Today's Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 3:12-27; Romans 2:1-16

“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;

    I will take you by the hand and keep you;

I will give you as a covenant for the people,

    a light for the nations,

7     to open the eyes that are blind,

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

    from the prison those who sit in darkness.

8 I am the Lord; that is my name;

    my glory I give to no other,

    nor my praise to carved idols.

9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,

    and new things I now declare;

before they spring forth

    I tell you of them.”  (Isaiah 42:6-9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord spoke about the One that He would send into the flesh to save humanity, to save you.  The Lord said that He called His Son in righteousness, to make the blind see and to free the prisoners.  He would fulfill everything that He had promised.  The Lord’s word never refers to Him empty or void.  The Lord keeps His promises, so we shouldn’t be surprised that the words of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah and the voice from heaven at Jesus’ baptism are so similar, even though about 600 years separate the two sets of words.  

The fact that the words are similar isn’t enough to change your life, though.  What is enough to change your life is what the words say.  These words that describe Jesus are life-givingly important to you.  The Lord Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, has come to free the captives and to make the blind see.  The old things have passed away and new things are coming.  He is the Lord enfleshed.  That changes everything for you, because it is you that He forgives.  It is you that He loves.  It is you that receives the promise of eternal life.  You don’t need to hope or wish that Jesus likes you.  Instead, He makes you confident that you are someone He has forgiven.  You are someone that He has baptized.  You are someone that He calls by His own name.  It’s certainly not fair, but it is gracious, and your Lord is nothing if He is not gracious to you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Go, My children, sins forgiven,  At peace and pure. Here you learned how much I love you, What I can cure. Here you heard My dear Son’s story; Here you touched Him, saw His glory.  Go, My children, sins forgiven, At peace and pure.  (Lutheran Service Book 922, Stanza 2)

-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.

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Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.