Reflections

Today's Reading: Introit for the Sixth Sunday of Easter      (Psalm 66:1-2a, 17, 19-20; antiphon: Isaiah 48:20b) Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:21-33, 39-44; Luke 14:1-24   Send it out to the end of the earth; say, "The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!" (Isaiah 48:20b)   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You can almost taste it! Freedom is right around the corner. Summer is coming and the chains o...

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:1-20; Luke 13:18-35  "When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.'" (Luke 13:25)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the 1970's, American Express advertised that its card was for important people. People wh...

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 24:1-23; Luke 12:54-13:17 "And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" (Luke 13:16)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The great reversal of Luke takes place again. Jesus heals on the Sabbath and is reprimanded for breaking the laws. He just cannot win with these picky church leaders. Not...

Today's Reading:   Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, First Article part 1 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:23-44; Luke 12:35-53   "I believe that God has made me and all creatures. . . " ( Small Catechism:  Apostles' Creed, First Article)   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Rome was not built in a day!" If you try to claim that Rome was built in a day you would be ridiculed for being ignorant and fooli...

Today's Reading:   James 1:16-21 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:1-22; Luke 12:13-34   Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21)   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God's people are to be holy people. It is how God designed it. Holiness reflects God's holiness. In the Garden of Eden man was creat...

Today's Reading: Isaiah 12:1-6 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 21:1-24; Luke 12:1-12   For though you were angry with me, your anger turned away that you might comfort me. (Isaiah 12:1b)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Approaching the end of a school year can be very stressful. The last days, weeks, and months remind us that a chapter of our life is about to end, and a new one is about to begin. The su...

Today's Reading: John 16:5-15 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 20:1-16, 22-27; Luke 11:37-54   "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7)   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The disciples' plan of salvation was not going in the direction they had hoped. Jesus has bee...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Fifth Sunday of Easter           (Psalm 98:1b, 3-4; antiphon: v.1a, 2b) Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 9:9-18, 26-37; Luke 11:14-36  Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. (From the Introit for the Fifth Sunday of Easter)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "God works in mysterious ways!" We hear that phrase frequently in our lives. We attribute...

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 18:1-7, 20-19:8; Luke 11:1-13   "Father, hallowed be your name. . . " (Luke 11:2b)   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God gives His Holy Name to us. A Name that is above all names. A Name that is more than just an identification. His Name is set apart from all other names and clarifies who He is and what He has done.  In our world today, names bring identity to individuals...

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 17:1-16; Luke 10:23-42   But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29)   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The lawyer was really pressing Jesus in order to justify himself. "So tell me Jesus, who really is my neighbor?" The ambiguity of the word "neighbor" was working on the heart of the lawyer. The reality that all people could...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:   Close of the Commandments Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 16:1-24; Luke 10:1-22   God threatens to punish all who break these commandments. ( Small Catechism:  Close of the Commandments)   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Nothing starts the heart pumping harder than to see those flashing lights in the rearview mirror. The law is coming for us. We might not have done an...

Today's Reading: 1 Peter 2:11-20 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 10:1-20; Luke 9:37-60   Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Three hiking trails traverse the United States from south to north: The Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Continental Divide Tra...

Today's Reading: Isaiah 40:25-31 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 9:1-24; Luke 9:18-36   He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. (Isaiah 40:28b)   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Captivity is exhausting. God's people were tired. The consequences of following the false gods and bending the knee to the deities around them drove them into captivity. They were no longer free. The...

Today's Reading: John 16:16-22 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 8:1-13, 30-36; Luke 9:1-17  "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice." (John 16:20a)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The season of Easter is a time of celebration. We look back at the resurrection of Christ while looking forward to His glorious return and our resurrection. All around us in our worshi...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Fourth Sunday of Easter           (Psalm 66:3, 5, 8-9; antiphon: v.1-2) Daily Lectionary:  Exodus 40:17-38; Luke 8:40-56  Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you." (From the Introit for the Fourth Sunday of Easter) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This psalm places into our mouth and on our lips the approp...

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 39:32-40:16; Luke 8:22-39  And they went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. (Luke 8:24)   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In our daily lectionary today we hear about one of the more famous accounts of Jesus and His disciples. They are crossing the Sea of Gali...

Today's Reading: 1 Peter 2:21-25 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 38:21-39:8; Luke 8:1-21  For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:21) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The beginning of our reading today isn't quite clear as to what we have been called to. We need to go back to verse 20 to grasp what this...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  Tenth Commandment Daily Lectionary: Exodus 34:29-35:21; Luke 7:36-50  What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor's wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do their duty. ( Small Catechism:  Tenth Commandment)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. While the Ninth Commandment...

Today's Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 34:1-28; Luke 7:18-35  " I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice." (Ezekiel 34:15-16)...

Today's Reading: John 14:1-14 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 33:1-23; Luke 7:1-17  "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." (John 14:12-14)  In th...

Today's Reading: John 10:11-16 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:15-35; Luke 6:39-49 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "I am the good shepherd," says Jesus. That seems to mean that there are some bad shepherds, too. How do you know which shepherd is good or bad? A bad shepherd is not concerned with the well-being of...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Third Sunday of Easter       (Psalm 33:1, 18-20; antiphon: v.5b, 6a) Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:1-14; Luke 6:20-38  Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy. (From the Introit for the Third Sunday of Easter)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever watched something so closely that you became obsessed with it? Maybe...

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 31:1-18; Luke 6:1-19  And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?" And after looking around at them all he said to him, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. (Luke 6:9-11)   In t...

Today's Reading: 1 John 5:4-10 Daily Lectionary: Exodus 25:1-22; Luke 5:17-39  For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4-5)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It seems as if the world can throw an awful lot at us. It se...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  Ninth Commandment Daily Lectionary: Exodus 24:1-18; Luke 5:1-16   You shall not covet your neighbor's house. What does this mean? We should fear and love God, so that we do not craftily seek to gain our neighbor's inheritance or home, nor get it by a show of right, but help and serve him in keeping it. ( Small Catechism:  Ninth Commandment) In the Name + of Jesus...