Reflections

January 10, 2024 

Today's Reading: Ezekiel 18:25-29

Daily Lectionary:Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-32; Romans 2:17-29

Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?  When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? (Ezekiel 18:25-29)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you’ve been listening to the world around you, it’s easy to see that the world does not like the things that Our Lord has to say. To many, the Bible is just an outdated book full of ancient, prejudicial rules that have been used throughout history to subjugate people. Even some Christian churches are embarrassed of what God’s Word says, and will change the message so as to not offend others. The way of the Lord, as it is delivered to us in the Scriptures, is not fair in the eyes of modern society. They may ask questions like “Why would a God who loves me not want me to love and marry whoever I want to?” “If God wants me to be happy, why shouldn’t I be able to change my body?” The world does not think the way of the Lord is just. 

And maybe they are right. Maybe God isn’t just, at least, not according to our terms. After all, it isn’t very fair that one man should have to die for the sins of the whole world.  It isn’t very fair to let people who break laws for their whole life to be allowed to go free after they eat some bread, drink some wine, and splash some water on their head, and to forgive them when they say they’re “sorry,” even when you know they’re going to do it again. The LORD is not particularly fair, but He is the judge. What is “just” is not up to us to decide. Our own idea of judgment is based on what benefits us most. We seek out revenge and recompense for the sins done against us, but wish for mercy shown only to ourselves. Thanks be to God that His justice is not like ours. Our Father in heaven is a righteous judge, but He also has mercy on His children, rescuing them from the judgment that they truly deserve. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word; curb those who by deceit or sword would wrest the kingdom from Your Son and bring to naught all He has done. (LSB 655:1)

-Vicar Benjamin Heinz is vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church, Springfield, MO.

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.

January 9, 2024 

Today's Reading: Romans 6:1-11

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

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:1-5)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Jesus is not a ‘get out of jail free card.’ Though He brought all of your sins to the cross, and paid for them completely, once and for all, you are not free to let your sinful nature go free! Though your record has been wiped clean through our baptism, you are not supposed to fill the list of your offenses over again! You have been made NEW! You are a different thing entirely than you were before!

You were once in sin, from the very moment you entered this world. Yet, God, in His overwhelming mercy, placed His name upon you in your baptism, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You were marked differently at that moment until the end of time. You are not like the world. You are Christ’s: a new creation, set apart from the sinful world around you. 

In your Baptism, your Old Adam has been drowned. He dies. Every single day. The waters of your Baptism have bound you completely to the work of Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. You are not to live in our sin, because Christ has declared you His own, purchased and won through His death on the cross, delivered new life through Christ’s resurrection. 

Of course, temptations will still come. You will fall into it. Sin is still in this world, and the devil is looking for every opportunity to strike. Yet, in our new identity, we are to live differently. We are to guard against temptation and not seek sin out. We are not free to sin, or even free of sin, but free from sin. Through the gift of Baptism, we remain vigilant against sin through the grace of God, certain of the forgiveness of the sins we still continue to do.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Sin disturb my soul no longer, I am baptized into Christ! I have comfort even stronger: Jesus’ cleansing sacrifice. Should a guilty conscience seize me since my baptism did release me in a dear forgiving flood, sprinkling me with Jesus blood? (LSB 594:2) 

-Vicar Benjamin Heinz is vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church, Springfield, MO.

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.

January 8, 2024 

Today's Reading: Genesis 1:1-5

Daily Lectionary:Ezekiel 2:1-3:11; Romans 1:18-32

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Word and Light. These are the first things to be present in all of Creation. God utters these words: “Let there be light,” and then there is. With just a few words and a couple days, all things in the universe, every last atom, rock, plant, animal, planet, and element, came into being, and this light showers over it all from day one.  And even here, in the very beginning, before humanity is even created, we see our Lord Jesus present. The evangelist John shows us this plainly as he begins his Gospel in this very same way, with Word and Light. John says that this Word, through which all things were made, is the Christ, and that He is the light of the world. Christ scatters the darkness, so that in the light, there is no darkness at all. 

