainting be,  Lord, let me never, never, Outlive my love for Thee. (LSB 450:5) -Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 15, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 13:24-37Daily Lectionary: Genesis 47:1-31, Genesis 48:1-49:28, Mark 13:24-37But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.\ (Mark 13: 32-33)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is a cottage industry dedicated to deciphering the signs and learning when Jesus will appear, and unsurprisingly it makes people a lot of money. Yet, oddly enough despite protracted explanations about how various verses can be used to predict the precise date of Christ’s return, these verses are rarely addressed. Jesus couldn’t be clearer, no one knows the day or the hour, so people should quit using the Bible like a magic decoder ring that will tell them exactly when. Instead of looking for signs to give us a timeline, we should simply always be prepared for His return. How do we do that? By staying awake. Jesus doesn’t mean we should undergo a rigorous diet of sleep deprivation, instead He is saying that we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be distracted by all the cares and comforts of this world and lured away from Him. It’s easy to forget, especially living with the abundance with which many are accustomed, that we rely on God for all our needs of body and soul. As a result of this abundance many think that the life we have is ours to possess and control. It’s easy to let our souls shrink as we fritter our lives away on silly, meaningless things, complaining of boredom, and grumbling about the neighbors we have been given to care for. Yet Jesus says to stay awake and be on guard because the days are evil. We certainly see this in all the things that lull us into numbed distraction. Like a person walking across the street staring at their phone, we amble through our lives, unaware of all the dangers that assail us. These distractions aren’t always obvious things, sometimes it’s things that simply rob us of gratitude and cultivate our grumbling. Instead of cultivating anxious grumbling, our wakefulness cultivates a hopeful longing, awaiting the day when we can bow to our merciful judge who brings healing and restoration with Him. Just as we would stay awake in eager anticipation of a loved one’s long-expected late-night return, we await our Lord’s return. And however joyous our loved one’s return might be, think how much more joyous that glorious day will be. What a reason to stay awake to watch and pray.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The clouds of judgment gather, The time is growing late; Be sober and be watchful, Our judge is at the gate: The judge who comes in mercy, The judge who comes in mightTo put an end to evil  And diadem the right. (LSB 513:1)-Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 14, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 13:1-23Daily Lectionary: Genesis 45:1-20, 24-28; Mark 13:1-23And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. (Mark 13:7-8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. War is so terrible that even a rumor of it brings a particular anxiety. This is no less true today, when a threat of war between nuclear powers brings the dread of annihilation on a scale the world has never seen. We can turn on the news and see war fully underway in various parts of the world, from Europe to the Middle East, and calls for world peace seem like a cliched punchline to a bad joke. For much of the world, war is a constant part of daily lives, causing suffering that is physical, economic, and emotional, and so it can in a very literal sense feel like the end of the world. Since the 1980’s a certain type of false teachers took to reading the Bible as a sort of code to decipher world events, and each new outbreak of war would be a signal to them that the end was coming. At times it felt a little like apocalyptic prophecy BINGO: after a certain set of criteria would be hit, that was it, it meant Jesus was coming any day now. Of course, all these prophetic declarations fell short because there are always wars and rumors of war. They’re ubiquitous in a world stricken with sin and death. Jesus here isn’t giving us a roadmap, so we know how close we are to arriving at his second coming. Instead He is telling us that the trouble in the world doesn’t happen outside of the knowledge or power of God, but the trouble is part of the pathway to the joy of His return. It’s no accident He uses the metaphor of birth pangs—labor is hard, it’s messy, it can feel like death is approaching, but it is the approach of new life entering this world. Similarly, our trials are far from the approaching drumbeat of death but are the signs by which we can know that true, full, and abundant life is making its way into the world. They remind us to look to the glorious appearing of our Lord, who promises to return and, in the words of Tolkien, make all the sad things come untrue. 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. (LSB 508:7)-Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 13, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 12:28-44Daily Lectionary: Genesis 44:1-18, 32-34; Mark 12:28-44And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is the social media trend of “boy math” versus “girl math” but here we are introduced to “Jesus math.” Jesus doesn’t math correctly, and this is a repeated problem with Him. He leaves ninety-nine sheep to find one, He insists that the greatest is actually least in His kingdom, that the least is greatest, and here He is saying that a woman who didn’t give enough to cover a single bulletin put more in than all the rich people whose offerings were surely exponentially more than hers. A truly ludicrous assertion. The rich give out of their abundance, meaning their leftovers, and probably not enough to feel a bit of a financial pinch. In contrast, the widow gives out of her poverty, which means her gift is a sign of her hope and expectation, she literally puts her money where her mouth is regarding her trust in God’s provision. Presumably the widow is not a fool and knows that the money she gave was all she had to live on, but she trusted that her Lord would provide all that she needed to support this body and life. The lesson here is not a formula for how to give to your church, Jesus is not commanding everyone to give all they have to the church, risking starvation and homelessness. Rather He’s again showing that in worldly abundance there is poverty, in poverty there is abundance, and with our eyes it’s often hard to see which is which. Often we’re at the end of our ropes emotionally, financially, spiritually, and feel as if we have nothing to give, and wonder how we’ll find the strength to do the things we know we should. With the widow we can be comforted that when we give what we have out of our poverty of money, time, or emotional well-being, it is blessed, not measured for quantity, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in Spirit. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Seek first God’s reign, His boundless grace,  His holy name in all you do:Christ first and last in ev’ry place;  All else will then be given you. (LSB 736: 6)-Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 12, 2024 Today's Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10Daily Lectionary: Genesis 43:1-28, Mark 12:13-27But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-6)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. But God...those are powerful six letters. Paul here tells us exactly what our condition is, in no uncertain terms. We are dead, and we’re dead because of our trespasses. What are our trespasses? Those are all the big and small ways we’ve broken God’s law: failing to love Him, failing to love our neighbors, putting ourselves first, serving the desires of our sinful hearts, and maybe even justifying all this sin under some delusion of self-righteousness. These trespasses don’t just leave us crippled, injured, or weak, instead they kill us. We’re entirely captive to them, just as a dead person is entirely captive to death and can do nothing to free herself. Think of it like Lazarus, stinking and rotting in his tomb, certainly unable to walk out under his own steam, but was freed from death by the call of Jesus. We are similarly bound up in our grave clothes of sin, and our God, who is rich in mercy and love, calls to us by name, very often for the first time at the font, telling us to come out of our graves. Despite our stinking corpses of sin, He loves us and calls us His own, and makes us alive in Him. His intervention into our deaths is not some spiritual potpourri to cover the smell and make us look a little more presentable, instead when God makes us alive, He is breathing new life into us just as He breathed life into creation by His Word. His Word of grace brings true life to all the dead places destroyed by sin. All of this He does for you by grace. He doesn’t bring you life and treasures eternal because you did something to earn it or warrant it, after all God owes none of us anything, but because He is a God of love and mercy, He seeks to bring peace where there is affliction, grace where there is only condemnation, life where there is death. Your God has called you His own, made you His own, and will raise you up with Him, not because of who you are, but because of who He is. Thanks be to God. 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. (LSB 555:1)-Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 11, 2024Today's Reading: Numbers 21:4-9Daily Lectionary: Genesis 42:1-34, 38; Mark 12:1-12And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live. (Numbers 21:8-9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Looking at a bronze serpent is not medicine and is not the surgeon general’s recommended treatment for snake bite. Yes, even the people in the time of Moses knew this; contrary to popular belief ancient people were not stupid. Moses is not giving us or his people a cure for snake bite though, he is giving them a cure for something much deeper. The reason the Israelites needed a cure for the snakes that plagued them is because the Lord set snakes into their camp in response to their grumbling. They had just been rescued from slavery in Egypt, had seen any number of mighty acts of God in service of their deliverance, and yet saw fit to grumble not just about the lack of food, but even questioning why they had been rescued from Egypt for this. Ingratitude is fertile ground for sin, because it turns us away from God and towards our own sense of entitlement. God doesn’t send serpents into their camp just because He was mad that they didn’t say thank you enough, like that relative who always keeps a record of holiday thank you cards, but because they were reminiscing about their time in Egypt. It is easy to see a life in obedience and reliance on God as a deprivation, at times it seems like others have it so much easier, or at least have a whole Sunday morning to sleep in. But God is reminding the Israelites (and us) that people do learn to love their chains, and that captivity can look like liberation, but liberation comes at trust in His Word. This is why in response to their repentance in the face of poisonous snakes, He gives them a sign of their affliction attached to a word of promise. The healing from the fruit of their sin came from trust in the promise that all who looked on the snake would live, not in the snake itself. So it is with us, as we look not to a bronze serpent, but to the wages of our own sin poured out on Jesus and His death, trusting in the promise that by death He has overcome death for us.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Jesus grant that balm and healing  In Your holy wounds I find,  Ev’ry hour that I am feelingPains of body and of mind.  Should some evil thought within Tempt my treach’rous heart to sin, Show the peril and from sinning  Keep me from its first beginning. (LSB 421:1)-Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 10, 2024Today's Reading: John 3:14-21 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 41:28-57, Mark 11:20-33Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believed are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:17-18)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus does not come to the world for condemnation, but for salvation, rescue from sin, death and the devil. For many people the name of Jesus sounds like condemnation and judgment, so it is met with anger. This happened too in Jesus’ day, some people rejoiced at the gifts He freely gave from physical healing, bread, deliverance from demons, to forgiveness of sin itself, while others recoiled at these gifts, declaring the words and actions of the only Son of God blasphemous. How ironic is that, to accuse God of blasphemy? Yet to the spirit of the age, whether our age or theirs in the first century, Jesus is indeed blasphemous. This spirit of the age would tell us many things, like we don’t need salvation because we’re great just the way we are so we really only need acceptance, not forgiveness. Or the spirit of the age may declare that there are many paths to salvation, all equally warranted, a religious ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ of sorts. Or the spirit of the age may declare that salvation can come to the world if we band together and work hard enough to save it all. To sheep without a shepherd any degree of shepherding can feel like condemnation, even if the Good Shepherd is there for rescue not punishment. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, who has come to us for salvation not condemnation, and the way to receive this salvation is to believe in the name of the Son of God. To believe in the name of Jesus means to believe in everything He says and does and shows us regarding the character of God. It means believing that we all need rescuing from sin, death, and the devil, and that it is in God’s nature to provide us with that rescue. Our sins condemn us, but only inasmuch as we wrestle them away from Jesus to fix them ourselves, instead of surrendering them in faith in His promise of forgiveness. Jesus has come into the world to save sinners, and that is good news for all who place themselves in that number. 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.-Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 9, 2024 Today's Reading: Psalm 27:3-5; antiphon: Psalm 27:1Daily Lectionary: Genesis 41:1-27, Mark 11:1-19The 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)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Have you ever watched a scary movie then that night had innocuous things in your bedroom transform into something creepy and sinister? Suddenly that chair in the corner becomes something much darker, the creaking pipes sound like footsteps in the hallway, and on it goes until you either talk some sense to yourself, turn on the light, or completely give way to fear and resign yourself to sleeplessness. Because of a mixture of darkness and imagination, a place of safety and rest becomes the habitat of various monsters that are probably under the bed or in the closet. Fear is powerful. Fear can lead us to see things that aren’t there, take actions to protect ourselves that look silly in the light of day, and can lead us to put the worst possible construction on our neighbor’s actions. There’s a reason people say you shouldn’t yell “fire!” in a crowded theater—and it’s not because people are concerned that the occupants of the theater will quietly exit, but rather because they will panic and cause harm to themselves or others. Fear is a strong motivation to make many ill-informed choices, and people know this. So much of our cultural and information landscape now is constructed to make people afraid, we even have a word for mindlessly scrolling on our phones, sucked into increasingly bad news: doomscrolling. Fear holds us captive, and it is easy to begin to take counsel of it, using fear as a justification for greed, lovelessness, and despair. When we are formed by fear it is difficult to see the goodness and provision of the Lord, and to feel utterly lost in the doom and the darkness.But God interrupts our doomscrolling to tell us a different story, a story where we need not be afraid. The LORD is our light, entering into that darkness, where we see monsters under the bed or on our social media, and disperses the shadows. We can rest in that comfort and joy, that though there surely are monsters in this world, and it may look a bit like they are winning, the greatest of these monsters has already been defeated. Salvation is ours, the victory has been won, and our lives are secure in the Lord’s stronghold. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O little flock, fear not the foe  Who madly seeks your overthrow;  Dread not his rage and pow’r.And though your courage sometimes faints,  His seeming triumph o’er God’s saints  Lasts but a little hour. (LSB 666:1)-Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 8, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 10:32-52Daily Lectionary: Genesis 40:1-23, Mark 10:32-52But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:43-45)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In today’s reading we come across the disciples who are once again bickering, frustrated that James and John are asking to be seated at Jesus’ left and right hands in His glory. This raises a question of how to achieve greatness in the new kingdom Jesus is inaugurating. Jesus once again subverts expectations by contrasting how the world works and how His kingdom works. He reminds them that for the Gentiles greatness is marked by rulers who exercise their power for the control and submission of those below them. This is the way of the world, and it’s natural to assume that in God’s economy power dynamics would look similar to the world’s. Yet exactly the opposite is true, as Jesus indicates, greatness among them comes through service, which requires a relinquishing of power and control. Service comes from a love for others, a recognition of their needs, and response to fulfill their needs. This service is largely invisible to the world, and when it is seen, it doesn’t look like anything particularly spectacular and laudatory, which is probably precisely the point. Instead it comes in small moments, not grand gestures. Service comes at an emptying of ourselves, our own comfort, ego, desires, plans, and instead is a voluntary submission to our neighbor’s needs, only to be really seen, understood, or acknowledged by our Father in heaven. Because of how unspectacular this greatness is to our eyes, it’s easy to miss those who are living quiet, sanctified lives, serving their neighbors.  Think of how Jesus serves us. First, He serves us with a criminal’s shameful death, then He gives us the forgiveness won there in spoken words, splashes of water, a sip of wine and a bit of bread. It doesn’t look spectacular, and sometimes it doesn’t even feel spectacular, at times even boring and mundane. But this is where we access the greatness of Jesus’ kingdom, because only after we have been served by Him, being washed in His mercy and forgiveness, can we see rightly our needs that are met only in Him.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Jesus, greatest at the table,  The almighty Son of Man,  Laid aside His outer clothing,Poured some water in a pan;  As the Twelve lay, hushed in silence, He the servant’s task began. (LSB 446:1)-Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 7, 2024Today's Reading: Mark 10:13-31Daily Lectionary: Genesis 39:1-23, Mark 10:13-31It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:25-27)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  It is natural that when we find a hard word from Jesus that we try to find the loophole. The saying about the camel and the eye of the needle is an example—people find many creative ways to explain why it doesn’t mean what it says. For example I remember hearing that the “eye of a needle” was a special gate into Jerusalem, and camels couldn’t go through it while they were piled high with the things they often carried for travelers, so the trick was to take off the camel’s saddle and provisions. So what Jesus really means here is that we can have stuff, we just shouldn’t be too attached to it. It’s a nice story, but it’s completely made up, to, again, find us a loophole around the clear saying of Jesus. It’s harder for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Well, maybe the Good News is this doesn’t apply to you or me because we aren’t rich. It’s not as if any of us is Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos building rockets into space for fun with our spare change. Most of us are more in the bracket of people who still watch the fluctuating gas prices and food prices with trepidation. Surely, we’re not rich, so we’ve escaped this word of condemnation. Sorry, but if you had something to eat today, you’re richer than vast swathes of the world’s population. There aren’t many people in the world this warning doesn’t apply to. It’s okay if that troubles you, it troubled the apostles as well. Do you see how they respond, immediately recognizing the implications of Jesus’ statement? They wonder if this is the standard then who could possibly be saved. But Jesus does what Jesus so often does, instead of pointing us to a path to save and sanctify ourselves by keeping the Law, instead He points to the goodness and mercy of God. It is impossible for us to keep the Law, try as we might. But behold, with God the impossible becomes possible. Just as the lame walk, the dead rise, and the sinful are forgiven, you are saved not by your poverty but by the overflowing prosperity of God’s exceeding mercy. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Now my conscience is at peace; From the Law I stand acquitted. Christ hath purchased my releaseAnd my ev’ry sin remitted.  Naught remains my soul to grieve;  Jesus sinners doth receive (LSB 609:6)-Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 6, 2024Today's Reading: Mark 10:1-12Daily Lectionary: Genesis 37:1-36, Mark 10:1-12And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”  He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.” (Mark 10:2-5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  This is one of those hard passages of Scripture that makes people cringe at how out of date Jesus is. Surely Jesus isn’t telling us that divorce is unlawful, because Jesus understands that we all live in the real world. Even Moses and the Pharisees understood this reality, so surely Jesus would provide a little more leeway. But Jesus claps back, informing them that the only reason Moses allowed for the “certificate of divorce” loophole was because of their hardness of heart. Jesus doesn’t take the easy way out and try to untangle the legal mess, instead He points out that the primary issue here is the hardness of heart in regard to the will of God. Hard hearts are not receptive to the will of God, which means they cause us to sin, cause others to sin against us, and cause us to compound each other’s sins. Hard hearts are not hearts softened by the Word of God, cultivating the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control.  Instead of treating each other according to the fruit of the Spirit, even in our marriages, hard hearts have marriages shaped by the works of the flesh marked by such things as idolatry, sexual immorality, jealousy, enmity, anger, etc. It’s easy to see why marriages formed this way would lead to divorce. Yet, it’s also clear that this supposed loophole isn’t really a loophole at all. This is because the answer to the fruits of our hard hearts and prevalent sin is not a loophole in the Law that we can claim to avoid accountability. In the face of God’s Law the answer is not a good lawyer to argue our case, pull some fancy legal maneuver, and get us acquitted on a technicality. No. The answer to the Law’s condemnation, to the hardness of all of our hearts, is to plead our guilt, and beg the mercy of our judge. But thanks be to God it is His joy to have mercy on His beloved in the name of Jesus, His only begotten Son.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.On my heart imprint Your image  Blessed Jesus, King of grace,That life’s riches, cares, and pleasures  Never may Your work erase;Let the clear inscription be: Jesus crucified for me,Is my life, my hope’s foundation, and my glory and salvation (LSB 422)-Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 5, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31Daily Lectionary: Genesis 35:1-29, Mark 9:33-50But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Shame is pervasive, and many of us wrestle with it. Shame has strange ways of revealing itself, sometimes as anxiety, sometimes as anger, sometimes it looks like perfectionism and a need to please all the people around us. Shame is much more deeply rooted than simple embarrassment; instead of saying “I did something terrible” it says, “I am terrible.” Shame becomes tangled in our self-identity, driving how we see ourselves and how we see our place in the world. Those who experience shame imagine that no one could understand how bad they are, not the wise and strong of the world, and certainly not our God, because shame feels like a weakness, an earned disfigurement. In contrast there are the wise and strong of our age, people who seem to have it all together, who made all the right choices, who are shining examples of success and well-being. Paul tells us that God chose what is weak and foolish in the world to shame the wise and strong, because even they will inevitably run to the end of their own strength and wisdom, shocked to find it in fleeting supply. This is the true place of shame, the truly earned disfigurement is a life shaped by one’s own limited power and wisdom that leaves no place for the mercy of God. In response to our shame and weakness God’s mercy is inextricably poured out in abundance in countless ways. Here Saint Paul shows us that gospel-land is backwards-land. Let me say that again. Gospel-land is backwards-land. In the reign of Jesus, the world looks like the last being first, the first being last, the weak being strong, the rich sent away empty. In God’s economy the foolishness of Christmas and Easter conquer the seemingly insurmountable powers of death and hell. Jesus doesn’t conquer as we expect a king to conquer, instead He conquers as a helpless baby and a crucified victim. Today He conquers in a bit of water, bread and wine, His Word. It’s foolish to think these things could conquer a bingo game in a nursing home, much less the powers of sin and hell arrayed against us each day, yet this is the promise of our God. Our God takes the dead and makes them alive, He takes the shame of the cross and makes it a throne, He takes our shame and calls us beloved, He takes sinners and makes them saints.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.When the woes of life o’er take me,  Hopes deceive, and fears annoyNever shall the cross forsake me;   Lo, it glows with peace and joy. (LSB 427:2)-Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 4, 2024 Today's Reading: Exodus 20:1-17Daily Lectionary: Genesis 29:1-30, 31-34, Mark 9:14-32I 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. Today’s reading is the Ten Commandments. Honestly, this section of Scripture can be a bit of a hard slog, where God is viewed as the great cosmic killjoy, setting out the rules we are to follow to keep Him happy. And as we try to follow these rules sometimes it can seem deeply unfair, as the harder we try the worse it can get, as we try to white-knuckle our way to holiness. And when we inevitably fail and mess up, we seemingly receive little consolation in God’s declaration that He’s a jealous God who will punish the children for the iniquity of their parents (Exodus 20:5). None of this seems fair at all. Then the temptation can be to maybe ignore some of the rules, perhaps God didn’t really mean what he said? Or maybe major in the rules you know you can keep, downplaying the ones you can’t, and hoping no one will notice, least of all God. In all this wrestling with the Ten Commandments and our sinful nature though it’s easy to forget where God starts when He begins to speak. He does not say you are all a mess, and here’s a plan to clean up your life. Nor does He say you are all having too much fun and I’m jealous so I’m going to ruin it for you. He does the opposite, He tells us about His character and His love for His people. He is a God who rescues from bondage, from certain death, He is a God interested in the delivery of His people. Here, He reminds His people, very freshly delivered out of slavery in Egypt by God through the hands of Moses, that He is their rescuer, their protector, their guardian, who wants to keep them safe and free. It can be easy to look at the Law as a new form of bondage, and it certainly does serve to keep our sinful natures corralled, but we are not free when our sinful natures are liberated, we are free in our new life in Christ. In our Baptism we are rescued from the bondage of sin, as our old selves are drowned, and raised to live in new life. That new life sees the danger in letting our sinful selves run free, and rejoices in the freedom in Christ to live the life He has called us to. 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, Save by His grace through faith alone. (LSB 579:6) -Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people.

March 3, 2024 Today's Reading: John 2:13-22 (23-25) Daily Lectionary: Genesis 27:30-45; 28:10-22; Mark 9:1-13Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. (John 2:19-21)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The temple in Jerusalem that Jesus references here was originally built by Solomon, David’s son, and was central to the worship life of the Jewish people. It had, over the centuries, suffered destruction and desecration, but had finally been rebuilt to be even more grand than it had been in the days of Solomon. As Jesus’ detractors here say, it had been under reconstruction for forty-six years. That amount of time represents a great deal of money, sweat, and labor dedicated to refashioning the temple. Rebuilding the temple mattered because it was understood to be the place where God promised to dwell with His people and the reconstruction was considered a fulfillment of that promise.It makes sense to us that we would find God in the beautiful and magnificent, perhaps in a spectacular sunset or in a gorgeous building. Indeed, Christians have also built beautiful churches to house, direct, and inform our worship of God. Jesus is not saying here that beautiful buildings are wrong, but He does what He so often does—takes what seems very straightforward, that we should invest our time and money on constructing something beautiful for the worship of God, and reverses it. Instead of pointing to the temple as the central aspect of worship, as would perhaps be expected, He points to His body, a body which will soon be broken and killed, but on the third day rises in fulfillment of an even greater promise. Jesus is saying here that God’s promise to be with His people is no longer connected to a particular geographic spot or building but is instead connected to where His crucified and risen body is to be found. Where can we find Jesus’ body today? A beautiful church or cathedral is no guarantee of His presence; however, we can be assured of His body broken for us in the bread and wine of His Supper given to us. We can find His body in the two or three gathered in His name to receive His gifts. Look not to what you can see with your eyes for assurance of your God with you, but instead look for His body where it has promised to be for you. In the Name + of Jesus.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, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. -Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people. 

March 2, 2024 Today's Reading: Psalm 69:14-16; antiphon: Psalm 69:9 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 27:1-29, Mark 8:22-38Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. (Psalm 69:16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever felt like God was silent? You cry it in the dead of night as the walls close in and yet it appears that there was no answer? Maybe you look around the world and you see all the suffering, chaos, and tragedy and wonder where God is amid this mess. Or maybe your life is not going the way you imagined it would at this point, it has not gone as planned, and when you look around you wonder if God is really there. Whoever is reading this, I do not know what your life looks like or where you have been, but I can imagine maybe you have cried out to God and pleaded for an answer as the Psalmist does here. Satan loves when we feel isolated and alone. He wants you to look for answers in other places. He wants you to turn to other means of spirituality. He wants you to search for answers in Astrology, different crystals, palm reading, and Tarot Cards, but God cannot be found in any of these places. God does not answer by means of these pagan practices; these are a false god. Instead, if you look for God’s answer, if you cry out, know that He has already answered. He has answered you in Christ. Jesus is the answer to you. Jesus is God’s yes. It is His assurance that He loves you, that He cares for you, and that He draws near to you. In Christ God turns toward you and He offers you forgiveness and mercy in your nights of anguish. When you look around the world and wonder where God is amid the mess you can look to the cross and see that He has taken on the suffering, chaos, and tragedy. So, when you are looking for an answer, I encourage you to look to God’s Word, visit your Pastor and receive forgiveness, attend the Divine Service and feast on the Body and Blood of Christ. This is the answer God gives out of His goodness and mercy. And it is found only in Christ, and it is good news for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Jesus, advocate on high, Sacrificed on Calv’rys altar,  Through Your priestly blood we cry:Hear our prayers, though they may falter;  Place them on Your Father’s throne as your own. (LSB 773:3)- Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Unforgivable? Unforgiveness is a prison—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In a world full of turmoil, many use forgiveness as a coping mechanism without understanding what true forgiveness is. Learn what forgiveness from Christ looks like, and how He forgives His people. 

March 1, 2024Today's Reading: Mark 8:1-21Daily Lectionary: Genesis. 24:32-52, 61-67; Genesis 25:1-26:35; Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? (Mark 8:18)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There were numerous signs pointing to Jesus being the long-awaited Messiah. It always baffles me that they couldn’t see and they couldn’t hear; they were blinded by their own self-righteousness. Of course, on this side of the Resurrection we can see the signs clearly. Here Jesus points to twelve and seven loaves. Numbers with great significance for Israel, twelve being the twelve tribes, and seven being a number of completion and fulfillment. Yet, these Pharisees do not see what is before them, but you do. This Jesus at the end of Lent would bring about the fulfillment of the Scriptures. He would go to the cross, where He would be smitten, stricken, and afflicted. He would pour out His blood on the cross like a lamb led to the slaughter. He would be mocked, yet no objection would leave His mouth. There the sinless Son of God would take upon Himself the sin of the world. Not only does He fulfill the prophets, but He would fulfill the promise God made to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 and He would crush the head of Satan, and He would slam the door closed on death and open wide the graves. As we walk towards Holy Week, this remains at the center. Jesus Christ, the true Son of God, the one whom the prophets speak, is the Messiah in which all things find fulfillment and completion, including you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Stricken, smitten, and afflicted, see Him dying on the tree! 'Tis the Christ by man rejected;yes, my soul, 'tis He, 'tis He! 'Tis the long-expected Prophet, David's Son, yet David's Lord;by His Son God now has spoken; 'tis the true and faithful Word.  (LSB 451:1)- Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 29, 2024 Today's Reading: 10 Commandments, 10th CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Genesis 24:1-31, Mark 7:24-37You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (The 10th Commandment) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Last week the ninth commandment warned us from coveting our neighbors’ possessions, a real struggle and temptation in today’s materialistic society. The tenth commandment now turns not to possessions, but to relationships. Loneliness is an unspoken epidemic in our post COVID world. People spend more time interacting with people online than they do face to face. And even when they do, it's often hidden behind the guise of a screen on Facetime or Zoom, a counterfeit face to face interaction.  We have become a society of isolation, the barrier is no longer distance, but keyboards and screens. Authentic relationships can be hard to come by, so when you see others thriving, you may feel a twinge of jealousy seeing someone have something you don’t have.This jealousy could lead you to doing foolish things. The explanation of the tenth commandment suggests that this jealousy could lead you to essentially sabotaging other’s relationships. Gossiping, resentment, cruelty, pick your poison, coveting leads to all sorts of relational issues. So, once again it is important to guard yourself against coveting not only possessions, but other relationships and social circles. It isn’t wrong to desire relationships, it isn’t sinful to crave face to face interaction, but who you are friends with doesn’t define you. Your relationships are not where your identity is found. Instead look to Christ who meets you where you are at. He draws near to you even when others keep their distance. And he gives himself to you in His body and blood. It doesn’t get more personal than that. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Here O my Lord, I see Thee face to face;  Here would I touch and handle things unseen;Here grasp with firmer hand thee eternal face,  And all my weariness upon Thee lean.  (LSB 631:1)- Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 28, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 7:1-23Daily Lectionary: Genesis 22:1-19, Mark 7:1-23What comes out of a person is what defiles them. (Mark 7:20) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It can be easy to blame your sin on other people, your circumstances, or even ignorance. But Jesus makes one thing clear in our reading, sin is a heart problem. No one causes you to sin, instead it is something that you are born with. It is ingrained in your DNA, woven into the fabric of your being. Sin has infected you like a disease, and on your own it is winning. It spreads from within, and out it comes. You gossip about friends, disobey your parents, watch pornography, oppose authority, and neglect the Word of God. Your heart is to blame for it all. Apart from God, your heart is hardened, like stone. But Jesus has something to say about that, while you are infected with sin, Jesus is the great physician. He treats you with His mercy, His grace, and His forgiveness. In Baptism He cleanses you, in the Lord’s Supper, He offers His body and blood as medicine, a balm for those who ache and hurt. Jesus treats the infection at its center, He takes that heart of stone and crushes it, and He replaces it with a heart of flesh, and while it was once stone, it now beats for God, and beats for service of neighbor. This new heart no longer looks inward towards itself, but toward all those in need. This new heart is one that is infectious with love. It pours our Christ to others. This new heart hates sin and loves righteousness. This new heart repents and receives forgiveness. This new heart grows in holiness and Christian maturity. For this new heart is from Jesus. And He has graciously given it to you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.In Adam we have all been,  One huge rebellious man;   We all have fled that evening voice That sought us as we ran. (LSB 569:1) - Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 27, 2024Today's Reading: Romans 5:1-11Daily Lectionary: Genesis 21:1-21, Mark 6:35-56Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! (Romans 5:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The first article of the Apostle’s Creed confesses that God is almighty, righteous, and just. We confess that “we should fear, love, and trust God above things.” (SC) Of course we know well what love and trust entails, we are quite familiar with those words, feelings, and how that looks in our lives. But what about fear? How often do we think about fearing God? Of course, this fear isn’t necessarily the kind of fear you have of spiders, heights, or the dark. Instead, it is a fear of awe, wonder, and reverence. It is a fear that comes with knowing you deserve God’s wrath. You know this feeling. It’s that little voice in your head that reminds you of the sins you have committed. It comes in the quiet of night, when you lie restless in bed counting the different marks on your bedroom ceiling. In the silence Satan whispers in your ears, “You are a sinner, and God hates sin, so God hates you.” It is the feeling of oppressive guilt, the kind that buries itself in the pit of your stomach. This is the fear of God, knowing that we are unworthy. If this is you, if you stare into your past fearing the wrath of God over your sins, I want you to read these words from Martin Luther in a Pastoral Letter from 1530, that speaks true to you who read this today: “When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: ‘I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made a satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where He is, there I shall be also.’” (Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel) Dear Christian, the wrath of God has been satisfied by Christ on your behalf. Know that your sins have been forgiven, and when you find yourself in that still quiet place, rest well knowing that you rest in the mercy of God who loves you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness  My beauty are, my glorious dress;  Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,  With joy shall I lift up my head. (LSB 563:1)- Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 26, 2024Today's Reading: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 18:1-15, Genesis 18:16-20:18, Mark 6:14-34 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham (Genesis 17:5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Names are important. They give you identity. And many of you reading this have names that were picked specifically for you. Your parents may have agonized over picking the perfect name, or one with special meaning, or one that would tie you to past generations. Either way, your name makes you, you. Your name also ties you to a group of people, your family. This family that you are somewhat stuck with whether you like it or not. It’s true, our names bring with them a sense of identity. Even more so, God cares about names. God is in the business of giving people new names. Particularly those people in which He makes a covenant or in more modern terms, an agreement with. Here, we see God give Abraham and Sara new names and with it a promise. They are going to be made into a great nation, and this covenant is one that will be everlasting, it will be eternal. This is not the only instance in which we see God giving someone a new name, Jacob is given the name Israel, Cephas is named Peter, and Saul is renamed Paul. All of them have something in common, they believe the promises of God, and in so doing they are made righteous, they receive what God has to give. You too have received a new name. In Holy Baptism, God gives you His own name as the sign of the cross is placed upon your forehead and upon your heart, you are marked as one redeemed by Christ. Then, you are given the name of the Holy Trinity, you are baptized in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The promises of God are given to you, and you receive them in faith. This means, you become an heir to all the things God has to give you. By receiving His name, you are adopted into the community of saints. By faith you receive forgiveness, life, and salvation. They belong to you in this eternal reality. These promises are for you here and now. So, there you have it, you have been given a new name. It’s what God does, and He does it for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Baptized into your name most holy,  O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I claim a place, though weak and lowly,  among your seed, your chosen host.  Buried with Christ and dead to sin,  your Spirit now shall live within. (LSB 590:1)- Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 25, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 8:27-38 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 16:1-9, 15-17:22; Mark 6:1-13Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In 1989, the band Queen wrote a song that defined the world in which we live. The chorus goes as such, “I want it all, I want it now.” The message is clear, life is about the pursuit of wants and desires, scratching and clawing until you get what you want. So much of our lives center around personal success, achievement, and goals. Just go to the bookstore, and there are far more books set on self-improvement than self-sacrifice. It’s in this world the Christian strives to be faithful to the call of Christ, yet it is challenging because Christ calls us to something radically different. Queen’s creed may be “I want it all, and I want it now,” but Christ calls you to a different way, a way where your wants and desires take a back seat to the needs of others. Instead, Jesus calls you to deny yourself, and follow him. It's an unpopular topic, self-denial, in a world which revolves around instant gratification. It’s difficult to reject your own desires no matter how destructive they might be. Yet, Jesus calls us to a better way, He calls you to deny your sinful desires. And I don’t need to tell you which ones those are, you know them. And it might seem heavy, difficult, and demanding. But this is life and death. “What good is it to gain the whole world and lose your soul?” (Mark 8:35) Plus, as you follow Jesus carrying your cross, be reminded that His yoke is easy, and His burden light. We follow a Savior who has gone before us in suffering, who has brought purpose to suffering, and has sanctified suffering. Therefore, your suffering is not in vain, but instead it finds fulfillment in Jesus. So do not follow the ways of the world that cry to you, do not appease the world which asks, “what do you want, and when do you want it?” Sure, you could take it, you could burden yourself with the never-ending grind for wanting more and wanting it now. Or you could follow Jesus. You could reject the way of this world and embrace your cross of self-denial. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find it lighter than you expected. 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. - Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 24, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 11:25-30Daily Lectionary: Genesis 15:1-21, Mark 5:21-43All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Matthew 11:27)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus chose His apostles, and it is to these He revealed Himself to. He explained parables to them, He brought three of them with Him to the Transfiguration, and those same three with Him to the Garden of Gethsemane. He instructed them, and appeared to them after His Resurrection, then tasked them with continuing to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. They knew Jesus because they witnessed His ministry, His death, and His resurrection, and in turn we know them. They were the ones that Jesus chose and are the ones which were recorded. They went and preached great sermons, endured great resistance, and even died in some instances, remarkable deaths. Yet, their significance was found only in that they knew the Son, Jesus Christ. After Judas’ death, the disciples needed someone to replace him. So, they chose Mathias. We don’t know much about him, other than his mention as being chosen by the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. Yet, he was one of the twelve who knew Jesus, for he had been with him. He may not have been one of the original twelve, yet this unknown Apostle would go and proclaim the Gospel to many, and he would even be martyred for confessing the Christian faith.  This mostly unknown apostle was known only in so that he walked with Jesus, and proclaimed his death, resurrection, and ascension. It was revealed to him. So, what can we learn from Mathias? Notoriety is not what makes a Christian. It is Christ. You do not need to be well known, you do not need to be one of the names recorded, you do not need to be popular to confess Christ among your peers. All you need to do is know Jesus for who He is, which is the Messiah, the one who was crucified, died, resurrected and ascended. The Jesus who is coming back. Even if you never achieve fame or popularity, because you know the Son, the Father will know you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Gracious God, as you emboldened your servant Mathias to spread your Gospel even unto death, may you also give us strength and courage to do the same. Amen. - Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 23, 2024 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Genesis 13:1-18, Genesis 14:1-24, Mark 5:1-20When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. (Mark 5:6)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today’s reading is one that could be a horror movie. A demon possessed man, crying out, cast from society, dwelling in the place of death, the tombs. Chains cannot hold him, chains cannot bind him, he is in agony. A horrific sight, indeed. It sort of recalls many modern horror films revolving around possession (hang with me). I used to watch these movies before I realized they were bad for me. And while watching them there was always a common theme. Evil was greater than God. Time after time there was someone acting in the name of Christ, and they were deemed to be utterly powerless. As if Christ Himself was powerless. Poor film making if you ask me. That is not what we encounter in today’s reading.As Jesus enters the scene, there is no match for Him. The demons tremble in fear at His presence and beg for mercy at His command. These demons do not battle against Him, but they bow before Him. This is not the Jesus of low budget horror films, this is Jesus, the Son of God and Lord of all. They obey His command. Evil is not greater than God, not in reality. Jesus comes to conquer over evil, and conquer He does. There is a beautiful irony here in this narrative. The demon possessed man dwells in the tombs, the place of death, no chain can hold him, and he cries out. Evil has got a hold of this man. But Jesus would go, and He would be chained. He would be crucified, and from the cross He would cry out. From there, He would go to the grave, yet the grave could not keep Him. Jesus uses the means of evil as His tools for victory. This is your God, and this is who loves you. Legions of evil cannot keep Him from you. Legions of sin cannot keep it from you. Legions of death cannot keep Him from you.  Thanks be to God, to the Lord of all creation. 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. (LSB 512:1)- Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 22, 2024 Today's Reading: 10 Commandments, 9th Commandment  Daily Lectionary: Genesis 11:27-12:20, Mark 4:21-41“You shall not covet your neighbor's house” (9th Commandment)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Your friend got the new iPhone. You wish you had that, your phone is slow. It has a cracked screen, and the charger won’t work unless the cord is wiggled just right. It’s frustrating. If only you could have the new iPhone like your friend, then maybe life would be a little easier, a little less frustrating. Your friend is excited, understandably, and they tell you about how great it is, it has new features, and the camera is the best it has ever been. You feel that little pang in your stomach, it isn’t sickness, it’s envy. It leads you to start to have thoughts you wouldn’t want your friend to hear. Thoughts about how spoiled they are, how they get everything, and you get nothing, how everything is handed to them, how it isn’t fair. You have been there, I am sure. We live in a culture that is constantly using envy and greed to hook consumers. Envy is a great marketing tool, it plays off emotions, and it traps people into buying things they don’t need. But even more so, it causes us to sin, not only in disparaging those we are jealous of, but it reveals a deeper ailment, we are discontent with what God has given us. Of course, the Commandments are not there merely as rules, but also as protection. People make horrible decisions in the name of “keeping up with the Jones’” and enter crippling debt. But even more so, they look elsewhere to find contentment and fulfillment, and not to God who gives all good things. Guard yourselves against envy. It is a subtle yet dangerous attack on your trust in God. Satan loves to use this against you, and he does. Instead, find fulfillment in the Word of God and who has said you are, remembering that you are a baptized child of God who has received forgiveness, life, and salvation. Find contentment by giving thanks for all He has blessed you with, both great and small. And regularly be satisfied with the body and blood of Christ. Do not seek contentment in the things you do not have, but instead find peace and joy in the Lord. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, you have given us all good things. Help us, we pray, to find contentment in what we have been given, and guard us from jealousy and covetousness, and in all things, bring us satisfaction in you. Amen. - Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 21, 2024Today's Reading: Mark 4:1-20Daily Lectionary: Genesis 8:13-9:17, Genesis 9:18-11:26The sower sows the word. (Mark 4:14) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever felt like it was your job to convert someone? Whether it be a family member, a friend, or even a random stranger? It is easy to fall into. We feel responsible for saving others, as ones who have been redeemed by faith in Christ, we cannot help but not be concerned for the eternal fate of others. So, we set out to convert. We strive to sway, convince, and even persuade people to believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We argue, debate, and provide evidence in the face of skepticism and unbelief. We then find ourselves bearing the burden of failure when the Word is rejected. Maybe you have found yourself with this burden and guilt. You might have a friend you have invited to church over and over, they finally agreed to come, and when they came they didn’t have a miraculous conversion but instead they said, “thanks, but no thanks.” Or maybe it’s a cousin, they don’t know Jesus, and no matter how many times you share your faith with them, they sort of brush it off, or change the subject. No matter the case, no matter the rejection, the Parable of the Sower is of great comfort for all who sow the Word. Jesus makes something abundantly clear in this parable. It is never the fault of the Word.As Jesus explains, the Word is not the problem. Instead, the issue lies with the soil, or there are external forces at play. There is indeed nothing new under the sun. Satan continues to prowl, sin continues to ravage souls, and the Word of God continues to be rejected. But there is another truth here. It isn’t your job to convert anyone. That lies with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works through the proclamation of the Word of God, and in so doing brings people to faith, it isn’t you, it isn’t how well you can convince, debate, argue, and persuade, instead it is the Lord’s doing, it is the Spirit’s work. Thanks be to God!But it is up to the church to sow the seed. It is the church’s job to proclaim the Word. Anytime the Word is proclaimed, seed is cast out onto the soil. As Pastors proclaim the words of forgiveness, seed is sown. In the public reading of the Scriptures, the Word is sown. In the faithful preaching of God’s Word, seed is sown. In the Sacraments, seed is sown. When you share Jesus with a friend, seed is sown. When you bring someone to church, seed is sown. When you show the love of Christ to others, seed is sown. And the rest? That’s up to the Holy Spirit. On what has now been sown Thy blessing, Lord, bestow; The pow’r is Thine alone To make it sprout and grow.Do thou in grace the harvest raise,  And Thou alone shalt have the praise! (LSB 921:1)- Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 20, 2024 Today's Reading: James 1:12-18Daily Lectionary: Genesis 7:11-8:12, Mark 3:20-35Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s not a secret. Life is hard. From the toddler that doesn’t get to make any decisions for themselves, to the peer pressure and societal challenges faced by youth and young adults, to the aged whose body is failing them. Life is hard, and life will present you with many difficulties. This is not to scare you or cause you anxiety, but instead it is to prepare and inform you. This is at least what Jesus does when He guarantees trouble in John’s Gospel. It is not a matter of if, but when. Difficulties come in many shapes and sizes. Difficulties that are products of a fallen and sinful world. Difficulties that may even be self-inflicted. Difficulties that may make you cry “Life’s not fair!” Trials that may make you cry “God, why are you doing this to me?” James assures us that these do not come from God. God is not cruel, sitting in his heavenly throne sending temptations and trials your way. Instead, God is good, and He is unchanging.  Maybe you find yourself amid a difficult time. Maybe it is external, your friends no longer seem friendly, school is ramping up and you struggle to succeed, you wrestle with being a Christian in a secularized world that has become less welcoming to the Christian. Or maybe you struggle internally, maybe it’s a sin, you can’t help but gossip about others, or maybe you can’t help but look at that website, or maybe it’s that secret that you keep, that no one else knows, yet it eats at you day and night. God’s word for you today is “persevere.” Do not blame God for these trials, but instead look to Him in a world that is ever changing, in a life that ebbs and flows as waves in the sea. Take refuge in Christ’s Church and persevere. Persevere by continuing to cling to the Word, which endures forever while the earth passes away. Persevere by daily rising and dying in your Baptism. Persevere by partaking in the body and blood of Christ which sustains you during the trials and temptations of this life. Persevere by knowing that no matter the trial or temptation God’s will for you does not change, God’s love for you does not change, and God’s forgiveness does not change. Trust this Word, it is for you. All good things come from God, so trust in Him, and in so doing, persevere.  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? (LSB 756:1)- Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 19, 2024 Today's Reading: Genesis 22:1-18Daily Lectionary: Genesis 6:1-7:5, Mark 3:1-19Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” (Genesis 22:8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. They were on a mountain, a mountain where a sacrifice would be made. A knife lifted high above his head; Abraham was ready to strike. Isaac, laying there bound and helpless upon the makeshift altar, terrified as one can imagine, looking up at his father. In an instant, at the last moment an angel speaks “Abraham, Abraham!” God would not pour His wrath out on Isaac, not this day. He would not cover Abraham with grief at the death of his only son. Instead, God would provide for them a ram, caught in the thicket. Abraham would then give this mountain a name, “The Lord Will Provide.” God certainly does provide. He provides all things, as the First article of the Apostles Creed teaches us, as well as the explanation in Luther’s Small Catechism. He provides us with food and drink, house and home, land, animals, and all that we have. But He not only provides for our physical needs, but He also provides for our spiritual needs as well. He gives us what we need, the only thing that can save us from death, is someone or something to die in our place. They were on a mountain, a place where a sacrifice would be made. A hammer lifted high above His head; the Roman soldier struck the nail again, and again, and again. Jesus, laid there as He was crucified, looking up into the heavens, to His Father. But there would be no angel to step in, there would be no ram in a thicket, The world would go dark, Yet God provides even here, even now. Unlike Isaac, Jesus would die. Unlike Abraham, God takes on the grief of a Father who sacrifices His one and only son. God provides not just any old lamb, instead He provides the Lamb of God, the one who takes away your sin, and the sin of the whole world. The Lord provides the offering of His son, for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Alas! And did my Savior bleed,  And did my sov’reign die? Would He devote that sacred head  For such a worm as I?  (LSB 437:1)- Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 18, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 1:9-15Daily Lectionary: Genesis 4:1-26, Mark 2:18-28As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending like a dove. (Mark 1:10) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Beginnings and endings are always the best part of a story. The beginning brings with it optimism, excitement, something new, a reason for hope. The ending, well, the ending resolves conflicts, it brings about completion, and it answers questions. A good ending brings everything full circle. In our reading today we have a beginning, not of a story, but a true account of the ministry of Jesus. In Mark, the beginning of the Gospel of Christ begins not with his birth, but with his Baptism. The beginning of the account of Jesus is a tearing open of the heavens as Christ comes from the water, heaven and earth meet in a moment of awe and wonder as the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus. With this comes the hope of all people, this Jesus is not an ordinary man, but He is the Son of God. He comes to take away the sin of the world. God dwells among men! He comes to bring heaven to earth. Yet this hope fades away, Jesus, the son of God encounters rejection, He encounters false accusations, He encounters people who are spiritually blind. Eventually, He will encounter physical violence, He will be arrested, beaten, flayed, and crucified. All the optimism, hope, and excitement of Jesus would be snuffed out like a wick. The disciples scattered. But something else would happen as well. Jesus would cry out, He would give up His spirit, and the temple curtain which guarded the holiest of holies would be torn. The barrier between heaven and earth, shredded. The beginning comes full circle with the end, or at least the end of Lent. As we prepare our hearts for the coming Passion of our Lord, we focus our hearts on Jesus who is the proclaimed Son of God, who tears open the heavens and reconciles you to God, the Father. He is the Alpha, and the Omega, the beginning, and the end. And in Him everything comes full circle, everything becomes complete. In the beginning of Mark, we get a glimpse of the end. Jesus goes before you, and He tears open the heavens, so that now, you who believe may enter in, and dwell in His presence forever.  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. - Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 17, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Lent 1Daily Lectionary:Job 13:1-12; John 6:1-21For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone..” Psalm 91:9-11In The Name of Jesus. How strong do you feel against Satan? How good at turning back the temptations of the demons?Maybe we don’t want to answer that question. If I say, “I am strong against Satan, I am good at turning back temptation!”, then I’m guilty of self-righteousness, self-deception, and high arrogance before God. On the other hand, if I say, “I have no chance against Satan, temptations overcome me at every turn,” then I have left myself as powerless against the devil; I might as well give up. Either way, the Law crushes me, either for self-righteousness or for falling to temptation, both of which are about the same thing anyway.Maybe we need a different question. How strong is Jesus against Satan? How good is He at overcoming temptation?This question gets an entirely different answer. When tempting Jesus, Satan used the words of Psalm 91. “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down [from the Temple pinnacle],” said Satan, “for it is written, ‘[God] will command his angels concerning you to guard you.’” (See Luke 4:1-13)It was a real temptation. Jesus can “prove” His faith. Why shouldn’t Jesus trust the words of the Psalm? But Jesus turned not to the words being twisted by the devil, but to the words “It is said, ‘you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Deuteronomy 6:16)Jesus needs to prove nothing to Satan, as if jumping from the Temple would prove His faith. Jesus turned back Satan’s temptation. Though tempted as we are, Jesus is without sin. Satan has no accusation to hold against Him, the holy Law has no guilt for Him.Jesus did not walk into that wilderness to be tempted by Satan because it was something Jesus needed for Himself. He did it for us. He did it for every sinner, for each one of us as we daily fall to Satan’s deceit and temptations. Jesus underwent the temptations which belong to us. And He overcame it. For us. He, the righteous One now accounts His righteousness to us, even as on the cross, our falling to temptation was accounted to Him. How strong are you against Satan? No, rather ask, how strong is my Lord against Satan? For He is the One who forgives me, who commands His angels concerning me, and who guards me in all my ways. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Father in Heaven, let your will be done on Earth. Lead me away from temptation and deliver me from the Evil One and from all the evil he brings to the world and to me. In Jesus Name. Amen.-Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 16, 2024 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Job 12:1-6, 12-25; John 5:30-47For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. John 5:36In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus gives us so much in those few words: “the works that the Father has given me.”What does it mean to be Son of the Father? For Jesus, it means to receive all things by way of gift. Jesus, as God the Son, has all power. Is anything outside His grasp? Yet, Jesus considers nothing according to how He can grasp it (see Philippians 2:6-7). Rather, Jesus receives all things as a gift. Before He ascends to Heaven, He tells His eleven Apostles (Judas has not yet been replaced), “all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28). The word of Gospel Jesus speaks, this, too, is given Him by his Father (John 17:8). What does it mean for Jesus to be Son of the Father? It means that from His Father He receives all things not by way of power and grasping, but by way of gift.  You are a child of the Father—a son or daughter. After all, Jesus gives you to pray, “Our Father, who art in Heaven …”You belong to Jesus because you have been given to Him by His Father (see John 17:6). In this way, everything Jesus did to redeem you, to purchase you with His own blood and atone for your sin, to gather you into His Church—He has done it all because it was given Him to do by His Father.So now, you are a child of the Father. Everything comes to you by way of gift. Our temptation is to think that things come to us by way of our work, by power, by what we can grasp. This is, indeed, the way of the world, which is under the Law. So in our world, if you don’t work, you don’t eat. If you don’t study, you don’t pass. If you don’t take the bull by the horns, you come up empty-handed. That is the way of the Law, and it remains thus in our world until our Lord comes again.But in our life before the Father, our life of faith, it is all a gift. The Father gives His words to Jesus, Jesus receives the gift. Then Jesus speaks His words to us, and by those words, He makes us children of the Father. You belong to the Father.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Father in Heaven, let your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Your will is that your Son’s word go forth to all sinners. Let me daily hear your Son’s word, and let me rejoice in speaking His word Jesus to comfort my fellow Christians and, where you give me opportunity, to bear witness to my neighbor. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. -Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 15, 2024 Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, 8th CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Job 11:1-20; John 5:19-29You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. What does this mean?We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is much negative to say. That’s hardly a secret. All the deceit, the lies, the shameful behavior, the hidden acts, not to mention, everyone around me, including my closest friends, including myself, are in sinful flesh, which means, we’re sinning—there’s much negative to say. So speak the accusation! That’ll help straighten matters out. Scripture names the one who is to be known for laying the accusation: Satan. The word “satan” is the Hebrew word for “the accuser.” So anytime Satan or his demons are around (and when are they not in this sinful world?), we can expect the accusation. Satan accuses Job, who belonged to the Lord of being unrighteous (see Job 1:8-10). Satan laid the accusation against Joshua (Zechariah 3:1). Is it any secret why Judas Iscariot committed suicide? With Satan “in his heart” (John 13:3), what would we expect? Satan will lay the accusation (and Judas was, indeed, guilty), but Satan will not deliver the Gospel. When we hear the accusation (as we should, after all, hear the accusing Law), but we do not hear the Gospel of all sins forgiven, Satan has us just where he wants us.To speak the Law for the sake of the Law, and not for the sake of the Gospel—that is, to speak the accusation but to withhold the Gospel—is to fail to give the full testimony. The Gospel is the full testimony. The blood of Jesus atoned for the sins of Job (despite what Satan would have Job believe); the blood atoned for Joshua’s sin, and for Judas’s sin. And for your sin.We are people of the Gospel. The Commandment tells us to not give false testimony against our neighbor. The Catechism further expounds that we are given to, “defend [our neighbor], speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.” We are able to do this because the one thing we know for certain about our neighbor’s sin is that Jesus took that sin upon himself and bore it to the cross. When we look at our neighbor, we may see him for his sin, his failures, his shame. Or we may see him as one redeemed by the blood of Christ Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, You bid us bend our human pride  Nor count ourselves aboveThe lowest place, the meanest task That waits the gift of love.Lord, help us walk Your servant way  Wherever love may leadAnd, bending low, forgetting self,  Each serve the other’s need.  Amen. (LSB 857: 3,4)-Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 14, 2024 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Job 10:1-22; John 5:1-18[Job said,] I loathe my very life;    therefore I will give free rein to my complaint    and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.I say to God: Do not declare me guilty,    but tell me what charges you have against me.Does it please you to oppress me? Job 10:1-3In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do you want to argue with God? Sounds blasphemous. Job argues with God. Scripture shows us many people of faith arguing with God. Jacob wrestled God, telling God he would not let him go. Finally God said, “Let me go …” But Jacob did not let go until God blessed him (Genesis 32:22-28). Did these men of faith sin by arguing with God? The key is the word “faith.” Faith holds onto God even when God seems your enemy. When everything in life is down the drain, when no blessing can be seen, faith holds onto what cannot be seen. Faith holds onto the promise. And when we don’t see the promise, we are given to argue with God, to say to God essentially, “You have given me your name as an oath, I belong to you, yet I don’t see the blessing, and, as Job said, I loathe my very life .” (Job 10:1)Faith calls on God to once again speak His promise. To see this, we need only to look at how God teaches us to pray. Among the Psalms of praise, of thanksgiving, of extolling the Word, our Lord gives us to pray also Psalms of complaint. Look at Psalm 13, where the Lord gives us words by which we are to argue that He has forgotten us (Psalm 13:1) and to demand that He give us an answer (Psalm 13:3). The Lord answered Job’s prayer. Job’s account began with him giving sacrifice for his family, knowing that by the Lord’s gift of sacrifice the Lord was forgiving sins and making Job and his family holy (see Job 1:1-5). After going through much affliction, Job argues with God. God answers the argument. He calls Job to account where he was wrong, but more importantly, speaks to Job again the word of promise. Not only that, but the Lord tells Job’s friends (who have been giving Job bad counsel regarding God) to go to Job so that Job could give the sacrifice to atone also for their sins. Can you argue with God? Yes. Just remember Job. Use the words the Lord gives you in Psalm 13 (or other Psalms of complaint). Call on God to speak His promise to you. Ask for His Gospel. Don’t let Him go. He wants to hear your prayers. He wants to answer your complaint. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, in the midst of my doubts, my despair, my loss of hope, bless me! Let me hear your promise! Keep me steadfast in your Word. Amen.-Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 13, 2024 Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:12-18Daily Lectionary: Job 9:1-35; John 4:46-54But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Freedom is a nice word. As Americans we love it. Freedom from oppression, freedom to speak your mind without fear, freedom to … —you fill in the blank.But we have to know that Paul is speaking of something else. Something more profound, more meaningful. For this freedom comes from the Holy Spirit, our Lord. For Paul, it is freedom from what? From the veil. The veil is removed and the Christian is free, you are free!The veil is removed and we see our Lord for who He is, the Suffering Servant who is serving us with all His gifts. The veil is removed and we see that in the death of Jesus, we have died our death to the Law. For Jesus accounts His death to us, so that in Baptism, we are united to the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus (see Paul’s extolling of Baptism in Romans 6). The veil is removed and our eyes of faith see that we are no longer slaves to sin, death, and the devil, but our Lord has freed us to live as His own, daily standing up in the gift of repentance, that is, standing up to live in righteousness and purity by faith. This is the work of our Lord, the Holy Spirit, who daily keeps us in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit knows your temptations and weaknesses, He knows your doubts and failings. And He wants you troubled or enslaved by none of it! So He brings you to the gifts of Christ. When you hear the words, “I forgive you all your sins,” you may know that the Holy Spirit is there, in those words, by those words, freeing you from the guilt of your sin. When you remember the promise of your Baptism, the promise that you bear the Holy Name and that in the promise of Baptism Jesus is with you, even until the end of the age, the Holy Spirit is there, in that promise, daily cleansing you and making you His own. When you hear Jesus say (through the mouth of the pastor), “Take and eat, my body; Take and drink, my blood for the forgiveness of your sin,” the Holy Spirit is there, by those words delivering the holy body and blood once shed upon the cross to your mouth now—all to forgive you, to give you life, to make you free. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Holy Spirit, my Lord, remove the veil which enslaves me to the Law. Free me from my doubts, from my despair, from the lies of the devil. Let me hear the Words of my Savior, Christ Jesus. Keep me steadfast in his Word. Amen. -Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 12, 2024 Today's Reading: 2 Kings 2:1-12Daily Lectionary: Job 8:1-22; John 4:27-452 Kings 2:9: 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.’”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. That’s a strange request. What does Elisha want with those words, “a double portion of your spirit on me”? Notice that little word “on.” Why didn’t Elisha say “a double portion of your spirit in me”? Scripture does speak of the Holy Spirit being “in” a person. Paul speaks of this gift for the Christian: “Do you not know that … God’s Spirit dwells in you.” (1 Corinthians 3:16) In this way, David, praying for forgiveness, asks God to “take not your Holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51:9,11) Comfort for the Christian: although we live in sinful flesh, yet our faith rejoices that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. It’s God’s promise. But Elisha prays for the Holy Spirit upon him (not in him). Here Scripture speaks to us not of the life of faith (i.e., “the Holy Spirit” in us), but of an office. To have the Holy Spirit upon a man is for that man to be in the Holy Spirit’s Office, bearing the mantle of proclaiming the Gospel. In this way, Jesus—who certainly has the Holy Spirit in him—speaks of the Holy Spirit coming upon him. When the Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus, Jesus has now been publicly placed in the office of proclaiming the good news of salvation (Luke 4:18). How could it be any other way? When the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at His Baptism, Jesus is publicly named as God the Son (Luke 3:22). Then the prophet John is able to publicly proclaim him to be the Lamb of God bearing the sin of the world (John 1:29). The Lamb of God bearing the sin of the world—is that not the perfect description of the office Jesus is given to be our Savior? We now rejoice. Rejoice that all our sin was borne by Jesus as He fulfilled His office of the Lamb of God. And you now rejoice that the Holy Spirit dwells in you, creating in you a clean heart of faith. And rejoice that while every Christian has the Holy Spirit in himself or herself, the Holy Spirit is also upon those who are called to the Office of Holy Ministry, so that these called and ordained men now bear the office to proclaim Christ crucified to you for your salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord Jesus, create in me a clean heart and let not your Holy Spirit be taken from me. In the midst of my sin, give to me, as you gave to David, a repentant heart to rejoice in your grace. Be with my pastor and all pastors, that they may have much joy in proclaiming your Gospel to those for whom you died. Amen.-Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 11, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 9:2-9Daily Lectionary: Job 7:1-21; John 4:7-26Mark 9:6 “For he [Peter] did not know what to say, for they were terrified.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s impressive—Jesus, God the Son from Heaven, standing on a mountain in radiant white clothing like never seen before. Moses lived some 1,500 years before the Transfiguration, he’s standing there with Jesus. Elijah lived some 900 years prior; he too stands there with Jesus. Impressive.Moses and Elijah are living! Breathing and talking. We should be comforted, there’s no death for those belonging to the promise.But the Transfiguration hits us with a danger: The God of power and might and holiness in the flesh. Moses and Elijah at His face in conversation. Are we comforted? Peter’s not. He’s terrified. Mark 9:6: “And Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ For [Peter] did not know what to say, for they were terrified.” James and John, too—terrified! Why? Isn’t it good to see Jesus has power even over death? We, like Peter, James, and John, stand in sinful flesh. Consciences unclean, looking to justify ourselves by the Law, yet knowing we cannot. The eyes of flesh are veiled. The veil is the guilt; it’s the shame covering us, not only for our own sin, but also the sin having been done to us. The veil is the unclean conscience reading everything according to the Law, finding no way out. To look at Jesus with veiled eyes is terrifying. With eyes veiled by the Law, we read the Bible and see God’s holiness and power and divinity, but not His grace. 2 Corinthians 3:15: “For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.”This is why we can read the Bible and find only rules and regulations and more Law of how to live. Then, in our sin, we’re terrified. For sinful flesh reads Scripture in the way of the Law.Christ lifts the veil! 1 Corinthians 3:16: “Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” “This is my beloved Son,” says the Father, “Hear him.” So we hear him. He says, I forgive you. Now, look at Him standing on the Mount of Transfiguration! See not a sight to terrify, but a Savior on His way to the cross to redeem us. For us, it is not fear, but faith. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord Jesus, by your Gospel, lift the veil from my eyes that I may hear your Word for your grace, your mercy, your forgiveness of my sins, and your promise to be with me always, even unto the end of the age. Amen. -Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 10, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit Psalm 99:1–5; antiphon: v. 9Daily Lectionary: Job 6:1-13; John 3:1-21Introit for the TransfigurationExalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he!The King in his might loves justice. You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!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.Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “The Lord our God is holy! … Holy is he!” (Psalm 99) The Introit for our Lord’s Transfiguration is from Psalm 99. Did you notice how many times in this Introit God is named as holy?  Yet, our Lord has the words of this Psalm spoken in a world which is unholy, and to sinners—you and me—who are unholy. And that which is unholy cannot make itself holy!This Psalm is a comfort for the Lord’s people Israel. As they live in an unholy world, and living as an unholy people, the Lord provides for them holiness. He sets a mountain to which He gathers His people, and at that mountain the Lord from Heaven has words spoken to make His people holy: “I, the LORD, who makes you holy, am holy” (Leviticus 21:8). The mountain to which the Lord is taking His people is, of course, Mount Zion, where the Lord is making His people holy, delivering to them the forgiveness of their unholiness through the blood of the sacrifice at the Temple. The Psalm prophecies Christ! On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John see the Holy One. He is on His way to the cross. At His Mount Zion, His holy mountain, that is, at Golgotha, the holy One, Jesus, bears all unholiness. On that mountain, on the cross He gives the sacrifice to make every sinner holy.  This Psalm now belongs to you. To me, to every sinner Jesus gathers to His Name. In our unholy world, in our own unholy lives, Jesus brings holiness as a gift. You are now given to speak the words of this Psalm, and to pray for yourself, your family, and your neighbor, as one who has been made holy by Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Abide with us, O Lord, we pray;The gloom of darkness chase away;Your work of healing, Lord, begin, And take away the stain of sin. Amen. (LSB 401)-Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 9, 2024 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Job 6:1-13; John 3:1-21Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.” John 3:5In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Nicodemus knew much. He was a Pharisee. He was a ruler of the Jews. He was a teacher of Israel. He knew the Bible by heart. In today’s language, Nicodemus was “a Bible preacher.” If you would have heard Nicodemus’s sermons, he would’ve been quoting the Bible left and right. He taught the Law. He kept the Torah. The Ten Commandments came off his lips as easily as talking about the weather. He knew many other commandments, too, commandments the Pharisees designed to keep good order, to show people how to live, to make sure everyone does everything the right way. Nicodemus knew much, he could teach you much. But he did not know how to receive gifts.Not knowing how to receive gifts, expecting everything to come by way of works—that describes not only Nicodemus, but each of us according to our life of sinful flesh.  Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. Privately. Almost as if he knew that he would hear things from Jesus that a good Pharisee should not hear, but he wanted to hear it anyway. The first thing Nicodemus hears turns his world upside down. "Jesus answered [Nicodemus], Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3This is different. Not the part about the kingdom of God. Nicodemus knew how to talk like that. He himself had taught it to many. To see the kingdom of God, you obey the Law, you keep the Torah, you live a clean life. But what is this “born again” Jesus speaks of?Birth—that’s not something you accomplish. No baby is born by being obedient.To make the kingdom of God a matter of birth removes it from the realm of obedience or something you do. What baby was ever born because he made a decision to be conceived, or was brought into the open air of the hospital room because he called God into his heart? Jesus gives Nicodemus, and us, to see the Gospel. Being born is receptive, it’s passive. This is all the work of Jesus toward you. It is delivered to you as a gift by the Holy Spirit, who gives you the new birth (John 3:8).  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Baptized into Your name most holy,  O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I claim a place, though weak and lowly,  Among Your saints, Your chosen host.Buried with Christ and dead to sin, Your Spirit now shall live within. Amen. (LSB 590:1)-Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 8, 2024 Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, 7th CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Job 5:1-27; John 2:13-25As the head of the family should teach them in a simple way to his household.Commandment 7: 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.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God wants your property, your possessions, your wealth protected. He wants the same for your neighbor. To uphold and protect our neighbor’s possessions, wealth, and income is nothing other than to recognize that all things come as gifts from God. The fertile land able to bring forth crops, property on which to build a home or a store or a factory, the ability to build and sustain a business, the talent to produce things needed by neighbors and society—all is given by God the Creator. He gives in the measure He chooses.To steal from our neighbor, then, whether by outright theft or by clever design and deceit, is not just to harm our neighbor, but is to deny God as the giver of gifts. And even if our neighbor acted dishonestly in his gathering of his own wealth—perhaps by overcharging or by fraud or dishonest contract—our temptation to even-the-score is an attack on God. God is the judge. He will deal with the deceitfully gained wealth according to His own ways, which in this temporal life include His earthly instruments of police officers, judges, etc. (James 4:12).Now we can see why a breaking of the Seventh Commandment is a breaking of the First Commandment. To steal from our neighbor is to act as judge (“that possession of my neighbor’s should be mine!”), and to act as judge is to set ourselves as our own god. On the other hand, to rejoice in our neighbor’s property and wealth, to help him improve and protect his possessions and income is to recognize God as the giver of gifts; it is to “fear, love, and trust in God above all things” (1st Commandment in your Catechism).By these gifts of possessions and property, of wealth and income, God is setting us to serve our neighbor here on Earth. As we pray that our neighbor hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be given the gift of repentance and faith, we also pray that our neighbor be sustained and upheld in earthly life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How clear is our vocation Lord,  When once we heed Your call:To live according to Your Word  And daily learn, refreshed, restored,That You are Lord of all  And will not let us fall.In what you give us, Lord, to do, Together or alone,In old routines or ventures new, May we not cease to look to You,The cross You hung upon—All You endeavored done. Amen. (LSB 853:1,4)-Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 7, 2024 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Job 4:1-21; John 2:1-12There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.  When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”  And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” John 2:1-4: In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mary wanted her son, Jesus, to fix a problem. A big problem—the wedding feast ran dry of wine, and that is humiliation for the groom. Of this much we are sure: the groom supplies the wine. So Mary reports the problem to her son: “They have no wine.” Will Jesus fix the problem? Jesus does not want to be known as a problem fixer. “Woman, what does this have to do with me?”, He says. Jesus is right, of course. The problem belongs to the groom. The groom supplies the wine, and everyone at those weddings knows it. Then Jesus, in the first of His miracles, brings forth wine from water. Is He just impressing with His power? No. It’s much more than that. He is announcing Himself as the Groom, the one who supplies the wine. He’s not the groom of this wedding, of course. That man is already spoken for, and he already has his bride. And everyone is rightfully celebrating what God joins together—this man and this wife.But Jesus is announcing Himself as the Groom. For the rest of the Gospel of John we can watch Jesus gathering His Bride. His bride is the Church. The Apostle Paul later tells us that (Ephesians 5:25-32). The Church, Jesus’ Bride, is all those the Groom brings to Himself and binds together in fellowship with one another by His Gospel. Prior to this wedding, John the Baptist had baptized Jesus and then publicly announced Him as “the Lamb of God who is bearing the sins of the world.” Now Jesus, publicly in the office of bearing all sins, is about the business of announcing Himself as the Groom who saves His Bride, the Church. In making the wine from Heaven (for it was created not with earthly grapes, but with a creative Word spoken by God-in-the-fleshH), Jesus is announcing Himself as the Groom whose time has come. He is now on His way to the cross for His Bride, for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord Jesus, you have prepared the wedding feast, you have gathered your Bride the Church, and now, until you come again on the Last Day, you daily sanctify your Bride, sanctifying her, cleansing her by the washing of water with the Word. Bless me and all my fellow members of the Church, that we may look to you for every good gift, as a bride looking to her husband who loves and cherishes her. In your holy Name, Amen. -Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 6, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-27Daily Lectionary: Job 3:11-26; John 1:35-51For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! …I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. (1 Cor. 9:16,23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Apostle Paul wants to preach the Gospel. He’s clear on that. But what, specifically, is the Gospel? It has many blessings, for Paul says that in preaching the Gospel he is sharing with other sinners its blessings. In the Large Catechism, Luther Now, if you are asked, ‘What do you believe in the Second Article [of the Apostles’ Creed] about Jesus Christ?’ answers briefly, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ, God’s true Son, has become my Lord.’ But what does it mean to become Lord? ‘It is this. He has redeemed me from my sin, from the devil, from death, and from all evil.’”The Gospel is Jesus Christ crucified for the sinner. The Gospel is that by His blood, Jesus has redeemed you from your sin, from the devil, from death, and from all evil. The Gospel is the forgiveness of all sin and the gift of life everlasting.Paul knew what it meant to be without the Gospel. He had been a Pharisee, a teacher of the Law. To the sinner, the Law is enticing. It teaches what must be done to be holy; it gives you the way to justify yourself. But it is a false path. For by the Law, no one will be made righteous, since we are, after all, sinful. So the Law brings only guilt and shame, even as we try more and more to keep it.Paul knew this. He had been one of the most accomplished teachers of the Law. No more. Jesus gave Paul the Gospel. He forgave Paul his sin. He called Paul to be His servant to bring sinners into life and salvation not by the Law, but by the Gospel. This is the Gospel we need to hear every day. As long as we are in sinful flesh, as long as the Law rightly finds us in our guilt, we need to hear the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified, of the sinner redeemed from sin, from the devil, from death, and from all evil.The Gospel is Jesus saying to you, “I forgive you all your sin.”  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Your Gospel, O Lord, brings me your righteousness, It robes my soul in royal dress;From all my guilt it brings release,  And gives my troubled conscience peace.May I in faith your Gospel confess,  And praise you Lord, my righteousness. Amen. (paraphrased from “The Gospel shows the Father’s Grace,” LSB 580)-Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 5, 2024 Today's Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31Daily Lectionary: Job 2:1-3:10; John 1:19-34Isaiah 40:28-31:28 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;    his understanding is unsearchable.29 He gives power to the faint,    and to him who has no might he increases strength.30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,    and young men shall fall exhausted;31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Isaiah, the Prophet of comfort! Hear the comfort!The chapter had started with, “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).You live in a world of no comfort, among a people of no comfort. People trying to make sure they say the right things the right ways in order not to be canceled for wrong-speak by the mob; the false confidence at people pointing to others and calling them “haters,” hoping to not be accused of the same themselves; people trying to project legitimacy by the digital life they can display on social media—where’s the comfort, where’s the true confidence in living? Isaiah proclaims comfort: Iniquities pardoned, sins forgiven, a people made holy for the Lord. But what of our life in this world? Do you feel comforted? Feel pardoned of all sin? Like you belong to the Lord?This is why our Lord has Isaiah preach His Word. Even as the Lord has your pastor preach His Word. Because we live in a world of no comfort, and because we live in lives of our own sin, we constantly need to hear the good news. The good news is that the Lord is the Creator, He upholds all things by the word of His power, and He does not grow weary of saving the sinner who is faint, weary, and exhausted.“Wait for the Lord” is Isaiah’s call to have faith, to hold tight to the promise, to daily hear the Good News of sins-forgiven, and to remember that it is the Lord before whom you stand and who gives you comfort. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.My Maker, hold me in Your hand; O Christ, forgiven let me stand;Blest Comforter, do not depart; With faith and love enrich my heart.Lord, bless and keep me as Your own;  Lord, look in kindness from Your throne;Lord, shine unfailing peace on me By grace surrounded; set me free.Amen.-Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 4, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 1:29-39Daily Lectionary: Job 1:1-22; John 1:1-18“[Jesus] cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.” (Mark 1:29-39)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The demons knew Jesus? Of course they did. Satan heard the first promise, the promise that Eve’s greater descendant would crush Satan’s head, giving salvation to the sinner. (Gen. 3:15) The demons have seen it all—the promise given Abraham for the justification of the sinner (Gen. 15), the promise to David that a greater Son would rule an everlasting kingdom (1 Chron. 17:11-15), and more. Maybe you can even think of other promises the Lord gave for the sinner. Satan and demons have seen much, they demons know a lot!They know about you, too, and me. They know sins I have committed even from my childhood. My history, my pride, my vanity, my shame. All the stuff I do not want known. Finally, they know how to slither into my thoughts, striking with the Law’s accusation. They strike you, too, as a snake striking a person’s heel. They know a lot.The demons knew Jesus. So why would Jesus not let them speak? What would the demons want the sinner to know of Jesus? That Jesus is true God in human flesh? That doesn’t yet save the sinner. That He has power to heal? That doesn’t yet justify before the face of God. You can know a lot about Jesus—a lot which is, indeed, true!—but it is not yet good news as Satan is poisoning your conscience with the venom of guilt and shame, striking you with the accusation. What do the demons not want you to know of Jesus? That He is not just God who became flesh, but that He became flesh in order to then be humiliated and die … for you. That what Jesus accomplished on the cross is not just a historical fact, but that He brings this historical accomplishment to you in Baptism. That the blood once shed on the cross is now delivered to you as you hear Jesus say, “Take and drink, this is my Blood for the forgiveness of our sins.”The demons want you to know none of this. They want you to know only the accusation. Jesus does indeed want you to know the Law’s accusation. He wants you to hear it so that you are then ready to hear His Gospel. Jesus has His Gospel proclaimed for you, for every sinner! To forgive guilt, to give a clean heart, to remove shame and clothe in honor—Jesus has His cross preached to you!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord Jesus, deliver me from the Evil One. Cast from my conscience the accusation of the demons. Release me from the guilt of the holy Law. Forgive my sin. Cover me in honor. Let me hear your Gospel. Justify me by your Word. Amen.-Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 3, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Epiphany 5Daily Lectionary: Job 2:1-3:10; John 1:19-34I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.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.I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. (Psalm 13:3-5, antiphon Psalm 13:6)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the midst of death, the Lord brings life. Just yesterday, we prayed with Simeon that we could die in peace because we have seen the Lord’s Christ. Today, we pray with David that God would “light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” This psalm resonates with the song of Simeon. A Christian’s heart rejoices in God’s salvation.  In the middle of all the struggles and trials that exist in the world around us, and even as our own flesh tries to lead us back into sin, the gift of God’s salvation is what we need. He has provided this gift, and we have His steadfast love.  This is the hope of your life. Jesus Christ is your Savior. He has come, bringing your salvation. He is the One that you trust in. No matter how difficult the world’s attacks against the Church are, no matter how wracked with guilt and shame you might be, the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. He has given you what you need, and that is the forgiveness of your sins and the promise of eternal life. He has lit up your eyes with His grace. 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. (LSB 708:3)-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 2, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 2:22-40Daily Lectionary:Zechariah 12:1-13:9; Titus 1:1-2:6Lord, 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 the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A number of things happened that day in the temple. Mary came into the temple to keep the Old Testament law with two different sacrifices. The instructions for these sacrifices are in Leviticus 12. After the birth of a firstborn son, that son was redeemed by the sacrifice of a lamb.  That’s a confession that the Lord possessed all the firstborn of Israel since the Passover. A mother was also expected to make a sacrifice 40 days after the birth of a baby boy to purify her. (The same sacrifice was to be made 80 days after the birth of a girl, but the Bible doesn’t say why it’s 40 days for a boy and 80 days for a girl.) That’s why we celebrate this festival 40 days after Christmas.There was still more going on in the temple that day.Old Simeon took the child, Jesus, in his arms and prophesied. He had been promised that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Messiah. Now that he held the Messiah in his arms, he could die. Because the Lord had kept His promise of sending the Messiah, Simeon could die in peace.  There is a reason that the Church prays along with Simeon each week in the Divine Service after receiving the Lord’s Supper. The same Messiah that Simeon held in His arms comes in, with, and under bread and wine, truly present in His body and blood. There, He forgives sins and strengthens faith.  Christians now pray that, since the Lord Jesus has come to them, they can die in peace. We have seen the Lord’s salvation in Christ.  When we come to the Divine Service, we don’t bring any animals with us to sacrifice there, like Mary did in the temple. The sacrifice has already come, and this is no mere lamb born in a sheep-pen, but this is the Lamb of God, born for you and your salvation. 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.  Amen.-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

