Reflections

March 21, 2024  Today's Reading: The Creed Daily Lectionary: Exodus 4:19-31 , Mark 15:16-32 Who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. ( The Second Article:  Part Two ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Second...

March 20, 2024  Today's Reading: Hebrews 5:1-10 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 4:1-18 , Mark 15:1-15 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:9-10) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You hear a lot of priestly stuff and temple stuff and tabernacle stuff in the book of Hebrews.  It ca...

March 19, 2024  Today's Reading: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 2:23-3:22 , Mark 14:53-72 And [Joseph] rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod.  This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my Son.” (Matthew 2:14-15) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Is it too much to say t...

March 18, 2024  Today's Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-37 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 2:1-22 , Mark 14:32-52 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord.  For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34) In the Name + of Jesus. Am...

March 17, 2024  Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 1:1-22 , Mark 14:12-31 [Jesus said,] “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43b-45) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. James and John, the...

March 16, 2024  Today's Reading: Psalm 116:1-4, 8 ; antiphon: Psalm 43:1  Daily Lectionary: Genesis 49:29-50:7, 14-26 ; Mark 14:1-11 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my b...

March 15, 2024  Today's Reading: Mark 13:24-37 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 47:1-31 , Genesis 48:1-49:28 , Mark 13:24-37 But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.\ (Mark 13: 32-33) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is a cottage industry dedicated to deciph...

March 14, 2024  Today's Reading: Mark 13:1-23 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 45:1-20, 24-28 ; Mark 13:1-23 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. (Mark...

March 13, 2024  Today's Reading: Mark 12:28-44 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 44:1-18, 32-34 ; Mark 12:28-44 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor...

March 12, 2024  Today's Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 43:1-28 , Mark 12:13-27 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-6) In the...

March 11, 2024 Today's Reading: Numbers 21:4-9 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 42:1-34, 38 ; Mark 12:1-12 And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live. (Numbers 21:8-9...

March 10, 2024 Today's Reading: John 3:14-21   Daily Lectionary: Genesis 41:28-57 , Mark 11:20-33 Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believed are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:17-1...

March 9, 2024  Today's Reading: Psalm 27:3-5 ; antiphon: Psalm 27:1 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 41:1-27 , Mark 11:1-19 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Have you ever watched a scary movie then that night had innocuous things in your bedroom transform into something c...

March 8, 2024  Today's Reading: Mark 10:32-52 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 40:1-23 , Mark 10:32-52 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:43-45) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In...

March 7, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 10:13-31 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 39:1-23 , Mark 10:13-31 It 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...

March 6, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 10:1-12 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 37:1-36 , Mark 10:1-12 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”  He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote y...

March 5, 2024  Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 35:1-29 , Mark 9:33-50 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Shame is pervasive, and many of us wrestle with it. Shame has strange ways of revealing itself, sometimes as anxiety, sometimes...

March 4, 2024  Today's Reading: Exodus 20:1-17 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 29:1-30, 31-34 , Mark 9:14-32 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery (Exodus 20:2) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today’s reading is the Ten Commandments. Honestly, this section of Scripture can be a bit of a hard slog, where God is viewed as the great cosmic killjoy, sett...

March 3, 2024  Today's Reading: John 2:13-22 (23-25)   Daily Lectionary: Genesis 27:30-45; 28:10-22 ; Mark 9:1-13 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. (John 2:19-21) In the Name + of Je...

March 2, 2024  Today's Reading : Psalm 69:14-16 ; antiphon: Psalm 69:9  Daily Lectionary: Genesis 27:1-29 , Mark 8:22-38 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.  (Psalm 69:16) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever felt like God was silent? You cry it in the dead of night as the walls close in and yet it appears that there was no answer? Maybe you lo...

March 1, 2024 Today's Reading: Mark 8:1-21 Daily Lectionary: Genesis. 24:32-52, 61-67 ; Genesis 25:1-26:35 ;  Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? (Mark 8:18) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There were numerous signs pointing to Jesus being the long-awaited Messiah. It always baffles me that they couldn’t see and they couldn’t hear; they were blinded by their own self-righteo...

February 29, 2024  Today's Reading: 10 Commandments, 10th Commandment Daily Lectionary: Genesis 24:1-31 , Mark 7:24-37 You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (The 10th Commandment)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Last week the ninth commandment warned us from coveting our neighbors’ possessions, a real...

February 28, 2024  Today's Reading: Mark 7:1-23 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 22:1-19 , Mark 7:1-23 What comes out of a person is what defiles them. (Mark 7:20)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It can be easy to blame your sin on other people, your circumstances, or even ignorance. But Jesus makes one thing clear in our reading, sin is a heart problem. No one causes you to sin, instead it is something t...

February 27, 2024 Today's Reading: Romans 5:1-11 Daily Lectionary: Genesis 21:1-21 , Mark 6:35-56 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! (Romans 5:9) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The first article of the Apostle’s Creed confesses that God is almighty, righteous, and just. We confess that “we should fear, love, and trust God abo...

February 26, 2024 Today's Reading: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16   Daily Lectionary: Genesis 18:1-15 , Genesis 18:16-20:18 , Mark 6:14-34   No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham (Genesis 17:5) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Names are important. They give you identity. And many of you reading this have names that were picked specifically for you. Your parents may have agonized over p...