Reflections

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:23-40; Luke 19:29-48  "For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation." (Luke 19:43-44) In the Name + of Jesus....

Today's Reading: 1 Peter 4:7-14 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:1-22; Luke 19:11-28  Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Peter sure has a lofty goal for us, that we love one another earnestly. Clearly Peter never had any enemies and he certainly hasn't met our enemies before, those people who are unworthy of...

Today's Reading: Ezekiel 36:22-28 Daily Lectionary:  Numbers 14:25-45; Luke 18:35-19:10  "You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God." (Ezekiel 36:28)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There are advantages when you belong to something. Belonging to something often means that there are perks. If you're really fortunate, you get rewarded...

Today's Reading: John 15:26-16:4 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:1-25; Luke 18:18-34  "I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away." (John 16:1)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you wondered why Jesus spends so much time with His disciples? If He wanted to get His message out to the mass population, you would think that He would devote more time to being amongst the people, t...

Today's Reading:   Introit for the Seventh Sunday of Easter         (Psalm 27:1, 11a, 12; antiphon: v.7a, 8b, 9a) Daily Lectionary: Numbers 13:1-3, 17-33; Luke 18:1-17  The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is my stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (From the Introit for the Seventh Sunday of Easter)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Children tend to be fearf...

Today's Reading: Acts 1:1-11 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:24-29; 12:1-16; Luke 17:20-37  And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "You heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." (Acts 1:4-5) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Baptism. Bapti...

Today's Reading:   Luke 24:44-53 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:1-23, 31-35; Luke 17:1-19  While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:51)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We all are familiar with the saying, "Here today, gone tomorrow." Whether we like it or not, what is today will not be tomorrow. This same thought applies to Jesus as well, whether you like it...

Today's Reading:   Small Catechism:  Apostles' Creed, First Article part 2 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 10:11-36; Luke 16:19-31  He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. ( Small Catechism:  Apostles' Creed, First Article)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Did you know that you are rich? It doesn't matter if you don't have a dime in your pocket. You are rich, bu...

Today's Reading: James 1:22-27 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 9:1-23; Luke 16:1-18   But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How do you "do" the Word of God? Martin Luther tells us that we "hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it" (Explanation to the Third Commandment ). That's the hearing which James speaks of, but what abou...

Today's Reading: Numbers 21:4-9 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 8:5-26; Luke 15:11-32  From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. (Numbers 21:4)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "I don't want to!" "No!" "You can't make me!" Does this sound familiar to you? Do you remember ever saying those words yourself? I don't know a...

Today's Reading: John 16:23-33 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 3:1-16, 39-48; Luke 14:25-15:10  "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Many will say that life changed in March 2020 and has not returned to normal. Instead, we are learning what the "new...

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...