February 1, 2024 Today's Reading: 10 Commandments, 6th CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Zechariah 11:4-17; 2 Timothy 4:1-18You shall not commit adultery. (The Sixth Commandment)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Adultery is such a rare word that it can be hard to understand.  One dictionary defines adultery like this: “voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than that person's current spouse or partner.” That’s fine for the English language, but God’s definition of adultery goes beyond that.  God condemns any kind of sexual relationship outside of marriage. While the English definition would say that you can’t commit adultery if you and your partner aren’t married, God declares that a sexual relationship or encounter outside of marriage is sinful.God doesn’t stop there, either. Jesus went on to say, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28) The Lord doesn’t only judge the sin of adultery, but He includes every kind of unchastity, including lust. This is not only a sin for the married or the young, but a sin that plagues every sinner with a pulse.  The Catechism helpfully points out the opposite of adultery, and that is chastity manifested in a sexually pure and decent life. Living in holiness includes sex and sexuality. Scripture calls Christians to flee from lust and to abstain from sex outside of marriage. Scripture also teaches that marriage is a gift and God has established it for good.  What does that mean in the midst of a world full of temptation? Live as a Christian, striving to live in God’s holiness and keeping yourself from engaging in sexual sin, including lust. When you find that you have fallen into sin (sexual or otherwise), flee to Jesus Christ. His precious death brings forgiveness for your sin. You don’t sin so that God’s grace can abound, but you receive His forgiveness for all your sin. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Be faithful to your marriage vow; No lust or impure thoughts allow. Keep all your conduct free from sin  By self-controlled discipline. Have mercy, Lord!  (LSB 581:7)-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 31, 2024 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 10:1-11:3; 2 Timothy 3:1-17Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:12-13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The way the reading from 2 Timothy 3 starts sounds like a cross between mayhem and your daily scroll through social media.  “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” (2 TImothy 3:2-7)  That could be a description of the hallways in your high school, the crowd around the water cooler at your job, or almost any other collection of people today.  It can be easy to say that behavior and society is getting worse and worse, but Scripture speaks like the sinful behavior we see today has always been around.  That’s the reality that the Church lives in. That’s the reality that you live in, too. The deception and deceit and evil and opposition of the unbelieving world comes against you. So what do you do in the middle of such problematic surroundings? How do you proceed when the Church is persecuted and when evil people go on from bad to worse?  Simply, you believe in Jesus.  He came into this unbelieving world as the light that shines in the darkness, even when the darkness did not receive Him. The darkness of this world has not overcome Him. (John 1:5)  Even on the cross, as Jesus was suspended between heaven and earth in the darkness, the Light of the World was not extinguished. Yes, He died, and He rose again on the third day revealing that evil does not win the day. Only Jesus wins the day, and He brings that victory to 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 Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 30, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 9:1-17; 2 Timothy 2:1-26But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. (1 Corinthians 8:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When St Paul writes about food, his concern isn’t about nutritional value or about a diet program or about balancing enough protein to build muscle.  Paul’s concern is spiritual. When he talks about eating, especially eating meat, he’s referring to meat that has been offered as a sacrifice to an idol at a temple of a false god. Those temples would sell some of the meat from the animals that were killed in those sacrifices. If someone knew where the meat that a Christian was eating came from, they might think that Christian didn’t have a problem with worshiping a false god.  Idols aren’t anything more than wood or stone. Paul refers to them as “so-called gods.”  But what people didn’t know - that these idols aren’t real - could hurt them.  Believing in those idols of wood and stone leads people away from faith in Jesus Christ, and God forbids idolatry. It’s possible that someone might think that a Christian eating meat sacrificed to idols would be participating in worshiping that idol and that idolatry isn’t a big deal.  That’s why Paul instructs Christians to be careful not to cause offense by eating meat sacrificed by idols.  This is an act of love for fellow Christians. But the meat that you eat doesn’t separate you from God, just like the food that you eat won’t commend you to God. Sinning against your brother by damaging their faith is a big deal.  This continues to be an issue in the Church today, even when the issue is no longer buying meat from the butcher shop of false gods. The music that you listen to, the TV you watch, the video games you play, the fashion sense you have and more are all similar to the meat sacrificed to idols. You are free in Christ, but do not abuse that freedom.  Do not harm your fellow Christians with that freedom. Treat them in love, because they are people for whom Jesus died.When you start to think about the ways that you have caused hurt by not being sensitive to your fellow Christians, remember that God loves you. “If anyone loves God, he is known by God.”  The One who knows you doesn’t act against you in anger, but for you in love. Trust that the Lord is good, and He brings His love to you, even as He calls you to love those around you that He loves by being sensitive to their faith. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.As we worship, grant us vision, Till Your love’s revealing light  In its height and depth and greatness, Dawns upon our quickened sight,  Making known the needs and burdens Your compassion bids us bear, Stirring us to tireless striving, Your abundant life to share. (LSB 838:3)-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 29, 2024 Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 8:1-23; 2 Timothy 1:1-18“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ (Deuteronomy 18:15-16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord God has the authority of life and death. That was made clear in yesterday’s reading when Jesus cast the unclean spirit out of the possessed man. But that incident was not the first time the Lord declared that He has that authority. When the Lord appeared to His people at Mount Horeb (that’s the same as Mount Sinai), they were afraid and didn’t want to speak directly with God so they wouldn’t be judged and die. The people spoke to Moses and sent him to speak to God. There at Mount Horeb, he served as their representative before God, their intermediary. He stood between God and God’s people.Later, Moses gave the Lord’s promise to His people that He would raise up another prophet like him.  Another intermediary, another representative would come. But this representative is God Himself.  He doesn’t stand on the top of Mount Horeb, but was crucified on the top of Mount Calvary. There, at the place of death, the Lord Jesus takes that place of death and life.  His death wasn’t permanent, but it was still very real. In His suffering and death, Jesus ensured that you no longer need to fear the Lord’s judgment because He submitted to judgment on your behalf.  He delivers to you the forgiveness of your sins.  Jesus stands in the midst of death and life because He has the authority to bring life to those who should die for their sins, including you.St Paul teaches that Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy that one would arise like Moses in 1 Timothy 2:5-6, where he writes, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”  Jesus is indeed that mediator, and He is also at the ransom for your sins. The Lord has spoken to you.  He calls you to repent of your sin, and He declares that He has forgiven you. Believe in that Lord, your one Mediator, Jesus Christ.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Christ, the way that leads unfailing  To the Father’s home on high,  Christ, the truth that frees the captive, Christ, the life that cannot die. Mediator to the Father, Sacrifice and great High Priest:  Lead us to Your heav’nly mansions,  There to share Your wedding feast. (LSB 540:5)-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 28, 2024  Today's Reading: Mark 1:21-28Daily Lectionary: Zechariah. 6:1-7:14; Romans 16:17-27And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”  (Mark 1:23-24)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The man possessed by an unclean spirit had an interesting greeting for Jesus. “What have you to do with us?” You might greet people like that sometimes too. When someone comes who seems to be interfering in your plans, you might say, “What are you doing here?” The unclean spirit wants to know why Jesus is interfering in this synagogue on this day. Apparently, the unclean spirit thought He could do whatever he wanted at the synagogue, but Jesus interrupted his plans.  So, what does Jesus have to do with unclean spirits? He throws them out! He interrupts their plans!  Jesus sets the rules, and He casts out unclean spirits. Jesus comes to set this possessed man free with His power and authority. That’s a shocking action for the people in that synagogue. Not everyone works with that kind of authority. Jesus has unique, powerful authority.But the question of “What have you to do with us?” isn’t just the question of a possessed man. It’s our question, too. What does Jesus have to do with us, who gather and confess our sins?  We admit that we are poor, miserable sinners. We deserve God’s wrath and punishment for our sin. When Jesus draws near to us, we should be very afraid!  The One with Divine authority has every right to judge us for our sinfulness. But Jesus doesn’t come to bring His judgment against us.  Instead, He sets us free from sin and death and the power of the devil.  He comes with His grace and His forgiveness.This work of Jesus interrupts our sinful lives and transforms us into His saints. He washes us clean in the water of Holy Baptism, He speaks our forgiveness in the words of Holy Absolution, He instructs us in the Holy Scriptures, and He feeds us His own body and blood in Holy Communion. He brings holiness to us.  He Himself is the source of that holiness and He is the One who wants everything to do with us because of His great love. 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.-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 27, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Epiphany 4Daily Lectionary:Zechariah 4:1-5:11; Romans 15:14-33Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.Blessèd is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.Blessèd is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.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.Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.Glory be to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning,is now, and will be forever. Amen.Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. (Introit for Epiphany 4, Psalm 32:1-2, 5-7, 10)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You are blessed! Your blessedness isn’t seen in your material possessions or your fantastic mood or even by your hashtags on social media. Your blessedness comes because your transgression is forgiven and your sin is covered. There is a lot of pressure on trying to impress people around you with showing how you are blessed and how wonderful your life is. The Lord doesn’t care about those social norms. The Lord cares by bringing you His blessings, especially in the forgiveness of your sins.The practice of confessing sins before God and other people seems backwards to our understanding of showing how blessed we are. Human wisdom says that you keep your mistakes, your errors, and your sins to yourself and show others only the very best things that you do. Psalm 32 encourages you to confess your sins before God and admit them as you receive His forgiveness. When you confess your sins, you aren’t telling God anything new. The all-knowing Lord of all creation already knows your sins.  Confess these sins of yours to your merciful Father who is faithful to forgive those sins.  To accomplish that forgiveness, He has sent His one and only Son into the world to die on the cross to save you from your sins. That is where your blessedness comes from - the forgiveness won by Jesus Christ.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.I lay my sins on Jesus, The spotless Lamb of God; He bears them all and frees us  From the accursèd load. I bring my guilt to Jesus  To wash my crimson stains  Clean in His blood most precious  Till not a spot remains.  (LSB 606:1)-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 26, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 10:1-9Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 2:1-3:10; Romans 15:1-13And [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.” (Luke 10:2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today is another festival. Much like Wednesday, this festival commemorates a pastor who was put in place by St. Paul. As we thank God for the faith and work of St. Titus, we hear about the realities of living in the Church. While many things change, the words of Jesus to His disciples are steadfast and true no matter the year printed on the calendar. Jesus calls His disciples and the whole Church to pray that God would send workers into His harvest field. This is most clearly seen as the Lord uses pastors in His Church, including St Titus. The Lord has established this pastoral office.  Therefore, this is no human institution. The Lord sends pastors into His Church so that His Word is preached and the forgiveness of sins is made known.  That’s really important because the Church lives as lambs in the middle of wolves. (Matthew 10:3)  The other readings for the festival of St. Titus (Acts 20:28-35 and Titus 1:1-9) confess the reality that the Church lives in the middle of the world’s attacks. Pastors serve in Christ’s Church, even when the Church isn’t popular or liked. These undershepherds of the Good Shepherd serve to lead the Church in the midst of wolves.  Pastors are also called to be an example to the Church in faith and in contentment. Jesus commanded His disciples to remain in the home where they were welcomed, not looking for a better meal or a more comfortable bed. They were to remain where they were, serving faithfully. The whole Church needs that reminder to be content with what the Lord provides. He is the One who is faithful and who provides all that we need to support this body and life. We don’t chase more contentment, but enjoy the gifts of God, knowing that he gives what is needed. When Jesus tells His disciples not to go looking for better places to stay or better accommodations, He is commanding them not to covet. The Lord who provides daily bread for the righteous and the wicked is the One who cares for His disciples and who cares for you.  On this day, it’s easy to think about the calling that God gives to pastors. That is a wonderful calling, and it is for your benefit. However, if you aren’t a pastor, this is also a day to rejoice in the promises of God for you. He is the One who cares for you by filling your daily needs. He brings His kingdom to you, and He even sends you a pastor to announce His grace for you.  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.-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 25, 2024 Today's Reading: Acts 9:1-22Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 1:1-21; Romans 14:1-23And immediately [Paul] proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. (Acts 9:20-22)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Things don’t always go the way you planned. Sometimes, interruptions happen. Saul’s life was interrupted, not by mere circumstances or a small change of plans. The Lord Jesus interrupted Saul’s day, Saul’s trip to Damascus, Saul’s life, and Saul’s eternity. This is no ordinary interruption, but the work of Jesus to convert Saul from a life of unbelief to a life of faith in Jesus. When Jesus appeared to Saul, He had a question, “Why do you persecute Me?” Saul’s question, “Who are you, lord?” implied that he did not know or recognize Jesus. But Jesus changed that, calling Saul to faith and even using him as a chosen instrument to bring the Gospel to people all over the world.Saul’s conversion says something about how Christians are made, then and now. Christians become Christians when God interrupts their lives and calls them to faith. This is God’s Divine action, not something that any person can do for themselves. Saul didn’t ask Jesus to come visit him on the Damascus road.  Saul didn’t seek Jesus out. Saul didn’t consider that Jesus might be an option in fixing his problems, so he would give this Christianity idea a try.  No, the Lord came to Saul and called him from unbelief to faith.That’s the same thing that the Lord has done for you, calling you out of the darkness of unbelief into faith in Jesus, who is the Light of the World. God’s conversion of you might not have the same kind of shocking story of Saul’s conversion. However, comparing conversion stories and the transformation that God has worked for you compared to others isn’t the measuring stick that the Lord reveals.  Instead, it is the promise of eternal life by the grace of Jesus. That grace was applied to you the same way it was applied to Saul - in the water of Holy Baptism.  There, with His Triune name, God called you His own and applied the death and resurrection of Jesus to you.Martin Luther points this out clearly in the Small Catechism, saying, “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. 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 me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.”  This interruption and change of course for your eternal life is the work of God for your good! 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.-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 24, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 24:42-47Daily Lectionary:Joel 3:1-21; Romans 12:14-13:14“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.” (Matthew 24:45-47)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In these passages, Jesus is teaching about the end times. Specifically, He is instructing Christians to care for one another and encourage one another in the faith. We can rejoice that we can do that for each other in our vocations. We can also be grateful for men whom God has called as pastors.St Timothy is a faithful and wise servant of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  St Paul and the council of elders laid their hands on Timothy, ordaining him to serve in Christ’s Church as a pastor. (1 Timothy 4:14)  Paul’s letters of 1 and 2 Timothy are addressed to this new pastor who was faithfully serving in the Lord’s Church. These books are full of expectations for pastors, as well as expectations for all Christians in general, and divinely-inspired commands for how to live as a Christian in this world.“But,” you might say, “I’m not a pastor, and I’m never going to be a pastor!  What does St Timothy and the books addressed to him have to do with me?”  These words of God addressed to Timothy also apply to you.  You are a servant of God, no matter what calling you have.  When the Lord called you to faith in the waters of Baptism, He called you to take up your cross and follow Him, no matter what specific callings you have.  The example of St TImothy and the words addressed to him in Scripture are insightful for you.  St Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 4:12 certainly apply to Pastor TImothy, but they also apply to all who are called to faith, including you.  These words, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity,” call you to live as an example in how you speak, how you act, how you believe, how you love, and in your purity.  Live as the child of God that He has made you through His Baptism.  St Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is also helpful for you to hear.  It says, “ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”  God has given you Scripture so that you read it, hear it, and take it to heart.  It is through His inspired Word that the Lord forms you, making you complete for His work.  Today, as the Church remembers St. Timothy, rejoice that the Lord has called pastors in His Church.  Rejoice also that the Lord has sent His Scriptures to train all Christians, including you, in His Word.  Finally, thank God for the gift of salvation that you share with TImothy so that you and he are the Lord’s blessed servants in His kingdom, now and forever.  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.-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 23, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:29-35Daily Lectionary: Joel 2:18-32; Romans 11:25-12:13This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods,and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.I want you to be free from anxieties.  (1 Corinthians 7:29-32a)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What are your priorities? What is most important to you?  Is it your friends, or sports, or friends?  Maybe it's good grades, peace and quiet, or being liked by others.  There are lots of things that might compete for your attention as you have a variety of competing priorities. So, out of your priorities, which one or ones always rise to the top?  Recognizing all these priorities, especially as it relates to if single people should get married or not, St. Paul writes to the Corinthians.  He points out that anxieties betray priorities. Are you worried about your grades?  If you’re worried about it, that means it’s important to you.Paul writes that being married changes your priorities.  Well, duh!  Going back to school after Christmas break changes your priorities too. Any change in life changes what you prioritize. St. Paul points out that a Christian’s priority should be about the things of the Lord. This reminds us of the first commandment:  You shall have no other gods. As the Small Catechism helpfully explains, this means that we should fear, love, and trust in God above all things. That means that if something else takes priority over God, you have sinned.  And it’s obvious that you have broken this commandment. Repent. Turn from your sin. Receive the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Set your attention on the Lord.But what about getting married or doing anything else that would change your priorities?  Set your attention on the Lord and His will. Live a life full of repentance and faith. Believe that the Lord’s forgiveness for all your sins, including your divided attention, is enough. And it is, because God’s grace is always enough.  It is that grace that covers all your sins and sustains you every day.  He is the author and perfecter of your faith, and He is faithful to forgive all your sins. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Christ be my Leader by night as by day;  Safe through the darkness, for He is the way. Gladly I follow, my future His care,  Darkness is daylight when Jesus is there. (LSB 861:1)-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 22, 2024 Today's Reading: Jonah 3:1-5, 10Daily Lectionary: Joel 2:1-17; Romans 11:1-24When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. (Jonah 3:10)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Is that a threat or a promise?” is an appropriate response to the message the Lord sent to Nineveh through His prophet Jonah.  “Forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed!”  For Jonah, this was a promise. The Ninevehites were the enemy of the Lord’s people in Judah, and their demise would be good news for the Lord’s people.  On the other hand, the people of Nineveh took these words as a threat, and they repented of their great evil.  From the greatest of the least of the people of Nineveh, they covered themselves and even their animals in sackcloth. They also fasted during this time of repentance. They took the Lord’s word of judgment seriously.  The Lord relented from the threat.  The destruction that He threatened was canceled. The serious threat of God’s judgment was not carried out.  The Lord revealed His goodness by not destroying Nineveh.What about you? When you hear the severity of the Lord’s judgment against your sinfulness, do you take it seriously?  You might try to rationalize your sin, arguing that it’s not that bad and it’s not really hurting anyone.  You might protest that what Scripture calls sinful shouldn’t really be sinful. After all, your logic might go, the Scriptures were written many years ago and the times have changed. No matter how you might protest against the Lord’s judgment, you should fear His wrath.  The holy God does not tolerate your sinfulness. Psalm 5:4-5 says, “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all evildoers.” Those are harsh words that show the severity of the Lord’s judgment against sin. There is no wiggle room in God’s expectations.  That’s a threat indeed!Even your repentance is imperfect. Even when you repent from your sin, it’s not perfect.  Sometimes mistakes continue to happen and you return to your sin. You cannot live a perfect life, no matter how hard you try.  It seems like the Lord’s threat is still hanging over your head. That is why He sent His one and only Son into the flesh. Jesus Christ died for you, and all who believe in Him are saved. The Lord didn’t cancel His threatening judgment, but Jesus, who knew no sin, became your sin so that you have the righteousness of God.  (2 Corinthians 5:21)  There, on the cross, you see the threat answered by the promise of God’s mercy and love for you. You are forgiven by your gracious God in His care for you. 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. (LSB 607:5)-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 21, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 1:14-20Daily Lectionary: Joel 1:1-20; Romans 10:1-21And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What does it mean to be a “fisher of men?” Certainly, Jesus doesn’t call Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew to wrap people up in nets or to put hooks in anyone’s mouth. This figure of speech shows that Jesus will turn ordinary fishermen into something else.  Now, these fishermen will spend their time “catching” people. That sounds manipulative. Perhaps “catching” is better understood as teaching or confessing to people. Evangelizing (the Greek word for “Gospelizing”) is another good understanding. No longer would fish be the focus of these men, but the faith delivered to God’s saints.It’s easy to start thinking about how these men, and even you, would be fishers of men and how you might do it better. But the way that Jesus speaks to the disciples is really, really important.  Jesus said, “I will make you become fishers of men.” This work of teaching, confessing, and evangelizing isn’t about your skills and abilities. This is not something that you develop in yourself. This way of life, being a fisher of men, is something that Jesus does for you.  You don’t need to worry about improving your skills as you fish for people, but you simply hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Jesus brings His gospel to you, speaking into your ears the forgiveness of sins. It’s for you, today, as you attend the Divine Service. Jesus comes to you, probably not in a boat, but in a sanctuary. He calls you away from your sinfulness to the holiness that He provides. He gives you that holiness through His forgiveness when you hear it in the absolution and the sermon and when you receive His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. There, He develops you to be a fisher of men. When you confess the Creed with your fellow Christians, you are practicing the “fisher of men” skills that Jesus is developing in you.Confessing your faith can be scary. Christians sometimes worry that their skills aren’t good enough or that they won’t know what to say or that someone won’t be impressed with how they speak about Jesus.  Those fears often focus on you and how you confess the faith. Instead of self-centeredness, focus on Jesus. He is the one who comes to you to make you a fisher of men. He is the one who has transformed you, not just from a fisherman to a fisher-of-men, but from a sinner to one of His beloved saints - and that makes all the difference!  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.  Amen.-Pastor Peter W. Ill is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 20, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Epiphany 3: Psalm 66:1-5, 20, antiphon: Psalm 66:4, 92:1Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 47:1-14, 21-23; Romans 9:19-33Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man…Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! (Psalm 66:5, 20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Come and see what God has done! That is the invitation from the psalmist. Come to the place where God is and receive His gifts. At the end of this psalm, the writer proclaims, “Blessed be God because He has not rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me!” This is his response after receiving God’s gifts. This introit text, this psalm, gives a concise breakdown of what the Divine Service is and of what our relationship to God is. It is the pattern of a Christian’s life: receiving what God gives and thanking Him for those gifts. Two verses can encapsulate all we do Sunday to Sunday (and all the days in between). How can this be?Let’s get into it. Come and see, this is our invitation to worship. It is not Go and do this! an authoritative and harsh command, but Come, I am already here and want you to be here too.”Come and see what? All that God has done, His awesome deeds toward all mankind. What has God done toward the children of man? He sent His only begotten Son to live, die, and rise, that we might be granted eternal life. Rather than be separated from God forever because of our sinful nature, God sent Christ Jesus to suffer and die in our place and bestow the merits of His death and resurrection upon us. He does so through the Means of Grace, through the Word and Sacrament, which we hear and receive every Divine Service. None of this is earned by us. That is impossible. It is all a gift, and all given freely to scared, helpless sinners, by a good and gracious Lord. God has not rejected our prayer for mercy nor has He removed His love from us. It is because of His love that these gifts exist. It is because He is steadfast in His promises that week after week, year after year, century after century, the sins are forgiven, the Word is preached and the Sacraments are administered. And in response to all of this, we bless the Lord. And even this blessing is not of our own doing! It is the Holy Spirit at work within us. He who grants and sustains our faith enables us to then return thanks for these gifts, praising Him from whom all blessings flow.  So, dear Christian, come and see what God has done for you. Receive these gifts and return to them constantly, that your faith may be sustained. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O mighty Rock, O Source of life, let Your dear Word, in doubt and strife, in us be strongly burning that we be faithful unto death and live in love and holy faith, from You true wisdom learning. Your grace and peace on us shower; by Your power Christ confessing, let us see our Savior’s blessing. (LSB 913:3)-Deaconess Emma Heinz is the Registrar for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 19, 2024 Today's Reading: 10 Commandments, 5th CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Ezekiel 44:1-16, 23-29; Romans 9:1-18You shall not murder.What does this mean?We should fear and love God so that we may not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body but help and befriend him in every bodily need.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. At first, this commandment seems rather simple: don’t kill people. For many centuries following God writing the Commandments and giving them to Moses to give them to God’s people, you shall not murder, simply forbade taking another person’s life. This simple law is good, for the benefit of our neighbor, but it can give the illusion that we have kept this commandment if we are never labeled a murderer. Our Lord, in His teachings from the Sermon on the Mount, takes this simple command and expands it. It is not enough to simply avoid being an ax-murderer. Christ tells His hearers, “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” So now the command is, "Don't kill anyone, but also, do not be angry with those around you, do not insult them, and do not think unkind things about them. Dr. Luther takes his explanation of the fifth commandment from Christ’s direct teachings. Do not wish or enact harm against your neighbor. Now, when we look at this commandment, we are not as innocent as we would first assume. Sure, I haven’t killed anyone but I have insulted those around me and I’ve definitely thought mean things towards family. Christ’s teachings on this commandment (and Luther’s explanation centuries later), teach two things. The first is that we are to avoid harming our neighbors, no matter how small the offense may be. The second aspect of this teaching is the helping aspect, especially pointed out in Luther’s explanation. We are to help and befriend our neighbors, seeking their best interests and striving to provide support and help when needed. We see this modeled in Jesus. We know that Christ perfectly kept the law, but He kept the law perfectly for us. Sinners cannot keep any of the commandments. Rather than leave us to the judgment of hellfire we deserve, Jesus Christ befriends and helps us in every need.  His suffering for us means we are now strengthened by the Holy Spirit to serve and help our neighbor. We are shaped by Jesus to not seek the worst for our fellow sinners, but look on them in love - the same love shown to us first by our God. This love extends to us while we are still sinners, calls us from death into life, and grants us strength to persevere in a death-filled world.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O my Savior, help afford by Your Spirit and Your Word! When my wayward heart would stray, keep me in the narrow way; grace in time of need supply while I live and when I die. (LSB 611:5)-Deaconess Emma Heinz is the Registrar for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 18, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 8:27-9:1Daily Lectionary:Ezekiel 40:1-4; 43:1-12; Romans 8:18-39And [Jesus] asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. (Mark 8:29–30)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Peter gets the answer right. Jesus asks the big question and Peter aces the quiz. Who is Jesus? The Christ. Today we remember St. Peter and his bold confession of faith. But on a day like today, it can be just as easy to remember Peter’s many less-than-correct answers to big questions. Just after Peter’s great confession, Jesus calls him Satan because Peter refuses to accept Jesus must die. On the night Jesus is betrayed, Peter denies His Lord three times, insisting he does not know Jesus, even when asked repeatedly. But in this moment, He says the right thing at the right time. How did this lowly fisherman get this answer right when he so often missed the mark?In Matthew’s account of this same event, we are given the answer. Jesus says, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” This great confession is given to Peter. It is not his own, invented in his mind to impress his Teacher of the other apostles. God the Father revealed this confession to Peter, gave it to him freely, and enabled this sinner to boldly confess, “You are the Christ.”This is why we remember St. Peter the Apostle and his confession. This great confession of faith doesn’t belong just to Peter but to you. Jesus is the Christ, Who takes away the sin of the world. He does so out of love and not because we have earned it. Because we continually fail that Christ came for us sinners. Join in the confession of St. Peter because it belongs to you too. Who do we say Jesus is? The Christ, the Son of God, born in human flesh to save the world from sin, death, and the devil. This Christ died a sinner’s death and rose from the dead that we may also have eternal life. This Christ calls you His own in the waters of Baptism. This Christ offers Himself freely in His Body and Blood at the Lord’s Table. This Christ, this Jesus, is yours, given freely. We thank God for St. Peter and his confession because this is our confession too. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Here stands the font before our eyes, telling how God has received us. The altar recalls Christ’s sacrifice and what His Supper here gives us. Here sounds the Scriptures that proclaim Christ yesterday, today, the same, and evermore, our Redeemer. (LSB 645:4)-Deaconess Emma Heinz is the Registrar for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 17, 2024 Today's Reading: Romans 7:21-8:17Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 39:1-10, 17-29; Romans 7:21-8:17Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:24–25)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Your life, dear Christian, is lived in tension. Tension is uncomfortable. It means we are pulled in two opposing directions. It puts so much strain on us that we seek to resolve the tension. While this feels good for a moment, we quickly understand that pulling too strongly one way or another can break the strand, or in this case, us. St. Paul describes the tension between our relationship to the law of God and the law of sin. Christians, having been made to walk in Christ, seek to do what pleases God. Sinners, however, seek after sinful desires. And we find ourselves caught in the middle of these opposing ideals, unable to relieve this tension. We cannot keep the Law of God perfectly because of the inherited sin within us, so we stray towards the way of sin, death, and the devil. However, having been baptized into Christ, we strive to do what God wills, even though we know we will ultimately fail. Our life is lived in the middle, wanting to serve God with all our body, mind, and soul, while also still living in “this body of death,” as St. Paul writes, unable and often unwilling to serve perfectly. There is a Latin phrase that encapsulates this tension: simul justus et peccator. This phrase translates to “simultaneously saint and sinner.” We are, as Christians, both saints and sinners. We belong fully to God through our Baptism but original sin still resides in us, meaning we cannot live according to the Law of God, as much as we’d like to. We cannot relieve this tension, it is impossible. “Thanks be to God through Christ our Lord!” God, while we were still sinners, sent His Son to die for us. God, while we were dead in our trespasses and sins, reached into our watery grave and pulled us out into new life in Baptism. God, while we still sin much, send His Holy Spirit to strengthen us as we go about our lives, seeking to do the will of God. Go forth, dear Christian, knowing that the tension is tight and tough, but that it cannot break you. Thanks be to God!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O grant that nighting 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. (LSB 683:2)-Deaconess Emma Heinz is the Registrar for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 16, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20Daily Lectionary:Ezekiel 38:1-23; Romans 7:1-20Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside of the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What you do with your body matters. At a base level, this makes sense. If I eat well, sleep enough, bathe, brush my teeth, and so on, my body should continue to work well enough. Take care of your body and your body will take care of you. But St. Paul is getting at something a little deeper here. He has been warning the Corinthians (and all of us) about the dangers of misusing our bodies sexually. His comment about sinning against our own bodies means that while murder and theft directly hurt people outside of ourselves, sexual immorality defiles our body. The intimate gift of sexuality is corrupted, as is the body and mind of those who commit sexual immorality. But why does that matter? What I do with my body surely doesn’t affect others that much, does it? St. Paul argues rightly that our actions towards and with our own bodies have drastic effects. He gives a few layers of proof here. Paul begins with this: your body, dear Christian, is a temple of the Holy Spirit. In Baptism, the Holy Spirit enters in and grants you faith then and sustains your faith going forward. Second, you have been made part of the Body of Christ, the Church. If one part of the body is hurt, sick, or broken, how well will the rest of the body fare? Not well. As part of the body of Christ, the church, we take care of ourselves in order to better care for others. Finally, Paul hints at the Incarnation. Bodies are so important that the Son of Man took on human flesh to enact the world’s salvation. Jesus redeemed living in a human body. Jesus then suffered and died. The blood He shed, the death He died, was the price paid to buy us out from under the power of sin, death, and the devil. After His death, Jesus rose from the dead, in the same body He had before His death, with the nail marks and spear wound still in His flesh. Christ’s resurrection is the precursor to our own resurrection. And like our Lord, we will be resurrected with the same bodies we have now. The gift of the body that God gives upon our conception will remain with us in eternity. So glorify God in your body, knowing that sins are forgiven in Christ and we are no longer bound to sin but to Christ Jesus! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.But all of that was washed away- immersed and drowned forever. The water of your Baptism day restored whatever old Adam and his sin destroyed and all our sinful selves employed according to our nature. (LSB 596:3)-Deaconess Emma Heinz is the Registrar for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 15, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-20Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 37:15-28; Romans 6:1-23And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him.” (1 Samuel 3:17–18)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Eli was a priest of the Lord with worthless sons which was a problem because his sons were supposed to become priests of God. Previously, God has already spoken judgment unto Eli’s sons, declaring they will die.  And yet, when a new message from God comes, Eli still seeks it out. This new message is likely more judgment from God upon Eli’s house and yet he demands that Samuel tell him. Eli, in faithfulness, declares, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.” He does not shy away from the death sentence for his sons and his family. It is still the Word of God. Eli does not joyfully receive this news from Samuel, but he faithfully receives the word and responds in trust, “Thy will be done, O Lord.”It is a more natural response to say, “Thy will be done,” when things are going well for us. It seems, in that moment, that God’s will aligns with our will. Everything is okay.  It is a different experience to say “Thy will be done,” when things are going poorly for us. God’s will is not aligning with our will, our plan, our view of how things should go. It does not feel good to see loved ones suffer and die and still pray, “Thy will be done.” Eli gives us an image to ponder. His children will die at the hands of God and yet, this man does not flee God’s word. Eli knows his sons would make sorry examples of priests for God; he knows they deserve this punishment, but what father would punctuate the death of his son with, “Let God do what seems good to him”? Eli is faithful. He submits to the Lord in all things, even in the death of his sons. This is not out of Eli’s own ability but out of faith. This faith is given to him by God. This faith is given to you by God. Faith in the promises of God preserves us and enables us to trust that our Lord’s will is done out of love. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.From me this is not hidden, yet I am not afraid; I leave my cares, as bidden, to whom my vows are paid. Though life from me be taken and everything I own, I trust in You unshaken and cleave to You alone. (LSB 724:7)-Deaconess Emma Heinz is the Registrar for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 14, 2024 Today's Reading: John 1:43-51Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 36:33-37:14; Romans 5:1-21Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:50–51)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Nathaniel is easily amused by this “magic man Jesus” from backwater Nazareth. Jesus pulls a cool party trick by revealing where Nathaniel was when Philip told him the news of the Messiah and Nathaniel believes Jesus is the Son of God because of this. His belief is based on a moment of amazement, a neat trick, but hardly anything substantial. Nathaniel falls into the same trap we do. Magic Man Jesus is cool and exciting and captivating. He heals people, raises the dead, turns water into delicious wine. He satisfies the immediate desires of those around Him. He puts on a great show. This is the kind of Messiah our sinful nature wants. A God who works wonders for our will and benefit. A God that dazzles and amazes, showing how powerful He is in ways sinful creatures understand and adore. This kind of God is here for our amusement and pleasure. This is not the God we have, nor is it the God of Nathaniel. Jesus calls out Nathaniel’s shallow belief and tells him he will witness something far greater than showy displays of power. Christ is pointing towards His greatest miracle: His death and resurrection. This is not a simple party trick, or a neat gimmick to gain followers. This would be the great work of the Messiah. Christ’s work on the cross gives us the gifts that cannot decay and do not lose their ability to satisfy. They are not flashes in the pan. They are the eternal rewards of this great work of God. Christ’s body and blood, offered up on the cross as the perfect sacrifice, now sustain us at the Lord’s Table. The water that flowed from our Savior’s riven side washes us clean and makes us new in Holy Baptism. Jesus offers Nathaniel a front seat to this great miracle and He offers that same invitation to us. What we witness as we receive God’s gifts may not seem as grand as walking on water but they are the greater thing. In these means of grace we find forgiveness of sins, freely given and life eternal with our Lord. So come, dear Christian, and see what God has done for you. 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 peace through all our days; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and forever. -Deaconess Emma Heinz is the Registrar for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 13, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Epiphany 2Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 36:13-28; Romans 4:1-25Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Words matter. Our universe was created with words. Words are the building blocks of our communication with one another, they’re how we build relationships. Words are the way through which we come to know our Lord through preaching and teaching. Words matter. In this sinful world we are prone to using words for evil. We lie, we gossip, we hurt one another, we manipulate, we curse, and so much more against our neighbor. With our words, we can also blaspheme and misuse the name of our God. Even when we do not speak words, we can carry them in our hearts, holding grudges, animosity, and prejudices against our neighbor. We carry anger towards God for not answering our prayers, for not preventing the bad things in our lives, for feeling that He was not there in the time we needed Him most. On our own, our words are sinful and wretched. Our words falter and fail to share love and mercy. But the Word that does not fail, that does not falter, is our LORD Jesus. In this Psalm we pray to God with the Psalmist that our rock and redeemer would change our hearts and change our words to be righteous and acceptable in the eyes of God. We pray that our hearts would be graciously changed, purified, and forgiven of the sin that dwells within us. This psalm is a prayer to our righteous Lord for mercy.Pastors will often pray this part of the Psalm before they preach. Of course, for those who are delivering the Word of God from the pulpit, it is of great importance for them to handle their words with care. They are speaking the truth, and it is to be received by the people as the Word of God! God promises to be in the Word when it is preached, but pastors pray these words for strength and confidence as they bring this gift to their congregations. But this prayer is not just for pastors. We pray it too, that we may live lives sanctified in Him. Without God, all of the words of our mouth and heart would bring nothing but ruin. But through God’s own Word, we may be purified and forgiven, and our the meditations of our hearts made acceptable in His sight.  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)-Vicar Benjamin Heinz is vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church, Springfield, MO.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 12, 2024 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 34:1-24; Romans 3:19-31For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.” (Ezekiel 34:11-12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Contrary to popular belief, sheep aren’t stupid. Sheep are actually rather intelligent creatures. They have individual personalities, needs, and learn things very quickly. While sheep are often used in scripture as a metaphor for human beings under God’s care, we are not compared to sheep because they’re dumb animals who are too stupid to do anything on their own. On the contrary, we’re compared to sheep because we are a lot like them. Sheep wander for specific purposes! As prey animals, they’re fearful creatures, and as a result, they’re always searching for ways to avoid danger. If something seems dangerous, it’s better for them in their own minds to run away before they wait long enough to find out what the danger is. Sheep will follow one another, even wandering away from their shepherd, because they find strength in numbers. We do not stray from God because we’re too stupid to follow Him, we stray because we want to, because we think we know what’s best. We get ourselves in danger trying to be our own shepherds and finding our own way. While we might convince ourselves that we have “good intentions,” if we lead ourselves, we will only end up marching to one place: directly into the clutches of the evil one. Sheep who stray from their shepherd may think they are thoughtfully avoiding danger, but without their protector, they find themselves in an entirely more dangerous position, defenseless against the uncertainties of the wilderness. But it does not please the Lord to give us over to our own sinful desires or to our own selfish intuitions, to leave us to this untimely fate. The Lord seeks us out, one by one, and brings us back into His fold. He is willing to go to the ends of the earth, even into the jaws of death itself, in order to carry us home into His care. Thanks be to God that our Good Shepherd seeks out His scattered sheep, and that we may be numbered among His flock.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We are Yours; in love befriend us, Be the guardian of our way; Keep Your flock, from sin defend us, Seek us when we go astray. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Hear us children when we pray. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, hear us children when we pray. (LSB 711:2) -Vicar Benjamin Heinz is vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church, Springfield, MO.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 11, 2024 Today's Reading: 10 Commandments, 4th CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Ezekiel 33:1-20; Romans 3:1-18Honor your father and your 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.  (Luther’s Small Catechism: The Fourth Commandment)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Most of the commandments are fairly easy for us to wrap our brains around. We should love God, honor His name, and gladly hear God’s word. Don’t kill people, don’t be sexually immoral, don’t steal, don’t lie, and don’t covet. We don’t follow them of course, but we generally agree with their sentiments for the most part. The Fourth Commandment can be a little different. It’s not always easy to honor our parents. Even for those with great relationships with their own parents, following their rules and cherishing them can be difficult. In most cases, we spend most of our early lives with our parents. We know them better than we know anyone else in our lives, and with all the things we love and cherish about them, we know about their sins as well. We know our parents aren’t perfect, and sometimes, we might believe their decisions or rules are unfair, illogical, or just plain annoying. But your parents, and other authorities in our lives, are the people that God has chosen to guard, protect, lead, and teach us in our lives. Our parents are in authority over us because God gave them that vocation. It is their role to love and care for you, just as it is yours to love and obey them. Both parents and children fail one another in their vocations. Because of the Fall, we all are unable to uphold our vocations perfectly. Just as much as this commandment is about loving, cherishing, honoring, serving, and obeying your parents, it is also about forgiving them. Just as parents are supposed to show love to their children as God showed His love to His children, we are to show that same love to our parents. Christ died for your parents, and Christ died for you. One blessing of the family that we may sometimes forget is that we are given a close, tight knit community in which we can bring the promises of Christ to one another. Children and parents alike may bring the love of Christ to one another in love, through communicating God’s forgiveness to one another, reminding each other of our baptismal identities, and continually driving one another back to Christ. When you fail as a son or daughter, repent in love and honor; and when your parents fail, show them Christ’s love in return.“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! (LSB 581:5)-Vicar Benjamin Heinz is vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church, Springfield, MO.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 10, 2024 Today's Reading: Ezekiel 18:25-29Daily Lectionary:Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-32; Romans 2:17-29Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?  When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? (Ezekiel 18:25-29)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you’ve been listening to the world around you, it’s easy to see that the world does not like the things that Our Lord has to say. To many, the Bible is just an outdated book full of ancient, prejudicial rules that have been used throughout history to subjugate people. Even some Christian churches are embarrassed of what God’s Word says, and will change the message so as to not offend others. The way of the Lord, as it is delivered to us in the Scriptures, is not fair in the eyes of modern society. They may ask questions like “Why would a God who loves me not want me to love and marry whoever I want to?” “If God wants me to be happy, why shouldn’t I be able to change my body?” The world does not think the way of the Lord is just. And maybe they are right. Maybe God isn’t just, at least, not according to our terms. After all, it isn’t very fair that one man should have to die for the sins of the whole world.  It isn’t very fair to let people who break laws for their whole life to be allowed to go free after they eat some bread, drink some wine, and splash some water on their head, and to forgive them when they say they’re “sorry,” even when you know they’re going to do it again. The LORD is not particularly fair, but He is the judge. What is “just” is not up to us to decide. Our own idea of judgment is based on what benefits us most. We seek out revenge and recompense for the sins done against us, but wish for mercy shown only to ourselves. Thanks be to God that His justice is not like ours. Our Father in heaven is a righteous judge, but He also has mercy on His children, rescuing them from the judgment that they truly deserve. 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)-Vicar Benjamin Heinz is vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church, Springfield, MO.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 9, 2024 Today's Reading: Romans 6:1-11Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 3:12-27; Romans 2:1-16What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:1-5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Jesus is not a ‘get out of jail free card.’ Though He brought all of your sins to the cross, and paid for them completely, once and for all, you are not free to let your sinful nature go free! Though your record has been wiped clean through our baptism, you are not supposed to fill the list of your offenses over again! You have been made NEW! You are a different thing entirely than you were before!You were once in sin, from the very moment you entered this world. Yet, God, in His overwhelming mercy, placed His name upon you in your baptism, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You were marked differently at that moment until the end of time. You are not like the world. You are Christ’s: a new creation, set apart from the sinful world around you. In your Baptism, your Old Adam has been drowned. He dies. Every single day. The waters of your Baptism have bound you completely to the work of Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. You are not to live in our sin, because Christ has declared you His own, purchased and won through His death on the cross, delivered new life through Christ’s resurrection. Of course, temptations will still come. You will fall into it. Sin is still in this world, and the devil is looking for every opportunity to strike. Yet, in our new identity, we are to live differently. We are to guard against temptation and not seek sin out. We are not free to sin, or even free of sin, but free from sin. Through the gift of Baptism, we remain vigilant against sin through the grace of God, certain of the forgiveness of the sins we still continue to do.  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? (LSB 594:2) -Vicar Benjamin Heinz is vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church, Springfield, MO.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 8, 2024 Today's Reading: Genesis 1:1-5Daily Lectionary:Ezekiel 2:1-3:11; Romans 1:18-32In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Word and Light. These are the first things to be present in all of Creation. God utters these words: “Let there be light,” and then there is. With just a few words and a couple days, all things in the universe, every last atom, rock, plant, animal, planet, and element, came into being, and this light showers over it all from day one.  And even here, in the very beginning, before humanity is even created, we see our Lord Jesus present. The evangelist John shows us this plainly as he begins his Gospel in this very same way, with Word and Light. John says that this Word, through which all things were made, is the Christ, and that He is the light of the world. Christ scatters the darkness, so that in the light, there is no darkness at all. At the very foundations of this world, our Lord Jesus is already delivering His gifts to you: His undying light and love-filled Word. All good things come to you through the Word of God that spoke all that we know into existence. This Word guides and sustains you, bringing the gifts of forgiveness, faith, life, and salvation to you. The light of Christ dispels the darkness. In this light, we see Christ more clearly. In this Word, God’s promises are delivered directly to our ears. Even in our suffering on earth, where we may feel blind, as if we cannot see the light of Christ, or feel deaf to the words God speaks to us, the Word and Light of God remain present with you. This same Lord, who created all things in the beginning, comes to you today through Word and Sacrament, providing you through His love that has been present since even before He uttered the words: “Let there be light.”  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Of the Father’s Love Begotten, ere the worlds began to be, He is Alpha and Omega, He the source, the ending He, of the things that are, that have been, and that future years shall see, evermore and evermore. (LSB 384:1)-Vicar Benjamin Heinz is vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church, Springfield, MO.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 7, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 1:4-11Daily Lectionary:Ezekiel 1:1-14, 22-28; Romans 1:1-17Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when He came up out of the water, immediately He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”(Mark 1:6-11)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It is all about Jesus. Crazy John knew this in the wilderness, and made sure people knew it! “After me comes he who is mightier than I… I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” The people at the Jordan at the time probably knew this too! After all, the voice of God proclaimed Jesus as His beloved son. But many today have forgotten. We live in a world that is all about me and what I want. And this mentality has even trickled into how some Christians talk about Baptism. For some Christians, Baptism is a choice. It is a confession of my faith to prove that I love God and have accepted Him into my heart. This sort of thinking about Baptism is more about the act of Baptism and what it symbolizes, rather than being about the promises and salvation granted to us through it. But, while your Baptism brings you into the family of God, your Baptism is not really about you. It is about Jesus. It is about your Lord binding you to Himself through water and Word, washing you clean of your sins and placing His name upon you. In Baptism, Christ secures His children for Himself. Baptism is all about Jesus, and so you can be certain that it is for you! In Christ, we have hope that the Word and water does what it says it will, regardless of how we feel in our own heart and experience our life as baptized Christians. Christ does not change, and neither does your Baptism. Thanks be to God that it’s not about us, and all about Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Blessed Lord, You wonderfully foreshadowed the promise of Baptism in the rescue of Noah from the flood, in the passing of Your people through the Red Sea, and in the ceremonial washings of Your law. In Christ and by His Baptism, You have kept Your Word and made Baptism to be the water of new life. Give us Your Holy Spirit, that we may become the new and holy people You have declared us to be. Amen. (Collect from LCMS Series C)-Vicar Benjamin Heinz is vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church, Springfield, MO.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 6, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 2:1-12Daily Lectionary: Isaiah. 66:1-20; Luke 3:21-38And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  These Wise Men, cannot rely only on their own wisdom.  Charts of the stars and notes on astrology would not be able to clarify what this amazing event was, and who it was about.  Look where they end up: in Jerusalem, at the palace of Herod the Great.  So if they could not rely on their own wisdom, how were they to find the Lord?  The answer is simple: He gave them an epiphany!  “Epiphany” means “to reveal.”  God revealed to them the Savior of the nations.These Magi from the east had something far greater than human wisdom to guide them.  The Lord led them by a star, and He used His Word to provide godly wisdom.  He gifted them with the wisdom of Christ, that they might find God become Man–the holy Baby resting on His mother’s lap. There is the beauty of it all!  These great, powerful men, on their knees, worshiping a Baby.  Before the Child are laid treasures: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  But the amazing thing is that this Christ Child is giving them gifts!  By coming in the flesh, He is opening the treasures of God’s grace and mercy, and ultimately eternal life, to these foreigners.Christ reveals Himself as God.  As He keeps God’s Law, suffers, dies, and rises again, He is the Light to lighten the Gentiles.  He opens the kingdom of heaven to all believers.  He fulfills His Word, so that now, both Jew and Gentile can receive Him in all of His Word and Sacrament!  Now you can rejoice exceedingly that the Lord does not keep you at arm’s length, but welcomes you to receive His gifts, and thus receive Him!“And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”Today you go into [His] house and [see] the Child – our Savior – the King of kings with His Church, and you fall down and worship Him.  As you sit in the pew and hear His Gospel, and again as you kneel at His rail, opening [His] treasures, [He offers you] gifts – Baptism, Absolution, Gospel and Supper!  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. Amen.-Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 5, 2024 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 65:8-25; Luke 3:1-20“The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;    the lion shall eat straw like the ox,    and dust shall be the serpent's food.They shall not hurt or destroy    in all my holy mountain,”says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:25)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Merry Twelfth Day of Christmas!We send and receive Christmas cards each year.  There are always the cards with the beautiful and gentle Virgin and Child.  Some have a fuller image with Joseph, shepherds, animals and manger.  Some have a star and the wise men.  Others have Christmas trees, snow, or even Santa.  But some that always stood out to me had these words from Scripture, and a lamb and lion at the manger.Were there malevolent meat-eaters at the Messiah’s manger?  Were sinister snakes slithering in the stable? No.  Isaiah is preaching a vision of the Kingdom of God when Christ comes, but it is all in the distance, with a view of the entire New Testament era from Jesus’ birth through His return at the Last Day.  So while it is a Christmas scene, if you will, it is also more.In Isaiah’s era, like now, lions were dangerous predators.  They were not so populous that you would see them all the time.  But they were there, in the wilderness.  As a shepherd, David defended his  sheep against lions and bears with his sling and staff.  God gave him courage and he defeated these foes, protecting the flock. Now, the Son of David, your Messiah and King, has gone up the holy mountain of Calvary and defeated the old evil foe.  The flock is safe and sound in the care of the Good Shepherd.  There at the tree of the cross, Christ defeated Satan and all his minions, and God’s judgment from Genesis 3(:14-15) was fulfilled.  The nail-pierced foot of Jesus crushed the serpent’s head, “And dust shall be the serpent’s food.” (Isaiah 65:25)Defeating Satan is not necessarily what your friends and relatives may be thinking when they select Christmas cards.  Yet is the “reason for the season,” and is the “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10) The Baby in the manger is the Corpus on the Cross, and that is a great vision that you are blessed to see more fulfilled, something Isaiah longed for. You are Jesus’ little lamb, kept safe from the foes of sin, death, and the devil.  Merry Christmas! 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 facade!  God is with us and we with God–  Our vict’ry cannot fail.Amen, Lord Jesus, grant our prayer;  Great Captain, now Things arm make bare,  Fight for us once again!  So shall Thy saints  And martyrs raise  A mighty chorus to Thy praise  Forevermore. Amen.  (LSB 666:3,4)-Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 4, 2024  Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism, 3rd CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Isaiah 63:15-65:7; Luke 2:41-52Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.What does this mean? 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.  (Luther’s Small Catechism; Third Commandment & Meaning)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Merry Eleventh Day of Christmas!Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. What does this mean? 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.By this point, you may have Old Adam in the back of your mind saying, “Church? Do I have to?! Coming up again, for Epiphany?!  But we went last Sunday morning, and then later that day for Christmas Eve.  And the next day for Christmas Day.  And another Sunday. And all the extra Wednesdays we have had. And…I’m just tired and don’t want to.”  (Just imagine how frequently you’d have been at your congregation if they  had Divine Services for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas!) And the New Creature that God gave birth to in Baptism responds, feeling guilty and repentant.These Twelve Days of Christmas are not about beating up your conscience and shaming you for not wanting to be in God’s house.  Yet, Old Adam is completely wrong.  You don’t have to.  You get to!The joy to the world is that Christ the Savior is born!  But that birth is not locked away in a “once upon a time” fairy tale, nor in a scholarly history volume in some ancient library.  It is a glorious fact, whose blessed benefits God continually delivers to you.  To celebrate that birth, we are extremely blessed with multiple opportunities to come with all the faithful and receive His saving gifts of Word and Sacrament.  Forgiven and nourished by the Newborn King, we are privileged to respond in prayer and praise.Your Jesus is indeed the One once tucked in the lowly manger.  But He is also the One who grew to rescue and redeem you through his death and resurrection, freeing you from the sins that grieve you.  Yes, even the sins of being tired of worship, and despising – not wanting to hear God’s Word.  And now He is the One in the swaddling cloths of Communion linens, feeding you His holy Body and Blood for forgiveness, life, and salvation.  What a wonderful twelve days these are, when we have so many opportunities to get to “gladly hear and learn” His Word!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Softly from His lowly manger  Jesus calls  One and all,  “You are safe from danger.Children, from the sins that grieve you  You are freed; All you need  I will surely give you.”(LSB 360:5)-Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.

January 3, 2024 Today's Reading: Titus 3:4-7Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 63:1-14; Luke 2:21-40But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 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. (Titus 3:4-5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Merry Tenth Day of Christmas!Merry Baptism!You see what God does here?  He’s connecting the events of Jesus’ birth and your rebirth by water and the Word.  This passage from Titus 3 is typically heard in our Divine Services at Christmas, with the amazingly great Good News that “our God and Savior appeared” in the flesh.  Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, Christ is our God and Savior who appeared in the flesh and saved us.But here we go again, all this talk of death, at a time we should be celebrating the birth of The Baby. right?!  Why does death keep breaking into our celebration of Jesus’ birth?  God answers: “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” (Titus 3:3)  Your broken and corrupt human nature is soiled with sin, and “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)  Being slaves to our passions and pleasures, we needed a holy and righteous Savior to suffer, die, and rise again.  Christ Jesus was born in order to die (and rise!) for you.  Thus, Christmas and its Twelve Day celebration are full of death and life, birth, rebirth, and resurrection.The birth of Jesus publicly began His work of salvation.  Later, He victoriously cried out, “It is finished,” completing that work for you at the cross.  Now, the forgiveness and salvation that He already purchased and won is delivered to you in Baptism.  You and I don’t have works done in righteousness that could ever earn any salvation.  We have no perfection like the Christ Child.  We desperately needed the very work He did: “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 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.” (Titus 3:4-5)So you see, Jesus' death is  the connecting link between His birth and your (re-)birth – “the washing of regeneration and renewal.”  He did this – for you – to join you to Him through the miracle and happy gift of Baptism.  So Baptism and Christmas aren’t such an unusual pair after all.  Merry Baptism!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Water, blood, and Spirit crying   By their witness testifyingTo the One whose death defying   Life has come, with life for all.Spirit, water, blood entreating,  Working faith and its completingIn the One whose death-defeating  Life has come, with life for all.  (LSB 597:1,5)-Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.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.

January 2, 2024 Today's Reading: Isaiah 61:10-62:3Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 62:1-12; Luke 2:1-20I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;  my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;  he has covered me with the robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Merry Ninth Day of Christmas!Did you receive a new dress, sweater, or even a new coat for Christmas? My Grandma and Grandpa usually gifted each of us eight grandchildren with some new clothes every year at our celebration on Christmas Eve.  When we were little and only wanted toys, these weren’t the most popular gifts, but as we matured and grew older we enjoyed them.There are times when we might not think of Baptism as the best gift.  Moments of Old Adam selfishly and shamefully saying, “I’d rather have toys.”  “I’d rather have all the fun promised by temptations that surround me.”  Your sinful flesh teams up with the devil and the world, trying to sway you from appreciating the good gifts with which the Lord covers you with His righteousness.But God is the Giver of every good and perfect gift.  He used the hands and voice of your pastor to baptize you into Christ and clothe you with Christ.  “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)  You have been clothed with Christ!  Jesus IS the robe of righteousness given to you at Baptism, covering you with His salvation.  And in those moments of unappreciation of His gifts, the Holy Spirit is bringing you to repentance, calling, gathering, enlightening, and sanctifying you.  He keeps you under that blessed covering of Christ – the garments of salvation – robe of righteousness – Jesus Himself!Holy Baptism is a gift that is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  You don’t need to be baptized more than once.  It remains.  So once you have put on Christ and been clothed with Him, you can always rejoice.  WIth the simple gift of water in and with the Word of God’s name, He claims you and covers you.  The Holy Spirit keeps you in that one true faith given at your Baptism, and you just can’t help but rejoice and exult!The new sweater you got from Grandma; the college sweatshirt from Mom and Dad; even the HT gear you got yourself – they are all great!  But infinitely greater is the gift that in Baptism, you have put on Christ, and were clothed with salvation and covered with righteousness!I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.  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.  (LSB 596:4)-Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.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.

January 1, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 2:21Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 61:1-11; Luke 1:57-80And 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.  Merry Eighth Day of Christmas!It’s still Christmas.  Why all this talk of blood?   The Twelve Days of Christmas have several festivals for martyrs, reminding us of bloodshed in the Church.  And now, we hear about bloodshed from our Lord.  But not in the typical way we speak of it.Jesus shed His blood for you!  Sure, you say, over 30 years after He was born.  Yes. That is true.  But there is even more to ponder and treasure up in your heart.  At the tender age of one week, Joseph and the Blessed Virgin had her Child circumcised.  He was keeping the Law – and shedding His blood in order to keep that Law.  He was not keeping it for Himself.  He did not bleed for Himself.  He did it all for you.  And as He suffered that brief moment, there was a foreshadowing of how someday He would suffer and bleed and die for all.  Stop and think about that.  Even as a baby, Jesus Christ keeps the Law for you, doing all that is required.  And even as a baby, Jesus Christ sheds His blood for you.  He takes it all upon Himself to redeem you, having His body permanently marked, to witness God’s covenant with His Church.This was also the moment when He received His name—the most holy Name – the Name which is above every name. Jesus!  The Lord saves!  Imagine: every time they called out His Name, a mini-sermon was preached – “The Lord saves!”He has come to you at your Baptism, where He brought you forgiveness, rescue, and the promise of eternal salvation.  There, you were permanently marked as His own, witnessing God’s covenant with His Church.  There you too were marked with His most holy Name.  Christ christened you as a Christian!  Bathed in the cleansing water and blood from His pierced side, you were given your personal name and placed into Jesus!It’s Christmas still.  Why all this talk of blood?  On this Eighth Day of Christmas we are merry as we remember that God is not demanding our own blood be shed to pay for our sins, but that “Jesus shed His blood for me,” the chief of sinners.  He spent His entire life on earth, and now in eternity, fulfilling His most holy name: The Lord saves!  Jesus!  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.(LSB 611:1)-Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.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.

December 31, 2023   Today's Reading: Luke 2:22-40Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 60:1-22; Luke 1:39-56My eyes have seen your salvation (Luke 2:30)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Out of the crowds in the Temple courts that day, Simeon comes forward and scoops up Baby Jesus in his arms. Simeon recognizes the mysterious truth that this Child is not just “holy to the Lord” – this Child IS the Lord!That precious truth changes everything for Simeon. You see, this man had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before He had seen life. He would behold the Savior before He departed in peace, into Paradise to dwell with the Lord. As Mary and Joseph walk through the Temple courts, God reveals to Simeon that this is the One! This Baby is the Savior – the Redeemer – the Holy One of Israel!That is when Simeon breaks into song, praising God and declaring that he can now die a happy man, since he has seen the Savior and witnessed God keeping His great promise. He is saying, “You can take me now, God. I’ve seen it all! I knew You would keep Your promise, and now it is complete! I’m ready, Lord – come and get me, for I am made holy to the Lord!”You are holy to the Lord. St. Simeon recognizes that this is a wonderful, comforting Gospel! Try as he might, the devil cannot snatch you out of the Father’s hand. Our dear, loving God is preserving you with the  holy life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.You belong to the Lord. At Baptism, the Savior cleansed you, body and soul, and made you holy,  claiming you as His own. God presented you to Himself, and gathered you into His family and kingdom. “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” You were filled with sin as a baby inside your mother. You belonged to sin and death. But God changed all that. He brought you into His presence with His Word, as it was proclaimed to your expecting mother. Then, more fully and clearly, He publicly displayed that you belong to the Lord as He baptized you.You belong to the Lord. No matter what hardships you face, no matter what sufferings you endure, no matter how tough life seems, you have the sweet comfort that you are not left alone; Christ the Savior is born, and you are His! He does not abandon you to the darkness of this world, but is the “Light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of [God’s] people, Israel.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, our Maker and Redeemer, You wonderfully created us and in the incarnation of Your Son yet more wondrously restored our human nature. Grant that we may ever be alive in Him who made Himself to be like us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. -Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.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.

December 30, 2023   Today's Reading: Introit for Christmas 1Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 58:1-59:3, 14-21; Luke 1:26-38The LORD reigns ; he is robed in majesty;The LORD is robed; He has put on strength as His belt. (Psalm 93:1, from the Introit for the 1st Sunday after Christmas)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Merry Sixth Day of Christmas!In Leicester, England, a church displays a beautiful statue of the Christ Child, on His mother’s lap.  The Child Jesus is robed in beautiful, luxurious, dignified Eucharistic vestments – alb, stole, and chasuble, and with a gold crown on His head.  The Baby had every right as King David’s royal descendent to wear such gorgeous and stately garments, yet never owned costly, royal robes.  He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, who should definitely wear the most amazing crown ever crafted, but the Son of Mary was humble and poor, and did not display His rank and authority by what He wore.  Yet the sculptor is taking you beyond the “swaddling cloths” in the Bethlehem manger. He is teaching through that image that even if unnoticed or unknown, “The LORD is robed.” At the Fall in the Garden, Adam and Eve first knew that they were naked.  They had been robed with majesty and holiness as the crown of creation.  Now they  were exposed for the broken and corrupt, sinful creatures they now were.  Nakedness was no longer an innocent and beautiful adornment of perfect beings, but a blunt reminder of evil and flaws within and without.When you were born, you physically entered this world in the broken nakedness of our first parents.  “[You] were brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did [your] mother conceive [you]” (Psalm 51:5.)  But at Baptism, the Lord used the hands and voice of your pastor to bring you forgiveness, rescue, and salvation.  That washing of rebirth and renewal did something miraculous, that can be described in terms of clothing.  “Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy” (Psalm 132:9.)  You, the members of Christ’s kingdom of baptized priests, have been clothed with Christ!  “You have been clothed with the robe of Christ’s righteousness that covers all your sin.  So shall you stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the inheritance prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (LSB, p. 271)Jesus covers you in His righteousness, making you look just like Him!  You might not see the robes or crown with your eyes, but He has covered you with Himself in Baptism, robing you as His royal priests, serving Him in thanksgiving for the faith and salvation that our Newborn King gives. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Savior, Child of Mary,  Who felt our human woe;  O Savior, King of glory, Who dost our weakness know:  Bring us at length we pray  To the bright courts of heaven,And to the endless day.  (LSB 359:4)-Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.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.

December 29, 2023   Today's Reading: Luther's Catechism , 2nd Commandment Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 55:1-13; Luke 1:1-25You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks. (Luther’s Small Catechism; Second Commandment & Meaning)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Merry Fifth Day of Christmas!St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, called upon the name of the Lord, as he walked to vespers on this date in 1170.  He felt the trouble becoming greater.  Several knights had entered the cathedral and demanded that he come with them and give an account to the king for his actions.  (His actions denied that the earthly king is ruler of Christ’s Church.)  He respectfully refused to be bullied.  Now these knights stormed back into the halls of the Cathedral at Canterbury and confronted St. Thomas. (SPOILER ALERT: More death during these Twelve Days of Christmas!)These had been rough years for the Archbishop who once was a good friend of the king.  But since holding this office, Thomas had held God in the highest regard, and refused to be pushed around.  He went about his work, serving Christ and His Church.He lived a life of praying, praising, and giving thanks, preaching and teaching others to do the same.He was forced into exile for a while, leaving the country so that he would not be jailed or executed for standing up to King Henry II.  He returned, even while still dangerous.  But he would not back down.  Christ is Lord of the Church and King of kings.  Thomas had called on the name of the Lord in good times – times of peace and harmony – and in times of trouble.  You do the same.  You have times of prayer and meditation – spending time with God’s Word and pondering it, both when life is full of good things and also when it has hardships and challenges.Keeping the second commandment is also about truthfully proclaiming and teaching God’s Word.  St. Thomas did that, even when pressured and threatened by rulers and soldiers.  You do that too.  Sure, you don’t have a thug in armor, whacking at your skull with his sword.  But in the face of non-Christian  classmates who make life rough, teachers who criticize your faith, and other challenges, you remain steadfast in speaking the truth of God’s Word.  In faith, you properly use God’s name.  Thanks be to God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord Jesus Christ, You deigned to dwell  Among us here on earth  As God with us, Emmanuel,  To bring His holy birth,  Though rich, You willingly became  One with our poverty,That we might share Your wealth and name  For all eternity! (LSB 362:4)-Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.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.

December 28, 2023   Today's Reading: Matthew 2:13-18Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 52:13-54:10; Matthew 2:13-23“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:18)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Merry Fourth Day of Christmas!“The Boy who lived.”  In the Harry Potter novels, that is a phrase that refers to Harry.  No one could withstand the evil Voldemort, and his murderous rampage.  That is, until Harry.  Harry’s mother gave her life defending her one-year-old son, and when the murdering curse was cast, the baby miraculously survived. Harry was then placed into hiding by people who cared about him, so he could survive and one day help others.As the story goes on, the reader discovers that this all had to take place, so that Harry could in fact, one day lay down his own life in love and courage for the protection of others, and then return to life.  Sound familiar?  St. Matthew proclaims the real “Boy who lived.”  While King Herod orders the murder of all toddler and baby boys near Bethlehem, God sends an angel to warn St. Joseph to smuggle the Blessed Virgin and her Son to safety.  God’s plan would not be fulfilled had the Christ Child been killed in this way.  The fullness of time would come later, after living perfectly and going to Jerusalem to lay down His life as the Lamb of God on the altar of the cross.Today the Church recalls the infant martyrs who were slain by Herod’s evil plan, but takes comfort in our loving and merciful Lord who gathered those little ones into His arms in paradise.  Enduring such horrors, their mothers would be hard pressed to find any comfort.  The true “Boy who lived” is no ordinary boy, but the God who created us all.  He is the One victorious over death and the devil, and can give peace and comfort that surpasses understanding.  Rachel refused to be comforted, because sin, death, and the devil had not yet been fully conquered.  But the Christ Child grew and at the fullness of time, laid down His life for us all.  At the cross, the death of these Holy Innocents lost its comfortless horror and grief.  Jesus’ own death and resurrection bring the holy comfort that heals and soothes their mothers, and the whole Church.  In His saving and life-giving work, we can share in the joy and bliss that the Holy Innocents have already been experiencing since the moment they departed this life, and were embraced by their Lord.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Almighty God, the martyred innocents of Bethlehem showed forth Your praise not by speaking but by dying.  Put to death in us all that is in conflict with Your will that our lives may bear witness to the faith we profess with our lips; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. -Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.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.

December 27, 2023   Today's Reading: John 21:20-25Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 51:17-52:12; Matthew 2:1-12This 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.  Merry Third Day of Christmas!Happy Feast of St. John!  John is one of the Twelve.  Apostle.  Evangelist.  The one bearing witness about these things.  Or as he originally said it in Greek, the one martyring about these things.  To be a martyr is to be a witness.  Normally we use that word to talk about those who bore witness to Christ by being killed for Christ and the faith that He has given.  It is said that St. John is the only apostle who died a natural death; Jesus spared him the violence of being physically martyred.  And yet, his life and ministry for the decades that followed Jesus’ resurrection and ascension were full of a witness through John’s preaching and celebrating of Christ’s sacraments. The world is full of darkness.  And not just the darkness at this time of year, with later sunrises and earlier sunsets.  Sin, death, and the devil are always trying to surround us and fill us with cold and darkness, doubts and fears, to keep us away from Jesus.  The Beloved Disciple witnesses Christ to us, and reflects the Light of the World (John 8.)  Jesus scatters the darkness, radiating His Gospel light, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5.)Christ cast the bright beams of His light by forming John and the other apostles in faith, proclaiming His Law and His life-giving Gospel.  And they, in turn, witnessed.  Martyred.  They reflected the bright beams of Christ’s light to all who heard His Word in their preaching and writing.Daily, the devil tries pulling you back into the darkness, overwhelming you so you feel alone and cut off from the Light of the World.  Like St. John in his elderly years, after the other apostles had all been martyred, you might even feel like you alone are left, and you’re surrounded by those who are against Christ.  But Jesus has rescued you and given you new birth from above (John 3), claiming you as His own.  You are not alone.  Jesus has sent the Comforter and has overcome the world for you (John 16.)Jesus has overcome any hurt, heartache, overwhelm, and  darkness.  And He gives His saving Gospel to you through St. John (and the other prophets, apostles, and evangelists that He inspired.) Through the witness of St. John and these men moved by the Holy Spirit, Christ gives light to you and the world. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Merciful Lord, cast the bright beams of Your light upon Your Church that we, being instructed by 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. Amen. -Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.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.

December 26, 2023   Today's Reading: Matthew 23:34-39Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 49:22-26; 50:4-51:8, 12-16; Matthew 1:18-25For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Matthew 23:39)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Merry Second Day of Christmas!  Today is the Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr after Jesus’ resurrection, stoned to death for preaching Christ crucified.  Wait. What?  Christmas is a time to talk about birth.  Babies.  New life.  What’s this about death?  “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Jerusalem would not see Jesus after He prophesied this until Palm Sunday, when He triumphantly entered the city as the Son of David, the King, coming for His enthronement on the cross.  “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  Even when some saw Him, like many Pharisees, Sadducees, and others, they refused to join in this cry of faith.“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  At the moment of Stephen’s death, he saw the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God, and while the crowd surrounding Stephen to murder him would not exclaim the praise, Stephen could see the One who comes in the name of the Lord, ready to receive him into paradise.  As this cruel and painful end crushed him, Stephen had a peace beyond understanding, as Christ Jesus gathered him to our heavenly Father.“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  We get a glimpse of Stephen’s heavenly vision as we gather around Christ’s altar week after week.  Singing both “Holy! Holy! Holy!” with the angels around God’s throne, and this quotation from the Psalms with the children of Jerusalem and the Church in every age, we feast upon the true body of Christ and drink His true blood.“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  Some day, when the Lord has brought our days to His perfect completion, He will gather us to Himself and bless us with this vision given to Stephen, seeing our Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.  The bloodshed and hardships of this world will be over, and we will have joy that is merrier than any Christmas we have known.  The One who has come in the name of the Lord to nourish, forgive, give life and salvation, will bring it to perfect completion at the Last Day – as He comes – for you.  “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Praise for the first of martyrs   Who saw You ready stand  To help in time of torment,To plead at God’s right hand  Like You, our suff’ring Savior  His enemies he blessed,With “Lord, receive my spirit,”  His faith, by death, confessed. (LSB 517:7)-Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.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.

December 25, 2023   Today's Reading: John 1.1-14Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 49:1-18; Matthew 1:1-17And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son  from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Christmas just doesn't work out for me. Never has.”  That is the punch-you-in-the-gut moment as you get to know Billy, the sad, impoverished child picked up by the Polar Express.  He is dressed in a tattered night shirt, and comes from an old, run down house “on the wrong side of the tracks.” Christmas has not been a time of plenty, but of continued need.  Still, there is a problem.Billy has a hard time trusting anyone, as tough as life has been.  Throughout the story, he is welcomed and befriended by two other children.  And in the end, the conductor artistically punches words into the passengers’ tickets.  Billy’s has the words: “COUNT ON.”  He is encouraged to count on others, to count on his new friends, to count on Santa, to count on Christmas working out for him.Christmas is indeed a time to “count on,” but not in the simplistic, earthly sense of counting on friends, family, or others. Christmas is the great festival of the Incarnation and Nativity of Our Lord!  God-in-the-flesh has come and there is no one more perfect, loving, and holy to “count on.”Today you worship God Incarnate and then go about your daily life in the true Christmas Spirit.  That is, the Holy Spirit, who has called you to faith and delivered the Gospel and Sacraments of the Word Made Flesh.  It is not you who have the ability to count on God; it is the loving and merciful gift of the Lord that He sends His Spirit to give you faith—the gift of “counting on” Him alone. The Holy Spirit is the One who is giving you joy over Jesus’ birth; God becoming Man for you!Merry Christmas, you dear, forgiven saints!  Merry Christmas, as you celebrate in the gift of faith, counting on Christ Jesus, who is delivered to you in His Gifts of Word and Sacrament!  His Holy Spirit brings you to believe and understand the most profound words about Christmas, which are not even from Luke 2, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."  Yes, Joy to the world!  The Lord is come!" And He will continue to come in His Word and His Sacraments, until He gathers you to Himself in eternity!  THAT is an amazing Christmas gift that you can “count on” and “believe!”  Merry Christmas!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, grant that the birth of Your only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free from the bondage of sin; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.  -Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.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.

December 24, 2023   Today's Reading: Luke 2.1-20Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 44:21-45:13, 20-25; Revelation 12:1-17For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. (Luke 2:11-12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Where do we find Him?  The shepherds are tremendously blessed that the Gospel proclaimed by the angel and sung by the heavenly host did not simply tell them what had happened, but where.  Sure, the King of kings and Lord of lords is omnipresent.  He’s everywhere.  But He had just come right then, for them–and for you!  Christ the Lord had come in the flesh, and located Himself, for our salvation.People around us are looking for some sort of “good news” about Christmas in many places; movies, Christmas cookies, trees and decorations, a break from school, time with family, and more.  Even in the Church, you can get side tracked, and focus on the Christmas carols, the children’s Christmas program, decorating the church, sharing a feast with family, and just loving each other.  These are all good things.  They are all gifts from God.  And yet, they are not the heart of the angel’s message that brings the “good news of great joy.”The best way to celebrate this holy day IS to gather with family, sing, eat, and receive a gift. However, not in the way most people would think of that.  The Lord has blessed you to celebrate this holy night, gifting you to know where to find Him.  He still is everywhere, but He still locates Himself for you.  Christ the Lord still comes in the flesh, and locates Himself for your salvation.  Where do we find Him?  Tonight, He is no longer a newborn baby in Bethlehem, as precious and dear as that image is to us.  He is not swaddled and sleeping in heavenly peace.  You don’t even have the challenge of coming up with airfare to Israel and making your way to the incense-filled grotto in the Church of the Nativity. Tonight is not only for the shepherds to find Jesus. Tonight you also find the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.  You do this as you sing with the angels, hear His Gospel proclaimed by your pastor, and kneel at the altar where the body of Christ the Lord is wrapped in the swaddling cloths of Holy Communion linens.  What good news of great joy that Jesus Himself is placed on the manger of your tongue.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“The manger held the God of life,  Who came to swallow sin and strife.Christ, let my tongue Thy manger be,That I may swallow life in Thee.”In Bethlehem, the House of Bread, a hymn by Chad L. Bird-Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.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.

