Reflections

Today's Reading: John 14:15-21 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:22-21:9; Luke 20:45-21:19 "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth." (John 14:16-17a) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We are on the verge of moving from the season of Easter to the season of Pentecost, which begins on the 50th day after the resurrection of our LORD! Wh...

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:1-21; Luke 20:19-44 [Jesus] said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." (Luke 20:25) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Living as Christians in the world means that we live in the two kingdoms God has made for us. One kingdom is called the "Kingdom of the Right," otherwise known as the Church, and the other kingdo...

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:41-17:13; Luke 20:1-18 "When then is this that is written, 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him." (Luke 20:17-18) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It starts to mess with our prideful sinful nature when other people receive praise and hono...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Second Article, pt.2 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:23-40; Luke 19:29-48 [Christ] has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and earth. (Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Second Artic...

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. A long time ago in the 20th century, a rock band called The Beatles wrote a very famous song called, "All You Need Is Love." People have fun analyzing this idea. The bottom line is that it i...

Today's Reading: Ezekiel 36:22-28 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:25-45; Luke 18:35-19:10 "[God says] I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . " (Ezekiel 36:24-28) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Eight times. . . EIGHT times God describes in just five verses what HE will do for His people, and you know what? What God does covers EVERYTHING! He does...

Today's Reading: John 15:26-16:4 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:1-25; Luke 18:18-34 "[The Holy Spirit] will bear witness about me. . . I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away." (John 15:26c,16:1) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today is Exaudi Sunday. It means "hear." God gives us complete assurance that He hears us. And when He hears us, He assures us that He will never let...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Seventh Sunday of Easter Daily Lectionary: Numbers 13:1-3, 17-33; Luke 18:1-17 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud. Alleluia. Your face, LORD, do I seek; hide not your face from me. Alleluia. Your face, LORD, do I seek; hide not your face from me. Alleluia. (From the Introit for the Seventh Sunday of Easter) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. One of the mysteries of the fait...

Today's Reading: Acts 1:1-11 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:24-29; 12:1-16; Luke 17:20-37 [Jesus] said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority." (Acts 1:7) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. No one knows when Jesus will come again in glory on the Last Day. Only God knows. Over the centuries many so-called "Christian" teachers have claimed to kno...

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. And they worshipped him. (Luke 24:51-52a) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. People easily get the wrong idea about the ascension of our LORD, which occurred 40 days after the resurrection and 10 days before Pentecost. The popular and wrong und...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: The Apostles Creed, Second Article, pt.1 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 10:11-36; Luke 16:19-31 And [I believe] in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our LORD, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. (Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Second Article) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What does this mean? "I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of th...

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. Our LORD Jesus Christ did not come into the world to save ideas and beliefs. He did not come into the world to save audio presentations and visual images. "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full accep...

Today's Reading: Numbers 21:4-9 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 8:5-26; Luke 15:11-32 And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." (Numbers 21:8) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God sent the fiery serpents to the rebellious people of Israel in the wilderness. They were sent to bite the complaining and unfaithful people, t...

Today's Reading: John 16:23-33 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 3:1-16, 39-48; Luke 14:25-15:10 "Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." (John 16:23b) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today is Rogate Sunday, which is Latin for "Pray ye." As we continue to celebrate the resurrection of The LORD Jesus Christ, we gain important insight about prayer. Chris...

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 But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. (From the Introit for the Sixth Sunday of Easter) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Prayer is not magic nor is it designed and intended for the purpose of coaxing, con...

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:1-20; Luke 13:18-35 "[The kingdom of God] is like a grain of mustard seed. . . Strive to enter through the narrow door." (Luke 13:19, 24a) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The things of God and our salvation (being rescued from sin, death, and devil) are presented in humble ways, unimpressive to the world. This is the way God operates in the world. He lets the world hav...

Today's Reading: James 1:16-21 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 24:1-23; Luke 12:54-13:17 Of [God's] own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The letter of James has gotten a bad rap because many feel that he contradicts Paul's statement that we are justified by faith apart from the works of t...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: The Apostles Creed, First Article, pt.3 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:23-44; Luke 12:35-53 All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true. (Small Catechism: The Apostles' Creed, First Article) In the Name + of J...

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:1-22; Luke 12:13-34 And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. . . Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:22, 32) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Rev. Friedich Wyneken was driven to spread the saving Gospel...

Today's Reading: Isaiah 12:1-6 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 21:1-24; Luke 12:1-12 You will say in that day; I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry at me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid. (Isaiah 12:1-2a) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The opposite of faith is not merely unbelief, but fear. How...

Today's Reading: John 16:5-15 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 20:1-16, 22-27; Luke 11:37-54 Sing to the LORD a new song, Alleluia, for he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. Alleluia. (From the Introit for Cantate Sunday) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This Sunday--Cantate Sunday--leads us to the theme of "Sing ye." Because of our sinful nature, we totally underestimate the impo...

Today's Reading: John 14:1-14 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 9:9-18, 26-37; Luke 11:14-36 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If I had to recommend ten Scripture verses to memorize, John 14:6 would be on that list. Jesus is more important than anybody or anything. We need Him. We are wi...

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 18:1-7, 20-19:8; Luke 11:1-13 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "LORD, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." And Jesus said to them, "When you pray, say:. . . " (Luke 11:1-2a) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Some people who criticize our beautiful and powerful liturgy say that it is not from the Wo...

Today's Reading: 1 Peter 2:11-20 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 17:1-16; Luke 10:23-42 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. The forgiveness of sins is not permission to sin. The Holy Spirit teaches us through Peter that we are not to go along with sin. Christians easily ge...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: The Apostles Creed, First Article, pt.2 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 16:1-24; Luke 10:1-22 He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil." (Small Catechism: The Apostles' Creed) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Life is dangerous. We do not really like to talk about it, but it feels like there is danger around every corner. The most insidiou...