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Reflections

English, Religion, 1 season, 1300 episodes, 4 days, 22 hours, 40 minutes
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Join HT for a reading of the days Higher Things Reflection. A short devotion directed toward the youth of our church, written by the Pastors of our church, clearly proclaiming the true Gospel of Jesus Christ! Find out more about HT at our website, www.higherthings.org
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Thursday of the Twenty-Second Week After Pentecost

October 24, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism - Table of duties: To ChildrenDaily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 25:17-26:19; Matthew 17:1-13Children, 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. And you thought the Bible was just for old people. No, it’s for young people, too, even children. That’s because what God has done for the oldest, He has also done for the youngest. Earlier in Ephesians, St. Paul writes to the baptized, “Blessed 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 Him,” or “in the Lord” is what changes everything for you and me. And that is where God placed us when we were baptized. At the Font, God washed you “in the Lord,” declaring you “holy and blameless before Him.” In fact, at the Font, God “made us alive together with Christ” and “seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-6). Baptized children are in the heavens now, seated with God, in Christ, “holy and blameless before Him!” Baptized children, then, are not lacking in any spiritual blessing. That is why St. Paul calls even children now to acts of kindness and love, beginning at home with their nearest neighbors, Mom and Dad. This is what it means to live out your baptismal identity as God’s child. There is no work for you to do to become “holy and blameless” before your Father in heaven. You are already that every day– so promises your Baptism into Christ. You can turn to your neighbor in love, beginning at home, not to become something you are not, but because of the something or someone God has already declared you to be “in the Lord.” His child.As your proud Father in heaven, God rejoices over you as you do your chores at home, study your homework, clean your rooms, play nice with each other, and obey your parents. “In the Lord” is the key. For God does not rejoice simply because of the work that is being done. He rejoices because of the ones who are doing the work: you. That is God’s mercy, God’s love for you, “in the Lord.”  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 581:12)-Rev. Bradley Drew, pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/24/20244 minutes, 25 seconds
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St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of Jesus and Martyr

October 23, 2024Today's Reading: Matthew 13:54-58Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 24:10-25:10; Matthew 16:13-28Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. (Matthew 13:56-57)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We would have taken offense, too. Imagine being raised in a house where mom and dad thought the oldest hung the moon. No, I mean, literally hung the moon. It might have been hard enough with Jesus always on the honor roll, winning the Christian Citizenship award all the time, and being the envy of every other parent. But “Hanger of Moon and Stars” was a bridge too far. “And they took offense at him.”On this day, the Church celebrates the life of St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of Jesus and Martyr. Why? Because of the grace of God. For despite all the offense James had taken toward his Brother (John 7:3-5), the risen Jesus appeared to him first, before any of the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:7), calling James to faith in Him as his Savior, too. What grace.Jesus does the same for you. Despite all the offense you take toward Him, Jesus comes to you every day in the promise of your Baptism, calling you to faith in Him as your Savior. Despite the offense you take toward Him, Jesus comes to you in the absolutions and sermons you hear from your pastor, calling you to faith in Him as your Savior. And, despite all the offense you and I take toward Him every day, Jesus still comes to us in the Holy Supper, calling us to faith in Him as our Savior, too, “for you, for the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus knows the indignation in our own hearts, all the offense we take over how He rules and governs this life. He knows our own stubbornness to believe that our Big Brother really is Who He says He is. It’s why the church sets aside special days like these: to remind everyone that He gets us. And not just that He gets us, but to remind us that Jesus never stops coming to us and calling us to faith in Him as our Savior, too. What grace. And James would be the first to say, this Jesus, this grace, is for everyone. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Heavenly Father, shepherd of Your people, You raised up James the Just, brother of our Lord, to lead and guide Your Church. Grant that we may follow his example of prayer and reconciliation and be strengthened by the witness of his death; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen. (Collect for St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of Jesus and Martyr)-Rev. Bradley Drew, pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/23/20244 minutes, 23 seconds
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Tuesday of the Twenty-Second Week After Pentecost

October 22, 2024 Today's Reading: Hebrews 4:1-13, 14-16Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 21:1-23; Deuteronomy 22:1-24:9; Matthew 16:1-12Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As with Israel of old, the promises God makes with us seem too good to be true. When we die, we will not die but live forever. When we face His judgment, God will find no sin at all to accuse or condemn us. Does God even know us? When God calls out to “strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience (Hebrews 4:11),” He is calling us to ignore every other voice but the one calling us back to our Baptism into Christ. For God knows how many our sins are, how overwhelming our guilt is, how insurmountable the odds of us doing anything to help ourselves in His judgment. Either Jesus saves us all the way, or we will not be saved.In his commentary on Galatians, Luther writes, “I remember how Doctor Staupitz used to say to me: ‘I have promised God a thousand times that I would become a better man, but I never kept my promise. From now on I am not going to make any more vows. Experience has taught me that I cannot keep them. Unless God is merciful to me for Christ's sake and grants unto me a blessed departure, I shall not be able to stand before Him.’”  Luther goes on to point out how this was “a God-pleasing despair. For no true believer trusts in his own righteousness, but says with David, ‘If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?’” (Ps. 130:3).What we need from the throne of grace is not more time or energy. For poor, miserable sinners who ever offend God and justly deserve His temporal and eternal punishment, what we need, what truly helps us, is the grace from above that says, “I love you. I forgive you. I got this. And true to My Jesus, true to My Word, I save you.”But that is the promise God makes with Jesus on the cross for you, with Jesus in your Baptism for you, with Jesus on your pastor’s lips for you, and with Jesus at His Supper for you. Yes, your rest, too, has been won. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The world seeks to be praised And honored by the mighty Yet never once reflects That they are frail and flighty. But what I truly prize Above all things is He, My Jesus, He alone. What is the world to me! (LSB 730:2)-Rev. Bradley Drew, pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/22/20244 minutes, 22 seconds
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Monday of the Twenty-Second Week After Pentecost

October 21, 2024Today's Reading: Ecclesiastes 5:10-20Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 20:1-20; Matthew 15:21-39As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. (Ecclesiastes 5:15)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Does someone need to buy Solomon a Snickers bar? Why all the doom and gloom? The country singer who “never saw no hearse pullin’ no U-Haul” couldn’t hold a candle to Solomon today. But it is not doom and gloom Solomon is preaching. He is preaching faith and life because Solomon is preaching Jesus.From clothing and shoes to house and home, food and drink to good government and good weather, land and animals to family and friends, Solomon says it all comes from our heavenly Father. But Solomon also knows what St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians centuries later: “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19).Solomon preaches about how this life is unpredictable. One day, you can be sitting on top of the world, and the next day, the world can be sitting on top of you. It’s vanity, he says, a great evil. But that is where the promise of Jesus’ death on the cross comes in. The cross is where you are promised your identity in this life and the next: God’s own dear children.Whether you are on top of the world or the world is on top of you, Solomon says not only is your heavenly Father there and in control for you, He has placed you right where He wants you and is smiling on you the whole time. Why? Because you never sin? No, but because He is your Father. That’s why. Your sins do not own you anymore. Your sins do not, cannot, define you now. They lost that power over you when Jesus died for them on the cross.Whether you accumulate a lot or nothing at all in this life, you can smile and rejoice, too, because God’s got this. And He’s got you. With Jesus washed onto you in your Baptism, proclaimed over all your sins in His Word, given to you at His Supper, your life will not, cannot, end now. You are God’s dear child. He loves you. So you need not be afraid of today or any other day. 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. Bradley Drew, pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/21/20244 minutes, 31 seconds
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Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost

October 20, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 10:23-31Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 19:1-20; Matthew 15:1-20It 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. You may have sung the hymn “What is the Word to Me” before. I used to think it was a question. It’s a statement of faith. “What is the word to me With all its vaunted pleasure When You, and You alone, Lord Jesus, are my treasure!” (LSB 730:1)  Truth is, it is easier to believe in God’s love when you have what the world calls “treasure”– when you have money and everyone else loves you, or when you are getting “A’s” in everything and are always knocking it out of the park. But what about those times when you are not? What about those times when you are poor, and it seems like no one likes you? When you are not getting good grades and are always failing at everything? What about those times when all you see are your sins, and you can’t find any reason at all to believe in God’s love? What then? Jesus. That’s what then. Jesus on the cross for you. Jesus in your Baptism for you. Jesus in holy Absolution for you. Jesus in the sermon and in the Word for you. Jesus in the Supper for you. Jesus is how God calls you treasure, His treasure. This Jesus is how God saves you from all your sins. This Jesus is how God comes to you and declares you righteous in His sight and as His dear child.  If this salvation depended on you, it wouldn’t be possible. Thank God His salvation does not depend on us at all. It depends on Jesus. Jesus only. Jesus always. Jesus period. Not everyone else loving you, but God loving you. Not you saving the day, but God saving the day for you. Not in anyone having what the world calls treasure, but in God having what He calls treasure– you.  Jesus not only makes this salvation possible; He makes it yours. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, Your divine wisdom sets in order all things in heaven and on earth. Put away from us all things hurtful and give us those things that are beneficial for us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.-Rev. Bradley Drew, pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/20/20244 minutes, 28 seconds
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Saturday of the Twenty-First Week After Pentecost

October 19, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 22 - Psalm 34:1-4, 17; antiphon: Psalm 34:18Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 18:1-22; Matthew 14:22-36The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The beauty of Holy Scripture is that it clearly tells us who God saves… the broken, the weak, the weary, the downtrodden, the sick, and the dying… just to name a few. Too often, though, we hear those around us stating things like: “God is worthy of our praise,” “Praise the Lord always,” “Make a joyful noise,”… and so on. Often enough, though, these quippy truisms fall flat… after all, we sinners still live in a fallen and sinful world.Praise is a wonderful thing, but we live in an age where our understanding of this word has unfortunately affected our theology. For example, many expect praise for doing the things that they ought to be doing. How often have you sought accolades for cleaning your room or rearranging the desk in your office? Twenty-eight years ago, right around 1996 (ancient history to most of you), athletes were ‘awarded’ ribbons just for participating… praise was given just because you tried and gave it your all. This way of thinking is corrosive and exceedingly terrible in the regular world, but in many ways, it’s infiltrated theology… many in 2024 believe that God is pleased with us just because of the effort we put in. Others believe they are entitled to the Gifts that God gives and are moved to praise God only when their needs are met.  David writes Psalm 34 for our benefit and to reveal to us that praise is rightly given to God, not because He wants or needs it from us. He doesn’t want our praise so He can reward the one who praises the most… David says that we praise God continually because He never stops giving! He never ceases to give us all of the things that are most needful. Notice also… David writes that although we might praise God for what He’s done for us individually, there is all the more joy when we praise God together in the wonderful realization that He’s bought us back from sin and death, too! We praise Him because we, in our sin, know that we deserve nothing but eternal death and condemnation… yet the judgment we’ve received from Him is this: on account of Christ and for His sake, we are judged NOT GUILTY… righteous on account of Christ. Like prisoners set free from shackles and certain death, we rejoice together at our amazing good fortune… as those once dead in sin, we rejoice as the living in Christ who has given us life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O wondrous Love, whose depth no heart hath sounded, that brought Thee here, by foes and thieves surrounded! All worldly pleasures, heedless, I was trying while Thou wert dying. (LSB 439:7)-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/19/20245 minutes, 1 second
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St. Luke, Evangelist

October 18, 2024Today's Reading: Luke 10:1-9Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 17:1-20; Matthew 14:1-21“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. Nothing in Jesus' ministry happened by accident… nothing in this world happens without our Lord’s knowing it. So St. Luke records that Jesus sent out 72… to whom were they sent? What would they say? Just this… that Jesus had set His face to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51) and would be visiting them in various towns and cities on His way. Jesus sent the 72 to get the people ready. He sent them so that they wouldn’t be surprised and so that they’d talk to their friends, family, and neighbors about Jesus, the one who’d set His face to Jerusalem’s cross, was coming to them.And here’s the thing… 72 wasn’t enough. There were countless towns and villages, countless poor, widowed, and fatherless who needed care and consolation, countless sinners steeped in their sin, drowning in guilt and remorse, shame and despair… what could 72 do among so many? Nothing is the answer… unless they were sent by the Lord, who would do something for all people. What is so endearing about St. Luke, among many things, is that he was a physician, a medical doctor… chosen by our Lord not because He was special in and of himself, but because God had set him aside to write the Gospel that bears his name and the Book of Acts that records the birth and early growth of the Christian Church. St. Luke was there to witness the Lord’s ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection. He traveled with St. Paul and saw with his own eyes the promise of Jesus. The harvest was plentiful… it is plentiful… Jesus sows the seeds and gives them growth… Jesus does it all, and yet He commends Luke to write for our benefit… not of the work that we must do to reap the harvest, but to labor together as ones redeemed by Christ in the vineyard together, to rejoice greatly that we have a place in the vineyard and yet there is still room! It started with 72, and the Christian church has been growing ever since. In fact, it’s never gotten smaller… for those departed saints who sleep the sleep of death rest secure as they await their raising, we who have been born are shepherded, cared for, and forgiven from womb to tomb, and yet there are many still to come for whom the Lord Jesus has died to save.We pray for what the Lord promises… not results… not that we would even be ‘successful…’ Luke writes, “Pray for the Lord to send laborers,”… and so He does. Perhaps it’s you men who will preach and teach as pastors. Perhaps it’s you young ladies who will see to the mercy arm of the Lord's church in diaconal ministry. We pray that the Lord will send laborers to provide us with the eternal Gifts of our Gracious God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, You have commanded us to pray that You would send forth laborers into Your harvest. Of Your infinite mercy give us true ministers and teachers of Your Word who preach nothing contrary to Your Word. Grant that we, being warned, instructed, nurtured, comforted, and strengthened by Your Word, may do those things which are well pleasing to You and profitable for our salvation. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/18/20245 minutes, 21 seconds
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Thursday of the Twenty-First Week After Pentecost

October 17, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism - Table of duties: To ParentsDaily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 15:19-16:22; Matthew 13:44-58Fathers, 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. No doubt you recall that after your study of the Small Catechism in confirmation, you breathed a sigh of relief that you were almost finished… only examination remained… and then your pastor pulled a fast one… the Table of Duties. Just what is this table about? We’ve heard of the two tables of the law and the Lord’s Table… yet there was one more… the table that gave us time to reflect on vocation… our stations in life. While specific matters didn’t pertain to us (men cannot be wives, women cannot be husbands, etc.), the table of duties painted a gracious and wonderful picture of the relationship between Christ and his Church. So you might be wondering if you’re a child: What does this article about fathers not provoking children to anger mean? Here’s how you fit in. As we are God’s children, He is our Father. And, as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, God has given earthly authority over us and for our good, as we confess in the 4th Commandment to honor mother and father.It might seem like St. Paul is warning fathers of the stuff that they’re not to do. He certainly is doing that, but what’s implied by St. Paul is this… fathers are given to care for, protect, work for, and sacrifice themselves for the well-being of their wives and children… this is good and wise. The most important part of all of this is that fathers are to lead us to the Heavenly Father and the Gracious Lord Jesus, who gives all the best Gifts. THAT is the best gift a father can give… Jesus and His forgiveness and life.  So what about not provoking children to anger? Thankfully, it’s as simple as this… Fathers are to avoid unfair, cruel behavior or blatant favoritism. Fathers are to give as Christ gave: freely, abundantly, and to all given to their care. 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 so that as they grow in years, we may teach them to love whatever is just, true, and good, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/17/20244 minutes, 21 seconds
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Wednesday of the Twenty-First Week After Pentecost

October 16, 2024Today's Reading: Matthew 13:24-43Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 14:1-2, 22-23, 14:28-15:15; Matthew 13:24-43‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. (Matthew 13:28b-29)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A few verses before our text for today, the disciples ask Jesus, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” (Matthew 13:10)  “Seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Matthew 13:13) Jesus doesn’t speak in parables to confuse anyone; sin has accomplished this since the Fall. Neither does Jesus speak because the disciples or we Christians are better informed or more deserving of what Jesus gives… Jesus speaks openly and plainly because He is life and truth and also because it’s the Holy Spirit that gives faith, brings people into the church, and keeps us in the church, as the explanation to the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed states.Jesus explains the parable in Matthew 13, and what He explains is what you and I see every day. That mixed up and growing together in this world are sinners and saints… people who you can tell the difference between. But Jesus would have us know that the one sowing the seeds of dissension, the Devil, is sowing seeds of sin, hatred, doubt, and temptation that grow up in us, too. Thankfully, then, Jesus doesn’t say that we should scrap the whole mess and start over again with better material, hoping for a better result. Christianity isn’t first and foremost about sinning less… Christianity is about Jesus, who buys back sinners with His precious blood and innocent suffering and death. Jesus would have us see that the seeds of doubt, despair, and dissension are eradicated not by tearing them out, ripping them up by the roots, and throwing them into a burn pile. Our Lord lovingly provides stern law… law that reveals the weeds and thistles that choke out faith in us… He provides pure sweet gospel by His church and His pastors to hear those sins confessed. From the mouth of the pastor, those sins are put to death. In the ears of the man who hears your confession and from the mouth of the pastor as from God Himself, the words of life and forgiveness are given freely to us.The good seed, Christ Himself, has planted Himself in us. It is His word watered by Baptism and fed with bread and wine that is Body and Blood that gives life and sustains us in this fallen world. Life this side of heaven is fraught with sin and great temptation. Thanks be to God for Christ, our Lord, who has won salvation and bestowed that victory to us in His church. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, You justify the ungodly and desire not the death of a 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 Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/16/20244 minutes, 52 seconds
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Tuesday of the Twenty-First Week After Pentecost

October 15, 2024Today's Reading: Hebrews 3:12-19 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 13:1-18; Matthew 13:1-23But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Hebrews is a definitive book that states so well the freedom we have from fear, death, and the Devil. So exhortation/ encouragement is spoken of here as an ongoing action. It is for today, for each other, that we provide exhortation, encouragement, and comfort… and that can be accomplished in no other way than in preaching the full counsel of God. At first, this sounds overwhelming, doesn’t it? That would mean we’d need to know the entirety of Scripture, all that God has done for us… and that’s certainly true… reading, marking, and hearing the Word of God is certainly important enough for God to give us a commandment that says we should gladly hear the Word of God. There’s more, though… we hear the Word of God together, we talk about what our Lord says to us in the Word of God, and we wrestle with the text and discuss it. What better place to do this than the Lord’s church? As St. Paul mentions to us in Acts 20, he never failed to preach the whole counsel of God… what does this mean? Just this: that Christ Jesus was born to suffer for us, bear our sins to the cross, die, and rise again for our justification! That’s the whole counsel of God, and here’s the best part… what does the writer of Hebrews mean when he writes, “as long as it is ‘today?’”  A friend of mine once asked me a good question… “Do you live in yesterday? Perhaps you believe that you live in tomorrow?” “Of course not,” I said… to which he replied, “Of course you’re right!” It’s always today. What greater joy do we have as the baptized children of God than to believe and trust that our Lord Jesus has been raised from the dead to bestow to us eternal day, the light of His word, and His forgiveness today and forever! It’s always today, and yet, within each day, we are bought and redeemed. The deceitfulness of sin continues, the temptations of the Devil and world seek to harden us… so it will be until the Last Day… so our Lord gives us His good counsel, sends the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to attend to the Word, and to give faith, hope, and trust in the Lord Who abides with us in His church. So we exhort, provide good counsel and correction to erring brothers, encourage one another with the word of Christ the Crucified, and always are given to the comfort and the stilling of troubled consciences in the word of forgiveness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, for my many sins I justly deserve eternal condemnation. In Your mercy, You sent Your Son, my dear Lord Jesus, Who won for me forgiveness and everlasting salvation. Grant good and faithful exhortation from my brothers in the faith that in contrition I would make a true confession, that dead to my sin, I may be raised up by Your life-giving Absolution. Grant, I pray, your Holy Spirit, that I may be ever watchful and live a godly life in Your Service and in service to my neighbor. Amen. -Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/15/20244 minutes, 54 seconds
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Monday of the Twenty-First Week After Pentecost