December 23, 2023  Today's Reading: Introit for Advent 4Daily Lectionary:Isaiah 43:25-44:20; Revelations 11:1-19In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. (Psalm 19:5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. The words of Psalm 19, are a proclamation that the very creation, created by the living and active Word of God testifies to His glory and handiwork. God’s Word does not fall flat. It accomplishes what it says it will do. We find comfort, and delight in this, knowing that when God says something, it is as good as done.The word made flesh, Christ the bridegroom comes to us, not as a strong man, but as a lowly baby. The Christ child, the Word made flesh, submits Himself under the perfect law of the Lord. The Christ child, who would not live the life of a royal king, or be known as a strong man, is known as Jesus, the one who we put to death on the cross. It is in this weakness, that God Himself, bearing our sin is condemned under the law and receives our punishment.  That being hung on the cross, dying, before the heavens and all creation it would be as the Psalmist says, “Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit.” It is in this weakness that God Himself works salvation for the whole world.It is in Christ crucified for you that the heavens declare the glory of God. It is in Christ crucified for you, that all creation proclaims the handiwork of the Lord. This crucified and risen Jesus, who came to you as a lowly baby is the one who declares you innocent, and blameless. In Jesus you are acceptable to God. The Gospel of Christ crucified, is the message that Christ commanded His church to proclaim to all parts of the world. The message that Jesus, the Son of God is the one who through the preaching of the word, and the giving of the Sacraments by your pastor, the eyes of the sinner might be opened, and salvation and righteousness would bear fruit. The Word that became flesh and dwelt among us, will come again in glory. Until that day, we rejoice that the bridegroom has emerged and will emerge again to be with His bride.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord Jesus, You are the Sun of righteousness with healing in His wings. Enlighten our darkened understanding by Your Holy Word. Enkindle our hearts and mold our will to walk in faith, love, and hope unto all pleasing. Let the light of Your Gospel shine on the nations that sit in darkness, and preserve Your Church to the day of Your coming. Amen. (Book of devotion: the Psalms” pg. 29)-Vicar Justin Chester is vicar at Shepherd of the City in Fort Wayne, IN.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.

December 22, 2023   Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 43:1-24; Revelations 9:13--10:11Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Israelites in exile endured each day, and longed for when God would deliver them. God did not abandon them, or leave them without His Word. He sent men like Isaiah to remind them that God had not forgotten His promises to deliver them. God had not forgotten them, and He would be the one who would redeem them, bring them back home, and be their Savior. We long for our suffering to end. That our struggle against our sinful flesh and its desires would cease. That the groaning of all creation would be silenced. Your God has heard your groaning, and has answered you. As we endure each day of our earthly lives in our fragile flesh, we go about each day not despairing as the world does, but full of hope and joy for what is to come. God has redeemed His creation. His Son Jesus, is the Savior of the world. In Him the one whom they have pierced flows rivers of life giving water, and blood for His chosen people to drink.You were baptized into this life giving water, and receive the body of Christ to eat and His blood to drink. You are strengthened by this life-giving meal. Getting up each day and remember that in your Baptism you do not simply struggle against the world and your sinful flesh as a poor miserable sinner, but as a baptized redeemed child of God. These promises are for you, and all believers in Christ. Behold God has done a new thing in Christ Jesus, not just for Abraham’s offspring, but for the whole world. In Christ your longing for home is ended, because in Christ you are redeemed, and declared a witness of the resurrection.  In Christ you may have peace that there is a place prepared for you, and whether in death or on the day He returns God has received you as His beloved child and welcomed you into His kingdom. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.You sit in splendid glory, enthroned at God’s right hand, Upholding earth and heaven by forces You command. We know that You will come as our Judge that final day, So help Your servants You have redeemed by blood, we pray; May we with saints be numbered where praises never end, In glory everlasting. Amen, O Lord, amen! (LSB 941:4)-Vicar Justin Chester is vicar at Shepherd of the City in Fort Wayne, IN.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.

December 21, 2023   Today's Reading: John 20.24-29Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 42:1-25; Revelations 9:1-12but 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)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Thomas was faithful to his Lord in the end. Now, doubting Thomas really isn’t the best construction to put on him. So let’s call him “reassured” Thomas. Thomas wasn’t there that night when Jesus appeared to His disciples. Thomas wanted to believe his brother disciples, but dead men don’t rise.Eight days later. Thomas was now with them, longing to be reassured by the disciples' account. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”” These eleven disciples, despite ten of them having seen Jesus, are still hiding behind locked doors. Their fear, Thomas’ doubt and need for bodily reassurance are present in this locked room. Despite this, Jesus came to them, He stood among them and absolved them and said, “Peace be with you”.It’s not all about Thomas. It’s not about the faith of the eleven. It’s all about Jesus. Jesus who was crucified in front of them, bled and died in front of them. Who rose and appeared to them. This Jesus who’s chosen twelve betrayed, and deserted Him, are absolved. Just as He came to them and pointed to the marks that He is Christ the crucified and risen Lord, He comes to you. He comes to you through your pastor and when you confess your doubts, your fears, and your failures, you hear just what Thomas and the ten heard. “Peace be with you.” “Your sins are forgiven.” Not only that, but He gives you His body to eat and His blood to drink under the simple means of bread and wine. All this He gives, just as these words were written down, “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.” Thomas’ faithful proclamation is your proclamation. That by faith and not by sight you have received the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation in Jesus. In Jesus your doubts are reassured, and your fears calmed. Thanks be to God, for His servant Thomas who proclaimed Christ crucified to the nations, to comfort those who doubt, and reassure them that Christ has come and will come again for you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and ever-living God, You strengthened Your apostle Thomas with firm and certain faith in the resurrection of Your Son. Grant us such faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that we may never be found wanting in Your sight; through the same Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.-Vicar Justin Chester is vicar at Shepherd of the City in Fort Wayne, IN.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.

December 20, 2023  Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, 1st commandmentDaily Lectionary:  Isaiah 40:18-41:10; Revelations 8:1-13You shall have no other gods. (Exodus 20:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  What even is an idol? We’re not exactly making golden calves or selling statues of foreign deities anymore. Dr. Luther is helpful to us in understanding the totality of the first commandment, “Now, I say, that whatever you set your heart on and put your trust in, is truly your God.” (Luther, LC I., BoC, 385)Jesus puts it another way, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” The devil would like nothing more than to put idols in our faces, even more so to put things that don’t look like idols in our lives. The explanation of Dr. Luther rings true. Whatever we fear, love, and trust more than God and His Word is an idol. Whether that’s money, fitness, sports, family, technology, etc. Anything that would pull us away from God and His Word that we find trust in, is an idol.This is the commandment that all others extend from. Our old Adam pushes back against this commandment. Since the fall, we see ourselves as the center of our own universe. Our neighbor, our daily bread that God gives us can all be used as stumbling blocks for our old Adam to latch onto and proclaim as our own doing. Our sinful flesh has no desire to be with God, because sinful man has no place before a holy and righteous God. So we set up gods that are in our own image. Who are approachable, on our terms. These gods all fall by the wayside, and ultimately no security from suffering, no peace in our despair, and no deliverance from death.This holy, jealous, and righteous God is a loving God. Who tells Moses and His people, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Exodus 20:2) God has no desire to see you fall away from Him. God is a loving Father who, from the beginning has proclaimed life through His Word. This same Father through the Word incarnate Jesus Christ, His Son does what no false god can. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and endures the pains and trials of this world. The Son of God bears your sin, your false hopes in false gods, and crushes any idea of security that this world or idol could prop up. God’s love, His freedom from sin, death, and the devil are yours in His Son. You shall have no other God’s because there are no other gods. God Himself came down in human flesh for you, suffered and died for you, rose again and ascended into heaven for you. Your heart and mind is free to love and trust in Him, knowing that all things are done in Christ Jesus.God, the holy, jealous, loving, and gracious God who reigns over all things, and caring for you and all creation until He will come again on the last day for you. Come Lord Jesus.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O come, O come, Thou Lord of might, Who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height In ancient times didst give the Law In cloud and majesty and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel! (LSB 357:3)-Vicar Justin Chester is vicar at Shepherd of the City in Fort Wayne, IN.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.

December 19, 2023  Today's Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5.16-24Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 40:1-17; Revelations 7:1-17Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. That’s right, Paul is talking about Advent, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Although he’s referring to the second Advent the whole church prayerfully waits for. Yes that’s right, just as God’s people of old sought the first Advent of God’s Messiah, His anointed one, who God has long promised would come and redeem His people. This was not just a redemption, and return from an earthly exile. Although God would certainly deliver Israel home in time. This was a redemption with eternal consequences.But we know that story. The Advent of the Messiah who was born in Bethlehem, not as a king in a palace, but the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who came to redeem you. To end your exile of wandering in slavery to sin, and death, and to know God’s love for you in the wounds of His crucified Messiah, Jesus. Only these wounds are not found in the arms of a dead man, but the wounds of your crucified, dead, and risen Savior. Who came for you, died for you, and conquered death for you. In Jesus, the God of peace sanctifies you completely. It’s all His gift, given to you through faith by the simple means of the water of your Baptism, and nourishing you weak after weak with His life giving body and blood that He gives you to eat and to drink. He does this without any merit or worthiness in you, purely out of His fatherly divine mercy, that just as His people of old wait for Him, you too may wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, assured of the promises of the God of Israel, the God of the church, and the God who will come and bring you out of the great tribulation, and into the life to come. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“Comfort, Comfort ye My people, Speak ye peace,” thus saith our God; “Comfort those who sit in darkness, Mourning ‘neath their sorrows’ load. Speak ye to Jerusalem Of the peace that waits for them; Tell her that her sins I cover And her warfare now is over.” (LSB 347:1) -Vicar Justin Chester is vicar at Shepherd of the City in Fort Wayne, IN.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.

December 18, 2023  Today's Reading: Isaiah 61.1-4, 8-11Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 34:1-2, 8-35:10; Revelations 6:1-17I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Word given to Isaiah to proclaim to those returning from exile is truly comforting. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…” (Isaiah 61:1). These are the same words that Jesus reads in the synagogue of His hometown of Nazareth. Jesus proclaims that these words given to God’s people of Israel through the prophet Isaiah “has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:17)This good news, of God fulfilling His promises, to comfort and restore the poor, the broken hearted, the captives and those who are bound, is proclaimed to you by the one God has sent out to care for His offspring. Your pastor proclaims God’s Word and administers the Sacraments to you because that is God has promised to be for you. You don’t have to look in the world for God to reveal His comfort, or means of salvation. He tells you plainly where He can be found. While the world does not accept Jesus, and even His hometown rejects Him as the fulfillment of the words of Isaiah He is there in His Word and simple means of bread and wine, and water. Desiring nothing but the broken and those trapped in their sins to come and hear this good news.In this Jesus who was crucified, died and buried, your sins are covered with His blood and laid in the tomb never to emerge again. It is the crucified and risen Jesus who God has fulfilled these words of Isaiah and all of His promises to His people. In your Baptism God has clothed you with the garments of salvation, and covered you with the robe of righteousness. You and all believers are Christ’s bride, the church. Who are united to Christ Jesus your bridegroom, who takes you His bride and adorns you with jewels to present you to His Father as His most precious treasure.Take comfort in these words, you are united to Christ’s death and resurrection. Your sins are forgiven, all the stressors and pains of this world cannot take you away or exile you from the love of God for you in Christ Jesus. Come Lord Jesus, where the bride groom will join His bride and live together in righteousness with praise and thanksgiving forever.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Mine is the sin, but Thine the righteousness; Mine is the guilt, but Thine the cleansing blood; Here is my robe, my refuge, and my peace; Thy blood, Thy righteousness, O Lord my God.“ (LSB 631:5)-Vicar Justin Chester is vicar at Shepherd of the City in Fort Wayne, IN.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.

December 17, 2023  Today's Reading: John 1.6-8, 19-28Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 33:1-24; Revelations 5:1-14He [John] was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. (John 1:8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John the apostle gets right to work with John the Baptist in our reading today. There’s no annunciation by an angel, no mute Zechariah, no leaping in Elizabeth’s womb. John the prophet, the preacher, sent from God to proclaim His Word to His people.The people of Israel, God’s chosen people certainly must have felt God had forgotten them. Like they had lost their identity. Stumbling from empire to empire, wondering when God will be the God of His promises, the God who had delivered them in the past. When will He deliver them now?We can relate to this. Often our daily lives have similar stresses, similar identity crises. When a parent or loved one becomes sick or hurt beyond recovery. When the to do list seems to never end and school work, house work, your job just continues to pile on overwhelmingly. When we see tragedies, and disasters happen at home and around the world. We feel lost, and often wonder “Where is God?”, “Has He forgotten me?”.Beloved child of God, your Father in heaven has not forgotten you, just as He had not forgotten His chosen people Israel. Maybe it has been awhile since you have been in church, heard His Word. Received His gifts. Know that your Pastor, or the Pastor in your community is delighted to give them to you. Just like John the Baptist, He is not the Light, but He bears witness about the Light. Even more so your pastor is given to you by God Himself to give you Jesus. Who is the Light of the world, the Christ, the one promised and foretold by Isaiah and all of Scripture who is the fulfillment of God’s promises for you.  Who on the cross gave His Body and poured out His Blood for you, as the very lamb who was slain. To cover your sin, to cover your suffering, and brokenness. So you know that you do not walk alone through the challenges of this life. Your identity is not given legitimacy by this world, that is always changing. No, your identity is yours in Christ who has washed you and united you in the waters of your Baptism, and united you to Himself in His body, and blood that you are given to eat and to drink. That is your strength, your assurance, that the one who will come whose sandal strap John the Baptist is not fit to untie”. Is the one who has come, is with you now, and will come again. 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.-Vicar Justin Chester is vicar at Shepherd of the City in Fort Wayne, IN.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.

December 16, 2023  Today's Reading: Introit for Advent 3Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 32:1-20; Revelations 4:1-11Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s easier for me to imagine the saving face of God that saves us as something brighter than the sun.  Transfigurations are always appealing, even to those who know better than to try to build tabernacles on mountains.  The Good Shepherd, enthroned upon the cherubim that guarded the Ark of the Covenant seems to demand awe and wonder.  But if the cherubim guarded the real presence of God in His true glory, wouldn’t they circle the cross where God-made-man came down to die?   The hour for the Son of Man to be glorified left Him with no throne but a cross.  The radiance of the transfiguration gave way to streaks of blood and sweat.  But this is how we are saved.  Don’t look up the mountain for a glowing God of might.  Look to the cross for the dying God of mercy.  Here, we are restored.  Here, we are saved.  Here, all of your sins are atoned for, and you are given a shepherd that leads you through death to life again, not one who calls to you from the other side of the veil.  In fear and in danger, we want the face of the transfiguration, but God gives us the face of the cross, crowned with thorns instead.  And it’s a gift.  Peter, confronted with a shouting sky and a glowing God, only realized what he was not, and fell down in terror.  A centurion saw the same God die and realized what happened.  Pray the psalms for mercy, not power, and God doesn’t ever seem so far away, because we finally start to measure Him in the things that actually work to answer our prayers.  Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Jesus, author of salvation, Shared in our humanity; Crowned with radiant exaltation, Now He shares His victory! From His face Shines the grace Meant for all our fallen race. (LSB 462:3)-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.

December 15, 2023  Today's Reading: Revelations 3:1-22Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 30:27-31:9; Revelations. 3:1-22And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” (Revelation 3:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. From the whitewashed tombs of the Pharisees to the tax collectors and sinners in the Kingdom, the heavenly band isn’t what we’d expect.  And it leaves us plenty of opportunities to turn that on to each other.  There’s too much conflict in church.  Especially considering that this applies to ourselves more than it does anyone else.  This isn’t just a warning not to trust anything too polished, to question authority, and to roll your eyes at anyone who says “we’ve always done it this way”.  If you’ll allow it, it’s a chance to reflect upon the secret things that are killing you from the inside out that you hide from everyone else.  They’re not actually measured in the battles you lose against vice, nearly so often as they are the things you don’t want to call wrong in the first place.  The things you excuse yourself from, but are still too uncomfortable to talk about among the sanctified, because you tell yourself they’re just not enlightened enough to understand.  We hide the things that are killing us because what else do you do with the things you can’t get rid of and you’re not even sure you want to?  John has instructions to the walking-dead-inside.  Remember. Keep. Repent. Remember what you received. Past tense. Already, before you quit the vice you won’t call a vice. You are already free from it. It’s drowned in the font. You received it in Baptism.  Keep it.  That means realize it’s valuable enough to keep you.  Treasure it.  This isn’t a battle for self control you lose. It’s an identity already won on a cross for you.  It’s worth clinging to because it’s at least honest, even if it’s every bit as confusing.  This is who you are. Dead to sin. Alive to God.  It’s called repentance.  You live a life of repentance every day. You live a life of Baptism every day. Not marked in improvement, but in death. Every day you call sin what it is, even if you can’t get away from it. Every day you hear God’s promises.  Every day you’re turned back towards the one who forgave you because that Baptism you treasure is worth more than the vices you hoard.  Repentance isn’t what you quit. It isn’t how sorry you are about what you’ve done. It isn’t about a promise to quit you’re not sure you can keep.  It’s what brings the dead inside back to life.  It’s a Spirit carried hand toward the cross that swallows up what you bury and a promise that you’re already joined to the same empty tomb that Jesus burst free from. No matter how you feel inside. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. 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.

December 14, 2023  Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, question 4Daily Lectionary:Isaiah 30:15-26; Revelations 2:1-29Who receives this sacrament worthily?  Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training. 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.” But anyone who does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared, for the words “for you” require all hearts to believe.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our churches make a big deal about Communion.  We don’t let just anyone come.  We believe it is exactly what Scripture says that it is. We believe that it can do great good if received correctly, and great harm if received incorrectly.  Paul talked about someone dying.  He seemed against it. We agree. The problem is, the devil loves an opportunity to call someone unworthy.  The evil foe will say you’re unworthy because of the porn you watch. Because you cut yourself. Because you struggle not to hate your parents. Being a sinner doesn’t make you unworthy of Communion.  Communion is only for sinners. If you’re not a sinner, don’t drink from the cup that promises forgiveness.  It’s not a meal for former sinners who kicked the habit. It’s not a meal paid for with promises to do better next time.  It’s a meal for the unworthy, and everything is flipped on its head.  For everything you’re too ashamed to admit to everyone kneeling beside you, Jesus only promises forgiveness.  Every week (cool practice, huh?).  Fasting and bodily preparation turn into something new.  They don’t earn your place.  They simply become fine outward training.  A meal that forgives everything you want to be rid of helps us to realize life would actually be better without it.  So we fight against our sinful flesh. We fast. We prepare for the supper. And when we come starving and sinning anyway, we’re met by the same promise.  Take drink, this is the blood of Jesus, shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins.  We still practice closed Communion.  Not because we want less people to receive this great gift.  But because we want to be sure that everyone who does is helped by it.  So the answer to “may I take communion” is never a no. Just sometimes a not yet.  We teach the faith all hearts must believe. We point to just how much is given here.  The Holy Spirit works in the hearts of those who hear it.  And the church is fed.  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! (LSB 618:3)-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.

December 13, 2023 Today's Reading: Revelations 1:1-20Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 29:15-30:14; Revelations 1:1-20John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne. (Revelation 1:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The more exciting you try to make the book of Revelation, the more boring you make the church.  The more boring you allow Revelation to continue to be, the more glorious church appears.  We go looking in the book of revelation for wild stuff we don’t see.  Like sword-mouth-Jesus.  Sword-mouth-Jesus is definitely less boring than your pastor.  Except they preach the same thing.  Jesus died and rose again. He holds the keys to death.  But John saw a vision from heaven. With trumpets.  Visions from heaven with trumpets are definitely less boring than the Bible reading in church that goes on just a little too long.  Except the vision directed John to share it with the churches in a book. Like a Bible.  That is trustworthy and speaks of Jesus for sinners. The gift of Revelation is that the more boring you allow it to be, the grander church appears because for all the incredible language describing heavenly visions; all that stuff shows up in your church.  The letter of Revelation was written to fledgling churches struggling with doubt and despair, false doctrine and gross sin.  Jesus is there in Word and Sacrament to forgive, to comfort, to save those who don’t deserve it.  He calls us out of foolishness and into eternal life. You receive those very gifts every Sunday. Your pastor preaches to you. He gives you the body and blood of Jesus. He ties you to the alpha and the omega in a way that transcends space and time as you are united with the marriage feast of the lamb in His kingdom which has no end.  When Revelation needs to be more than that, it always makes church feel like less, and worse, you can never actually find it no matter how many signs you see in the news.  When Revelation is a book pointing to Jesus, going to church where Jesus is just gets even more impressive.  I imagine sword-mouth-Jesus looks cool, but the body and blood on your altar aren’t just something to imagine.  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'ertaken. 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. (LSB 656:1)-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.

December 12, 2023 Today's Reading: 2 Peter 3.8-14Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 29:1-14; Jude 1-25The 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. The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  The heavens will pass away with a roar.  The earth and the works done on it will be exposed.  So be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace.  And until that last word, it’s all a threat.  Hey everyone, Jesus is gonna show up when nobody expects Him, set everything you love on fire, and expose everything you’ve ever kept secret.  But be at peace when it happens. This is fine. Because the timing matters.  The last day isn’t a trap. He doesn’t delay so that more people will be lost, but out of a desire that more would be saved.  It isn’t time yet because there’s more preaching to do. More forgiving sinners to do.  More hope to receive.  Jesus isn’t waiting for the right time to pull your shame out into the open so more people can see it. He already did that. He bore it on the cross.  Every evil deed. Everything you’d have nobody see. All of it hung on Jesus as He bore your sins.  None of it comes back down from there. You are forgiven.  You are baptized.  Blameless, and without spot or blemish.  So wait that way.  Baptized.  The promise of the last day should make you feel better, not worse. It’s a harbinger of peace, not anxiety.  Jesus will Advent, one last time, and then we can be rescued from the darkness that feels so overwhelming. We can stop counting the days we wish we could forget. They’ll be burned up.  And we’ll be taken through death and unto the same resurrection that we saw in our Lord. The last day isn’t one we can predict. But we don’t need to run from it. We pray for it. Come, Lord Jesus. But even while we wait, we can be at peace, because we have the very things we need to sustain us until the last. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.He comes the broken heart to bind, The bleeding soul to cure, And with the treasures of His grace To enrich the humble poor. (LSB 349:3)-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.

December 11, 2023 Today's Reading: Isaiah 40.1-11Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 24:14--25:12; 1 John 2:15-29The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. (Isaiah 40:7)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I actually prefer the fake Christmas trees to the real ones.  It’s not the mess or the cost. It’s actually Isaiah. “All flesh is grass. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it. Surely the people are grass.” There’s something that hits a little too close about putting a dying tree in your living room as we celebrate the birth of Him who saves us from death.  It’s great that the Savior was born…but the grass still withers. The tree still dies. It’s the thing nobody wants to think about this time of year, so just to make sure nobody thinks too hard about it, what if we took the dying tree…and put lights on it.   So much of what celebrations this time of year turn into are hiding from problems nobody can fix. So much of what we look to for comfort is just trying to cover up what’s wrong.  Because what else do you actually say? What shall I cry? It’s the question that drove Isaiah to wail before the Lord.  What do you say to the grass withering in the field to make it green again? What do you say to someone that’s lost everything? And the deeper question, just hinted at, “Wasn’t it Your breath, Lord, that did this to them? Isaiah would have rather preached to a people who didn’t need comfort, but only the sick need the doctor.  The Lord spoke and said to Isaiah, “Tell my people that her warfare has ended, her iniquity is pardoned”  Yes, your sin is real, but every sin is forgiven.  You don’t have to double down on it because there’s no other choice.  Your mistakes, your rebellion, your sin is pardoned, forgiven, forgotten.  Covered by the blood of Him who died for you.  All that well deserved God’s anger was addressed there, for you. You don’t have to dress it up as something else like lights on a dying tree. You don’t have to look for comfort in hiding from what’s wrong.  You don’t have to be afraid. Our Lord confronts the death of withering grass and dares us to see the truth about comfort. Comfort is not measured in the lack of bad things, but in the presence of good.  So God advents. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Yea, her sins our God will pardon, Blotting out each dark misdeed; All that well deserved His anger He no more will see or heed. She hath suffered many_a day, Now her griefs have passed away; God will change her pining sadness Into ever-springing gladness. (LSB 347:2)-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.

December 10, 2023 Today's Reading: Mark 1.1-8Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 26:20-27:13; 1 John 4:1-21John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 1:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ starts with John, not Jesus. No Christmas joy. No angel choir. No kids in bathrobes pretending to be shepherds.  A preacher preaching repentance and baptizing for the forgiveness of sins.  It might be better.  The good news of Jesus Christ begins with the Word being given to sinners for repentance and the forgiveness of sins.  It’s a reminder of how God advents today.  He is where the Word is preached. Where the Sacraments are administered.  This is how He is with us always, even to the end of the age.  Advent is a God who shows up.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ doesn’t start without Him.  He is being given to those who need Him.  Your church works that way too.  Jesus isn’t at a manger we journeyed to, met by our best efforts and gifts and well rehearsed lines someone else made you memorize.  He’s preached to sinners in the wilderness.  When you look around your sanctuary, your home, your life, and Jesus feels far, when the people the book says listen to are weird, and when the season feels a little off like it does some years, God advents. The Word-made-flesh is preached. Your sins are forgiven. Mark skips the pleasantries and sometimes it’s good to be reminded we have permission to do it too.  There are weeks that are too heavy for small talk. The bad ones where the guilt piles up.  Where the things said and done since last Sunday still haunt you.  Those are not the weeks for Christmas pageants and small talk after about how big the kids are getting.  So you can go to church and you hear your pastor dispense with pleasantries. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Your Baptism.  You confess your sins.  He forgives you in Jesus’ stead.  You can look around and it might still feel off, but God advents there. Shows up. To meet you in the wilderness of your worst week. To forgive. To save. 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. -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.

December 9, 2023 Today's Reading: Psalm 80:1, 8a, 9b, 7; antiphon: v. 3Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 26:1-19; 1 John 3:1-24Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! (Psalm 80:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  God delights in the prayers of His people.  He loves for us to call upon His name.  If we are honest, it seems like we usually pray only when we are in desperate need.  When our backs are against the wall and we are at the end of our rope, we finally find ourselves crying out to God for help.  And you know what?  God delights in the prayers of His people.  Praying to God is faith in action, and the Lord longs for us to put our trust in Him.  That’s exactly what prayer does; it is faith looking to and talking to God.  If you think about it, it’s all a gift.  Faith given, faith in action praying – all given by God.  The Psalms too are a gift from God, for they are a collection of prayers driven by faith calling upon the Lord.  When our prayers are joined to the Psalms, God delights in hearing His Word prayed back to Him. Restore us, O God.  The Hebrew word behind restore is the idea of returning or coming back; it is a prayer of repentance.  Repent me, O God  is the cry of faith.  We often think of repentance as something that begins with us, something we must finally decide to do.  Repentance begins with God; it is a work He begins in us.  In other words, repentance is a God’s gift to you.  We are prone to wander, aren’t we? We often find ourselves on the wrong road either by choice or by deception, we can’t help it.  But our loving and gracious Father will not let us wander off to be lost forever.  He seeks us out, He finds us, He returns us to Himself through his Word and Spirit and thank God He does.  Let your face shine, that we may be saved.  This is where repentance leads us, to Christ, the light of the world.  The light of Christ’s life shone in the darkness when He hung on a Roman cross that you may be saved.  Even when it seemed like His life was extinguished, three days later He radiated in resurrection glory.  Christ must suffer and on the third day be raised that repentance and forgiveness of sins be preached in His name (Luke 24:46).  God delights in your prayers.  He repents you, He forgives you, He saves you, all for the sake of Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.From the cross Thy wisdom shining  Breaketh forth in conqu’ring might; From the cross forever beameth  All Thy bright redeeming light. (LSB 578:4)- Pastor Darrin Sheek is the Senior Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran in Anaheim, CA.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.

December 8, 2023 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 24:14-25:12; 1 John 2:15-29And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Nothing lasts forever.  That’s certainly the way it seems to be in this world we live in.  You purchase a new smartphone and after a year or two, you need a new one.  Your favorite sport’s team is hardly recognizable as players come and go.  This world is not meant to last and our life experience confirms this fact.  So why is it that we continue to buy into all the various promises the world continues to make us?  Let’s face it, we love the world, or at least that’s the temptation.  Who doesn’t want to feel accepted, or to have a more fulfilling life?  Who doesn’t need more happiness? Who doesn’t feel the need to be more in control of their present and future?  We grasp for these things because they give us hope, but the world is passing away along with its empty promises and false hopes.   “Do not love the world or the things of the world,” John writes.  The one behind all those false promises and hopes this world offers is the one who led Adam and Eve to doubt God's promises, Satan himself.  He is still at it trying to lure us away from the only thing that will last forever.  He’s crafty.  He disguises himself in this world knowing those voids in our lives that he tries to fill with fabricated promises and misplaced hopes.  There is only one thing that remains forever; there is only one thing that will endure after everything else has faded away; the Word of the Lord remains forever (1 Peter 1:25).This word that lasts forever is the Gospel that was preached to you. God’s promises He makes to you in Christ endure for you, forever.  The world’s promises are based on lies, and that shouldn’t surprise us since Satan “is a liar and the “father of lies” (John 8:44).  You have been given the Spirit of God to know the truth.  You have been given the gift of faith to trust in the one who will never let you down.  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and whoever trusts in Him will live forever.  If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.  And this is the promise that He made to us – eternal life” (1 John 2:24-25).  This is the will of God for you, to trust His Son, Jesus.  The Word made flesh remains forever.  Jesus’ Gospel promises for you to endure forever, and trusting in that Word, so will you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Lord Jesus Christ, 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. Amen- Pastor Darrin Sheek is the Senior Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran in Anaheim, CA.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.

December 7, 2023 Today's Reading: Sacrament of the Altar, Question 3Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 24:1-13; 1 John 1:1-2:14“…Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:27–28)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What do you see?  A piece of bread, maybe a wafer?  A little wine?  What do you hear?  “This is my body…this is my blood.”  Words spoken through an ordinary voice giving you ordinary bread and wine.  Then comes those words, “for the forgiveness of sins.”  How can this be?  How can eating this bread and drinking this wine do such great things, like forgiving me of my sins?  Those words spoken into your ears over the bread and wine are not just any words, they are Jesus’ words.  The words of Jesus do just what they say.  Luther writes in the Large Catechism, what Christ’s lips say and speak, so it is(LC V 14).  Thank God for faithful pastors who simply speak Jesus’ words for you.  Thank God for pastors who faithfully give you what Jesus has won for you through the shedding of His blood.  Jesus knows what we need, and He continues to provide.  He gives us His church; He gives us pastors; He gives us His Word, and that Word gives what it promises.  Our Lord knows us better than we know ourselves.  He knows we struggle.  He knows we are weak in faith, and that our faith is always under attack.  He knows we are prone to doubt His love and forgiveness for us, especially when we are aware of our shortcomings, our giving into sin.  So Jesus continues to speak the words we need to hear.  He continues to give and strengthen your faith in who He is and what He has done for you.  And the faith Jesus gives believes and clings to His words of promise for you.  Jesus gathers you to Himself and feeds you the fruits of His cross through ordinary bread and wine.  His Word does just what it says.  Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: forgiveness of sins. (SC Lord’s Supper 3).What do you see?  Don’t trust your eyes but trust your ears.  What do you hear?  Jesus’ words of forgiveness, life, and salvation delivered right into your mouth.  The Lord’s Supper is truly Jesus for you!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Is this for me? I am forgiven and set free! I do believe that I receive His very body and His blood.  O taste and see—the Lord is good. (LSB 629:5)  - Pastor Darrin Sheek is the Senior Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran in Anaheim, CA.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.

December 6, 2023 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 14.1-23; 2 Peter 3.1-18But 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.  Grow in grace and grow in knowledge. These are both gifts from God who wants to have a relationship with you.  It is God’s desire for you to know Him, and He’s done everything for that to happen.  Even after Adam and Eve’s fall into sin, God was determined not to write them or us off. He continued to do everything, to pave the way, to restore that intimate relationship with Him that was lost.  This is what the angels were waiting for. This is what the prophets promised and foretold. This is what John the Baptizer was sent to prepare. This is why God became man; this is why Jesus was born. He was born for you, to bring you back into a loving, secure relationship with God that will stand the test of time and even withstand our sinfulness. It required a sinless life; it required an atoning death, and Jesus’ empty tomb declares He has done it.  That’s the grace of God. The giving of Himself that you might be brought back to Him. That’s the grace we grow in, being connected to a God who has done everything and continues to do everything to keep us connected to Him.  God continues to give Himself to us that we may grow in grace and knowledge of His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.  He opens our minds to understand the Scriptures; how the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise again from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name (Luke 24:46).  This is Christian growth – that we grow in our realization of how much we need forgiveness, and we grow in our dependence upon all the ways God delivers His forgiveness to us as a gift all because of Jesus.  We grow in grace knowing we have a gracious God who loves us, who is for us, who comes to us and makes Himself known to us because He desires us to know Him – just as you are.  Faith can’t help but want to come to Him, to know God, to walk with Him and to trust Him daily with our lives.  And yes, even faith is a gift from God – the soil in which we grow in grace and knowledge of our beloved Savior, Jesus.  To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. 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. (LSB 566:3)- Pastor Darrin Sheek is the Senior Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran in Anaheim, CA.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.

December 5, 2023 Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 11:1-12:6; 2 Peter 2:1-22I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus. (1 Corinthians 1:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The season of Advent, these days leading up to Christmas, is full of anticipation.  We are invited to wait, as Israel did, for that shoot to spring out from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1).  Some 800 years after Isaiah penned these words, God made good on His promise to send the one whose belt is righteousness and faithfulness (Isaiah 11:5) and upon whom the Spirit of the Lord rested upon (Isaiah 11:2).  Jesus was born; the Lord has come, and He’s bringing gifts for you.  The Apostle Paul reminds the Christians at Corinth how he is always giving thanks to God because of the “grace that was given you in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:4).  Paul is beside himself with joyful gratitude when thinking about how gracious and giving God is for us whom he loves.  God doesn’t hold back; He gives it all to you and for you, all because of Jesus.  All of what?  Everything you need to keep you until our Lord Jesus’ second Advent, His second coming.  You are not lacking any gift, Paul writes.  You have all you need in Christ to live these days knowing God has your back. God is faithful!  And while you live these days waiting, trusting, and living daily under God’s grace, God promises to sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8).  Seriously?  What must I do?  Nothing!  That’s why it is called grace.  This is why the coming of Jesus is God’s gift for you and for the world. And like the gifts we are given from those who love us, we simply stretch out our hands to receive them and say, thank you.  That’s what faith does with God’s gifts, it simply receives and says thank you. The Lord has come, and He will come again. Now we wait with our eyes of faith fixed on Jesus who came bearing the gifts of forgiveness and life.  Now we live, with our eyes of faith fixed on Jesus who will come for you, to gather you to Himself, and present you holy and blameless, and completely guiltless – all as a gift for you.  Thanks be to God!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Then when You will come again as the glorious King to reign, I with joy will see Your face, freely ransomed by Your grace. (LSB 352:1)- Pastor Darrin Sheek is the Senior Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran in Anaheim, CA.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.

December 4, 2023 Today's Reading: Isaiah 65.1-9Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 10:12-27a, 33-34; 2 Peter 1:1-21I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by my name.” (Isaiah 65:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  How long does God have to wait for someone to seek Him out?  He’s ready.  How long does God have to wait for someone to actually find Him?  And, if we find Him, then what?  The truth is we don’t want anything to do with a God who is holy and just.  We certainly don’t want to come to Him and have to answer for ourselves.  Remember how that went for Adam and Eve when they realized they were naked and ashamed?  God comes looking for them, and they bury themselves behind some bushes wrapped in fig leaves.  God came to them, but they wished He hadn’t, and we’ve been hiding from Him ever since.  The Apostle Paul lays out the truth about our hiding from the one true God, None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. (Romans 3:10-12)  So, if we will never seek after God, no matter how ready He is for us to come, how in the world will we ever be welcomed by Him?  If we can’t cover our shame, as our first parents attempted, how can we ever be fit to be in His presence, let alone walk with Him and live with Him?  God doesn’t wait for us to come to Him, and He certainly doesn’t wait until we’ve cleaned ourselves up. No, God comes to us.  He seeks us out and He finds us by sending His own Son to seek and save the lost.  God comes to you in Jesus and says, “Here am I coming to be born of a woman.  Here I am coming into the city that kills its prophets.  Here I am, arms spread out upon a Roman cross to cover your shame.  Here I am, risen from the dead, just as I said, to give you life with me.  Here I am, coming once again, this time to gather all who have believed in me for life together forever”.God has sought you; He has found you.  His arms are wide open for you.  You are clean, you are forgiven, you belong to Him, and He will never let you go. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Come, Thou long expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee.  Israel’s strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art, Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.  (LSB 338:1)- Pastor Darrin Sheek is the Senior Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran in Anaheim, CA.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.

December 3, 2023Today's Reading: Mark 11:1-10Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 9:8-10:11; 1 Peter 5:1-14“If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it…” (Mark 11:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today marks the beginning of the season of Advent.  Our journey over the next three weeks will eventually lead us to a manger in the city of David where an angel of the Lord announces, “for you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).  This little baby’s life journey will take Him to a different city, Jerusalem, where He will accomplish His life’s mission, “you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).  We need Advent; I need Advent, the coming of God’s Savior to save us, you and me, from our sins.  Jesus knew why He was sent; His purpose was clear, and He willingly gave up all to be born to save us from our sins.  “The Lord has need of it.”  This simple phrase marks the life and mission of Jesus, “the Lord has need of it.” What does the Lord need?  A womb to be conceived in, a manger to be born in, a river to be baptized in, a donkey to ride upon, a cross to die on, a tomb to rise from.  Everything must take place, just as the Lord planned, for you, to save you.    The Lord has need of it. Why?  Because of the simple and plain fact that you and I cannot save ourselves.  We try, don’t we?  We make plans to do better.  We make promises to change our behavior.  When we fail, we can find reasons and excuses to diminish the offense of our sins.  When we have good days we are tempted to think they will somehow cover the bad ones.  Advent reminds us that we cannot save ourselves – no way!  We are imprisoned without any chance of escape. We owe an insurmountable debt that we honestly can never repay.  We need someone to deliver us, to rescue us, to pay the price, to die our death, to bring us back into a loving relationship with God.  Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna, the cry of those who realize they need someone to save them, and the crowd that lined the road into Jerusalem knew the one riding on a donkey had come to do just that. The Lord has need of it.  Advent graciously reminds us of our need for a savior, and then proclaims to us the very Savior we need, Jesus.  The Lord has need of it, your sin, your death, His cross, His tomb.  Jesus is the answer to our hosannas, Lord save us, and He does.  After all, that’s why He came in the first place, for you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Once He came in blessing, all our sins redressing; Came in likeness lowly, Son of God most holy; Bore the cross to save us; Hope and freedom gave us. Amen.  (LSB 333:1)- Pastor Darrin Sheek is the Senior Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran in Anaheim, CA.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.

December 2, 2023Today's Reading: Introit For Advent 1: Psalm 25:1-3; antiphon Zechariah 9:9b, altDaily Lectionary: Jeremiah 29:1-19, Matthew 26:36-56Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!Behold, your king is coming to you;  and having salvation is he,humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Tomorrow begins the season of Advent. A season of waiting, preparation, repentance, and hope in Christ who came in the flesh, comes in His Word and Sacraments, and promises to come again. Tomorrow we hear how Jesus fulfills the words of his prophet Zechariah as He rides into Jerusalem amidst palms and praises. Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humbled and mounted on a donkey. Tomorrow we hear the Palm Sunday word ringing in the new church year as Advent begins the same Holy Week begins, with shouts of Hosanna!Hosanna is the perfect word to sing as Advent begins. Hosanna means, “Lord, save us.” Jesus came to do his Hosanna work, to seek and to save the lost. This is what God  has always done. He is the God of Hosanna. The God who saves. When the people of Israel cried out to God in the days of Moses for rescue from slavery in Egypt, God heard their cry of Hosanna, Lord, save us. And he did. God saved them from death by the blood of the Lamb. God saved them from Egypt through the waters of the Red Sea. God saved them by dwelling among them in the cloud and pillar of fire in the tabernacle.In Zechariah’s day, when the people of God, once again, cried out for rescue. They had spent seventy years in Babylon. They were returning from exile. The temple and walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. Would God save us as he promised? Would God make his advent as he said? Will God hear our Hosannas? Yes, foretold the prophet Zechariah. Behold, your king is coming to you.Centuries later, the king Zechariah foretold finally arrived. God heard the Hosanna cries of his people. God made his Advent in the wood of the manger and the cross.. God became man to be present with and save his people, and to save you.In Advent, Jesus brings his Hosanna to you. He came in the flesh to save you. He comes in His Word, water, body and blood to save you. He promises to come again on the Last Day and save you. In Advent we celebrate and remember Christ’s first Advent in the flesh, confident that because He died and rose again, He will make His Second advent in glory. And until that day, our King Jesus still saves you and promises to be with you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.A humble beast He rides, Yet as a King presides; Though not arrayed in splendor, He makes the grave surrender. Hosanna, praise and glory! Our King, we bow before Thee. (LSB 335:3)-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.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.

December 1, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 26:1-19, Matthew 26:20-35“Take, eat; this is my body.”  And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:26-28)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s one thing to make a promise, that’s easy. Plenty of people make promises.  It’s another thing to make a promise and keep it; that’s the hard part. And yet that’s exactly what God does over and over again in His Word. God makes promises and God keeps His promises. Israel was hungry in the wilderness, God promised to feed them, and God sent manna and quail. God warned His people Israel that their sin of idolatry would lead to exile, and yet, He promised that they would return from exile in Babylon, and God kept his promise. God promised Adam and Eve that there would be a child born of the woman who would crush the devil, and He kept that promise by sending Jesus to live, die, and rise for us.One of the ways God makes and keeps his promises is by making a covenant with his people. A covenant is God’s promise to do what He says, to keep His word. When God establishes a covenant with His people He is the one who initiates it, sustains it, and fulfills it. Left on our own, we break promises all the time, just like Israel broke God’s covenant of Sinai over and over again. This is why God makes his covenant with us and He keeps it.This is the way it was for Noah and all creation when God made His covenant never again to flood the earth and put a bow in the sky. And for Abraham when God made His covenant with him that all nations on the earth would be blessed through him. And for David when God made a covenant with him that even though David would die, there would be a ruler who would come from his descendants who would reign forever. Jesus comes as the promise maker and promise keeper all in one. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is proof that God keeps His promises. Jesus promised to die and rise on the third day, and He did for you. Jesus promises on the night when He was betrayed that the bread in Holy Communion is His body, and the cup of wine is the blood of His covenant, His promise poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. No wonder St. Paul says that all of God’s promises are yes in Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Glory be to Jesus, Who in bitter pains. Poured for me His lifeblood From His sacred veins. Grace and life eternal in that blood I find; Blest be His compassion, Infinitely kind. (LSB 433:1-2)-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.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.

November 30, 2023Today's Reading: John 1:35-42aDaily Lectionary: Jeremiah 25:1-18, Matthew 26:1-19The 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. In one sentence, John tells us everything we need to know about Jesus….everything we need to know about our life in Christ as his church, as his children.  John’s confession is what separates Christianity from all the world’s religions. God is “beholdable.” He is approachable, knowable, tangible. Men saw Jesus, heard him, touched him, ate with him. Jesus didn’t live in “never-land" or “once upon a time” or “in a galaxy far, far away.” He was born in the days of Caesar Augustus. Crucified under Pontius Pilate.  John’s confession is remarkable. When John stands in the wilderness and points to Jesus saying, “Behold, the Lamb!” he’s pointing to God in human flesh. God with a human face. God who is truly bone of your bone and flesh of your flesh. Behold, the Lamb of God. In the Scriptures, a Lamb means sacrifice. Sacrifice is God’s way of covering our sin and guilt. Sacrifice is God’s way of taking our death and giving us life in exchange. A substitute. A life for a life. The innocent for the guilty. As John cries out, “Behold, the Lamb!” three OT events come to mind. After the fall, God clothed Adam and Eve’s nakedness and shame. And God did this with animal skins. Seems ordinary enough, but where did those skins come from? That’s right…sacrifice. A substitute. A life for a life. The innocent for the guilty. Then there’s Abraham and Isaac. “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” And as they hiked up the mountain, Isaac said to Abraham, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” And he did. The Lord provided. Finally, we can’t forget the Passover lamb. The Lamb would die. A sacrifice. Substitute. A life for a life. The innocent for the guilty. Guilt covered. Sins forgiven and atoned for. Blood covered the doorpost. And Israel ate the flesh of the Lamb who was slain for them. All of Old Testament history – the tabernacle and temple – all of it is soaked in sacrificial blood. And it is all a blessed reminder of John’s words that Jesus is the Lamb of God whose blood cleanses us from all sin. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lamb of God, pure and holy, Who on the cross didst suffer, Ever patient and lowly, Thyself to scorn didst offer. All sins Thou borest for us, Else had despair reigned o’er us. Have mercy on us, O Jesus! O Jesus! (LSB 434:1)-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.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.

November 29, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism: The Sacrament Part 2Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 23:21-40, Matthew 25:31-46What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? These words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show 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. (Explanation of the Sacrament of the Altar, part 2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord God is the original Iron Chef. From beginning to end, and many places in between, when God serves up his blessings in Holy Scripture, course after course often involves food. When God created the heavens and the earth he gave Adam and Eve access to a fruit and vegetable buffet line, until, of course, they sinfully chose to pick and eat something off the menu. When the people of Israel were in bondage and slavery in Egypt, God provided a holy meal of bitter herbs, unleavened bread, and roasted lamb as the Passover meal. Central at that meal was the lamb who was sacrificed, whose blood covered their doorposts, and who’s life was given to spare the life of Israel, that death would Passover them.When the prophet Elijah was hiding in a cave the Lord sent ravens to feed and nourish and strengthen him for his prophetic task.When the prophet Isaiah was called by God to preach and foretell the coming work of the Messiah, Isaiah dished up a plate of good news. When the Messiah came there would be a feast of rich foods and fine wine and a mountain top where he would destroy death (Isaiah 25).From Genesis to Revelation, God often pairs his blessing and provision with his gifts of daily bread. So it;s no surprise that when we come to the New Testament, God incarnate is also the Top Chef of Salvation, serving up his forgiveness, life, and salvation, alongside food and table. Jesus is well known in the Gospels for eating and drinking with sinners, like Zacceus the tax collector. In Divine Service, our Lord Jesus does the same for us. Today salvation has come to your house! Jesus feeds the crowds on more than one occasion, revealing that he is the Shepherd-Messiah who has come to feed his lost sheep in the abundance of his grace. Many of Jesus’ parables result in or revolve around a feast.All of these food and feast events are like appetizers, leading up to the main course in Matthew 26 on the night when Jesus is betrayed. When Jesus took the bread and said, “Take, eat; this is my body given for you. Take, drink; this is my blood of the new covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The gifts are in the feast, Gifts far more than we see; Beneath the bread and wine Is food from Calvary. The body and the blood Remove our ev’ry sin; We leave His presence in His peace, renewed again. (LSB 602:5)-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.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.

November 28, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 23:1-20, Matthew 25:14-30For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In Today’s reading from 1 Corinthians 15, St. Paul tells us a tale of two Adams. The man Adam, formed by God from the dust of creation. And the God-man, Jesus, the Second Adam, begotten of His Father before all worlds. The first Adam was formed by God into a man. The Second Adam is not only true man, but also true God. In the Garden, Adam was tempted three times and overcome by Satan. In the wilderness, Jesus, the Second Adam, was tempted three times and overcame Satan. The first Adam was tempted to become like God. Jesus, the Second Adam is true God, and became man to be tempted for us as we are tempted, yet without sin. The first Adam was tempted to eat the food that God had not given him to eat. The Second Adam knew that man lived not by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. The first Adam was tempted to forsake the word of God. The Second Adam is the very Word of God who also speaks God’s living word.The first Adam brought death out of life. Jesus, the second and perfect Adam brought life out of death. As Paul writes, “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.” The first Adam failed. Fell in sin. Died. And in Adam, in our own sinful flesh, so do we. But not Jesus, the Second Adam. Where the first Adam said “yes” to the devil’s lie, Jesus says no, again, again, and again.                            The first Adam was overcome by the tree serpent and the tree of the Garden. Jesus our Second Adam overcomes the devil by the tree of the cross for you.  The first Adam fell and brought us sin and death. Jesus our Second Adam dies and rises to raise us from the dust by His resurrection.The first Adam cast us out of Paradise. Jesus our Second Adam brings us through the wilderness to a new creation: “today you are with me in Paradise.”The first Adam gave us food of the fall by sweat and labor. Jesus, our Second Adam, feeds us with his own life-giving food, the Bread of Life in his body and blood.We confess with St. Paul, that “As in Adam we die, so in Christ, our Second Adam we live.” And we rejoice with St. Paul that we are brothers and heirs of Christ, our Second Adam, who has destroyed the last enemy of death for us and for all creation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.But Christ the Second Adam, came To bear our sin and woe and shame, To be our life, our light, our way, Our only hope, our only stay. (LSB 562:4)-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.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.

November 27, 2023Today's Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 22:1-23, Matthew 25:1-13For 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. Every now and then, you hear a song on the radio or Spotify and think to yourself, “This song sounds so familiar.” There’s a reason for that. Musicians call it sampling, when you take a bit of an old song and put it in a new song so it reminds you of that old song. The same happens all over God’s Word as well. It’s no accident that Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd, and looks at the crowds like sheep without a shepherd, and is identified by John as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is the New Testament’s way of sampling the Old Testament promises of God. The new song of salvation sounds a lot like the old songs of salvation from the prophets. Ezekiel 34 is one of those memorable chapters in the prophets, full of the promises of God to be the shepherd of his people Israel. God’s people were lost in idolatry, God promised to seek them out and save them. God’s people were scattered in exile, God promised to bring them home and rescue them. God’s people were injured, weak, and hungry, and God promised to bind their wounds, give them his strength, and feed them in rich pastures. In the Old Testament, that’s the refrain of God’s song of salvation: God the Lord is the shepherd of Israel and he alone seeks them out, saves, and rescues them.When we turn the pages of the Scriptures to the New Testament our Lord is playing the same old song but with something new. God the Shepherd has become one of his sheep in his incarnation and has become one with his sheep in our humanity. Jesus is the Good Shepherd of God in human flesh. He came to seek and save us in our lostness. He came to bind up our wounds by his wounds on the cross. He came to rescue us from sin, death, and the devil, by his redemption. He came to feed us with the rich pastures of his word and sacraments.All the promises that the prophets foretold, all the songs of salvation they sang, find their fulfillment and joyful crescendo in Jesus crucified and risen. For Jesus is the Good Shepherd who seeks, saves, rescues, feeds, and forgives 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. (LSB 709:1)-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.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.

November 26, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 25:31-46Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 20:1-18, Matthew 24:29-51Then 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. Some folks read Jesus’ teaching on the Last Day in Matthew 25 like The Hunger Games: “Last one standing is a sheep, and may the odds be ever in your favor!” For many, it’s a day of judgment, doom, and gloom; “everyone, save yourselves.” But that’s not what Jesus teaches about his second coming. When Jesus teaches about the Last Day, there is warning. But, Jesus also preaches good news at his coming.The Son of Man comes, enthroned in glory. All the nations are gathered and he’s separating people one from another. Sheep to the honorable right; goats to the dishonorable left.This is the eternal Sorting Hat. Notice, works are mentioned after the separation. The sheep and goats are not separated on the basis of what they did or didn’t do but who they are. The sheep are the righteous. Jesus’ righteousness was reckoned, imputed to them. Sin covered in the blood of the Lamb. They hear the words, “Come, you who are blessed by Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundations of the world.” Pure gift. Jesus’ inheritance is yours because He dies and leaves you with everything. The sheep are astonished: “Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked or imprisoned?” “As you did these things for the least of these my brothers you did it to me.” A blessed befuddlement: Jesus is hidden in the lowly losers. The sheep aren’t busy counting good works because they know they have the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for them.The goats are surprised too, but for different reasons. They’re as ignorant of their sin as the sheep were of their good works. “Lord, when did we see you?” They’re outraged. “If only we had known it was you, Jesus.” Goats are busy counting their works, like a social media influencer counting followers. The goats are for the goats..So, what are you? Sheep or goat? In Adam, we’re all natural born goats. Naked, caught with our fig leaves down. Starving, thirsting, sick with sin and prisoners of death. The mirror of the Law only reveals a stinking, stubborn goat. But in Christ Crucified you are a righteous sheep, made woolly white by Jesus’ blood. By water, word, and the Spirit, you are Jesus’ little lamb. Hear the Good Shepherd’s voice: ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 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! (LSB 508:5)-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.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.

November 25, 2023Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 26: Psalm 39:4-5, 7-8, 12a; antiphon 2 Peter 3:13Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 11:1-23, Matthew 24:1-28In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth,the home of righteousness. (2 Peter 3:13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The end of the world is going to happen and Christian’s and non-Christians believe it.  We love to stream shows depicting a zombie apocalypse.  The world hears warnings of financial collapse or global warming,- burning our world up.  It seems that we can all agree that this world will come to an end. But how? Peter assures us that the Day of the Lord will Come; in the Lord’s time, with destruction for the ungodly, but salvation for the faithful.Do we have the same attitude toward the end as the rest of the world? No! Every week we get to say that Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead (Nicene Creed) – it could be any moment.  The good news is that Peter says: “the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” In Jesus and His forgiveness you are ready, you are prepared, let us pray come Lord Jesus, come quickly. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Zion hears the watchmen singing,  And all her heart with joy is springing;  She wakes, she rises from her gloom.  For her Lord comes down all-glorious,  The strong in grace, in truth victorious;  Her star is ris'n, her light is come.  Now come, Thou Blessed One,  Lord Jesus, God's own Son,  Hail! Hosanna!  We enter all   The wedding hall  To eat the Supper at Thy call.  (LSB 516:2)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.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.

November 24, 2023Today's Reading: James 5:7-11Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 8:18-9:12, Matthew 23:13-39Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. (James 5:7)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The church year is almost over and we are moving to where we hear about the end times.  That’s what James is reminding us today.  I’m not a farmer, but I have grown plants. There can be a long time in between planting and the harvest when you don’t see much of anything. There needs to be the right amount of rainfall, sun and time for the crop to mature for harvesting. The farmer needs to be patient. But in the end, he knows the harvest is coming.James is telling us Christians that Jesus will return. Hold on. Hang on. Just be patient. Our Lord is coming. You have his word on it.“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.” When the Lord comes He will judge the living and the dead.  When the Judge comes in, what will he find?  Will there be fruit or a dried up plant?Take heart.  Jesus is the sower of the seed who has planted His cross for the life of the world.  His cross is the vine in which you are the branches and by His precious blood He bears all good and righteous fruit in you.  The harvest is coming, be patient, the sower of the seed has cared for you His dear creation. In Him you have life, you have fruit, you are part of His good and gracious harvest. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Savior, rend the heavens wide;  Come down, come down with mighty stride; Unlock the gates, the doors break down;  Unbar the way to heaven’s crown.  (LSB 355:1)

November 23, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 7:1-29, Matthew 23:1-12And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!”  (1 Kings 17:1-24)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Coloring books are all over the place these days. In Christianity those color books are about happy events in the Bible.  I think we should have color pages for people like Elijah.  We could have pages and pages that we could consider in the life of Elijah.  How would you color Elijah’s struggles? How would you struggle with the boy on his deathbed? What Elijah faced was a long, arduous journey through the valley of the shadow of death.  It seems as if there was no room for light, color or beauty.  Elijah’s pictures might be at best gray, but mostly black and void.We too walk in the valley of the shadow of death wearing the vale of tears we face.  However, we trudge through the valley of the shadow of Jesus’s death. We walk with the veil of tears with the promise.   Even in the darkest moments of despair, pain, and loss there is beauty and even color.  At the deathbed of a young boy, there is the beauty of prayers being heard and resurrection given.  The cold, gray, pale shades of death, are colored back in with the reviving life and color on his face as the boy was alive again.   There is beauty and color for us in Jesus’ death and resurrection.  As we look at  our own lives under the cross there really is beauty in the resurrection of all flesh, the color and vivid life of the new heavens and the new earth, the new creation. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 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 blessèd is this place, Filled with solace, light and grace!  (LSB 901:1)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.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.

 November 22, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism: The Sacrament Part 1Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 5:1-19, Matthew 22:23-46It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Hungry?  Sure, you’ve all been there. If you don’t eat, you get “hangry”, weak and will eventually die.  God takes care of you daily by giving physical food and drink.  In the same way He feeds you in this Christian faith.  He gives you forgiveness, life, and salvation. Are you hungry for forgiveness because of your guilt? Are you weakened and troubled by your sins? Then come and eat! Go to the altar and receive the gift of God’s forgiveness. There you are filled with Christ’s forgiveness that heals your soul and will bring wholeness to your body. Just like physical food strengthens you, so too the Eucharist is given to strengthen you in faith toward God and in fervent love toward one another. So come to the altar and be assured of God’s love for you. He loved you so much that he gave his only Son for you, that you would not perish but have eternal life.  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,  In hunger I address You.   Prepare me well for You, O Lord,  And, humbly by my prayer implored,  Give me Your grace and mercy.  (LSB 625:1)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.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.

November 21, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 3:6-4:2, Matthew 22:1-22But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. (1 Thessalonians 5:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. During this time of year we are coming to the close of another church year. Between this time and the season of Advent, we hear an awful lot about the return of Jesus: the last day, the day of judgment. So many and Christianity want to know when that will happen. So many Christians are terrified by that day, and left in our sins we should be terrified!   So many in Christianity today like to act like they know when it’s going to happen because of signs and seasons all around us. Paul’s words today in 1 Thessalonians 5 show us how we should anticipate Jesus’ return. Holy Scripture is silent, we don’t know when it’s gonna happen.  Pray it happens, but don’t fret about it.  The Lord’s final verdict for you in Jesus is “not guilty”.  In Christ you are perfect, and without blemish or stain of sin. That is who you are now in your Baptism, and that is who you are, when the Lord returns to judge the living and the dead.  We don’t know when this last day will happen, but we should fervently pray for it to happen sooner than later. On that day, the Lord will return to bring us to that place where there is no darkness, no sin, no death. In Christ, we will see him face-to-face, and live in the light of his glory forever and ever, come Lord Jesus come quickly!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The One whom angels tended comes near, a child, to serve; thus God, the judge offended, bears all our sins deserve. The guilty need not cower, for God has reconciled  through his redemptive power all those who trust this child.  (LSB 337:2)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.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.

November 20, 2023Today's Reading: Zephaniah 1:7-16Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 1:1-19, Matthew 21:23-46 Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.  (Zephaniah. 1:7)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Imagine if your pastor started his sermon with “Be quiet!” It would get your attention.  This is how Zephaniah speaks in today's reading. Zephaniah tells the people of God to be quiet, in other words, “Hush up, you’re in the presence of the Lord.” Thanks be to God?What Zephaniah says is meant to strike fear in the hearts of God’s people. The day of our Lord's return is nearer today than it was yesterday.  We do not know when it will happen and this time of year we are shaken up by the reminder of his return.  This shaking up is a reminder to repent, confess your sins.  Where is the Gospel in all of this?  It’s all about Jesus!  Jesus, is the one who is returning to judge the living and dead.  But remember Jesus is the one who takes the judgment promised by Zephaniah onto himself. He is judged with your sins in our place on Good Friday.  The day of the Lord’s return can be scary stuff!  In Christ, however, it becomes good news for you and we pray for His return as soon as possible.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The night will soon be ending; the dawn cannot be far.  Let songs of praise ascending now greet the Morning Star!  All you whom darkness frightens with guilt or grief or pain,  God’s radiant Star now brightens and bids you sing again.  (LSB 337:1)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.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.

November 19, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 25:14-30Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Matthew 21:1-22His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’  (Matthew 25:21)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We can easily get bogged down by these parables to see who we are in the reading.  These parables are all about what Jesus is doing for you!  Let them be all about Jesus and His work for you!  Jesus is the good and faithful servant. Christ Jesus was entrusted with God’s Word.  He is the only one who perfectly kept the Commandments of God.  The Father entrusted the salvation of the world with a single life, His very own Son.  Jesus lived that life without fault, in perfection, in true faithfulness to His heavenly Father, for you!  In turn the Father says to Christ Jesus, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” You are forgiven in Jesus’ righteousness because of that the Father likewise says to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”His faithfulness spills over to us in your love and generosity to others in need. Jesus does all the work, by faith you get all the credit, pray that the lord would work His love and generosity in and through you for the benefit of your neighbor. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and ever-living God, You have given exceedingly great and precious promises to those who trust in You. Dispel from us the works of darkness and grant us to live in the light of Your Son, Jesus Christ, that our faith may never be found wanting; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  (Prayer for Pentecost 25)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.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.

November 18, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 25: Psalm 143:2, 5-6, 10-11; antiphon Psalm 143:1Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 32:28-52, Matthew 20:17-34Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy!  In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!  (Psalm 143:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. David was betrayed. There were those who ran after him to take his life. One of those who wanted him dead was his own son Absalom.  David’s very life was in danger, he felt crushed into the ground.  We have betrayed ourselves in our sins.  Not only have we betrayed ourselves but we are also being pursued by enemies of death, the devil, a fallen, wicked world. This is why we pray Psalm 143 and our Lord answers your prayer with His mighty deliverance. Rather than running away Jesus is betrayed in your place.  He lets our sins hunt Him down for our sake.   He is hunted, beaten down, crushed, crucified, and died for you!  He is risen and now Jesus pursues you through the valley of the shadow of death.  He does not pursue you with betrayal or death.  He pursues you with goodness and mercy all the days of your life.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.From depths of woe I cry to Thee,  In trial and tribulation;  Bend down Thy gracious ear to me, Lord, hear my supplication.  If Thou rememb’rest ev’ry sin,   Who then could heaven ever win  Or stand before Thy presence?  (LSB 607:q)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.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.

November 17, 2023Today's Reading: Ezekiel 36:22-28Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 31:30-32:27, Matthew 20:1-16And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 37:27)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Sin loves to eat at us. Even if it's not bugging you all the time, you still find yourself bothered at times. You just can't get over it! If it wasn’t bad enough looking at your sinful heart, we also hear that sin is a beast ready to pounce and consume you (Genesis 4:7). 6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”  Our sin and the devil are actively working to rule us and we have no problem with it.It's all a matter of what your All-knowing and Almighty God says about it. It's the part we don't want to think about. While no one else may know except you, there is someone who always knows: your God.  He sees no life, no color, no blood pulsing from your heart of stone.  We are dead in our sins.  Ezekiel was not only consoling Israel who were brought into their own land, but he was foretelling of the new covenant God has given to us. The name of God, the Word of God is made flesh and dwelt among us.  As the Word made flesh is crucified for you, blood and water burst forth from His side to cleanse you. That's why Ezekiel connects the name of God, with God washing us clean and giving us a new heart.  Daily as we live out our Baptism we are reminded that we are part of the family of God.  Stony hearts are ripped out and new hearts of flesh are given to us. And your hearts are alive, full of color and live, hearts that are now the temple of God. In Baptism your veins now pulse with the blood of Christ in you. 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?  (LSB 594:2)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.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.

November 16, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 31:1-29, Matthew 19:16-30The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “The Lord be with you” is a statement you often hear your pastor say.  This is not a simple greeting, it is a blessing and consolation, of the promised presence of the Lord Jesus with you. Moses was 120 years old, he was told he would not be able to enter into the promised land. Now things are handed off to Joshua, to continue the Lord’s promise of the land they would inherit.  Surely there was fear, confusion, and uncertainty. We face life each day with the same things before us. Each, and every time we gather for Divine Service we are constantly reminded of the great blessing that the Lord is with you. He is with you, as the prayer of the day is being prayed in the congregation.  He promises to hear our prayers. He is with you as He prepares a table before you in the presence of your enemies in the Eucharist. He is with you as He sends you out the doors of the church with his heavenly benediction, and blessing for you.  Be sure to catch that the next time you’re in the Divine Service where the pastor says the “Lord be with you.” It is key, it is intentional and it is Jesus’ promise said through your pastor.  No matter what we face in life do not be discouraged, do not be afraid, Jesus is with you promising you the everlasting inheritance that is laid before you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.In these last days of sore distress  grant us, dear Lord, true steadfastnessthat pure we keep, till life is spent,  your holy Word and sacrament. (LSB 585:2)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.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.

November 15, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism: The Office of the KeysDaily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 30:1-20,  Matthew 19:1-15but before the pastor we should confess only those sins which we know and feel in our hearts.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When you go to a doctor, maybe you have a small issue that bothers you. Maybe it’s a larger issue that you can’t handle.  You’ve tried to give yourself a remedy but nothing works. The doctor enters privately, examines you and gives you a path forward for healing.  What is said and shown to the doctor remains with the doctor.  This is how you should view your pastor with private confession.  Luther calls the pastor the “soul physician”.  In private confession Jesus is doing the forgiving when pastors forgive the sins of the people given into their spiritual care. Jesus says “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).  Unlike a doctor, the pastor’s medicine always works because Jesus is always the medicine you need.  Go to your pastor just like you go to your doctor.  Confess your sins as the self inflicted wounds that need help and healing.  Just like others wound you and a doctor heals those wounds, absolution heals the wounds done against you.  Jesus will take all sins away, even the ones done against you because by His cross, His death brings life and the medicine of immortality to you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.For your Son has suffered for me  Giv’n Himself to rescue me   Died to save and restore meReconciled and set me free  Jesus’ cross alone can vanquish These dark fears and soothe this anguish(LSB 608:3)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.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.

November 14, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 29:1-29, Matthew 18:21-35In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Death is very confusing.  It’s really confusing for those outside of the church. For a non Christian, a funeral is pure grieving, pure loss, pure hopelessness, because death is only seen as permanent separation. And this is the approach the Thessalonians were drifting into when it came to death as well. Even as Christians we are not immune from the sting and confusion of death. Those of us who have had loved ones pass away do not hear from them anymore, do not see them anymore, do not find encouragement from them anymore. At death, they are removed from us and they seem to be completely gone. This was and is the assumption of those without the encouragement of God’s promises.But because of Jesus we do not lose hope or insight to the future.  Death for Christians is not a permanent loss, it is nothing more than sleep!  What a joy!  We placed our loved ones in the cemetery, the place of sleeping.  We have a great hope when it comes to facing the death of those who fall asleep in Christ! Indeed, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then in the same way we also believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. Jesus’ death and resurrection have an intimate connection to the believer’s life. Because Jesus paid for all of our sins and served as the first-fruits of the resurrection, we know that those who have fallen asleep in the Lord will be awakened from their death-slumber on the last day. God will bring those who have fallen asleep to himself. 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.  (LSB 461:1)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.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.

November 13, 2023Today's Reading: Amos 5:18-24Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 28:1-22, Matthew 18:1-20But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! (Amos 5:24)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Justice is a big buzzword in our society today. Our world says we must have justice for whatever we are passionate about. Many Christians today  emphasize the Christian faith needs to be all about justice for everybody else.  Justice is why the church exists today. But what does that justice and righteousness look like?  Amos’ message is harsh, it bites, it thrusts the Law of God’s sword into our hearts. We do not love God, or our neighbor, as ourselves. We, like the people of Amos’ time, have given God cheap lip service. We have felt that we have offered proper worship to Him and that we have done well in His sight. This leads us to ignore the needs of mercy and forgiveness that our neighbors desperately need from you.  Confess your sins, confess you don’t know what you’re doing before God, or that you can know true justice and righteousness on your own.  But also give thanks to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s justice and His righteousness flow out of the pierced side of Jesus for your forgiveness. Strengthened and washed by the blood of Jesus, you now receive God’s undeserved justice and righteousness. As Christ now lives in you, you know justice, you know  true righteousness, you know, true love, and mercy for your neighbor, in need all because of Jesus.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Today Your mercy calls us To wash away our sin. However great our trespass, Whatever we have been,However long from mercy Our hearts have turned away, Your precious blood can wash us And make us clean today.  (LSB 915:1)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.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.

November 12, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 25:1-13Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 27:1-26, Matthew 17:14-27The foolish ones said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.”  (Matthew 25:8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Some read this parable and say “Do you have enough oil?”  Or in other words, “Do you have enough faith?” That’s the question so many want to ask today in Christianity. No way, that is not how Christianity works. Faith is a gift, given wholly and freely to you by God the Holy Spirit! You did not choose this, rather Christ has chosen you! And your faith is always kept for you by God!  God in his unconditional love goes to great lengths to protect our faith. Faith can die, we can walk away. However Jesus’ desire, His plan, is to keep our lamps filled with oil so we can rejoice when He, the Bridegroom, arrives. He gives us lamps. He lights our lamps. He fills our lamps with oil. He keeps our lamps full of oil. How does He do this? Our lamps are filled with Christ through His Word. We need the oil that Holy Scripture can bring. In hearing the Word, in preaching and teaching, oil is poured into our lamps so that we are prepared for whatever may come our way. At the font Christ filled you by washing you clean and warding off the attacks of Satan. At this Holy Table, where Christ enters your body and soul to forgive your sin, strengthen your faith in this difficult, fallen world.  You are given faith, you are in Christ, you are His beloved who is seated at the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Zion hears the watchmen singing,  And all her heart with joy is springing; She wakes, she rises from her gloom. For her Lord comes down all-glorious, The strong in grace, in truth victorious;  Her star is ris'n, her light is come.  Now come, Thou Blessed One,  Lord Jesus, God's own Son,  Hail! Hosanna! We enter all  The wedding hall To eat the Supper at Thy call.  (LSB 516:2)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.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.

November 11, 2023Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 24: Psalm 84:1, 9-12; antiphon Psalm 84:3Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 25:17-26:19, Matthew 17:1-13Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King | and my God. (Psalm 84:3 )In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God makes room for the worthless.  It strikes a chord with my self hate that understands the Law better than I wish it did. I understand what I break. I understand what I fail to do. The sparrow costs a penny. Sometimes I’m pretty sure the sum of my time isn’t worth that.  But the sparrow finds a home at the LORD’s altars.  Not just to visit. To live.  Lots of people will put up with me for a time. But I’m pretty sure they’ll leave.  God calls me to live here.  And there is a promise never to cast me out. He doesn’t bicker with me about the best construction. He doesn’t weigh the pros and cons of my time here. He just forgives. Daily. Renews.  Daily.  Grants worth, not based on what I can do, but based on what was paid for me. Daily.  I’m worth the blood of Jesus. He feeds it to me here, at His altars.  I want to live here. Free from the accusations of the Law. Where there’s an answer to my self-talk as the Gospel is preached to me by my pastor, who won’t argue either. He just forgives.  I’d rather be a doorkeeper here than invited into the tents of wickedness. Not because I choose good. But because in those tents all I am is the sum of what I do.  I know what that leaves me with, even if I manage to take a little more from others.  How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts.  It is a shield against the torments of reality.  Not because it’s fake. But because it grants a new creation. A new reality. It changes what was wrong into what is forgiven. Here, there is favor and honor. I sit with brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us equal, all of us redeemed, and all of us loved.  No good thing does the LORD withhold from us.  Even in this veil of tears, when He safekeeps it for a time until the Resurrection.  We’d only ruin it if we got it before then.  He still gives us the foretaste in His supper.  We participate in the Resurrection even now. This is why I go to church. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Abide with me, fast falls the eventide. The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me (LSB 878:1)- 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.

November 10, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 24:10-25:10, Matthew 16:13-28Simon 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 where people haven’t heard the name Jesus.  Even today, He still gets a lot of press.  The thing is, when you listen, we all seem to be talking about someone different. Most of them aren't real. There's a good example of Jesus, who helps you be better until you don’t wanna be so 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.  There’s bigoted Jesus who calls people sinners in a hate filled book that does nothing but set the scene for hate crimes in the name of a higher power.  Some just say he’s a myth, because how could a loving God let the world look like this? If I were God I’d do things differently, and even though I need help using the dishwasher sometimes, I’m still pretty sure I’m smarter than any deity that created us.Have you noticed a common theme yet? Grab hold of a select part of the Law, ignore the Gospel completely, then weaponize religion.  It’s what the people wanted from Elijah, who they wanted to be a weapon against a world set against them.  It’s what they wanted from John the Baptist and Jeremiah, who were both 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 ones 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.  And if Jesus is something to use, not receive, he only ends up being what we wish he was.  Either to help us win, or to excuse us from having to listen to Him, it always ends up being law and no gospel.  Those are answers from flesh and blood.  They should sound ridiculous.  This is not a chance to come up with your own answer.  Instead we’re given a common confession. Peter’s answer is not from flesh and blood, but from God. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.  We answer the same.  Because there’s mercy there for sinners. For us. It will stand. Even against the gates of hell. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Here stands the font before our eyes, Telling how God has received us. The_altar recalls Christ’s sacrifice And what His Supper here gives us. Here sound the Scriptures that proclaim Christ yesterday, today, the same, And evermore, our Redeemer (LSB 645:4).- 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.

November 9, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 21:1-23, Matthew 16:1-12“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.” (Matthew 16:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus tells the Pharisees that there will be no sign except the sign of Jonah, His death and Resurrection.  Then He rebukes the disciples because they do not remember the signs given to them in the feeding of the 5000.  One side gets yelled at for wanting more signs.  The other gets yelled at for not expecting to see more.  Thanks, Jesus. The Pharisees and the disciples have the same problem.  They take their eyes off of Jesus.  The Pharisees only want signs, not what they point to, God made man to die for sinners.  They want appetizers, but not dinner.  The disciples don’t expect signs, because they overlook the simple idea that God will care for them, even though He was made man to die for sinners. They sit at the table and are shocked there’s actually food there. I shouldn’t write reflections when I’m hungry.  Or I’ll just pretend to be like Jesus and insist I’m not actually talking about food, either. In all reality, when it comes to miracles we usually set our hearts in the wrong places too.  We want a vending machine God who only gives us the things we ask Him for, and could care less about what He actually wills.  We seek miracles that prove He’s real when the greatest miracle of all towers over us, not just as a sign, but as salvation.  He dies and rises from the grave.  The sign of Jonah is death and resurrection. It is a historically verifiable miracle, proof that Jesus is God, who has saved you.  The sign of Jonah is what we cling to in doubt and fear. It’s what we cling to for forgiveness for seeking the leaven of the Pharisees and for not seeing the goodness God daily bestows upon us in ways we just overlook.  Look to the cross, where Jesus died for you. It isn’t just Him proving Himself right to those who are wrong. It’s Him winning salvation for them, for us, for you.  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 (LSB 454:4)- 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.

