Reflections

Today's Reading: Isaiah 55:10-13 Daily Lectionary: Job 16:1-22; John 7:1-13 "So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God speaks. Stuff happens. His Word does what He wants it to. He spoke. Let there be light. Then...

Today's Reading:   Luke 8:4-15 Daily Lectionary: Job 15:1-23, 30-35; John 6:60-71 He said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'" (Luke 8:10) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus told a parable. He who has ears, let him hear, but even the disciples didn't get i...

Today's Reading:   Introit for Sexagesima (Psalm 44:1-2, 7-8; antiphon: v.23, 25a, 26a) Daily Lectionary: Job 14:1-22; John 6:41-49 Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! (From the Introit for Sexagesima) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Sometimes the absence of everything we expected from God is so profound that even the devout begin to ask questions. Where is...

Daily Lectionary: Job 13:13-28; John 6:22-40 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." (John 6:29) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. They followed Him for miles hoping to see another miracle. They tried to make Him their king after He fed them in mercy because they were so far from home. And we mistake His compassion for His desire to prove Himself to us...

Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5 Daily Lectionary: Job 13:1-12; John 6:1-21 And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I wish Paul didn't talk about Christianity as a race. I'm exhausted. My vocations pull against each other. Excelling at one thing only means...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  Second Commandment Daily Lectionary: Job 12:1-6,12-25; John 5:30-47 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. ( Small Catechism:  Second Commandment) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Second Commandment usually gets reduced to a rule against saying "damn" when you stub your toe or it gets twisted around into talk about ouija boards because of that littl...

Today's Reading: Exodus 17:1-7 Daily Lectionary: Job 11:1-20; John 5:19-29 "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. (Exodus 17:6) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The people were thirsty sinners. They complained they were thirsty. Moses...

Daily Lectionary: Job 10:1-22; John 5:1-18 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you." (John 5:14) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you. It almost sounds like a threat. The man laid there paralyzed for 38 years with nobody to help him into the pool. Jes...

Today's Reading:   Matthew 20:1-16 Daily Lectionary: Job 9:1-35; John 4:46-54 "Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?" (Matthew 20:15) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Fair is the enemy of good. Nobody believes it because we're so desperate for fairness that we get tunnel vision. Fair is what looks at my sister's half of the cookie and decides...

Today's Reading: Introit for Septuagesima (Psalm 18:1-2a, 27, 32, 49; antiphon: vs.5-6a) Daily Lectionary: Job 8:1-22; John 4:27-45 The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD. (From the Introit for Septuagesima) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Septuagesima. About 70 days until Easter. We can't stay on the mountain of Transfiguration fore...

Daily Lectionary: Job 7:1-21; John 4:7-26 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (John 4:7) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I tried to find Jesus comforting the sinner in this story. But I couldn't quite shake the feeling that He was heckling her the whole time. Every response she gives is biting. She comes to see He has power, but never really finds mercy for...

Daily Lectionary: Job 6:14-30; John 3:22-4:6 "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John baptized. The disciples baptized. Jesus baptized. It says so. Everyone gets a Baptism. Then someone started a fight over all that purification. At least we know that people's arguing over what Baptism is isn't a new thing.  How old do you have to be? What if there's...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:   First Commandment Daily Lectionary: Job 6:1-13; John 3:1-21 You shall have no other gods. (Small Catechism:  First Commandment ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This commandment shouldn't actually be that hard. There's only one God. He's literally the only God there is. There was a piece of fruit on a tree and we made a god out of that. The fruit of the Tree of Kn...

Today's Reading: 2 Peter 1:16-21 Daily Lectionary: Job 5:1-27; John 2:13-25 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (2 Peter 1:19) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Peter saw the uncontainable majesty of the transfigured Christ while a voice boome...

Today's Reading: Exodus 34:29-35 Daily Lectionary: Job 4:1-21; John 2:1-12 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to co...

Today's Reading: Matthew 17:1-9 Daily Lectionary: Job 3:11-26; John 1:35-51 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. (Matthew 17:8) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. For just a moment, Peter didn't have to look at Jesus, who looked like everyone else, and perceive that He was God incarnate. He saw the transfigured Christ. He didn't have to imagine what the victory over death...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Transfiguration of Our Lord (Psalm 84:1-2a, 4, 10-11; antiphon: Psalm 77:18b) Daily Lectionary: Job 2:1-3:10; John 1:19-34 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise. (From the Introit for the Transfiguration of our Lord) In the Name +...

Daily Lectionary: Job 1:1-22; John 1:1-18 "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Job certainly endured more than his share of pain and grief in his life. Yet through it all Job never blamed chance or fate, the devil or evil people, Mother Nature, or even hi...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism:  Table of Duties, To Everyone Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 14:1-21; Titus 2:7-3:15 The commandments. . . are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Romans 13:9) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You have probably heard it said that you can't love others until you first love yourself. That might sound cute and clever, but it's not all helpful and...

Today's Reading: Luke 2:22-32 Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 12:1-13:9; Titus 1:1-2:6 When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, [Mary and Joseph] brought [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. (Luke 2:22)   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The next time we will hear about Jesus is 12 years down the road when Mary and Joseph return to the temple with Him. Calli...

Today's Reading: Romans 13:8-10 Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 11:4-17; 2 Timothy 4:1-18 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:10)     In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul certainly doesn't set the bar very high, does he? "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." Who does Paul think we are? Sinners who are always...

Today's Reading: Jonah 1:1-17 Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 10:1-11:3; 2 Timothy 3:1-17 But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. (Jonah 1:4)     In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's easy to conclude, when all you see is the storm, that God hates you, doesn't care, forgive, or want to help you at all but is only i...

Today's Reading: Matthew 8:23-27 Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 9:1-17; 2 Timothy 2:1-26 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. (Matthew 8:24)    In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ever felt like Jesus is sleeping on the job? Something really bad happens to you. The storm is raging. The winds are howling. The sea is unleashing...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany (Psalm 107:1, 8, 24-25; antiphon: v.28-29) Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 8:1-23; 2 Timothy 1:1-18 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. (From the Introit for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany)    In the Name + of Jes...

Today's Reading: Romans 12:16-21 Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 6:1-7:14; Romans 16:17-27 Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil. (Romans 12:16c-17a) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It seems like the smart thing to do. I mean, someone wrongs you, you wrong them back. Right? If they speak evil of you, you speak evil of them. Meet hatred with hatred, pushing and shoving with pushing...