Reflections

Today’s Reading: 1 Peter 2:21-25

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 34:1-28; Luke 7:18-35

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The life and death of Jesus offer an impossible example to follow. How could we ever hope to follow in His steps? He committed no sin. We can’t take a step without sinning.

And the world hated Him for it. So did the religious leaders. They conspired together to have Jesus put to death. And how did He respond? “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).

This is an example of where we fail miserably. The first thing we want to do when people speak evil of us is to shoot an insult right back at them. When we feel like we’re under attack, we go into fight or flight mode. Jesus suffered silently and willingly. He did not fight the injustice that was done to Him. Rather, He looked to the One who judges justly—His Father in heaven.

We could certainly learn from this example, especially in a world that is not friendly to our faith. From the stories that occupy the mass media to our own social circles, hardly a day goes by without some insult to our faith. To suffer patiently is a virtue (Romans 12:12). Rather than focus on the injustice of the world, look to the Father, whose justice swallows up all injustice.

But when we fail in following this example—as with every one of our failures—we know that Jesus’ patient endurance, His suffering, and His sinless life were all for us. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24).

“By His wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25-26). What a beautiful turn of events! The Son’s silent suffering is for our healing; His sinless life and truthful speech shepherd us and look over our souls. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In suff’ring 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! (Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me, LSB 683:4)

Today’s Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 33:1-23; Luke 7:1-17

As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. (Ezekiel 34:12)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour” (Matthew 27:45). As the Light of the World hung on the cross dying, darkness descended over the place named after a skull. All His disciples had been scattered, as if a wolf had snuck in and sent the sheep in every direction.

On the cross, the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep, but with a dead shepherd, how are the sheep to survive? They will be scattered and picked off one by one.

But even though that hill was named for a skull, even though it was the place of death, the tree that was planted there, which bore the weight of the Good Shepherd, has now become the greenest of pastures.

“I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God” (Ezekiel 34-14-15).

On Mount Calvary is the rich pasture for the sheep of the Good Shepherd. From the cross He feeds His sheep with His own Body and Blood. He makes them lie down by the still waters of the baptismal font. He restores souls.

“I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice” (Ezekiel 34:16). This Shepherd is not for the strong, the well-to-do, the healthy. He comes for the runts of the litter. He comes for the last, the least, and the lost. But His justice makes the weak strong, the injured whole, and the lost found. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want; He makes me down to lie. In pastures green; He leadeth me The quiet waters by. My soul He doth restore again And me to walk doth make Within the paths of righteousness, E’en for His own name’s sake. (The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want, LSB 710:1-2)

Today’s Reading: John 10:11-16

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:15-35; Luke 6:39-49

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What makes a shepherd a good shepherd? He must know a little something about sheep. He must be dedicated to his flock. He must be brave and strong. He must love his sheep.

Jesus is all these things, but they are not what make Him the Good Shepherd. He is the Good Shepherd because He lays down His life for the sheep.

In contrast is the hired hand. He sees the wolf coming and flees. He leaves the sheep to certain death. He cares nothing for the sheep other than the paycheck they provide. And there are other paychecks out there.

The Good Shepherd cares for His sheep and would rather die in their place. Jesus’ love is such that He’s willing to give up everything He has to save His beloved. He lays down His own life so that we might live.

There is another peculiarity of good shepherds: The sheep know his voice. So Jesus says, “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:16).

Jesus leads us with His voice. He gathers His flock with His Word. In the Smalcald Articles Martin Luther writes, “Thank God, today even a seven-year-old child knows what the Church is, namely, the holy believers and lambs who hear the voice of their Shepherd.” Wherever Christ’s Word is proclaimed and heard, there His sheep find their Shepherd. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The King of love my shepherd is, Whose goodness faileth never; nothing lack if I am His And He is mine forever. (The King of Love My Shepherd Is, LSB 709:1)

Merciful Father, who by the humiliation of Your Son raised up the fallen world, grant to Your faithful people perpetual gladness, and make those whom You have delivered from the danger of everlasting death to be partakers of eternal joys; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Third Sunday of Easter)

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:1-14; Luke 6:20-38

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Alleluia. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made. Alleluia! (Psalm 33:5–6, from the Introit for Easter 3)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the beginning God spoke, and in His speaking, He created the heavens and the earth. “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). What God makes is good because He calls it good.

But it did not remain good. There was a certain tree, which God said would give the knowledge of good and evil. Had Adam obeyed God’s Word and done what was good, he would have known only good. The earth was full of the goodness of the Lord. But it would not last.

Adam and his wife introduced evil into God’s good creation by doubting God’s Word, the Word that made the heavens and the earth. They listened to another word, a word that cannot create anything but disorder and disaster.

So God sent His Word into the flesh. He dwelt among us. We beheld His glory, glory as of the one and only of the Father. This Word, who was the author of everything good in the beginning, allowed Himself to be crucified by sinful men.