November 8, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism: ConfessionDaily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 20:1-20, Matthew 15:21-39Confession 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.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God doesn’t just want to forgive your sins.  He wants you to firmly believe that your sins are forgiven.  He wants to address your conscience.  Because you’re baptized, and that daily and richly forgives your sins.  But sometimes it doesn’t feel that way.  Sometimes it just clings. Scratches. Tears apart from the inside out.  That thing that you want to erase.  God wants to speak to you about it.  Tell you that it’s gone.  As far as the east is from the west.  Guilt festers. So God speaks.  He uses your pastor to tell you.  Your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  That sin is forgiven.  Because I can walk past a group of people who start laughing and tell myself that it’s definitely not at me. But sometimes it feels better to hear for sure.  God speaks forgiveness from the outside in so that when guilt piles up, He would be able to remove it.  See, it isn’t a question of whether you can be saved. Jesus died and rose. Your sins are forgiven. Paid for already.  The real battle ground is over your conscience.  The devil would have you look only at yourself in guilt.  God wills that you have a pure conscience, and so He gives us confession.  Go to your pastor.  Hear about forgiveness. Don’t stew in guilt.  If you wait until Sunday, fine. Your sins are forgiven. But if it keeps you awake on a Tuesday night, know that you can go earlier. God doesn’t only forgive sins an hour a week. Private confession exists to give you the same gifts whenever you need them. It isn’t about talking more about a sin you want to think about less. It’s about not having to let it hang over you until Sunday.  Private confession exists so that forgiveness is given out each day as it is needed. In all of it, though, God simply wills you firmly to believe. You don’t suffer from doubt. You don’t suffer anguish. So confess, and hear absolution.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.And though it tarry through the night And till the morning waken, My heart shall never doubt His might Nor count itself forsaken. O Israel, trust in God your Lord. Born of the Spirit and the Word, Now wait for His appearing (LSB 607:4).- 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.

November 7, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 19:1-20, Matthew 15:1-20“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;” (1 Thessalonians 4:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. For all the talk of sexual ethics in the church, it’s easy to overlook the first and most important sentence.  God wills you to be holy.  So He makes you that way.  He takes all that is unholy from you and bleeds for it. He cleanses you in the waters of Baptism and gives you a new identity. His child.  Holy. Worthy of love.  Holy people do holy things in the same way that apple trees make apples.  That isn’t to cast off the idea of good works as unimportant. It’s to recognize they flow out of what we are.  Now we can talk about sexual sins.  In Jesus, they are forgiven.  In Jesus, you are forgiven.  But sometimes even that’s hard to hear.  There’s a reason.  It isn’t just that some sins pollute more than others.  It’s that some seem to grab hold of us in a way that they become our all.  Our identity.  That’s the real issue with these sins.  It isn’t that they can’t be forgiven.  Christ died for all the world, even sinners who sin like that. Like us.  It’s that we wrestle with these sins on such a personal level that we can finally understand the nature of original sin. It isn’t what we do. It’s who we are.  Corrupt. When we lean into that identity, we lean away from Christ.  When we would rather be known by our sin than our Savior, it says more about us than it does about Him who died to forgive us these very sins.  You are not the sum of your lusts, your actions, your browser history, or the things you’ve endured.  You are Christ’s.  Holy. Worthy of love. Not because you’ve abstained. Because Christ died.  This is the will of God. That you be holy. So we lean into that. We try to serve our neighbor. We try to tame our lusts.  And when we fail, we return to the source of holiness to be made new all over again in Baptism.  It’s war. You’ll lose. A lot.  But Christ still wills you to be holy so firmly that He makes you that way all over again. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, forsake me not! Take not Your Spirit from me; Do not permit the might Of sin to overcome me. Increase my feeble faith, Which You alone have wrought. O be my strength and pow’r—O God, forsake me not!  (LSB 731:2)- 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.

November 6, 2023Today's Reading: Micah 3:5-12Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 18:1-22, Matthew 14:22-36“Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry “Peace” when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths.” (Micah 3:5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. People have been weaponizing religion ever since sinners realized there was power in it.  It’s not ok.  Ever.  From simple greed to much darker sins, it’s hard to see how organized religion seems to function.  I get why people would swear it off.  The LORD speaks through Micah and promises a retribution most seem to avoid today, even if Jerusalem was handed over into captivity back when.  The people looking for vengeance are still a step behind the rest of the heartbroken who have sworn “never again”.  They want to see someone hurt. Maybe they have. Maybe not yet.  But the rest ask the more important question.  Why would God want there to be a church in the first place when this is what is done with it? It’s probably the best question to ask. Because The LORD is pretty unhappy with those who would make weapons out of the things that make for peace, too.  That gives you the chance to consider something.  God sees the evil done within His walls and still decides to keep His religion around.  If you pack a box full of sinners, they’re gonna sin, even if the box is called a church.  That doesn't just mean you have to take the bad with the good. Decry it. Leave no room for sin to thrive.  And grow from it what the evil one would only use for ruin by realizing that it can’t stop God from working peace even when false prophets would try to wield it like a club.  The peace that He gives is so potent that it thrives where evil would only destroy.  It’s so powerful that evil men would use it for selfish gain.  But God is so good that He would let that power remain so that it can save us sinners.  That truth grants grace not just to look at yourself, but to look at the religion and hope.  Christ came to suffer at the hands of the same kind of men.  He redeemed His church that it would be again a bringer of good news to men.  His mercy is given even where evil would attack it, but His mercy endures and thrives to make a mockery of every terrible plot.  There is bad in the church, but there is God working salvation too. If it is evil, cast it out. If it is of Jesus, cling to it. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Spirit, who didst once restore Thy Church that it might be again The bringer of good news to men, Breathe on Thy cloven Church once more, That in these gray and latter days There may be those whose life is praise, Each life a high doxology To Father, Son, and unto Thee (LSB 834:4)- 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.

November 5, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 23:1-12Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 17:1-20, Matthew 14:1-21“And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. These verses either read like a threat to authority or an excuse to ignore it.  Maybe because the whole “unity in Christ” bit would be a lot easier if we weren’t told what to do by people who screw up.  So we get vaguely punk rock about it and try to ignore the fact that the very voice that told Moses the 4th commandment was to honor your mother and father is now telling us to ignore all that. Still, it sounds good.  If nobody can tell anyone else what to do, nobody is above or below anyone else. Unity.  After all, real unity always happens when everyone just does what they want on their own anyway. Understand what it all means.  Best case scenario, this is just another chance to turn inward. You’re all you’ve got and the best thing God would ever give you is an excuse to ignore what you don't like and be on your own. And when you look in the mirror and pretend never even a hint of doubt that you might be wrong, that you might be not good enough, that you might actually be a sinner like the one true Father says, then what? At least it’s all equal in the pit? But what if God actually loved us enough to want to help sinners? It sounds like a nice enough concept until you see who He sent to help you. Other sinners. Parents and teachers.  The real miracle is that their sin won’t stop God from working through them.  Even in the mess their sin makes.  Call no one father, but know your Father in Heaven loves you so much He would give you one anyway, then work through him, even if he’s wrong sometimes. God is still stronger. Real unity doesn’t come at the expense of casting off anyone given to you who happens to be a sinner. Real unity comes from the cross where Christ does away with our Sin.  Christ, who promises to work good through sinners who continue to sin. Real unity comes from Baptism. From a God who calls you His own child no matter who you are or what you’ve done, then gives you others to love and be loved by, then even promises to work through all of you. None of us will do it perfectly. All of us will receive forgiveness. This is where we speak in unity. Our Father who art in heaven. And He is. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Merciful and gracious Lord, You cause Your Word to be proclaimed in every generation. Stir up our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that we may receive this proclamation with humility and finally be exalted at the coming of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, 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.

November 4, 2023Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 23: Psalm 149:1-4; antiphon Psalm 148:13Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 15:19-16:22, Matthew 13:44-58For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. (Psalm 149:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We treat it like it reads “pretend to be less than you are and God will be happy with you.”  Really, it’s “when you are so humiliated the best you could hope for is pity, and it tastes so sour you’re not sure whether or not you’d just prefer to be abandoned, the Lord sees you the same way your dog does when you come home from school.” Where I come from, humble just means “don’t be braggy”.  Which means the Psalm reads something like give God praise for all the things you’re afraid to admit publicly to having because they sound too nice.  It makes for a monotonous liturgy.  But humble doesn’t mean pretending to be less than you are. It shares a root with humiliation.  The thing where you actually are less and you know that everyone knows it.  Humiliation is a word that somehow becomes a time machine to everyone’s terrible,horrible no good very bad days.  But it is the humiliated that God adorns with salvation. He wraps it around you like clothing, so that others may see it too. It looks like white robes.  Baptism.  The mark of the baptized isn’t a lack of humiliation. It’s an identity that cannot be marred by it.  It brings about the genuine praise the Psalm calls for.  He is the God who sees us in our humiliation and is exalted by joining us in it and conquering it for us.  He leaves the angel choirs to be mocked by the crowds.  He leaves the power of heaven to die at the hands of ignorant men, naked and ashamed.  He is helpless as His mother looks on.  And after dying to save the ones who did it to Him, us, He rises.  He promises the same to you.  You are not just God’s creation, but His children. The liturgy sings not of how you feel on your good days or your humiliated ones, but of God’s works, that we would have something to cling to when everything seems to slip away, and something to taste in His body and blood that aren’t sour. 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 (LSB 512:1).- 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.

November 3, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-13Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 14:1-2, 22-23, 14:18-15:15, Matthew 13:24-43We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul throws this verse in at the end of telling everyone how great a job he and his fellow pastors have done.  I can hardly read it. I feel guilty.  I am guilty.  I have not worked as hard, walked as purely, or served as well.  When I look at my works, I have not walked in a manner worthy of God.  Lord have mercy.  Not just on me, but on the people I’ve been charged with caring for.  It’s so easy to mark our failures in the face of other’s success.  It’s not even jealousy.  It’s shame.  It’s compounded when I read Paul’s words.  My sins didn’t just hurt me and the people around me.  They hurt the witness of Christ.  You hear it everywhere.  The world loves our hypocrisy. We believe in a Law we don’t walk in.  We love commandments we break daily.  They imagine our sin proves our faith wrong because we are not by our works what God commands us to be.  But we are what God commands us to be by His works.  He forgives our hypocrisy.  He forgives my sins and yours.  And this is a greater witness to the power of our religion than me being a good person.  I really still wish I was. I really still wish I did better, and I really do want to do better.  But the walk in a manner worthy of God isn’t about your steps. It’s you being carried home by the Good Shepherd who seeks those who have strayed.  He daily seeks us in our rebellion. Daily gathers us and carries us home in mercy.  That’s actually the bigger miracle.  That God would forgive me. I hope that’s what I can be known as. I hope that’s the witness. Jesus forgives sinners, of which I am numbered.  God be praised.When it comes to Christian witness, let it be the Law and the Gospel, and not just the Law.  Let it be not our works, but Christ’s mercy.  None of us can by our own works be worthy of God.  All of us, by our Baptism, are worthy already.  We walk as we have been made to be.  Redeemed.  Faith in Jesus goes to Jesus.  We seek the Lord in His mercy when we have failed to live up to the standards of the Law.  It isn’t just a place God covers your shame.  It is a place He demonstrates the worthiness of our faith.  The worthiness of His name.  We have a God who forgives sinners, and invites more to receive the same. 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 (LSB 709:3).- 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.

November 2, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism: Baptism Part 4Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 13:1-18, Matthew 13:1-23What 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.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Baptism is supposed to make your life harder.  Actually, it’s supposed to end it.  Kill you. That’s the best thing it can offer.  Death with Jesus. Life with Him too.  But we only focus on the second part.  Usually to our detriment.  We imagine the baptized life as God’s holy children to be cleaner. Better.  Wholly devoted to Him and His service. Instead we lose a war with ourselves every day.  Because the Old Adam wasn’t drowned once.  He has to die daily.  Old Adam daily drowns.  He must be a strong swimmer. Paul might say it better than Luther. 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 (Romans 6:4).”  The Lord throws the dirt on you while you still claw at the coffin.   Because He loves you.  He loves you enough to bring to nothing the things that will kill you, and unite you to the death that actually saves you: Christ’s. Old Adam’s struggles are found in trying to live by chasing things that kill. And we won’t stop, even after receiving His forgiveness, life, and salvation. So He nails us to the cross with Jesus in our Baptism.  Throws us into the tomb with Him, and keeps throwing dirt on us every time we claw our way out.  Because death with Jesus yields life with Jesus.  Daily.  Daily you are made new. Holy. Daily you are tied to salvation.  Your last mistake, the same one you made daily for as long as you can remember and wish you could forget? That’s forgiven. Daily.  Because you’re baptized.  Remember it.  Daily. Make the sign of the cross. It doesn’t forgive you. It reminds you of the forgiveness you can’t escape in your Baptism.  Because God won’t stop pouring out mercy.  Daily.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Christian, firmly hold this gift And give God thanks forever! It gives the power to uplift In all that you endeavor. When nothing else revives your soul, Your Baptism stands and makes you whole And then in death completes you. (LSB 596:5)- 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.

November 1, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 5:1-12Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 12:13-32, Matthew 12:38-50“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”  (Matthew 5:8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Some folks feel awkward in church.  They don’t fit the decor.  They know it. To them, the whole thing feels fake.  It might be where the meek go, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who are peacemakers.  It might be where folks mourn, but unless they’re burying someone they feel out of place.  This is a place to be merciful, but it’s a little too stuffy, and there are other options for that.  But the thing that really cuts is that this is a place for the pure in heart.  And God knows.  They probably have a better read on things than the rest of us. God is actually present here in a meaningful way.  A different way than He’s everywhere else.  But the more time we spend here, the more we can be tricked into forgetting it.  We lose sight of the magnificent in the liturgy we have memorized.  The divine is here, and His standards don’t change just because you’re not impressed by the felt banners and bald pastor.  If it’s your job to fit in here, the house will stand empty.  If it’s a house for the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, that’s not you.  Because it’s not your house.  It’s Christ’s.  Even when some swagger around like they own it. Even when some of us know full well we don’t fit.  He reminds us that above all the rest, this is a house for the poor in spirit.  To the one utterly alienated from God.  And that still isn’t you.  It’s Christ, who though He was rich, became poor, who though He knew no sin, became sin.  It would be tragic except for the fact that He did it for you.  Which makes it beautiful.  Every beatitude is Jesus for you.  He becomes all of those things and gives you every reward.  He took your sins. He took everything about you that doesn’t fit. And invites you to receive every good thing He has.  It’s never measured in you.  It’s always given by Him.  On the good weeks where you got a little better. On the worst weeks where everything fell apart.  It is only this: Are you in Christ Jesus?  Are you baptized?  If you’re the kind of sinner that’s scared to be here, or the kind of sinner that isn’t anymore, that forgiveness is still yours. You are a saint now. A holy one of God. 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.- 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.

October 31, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 3:19-29Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 11:26-12:12, Matthew 12:22-37But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it. (Romans 3:21)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Words of law are always the most optimistic. “This is what we should do.  I have a plan.” They bear witness to righteousness.  They just can’t give it.  It would come from the Law if we could fulfill it.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  Words of Law will leave you wanting to love Jesus but getting lost under hating yourself.  Looking for an excuse for everything you do that He says not to, which usually just means finding someone else to hate instead.  We can’t help but see the worst intention in people because deep down we know our own. We know what we did this week, and try to ignore the fact that God saw it too.  We know what we’re called, and what we can’t unsee when we look in the mirror.  We know how tiring it gets to balance our accomplishments against our failures on a lopsided hill.  Every mouth is stopped sooner or later.  But it’s Reformation Day so let’s just tell the story of Luther and a church door. Christianity has become a race to not actually needing Jesus anymore.  And it doesn’t work.  The Law bears witness to how things are supposed to be.  It just can’t get us there.  So, God, in mercy, fulfills it for us.  Then bears Himself the wrath we rightly deserve. The righteousness of God is manifested on the cross.  It’s called the Gospel.  Jesus died for you.  For all the things that you have done and been through that aren’t the way they’re supposed to be.  And your sins are forgiven.  You are holy. You are baptized.  The righteousness of God is manifested in that font for you. You wear that righteousness.  And in Christ, even the Law bears witness to you.  It paints a picture of how God sees you. It paints a picture of good that you can freely live in, because it doesn’t measure you.  It was measured in Christ. It is finished. It is yours. 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.- 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.

October 30, 2023Today's Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18Daily Lectionary:Deuteronomy 11:1-25, Matthew 12:1-21“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy."  (Leviticus 19:2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I’ve never had to go to court, so I guess I haven’t done injustice there.  Mostly because I’ve never gotten caught doing injustice outside of the court.  I should probably definitely try to speak better of my neighbor.  Or at least talk a little less trash.  There’s a commandment about that somewhere between 7 and 9.  Realistically, I could probably do that better. I don’t know how to carve the hate out of my heart though.  It plants itself in past wrongs.  It festers in old wounds.  It carves away that which should be given to love and corrupts it, even darkening my reason.  Ask me how I was right when it comes to those who have wronged me.  Even my brothers and sisters in Christ. The Law shows us our sin.  Because it doesn’t paint a picture of us.  The Law paints a picture of Jesus. He is the one who actually fulfilled it.  He is the one to imagine when we want to see what it looks like.  The LORD is holy.  But our text does not call us to try to be like God.  That led to some problems in the past between Genesis 2 and 4.  God speaks.  Something happens.  Think Genesis 1.  Let there be light.  And it was good.  You shall be holy.  And you are.  Jesus, who fulfills the Law in your stead dies on the cross to forgive your sin.  Your pastor pronounces absolution.  Your sins are taken away. You are holy, even as holy as Jesus. He makes you that way.  So when we read the Law and find all our shortcomings, we take them to Him who forgives us, and makes us new to love our neighbor free from having to measure.  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 (LSB 683:2)- 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.

October 29, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 22:34-46Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 9:23-10:22, Matthew 11:20-30And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. (Matthew 22:35 )In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Pharisees were a lot of things, but stupid wasn’t one of them.  If the question seemed too easy on the surface, you’re right.  The core of the 10 commandments is love.  Love the Lord. Love your neighbor. These are the two tables of the law. The real question is underneath it. If that’s all it takes…what are you doing here? The answers in your catechism show how much love demands in each commandment, but there’s more.  The Pharisees could only measure love in themselves and their actions. The things they did. The things they abstained from. The Lord ceased to be the provider of all good things worthy of love.  Instead, He became the measuring stick who can only be appreciated by the worthy. The neighbor to be loved ceased to be a neighbor, the subject receiving love.  Instead, they became objects, proof for each Pharisee that it was ok to love themselves.  Jesus isn’t content to leave us here, loving ourselves above all things. They ask about the law.  He responds with the Gospel.  Who is the Christ? How can He be the Son of David if He is David’s Lord?  The answer is easy, too.  Love.  Not as a feeling or a measuring stick, but as a sacrifice. God, who is love, took on human flesh, born of David’s line, yet David’s Lord, to redeem sinners like him, like us, and like the Pharisees too.  He not only fulfills the law, but forgives us for falling short.  In this freedom we can finally stop looking at ourselves to provide all good things and look to God.  Our neighbors can finally be the subject of mercy instead of an object to prove we’re doing enough.  We already have the victory in Jesus. Sin, death, the devil, and even our best efforts lie defeated under His feet.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, You have commanded us to love You above all things and our neighbors as ourselves. Grant us the Spirit to think and do what is pleasing in Your sight, that our faith in You may never waver and our love for one another may not falter; 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.

October 28, 2023Today's Reading: John 15:12-21Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 9:1-22,  Matthew 11:1-19If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  (John 15: 18-19)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Happy St. Simon and St. Jude day!  Simon is the patron saint of saw workers and St. Jude is the patron saint of desperate situations or lost causes.  More on that in a bit.  If you look up St. Simon and St. Jude you won’t find much information other than they were the 10th and 11th disciples named among the 12 disciples.  We don’t set these saint days apart to pray to the saints or uphold them with some unnecessary esteem.  However we do give thanks to God that He worked through men like this for the extension of His Kingdom throughout the world.  It is kind of comical that St. Jude is the patron saint of “desperate situations and lost causes.”  It's comical that Christians would pray to St Jude about desperate situations and lost causes.  St. Jude was in need of a savior just like you and I are!  Who did St. Jude pray to when he experienced desperate situations and lost causes?  He prayed to Jesus!  Jesus who today says that the world is a place full of desperate situations and lost causes.  Sin has caused all of our desperation, it has caused us to lose our own way.  If that wasn’t bad enough, Jesus tells us today that the world is going to hate you for being a follower of Him! Talk about desperation and losing out in the game of life!  However, Jesus tells us this today not to bring fear, but to remind us that the world treated Him the same way. The world hated Jesus so much that they didn’t want Him anywhere but on a cross.  The world hates that Jesus loves you so much that He shed his precious blood to cover you of all your sins. Because of that glorious cross the world hates that Jesus promises you everlasting life by His death and resurrection.  In a world of desperation and lost causes remember what Jesus says to you today “I chose you out of the world.”  In your Baptism all desperation and loss is turned into hope and joy because Jesus has sought you out and found you. Thanks be to God Jesus preached the same message through St. Simon and St. Jude.  Let the world think what it wants of you, they hated Jesus, they hated Simon and Jude and all the other saints, they will hate you because you are baptized.  Let the world do its worst to us, they have no victory over Jesus or you as you walk as a redeemed saint who is precious in His sight.  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.- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR..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.

October 27, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 10:24-42Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 8:1-20, Matthew 10:24-42Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.  (Matthew 10:39)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Life is full of so many unexpected twists and turns.  There are always those things that we never anticipated happening, being dumped into your lap.  We thought we knew what was going on and suddenly we had to re-evaluate our plans and future.  As Christians it is very important that we realize this rather than shy away from it.  Jesus was never one who promised a life full of ease and happiness. For us today who live in the shadow of Jesus’ cross we have to constantly be brought to the realization that we really aren’t in charge.  In your sins you want to be in control, you want to be the author and sustainer of your life, but your sins also show you that is not the case.  Sometimes when God allows chaos, uncertainty or suffering to be dumped into our lap God may very well be stopping our selfish and sinful plans. However this is a daily battle we face each and every day.  Luther says that our greatest enemies are sin, the devil and even ourselves in our sinful flesh.  Yes, that means you are your own worst enemy.  It’s so hard to have God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven, but even then Jesus has come to take on our mortal and sinful nature for us.  His path seemed to have many unexpected twists and turns, it seems as if so many things he faced were unanticipated.  However in all things, He knew the path set before Him. His path had His eyes set on you, His joy and delight.  He is the one who lost His life, so that you might gain eternal life. In the case of uncertainty and suffering we find comfort in the fact that Jesus Himself is acquainted with suffering and grief but even more He is the one who came for the sake of you, to endure the cross and its suffering and chaos to insure that you will live with Him never to be of concern about your plans or future.  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 Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR..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.

October 26, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 7:1-19, Matthew 10:1-23They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,  and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. ( 1 Thess. 1: 9-10)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s hard to be hopeful today about many things. Finances, social statuses, our health, what kind of techy pads or phones we don’t have, all the way down to loneliness, despair, depression and abandonment.  It really stinks living in a world that is drenched in sin.  If we had some hope, it might motivate us a bit more.  We need hope, we would like to put something hopeful in our calendar or social media status.  Anything to keep us from facing the daily pains of our sins.  However, most of our hope is based on us and how we can make things better.  We say “well, things will get better if I just get through this day…” “things will get better when I’m married or get a raise…” But what if things don’t get better? What if the pain and struggles continue for the foreseeable future?  When we talk about hope as Christians we need more than just a temporary fix.  Hope is more than making lemonades out of life’s lemons because our problems are much bigger than we see. Sin is at the core of all that is broken, full of despair and hopeless.  As Christians we see hope in Jesus’ permanent fix for this life.  Paul says today “[God] raised from the dead Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath of to come.”  Jesus gives you permanent hope. Believe it or not this hope actually cuts through the sharpest of pains in life all the way down to our trivial complaints. This hope forgives and heals you of your sins. That’s why we rejoice - because faith, love and hope are for you in Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Hope of the world, God's gift from highest heaven, bringing to hungry souls the bread of life:still let your Spirit unto us be given  to heal earth's wounds and end her bitter strife.  (LSB 690:2)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR..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.

October 25, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism: Baptism Part 3Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 6:10-25, Matthew 9:19-38“Clearly it is not the water that does it, but the word of God that is in and with the water, and the faith that trusts this word of God in the water. For without God’s word the water is plain water and no Baptism.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Water is the greatest earthly gift that God has given to us in this life.  You are reminded of how important it is to drink your 8 glasses a day of water each day and that probably gets annoying.  If you lose too much water you get dehydrated and can die.  How many times have you seen a show where someone is in the desert parched and looking for just a simple bit of water.  Even the rich man sitting in hell asked for Lazarus to simply dip his finger in some water to cool his tongue.  Water is a big thing in Christianity too.  All Christians speak about Baptism in some way or another.  Have you noticed that so many Christians today tend to focus on the water?  Sprinkling, immersing, churchy bathtubs, rivers or the ocean.  So much tends to be focused on how much water one needs to be baptized.  If  you think about it, water isn’t exactly in huge abundance for all peoples and locations.  In some areas water is a very precious commodity.  People have to spend an immense amount of time, money and energy to have access to water.  What water they do have is extremely precious and wisely used.  If I am in an area where there is a severe drought and water is very precious, does God really require us to fill a large pool or tub to be immersed?  That’s why as Lutherans we have always stated that God sets no standard for how much water we need or where it is to be found.  To be blunt Luther today is really saying “To be sure, water is absolutely necessary for Baptism, but let's not lose focus of what Jesus is doing in Holy Baptism.”  In Baptism the focus is on the fact that God has attached His Word to water.  It is His command and His promise attached to water that Jesus works through, whether it be a sprinkle or Niagara Falls.  The Word of God that is in and with the water is the very hand of God, giving out all the benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection for the life of all sinners.  Thanks be to God for water,  you need it for everything in this life that we live. Thanks be to God for attaching His Word to the waters of Holy Baptism where He gives you all that you the waters of everlasting life, never to evaporate or recede, for Jesus says to you; “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7. 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.- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR..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.

October 24, 2023Today's Reading: Isaiah 45:1-7Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 5:22-6:9, Matthew 9:1-17“This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of…”. (Isaiah 45:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever seen God work in someone that you totally never expected?  Maybe the person was a nominal Christian or maybe they were the furthest thing from a Christian.  It can catch us off guard at times with how God can use evil people for His will to be done.   In the events leading up to our Old Testament text today from Isaiah. Israel found themselves in exile from God.  Another way of putting it is that they were “divorced” from God.  However, God was still at work for their benefit.  When Israel was sent into exile, God used both the Babylons and the Persians to do His will for the children of God.  Today we hear of the Persian King named Cyrus.  Cyrus is not an Israelite, he never will be one of them.  He is a pagan ruler who knows nothing about the remarkable history between Israel and God.  However the God of Israel will use Cyrus for the deliverance of Israel.  In the reading today, notice that in working with good or evil, God is the active agent in this story, no one else. Read the text again and you will see almost every sentence begins with “I”, the “I” being God.  “I will go before you,” “I have grasped,” “I will give,” “I call you,” “I name you,” “I equip you,” "I form” and “I make.”  They are all there.  And why does God take action through this man named Cyrus; for the sake of his servant, Israel, His chosen people.  All of God’s actions are done for the sake of his people who he has not forgotten.  God could have raised one of Israel’s own up to do what needed to be done, but instead he chose an outsider.  By the way, notice in verse 1 what Isaiah says of Cyrus. Cyrus is the “anointed one”. The word in Hebrew for “anointed one” means “Christ” in Greek. Not something you might have expected.  God’s work is in unusual and surprising ways.  Simply look at the cross and see the dead Son of God bringing the Life of the World to you. In our sins we are divorced from God. However Jesus’ unending love for you, His bride, placed him on the cross. He became the exiled one so that we could be brought back into the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father and the inheritance prepared for you in the life of the world to come.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, in Your mercy guide the course of this world so that Your Church may joyfully serve You in godly peace and quietness; 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 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.

October 23, 2023Today's Reading: Acts 15:12-22Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 5:1-21, Matthew 8:18-34After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. (Acts 15:13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You all probably know someone who does not believe in Jesus.  I'd be surprised if anyone reading this doesn't have a dear loved one, who does not trust in Christ. It's the saddest thing in the world. Today we observe the Feast of St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of our Lord.  James was Jesus' brother (Mark 6:3). Yet, we are told in Scripture that Jesus' brothers did not believe in him (John 7:5). In fact his family thought he was a downright cuckoo! (Mark 6:21) How sad that James couldn’t believe what Jesus had come to accomplish.  However, all hope is not lost. We know that at some point James believed in Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 15:7 that after his resurrection Jesus appeared to James after he appeared to his disciples. In Acts 1:14 Jesus' brothers, who didn't believe in him were in Jerusalem devoting themselves to prayer and waiting for the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. James didn't only become a believer and a witness of the resurrection of Christ, but he is counted among the Apostles (1 Corinthians 9:5) and. Paul even calls him a pillar of the church! (Galatians 1:18-19; 2:9). The Epistle of James also is believed to be written by the same James.  We know that Jesus is able to sympathize with us in our weakness and was tempted like us in every way, except without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Yet, we also know that Jesus dealt with the pain of having his own flesh and blood reject him and not have saving faith. But our Lord continued to pray for his brother. He continued to preach and confess the truth. And those prayers and those words worked. James was baptized and led to confess Christ, and he died a Christian death.  So while you have loved ones who aren’t Christian, Christ knows the same sadness and pain. He will not give up on them, just as He did not give up on James. You have the comfort that God hears your prayers for your loved one. And you have the encouragement to not give up confessing Christ. God's word has the power to create faith (Romans 10:17). 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.- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR..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.

October 22, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 22:15-22Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 4:21-40, Matthew 8:1-17And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”  (Matthew 22:20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Pharisees today try to trap Jesus. They want to see if He would be for or against paying taxes to the Romans.  Jesus famously uses the image of Caesar on the coin to show that He wasn’t a revolutionary who refused to pay taxes or overthrow the Romans. He submitted to the governing authority yet knowing that the Romans or Herod would never have authority unless it had been given from on high. The image of Caesar meant it belonged to Caesar, but you are made in the image of God, which means that you belong to God. It is God who claims us, who made us in his own image. We do not belong to anything or to anyone else. We don’t even belong to ourselves. We belong to God in all our being, with all our talents, interests, time, and wealth. The consequences of belonging to God are really beautiful. First, it means that God will not forsake us. The Pharisees and the other religious leaders that Jesus denounces were notoriously bad at caring for the people. They neglected their responsibilities and the people God gave into their care. Second, it means that because we belong to God, we belong to the people of God, the body of Christ. We are baptized into this Body and no political or governing authority can take that away from you.  Pay your taxes?  Yes, as hard as it is to accept that. Pay your way to get back into God’s good grace?  No way!  Jesus paid the price for you so that you now live with Him in His kingdom. The cross was the final trap of the Pharisees, but through that cross Jesus paid the price in full for the life of the whole world.  You bear the image of Jesus in your Baptism, God has rendered to you His son so that you may be His forever. 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, 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 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.

October 21, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 21: Psalm 121:1-4, 7-8; antiphon Psalm 121:5Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 4:1-20, Matthew 7:13-29The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Psalm 121 is a “song of ascent”. It was sung by the pilgrims who were making their journey to Jerusalem and the temple.  Their journey was often met with intense heat, rocky terrain, dangerous roads and even people who would rob or kill them. This Psalm is the perfect Psalm to describe the beginning and end of your life as a Christian.In the life of the church we typically use Psalm 121 in the rite of Holy Baptism and sometimes at funerals.   Baptisms and funerals are the two events that are a part of every Christian’s life.  Baptisms and funerals go together perfectly.  In Baptism you are connected to Jesus’ death and resurrection, you are washed clean and walk in the newness of life.  At a funeral the first thing we do is acknowledge that the deceased “IS” baptized, not was baptized. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection the deceased will rise again on the last day in resurrection of all flesh, never to die again.  Likewise for us living today that means that in your Baptism you are clothed in Christ. Even as we journey in the treacherous paths of life, through danger, suffering, even in the valley of the shadow of death Jesus keeps you and guards you from all evil.  Jesus has placed the sign of the cross on your forehead to mark you as one who is redeemed by His blood. By all these promises God who watches over our comings and goings now and forever more. . In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.There is nothing worth comparing to this lifelong comfort sure!  Open-eyed my grave is staring: Even there I’ll sleep secure.  Though my flesh awaits its raising, still my soul continues praising:  I am baptized into Christ; I’m a child of paradise! (LSB 594:5)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR..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.

October 20, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 3:1-29, Matthew 7:1-12“Do not judge others..”. (Matthew 7:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you ever watch a courtroom trial on TV, you will always notice the trial takes time. Sometimes the trial is a few hours, sometimes it takes months. You will always notice that the judge doesn’t immediately make a judgment at the start of a trial.  Judges listen carefully to the facts, they read the laws and take all things into account before bringing in the verdict. Their duty is to make sure that the trial is fair to all sides with all the facts put on display.  Today everyone loves to throw the Words of Jesus at us “Judge not!”  It’s probably the most memorized verse in and outside of the church today.  However, in Matthew 7, Jesus is dealing with the Pharisees, who spent most of the time immediately criticizing the sins and shortcomings of everyone except themselves. Jesus eventually became so frustrated with the Pharisee’s self-righteousness (viewing themselves as perfect) that He called them “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27).“Judge not”. Most of the people who quote this verse don't understand what Jesus said. They seem to think Jesus commanded a universal acceptance of any lifestyle or teaching. If we see what Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-16, He commands us to know people by the fruit of their life, and some sort of assessment is necessary for that. The Christian is called to unconditionally love. But the Christian is not called to unconditional approval. We really can love people who do things that should not be approved of. Instead, Jesus is speaking against being judgmental, that is, judging motives and the inner man, which only God can know.  We can judge the fruit of a man, but we can rarely judge their motives with accuracy. Sin is an addiction and our neighbor cannot free themselves of their sinful condition. Most of our judgment in regard to others is wrong, we do not let all the facts be made known. Jesus will judge the living and the dead, but He will do so with a standard we cannot see in ourselves. His final verdict is given from the cross “forgive them for they know not what they do.”  That is your verdict in Jesus and it's our prayer, not judgment, that many more would be declared not guilty because the blood of Jesus covers a multitude of sins.  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”. (LSB 579:1)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR..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.

October 19, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism, Baptism Part 2Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 2:16-37, Matthew 6:16-34It 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.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.   Baptism today is practiced by so many Christians throughout the world today.  It is a key to the teaching and practice of Christians since the great commission of Jesus to baptize all nations in Matthew 28.  However, if you take a look at the majority of Christian views of Baptism you will find that they are all over the map in terms of teaching and practice.  How much water is needed to baptize?  Who is old enough to be baptized?  Do you need to understand what Baptism is and do you need to give a testimony of faith?  Does Baptism require something from you first?  If you notice these questions, they center on one thing, you and me.  Baptism has been twisted into something that is empty, symbolic and centered on us and how we meet Jesus where He is.  However, Baptism is not something that you do.  It’s not about how much water, how old you are or if you even understand what is going on.  Baptism is all about what Jesus is doing for you, not vice versa.  Jesus then drowns your old Adam in His water and blood that flow from His pierced side on the cross. He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3).  It is critical that we as Lutheran’s hold strong to this simple yet profound teaching on Baptism: “It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil and gives eternal salvation.” Read the explanation again and again. Jesus is the one doing the work in Baptism, because apart from Him we stand guilty, death will consume us and the devil will lead us to hell.  The entire message of the Gospel is Jesus at work for you and His church.  In Baptism He does this in all places and times, with various amounts of water, various people of all ages and understandings. Rejoice!  Jesus has washed you in His blood and declares you are now His beloved child. 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!  (LSB 594:2)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR..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.

October 18, 2023Today's Reading: Luke 10:1-9Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:37-2:15, Matthew 6:1-15Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you. (Luke 10:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.Today’s verses have certainly been used by so many to give a pep rally for us to go out and proclaim the Kingdom of God in all that we do.  The 72 were sent and they were told not to worry about their earthly needs, so go out there and you can do the same thing!  The problem is that the whole passage of the 72 isn’t about you or me and how we can fulfill the harvest for the Lord.   Jesus is the one doing all the work in, with and under the 72 He sends out. Go back and look at the passage again and see who is doing all the work.  In the first verse, Jesus appoints and sends. In the second verse, He centers the entire mission on God. God is the Lord of the harvest, and God sends laborers into His harvest. The sent ones do not need to worry about their earthly needs because God will see to it they are provided for. Some would accept them and the peace they bring, others would not, if they are turned away don’t take it personally, for Christ bears the rejection Himself, and will do so ultimately on the cross.  In all that they do they are simply sent to proclaim what has been told to them by Jesus “The Kingdom of God has come near to you.” And when the seventy-two come back, they return with joy! But even then Jesus redirects their joy beyond their efforts and experiences to the gracious work of God, as the One who writes their names in Heaven.That is the whole point of Jesus sending out the 72.  In the same way He sent out St. Luke as well.  They weren’t sent to equip others for how they could somehow be faithful fulfillers of God’s harvest announcement.  They were sent out to proclaim what God in Christ has already done for the life of the whole world.  They were sent to point people to Jesus and His greater work in the victory of eternal life.  Your pastor and your church are sent for the same reason today. As you live out your holy vocations as God’s baptized child He will work where and when He pleases in you because the Kingdom of God has come near to you.  Rejoice that Jesus continues His work of the harvest  by continuing to bring His kingdom to us through His Word and Sacraments in the church.  In all of this the Lord of the harvest is at work not only bringing more to faith, but also reminding you that your name is written in heaven by the blood of Jesus Christ.   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.For that belov’d physician  All praise, whose Gospel show   The Healer of the nations,The one who shares our woes.  Your wine and oil, O Savior,  Upon our spirits pour,And with true balm of Gilead  Anoint us evermore. (LSB 518:26)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR..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.

October 17, 2023Today's Reading: Philippians 4:4-13Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:19-36, Matthew 5:21-48“The Lord is at hand…”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord is at hand..Rejoice in the Lord always…do not be anxious about anything”. Yeah that seems like it's not gonna happen.  When you look at everything around us today it seems like there is very little to rejoice over.  If the struggles and fears of life weren’t bad enough, Paul’s words today have been severely misused with Christians.  So much of Christianity today loves to beat people over the head with this passage from Philippians, as if this somehow a hand-book for being a happier and stress-free Christian. Paul’s words today are not some sort of self-help to make you more happy and anxious-free as a Christian, the key to all of this passage today is “The Lord is at hand…”.  Life truly stinks.  The pressures we face each day and the sins we constantly love to swim in are drowning us.  Living a life of rejoicing and not being anxious is something you can’t accomplish on your own, it must be done by the Lord who is at hand. Our lives are lived under the cross of Jesus Christ who suffered and bore our sins, our shame, our guilt that have caused us despair and fear. We did our worst to Jesus at the cross and He rose from the dead victorious over death, not to give us some sort of example to follow but to give to us that same victory over sin and death.  Your greatest fear and source of anxiety has been covered in the blood of Jesus Christ.  Jesus  says to you each and every day, “Do not be afraid”.  If you aren’t comforted by that, if you can’t rejoice in that, if anxieties don’ cease, then confess your sins to Jesus who forgives.  Pray to Him who hears your prayers and cry out “Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief”.  He hears your prayers, He sees your suffering and fears and He promises that heaven and earth will pass away but His words will never pass away.  This means that this world of suffering and fears is not permanent for you.  He has overcome your death, He promises you that this veil of tears, anxiety, and negativity are not all that we have to look forward to.  Whether we live or die, “the Lord is at hand” shepherding you to that place He has prepared for in the glory to be revealed in heaven. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Rely on God your Savior   And find your life secure. Make His work your foundationThat your work may endure.  No anxious thought, no worry,  No self-tormenting careCan win your Father's favor;  His heart is moved by prayer.  (LSB 754:2)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR..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.

October 16, 2023Today's Reading: Isaiah 25:6-9Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:1-18, Matthew 5:1-20And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever.  (Isaiah 25:7)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Many of us can probably remember a very special meal that we were a part of.  It may have been a meal that we anticipated like a birthday party or a holiday meal.  Eating with loved ones and friends is a very beautiful thing when you think about it. I would love to be able to sit down to a meal with my dad and grandparents and aunts and uncles who have passed on from this life.  Our reading from Isaiah points to a meal that is prepared for you and all who are faithful in Christ.  This meal is exquisite with the richest and most luxurious food and drink.  However, the meal is more than just sitting down to a tasty meal.  The meal Isaiah speaks of today is the Feast of Victory of our God.   Listen to what the Lord does with this meal: “And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever.”  Let those words sink in for a moment. “The Lord will swallow up death forever! Usually it is death that swallows us up. But the day is coming when the Lord will swallow up death itself. Forever. That is something to look forward to. For now death is like a veil, a shroud, a covering that is draped over all humanity.  Death is not something our Lord ever planned for us, our sins brought it upon us and death’s shadow has covered you your entire life. But the day is coming when that shroud will be lifted.  Until then we do not hunger or thirst.  Jesus continues to prepare a table here and now in the presence of our enemies of sin, death and the devil.  As you partake of the Holy Eucharist, you receive the forgiveness of sins that banishes death.  You are strengthened in the eternal promises of God are yours today and that a place is prepared for you at the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which has no end.   The day is coming when “the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.” “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Joy, because the Lord has promised to swallow up death, forever and seat us at the feast of victory.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Now no more can death appall,  Now no more the grave enthrall;You have opened paradise,  And Your saints in You shall rise.  Alleluia!  (LSB 633:6)- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR..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.

October 15, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 22:1-14Daily Lectionary: Malachi 3:6-4:6, Matthew 4:12-25The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  (Matthew 22:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When you sit down to eat with your family either at home or at a restaurant, you generally eat with the people you know and love.  It would be rather odd to have some stranger sit down and start eating your food.  They haven’t been invited, they aren’t part of the family, get lost, you don’t belong at our table.  Jesus speaks of the King’s wedding feast today.  The table is set.   Who deserves to be at the table?  No one!  Not one single person born of Adam deserves a seat at the feast of our Lord!  We only deserve present and eternal punishment.  That’s it.  We deserve nothing from our God and Lord, which is why we cry out in repentant faith, “Lord, have mercy!  Christ, have mercy!  Not for my sake, but for the sake of the bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.  Forgive me all my sins.” And you know what?  He does exactly that!  In fact, He doesn’t just show us mercy.  He bestows on us His grace.  (Remember: Mercy is not getting what you deserve, and grace is getting what you don’t deserve.)Look to the font, the pulpit, and the altar.  This is the feast of victory—His victory!  You don’t have to wait to get home to heaven to start feasting.  I realize it will be inconceivably better in heaven, but the Divine Service is where the King has set up His now!  He continues to send His faithful servant, Jesus Christ, to feed us and nourish us with His grace, His mercy, His love, His peace.  Consider the gifts of life, grace, mercy, and peace given to you by God Himself in the waters of Holy Baptism.  Consider how your Lord feeds and nourishes you each and every Sunday, at this earthly side of the Master’s heavenly feast table.  Each Sunday our Lord is bringing heaven to earth, to a bunch of sinful beggars and lowlifes like us!  Consider the very words you hear, spoken directly to you precisely so that you can hear and trust, words spoken in the stead and by the command of the Master Himself.  “You are forgiven.  For the sake of Christ’s bitter suffering and death, you are forgiven.  Depart in peace.” Recognized through the eyes and ears of faith, how could you want anything else?  How could you even want to be anywhere else?  Hold fast to this blessed, Christ-centered Truth.  Fear not.  Be at peace.  Your sins are forgiven in Christ and because of Christ, have a seat at the Feast of Victory!I n the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, You invite us to trust in You for our salvation. Deal with us not in the severity of Your judgment but by the greatness of Your mercy; 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 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.

October 14, 2023Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 20: Isaiah 61:10; antiphon Psalm 146:2Daily Lectionary:Malachi 2:1-3:5, Matthew 4:1-11I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.  (Psalm 146:2)In the Name of Jesus, Amen. Hallelujah is Hebrew for “praise the Lord.” The Greek word is alleluia. Alleluia is an invitation to praise God. That is why we sing it so much in our worship. We sing alleluia to ourselves and to each other.  We are encouraging and inviting each other to the joyful work of praising God, speaking of all he is, said, says, did, does and will do. Let us do this together! We sing praise in the congregation for the mutual blessing of knowing and believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is good to sing praise to the Lord.Praise is not done for God. He doesn’t need it. We do. In praising God we bring to our minds and hearts what God has said and done for us men and for our salvation. God knows what He has done and said He doesn’t need reminding. Sinners tend to forget. Through praise God does His work of saving among us. Preaching and hearing God’s Word is praise that goes into our ears. The praise that comes out of our mouths is our joyful response. Within the congregation our praise also enters our ears and those nearest us. Hear what God has done for me! Daring to be Lutheran is praising God boldly and clearly in worship.The liturgy is full of God’s Word. The Psalms along with the readings, sermon and hymns guide us in our praise. Through God’s Word, preaching and the sacraments we know that God is with us to distribute His gifts of life and salvation through the forgiveness of sins. We also know that God is present among us in our praise. The psalmist put it this way: You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel (Psalm 22:3). God reigns among His people in their praises! He distributes His kingly divine gifts to us. Christians give way to joyful praise because through Baptism they have been clothed in the righteousness of Jesus. Christian praise is to put our trust in God rather than men. Praise puts to death the old sinful man and raises up Christ, the New Man within you. The breath of men departs and they die. The breath of God that is poured out through our worship and praise brings forth life and eternal salvation. “I will praise Him as long as I live!” 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,   For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;    at the works of your hands I sing for joy.   (Psalm 92:1,2,4)-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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.

October 13, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Malachi 1:1-14,  Matthew 3:1-17John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”   “…The voice of one crying in the wilderness…” (Matthew 3:1,2,3b)In the Name of Jesus, Amen. God wants you to be a happy hearer. Satan, on the other hand, wants you to despise preaching and to reluctantly listen to your pastor. Despising preaching is easy to do. The Pharisees and Sadducees didn’t gladly hear John’s preaching. They despised it because it called for them to confess their sins and believe in Jesus. Christians gladly hear preaching because it works repentance in them and delivers Jesus their Savior.Pastors don’t always appreciate the work of listening. They are busy preaching. The pastor's job, above all, is to preach boldly and clearly, God’s Word. He owes this to the hearers. Pastors strive through God’s Word and prayer to give the hearers something worth gladly hearing. The preaching task is done for the sake of the salvation of sinners. Your pastor is a preacher, a proclaimer of God’s Word, His good news for sinners.John the Baptist was ordained by God to prepare the way for Jesus through preaching. Preaching is a really big deal to God. The hearers of John’s preaching knew that God promised to send a Savior. John’s preaching prepared the hearers to receive Jesus gladly.The primary purpose of your ears is to hear God through preaching and the scriptures. Having ears is a daily reminder that you are a hearer of God’s Word. God gave them to you, your ears, that you may know Him more fully. It is a mystery that God does His work in this way: from the mouth of a human preacher into the ears of sinners. We pray that “Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.” (Psalm 85:13). The righteousness that goes before Jesus is the preaching of John and all faithful pastors. Preaching prepares you for Jesus in you. The righteousness of preaching is the message of Christ crucified for sinners. When we pray, “Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way,” we confess that preaching is for sinners and their salvation and ask that it would be so for me. Preaching makes a path for Jesus straight into your happy hearing ears. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;    incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,  and the wonders that he has done. (Psalm 78:1-4)-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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.

October 12, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 9:22-38, 1 Timothy 6:3-21But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. (1 Timothy 6:6-8)In the Name of Jesus, Amen. Your life should reflect who you are in Christ, all of your life. You are baptized and empowered to live life accordingly. This is what Paul means by godliness. Living a Christian life is far more than simply being a faithful Sunday morning worshiper. The strength and source of living a godly life is Jesus. The Divine Service is where we are plugged-in, so to speak, to Him. Without Jesus there is no godly life. What does your life look like outside of the Divine Service? Is it God pleasing? Godliness is keeping God at the center. It is keeping His Word before our eyes, in our ears and upon our hearts daily. It is reflecting that Word in our words and works of love towards God and neighbor. Why does Paul instruct Timothy to preach and teach about godliness with contentment? And to charge Christians to live a holy life fleeing from sinful desires and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness? For these reasons: for the sake of true joy, peace and contentment and that we may not lose what we already have been given freely in Christ nor cause others to stumble and fall away. We don’t worship or live a godly life for compliments. Your godliness in no way atones for sins and gains salvation. However, Jesus’ perfect life of godliness and death does… atone for your sins and saves. God wants us to have good things, he “richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” However, He doesn’t want us to fall into faith destroying snares. The temptations of riches, power and worldly desires are always ready to entrap us. Satan uses such things to drive us away from Jesus. O Christian flee from those things! Godliness that finds its joyful source in the righteousness of Jesus, freely given, provides a life of contentment. We give thanks for all that God has provided in this life, whether little or an abundance. And how much He has given! What the world considers good and needful is most often just the opposite, hurtful and detrimental to faith. There is only one thing needful for you and that is Jesus, your crucified and risen Savior.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,   for those who fear him have no lack!   but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing, Better is the little that the righteous has   than the abundance of many wicked. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness  for his name’s sake. (Psalm 34:9, 10b; 23:1,3)-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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.

October 11, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism, Baptism: Part 1Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 9:1-21, 1 Timothy 5:17-6:2“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  In the beginning was water. The Spirit of God hovered over the water, and the Word of God was spoken according to the will of God. All of creation had its origin out of the water. God, the Word of God, the Spirit of God and water are the ingredients of creation, The Holy Trinity and water. God remakes His creation in the same way He made it, by means of water and Himself…the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. “It is He who made us and we are His” (Psalm 100). This makes you a disciple of Jesus, a hearer of His voice. It makes you…what you are. It gives you identity in God. He knows exactly who you are and lovingly reminds you daily of His love for His very own. The Lord loves the baptized. He made them. He made you.In a perfect world we all would have been conceived within the marital union and love between a husband and wife. And wouldn’t it be great if we all grew up surrounded by their perfect love, of those parents, in the same house. The brokenness in this world often causes us painful and confusing identity crises. Who am I and why am I here?  The world that God created by means of water and His Word is horribly broken…it cannot simply be repaired. It can be remade. Jesus empowers His church to do the work of remaking… “go and make disciples…”Despite the brokenness of life in this world into which you were born, God chose you to be His baptized, remade, child. Not only did He form you in the womb, but He remade and marked you for eternity in Baptism. The pastor may have administered the Baptism, but the words “in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” show clearly that God is the one doing the “making.”  He makes disciples. He baptized you. God’s work of remaking you continues in His church. Baptism gave you ears to hear. The church teaches the baptized that they may learn who they are by listening. What does it mean that I am baptized? Who am I in Jesus? The answer is in the preaching and teaching that you hear from your pastor. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. The voice of the Lord is over the waters;  the God of glory thunders,  the Lord, over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful;   the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.Know that the Lord, he is God!    It is he who made us, and we are his;  we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  (Psalm 29:3,4; 100:3)-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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.

October 10, 2023Today's Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 7:1-4, 8:1-18, 1 Timothy 5:1-16I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8)It is personal. Faith is first about you and Jesus, just the two of you. That is how it began. Jesus chose you. Remember your Baptism. We Lutherans tend to get a little squeamish if we use words like, “I”, “my” and “mine” too much. We should. Those first-person personal pronouns tend towards self-centeredness. They often leave little room for God and neighbor. Sinners are all about themselves, not Jesus or anybody else. But when it comes to Jesus and you those pronouns are the way to go…use them. St. Paul did and so should you. Jesus knows you personally. He is your Lord and Savior to know and love. It can get a little emotional, and sometimes a lot, like any relationship. This one is the most important of all. Dare to be Lutheran… call Him “my Lord.” The Psalms help us sort the emotions out by knowing the mind and heart of Jesus. For Paul it was very personal. He lost everything, from a worldly perspective, when Jesus came thundering into His life. It blinded Him. He didn’t see it coming. He met the Lord, the one he was persecuting. That One wanted to be Paul’s Lord. He wished to call him “My” Paul…to save him. Jesus desired Paul to reciprocate and call Him “my Lord.”To have nothing but Jesus as your Lord is far better than having everything without Jesus. This is a hard perspective for us to have in such a self-centered and material society. It is difficult spiritual work. The only way is by prayer and God’s Word.  Other “lords” strive to push Him out of the center, His rightful place. These pushy and tyrannical “lords” manifest in countless ways. You know who and what they are…if you wonder, examine yourself according to the Ten Commandments. God’s law flushes them out for you…keeping Jesus as your only Lord to love and trust for that which is good and beneficial in life and for your salvation. I am continually with you;   you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel,   and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you?   And there is nothing on earth  that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail,    but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  For me it is good to be near God;  I have made the Lord God my refuge.  (Psalm 73:23-26, 28b)-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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.

October 9, 2023Today's Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 5:1-16; 6:1-9, 15-16, 1 Timothy 4:1-16What more was there to do for my vineyard…? (Isaiah 5:4a)In the Name of Jesus, Amen. God is a gardener. He planted the first garden in Eden out of love. It was perfect; a garden that was destined to be forever green with blooming flowers and fruitful trees. God Himself watered the garden with a mist from the ground. This garden He made for man, for Adam and Eve and their offspring. The fruit of this garden that God desired, above all, was the love and joyful obedience of man. God had made it all for them to know His love and to love Him in return. But the garden’s fruit began to rot. God continued to garden. He planted a people, the house of Israel and the men of Judah, His chosen people. It was the Lord’s vineyard. Like the first garden, God desired His loving care for this vineyard to produce fruit…love and obedience to His Word. God is a faithful vinedresser. He did everything He could for this vineyard to be fruitful. But the fruit it produced was worthless, rotten from loveless and disobedient hearts. Out of love God destroyed this vineyard. He had its walls torn down and the vineyard trampled. By God’s doing it became a waterless wasteland full of briers and thorns. He stopped the rain. He did so, not out of despair, He wasn’t giving up. He was being the faithful vinedresser. He was gardening, caring for His pleasant planting.In the dried-up desolate land where the vineyard was planted was a stump. It was left there by God. The stump blossomed. It was the line of David. Jesus was the fruit born of Mary. He came to His vineyard. The vineyard rejected Him like before. But this time He would bring forth fruit on its behalf. He would do so from a tree, the cross…the fruit of perfect love and obedience. What more could He do for His vineyard? He did it by dying. We are God’s pleasant planting, His church, His precious vineyard. This vineyard will never be destroyed but come to its fullness on the last day. He has joined us to Himself, the Tree of Life. In His church He does His gardening, pruning, planting, and watering. May we be fruitful in joyful love and obedience in and through Him. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. O God, you are my God;  earnestly I seek you;  my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,  as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,  beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life,  my lips will praise you. For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63:1-3,7,9)-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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.

October 8, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 21:33-46Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 4:7-23, 1 Timothy 3:1-16But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’  And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. (Matthew 21:38, 39)In the Name of Jesus, Amen. The master of the house who planted the vineyard is God. The vineyard is Israel, God’s people. The tenants of the vineyard are the religious leaders. The servants sent to gather the fruit of the vineyard are the prophets sent by God to preach and teach God’s Word. The son sent by the master of house is Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. The parable was a direct and clear condemnation of the elders of the people and the chief priests. Jesus was pointing a finger directly at them, “you have done this!” God’s Word from the mouth of God Himself condemned them. There was no wiggle room for these leaders. They and all who heard knew what Jesus meant. They should have repented. But rather they bound themselves in their sin and hardness of heart and desired Jesus dead. Perhaps, some by God’s mercy later, after Jesus' death and resurrection, saw clearly, repented and believed with Jesus’ parable still burning on their hearts and minds.Leaders of God’s people, then and now, are always in grave danger of forgetting to whom the vineyard belongs. The church is always in need of faithful pastors, of tenants, to care for God’s people according to His Word and will. Unfaithfulness in preaching and teaching mutes the voice of the Apostles, those sent by God, effectively killing them and throwing them out of the church. Jesus’ parable serves as a reminder to pray for faithful pastors who hold tightly to the Word of God. “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers...” (Matthew 9:38). Pray daily for your own pastor. Pray that pastors would always remember whose vineyard it is in which they work. They serve in the stead and by the command of Jesus for your salvation. Pray that the lay leaders of your congregation would support faithful ministers as they serve God’s people. It is the Lord’s vineyard, His people, for whom He sent His Son to die.You, and all believers, are the fruit of God’s vineyard. His fruit brought forth through Baptism and faithful preaching and nurtured in the Holy Communion.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.You brought a vine out of Egypt;   … and planted it.  Look down from heaven, and see;    have regard for this vine,   the stock that your right hand planted… Let your face shine, that we    may be saved! (Psalm 80:8,14b, 15a, 19b)-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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.

October 7, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 19: Psalm 118:22-24, antiphon Psalm 118:1Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 2:11-20, 4:1-6, 1 Timothy 2:1-15This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)In the Name of Jesus, Amen. You are a child of the day. Day is for light; for seeing clearly. You are not a child of any ordinary day but of an extraordinary day; a day coming since the creation of the world. A day set by God. A day that has come. The psalmist speaks of this day…“that the Lord has made.” (Psalm 118:24)We are talking about a specific day in history that God made. We have reason to rejoice and be glad every day because of this day, one far greater than any other. It is the day the rejected stone became the cornerstone. You are a child of that day. A day full of light and life.The Temple was built with enormous stones. The cornerstone was selected to join two walls together. The psalmist is not speaking of an earthly building or stones. He is speaking of Jesus. He is the stone that was rejected by His own people according to God’s will and design. Jesus came to build something far greater than the Temple. He came to build His church of which He is the cornerstone. The church which is the household of God filled with the children of the day. The day that stone was laid in place for His church is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day of which we speak. A day of resurrection and light. Jesus was rejected. The religious leaders with the crowd cried, “crucify him.” He had done nothing deserving such rejection. Yet, He was not only rejected by His people but also by His Father. He was stricken, smitten, afflicted and forsaken by God. Rejected. Crucified. Buried. But let us get to the day, to the light that scatters the darkness… Resurrection Day. The day the stone was rolled away. The day the crucified Jesus rose, laying an everlasting foundation for His Church. He who was laid stone cold dead in the tomb, sealed by a stone, is our resurrection cornerstone. The Cornerstone who joins all the children of the day to Himself and to each other. We are children of that day, the day of Resurrection. A day the Lord has made for rejoicing and gladness. You became a child of that day, your Resurrection day, in Baptism. In Jesus, our resurrected Lord, we see clearly, as in the day, what God has done…it is marvelous in our eyes. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.Open to me the gates of righteousness,  that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. (Psalm 118:19, 21, 28)-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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.

October 6, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 1:1-2:10, 1 Timothy 1:1-20The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners… (1 Timothy 1:15)In the Name of Jesus, Amen. In Jesus, God saves sinners. Jesus is God. All things were created through Him. Jesus is fully man. He became enfleshed in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Jesus became a sinner. He claimed your sins as His very own. They stuck to Jesus, the God Man. You hear the voice of Jesus, the sinner, in the Psalms calling your sins His. Jesus prayed, “I acknowledged my sin.” The Psalms are the Lord’s prayers given to the baptized, prayers by the sinless Son of God as sinner. God made Him who was sinless to be sin in your place. In Jesus, God saves sinners. Jesus needed saving. He became the foremost of sinners. Only He as God could save Himself. Only He could die for the sins that had become fully His. In the ignorance of unbelief those surrounding the cross unwittingly suggested He do that very thing…save Himself. “Save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:40). “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:3) And He did just that, save Himself and us. By dying in the flesh, made to be sin, as God, sin lost all its power. In Jesus sin died. By saving Himself as sinner in our place He fulfilled His Father’s will to save sinners. In Jesus, God saves sinners. Jesus wasn’t about saving Himself, clearly. He was all about saving you. This was His Father’s will. You can’t save yourself from sin. Jesus did the saving by dying. He rescued you. It is a trustworthy confession that Jesus came into the flesh to save sinners. This is the theme of the entire Bible. He did not come as a lawgiver to beat you down into despair and submission. He came as Savior. He came for all sinners. And that includes you! In Jesus, God saves sinners. It is a sin to doubt what God has said He has done and will do. It is sin to think in your heart that God can’t forgive and save you. He forgives your doubts as well. Those doubts were on Him at the cross. They died. Faith, God given faith, firmly planted in you, believes, clings, trusts and accepts that Jesus is the Savior of sinners. You may not always feel that way, but it is true, nonetheless. God said so. In Jesus, God saves sinners. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.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. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,     and I am saved from my enemies. (Psalm 32:5; 18:3)-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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.

October 5, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 36:1-23, Colossians 4:1-18Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:5-6)In the Name of Jesus. Amen. Are you a preacher or a hearer? If you are a preacher, as you well know, you must also count yourself a hearer. What does the preacher preach? The mystery of Christ, the Word of God (both Law and Gospel), repentance and Christ crucified for sinners, the forgiveness of sins. What does the hearer hear? All of the above, the clear Word that flows from the faithful preacher’s open mouth…the splendid mystery of Christ revealed, the forgiveness of sins. Who do the hearers receive from the preacher? They receive Jesus. All of Him. What great gift God has given to His Church for you. He opens heaven to you through the preaching of God’s ordained ministers. This is a joyful mystery of God’s working in us and among us. So, we give thanks and pray for the preachers that He would open doors for the Word to be declared in all its clarity and power. Hearers (that’s all of us) live as such…hearers of the Word, wherever you may find yourself. “Walk in wisdom” is another way to say the same thing. Hearers walk in and with Jesus. The baptized, who are the hearers of the Word, are baptized into Christ. Jesus is the wisdom of God who dwells in you, and you in Him. “Walk in wisdom” … walk in Jesus. Christian speech, by which I mean how we speak in all of life’s situations, begins with preachers putting Jesus into our ears. How we speak to those within the household of God, fellow believers, and “outsiders” matters…it matters a lot. Gracious words are words that don’t betray your hearing, and expose you to be a hypocrite…hearing one thing and speaking another. Gracious words reveal Christ in you to those who hear you. Speech “seasoned with salt” is not laced with profanity, gossip and animosity. Christian speech is not argumentative. Gracious speech is seasoned with kindness, sincerity and truth. Gracious speech is a mark of hearers living under God’s grace. “Grace be with you,” that you may be gracious. “Grace be with you,” St. Paul’s final word to you today, a good final word, for God’s grace is His eternal kind and merciful favor towards you that you hear in the preaching of Christ crucified. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me,  O Lord God of hosts;let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me.   O God of Israel.My prayer is to you, O LORD. In the abundance of your steadfast love  answer me in your saving faithfulness. (Psalm 69:6,13)-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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.

October 4, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism, The Lord's Prayer: ConclusionDaily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 35:1-7, 16-25, Colossians 3:1-25For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.In the name of Jesus, Amen. Thine means yours. Let’s be clear. Thine doesn’t mean “mine.” Thine is a form of Thy before a word beginning with a vowel. Daring to be Lutheran is to boldly give all the glory to God in our praise, forever. We don’t get any glory apart from Jesus. Without Jesus we have no power. Without His death and resurrection we have no kingdom to call ours. It is His kingdom to reign. It always has been. And will be forever… yes, yes…this is so.We call Him our Father because He gave His Son into death for us. The only power to save is through the Son’s death and resurrection. Without the Son’s saving work there is no forever and ever for us. No glory, no kingdom, nothing good for you to call “mine.” It seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? That the kingdom, power and glory are all His? But not so obvious to the world…and our sinful nature. The world is not going to acknowledge that anything truly belongs to God. Our sinful nature wants it all for itself. All of it…the kingdom, the power and the glory. By our sin we claim it all as “mine,” not “thine.” In this life we dwell in a kingdom fiercely opposed to God’s kingdom. Satan is the prince of this world. This world is presently his kingdom. We pray in the Lord’s Prayer that God would protect and guard us from the devil’s evil reign which surrounds us. God’s Word empowers us to live godly lives under this tyrannical rule. So, we pray… “Thy kingdom come!” Your kingdom, as an heir with Jesus, prepared for you.God alone has the power to create and recreate. “The whole world lies under the power of the evil one… [but] we are from God” (1 John 5:19) The power of sin is death. Death has no power over us who have been baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus. God’s saving power, secured in Jesus crucified, is for you, your power over sin, death and the devil.The glory of the Father, simply put, is Jesus. Jesus is the glory of the Father because He took on visible flesh and died on the cross. When you see Jesus, you see God’s glory. Jesus is God in flesh forever and ever. He is your Savior Jesus, your glory for all eternity. Because of Jesus, your Baptism into Him, the kingdom, the power and the glory of the Father are all yours. Fully and completely, all freely. Go ahead, call what is His, your very own. Now and forever. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.The LORD is great in Zion;  he is exalted over all the peoples.Let them praise your great and awesome name!  Holy is he! (Psalm 99:2-3) -Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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.

October 3, 2023Today's Reading: Philippians 2:1-18Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 34:1-4, 8-11, 14-33, Colossians 2:8-23Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus... (Philippians 2:4,5)In the Name of Jesus, Amen. There is only one God, the Holy Spirit. This Spirit is one with the Father and the Son. When you were baptized the Spirit of God was poured out upon you. The Holy Spirit dwells in you. By baptism you were made one with God; Christ in you, and you in Christ. Your life is in Him and He lives and reigns in you. What joyful oneness and unity you have with God who delights in YOU. I am sure you know that your congregation is not perfect. Perhaps you have seen members argue or even yell at each other. Maybe your pastor lost his temper and said something that shouldn’t have been said. The people of Israel and their leaders were much like our congregations. Now, as then, God’s people sinfully grumble and argue in ways that are not right and God pleasing. This ought not be. Sinful pride and self-centeredness can tear congregations apart. The devil works hard to cause conceit and selfish ambition in God’s people in order to destroy Christian fellowship and unity. Satan does not want peace and joy in Christ among and in God’s people.Do you have the mind of Christ? Do you think like Jesus? Do you desire what God desires? That is, do you love God above all things and your neighbor as yourself? Do you love Jesus? Do you believe He died for you? To have the mind of Christ is to love God and your neighbor, that is, especially and most importantly, your brothers and sisters in Christ in your congregation. This is not easy to do as sinners. You are one with God in Christ. This is a great mystery. It is equally true that all your brothers and sisters in your congregation share the same oneness with Jesus as you do. Jesus is the perfect brother that put Himself last for you and for them. In Him was no selfish ambition or conceit. He loves you and them and considers us all of far more worth than His own life. He gave His life for you and them. What joy! The same Spirit of life dwells in all of God’s people in your congregation. This is hard to remember and to put into practice. But through God’s Word, prayer and the Holy Spirit we can live in great joy, peace and unity in our congregations!  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!  “May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” For my brothers and companions’ sake,  I will say, “Peace be within you!” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,  I will seek your good.  (Psalm 122:6-9)-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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.

October 2, 2023Today's Reading: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 33:1-25, Colossians 1:24-2:7For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live. (Ezekiel 18:32)In the name of Jesus, Amen. It’s not my fault! I didn’t do anything wrong! Why do I have to pay the price for what someone else did? This is what the people of Israel meant when they quoted the proverb: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?” It was passing the blame onto their ancestors for their suffering, playing the victim card. The people of Israel suffered great affliction. Yes, the sins of their fathers didn’t help.  But neither did they in their own sin and unbelief.  We too would cry out to God and complain, blaming others and God as they did. Christians daily do all of the above, cry out, complain and blame God. It is okay to cry out to God and complain, but not to blame him. Such prayer is very good when it is done in faith, love and trust in God. Our crying out and complaining get muddled with our sinful hearts and minds. And God sometimes, through His Word, speaks sternly and directly to us in our sin as a loving father, as He did for the people of Israel. Our prayers often are self-centered. God sorts that all out, our sin and faith that is, through His Word and Holy Spirit. That is one purpose of prayer; getting things sorted and cleared-up in our hearts and minds.  So, we pray “with all boldness and confidence…as dear children ask their dear father.” God doesn’t mind the “why me” prayers at all. Because he hears and answers according to His good, right and merciful will. It is good to ask God why and seek the answers in prayer and His Word.All people, including those who have caused suffering in our lives, will be held accountable before God and judged. We cannot fully know now the reason for affliction that God permits. But we do know that He uses suffering for the purpose of saving sinners. God is always about giving life over death in Jesus. Through suffering, His Word, prayer and the Holy Spirit, God turns us from our human thinking and ignorance. He draws us to Himself so that we can see clearly that Jesus suffered and died in our place. We will stand fully alive before God on the last day as forgiven and cherished sons and daughters with Jesus. In the name of Jesus, Amen.Turn to me and be gracious to me,   for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged;    bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble,    and forgive all my sins.  (Psalm 25:16-18)-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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.

