Reflections

December 13, 2024 Today's Reading: Revelation 1:1-20 Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 29:15-30:14 , Revelation 1:1-20 “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood…” (Revelation 1:5b) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A man in my congregation was a renowned high school basketball coach and the son of a Lutheran pastor. He had a collection of wise sayings, and one of my favorites was this: “...

December 12, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: Table of Duties - To Everyone Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 29:1-14 , Jude 1-25 “The commandments … are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Romans 13:9) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Luther’s Table of Duties concludes with a general instruction of what every Christian owes everyone else, and the answer is not surprising: we are t...

December 11, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 John 5:1-21 Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 28:14-29 ; 1 John 5:1-21 ; 2 John 1-13 , 3 John 1-15 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the closing words of St. John’s first epistle, he makes it clear why he has written: he wants all who believe...

December 10, 2024  Today's Reading: Philippians 1:2-11 Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 26:20-27:13 ; 1 John 4:1-21 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. During the season of Advent, we remember both that Christ once came in humility and that He will come again in glory. In our tex...

December 9, 2024 Today's Reading: Malachi 3:1-7b Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 26:1-19 ; 1 John 3:1-24 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me…” (Malachi 3:1a) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The prophet Malachi holds a special place in the history of salvation: he was the last to prophesy in the Old Testament period. After God spoke through Malachi, the voice of the prophets...

December 8, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 3:1-14 (15-20) Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 24:14-25:12 ; Obadiah 1-21 ; 1 John 2:15-29 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (Luke 3:4b) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You’ve probably heard this before, but it won’t hurt to hear it again: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is n...

December 7, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Advent 2 - Psalm 81:8, 10-11, 13; antiphon: Luke 3:4b Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 24:1-13 ; 1 John 1:1-2:14 “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. December 7th is a day that will live in infamy. So said President Roosevelt referring to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, but long before that, December 7th w...

December 6, 2024 Today's Reading: 2 Peter 3:1-18 Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 14:1-23 , 2 Peter 3:1-18 What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness? (2 Peter 3:11) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Someone once said, “Live each day as though Christ died yesterday, rose today, and is coming back tomorrow.” A version of this quote is attributed to Martin Luther, but the same sentim...

December 5, 2024  Today's Reading: Catechism: Table of Duties - To Widows ( 1 Timothy 5:5-6 ) Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 11:1-12:6 ; 2 Peter 2:1-22 “She … has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers…” (1 Timothy 5:5) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.   In America, we talk a lot about rights and what everyone is owed. Rarely do we talk about our responsibilities and what we owe oth...

December 4, 2024 Today's Reading: 2 Peter 1:1-21 Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 10:12-27a, 33-34 ; 2 Peter 1:1-21  “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Do you like The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia ? These classic 20th-c...

December 3, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 9:8-10:11 ; 1 Peter 5:1-14 …May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you (1 Thessalonians 3:12) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Advent has been called a season dedicated to waiting. We wait to celebrate the humble birth of Christ at Bethlehem, and we wait to experienc...

December 2, 2024 Today's Reading: Jeremiah 33:14-16 Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 8:9-9:7 ; 1 Peter 4:1-19 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made… (Jeremiah 33:14) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Every single one of us needs encouragement, especially when things aren’t going well. When life is tough, it’s easy to fall into despair and anxiety, as though a...

December 1, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 19:28-40  Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 7:10-8:8 ; 1 Peter 3:1-22 “...Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! (Luke 19:38a) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Advent = “The coming or arrival of something or someone that is important or worthy of note.”  (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition) If you were in charge of pre...

November 30, 2024 Today's Reading: John 1:35-42a Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 6:1-7:9 ; 1 Peter 2:13-25 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. (John 1:41-42a) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Have you ever seen something so exciting that you had to tell someone about it as soon as possible? Maybe you saw a meteor d...

November 29, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Advent 1 - Psalm 89:6, 14-16, 18; antiphon: Zechariah 9:9b, alt. Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 5:1-25 ; Amos 1:1-9:15 ; 1 Peter 2:1-12 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zecharia...

November 28, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 17:11-19 Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 2:1-22 ; Isaiah 3:1-4:6 ; 1 Peter 1:13-25 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. (Luke 17:15-16) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  This reading comes up for Thanksgiving services every singl...

November 27, 2024 Today's Reading: Isaiah 1:1-28 Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 1:1-28 ; 1 Peter 1:1-12 …Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.   I live in Minnesota. The parish in which I serve is less than three hours from Canada. We know a few things about snow. At the time that this is published, there is a good chance there wil...

November 26, 2024 Today's Reading: Revelation 1:4b-8 Daily Lectionary: Daniel 6:1-28 ; Daniel 9:1-27 ; Revelation 22:1-21   “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  We live in an extremely individualistic world, a world where the individual is at the heart of personal decision-making. W...

November 25, 2024 Today's Reading: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 Daily Lectionary: Daniel 5:1-30 ; Daniel 7:1-8:27 ; Revelation 21:9-27 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. (Daniel 7:13) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.   The scriptures are the inspired and inerrant Word of God. The...

November 24, 2024  Today's Reading: Mark 13:24-37 Daily Lectionary: Daniel 4:1-37 ; Revelation 21:1-8 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. (Mark 13:35-36) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  I was recently looking at my calendar. It is a bus...

November 23, 2024  Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 27 - Psalm 39:4-5a, 7-8, 12a; antiphon: 2 Peter 3:13b Daily Lectionary: Daniel 3:1-30 ; Revelation 20:1-15 “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! (Psalm 39:4) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  When my wife and I had our first child, we received all sorts of advice. Some advice we asked f...

November 22, 2024  Today's Reading: Daniel 2:24-49 Daily Lectionary: Daniel 2:24-49 ; Revelation 19:1-21 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever (Daniel 2:44) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. His...

November 21, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism - Table of duties: To Youth Daily Lectionary: Daniel 2:1-23 ; Revelation 18:1-24 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you (1 Peter 5:6) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When you are a “youth,” it can be a difficult time of life. There is a lot going on in your world. You strive to navigate the e...

November 20, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 28:1-20 Daily Lectionary: Daniel 1:1-21 ; Matthew 28:1-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew 28:18) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  It’s only been a few weeks since the election. This is being written months before it ever takes place, but that doesn’t change the message. Elections always e...

November 19, 2024  Today's Reading: Hebrews 10:11-25 Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 38:1-28 ; Jeremiah 39:1-44:30 ; Matthew 27:57-66   Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more...