Reflections

Daily Lectionary: Judges 4:1-24; Acts 14:1-18        But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. (Judges 4:21) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. And the people did what was evil in the sight of the Lord . . . once again. Of cours...

Daily Lectionary: Judges 3:7-31; Acts 13:42-52  After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel. (Judges 3:31) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The judges who we find in the book of Judges are saviors.  That is literally their job description, as laid out in Judges 2:16. Judges are mini-Jesuses, saving God's people from their enemies...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  Apostles' Creed, Third Article part 2 Daily Lectionary: Judges 2:6-23; Acts 13:13-41  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. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. ( Small Catechism: Apostles' C...

Today's Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 24:1-31; Acts 13:1-12    Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:1-2)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Isaiah is probably one of the best-known prophets in the Ol...

Today's Reading: 1 Peter 5:6-11 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 23:1-16; Acts 12:1-25  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:8b-9) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is no promise of a life without suffering,...

Today's Reading:   Micah 7:18-20 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 10:1-25; Acts 11:19-30  Who is a God like you,pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. (Micah 7:18)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Micah is a hard man, a hard prophet. He says some things that are pretty difficult to hea...

Today's Reading: Luke 15:1-10 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 8:1-28; Acts 11:1-18  Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." (Luke 15:1-2)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord is surrounded by the "wrong" type of people. That is what the "right" type of people think, anyway....

Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-56 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 7:1-26; Acts 10:34-48  "For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy." (Luke 1:44)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Pebble-sized preborn Jesus makes His way to visit His cousin, His forerunner, the one who will make His paths straight. At Mary's arrival, the other bitty baby, John, hears her gre...

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 6:6-27; Acts 10:17-33 And [Peter] said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean." (Acts 10:28) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Just before our text, Peter has a vision. It's an odd one at that:  A giant picnic sheet is dropped dow...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  Apostles' Creed, Third Article part 1 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 5:1-6:5; Acts 10:1-17 I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy, Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or...

Today's Reading: Matthew 16:13-20 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 4:1-24; Acts 9:23-43 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It may seem strange that we celebrate the feast of Peter and Paul on the exact same day. After all, they probably didn't spend all that much time together. After the Damascus road, Paul was jet-setting al...

Today's Reading: Proverbs 9:1-10 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 2:1-24; Acts 8:26-40 [Wisdom] has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" To him who lacks sense she says, "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight." (Proverbs 9:3-6) In the Name + of Je...

Today's Reading: 1 John 3:13-18 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 3:1-17; Acts 9:1-22 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. (1 John 3:16) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What is love? We don't need to guess what it means to love someone. Jesus has shown us His and the Father's love for us, that He laid down His life for us. He did this i...

Today's Reading: Luke 14:12-24 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 1:1-18; Acts 8:1-25 And the master said to the servant, "Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled." (Luke 14:23) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus finds Himself at another banquet. Early on, people loved to invite Him to these kinds of things, that is, until He garnered for Himself a certai...

Today's Reading:   Introit for the Second Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 18:1-2a, 27, 30a, 49; antiphon: v.18b-19) Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 31:10-31; John 21:1-25  [O Lord,] I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. (From the Introit for the Second Sunday after Trinity)  In the Name + of Jesus....

Today's Reading:   Luke 1:57-80 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 30:1-9, 18-33; John 20:1-18  "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins." (Luke 1:76-77)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Zechariah's tongue is finally loose. Nine months of silence. Nine month...

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 27:1-24; John 20:1-18  Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him,  "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). (John 20:15-16)  In the Name +...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  Apostles' Creed, Second Article part 3 Daily Lectionary:   Proverbs 25:1-22; John 19:23-42  That I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true. ( Small Catechism:  Apostles' Creed, Second Arti...

Today's Reading: 1 John 3:13-18 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 24:1-22; John 19:1-22  Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:18)   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John is writing to the churches in Macedonia, which is modern-day Turkey. He had spent the greater part of his ministry up near Ephesus, preaching and teaching the Gospel of a crucified Christ. It...

Today's Reading:   Genesis 15:1-6 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:22-23:12; John 18:15-20  And [the Lord God] brought [Abram] outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Andhe believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:5-6)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Abraham is a 75...

Today's Reading: Luke 16:19-31 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:1-21; John 18:1-14  He said to him, "If they do not hearMoses and the Prophets,neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead." (Luke 16:31)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The two men in our text couldn't be any different. One feasted sumptuously. He had more than he ever needed, more than enough to support this body...

Today's Reading:   Introit for the First Sunday after Trinity  (Psalm 13:1-4; antiphon: v.5-6) Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 20:5-25; John 17:1-26 Consider and answer me! (Psalm 13:4) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Desperation, abandonment, hopelessness and sorrow, enemies exalting themselves over me. Are there any words in this psalm that we have not spoken or thought?  Yet the psalm gets real Hebrew...

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 17:1-28; John 16:17-33 A little while . . . (John 16:17) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How long is a little while? The disciples wanted to know. Are we talking 15 minutes, 15 days, or 15 years?  God's been talking like this since the Old Testament. "The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor; it's time to thresh her; yet a little while and the time of her harvest...

Today's Reading:   Romans 11:33-36 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 16:1-24; John 16:1-16 Who has known . . . Who has counseled . . . Who has given? (Romans 11:34-35) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul wonders who has known the mind of the Lord (Romans 11:34). The answer, because of sin, is none of us. "You have not in mind the things of God but the things of men," Jesus says to Peter (Matthew 16:23). P...

Today's Reading:   Small Catechism:  Apostles' Creed, Second Article part 2 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 15:1-29; John 15:12-27 I believe that Jesus Christ has become my Lord. ( Small Catechism:  Apostles' Creed, Second Article) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus has become my Lord: It's not what the English versions of our catechisms say, but it is a good translation. Christ Jesus has become my Lo...