October 1, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 21:23-32Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 32:1-22, Colossians 1:1-23For John came to you in the way of righteousness…the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. (Matthew 21:32a)In the name of Jesus, Amen. Authority is the right to do or say something within your vocations. Humans have no true authority unless it is given to them. All authority in heaven and earth belongs to God. God was not given dominion and power over heaven and earth; it is His by right as God and Creator. Authority is God’s alone to give. Parents have authority to parent from God. Pastor’s have authority from God through the Christian congregation. The chief priests and elders of the people taught that all authority comes from God. So, they questioned Jesus, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” We cannot look into their hearts like Jesus, but their question was also motivated by pride and jealousy. The religious leaders often acted as if their authority was their own not from God. John the Baptist’s authority to say and do what he did, as the forerunner of Jesus, was from God. God’s Word bestowed to John the divine right to preach and baptize. Jesus’ question to the chief priests and elders was to call them to repentance and to search the scriptures about John and Himself. Sadly, instead of searching the authoritative scriptures they discussed Jesus’ question among themselves. In themselves they would not discover the truth of John’s baptism, that it was from God, nor see and believe that Jesus was God in the flesh.The son who repented (changed his mind) is the one who did the father’s will. The chief priests and the elders prided themselves in doing God’s will in their words and works. However, they refused the work of faith, believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world. Faith is God’s work within us. Repentance is also God’s work within us. Faith and repentance are the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. John preached the righteousness of Jesus; that Jesus would take our sins and give His life in our place. John called sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus. Sinners who gladly heard this preaching and were baptized were made sons of the kingdom of God!Through the authority of God’s Word and Baptism, faith and repentance have been worked in you. The kingdom of God is yours! You are the first son with Jesus. Through Him you have done the Father’s will. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. Create in me a clean heart, O God      and renew a right spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation     and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:10, 12)-Pastor Preston Paul is pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Almena, WI.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 30, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 18: Psalm 147:1-5; antiphon Psalm 147:6Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 31:1-21, Philippians 4:1-23He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When we lived in Corpus Christi, one of our unique experiences was learning what happens when a category 5 hurricane blows through the area. Corpus Christi itself didn’t receive as much water damage from Harvey as Houston or as much wind damage as a dozen towns that were just up the coast from us. But for the next two years, our congregation was a base camp for volunteers from all around the country—they came to help tear out water damage, repair sheetrock,  install flooring—they even replaced a few roofs! We had almost a thousand volunteers who came and stayed at our church. I led devotions each morning for the volunteers before they went to work. One of the verses that became a “theme verse” for us was Psalm 147:3, that God heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. I came to love this verse because of all the broken-hearted folks I met along the way. Some folks had lost everything in the storm, and I certainly had no words on my own that would have fixed anything. But God did. I’ll never forget the looks on some of the homeowners’ faces when our teams showed up to help. When we got there, they looked hopeless, like the task in front of them was more than they’d ever be able to handle. But these folks who showed up to help…showed up. And when they came, they didn’t expect any thanks or recognition. One homeowner couldn’t stop thanking a volunteer to the point that the volunteer was having a hard time getting his work done. He almost didn’t know how to respond…You’re welcome, don’t mention it, it’s my pleasure—he tried everything…until it dawned on him. This thanks shouldn’t have been directed toward him at all. “Could I pray with you?” he asked. In his prayer, he asked God to draw near to his new friend. He thanked God that He had brought this group to this house on this day. And He asked God to continue to show the folks in that area His mercy through the work that was being done to rebuild what had been broken by the storm. Some of the acts of God described in Psalm 147 are incredible, like determining the number of the stars…others may seem less impressive, like lifting up the humble…but for the one who has been lifted up, it’s the greatest thing they could ever ask of God. 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! How can any praise we offer measure all the thanks we owe? Take our hearts and hands and voices–Gifts of love we can bestow. Alleluia! Alleluia! Triune God, to You we sing! Amen. (LSB 795:1)-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 29, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 18:1-11Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 29:1-24, Philippians 3:1-21“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When I was younger (like, during the 1900s), there was this movie that came out called Angels in the Outfield. I don’t remember all of the details of the movie, but I do remember thinking, even as a kid, how unusual the premise was that there would be angels whose ministry was to help a Major League Baseball team win. (Also, I think that may technically be cheating.) Helping sports teams is NOT what God created angels to do. Angels show up here and there throughout scripture; sometimes, we see them singing praises to God; other times, they deliver God’s messages (the Greek word for “angel” means “messenger”); in a few places, we hear about angel battles…and in Matthew 18, our text today, Jesus talks about little children and “their” angels who always see the face of Jesus’ Father in heaven. “Their” angels? That’s exactly what it says! This is reminiscent of Psalm 91, when God promises to “command His angels, concerning YOU to guard you in all your ways.” God’s angels are certainly messengers; they delight in praising God day and night; they fight and do battle when called upon to do so; but they also protect you—likely, many times when you don’t even know it! In the same way that our churches don’t pray to saints, we don’t pray to angels. But Luther, in his Small Catechism, suggests that angels should at least be on our mind. In his morning and evening prayers, Luther concludes with these words: “Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.” God has promised that His angels will be with us, working behind the scenes to frustrate the plans of the devil wherever he would snatch the certainty we have in Christ. As we said in yesterday’s devotion on Revelation 12, Michael led God’s angels in battle against the devil; casting him out of heaven. Christ, by His blood and death, resurrection and ascension into heaven, has conquered…and your angel who sees God’s face, watches over you now and always! 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 You 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.-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 28, 2023Today's Reading: Revelation 12:7-12Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 9:1-13, 10:18-29, Philippians 2:12-30And they conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”(Revelation 12:11)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When was the last time you read the book of Revelation? I teach Religion at a Lutheran High School, and this past Spring, our final unit was on Revelation. There were a few students who were nervous about that part of the class. I’ll tell you what I told them. In Revelation, Jesus wins. In fact, by His death and resurrection, He already has. There are scary things that will happen between His ascension and return, but those will happen whether or not you read Revelation. And if you study Revelation, you’ll see the beautiful comfort that Jesus revealed to John, so that he could share it with the church who faced persecution in the late first century.That being said, look at today’s text! There’s a battle. All out warfare in which an angel named Michael commands an army of angels to fight against the dragon, that ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the world. And the good guys win. But then, we’re re-introduced to a theme that showed up near the beginning of Revelation: conquering. That was the title Jesus used to describe the faithful in chapters 2-3, the letters to the seven churches. In each letter, the “one who conquers” would receive some share in Jesus’ life. But what is conquering? It doesn’t necessarily mean living a successful, wealth-filled, happy life right here and now. Remember that Revelation was written to the church as she patiently endured persecution at the hands of the Romans. According to Revelation 12:11, conquering has very little to do with winning, at least in the way we usually think about winning. Instead, God’s people conquer and overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb—by Jesus’ blood that covers every sin the devil could have hurled at them—and by the words of their testimony. That word, “testimony,” is the same Greek word we translate “martyr.” You and I are more than conquerors through Him Who loves us and gave Himself for us—even if we are called to testify of His love by the shedding of our blood. If suffering—or even death—is the worst that we may suffer, Christ is still risen, and our lives are in Him. Death (and the devil) have nothing over us! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Long on earth the battle rages, since the serpent’s first deceit; twisted God’s command to Adam, made forbidden fruit look sweet. Then the curse of God was spoken: “You’ll lie crushed beneath His feet!” Jesus came, this word fulfilling, trampled Satan, death defied; bore the brunt of our temptations, on the wretched tree He died. Yet to life was raised victorious; by His life our life supplied. Amen (LSB 521:3-4)-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 27, 2023Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, The Lord’s Prayer: Seventh PetitionDaily Lectionary: 2 Kings 6:1-23, Philippians 1:21-2:11The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 121:7-8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As we’ve walked together through the Lord’s Prayer, it has become more and more clear to me that each petition of the prayer Jesus taught us could offer more instruction than we could hope to learn in a lifetime—and the final petition is no exception. “Deliver us from evil” is all-encompassing. It’s praying “with a broad brush.” It’s bundling up everything that might afflict us in this life—sickness, temptation, persecution, doubt, plague, drought, hatred, flood, depression, death—maybe you’re thinking of something I haven’t listed…When God delivers us from evil, He delivers us from ALL of these. He rescues us from everything that can assault the body or soul. Our Father delights to hear us offer up these words because this deliverance is found solely in the cross of Christ. At the cross, we see the epitome of what evil can do. In Adam and Eve’s rebellion, they essentially told God that they wanted to be like Him—not in the image-bearing sense that He created them, but on their own terms. The full-blown rejection of God was complete when mankind nailed God’s Son to the cross. As Jesus’ hands and feet were nailed to the cross, it seemed as if God’s Kingdom would never come. As they mocked and shamed Him where He hung, the evil will of man was done. Now, the Bread of Life Himself knew hunger and thirst, and instead of daily bread, His lips touched sponge and bitter wine. He cried out, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing,” as He met God’s righteous wrath and was Himself forsaken. On one side there hung another, not led into temptation—not mocking, not cursing. “Remember me,” was his plea—a child of paradise Christ named him. When we look at the cross of Christ, we see evil outpoured. But He went willingly. He drank the cup of judgment that we might take the cup of Salvation. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He meant it. Evil is finished, you’ve been delivered from it. Believe it. Cling to it. Until your “last hour comes,” when we ask God to “give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty, everlasting God, Your Son has assured forgiveness of sins and deliverance from eternal death. Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit that our faith in Christ may increase daily and that we may hold fast to the hope that on the Last Day we shall be raised in glory to eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 26, 2023Today's Reading: Philippians 1:12-14, 19-30Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 5:9-27, Philippians 1:1-20For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul’s faith amazes me. I wish I could say that I’d have his attitude if I found myself in his circumstances in the book of Philippians, but I don’t have that kind of confidence in myself. Paul was in prison when he wrote Philippians. Even so, the tone of Philippians is one of joy in every circumstance. The content of the letter is, at least in part, a thank you letter for their support of his ministry and for the Church at large. In our text today, he reports back to them that his imprisonment has actually served to advance the Gospel, even into the household of Caesar. And as Christians heard about Paul’s boldness to preach to his persecutors, they themselves became more bold to preach! But even in the midst of his seemingly unwavering faith, Paul admits that he’s torn. He knows that it is far better for him if he should be killed for the name of Jesus so that he could join his Lord in heaven…but there’s still work to be done. He knew that Jesus had appointed him to the task of being His apostle to the Gentiles, and Jesus would preserve his life until his work was finished. At the top, I know I made it sound like I don’t have the same confidence “in myself” that Paul seemed to have. But if you really look at our text, you’ll see that Paul’s confidence was never in himself. In Philippians 3, Paul says that he has every reason to have confidence in the works of his flesh…but he counts them all as garbage when he compares them with the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus [his] Lord.” (Philippians 3:8) The beautiful good news for you and for me is that we have the very same confidence that Paul did. It’s not in our own faithfulness! It’s not in our own righteousness! It’s in Christ! You have been baptized in Christ’s name; and you are united to Him. His perfect obedience is now yours. In His death, you died to sin. He is risen! So are you. The life you now live, you live it by faith in the Son of God Who loved you and gave Himself for you! (Galatians 2:20) So, right now, you can have bold confidence to say, “to live is Christ.” And whenever your death should come, you’ll know the joyful “gain” that is heaven!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, it belongs not to my care whether I die or live; to love and serve Thee is my share, and this Thy grace must give. If life be long, I will be glad that I may long obey; if short, yet why should I be sad to soar to endless day? Amen. (LSB 757:1-2)-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 25, 2023Today's Reading: Isaiah 55:6-9Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 4:38-5:8, Ephesians 6:1-24“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever sought a second opinion? Usually, that’s something that happens in a medical context. A doctor might suspect a particular illness or recommend a course of treatment. If the patient doesn’t like the doctor’s diagnosis/recommendation, he or she may choose to seek a second opinion from another doctor. There are times when it makes good sense to get a second opinion on something. But whose opinion should you trust? In matters that are even greater than life and death–and by that, I mean matters of eternal life–you should go to the One whose opinion actually matters…God Himself. In today’s text, there’s an invitation to “Seek the LORD while He may be found” and to “call upon Him while He is near.” People are to seek the LORD in order that we might see His ways, how they are holy and upright (unlike ours), and so that we may repent of our wicked ways and thoughts. The LORD will have compassion; He will pardon! The problem is one of perspective. It’s all too easy for us to lose perspective on what God has called good and evil. We tend to live in the moment; scratching every sinful “itch.” We try to justify our own sins by pointing out that they aren’t that bad…but what we’re really demonstrating is that we see things differently than God. He has a perfect perspective. From His vantage point over all things in creation, He can truly say that, “as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” So the question boils down to this: whose opinion are you going to trust? There’s an added urgency to these words…When should we seek the LORD? While He may be found! When should we call upon Him? While He is near! As this was yesterday’s Old Testament lesson in worship, it makes sense for us to think of it in light of the Gospel lesson from Matthew 20. There is a time when God is calling us into His field to labor…and a time when the laborers’ wages will be doled out. There is a way in which God will generously give His laborers the fruits of their faith. But beware the temptation to grumble when God forgives the wicked and the unrighteous…and remember that God’s thoughts and His ways are higher and better than ours–for it is in His ways and thoughts that YOU are saved! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The will of God is always best and shall be done forever; and they who trust in Him are blest; He will forsake them never. He helps indeed in time of need; He chastens with forbearing. They who depend on God, their friend, shall not be left despairing. Amen. (LSB 758:1)-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 24, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 20:1-16Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 4:8-22, 32-37, Ephesians 5:15-33“So the last will be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20:16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This parable of Jesus, sometimes called the “Laborers in the Vineyard,” can be misapplied in two ways. The first is addressed in the parable itself. For longtime Christians, the actions of the master attack our idea of fairness. How could this master be so cruel to the workers who labored throughout the heat of the day?! Wouldn’t it have made sense for him to double their pay? If a day’s wage was what they were going to receive for their day’s work, shouldn’t the ones who worked an hour receive a fraction of that? The master’s kind words to the tired, grumbling servants are instructive for us: “Friend, I am doing you no wrong.” When we, like the disgruntled workers, look at the affairs of others, we play the comparison game: “What do they have that I don’t?” “What opportunities have they been given that I haven’t?” “Why them…and not me?” But the master comes into clear focus when he points back to his generosity toward the dissatisfied worker. “Didn’t we agree you’d work for a denarius? Take what belongs to you, go!...do you begrudge my generosity?” It’s as if he’s saying, “This is enough for you.” The idea of daily wages reminds me of the Fourth Petition, concerning daily bread. Remember Israel, wandering through the wilderness for forty years? God gave them daily bread. If they were greedy and took more than they needed in a day, it rotted overnight. God supplies our needs. The second misapplication of the parable is the temptation toward sloth, effectively saying, “If the reward is the same whether I’m there all day or just the final hour, why would I ever show up early?” Or, to put it another way, “Why should I spend a lifetime being a Christian, when I’ll be just as saved with a deathbed conversion?” It’s important to remember that none of us knows when our day will end–so we shouldn’t plan for things that aren’t promised…But there’s another dangerous omission in this flawed attitude: the workers don’t decide when they start working–the master does. He goes out, seeks them, and calls them into His service. He goes out all day long, gathering more and more to work in his field, but also to enjoy His rich generosity! You didn’t choose to work in the Lord’s field, you were called! This parable invites us to see less of our own desires and jealous comparisons with others–and to fix our eyes on the generosity of the Master, our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord God, heavenly Father, since we cannot stand before you relying on anything we have done, help us trust in Your abiding grace and live according to 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.-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 23, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 17: Psalm 116:12-13; antiphon Psalm 116:17Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 2:19-25, 4:1-17, Ephesians 4:25-5:14What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits to me? (Psalm 116:12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “How can I ever thank you?” Think of a time in your life when someone gave you some undeserved kindness. Maybe it was a gift you received or a loving act that you didn’t feel like you deserved. For some reason, in situations like this, we often feel like we need to thank the person by returning the favor. But what could we possibly do to “pay God back?” You already know the simple answer: there is nothing that we could ever do to even begin to express an appropriate level of gratitude for God’s great love and mercy. He has forgiven (and daily forgives!) all our sins for the sake of His Son, Jesus. Psalm 116 is not an attempt to pay God back or to return the favor, but to extol God’s grace through a hymn of praise. It’s a prayer of thanks for God’s always open ear to hear us when we cry out for help. It’s a recounting of the fact that even when we’re brought low, God listens to us and saves us. And it’s a Psalm that points us to God’s faithfulness in the darkest of times—even when death draws near. The psalmist proclaims, “I will call on the name of the LORD as long as I live!” (vs. 2) and although he recounts that he had been brought low to a place of stumbling, tears, and death, he still has confidence to say, “I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.” (vs. 9) When we consider the love that Jesus has shown us through His life, death, and resurrection, we may be left asking, “How can I ever thank you?” Jesus spells it out plainly. We abide in His Word. We take up the cup of the salvation of our God. We offer Him our thanks and praise. And when we call upon His name, He does exactly what He always has done and will always do—He gives us what we don’t deserve. He gives us life and salvation. You’ll never be able to thank God enough for all that He has done for you. He knows that. That’s the beautiful thing about His grace. It’s utterly and completely free. God be praised! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Let the vineyards be fruitful, Lord, and fill to the brim our cup of blessing. Gather a harvest from the seeds that were sown, that we may be fed with the bread of life. Gather the hopes and the dreams of all; unite them with the prayer we offer now. Grace our table with Your presence, and give us a foretaste of the feast to come. Amen. (LSB 955)-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 22, 2023Today's Reading: Ezekiel 2:8-3:11 (OT for St. Matthew)Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 2:1-18, Ephesians 4:1-24And He said to me, ‘Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them." (Ezekiel 3:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How do you feel about public speaking? A hasty search on “the Google”  informed me that 77% of people have some level of anxiety about speaking in front of a group of people. Statistically speaking, the odds are that you’re in that crowd. But here’s a question to consider: does the anxiety that accompanies such speaking fluctuate based on the audience? If you’re surrounded by your peers, is it easier to find your voice than if you were in a room filled with folks you don’t know? What if the room is filled with experts in the field that you’re discussing? I’m sorry if I just got your heart rate up. Ezekiel was called by God to preach to the house of Israel. His calling was peculiar, in that God gave him a scroll and instructed him…to eat it! God literally placed His Word into Ezekiel’s mouth. The words are sweet in his mouth, likely as a reminder that God’s Word is always good and right. It’s helpful to remember that when you see what was written on the scroll. There was writing on the front and on the back–words of lamentation, mourning, and woe. I imagine any degree of comfort that Ezekiel had when he learned that his audience was going to be his own people melted away when he saw the words that God was giving him to proclaim. On the one hand, his preaching would be simple enough: the people lived where he lived and they spoke the same language he spoke, but then God broke the news to him that if He had asked him to travel to a strange land where they spoke a foreign language, they would’ve listened to him. Israel wouldn’t listen. They hadn’t listened to God up to this point, and Ezekiel’s charge was to preach to spiritually deaf ears, hard foreheads, and stubborn hearts. Why? Because God is stubborn in the very best way. He is patient with His people. He will send prophet after prophet to call them to repentance. They’ll be carried off into exile and Ezekiel will go and tell them that God will raise up a New Temple, a New Israel, even a New Creation. In short, Ezekiel preached Christ to a people who had forgotten that God is their salvation!   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, our Lord. Amen.-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 21, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 9:9-13Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 19:1-21, Ephesians 3:1-21As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and He said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed Him.” (Matthew 9:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus came for sinners...God be praised! That means that He came for you and for me. And He came for Matthew, too. Matthew, also known as Levi, must’ve lived a conflicted life up until the day he learned that Jesus came for him. The name Matthew means “gift of the LORD,” but when he came around, the people experienced less of a gift of the LORD, and more of a tax burden of the Roman Empire. The name Levi brings to mind service in the LORD’s Temple and the tribe of Moses, Aaron, and the entire priesthood of Israel. But Matthew Levi’s life, to that point, was certainly not devoted to the matters of God. Two words changed everything. “Follow me.” I’m not sure why Jesus called some to follow and sent others away. Just before today’s reading, Jesus healed the paralytic with the instructions, “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” A few verses after today’s text, Jesus raises a young girl from the dead and heals two blind men. None of these are given the invitation to follow Him. While we certainly can’t be sure, a potential explanation may be the utter unlikeliness of a tax collector being called to leave behind his tax booth and the relative financial security that he would have enjoyed in his employ to the Roman Empire. It’s plain to see that the former paralytic, the recently-revived young girl, and the two men, once blind but now they see–each of these needed Jesus. Aside from the hatred of his kinsmen and being branded a “sinner,” Matthew very likely enjoyed a life of wealth and importance. But here’s the thing...He needed Jesus just as much as the others. The cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches are all too capable of choking out the Word. But Jesus, the Master Sower, knew exactly where a few seeds would take root and flourish into a life of faithful following, a masterful insight into Jesus’ fulfillment of the Old Testament, and a firsthand account of Jesus’ life, ministry, passion, death, and resurrection! God be praised for the hundredfold fruit of those two little words, “Follow me.”  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.-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 20, 2023Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, The Lord’s Prayer: Sixth PetitionDaily Lectionary: 1 Kings 18:20-40, Ephesians 2:1-22“Be sober-minded; be watchful. 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 5:8-9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Any time our family is traveling somewhere we’ve never been, we try to visit a zoo that we’ve never seen. There’s just something incredible about seeing God’s creation up close and in person. But while penguins, parrots, and monkeys look like they would make great pets, the lions, tigers, and bears (Oh, my!) put off a different vibe. These beasts don’t look cuddly. They have teeth and claws that look like they were designed for tearing things limb from limb. And that’s the image–a lion–that the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to put in our mind about the devil, that old evil foe, and the first tempter of mankind. I’ve always found Luther’s explanation of the Sixth Petition to be simply brilliant. From the start, he quotes James 1:13 and the simple fact that God tempts no one. “Lead us not into temptation” is a plea that God would lead us away from temptation, that He would guard and keep us out of the clutches of the “unholy trinity,” which consists of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature. These enemies wage war against us. But take note of this: their deception aims to mislead us, first and foremost, into false belief; then, despair; and, almost as an afterthought, other great shame and vice. When most people think of temptation, their minds go to shameful sins and vices first. The devil’s aim in tempting us is not primarily to make us sin. He certainly can use sins and even our conscience to mislead us into thinking that we’ve “outsinned” God’s forgiveness, or that we are so forgiven that it doesn’t matter if we sin. His target isn’t just sins or conscience, though. His aim is to corrupt our faith. After all, false belief is what damns. The devil prowls like an angry lion, all eager to devour us. But for us fights the valiant One. He cannot overpower us. Our Champion is a Lion, too, you know. John heard about Him in Revelation 5:5. He’s the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and by His death He has been declared worthy to open the scroll in God’s hand so that His plan of salvation might come to pass. God grant that our faith in Christ may be guarded and kept secure. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, You justify the ungodly and desire not the death of the sinner. Graciously assist us by Your heavenly aid and evermore shield us with Your protection, that no temptation may separate us from Your love in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 19, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 14:1-12Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 18:1-19, Ephesians 1:1-23For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. (Romans 14:7-8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In 1 Corinthians 6 and 7, Paul says, “You were bought with a price.” There is tremendous comfort in the knowledge that “we are the Lord’s.” As the Catechism teaches, Christ “purchased and won [us] 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 [we] may be His own…” But what does life as God’s people look like? If that’s our question, we’re in luck. It seems like half of the New Testament was written to describe life as the people purchased and won by Christ. In our reading today, Paul is dealing with meat sacrificed to idols, observing religious days, and Christians with weak consciences. It boils down to this: don’t use your freedom in Christ to erect a stumbling block that could scandalize your brother or sister in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul deals with the issue in more detail. He basically says that, even if we know that idols aren’t real (since there’s only one God), we ought to pay attention to our neighbor in Christ, who may not understand that idols have no power, and if we participate in eating food that was sacrificed to an idol, their conscience may be defiled and throw them into confusion or despair.A similar situation might arise today around a Christian’s participation in Halloween. If a new Christian only knows Halloween to be the commercial holiday that seems focused on the occult, you could understand their reluctance to allow their kids to dress up and beg for candy…The important reminder Paul gives us in Romans 14 is that our lives are not our own; and we’re charged to live these lives–created by God, redeemed by Christ, and being sanctified by the Holy Spirit–with that in mind. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.No saint on earth lives life to self alone or dies alone, for we with Christ are one. So if we live, for Christ alone we live, and if we die, to Christ our dying give. In living and in dying this confess: We are the Lord’s safe in God’s faithfulness. For to this end our Lord by death was slain, that to new life He might arise again. Through sorrow on to triumph Christ has led, and reigns o’er all: the living and the dead. In living and in dying, Him we bless; we are the Lord’s, safe in God’s faithfulness. Amen. (LSB 747)-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 18, 2023Today's Reading: Genesis 50:15-21Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 16:29-17:24, 2 Corinthians 9:1-15“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. Do you remember the account of Joseph? I think Joseph’s life is one that most of us remember pretty well. His father’s favorite son (out of twelve!); his colorful robe; the brothers’ conspiracy to kill him or to leave him in a pit…but ultimately they sell him into slavery; the incident with Potiphar’s wife by which he wound up in prison; the dreams of the cupholder and the baker; the dreams of Pharaoh; and Joseph’s exaltation to the place at Pharaoh’s right hand, where his brothers showed up, bowing down to him and begging to buy grain. I think his life is so memorable because it’s such a rollercoaster. He experiences highs and lows that may be hard for us to even imagine. But our text today comes near the end of the account of Joseph’s life, and having endured being brought low and having enjoyed abounding, he speaks as a man who has perspective. He looks back on the evils that his brothers perpetrated against him, the years that he languished in a jail cell, and he sees how God used the terrible evils of mankind to ultimately bring about his good purposes. When we endure difficult times, it can be hard to find the good purposes of God at work. But Joseph is a “type” of Jesus (a type is like prophecy, but instead of a message, a type is a person, place, event, etc.) When we see Joseph arrayed in the splendor of his father’s affection, it is reminiscent of Jesus’ Transfiguration, when Jesus is adorned in heavenly bright robes and the Father’s voice proclaims Jesus His beloved Son. When Joseph is  forsaken and sold by his brothers, we do well to remember the 30 pieces of silver Judas exchanged for his brother and Lord, Jesus. When Joseph languishes in prison, even though he was innocent, our hearts are drawn to Jesus’ time in the custody of the soldiers who beat, mocked, and scourged Him. But Jesus, in similar fashion to Joseph, is also exalted. When God is at work, crosses give way to empty tombs! When the Son of God’s life slips away on a Friday afternoon, He’ll have all authority in heaven and on earth by Sunday morning! We don’t always see things with the perspective of God’s good purposes (sometimes hiding behind the wicked intentions of men), but we see Christ with the eyes of faith. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The will of God is always best and shall be done forever; and they who trust in Him are blest; He will forsake them never. He helps in deed in time of need; He chastens with forbearing. They who depend on God, their friend, shall not be left despairing. (LSB 758:1)-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 17, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 18:21-35Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 12:20-13:5, 33-34, 2 Corinthians 8:1-24“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.” (Matthew 18:23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Many of our readers are students, so the next thing I write may not be as applicable to you as the rest of the devotion–I hope it startles you a bit. In the year 2023, American citizens owe a total of $986 billion to credit card companies (for perspective, that looks like $986,000,000,000 when you write it out!) That is an unfathomable amount of money that has been borrowed and is now owed to banks…with interest. In Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant, we see a figure that is just as shocking. Ten thousand talents is equal to about 60 million denarii (a denarius was the daily wage for a day laborer)...in other words, the servant owed his master a little over 164,000 YEARS’ worth of work. How could he have possibly wound up in that kind of debt?! Well, you and I both know that’s not the point of Jesus’ parable. The master graciously canceled his debt! I can’t imagine how the servant must have walked away from that encounter–his burden removed, he was FREE from that crushing weight of debt…until he saw a fellow servant who owed him  a couple months’ worth of income. That’s not the astronomical amount he had owed the master, but it’s also not nothing. Suddenly, the shoe was on the other foot. The man whose balance had swung from about as negative as is possible to breaking even found himself in control; he had a little power–and he completely missed the point of the master’s forgiveness. That’s what this parable is really about, after all. The master forgave sins beyond number with the desire that his servant, who had now become his friend, would go and do likewise! Instead, he took the master’s forgiveness for granted and held his neighbor’s debt against him. How often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? The answer’s not seven. It’s also not five-hundred-thirty-nine (seven times seventy-seven.) It’s more like a calculus problem where “the limit does not exist.” Dear reader, you’re forgiven for the sake of Jesus’ innocent blood, spilled on the cross where He died to pay the debt your sins incurred. He died for your neighbors’ sins, too! If we ever think that someone has outsinned our forgiveness, God grant that we remember, in that very hour, the countless sins God has forgiven us when He called us friends–and we would likewise befriend our neighbor. 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, 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, Corpus Christi, Texas.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 16, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 16: Psalm 143:1-2; antiphon: Psalm 143:9Deliver me from my enemies, O Yahweh! I have fled to you for refuge! (Psalm 143:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In Psalm 143, David is praying for refuge from his enemies and rest. Whether he is thinking of Saul, or the other sons of Solomon, or any number of other enemies, he is being pursued, and he finds only darkness and weariness. But behind those earthly enemies is God. If God enters into judgment with David, he will not survive, because no one living is righteous before Him (143:2). Everything depends on whether God is for you or against you. Even if you have no earthly enemies, if God is against you, what does it matter? On the other hand, even if everyone in the world is against you, what does it matter, if God is for you? “Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, because there is not a righteous one before You of all the living.” If God is going to answer us, we need Him to answer us according to His righteousness, not ours. Of all the living, there is no one righteous–except the Man who is also the living God. He alone is righteous, and God enters into judgment against Him on the cross. Because His righteous one faced the judgment of sin and death, God will not enter into judgment against you.   In the Presence of the only one whose judgment matters, we flee to Him in the flesh of Jesus for refuge. In Him we will find rest from our enemies: He is the one who conquered our sin, which threatens to bring us under God’s condemning judgment, and He is the one who conquered death, which is behind the threat of every enemy. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him! Blessed is the one who finds refuge in the promises of God, in the baptismal name, in the absolution, in the body and blood that we eat with the bread and wine. In all of these means, God assures us that He delivers us from all our enemies, even our own sinful flesh. On every Lord’s Day, we flee to Him for refuge. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.From depths of woe I cry to Thee,  In trial and tribulation;  Bend down Thy gracious ear to me,  Lord, hear my supplication, If Thou rememb’rest every sin, Who then could heaven ever win  Or stand before Your presence?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” (LSB 607:1, 5).- 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 15, 2023Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-18Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 11:1-26, 2 Corinthians 6:1-18Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Do not receive the grace of God in vain,” which means to receive God’s grace to no purpose, for emptiness, or as if it were worthless. Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians is based on this fact: whatever their problems, whatever their sins, whatever their conflicts, they have received the grace of God. God has not kept it from them. Paul is citing a promise given to the people of Israel through the prophet Isaiah, that God would restore them after their exile. He would send a servant as a light for both Israel and the nations (Gentiles) (Isaiah 49:6, 8). To receive God’s grace in vain would be to plaster it as an excuse over our sin and rejection of God’s will. This is what Solomon did in 1 Kings 11, when he made room for the idols of the nations, which came into Israel through his many wives and concubines. And Paul touches on the same point in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, when he emphasizes that every baptized Christian has been set aside, taken out of the kingdom of this world’s darkness, and put into Christ’s kingdom of light. The actions of the Corinthians often show that they are more closely tied to the world than to Christ. Of course, we are no different. We, too, are often conformed to the ways of the world, rather than transformed by the renewal of our minds in Christ. This is where Luther’s morning and evening prayers can be so helpful for the daily living of our life in Christ: in the morning, remind yourself with the sign of Christ’s holy cross that you are baptized, no matter what happens today; thankful that the Lord has kept us this past night, we pray that He would keep us today from all sin and evil. Then, when we come to the end of the day, we give thanks that He has brought us through the day; we ask Christ’s forgiveness for what we have done wrong, and we make the sign of Christ’s cross to remind ourselves that no matter what happened today, we belong to Jesus. Every single day is the favorable time when God calls us back to our baptism; every day is the day of salvation. Today is the day that God hears you cry out for His mercy. Today He helps you with His grace. Today He makes His dwelling with you, so that you are the temple of the living God! Today; and tomorrow when it is called today, and every day after that, until we see the salvation that is ours in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Today Your mercy calls us To wash away our sin./However great our trespass,  Whatever we have been,  However long from mercy  Our hearts have turned away,  Your precious blood can was us/And make us clean today” (LSB 915:1).- 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 14, 2023Today's Reading: John 12:20-33Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 9:1-9, 10:1-13, 2 Corinthians 5:1-21"Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. (John 12:31-33)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:21). Seeing is believing, we say. I’ll believe it when I see it. But in this age of Artificial Intelligence and Photoshop and increasingly realistic deep fakes, do we still trust what we see? Is what we see always what we get? When it comes to the world and to God, the answer is no.St. Paul encourages the Corinthians this way: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 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 4:16-18). What we see is not what we get. When the Greeks tell Philip that they want to see Jesus, Jesus says, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (12:23). Great! They will get to see Jesus in His glory! Yes, but like this: “‘And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all to Myself.’ This He said signifying what kind of death He was about to die” (12:32-33). This is how the Son glorifies the Father, and the Father glorifies His Name (12:28). But it doesn’t look like what we might want or expect the glory of God to look like. A bloody man stretched out on a Roman cross, helpless and weak and defeated? Remember: what you see is not what you get. Because sinners turned everything in God’s creation upside-down, calling good evil and evil good, now Jesus turns it back around. In shame, death, and defeat, Jesus brings to an end sin and death in His own body. The cross is His coronation and His victory, and the resurrection proves it. The crucifix is not a sad reminder of what went wrong, until God got it right in the resurrection. It is the eternal sign of victory, because the crucified one is God, who is the Life. Because of Him, all the death and destruction we see in the world will not be the final word. The things that are seen are transient. “We adore You, O Lord, and we praise and glorify Your holy resurrection. For behold, by the wood of the cross joy has come into all the world” (Good Friday Chief Service, Adoration of Christ). 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.- 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 13, 2023Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, the Lord's prayer: Fifth PetitionDaily Lectionary: 1 Kings 8:22-30, 46-63, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18So 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, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 13:1-10Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 7:51-8:21, 2 Corinthians 3:1-18Love 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, 2023Today's Reading: Ezekiel 33:1-10Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 5:1-18, 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:17How 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 10, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 18:1-20Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 3:1-15, 2 Corinthians 1:1-22“For where two or three are gathered in My Name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Where is Jesus? He says, “Where two or three are gathered in My Name, there am I among them.” Notice the three parts of that: two or three gathered; in My Name; and there am I. So is Jesus not with us when we are alone? Do we have to meet another Christian so there are at least two of us, before Jesus will be present with us? No. Of course, Jesus is with each and all of His baptized children, “all the days, until the completion of this age” (Matthew 28:20). Here in Matthew 18, Jesus is speaking within the particular context of repentance and forgiveness. The idea of “two or three” goes back to Deuteronomy 19:15, where two or three witnesses are necessary to establish a charge against someone (see also 2 Corinthians 13:1). If there are two or three witnesses to a sin in the Body of Christ, then Jesus forgives that sinner and restores him or her within the gathering of two or three. Within the assembly of the Church (“two or three”), who are created and gathered in the Name of Jesus in Holy Baptism, there Jesus Himself will be present to forgive. Jesus is certainly present everywhere, because He is God, but He has not given us the promise of forgiveness everywhere. This is because He does not want us to be in doubt about where that forgiveness can be received. So here and in the last chapter of Matthew, He has given us a sure and certain promise: by the same Name into which people are baptized, Jesus will be present to forgive and restore us. The Name marks our existence as His people: we are baptized into that Name; each week, we hear the Invocation of that Name, which marks the gathering of His baptized Christians; then we hear the Absolution, which is proclaimed in that same Name, and which keeps us in and restores us to Christ’s baptismal grace. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.My faithful God, You fail me never; Your promise surely will endure. O cast me not away forever  If words and deeds become impure./Have mercy when I come defiled; Forgive, lift up, restore Your child” (LSB 590:3). O God, from whom all good proceeds, grant to us, Your humble servants, Your holy inspiration, that we may set our minds on the 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, one God, now and forever. Amen.- 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, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 15: Psalm 92:1-4, antiphon Psalm 92:5sDaily Lectionary: 1 Kings 2:1-27, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13How 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.

September 8, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:14-31Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 1:1-4, 15-35, 1 Corinthians 12:14-31Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it (1 Corinthians 12:27)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God puts the Church together as He chooses. There is a command here not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought (Romans 12:3), as if the Body of Christ would not survive without us. But there is a promise as well: God chose each one of us in Jesus Christ to be members of Christ’s Body. God has chosen you for salvation. Whenever we think we are indispensable to the Lord’s work, we actually make idols of ourselves. The only indispensable one is Jesus Himself. But graciously, He has chosen you and, in that sense, He has made us an integral member of Christ’s Body. We are not free to think of any other member of the Body as dispensable, because God has chosen each of them as well. Because God chooses sinners, and only sinners, to be purified by Christ’s blood as holy members of His Body, we will not have perfect (or, even, very good!) love for others, and they will not have perfect love for us. But since we are all, by God’s mercy, in this together, we are forced to practice love and forgiveness for one another. Just as you do not choose the family into which you are physically born, you do not choose the Church. We do often choose our local congregations, but here is an argument for being joined to the Body of Christ in the faithful congregation most local to us. We will have to learn to love the people there, with all their faults, and they will have to learn to love us, with all of ours. But wherever we are, we should remain (unless there is persistent false teaching), because God arranges the members of the Body, and all things, as He chooses (1 Corinthians 12:18). This is, finally, a comfort to us. Everything does not depend on us. God has put each of His Christians in their individual vocations, with particular people, to exercise our love for those whom God has put before us. And He has put us before them. We are not responsible for every person in the world, to serve everyone, or bear witness to everyone. He has put other people in those places. Our vocations are limited in how many relationships we have, but they are unlimited in love, since we will never run out of good works to do. When we are burdened, exhausted, and weary from all those good works; when we have not fulfilled them as we should; then we remember that it is the Body of Christ, and He forgives, sustains, and nourishes us by the Body and the Blood in the Sacrament. Thanks be to God for His continual provision for His Church! 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 (LSB 857:5).- 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 7, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-13Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 12:1-25, 1 Corinthians 12:1-13Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed (1 Corinthians 12:1-13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Corinthians have  a lot of questions. Apparently, they had asked Paul to teach them about “spiritual” things. The word “gifts” is actually not in 12:1. Paul does talk about gracious gifts of the Spirit starting in 12:4, but the Corinthians’ question was broader: what are “spiritual” things, because they seem to be competing with one another for the most spiritual, as the end of chapter 12 through chapter 13 shows.They wanted to know about “the things of the Spirit.” Sometimes we want to separate “spiritual” things from “physical” things, as if the Spirit has nothing to do with our everyday lives, but is only concerned about “deeper” or “higher” things. But all of it is in the realm of the Holy Spirit! For those who have been reborn in Christ by water and the Spirit (John 3:5), all things are “spiritual.” The “gracious (gifts)” (where we get our English word “charismatic,” but which really refers to God’s gracious or free giving) of which Paul begins to speak in 12:4 are related to any and all things that the Christian does, especially in loving service to the neighbor. It is a Trinitarian work in and through us: one Spirit; one Lord (Jesus); one God (the Father) (12:4-6). Paul does not give an exhaustive list here of all the gifts the Spirit gives. His point is not that we all find ourselves in this list, but that the Spirit gives as the Spirit pleases. The Spirit orchestrates the work of the members of Christ’s body for the good of one another, as He sees fit (12:11, 18). Some of these gracious gifts are more “spectacular” than others, but none of them is expendable. The summary point is 12:7: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good,” or for the benefit of the whole body. So what gifts has the Lord graciously given you, baptized and remade by His Spirit? What talents? At what things do your parents, friends, teachers, or pastors say you are good? Whatever it is, it is a “spiritual” thing, because you have been given the Spirit in baptism. Spiritual people do all things in the Spirit, and all for the good of others. You are, with all the other baptized believers, one Body in Christ. God has set up the Body perfectly according to His will, and He uses each person as He chooses. He has chosen you in Christ for His own purposes, and you can rejoice in the Spirit that God knows exactly what He’s doing with you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.How clear is our vocation, Lord, When once we heed Your call: To live according to Your Word And daily learn, refreshed, restored, That You are Lord of all And will not let us fall (LSB 853:1).- 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 6, 2023Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, the Lord's Prayer: Fourth PetitionDaily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 11:1-27, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34We pray in this petition that God would lead us to…receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. (SC, LP, 4th Petition)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God gives daily bread to everyone, even to the evil. This is the sort of God He is. Daily bread includes anything and everything that has to do with these bodies and this life. The God who created everything still sustains His creation and the people who live in it. Sinners, however, always believe that they have gotten everything for themselves. People make themselves into their own gods, and thank themselves for doing what they need to survive. Christians can get sucked into this way of thinking, when we forget that everything we have is a gift. We become selfish with our money and our time. We work and get a paycheck and provide for our needs. Then we expect that if someone does not have what he or she needs, the solution is for that person to work harder. You get what you deserve, after all.We can only think that way about other people when we forget that God is the giver of all our daily bread. We would not have a job if God did not provide for it. We would not have food and clothing if God did not provide it. We would not have “good weather, peace, health, self-control, a good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like” if God did not give it. Instead, we continue to pray that God would keep us in mind of all His gracious gifts for as long as He gives us life and breath. Even more, in Christ He gives us everything we need to share His divine and eternal life. He is the true bread who has come down from heaven to give life to us and to the world, so that eating and drinking His body and blood, we will never die. We have deserved none of this. “All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me” (Explanation to the First Article of the Creed). You can’t earn a gift. And since everything is gift, none of it is earned. Though many do not know that everything they have comes from their Creator, the Holy Spirit has graciously given us faith to know our dear Father through His Son, Jesus. We know where everything comes from, so we rejoice and give thanks to Him. And we also know that God serves those in need through those whom He has blessed with abundance. Freely have we received, freely we give (Matthew 10:8), until the new creation is revealed, in which no one will lack anything necessary to their life. 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 (LSB 766:5).- 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 5, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 11:33-12:8Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:19-29, 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:16Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (Romans 12:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Verbs matter. In Romans 12:2, there is one active verb (“present”) and two passive verbs (“be conformed” and “be transformed”). And then there is a verb form that flows from that being transformed (“testing-to-approve”). Either the world is working on us, conforming us to its shape–which is our natural shape as sinners; or God is working on us by His Spirit, transforming our natural ways of thinking to align with His. Either we will be living sacrifices for the sake of the world, or die as this world dies. In His mercy, God has grafted us into Christ, the Vine, though we Gentiles do not deserve it any more than the Israelites who reject Christ. In Christ, He has chosen you and had mercy on you, though you, like all people, were bound up in your disobedience to God. Jesus is the only sacrifice for sins, now and forever. So you do not offer your bodies, your works, your love for others as sacrifices for your sins, and hope it all shakes out in your favor on the day of judgment. Jesus already took care of your sins. Now you are turned toward others as living sacrifices–a strange contradiction! No sacrifice ever stayed alive. But covered in the mercy of God, you are given as a sacrifice for the sake of other people, as long as you live in this world. And since you are “holy and pleasing” to God in Christ, you can know what is “good and pleasing and perfect,” His will for you. Paul goes on to give some examples of what that might look like: prophesying (in right relationship to the Christian Faith); serving, teaching, exhorting and encouraging; in generous contribution, zealous leadership, and cheerful acts of mercy (12:6-8). God gives each of these gifts to the members of Christ’s body, to be used in humility for the sake of other people. The English translation calls all this our “spiritual worship,” but the word “spiritual” isn’t there (instead, it is something like “rational” or “reasonable”), and the word for “worship” can also be translated “service.” So we offer our bodies, redeemed and cleansed by Jesus, as living sacrifices of good works for our neighbors. And this is our “reasonable service,” according to God’s command, which tells us what works are actually good. This is the Christian life: God has had unfathomable mercy on us, which transforms our minds to think according to the mind of Christ; and we pour ourselves out for the good of our neighbors in our God-given vocations, according to the gifts He gives us. This work is good and pleasing to God because we are good and pleasing to God in Christ. And He who began this good work in us will bring it to its perfect conclusion in the resurrection. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord, You have had mercy on us in Jesus Christ, by His sacrifice for our sins. Continue to make us living sacrifices, poured out in love for one another. Amen.- 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 4, 2023Today's Reading: Isaiah 51:1-6Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:1-17, 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:22“My salvation will be forever” (Isaiah 51:6)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner” (Isaiah 51:6). That sounds a lot like many of the fears expressed by people today: fear about what’s happening in the world; fear about what’s happening to the creation; fear about death. But Isaiah is not repeating the fears of people; he’s speaking the words of Yahweh to His people. Listen to Me, God says. Look; pay attention. Look at all the things and know that none of them will last forever. This creation and all the people in it are subject to sin and death, and thus they all wear out and fade away. So do not put your trust in them! Do not make anything in this creation your god. None of it can save you. Listen, instead, to Me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek Yahweh. Look to Me, the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug (51:1). I am your creator. I made Abraham and Sarah, and from them I made Israel, My people. And by that family line, I bring to the world My salvation and My righteousness. All creation waits for Me to restore it in Christ. Listen and look! My salvation and My righteousness are in Jesus, by whom I judge the nations. He spreads out His arms, nailed to the cross, and My judgment is fulfilled in His body, to give you My righteousness and My salvation. I will comfort you in the midst of the mess of this creation, the mess of your family, the mess of your life. I will make deserts into gardens, and this old, wilderness creation into a new, Eden creation. You can find this comfort now in the places I have promised to be, in My Word and My Sacraments. There you can find the beginning of rivers in the desert, of the Garden I am making in the middle of the wilderness of this world. The day is coming when there will be only joy and gladness and thanksgiving forever, because God’s salvation in Jesus, risen from the dead, cannot be removed or killed or destroyed. “My salvation is forever, and My righteousness will never be dismayed” (51:6).  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“In Thee is gladness Amid all sadness, Jesus, sunshine of my heart. By Thee are given The gifts of heaven, Thou the true Redeemer art. Our souls Thou wakest, Our bonds Thou breakest; Who trusts Thee surely  Has built securely; He stands forever: Alleluia! Our hearts are pining To see Thy shining, Dying or living To Thee are cleaving; Naught can us sever: Alleluia!” (LSB 818:1) - 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 3, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 16:13-20Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 6:1-19, 1 Corinthians 9:1-23“But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Who do you say that I am?” That’s the question, isn’t it? When Jesus asks the disciples about who people say that He is, the disciples respond with the various answers they have heard: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or another one of the prophets (16:14). People today have other answers: a good teacher; or the founder of a religion; or a revolutionary, standing bravely against oppression and injustice. Perhaps none of those answers are entirely wrong. But the real question is, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter, as always, is ready to answer on behalf of the other apostles: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (16:16).  And Jesus responds: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah [“son of Jonah”]! For flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (16:17). Peter makes this good confession, but it did not originate in Peter’s mind or heart or mouth. He didn’t figure it out by himself based on the evidence.  God put those words there. “Confession” means to say the same thing. And so Peter says the same thing that God has revealed to him: that Jesus is the Christ (Anointed One) whom God has sent to bring life to the world. Only God the Father draws people to the Son by His Spirit. And this is the blessing of God: to believe in one’s heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and to confess with one’s mouth that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9). The first question is not what we say about Jesus, but what God says about Jesus. The answer is the comforting truth that the Son of the living God entered our flesh in order to reveal Himself to us. In His healing of the sick, feeding of the hungry, raising the dead, and casting out demons; in His suffering and death; and in His resurrection, He reveals to you that He is the one whom God has sent to undo sin, death, and the evil that is so prevalent in our world. That we believe and confess this is a great, undeserved blessing. Jesus builds His Church on the truth of this confession, so that no matter what people may say about Jesus, He remains the Lord who destroys the power of death and hell for you. You belong to Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and not to your sin, or to death, or to the devil. Blessed are you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, Your Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption. Grant us courage to take up our cross daily and follow Him wherever He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, 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 2, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary:2 Samuel 5:1-25, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. (1 Corinthians 8:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Knowledge is a gift, until it becomes a weapon. Freedom is a gift, until it too is used as a weapon. You might be wondering, though, how can knowledge or freedom become weapons? Learning stuff is good! Being free is good! Agreed. However, we (sinners) take that which is good and mess it up. We who still struggle (daily) with our sinful nature take gifts and often make them into clubs (to use against our neighbor). In 1 Corinthians, Paul is writing about food offered to idols. He acknowledges that of course idols are not real deities; they aren’t God and have no power over anything. That knowledge is good; that knowledge comes from being taught the Law (in specific, the First Commandment). However, when that knowledge  is used to belittle or cause one of our neighbor’s to sin, that knowledge has now become a weapon. Paul is instructing the believers in Corinth to not let their knowledge outweigh their love for their neighbors - especially over something as short-lived as food! In love, we share what we have been taught with our neighbors. But then, also in love, we sacrifice ‘knowing it all,’ for the sake of one who is struggling. We deny our ‘right knowledge,’ in favor of walking alongside an unsteady neighbor. In the same way, freedom in Christ is a gift! We are freed from sin; death and the devil are conquered enemies. However, freedom used against our neighbor is no longer Christian freedom; now our freedom has become a tether to a false god: pride. True Christian freedom is always understood in relationship to your neighbor and their needs. We are not free to cause hurt, harm, or discourse for someone else. We are not free to tempt or hurt another’s conscience. Knowledge and freedom are gifts from God and rightly understood in Jesus. Our sinful minds like to take gifts and make them into weapons. Repent of this. Humbly remember that, before God, we are all beggars. You and your weaker neighbor are both in desperate need of forgiveness and mercy. You and your weaker neighbor are both receivers of God’s gifts:  Baptism, the preaching of His Word, and the Lord’s Supper. Learn and be free - in the Gospel. Learn with your neighbor. Be free in your service of your neighbor. Rejoice that God saw you in your weakness and sent His Son to pay for your sins! You (and your neighbor) are loved and forgiven.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Love in Christ is strong and living,  Binding faithful hearts in one;  Love in CHrist is true and giving.  May His will in us be done.  (LSB 706:1) -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.

September 1, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 1:1-27, 1 Corinthians 7:25-40So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better. (1 Corinthians 7:38)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We love when things are straight-forward and are logical. Opposites make sense. You are hot or cold. There is up or down. You turn left or right. We like to think in absolutes, put everything in its proper box, and usually give it a label. We do this with our neighbors too. ‘Those sinners’ and us, the good people. ‘Those making all the wrong choices,’ and us, making all the right ones. ‘Those who keep voting wrongly and us,’ who have our politics in order. It can be quite easy to fall into the temptation to group ‘others’ in relation to us. In the 1 Corinthians reading, it might seem like Paul is trying to create a logical ‘either or’ statement. However, he also seems to be getting things mixed up. He says marriage is a gift. But he also says that singleness is a gift. He says that getting married is not a sin, but also speaks very highly about remaining single. What’s the deal, Paul? Why can’t you make up your mind? In our desire for logic and reason, we usually see options in contrast to other options. For example, you can’t be married and also stay single. However, what if God has given us two good options? What if God, in His bountiful goodness, allows for marriage and singleness to both be good gifts? What if, instead of pitting the gifts against one another, we rejoice in the ways in which God has given us to love our neighbor? The Law is good. It shows us right from wrong, good from evil. However, when we apply the Law to situations in which it doesn’t speak, we create division that is not good or helpful. Marriage is a gift from God; from the beginning of time, God created Eve for Adam and gave them, one to another, in marriage. Singleness, though, is also a gift. The single person is able to devote time and energy to caring for other neighbors in their life. Both of these vocations are good! God gives good options for His people. Whether single or married, your identity is as a Baptized child of God. You are part of God’s family through Jesus’ death and resurrection; that is what sticks for eternity. Rejoice in the opportunities you are given to love your neighbors - either as a married person or a single person - knowing that both vocations are good. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Hear us, dear Father, when we pray  For needed help from day to day That as your children we may live, Whom You baptized and so received.  (LSB 865:3) -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 31, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 11:33-12:8Daily Lectionary:1 Samuel 31:1-13, 1 Corinthians 7:1-24For 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, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism, Lords Prayer: Third PetitionDaily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 28:3-25, 1 Corinthians 6:1-20And 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, 2023Today's Reading: Mark 6:14-29Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 26:1-25, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13And 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 SaviorAnd heralded His way!  In witnessing to Jesus  Through times of threat or shameMay 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, 2023Today's Reading: Isaiah 51:1-6Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 25:23-44, 1 Corinthians 4:1-21My salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed. Isaiah 51:6bIn 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, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 16:13-20Daily 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 16:17bIn 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, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 13: Psalm 28:1-2, 6-7Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 24:1-22, 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:16Blessed 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, 2023Today'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, 2023Today's Reading: Luke 22:24-30Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 20:1-23, Acts 28:16-31But 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, 2023Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, The Lord’s Prayer: Second PetitionDaily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 11:1-2a, 13-18, 28-32Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 18:10-30, Acts 27:27-44For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:29In 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, 2023Today's Reading: Isaiah 56:1, 6-8Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:48-18:9, Acts 27:9-26The 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, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 15:21-28Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 12: Psalm 28:1-2, 6-7; antiphon: Psalm 28:8Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:1-19, Acts 26:1-23Psalm 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, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-23Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 16:1-23, Acts 25:13-271 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, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 10:5-17Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 15:10-35, Acts 24:24-25:12Romans 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, 2023Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, The Lord’s Prayer: First Petition Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 14:47-15:9, Acts 24:1-23Hallowed be Thy nameIn 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, 2023Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-55Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 13:1-18, Acts 23:13-35Luke 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 wordAnd 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, 2023Today's Reading: Job 38:4-18Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 12:1-25, Acts 22:30-23:11Job 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, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 14:22-33Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 10:1-27, Acts 22:17-29Matthew 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, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 11: Psalm 34:4-8; antiphon: Psalm 34:1Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 9:1-27, Acts 21:37-22:16Psalm 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, 2023Today's Reading: Acts 21:15-36Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 8:1-22, Acts 21:15-36Acts 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, 2023Today's Reading: Acts 19:1-22Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 6:19-7:17, Acts 19:1-22Acts 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, 2023Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Table of Duties: Intro to the Lord's PrayerDaily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 5:1-6:3, 10-16, Acts 18:1-11, 23-28Our Father who art in HeavenIn 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, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 9:1-13Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 4:1-22, Acts 16:23-40Romans 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, 2023Today's Reading: Isaiah 55:1-5Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 3:1-21, Acts 16:1-22Isaiah 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, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 14:13-21 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 2:18-36, Acts 15:22-41Matthew 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, 2023Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 10: Psalm 105:39-43; antiphon: Psalm 105:1Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:21-2:17, Galatians 6:1-18They 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, 2023Today's Reading: Galatians 5:1-15Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:1-20, Galatians 5:1-26For 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, 2023Today's Reading: Ezekiel 40:1-4, 48:35Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Third Article Part 2Daily Lectionary: Judges 15:1-16:3, Galatians 3:23-4:11What 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, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 8:28-39Daily Lectionary: Judges 14:1-20, Galatians 3:1-22What 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, 2023Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 7:6-9Daily Lectionary: Judges 13:1-25, Galatians 2:1-21Know 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, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 13:44-52Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: John 11:1-44Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:25-40, Acts 15:6-21Now 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, 2023Today's Reading: John 10:1-10Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:1-24, Acts 14:19-15:5So 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, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 8:18-27Daily Lectionary: Judges 4:1-24, Acts 14:1-18Likewise 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, 2023Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Third Article Part 1Daily Lectionary: Judges 3:7-31, Acts 13:42-52What 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, 2023Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45Daily Lectionary: Judges 2:6-23, Acts 13:13-41And 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, 2023Today's Reading: Isaiah 44:6-8Daily Lectionary:Joshua 24:1-31, Acts 13:1-12Thus 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, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43Daily Lectionary: Joshua 23:1-16, Acts 12:1-25But 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, 2023Today's Reading: John 20:1-2, 10-18Daily Lectionary: Joshua 10:1-25, Acts 11:19-30“Mary”  John 20:16In 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, 2023Today's Reading: Acts 11:1-18Daily 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 11:6-7In 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, 2023Today's Reading: Joshua 7:1-26Daily 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 7:19In 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, 2023Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Apostle’s Creed: Second Article Part 3Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 8:12-17Daily Lectionary: Joshua 5:1-6, Acts 10:1-17For 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, 2023Today's Reading: Isaiah 55:10-13Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23Daily Lectionary: Joshua 3:1-17, Acts 9:1-22“Behold, a sower went out to sow.”  Matthew 13:3bIn 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 1:22-24So 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, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 7: Psalm 103:15-19; antiphon: Psalm 103:8Daily Lectionary: Joshua 2:1-24, Acts 8:26-40The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Psalm 103:8In 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, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Joshua 1:1-18, Acts 8:1-25No 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 1:5In 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, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 31:10-31, John 21:1-25Then, 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, 2023Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Apostle’s Creed: Second Article Part 2Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 7:14-25aDaily 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 7:15In 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, 2023Today's Reading: Zechariah 9:9-12Daily 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, 2023Today'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, 2023Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 6: Psalm 91:2, 9-10; antiphon Psalm 91:1Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:22-28:12, John 18:15-40He 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, 2023Today'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, 2023Today'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, 2023Today's Reading: Table of Duties, Luther’s Small Catechism: Second Article Part 1Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 17:1-28, John 16:17-33And [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, 2023Today's Reading: Jeremiah 28:5-9 Daily Lectionary:Proverbs 16:1-24, John 16:1-16As 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, 2023Today'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, 2023Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-56Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading:  Introit for Pentecost 5: Psalm 89:15; antiphon Psalm 89:1Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 13:1-25, John 14:18-31Blessed 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, 2023Today'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, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 16:13-20Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Table of Duties, Luther’s Small Catechism: First Article Part 3Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 6:12-23Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Jeremiah 20:7-13Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 10:5a, 21-33Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Luke 1:57-80Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 3:5-24, John 11:38-57And 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, 2023Today's Reading: John 11:17-37Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 1:8-33, John 11:17-37Jesus 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, 2023Today's Reading: John 11:1-16Daily Lectionary:Ecclesiastes 12:1-14, John 11:1-16Jesus 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, 2023Today's Reading:Table of Duties, Luther’s Small Catechism: First Article Part 2Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 11:1-10, John 10:22-42Look 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, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 5:6-15Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Exodus 19:2-8Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 9:35-10:20Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 8:1-17, John 9:1-23Then 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, 2023Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 3: Psalm 67:4-7, antiphon: 67:3Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 7:11-29, John 8:39-59; antiphon: Psalm 67:3Let 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, 2023Today's Reading: Romans 4:13-25Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 6:1-7:10, John 8:21-38For 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, 2023Today's Reading: Table of Duties, Luther’s Small Catechism: First Article Part 1Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Psalm 50:1, 7-15Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Hosea 5:15-6:6Daily 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, 2023Today's Reading: Matt. 9:9-13Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 2:1-26, John 7:1-13Jesus 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, 2023Today's Reading: Mark 6:7-13 Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 1:1-18, John 6:60-71And [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, 2023Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 2: Psalm 50:7-10; antiphon: Psalm 50:1Daily 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, WAAudio 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, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Song of Solomon 6:4-7:5, John 6:22-40I 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, WAAudio 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, 2023Today'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, WAAudio 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, 2023Today's Reading: Table of Duties, Luther’s Small Catechism: The Close of the CommandmentsDaily 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, WAAudio 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 6, 2023Today's Reading: Acts 2:14a, 22-36Daily Lectionary: Song of Solomon 2:8-3:11, John 5:19-29 He foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.  (Acts 2:31)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When Jesus met two of His disciples on the Emmaus road after His resurrection, He taught them how to read the Old Testament, to read it with eyes, hearts, and minds fixed on Christ’s death and resurrection. “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”When Peter delivered his sermon in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost, he was preaching what he had heard Jesus teaching, that all of God’s promises and prophets’ words of the Old Testament are found and fulfilled in Jesus.In today’s reading from Acts 2, Peter quotes two psalms of David. First, is Psalm 16. What’s Psalm 16 about? David and Peter tell us. It’s about the Messiah, the Holy One, Jesus. In Psalm 16, David foretells what Jesus, the Son of David will do; He will die and be buried but He will not see corruption. Jesus was not abandoned in the grave. Jesus rose again from the dead, and in doing so, Jesus, the Son of David, fulfills David’s words. Psalm 110 is the next psalm quoted by Peter. “The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” Psalm 110 is another messianic psalm, pointing to the work of Jesus the Messiah. Peter moves us from Jesus’ death and resurrection to His glorious ascension and His reign on the throne of heaven. In Psalm 110 David proclaims the victory and triumph over the enemies of the Lord. Which enemies are those? Sin, death, and the devil. By His dying and rising, Jesus stomped and crushed the serpent’s head underfoot as Moses recorded in Genesis 3:15. And in His ascension, Jesus reigns as our victorious crucified and risen King forever.Peter’s sermon reminds us that when we go into the Old Testament, we see the work of Jesus already foretold, so that when we come to the New Testament, as in Peter’s own sermon here in Acts 2, we see the work of Jesus fulfilling the Scriptures for you. David points us to Jesus, the Son of David. Peter points us to Jesus, who is both Lord and Christ and who was crucified, rose from the dead, and ascended where He rules and reigns for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Blessed Lord, 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 by patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and every hold fast the blessed hope of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is Pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WAAudio 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 5, 2023Today's Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:4aDaily Lectionary:  Song of Solomon 1:1-2:7, John 5:1-18In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ever wondered where in the Old Testament you hear about the Holy Trinity? Just two verses into the book of Genesis and God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are already at work. God the Father is there creating, as we confess in the Apostles’ Creed. “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” Moses also tells us that the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, was there in the beginning as well. But what about the Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity? Where’s Jesus? Don’t worry. He’s there too. Fast forward from Genesis 1:1 to John 1:1 and we hear these familiar words. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”John is telling us that all the way back in Genesis, the Word of God, the second person of the Trinity, was there too. In the New Testament this second person of the Trinity is Jesus. In the Old Testament He is named the Word, the one through whom all creation was made. This is a great and gracious mystery. Just as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were present in the beginning of creation and active in the work of creation, so too, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are active in the work of your salvation.In creation, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created out of nothing. God said, “Let there be light,” and it was so. God’s Word creates faith in your heart the same way, out of the nothingness of sin, God speaks, “Let there be faith and life” and it is so. When God speaks, whether it’s in creation or salvation, His Word does what He says and gives what He promises. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Gracious Lord, You brought all creation into being out of nothing by Your grace, loving kindness, and Your creative, life-giving Word. By Your Son, Jesus the Word made flesh you redeemed and saved all creation by Your grace. Help us, as Your baptized children, to live by Your grace and mercy in our daily lives and vocations as we continue to live daily by Your grace; 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, WAAudio 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 4, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 28:16-20Daily Lectionary: Numbers 35:9-30, Luke 24:28-53 “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,” (Matthew 28:19)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Stay on the path. That’s one of the most basic rules of hiking. Those are also wise words for Trinity Sunday, a day when we celebrate one of the great paradoxes of the Christian faith. Today is Holy Trinity Sunday, the day we celebrate this great paradox and mystery of the Christian faith, namely, that God is both three and one at the same time. Three persons in One Divine Essence, One Divine Essence in three persons. Strange? You bet it is. Understandable? Of course not. So we confess it. As we will in the Athanasian Creed. A summary of about four hundred years of the church struggling to say it just the right way.  And even then, we can only come to an approximation, as though looking through a dirty window pane. We can describe God using words like “person” and “being” and “essence” and “substance” but we can’t really explain God. How can something be both three and one?  The trick to all paradoxes, is like the basic rule of hiking: stay on the path. Don’t subtract God’s Word. Don’t add to God’s Word. Confess what Scripture teaches. We worship three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in one being or essence called “God.” It’s as simple as that. As we confess in the Athanasian Creed, the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods, but one God.  The triune life of God is also our life in Holy Baptism. We are baptized into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We live, move, and have our being within this Trinity, worshiping the Father in the Spirit and in the truth who is Jesus, having God as our Father, Jesus as our brother, and the Spirit as our Advocate and Guide. We are loved by the Father in the beloved Son who bears our humanity and are drawn by the Spirit. It is God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – who leads, guides, saves you, and reveals himself in this great triune paradox that we might rejoice and confess, “Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the Undivided Unity. Let us give glory to Him because He has shown His mercy to us.”  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the Trinity by the confession of a true faith and to worship the unity in the power of 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 3, 2023Today's Reading: Introit for Holy Trinity Psalm 16:8; antiphon: Liturgical TextDaily Lectionary: Numbers 32:1-6,16-27, Luke 24:1-27Blessed 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, WAAudio 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, 2023Today's Reading: Acts 2:1-21Daily Lectionary: Numbers 27:12-23, Luke 23:26-56And 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, WAAudio 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 1, 2023Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Numbers 24:1-25, Luke 23:1-25But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”—  a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder.  (Luke 23:18-19)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When we hear the word martyr, the first thing that most likely comes to mind is a Christian who dies for the sake of their faith in Christ, like Stephen in Acts 6 or Justin, Martyr, whose death at the hands of Roman persecution (A.D. 165) we remember today. This is one meaning of the word martyr, but there is also another meaning.The word martyr literally means witness. To be a martyr is to give witness to something or someone. So the women and the disciples at the foot of Jesus’ cross and around the empty tomb and in Jesus’ resurrection appearances were all martyrs. They were witnesses to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Later, all of the apostles, except for John, would also become martyrs in dying for the sake of their confession and faith in Christ. Martyrs in life and martyrs in death. This is also what our Lord Jesus did for us. His very life, death, and resurrection was a witness to God’s love, grace, and mercy towards us. Jesus’ death on the cross is the ultimate martyrdom, where he, the innocent one, was taken away into death for us who are guilty. Where Jesus the one who knew no sin became sin for us. Where Barabbas who deserved death walked away while Jesus who did not deserve death faced it on our behalf. This is the faith that Justin the apologist and martyr for the Christian faith bore witness to in his life, writings, and his death. Thanks to the work of Justin, Martyr, we know a great deal about the liturgy used in the second century Christian Church. Justin writes and gives witness to the early church pattern of gathering for teaching, preaching, and receiving the Eucharist on the Lord’s Day. His apologetic writings also give witness to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Today we join the Church in thanking God for martyrs like Justin who teach us how to be faithful witnesses in our day for the sake of Jesus crucified and risen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and everlasting God and Father, You sent Your Son to take our nature upon Himself and to suffer death on the cross that all should follow the example of His great humility. Mercifully grant that we may both follow the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, in His patience and also have our portion in His resurrection; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is Pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WAAudio 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.

May 31, 2023Today's Reading: Table of Duties Luther’s Small Catechism: Tenth CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Numbers 23:4-28, Luke 22:47-71We 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. (Explanation to the Tenth Commandment)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God is the God who calls. God first calls us to faith in His Son, Jesus. He calls you to life and salvation in the waters of Baptism. This is the vocation, or calling, of every Christian, to live daily in God’s gifts of repentance and forgiveness. God also calls us into various vocations, or callings, throughout our life where we are given many responsibilities and opportunities to love and serve our neighbor, and to love and serve God through our vocations. Martin Luther called these vocations in life the masks of God, where God would hide in us to serve others, and where we would serve God through the needs of others all at the same time. So God calls us into the vocation of the Christian life in His Church. God calls us into vocations within the home and family. God calls us into vocations in daily labors of life in a civil society. This little word, vocation, is one of the ideas that connects the Small Catechism’s teachings in the Table of Duties and in the Tenth Commandment. Both reveal our responsibilities in our various vocations, or callings, in life. The Table of Duties highlights three areas where we love and serve our neighbor, the home, the church, and in society. The Tenth Commandment, likewise, highlights our relationship with our neighbors and the various vocations which are a part of his household and life.Like all human relationships and vocations, we sin in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and left undone in the home, the church, and society. This is part of the reason God gave us the Scripture passages that are found in the Table of Duties and the tenth commandment, to serve a mirror that shows our sin in our many callings in life. Thankfully, for all the times we fail and sin in our vocations in life, we rest on and are forgiven in the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, whose calling it is to be your Savior. We live in service and love to our neighbor knowing that Jesus perfectly feared, loved, and trusted the Father in all things he said and did for you. 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 courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us; 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, WAAudio 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.

May 30, 2023Today's Reading: John 10:1-10Daily Lectionary: Numbers 22:21-23, Luke 22:24-46The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  (John 10:3-4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Where do you go to hear God’s voice? Some would direct you inward to your desires; “Search your feelings,” they say. Some would beckon you to the ways and whims of this fallen world like Ulysses and the siren’s call. Some would tempt you to find God’s voice in the things of this creation, like Satan tempting Adam and Eve. To find God’s voice you need not look inward to your sinful flesh, nor outward to the fallen world, nor to the devil’s lies.Where do you go to hear God’s voice? Go where He promises to speak to you in His Word through the voice of His Son Jesus. If you want to hear God’s voice look no further than the voice of Jesus who speaks, teaches, preaches, calls, leads, and delivers you in His holy Word. As sheep of the Good Shepherd we could start by listening to Jesus’ voice in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. But don’t stop there. Read the book of Acts and hear the voice of the Good Shepherd leading, guiding, and saving His church. Go on further and read the epistles written by Paul, Peter, Jude, James, John just to name a few, and hear the voice of the Good Shepherd declaring His promises to you over and over again. The New Testament is full of the voice of Jesus the Good Shepherd, but don’t stop there. Wherever you turn in the Old Testament, whether it’s the Psalms, prophets, or books of Moses, you will find and hear the voice of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Wherever you read God’s word, from Genesis to Revelation, you are listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd. In God’s word in your Baptism the Good Shepherd calls you by name. In God’s word of absolution the Good Shepherd calls you out of darkness and into His light and life. In God’s word joined to bread and wine, the Good Shepherd feeds you His body and blood. In God’s word  Jesus the Good Shepherd speaks, calls, saves, leads, and goes before you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; 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 4th Sunday of Easter) -Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is Pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WAAudio 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.

May 29, 2023Today's Reading: John 3:16-21Daily Lectionary: Numbers 22:1-20, Luke 22:1-23For 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. It’s a safe guess that most of us know John 3:16. It rolls off the tongue easily. It’s memorable for and memorized by many. It’s a great summary of the good news that in Christ God is reconciling the world to himself. But what if someone asked you to quote John 3:17. Could you do it without looking it up? John 3:17 is also a beautiful, comforting, memorable passage filled with good news for you in Jesus. Notice how John beautifully weaves these two memorable passages together.“For God loved the world in this way, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 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.”These two verses contain more goodness than a mega-stuffed Oreo. Listen to all the things God is doing in these two verses. God the Father loves. God the Father gave His Son. Jesus, the Son of God in human flesh saves from death. God gives eternal life. God the Father sends His Son. God the Father saves you through His Son. But did you notice the one thing God does not do in these two passages? God does not condemn you. In Jesus, you are saved from condemnation.Old buildings are condemned. People guilty of crimes are condemned to their sentence. But not you. In Jesus you are not condemned. To be sure, because of our sin we deserved condemnation. But because the Father loves you, because the Father gave and sent Jesus, because the Father desired to save you and give you eternal life, Jesus was condemned on the cross in your place  and you were set free. Jesus died in our place to win eternal life for you. Jesus is sent into the world, not to condemn the world, or you, but to save you in His compassion, His crucifixion, and His glorious resurrection from the dead. So, the next time you feel weighed down by guilt, shame, sin, or death, remember this good news in John 3:17. 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.-Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is Pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WAAudio 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.

May 28, 2023Today's Reading: John 7:37-39Daily Lectionary: Numbers 21:10-35, Luke 22:1-23Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:38)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There are certain things in life that are meant to go together, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or bacon and, well, just about anything. And if this is true with some of our favorite things in the kitchen, imagine how much greater it is in Holy Scripture. There are many things in God’s Word that are meant to go together. Law and Gospel. God’s gifts of Word and Sacraments. Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The cross and the Christian life. The list could go on. Here in John 7, Jesus reveals another one of Scripture’s  sacred combinations, the Holy Spirit and water. This connection between God the Holy Spirit and water goes back to creation. In the beginning, in Genesis 1, the Spirit hovered over the waters as God began his creating work. Fast forward to the beginning of the four gospels and once again, you water and the Holy Spirit, as the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus at His baptism in the Jordan River. In John 7, Jesus is at the Feast of Booths - the Old Testament feast remembering Israel’s wilderness wandering and living in tents -Jesus joins brings water and the Holy Spirit together again. “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” John tells us that  Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit who would be  poured out at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit who dwells with believers. The Holy Spirit who calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies you in Jesus’ death and resurrection. This is the same Holy Spirit Jesus gives you, and who in turn, gives you Jesus. Jesus makes this connection personal. He takes water and His Holy Spirit and gives them both to you in your Baptism.Remember the words spoken at your Baptism,  as the living water of the Holy Spirit and water were poured over you. I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. There it is again. Water and the Holy Spirit. Jesus joins them together so that you would be joined together with Him forever. For you, our Lord brings together the greatest combination of all, water and the Holy Spirit to forgive, save, rescue, wash, and restore you. 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 to evermore 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) Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is Pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WAAudio 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.

May 27, 2023Today's Reading: John 14:15-21Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:22-21:9, Luke 20:45-21:19John 14:15: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my commandments”.  Faith, of course, is presupposed.  I guess that’s good…we assume Christians believe.  But also, when we take faith for granted, all that’s really left to talk about is what we want to come out of it.  We assume the most important part of what Jesus said, then leave all of the stress on something that wasn’t ever given to carry the weight.  We focus on the word keep.  We assume it’s ours to carry as obedience and call it proof we love God. The problem, of course, is that when this is our hope, our lack of obedience can really only be proof we hate Him.  Don’t presuppose faith.  See it for what it is.  The gift of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost celebrates that.  God wants to speak and give good gifts to sinners.  He sends the Spirit to bring faith, to bring to remembrance the teachings of Good. Not just to know them.  To remember them. To love them. To treasure them.  That’s what keep means.  Keep isn’t measured in obedience but in love.  Love what the world loves not.  Love the cross and all it brings.  Love the place God puts to death all evil and saves you from yourself.  Love the life He gives that only comes on the other side of the tomb, but already belongs to you in your Baptism. And so love the commandments too, as they paint a picture of the Lord who saved you by fulfilling them in your stead and then dying that you would live.  In the promise Jesus makes, you who love the Lord do treasure His words.  The word speaks and it shapes us. Each day it forgives, and each day it ties us to the great promise He makes us. The promise we cling to and keep because we love Him who has first loved us.  Rise. Let us go from here. 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.-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.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.

May 26, 2023Today's Reading:  Luke 20:19-44Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:1-21, Luke 20:19-44Luke 20:25: He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do you think stamping Caesar’s face on a coin makes it not God’s anymore? It isn’t just whether or not this is God’s coin. It’s whether or not this is God’s Caesar.  The Pharisees saw Caesar as something ungodly that came about by the will of men, not God.  They saw tribute to him as worship to an idol.  Maybe to those who saw him as a god, it was, but isn’t that the problem?  This isn’t about the coin. It’s about the face.  Is this God’s Caesar, or is this Caesar independent of God, and a god himself? It’s the same today. This guy who you don’t like and doesn’t agree with your beliefs is in charge.  He’s still not God. Even if some people worship him.  Do you think God doesn’t work there anyway?  Do you think that’s not God’s creation raised up to the office of president? If God puts someone in the office, He will work there. Even if it’s messy. Even if the person put there is sinful.  Even if the person put there is ungodly. The thing that is God’s is the authority to establish leaders, and the promise to work through them and their institutions.  The tax paid can be called theft. It might not be so far from it.  But render unto God the power and will to work good among thieves.  He saved you by dying in-between two of them.  Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's.  He has authority given by God.  Render unto God what is God’s.  He has the will to work good through sinful men and the faithfulness to make His promises worth clinging to.  It makes the questions of church and state easier.  If it’s against God’s 10 commandments, call it sinful.  If God is risen from the dead, expect Him to work good through sinners.  That good won’t be measured in their sins becoming socially acceptable, but in God forgiving sinners by His death on the cross and His day by day working of blessings that should not be able to thrive in a field of so much sin.  Yet here we are.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Let us recall that in our midst Dwells Christ, His only Son; As members of His body joined We are in Him made one. (Where Charity and Love Prevail, LSB 845:5)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.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.

May 25, 2023Today's Reading: Luke 20:1-18Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:41-17:13, Luke 20:1-18Luke 20:4: “was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Who is running the verbs?  Who is doing the thing? It changes baptism. Not just because the Pharisees were afraid of upsetting the crowds, but because if all we have is a bath of good intentions, the waters never get less muddy. Pledge yourself to Jesus all you want.  But take an honest look at yourself and what you’re pledging each time you have to redo it because you screwed the last one up.  Do you think God really wants you to pledge Him that? Do you think God really wants your best intentions and the excuses for all the sins that lead you to having to do it in the first place? But if John’s Baptism comes from heaven, maybe it means something that Jesus climbed down in those muddy waters too.  God works something in your Baptism. Forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.  He climbs down from heaven to collect not your good intentions but your sins.  He gathers up not your promises to do better, but your past and all your excuses, carries it with your future ones too each step to a cross to bleed and die for you to save you.  Baptism is what God would do for you.  It now saves you. The Pharisees didn’t understand this.  So Jesus won’t tell them why He preaches either.  It isn’t just whether or not Jesus should be allowed to speak in the house built upon His name and promises.  It’s what He would say there.  Does the Gospel Jesus preached actually forgive sins, or is it just a call to try harder and come up with a new life plan?  Who is running the verbs? Who is doing the thing?  If all you want from Jesus is a chance to prove you can do better, you’ll miss out because the answer isn’t so tricky.  God has authority in His creation.  And God wishes to save sinners.  So when God works in His church, it isn’t actually about you. It’s for you. It isn’t about your works or your gifts or your intentions or your life changes.  It’s about salvation given freely to sinners. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.This miracle of life reborn Comes from the Lord of breath; The perfect Man from life was torn; Our life comes through Christ’s death. (This Is the Spirit’s Entry Now, LSB 591:2)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.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.

May 24, 2023Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism Ten Commandments: The Ninth CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Numbers 16:23-40, Luke 19:29-48You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  In mercy, God will even guard your heart.  There’s already a commandment about not taking what’s yours.  You shall not steal.  You shall help your neighbor improve and protect his possessions and income.  We covered this.  But your heart can trespass too.  It can go where it ought not go.  Even the pagans recognize the shortsightedness of materialism.  Spending all day on Amazon and ignoring what you’ve been given is foolishness.  That doesn’t make the things we would covet sinful. It means that our hearts will do sinful things with them.  We usually call it greed.  Greed seeks more than God already graciously gives at the expense of others.  And greed creates problems with the extra it acquires.  To quote the hymnist, “More money, more problems.”So God gives us a commandment to guard our hearts.  Because greed is an ugly beast to slay.  It looks at the world and the possessions within it as a zero-sum game instead of a heap of gifts given by a merciful Father.  And God would rather your heart be fixed on Him who gives what we don’t deserve, then keeps on giving it even though everything in the world is falling apart, all just to make you a little more comfortable than you deserve on the beach with one set of footprints because He had to drag you kicking and screaming the whole way into the resurrection because you think your sandcastle is what really matters even though the tide is going to take it by tomorrow anyway.  Thou shall not covet.  Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Set not your heart on greed, which would take from others, but on God who would only give in mercy.  It isn’t just instructions to follow for a happier life.  It’s a joy that the Jesus who died to forgive you all your sins, even forgives your heart.  Your heart is forgiven too.  The greed that you hide and the greed that you don’t is forgiven by Jesus.  He numbers it among the 10 commandments He fulfills and the 10 He daily and richly forgives. So count it as a joy that God cares about your heart so much that He’d guard it, redeem it, and seal it for salvation.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 581:10)-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.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.

May 23, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-19, 5:6-11Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:1-22, Luke 19:11-281 Peter 4:13: “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Peter calls suffering a blessing.  I wish he wouldn’t.  It isn’t just how much it hurts.  It’s the question of why.  Because a loving God sends some suffering for good.  And also, the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking to devour Christians.  Working havoc.  And suffering. It makes the suffering God sends hard to pick out from the suffering the devil brings.  And highlights the question.  Why?  We try to parse the source of the suffering. We try to parse the reason.  When all along, this is simply a call about where to take it.  We take suffering to Jesus, who joins us in it.  It’s going to hurt down here.  Be ready.  Some of it will come from the devil.  Some of it will come from God.  Some of it will come as the consequences of your own sins and sins others commit. And in the middle of it all, you won’t understand where it comes from. You’ll just pray it will go away.  You won’t understand why it’s happening, be it divine plan, satanic attack, or simply human stupidity.  But even if you do, it usually won’t be worth the trade to you. We have a bigger problem with suffering than God does.  That’s evident.  Not just because it’s too common or because it  hurts, but chiefly in the fact that suffering is how God saves you.  He suffers for you.  God dwells in suffering first.  He died on the cross to save you, not just from the attacks of the devil, but from the consequences of your own sins.  So that you could do more than hope that this world too full of suffering might get a little better.  He places Himself into suffering so that you can be placed into the resurrection and a world without it.  God dwells in suffering first.  His glory is revealed there.  Glory is a presence word.  It means that God is actually there.  God suffers for you on the cross and works good there.  When we are close to suffering, we are close to where God works salvation. That’s a blessing.  When we suffer, we join ours to Him who has already conquered it and we look past the cross to the empty tomb, that we would know suffering isn’t all there is, it’s just the rocky path already paved smooth by Jesus for your salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O LORD, let us who suffer according to Your will entrust our souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. Amen. -Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.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.

