January 17, 2025 

Today's Reading: Introit for Epiphany 2 - Psalm 36:5-9; antiphon: Song of Solomon 2:4

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 39:1-10, 17-29; Romans 7:21-8:17

“His banner over me was love” (Song of Solomon, 2:4)

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Banners make statements. Schools have them, as do churches, whose banners may boast passages from Holy Scripture. Parades are never shy of banners with pithy messages communicating the beliefs of a group. Banners are meant to make a point and be seen by others. You don’t hide them in a closet.

“His banner over me was love.” The complete manifestation of God’s love for the sinner is in Christ crucified and risen from the dead. For anyone looking for that “banner” of God’s love, look to Jesus, and there you will find it. And it’s more than a banner, for Jesus’ blood does something. Christ atones for the sins of the entire world. His sacrificial death is divine love to purchase sinners from everlasting condemnation and make them children of God. Faith trusts in this promise, and by faith, one is saved because it’s keeping faith that grabs Christ, and we live as He lives. This banner is a promise we shouldn’t hide but confess it before others, praying by the grace of God that people will hear and believe.

Another term in today’s reading is the word “refuge,” which occurs often in the Bible. It’s in the love of God manifested in Christ where we take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings. This raises the question, “from what do we take refuge?” We face storms of all sorts that wreak havoc on our lives. Unexpected suffering can flood us with pain. Neighbors aren’t always kind, and too often, their words and actions are like an archer’s arrows penetrating the flesh. The devil accuses us in ways meant to distract us from God’s love, accusing us of our sins to convince the soul we’re unworthy of God’s love and destined to Hell. Persecution for the faith also befalls saints throughout the world who still lose their lives for the sake of the Gospel they hold dear.

Christ is our refuge, a very present help in every trouble. He is our banner, our seal from God of His undying love towards us. This love is steadfast and immovable, for not even Hell’s gates overcome the Church. Far from being a love that allows sin is this love of God that covers it in Christ. Repentance and faith mean life with this Banner of love, Life in His Name that means ultimately eternal life with our Savior. 

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

“In suffering be Thy love my peace, In weakness be Thy love my pow’r; And when the storms of life shall cease, O Jesus, in that final hour, Be Thou my rod and staff and guide, And draw me safely to Thy Side!” (LSB 683)

-Rev. Ryan Ogrodowicz, associate pastor and headmaster at Grace Lutheran Church and School in Brenham, TX.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.