August 23, 2024 

Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 14 - Psalm 26:1-2, 6-7; antiphon: Psalm 26:8

Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 3:1-15; 1 Kings 3:16-4:34; 2 Corinthians 1:1-22

O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. (Psalm 26:8) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

It’s been a long week. Sin made stuff hurt. Work was hard. Living with fellow sinners was hard. Seeing your own insecurities was hard. The devil pokes at all the bruises that we try to hide. We know that we aren’t enough, but we try to keep trying. The world is an unkind place to be. We see ‘better’ all around us, and yet we can never quite achieve it. Indeed, every morning, the Old Adam gets up with us, chained to us, even as it is daily drowned in our Baptism. 

And yet, this Psalm invites us to rejoice that Sunday is coming; the Divine Service is coming! We get to be in God’s House! We get to be where He promises to be. We get to be forgiven alongside our neighbors (those other sinners) and breathe a sigh of relief. We get to be reminded that sin, death, and the devil have been defeated. We get to receive assurance that our identity is found in Jesus; He is enough, and so we are enough. 

We join David in this declaration– we love the habitation of God’s House! We love that we get to be where His glory dwells! And what is that glory? God’s glory is His perfection given to you through Jesus’ Death and Resurrection. God’s glory is His plan of salvation– to redeem you. God’s glory is the unfailing love and faithfulness in His creation and adoption of you. God’s glory is the Gifts we receive in His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. 

Maybe today was a tough day. Maybe today was a decent day. In either case, you get to take a moment and remember, like David, that you are a child of God. You get to be reminded of your identity found in your Baptism. You get to join your thankful voice and declare that you, too, love God’s House and rejoice in the place where His Gifts are for you. Sin breaks us down and causes pain. And yet, we have relief, joy, and hope because our Lord always keeps His promises and delivers them exactly where He said they would be. Look forward to the Divine Service in His House, where you will be reminded that you are forgiven, loved, and redeemed. Have hope that your God always keeps His promises– and that includes giving you grace, life, and peace. Thanks be to God that we get to continually go to God’s House! 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Here stands the font before our eyes, Telling how God has received us. The altar recalls Christ’s sacrifice And what His Supper here gives us. Here sound the Scriptures that proclaim Christ yesterday, today, the same, And evermore, our Redeemer. (LSB 645:4) 

-Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.

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

The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.