But out of this greatest evil the Word of God authored the world’s greatest good. By His death He destroyed the power of death, and by His resurrection He brought life and immortality to light. At the preaching of the cross and empty grave, the earth is again full of the goodness of the Lord, as He makes all things new. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Christ, the song of Love incarnate, Touching earth with heaven’s grace, For Your living, suff’ring, dying, For Your rising, hear our praise! Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ, Redeemer, Lord of life! (Voices Raised to You We Offer, LSB 795:3)

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 31:1-18; Luke 6:1-19

And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. (Exodus 31:18)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There are many more than Ten Commandments. After those initial words, God has instructions and ordinances for nearly every aspect of Israelite social and liturgical life. And the consequences for breaking these laws are often severe. “Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death” (Exodus 31:15b).

The phrase “the finger of God,” is another way of saying, “the Spirit of God,” in the Bible (compare Luke 11:20 and Matthew 12:28). So the Law was written by the Spirit of God in letters on the tablets of stone. And death is the consequence for breaking any of them.

St. Paul writes to the Corinthians, “[We are] ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory” (2 Corinthians 3:6b-9).

The Spirit of God is a two-edged sword. His Law, written on tablets of stone, has an exceeding glory—far above any other ministry on earth. But its glory doesn’t come from telling you how you should live; it tells you that you must die. This is a glorious thing, because it prepares you for the even greater glory of an even greater ministry—the ministry of righteousness.

This ministry of righteousness brings the ministry of death to an end. The Law is no longer written on tablets of stone: Its glory has faded. A more brilliant glory has come, which is the Spirit’s life-giving forgiveness of sins. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The Law is good; but since the fall Its holiness condemns us all; It dooms us for our sin to die And has no pow’r to justify. To Jesus we for refuge flee, Who from the curse has set us free, And humbly worship at His throne, Saved by His grace through faith alone. (The Law of God Is Good and Wise, LSB 579:5-6)

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 25:1-22; Luke 5:17-39

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord, your God. (Small Catechism: Second Commandment)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When Moses asked for God’s name, he got a peculiar response. “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: “I AM has sent me to you”’” (Exodus 3:14). “I AM” is, technically speaking, a complete sentence with a subject and a predicate, but it doesn’t really say a lot. I am…what?

But then again, it says everything about who God is. He is the One who is, the One who exists. Everything that is, exists because God is. All being is finally in the One whose name is a form of the verb “to be.” If it exists, it’s because it comes from the One who exists.

That still doesn’t tell us much about God in relation to us. But then something happens in John’s Gospel. Jesus starts to fill in the gaps. “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). “I am the one who bears witness about myself” (John 8:18). “I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7). “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11). “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). “I am the vine” (John 15:5). Jesus is the One who completes the name of God. He is the One who shows you who God is for you.

The Name of God was given to Jesus, and He gives His Name to you. You were baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You wear it on your forehead and on your heart to mark you as His own.

And so you have His Name, not to curse, swear, lie, use satanic arts, or deceive others with, but to call upon in every trouble, to pray, praise, and give thanks. A prayer in Jesus’ Name is a prayer of Jesus Himself. The Father will certainly listen to His own Son, and He will listen to all who bear the Name of the Son. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord Jesus, You have given us Your holy and precious name in the waters of Holy Baptism. Thank You for calling us Your own, and for revealing Your Father to us, and calling us children of God. We confess that we do not use Your name as we ought; we curse, swear, and lie, even as we neglect to pray, praise, and give You thanks. Forgive us and do not deny our prayer because of our sins. Return us once again to our Baptism, to die to our sins, to rise to new life, and to call upon Your holy name, the name in which we pray. Amen.

Today’s Reading: John 14:1-14

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 24:1-18; Luke 5:1-16

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Wow! Faith in Jesus will cause you to do not only the works that Jesus did, but also greater things? That’s a pretty impressive promise. Jesus did some marvelous things in His ministry on earth. He turned water into wine, healed the sick, raised the dead, walked on water, and multiplied bread to feed thousands. Imagine what those greater things are!

Except there are not a lot of Christians going around doing more impressive miracles than Jesus. What does Jesus mean when He says, “Greater works than these he will do”?

The reason why the believer will do greater works, Jesus says, is because He is going to the Father. This is the phrase He uses to refer to His ascension (see also John 14:28, 16:27). Jesus ascended so He could be with His disciples in a supernatural way, present in His preached Word, in Holy Baptism, and bodily present in the Supper.

These are the greater things, which believers will do. Outwardly, they are not nearly as impressive as turning water into wine, healing the sick, raising the dead, walking on water, or feeding thousands. But that’s why these greater things require faith. Without faith, preaching looks like just another lecture. Holy Baptism looks like plain washing, and the Supper looks like a meal that couldn’t even begin to satisfy the smallest hunger. But these are the greater things that the disciples do, and the greater things that the believer participates in.