October 14, 2024 Today's Reading: Amos 5:6-7, 10-15Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 12:13-32; Matthew 12:38-50They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. (Amos 5:10)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Amos was a shepherd who tended sycamore trees. More important than that, though, was the truth that God, according to His good pleasure, made Amos a prophet to Israel. God made Amos a prophet… and wonderfully, it pleased God to send a sinner as a prophet to preach to sinners both to repent of their wickedness and to receive the forgiveness of God. But they hated Him Who spoke at the gate. Sure, they hated Amos… it was easier for them to do that… the truth, though, was not that they hated Amos… they hated God… because they hated the word of God that Amos was sent to speak. The Israelites took advantage of the poor, they cheated in business, they lied and shouted down those who told the truth, they neglected the beggars, and they remained silent when they should have spoken against the sin around them. They worshiped golden idols… every sin against God and men could be found among the people Amos preached to.Amos and all the Prophets were sent because God loved His people… and yet, all many of God’s people could see were pesky men who came to lay out every sin before them. That usually had the result of making the people feel bad, and it made them angry. So it’s important to know that Amos and the prophets weren’t sent to make them feel bad… Amos was sent so that the people of God could see what was killing them… and in this, Israel was to see God’s love and care for them: their dire need and lack, and God’s abundant forgiveness and peace. How would the people know that God loved them? He’d sent them a prophet… God’s mouthpiece to turn them to repentance… God’s prophet to give them the forgiveness of God. Amos was booted out of Israel… Jesus was tortured and killed… St. Paul was ultimately killed in Rome… and a man is sent to preach and rightly divide law and gospel to you. In great love, our Gracious Lord loves us and sends a pastor to assure us that Jesus has removed our sin, shame, and guilt. He puts His words into our mouths, and He fights the powers of darkness. Jesus restores our voice to speak in faith toward Him and in fervent love toward one another. What a wonderful blessing and promise that even in the sinful and fallen world, we don’t fight alone! In fact, we don’t do the fighting at all; Christ does all that is needed for you. “It is finished,” He said… finished for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, You have commanded us to pray that You would send forth laborers into Your harvest. Of Your infinite mercy, give us true teachers and ministers of Your word who will fulfill Your command and preach nothing contrary to Your Holy Word. Grant also that we, being instructed, warned, nurtured, and comforted by Your Word, may do those things which are pleasing to You and profitable for our Salvation. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/14/20244 minutes, 56 seconds
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Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost

October 13, 2024Today's Reading: Mark 10:17-22Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 11:26-12:12; Matthew 12:22-37“Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. (Mark 10:18)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Law questions get law answers. The rich man has two things on his mind as he approaches Jesus. First, Jesus is one of the Good Guys… a man wise in teaching about the things of God. Second, the rich man wants to know how eternal life is inherited. What should become apparent to us is the strange nature of the man's second thought. Inheritances aren’t earned… Inheritances are bestowed.  The problem for the rich young man is often our problem; we understand that Eternal Life is the greatest thing of all, but unfortunately, we’re often tempted to think that it’s something we earn by what we do. Being “good” is necessary for salvation, but we don’t ask often enough, “What does ‘good’ mean?” While we often place a lot of emphasis on doing good… we often fail to ask WHO is doing the good and for Whom is the good one doing it. Jesus asks, though… “Why do you call me good?”  Do you say I’m good because of what I’m teaching or how you’ve seen me acting? He calls Jesus a teacher… Jesus is certainly that, but why does the man call Him good? The answer to this is that the rich man sees Jesus as a teacher, which He is, and that He sees Jesus as just one good teacher among many.Jesus is so much more than a teacher, though; as He says to the rich man… “No one is good except God alone.” These words are both true and comforting. They’re comforting in the sense that God has come into our midst. Jesus is Goodness in the midst of sinners who aren’t good, and He’s come not just to teach, not to give new laws, new paths, or to provide an example… He alone is the Good One… sent by His Father, as the blessed Good One, Who fulfills both tables of the law, crediting His work to us by Baptism and bestowing the inheritance of forgiveness and life freely.No one is Good but God alone, that’s true… but St. Mark writes and the Spirit opens our ears to see that Christ alone has accomplished all that is good and right. He’s fulfilled all the law, bore the weight of our sin, died to put our death to death, and has risen again to justify us… that is… to bestow forgiveness and life to us… to bestow the inheritance of the kingdom of God, salvation and eternal life to us in the church. The Good Teacher IS the Good Shepherd… who has bestowed His goodness to us, Who lives in us by His word and makes us good, beautiful, righteous, and perfect. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord Jesus Christ, whose grace always precedes and follows us, help us to forsake all trust in earthly gain and to find our treasure in You, our Heavenly treasure; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/13/20244 minutes, 53 seconds
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Saturday of the Twentieth Week After Pentecost

October 12, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 21 - Psalm 112:3-6; antiphon: Psalm 112:1Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 11:1-25; Matthew 12:1-21Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments (Psalm 112:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Blessed is the one who fears? Yes! And not only that, but the Psalmist says that we praise the Lord because of this fear.  Isn’t it a sin to fear, though? It is a sin to disbelieve, distrust, and to trust other words than the word of God. So the blessedness the Psalmist speaks of is the same fear Martin Luther writes of and that we have proclaimed for years in our Catechism studies… we are to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Our Lord says in Matthew 10:28, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” And yet, this fear of the Lord isn’t terror… it isn’t even a quaking or trembling before Him because of uneasiness… there is no uneasiness at all. Jesus our Lord tells us exactly Who He is, what He’s done, and that He’s doing it for us. Jesus became sin for us… and St. John records in 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart (FEAR NOT); I have overcome the world.”Don’t fear the world… there’s nothing left to fear. Don’t fear death… it’s been overcome. We believe, teach, and confess that Christ has justified us and saved us by His blood… but the Psalmist writes that we are blessed: not just in temporal ways, not just eternally, but the God who saved us is pleased to go with us on our way… what a blessing that is.We’re blessed that God’s stern law causes us to despair of our own righteousness and be brought to our knees in humble repentance before the Lord Who has died to save us. We are blessed that we are redeemed, bought back, reclaimed, washed, renewed, and given a new name in Baptism… He’s saved us from evil, from the Evil One, and proclaims that we should cease to do evil. We’re blessed because Jesus not only increases our hunger and thirst for righteousness but provides the very feast of forgiveness and righteousness to His church.  Luther puts it this way: “God here praises us for our good life and are promised eternal comfort against all trouble. We are blessed because we are given to a sincere confidence in God’s grace.” (Reading the Psalms with Luther: 271)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord, the Reward of them that fear You, and the Defense of Your people, Who in Your Son Jesus Christ, had promised grace and everlasting righteousness to them that believe, establish our hearts by Your grace that, rooted in the faith of Your Word we may be able to stand in the day of trial. Strengthen us to resist the enticing lust of sin, and triumph over Satan, death and hell through Jesus Christ. Amen (“Praying the Psalms with Luther” Psalm 112; page 272)-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/12/20244 minutes, 52 seconds
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Friday of the Twentieth Week After Pentecost

October 11, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 11:20-30Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 9:23-10:22; Matthew 11:20-30At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. (Matthew 11:25-26)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What a strange statement… “I thank you that You’ve kept things hidden.” Isn’t the ‘job’ of the Christian church and of Jesus’ ministry to reveal all the good stuff that Jesus does and accomplishes for us? Don’t we as Christians want to know that the church we’re a part of is ‘making a difference’ in the world around us?  What are the things that the Father has kept hidden? From whom has He kept them hidden? He’s kept hidden the reality that Jesus is the Messiah, come to save people from their sins… and He’s kept it hidden from the Galileans (specifically) who refuse to repent of their sins and hear that Jesus is the One who’s come to forgive them. It’s a case of the Father giving the ‘wise and understanding’ over to their own devices and their own sin. It’s not as if Jesus has hidden anything from the Galileans; John the Baptist had also proclaimed Jesus to be the Christ… it’s just that the Galileans had thoughts of their own… ways that they said and thought things should go.  But to the little children… that is, to the desperate, despairing, and penitent sinner who had seen their great lack, their great need of forgiveness– it’s to these that Jesus gave forgiveness.  We’ve been taught much about what being a Christian ought to look like, and unfortunately, it usually revolves around what we do to clean our acts up, do all the right things, and be seen as the shining light and example to those around us… but here in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells another story; it is to the penitent sinner… the one crushed by the law, the one who is sorrowful over their sin, the one who wonders just how they can be redeemed and saved… it’s to these little ones, these little children (babies, teenagers, moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas) who are little children not because of age… but because we are completely and fully dependent on Jesus, who forgives their sin and bestows life now and unto eternity. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and everlasting God, for my many sins I justly deserve eternal condemnation. In Your mercy, You sent Your dear Son, my Lord Jesus Christ, Who won for me forgiveness of sins and everlasting salvation. Grant me a true confession that, dead to sin, I may be raised up by Your life-giving Absolution. Grant me Your Holy Spirit that I may ever be watchful and live a true and godly life in Your service; through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/11/20244 minutes, 46 seconds
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Thursday of the Twentieth Week After Pentecost