At the very foundations of this world, our Lord Jesus is already delivering His gifts to you: His undying light and love-filled Word. All good things come to you through the Word of God that spoke all that we know into existence. This Word guides and sustains you, bringing the gifts of forgiveness, faith, life, and salvation to you. The light of Christ dispels the darkness. In this light, we see Christ more clearly. In this Word, God’s promises are delivered directly to our ears. Even in our suffering on earth, where we may feel blind, as if we cannot see the light of Christ, or feel deaf to the words God speaks to us, the Word and Light of God remain present with you. This same Lord, who created all things in the beginning, comes to you today through Word and Sacrament, providing you through His love that has been present since even before He uttered the words: “Let there be light.”  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Of the Father’s Love Begotten, ere the worlds began to be, He is Alpha and Omega, He the source, the ending He, of the things that are, that have been, and that future years shall see, evermore and evermore. (LSB 384:1)

-Vicar Benjamin Heinz is vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church, Springfield, MO.

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.

January 7, 2024 

Today's Reading: Mark 1:4-11

Daily Lectionary:Ezekiel 1:1-14, 22-28; Romans 1:1-17

Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when He came up out of the water, immediately He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”(Mark 1:6-11)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It is all about Jesus. Crazy John knew this in the wilderness, and made sure people knew it! “After me comes he who is mightier than I… I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” The people at the Jordan at the time probably knew this too! After all, the voice of God proclaimed Jesus as His beloved son. But many today have forgotten. We live in a world that is all about me and what I want. And this mentality has even trickled into how some Christians talk about Baptism. For some Christians, Baptism is a choice. It is a confession of my faith to prove that I love God and have accepted Him into my heart. This sort of thinking about Baptism is more about the act of Baptism and what it symbolizes, rather than being about the promises and salvation granted to us through it. 

But, while your Baptism brings you into the family of God, your Baptism is not really about you. It is about Jesus. It is about your Lord binding you to Himself through water and Word, washing you clean of your sins and placing His name upon you. In Baptism, Christ secures His children for Himself. Baptism is all about Jesus, and so you can be certain that it is for you! In Christ, we have hope that the Word and water does what it says it will, regardless of how we feel in our own heart and experience our life as baptized Christians. Christ does not change, and neither does your Baptism. Thanks be to God that it’s not about us, and all about Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Blessed Lord, You wonderfully foreshadowed the promise of Baptism in the rescue of Noah from the flood, in the passing of Your people through the Red Sea, and in the ceremonial washings of Your law. In Christ and by His Baptism, You have kept Your Word and made Baptism to be the water of new life. Give us Your Holy Spirit, that we may become the new and holy people You have declared us to be. Amen. (Collect from LCMS Series C)

-Vicar Benjamin Heinz is vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church, Springfield, MO.

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.

January 6, 2024 

Today's Reading: Matthew 2:1-12

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah. 66:1-20; Luke 3:21-38

And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  These Wise Men, cannot rely only on their own wisdom.  Charts of the stars and notes on astrology would not be able to clarify what this amazing event was, and who it was about.  Look where they end up: in Jerusalem, at the palace of Herod the Great.  

So if they could not rely on their own wisdom, how were they to find the Lord?  The answer is simple: He gave them an epiphany!  “Epiphany” means “to reveal.”  God revealed to them the Savior of the nations.

These Magi from the east had something far greater than human wisdom to guide them.  The Lord led them by a star, and He used His Word to provide godly wisdom.  He gifted them with the wisdom of Christ, that they might find God become Man–the holy Baby resting on His mother’s lap. 

There is the beauty of it all!  These great, powerful men, on their knees, worshiping a Baby.  Before the Child are laid treasures: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  But the amazing thing is that this Christ Child is giving them gifts!  By coming in the flesh, He is opening the treasures of God’s grace and mercy, and ultimately eternal life, to these foreigners.

Christ reveals Himself as God.  As He keeps God’s Law, suffers, dies, and rises again, He is the Light to lighten the Gentiles.  He opens the kingdom of heaven to all believers.  He fulfills His Word, so that now, both Jew and Gentile can receive Him in all of His Word and Sacrament!  Now you can rejoice exceedingly that the Lord does not keep you at arm’s length, but welcomes you to receive His gifts, and thus receive Him!

