Reflections

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  Third Petition of the Lord' s Prayer Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:48-18:9; Acts 27:9-26 Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ( Small Catechism:  Third Petition of the Lord' s Prayer) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God's will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. God gave His Word to...

Today's Reading: Romans 6:19-23 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:20-47; Acts 26:24-27:8 The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:22–23) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Adam earned his wages when he ate the forbidden fruit, and death has reigned ever since. Adam was the first, but you have earned your wages, too. Death is coming for you. Dea...

Today's Reading: Genesis 2:7-17 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:1-19; Acts 26:1-23 The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:9) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Artwork often portrays the Tree of Life as bright and beautiful, green and full of delectable fruit, while the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is dark and ugly, scraggly,...

Today's Reading: Mark 8:1-9 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 16:1-23; Acts 25:13-27 "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat." (Mark 8:2) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Speaking of kings (see yesterday' s Reflection ), here we see Jesus, doing what good kings do: providing for His people in their time of need. Jesus has gone into the wildernes...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity       (Psalm 47:3, 6-8; antiphon: v.1-2) Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 15:10-35; Acts 24:24-25:12 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. (Psalm 47:1–2) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Americans have a hard time with the idea of God as o...

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 14:47-15:9; Acts 24:1-23 "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him." (John 11:10) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today the Church commemorates three siblings and friends of our Lord: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany. Jesus had friends! Sometimes we forget that. But Jesus calls His disciples "friends" (John 15:15). And Jesus had other friends as wel...

Today's Reading:   Romans 6:3-11 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 13:1-18; Acts 23:12-35 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Through Baptism you are united with Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection. His death counts as your death, and His resurrection is the certainty of your own resurrection. There' s no do...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  Second Petition of the Lord' s Prayer Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 12:1-25; Acts 22:30-23:11 Thy kingdom come. ( Small Catechism:  Second Petition of the Lord's Prayer) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God's kingdom does not consist of a land with borders, a castle or palace, or an earthly ruler enthroned with a scepter in his hand, wearing a golden crown and royal ro...

Today's Reading: Exodus 20:1-17 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 10:1-27; Acts 22:17-29 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." (Exodus 20:2) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Before the Law is given, the Gospel rings forth. God reminds His people that He is their God and they are His people. He chose them to be His own. He delivered them from their s...

Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 9:1-27; Acts 21:37-22:16 "But to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." (Mark 10:37) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. James and John didn't know what they were asking. They imagined that Jesus, the Messiah, would come into His kingdom in a big, grand, and glorious way, and t...

Today's Reading: Matthew 5:17-26 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 8:1-22; Acts 21:15-36 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The "Law and the Prophets" are the whole Old Testament: every rule, penalty, prophecy, and promise, and even all the weird stuff, like that rule about n...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity       (Psalm 28:1-2, 7; antiphon: v.8-9) Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 6:19-7:17; Acts 19:1-22 To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. (Psalm 28:1) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. David tells us that the Lord is his rock, his fortress, and his stronghold, the...

Today's Reading: John 20:1-2, 10-18 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 5:1-6:3, 10-16; Acts 18:1-11, 23-28 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher) (John 20:16) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mary Magdalene received a number of blessings from the Lord Jesus. In Luke 8:1-3, we read about how Jesus healed her by exorcizing seven demons. Once this mira...

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 4:1-22; Acts 16:23-40 Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." (Acts 16:30-31) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The jailer thought he had failed in his duty. As a Roman jailer,  your life was over if your prisoners escaped while in your custody. This man...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  First Petition of the Lord's Prayer Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 3:1-21; Acts 16:1-22 God' s name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also. ( Small Catechism:  First Petition of the Lord's Prayer) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God is holy, so His Name is always holy on account of who He is. Yet Martin Luther t...

Today's Reading: 1 Peter 3:8-15 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 2:18-36; Acts 15:22-41 But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In 1 Peter 3, we are told how a believer in Christ is supposed to think, act, a...

Today's Reading:   1 Kings 19:11-21 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:21-2:17; Galatians 6:1-18 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper. (1 Kings 19:12) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The appearance of the Lord to Elijah in 1 Kings is not how I would come if I were God. If I were God, I would come in the earthquake and the fire. T...

Today's Reading: Luke 5:1-11 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:1-20; Galatians 5:1-26 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." (Luke 5:8) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The calling of the first disciples has always been a fascinating story for me. The fishermen's day was over. They were getting ready to head home and go to bed aft...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity       (Psalm 27:1a, 11-12, 14; antiphon: v.7, 9b) Daily Lectionary: Judges 16:4-30; Galatians 4:12-31 O, you who have been my help, forsake me not, O God of my salvation! The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? (Introit for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Introit for today is from Psalm...

Daily Lectionary: Judges 15:1-16:3; Galatians 3:23-4:11 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How often have you waited with eager expectation for something? Maybe it was a birthday, spring break, or Christmas...

Daily Lectionary: Judges 14:1-20; Galatians 3:1-22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. (Galatians 3:22) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In Galatians 3, Paul teaches about the Law and the Gospel. In order to understand the Bible, we need to be clear on the distinction between the two. The Bible was writte...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  Introduction to the Lord' s Prayer Daily Lectionary: Judges 13:1-25; Galatians 2:1-21 Our Father who art in heaven. ( Small Catechism:  Introduction to the Lord' s Prayer) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Martin Luther writes that God invites us to believe that He is our true Father. Have you ever thought about what this actually means? You are a child of the Almigh...

Today's Reading:   Romans 12:14-21 Daily Lectionary: Judges 7:1-23; Galatians 1:1-24 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:18) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the twelfth chapter of Romans, Paul writes to the church in Rome and to us about how we are to act and live in the midst of trials. As believers in Christ, the Church will always face hardship and per...

Today's Reading:   Genesis 50:15-21 Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:25-40; Acts 15:6-21 "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today." (Genesis 50:20) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Joseph's brothers hated him. They hated his dreams, his coat, his status as the favorite, and they especially hated his tattling. The brother...

Today's Reading:   Luke 6:36-42 Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:1-24; Acts 14:19-15:4 "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We judge everything, everywhere, all the time. Do you like the food you eat? Do you like the outfit your friend is wearing? Do you agree with the post you just read? Every day we determine whether we like things or not,  or if so...