January 5, 2024 

Today's Reading: 

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 65:8-25; Luke 3:1-20

“The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;

    the lion shall eat straw like the ox,

    and dust shall be the serpent's food.

They shall not hurt or destroy

    in all my holy mountain,”

says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:25)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Merry Twelfth Day of Christmas!

We send and receive Christmas cards each year.  There are always the cards with the beautiful and gentle Virgin and Child.  Some have a fuller image with Joseph, shepherds, animals and manger.  Some have a star and the wise men.  Others have Christmas trees, snow, or even Santa.  But some that always stood out to me had these words from Scripture, and a lamb and lion at the manger.

Were there malevolent meat-eaters at the Messiah’s manger?  Were sinister snakes slithering in the stable? No.  Isaiah is preaching a vision of the Kingdom of God when Christ comes, but it is all in the distance, with a view of the entire New Testament era from Jesus’ birth through His return at the Last Day.  So while it is a Christmas scene, if you will, it is also more.

In Isaiah’s era, like now, lions were dangerous predators.  They were not so populous that you would see them all the time.  But they were there, in the wilderness.  As a shepherd, David defended his  sheep against lions and bears with his sling and staff.  God gave him courage and he defeated these foes, protecting the flock. 

Now, the Son of David, your Messiah and King, has gone up the holy mountain of Calvary and defeated the old evil foe.  The flock is safe and sound in the care of the Good Shepherd.  There at the tree of the cross, Christ defeated Satan and all his minions, and God’s judgment from Genesis 3(:14-15) was fulfilled.  The nail-pierced foot of Jesus crushed the serpent’s head, “And dust shall be the serpent’s food.” (Isaiah 65:25)

Defeating Satan is not necessarily what your friends and relatives may be thinking when they select Christmas cards.  Yet is the “reason for the season,” and is the “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10) The Baby in the manger is the Corpus on the Cross, and that is a great vision that you are blessed to see more fulfilled, something Isaiah longed for. 

You are Jesus’ little lamb, kept safe from the foes of sin, death, and the devil.  Merry Christmas! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

As true as God’s own Word is true,  Not earth nor hell’s satanic crew  Against us shall prevail.

Their might? A joke, a mere facade!  God is with us and we with God–  Our vict’ry cannot fail.

Amen, Lord Jesus, grant our prayer;  Great Captain, now Things arm make bare,  Fight for us once again!  So shall Thy saints  And martyrs raise  A mighty chorus to Thy praise  Forevermore. Amen.  (LSB 666:3,4)

-Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.

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

The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.