“And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”

Today you go into [His] house and [see] the Child – our Savior – the King of kings with His Church, and you fall down and worship Him.  As you sit in the pew and hear His Gospel, and again as you kneel at His rail, opening [His] treasures, [He offers you] gifts – Baptism, Absolution, Gospel and Supper!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O God, by the leading of a star You made known Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles.  Lead us, who know You by faith, to enjoy in heaven the fullness of Your divine presence; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

-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.

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.

January 4, 2024 

Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism, 3rd Commandment

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 63:15-65:7; Luke 2:41-52

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.  (Luther’s Small Catechism; Third Commandment & Meaning)

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

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.

By this point, you may have Old Adam in the back of your mind saying, “Church? Do I have to?! Coming up again, for Epiphany?!  But we went last Sunday morning, and then later that day for Christmas Eve.  And the next day for Christmas Day.  And another Sunday. And all the extra Wednesdays we have had. And…I’m just tired and don’t want to.”  (Just imagine how frequently you’d have been at your congregation if they  had Divine Services for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas!) And the New Creature that God gave birth to in Baptism responds, feeling guilty and repentant.

These Twelve Days of Christmas are not about beating up your conscience and shaming you for not wanting to be in God’s house.  Yet, Old Adam is completely wrong.  You don’t have to.  You get to!

The joy to the world is that Christ the Savior is born!  But that birth is not locked away in a “once upon a time” fairy tale, nor in a scholarly history volume in some ancient library.  It is a glorious fact, whose blessed benefits God continually delivers to you.  To celebrate that birth, we are extremely blessed with multiple opportunities to come with all the faithful and receive His saving gifts of Word and Sacrament.  Forgiven and nourished by the Newborn King, we are privileged to respond in prayer and praise.

Your Jesus is indeed the One once tucked in the lowly manger.  But He is also the One who grew to rescue and redeem you through his death and resurrection, freeing you from the sins that grieve you.  Yes, even the sins of being tired of worship, and despising – not wanting to hear God’s Word.  And now He is the One in the swaddling cloths of Communion linens, feeding you His holy Body and Blood for forgiveness, life, and salvation.  What a wonderful twelve days these are, when we have so many opportunities to get to “gladly hear and learn” His Word!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Softly from His lowly manger  Jesus calls  One and all,  “You are safe from danger.

Children, from the sins that grieve you  You are freed; All you need  I will surely give you.”

(LSB 360:5)

-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.

January 3, 2024 

Today's Reading: Titus 3:4-7

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 63:1-14; Luke 2:21-40

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:4-5)

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

Merry Baptism!

You see what God does here?  He’s connecting the events of Jesus’ birth and your rebirth by water and the Word.  This passage from Titus 3 is typically heard in our Divine Services at Christmas, with the amazingly great Good News that “our God and Savior appeared” in the flesh.  Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, Christ is our God and Savior who appeared in the flesh and saved us.

But here we go again, all this talk of death, at a time we should be celebrating the birth of The Baby. right?!  Why does death keep breaking into our celebration of Jesus’ birth?  

God answers: “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” (Titus 3:3)  Your broken and corrupt human nature is soiled with sin, and “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)  Being slaves to our passions and pleasures, we needed a holy and righteous Savior to suffer, die, and rise again.  Christ Jesus was born in order to die (and rise!) for you.  Thus, Christmas and its Twelve Day celebration are full of death and life, birth, rebirth, and resurrection.

The birth of Jesus publicly began His work of salvation.  Later, He victoriously cried out, “It is finished,” completing that work for you at the cross.  Now, the forgiveness and salvation that He already purchased and won is delivered to you in Baptism.  

You and I don’t have works done in righteousness that could ever earn any salvation.  We have no perfection like the Christ Child.  We desperately needed the very work He did: “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:4-5)

So you see, Jesus' death is  the connecting link between His birth and your (re-)birth – “the washing of regeneration and renewal.”  He did this – for you – to join you to Him through the miracle and happy gift of Baptism.  So Baptism and Christmas aren’t such an unusual pair after all.  Merry Baptism!  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.

Spirit, water, blood entreating,  Working faith and its completing

In the One whose death-defeating  Life has come, with life for all.  (LSB 597:1,5)

-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.

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.

