Reflections

Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 10:1-27; Acts 22:17-29 "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 10:40) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Sons of Thunder don't know what they're asking for. "Let us sit, one at your right hand, and one at your left, in your glory." I guess their nickname makes...

Today's Reading: Matthew 7:15-23 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 9:1-27; Acts 21:37-22:16 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. (Matthew 7:18) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. So I know we're the grumpy church. It's what others say about us. It's what our own members say about us. We're too picky. Unloving. We can't get along with anyone. We can't even compromise....

Today's Reading: Introit for the Eight Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 48:1, 3, 11, 14; antiphon: vs.9-10) Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 8:1-22; Acts 21:15-36 Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments! (From the Introit for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We recoil at a God who sits in judgment of our actions. It's so hard to refle...

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 6:19-7:17; Acts 19:1-22 And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." (Acts 19:2) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Church needs constant teaching. Woe to those who think they've learned it all in confirmation! Imagine if the disciples who Paul met by Ephesus responded as...

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, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" (John 20:17) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Part of me wants to focus on Mary's announcement. She gets to te...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Fifth Petition Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 4:1-22; Acts 16:23-40 Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Fifth Petition) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is one sentence we wish could be divided into two separate things. Having my forgiveness and my willingness to forgive others linked...

Today's Reading: Romans 6:19-23 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 3:1-21; Acts 16:1-22 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Only someone who has spent all their life under slavery can be set free and ask, "What do I do now?" If you don't know what freedom really looks like, how would you know what to...

Today's Reading: Genesis 2:7-17 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 2:18-36; Acts 15:22-41 "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:17) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God made everything and it was good. He made Adam of the dust of the ground. Eve would be there soon. Very good. He put them in the Garden, full o...

Today's Reading: Mark 8:1-9 Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:21-2:17; Galatians 6:1-18 "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. There's a difference between a father who spends time with his kids and one who avoids them by being at work. There's a difference between kids who get As and kids who get...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 47:3, 6-8; antiphon: vs.1-2) Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:1-20; Galatians 5:1-26 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. (From the Introit for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's hard to sing praises to our King who puts all nations under our feet when we're not even happy with ou...

Daily Lectionary: Judges 16:4-30; Galatians 4:12-31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. (Galatians 4:31) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Abraham had two sons: Ishmael of the flesh, by Hagar, his wife Sarah's slave, and Isaac of the promise, by Sarah. Full stop. Think about how humiliated Sarah had to feel giving her husband to her servant. She trusted God. He promis...

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. The Law was our guardian. The lLw's job is not to love you, but to hold you captive. The Law can't make you hate s...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Fourth Petition Daily Lectionary: Judges 14:1-20; Galatians 3:1-22 Give us this day our daily bread. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Fourth Petition) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This petition, probably more than any others, drives us to prayer. We have daily needs we see going unmet. We somehow figure this petition is supposed to fix that if we j...

Today's Reading: Romans 6:3-11 Daily Lectionary: Judges 13:1-25; Galatians 2:1-21 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (Romans 6:6) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Guilt is potent stuff. We drag it around behind us. We attach it to others. We let a singular event define us. The accid...

Today's Reading: Exodus 20:1-17 Daily Lectionary: Judges 7:1-23; Galatians 1:1-24 "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. This is who your God is. Not just the first couple verses, but the whole thing. The Law is a reflection of the Law maker. In my car, there are 11 commandments. God gets His 10....

Today's Reading: Matthew 5:17-26 Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:25-40; Acts 15:6-21 "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. Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. But the Pharisees weren't villains who tw...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 28:1-2, 7; antiphon: vs.8-9) Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:1-24; Acts 14:19-15:4 The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. (From the Introit for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The tense matters. The Lord is the...

Daily Lectionary: Judges 4:1-24; Acts 14:1-18 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well. . . (Acts 14:9) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Miracles aren't the cause of faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. It wasn't the signs and wonders that made Jews and Greeks believe. It was what was spoken: the Gospel. C...

Today's Reading: 1 Peter 3:8-15 Daily Lectionary: Judges 3:7-31; Acts 13:42-52 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled. (1 Peter 3:14) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?" For some reason we read that and assume there should be no answer. If we really love God, how...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Third Petition Daily Lectionary: Judges 2:6-23; Acts 13:13-41 Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Third Petition) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. On behalf of the almighty Lord, thanks for the permission, I guess. . . Now the creator of heaven and earth who worked just fine without you can finally act. Who kn...

"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God doesn't play well with others. Put away foreign gods. He is a jealous God. It's not that...

Today's Reading: 1 Kings 19:11-12 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 23:1-16; Acts 12:1-25 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. Elijah is hiding in a cave waiting to die. He forgot how to be disappointed, because he forgot how to hope. That's bad. Hopelessness is not natural. We were cr...

Today's Reading: Luke 5:1-11 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 10:1-25; Acts 11:19-30 . . . Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." (Luke 5:10) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We see the boat sinking and the nets ripping, so we figure we need to fix them. The Church is falling apart: If we don't do something it won't be here for long. How do we catch the fish? I know it...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 27:1a, 11-12, 14; antiphon: vs. 7, 9b) Daily Lectionary: Joshua 8:1-28; Acts 11:1-18 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (From the Introit for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Only a prayer focused on the character and promises of God can pray the word "wait...

Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-56 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 7:1-26; Acts 10:34-48 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. (Luke 1:50) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Nobody likes it, but at least we understand when sinners get hurt by their sin. But what about when you can't figure out whose fault it is? The "church answer" is that the world was broken by Adam's sin. It's t...