May 22, 2023Today's Reading: Acts 1:12-26Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:26-45, Luke 18:35-19:10Acts 1:16: ““Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What do you say at the funeral of a friend? Judas was numbered with them. Spent 3 years with them. Ate, laughed, and cried with them.  Then he killed himself.  This isn’t just a turning point towards the calling of Matthias, the 12th 2.0.  It’s a loss over what to say in the face of something so awful.  Sometimes there just aren't’ words. The heavy-handed law to anyone considering Judas’ end might look at how they don’t know what to say.  Look at how much work is still left to be done, but now by another.  Look at how little is fixed by this.  There is a field devoted to the tragedy that will never be the same to everyone left. It’s so easy to put a better construction on things than they rightly deserve.  Find a reason.  Peter doesn’t do that.  He points to the fulfillment of the scriptures, which don’t deny Judas his sin, but also provide the answer.  The scripture had to be fulfilled.  And it was.  Jesus was betrayed, crucified, and risen.  He ascended to sit upon the throne.  It’s not what Judas’ sin allowed. It’s what God insisted would happen, even for sinners like Judas.  Hope can draw near and exist even when there aren’t words to talk about what happened.  There is forgiveness, life, and salvation for all who believe.  Don’t excuse away actions. Cling to the word of God.  That endures to life, even when yours fall short.Trust in the baptism that saves sinners.  God saves through faith, even battered and broken.  Then, when you look back to Judas, it can be more than a cautionary tale.  If you look at the darkest funerals you stumble across, they can be stories of commending a fallen brother to the mercy of God, and a chance to look forward to seeing God who saves the sinners still at work in your life and to life everlasting. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O LORD God, Dear Father in Heaven, give to us the Lamb in the midst of the throne to be our shepherd, that He will guide us to springs of living water, and will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Amen.-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.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.

 May 21, 2023Today's Reading: John 17:1-11Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:1-25, Luke 18:18-34John 17:11: “And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Why does it feel so good to lament the decline of civilization? It seems like a solid 80% of the conversations I have with Christians involve some sort of complaint about the world. Why does it feel so good to think there’s nothing we can do about it but say “I told you so” in the face of calamity?  Maybe it’s because quitting feels easier. Or because when we are powerless to circumstance, it might be our problem but at least it’s not our fault.  Even with Christ who is risen from the grave, Christians aren’t just sad but despondent.  Hopeless. That’s worse than sad. Sadness can keep fighting. Keep struggling. But when there’s no hope, when the world is insurmountable, why bother? Hopelessness creeps into every part of life.  Relationships feel broken and unfixable.  Anxieties pile up and can’t be conquered. Illnesses are terminal and can’t be cured.  This is what giving up feels like.  And it feels good. Despondency feels good. Complaining about the world feels good. If you couldn’t have won anyway, you can be dragged into the same sins you lament in the world, the same culture you decry, but with a superior attitude and “I told you so” on your lips. Despondent people build altars to their own emptiness and turn the church into something that looks like it’s dying too.  Do you know how pitiful it is to quit something the Lord has already won the victory over?  Repent of your hopelessness. Repent of your politics and the despair they bring you.  Hear Jesus pray a prayer for glory and fully expect it to be answered by the Father with a cross. Know that this cross is for you. To forgive you your sins. To save you from a world destined to decay.  Cling to the resurrection and the promise it yields.  Nothing that falls apart won’t be put back together.  Christ died on the cross to save sinners.  To save you.  To save those in the world.  The world itself may fall apart. But you are already rescued, as surely as He is risen.  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.  -Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.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.

May 20, 2023 Today's Reading: Psalm 100:1-5; antiphon: Psalm 101:1Daily Lectionary: Numbers 13:1-3, 17-33; Luke 18:1-17“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (Psalm 100:1-2) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Holy Spirit has gifted some with amazing musical talent, which they employ in service to God’s Word. Think of all the musicians and poets whose work is compiled in our hymnal. Consider all the talent and dedication that make for choirs and festivals, which make up the music played on Lutheran Public Radio. Now think of your own congregation. Some are able to lead the congregation with their voice or instruments. Others can join in with their own voices. Still others are not gifted musically, and may even stay completely silent, while they listen to others sing to them. We may joke that our singing ability amounts to making a joyful “noise” to the Lord, but that’s not what the word means. It’s not noise like your parents say when they tell you to turn down your music. It’s a joyful cry to the Lord. A cry, as in when the walls of Jericho fell (Joshua 6), and as when the Lord entered Jerusalem to accomplish our salvation (Zechariah 9:9). It’s a joyful cry in response to what God has done. The reality is that every believer can make a joyful noise to the Lord, regardless of their personal musical ability. This psalm describes the natural reaction of lost, hopeless sinners being reconciled to God, of those who were dead being made alive together with Christ. Even if our vocal cords or our fingers are not capable, our spirit within us can rejoice. That doesn’t diminish the value of sacred music. The psalms invite us to come into His presence with singing, with the sound of lyres, horns, tambourines, and flutes. This is to give external voice to our inner devotion. Just as making the sign of the cross or bowing before the altar are an expression of our heart’s deep reverence toward God. Martin Luther once shared this insight about how God’s Word in music bolsters our faith: “Except for theology there is no art that could be put on the same level with music, since except for theology, [music] alone produces what otherwise only theology can do, namely, a calm and joyful disposition.” (LW 49:428) Don’t let the level of your musical ability or that of your congregation hold you back from making a joyful cry to the Lord and to come into His presence with singing. Be encouraged by the last verse of the Psalms: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Oh, that I had a thousand voices To praise my God with thousand tongues!  My heart, which in the Lord rejoices,  Would then proclaim in grateful songs, To all, wherever I might be,  What great things God has done for me. (Oh That I Had A Thousand Voices, LSB 811:1)- Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

May 19, 2023 Today's Reading: Numbers 11:24-29, 12:1-16Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:24-29, 12:1-16; Luke 17:20-37“Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him” (Numbers 12:6) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There was a problem with Moses: He couldn’t do it all. Today, we would have said Moses was close to burnout. There needed to be others to share the burden of spiritual headship. So, seventy men were appointed to serve as elders, and the Lord took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on them. Well, actually, 68 of them were present. When Moses heard of it, he—perhaps in exasperation—says, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” This turned out to be a prophecy. At Pentecost, the Lord again pours out His Spirit on His people. Peter explains this is something the Lord had promised through Joel: “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.” (Acts 2:17, Joel 2:28-32) However, Aaron and Miriam show that sin can still spoil God’s work in giving the Spirit. They became resentful toward Moses saying, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” They wanted to seize the Spirit to give themselves what they considered a promotion. The Lord checks such uppity “spirituality.” It’s true that the Lord continues to pour out His Spirit on His servants—young and old, men and women. What they all have in common is, “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32). But as Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 14, the Spirit gives us gifts according to our vocations. Don’t get jealous of your fellow servants, but be content with the vocation He has given you in the Church. If you are a woman, it’s clear that you are not called to the role of pastor (“public prophesy”). Nevertheless, there are so many other ways the Spirit has gifted you to serve in the Name of Jesus. Parents can delight in prophecy by teaching and modeling the faith to their children. Friends can prophesy by sharing their faith and even inviting others to church. Our Lord Jesus has gifted us with His Spirit, and put each of us exactly where we need to be in His Church to fulfill His purpose.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Almighty and ever-living God, You make us both to will and to do those things that are good and acceptable in Your sight. Let Your fatherly hand ever guide us and Your Holy Spirit ever be with us to direct us in the knowledge and obedience of Your Word that we may obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.- Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

 May 18, 2023 Today's Reading: Luke 24:44-53Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:1-23, 31-35; Luke 17:1-19In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen!  What’s a huge difference between Christianity and other religions? Not just that other religions require us to justify ourselves to God by works. It’s also that they rely on human works to spread. The mission of the first Muslims was to spread by military conquest, allegedly proving that Muhammad’s Allah was true. Judaism depends on the preservation of traditions handed down from one generation to another, and that Jerusalem be taken back. Mormonism relies on door-to-door missionaries and that people feel a “burning in the bosom” to know the far-fetched claims of Joseph Smith are true. Even the Wokeism of our day is a human effort, because it’s fueled by the cunning of academics and the power of politicians. Not so with Christianity, even though people are the instruments by which it spreads. Before His Ascension, our Lord explained His work as the fulfillment and confirmation of all the Law, Prophets, and Psalms—“that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His Name to all nations.” These are the mighty works of God, no longer just handed down to the sons of Israel. They are to be told to people of every nation. This is what He has done, and by Jesus Christ’s faithfulness and obedience; by His holy, innocent suffering and death, sinners have peace with God and can stand at the final judgment. This Gospel of Christ is not spread by our cunning or force. Even though God uses people just like us to spread that Gospel, we are not doing it on our own. The Lord told the apostles: “Behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” It is God the Holy Spirit who calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies by this Gospel. Jesus ascended into heaven so that He would send the Holy Spirit who would draw all people to Him (John 12:32). That same Lord who spoke these reassuring and powerful words before His Ascension is the same who mightily sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, and who still is at work wherever His Word of repentance for the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed. Even though He ascended on high, He is actually as near as our pulpits and in our words as we share this Gospel today.  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. (Collect for the Ascension) - Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

May 17, 2023 Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Ten Commandments: The Eighth CommandmentDaily Lectionary:Numbers 10:11-36; Luke 16:19-31“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16, the 8th Commandment) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen!  “Who is my neighbor?” the lawyer asks to justify himself (Luke 10:29). It’s easy to imagine standing up for our friends and family, or someone we have feelings for. But do you think of standing up for the reputation of those to whom you have no connection and maybe even disagree with? If you see a boy dressed in girl’s clothes getting bullied, would you stand up for him? Certainly, you don’t agree with his behavior, but it’s also wrong for others to mercilessly ridicule another person. That boy is a person who is valued by God, and priced with the precious blood of Christ, so we are to have compassion on him. God sees him as a whole person, not just by the surface of outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7b). Besides, how would we ever witness to other sinners if we, too, push them away? The Catechism explanation teaches us, “A good name or reputation is important so that each of us may enjoy the trust and respect of others.” Think for a moment how important that is for your own life. With trust and respect, you’re able to make friends, take advantage of opportunities, and show your capability. Take that away, and others will see you only for your faults, be suspicious of trusting you, and lead you to doubt your own abilities. Isolated by this, many people despair and even contemplate suicide. This is the damage people can do to each other’s reputations, but what are God’s ways? When Adam and Eve sinned, He gave them coverings for their nakedness. Specifically, it was with garments of skin, foreshadowing that such a covering for sin would come at the death of another (Genesis 3:21). We now know and believe that covering for our sins and others is the death of Jesus Christ, our Lord. In the wisdom of Proverbs, He teaches us, “Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.” (Proverbs 11:13) This is the way of God: not to magnify faults and increase the damage of sin, but to cover a matter for the good of our neighbor. Yes, there are times when the safety of our other neighbors may require us to speak, but those are very specific. Rather than rushing to judgment, rush to the cross, where God has made the covering for the sins of all. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Almighty Father, it is Your gracious will to remove our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west by the atonement of Your Son. Grant us Your heart toward our fellow sinners, that we may deal graciously with them even as you have with us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. - Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

May 16, 2023 Today's Reading: 1 Peter 3:13-22Daily Lectionary: Numbers 9:1-23; Luke 16:1-18“Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy” (1 Peter 3:14-15) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen! Imagine what it was like for Noah, those 120 years he was building the ark. People around him were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage. Meanwhile Noah was preparing for the upcoming destruction of the world. If we find it hard to be the only Christian we know at school or work, can you fathom what it was like to be one of the few on earth who feared God? Yet, Noah persevered. See, Noah had hope in a world to come, which those who ridiculed him didn’t have. They were occupied with this present life. The Nephilim were interested in being powerful and feared. The sons of God who were marrying the unbelieving daughters of men were grounded by their family ties to this present life (see Genesis 6:1-4). But Noah, who had found favor in God’s eyes, also had hope that went beyond this present and wicked life. We also can expect to be ridiculed by those who are perishing. The unbelieving around us say that this life is all you can hope for. They say follow your desires, and don’t let anyone tell you they’re wrong. When we deny that, they will call us names, pass us by in employment, or worse. Yet, they can really do no lasting harm. Like Noah, we have found favor in the eyes of the Lord. In Holy Baptism, He has looked at us in His Son: “This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” We hope in this heavenly Word, and in the promise of “the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come” (Nicene Creed). As we still live among the unbelieving, we bear testimony to our God, who desires the salvation of all mankind. This world is passing away, and our gentle and respectful lives bear witness to that. Even if stubborn unbelievers cause us suffering, we let go of whatever we lose and pray to our God: “Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I will sing for joy.” (Psalm. 63:3, 7; LSB 286) There is plenty of room in the ark of the Church. We pray that the Lord would grant repentance to our family, friends, and neighbors who are of the world. The end of the world is coming. The end of each of our lives is coming, and then comes judgment. God grant repentance that we might live before Him with a good conscience!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. To forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers and to turn their hearts…and graciously to hear our prayers: We implore you to hear us, good Lord. (Litany, LSB 288) - Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

May 15, 2023 Today's Reading: Acts 17:16-31Daily Lectionary: Numbers 8:5-26; Luke 15:11-32They should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. (Acts 17:27) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen!  In seminary, I had a professor who said, “You need to exegete the culture.” Exegesis is what’s done when a biblical text is analyzed and application is drawn out from it. In the same way as you delve into God’s Word to draw out the message, look at the world around you. It’s important to acknowledge that all people are God’s creatures. When we hear the far-fetched things that people outside the church are doing, it’s tempting to say, “I thank you God that I am not like them.” But just as you have compassion when you see an awful car accident on the side of the road, we ought to see those lost in false belief. In many ways, the unbelievers are not completely cut off from God (yet). When Paul was in Athens, “his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.” He had compassion for these people who imagined that their life was in the hands of fate and moody deities. He started with what they sort-of had right: “I perceive that in every way you are very religious.” He even quoted where some of their poets saw the truth. Yet, Paul was clear to correct what they had wrong and would lead to them perishing eternally. We can do a similar thing in our own day. Think of a person who is confused about their gender because of their emotions and onset of hormonal changes. He or she needs to hear that they were created purposefully by God either male or female. They need to be guided to see their body as good, but damaged by sin, and to find help from this God who loves him or her and has compassion. The philosophy of Critical Theory is right to identify that people are flawed and commit injustices toward each other, and to want to remedy injustice and care for the oppressed. But, they need to be told of the God who “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth.” That evil is not in white skin, masculinity, or oppressive power structures, but in each of our failures to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. Rather than upend society, we need to learn from Him who created and redeemed mankind. It’s easier to simply isolate and be glad that we have the Gospel. But God who “made from one man every nation” desires “all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4)  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. (Arise and Shine in Splendor, LSB 396:3)- Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

May 14, 2023 Today's Reading: John 14:15-21Daily Lectionary: Numbers 3:1-16, 39-48; Luke 14:25-15:10“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me.” (John 14:18-19) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen!  One of the scary things about losing your parents is that you lose a connection to your roots. Your parents are a connection to where you came from. In the Holy Gospel today, our Lord makes two reassuring promises: I will not leave you as orphans and I will come to you. In Christ, we are not orphans, cut off from our roots. We are adopted into a lineage that goes back all the way to Adam and Eve. Now, you can’t find it on a genealogy website. But it is one that is recorded in Holy Scripture. Every baptized believer is born into the Church. This Church began with the promise made to Adam and Eve after the Fall, and stretched all the way into eternity. Our roots transcend generations, span oceans, overcome death, and will never be severed! And that’s amazing, but what about our day-to-day life in the body? That’s where the second promise comes to our aid: “I will come to you.” He’s not merely talking about His Second Coming. He is Immanuel, God with us, and that did not cease to be true when He ascended. Consider the ways He is with His Church, which we call the means of grace. He gives us Baptism as a proof that “I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you” (Isaiah 43:1-2) He sends His Holy Spirit with Absolution to assure us that the forgiveness which the pastor speaks is valid on the Judgement Day (John 20:21-23). He is with us in His holy Word, which is why we are taught to say, “Thanks be to God” when it’s read and we stand for the Holy Gospel. And if that is not enough, in the Lord’s Supper, He gives to you His own true Body and Blood to strengthen and keep you. If you get lonely, feeling like an orphan, go to church. If it’s a Tuesday at 8:45pm, go talk with your parents, or phone a brother or sister in Christ. If you’re away from home and can’t do that, read the Bible as your family history and pray to your Father because you are His dear child.  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, one God, now and forever.- Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

May 13, 2023 Today's Reading: Psalm 119:89-93; antiphon: Psalm 119:105Daily Lectionary:Leviticus 26:21-33, 39-44; Luke 14:1-24“Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.” (Psalm 119:89) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen!  Our brothers in the Roman church often debate whether “sola Scriptura” (the all-sufficiency of Scripture) is taught in the Bible. If you ever want a strong case for that, look to Psalm 119, especially to these verses in Lamedh. Our God not only spoke creation into existence, but He also had it written down as an ongoing, trustworthy testimony for us. How can we have life if not for His commandments, recorded and faithfully handed down to us? Plus, as New Testament Christians, we have been blessed to know that life is through God’s Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. We will pray these words tomorrow, in preparation for hearing the great promise from the incarnate Lord Himself: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments…Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he 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 14:15, 21) If we need something more than Scripture to know God’s salvation in Christ, we’re not told what it is or where to find it. Regardless of the fact the Reformers penned the idea of “sola Scriptura,” the Lord Himself has taught us that His forever-enduring Word is all the foundation we need to know Him. By it the heavens and earth were made, and remain to this day. He desires for us to find refuge and life in His Word. Outside of the Word of God is only uncertainty, fear, and even death. Think of what happens when God’s Word is far from people. Our darkened imaginations run wild and myths creep in. This is certainly the darkness that loomed over common people when the Bible was only in Latin. Sadly, it still happens today in churches that minimize the Word of God itself, and overshadow it with doing “Christian things” like missionary work, social ministries, and hoping America will return to its supposed Christian roots. But in the Word, there is certainty, perfect love, and life. Christ sends us the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to be with us forever, there is life and salvation—“By Your precepts you have given me life. I am yours; save me.” This is why we hold so joyfully to “sola Scriptura.” 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 will be 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; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. - Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

May 12, 2023 Today's Reading: Leviticus 26:1-20Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:1-20; Luke 13:18-35“And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.“ (Leviticus 26:13) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen!  There’s a certain strange comfort in believing that the world works like this: God is in control of everything. He gives prosperity and power to the good people. The bad people he sends calamity and weakness so bad they’ll wish they were good. In this nicely ordered world, how good you’re being can be told by your prosperity and lack of calamity. This was the world of Job’s three friends. This is the world of televangelist Jerry Falwell, who, when the World Trade Center was attacked, blamed it on the immoral people of our country. It’s the world of Pat Robertson, when Haiti suffered a great earthquake, said it was a judgment for their practice of voodoo. But this is not how God works. “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, who could stand?” (Psalm 130:3) It seems that is how he works, from these words of Leviticus, but look at the bigger picture. If calamity is the direct response to unbelief and wicked behavior, what about the godless who are enjoying plenty of earthly prosperity? Where is their disaster for spurning the Word of the Lord? So much for the neat, tidy world we can understand. The wrong situation of this world can drive us to say with the psalmist, “Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.” (Psalm 73:12-13) So what is the answer for us? The promises made to Israel are only realized through Christ. They are neither literal promises that our daily lives will be free from trouble, nor that diseases are direct punishments for unfaithfulness. It’s clear that Israel as God’s nation fell far short of the faithfulness which God promised to bless. Even when they were rebuked by curses, at best only a remnant repented. What it takes is God’s Son, the Christ, to stand in the place of His people. He was the truly obedient one, who “[walked] in my statutes and observed my commandments and [did] them.” And yet, what Christ got in His passion was the curses our disobedience deserves. This is the only way for sinners to receive God’s favor. That is also how He has broken the bars of your yoke to make you walk upright. It’s not our good behavior that needs to turn God’s heart toward us. While we were still sinners, Christ did this for us. We walk upright before God through faith in 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 free from our sins and rescued from the punishments that we rightfully deserve; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.  - Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

May 11, 2023 Today's Reading: Luke 12:54 - 13:9Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 24:1-23; Luke 12:54-13:17 “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:5) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen!  Perhaps you will be blessed to never have to cross the court system, but most of us will in some way. The courts exist to deal with our faults—from the parking ticket you got, to the taxes you thought you wouldn’t have to pay, to more serious crimes that involve sentencing.  What’s our first reaction when we see that ticket on our windshield, the summons, or the police show up? It wasn’t my fault! They were being unfair! Look over there at how bad they are! Rarely is it, “I deserved that.” Why is it? Why can’t we be objective about our faults? It’s sin in us that resists and denies the truth. It reared its ugly head the minute God’s first accusation came, “Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you shall not eat?” (Genesis 3:11). If we can deny the truth of the guilt, then perhaps we can also get out of the deserved punishment.  What Jesus is teaching in the Gospel reading today is both the sternness of the Law, and the comforting grace of what He has done for us. Interpreting the signs of the times is not an invitation to the next prophecy workshop, nor is the call to settle with your accuser practical legal advice. Both of these are declaring what St. Paul also says: “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God…Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians. 5:20, 6:2) Today is the day to turn from your lame excuses and finger pointing. Repent of comparing yourself to others, and prepare for your own day before the judgment seat of Christ. The time our God has given us in this life is for continually hearing His Word and receiving His saving work. Though judgment is what you and I deserve, our Great High Priest intercedes for us. In effect, He is like that vinedresser who says, “Sir, let it alone this year also” that even when we should be misled for a time, He might bring us back to repentance and bring forth its fruits. So, next time you smell manure, it can remind you of this Gospel. That’s what His sacrifice has done for us, that we might live.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for Ash Wednesday)- Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

May 10, 2023 Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism Ten Commandments: The Seventh CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:23-44; Luke 12:35-38We 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. (Seventh Commandment) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen!  The age of information provides so many new opportunities. Never in history have so many people had access to vast amounts of information. If you want to know it, it’s probably available at your fingertips—without pay, instantly, privately. The 2017 Catechism explanation wisely adds the question, “What else is considered to be our neighbor’s possessions or property today?” It points out things like ideas and writings, music, software, movies, and personal information. Our sin needs a curb when it comes to that much power. When I was a young man, it was just being realized how easy it was to access intellectual property. At this time, before I knew the Lord, I had thousands of MP3’s and several pieces of software that I had not paid for. (After all, how could a college student afford such things?) To avoid getting in trouble, people became increasingly clever about how they shared the data. Peer-to-peer networks and servers in Sweden were among the most popular. The question for a Christian to ask is not, “Can I do this?” but rather, “How does this impact my neighbor?” even if that neighbor seems distant on the other side of the screen. They put long, hard hours into this work. Content creators make a career out of the videos they post to support their families. Game developers are worked to the bone to meet their deadlines. Everyone listed in the movie credits needs to be compensated. Even website ad revenue, as obnoxious as it can be, is important because it pays for hosting costs. Our very life is a testimony of the value God placed on us: “You were bought with a price, so glorify God in your body,” St. Paul writes (1 Corinthians 6:20). He did not consider it too costly to spend the precious blood of His Son to redeem us, even though we are filled with greedy desires. Baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection, we now “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Rather than looking out for our advantage, we desire to help our neighbor support his or her family, give a boost to those who are just getting started, and witness an honesty not found in vast swaths of the Internet. Where God gives us opportunity, we may even stand up for the good of our neighbor and encourage our friends not to pirate, or plagiarize, or obtain someone’s private information—all because we see the things of this life as gifts from God’s hand.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!  Morning by morning new mercies I see;All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;  Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! (Great is Thy Faithfulness, LSB 809: refrain)- Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

May 9, 2023 Today's Reading: 1 Peter 2:2-10Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:1-22; Luke 12:13-34 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen!  The hope of many is to see the temple rebuilt in Jerusalem, a “Third Temple,” they call it. There is even a movement among some orthodox Jews to dress the stones for the future temple they hope to build. Even more puzzling, there are also many Christians who are encouraged to support the Jews in this rebuilding fantasy. Those who hold to a so-called “literal” interpretation of the Bible believe that rebuilding the Temple is a major part in the fulfillment of Jesus' return. How wrong we can be in our sinful blindness! The reading from St. Peter’s epistle teaches us to rightly understand the prophets when they speak of God establishing a house, of making His people holy priests, of building a place for His name to dwell. “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” The prophet Isaiah was not speaking about a building, but Jesus Christ Himself! As for us who believe in Him (not in a building), we are made like Him by the Holy Spirit: “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” This is how to look at the communion of saints we confess in the Creed: God is at work building His church, stone by stone.  Each stone—each believer—is dressed by God working by His Word and Holy Spirit. Living daily in our Baptism, we are fitted anew into the temple of God’s design, according to Christ, the Cornerstone. We are also called a holy priesthood, who offer spiritual sacrifices within this Temple of the Christian Church. It’s not that we have anything worthy enough to offer God. But out of what flows from the Lamb of God, we are made alive to give our lives: for building up our fellow stones, for offering prayer for them and for the world, for service within the temple and in our various vocations. In all of it, proclaiming “the excellencies of Him who called [us] out of darkness and into His marvelous light.”  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We are God’s house of living stones,  Built for His own habitation. He through baptismal grace us owns  Heirs of His wondrous salvation. Were we but two His Name to tell,  Yet He would deign with us to dwell  With all His grace and His favor. (Built on the Rock, LSB 645:3)- Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

May 8, 2023 Today's Reading: Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 21:1-24; Luke 12:1-12And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:56) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen!  Today is the 78th anniversary of V-E Day, when victory was celebrated in Europe after over 6 hard years of fighting during World War II. Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Party, and the German army, had been a nearly unstoppable force. Over the previous 12 years, they had not only transformed the landscape of Europe through bombings and invasions, but they had convinced thousands that Hitler was a messiah figure who had come to establish a millennial kingdom. Under that deception, millions of Jews lost their lives by the claim that he was purifying the human race. No wonder V-E Day was such an occasion for celebration! From the moment in time which we occupy, it can often seem like the evil powers are winning the day. Cultural Marxism is sweeping the country. The transgender political beast rages. Millions have left the church they grew up in, only to be catechized by social media. In the time after Jesus’ Crucifixion, Death, and burial, it sure seemed like evil had won the day. After all, the murderous Sanhedrin had gotten their way. Jesus’ followers would eventually disperse, and Jewish life would get back to waiting for the “true” Messiah. But we know that is not the case. That first day of the week, Jesus rose and appeared to His disciples. The truth spread over against the lies: Jesus is the Christ, who has conquered sin, death, and the devil! After forty days with His disciples, Jesus ascended to the right hand of God. He sent the Holy Spirit who equipped the apostles and grew the Church by the Word they proclaimed. The Holy Spirit gave boldness and words to Stephen to preach to these Jews—not simply to diminish their earthly influence—but to save their souls. As the powerful and unbelieving were stoning Stephen, he was given a vision of the truth: Jesus is risen, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence, He will come to judge the living and the dead. Even though the mighty prevailed that day, the living Lord has won the battle for eternity. That victory belongs to every believer, delivered to you in your Baptism. Even though we see the wicked raging for now, the Holy Spirit keeps you in the truth: Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. But short was their triumph; the Savior arose,  And death, hell, and Satan, He vanquished His foes. The conquering Lord lifts His banner on high;  He lives, yes, He lives, and will nevermore die. (He’s Risen, He’s Risen, LSB 480:3)- Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

May 7, 2023 Today's Reading:  John 14:1-14Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 20:1-16; Luke 11:37-54Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (John 14:13) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen!  Have you ever been on the line with customer service or tech support? It’s already been forty-five minutes, when they tell you, “I can’t help you with that. I’m going to have to transfer you to someone who can help you.” Crestfallen, you realize you must have taken a wrong turn in the phone menu and you’ll have to start from scratch with someone new. Although there was none of that in the upper room, the disciples had the impression that Jesus was something less than He is. Despite being with Him for so long, they think there’s some higher tier that actually rules the universe. Even though He is sitting with His disciples in the flesh, He is the same one who goes to prepare a place for them. Jesus Himself is the Lord, the “I Am” who appeared to Moses (Exodus 3:14). He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” by whom no man can come to the Father except through Him. The Lord Jesus is both true God, ruling over the universe, and true Man, sitting right there talking with them. He isn’t an intermediary like Moses. He himself has divine power and authority. And what will He do with such power and authority? Prepare a place for you and I to dwell in the Father’s house. He will hear and answer what we ask Him. He will put His Name upon us so that by His authority, we are called children of God (John 1:12-13). We often think the promise, “I will come again and will take you to myself” is merely for the end of our life. He says, “Where I am you may be also.” Where is He now?  He has passed through the grave, never to die again. He is risen. He has ascended into heaven, to intercede for us and to sit at the right hand of the Father Almighty. That is to say, He has “all authority in heaven and earth” (Matthew 28:18). So why wouldn’t we come to Jesus with our prayers? He has come to us with His most-worthy name and by His merit we will be brought into eternal life. Today, in Him, we can be confident that we are not being pawned off to someone else who can “really” help us. Jesus is Lord, and He is here for you.  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.- Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.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.

May 6, 2023Today's Reading:  Psalm 30:1-5; antiphon: Psalm 149:1Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 19:9-18, 26-37; Luke 11:14-36O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. (Psalm 30:2–3 ESV)In the Name + of Jesus.  Amen.  Whether you know it or not, you are in a relationship with death, but it might not be the relationship that you think. In the Old Testament, Sheol was the place of the dead. It was a place that no one wanted to find themselves, yet everyone ended up in.  It was thought to be a place of darkness, a place with an unending appetite for consuming the living.  Whatever existence there was  in Sheol, it could not compare with being alive. The food had no taste, nothing had any substance, and God himself was not praised.  In Sheol there was no thought, no knowledge, and no wisdom.  There was also no coming back.  Once you were there that was it.  It was a one way trip.  It was the Old Testament version of Hotel California; you could check out, but you could never leave.  Any possible rescue could only come from God Himself.  God could do it, but would He?The rest of the ancient world was even more hopeless in its relationship with death. There was no coming back from it at all. Once you died that was it.  Eumenides (an ancient play) even has the line “Once a man has died, and the dust has soaked up his blood, there is no Resurrection.”  Death could be postponed, put off, avoided for a time even, but once it came that was it. There may be some kind of life after death, but it was not an embodied life.  In their thought the relationship with death was entirely on death’s terms. That all changes with Jesus.  In the death of Jesus is the death of death itself.  What Jesus did on the cross forever changed your relationship with death.  No longer is Sheol waiting to devour you.  Death has been tamed and even if you should die Sheol is no longer your place.  You have been rescued from the pit.  You have been redeemed.  Here is the great truth of Easter:In the Resurrection of Jesus is the promise of your resurrection. You will return to an embodied life.  Death could not hold Jesus and it will not hold you.  Death no longer dictates the terms of the relationship.  You are part of the new covenant and its new song is your song.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.New songs of celebration render To Him who has great wonders; Love sits enthroned in ageless splendor; Come and adore the mighty One. He has made known His great salvation Which all His friends with joy confess. He has revealed to every nation His everlasting righteousness. (New Songs of Celebration Render, LSB 792:1) - Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

May 5, 2023Today's Reading:  Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 18:1-7; Luke 11:1-13“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11–13 ESV)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Ever since His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, there have been those in the church that think that there is some magic secret to prayer that will guarantee that God hears and responds in the desired manner.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Prayer is not magic and God cannot be manipulated by the right posture, hand motions, or combinations of words. To put it bluntly, praying is not like casting a spell and no amount of Harry Potter style swish and flick will make any difference. The secret to prayer does not lie in methodology.  This is where a lot of teaching on prayer goes off the rails. It treats prayer as something that we do, that has its genesis within us. This is not the case in any way, shape, or form.  Prayer does not have its beginnings with us.  Another way to put it would be to say that God does not hear our prayers because of who we are or what we do.  God hears our prayers because of who He is.This is the meaning of the Parable of the Friend at Midnight. It shows that God hears our prayers because that is part of HIs nature. He hears us because He has promised that he would.  He hears us because he has integrity and honor.  Even more than that He has given us the very prayer that He never tires of hearing.  On top of all this our prayers are a response to God working in us.  Our very ability to pray is a gift from God.  We do not have to go in search of methodologies or worry about proper posture, hand motions, or even words. He has given us all that we need to pray to Him in full assurance that we will be heard.  He hears us because He is our Father and He has made us HIs children through Jesus Christ.  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 766:9) - Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

May 4, 2023Today's Reading:  1 Peter 2:19-25Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 17:1-16; Luke 10:23-42For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 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. 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 2:19–21 ESV)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our reading for today really needs to be read in context to be properly understood. It comes in the midst of what is known as a “household code” where Peter uses the normal structure of society to talk about Jesus. Grecco/Roman culture was all about structure and order. Everyone had their ordained part to play and if they did not play it then society did not function.  In our case he is specifically addressing household servants who may continue to suffer unjustly simply because  they are Christians. Christianity itself was seen as a challenge to the social order because it was thought to encourage people to act outside of their established roles. What Peter is getting at is that their faith did not change their status in society.  Becoming a Christian did not mean that they were free to walk away from a bad situation. They were to continue to live out their roles even if that meant serving an unbelieving or even an evil master. Their faith did not merit them special treatment.  If they suffered because of their faith it was because of the paradigm that was set by Jesus.  His suffering was the model for theirs.  Another way to put it would be to say that their suffering was not an accurate reflection of their status before God. The evil that they had to endure was not a reflection of their eternal destiny.  This may be an especially hard passage to read in our time and place where unjust suffering seems to be un-American.  The focus of our society is on individual rights and equity and yet Christians continue to suffer just because they are Christian.  Peter’s message to the Christians of his time is the same message that he has for you. Your faith has not changed your place in society. but it has changed your place in eternity.  No matter what happens here you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Let us suffer here with Jesus, And with patience bear our cross. Joy will follow all our sadness; Where he is, there is no loss. Though today we snow no laughter, We shall reap celestial joy; All discomforts that annoy Shall give way to mirth hereafter. Jesus, here I share Your woe; Help me there your joy to know. (Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus, LSB 685:2)- Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

May 3, 2023Today's Reading:  Luther’s Small Catechism Table of Duties: Sixth CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Leviticus 16:1-24; Luke 10:1-22The Sixth Commandment:  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 what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other. In the Name + of Jesus. After reading this commandment as well as some of the other things that the church has said about sex over the centuries, you might reach the conclusion that the best thing to do would be to avoid sex altogether. Celibacy, it would seem, might be the better choice for the Christian. This is certainly where the medieval church came down on things. Before and even during the time of Luther celibacy was considered superior to marriage. The celibate were better believers and were more capable of pleasing God than those that were married. In other words, it was more Christian to abstain from sex entirely and even sex within marriage carried the taint of sin. For Luther the sixth commandment is more about giving sex its proper place in marriage  than it is about banning sex in general. Sex is not a prohibited activity, it is a gift from God that is meant to be enjoyed by husband and wife. Sex can and should take place, but only within the context of marriage. It is the one flesh relationship that is part of God’s intentions for His creation. Marriage, rather than being an inferior status, should be considered the default for the vast majority of Christians. Celibacy is also a gift of God, but it is a rare gift and does not make someone a superior Christian. Sexually pure does not mean free from sex from birth to death, it means that sex ought only take place within marriage. It was designed by God for husband and wife, for the procreation of children, and as an expression of their love for one another.  In fact, Luther links marriage to the promise to Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. (LW Vol 4 pg. 233) In that promise, the marriage bed is regarded as undefiled and marriage is honorable because of their connection to the Seed which is Christ.  Ultimately this means that you are pure because Christ was pure on your behalf, on behalf of your future spouse, and on behalf of any children you may have.  Amen.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Gracious Savior, grant Your blessing To this husband and this wife, That in peace they live together In Your love throughout their life. Christ, defend them from the tempter And from all that would destroy Love’s foundation You have laid here, And its threshold paved with joy. (Gracious Savior, Grant Your Blessing, LSB 860:1)- Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

May 2, 2023Today's Reading:  Acts 2:42-47 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 10:1-20; Luke 9:37-62And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46–47 ESV)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  I had a roommate in college that thought a romantic relationship only lasted until someone better came along. A girlfriend could be (and often was) replaced at any time. I bring this up because this is how some in the ancient world thought about the Christian God. They would question His commitment to His people. If one of their friends became a Christian they would ask them how they could follow such a fickle God. “He changed His mind about the Jews,”they would say, “How long until He changes his mind about you?”Their thought was that God had chosen the Gentiles over the Jews and that He had not kept His promises to the descendants of Abraham. Such a God who changed His mind was not to be trusted,  He was not to be followed, and He was inferior to the other Gods available. These critiques were meant to sow the seeds of doubt among the non-Jewish converts to the new faith. Part of the apologetic task of the early church was to counter such criticisms and show that God had kept his promises to the Jews, that He was, is, and always would be faithful to His people whether they were Jew or Gentile. Our reading today shows that God was faithful to the Jews and that He did keep his promises to them. Everything that Luke mentions in this summary statement took place in Jerusalem among believers who were ethnic Jews. They were devoted to the apostles’ teaching and the breaking of the bread. They were proof that God was faithful to the Jews, that God kept the promises He had made to Abraham. God continues to be faithful to His promises. The same teachings that they were devoted to are the same teachings that continue to this day in the church. The bread they broke is the same bread we break in the Sacrament of the Altar. The God who was faithful to them is the God who is faithful to you. God did not change His mind about them and He will not change His mind about you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Through the intervening ages Round the world the Gospel spread: Faithful heralds took the message , Guided where the Spirit led; So the body grew in stature, Serving Christ, the living head. (We Are Called to Stand Together, LSB 828:3)- Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

May 1, 2023Today's Reading:  John 14:1-14Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 9:1-24; Luke 9:37-62Philip said to him, “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’?” (John 14:8–9 ESV)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If our reading was a reality television show I can imagine Thomas being pretty upset with Philip while James is giving both of them the stink eye.  Neither Thomas nor Philip come across as especially apostolic in our reading, but only Thomas gets the lasting legacy of the ‘doubting’ nickname attached to him. James, on the other hand, only gets his name mentioned in the Gospels and has to share his day on the liturgical calendar with Philip. In all seriousness, it is easy to give the apostles a hard time. They don’t come across as especially smart in the Gospels. They question Jesus, they don’t understand Jesus when he speaks in figurative language,  and they don’t believe him when he speaks plainly.  They spend a lot of their time with Jesus not really understanding what is going on. At no point in their doubts and questions did Jesus ever disown them. Despite their flaws they remained His. In other words, they are a lot like you.They did not bring anything special to the table. They were not recruited for their athletic prowess or sought out for their intellectual achievements.  They were not the best and brightest of their generation. They just happened to be the guys that God picked. The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus changes everything for them. Prior to the first Easter they question and doubt, after the Resurrection they are completely different.  Everything they needed to follow Jesus was given to them by God. It is the same for you. You bring nothing to your relationship with God. You may doubt and you may question, but you still belong to Jesus.  The Crucifixion and Resurrection that changed them has changed you as well. The same Holy Spirit that was given to them has been given to you. What they witnessed with their eyes, you participated in with your Baptism. Philip and James have rooms in the Father’s house and so do you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.We praise You, Lord, for Philip, Blest guide to Greek and Jew, And for young James the faithful, Who heard and followed You. O grant us grace to know You, The way, the truth, the life, To wrestle with temptation, To triumph in the strife. (By All Your Saints in Warfare, LSB 518:18)- Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

April 30, 2023Today's Reading:  John 10:1-10Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 8:1-13,30-36, Luke 9:1-17“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9 ESV)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  All this language of shepherds and sheep has led to some interesting places in the history of the church.  This is especially true in the theology of missions and biblical translation. Sheep are some of the most helpless animals on earth. They are cute and fuzzy for sure, but they are not really bright. In cultures where sheep are unknown this passage becomes a challenge to talk about and translate. In Papua New Guinea they had to substitute ‘pig’ for sheep, but the most interesting debate took place when Star Trek fans wanted to translate the Bible into Klingon and were stumped on how to translate ‘sheep’ into a culture where helplessness wasn’t even a category. In a sense this is also true of our own culture. Americans don’t like to think of themselves as sheep either. Maybe the problem is not with the language, but with people.  Maybe we just don’t want to be sheep.  We call people who go along with the crowd sheep, and we do not mean it as a compliment.  Gordon Gekko put it best in the movie Wall Street when dismissing certain people who could not find success in the business world.  He said, ‘they are sheep, and sheep get slaughtered.’  The thing to remember is that all people, Christian or not, are sheep. The difference is not in what we are, the difference is in the voice  we follow. The voice we follow is that of the Good Shepherd.  All other voices are those of the stranger and they are not to be followed because they do save and do not lead to pasture. As sheep of the good shepherd, you are saved and can go in and out and find pasture.  This talk of coming and going sounds awkward to us. We use the same language in our baptismal liturgy. We say to the newly baptized “the Lord preserve your coming in and going out from this time forth and even forever more”  Coming in and going out was a phrase that dealt with the course of human life. The Good Shepherd is there for you in all times and in all circumstances you have nothing to fear from the voices of thieves and robbers.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.-Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

April 29, 2023Today's Reading:  Psalm 95:1-3, 6-7a; antiphon: John 10:14, 15bDaily Lectionary: Exodus 40:17-38, Luke 8:40-56“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:14–15b ESV)In the Name + of Jesus.  Amen. In our time and our place, we have become so used to the language of Jesus as the Good Shepherd that we don’t even really think about when we hear it. We have tamed the language and made it into something as inoffensive as a Hallmark greeting card.  There is nothing safe or tame in Jesus stating that he is the good shepherd.  In fact, in saying this Jesus is making the claim “I AM the Good shepherd” Jesus is stating that he is subject of Psalm 95, that he is the Lord, in other words that he is God. He is the one whom before we worship, bow down, and kneel. Even more significantly,  He is the one that defines His own goodness by laying down His life for the sheep. He lays down his life for you.  What does it mean to be one of Jesus' little lambs? I ask this question because I think that the church has gotten a little too sentimental about all of this sheep and shepherd imagery and that we have made it too nice and neat.  When we think about shepherds and sheep, we tend to think of it as a nice peaceful guy leading his flock through pristine fields of the greenest grass towards the clean cold waters of a stream.  There are no rocky trails, no barren wilderness to cover and most certainly no wolves to be afraid of.  I am here to tell you that being a shepherd was not easy work and being a sheep was no fun either.  There were dangers to the left and dangers to the right. The only thing that kept a sheep safe was following the one voice that they recognized, the voice of their shepherd.In saying that we are the sheep of his hand, we are confessing that we are helpless and unable to save ourselves. We are confessing that our lives as sheep are only found in the Death and Resurrection of the Shepherd. If Easter truly is to be a season of reflecting on the Resurrection, then there is no better way of doing that than remembering that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who laid his life down for the sheep only to take it up again. His voice calls to you from Word and Sacrament ministry of the church which tells you that you have been brought into the flock and are under the care of the Good Shepherd. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“O ever be our guide, Our shepherd, and our pride, Our staff and song. Jesus, O Christ of God, By Your enduring Word Lead us where You have trod; Make our faith strong.”Shepherd of Tender Youth LSB 864, st 4.-Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

April 28, 2023Today's Reading:  Daily Lectionary: Exodus 39:32-40:16, Luke 8:22-39“He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”” (Luke 8:25 ESV)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The identity of Jesus can be a confusing thing.  In our reading for today the demons are the only ones that seem certain about who Jesus is. They call him “Son of the Most High God”.  Jesus’ own disciples who have heard His teaching and witnessed His calming of the storm are left with the question, “Who then is this, that the commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” The Geneserates, when they hear how Jesus freed the man from the demons, respond in fear and ask him to depart. They fear that the demons will come back in force and don’t believe that Jesus is up to that kind of challenge. You can almost see the public relations team telling Jesus that he needs to work on his brand if he wants to be successful.   This confusion continues even today in the ivory towers of some academic biblical scholars. They will tell you that the Jesus we meet in Luke’s Gospel is presented to us with a low Christology, which is a way of saying that Jesus, as Luke presents him, is fully human and not divine. The divine part of Jesus’ identity, they will tell you, comes later and is not part of the faith of the earliest believers. These guys not only get Jesus wrong, they also get Luke wrong. There is nothing ‘low’ about the Christology of Luke’s Gospel. He presents to his readers a Jesus who is fully human and fully divine. He presents to his readers a Jesus that is truly both God and man. Look again at how our reading ends. Jesus tells the man who had been freed from the demons to declare how much God had done for him and he goes away proclaiming all that Jesus has done for him. Who is this that the wind and water obey? Who is it that has authority over demons? There is only one answer. In other words, Jesus is God. The one who can tame creation is the Creator. The God who created the world became flesh and entered into His own creation to save it.  He comes to you in water and Word to recreate you. He feeds you with His own flesh and blood in communion.  His death is your death and His life is your life. What Jesus has done for you is what God has done for you.  Knowing the true identity of Jesus means that you know your own identity.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.He who the sea And wind obey Doth come to serve the sinner in great meekness. Thou, God’s own Son, With us art one, Dost join us and our children in our weakness. “O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger Is” LSB 372, st 2-Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

April 27, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Peter 1:17-25Daily Lectio nary: Exodus 38:21-39:8, 22-23, 27-31, Luke 8:1-21“for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:24–25 ESV)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You live in exile. You live as an outsider in the world. Sometimes it would just be easier to be an unbeliever. You wouldn’t catch quite so much grief from the political and celebrity elites that dismiss Christians as being dumber than the average bear. You also would not have to worry about being targeted as an extremist by federal law enforcement officers. In addition, Sunday mornings could be reserved for sleeping in. It wouldn’t solve all of life’s problems; you would still have to do homework and fulfill all your other commitments and responsibilities. Life would not be perfect, but it sure would be easier. At the very least, you would no longer be living in exile. This is exactly the kind of temptation that presented itself to the people that Peter writes to in our reading for today. He calls them exiles, not so much because they had been removed from their homeland, but because their faith had made them outsiders. The people they lived among had no respect for the faith or the faithful. Good citizenship and Christianity were considered incompatible. It would have been easier for them if they had just given into the things their culture was expecting from them and renounced their beliefs and blended in.  In the face of cultural persecution Peter reminds his readers who they are. His words to them are also his words to you. You have been ransomed by the very blood of Christ. You have been washed in the eternal Word and fed with the very body and blood of that Word made flesh. You have an eternal status as a child of God. Nothing in this present world can compare to that. Nothing that our culture offers you has any lasting value. That which is  tempting you away from the faith is fleeting and transitory. It, like the grass and flowers, withers and fails. The Word of the Lord, the good news that was preached to you, the very new creation that you are will remain forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, Your words are waters living When my thirsting spirit pleads. Lord, Your words are bread life giving; On Your words my spirit feeds.  Lord, Your words will be my light Through death’s cold and dreary night; Yes they are sword prevailing And my cup of joy unfailing. “Speak, O Lord, Your Servant Listens” LSB 589, st 3. -Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

April 26, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism, Table of Duties: Fifth CommandmentDaily Lectionary:Exodus 34:29-35:21, Luke 7:36-50The Fifth Commandment.:  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. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. At first glance this commandment would seem pretty easy to obey. It is not difficult to live your day to day life without having to resort to the act of murder.  Many of the other commandments, particularly the eighth, are much more difficult to keep.  Luther’s teaching on this commandment shows that its meaning goes far beyond the simple prohibition to not murder. In fact, this commandment is not so much about avoiding the act of murder as it is about acting to protect your neighbor from harm and danger. In helping to care for your neighbor you become part of the wall that God has erected around them to protect their bodily life.  Much of what we would call acts of mercy are actually fulfillments of the command not to murder. The command not to murder cannot be obeyed passively; it carries with it the expectation that you will act on behalf of your neighbors needs.  For Luther these actions are the product of meekness. Not the meekness that we might practice before our friends and family but the meekness that is shown to our enemies. The meekness that does not seek revenge. The meekness that prays for those who do evil to us. This kind of meekness can only be the product of faith. The keeping of this commandment does not earn or create faith–it is the product of faith. You can only act on behalf of others because someone has already acted on behalf of you. You can only protect another's life because you have been given life. You can only act with this kind of meekness because Jesus became meek for you. While you were still His enemy he acted on your behalf and gave His life on the cross. He did all that was necessary to protect your bodily life. He moved you from death to life and has made you an agent of life not a bringer of death. Your care of  the life of your neighbor has its genesis in the Gospel because that is the source of your life with Christ. It is because He is with you that you can act to protect the life of your neighbor.  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. “These Are the Holy Ten Commands” LSB 581, st 6.-Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

April 25, 2023Today's Reading: Luke 10:1-9Daily Lectionary: Exodus 34:1-28, Luke 17:18-35“Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” (Luke 10:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mark would have been a terrible televangelist. Those guys for the most part promise you a successful stress free middle class life with an attractive spouse, well behaved children, and a three car garage. Mark, on the other hand, makes it clear in his Gospel that suffering comes before glory in the Christian life.  If, as one strain of church tradition tells us, Mark was one of the seventy-two, then he heard it straight from Jesus, “I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. This is the truth of your baptismal identity. You came up out of the waters of the font marked as one redeemed by Christ the Crucified and that mark functions as a target for Satan and his minions.  Belief in Jesus is not a shortcut to a life of  private jets, and yachts where the world bows to your every whim. Instead your life as a Christian is lived in a world that is hostile to your very existence. The world that rejected him also rejects His followers. This is part and parcel of the mystery of theology of the cross. Your very life with Christ is tied up in the mystery of his suffering on the cross. Mark’s entire Gospel points to the cross and he does not want Jesus to be understood apart from the cross. Jesus is not to be understood as a worker of miracles, or as a great teacher. He is to be understood as the one who suffered and died to give his people victory over sin and death. Many times in this life that victory is hard to see. If the cross is a mystery, then so is the life of faith. This means that you can suffer and still be a Christian. You can live as lambs in the midst of wolves because Jesus the Crucified One is with you. Your life as a Christian will be full of peaks and valleys. The here and now will always be full of wolves seeking to separate you from Christ, but His victory is your victory, and His Resurrection points to your own resurrection. Your present may contain darkness, but your future contains only light. In Jesus the kingdom of God has come near to you and remains near to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.For Mark, O Lord, we praise you, The weak by grace made strong, Whose labors and whose Gospel Enrich our triumph song. May we, in all our weakness, Reflect your servant life And follow in Your footsteps, Enduring cross and strife. “By All Your Saints in Warfare” LSB 518, st 15.-Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

April 24, 2023Today's Reading: Acts 2:14a, 36-41Daily Lectionary: Exodus 33:1-23. Luke 7:1-17“And Peter said to them, “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 2:38–40)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's amazing what a little water can do, especially when it is combined with the Word and promise of God. In our reading for today the law has had its way with the people Peter is preaching to. They have come face to face with the reality of their sin. They have rejected the promised Messiah. They have crucified the Son of God. How can you possibly atone for a sin like that? How can you pay back God for the life of HIs Son? Nothing in the law of Moses, nothing in the traditions of the Pharisees gave them any recourse. They are left only with the question, “What shall we do?” In the face of the accusations of the law and the reality of their sin Peter gives them the Gospel. The solution is Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. What they could not do, God will do for them. The atonement they could not make has been made for them. The law they could not fulfill, has been fulfilled for them. In the waters of Baptism they will find release from their sins and be given the gift of the Holy Spirit. In the waters of Baptism they will be given faith in the one that they rejected. In the promise of the Gospel they will be saved from their crooked generation. The promise that was for them was not limited to them. It is a promise that was for their children, and all who are far off. It was a promise that covered all sins for all people for all time. In other words, it is a promise that is for you. In the waters of your Baptism you received the forgiveness of sins and God called you to himself.  No accusation of the law even if brought by Satan himself can take away what God has done for you. In the promise of the Gospel you have been saved from this crooked generation. You are a child of the promise and have nothing to fear from the accusations of the Law.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.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 3. -Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

April 23, 2023Today's Reading: Luke 24:13-35Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:15-35, Luke 6:39-49“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27 ESV)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There are any number of Christians that will tell you that the Bible is the Word of God. They take what it says seriously and want to apply it to their lives. The problem is that despite having the best of intentions, these people don’t know how to read the Bible. They treat it like a Magic 8 Ball. They ask a question and then open the Bible to a random passage, place their finger on the page, and what they read becomes the answer to their question. That is not how it works, that is not how any of this works.This is the same issue that Cleopas and his friend in our reading had. Well, maybe not the Magic 8 Ball thing, but they still did not know how to read the scriptures. Look at what Jesus says to them, he calls them foolish and slow of heart because they did not believe all that the prophets have spoken. In other words, he castigates them for not understanding how to properly read the Scriptures.  Jesus then gives them the key to understanding the Bible. He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Jesus showed them that He is the key to reading the Bible. He showed them that the Bible is primarily about Him. This is not something that they could have known prior to this. This way of reading the Bible only comes in the light of the Resurrection. Prior to Easter many of the things that Jesus said and did remained a mystery even to his closest followers. After His Resurrection, His actions and words became more clear and the Scriptures became a new book. The Bible did not change, but their ability to read and understand  the Word of God was changed. The ‘do this’ of the law was changed into the ‘for you’ of the Gospel. This is the way that Lutherans still read the Bible today. We read the Scriptures with what is known as a Christologica Hermeneutic, which is just a fancy way of saying that we believe that Jesus is the key to understanding the Bible. We believe that the writings of the prophets and apostles are about Him and from start to finish point to His life, Death, and Resurrection as the key to understanding God’s Word. 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. -Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.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.

April 22, 2023Today's Reading:Psalm 84:1-4; antiphon: Psalm 84:5Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:1-14, Luke 6:20-38Blessed are those who dwell in your house,ever singing your praise!  Psalm 84:4In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen! In the Old Testament, the children of Israel were very familiar with where God was located.   Psalm 84 celebrates the temple of God in Jerusalem. It begins, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of Heaven’s Armies” (Ps. 84:1). This is a reference to the temple, as is made clear in the following verse: “I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD” (Ps. 84:2). Moreover, the psalm-writer adds, “What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises” (Psalm 84:4).  Later in this Psalm we hear of the sheer joy of being in the temple versus anything in this world “A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else” (Psalm 84:10).As we read this psalm today, we might pause and say, this is nice, but is there anything here for us? Where are God’s courts today? Where is the temple for us today?Many Christians today will emphasize that God’s temple is now your heart. Ask Jesus into your heart, and He and His father will make it your temple. This leads to Christianity solely focusing on the individual and their prayers and devotions. Because God has made himself known to us in Christ, and because the Spirit of God.Yet, Psalm 84 shows us that God’s presence is not just for the individual but for the entire Body of Christ to participate together. This happens in the Divine Service, where Jesus meets us with His gifts of forgiveness, life, salvation, and heavenly presence.  Jesus says, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it in three days.”  The temple for us today is the flesh of Jesus, that flesh that was crucified, resurrected, ascended, and given each Lord’s day in the holy eucharist. Because Jesus is our living temple, He makes His home with us. In fact, according to the New Testament, the local church is the new temple of God: “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Thus, Psalm 84 encourages us to celebrate the presence of the Lord Jesus as we gather with God’s people.  Jesus Christ, with His Word and Sacraments, is the ultimate dwelling place of God on earth, the Word made flesh. Through Christ, we dwell in the house of the Lord forever and sing His praises.  Christ is risen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.In His temple now behold Him; See the long-expected Lord! Ancient prophets had foretold him; God has  now fulfilled His word. Now to praise Him, His redeemèd Shall break forth with one accord.  LSB 519 vs. 1- 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.

April 21, 2023Today's Reading: John 14:18-24Daily Lectionary: Exodus 31:1-18, Luke 6:1-19 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”Christ is Risen“John 14:18  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Amid a world of death and decay, it is straightforward to feel alone, lost and abandoned. The world doesn’t have an answer for death, so many want to celebrate the life lived in the valley of the shadow of death. The world’s inability to have an answer to the end, the devil prowling around you like a roaring lion, and our over-confidence in ourselves leads us to despair and feel alone.  Yet Jesus reminds us today, “I will not leave you as orphans.”  Jesus did not say that He will never leave us, but that He will not leave us... as orphans. To leave behind an orphan is to abandon a child, to give it up, and give up caring and loving for it. It used to be that the church took in orphans in communities. The church was not only told to pray for orphans but also to foster these children and care for them. A lower birth rate and an increase in the killing of unwanted children have led to fewer and fewer orphans around us. Yet there are still unwanted children, for whatever reason, and it’s unsuitable for the children or the parents.It is easy to feel that we have been left behind and forgotten, orphaned by the Lord. Has He forgotten us? Are we orphaned? He has left us for a time, but not as orphans. That is where the Resurrection of Jesus comes into full force—the world. It cannot give you an answer for death; it leaves you to your own devices and the temptations of the devil. We spend seven weeks during Easter to be reminded that because Christ is risen, we too shall rise. We will enter into that place our heavenly Father has prepared for us.  This is why he tells his followers after Jesus’ Resurrection, "​Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father!​“ Now that He has ascended, and sent the Spirit, the Helper, we see Him in His fullness, not with mere eyes, but with great faith and love, enthroned as God and Man.He has left us, not as orphans, but baptized, adopted children, given up, and abandoned by death! We live and shall live because He lives. Your heavenly Father has sent Christ as your Savior, Redeemer, and brother, and the Spirit reminds us that wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, there He is, all so that where He is, we may be found.  Not found as orphans but beloved children.  Christ is risen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Now I will cling forever To Christ, my Savior true; My Lord will leave me never, Whate'er He passes through. He rends death's iron chain; He breaks through sin and pain; He shatters hell's dark thrall;  I follow Him through all.   LSB 467 vs. 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.

April 20, 2023Today's Reading: Luke 5:17-39Daily Lectionary: Exodus 25:1-22, Luke 5:17-39Quotation for the Reflection (citation)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen! The church, at all times, has longed to have new members joining the Body of Christ.  Who doesn’t love to see the church grow?  It used to be that the church would evangelize through works of mercy and care for anyone in need.  Today it seems as if we look for church members who won’t cause problems, messy people, people who will volunteer more or even give more money.  Jesus tells His disciples to “let down your nets for a catch” today. This image of Jesus is a familiar one to us.  The disciples have tried fishing all night with no results. Jesus tells them to drop the nets in the heat of the day, and there is the miraculous fish catch. This imagery is given to us about the disciples who would become “fishers of men” for the church.  However, Jesus doesn’t fish for specific fish.  He is not going over largemouth bass or walleye. He’s not going for catfish; He wants them all. Jesus doesn’t use a pole with line and bait; He uses a net.  A net is something that brings everything together at once.  Big fish, little fish, dying fish and newborn fish, predator fish, and prey fish, the list goes on and on.  Watch a YouTube video of fishermen using nets in the sea.  When the net comes up from the water, there is a massive variety of fish and creatures. The fishermen begin to sort out the fishing. Keep only what is good and throw out what is bad.What we hear of in the miraculous fish catch today is the perfect picture of Jesus’ church. Jesus does not mention what kind of fish He is looking for; none are to be cast aside. This seems crazy to us in the church.  It might even seem irresponsible, uncomfortable, or even inconvenient for whom we want to see in the church. This is the initial call of the church. To seek and welcome the lost, the last, and the losers of life so that they might be redeemed and restored by Jesus just like us.  But it's not enough to dump the net on the floor. Jesus also calls us to show mercy and love to all who enter His church's doors.  This might seem daunting; it might seem uncomfortable or awkward, but remember that He has also sought you out. His blood has redeemed you.  Blood that washes away your sins and pulses through your veins as you receive Him in the Holy Eucharist. Blood that strengthens you to welcome anyone caught up in the net of Jesus placed before HIs church. Christ is risen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Grant, then, O God, Your will be done, That, when the church bells are ringing, Many in saving faith may come  Where Christ His message is brining: “I know My own, My own know Me. You, not the world, My face shall see. My peace I leave with you.  Amen.”  LSB 645 vs. 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.

April 19, 2023Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism Table of Duties: The Fourth CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Exodus 24:1-18, Luke 5:1-16“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first com­mandment with a promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3.”  Luther’s Table of Duties - the Fourth CommandmentIn the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen! I was blessed to have Christian parents who raised me in the church.  However, I still rebelled against them as most kids do.  The older I got, the dumber they seemed to me.  It was always hard to hear my parents or pastor say, “do you remember the fourth commandment?”  My response was usually an eye roll. You have heard it before, and you may have the same reactions.  However, the Lord takes this commandment very seriously.  It is no small thing that this commandment sits atop the second table of the ten commandments, which speak about loving our neighbor.  Honoring and obeying God is always first, but the parents and all authorities always come second.We are not only to love our parents but also we are to honor them.  Honor is greater than love; this command still stands despite what we think of our parents or even their faults and sins.  We are to honor and love our parents despite their failings and inadequacies. God commands that we obey our fathers as He is our Father. Fathers, likewise, are expected to be like our heavenly Father. After all, He is the origin of what it truly means to be a father.  Fathers have a high calling from God to be in His stead in the family.  St. Paul writes directly to fathers when he says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:1-4Your parents are God’s instruments, not to raise you as children but as adults. They are the masks of God in your life, and the only way they can fulfill this duty is by the grace of God given to them as well. Jesus forgives you for failing to love and honor them, and He also forgives your parents for failing to love and raise you according to His commands; in the end, that is what it means to live out your life with your parents and family. Living in the love Christ has first shown to us and living in His gifts he continually gives us in our parents. But always remember you as well are a tremendous gift to your parents. Christ is risen! 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!”    LSB 581 vs 12- 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.

April 18, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 23:14-33, Luke 4:31-441Peter 1:3   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Christ is risen! I love birthdays, especially when it's the birthday of one of my kids.  I love the joy they get to see and celebrate and the memories and emotions I have of recalling the day they were born. We all have birthdays, but none of us can remember what that particular day was like.  Not only that, none of us chose to be born (thanks be to God your parents went through with it!). Yet your birthday is not just a one-time-a-year event.  When you think about it, every day you live, you get to live out your birthday!  Peter said that God caused us to be born again today. We didn’t do it. God did. It wasn’t you “making your decision for Jesus,” as though you could cause yourself to be born again. No, God caused us to be born again, and he did it through his life-giving Word. Later Peter writes in chapter 3, “Baptism now saves you.” Jesus does the work for us as we are born again.  And each day, you live out your Baptism as Jesus forgives you in the name of the triune God that gives Baptism its saving power! This Baptism is also connected to Jesus’s Resurrection, where Scripture talks about him being the “firstborn” of the new creation.  Your Baptism connects you to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Peter says just that. He says God “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Christ was dead, and now he is risen. And therein lies the decisive act in all of history. Christ’s Resurrection from the dead gives substance to the excellent news, connects us to Christ in Holy Baptism, and forms the basis for the hope of our resurrection.Just like our birthday, there will also be our death day.  We do not die without hope the day we leave this earthly life.  Peter tells us about this future in our text. He says we have been born again to a living hope, “to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” “Inheritance”–that is what you receive. God gives you the gift of an “imperishable” inheritance–it doesn’t have an expiration date. An “undefiled” inheritance–nobody can mess with it. An “unfading” estate–that won’t get weaker or watered down. And this inheritance is being “kept in heaven for you,” where it will remain safe and secure.  You have been born again to a living hope.  Christ is risen!Gracious Lord, we give you thanks that in Holy Baptism we receive forgiveness of sins, deliverance from death and the devil, and eternal salvation.  On our baptismal anniversary continue to bless us by your Word and Spirit that we faithfully keep the covenant into which we have been called, boldly confess our Savior and finally share with all your saints the joys of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  (Prayer for Anniversary of a Baptism - modified - LSB page 310- 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.

April 17, 2023Today's Reading: Acts 5:29-42Daily Lectionary: Exodus 22:20-23:13, Luke 4:16-30 “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’” - Acts 5:29In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen! We hear quite a bit during the season from the book of Acts. On the second Sunday of Easter, Acts 5 speaks to us about the cost of confessing Christ. Peter and the apostles were rejected and even suffered for the confession of Christ.  We might not have been imprisoned or beaten for confessing Christ, but that doesn’t mean it will never happen. The extraordinary comfort we find in this reading is that the Church is an unstoppable force.  Starting with Acts, people hear the Gospel and come to faith in Christ.  People are being told of the freedom from sin; they receive Christ's fulfillment of the Law.  The world hates this and is opposed to this, but Jesus says very clearly that the gates of hell will not overcome the church.  However, that doesn’t mean that the church won’t be brought to the doorsteps of hell itself while here on earth. This is where we pick up Peter’s response… “We must obey God rather than man.”  It is essential to see how bold of a statement this truly is.  They just killed Jesus for doing the same thing; what’s to stop them from doing the same to the apostles?Here is where it gets exciting and compelling for the Christian faith.  An opponent to the faith, Gamaliel, stands up and gives a speech about all the messiahs who had a following in recent years and that when they died, so did their following. These religious leaders knew that Jesus had risen from the dead, so some were trying to do whatever they could to stop the spreading of this message.  But others did not want to be found on the side fighting against God.  Gamaliel’s words are profound“So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,”  The church today might seem like it is in an uphill battle, and reality, it is.  However, we can take heart that our forefathers in the faith, including the disciples, endured so much for the sake of the Gospel.  As they lived and breathed out the life of Jesus, they were also taking up the cross of Jesus and living out His life in them.  A life of opposition, a life of suffering, but also a life of rejoicing and endurance. He overcame death, and now all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him!  His church will never fail!  Christ is risen! 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 facade! God is with us and we with God — Our vict’ry cannot fail. (LSB 666:3)- 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.

April 16, 2023Today's Reading: John 20:19-31Daily Lectionary: Exodus 20:1-24 Luke 4:1-15“Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so, I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”  John 20:21-23In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen! I don’t like to call Thomas ``doubting Thomas.”  We are no better than Thomas; he was just blatantly honest about the whole Resurrection of Jesus thing.  Yet, despite the questions, fears, and doubts about the Resurrection, Jesus is still giving peace, forgiveness, and strength.  Jesus doesn’t sit down and re-catechize his disciples. He breathes the Holy Spirit and establishes the pastoral office through the disciples.  Why did Jesus institute the office of the holy ministry here? Why did He send out the apostles? Why did He send out pastors? Every ordained pastor hears these words from John 20, “As the Father has sent me, even so, I am sending you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.’” Jesus knows that no one is going to listen to anyone but Him. So how does He speak? Pastors speak in the stead and by the command of Jesus. Whoever receives the forgiveness of the pastor receives the forgiveness of Christ. Any pastor will tell you that we’ve had people object to this... ​who do you think you are... forgiving sins.​ This is why pastors do this.Not because we are better than others or more pious, but because Jesus sends them out to do this, and His spirit goes with them and is given. It is wild that from that upper room, with ten and eleven hiding disciples behind locked doors, this word of forgiveness has been breathed and spoken throughout the world. It could have died there (and by any earthly amount of reason, it should have!), but the apostles went out without fear. Thomas apparently went all the way to India. They were changed by the Spirit, given them through the Words and breath of Christ.Christ speaks today as well. Not by merely telling stories and information about Him but by proclaiming to all what He has done for us.  Who would make up a religion where a risen lord could even be doubted? Better yet, this risen Lord is patient. Thomas says that he will never believe, and how long does Jesus wait? Eight days. Why didn’t Jesus run to Thomas immediately and beg him to believe? Because He is not worried. He is patient. He is calm. He will do what is right and good. And so it will go for you. Take heart. Do not fear. The Peace of the risen Lord Jesus Christ is with you. Christ is risen! 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 Easter 2- 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.

April 15, 2023Today's Reading: Ps. 105:4-7; antiphon: Ps. 105:8Daily Lectionary: Ex 19:1-25, Heb 13:1-21Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,  Psalm 105:5.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen! An old saying says, “those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.”  This statement is typically used to remind us of our past failures and faults and that we hopefully learned from them and didn’t repeat them.  But what about the joyous parts of our history?  My dad passed away almost 20 years ago, and I have a long account of memories, joys, and sorrows I shared with him.  I often recall those things with my children and even try to imitate what I learned from my father. As Christians, we have a shared history recounted in the Holy Scriptures.Psalm 105 recounts and celebrates God’s history with Israel, closely connected to the psalm before and after. These three psalms follow Israel’s history from Creation and the Fall (Psalm 104) to God’s call of Abraham to the conquest of the land (Psalm 105), ending in Israel’s exile (Psalm 106). Today’s reading shares family stories of God’s faithfulness.The Psalmist calls people to “remember the wonders he has done” (v. 5). Later in the Psalm; we are reminded of the promise God made to Abraham to give his descendants the land of Canaan (vv. 8–11).   One theme runs through this psalm: God keeps His promises!   Even today, we are reminded of the history of the salvation that Jesus continues to give for the world's life.  In Divine Service One, during the Eucharistic Liturgy, we hear after the Words of Institution the proclamation of our history in Christ “As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.  O Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, in giving us Your body and blood to eat and to drink, You lead us to remember and confess Your holy cross and passion, Your blessed death, Your rest in the tomb, Your Resurrection from the dead, Your ascension into heaven, and Your coming for the final judgment.   As Jesus first gave the Eucharist to His disciples, this blessed meal has been passed down to us today to eat and drink.  We remember and recall Jesus’ passion, Death, and Resurrection in this meal.  We repeat and celebrate our history over and over each Sunday.  We recognize the Lord’s faithfulness and the works He has done. By this history, we are never doomed but redeemed and saved.  Christ is risen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Heavenly Father, God of 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. (Collect for Thanksgiving to God - LSB page 310)- 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.

April 14, 2023Today's Reading: Acts 10:34-43Daily Lectionary: Ex 18:5-27, Heb 12:1-24 “So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality”  Acts 10:34In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen! Inclusion is a trendy word today and is constantly shoved in front of our faces.  There is nothing wrong with inclusivity, but the world’s views often seem one-sided.  If one group wants the freedom to live their own life, even if it's against God’s law, then we, as Christians, rarely are included in confessing what we believe.  We’ve gotten wrapped up in this for sure.  We have all worried about our words, actions, and social media posts and if they fit the need for inclusivity. Acts 10 today speaks volumes about our Christian call to love others without discrimination; too often, we make distinctions between them and us or classify some people as worthier than others before God.  God certainly shows no partiality concerning His Law and Gospel, and these gifts are not only for us but also for the life of the whole world.  Today Peter begins his discourse with the profound declaration: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” By saying this, he affirms that there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile – God looks at everyone equally. He then recounts how a vision he received showed him three times that foods once deemed “unclean” according to Jewish tradition were acceptable offerings to God. As the body of Christ today, we can recognize all people as part of God’s creation and the people for whom Jesus died. As one confesses their sins against God’s all-inclusive Law, there is all-inclusive forgiveness for everyone, no matter their sins.   “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Salvation is available to all people – because Christ died for the sins of the whole world, every last one of them, committed by everyone.  So, yes, be inclusive, but be inclusive of what our Lord teaches us.  “Love your neighbor as yourself,” “Pray for your enemies….” Each person was made by our loving Creator and deserved respect regardless of whether they know Him. Yet we also pray that many more may be turned to repentance to receive the all-inclusive savior who died for all and rose for all so that we might have life to the fullest.  Christ is risen!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.All are redeemed, both far and wide,  Since Thou, O Lord, for all hast died.  Grant us the will and grace provide  To love them all in thee!   LSB 852 vs. 4- 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.

April 13, 2023Today's Reading: Jeremiah 31:1-6Daily Lectionary: Ex 17:1-16, Heb 11:1-29At that time, declares the LORD, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:1In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen!  We live and die by time. Whether getting up in time for school or getting to work on time, we have a clock on our wrists, phones, or computers.  Watching time consumes so much of our day. Today Jeremiah says, “At that time…” Jer. 31:1.  But what time is he talking about?  Is it something in the past, today, or in the future?  The answer is “Yes, but only through Jesus’ Resurrection!”  During the time of Easter, we tend to focus on Jesus’ victory over death and how that impacts us now and in the future. But what about the past?  Jesus’ Resurrection isn’t bound by time or space; it is for all people of all times, for He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.  In our reading today, the people of Israel are told that they will be freed from the yoke of their captives, freed from slavery, and restored to the Promised Land. Jeremiah is speaking to the people as they are in exile in the land of Babylon. They have all been separated from the Land, the Holy City, and the Temple. They certainly are wondering what God thinks of them if He is even with them. Jeremiah’s words would have brought them comfort. But Jeremiah’s words are not just for those who lived in the past; they are for us today and in the future. Jesus speaks about this in Luke 24 with His disciples “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets; He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.”  Luke 24:7Jeremiah speaks of Israel’s restoration today, but this is not just for those of the past; it is for all time!  This restoration is understood as a resurrection brought back into the heavenly Jerusalem.  But when will this be completed? What is the timeframe of the Messiah?  Scripture tells us, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).   Christ Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, for all time and into eternity.   We do not need to worry about the times of today, yesterday, or in the future.  By His Resurrection, Jesus “…has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”  Christ is Risen!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Take heart, have hope, my spirit,  And do not be dismayed;  God helps in ev’ry trial  And makes you unafraid. Await His time with patience  Through darkest hours of night Until the sun you hoped for     Delights your eager sight.  LSB 754 vs. 3- 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.

April 13, 2023Today's Reading: Jeremiah 31:1-6Daily Lectionary: Exodus 17:1-16, Hebrews 11:1-29At that time, declares the LORD, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:1In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen!  We live and die by time. Whether getting up in time for school or getting to work on time, we have a clock on our wrists, phones, or computers.  Watching time consumes so much of our day. Today Jeremiah says, “At that time…” Jeremiah 31:1.  But what time is he talking about?  Is it something in the past, today, or in the future?  The answer is “Yes, but only through Jesus’ Resurrection!”  During the time of Easter, we tend to focus on Jesus’ victory over death and how that impacts us now and in the future. But what about the past?  Jesus’ Resurrection isn’t bound by time or space; it is for all people of all times, for He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.  In our reading today, the people of Israel are told that they will be freed from the yoke of their captives, freed from slavery, and restored to the Promised Land. Jeremiah is speaking to the people as they are in exile in the land of Babylon. They have all been separated from the Land, the Holy City, and the Temple. They certainly are wondering what God thinks of them if He is even with them. Jeremiah’s words would have brought them comfort. But Jeremiah’s words are not just for those who lived in the past; they are for us today and in the future. Jesus speaks about this in Luke 24 with His disciples “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets; He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.”  Luke 24:7Jeremiah speaks of Israel’s restoration today, but this is not just for those of the past; it is for all time!  This restoration is understood as a resurrection brought back into the heavenly Jerusalem.  But when will this be completed? What is the timeframe of the Messiah?  Scripture tells us, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).   Christ Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, for all time and into eternity.   We do not need to worry about the times of today, yesterday, or in the future.  By His Resurrection, Jesus “…has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”  Christ is Risen!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Take heart, have hope, my spirit,  And do not be dismayed;  God helps in ev’ry trial  And makes you unafraid. Await His time with patience  Through darkest hours of night Until the sun you hoped for     Delights your eager sight.  LSB 754 vs. 3- 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.

April 12, 2023Today's Reading: John 21:1-14Daily Lectionary: Ex 16:13-35, Heb 10:19-393 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is Risen! Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.How much proof do you need to believe something? If someone proves something to you, do you believe it or return to your old thoughts, beliefs, and ways?  In the Gospels, Jesus’ disciples were with Him for three and a half years.  They heard Him teach, saw and participated in the miraculous, and heard Him speak plainly about His Death and Resurrection.  Now in the whole course of the Resurrection of Jesus, we see Jesus over and over revealing Himself to His disciples once again. Just before today’s reading, Jesus reveals Himself to Thomas and the twelve and shows His hands and side.  He even tells them, “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (John 20:27).  At the very beginning of John 21, the disciples have returned to their old life of being fishermen before Jesus ever called them.  How much proof do they need to believe that Jesus is true God and true Man and the King of Kings? There is confusion, chaos, and indecision in their minds regarding what this all means. Yet, notice that Jesus doesn’t try any new tricks to convince them. He goes back to Luke chapter 5 with the disciples.  Just at the beginning, the disciples catch many fish John 21.  They have come full circle to where it all began with them.  Instead of bashing these disciples for ignorance, take comfort from this passage.  Faith in Jesus is always a challenging road.  The Holy Spirit is willing, but our sinful flesh is always weak. We are constantly battling to return to the old ways of our Old Adam.  When we find life burdensome and question who Jesus is and has He truly loved us, we find ourselves like the disciples.  Yet, Jesus does not have any new tricks. He reminds us of our Baptism, where we were crucified and resurrected with Him and called to walk in the “newness of life” (Romans 6).  Your Baptism points you back to the waters where Christ gave you new birth from above. The baptismal font reminds you of who you are in Jesus despite your questions, doubts, or uncertainty.  Jesus also prepares a meal for you.  Just as the feeding of the 5,000 and the preparation of breakfast on the seashore (notice the bread and fish again!) Jesus feeds us as well.  Even after seeing the resurrected Lord Jesus and being invited to breakfast, one disciple dares to ask, “Who are you” - John 21:13.  Likewise, Jesus bids us to the feast even with our fears, doubts, questions, and uncertainty. In the Eucharist, He forgives you of all your sins and strengthens your faith in Him. Blessed are you who have not seen and yet believe. Christ is Risen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.For today among His own  Christ appeared, bestowing  His deep peace, which evermore  Passes human knowing. Neither could the gates of death  Nor the tomb's dark portal  Nor the watchers nor the seal Hold Him as a mortal.  - LSB 487 vs. 4 - 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.

April 11, 2023Today's Reading: Luke 24:36-49Daily Lectionary: Ex 15:19-16:12, Heb 10:1-18“Have you anything here to eat?” Luke 24:40In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.   Christ is risen! If you ever attend a funeral at a church and the pastor doesn’t preach on the physical Resurrection of Jesus and the promise of the same resurrection of the deceased, you’ve been cheated.  Jesus points to this important promise of the bodily resurrection.  He points to it with a question with six simple words. “Have you anything here to eat?”  What an odd question Jesus asks at the height of all the commotion and craziness of His Resurrection.  He rises from the dead, He appears to them, He shows His hands and feet, they still can’t believe it and then He asks for grub?  Believe it or not, this is an incredibly important question Jesus asks. So many in the early Christian church twisted and rearranged the Resurrection of Jesus.  They said His body was stolen or the disciples were seeing things, they were delusional in the middle of their fears.  Others have said that Jesus only rose spiritually but not physically.  However, if Jesus only rose spiritually then our faith is in vain. This is why Jesus asks for something to eat. Despite what the movie Ghostbusters portrays, spirits or ghosts cannot eat physical food.  You have to have a physical body to eat physical food. This is why Jesus asks the question, He shows them by eating, that He has physically risen from the dead!  Why is this important for you and me?It means that our resurrection will also be physical. You and I will one day be physically raised from the dead. Think of that: in your Baptism, you are promised that you not only have been crucified with Jesus but also risen with Jesus. (Cf Romans 6).  We say in the Creed “I believe in the resurrection of the body…” The promise of heaven is not the end but the beginning.  There always must be a resurrection.  Jesus eating fish means that our bodies after the resurrection will be changed, just like Jesus’ body was changed. Rather than me going on and on about this, let St. Paul remind you.  “Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” 1 CORINTHIANS 15:51-54. We will be raised from the dead, physically, and in the end, Jesus will call us out of our graves to rise physically in the new heavens and new earth forever.  Christ is risen!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Your name we bless, O risen Lord,  And sing today with one accord  The life laid down, the life restored: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!  LSB 475 vs. 4- 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.

April 10, 2023Today's Reading: Luke 24:13-35Daily Lectionary: Ex 15:1-18, Heb 9:1-28When 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 24:30-31In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Christ is risen! Saint Luke recounts that on the Sunday of the Resurrection, two disciples of Jesus were going from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were overwhelmed with all the news of hearing about the angel’s announcement that Jesus was alive (v. 22ff) but still had doubts about the Resurrection. They were so immersed in their sadness and confusion that they could not recognize the risen Jesus in the person walking alongside them.Do you notice how Jesus deals with these disciples?  There, without any fuss, Jesus appeared to them and walked with them, his conversation helping to alleviate their fears.  But then He speaks plainly with them “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”  Luke 24:26-27, Jesus joins them as they go along their way, but He also speaks to them plainly about how the Scripture points to Him.  Soon He will be ascending to His Father and removed from their sight.  Later as He sits with His disciples, He takes bread, blesses it, and breaks it.  It isn’t until Jesus breaks the bread and vanishes that they realize they have seen the risen Lord Jesus.  But why does Jesus speak and break bread and then disappear?  There were so many more questions, so many answers needed, and so many fears to be calmed.  Jesus speaks, breaks bread, and then disappears from their sight to show them how He will be with us always to the very end of the age.  The Word and Sacraments are how He will work with HIs church after the Ascension.  Later Luke tells us in Acts chapter 2 that the early disciples followed this pattern of Jesus revealing Himself to all the world.  “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”  Acts 2:42You may find yourself like these disciples, full of questions and doubts.  Is this Jesus real?  Did He rise from the dead?  Or you may have more significant fears concerning yourself, your family and friends, this world, and our daily darkness and decay.  But take heart; Jesus meets you in this life every time you gather around His gifts that are given to you. Just like those first disciples that Easter Sunday, Jesus He reveals Himself to us every Sunday as Scriptures and the Eucharist are spoken and distributed by Jesus through your pastor.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Here would I feed upon the bread of God, Here drink with Thee the royal wine of heav'n;  Here would I lay aside each earthly load,  Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiv'n.  LSB 631 vs. 2- 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.

April 9, 2023Today's Reading: Matthew 28:1-10Daily Lectionary: Ex. 14:10-31, Heb 9:1-28“He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.”  Matthew 28:6In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.   Christ is Risen!! Heard any good jokes lately? Believe it or not there were some Church Fathers who said that at Easter God played a practical joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead. They called it the ‘Risus paschalis — the Easter laugh,'”.  As Lutherans being serious and liturgical types, this might seem disrespectful and distasteful. But maybe there is something to this. The world needs a serious laugh, because everyone has become so serious.As church people we can take ourselves much too seriously. Life can be hard. Life can give us fears. Life is painful. But Easter means that life is God’s, and God has the last word. So today why not smile, relax, and laugh. He is risen!Because this is the one thing that actually matters, and if it’s not true, then everything else is pointless, and your life is just waddling towards the grave. But no, in fact, Christ is risen!They killed Him! Crucified Him! The world, we all, turned our back on Him! The best friend we’ve ever had, and we betrayed Him! God Who has become our dear Brother! And yet our efforts  are a colossal failure. Jesus is right. Forgive them for they know not what they do.  We don’t know what we are doing, and we never really have. The world survives on grace and that is absolutely amazing.  Amazing enough to cause us to laugh a little or a lot.  Jesus told them pretty explicitly that He would be raised on the third day. And they run to the tomb, and see the Angel of the Lord sitting on the rock that was sealed shut. God sends his messenger to show and declare He sits on death and laughs.  “Death, where is your victory?”This really is the most remarkable thing that has ever happened. Christ is risen! The women  run to the other disciples! ​I have seen the Lord!  Mary’s words are enough. ​ And ever since, the church has said these words, on this day, early on the first day of the week. ​I have seen the Lord!​ What joy! If a crucified Jesus is raised from the dead, death is overthrown! There will be more Resurrections. You will be raised, for death cannot grip you, for all you who have been baptized into His death have also been baptized into His Resurrection! He is not worried. He is not angry. He is alive! Truly alive! Be of good cheer and do not lose heart! Let out a little laughter and joy today.   Christ is risen! 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. - Collect for Easter Sunday- 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.

April 8,  2023Today's Reading: Matt 27:57-66Daily Lectionary: Ex 13:17-14:9, Heb 7:1-22Matthew 27:59–60: “And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Bible isn’t much on the in-between.  We have Christmas, then nothing until Jesus’ Ministry. No teenage Jesus. We get the cross and resurrection. Then some stuff about the last day.  But not much in the middle, where we spend every day. So people write books to try and fill in the gap. We’re stuck in between Easter and the Last Day. And the in-between is where all my problems and sins and trials live. I think Easter vigil is for this.  Christ is dead and buried. He will rise tomorrow. But how do we feel today? Diet sad? Lowkey happy? What do we do in between? The Creed defines it for us in four words. He descended into hell. This was the in-between of the cross and resurrection. And even then, Jesus proclaimed the victory to the spirits in prison. Jesus kicked down the doors to hell. The cross was a real victory over the power of Satan, over the power of death. The reality was then, even before the triumph of Easter.  We live in the in-between, waiting, but the victory is already won. The devil still exists. But he lost. You still have sins, but they’re forgiven. You still have trials, but you’re a saint, a member of the host of heaven, waiting for the resurrection. You’re tied to it today. Because Jesus who died is risen. Our Life is in between the already and the not yet, but we have the victory even now. Just as we know what’s coming tomorrow, we know for ourselves too. Christ is risen. We will rise. The in-between is already answered. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands For our offenses given; But now at God’s right hand He stands And brings us life from heaven. Therefore let us joyful be And sing to God right thankfully Loud songs of alleluia! Alleluia! (Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands (LSB 458:1)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.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.

April 7,  2023Today's Reading: John 18:1-19:42Daily Lectionary: Ex 12:29-32, 13:1-16, Lam 5:1-22, Heb 6:1-20, Psalm 22In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Everybody’s made the joke about “Good” Friday.  Good for us. Bad for Him. It’s not just of boomers, but of the devil. Satan can never undo what was finished when Jesus died to save you. So he tries to twist it, whispering that this sacrifice might not be good in Jesus’ eyes. That you should feel guilt when you look at the cross.  Look at the suffering our Lord endured because you sinned.  Could you really meet His eye there? Satan tries to work guilt from the cross Jesus willingly bore to bring you comfort. He didn’t die on the cross so you would feel bad about it. He died to forgive you.  Yes. He hurt for you. He hurt because of you. Why’s that bad? Not just good for us, but for Him too. He was willing to drink of this cup to the dregs for you. He rejoiced to see this hour where you were saved. If you want to feel guilt, look to the Law, look to the Word of God whom you say you love and then disregard so quickly, look to the people you hurt, look to the damage you do to yourself even though God calls you precious. See the damage your sin has done, the things you’ve broken. Sin is bad. It breaks stuff. Feel bad about that, but when you feel guilty that Jesus suffered and died for you, it's really only guilt that someone would dare to love you that much. That’s a value question that you don't get to decide. God shows your value. More than silver or gold. Holy precious blood. Innocent suffering and death. This is what you are worth. This is how priceless you are. You are worth that much. It was Love that put Him there for you, and yes it hurt, yes it’s graphic, but He said it Himself, if this is how to save His beloved, He will go, not just against His will, but even gladly.  Good Friday wasn't just good for you and bad for Jesus. It was good for Him too, because He got to do for His beloved that which He was given to do. He got to love you, because love looks like something. Not just a feeling. An expression.  A sacrifice. Love looks like this. And Jesus loves you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Here we have a firm foundation, Here the refuge of the lost: Christ, the Rock of our salvation, Is the name of which we boast; Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, Sacrifice to cancel guilt! None shall ever be confounded Who on Him their hope have built. (Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted, LSB 451:4)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.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.

April 6,  2023Today's Reading:  Matt 26:17-30Daily Lectionary: Ex 12:1-28, Lam 4:1-22, Heb 5:1-14, Psalm 31Matthew 26:26–28: “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Communion is actually 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 drink.  Like...really. Jesus' blood. Same blood that flowed down from His hands and side on the cross. For you. Drink it. Seriously. We have to admit that's off putting. When the funny looking pastor in funny clothes holds it up and says "the peace of the Lord be with you always" he's showing you where peace comes from. It’s not in the air. It’s not in each other. It’s in the bread that is His body.  These words "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins" show us that in this Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. If you eat Jesus' Body and drink His Blood your sins will be forgiven and you will have life and salvation. Not symbolically. The cardboard-tasting thing called bread and bottom shelf wine are the most precious gifts in all of creation. Eat and drink them and you'll have everything God has to give you. It's so hard to believe that the Holy Spirit has to do it for you. It still leads people to recoil. It's ridiculous. Invite someone to church, and see how quickly the Communion talk feels like more of a burden than a gift. But Communion is not an excuse. It's not a burden. It's not something we need to reason away or struggle to justify. It's an answer. A gift. A hope given for us to cling to in the darkest of days for the worst parts of us. This is for sinners. This is for you, full of jealousy, guilt, shame, rage, and sin. We don’t get fixed by ignoring reality, cramming in a room for a meal and pretending everything is OK when it isn't. We’re saved by the God who feeds us with His body and blood. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Be Thou my consolation, My shield, when I must die; Remind me of Thy passion When my last hour draws nigh. Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, Upon Thy cross shall dwell, My heart by faith enfold Thee. Who dieth thus dies well. (O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, LSB 449:4)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.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.

April 5,  2023Today's Reading: Luke 22:1-23:56Daily Lectionary: Ex 10:21-11:10, Lam 3:1-66, Heb 4:1-16Luke 22:46: “and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The Garden of Gethsemane is where I brought every idea of what my life should be like, then stared dumbfounded as they were dashed to pieces in front of me.The Garden of Gethsemane is where I came to the painful realization that my life was not turning out according to plan.I think that’s what it’s there for. It forces us to be honest about our weaknesses. Peter wandered into Gethsemane with hopes of steadfastness, promising to never abandon, let alone deny his Lord. He came with a sword, ready to cut ears off for Jesus. Before the rooster crowed, that all fell apart. Judas came with schemes to profit. By the end of the weekend, he died broke and alone. Mark showed up just not wanting to do anything stupid to embarrass himself. He accidently ran away naked. All of the disciples entered Gethsemane with zeal and daydreams of God’s wonderful plan for their lives. They were ready to seize every great thing they were sure He had planned. Then they all fell asleep. Twice.The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.The Garden of Gethsemane is where we find that out. But none of them came to the garden alone. Jesus was there all along, praying through sweat and tears of blood. “Thy will be done.” God’s will is done in Gethsemane. It always is.God’s will is done among us also. The Garden of Gethsemane isn’t where God walks me from where I am to where I want to be. It’s where my quest for power like Peter, love of money like Judas, sheer stupidity in the face of reality like Mark, and laziness like all the sleeping disciples are called exactly what they really are. Sin.Yet, Jesus abides in the Garden of Gethsemane for sinners. For me, for you. For when everything falls apart, and for us who broke it. Christ willingly walked down the only path left to Him. He died for the sake of the people. For us. To forgive our selfish sins that condemn us. To bear God’s wrath Himself in order to save us. He will drag us out of our sins, through Gethsemane to the cross, and all the way to the Resurrection on Easter morning. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.What language shall I borrow To thank Thee, dearest Friend, For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end? O make me Thine forever! And should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never, Outlive my love for Thee. (O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, LSB 449:3)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.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.

April 4,  2023Today's Reading:  Mark 14:1-15:47Daily Lectionary: Ex 9:29-10:20, Lam 2:1-22, Heb 3:1-19Mark 14:30–31: “And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I don’t know why, but we love the idea that God would test our faithfulness. Peter doesn’t hear this as a sad statement of reality, a warning he’s going to need some help. It’s a challenge. A test. Peter would never do that. He responds. “Nuh uh.” If I must die with you, I’ll never deny you. Everyone else might fall away but I won’t. I’ll prove I’m better than them. I’ll prove I deserve your blessingFirst, He’s God, He would know…but rather than learn from it, for some reason we have this desire to say, “if I were there I’d have never denied Him” sort of like arguments won later in the shower. We take our surroundings, and imagine ways we can prove to be steadfast. Heroes of the faith. We imagine the awfulness of the present day is a challenge to us. Society. Sin. Suffering. We’ll prove we’re faithful in the face of them. Is this some sort of test? Do you think God just wants to make sure we’re good enough? First, He’s God, He would know….but second, you prove what you are all the time. It’s called sin.You can measure it. Look to the Ten Commandments. How are you really doing?  Hear the sad statement of reality from our Lord. Before all this is over, you’ll make idols out of power and popularity. You’ll be afraid. You’ll doubt. You’ll despair. It’s a warning you’re going to need some help that we insist is some kind of challenge.  We respond. “Nuh uh.”  Why do you want this to be on you? It’s on Jesus, who bore the cross for Peter who denied, for you who were afraid. And He has not left you alone in your struggles. Breathe. Look to the cross. See Jesus there for you. Know who you are, not based on what you’ve earned, but based on what He’s given. You are baptized. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered Was all for sinners’ gain; Mine, mine was the transgression, But Thine the deadly pain. Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place; Look on me with Thy favor, And grant to me Thy grace. (O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, LSB 449:2)-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.

April 3,  2023Today's Reading:  Matt. 26:1-27:66Daily Lectionary: Ex 9:1-28, Lam. 2:1-22, Heb 3:1-19Matthew 26:11: “For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s easy to question the LORD when He encourages expensive perfume being poured on his feet rather than sold to care for the poor. This is the thing that drove Judas to the chief priests for silver to betray Him. Jesus responds, “The poor you will always have with you”.  There will always be sinners who don’t care for them. And it’s unjust. It’s not ok.  We sinners have learned to speak in polarity. Black or white. Full or empty. So on one side, Judas is just wanting to care for the poor. On the other, social justice has become a topic reserved for the ungodly.  What we should see is the importance of God. And somehow we’ve found ourselves in a position where we turn our backs on either the least of these, which will end poorly on the last day according to Jesus, or Jesus, which…also will end poorly on the last day. Either we seek justice in the world or joy in our Lord, but both times come up wanting.  Instead of contrasting helping the poor with time in church, justice and joy, let them both be found in Christ. He is our justice and our justification. He is our joy. Judas assumes he loves the poor more than the God who took flesh to die for them. Jesus refuses to let poverty imposed by other sinners divorce someone from the kingdom of heaven. There will be days when it is hard to find Jesus. There will be days when the poverty of this world is overpowering. On those days, the cross matters more, not less. Christ bore the cross for the oppressors and the oppressed. For the sinners and sinned against. We gather around His gifts because no matter what we build otherwise, justice will always be out of reach. No matter how hard we try, how much we give, there will always be more pain, but there is always enough Jesus.  That doesn’t mean don’t try to care for the poor. It means make sure that above all else, the Gospel is the measurement of justice, because in Christ we are justified now. There, joy can endure all things.  n the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O sacred Head, now wounded, With grief and shame weighed down, Now scornfully surrounded With thorns, Thine only crown. O sacred Head, what glory, What bliss, till now was Thine! Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine. (O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, LSB 449:1)- 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.

April 2,  2023Today's Reading: Matt. 27:11-66 Daily Lectionary: Ex 8:1-32, Heb. 1:1-14Matthew 27:54: “When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Palm branches are for victory. Jesus rode into town to the palm leaves thrown down by the crowd who today yells hosanna, save us, but will yell crucify in a week. The first to lay them down were the apostles who couldn’t be prouder to find him a donkey to ride only to deny Him three times like Peter.  Marching in the parade are the ones who fought each other over who the greatest is and wrote books with subtle snubs against their neighbor like John, or as he insists on calling himself, the apostle whom Jesus loved for the whole book just to annoy Peter. Like brothers and sisters in Christ who nurture petty grudges claiming superiority is more important than reconciliation in Christ. I can’t help but wonder if the insurrectionist Barabbas would have been there, prison notwithstanding, because the idea of a religion that addresses politics before souls is all too appealing in a world where you don’t get your way, even if it does completely miss the point. The traitor Judas was there, and since he was introduced as “the one who would betray Him”, we can save ourselves the trouble of having to be concerned for his fall. After all, there are sinners, and then there are sinners, and it’s easier to just write those kinds of souls off as object lessons to the rest of us. In case it escaped your notice, we’re the same kind of sinners that populated Jerusalem years ago. This is the heavenly band for whom He rode into Jerusalem. His disciples did not understand these things at first.  We still struggle with them too. So we’re shown Jesus glorified on the cross. It was for them. He died for Peter and Judas. He died so the criminal Barabbas could escape death. He died for the Pharisees.  For all. For you. We lay down palms of victory. Palms are for winners. It doesn’t look like much until you see them waved in heaven. Behold the glorious band. 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. - Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.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.

April 1,  2023Today's Reading:  Introit for Holy Week Ps. 24:7-10; antiphon: Ps. 118:26Daily Lectionary: Ex 7:1-25, Mark 16:1-20Psalm 24:8: “Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I can see why the crowds who gathered to cry Hosanna missed it.  Hosanna.. Save us. And He does. But we measure might differently than God does. The crowds went looking for war horses. Rebellion. Jesus rode a donkey into town to die. We know the schtick about strength being made perfect in weakness. But a little might now and then still sounds…not terrible. These devotions are always the same.  I love the forgiveness of sins, but it’s still in the back of my mind.  Why can’t the LORD go do battle with Alzheimers and ALS and cancer and everything else wrong? He does. We just don’t see it until the Resurrection. In Christ, cancer has claimed 0 lives.  In the cross, God remembers us even where we forget. We are engraved on the palms of His hands. On the last day, we’ll leap out of wheelchairs and tear out the oxygen tubes and run and not be weary. But today, the crowds cry Hosanna and still mean more than God intends to give. And it’s heartbreaking to hear the words “not yet” in the face of the things that are killing us.  So Jesus rides into Jerusalem and doesn’t address the crowds. There aren’t words or explanations that will make the reasons behind our desperate prayers hurt less. Which is sort of why He rides into town, in might to die on a cross. Hurting is harder than not hurting. Jesus doesn’t ride into town to not hurt. Instead, He is mighty enough to suffer for you. For your desperate prayers that defy “not yet”, Jesus promises it is finished. He dares us to imagine the same.  You are mighty because in Him you are now strong enough to suffer. You are already bound to the victory, so you don’t need a path around the pain to get there. He makes you mighty. Might like the Lord’s doesn’t kneel to afflictions of today. It kneels to the God who drags us through them with all the same unstoppable force that drove Him through the crowds who cried Hosanna. Save us. He did. 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 441:2) Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: 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.

March 31,  2023Today's Reading:  Daily Lectionary: Ex. 5:1-6:1, Mark 15:33-47Mark 15:34: “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s the commemoration of St. Joseph, but the Bible story is Jesus. It’s the wrong story, except it’s not. Joseph is a story about descent and then resurrection to save his people. It’s Jesus.  It’s Jesus when He is turned on by His brothers and left for dead. It’s Jesus when God works this for good. It’s Jesus when Joseph points to a savior in dreams, because the dreams are about the real Savior, the Christ. It’s Jesus when Joseph becomes a prisoner unrighteously. It’s Jesus when he becomes a servant. It’s Jesus when all this sin committed against an innocent man is somehow worked to save the same sinners. It’s Jesus when he is at last restored.  The crucifixion is the story of all of scripture. It points to the redemption of sinners in so many ways. We remember Joseph, the Patriarch, because he was a forerunner of his Savior, our Savior, the Savior of all the world who was betrayed and mocked, condemned to bear the cross for you.  Where it looked as if God had forsaken Joseph, as years passed by, God was at work. Where it looks like God has forsaken you, remember. We are not the Christ anymore than Joseph was. Joseph was not forsaken. Jesus was. He is the fulfillment of the things Joseph’s life only pointed to. When you feel far from God, abused, and cast aside, understand this is the image of your Savior, but God is not far off. He is very near, because it is here that He fulfilled all of these things and did them for you.  We have a God who not only works good out of evil, as He did in the life of Joseph, and chiefly in the suffering and death of His Son, but we have a God who promises not to be far off when evil is at hand.  That’s where He draws closest so that He can save. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Down through the realm of darkness He strode in victory, And at the hour appointed He rose triumphantly. And now, to heav’n ascended, He sits upon the throne Whence He had ne’er departed, His Father’s and His own. (Christ is the World’s Redeemer, LSB 539:3) Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 30,  2023Today's Reading:  Daily Lectionary: Ex 4:19-31, Mark 15:16-32Exodus 4:21–23: “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. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is somehow more uncomfortable than the next verses where Moses’ wife throws a child’s foreskin on his feet.  God told Moses he was going to harden Pharaoh’s heart and kill firstborn kids. It leaves us struggling to find goodness in God. It seems to lend the attacks of internet atheists that much more credibility. God kills people.  A lot of the problem is that we start the same way Pharaoh does. With ourselves. We see ourselves in this world in terms of what’s ours. We see the world in terms of our rights.  Rights are a government word rooted in the Law. God doesn’t give rights. He gives gifts. He promises to Moses, a sinner, not only forgiveness of sins, but freedom. It’s not that He chooses some and condemns others. It’s that He chooses and refuses to let anyone lay claim to His redeemed. The LORD takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but He will not let the life of the wicked rob you of His promises.  Right and wrong seem to have different flavors depending on what side of the argument you’re on. Not just here. Always. So instead, look to the nature of God. He simply IS good. The gifts that He gives are good too, because they’re of Him. Even in the midst of terrible and painful realities, God does not turn back, but bears it Himself for us. He gave His own Son to fulfill even this demand. God gives good gifts to sinners. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, but everything He does is a gift. Even when these gifts are abused. Even when they eventually break. But even your life is a gift from God. And when He takes you in death, that’s a gift too, because He gave His Son upon the cross to grant you resurrection. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.What God ordains is always good: He never will deceive me; He leads me in His righteous way, And never will He leave me. I take content What He has sent; His hand that sends me sadness Will turn my tears to gladness. (What God Ordains Is Always Good, LSB 760:2) - Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 29,  2023Today's Reading:  Luther’s Small Catechism – Ten Commandments - Third CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Ex 4:1-18, Mark 15:1-15Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God wasn’t tired after making everything. The Sabbath isn’t a chance to parrot God 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 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 our Lord.  Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  So 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 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, 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 you join Him so that you would not remain in your unholiness and sin, but that 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 581:4)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 28,  2023Today's Reading:  Hebrews 9:11-15Daily Lectionary: Ex 2:23-3:22, Mark 14:53-72Hebrews 9:15: “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A covenant is a promise God makes with us.  Is the first covenant made in the garden with two trees? Eat from one, not the other? Is it made with Abraham, who believed and it was counted to him as righteousness? Moses, who gave the instructions for the shedding of the blood of goats and calves for the forgiveness of sins? The text talks about dead bulls so I can take a guess, but the last verse leaves options. There just hasn’t been a promise God has made to a people who haven’t turned around and sinned. And for what it reveals to us about Him, I’m grateful.  It isn’t just that all the dead bulls pointed to a dead Jesus. It’s that Jesus died for us. The ones who have been given the promise who turned around and transgressed against the Lord. Like Adam. And Abraham. And Moses. And Peter. And every other saint until the last great day when sins are left behind as we enter the resurrection.  Ours is the God who makes promises to sinners, then fulfills what we are unable to do. A covenant isn’t a two party deal when it comes to God. He keeps both ends. So when we find a church full of sinners, a generation of Christians who look like they tear down more than they build, a label that fits all too well on the Christians that leave you frustrated, understand that Jesus makes them promises too. He shed His blood for them, and for you too. For forgiveness for every place we transgressed in the first place. 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 431:3)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 27,  2023Today's Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14Daily Lectionary: Ex 2:1-22, Mark 14:32-52Ezekiel 37:4: “Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This story isn’t just Ezekiel. It’s every pastor of every church, called out into a valley full of sinners cut off from one another. Addicts with secrets and not-so-secrets. Monsters.  Victims. Bones. You see it in the gossip that runs rampant in churches, in anxiety and anger, depression and fear, suffering and death. We are the valley of dry bones. And someone told us that Christian soldiers are supposed to march. The hymn might be lying. So your pastor preaches sermons. A few of us are actually good enough to make you feel better for an hour or two after church. But does it really get better? Can these bones live? O Lord, You know. I don’t.  I can tell you what His word says, but can’t make you believe it. I can tell you a sin is wrong, but can’t break your addiction to it. I can give names to every sin in Ten Commandments, but it won’t make them hurt less. But God tells the prophet, unsure of what to do or say that it’s really pretty simple. Preach the Word.  Know who your God is. He is Jesus, who opens your grave and makes you live. That’s a promise given to dry bones whether or not they’re afraid, whether or not they’re sinners, whether or not they even draw breath. God’s Word still preaches and the dying still live. Because it’s measured in Him, not the Valley.  Peace isn’t a lack of problems or a perfect church. Peace isn’t a handle on your life and a morality that doesn’t look at the Ten Commandments and find only hypocrisy.  Peace is a present God, speaking life to the dying, speaking hope to you.  The church doesn’t call us simply to strive to climb out of the valley where the bones are. It promises Jesus joins us and makes us, even us, live. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Like a mighty army Moves the Church of God; Brothers, we are treading Where the saints have trod. We are not divided, All one body we, One in hope and doctrine, One in charity.  Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus Going on before. (Onward Christian Soldiers, LSB 662:2)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 26,  2023Today's Reading: John 11:1-45Daily Lectionary: Ex. 1:1-22, Mark 14:12-31John 11:21: “Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I think John made sure to get this in the story not to leave us with a bad impression of Martha marked on one of the hardest days of her life. I think it’s to give us the words to speak on our own. Its bitterness and genuine anger rolled up in a confession of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. It isn’t just an accusation. It’s a recognition. It doesn’t ignore the problem because of Jesus. But it doesn’t dismiss it either. Something wrong happened. God could have stopped it. There will be a resurrection someday. But today, hope feels far off. Because we tend to root hope in the answer to prayers, not the God answering them.  Hope is a Lazarus who didn’t die. Hope is a Lazarus who will rise on the last day. But that leaves hope very far away when he’s four days in the tomb and rotting. It might be worth noting that throughout this entire story, every time the followers of Jesus presume to know His plans, they’re wrong. Every time they put their hope in something He can control, but not in Him, it falls apart. Because hope is not found in God answering prayers. Hope is found in God. Where God is, there is hope. And Jesus draws near to dead Lazarus.  He could have stopped it. He could have chosen not to go into Jerusalem to die. He could have chosen to punish sinners for insolence and impoliteness…and you know…sin. Instead, His will is done as absolutely done, confounding the imaginations of everyone. So maybe hope in Jesus, not what you think He’ll do. Hope is not measured in anything other than the presence of Jesus. Everything else is turned upside down. The body should never have died. The dead body should stink. And in all of it, hope is measured in something else. Jesus is near.  Which may be why He gives us His Body and Blood in church. So that hope can be measured in more than “Did I get what I wanted?” or “Did I die and go to heaven and on the last day rise?”. It’s measured in “Is Jesus here for me?” and the answer is Yes. Amen. 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. - Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 25,  2023Today's Reading:  Luke 1:26-38Daily Lectionary: Gen 49:29-50:7, 14-26, Mark 14:1-11Luke 1:28–29: “And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Two angels visited young women. One was evil. The other good. Both made promises of greatness. One promised a life of freedom, hidden knowledge, and independence.  The other promised a cross. One pointed to something that would be so easy to take. The other spoke of something all but impossible. One offered options. The other never gave the young woman a choice.  If you were to ask the world which was good and which was evil, the answer would be near unanimous, but it was the evil angel Satan who spoke lies to Eve promising independence from God, knowledge of good and evil, and whispered of “free will” right within her grasp. Gabriel told the truth. You shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus – He shall save His people from their sins. As crazy as it sounds, nothing will be impossible with God. There is no choice. No free will. This is your blessing. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  Therefore the child to be born will be called holy. The Son of God.The Annunciation marks just one pregnancy until Christmas, almost always in the middle of lent. They’re as joined together in the grand narrative as the two angels. The tree of the garden revealed sin. It was always meant to be answered by the tree of the cross that reveals salvation. The cross lets us call evil, evil and good, good. It lets us acknowledge our sin, and in repentance, be not afraid. Nothing is impossible with God. That’s not for you to do. It’s for Christ to do for you. Even the part where we acknowledge our sin, and in repentance, be not afraid. He will descend from heaven to become a fetus, born of a virgin and walk the road to the cross to undo death itself and then rise again just to save you. This isn’t just an arbitrary connection. It’s the presence of hope among so much that seems strange, terrifying, and upside down. 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 the same Jesus Christ, 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: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 24,  2023Today's Reading:  Daily Lectionary: Gen 47:1-31, Mark 13:24-37Mark 13:37: “And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Stay awake. It’s ominous. It reads like a threat that isn’t even all that veiled. It leaves us looking to the Lord returning on the last day to catch us, not to save us. It’s actually not because of how it’s written. It’s because of us.  It’s because when we hear the Lord is near, it brings to the surface everything we don’t want Him to be around to confront. We expect the Lord to show up to judge the living and the dead in great power. But there’s a missing word there. But He promises to come in great glory too. So remember the hour in which the Son of Man was glorified.  It was the cross. Jesus bore it for you to forgive you all your sins. The Lord returns on the last day with the same glory. It’s mercy in action, applied to save you. He shows up with great power, the ability to rescue you from all that is in decay down here, even yourself, and glory as of the Son of God who loves to save sinners. So stay awake. It’s not a call to avoid being caught off-guard, but to remain faithful. Hopeful. And even that He does for you. In Word and Sacrament, God calls you out of sleep. Awake o sleeper. Rise from death, and Christ will shine on you. The last day is not a trap, but a blessed hope of all Christians, because here we join our Lord, at last, to fully see our freedom from sin and death. He has already delivered us in our Baptism. He has promised to keep us to that last great day. To remain awake is to cling to these promises. To pray, come Lord Jesus, with all the Church, and to know our future, and count it as a joy. Why would we flee that to hide from the pains of this world in vice and sin and darkness? We are called to stand firm against them knowing we don’t need to hide. We don’t need to self-medicate. We are given, every week, the medicine of life in the Body and Blood of Jesus. Stay awake. Gather around the gifts. It’s a call God makes to all. Let more sinners join us in the mercies of Christ made new every day. Let more find peace that endures to the last. Stay awake, because even now you have Christ.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.For us Christ lived, for us He died, And conquered in the strife; Awake, arise, go forth in faith, And Christ shall give you life (Awake, O Sleeper, Rise from Death (LSB 697:4)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 23,  2023Today's Reading:  Ephesians 5:8-14Daily Lectionary: Gen 45:1-20, 24-28, Mark 13:1-23Ephesians 5:14: “for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Shine light on everything. If it’s of the light, it will reflect. If it’s of darkness, it will flee. It’s a simple approach to life that will guide so many decisions. If you feel like you have to hide what you’re doing, you probably shouldn’t do it. If you feel like it needs to be a secret, what are you afraid of? If it is good and of the light, it will be known for what it is. It sounds so simple. It gets so messy.  Because the world hides their sins. Honestly, we do too. We hide so much in the words, “I a poor miserable sinner” we want nobody to know.  We bury so much in our pasts. In our secrets. In our hearts.  I understand why.  But Paul promises that the thing that becomes visible in light isn’t just our misdeeds. It’s Christ.  He calls the sleeper to wake. He promises to shine, even on those who sleep under death, which only comes from sin.  Shine light on everything. Because Jesus forgives your sins. All of them. The hidden ones are not yours to keep secret. They’re Christ’s to leave buried under the cross.  For every burden we shelter in our hearts that should belong to the light, Paul implores us, not simply to behave and not drink too much.  He calls us to let the Light of the World confront our sins because He does so in order to call us out of the burdens they bring. It doesn’t mean shouting your secrets from the rooftops. But it means we have a place to bring the darkness in us. Expose it to the light and watch it flee. Our sins are brought to the Light of the World and forgiven where the Light of the World conquers death even as the sun is blotted from the sky. Light shall dwell in darkness, and the darkness shall not overcome it.  Let the light shine even where we hide our sins. Let them be forgiven. Not hidden. Not excused. Atoned for. Walk as children of light.  That means take your sins to Jesus. It is pleasing to the Lord. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lo, on those who dwelt in darkness, Dark as night and deep as death, Broke the light of Thy salvation, Breathed Thine own life-breathing breath. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to Thee who light dost send! Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end! (Thy Strong Word, LSB 578:2)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 22,  2023Today's Reading:  Luther’s Small Catechism – Ten Commandments: Second CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Gen 44:1-18, 32-34, Mark 12:28-44You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ask ten strangers what they think about Christianity. They’ll tell you. You’ll hear some heartbreaking stuff. You’ll hear about a hateful God who despises the sinners who don’t sin like the rest of us. You’ll hear about a deadbeat God who abandoned His kids to a world of suffering.  Worse, you might just hear about a perfect God, who reserves Himself for the ones who earn His love.  The Almighty who answers the prayers of the popular kids who get strangers to pray for them or the rich kids who give money to church.  This is what happens when we break the Second Commandment.  The Second Commandment isn’t chiefly about what bad words you say when you stub your toe. Those are still bad, but worse still is when we teach falsely about who our God is.  When we attach lies to His name. It’s called false doctrine. It matters. Millions of people know the name Jesus. They just think He’s a liar.  When we attach God’s favor to our works, it’s a sin. When we teach about a far away God, it’s a great evil. Every single time, the cross is diminished. The mercy won there for you and for all the world there is hidden behind lies. God calls us not to misuse His name.  God doesn’t give you His name only to tell you not to use it. Don’t misuse it. He wants you to have it.  Pray. Praise. Give thanks. Remember who your God is. Remember what He’s done for you. For all. Pray as if it were true. Praise Him for never being far off, but always being in the midst of suffering to bear it Himself upon the cross. Give thanks that He would not save only the wealthy or the popular, but the least of these, the sinners. Us. The Second Commandment matters because it’s actually worth knowing you have a God who loves you. You have a God who won’t stand back from your misery or from your sin. He wants you to use that name. Call upon me in your day of trouble, and I will rescue you”, says your God.  “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  That’s worth remembering rightly. 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 581:3)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 21,  2023Today's Reading:  Isaiah 42:14-21Daily Lectionary: Gen 43:1-28, Mark 12:13-27Isaiah 42:21: “The LORD was pleased, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Everyone always talks about God’s patience like it has no end.  We want things now. He’s content to wait until the right time. Isaiah disagrees. He paints a picture of the LORD so eager to act that, like a pregnant woman, He can hold back no longer so He screams, gasps, and pants.  It isn’t just a picture of God’s eagerness to punish the wicked. It’s an image of His need to forgive you.  Each day of creation that passed by before the Lord bore the cross for the world was not time spent reading a book or whatever patient people do. It’s time. It’s now. The LORD is so ready to forgive He angry screams.  Because He sees what it looks like down here. He’s not content with the suffering, the dying, or the sin and the evil that brings it.  He’s not content to see a few carve out relatively comfortable lives in a world this dark. He’s not content to see the faithful strive with morality only to fall ill and die. It’s because our best isn’t good enough. It isn’t good enough to fix what’s wrong down here. The law doesn’t show us how to behave. It shows us how things are supposed to be. And they’re not.  So the LORD magnifies the law. Shows us what things are supposed to look like. Jesus. Because anything less than Jesus’ perfection isn’t enough. The law upheld outwardly by the most moral isn’t enough. He magnifies the law on His servant, Jesus. The law is shown, finally, in its fulfillment.  Jesus is glorified.  He dies on the cross undoing sin’s wages. Forgiving you. The Father sees the cross and becomes deaf and blind to your sin. It’s on Jesus now.  It has to be, because the LORD can’t stand to see it on you. So, with a cry of pain mingled with joy and relief, even as a pregnant woman screams.  It is finished. Darkness is turned to light. Your sin is forgiven. The death of the faithful is undone.  And we can look at how things are supposed to be as a promise of God to restore them, not a standard to live up to.  We can look to Jesus and find hope. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The Gospel shows the Father’s grace, Who sent His Son to save our race, Proclaims how Jesus lived and died That we might thus be justified. (The Gospel Shows the Father’s Grace, LSB 580:1)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 20,  2023Today's Reading:  John 9:1-41Daily Lectionary: Gen 42:1-34, 38, Mark 12:1-12John 9:2: “And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The disciples find a man born blind. They ask a reasonable question.   Whose fault is it?  There has to be someone to blame. Sometimes you can find fault.  The Ten Commandments paint a picture of how things are supposed to be. All of us fall short of this standard.  Sin breaks stuff. Sometimes that’s my fault. Sometimes it’s yours. Sometimes the sin that breaks stuff is just so ground into the dust that there’s no way to figure out who to blame, short of Adam. He brought sin into the world. He passed it through DNA to the blind man and his parents, to you and me. If you want to assign blame for misery, there’s no shortage of it. But there’s no help there either.  So when the disciples ask Jesus who to blame, He doesn’t answer the way they want. He answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Jesus wants more for us than wandering around in darkness finding blame to sling on each other like mud.  There’s no help in that pit. There’s no comfort. There’s nothing but darkness, dust, and death. There’s wisdom here. The law shows us our sin. Sometimes we can learn from that and aim for better, but when we can’t find a commandment being broken, stop. If you can’t find a place to learn, leave. Don’t play in that pit. You only get covered in the same darkness.  He points to Himself. He doesn’t explain this man’s blindness in a way that makes us feel better about it.  There is no feeling better about it. Even knowing who to blame doesn’t fix anything.  He points to Himself, and in doing so He addresses the real problem the disciples have. They called him Rabbi. Teacher. That’s what folks call Jesus in the Bible when they want to make clear they don’t think He’s the God He claims to be.  Where is God visible in all this?  They wanted a teacher to explain away what’s wrong and learned nothing. Rather, Jesus heals the man and shows where God really makes Himself known. In the darkness, working mercy. It’s ugly, but God reveals Himself in the darkness, in the spit and the mud. In the suffering and death. On the cross.  For the sinners and the ones marked by it. For you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord God, let us ever find you working in darkness to bring us light, mercy, and healing, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. - Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 19,  2023Today's Reading:  Matt. 2:13-15, 19-23Daily Lectionary: Gen 41:28-57, Mark 11:20-33Matthew 2:13: “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.””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Joseph’s fiancé was pregnant. He knew it wasn’t his child. People talked about it. Legend puts him a lot older than Mary. Old enough people talked about that, too. I wonder what he dreamed about before God-given warnings took over his nights.  “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.”  “Rise, flee to Egypt.  Remain there until I tell you. Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.”  I’m guessing “abandon everything and flee to Egypt to protect the kid someone else fathered with your wife” might not have been on the 5 year plan. Joseph disappears before Jesus begins His ministry.  It would be easy to remember him for his patience, selflessness, and sacrificial care for Mary and Jesus.  It would even be possible to mark him as one taken advantage of by those looking for a patron saint to represent their own feelings of insecurity and insufficiency. It might be best, though, to remember him only so far as the Scriptures do. He was the guardian of Jesus. The Husband of Mary. Faithful. In worry, he was near Jesus. In trial, near Jesus. Until death, near Jesus. Immanuel means God with us. Joseph is marked as one who was near to Jesus because Jesus was near to him. There are plenty of fathers and husbands marked for doing the right thing, and plenty more for feeling bitter about not getting enough attention. Joseph is simply the one near Jesus, and being near Jesus is enough. We remember Joseph as we can now see each other. Near to Jesus, hearing His promises and believing them, that even if we disappear from the story, we will ever be near Jesus in eternity. 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, 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: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 18,  2023Today's Reading:  Introit for Lent 4 Ps. 27:4-6; antiphon: Ps. 25:15Daily Lectionary: Gen 41:1-27, Mark 11:1-19Psalm 25:15: “My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As a pastor, when the Lord promises rescue, I secretly get scared. I’ve been around cancer that isn’t healed.  Paralytics that still can’t walk. Addicts who relapse. I’ve heard poor sinners' desperate words and joined them in their litanies. God still said no. And I’m afraid He’ll do it again. I’m embarrassed. Of my lack of faith. But also, a little bit of Him. It’s easier to preach about a God who’s miracles work more like a vending machine. The 27th Psalm is for my fear and shame. David shows us where to look in days of trouble. We look for rescue in the things of this world. God promises it in His house. The shelter is in the House of the Lord.  The victory is given where the sacrifices are. It isn’t just a “look on the bright side, one day you’ll go to heaven” platitude.  It’s a question of which is stronger. The prayers I’ve wanted to be answered were rooted in a fear God wouldn’t help. He already has.  The temple is where He gives the victory. Forgiveness that relapse can’t undo. Salvation that isn’t measured in remission. Resurrection that accident and age can’t cripple.  The things we’re so afraid of can’t actually hurt us here. We are gathered in a fortress that stands as a shield against everything else. It’s a question of where God works. Of how He answers prayers. The desperate litanies are met by a Jesus already risen from the grave, promising us the same. Look at where Jesus is, not where you’re afraid He won’t be. He’s in your church, giving good gifts of victory over all you’re so afraid of.  In a world where everything falls down, David pleads to be found in the house of the Lord.  Because it will be left standing afterwards, even as Christ is risen. Sometimes I’m afraid God will say no. Joy isn’t found in the fear and the shame of it. So God lifts me up out of it and sets me on the rock, that is Christ. In Him, in His death and resurrection, I have a yes already given for me, and for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Why spend the day in blank despair, In restless thought the night? On your Creator cast your care; He makes your burdens light. (Rejoice, My Heart, Be Glad and Sing, LSB 737:3) - Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 17,  2023Today's Reading:  Mark 10:32-52Daily Lectionary: Gen 40:1-23Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Patrick tends to get belittled. Faithful teaching about the Holy Trinity is truncated to a 3 leaf clover or maybe a satirical youtube video in select circles. His time in Ireland is reduced to fables and jokes about snakes being driven into the sea.  In reality, Patrick was kidnapped when he was 16 and enslaved for 6 years before escaping the country of Ireland where he was brought only to return to preach the forgiveness of sins in Christ Jesus to the very nation that took Him from His family and made him a slave. He was a fierce defender of the Triune God to a culture set against the idea. Somehow, it’s easier to imagine a God who helps the faithful drown snakes than a God who is glorified in suffering. James and John want to sit at either side of Jesus in the hour of triumph. They don’t know what they’re asking for. That hour is the cross. Those seats are reserved for two thieves.  Sinners go looking for power. Jesus reveals Himself in mercy. The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve. Patrick not only confessed the Triune God, but preached to the sinners Christ died for, assuming the role of servant even to those who held him captive. There’s a reason. Stories of glory only help the powerful, and I guess the ones who hate snakes.  There’s no help for the sinners or the ones without a great escape story. When we go looking for power, only the devout end up glorified, never the sinners.  When Jesus works mercy, even thieves can be saved, and all of us join Christ in the humility of the cross  that we would be raised with Him in glory. This is a Christianity with room for sinners, with room for the lowly, with room for you. Your faith is not measured in the great works you accomplish but in the sins Christ forgives. All of them. The snake's head was crushed at the foot of the cross where your salvation was won, whether or not you chased the rest out of a country. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.I bind unto myself today The pow’r of God to hold and lead, His eye to watch, His might to stay, His ear to hearken to my need, The wisdom of my God to teach, His hand to guide, His shield to ward, The Word of God to give me speech, His heav’nly host to be my guard. (I Bind unto Myself Today, LSB 604:3)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 16,  2023Today's Reading:  Daily Lectionary: Gen 39:1-23Genesis 39:23: “The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Whatever Joseph did, the Lord made it succeed. Joseph, of course, being the guy wrongfully imprisoned. But, like, really successfully. I wonder if Moses smirked as he wrote this stuff. If it wasn’t for this verse, we could have an inspiring “when life gives you lemons” peptalk. Roll with the punches. Make the best of it. But this happened because the LORD was with Joseph. This is the Lord’s definition of success, too. I’d rather be a normal guy lots of people ignore than the second most important person in prison.  It might be something to consider before quoting an out-of-context Bible verse about God having a plan for your life. I’m not saying He doesn’t. I’m saying you might not like it. The Lord doesn’t measure success by power over this world, but by salvation within it. The Lord measures success by the cross.  Joseph isn’t a story of rolling with the punches, but of a son being cast down and raised up to save His people.  Joseph’s story begins with a robe, a pit, and jealous betrayal and ends with a meal that sustains a people dying in a world of not enough. Success isn’t measured in power, but in the Lord moving among sinful people to work mercy and salvation where there should be none. It looks like Christ coming down from heaven to walk the road to the cross to bear your sins and die, only to rise and send forth the Holy Spirit to deliver this salvation to you in a meal of Holy Communion. Jesus being in control of the nation of Israel without bearing the cross for her is no success at all.  And for you, the Lord doesn’t mark success in wealth or power or the things of this world that pass away, but by keeping you in faith now, through death, and unto the same resurrection. Look to the Word for that. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Come, Thou incarnate Word, Gird on Thy mighty sword; Our prayer attend. Come and Thy people bless, And give Thy Word success, And let Thy righteousness On us descend. (Come, Thou Almighty King,, LSB 905:2)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 15,  2023Today's Reading:  Luther’s Small Catechism – Ten Commandments: First CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Gen 37:1-36, Mark 10:1-12We should fear, love, and trust in God above all thingsIn the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Idols are good things. The money you love more than God isn’t evil. The love of it is. The people we value more than God are the neighbors He gave you. The power you trust more than God isn’t sinful to have. It’s sinful to use it selfishly. It’s foolish to think it will save you eternally.  That’s the point. An idol is a part of creation we worship instead of the creator. That stuff isn’t God. It can’t save you.  Not even when you put the name Jesus on it. That’s my favorite trick. I name all my idols Jesus. Jesus wants me to be successful. Happy. Rich.  At least that’s what I tell myself. You can see it go wrong in two ways. First, the Scriptures never promise Jesus wants you to have those things. Second, if Jesus is only a means to an end, the end is your real god. Not Jesus. Idolatry is like getting a Christmas present and saying thank you to the present instead of the person who gave it to you. It’s not just rude. It misses the greatest thing about presents. Someone loves you enough to give you something. That’s the real gift. Idolatry takes for granted the love of the Savior and trades it in for things that moth and rust destroy. None of the things we fear, love, and trust in will be around for eternity. None of them can get you to eternity either. But Jesus already has.  It's the other side of the First Commandment coin. If God says, “You shall have no other gods”, what He also means is that He insists on being God to you. For you. He insists on being the one you trust in above all because He is trustworthy. He insists on being the thing you fear above all because His wrath consumes in a way nothing in this world can express. He insists on being what you love above all things because to see God is to see the source of all good things, and know He insists on giving them to you.  Idols aren’t bad things. They’re good gifts from God that blind us to the giver. He insists you have good things so fiercely that He gives them even to idolaters like you, then forgives you, saves you from your idols, and even from yourself by the cross that becomes our treasure.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“I am alone your God, the Lord; No other gods shall be adored. But you shall fully trust in Me And love Me wholeheartedly.” Have mercy, Lord!  (These are the Holy Ten Commands, LSB 581:2)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 14,  2023Today's Reading:  Romans 5:1-18Daily Lectionary: Gen 35:1-29, Mark 9:33-50Romans 5:8: “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Spiritual warfare is easier when it’s us against the devil, but I am a sinner.  The problem is me. It’s the devil who would have you think the only enemies are outside of yourself and outside of our walls. In true spiritual warfare, there is no us against them. There is only Jesus for sinners. WE were the enemies of God. Not the world. Not the devil. Us. So Jesus died for you. Your sins are forgiven. So are your enemies’. The devil lost.  Now, the battleground is your conscience. It’s more than “this isn’t how it’s supposed to be”. It’s “I’m not how I’m supposed to be.”  I haven’t done enough. I haven’t trusted enough.  Spiritual warfare is the devil pointing away from the cross where Christ already won the victory for you. Christ was crucified. Christ is risen. But I’m still scared. I’m still struggling. I’m still sinning. Even if all the problems in the world went away, I’d still be stuck with me. This is where the devil fights.  So Jesus wages war for your conscience and your soul both. He fights back against the accusations of the evil one. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” For you. The free gift is not like the trespass. The free gift is not found in the Law that accuses and shows what’s wrong.  It’s in the Gospel that reconciles enemies. “Now you are reconciled to God through the death of His Son.”  I am a sinner Jesus died for. No, I haven't done enough. I haven't trusted enough. I haven’t fought hard enough. But Jesus has. Now there is grace given to sinners that reconciles us to God and so reconciles us to each other. If you can’t see past the picture the law would paint of your enemies and of yourself, your spiritual warfare is simply to receive the Gospel. Receive pardon and mercy. Receive forgiveness, life, and salvation that unite us to the victory already won when Christ burst from the tomb. That unites us even to each other. We are the enemies that were reconciled to God together. We are the sinners Jesus died for. We are the baptized. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Preserve Your Word and preaching, The truth that makes us whole, The mirror of Your glory, The pow’r that saves the soul. Oh, may this living water, This dew of heav’nly grace, Sustain us while here living Until we see Your face. (Preserve Your Word, O Savior LSB 658:4)- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 13,  2023Today's Reading:  Ex. 17:1-7Daily Lectionary: Gen. 29:1-30, Mark 9:14-32Exodus 17:7: “And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Moses is tired of the people complaining and fighting.  So the Lord tells him to hit a rock with a stick to shut them up.  The Bible is full of uncomfortable things about Jesus. He rose from the dead.  It’s easier to paper over the miracles and teachings that don’t jive with common morals today.  But when you take Jesus out of the book, it gets even weirder.  Nobody tells the story of water from a rock to prove a political point or win an argument online.  This doesn’t demonstrate kindness unless you squint.  It's easier to complain about the world that’s falling apart than recognize they’re only asking the same questions Israel did of old.  Is the LORD among us or not? Because it doesn’t really look like He is.  They asked that to the guy who ripped the sea in half and marched them through on dry ground while a pillar of fire watched.  They saw.  Society asks it surrounded by death and tragedy.  And we ask because people won’t stop being sinners.  It’s funny how we want their miracles, and they want our comforts, but we both manage to ask the same questions about God. It’s almost like the real problem isn’t how the world looks, but the sinful state of our hearts. So Jesus answers. Not in temper tantrums but in promises. The Bible makes more sense if Jesus is always in the center of it.  There is a rock, from whose side comes living water, struck to put an end to the sinful rebellion of God’s people, and that rock was Christ. He was struck. He was beaten. He was crucified and pierced for you, and from His side comes life giving water. The Lord was among His sinners to save them. It hasn’t changed. It’s been fulfilled. It answers the worry of the people not by setting them apart from the things they’re afraid of, but by forgiving their sins, our sins, so that life can be more than just an escape from the thing that isn’t the real problem. There can be hope in Him who has already saved. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Yet, O Lord, not thus alone Make me see Your passion, But its cause to me make known And its termination. Ah! I also and my sin Wrought Your deep affliction; This indeed the cause has been Of Your crucifixion (Jesus, I Will Ponder Now LSB 440:3) - Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 12,  2023Today's Reading:  John 4:5-26Daily Lectionary: Gen 27:30-45, 28:10-22, Mark 9:1-13John 4:10: “Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.””In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This lady’s a sinner.  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 out to that well anymore.  How can I not come back here anymore?  She actually confesses it.  Give me the water so I don’t have to get more.  I don’t want to have to come here anymore.  I don’t want to be what they stare at.  I don’t want to be what they talk about. I don’t want to be the object lesson to nice little boys and girls anymore.  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.  Sin is still sin.  It breaks stuff.  Salvation did come from the temple of the Jews, but Jesus is there to do more than correct her about her church-going habits and get her married.  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 saw herself.  He just starts promising living water to bitter sinners.  He’s so blunt that the rest of us get uncomfortable too.  There’s no condition. It’s here. It’s free. We’d like to imagine it’s because Jesus isn’t being as polite as we imagine, but really it’s deeper.  The whole conversation points out a truth we’d rather not see.  Nobody’s saved by measuring their shortcomings, whether they be the sins acceptable by the public or not.  We’re saved by Jesus, the rock.  We’re saved by the living water that comes from His pierced side.  He shows up. He dies. He saves.  And it’s for you too.  There are no conditions. It’s free. For the sins you hide away, for the statistics you’ve become on purpose or on accident, for your guilt, for you, peace. Jesus died for you. Your sins are forgiven. You are baptized. You have the living water promised. 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 to 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.- Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 11, 2023 Today's Reading: Introit for Lent 3 Ps. 84:1-4; antiphon: Ps. 84:5 Daily Lectionary: Gen 27:1-29, Mark 8:22-38 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. (From the Introit for the Third Sunday in Lent) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Churches come in all shapes and sizes. The massive and beautiful cathedrals of Europe, The climate-controlled and cushioned-pew buildings many of us know, and the rickety lean-tos often seen in disadvantaged nations. But all of these buildings have something in common: the altar. The place upon which the elements of the Sacrament are placed for the assembled saints to receive in Holy Communion. It might be a massive and ornate slab of marble, it may be a card table, but that altar is the place where the Lord God sits in glory when we gather in worship. The presence of God is what truly makes his dwelling place lovely. Reality gets very thin around altars. Eternity begins to bleed through into our world around those places where God sits. You see it happen to Isaiah in the temple (Isaiah 6). Zechariah has a close call, too (Luke 1). No, there is no Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies at your church, or any church on earth. But the altar functions in the same way. It is the Mercy Seat, the place where our Eternal God sits to bestow his gifts upon us. And when the Lord God is present among us, He doesn’t come alone. We proclaim it every time we celebrate the Sacrament: “therefore with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name.” The indescribable beauty that is the eternal throne room of God shines into our world in a mystical way as Jesus is physically present in the Sacrament. You can joyfully sing in a cavernous building, in the room of a nursing home, around a kitchen table, or in your own pew because God himself is present there, for you. Tomorrow, when you walk into your church, look closely at the altar and take note of what makes it special. The wood or stone, the fabrics or candlesticks that adorn it, the flowers that bring it color, the Bible resting upon it. All of those things are there to remind us of God’s presence, but the biggest and most glorious clue is the communion ware set there ready for you to receive from the ever-present God of salvation Jesus, given for you. It is lovely, indeed! 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 reverence. He alone On His throne Is our God and Savior; Praise His name forever! (God Himself Is Present 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: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 10, 2023 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary:Gen 24:32-52, 61-67, Mark 8:1-21 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?” (St. Mark 8:16–18) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s easy to give the disciples grief. Today we have the benefit of hindsight and we are absolutely positive, 100% certain, without a doubt in our minds, that we would have been better and more perceptive disciples. Except not. We’d be just as bad, if not worse. Jesus had just fed 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread and a few fish. He and His disciples crisscrossed the Sea of Galilee dodging inquisitive Pharisees and their sign-seeking. Jesus is trying to make a point (as usual), and all the Twelve can think about is dinner. They’re arguing about who forgot to pack the ice chest, and Jesus has to be the parent and calm them down and try to focus their attention. They are so worried about the right now, that they have completely forgotten that the sun will rise tomorrow, whether or not they have enough to eat today. Do you see yourself in the Twelve now? It’s easy to get wrapped up in the despair and disaster of everyday troubles. Admit it, your mind has wandered during church more times than you can remember, other things have suddenly become more important than the Word of God. And that’s what Jesus is trying to get the disciples to understand; that he fed the 4,000 and had seven baskets of food left over, that he fed the 5,000 before that and had twelve baskets of food left over, that wherever He goes, abundance and healing abound. The Pharisees and Herodians were only thinking about the now, living day-to-day on the hope that they had just enough power and authority to stay in charge of things, and the disciples are getting dangerously close to that attitude. He wants them to remember that when He is with them, they will always have plenty. And that’s true today as well. Jesus is with us, providing what we need most in abundance: His Word and gifts. Along the way, He provides for our earthly needs, too, through our families and occupations. Even when we think about and focus on the wrong things, Jesus is with us to bring us back to reality; to the certainty of his presence with us to sustain, guard, and keep us always in the one true faith. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Lord, take my hand and lead me Upon life’s way; Direct, protect, and feed me From day to day. Without Your grace and favor I go astray; So take my hand, O Savior, And lead the way. (Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me, LSB 722:1) -Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 9, 2023 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Gen 24:1-31, Mark 7:24-37 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. (St. Mark 7:33–36) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever seen an old-time Bible movie about Jesus? They really bother me, because Jesus is always so clean and well groomed, wearing white and floating through the movie as if he was almost not even really there. We see a different Jesus in the gospels, especially today. This is the Jesus we really need to keep in our minds. This is the Jesus who lives among His people, bearing their burdens, sharing their pain, and healing their infirmities. This is the Jesus who laughs and cries, because He knows exactly what it is like to live on earth, with sin and evil around every corner; and with family and friends by your side. Jesus pulls the deaf man aside so he knows Jesus is focused on him and his needs. Sure, this isn’t very hygienic by today’s standards (what, no hand sanitizer?!?), but this is the Son of God we’re watching. Fingers in ears that don’t hear; fingers on a tongue that can’t speak. Looking to the heavens from which our help comes, and a deep sigh. All of these actions show the deaf man that Jesus is here for him. Specifically to help him and to show His might and power to those nearby. Touching, sighing, and speaking, Jesus restores what was broken. He heals what caused pain. You might not be deaf or mute, but you are afflicted by sin and death every single day. Jesus breaks into your world on a regular basis and restores you, ever so briefly in this world, but for all of eternity in the Divine Service. There, He puts his Word into your ears, and He touches your tongue with His Body and Blood to restore you. To forgive you. To grant you everlasting life and eternal salvation. You may not always understand what is happening, but Jesus sees you in your struggles, and He speaks directly to you, touches you, and assures you of His mercy, now and forever. 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 to 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. (Collect for Times of Affliction and Distress) -Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 8, 2023 Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism - Table of Duties: To Everyone Daily Lectionary: Gen 22:1-19, Mark 7:1-23 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Romans 13:9) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Back at the beginning of catechism class, and maybe even well before then, most kids don’t love the Ten Commandments. In fact, it’s usually the opposite, isn’t it? Between memorizing them and their meanings, many catechumens develop a hostile relationship with the Ten Commandments. Rather than looking at the Commandments as a list to be wrestled into submission though, see them instead as a guide for loving your neighbor. I always ask my catechumens “who is your neighbor?” and they eventually learn the right answer: “anyone who isn’t me!” Realizing who your neighbor is and how your relationship with all of your neighbors is affected by how you live out your faith and life is essential. It’s pretty easy to say that you’ve never murdered anyone or robbed a bank. It isn’t so easy to say you haven’t wished someone harm or pocketed something that wasn’t yours to take. The key in all of this is remembering the First Table: Commandments 1-3, which deal with our relationship with God our Father. When we get that straight, when we love the Lord our God and gather together for worship and the study of his Word, that sets us on the path of loving our neighbor. It gets us in the right frame of mind. Then, knowing how to love our God informs our love for our neighbors. The Golden Rule (which isn’t in the Bible, by the way) does help: treat others the way you want to be treated. In theory, this makes the Christian life easy—all the rules are there. All the possible ways to treat everyone are laid out in the open. In reality, though, sin makes it a lot more difficult to love our neighbors as ourselves. Their sin against us, and our sin against them complicates things. Thanks be to God that our Lord Jesus has already kept these Commandments perfectly for us, that His Death and Resurrection forgives our failures, and His Holy Spirit guides us in the way to go. How do you love Jesus? By loving your neighbors. And when you fail to love them as you should, Jesus loves you through them; especially parents and pastors who remind you that we love because Jesus first loved us. Thanks be to God that His love never fails! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Almighty and ever-living God, You make us both to will and to do those things that are good and acceptable in Your sight. Let Your fatherly hand ever guide us and Your Holy Spirit ever be with us to direct us in the knowledge and obedience of Your Word that we may obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Collect For Divine Guidance) -Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 7, 2023 Today's Reading: Romans 4:1-8, 13-17 Daily Lectionary: Gen. 21:1-21, Mark 6:35-56 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. (Romans 4:13) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday, we looked at how Abraham was blessed by God through a promise that he would father a great nation, that all the faithful would be able to trace their lineage back to him.It is important to remember how that happened, and who was in charge. As I always like to ask, “Who’s running the verbs here?” Who was doing the blessing and promising? It was God the Father, of course, the Great I Am, who would later promise to Moses that He would guide God’s people back to the ancestral lands promised to Abraham. All of those things happened through the work of God on behalf of his people. Sure, along the way, He gave Moses the Law, the Ten Commandments, the moral and ceremonial rules for life as God’s people until the Messiah’s coming. But none of those promises came based on Abraham’s behavior or gumption. That is important to remember in our day, as well. God blesses His people. He makes promises to His children. And none of these things are based on us. God never says, “If you behave well enough, then I’ll save you.” No, He says instead: “This is my promise to you: Jesus is for you!” That’s the thing about the power of the creative and performative Word of God. It does what it says, even without your input! The living Word of God bounces off your eardrum and travels into your brain where the Holy Spirit creates faith in a mysterious way. God declares you righteous by the work of his Son, Jesus, speaks that righteousness upon you while wetting you with the water of Baptism, and when your pastor proclaims your absolution, and when that Word is tied to bread and wine made Body and Blood. In none of these things are you driving the narrative; it is all God, all the time. He declares you His child. He makes you righteous. He instills faith in you. All of it by His power and might, for you, so that you (like Abraham) would trust that He has you in His hands, safe for all eternity. 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…If my days on earth He lengthen, God my weary soul will strengthen; All my trust in Him I place. Earthly wealth is not abiding, like a stream away is gliding; Safe I anchor in His grace. (All Depends on Our Possessing, LSB 732:1-6) -Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 6, 2023 Today's Reading: Gen. 12:1-9 Daily Lectionary: Gen. 18:1-15, Mark 6:14-34 Now the LORD said to Abram…“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) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God always blesses His children, even when it doesn’t seem like it. Abram messes up. A LOT. Yet God is faithful to His promise and watches over and guides him so that He may fulfill the promise He made. Abram leaves Ur and goes on this journey to what will become the Promised Land, within which the Messiah will eventually be born. Along the way, Abram’s journey takes him through trouble in Egypt, God renames him Abraham (because of the promise), he prays for his nephew Lot’s safety in Sodom, he is faced with the unbelievable decision to sacrifice Isaac, his only son… The challenges he faces are incredible. Yet, through all of them, and even in the times when Abraham and Sarah wrest the decisions away from their gracious God and go their own way (always into deeper trouble than if they’d followed God’s direction!). The Lord is faithful to His promise. Remember that, dear baptized child of God. Your Lord and God is the same God of Abraham, the same God who guided and directed His people down through the ages until the time had fully come, and His Son was born of woman, in the same flesh as Abraham, and lived for you, and for Abraham, and for all the faithful. One of Abraham’s blessings is that billions and billions of people on earth still know his name and hold him in esteem as a great hero of the faith. No, he wasn’t perfect, and I’m sure he’d be the first to call you out for making him more than he is, but he was faithful, and that is enough. Your life might not take the same number of twists, turns, surprises, or tragedies; but I’m sure this world will cause you enough grief to wonder some days if the Lord still remembers His promises to you. Be assured that He does; He remembers you and His promise because His one and only Son, your risen Lord Jesus, intercedes for you before the Father. He does it always, because you’ve been washed in His blood, marked with his holy cross, and named in his Book of Life, just like Abraham. 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 Blessings LSB 782:1) -Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 5, 2023 Today's Reading: John 3:1-7 Daily Lectionary: Gen. 16:1-9, 15:17-22, Mark 6:1-13 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (St. John 3:1–2) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Remember the last time the power went out? Unless you had a flashlight or your cell phone handy, you likely stumbled around for a bit trying to find your way without tripping or banging your shins into the furniture. Being lost in the darkness can be a big deal, especially when you have no idea where you are going. Nicodemus was in the dark, both literally and metaphorically. St. John says he came to Jesus “by night,” which makes sense. After all, he doesn’t want the other Pharisees to find out he’s hanging out with this guy they’ve spent so much time trying to cancel. But Nicodemus is in the dark in another way. St. John uses darkness again and again in his gospel to show us how people come to understand who Jesus is by moving from darkness into light. From not believing that Jesus is God, to understanding and believing His divinity. From the darkness of sin and death into the light of Christ, the certainty that Jesus has come for you and your salvation. Nicodemus admits that both he and his fellow Pharisees know that Jesus is a teacher from God, but they just can’t connect the last of the dots, they can’t get the cord plugged in to turn the light on. Actually, they refuse to plug it in, because they prefer the darkness. And so they stumble, they trip, they bash their shins against the cornerstone, the “stumbling block,” the scandal, that is God in the flesh. Thankfully, it isn’t up to us to plug in the cord, or to come to an understanding about Jesus on our own. This is the power and the might of the Word of God. He does it all for us. He plugs in the light, turns it on, focuses its power and brightness upon us, warms us with its glow, and makes sure it never goes out again. Jesus is able to do these things not because God is with Him, but because He himself is God. God in the flesh, for you, working to do what you cannot to bring you to faith and salvation in His mighty works. 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. (Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent) -Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 4, 2023 Today's Reading: Introit for Lent 2, Ps. 105:4-7; antiphon: Ps. 105:8 Daily Lectionary: Gen. 15:1-21, Mark 5:21-43He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations. (From the Introit for the Second Sunday in Lent) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God always remembers, even when we forget. That can seem terrifying, can’t it? God our Father will never forget. He will always remember. And if you’re stuck on thinking that he will always remember everything wrong you’ve done, every time you’ve messed up, every instance of back-talking and “massaging” the truth for your own purposes, you’ll be terrified of him. But here’s the thing. God forgets because he remembers. It seems to not make sense, but look at what He says in His own words. In Psalm 103 the Holy Spirit inspires King David to write, “as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.” God remembers his covenant, and his covenant says that He forgives those who repent, and that repentance is made sure in the shed blood of Jesus. That sin that has been bugging you for weeks, maybe months? Have you confessed it to God? Then He’s forgiven it! He forgives and forgets it, because He remembers that Jesus bore that sin to His cross on Golgotha. You should treat your sins the same way. Once you’ve confessed them, forget them. If God can’t remember them, then why should you? Oh, I know. It was such a terrible sin. You hurt people so badly when you committed it. And for the longest time, you didn’t really care. Then it started to bother you, so you still carry it around now as some sort of reminder about how bad a person you are. But that is not how God remembers it, or you. When God looks at you, He has to look through Jesus to see you. And when He sees Jesus, he remembers that He has forgiven all of your sins, because Jesus took them all from you and died for them, left them in His grave, and rose without them. Jesus doesn’t carry those sins anymore, so God can’t remember them. What God does remember is His promise that He forgives you, He has made you His child, and life everlasting is yours, because He has washed you in Jesus’s blood and taken all that sin away to the point that not even God remembers them. God remembers that you are His child, washed white in the blood of the Lamb. He remembers that He’s made a place for you with Him forever. Thanks be to God that He remembers, even when we forget. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Almighty and everlasting God, direct, sanctify, and govern both our hearts and bodies in the ways of Your laws and in the works of Your commandments that through Your mighty protection we may ever be preserved in both body and soul; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (Collect for Divine Guidance)-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 3, 2023 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary:Gen. 13:1-18, Mark 5:1-20 As (Jesus) was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. (St. Mark 5:18–20) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Sometimes people think that the best way to serve Jesus is to go overseas on a mission trip. Certainly, foreign missions are an integral part of spreading the Gospel, but they aren’t for everyone. Our long-term missionaries make a tremendous commitment when they move to a foreign land to preach the Gospel. Thanks be to God for them! Jesus stays local today. He heals the man possessed with demons and tells him to stay home and tell his friends and neighbors what Jesus had done for him. Sometimes, that’s the hardest thing to do. You see these people all the time. They see you all the time. They know you inside and out. Maybe you think they won’t listen to what you have to say because they know your failures. Maybe you think they’ll stop being your friends because of what you say. Not all of us have such a spectacular story to tell as this man: he went from living in a cave and wailing and breaking chains and cutting himself to ribbons with rocks to being a gentle, mild-mannered citizen once again. He probably thought, much like we do, that the same thing would happen to him. That no one would listen, that no one would appreciate what Jesus had done for him, so it would be easier to run away to a far country with Jesus to where life had to be better. But that’s not what he was given to do. The strength of our faith is its mundane and plain nature. That so much of it is…normal and boring. The day-to-day experience of our faith doesn’t have all the flash and magnificence that we often think it needs, and that’s okay. Because what you do have is Jesus. And he has done marvelous things in your life, even if you can’t see them. You were rescued from sin, death, and demons in your Baptism. Jesus feeds you his very self in Holy Communion, even if it looks rather bland. He speaks salvation into your ears every week. These are all magnificent and wonderful works, done for you. And you’ve been placed in exactly the right place to share that good news with others as Jesus has gifted you to do. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Come, celebrate, your banners unfurling, Your songs and prayers against the darkness hurling. To all the world go out and tell the story Of Jesus’ glory. (Rise, Shine, You People, LSB 825:3)-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 2, 2023 Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: Gen. 11:27-12:20, Mark 4:1-20 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path…Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil…Other seed fell among thorns…And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain…” (St. Mark 4:3-8) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This Gospel text tends to cause a lot of navel-gazing. It makes us look at ourselves too much; and sometimes, we use this text to judge others, too. We try too hard to figure out which kind of soil we (and the people around us) are. We look too much at ourselves and others and forget the whole point of what is happening here at the very heart of the text. So, let’s focus on the sower. Today’s farmers are very meticulous. Soil analysis, moisture content, drainage, nutrient levels—these all contribute to a successful harvest. The sower seems a bit foolish when you look at things that way. We are all about harvesting the most produce with the least amount of input. But the sower is just foolish. He throws the seed all over the place, flinging it all over the ground with not the least bit of care as to where it lands. Sure, he ultimately gets a good crop that produces thirty, sixty, and a hundred times more than he planted, but what about the wasted seed? What about it, indeed? Later, Jesus says this seed is the Word of God, and the types of soil reflect the types of people who hear it. Yes, it is imperative to be the soil in which the Word grows, but you didn’t make yourself that good soil, did you? The Sower has already plowed and prepared that soil to receive the Word. Isaiah proclaims that God’s Word never returns to him empty; it always accomplishes what He sets out to do. So also with you. God’s Word has been landing in the soil of your ears for years. The Holy Spirit has been at work, creating and sustaining your faith. Plowing and turning the ‘soil’ within you so that you might reflect that faith to those around you. The Word of God will continue to be scattered upon the earth, and there will be places and times when it lands on the road, between rocks, or among thorns. Thanks be to God that he, by the power of that same Word, can change even those hostile places into fertile ground to produce saving faith in the most unlikely places! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Blessed Lord, 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, by patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; 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: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