January 2, 2024 

Today's Reading: Isaiah 61:10-62:3

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 62:1-12; Luke 2:1-20

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;  my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;  he has covered me with the robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10)

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

Did you receive a new dress, sweater, or even a new coat for Christmas? My Grandma and Grandpa usually gifted each of us eight grandchildren with some new clothes every year at our celebration on Christmas Eve.  When we were little and only wanted toys, these weren’t the most popular gifts, but as we matured and grew older we enjoyed them.

There are times when we might not think of Baptism as the best gift.  Moments of Old Adam selfishly and shamefully saying, “I’d rather have toys.”  “I’d rather have all the fun promised by temptations that surround me.”  Your sinful flesh teams up with the devil and the world, trying to sway you from appreciating the good gifts with which the Lord covers you with His righteousness.

But God is the Giver of every good and perfect gift.  He used the hands and voice of your pastor to baptize you into Christ and clothe you with Christ.  “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)  You have been clothed with Christ!  Jesus IS the robe of righteousness given to you at Baptism, covering you with His salvation.  And in those moments of unappreciation of His gifts, the Holy Spirit is bringing you to repentance, calling, gathering, enlightening, and sanctifying you.  He keeps you under that blessed covering of Christ – the garments of salvation – robe of righteousness – Jesus Himself!

Holy Baptism is a gift that is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  You don’t need to be baptized more than once.  It remains.  So once you have put on Christ and been clothed with Him, you can always rejoice.  WIth the simple gift of water in and with the Word of God’s name, He claims you and covers you.  The Holy Spirit keeps you in that one true faith given at your Baptism, and you just can’t help but rejoice and exult!

The new sweater you got from Grandma; the college sweatshirt from Mom and Dad; even the HT gear you got yourself – they are all great!  But infinitely greater is the gift that in Baptism, you have put on Christ, and were clothed with salvation and covered with righteousness!

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In Baptism we now put on Christ –  Our shame is fully covered  WIth All that He once sacrificed  And freely for us suffered.For here the flood of His own blood  Now makes us holy, right, and good   Before our heav’nly Father.  (LSB 596:4)

-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.

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.

January 1, 2024 

Today's Reading: Luke 2:21

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 61:1-11; Luke 1:57-80

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:21)

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

It’s still Christmas.  Why all this talk of blood?   The Twelve Days of Christmas have several festivals for martyrs, reminding us of bloodshed in the Church.  And now, we hear about bloodshed from our Lord.  But not in the typical way we speak of it.

Jesus shed His blood for you!  Sure, you say, over 30 years after He was born.  Yes. That is true.  But there is even more to ponder and treasure up in your heart.  At the tender age of one week, Joseph and the Blessed Virgin had her Child circumcised.  He was keeping the Law – and shedding His blood in order to keep that Law.  He was not keeping it for Himself.  He did not bleed for Himself.  He did it all for you.  And as He suffered that brief moment, there was a foreshadowing of how someday He would suffer and bleed and die for all.  

Stop and think about that.  Even as a baby, Jesus Christ keeps the Law for you, doing all that is required.  And even as a baby, Jesus Christ sheds His blood for you.  He takes it all upon Himself to redeem you, having His body permanently marked, to witness God’s covenant with His Church.

This was also the moment when He received His name—the most holy Name – the Name which is above every name. Jesus!  The Lord saves!  Imagine: every time they called out His Name, a mini-sermon was preached – “The Lord saves!”

He has come to you at your Baptism, where He brought you forgiveness, rescue, and the promise of eternal salvation.  There, you were permanently marked as His own, witnessing God’s covenant with His Church.  There you too were marked with His most holy Name.  Christ christened you as a Christian!  Bathed in the cleansing water and blood from His pierced side, you were given your personal name and placed into Jesus!

It’s Christmas still.  Why all this talk of blood?  On this Eighth Day of Christmas we are merry as we remember that God is not demanding our own blood be shed to pay for our sins, but that “Jesus shed His blood for me,” the chief of sinners.  He spent His entire life on earth, and now in eternity, fulfilling His most holy name: The Lord saves!  Jesus!  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Chief of sinners though I be,  Jesus shed His blood for me,  Died that I might live on high,

Lives that I might never die   As the branch is to the vine,  I am His and He is mine.

(LSB 611:1)

-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.

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.