October 10, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism - Table of duties: To wivesDaily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 9:1-22; Matthew 11:1-19Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We hear Paul’s text with modern ears and are, at best, surprised. We hear ‘submit’ and begin to wonder: “My goodness, if we were to return to this way of thinking, then all the progress we’ve made for women and little girls will be undone!” Submission is a dirty word… a word that sounds like something we’d say to a subject or slave of a King. It makes sense in our sin… in a world that we’ve been tempted to believe is run and ruled by power. So regardless… in our sinful minds, it’s not that we don’t like the word submit… we’re more concerned with who will submit to whom.That’s where the second part of the text comes in… submission is to be ‘as to the Lord.’  So submission has less to do with power and everything to do with what Jesus has done for us. “Submit to your husband” is, of course, a directive, a command, but Paul also tells us why wives submit… they submit to husbands as to the Lord because the whole bride of Christ, the Christian church, submits– gives herself over to the care of Jesus. Jesus isn’t interested in ruling over us as a tyrant king… He’s not looking for us to do things for Him. He’s true God and true man. As God, He has need of nothing… and as a man willingly became sin for us, to carry sin, put it to death in order to buy back His precious bride from sin, death, and the Devil. He’s the perfect Husband, the Perfect Man, and willingly becomes the least, the weakest, the servant of all in order to redeem His bride.Submission isn’t ceding power, and it isn’t a matter of who’ll be the boss… God alone is the Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier– everything necessary for this body and life and the life to come is taken care of… submission is a deference… a deferring and a trust that the man will lay aside everything, bear the burdens and sins of his family, his wife, die unto himself, and perhaps even physically die for the sake of wife and children. It’s a trust that husbands will be the heads of households, take responsibility for the instruction of the family, take them to the house of God to receive what the Good Shepherd freely gives, and to give of himself as Christ gave Himself for His Bride the church. Submission isn’t about power or even losing power… it is about true trust that the Lord of us all takes care of us by the church: in families and in husbands and wives who by grace have children… who in turn become husbands and wives themselves… and so creation and the Church continues from generation to generation. Submit to, as you do to the Lord, who has died and risen FOR YOU. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Most Gracious God, we give thanks for the joy and blessings that You grant to husbands and wives. Assist them always by Your grace that with true fidelity and steadfast love, they may honor and keep their marriage vows, grow in love toward You and for each other, and come at last to the eternal loys that You have promised; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/10/20245 minutes, 13 seconds
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Wednesday of the Twentieth Week After Pentecost

October 9, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 10:24-42Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 8:1-20; Matthew 10:24-42“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)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus has come to forgive sins… as much is mentioned earlier in Matthew’s Gospel (1:21). So our text for today tells us not why Jesus came but the result of Jesus coming among us. This means we are to think of the text in this way… “Do not think that I came only to bring peace upon the earth, I came not only to bring peace but even more a sword.” (Gibbs; Concordia Commentary Matthew 1:1-11:1 pgs 536, 538).Jesus came to bring peace (Luke 2:14) through His innocent and bloody death, and that forgiveness of sins will be preached to all people in the church and by the people Christ has died to save… but many reject this teaching of peace given in forgiveness. Many say, “I don’t need what you say your Jesus has come to give.” It can be frustrating for sure, especially if we take that rejection personally… but why would we take it personally? Are those who reject Christ’s innocent suffering and death, His free forgiveness, and the bestowal of life and salvation rejecting us or our works? We might think so… missionaries are sent far and wide– sometimes they’re heard, and other times they are not… Pastors sometimes preach to closed ears and hardened hearts; Jeremiah the prophet himself was told that the people of Jerusalem would not hear him (Jeremiah 7:27), and it may be that as you proclaim the truth of Christ’s victory over sin and death, as you proclaim salvation won by Christ alone, that parents, siblings, or others close to you will not listen.  It is the Gospel, the truth of life and salvation given and bestowed freely, that is the stumbling block and the rock of offense… this Gospel stands in opposition to our inborn temptations to believe that we, of ourselves, by our good works, by our merits can save ourselves… such is not so. We are saved by grace, through faith in Christ alone. He has bestowed unimaginable peace to us… peace between God and us, us and our neighbor through the forgiveness of sins. It is the peace that passes understanding– and it is yours by Baptism, by the graciousness of Christ your Lord. 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. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/9/20244 minutes, 47 seconds
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Tuesday of the Twentieth Week After Pentecost

October 8, 2024 Today's Reading: Hebrews 2:1-13, 14-18Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 7:1-19; Matthew 10:1-23For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:18)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Isaiah the prophet told us: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Isaiah 7:14).   That’s good news to we who live in a suffering and sinful world. It is wonderful news to we who suffer to know that there is One who was made lowly to suffer for us that we would be comforted in sorrow and sadness and forgiven of our sins which lead to death… AND having been thus forgiven, we wouldn’t fear death!That’s a tall task! Who doesn’t fear death!? We can handle the fear of public speaking, the fear of flying, the fear of snakes or spiders… but death… that’s another deal altogether. Just how is this done? Think back to Holy Week… Jesus entering into Jerusalem to shouts of Hosanna… He wasn’t under allusions that the people in Jerusalem liked Him or even liked how He was going to save them. Jesus knew well what was required of Him; sin deserves death, and Jesus had become sin for us… not that He was sinful but that He carried ALL our sins in His body, for us. Death was necessary, and Jesus goes to Maundy Thursday and Good Friday willingly and joyously because what He was doing was all for you. So, Jesus wins salvation on the Cross and gives salvation by His resurrection through the church. He did it as God… but more importantly for us, He was a Man like us.That means that He knew temptation, pain, suffering, and tears… that’s part of how He helps us when we’re tempted… that’s how He helps us in pain and sorrow and tears… not just that He knew them once back in the day… but because He’s with us now. He attends to us, cries with us, holds us to Himself in the church, and wipes our tears away while comforting us with His Word. He’s with us in our cradles, in the good and tough days of school and work. He’s with us when we’re old, and He’s with us in the hour of our death; He who has known death abides with us. He who has been risen from the dead provides comfort that though we die, Christ, Who was raised from the dead, will raise us on the Last Day. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, grant us your unworthy servants Your grace, that in the hour of death, the adversary may not prevail against us but that we may be found worthy of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/8/20244 minutes, 45 seconds
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Monday of the Twentieth Week After Pentecost

October 7, 2024Today's Reading: Genesis 2:18-25Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 6:10-25; Matthew 9:18-38“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” (Genesis 2:23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Dominion, according to the dictionary, is supremacy or dominance, but our text from Genesis tells another story. God created man in His image, in His likeness, and in verse 19 of our text, we see God sitting back as He brought all of creation to Adam to see what he’d name the stuff… it must have been quite a sight. It was to Man… to Adam, the crown jewel of creation, that God brought all the creation and heard that Adam called them Aardvarks, Platypi, and Zebras. God created and waited to see what the crown jewel, Adam, would call them. We humans are God’s favorites! The dominion God gives to Adam to name stuff isn’t about control or power, though; it’s the same joy that a mother or father has in seeing what their little ones will call one of the things they created out of paper and crayons, mud, stones or macaroni noodles… there is joy, not because of power, supremacy or superiority, but because something has been created and has been given a NAME!  We see it in what Adam calls the creature taken from his own body. She’s different from him… and yet she’s wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, that Adam says, “At last… there’s the helper, taken from my own flesh… she’s me, and I’m her… but we’re different… beautifully different.” Woman is what she is: ‘from man.’ That’s the name Adam gives her, and yet she has another name: Eve… Eve… like Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve… meaning that from her will come other wonderful and blessed humans, little girls and boys… our greatest of grandparents all the way up to us. The man will leave His parents and cleave (hold fast) to his wife… sure, they’ll still be two distinct people, different in many ways, but in Holy Matrimony, they’re one… complete with all the differences, and, by the grace of God, of one mind, of one direction. Regardless of whether a man or woman gets married, there still remains the truth that man and woman are the two genders God created… we are different but complimentary. We don’t always think the same way, but that’s part of the beauty and wonder… that our Heavenly Father sent Jesus ‘the Man’ to buy back His wayward bride. He is the greater Adam who has given us His Name, ‘Christian,’ for all we have has been taken from and given to us from His precious blood and pierced side. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is His new creation by water and the Word. From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her and for her life He died. (LSB 644:1)-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/7/20245 minutes, 3 seconds
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Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost

October 6, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 10:2-16Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 5:22-6:9; Matthew 9:1-17Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. (Mark 10:15)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Children, especially the littlest children, are completely dependent. Adam and Eve were created perfect… and the gift of children that came by Holy Matrimony was not just a promise of a future for all mankind but was given as a joy and a gift that revealed to man just how God graciously takes care of us in all our dependency.  Adam and Eve needed God to provide everything… and they loved their dependence. This didn’t mean they just sat around and did nothing, though… there was plenty for them to do for each other. Adam cared for Eve, taught her, and was overjoyed to love his wife. Eve was served by Adam, and she loved to serve her husband… and that’s what’s wonderful about what Jesus teaches the Pharisees and us in our text. The Pharisees weren’t arguing about who was the greatest just to be seen as the best… they sought to ‘be served’ by those who were not as great as them. Jesus teaches us and them that they’re not the greatest because of their high stature, their law-abiding, or anything that they do at all. The greatest is like a little itty bitty baby who’s dependent on mom and dad for EVERYTHING! The greatest is the servant, as Jesus makes clear in Matthew 23:11. The One who receives the Kingdom of God is like Adam and Eve before the Fall– totally dependent on God for all things. The person who will enter heaven is the person who is given the kingdom like a little needy child. That’s the person Jesus says “receives the kingdom of God…” That’s who Jesus (who, though He was God, became the servant of all) says enters heaven… the needy children who’ve been given everything. Receiving the Kingdom of God, receiving Jesus is simply this… He does everything for us… gives all that is His to us, forgives us, and He does so by means of water, bread, wine, body, blood, and the word in the Divine Service, and the Holy Spirit brings us there and gives us the faith of a little child… faith that says, “Amen, amen it is so!” Christ my Lord abides with me. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Merciful Father, Your patience and loving-kindness toward us have no end. Grant that by Your Holy Spirit we may always think and do those things that are pleasing in Your sight; through Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/6/20244 minutes, 30 seconds
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Saturday of the Nineteenth Week After Pentecost

