Reflections

 August 10, 2023 Today's Reading: Acts 19:1-22 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 6:19-7:17 , Acts 19:1-22 Acts 19:19: “And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Magic always boils down to the same thing.  Whether...

August 9, 2023 Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Table of Duties: Intro to the Lord's Prayer Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 5:1-6:3, 10-16 , Acts 18:1-11, 23-28 Our Father who art in Heaven In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Prayer is about comfort, not stuff.  For some reason we’ve come to see it the other way around.  Prayer is about making God do stuff for you.  The problem is that the second p...

August 8, 2023 Today's Reading: Romans 9:1-13 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 4:1-22 , Acts 16:23-40 Romans 9:11: “in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It’s a dangerous thing to look at missions and assume you’re more loving than God is.  Almost all of us have someone in our life outside of the faith. ...

August 7, 2023 Today's Reading: Isaiah 55:1-5 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 3:1-21 , Acts 16:1-22 Isaiah 55:2: “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It doesn’t makes sense, but I still watch a basketball team I don’t thi...

August 6, 2023 Today's Reading: Matthew 14:13-21  Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 2:18-36 , Acts 15:22-41 Matthew 14:14: “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The feeding of the 5000 happens right after John the Baptist gets his head cut off for preaching the stuff God told him to preach.  It makes bread and fish s...

August 5, 2023 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 10: Psalm 105:39-43 ; antiphon: Psalm 105:1 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:21-2:17 , Galatians 6:1-18 They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river. For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant.  (From the Introit...

August 4, 2023 Today's Reading: Galatians 5:1-15 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:1-20 , Galatians 5:1-26 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery…For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  (Galatians 5:1, 13) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ther...

August 3, 2023 Today's Reading: Ezekiel 40:1-4, 48:35 Daily Lectionary: Judges 16:4-30 , Galatians 4:12-31 “And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The LORD Is There.” (Ezekiel 48:35) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The words “hope” and “Old Testament prophet” don’t often go together in our minds. But the very reason the prophets are sent is because of hope. Because the Lord God wants t...

August 2, 2023 Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Third Article Part 2 Daily Lectionary: Judges 15:1-16:3 , Galatians 3:23-4:11 What does this mean? In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. (Small Catechism, The Third Article, Part 2 of the Meaning) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen....

August 1, 2023 Today's Reading: Romans 8:28-39 Daily Lectionary: Judges 14:1-20 , Galatians 3:1-22 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?  (Romans 8:31-32) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Romans 8 is a favorite chapter of so many Christia...

July 31, 2023 Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 7:6-9 Daily Lectionary: Judges 13:1-25 , Galatians 2:1-21 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.  (Deuteronomy 7:9) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Deuteronomy. A Bible book titled “The Law Again,” essentially. These ar...

July 30, 2023 Today's Reading: Matthew 13:44-52 Daily Lectionary: Judges 7:1-23 , Galatians 1:1-24 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”  (St. Matthew 13:44) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. of Jesus. Amen. Fill in the blank: “I would give everything I have for _____!” For wh...

July 29, 2023 Today's Reading: John 11:1-44 Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:25-40 , Acts 15:6-21 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (St. John 11:1) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are people important to Jesus. They had become very dear friends throughout the time of Jesus’s ministry, and you see that in the message the sist...

July 28, 2023 Today's Reading:   John 10:1-10 Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:1-24 , Acts 14:19-15:5 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.  (St. John 10:7–9) In the Name + of...

July 27, 2023 Today's Reading:   Romans 8:18-27 Daily Lectionary: Judges 4:1-24 , Acts 14:1-18 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  (Romans 8:26) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday we considered how it is that the Holy Spirit brings us to faith. That it is all...

July 26, 2023 Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Third Article Part 1 Daily Lectionary: Judges 3:7-31 , Acts 13:42-52 What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.  (Small Catechism, The Third...

July 25, 2023 Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45 Daily Lectionary: Judges 2:6-23 , Acts 13:13-41 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”  Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which...

July 24, 2023 Today's Reading:   Isaiah 44:6-8 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 24:1-31 , Acts 13:1-12 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last;  besides me there is no god.”  (Isaiah 44:6) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today, we tend to think that one of the worst jobs in the world was that of the Old Testament prophet. We see them stan...

July 23, 2023 Today's Reading: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 23:1-16 , Acts 12:1-25 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’  (St. Matthew 13:29-30) I...

July 22, 2023 Today's Reading: John 20:1-2, 10-18 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 10:1-25 , Acts 11:19-30 “Mary”  John 20:16 In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the resurrection account there are a lot of people who are scared, perplexed, even doubting this all took place.  Their faithful disciples had a hard enough time believing the message they first heard, let alone from a woman for whom Jesus had remov...

July 21, 2023 Today's Reading: Acts 11:1-18 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 8:1-28   “Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.  Acts 11:6-7 In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Bible is full of people having all sorts of interesting visions. Today we hear of Peter having a bizarre idea! The Jews we...

July 20, 2023 Today's Reading: Joshua 7:1-26 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 7:1-26 , Acts 10:34-48 “I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him”  Joshua 7:19 In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.  You can’t escape your sins for the as the Psalmist says you were born in sin.  “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in...

July 19, 2023 Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Apostle’s Creed: Second Article Part 3 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 6:6-27 , Acts 10:18-33 -in order that I might be His own, live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness; even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true. In the Name + of Jesu...

July 18, 2023 Today's Reading: Romans 8:12-17 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 5:1-6 , Acts 10:1-17 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Slavery isn’t something we really think of today in terms of ourselves.  If slavery is ever mentioned it's usually associa...

July 17, 2023 Today's Reading: Isaiah 55:10-13 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 4:1-24 ,  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You’ve all seen rain and snow fall down from the sky.  You’ve also probably studied the natural water cycle in science class as well.  In our reading from Isaiah we can easily picture the Word of God like rain or snow, falling down to water things and produce good crops.  Isaiah is not j...