March 1, 2023 Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism - Table of Duties To: WidowsDaily Lectionary: Gen. 8:13-9:17, Mark 3:20-35 She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. (1 Timothy 5:5-6) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. For the last few centuries, the human lifespan has grown longer and longer. Even so, women still tend to live longer than men, as has been the case for most of history. Whether it was because of war or other more dangerous occupations, wives have outlived their husbands, regardless of nationality. This leaves a pretty consistent group of widows in our world, many of whom need care and assistance as time passes and they age. St. Paul’s words to the young pastor Timothy might seem to be a bit harsh, especially if we think about how we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. But these words are both words of love and warning from St. Paul. Sometimes, widows will remarry after the death of their husbands; often, they will not. Losing that life-partner, that one to whom they were tied in the bonds of marriage, can be a very difficult and unsettling experience. Sometimes they aren’t sure of their place in the world once the “other half” of their lives has died. How should we love these women, then? And how should they see their lives moving forward in this world? According to St. Paul, should these women find themselves all alone, with no one else to care for them, they should set their hope and focus on their Lord and God, who will sustain them. Should they forget that the Lord cares for them—even in their grief—and they go forth trying to live a life that fills a void that only their Loving Father can fill, this rejection of His mercy and grace is a terrible thing; rendering them dead inside, even though they may seem vibrant and alive. These are the times when we can extend a hand of love to them, being that one who loves them even when they might feel alone. Jesus’s Life, Death, and Resurrection was for them, just as it was for us, and they might need the reminder that their loving God has not forgotten them. As you can, be Jesus for those around you, even the widows of your church. They need to hear that Jesus loves them just as much as you do, and your love for them might be the perfect antidote in this season of penitence and remembrance that helps them rejoice that Jesus is for them, as he is for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Visit, O Lord, the homes in which Your people dwell, and keep all harm and danger far from them. Grant that we may dwell together in peace under the protection of Your holy angels, sharing eternally in Your blessings; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Collect for Home and Family) -Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 28, 2023 Today's Reading: Romans 5:12-19 Daily Lectionary: Gen. 7:11-8:12, Mark 3:20-35 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:18–19) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday we talked about the wrath of God falling upon Adam and Eve because of their sin of listening to the serpent instead of God in the Garden of Eden. And that God’s wrath falls upon us because of our own sin, too. But we also talked about how that wrath doesn’t end us. It doesn’t cast us away from our God and Father, our Savior and Redeemer. He doesn’t leave us alone to try and find our way back to Him in this world of darkness and despair on our own. Because there is no way we can manage that; we can’t claw our way back to Him by ourselves. The gap is too wide. One man (Adam) brought all of God’s wrath down upon creation, but one man (Jesus) also repaired what was destroyed. Actually, He didn’t repair it, he made it new, and He promised that newness to us, too. We won’t see it until the Last Day, but your Lord and God, made flesh in Jesus, took the rebellion and disobedience of every human being that ever lived (and ever will live) and soaked it up into himself to carry it to his cross on Golgotha. He wrestled that sin and death and disobedience and rebellion and back-talking and cheating into His grave and left it there when He rose again on Easter Sunday. Just one sin from one man set all of humanity on this path of death and destruction. And all it took was for Almighty God to look at one man’s perfect obedience to restore everything. And not just any man, but the God-Man; Jesus, the Christ. The Messiah, God made flesh. His only-begotten Son. In our everyday struggles and sins, it’s easy to forget the mercy and grace of God for you. But He always remembers. He always gives. He always blesses His children because of Jesus, who took all your sin from you, so that you could live forever with all the faithful. 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 569:1, 3) -Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 27, 2023 Today's Reading: Gen. 3:1-21 Daily Lectionary: Gen. 6:1-7:5, Mark 3:1-19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Last Wednesday was a stark reminder of our future, wasn’t it? “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Those are words no one likes to hear, especially if there has been a recent tragedy. It’s hard to hear those words when they are so close to a raw, open wound. Yet that’s what Adam and Eve hear from their loving and eternal God and Father right after the Fall into sin. God doesn’t give them time to process their grief, he doesn’t wait for them to find a safe space or a Comfort Dog; He just unloads on them with all His might and fury. Of all people, they had it all right before them. They knew life in Paradise. They knew what it was like to behold God face-to-face. They knew a peace we will never know in this life. And even so, they were led astray. In an act we will never understand this side of eternity, Adam and Eve turned from God to listen to the sweet, deceptive voice of Satan. It is something that we do all the time, too. Abandon or ignore God’s Word to go our own way, because we somehow know better.  Sometimes, it earns the wrath of our parents, our school authorities, or even law enforcement! This is not what God wants from his children. Yet, sin and Satan lead us astray over and over again. But God the Father doesn’t leave us there in that pain and wrath. He fixes it the only way he can; by sending his Son into our flesh to right what has gone so wrong. To fix what is so broken. Even though Adam and Eve were cast from the Garden, God was with them every day of their lives and He had spoken a promise into their ears that echoed down the centuries until the time had fully come and God’s only Son was born of woman to redeem, to buy back, to make right, to save everyone who suffered because of Adam and Eve’s sin. You can’t out-sin God. He always has more forgiveness than you have sin. Even when you think there’s no hope, his promise still stands. Jesus is still for you, and his love will never fail. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Now from that three of Jesus’ shame Flows life eternal in His name; For all who trust and will believe, Salvation’s living fruit receive. And of their 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 561:4)-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 26, 2023 Today's Reading: Matt. 4:1-11 Daily Lectionary: Gen. 4:1-26, Mark 2:18-28 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (St. Matthew 4:3-4) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The meaning of the First Commandment says that “we should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” This can be hard to do. Especially when we think we know better. Isn’t that how it works? The Lord God speaks and we say, “Well, yeah God, BUT…” And away we go into sin and selfishness. It never ends well, does it? There are so many times we want God to do things our way. Or we try to tell God to do things our way so that we can triumph over some challenge all by ourselves, just like a grown-up! The root of Satan’s first temptation of Jesus is the desire to supplant God the Father for another authority. It isn’t just about food and hunger, but who provides what you need to live. Satan wants Jesus to assert His power and authority as the Son of God over the power and authority of the Father. After all, how does God the Father, who is spirit, know what it is like to be hungry? How can the perfect and Almighty Lord of all creation understand what life is really like here on earth? In Jesus, of course! Jesus lives your life and suffers your pains and eventually dies your death so that he can sympathize with you and know exactly how rough your life can be. Because Jesus knows how difficult life can be, God the Father also knows. They understand your struggles and challenges more than you know, and can indeed hear your prayers with full knowledge of their implications. When you aren’t sure if God hears your prayers, or knows how rough you have it, remember Jesus in the wilderness—that He set aside His power and glory to walk in your shoes, to live your life for you, and to die your death so that you won’t have to suffer without him for all eternity. Jesus lived and was tempted for you so that all of these challenges you face might be washed away in his blood, buried in his death, and left behind in his resurrection. All of it is for you, that you may be at peace in him. 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 Lent 1)-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 25, 2023 Today's Reading: Introit for Lent 1, Ps. 91:9-13; antiphon: Ps. 91:15-16Daily Lectionary: Job 20:1-23, 29, John 8:21-38 You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. (Ps. 91:13) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If I were to ask you to list five words that come to mind when you hear “Lent,” I doubt that ‘victory’ would be one of them. Usually we look forward to the victory of the resurrection, and sing, “This is the feast of victory for our God!” Yet, even without the alleluias, this psalm tells us that the resurrection isn’t the only place we have victory. There is victory even in the middle of bearing the cross. It doesn’t look or feel like victory! It seems like the devil wins so often when he keeps unbelievers in blindness and steals away our weaker brothers. It doesn’t look like victory when we’re told we have to “celebrate” people’s carnal lusts or we’ll be canceled. It doesn’t feel like victory when we struggle against persistent weakness in our flesh, giving into temptation yet again. Yet, we do have victory over sin, over death, and over the devil, because God has won it. We aren’t going to see it in this evil world or in the sinful human heart. Remember Jesus tomorrow in the Gospel, who calmly rebukes each accusation and temptation of the devil with His Word. His Word is what we cling to when we bear that enmity from the ancient serpent, who is the devil. In His good timing, God will show His victory to be true. Unbelievers will be turned to fervent faith. The world and its desires will pass away. As you abide in His Word and prayer, you will grow in holy living. Finally your fallen flesh will return to the dust, but you will have eternal rest and resurrection. God gives His Word to strengthen us in this victory. James encourages, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:7-8) John brings us back to our baptismal identity saying, “Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 John 5:4) It’s not foolish optimism to say we have victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. And with such faith, we cling to the rich promises at the end of Psalm 91: “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.    Lord, be our light when worldly darkness veils us; Lord, be our shield when earthly armor fails us;   And in the day when hell itself assails us,  Grant us Your peace, Lord. (LSB 659:3)-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 24, 2023 Today's Reading: Matt. 11:25-30Daily Lectionary:Job 19:1-12, 21-27, John 8:1-20 “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Sometimes older congregations will compile a history book, which will include the unique contributions of each of their pastors. Maybe one started a school outreach. Another oversaw a building project. Still another had a radio ministry. What did Matthias do for the Church?  We have absolutely no record of it. He was the first man to receive a divine call which the Church extended after the Ascension of Jesus. But that is the very last we hear about him, or any sermons he preached, or unique things he did. And after all, that’s better for the Church, because the Church doesn’t belong to any particular pastor. She belongs to Jesus. The Church lives by the gifts Jesus gives: “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.” In Jesus our souls have rest, a true Sabbath that refreshes our innermost being. In Him we are built up and grow as disciples. Whenever the Church falls in love with an individual, she forgets her true love, her true source of rest and life. Rest is replaced by excitement about what’s happening next. A charismatic leader can lay his yoke on the congregation and get them to do a lot of things and seem very active in their faith. Meanwhile, sadly, the souls of those who labor and are heavy laden go unhealed. The commemoration of St. Matthias puts a silhouette of a pastor before us, which any faithful shepherd of the Lord can stand in. The Lord puts him there to proclaim His living Word, to effect the Father’s mysterious election, to bind up the broken hearted and crush the proud. Will each man have unique gifts, and accomplish different things during his time with a congregation? Certainly, and we thank God for His wisdom in arranging for that! But each faithful pastor is simply a servant of the Lord Jesus. It is the Lord’s ministry, the Lord’s compassion, the Lord’s absolution, and the Lord’s resurrection that give His Church reason to rejoice. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.    God of the prophets, bless the prophets’ sons;  Elijah’s mantle o’er Elisha cast.    Each age its solemn task may claim but once; Make each one nobler, stronger than the last.   Make them apostles, heralds of Your cross;  Forth let them go to tell the world of grace.   Inspired by You, may they count all but loss  And stand at last with joy before Your face. Amen. (LSB 682:1, 5)-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 23, 2023 Today's Reading: Joel 2:12-19Daily Lectionary: Job 18:1-21, John 7:32-53 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? (Joel 2:14) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When do you go to the doctor? Of course, it’s when you’re sick. Nobody in their right mind goes through the trouble of scheduling an appointment, answering a bunch of diagnostic questions, and maybe even ordering labs just for the fun of it. You want to feel better. It’s similar to confession and absolution. In today’s reading, the Lord calls His people to return to Him. Returning is not pleasant, especially because it brings up all the ways that we have been distant from him. Confessing our sins is painful.The rite of Individual Confession guides us through it: “I have lived as if God did not matter and as if I mattered most. My Lord’s name I have not honored as I should; my worship and prayers have faltered. I have not let His love have its way with me, and so my love for others has failed. There are those whom I have heart, and those whom I have failed to help. My thoughts and desires have been soiled with sin.” (LSB 292) But we don’t just go to confession to feel bad about ourselves. We’re not about self-flagellation and perpetual frustration at our failure to act better. The purpose of confession is the holy Absolution: “In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” “Who knows whether He will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?” (v. 13, 14) The blessing of having peace with God is what our penitent hearts look forward to. And here is the picture of how the Lord makes that peace even more tangible! His Body and His Blood (grain and wine) are given to us after confession to strengthen and preserve us. Sin is ugly. But God would not have that sickness crush us. He lifts the burden and places it on His Son. The crucifix is ugly because of your sin and that of the whole world. Once sin is on the cross of Jesus, however, it has been removed from you and it becomes beautiful. Your sins are forgiven. Take eat; take drink. This is the very Body and Blood of Christ given and shed for you. Go in peace. 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.-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 22, 2023 Today's Reading: Matt. 6:1-6, 16-21Daily Lectionary: Job 16:1-22, John 7:1-13 And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matt. 6:4) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” [Genesis 3:19] This is a spiritual truth, which we need as Christians living out of our faith. Without this reminder, our “practice” of Christianity can become like so many other world religions. It can become a matter of what we’re doing or not doing. I’m a Christian, so I pray. I’m a Christian, so I don’t watch lewd movies. But our life before God is not simply a matter of what we do. Charity, prayer, and fasting are spiritual disciplines. No matter how they may seem like sanctified works, we can never bring ourselves closer to God by them. The Lord comes first to us, as He has from the beginning. He breathes into our dust the breath of life so that we live (Genesis 2:7) The Holy Spirit breathes eternal life into us by the Gospel (John 20:22-23). If it were not for this, we would not exist and not have faith. It’s only with these gifts to us that we can even think about everything that belongs to the daily walk of a Christian. In Psalm 103, we’re taught, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (vv. 13-14). Even though you are of the dust, you have a God who is your heavenly Father. Charity, prayer, and fasting are all the lived experiences of such children. You put your offering in the plate at church for the ministry of the Gospel, and you are generous toward people in need because you know your Father’s generosity. You pray because the Ruler of All has opened His door and promised to answer. You fast because it reminds you of your dust, especially at times when your Father is chastising you with hard times. Your life as a child of God is so much more than what you do. It’s who you are in your Baptism. According to your natural birth, you are dust bound to return to the earth. But in Jesus Christ, you are bound to be raised on the Last Day (see 1 Corinthians 15:49). So take heart this Ash Wednesday, and gladly receive the ashen cross on your forehead. Even though you are dust, your Father has shown compassion to you, and when everything else has passed away, He has made you His forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts that lament our sins and acknowledge our wretchedness that we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. -Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 21, 2023 Today's Reading: 2 Peter 1:16-21Daily Lectionary: Job 16:1-22, John 7:1-13 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation” (2 Pet. 1:20 NKJV) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. One of the major tenets of the Reformation is Sola Scriptura, Scripture Alone. But what does that look like in practice? Originally, it was said against the papacy, who claimed that popes and councils had the authority to add doctrines over and above Scripture. What happened in practice is that many people became their own “pope” in a sense, and offered their own interpretation from isolated Bible verses, and then claimed, “Scripture alone!” This still plagues the Church, especially in the age of YouTube prophets and dispensationalism. The Bible for these is simply sacred source material to mine, in order to shore up their own ideas. We still desperately need to hold to the tenet of Scripture alone. If we let go of it, we will “turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:4) and we’re liable to listen to visions of an angel who proclaims a different Christ and a different gospel [Galatians 1:8-10]. We believe ‘Scripture Alone’ because of what it is: God’s Word. God’s Word that does what it says, from making creation to working faith in the souls who hear it. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).  God’s Word is that lamp in the darkness which shines against the darkness of this world and that of our own hearts. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). God’s Word is our source of life. Mary models this for us: When the angel announced her conception and said, “For nothing will be impossible with God,” she replies, “Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:37-38). The Bible is not a matter of private interpretation, and it doesn’t need someone’s clever explanation to have it stick. God sends His Word with the Holy Spirit who interprets. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit also protects us against false interpretations. John writes, “I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in Him” (1 John 2:26-27).  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Blessed Lord, 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, by patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 20, 2023 Today's Reading: Ex. 24:8-18Daily Lectionary:Job 15:1-23, 30-35, John 6:60-71 “Moses went up into the mountain of God.” (Exodus 24:13) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When God gave the Law to the people at Mount Sinai, there were three distinctions for how close one got to the Lord: The blood-sprinkled people; Moses, with the priests and the 70 elders; Moses in the mountain of God. The people worshiped from afar; the elders ate and drank in the Lord’s presence; and only Moses entered the cloud. The closer you got to God, the closer you were to the holiness, and the more risk to sinful humans. This was all meant to prepare us for what God would ultimately do. When the fulfillment of all of this came, it was not about man ascending to God, but holy God descending to sinners. He did not come in bright glory which made people tremble, but the fulness of deity was veiled in mortal human flesh (Colossians 2:9). An Infant weak and suckling grew into a Man seized by Moses’ disciples, the elders, and crucified as a criminal. On the mount of Calvary, Jesus Christ did what the Law could not do—bring sinners to God. Now all of those divisions have been removed in Jesus Christ: His is the blood which sprinkles you (Hebrews 12:22-24). He is the great High Priest who intercedes for you (Heb. 6:19-20). He is the holy and true Son who can ascend the hill of the Lord (Psalm 24:3-5) The Lord has come down to you in order to raise you up into His presence. With a holiness which surpasses that of Moses, you are covered in Christ. You are a beloved child through God’s Son. You have been given boldness and access that surpasses even the Levite high priest standing in the Holy of Holies (Ephesians 3:12). So what can we do with such access to God? We come to Him as Father, bringing the needs of the world and those of the people we know. We live as pilgrims in this world in the confidence which our Baptism gives, that we have an advocate whose blood speaks on our account and who has put His authoritative forgiveness on human lips (Matthew 18, John 20). We have peace when this world is raging and trembling in Him “who makes wars cease to the end of the earth” (Ps. 46:9). And when everything in creation has been shaken and crumbles away, He has promised us a new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.    Hope of the world, God’s gift from highest heaven,  Bringing to hungry souls the bread of life,   Still let Thy Spirit unto us be given  To heal earth’s wounds and end our bitter strife. Amen. (LSB 690:2)-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 19, 2023 Today's Reading: Matt. 17:1-9Daily Lectionary: Job 14:1-22, John 6:41-59 “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s important for us to ponder the eyewitness testimony of Jesus’ transfiguration before we ponder His suffering. There is plenty of human suffering around us. We wake up with it. We see it in the lives of those around us—our family and friends, the ambulance rushing by, the people sleeping in makeshift shelters. We hear about it in the news. But Jesus is not merely one more victim of the injustice and cruelty of this world. Peter, James, and John were given front-row seats so that they would know the whole of Jesus—truly God and truly man. This is who Jesus is. Unlike Moses, whose glow would fade after he left the mountain, in Jesus, “the fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). The fully-divine, fully-human Jesus goes down from the mountain with His disciples. This is who He is, whether we can see it in Him or not. This is true, even as He is betrayed, condemned, carrying His cross, dying, and breathing His last. Hold this image in your faith as you behold Jesus. Hold onto this during the Lenten journey to the tomb. He is not just another suffering victim under the cruel reign of human wrath, the devil’s oppression, and the prison of death. He came to conquer them! Today, we hear one of those eyewitnesses, Peter, tell us, “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.” (2 Peter 1:19). We don’t see this victory with our eyes very much, if at all. So like the disciples watching Jesus being condemned, carried away, and crucified, we have to believe the Word that is spoken of Him. “This is Jesus, King of the Jews” is what hung above His cross. This is Jesus, Savior of the World, King of Kings, and final Judge. In this Transfiguration vision, we also see (by faith) our future. Who is with Him? Moses and Elijah in glory. Can you see your future life with the Lord? Not with your eyes. But it will be there. This Jesus will also command your lowly body—even if it’s decayed in the ground—to be transformed to be like His glorious body (Phil. 3:21). Behold Him by faith, and even now hear His voice! 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 foreshowed 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.-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 18, 2023 Today's Reading: Introit for Transfiguration, Ps. 99:1-5; antiphon: Ps. 99:9Daily Lectionary:Job 13:13-28, John 6:22-40 “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!” (Psalm 99:9) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Scripture tells us, “The Lord is great in Zion.” Christopher Hitchens, renowned atheist, tells us, “god is Not Great.” His book is a #1 New York Bestseller, so many people have been listening to him. Many of your friends and people you meet have been listening to him, also. In his book, Hitchens makes several supposedly rational cases against world religions, but it quickly becomes clear that he does not know the Lord. He knows sinful people, and offers atheism as a substitute religion which claims “Man is great.” But the claim that man is great instead of the Lord only brings more problems. History and our own experience shows that human beings are tragically flawed. Or, as St. Paul put it, “If righteousness were through the Law, then Christ died to no purpose” (Gal. 2:21). Man is not great; man needs a great Savior, who is the Lord! “The Lord is great in Zion; He is exalted over all the peoples.” He alone does what no man could do. He alone is holy, set apart from fallen mankind. He alone is to be adored by all the sinful race. Yet, though the Lord is holy, and He could stay far away from mankind and all our failings, He doesn’t. Holy as He is, He embraced our miserable condition and was born of the Virgin Mary. Even as man, He was still holy because He was “made like His brothers in every respect…yet without sin” (Hebrews 2:17, 4:15). The Holy Lord in human flesh did for all what we could never achieve ourselves: perfect righteousness, just retribution for all sins, and rescue from death itself. Atheism and all man-made religions cannot offer what the Lord Himself gives as a gift to the fallen world. No tower of Babel project can unite all people the way God can (Genesis 11). No earthly utopia of Karl Marx which promises to eliminate class divisions can remove the poison of sin in our hearts; only our Lord can. Therefore, we exalt the Lord alone, for He is holy. May the Lord increase our joy at worshiping at His footstool, and bring those without such hope eternal peace and hope through Jesus Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.    Thou camest to our hall of death,  O Christ, to breathe our poisoned air, To drink for us the dark despair   That strangled our reluctant breath. How beautiful the feet that trod, The road that leads us back to God!   How beautiful the feet that ran To bring the great good news to man! Amen. (LSB 834:3)-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 17, 2023 Today's Reading: Job 13:1-12Daily Lectionary: Job 13:1-12 “But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God.” (Job 13:3) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Martin Luther said, “Oh, faith is a living, busy, active, mighty thing” But can faith be active even in arguing with God? It would seem so. Job is ready to speak and argue with the Almighty, but he’s not the only one. Remember the patriarch Jacob? He wrestled with God (Genesis 32:22-32) and insisted that God bless him. How could he be so presumptuous? It’s because God had already promised him, “I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea” (v. 12).  Jacob was on his way to meet his bloodthirsty brother, and insisted that God’s blessing was essential for that trip.Arguing with God is a proper exercise of faith, when that argumentation is built on the foundation of confidence in what God has promised. Job’s friends were arguing for a god who is incredibly shallow: obey and I will do good for you; disobey and I will make your life miserable. This sounds a lot more like the Muslim Allah than the true God in whom we believe. The true God speaks and, by the Holy Spirit, faith works in us and clings to that Word. So, when it looks like that Word is being trampled, or that God isn’t living up to His revealed character, it’s time to argue with Him (think also of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15).The Psalms give us wonderful examples of arguing your case with God (see Psalm 56 and 79 for example). Not that we ourselves have a leg to stand on (and that’s where Job began to err), but we hold fast to the covenant God made with us in Baptism, and that He made with His Church by the shedding of His blood. On the ground of His promises, we hold Him to it. We know Him as He has revealed His heart to us. This is a true exercise of faith because it holds to God, even when our eyes and experience seem to show the opposite.This faith-filled arguing is more than complaining, “What’s happening to me isn’t fair.” Taking an honest look at our situation and the state of God’s people in this shattered world, we go where God tells us. You, Lord, promise to come to our aid—“Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (Psalm 50:15). We rest in the assurance, that such prayer—such argumentation—is pleasing in His sight, “because He has commanded us to pray and promised to hear us.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.   O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might.  O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my     mouth. (Psalm 54:1-2)-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 16, 2023Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9Daily Lectionary: Job 12:1-6, 12-25, John 5:30-47“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” (1 Cor. 3:7)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You might really like your pastor. You might think your pastor is out to lunch. Maybe your church has more than one pastor, but there’s one you’d rather go to.What Paul is warning us of here is “behaving only in a human way.” (v. 3) when it comes to pastors. The Church at Corinth was having a big problem with this. Earlier in chapter 1:12, it was reported that people drew lines between following Paul, Apollos, Cephas (Peter), or Christ. Imagine that! Pitting the servants of Christ against the Lord Himself! The “human way” places the worthiness and power on the individual.I’ve been told, “Pastor, you’ve done so much for us” and “I want you to preach my funeral.”  It’s high praise, to be sure. But, the “human way” wants to say there’s something indispensable about me. You can probably imagine what praise Peter or Paul had gotten because of their personal history with the Lord. It’s only natural (not in a good way) to want to put all your eggs in your chosen basket.It’s really kind of funny that we do this, because when Jesus came to His hometown to preach, the congregation was so enraged by His preaching that they were set to throw him off a cliff (Luke 4:16-30). To be honest, some congregations have done that to their pastors, too.We need to repent of our “human way” of looking at pastors, and be on guard against this kind of jealousy and strife. While every pastor has individual strengths and weaknesses, that’s not where our faith should be. What are we pastors? “Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.” Pastors are fellow sinners who have a special place in the church, but their labors are only ever in service to the Lord.Pastoral vacancies can put this to the test. Although it hurts to lose a beloved pastor, it also chastises us for how we make too much of the man. In the vacancy, the congregation asks, “What are we looking for in a pastor?” blind to who that man may be. That’s because for a servant of Christ, the essential thing will be the same no matter who it is. He will be the man through whom the Good Shepherd ministers to His flock. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. O Gracious Father, You led Your holy apostles to ordain ministers for the proclamation of Your Word and the faithful administration of the Sacraments of Christ. Grant to each congregation the guidance of the Holy Spirit to choose a suitable pastor according to Your will for the blessing of Your Church in every place; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.

February 15, 2023Today's Reading:Luther’s Small Catechism - Table of Duties To: Youth (1 Peter 5:5-6)Daily Lectionary: Job 11:1-20, John 5:19-29 “‘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 5:6) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s hard being a teenager.  You’ve come so far, and yet there’s still so much you aren’t allowed to do. Don’t you sometimes feel like it isn’t right? If you could be honest, you might say, “I can handle it! Leave me alone so I can shine!”  It’s true that experience has shown we do grow from having greater responsibility, even if it means we fail sometimes. But what we need at every age is for God to keep our hearts humble.  We have a bent in our hearts toward thinking too much of ourselves.  Our self-appraisal is often more flawless than reality. Yes, even if you suffer from depression and sometimes tell yourself that you’re a worthless failure, that’s your broken mind thinking too much of your personal problems, magnifying your flaws and problems so they seem mightier than God. When God humbles us, He teaches us once again to be receptive to learning. Most of all, we learn from Him through His Word, where He teaches us that, “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.” (Ps. 147:10-11) He also places His humbled children in the communion of saints, the Church. In this community, it is good for the young to learn from those more experienced. “Listen to your elders!” isn’t just something your grandma says because she’s cranky; it’s godly wisdom. In Titus 2, St. Paul shows how it is good for older men to be mentors, older women to be examples to the young. Even pastors learn from those more seasoned in the ministry. With God’s gift of being humbled, we see that it’s not a bad thing to be a youth or inexperienced. It can be frustrating at times, and not everyone is automatically a good example. Yet, God does bless His children at every stage to receive His Word and grow in grace and holy lives in His Son. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.    Make ye straight what long was crooked;  Make the rougher places plain.  Let your hearts be true and humble,   As befits His holy reign,  For the glory of the Lord,  Now o’er earth is shed abroad, And all flesh shall see the token   That His Word is never broken. Amen. (LSB 347:4)-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 5:1-18 (Valentine, Martyr)Daily Lectionary: Job 10:1-22, John 5:1-18 “Jesus said to him, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk.’ And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.” (John 5:8-9) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Valentine has been remembered as a martyr since the early centuries of the Church. A priest and physician from Rome, he and his family ministered to those being persecuted by Emperor Claudius II. Soon Valentine also was arrested and martyred on February 14, 270. He was soon remembered for his acts of mercy, in spite of the bodily danger it would bring him. The association with romance actually comes from an observation in England in the Middle Ages that birds began choosing mates around St. Valentine’s Day. People took that as a cue to do the same by choosing eligible suitors for their children. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the Roman god, Cupid, came on the scene, and we know what the people of today do “in the name of love.” Today, we’re told, “Love is love.”  Yet, what they mean is a strong feeling. Love is actually much more than butterflies in our stomach or devotion to another person.  “God is love,” St. John tells us, and he follows that up by saying, “the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only-begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him…Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (see 1 John 4:7-12) This is the purest expression of love, called in Greek, agape. Jesus exhibited that love to the lame man in John 5 by calling him to faith and healing his body.  Valentine reflected that love by ministering to his brothers and sisters in Christ as they were martyred by the authorities, eventually suffering the same cruelty. Agape love is what we have from God. All other kinds of love grow out of it: Philos, friendly affection; storge, a natural, familial love; and eros, desirous love. Too often, we are told that love is merely the eros kind of birds and other creatures “pairing up.” But today, when the unbelievers tell you, “Love is love,” show them how God is love, and what that love did: God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him may not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). 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. Amen. (LSB 700:1)-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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: Deut. 30:15-20Daily Lectionary: Job 9:1-35, John 4:46-54“Obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days” (Deuteronomy 30:20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If there were ever a passage that seems to support decision theology, it’s this one. “I have set before you today life and good, death and evil…therefore choose life!”  Martin Luther strongly debated a popular scholar of his day, Erasmus of Rotterdam, on this very passage. Erasmus that since God gave the command, “Choose,” it must mean we’re able to do it. Luther countered that just because God commanded it, doesn’t mean we have the power to do it. Rather, this is how the Law humbles us and drives us to Christ.is giving a description of faith versus unbelief, manifested in how one reacts to God and His Word. Loving the Lord, walking in His ways, keeping His Word—only faith is able to do this. A heart turned away, refusing to hear, being drawn to other gods—this is our default because of sin.You can think of it like a magnet. Unbelief reacts to God’s Word the way that same poles on a magnet repel. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him.” (1 Corinthians 2:14) Our sinful flesh pushes away the Word of God.  On the other hand, faith is attracted to and clings to the Word of God. It says, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day…I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.” (Psalm 119:97, 101)But how did we come to believe and gladly be reading a Higher Things Reflection? This is the work of the Lord your God. The One who called Israel out of Egypt and brought them with a mighty hand, has also come to you with His life-giving Spirit. the Word of God reached you—in the waters of your Baptism, shared by your family, perhaps later in life by a Christian friend—and He powerfully raised you from spiritual death.God has created this faith in you, achieving the polar opposite of sin. As His Spirit works in you, you do love the Lord, delight to walk in His ways, and keeping His Word sacred with a glad heart. It’s far from perfect or constant this side of the resurrection. Nevertheless, God promises to be continually at work in you, His child. He will bring you at last to Himself, victorious over sin, the devil, and death itself! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Oh, what blessing to be near You  And to listen to Your voice;  Let me ever love and hear You,Let Your Word be now my choice!  Many hardened sinners, Lord,  Flee in terror at Your Word;But to all who feel sin’s burden  You give words of peace and pardon. Amen. (LSB 589:2)-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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: Matt. 5:21-37Daily Lectionary: Job 8:1-22, John 4:27-45 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. (Matthew 5:30)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is the Gospel of the Lord? Praise to you, O Christ! Today’s Gospel gets us coming and going. If we came to church thinking we had it together, these words of our Lord are set to humble us deeply. Anger, lust, divorce, and taking the Lord’s Name in vain. It’s a good thing we have a week to recover before we hear him talk about retaliation, loving our enemies, and being perfect even as our Father in heaven is!But there’s a reason Jesus pulls out the hammer of the Law. Each section begins, “You have heard that it was said to those of old…” What had been taught among His audience was that being faithful to God was just a matter of following the rules. The stricter the better. The more self-denial you can muster, the more righteous you are. This is what the Old Adam thinks the Law and the Prophets teach. And this is what the people were hearing from the Pharisees. It’s what people still hear from the Mennonites, the Wesleyans, and other holiness groups.Yet, these words are on the lips of Christ, and that is the difference between being damned eternally and being saved by the forgiveness of our sins. Do you remember the three uses of the Law? This is the second use of the Law big time: the mirror that shows us how we have sinned against God. It leaves no stone unturned. Our hatred toward others means we deserve to be hated by God. Our lusts that look for pleasure with someone not our spouse have us dangling over the hell of fire. Our lips are quick to aggrandize our cause and drag God into it, but this has the hiss of the Evil One.For every one of these, your sins, Christ has been sacrificed. His blood has answered the righteous wrath of God. He was forsaken, cut off, and conquered the Tempter—all for you. This is what makes you a Christian—not that you’ve kept God’s standard of perfection, but that Christ has kept it in your place so that He could give you peace with God and eternal life. And only that can bring us to the third use of the Law: the guide which steers us away from sin and toward living as God’s true children. 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.-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 Epiphany 6, Ps. 98:7-9; antiphon: Ps. 98:2Daily Lectionary: Job 7:1-21, John 4:7-27“Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!” (Ps. 98:7)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What do these two things have in common? A child tugging at his mother’s sweater, each time saying louder, “Mama!” and the prophets of Baal limping around their altar and cutting themselves (1 Ki. 18:26)?Both are examples of times when our sinful flesh assumes that the authority—ultimately God—must not hear them.  They make a noise; they heap up empty phrases [Matt. 6:7] in an effort to get God to listen to them. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, right?But Psalm 98 says we have it all wrong, if that’s how we’ve thought about God the Lord.  Worship is not about trying to get God’s attention. That is actually a feature of pagan, man made gods. Rather, the True God acts first upon us, and we respond in loud shouts of praise!  While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us [Rom. 5:8].  He’s told us that His righteousness and our salvation have been since the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34, Ephesians 1:4-5).So, if God accomplished His work of saving us before any of us were even born, what should make us think that we need to shout into His ears to get His attention now?  To put it another way, “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) He comes to deliver His salvation in Christ and His fatherly care. That means for us that His hearing our prayers, accepting our worship, and blessing our days is based on something more sure than our heart-felt effort. It’s anchored in His promises spoken to us and His Holy Spirit, who gives and sustains our faith.Since God is the One who has done such great things, then our response of praise is that much sweeter.  Together, we sing the new song of the psalms in the Introit and Gradual. We are freed to sing hymns which proclaim His mighty works: “This is the feast of victory for our God.” We joyfully sing spiritual songs which meditate on what our God has done. With the aftertaste of Christ’s true Body and Blood on our tongues, our hearts ring out, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace.”Our own religious ideas can never bring such peace, but Christ can and does. As you prepare to go to the Divine Service, take a cue from creation: He has not only formed you in your mother’s womb, but He has also redeemed and promised you eternal life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!  Let men their songs employ,  While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains Repeat the sounding joy,  Repeat the sounding joy,  Repeat, repeat the sounding joy. Amen. (LSB 387:2)-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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: Job 6:1-13Daily Lectionary: Job 6:1-13, John 3:1-21 “Have I any help in me, when resource is driven from me?” (Job 6:13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Human suffering: It’s universal. It’s agonizing to bear, and heartbreaking to witness. It’s caused by wickedness in the world. It’s caused by our own foolishness. It’s sent by God.Wait! What did you just say? Surely God wants us to be happy! Surely, I haven’t deserved to have my parents divorce, to lose my friend to lymphoma, to be laid off from my job that I worked hard at.  What you’re facing is the problem of suffering, and you’re hardly the first person to be there.Not that you can think away suffering, but consider these three truths which we know: God is good. God is omnipotent. There is profound evil in the world.When we suffer, we venture into the land of theodicy, which means “to justify God.”  There, we wrestle with these three truths. We know God is good and He can do all things. So, what does it mean that so much evil is in the world and on our doorstep? If we dwell in theodicy too long, our sinful reason starts with doubts: Maybe God isn’t really good. Maybe He’s not really omnipotent. Maybe His Baptismal promise to never leave or forsake me isn’t so powerful after all.  Suffering is a dark place to be. Theodicy is even darker.Our refuge in suffering is not our own minds. It’s not in being crushed, like Job prayed for. God’s answer to our suffering is found in Jesus Christ alone. Listen to how St. Peter explains it, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” (1 Pet. 4:12-13) This is not theodicy; it is theology of the cross.Your Baptism is not an immunity potion against worldly trouble. It is a promise that you are joined to Jesus Christ—in His suffering now and in His exaltation at the last.  “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)  So to answer Job’s complaints, “What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should be patient?”  It is to look to your crucified and risen Savior, who ascended into heaven and rules all things for your good…even the suffering which He wisely sends to you. You do not bear it on your own, but as His own. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Be gracious to me, O Lord! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death,that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation. Amen. (Psalm 9:13-14)-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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: Luther’s Small Catechism - Table of Duties: To Employers and SupervisorsDaily Lectionary: Job 5:1-27, John 2:13-25“Do not threaten them, since you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.” (Eph. 6:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “My boss is such a jerk!”  This is a judgment we’re quick to pronounce. It’s socially acceptable.  And what did he or she do to earn that label?  Make you work Saturday when you’d rather sleep in?  Deny your vacation request?  Too often, we berate those in authority over us because they’re calling the shots and not us.But when’s the last time you prayed for your supervisor?  I mean, think about the tasks and responsibility God has given to them.  Maybe they’re a business owner. They might have their manager breathing down their neck.  They are responsible for the schedules, productivity, and welfare of their staff.  But above even their manager, is a Master who is in heaven.  He is your Master, too, and there is no favoritism with Him.When we remember who is the Master of us all, we realize how much trouble we all cause Him.  If you don’t believe me, just read the accounts of Israel in the wilderness!  Yet, look at how our Master in heaven treats us!  Worse than the gross-factor cleaning the public restroom, worse than the tedium of sorting the file room, harder than bearing a piano down five flights of stairs—is what the Son of God has done for us.  He became sin for us, wearing our filth and shame on the cross.  He agonized in Gethsemane and submitted to the Father’s will to save humanity. He bore in His own body the sins which merited the eternal wrath of God.  If this is how your Master in heaven acts, then maybe we can learn a thing or two from His example.  St. Peter teaches, “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.” (1 Pet. 2:18)Those in the seat of responsibility can also learn that they, too, are servants of God.  They are given their management for the good of someone’s business, for the good of those under them, and for how we all together are used by God to provide and maintain order in His world.  Remembering our heavenly Master who manages all for our good, we “commend ourselves, our body, soul, and all things” to Him.  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. You bid us bend our human pridem Nor count ourselves above, The lowest place, the meanest task, That waits the gift of love. Amen. (LSB 857:1, 4)-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 Cor. 2:1-16Daily Lectionary: Job 4:1-21, John 2:1-12Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. (1 Cor. 2:6)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Would you like to level up your Christianity?  What would you say if I told you there was some “secret and hidden wisdom from God”?  All you have to do is buy my book and I’ll show you how to unlock this hidden potential!  Maybe Simon Magus, who thought he could buy the Holy Spirit from the Apostles (Acts 8:18-24) had thoughts of writing a book like this.  But the fact that books like this sell should tell us something.We crave to have power over our lives.  Anxieties and manic behavior plague us, especially in our age which promises ultimate knowledge, ultimate mastery over disease and the body.  This desire for some control also seeps into the spiritual realm, driving some to dabble in astrology or numerology, and perhaps even witchcraft. That is not the message which the servants of God, like St. Paul, preach.  Contrast Paul to a peddler of spiritual ’truth’: “I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom.”  So much for Paul selling them on his winning smile and charisma!  No, the wisdom and power are of God.The wisdom from God is given as a gift, not unlocked by the wise of this world. “These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.”  There is real, ultimate power there! The power to know the mind of God!  But what is God thinking about?  How He condescends to us, lowly and sinful though we are.  “What is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him?” (Ps. 8:4)God the Holy Spirit reveals what we could never find ourselves—what we would never even think to ask!  That God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit would redeem His fallen creation through self-giving, suffering and that He would powerfully call people back to Himself by lowly-appearing means: words, water, bread and wine.  This truly is the “foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God [which] is stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:25). Thanks be to God!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Creator Spirit, by whose aid, The world’s foundations first were laid, Come, visit every humble mind;Come, pour Your joys on humankind; From sin and sorrow set us free; May we Your living temples be. Amen. (LSB 500:1)-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 58:3-9aDaily Lectionary: Job 3:11, John 1:35-51 “Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’” (Isaiah 58:8-9a)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What makes a person a “good Christian”?  Is it because they don’t swear?  Is it because they don’t listen to explicit songs and don’t drink alcohol?  Is it because they wear a purity ring and refuse even to kiss before marriage?  Is it because they volunteer twice a week at the local food pantry?For many people, it’s a moral life that defines a “good Christian.” But this is really all upside-down.  It’s not good morals that make a person a good Christian. The whole idea of a “good” Christian needs to be rethought.  Isaiah was speaking to “good” Israelites, who pouted that God wasn’t pleased with their dedication and obedience.What’s missing was the more important thing: Faith in the God who redeems poor, miserable sinners.  As soon as we look for any good in us, we will be deceived into thinking we’re really something.  Jesus told us yesterday in Matthew 5, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”  You and I need a righteousness that is nowhere found among the children of Adam and Eve.Except One. There is One who perfectly kept the Law.  His fasting was sincere. His humility was of one who is gentle and lowly in heart.  By His affliction, He loosed the bonds of wickedness that held you, and let you who are harassed and helpless go free. With His pure garments of righteousness, He covers your shame and nakedness.  And now that He has so served you, you are called righteous on His account, holy and acceptable, blameless before God.  You have been given such wonderful promises as His healing, His righteousness, His glory to guard you, and His ear for your every prayer.And from this faith come the new desires.  Going to church isn’t a chore, but something you long for because your Savior is there.  You’re respectful when you talk with others. You turn away from lewdness and discipline your body to not give into its lusts. You see someone in need and would gladly give them the shirt off your back.  All this, not to assure yourself how “good” you are, but because God alone is good, and by that goodness, He has made you His child. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone, And rests in Him unceasing; And by its fruits true faith is known,   With love and hope increasing. For faith alone can justify; Works serve our neighbor and supply   The proof that faith is living. Amen. (LSB 555:9)-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 5:13-20Daily Lectionary: Job 2:1, John 1:19-34 “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:13, 14) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Anchovies. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they give us a clue into what Jesus is saying: Salt is a preservative. It keeps meat from decaying into stench and worms.  So, Jesus compares us to salt for the earth—a preservative against the stench that comes from the lawlessness that happens on earth. In the Cold War, they had air raid drills. During them, everyone would either have to turn out their lights because, if they didn’t, the enemy could see where to attack.  Our Lord says we are the light of the world, a city set on a hill. That sure makes us stand out in the darkness of this world. St. Paul writes that the children of God “shine as lights in the world…in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation” (Phil. 2:15)  Christians have a unique calling from God toward the decaying stench and deep darkness of this world.  It is why He makes us hang around.  He doesn’t want the world to be left to its own “flavor” or overrun by the darkness of the sinful heart.  It is our task to pray for the world, as Abraham interceded for the wretched cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  We’re placed where we are in 2023 in order to shine light upon those who dwell in darkness.  Sometimes, we selfishly ask God to just give us some shelter from the world and rest from having uncomfortable conversations with trans friends. Our own salt loses its saltiness and it’s easier to cover up our light.Jesus came not only to expose the rot and blindness of humanity, but to save and shine the pure light of God upon us.  His coming is not a divine “Just Kidding” about the wrath and death of sinners in the Old Testament.  His birth and life, His suffering and death, and His glorious resurrection show both God’s just wrath and His mercy toward our sinful race. His mercy toward you, and extending to every single human being.  If we were to relax His Commandments, it may make things selfishly easier, but it’s not the loving thing to do. The loving thing is what God has done, to send His Son to rescue us from the mire and bring us into His marvelous light.  In God’s Son, we are the salt of the earth, the light of the world.  He makes our lives testify that God’s righteousness and salvation is found nowhere else than in Jesus Christ, the Light of the world.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord, keep Your family the Church continually in the true faith that, relying on the hope of Your heavenly grace, we may ever be defended by Your mighty power; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.-Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 2:22-32Daily Lectionary: Zech. 14:1-21, Titus 2:7-3:15“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word… (Luke 2:29)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday the Church celebrated the Presentation of Jesus (Luke 2:22-32). We heard about Simeon who  came to  the temple  to see Jesus. The Holy Spirit had promised Simeon he would see the Messiah before he died, and Simeon had waited a long time for this day. He held baby Jesus in his arms and praised God. Simeon sang “Lord, now are letting your servant depart in peace, your word has been fulfilled.” That should sound familiar. We regularly sing Simeon’s words in the Nunc Dimittis (Latin for “Now let your servant leave”) after Holy Communion.We see the Holy Trinity working in this reading. All Christians confess faith in the Holy Trinity. There is only one God, but there are three distinct persons in God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each is God, but they are not separate gods. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God (The Athanasian Creed (LSB p. 319) and the Small Catechism section on the Apostle’s Creed are good places to learn more about the Trinity.)At Jesus’ Presentation, the Holy Spirit sent Simeon to see the Messiah. The Son, Jesus, is present in the flesh. And the Father lovingly sent His Son to do this gracious work. Simeon is led by the Holy Spirit to take up the Son in his arms and speak praise to the Father for what Christ will do to save.When we go to Holy Communion, we know that the Holy Trinity is active. The Spirit draws us to faith through the Word and Sacraments. He gives us faith that Jesus died and rose to forgive our sins. The Son, Jesus, is truly present in the Supper. We partake of His body and blood under the bread and wine, and He gives us forgiveness, life, and salvation.  We thank and praise the Father for sending His Son to us, and together we pray to Him in the Lord’s Prayer.At the Supper, you’re blessed in a similar way as Simeon was. You don’t see Christ with your eyes or lift Him in your arms, but you truly have Him. The Holy Spirit gives you faith, Jesus gives you Himself, and the Father gives you His Son.  So let us sing praise to God with the beautiful words Simeon spoke and remember the work of our triune God to save us. Amen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and everlasting God, I thank and praise You for feeding me the life-giving body and blood of Your beloved son, Jesus Christ. Send Your Holy Spirit that, having with my mouth received the holy Sacrament, I may by faith obtain and eternally enjoy Your divine grace, the forgiveness of sins, unity with Christ and life eternal; through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.-Pastor Jeffrey Horn is Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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: Purification of Mary and Presentation of Our LordLuke 2:22-32Daily Lectionary: Zech. 12:1-13:9, Titus 1:1-2:6…as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord” (Luke 2:23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. On this day, 40 days after Christmas, Mary and Joseph took baby Jesus from Bethlehem to the temple in Jerusalem to present Him before the LORD. There is a beautiful meaning behind this day. We can understand it better when we think of 5 sons.The First son is Israel. Israel had been cruelly enslaved by the Egyptians. They cried to God for help and God sent Moses to deliver them. God’s message to Pharaoh was that Israel was God’s son, so Egypt should let Israel go. If not, Egypt would lose their firstborn son. (Exodus 4:22,23)The Second son is the firstborn of Egypt. God sent 10 plagues against Egypt to convince them to let Israel go. The 10th plague happened in conjunction with the Passover (Exodus 13). On that night, God provided the blood of the Passover lamb so that death passed over the children of Israel. Where there was no blood on the doorposts, the angel of death took the firstborn son of the household. After this, Egypt let Israel go. Israel rejoiced to be free, but the grief in Egypt was unmeasurable.The Third son is all the firstborn sons of Israel. Because God delivered Israel from Egypt at the cost of the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt, now all firstborn sons among the Israelites belonged to God. They would not be sacrificed but would be redeemed by an offering. Each firstborn son was a living reminder that one day God would send the Messiah to deliver the world from sin.The Fourth Son is Jesus. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God from eternity. He is also the firstborn son of Mary, the son who opened her womb. As the firstborn, He was consecrated to the LORD. (Gal 4:4-5).  God would redeem the world from slavery to sin, death, and hell. He gave His own Son to die on the cross as the sacrifice that gives peace. What incredible love that He would do that for us!The Fifth son is all the baptized. You are washed in the blood of Christ in Baptism and God adopts you as His child in Christ (1 John 3:1).  The victory Jesus won is given to you by grace through faith. You live in this world as one who is set free, as one who is walking with Jesus to the Promised Land of heaven. All the baptized are set apart to belong to God by the grace of Jesus the Holy Son of God. 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. Amen.-Pastor Jeffrey Horn is Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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: Luther’s Small Catechism - To Workers of All KindsDaily Lectionary: Zech. 11:4-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-18Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ… (Ephesians 6:5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the season of Epiphany, we celebrate that the light of Christ shines forth into darkness. God uses our work, including our jobs, to let that light shine forth and bless others. Do you have a job? Then Ephesians 6 speaks to you. Paul tells us that when we are at work, we don’t just work to please our earthly boss, but we are working for Jesus Himself.In Ephesians 6, Paul is speaking to people who were bondservants. They couldn’t quit or leave their jobs until they fulfilled the terms of the bond. Paul was comforting them with the promise that Jesus was with them. Even in their bonds, they were free in Christ because of the salvation won for them on the cross. When they did their work, Christ went with them. They could work for Him, not just for their master on earth.  If God could be with bondservants in their work even though they had no freedom, how much more can he be with you in your work when you are blessed with more rights today!Serving God isn’t limited to churchwork. Every job contributes something good for your neighbor, and you can do it with a sincere desire to serve Jesus. He’s right there with you, sustaining you and blessing you. (There are some jobs that are sinful. They harm your neighbor and require breaking the 10 Commandments. A Christian should avoid these jobs. If a person who has a job like this converts and comes to Christ, they should figure out how to change jobs.)When you work for Christ, you’re reminded that your daily bread comes from God, not just a paycheck—so you have more peace about how you’ll survive hard times. Working for Christ, and not just an earthly boss or company, also adds dignity to any job you have.  Even jobs that seem unimportant have meaning when you frame it with “How does my work serve my neighbor?” These blessings help you find joy in your work as you go through life, which is no small thing.Students should be dedicated to their studies as if learning from Christ. What you learn can help you serve your neighbor, now and in the future.  Pray for wisdom to work well, for protection from danger, and for strength to grow in your abilities. If you want to learn more about this, read the Table of Duties in the Small Catechism. Luther has a lot to say on this topic in just a couple of pages. Jesus loves you. He is with you each day as your Savior and Shepherd—as you rest and as you work. Thanks be to God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Heavenly Father, grant Your mercy and grace to Your people in their many and various callings. Give them patience, and strengthen them in their Christian vocation of witness to the world and of service to their neighbor in Christ’s name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.-Pastor Jeffrey Horn is Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 1:18-31Daily Lectionary: Zech. 10:1-11:3, 2 Timothy 3:1-17For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.   (1 Corinthians 1:22-24)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the season of Epiphany, we celebrate that the light of Christ shines forth into darkness. His light shines through the preaching of Christ crucified.To preach Christ crucified, the pastor proclaims the Law; the Law shows us that we have sinned and deserve death and damnation. But the pastor doesn’t leave us there. He proclaims the Gospel of Christ—that Jesus’s death on the cross washes away our sin so we are free from death and damnation. Christ sacrificed himself for us. Finally, the pastor proclaims Christ’s resurrection—Jesus rose from the dead to show that He paid for all sins, that death has no power over Him, and all who believe in Him will rise again and have eternal life. There is no other to salvation other than the cross of Christ. Christ alone can save. He saves us by grace through faith alone.This is such a beautiful message, who could possibly find fault with it? Sadly, many reject it. Some hate it vehemently. (Lord, have mercy and draw them all to You!)St. Paul tells us that some reject the gospel because they want sure proof of these mighty claims. They demand that God perform powerful acts to remove their doubt that Christ is the way to salvation. Others insist that God convince them into salvation with eloquent reason and human philosophy. They demand a salvation that the wisdom of man can discover, understand, and deserve. When Christ crucified is preached, there are none of these false proofs. Jesus is known to be the Christ because He fulfilled the ancient prophecies, died on the cross in perfect obedience to the Father, and rose from the dead as no one else ever has. We know Christ through the testimony of the apostles and prophets in the Holy Scriptures. No human wisdom can save anyone. We bring nothing to God but our sin and death. Jesus alone saves. He saves the infant and the infirmed in the same way as He saves eminent doctors and philosophers – by grace through faith.  This faith is worked by the Holy Spirit through the Word and Sacraments, so we cannot even claim that as our work. God saves us. He alone does it. And He does it through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Thanks be to God! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lamb of God, pure and holy, Who on the cross didst suffer,Ever patient and lowly, Thyself to scorn didst offer.All sins Thou borest for us, else had despair reigned over us:Have mercy on us, O Jesus! O Jesus!(LSB 434 vs 1)-Pastor Jeffrey Horn is Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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: Micah 6:1-8Daily Lectionary: Zech. 9:1-17, 2 Timothy 2:1-26“Hear what the LORD says: … “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!”  (Micah 1a, 3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In Epiphany, we celebrate that the light of Christ shines forth into the world, proclaiming the truth of His word —that people are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We celebrate that God has raised up people to serve in His church through the ages, from prophets and apostles, to pastors, teachers, parents, and every vocation.God chose Micah to call Israel to repentance—to speak the truth in power to Israel (3:8). The princes in the government took bribes and oppressed the people with their injustice. The priests refused to perform sacrifices unless they were paid, and they practiced divination for money. The false-prophets proclaimed that the LORD would never bring trouble upon Israel in spite of their sins (See Micah 3:9-12).Micah called Israel to repent (6:8) and to come to God for the forgiveness they desperately needed (7:18-20). But most importantly, Micah prophesied that one day the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and would rule faithfully over the people.We learn from Micah how important it is for everyone to repent—in every station and vocation in life. We all need to remember that God loves justice, kindness, and humility. His Law defines righteousness and makes it clear how we are to live. Repentance teaches us to take God’s Law seriously. The Law shows how we are to live in love with all people. Repentance takes God’s command seriously that we are to love God and our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). But when we hear the Law, we learn that we have sinned against God and deserve punishment. So we run to Jesus for the forgiveness He won for us on the cross. He bestows his grace upon us in our Baptism, in the Supper, and in His Holy Word (That’s why we call them the Means of Grace). We are saved by His grace through faith. And having been forgiven, we strive to walk in love. The love we show does not earn forgiveness from God. We are forgiven freely by grace. But having been forgiven each day we strive for the justice, kindness and humility which God desires and our neighbor needs.False messages about God permeated Israel in Micah’s day. False messages about God bombard us in our day, too. Micah preached the truth to the people so they would be saved. We thank God that His truth is still available to us. He has never abandoned His Church. So let us gather faithfully around the right preaching of the Gospel and serve one another in Christ.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“My faithful God, You fail me never; Your promise surely will endure. O cast me not away forever if words and deeds become impure. Have mercy when I come defiled; Forgive, lift up, restore Your child.” (LSB 590 vs 3 Baptized into Your Name Most Holy)-Pastor Jeffrey Horn is Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 5:1-12Daily Lectionary: Zech. 8:1-23, 2 Timothy 1:1-18“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. During Epiphany we celebrate that the light of Christ shines forth to people in need of His grace and mercy. In our reading today, crowds of people were following Jesus to hear Him speak, so He led them to a mountainside and began to teach them. He starts by listing who is “blessed” in God’s eyes: The poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted.Those who have been wronged, who are grieving, and those who work for peace and righteousness often don’t feel blessed. But God sees them, and He pulls them near. He blesses them and shines the light of the Gospel upon their hearts. He did on that mountainside 2000 years ago—and He blesses you today, as well.Jesus blesses those who are in desperate need. The gifts He gives cannot be earned by any kind of good works. We’re not worthy of receiving them—they are too great. Our Savior offers forgiveness for sins, eternal life, the blessings of salvation in this world and in heaven. Only the Holy Spirit can cause you to know how profound your poverty is before God, and only the Spirit can bring you to know and believe that the blessings of Christ are truly yours. The Spirit brings you into those blessings in your Baptism. The Spirit comforts you in those blessings through the Word. The Spirit strengthens you in those blessings in the Lord’s Supper. Through these gifts you find the blessings of Christ to help you through the hardships of this world.So, when you go through life and mourn, face troubles that need peace, hunger for God’s righteousness in these dark times, or must bear with meekness the vanity of the world—you face all these things in Christ. Even when you are persecuted for your faith in Him, He is with you and blesses you. He endured all these things for you on the cross.  When you suffer, He knows how to comfort you with blessings rich and free. He gives you those blessings He proclaimed from the mountain, the blessings He won for you on the cross. 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 temptations; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.-Pastor Jeffrey Horn is Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 Epiphany 4, Ps. 22:27-31; antiphon: Ps. 22:22Daily Lectionary:Zech. 6:1-7:14, Romans 16:17-27I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you… (Psalm 22:22)Today, our reading is the last section of Psalm 22. It speaks of the power and glory of Christ Jesus. We glorify Him who conquered sin and death by His crucifixion and resurrection. We rejoice that the light of His Gospel shines forth to all nations and will continue to be proclaimed from generation to generation until He returns in glory. Amen.The main part of this psalm has a very different feel however. It describes His crucifixion in graphic ways. It’s a vivid description of how Jesus suffered when He was nailed to the cross.  It’s such an important prophecy of the crucifixion that Jesus Himself quoted the beginning of the psalm while He was on the cross: “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)Read the rest of Psalm 22. Behold Christ on the cross. Think for a moment about what he endured. Realize that He suffered this for your sake. He died like this to bear your punishment. He shed His blood to wash you from your sins. The agony He endured was great, but He obeyed His Father and suffered it for you to save you from sin, death, and hell. He did this to rescue you because He loves you with an everlasting love.Toward the end of the psalm the message shifts from describing the crucifixion to celebrating the resurrection. Verse 24 says, “For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.” The Father raised Jesus from the dead. Christ did not stay in the tomb but rose again in glory! Alleluia, Christ is risen!The Gospel of salvation —that Jesus died and rose to save people by grace —has been preached from generation to generation until it came to us today. In Baptism you were joined to the death and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6). This is such a wonderful thing that we cannot keep it inside! We praise God for rescuing us. And we join with our family at church, and with believers around the world speak of the glory of Jesus who triumphed to save us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Jesus, light of all below, the fount of life and fire,surpassing all the joys we know, all that we can desire:May every heart confess Your name, forever You adore,and, seeking You, itself inflame to seek You more and more! (LSB 554 vs. 3,4)-Pastor Jeffrey Horn is Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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: Luther’s Small Catechism - Table of Duties: To Children  Daily Lectionary: Zech. 4:1-5:11, Romans 15:14-33Children, 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. Today we hear from the Table of Duties in the Small Catechism about what God expects of children. St. Paul quotes the 4th Commandment teaching children that they should honor their parents. (BTW, one of the best places to read about what the 4th Commandment means for children and parents is in Luther’s Large Catechism.  It’s only a few pages long, and if you have parents or children, it will help you.)God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross and rise again to be the propitiation for the sins of the world. He is the sacrifice that pays for our sins, so that by grace through faith in Christ, we are forgiven and declared just. From the moment people fell into sin, through to when Christ died and rose, and onward to the end of the world —God wants people to hear the Gospel and be saved. The 4th commandment is so important because in each generation, God has given parents the responsibility to bring their children to Christ and to teach His word to them (Deuteronomy 6:4-7).Parents start by bringing their children to church to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Parents then are to bring their children to church to hear the Word, learn about Christ and His work, sing His praises in the liturgy and hymns, and partake of Holy Communion when they are ready.Since God has given this role to parents, He also commands children to honor their parents. When children honor their parents, they are ready to receive the good teaching and wisdom that God wants parents to give them. So, children are to respect their parents, speak well to them, help them, learn from them, and regard them as those whom God Himself has sent to bless them.Many children struggle to give the honor which parents deserve. Many parents struggle to raise their children to walk with God. But when parents and children repent of their sins, are forgiven in Christ, and walk with Him as He intends, the blessings that follow are rich. They are blessings that last all through life in this world and in Heaven. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, heavenly Father, You have blessed us with the joy and care of children. Give us calm strength and patient wisdom that, as they grow in years, we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.-Pastor Jeffrey Horn is Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 10:1-9Daily Lectionary: Zech. 2:1-3:10, Romans 15:1-13Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. (Luke 10:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Through these last three days, the Church gives thanks to God for the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We’ve already praised God for the work He did through St. Timothy. We praised God for bringing St. Paul to faith and sending him out as an apostle. Today we praise God for the work He accomplished through St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor.Titus was a friend and co-worker with St. Paul, traveling with him on his third missionary journey. Paul had Titus remain on the island of Crete to serve as pastor. He was tasked with establishing good order in the congregations and to identify and train other men who could be faithful pastors. Paul wrote a letter to Titus, describing  what qualifications and duties pastors should possess. This letter still instructs the church to this day.Serving in Crete was not easy for Titus. Some people were teaching false things about Christ and how we are saved. Paul encouraged Titus to teach the truth of the Word against these adversaries. The new pastors who were being trained also had to be equipped to stand against these false teachings.  Pastors still need to protect the church against false teaching today. Satan and the world always bring new lies against the Gospel to try to deceive people away from Christ.  Jesus and the Apostles specifically warned the church that these attacks would keep coming (see Luke 10:3 and Acts 20:28-31). So pastors not only proclaim the Gospel in love. They also need to recognize false teaching and counter it with the truth to protect Jesus’ sheep in their care.  Always pray that God would raise up faithful pastors and equip them for the work. We thank God for our faithful seminaries at Ft. Wayne and St. Louis and all the programs that prepare the next generation of pastors to serve.But God also calls each believer to learn the Word so they can be mature in faith, strong in love, and avoid false teaching. You grow in the Word by attending worship and Bible Study, reading your Bible, and faithfully studying Luther’s Small Catechism. The Catechism contains simple explanations of the key teachings of Scripture. If you know it well, you will be well protected against those who lie about Christ.As we thank God for St Titus, we also thank God for all who train new generations of pastors. May God equip them for faithful service to the Church. We also praise God for all faithful Christians serving in all the vocations that God has given them. May we all be mature in Christ, faithful to the Word, and ready to serve in love. 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.-Pastor Jeffrey Horn is Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 9:1-22Daily Lectionary: Zech. 1:1-21, Romans 14:1-23Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.  And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  (Acts 9:3,4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. During Epiphany we celebrate that the light of Christ shines to people who are in darkness. Saul was immersed in that darkness. Blind to the truth, Saul “ravaged the church, entering house after house and dragging off men and women and putting them in prison (Acts 8:3).” Looking back at his behavior at this time, Paul told Timothy that he was “the chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). But Jesus Christ is the Light of the world, the light no darkness can overcome.  He could’ve struck Saul down to stop him —yet instead  Jesus confronted Saul on the road to Damascus so that He could bring Saul into His light. He condemned Saul’s actions with the simple words “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Saul realized he’d been fighting against God’s Messiah. Christ’s light had literally struck him blind.Saul deserved punishment and damnation. But Jesus came to save sinners, including Saul. Jesus had died on the cross to take the punishment Saul had earned. When Saul regained his sight after 3 days, Ananias baptized him into Jesus. Instead of darkness, he now knew the light of the truth that Jesus is the Christ —he knew God forgave him of his crimes, and he had eternal life in Christ.Such grace could not be held in silence. Saul went forth as Paul and preached Christ Jesus to Jews and Gentiles. He journeyed tirelessly to bring the light of Christ to those in darkness. He was a shining example of the grace of God: If God could save even him, the chief of sinners, God could save anyone -- no matter what they had done. Christ comes to you, just as he came to Saul. He calls you to repent, He washes away your sins in Holy Baptism, and He gives you eternal life completely by His grace. He stays with you throughout this life until He takes you home to heaven. May the peace of Christ that comforted Paul also be with you. 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 in 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.-Pastor Jeffrey Horn is Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 24:42-47Daily Lectionary: Joel 3:1-21, Romans 12:14-13:14“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?   Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.” (Matthew 24:45,46)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. After Jesus rose from the dead, the apostles went out into the world — faithfully preaching, teaching, baptizing, and witnessing to His resurrection. But because they would not be here on earth forever, they wrote down their witness about Christ, which we have in the New Testament. They also took up the work of training pastors so they could continue to preach Christ, baptize, and teach the Scriptures to those in their care.It’s likely that all the apostles participated in training up pastors in whatever places Christ sent them, but they didn’t write about how they did it – except for St. Paul. His letters to Timothy and Titus are known as the Pastoral Epistles because he writes to them about how they should serve as pastors and how they should train up new pastors. These letters continue to shape how new pastors are trained to this day.On January 24, 25, and 26 the Church celebrates how Christ established and sustains the office of the Holy Ministry by remembering St Timothy, St Paul and then St Titus. The day for St Paul stands between those of the two early pastors to remind us how Paul faithfully trained them to serve.  These three days remind us that it is dear to Jesus Himself that new generations of pastors and servants in the Church are trained to bring the Gospel and Sacraments to all nations until the Last Day.Jesus calls you to help with this work too: Consider whether you have the gifts to train to serve as a pastor, teacher, or deaconess. Encourage your friends or family members who might have these gifts to pray about faithfully serving. Support the work of our Concordia universities and seminaries with your prayers and offerings. Share encouragement and pray for those who are already serving as pastors, teachers, deaconesses, and lay leaders in your congregation.We give thanks to God that He sent Timothy to serve as a faithful pastor and confessor of Christ and that He has continued to provide shepherds to serve His flock through the ages. Pray God to raise up more men to serve as pastors and for dedicated men and women to serve as teachers and deaconesses and lay leaders in the Church, here and around the world. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“God of the prophets, bless the prophets’ sons; Elijah’s mantle o’er Elisha cast. Each age its solemn task may claim but once; Make each one nobler, stronger than the last.” (LSB 682 vs 1)-Pastor Jeffrey Horn is Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 9:1-4Daily Lectionary:Joel 2:18-32, Romans 11:25-12:13The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,on them has light shone. (Isaiah 9:2b)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When Isaiah wrote this, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been invaded. God punished Israel for their sin and rebellion against Him by raising up the mighty armies of Assyria against them. The Assyrians were extremely cruel and violent — so much so that God later punished them for their cruelty.The first attacks took place in the lands of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. The suffering these people endured was legendary — when Isaiah mentioned these territories, everyone remembered and shuddered.Isaiah speaks a prophecy of hope to the people of these burned and shattered communities. These regions which had endured such darkness and desolation would be a place where the greatest light that has ever shined would beam forth -- God would send the Messiah, Jesus, who is the Light of the world. (You can read about this in Matthew 4:12-25, the reading for yesterday’s devotion.)Jesus lived and ministered in Galilee, in Naphtali. He journeyed around this region preaching, teaching, healing, and calling people to repent and find forgiveness of sins in Him. People who had been lost in the darkness of sin and death saw the light of eternal salvation when they heard Jesus and believed in Him.The darkness the people had suffered under the Assyrians was terrible. But the light that they were comforted with by Jesus was so pure and true that it still shines today and will shine forever. The light of Christ shines for you.Jesus did not just come to save the people of Israel. He lived to show all people in every place and time the love and mercy of God. He died on the cross to pay for the sins of the whole world. He rose from the dead to give eternal life to all who believe in Him.Jesus brings light that shines forever. He brings light that shines into all darkness, even the darkness which you endure in your life. Fear not the darkness of sin, death, and suffering. Jesus has brought you light, forgiveness and peace.  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.-Pastor Jeffrey Horn is Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 4:12-25Daily Lectionary: Joel 2:1-17, Romans 11:1-24“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. During the season of Epiphany, we rejoice that the light of Christ shines to people who are in darkness. When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He went about Galilee preaching, teaching, and healing. The people who heard Him were called to repent of their sins and they found forgiveness and life from Jesus, the King who had come to save.As Jesus did this work, He was not alone. He first found Peter and Andrew, James and John, and He called them to follow Him. Each time Jesus entered a village, they were with Him. They heard each sermon, listened to people ask questions, and learned from Jesus’ answers. They watched Him have compassion on the sick and oppressed and saw His power to save. And each sermon, each answer, each miracle strengthened their faith in Jesus.After Jesus ascended, the light of Christ continued to shine through the ministry of the apostles as they witnessed the resurrection of Christ to all the people they encountered. They preached what Jesus preached, taught as He taught, and had mercy like He did. They brought Jesus to people. But the light of Christ needed to continue to shine even after the Apostles died — so the Holy Spirit inspired the apostles and evangelists to write down what Jesus had done and how they had carried His light wherever they preached.The light of Christ continues to shine forth in the Gospels and Epistles in the New Testament to all who hear them preached and to all who read them. As you read how Jesus called the people of Galilee to repent of their sins and believe in Him, you know that Jesus is also calling you to repent and believe. When Jesus teaches in the synagogues of that region, you know He is in your church on Sunday, teaching you through the preaching of the Word of God and blessing you in the sacraments. When Jesus has compassion on people in need, you know He invites you to come to Him in prayer with your needs.Jesus is not far away. He came near to the people of His day in His daily work and life. He stays near to you today through the blessings of life and forgiveness that He gives you in the Word and Sacraments. 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. Amen.-Pastor Jeffrey Horn is Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA,Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 Sunday after the EpiphanyDaily Lectionary:Joel 1:1-20; Romans 10:1-21I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.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 22:22, 27-31 – The Introit for the Third Sunday after Epiphany)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Text of the Reflection. Who’s in charge here?  That’s a question a parent or a teacher might ask when things are getting out of hand.  Psalm 22 sees a world where things seem to be getting out of hand. The Messiah cries out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”  He is surrounded by those who mock Him and shake their heads at him.  It certainly looks like things have gotten out of hand.  Yet, near the end of Psalm 22, it becomes clear that things are not out of hand at all.  All the earth will remember the work of the Lord because kingship belongs to the Lord.No matter how it was intended, Jesus hanging on the cross under a sign that declared Him “The King of the Jews” seems out of control.  But the work of God is never out of control.  Instead, the Lord rules over the nations and over all creation from the cross.  How out of control and backwards looking is that?  But no matter what it looks like, the reality of the Lord ruling over all things in death and in resurrected life is exactly the way things are.  The Lord’s righteousness for you is seen in His death and resurrection.  From His cross flows mercy and grace for you.  You don’t have all things under control.  You might feel like you don’t have anything in control.  Kingship belongs to the Lord who loves you, and that is the best news for you.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands,  For our offenses given,  But now at God’s right hand He stands,  And brings us life from heaven.Therefore let us joyful be, And sing to God right thankfully, Loud songs of alleluia! Alleluia! (Lutheran Service Book 458, stanza 1)-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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:Ezekiel 47:1-14, 21-23; Romans 9:19-33As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other.  And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh.  And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. (Ezekiel 47:7-9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The prophet Ezekiel had a vision, but many things in Ezekiel’s visions can be difficult for us.  A river flowing from the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem downhill into a lake seems a little odd, but not too difficult to understand.  Around that lake there are trees and animals and fish.  In fact, where the river goes, everything will live.  The wrinkle is that the lake where the river flows is called “the Arabah” – what we know as “The Dead Sea.”  The Dead Sea is so salty that nothing can live there.  There aren’t any trees alongside it, there aren’t fish in it, and nothing really lives there.  Common sense says that if fresh water flows into saltwater, the fresh water becomes salty.  But Ezekiel’s vision stands everything on its head.  This fresh water flows from the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem and it transforms the salty Dead Sea into the Sea of Life.  That’s backwards!  There will be trees and fish and life around the sea because what comes from the temple transforms everything.  So it is with the work of Jesus.  When Jesus takes on flesh, His divinity is not corrupted by humanity.  Instead, when He takes on flesh, His divinity transforms His humanity.  The Athanasian Creed confesses, “Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ: one, however, not by the conversion of the divinity into flesh, but by the assumption of the humanity into God.”  In other words, Jesus being God in the flesh pulls His humanity into righteous perfection.  The fact that humanity is pulled into the Godhead is good news for you.  The same Jesus who is God and man also calls you His brother.  He has formed you in His own image because of His great love for you.  This isn’t like human relationships, where people can be criticized for their friends.  Instead, He transforms you because of His loving and gracious relationship with you.  The Lord who led Ezekiel to see a salt sea transformed to a place of life sees poor, miserable sinners transformed into forgiven, righteous children of God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.He lives and grants me daily breath;  He lives, and I shall conquer death; He lives my mansion to prepare; He lives to bring me safely there. (Lutheran Service Book 461, stanza 7)-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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: Table of Duties:To ParentsDaily Lectionary: Ezekiel 44:1-16, 23-29; Romans 9:1-18Fathers, 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. When Holy Scripture addresses parents, this is not just parenting advice.  If you want a book to make you a better parent, there are whole shelves of parenting books at the local bookstore, and blogs and podcasts all over the place online.  Scripture’s goal isn’t to make you a better parent, but Scripture is concerned about making you a better Christian.  For those who are called to be parents, that includes making them Christian parents.  Therefore, this command isn’t about consequences or discipline or routines or consistency.  This is about parents providing their children discipline and instruction in the Lord.  Parents are called to teach their children faith in Jesus.  This is important, even for people that haven’t been called to be parents now.  Whatever callings you have are callings to do what you do as a Christian.  You are called not only to be a high school student, but to be a Christian high school student.  You aren’t only an employee, but a Christian employee.  You aren’t just a friend, but a Christian friend.  You aren’t only a son or a daughter, but a Christian son or daughter.  In all things, Jesus is the focus.  This isn’t merely to say that you are called to make other people Christian by any means necessary, but to live out your faith in Jesus Christ in a way that bears witness to the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  As your parents serve you in Christ, providing instruction and discipline in the Lord, listen to them.  Receive their discipline and encouragement as from the Lord, since He is the One who commanded it.  Where you have opportunities to serve others in Christ, do that.  Life as a Christian student and friend, son or daughter, employee and everything else you do is service to Jesus.  Apart from Jesus, you would be just like everyone else.  By His precious blood, Jesus has made you in His image and covered you with His blood.  That makes all the difference. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.In what You give us, Lord, to do, Together or alone, In old routines or ventures new, May we not cease to look to You,  The cross You hung upon—  All You endeavored done. (Lutheran Service Book 853, stanza 4)-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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 8:27-9:1Daily Lectionary:Ezekiel 40:1-4; 43:1-12; Romans 8:18-39And 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. Text of the Reflection.  “Who is Jesus?” is the question that runs through all the readings this week, starting with John the Baptist’s identification of Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and continuing with Isaiah identifying Jesus as the Lord’s Servant and Paul mentioning that we have fellowship with our Lord Jesus.  Today, as we celebrate the Confession of St. Peter, Jesus bluntly asks the question.  He starts by asking “Who do people say that I am?”  That’s a question that you would hesitate to ask even of a friend, in case they would tell you something that people are saying behind your back about you that you don’t want to know.  But after the disciples answer that question, Jesus asks them who they, the disciples, say He is.  Peter answers that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.  You would expect a recognition that Peter was right or some kind words from Jesus.  Instead, Jesus tells the disciples not to talk about His identity as the Christ.Then, He goes on to say that it’s necessary for Him to suffer and die and after three days, rise from the dead.  That doesn’t seem very Messiah-like, does it?  Messiahs don’t die, Christs don’t suffer, and the Lord’s servant shouldn’t go through these things that Jesus said He would go through.  This seems absurd to the point that the Christ-confessing Peter pulls Jesus aside to ask, “Are you sure?”  What a difference between “You are the Christ” and “I’m not sure you’ve thought this through.”  How often do we look at the actions of God and think, “It doesn’t seem like God is doing what He should.”  You struggle with God’s actions seeming ridiculous to you, or to anyone else.  That’s why it’s so important that Jesus is the Christ.  What you think of God’s actions isn’t nearly as important as who Jesus is.  He is the Messiah, the Christ who has come to save you from your sin, even your sin of thinking that Jesus is being God wrong.  Your Lord is the Christ who saves you with His great love. 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.-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.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.