Reflections

This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet. . .  (Matthew 21:4) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today we begin the season of Advent. The word "advent" comes from the Latin word "advenire," which means "to come," and for the next 25 days, the Church will be preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ. Preparing takes time and lots of hard work. Just like cleaning the house must be done be...

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame. (From the Introit for the First Sunday in Advent) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Like the Last Sundays of the Church Year, the season of Advent provides time for us to be trained in patient waiting. The Sundays just past taug...

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. See the Tre...

Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." (Revelation 21:9) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. To the world and our faithless eyes, the Church often looks like a hot mess. From our view She is not much of a Bride, but more like a schizophrenic bag lady on a city street. But t...

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. (1 Timothy 2:1-3)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The catechism reading for last week was directed to those who serve in civil government. This week the target of Lu...

For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. (1 Thessalonians 5:5) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Thessalonian Christians were confused about the end. Some thought that Christ had already come, and they had missed it. But the apostle Paul reminds them that the Last Day will be so unmistakable that no one is going to miss it. Others thought...

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. . . I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress." (Isaiah 65:17,19a) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Isaiah saw the vision God placed before him. Nearly 700 years before Christ came, God lifted his eyes...

"And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." (Matthew 25:10-13) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I remember as...

O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! (From the Introit for the Last Sunday of the Church Year) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The days of this world are numbered. That is a truth revealed to us in the Scripture readings for the last Sundays of the Church Year with their focus on the return of Jesus on the Last Day. The Introit for tomorrow,...

Jeremiah said, "You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared." (Jeremiah 38:20)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The false prophet Hananiah declared in the Name of the LORD that God would come to the aid of His people. The items that were stolen from the temple would be returned, along with the thous...

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. (Matthew 27:50–51) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the Old Testament Divine Service the only way to enter into God's presence was within the tabernacle. The tabernacle was divided into two parts: the Holy P...

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (Romans 13:1)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It was most likely that Nero was the Roman emperor when Paul wrote the letter to the Roman church. If you know anything about Nero, it should be this--he was an anti-Christ figure. He lived his life in co...

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you noticed that when you are anxiously waiting for something, like the Amazon Prime item you ordered just yesterday, it takes forever for that thing to arrive? In the reading today...

I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. (Dan...

"And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" (Matthew 25:37-40) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus tells us that He will come in His glory with an angel host and from His glorious throne he will make a judgment: sheep to the right and goats to the left. The sheep go into the eternal kingdom prepared for them befo...

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil. . . Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. (Jeremiah 29:11a–12 ) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When you are having a challenging day--a day when you get bad news, the internet goes down, or you can't find your way out from under a challenging project--you may forget that Go...

Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. (Jeremiah 25:5)  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jeremiah must have felt as if he was talking to himself. The people of Judah, to whom he was sent to preach, had a long history of ignoring God's Word. And they weren't about to listen to what J...

Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Matthew 25:34) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Born into a pagan family in what is now Hungary around the year A.D. 316, Martin grew up in Lombardy (Italy). Coming to the Christian faith as a young person, he began a career in the Roman army....

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It always seems a little dicey for a pastor to write about what the Small Catechism Table of Duties calls "What Hearers Owe Their Pastors." It's dicey because so much sin colors the discussion. Pastors feel that they are underappreciated and would welcome a few more digits added to their paychecks. They also know the Word of God directed to preachers, that they should...

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16) In the Name + of Jesus. Am...

And the Lord said to Moses, "Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" (Exodus 32:7–8) In the Name...

"For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:27) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How many predictions of the end of the world have you lived through? I'm so old that I remember predictions from the 1970s and a false prophet named Hal Lindsey. Some other old folks will remember the Y2K scare of 1999. Isn't it funny how...

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me!  Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! (From the Introit for the 23rd Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Why is the Internet so slow?" we ask when the webpage doesn't load in a nanosecond. "What is wrong with these peopl...

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is often much of life that seems incomplete. There is always some academic assignment or work project waiting for its completion. If we are single, we think that we would be finally complete with a spouse. If we are given a spouse...

With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? (Micah 6:6) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Of all the prophets identified as "minor" in our Bible commentaries, perhaps Micah is the "minorist."  You do know one famous line from this prophet, from the fifth chapter. "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth...