Reflections

Today's Reading: Romans 12:14-21 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 6:6-27; Acts 10:18-33 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. (Romans 12:14) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I can tell you something is a sin because it's in the Bible. Fine. If you want to know why, wait till it's been done against you. It's called wrong because it hurts. Sin breaks stuff. It's easy to see why something...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Second Petition Daily Lectionary: Joshua 5:1-6:5; Acts 10:1-17 Thy kingdom come. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Second Petition) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We expect the kingdom of God to be separate from the world. God's kingdom must be a place where no bad things happen, where no sinners do sinful things, where we want for nothing. We figure...

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. Who do you say that the Son of man is? We're still asking the same question. We're past the days when people haven't heard the name Jesus, but if you listen, you will hear that we all seem to be talking a...

Today's Reading: Genesis 50:15-21 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 3:1-17; Acts 9:1-22 "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." (Genesis 50:20) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Joseph's brothers are afraid. What if life is fair? What if Joseph's mercy is for their father, but not for them? They know what th...

Today's Reading: Luke 6:36-42 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 2:1-24; Acts 8:26-40 "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you read it on its own like it's usually quoted, "Judge not lest ye be judged," is the only command that gets easier the less you care. The less you care about your neighbor, the less you care what they do. The less you care about...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 27:3-4a, 5; antiphon: vs. 1-2 Daily Lectionary: Joshua 1:1-18; Acts 8:1-25 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (From the Introit for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The young man had been taught the faith from the...

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 31:10-31; John 21:1-25 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. (Proverbs 31:30) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The world has much to say to young people about who they are and what they should look for in life. In recent years, this advice has gone from bad to awful. Our country has closed its eyes to the fact that God made...

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. (Luke 1:76) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Church has been celebrating the incarnation of Christ since the Gospel was first proclaimed (Genesis 3:15). After Adam and Eve sinned, God called them out...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, First Petition Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 27:1-24; John 20:1-18 Hallowed be Thy name. What does this mean? God's name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also. How is God's name kept holy? God's name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of...

Today's Reading: 1 Peter 5:6-11 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 25:1-22; John 19:23-42 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Imagine you're on a nature hike. You're strolling down your favorite trail, taking in the sights and scents of nature. Suddenly you hear a loud ROAR down the...

Today's Reading: Micah 7:18-20 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 24:1-22; John 19:1-22 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. God is a just Judge and a forgiving Savior. God created a perfect world, but that world reb...

Today's Reading: Luke 15: 1-10 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:22-23:12; John 18:15-20 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. There are two groups of people drawing near to Jesus. Jesus loves them both. The tax collectors and s...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Third Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 25:1-2a, 5b, 15, 20: antiphon: vs. 16, 18) Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:1-21; John 18:1-14 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. (From the Introit for the Third Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In our Gospel reading for th...

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 20:5-25; John 17:1-26 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Proverbs 9:10) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The world can be a confusing place for people of any age. You're introduced to opinions and ideas all the time. How can you evaluate them and embrace what is wise and reject what's wrong? How do you apply the w...

Today's Reading: 1 John 3:13-18 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 17:1-28; John 16:17-33 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. Today, the apostle John makes it clear that there are two groups of people in the world: those who hate their brother and those who love their brother. To which gro...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Introduction Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 16:1-24; John 16:1-16 Our Father who art in heaven. What does this mean? With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father. (Small Catechism, Lord's Pra...

Today's Reading: Proverbs 9:1-10 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 15:1-29; John 15:12-27 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Proverbs 9:10) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The time we live in is filled with many confused people who think they are wise, but are not. The prevailing wisdom of our age is to reject the clear teaching of the Bible abou...

Daily Lectionary: John 15:1-11 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me." And he said, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so." (2 Kings 2:9-10) In the...

Today's Reading: Luke 14:15-24 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 13:1-25; John 14:18-31 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" (Luke 14:15) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The LORD is our God who has created us. He provides all that we need to support this body and life--in the Lord's Prayer, we ca...

Today's Reading: Introit for the Second Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 18:1-2a, 27, 30a, 49; antiphon: vs. 18b-19) Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 10:1-23; John 14:1-17 The Lord was my support in the day of my calamity. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. (From the Introit for the Second Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our Introit for the Se...

Today's Reading: Mark 6:7-13 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 9:1-18; John 13:21-28 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyrus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 4:36-37) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today we thank God for redeeming Barnabas by grace through fait...

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 8:22-36, John 13:1-20 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. (John 13:1) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus was about to go out to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He would be arrested. Then He would be tortured, falsely t...

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Third Article, part 2 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 8:1-21; John 12:36b-50 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. On the Last Day He will raise...

Today's Reading: 1 John 4:16-21 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 5:1-23; John 12:20-36a So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Faith is not easy. It can be hard to believe that God loves us as much as He does, because we know all the ways that we have si...

Today's Reading: Genesis 15:1-6 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 4:1-27; John 12:1-19 And (the LORD) 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." And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:5,6) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When Abram was 75 and his wi...