Philip wanted to see the Father. His desire is fulfilled in the ministry of the Church. In the Word and Sacraments we encounter Jesus, and through the Son we see the Father. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” says Jesus. “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, Your Son revealed Himself to Philip and James and gave them the knowledge of everlasting life. Grant us perfectly to know Your Son, Jesus Christ, to be the way, the truth, and the life, and steadfastly to walk in the way that leads to eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for the Festival of Philip and James).

Today’s Reading: 1 John 5:4-10

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 23:14-33; Luke 4:31-44

For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. (1 John 5:7-8)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When the soldiers were not sure that Jesus was dead, they decided to make sure by running a spear through His heart. “And at once there came out blood and water” (John 19:34b). This was a testimony that Jesus was indeed dead.

The water and the blood bear witness, but there are three that testify—John also includes the Spirit in his list of witnesses. The Spirit originates from the same source as the blood and the water. “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30). The Spirit and the water and the blood all agree that Jesus is the crucified One.

“He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe” (John 19:35). These witnesses would be no good if they remained buried in history. John has borne these witnesses to you, so that you may believe.

Spirit. Water. Blood. These bear witness to a crucified Jesus, but they do not bear witness to a dead Jesus. Christ is risen, He is risen indeed! The Spirit is not only a Good Friday gift, but also an Easter Sunday gift. He breathes on His disciples and gives them the office of forgiveness. The water and the blood don’t just pour out of Jesus’ side; they pour out of the font and chalice. The body of Jesus isn’t hanging on a cross or buried in a tomb; it’s given for you from the altar to make you a part of it.

Spirit. Water. Blood. Preaching. Baptism. Supper. The ministry of the Church. Three that bear witness so that you also may believe.

“Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:5, 4). In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.

Water, blood, and Spirit crying, By their witness testifying To the One whose death-defying Life has come, with life for all. (Water, Blood, and Spirit Crying LSB 597:1)

Today’s Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 22:20-23:13; Luke 4:16-30

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. (Ezekiel 37:10)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. To prophesy is to preach. The prophet Ezekiel was called by God to speak God’s Word—and to speak it with authority. It wasn’t Ezekiel’s own word, but God’s Word, given to him by the hand of the Lord and the Spirit of the Lord (Ezekiel 37:1).

God’s Word is effective. It performs the very thing it says. Even dry bones cannot help but obey. In this vision, the dry bones come back together, are covered with sinews and flesh and skin. But they are not yet alive.

It’s not until Ezekiel prophesies to the breath. In the Hebrew language, the word for breath (ruach) is the same as the word for Spirit. So it’s not only that these breathless bones begin to breathe again; the prophecy, that is, the preaching of Ezekiel, gives them God’s Spirit. It’s not just that they live; they are brought to life.

But this is just a vision that Ezekiel receives. It’s a sign of something that’s to come. Yesterday Jesus appeared to His disciples and breathed on them and gave them the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the new Ezekiel, who gives the Spirit with His Absolution.

So when you hear these words: “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit,” they aren’t empty, dry words. They are living words that give life. They are words of resurrection.

“Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:12-14). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Spirit, who didst once restore Thy Church that it might be again The bringer of good news to men, Breathe on Thy cloven Church once more, That in these gray and latter days There may be those whose life is praise, Each life a high doxology To Father, Son, and unto Thee. (O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth, LSB 834:4)

Today’s Reading: Romans 13:8-10

Daily Lectionary: Job 4:1-21; John 2:1-12

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:10)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. All you need is love. But whose love do you need? Whose love is going to fulfill the Law? Your love? My love? Not likely. “Love does no wrong to the neighbor.” Which one of us can say that we perfectly love our neighbor? Which one of us can say we’ve always spoken kindly of our neighbor, helped him to defend his possessions, and supported him in every physical need? Not a one of us. Our love stinks. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

And just in case we’re tempted to fight against this declaration of our sin, St. Paul holds up the Ten Commandments. Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the loveliest of all? Not you. Not me. We love ourselves too much. If it’s up to us and our love to fulfill the Law, our love isn’t good enough.

However, Jesus’ love is. For God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). God loved the world in this manner, that He sent Christ to be crucified for you. Where we are selfish, Christ is selfless. Where we think only of ourselves, Christ thinks, lives, and dies for others. Where we love ourselves, Christ perfectly loves His neighbor. Jesus loves you unto death.

But there’s more. All those Ten Commandments you can’t, won’t, and don’t keep: Jesus kept those for you, too. Why? Because He loves you. Jesus does what you are unable to do. In His perfect life and His perfect sacrifice for sins, Jesus keeps the Law for you and fulfills the Law for you.

And Jesus extends His love from the cross to you. Jesus’ love is there for you in your Baptism, for you in the Absolution, for you in His Word, and for you in His Body and Blood. Jesus’ love is all you need. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Love caused Your incarnation; Love brought You down to me. Your thirst for my salvation Procured my liberty. Oh, love beyond all telling, That led You to embrace In love, all love excelling, Our lost and fallen race. (O Lord, How Shall I Meet You, LSB 334:4)