October 5, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 20 - Psalm 127:3-5; antiphon: Psalm 127:1aDaily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 5:1-21; Matthew 8:18-34“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame” (Psalm 127:3-5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Every year, someone releases a list of words and phrases that should be banished. One phrase that has not yet appeared on that list, but probably should, is, “Children should be seen and not heard.” That little gem of a saying makes children seem like some kind of burden that society must endure. It is difficult enough to be young; the last thing needed is for the young not to be valued. Even parenthood suffers in our time. Pregnancy is treated like an illness or disability, motherhood is looked down upon, and fathers are depicted as inept in popular culture. At times, it seems that family life in general is under attack. This is nothing new. Children were not universally valued in the ancient world. They were not even considered people unless their father accepted them. In fact, infant exposure was common, and unwanted children were left outside to die. In contrast, the ancient Israelites highly valued their children. Having children meant that God’s covenant still stood. Children mean that God was going to fulfill His promises. Children meant that the future of God’s people was assured. Motherhood was something to aspire to, and fatherhood was to be respected. So great was the desire for children that to not have children was considered a punishment. Neither the Israelites nor the early Christians practiced infant exposure. God’s people have always had a different approach to children and family life than whatever culture they found themselves living in. This means that you are already a blessing just by existing. You are not a burden, a bother, or something that is in the way. You are a heritage from the Lord; you are a reward. You are an arrow in your parents’ quiver. You are the fulfillment of a promise. Your future as one of God’s people is assured. The promises that are for your parents are also for you. The death of Jesus on the cross was for your parents, and it was for you. Now, you are an arrow, but in the future, you may have your own quiver full of arrows, and the promises of God that are for you will be for your children. Now, you are a blessing, and in the future, you will be blessed. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.In Christian homes, Lord, let them be Your blessing to their family; Let Christian schools Your work extend In living truth as You intend. (LSB 866:2)-Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/5/20244 minutes, 39 seconds
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Friday of the Nineteenth Week After Pentecost

October 4, 2024Today's Reading: Matthew 8:1-17Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 4:21-40; Matthew 8:1-17“That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.’” (Matthew 8:16-17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What if your health was an indication of your spiritual status? This was the general belief in the time of Jesus. If you were sick, it was most likely the direct result of a particular sin. Certain illnesses were even believed to put you outside the realm of salvation entirely. Leprosy was that kind of illness. Lepers could not be part of public society in any way. They were supposed to stay away from healers, and no one could touch a leper. Jesus not only heals the leper, but He touches him. Anyone witnessing this event would have been left with questions about the identity of Jesus. What about ethnic identity? The Jews were God’s people, and the Gentiles were not. Next, Jesus meets with a Roman Centurion. This, too, was a person considered to be outside the realm of salvation. Again, Jesus does the unexpected and agrees to come to the centurion’s house and heal his servant. Jews simply did not go into Gentile dwellings. The Centurion lets Jesus know that His word is sufficient, and Jesus praises him for his faith. Again, this leaves those who were there with questions about the identity of Jesus. Jesus then heals Simon’s mother-in-law, a normal Jewish woman. He goes from the surprising, even shocking, to the mundane. Again, Jesus' actions naturally lead to questions about His identity. Then, that evening, He casts out demons from many who were oppressed and heals all who were sick, and we finally are given the context to understand what Jesus has been doing and who He is. Jesus is the suffering servant mentioned by Isaiah. What Jesus is doing here is tied to the salvation of Israel and the ingathering of the Gentiles. What Jesus is doing here has to do with His mission as Messiah. In healing illness and casting out demons, He is showing that in Him, the redemption of Israel has arrived. In Him is the forgiveness of sins. In Him is the salvation of the whole world. There is nothing that lies outside of the realm of the salvation that Jesus brings. You are in the realm of Jesus’ salvation. No illness or ethnic identity is a barrier to the cross. Jesus has taken your illnesses and bore your diseases. You are free to rise up and serve Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.God loved the world so that He gave His only Son the lost to save, That all who would in Him believe Should everlasting life receive. (LSB 571:1)-Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/4/20244 minutes, 50 seconds
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Thursday of the Nineteenth Week After Pentecost

October 3, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism - Table of duties: To HusbandsDaily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 4:1-20; Matthew 7:13-29“Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Table of duties: To Husbands may seem like a strange topic for a devotion where almost no one in the intended audience is a husband yet, and half of the intended audience will never be one. Despite this, there is more than enough here for everybody, regardless of sex or marital status. Young men need to learn how to treat their future wives, and young women need to learn that they are indeed worthy of respect and honor. In fact, the words of Peter deal with more than the relationship between husband and wife and instead point to the relationship between men and women. This is where the language of ‘weaker vessel’ comes in. The Roman Empire had clearly defined roles and social spheres that men and women were supposed to occupy. Men were by nature believed to be better at defending the home, while women were thought to be better at keeping watch over it. Men were made for the outdoor tasks and women for the indoor ones. Men and women were mutually dependent on one another, but men were thought to be superior and had more social status and opportunity in the empire than women did. This is one area where the culture of the Roman Empire ran into friction with the theology of the church. The salvation won for all by Jesus on the cross does not recognize any difference in social status between men and women. They are equally saved and have the same status before God. All Christians are heirs of the grace of life. This is what lies behind Peter’s words about living in an understanding way and showing honor to women as the weaker vessel. Their status as fellow believers is what determines how they are to be treated, not their status according to the culture. The words here are addressed to the husbands because they are the ones who held the authority in Roman culture. The gospel is not limited by social norms. Men, you can treat women with honor because of what Jesus has done for you, and women, you are worthy to be treated with honor because of what Jesus has done for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Most gracious God, we give thanks for the joy and blessings that You grant to husbands and wives. Assist them always by Your grace that with true fidelity and steadfast love they may honor and keep their marriage vows, grow in love toward You and for each other, and come at last to the eternal joys that You have promised; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen. -Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/3/20244 minutes, 39 seconds
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Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week After Pentecost

October 2, 2024Today's Reading: James 5:1-12, 13-20Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 3:1-29; Matthew 7:1-12“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” (James 5:13-15)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christianity is often presented as the way to a trouble-free life. All you have to do is give your heart to Jesus, and all life’s problems will simply disappear. If any problems remain after a person converts, then that is their fault. Their conversion was not real, and their faith was feigned. Real Christians, according to these people, do not have problems. This kind of teaching simply does not hold up to any kind of scrutiny. Plenty of Christians have suffered real problems and suffered them with real, genuine faith. God never promised His people a carefree life. Look again at our passage from James. Luther is known for calling the Epistle of James a “book of straw,” but it is almost like he read the passage quoted above when, in the Large Catechism, he asks the question: “What is God? A ‘god’ is the term for that to which we are to look for all good and in which we are to find refuge in all need.” James says much the same thing when those who are suffering are told to pray, and the cheerful are told to sing praise. This shows that God is present with you in both good times and bad. Christians can suffer and rejoice. Christians can, in any of life’s circumstances, turn to God.Ultimately, this is because the circumstances of this life, whether good or bad, do not change the promises that He has made to His people. None of the circumstances of this life change the reality of your resurrection. The language about saving the sick doesn’t mean that if you get sick and pray, you will be healed. The prayer of faith cannot diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. Instead, the prayer of faith clings to the promise of God that in the resurrection of Jesus is the resurrection of all believers. Your sins have been forgiven, you are saved, and even should you die, the Lord will raise you up. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Still Your children wander homeless; Still the hungry cry for bread; Still the captives long for freedom; Still in grief we mourn our dead. As, O Lord, Your deep compassion Healed the sick and freed the soul, Use the love Your Spirit kindles Still to save and make us whole. (LSB 848:2)-Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/2/20244 minutes, 41 seconds
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Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week After Pentecost

October 1, 2024Today's Reading: Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 2:16-37; Matthew 6:16-34“And a young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, ‘My lord Moses, stop them.’ But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!’”(Numbers 11:27-29)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You don’t have to be around Lutheranism very long before you start to hear arguments about who can do what in the church. You might even hear references to the fourteenth article of the Augsburg Confession. We even speak about it in shorthand, saying simply, “AC XIV.” We even say it in such a way that you can hear the Roman numerals. The Confessions are clear in this matter: no one is to preach or teach in the church without a proper call. Unfortunately, this has become overinterpreted to mean that only the pastor can speak the gospel or that only the pastor can speak in a theological way. This is simply not what the article says. While there are things that are reserved only for the office of the ministry, there is plenty of theological speaking that any Christian can do. The Spirit is not given only to pastors. You can see this in our reading from Numbers. Moses refuses to punish Eldad and Medad for prophesying in the camp when they were supposed to be with the rest of the elders. Instead, he says, “Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them.” Other Old Testament passages will speak about the Spirit being poured out on all flesh (Joel 2:28). In fact, the Spirit being poured out on all people was one of the signs that would signal the arrival of the Messianic Age. This is the pouring out of the Spirit that took place on the first Pentecost that resulted in a large number of people hearing the mighty works of God in their own language. This is the same Spirit that is given to all Christians. This is the same Spirit that you received in your Baptism. This is the same Spirit that allows you to hear His Word, receive His Gifts, and proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. This is the same Spirit that allows you to speak the gospel to your friends, family, and anyone that God has placed into your life. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Christ, our true and only light, Enlighten those who sit in night; Let those afar now hear Your voice And in Your fold with us rejoice. (LSB 839:1)-Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
10/1/20244 minutes, 29 seconds
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Monday of the Nineteenth Week After Pentecost

