Reflections

Today's Reading: Introit for the 20th Sunday after Trinity Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 31:1-29 ; Matthew 19:16-30 Psalm 48:1 The Lord is righteous in all he has done to us, for we have not obeyed his commandments.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  The Lord is righteous in all he has done to us, for we have not obeyed his commandments. It’s not reassuring.  You deserve everything that you get.  The...

Today's Reading: John 15:12-21 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 30:1-20 ; Matthew 19:1-15 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ( John 15:6 ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Saints Simon and Jude did not choose to be of the Apostles, their Lord J...

Today's Reading: Ephesians 4:22-28 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 29:1-29; Matthew 18:21-35 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. (Ephesians 4:25) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Have you ever told a lie? The thing with telling a lie is that you have to remember who you told it to and what you said. But as a li...

Today's Reading:   Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, part 1 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 28:1-22 ; Matthew 18:1-20 What is the Sacrament of the Altar? It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ himself for us Christians to eat and to drink. (Luther’s Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, Part 1 ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  H...

Today's Reading: Genesis 28:10-17 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 27:1-26 ; Matthew 17:14-27 Gen. 28:12. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Jacob goes camping.  Finds a nice spot.  Lays his head on a rock and looks up at the stars.  I...

Today's Reading: Matthew 9:1-8 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 25:17-26:19 ; Matthew 17:1-13 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” ( Matthew 9:2b ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Time and time again, the same story plays itself out.  Disaster. Fear. Despair. Frustration. Christians pray. Things are still a mess.  Never mind the questi...

Today's Reading: Acts 15:12-22 , Introit: Ps. 78:1–3, 4b; antiphon: Ps. 35:3b; 34:17a, 6b; 48:14a Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 24:10-25:10 ; Matthew 16:13-28 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. (...

Today's Reading: Introit for the 19th Sunday after Trinity  ( Psalm 78:1–3, 4b ; antiphon: Psalm 35:3b; 34:17a, 6b; 48:14a ) Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 21:1-23 ; Matthew 16:1-12 Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!” (From the Introit for the 19th Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The psalmist says to God, “Speak to my soul and say, ‘I am your salvation.’” And indeed, God does...

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 20:1-20 ; Matthew 15:21-39 “When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” ( Deuteronomy 20:1 ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land. Moses knew that...

Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 19:1-20 ; Matthew 15:1-20 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,… who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ( 1 Corinthians 1:4, 8 ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I think that Paul might have written these words for himself as much...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  Office of the Keys Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 18:1-22 ; Matthew 14:22-36 What is the Office of the Keys? The Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent. ( Small Catechism: Office of the Keys )...

Today's Reading:   Luke 10:1-9 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 17:1-20 ; Matthew 14:1-21 “Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” ( Luke 10:9 ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Before Luke became a missionary and an evangelist, he was a doctor. He bandaged wounds, set broken bones, and prescribed medicines. He did his best to make bodies whole and to extend temp...

Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 10:12-21 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 15:19-16:22 ; Matthew 13:44-58 “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.” ( Deuteronomy 10:16 ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God commanded the sons of Abraham to get circumcised. Circumcision was a sign attached to the covenant promise that God would bless the offspring of Abraham and also bless...

Today's Reading: Matthew 22:34-46 , Introit: Ps. 122:1, 6, 8–9 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 14:1-2, 22-23, 28-15:15 ; Matthew 13:24-43 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” ( Matthew 22:41-42 ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Pharisees sent a lawyer—an expe...

Today's Reading: Introit for the 18th Sunday after Trinity   (Psalm 122:1, 6, 8–9 ; antiphon: Liturgical Text) Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 13:1-18 ; Matthew 13:1-23 Give peace, O Lord, to those who wait for you, and let your prophets be proven faithful.” (From the Introit for the 18th Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In our Introit for tomorrow, we ask for two things. First, w...

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 12:13-32 ; Matthew 12:38-50 “Take care that you do not offer your burnt offerings at any place that you see, but at the place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.” ( Deuteronomy 12:13-14 ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Moses warns the Israelites that they canno...

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 11:26-12:12 ; Matthew 12:22-37 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse.” ( Deuteronomy 11:26 ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Boy, that sounds familiar. Blessing and curse are important words in the book of Genesis. In the beginning, God created man and woman, and then, “God blessed them” ( Genesis 1:28 ). Later, we learn about the Tree of Life, whic...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  Confession Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 11:1-25; Matthew 12:1-21 What 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. ( Small Catechism: Confession )...

Today's Reading:   Ephesians 4:1-6 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 9:23-10:22 ; Matthew 11:20-30 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ( Ephesians 4:1-3) In the Name + of Je...

Today's Reading: Proverbs 25:6-14 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 9:1-22 ; Matthew 11:1-19 Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give. ( Proverbs 25:14 ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Rain is a precious thing in the Middle East. In some parts of that land, they receive as little as eight inches of precipitation each year! Without enough rain, your crops will fai...

Today's Reading: Luke 14:1-11 ,  Introit: Ps. 119:1–2, 5–6; antiphon: Ps.   119:137, 124 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 8:1-20 ; Matthew 10:24-42 “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” ( Luke 14:11 ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the Collect, we ask that God would help us to withstand the temptations of the devil. One of the greatest tempta...

Today's Reading: Introit for the 17th Sunday after Trinity ( Psalm 119:1–2, 5–6; antiphon: vv.137, 124 ) Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 7:1-19 ; Matthew 10:1-23 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart. ( Psalms 119:1-2) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The psalms were the songs and prayer...

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 6:10-25 ; Matthew 9:18-38 “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant….” ( Deuteronom...

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 5:22-6:9 ; Matthew 9:1-17 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” ( Matthew 9:15 ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. For those who have the ears to hear, Jesus has just revealed who He is and what He came to do. First, He revealed...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  Baptism, part 4 Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 5:1-21 ; Matthew 8:18-34 What 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. ( Small Catec...