September 30, 2024Today's Reading: Mark 9:38-50Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:37-2:15; Matthew 6:1-15“Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’” (Mark 9:50)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The church is always bigger than you think it is. It is bigger than the congregation you attend, and it is bigger than the church body that that congregation is part of as well. In other words, there is no true visible church on earth. We confess the church, but we do not get to see it. This is why Jesus tells His disciples not to stop people from outside their circle from casting out demons in His name. The distinctions between people that used to define who was in the community and who was outside the community are erased in the shadow of the cross. Good works, even mighty works, can be done in Jesus’ name by people who are not part of your circle. Jesus goes on to teach His disciples that if good can be found outside their circle, then evil can also be found inside of it. This is what lies behind the language of cutting off the hand, foot, or eye if they cause you to sin. This is not language exhorting individuals to get elective surgery to cure their sin problem. There is no such thing as a sin-ectomy. You do not have to cripple yourself to be part of the kingdom. Amputation is not a mighty work done in Jesus’ name. What this means is that some who are in the community may not be part of the community. This is where the importance of the salt language comes in. What makes you one of the people of God is having that salt within you that can only be given to you by God. This is the salt that comes with the Gift of faith: the belief that the mightiest work of all, Jesus’ death on the cross, was a death that was for you. This salt makes you part of the church that cannot be seen but only confessed. This is the salt found in the waters of Baptism and the salt that flavors the Lord’s Supper. This is the salt that is the taste of eternal life. This is the salt that makes even the most ordinary act of giving a fellow believer a drink of water a mighty work done in Jesus’ name. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Everlasting Father, source of every blessing, mercifully direct and govern us by Your Holy Spirit that we may complete the works You have prepared for us to do; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.-Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
9/30/20244 minutes, 30 seconds
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St. Michael and All Angels

September 29, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 10:17-20Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:19-36; Matthew 5:21-48“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’” (Luke 10:19-20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Did you know that as believers, you have nothing to fear from Satan and his army of fallen angels? That is what Satan and, indeed, all demons are: fallen angels. Did you know that when you were clothed with Christ in Baptism, Satan lost any power or claim that he had on you? Did you know that because you have been marked as a child of God, demons actually fear you? This is not a matter of Christians being especially intimidating in a manly or warrior-like fashion. Indeed, Satan and his minions retain a special fear of women, for it was through a woman that God promised to bring forth the savior.  Power and authority over demons– that is a pretty exciting thing, and it’s a reality for Christians. This needs to be kept in mind in the face of popular Christian fiction that depicts believers as helpless pawns in some ongoing cosmic battle between God’s angels and Satan’s angels. Not to spoil anyone’s reading for entertainment, but the battle is over. It’s not ongoing. As Revelation 12 reminds us, war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. This does not describe some future battle that we need to pick sides for but speaks of a past battle, one that is already over. Satan and God should never be seen as equals caught up in a struggle that we somehow can tip one way or the other. Satan needs to be seen for what he is defeated and cast down from heaven and trying to take anyone down with him that he can.As exciting as this is, power over Satan and his fallen angels isn’t even the main thing. This is not why we gather for worship on a Sunday. We do not gather to celebrate our authority over Satan and his demons; we do not gather to impress each other with new and painful wrestling holds with which to torture them, although that might make for a popular youth activity. We gather, as always, to receive the forgiveness of sins that Christ won for us on the cross. We gather to receive God’s Gifts. We gather for the strengthening of faith. We gather because Jesus has called us. We gather because our names have been written in heaven. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Everlasting God, You have ordained and constituted the service of angels and men in a wonderful order. Mercifully grant that, as Your holy angels always serve and worship You in heaven, so by Your appointment they may also help and defend us here on earth; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.-Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
9/29/20244 minutes, 53 seconds
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Saturday of the Eighteenth Week After Pentecost

September 28, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 19 - Psalm 135:1-3, 13-14; antiphon: Psalm 135:13Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:1-18; Matthew 5:1-20“Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages. For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.” (Psalm 135:13-14)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The things of this world that call out for our attention and praise are often not worthy or lasting. Celebrity is fleeting, and influencers come and go. Today’s pop sensation is tomorrow’s “Where are they now?” What was trendy and popular last season is in the blowout bin this season. They cry out, “Watch me, listen to me, pay attention to me,” but it is all one-sided. Nothing lasts; nothing is eternal, and nothing can expect to be praised forever. What is true for the things of this world is also true for the things that claim to be spiritual. The psalm from which our introit is taken will go on to point out that the idols of the nations do not speak, see, hear, or have life in them. They have no way to give what they promise. They are not worthy of praise. In all of existence, there is only one that is worthy of eternal praise; there is only one whose significance does not wane. In all existence, there is only one Lord, and His name endures forever. He alone is due eternal praise. He alone will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants. Nothing else can or will do that, and here is the best part: “Praise the Lord” is not an order or command. Praise does not have its genesis in the Law. The only ones who can praise the Lord are the ones that He has enabled to do so. The praise He receives is the response of His people to what He has done for His people. The Lord has had compassion on you; the Lord has vindicated you. He has added you to His people, and you can answer the call to praise His name. This is the entire theology of Lutheran worship at work. God has compassion on us and vindicates us, and our response is praise. His compassion and vindication came in the life, death, and resurrection of His Son Jesus, which was for you. You have been moved from death to life. Your eyes, ears, and mouths have been opened. You are now a part of the people of God who can praise His name. The praise offered Him is eternal because He has made His people eternal. He is worthy of eternal praise, and He has made you eternally able to praise Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Father, we praise Thee, now that night is over, Active and watchful, stand we all before Thee; Singing, we offer prayer and meditation: Thus we adore Thee. (LSB 875:1)-Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
9/28/20244 minutes, 52 seconds
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Friday of the Eighteenth Week After Pentecost

September 27, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 4:12-25Daily Lectionary: Malachi 3:6-4:6; Matthew 4:12-25“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””(Matthew 4:17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The beginning of Jesus’ public ministry probably went unnoticed by most. In the wake of John the Baptist’s arrest, Jesus withdraws from Judea, heads to Galilee, and talks a few local fishermen into leaving their jobs to follow him instead. To those who knew Simon and Andrew and to Zebedee, the father of James and John, it may have seemed like a bad career move. Certainly, their families were all inconvenienced by their sudden vocational change. In the big picture, however, these events would have been insignificant to the rest of Capernaum and unknown to those in Jerusalem. What is happening here, though, is a game changer as long-prophesied events begin to unfold just as Isaiah had said they would.Jesus beginning His public ministry in Galilee is part of the fulfillment of God’s plan to save His people. The area where Jesus calls His first disciples and begins to preach about the kingdom of heaven being at hand is the first area of the old Northern Kingdom of Israel that had fallen to the Assyrian Empire. Now, the first area to fall is the first area to hear the preaching of the gospel. The first area to go into darkness is now the first area where the light begins to dawn. The light that began to dawn in Galilee continues to shine in our own time. The first followers Jesus called to Himself heard His preaching of the kingdom of heaven and, in time, began to preach the same kingdom to others. Over the centuries, that preaching has continued, and you hear it in every sermon at your own congregation. What began in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali has spread throughout the world, and the kingdom of God continues to be at hand wherever you may live. The message of repentance that was for them is for you. The kingdom that was promised to them has been promised to you. The Jesus that called them is the Jesus that has called you. What began in Galilee did not stay in Galilee, and what God has begun in you will go beyond you as the light continues to dawn in the darkness. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Christ, who taught the Twelve The truth for ages sealed, Whose words and works awakened faith, The ways of God revealed: Instruct us how we pray, By Your empowering Word. True teacher be for all who seek Their light, their life, their Lord. (LSB 856:2)-Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
9/27/20244 minutes, 37 seconds
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Thursday of the Eighteenth Week After Pentecost

September 26, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism - Table of duties: of citizensDaily Lectionary: Malachi 2:1-3:5; Matthew 4:1-11“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.” (1 Peter 2:13-14)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What kind of relationship should a Christian have with civil authority? Most of the answers given to this question tend to fall into the categories of fight or flight. In other words, Christians are told to withdraw from the civil realm and not take part in the public life of their community, or they are told to fight for their rights against an encroaching civil authority. This turns out to be a very American approach, and history is filled with examples of both approaches. There has to be more to the Christian life than the false choice between monasticism or activism. We are not called to live hidden behind walls, nor are we called to live on the march with protest signs in our hands and chants on our lips.  In fact, you don’t find a lot of either of these extremes in the Scriptures. Instead, we find the same advice given over and over again in the passages that make up this section of the Table of Duties about submitting to civil authority and acting as good citizens. This advice does not change when the civil authority is hostile. Peter directly addresses Christians who lived under a government that believed they were bad citizens. Despite this, he tells them to be subject to the human institutions. This is similar to what Jeremiah tells the exiles in Babylon, “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7) Ultimately, this is because no matter what kind of civil authority we live under, we are in exile from our true home. Each and every Christian, no matter where they live in this world, are actually citizens of the Jerusalem come down from heaven. Whether you live under the authority of an emperor, a governor, or a president, you are actually subjects of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You don’t have to hide from civil authority, nor do you have to fight civil authority because, in the end, your true citizenship is elsewhere. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, keep this nation under Your care. Bless the leaders of our land that we may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to the other nations of the earth. Grant that we may choose trustworthy leaders, contribute to wise decisions for the general welfare, and serve you faithfully in our generation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. -Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
9/26/20244 minutes, 45 seconds
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Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week After Pentecost

September 25, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 3:1-17Daily Lectionary: Malachi 1:1-14; Matthew 3:1-17“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’” (Matthew 3:13-15)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Baptism of Jesus is one of those events that most Christians know about but have not really spent a lot of time thinking about. In fact, many Holy Land tours offer a Baptism in the river Jordan so that you can do just what Jesus did. It’s as if they believe that the water of that river is somehow more holy than all other water on earth. The Baptism of our Lord did not just occur so that tourists would have something to do when visiting the Holy Land.                    John tries to stop Jesus from being baptized because what he was doing was meant for sinners. Jesus had no need to be baptized. Jesus should have been standing there, telling the people that if they were more like Him, then they would be dry. Jesus, in submitting to a Baptism meant for sinners, has taken the first steps toward bearing the sins of the whole world. He begins his public ministry standing in the place of sinners acting as a sinner. He will end his public ministry on the cross, submitting to a death meant for sinners. His journey to the cross really begins here at the river Jordan.                   In the Baptism of Jesus, water now becomes the Gift of God for salvation. The Baptism of Jesus is the beginning of the death of death itself. In your Baptism, you entered into eternal life. In your Baptism, you got the whole death thing over with. It was not just the water from the river Jordan that is holy; because of Jesus, all water is holy, including the waters in which you were baptized. For Luther, Baptism was where he turned when things were at their darkest. In the face of sin, death, and even Hell itself, Luther’s response was always, “But I am baptized.” His cry can be your cry. In your Baptism, God made promises to you that nobody can take away. In fact, in your Baptism, you were recreated, and you became a child of God with whom he is pleased. Amen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.This the baptism that our Savior Greatly longed to undergo; This crimson cleansing needed So the world God’s love might know; This the mission of Messiah As He stepped from Jordan’s stream, He the chosen and anointed Son of God, sent to redeem. (LSB 404:3)-Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
9/25/20244 minutes, 49 seconds
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Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week After Pentecost

September 24, 2024 Today's Reading: James 3:13-4:10Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 9:22-38; Nehemiah 10:1-13:31; 1 Timothy 6:3-21“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Sin is not so much an act as it is a condition, and that condition manifests itself in many ways. What James is describing in our reading is sin manifesting itself in quarrels and fights among Christians. What is being described is not the fighting over doctrine or the debate that takes place between Christians in the arena of theology. Instead, it is Christians fighting amongst themselves over the things of this world. This is Christians being overly concerned with status, possessions, and wealth. In other words, this is Christians acting as if they are not even Christians. This is Christians acting like some of the characters in Mean Girls. James goes so far as to refer to them as adulterous and murderers. This is the reality of our fallen nature. Our passions are truly at war. They are at war within us, and they are at war among us. This has led some to observe that the biggest argument against Christianity is Christians themselves. Of course, this is not a complete description of what it means to be a Christian. James also writes of the wisdom that comes from above. This wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, and full of mercy and good fruits. This wisdom comes from outside of us; it changes us. The wisdom from above changes the way that we live here in the below. This is the wisdom that allows us to humble ourselves and be exalted. The truth is that both of these descriptions of Christians are true at the same time. We are simultaneously both sinner and saint. We have the wisdom that comes from above, and our passions are at war. Our sinful nature remains, but God’s wisdom keeps coming from above. It comes in baptismal remembrance, it comes in the Absolution, it comes in the preached word, and it comes in the Body and Blood of Jesus in Communion. In fact, our passions from below are in a losing battle. God gives more grace. That which comes from above is always stronger than that which is below. You are now sinner and saint, but someday, the sinner will be overwhelmed by the wisdom that comes from above, the war will be over, and only the saint will remain. 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 730:4) -Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
9/24/20244 minutes, 45 seconds
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Monday of the Eighteenth Week After Pentecost

September 23, 2024 Today's Reading: Jeremiah 11:18-20Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 9:1-21; 1 Timothy 5:17-6:2“But, O LORD of hosts, who judges righteously, who tests the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.” (Jeremiah 11:20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We are called to love our enemies, yet here is Jeremiah asking to see God’s vengeance upon those who are persecuting him. It is a desire that has been repeated by many of God’s people over the centuries. It is a desire that seems to come naturally to most people. Who doesn’t want to see their enemies get what is coming to them? This would seem to set up a disconnect between our reading and our prayer. How can we love and do good to those that we want to see God take vengeance upon? We pray for people; can we also pray against people? The answer to this comes from what we confess about the nature of God Himself. God has been revealed to us primarily as a God of mercy, but not as a God of mercy only. Psalm 94 even refers to Him as, “O Lord, God of vengeance.” God can and does take vengeance, but that is part of what is called His alien work. This means that God, who judges righteously and tests the heart and mind, is also the God who forgives sins and has made you one of His people. Salvation is God’s work alone, and vengeance is also His work alone. This is why Christians can pray against their enemies, as Jeremiah does in our reading. In doing so, we confess that vengeance properly belongs to God and not to us. We don’t need to act in God’s place to punish our enemies because those actions are His and His alone to take. At the same time, we also know that our present enemies need not be our eternal enemies. The cross that covers our sins also covers theirs. The Jesus that is for you is also the Jesus that is for them. The waters of Baptism that washed you can also wash them; the supper that is yours can also feed them. At any point, our enemies could hear the gospel, repent, and join us in the one true faith to life everlasting.   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty, everlasting God, You commanded us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who persecute us. Therefore, we earnestly implore You that by Your gracious working, our enemies may be led to true repentance, may have the same love toward us as we have toward them, and may be of one accord and of one mind and heart with us and with Your whole Church; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. -Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
9/23/20244 minutes, 34 seconds
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Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost

September 22, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 9:30-37Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 7:1-4; 8:1-18; Ezra 1:1-10:19; 1 Timothy 5:1-16[Jesus said,] “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”” (Mark 9:35)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The disciples don’t look very good in our reading. They don’t ask the questions they should be asking, and they don’t answer the questions that they are asked. Instead, they spend their time arguing about their status. All in all, the disciples are behaving in a childish way. It may even be easy to criticize them for their behavior. How could they have been distracted from the important teaching that was going on right in front of them? Think about this, though: if the events of the reading had happened in our time, the disciples would have been concerned with clicks, likes, and the number of followers they had on social media. In other words, the disciples' behavior is not all that different from those of us who are overly attached to our smartphones and our social media presence. The disciples may have been distracted by thoughts about their status because they knew they were eventually headed for Jerusalem. They may have thought that Jesus was going to finally reveal Himself to be the Messiah. Sure, the language about being handed over, killed, and rising was confusing, but the Messiah was going to need people in high places when He began his rule. The disciples were the obvious choice to take those places. They may have thought that they were perfectly positioned to be influencers in the new world order. They had to protect their brands. This is why Jesus speaks of them being last and servants of all. Put simply, Christianity is not lived out from the top down. It is not like being an influencer on social media, where people look for guidance on what to wear, what to eat, and what to think. Christianity is lived out in the world. It is lived out among the flesh and blood people that God has placed into your life. It is lived out in service to the neighbor. This is because your status as a Christian was founded on the greatest act of service ever. Your status as a Christian was founded on the crucifixion of Jesus. He served you by going to death in your place. He gave up His status to give you an identity as a child of God. He continues to serve you with His Gifts that make it possible for you to serve others. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, whose strength is made perfect in weakness, grant us humility and childlike faith that we may please You in both will and deed; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.-Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.
9/22/20244 minutes, 36 seconds
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St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

September 21, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 9:9-13Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 5:1-16, 6:1-9, 15-16; 1 Timothy 4:1-16“Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Matthew certainly sacrifices something. He sacrifices his certain income and the wealth and status that goes along with it. And every Christian sacrifices something in order to follow Jesus. There are certain roads closed to us once we belong to Christ. It cannot be otherwise. But that is not what Jesus is talking about when He cites the prophet Hosea: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). In Hosea, the sacrifice is the sacrifice for sin, offered in the temple over and over again. God says that the people are like a morning cloud that comes and goes, fickle and wavering. They come and offer the prescribed sacrifices, but then they depart from God in their idolatry and sin. Tax collectors were perceived as doubly evil by the people around them: they made their living off what they collected over and above what was required in taxes, and they collaborated with Israel’s oppressors in Rome. Their critics among the Pharisees and the leaders of Israel no doubt gave the proper sacrifices at the proper times, upholding the Law of God. Their outward acts are righteous and holy. It wasn’t just the Pharisees who believed it about themselves, but the people around them would have thought so as well. Jesus appears as both the sacrifice and the mercy. Once He shows up, the line of righteousness does not run between Pharisees and tax collectors but between everyone and Jesus. There is no one healthy, no one righteous. And Jesus has come to call every sick person and every sinner.Everything depends on where you stand. If you stand with the outwardly righteous, Jesus will be a threat and an enemy. But if you know that you are a sick sinner, Jesus is the healing physician and the forgiving mercy of God. Matthew sits there at the table with Jesus, not in self-righteousness, but in the perfect relief of being the object of the mercy of Jesus, who would be sacrificed for the sins of the whole world. That is where you and I find ourselves, as well: at the table of Jesus’ mercy, in the all-encompassing forgiveness of God, eating and drinking as forgiven sinners with the sacrificial Lamb of God. Thanks be to God for His gracious calling and merciful welcome of sinners such as us!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.-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.
9/21/20244 minutes, 47 seconds
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Friday of the Seventeenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/20/20244 minutes, 34 seconds
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Thursday of the Seventeenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/19/20244 minutes, 36 seconds
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Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/18/20244 minutes, 31 seconds
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Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/17/20244 minutes, 44 seconds
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Monday of the Seventeenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/16/20244 minutes, 37 seconds
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Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost

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.
9/15/20244 minutes, 39 seconds
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Holy Cross Day

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.
9/14/20244 minutes, 50 seconds
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Friday of the Sixteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/13/20244 minutes, 39 seconds
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Thursday of the Sixteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/12/20244 minutes, 43 seconds
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Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/11/20244 minutes, 37 seconds
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Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/10/20245 minutes, 12 seconds
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Monday of the Sixteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/9/20244 minutes, 58 seconds
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Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost

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.
9/8/20244 minutes, 52 seconds
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Saturday of the Fifteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/7/20244 minutes, 48 seconds
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Friday of the Fifteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/6/20245 minutes, 6 seconds
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Thursday of the Fifteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/5/20244 minutes, 32 seconds
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Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/4/20244 minutes, 41 seconds
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Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/3/20244 minutes, 48 seconds
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Monday of the Fifteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
9/2/20244 minutes, 57 seconds
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Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

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.
9/1/20244 minutes, 49 seconds
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Saturday of the Fourteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/31/20244 minutes, 36 seconds
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Friday of the Fourteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/30/20244 minutes, 32 seconds
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Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

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.
8/29/20244 minutes, 39 seconds
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Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/28/20244 minutes, 32 seconds
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Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/27/20244 minutes, 36 seconds
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Monday of the Fourteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/26/20244 minutes, 50 seconds
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Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost

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.
8/25/20244 minutes, 32 seconds
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St. Bartholomew, Apostle

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.
8/24/20245 minutes, 10 seconds
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Friday of the Thirteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/23/20244 minutes, 51 seconds
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Thursday of the Thirteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/22/20244 minutes, 45 seconds
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Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/21/20245 minutes, 9 seconds
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Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/20/20244 minutes, 31 seconds
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Monday of the Thirteenth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/19/20244 minutes, 50 seconds
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Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost

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.
8/18/20244 minutes, 31 seconds
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Saturday of the Twelfth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/17/20244 minutes, 53 seconds
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Friday of the Twelfth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/16/20244 minutes, 51 seconds
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St. Mary, Mother of Our Lord

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.
8/15/20245 minutes
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Wednesday of the Twelfth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/14/20244 minutes, 41 seconds
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Tuesday of the Twelfth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/13/20244 minutes, 27 seconds
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Monday of the Twelfth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/12/20244 minutes, 49 seconds
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Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost

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.
8/11/20244 minutes, 34 seconds
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Saturday of the Eleventh Week After Pentecost

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.
8/10/20244 minutes, 41 seconds
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Friday of the Eleventh Week After Pentecost

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.
8/9/20245 minutes
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Thursday of the Eleventh Week After Pentecost

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.
8/8/20244 minutes, 47 seconds
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Wednesday of the Eleventh Week After Pentecost

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.
8/7/20244 minutes, 58 seconds
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Tuesday of the Eleventh Week After Pentecost

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.
8/6/20244 minutes, 57 seconds
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Monday of the Eleventh Week After Pentecost

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.
8/5/20244 minutes, 53 seconds
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Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost

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.
8/4/20244 minutes, 42 seconds
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Saturday of the Tenth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/3/20245 minutes, 3 seconds
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Friday of the Tenth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/2/20245 minutes, 36 seconds
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Thursday of the Tenth Week After Pentecost

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.
8/1/20244 minutes, 59 seconds
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Wednesday of the Tenth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/31/20245 minutes, 4 seconds
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Tuesday of the Tenth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/30/20245 minutes, 46 seconds
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Monday of the Tenth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/29/20245 minutes, 7 seconds
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Tenth Sunday After Pentecost

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.
7/28/20244 minutes, 47 seconds
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Saturday of the Ninth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/27/20244 minutes, 41 seconds
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Friday of the Ninth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/26/20244 minutes, 30 seconds
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St. James the Elder

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.
7/25/20244 minutes, 20 seconds
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Wednesday of the Ninth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/24/20244 minutes, 30 seconds
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Tuesday of the Ninth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/23/20244 minutes, 32 seconds
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St. Mary Magdalene

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.
7/22/20244 minutes, 26 seconds
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Ninth Sunday After Pentecost

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.
7/21/20244 minutes, 37 seconds
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Saturday of the Eighth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/20/20244 minutes, 46 seconds
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Friday of the Eighth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/19/20244 minutes, 29 seconds
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Thursday of the Eighth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/18/20244 minutes, 30 seconds
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Wednesday of the Eighth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/17/20244 minutes, 36 seconds
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Tuesday of the Eighth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/16/20244 minutes, 35 seconds
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Monday of the Eighth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/15/20244 minutes, 34 seconds
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Eighth Sunday After Pentecost

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.
7/14/20244 minutes, 35 seconds
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Saturday of the Seventh Week After Pentecost

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.
7/13/20244 minutes, 32 seconds
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Friday of the Seventh Week After Pentecost

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.
7/12/20244 minutes, 29 seconds
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Thursday of the Seventh Week After Pentecost

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.
7/11/20244 minutes, 43 seconds
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Wednesday of the Seventh Week After Pentecost

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.
7/10/20244 minutes, 32 seconds
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Tuesday of the Seventh Week After Pentecost

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.
7/9/20244 minutes, 16 seconds
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Monday of the Seventh Week After Pentecost

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.
7/8/20244 minutes, 21 seconds
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Seventh Sunday After Pentecost

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.
7/7/20245 minutes, 8 seconds
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Saturday of the Sixth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/6/20244 minutes, 34 seconds
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Friday of the Sixth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/5/20245 minutes, 4 seconds
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Thursday of the Sixth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/4/20244 minutes, 48 seconds
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Wednesday of the Sixth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/3/20245 minutes, 2 seconds
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Tuesday of the Sixth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/2/20244 minutes, 34 seconds
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Monday of the Sixth Week After Pentecost

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.
7/1/20244 minutes, 34 seconds
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Sixth Sunday After Pentecost

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.
6/30/20244 minutes, 42 seconds
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St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles

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.
6/29/20244 minutes, 47 seconds
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Friday of the Fifth Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/28/20244 minutes, 27 seconds
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Thursday of the Fifth Week After Pentecost

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.
6/27/20244 minutes, 23 seconds
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Wednesday of the Fifth Week After Pentecost

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.
6/26/20244 minutes, 36 seconds
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Tuesday of the Fifth Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/25/20244 minutes, 47 seconds
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Nativity of St. John the Baptist

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. 
6/24/20244 minutes, 49 seconds
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Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

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.
6/23/20244 minutes, 45 seconds
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Saturday of the Fourth Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/22/20244 minutes, 37 seconds
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Friday of the Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

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. 
6/21/20244 minutes, 36 seconds
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Thursday of the Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

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. 
6/20/20244 minutes, 15 seconds
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Wednesday of the Fourth Week After Pentecost

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.
6/19/20244 minutes, 26 seconds
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Tuesday of the Fourth Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/18/20244 minutes, 14 seconds
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Monday of the Fourth Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/17/20244 minutes, 46 seconds
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Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

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.
6/16/20244 minutes, 29 seconds
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Saturday of the Third Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/15/20244 minutes, 21 seconds
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Friday of the Third Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/14/20244 minutes, 33 seconds
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Thursday of the Third Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/13/20244 minutes, 25 seconds
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Wednesday of the Third Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/12/20244 minutes, 20 seconds
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St. Barnabas, Apostle

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. 
6/11/20244 minutes, 40 seconds
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Monday of the Third Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/10/20244 minutes, 27 seconds
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Third Sunday After Pentecost

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. 
6/9/20243 minutes, 59 seconds
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Saturday of the Second Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/8/20244 minutes, 24 seconds
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Friday of the Second Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/7/20244 minutes, 47 seconds
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Thursday of the Second Week after Pentecost

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. 
6/6/20244 minutes, 46 seconds
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Wednesday of the Second Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/5/20244 minutes, 46 seconds
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Tuesday of the Second Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/4/20244 minutes, 46 seconds
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Monday of the Second Week After Pentecost

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. 
6/3/20244 minutes, 14 seconds
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Second Sunday After Pentecost

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. 
6/2/20244 minutes, 22 seconds
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Saturday of the Week of Holy Trinity

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. 
6/1/20244 minutes, 19 seconds
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The Visitation

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. 
5/31/20244 minutes, 8 seconds
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Thursday of the Week of Holy Trinity

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. 
5/30/20244 minutes, 35 seconds
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Wednesday of the Week of Holy Trinity

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. 
5/29/20244 minutes, 42 seconds
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Tuesday of the Week of Holy Trinity

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. 
5/28/20245 minutes, 1 second
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Monday of the Week of Holy Trinity

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. 
5/27/20245 minutes, 2 seconds
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Holy Trinity

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. 
5/26/20244 minutes, 34 seconds
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Saturday of the First Week of Pentecost

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. 
5/25/20244 minutes, 46 seconds
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Friday of the First Week of Pentecost

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. 
5/24/20244 minutes, 41 seconds
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Thursday of the First Week of Pentecost

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. 
5/23/20244 minutes, 42 seconds
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Wednesday of the First Week of Pentecost

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. 
5/22/20244 minutes, 54 seconds
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Pentecost Tuesday

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. 
5/21/20244 minutes, 31 seconds
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Pentecost Monday

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. 
5/20/20245 minutes, 4 seconds
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Pentecost

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. 
5/19/20244 minutes, 58 seconds
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Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter

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. 
5/18/20244 minutes, 47 seconds
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Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

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. 
5/17/20244 minutes, 30 seconds
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Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter

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. 
5/16/20244 minutes, 33 seconds
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Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

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. 
5/15/20244 minutes, 47 seconds
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Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

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. 
5/14/20244 minutes, 38 seconds
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Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter

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. 
5/13/20244 minutes, 40 seconds
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Sunday of the Seventh Week of Easter

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. 
5/12/20244 minutes, 44 seconds
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Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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. 
5/11/20244 minutes, 52 seconds
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Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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. 
5/10/20244 minutes, 56 seconds
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Ascension

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. 
5/9/20244 minutes, 50 seconds
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Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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.  
5/8/20244 minutes, 46 seconds
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Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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. 
5/7/20244 minutes, 59 seconds
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Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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. 
5/6/20244 minutes, 55 seconds
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Sunday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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. 
5/5/20244 minutes, 40 seconds
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Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter

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. 
5/4/20244 minutes, 47 seconds
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Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter

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. 
5/3/20244 minutes, 50 seconds
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Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter

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. 
5/2/20244 minutes, 42 seconds
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St. Philip and St. James, Apostles

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. 
5/1/20244 minutes, 56 seconds
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Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

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. 
4/30/20244 minutes, 57 seconds
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Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter

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. 
4/29/20244 minutes, 58 seconds
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Sunday of the Fifth Week of Easter

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. 
4/28/20244 minutes, 57 seconds
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Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter

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.
4/27/20244 minutes, 46 seconds
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Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter

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.
4/26/20244 minutes, 33 seconds
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St. Mark, Evangelist

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.
4/25/20244 minutes, 41 seconds
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Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

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.
4/24/20244 minutes, 40 seconds
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Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

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.
4/23/20244 minutes, 38 seconds
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Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter

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.
4/22/20244 minutes, 34 seconds
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Sunday of the Fourth Week of Easter

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.
4/21/20244 minutes, 34 seconds
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Saturday of the Third Week of Easter

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.
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