September 24, 2025

Today's Reading: Luke 16:1-15

Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 9:22-38; Nehemiah 10:1-13:31; 1 Timothy 6:3-21

“And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The “sons of this world” in this parable are like the people of Amos 8. They are shrewd in their dealings with money but use their shrewdness for deception and deceit. They appear to provide for the poor and needy, but enslave them for their purposes. 

It is puzzling that the master would commend this dishonest manager who has not only wasted his possessions for months (and maybe even years!), but who, after he is fired, continues to deal deceitfully. He knows he is too weak to dig and too proud to beg, so he acts shrewdly. He needs friends, so until word spreads that he has been fired, he will call his master’s debtors and settle their debts. One hundred measures of oil become fifty, one hundred measures of wheat become eighty, and zero friends become two friends. So, the master commends this “son of the world,” not for his dishonesty but for his shrewdness. 

What does such shrewdness look like for the “sons of light?” They also operate in this world with “unrighteous mammon,” but the difference lies in their end. What did the manager’s shrewdness get him? It got him friends who have temporary dwellings. What does the Christian’s shrewdness get him? It gets him friends in the “eternal dwellings.” The shrewdness of the Christian is this: although he knows that money will fail, he uses it while he still can. He uses the “unrighteous mammon” of this world to accomplish the work of Christ’s Church. And what is the goal? That the Word of God would make us friends of Christ in the eternal dwellings. 

When he was fired, the dishonest manager was as good as dead. He had nothing else to lose. Money had already failed him, and now he simply needed a home. The same is true for the sons of light. But the difference is that they already have a “friend” who has promised them an eternal home. They have Christ’s Gospel that assures them of a good future. So, how do they relate to the Law and this world? They deal shrewdly with it. You say that I am a sinner? I am, and I have Christ, the friend of sinners. You say that I am dead? Though I die, yet shall I live in Christ, who died for me. You say that I am a debtor? I am, and I have a heavenly manager who didn’t simply overlook my debts, but who paid them in full by his atoning blood. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

My heart’s delight, My crown most bright, O Christ, my joy forever. Not wealth nor pride Nor fortune’s tide Our bonds of love shall sever. You are my Lord; Your precious Word Shall guide my way And help me stay Forever in Your presence. (LSB 557:4)

Rev. David Woelmer, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Smithville, Texas.

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

Join author R. Reed Lessing helps with this chapter-by-chapter exploration of the Book of Numbers in Hope in the Wilderness. With helpful maps, diagrams, and connections to the rest of the Bible, you’ll be able to understand the beauty of Numbers.

September 23, 2025

Today's Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-15

Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 9:1-21; 1 Timothy 5:17-6:2

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:6) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

What Paul “urges” and “desires” in this letter aren’t the kind of new and made-up laws and commandments you find when God’s Word is neglected, nor are they the kind of additional, burdensome, domineering rules that a lazy father has to come up with when he feels his house is out of control. No, these practical words from Paul that have to do with everyday life find their source in God’s teaching. 

Why pray for all people, especially rulers? There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who desires the salvation of all people. The rulers are people who need saving, too, and they especially need prayers as they maintain the peace and quietness that men, in their anger and quarreling, need. 

The man whose hands are too quickly lifted in anger against his children should instead offer holy hands in prayer, especially with his family. The woman whose beauty is flaunted immodestly, whose body is adorned materially, and whose voice is magnified unsuitably should instead adorn herself modestly, in godliness, and with good works in quiet submissiveness. 

Why is the family ordered in this way? God’s teaching is such that Adam, who was formed first, failed to keep his house in order. He was not deceived, but the woman was deceived, and his quiet submissiveness to the devil’s deceit was to blame. “She took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate” (Genesis 3:6). She is a transgressor, and he is a successor to her sin, but from them both will come an intercessor. 

As all have sinned in the one man Adam, so will all be saved in the one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Eve and all her offspring will be saved through childbearing—through the birth of Jesus Christ. The seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent, and his faithfulness to his bride, his unconditional love for her, and the holiness with which he adorns her will be her salvation. He will adorn her with true beauty, everlasting treasures, and self-control. He will be the husband every man aspires to be, with eternal devotion to his bride, offering her his holy hands pierced on the cross, interceding for her to the Father, and praying for her at all times and in every place with thanksgiving. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Seek Him alone Who did atone, Who did your souls deliver. O seek Him first, All you who thirst, For grace that fails you never. In ev’ry need Seek Him indeed; To ev’ry heart He will impart His blessings without measure. (LSB 557:3)

Rev. David Woelmer, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Smithville, Texas.

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

Join author R. Reed Lessing helps with this chapter-by-chapter exploration of the Book of Numbers in Hope in the Wilderness. With helpful maps, diagrams, and connections to the rest of the Bible, you’ll be able to understand the beauty of Numbers.

September 22, 2025

Today's Reading: Amos 8:4-7

Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 7:1-4; 8:1-18; Ezra 1:1-10:19; 1 Timothy 5:1-16

“The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: ‘Surely I will never forget any of their deeds’” (Amos 8:7) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

When Jesus says that “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27), he reveals man’s propensity to switch everything around. The Sabbath rest has become a Sabbath test for the Pharisees, and in their eyes, Jesus has failed the test. He has failed the Sabbath. 

Now, the people during Amos’ time have also inverted the gift of the Sabbath. They ask when the new moon, a time dedicated at the first of every month for sacrifices to God, and the Sabbath, a time of handing over one’s work and time to God, will be over. They have turned the Father’s house into a house of trade. They want the time of sacrifice to end, and the time of profiteering to begin. They want to get a move on, get out of the church, and get going with their iniquity and deceit, their trampling of the needy and destruction of the poor. 

But God will not have any of it. He despises such “vain offerings.” He hates their new moons and appointed feasts. He is burdened by their hypocrisy and false worship. So when they lift their hands, he hides his eyes; when they voice their prayers, he closes his ears (Isaiah 1:13-15). Even worse, God swears that he will never forget their evil deeds! 

Sin grieves God. His wrath and anger are quickly kindled. His “record of debt … with all its legal demands” stands against all men (Colossians 2:14). Someone must pay that debt, right that wrong, and bear the punishment of sin. For the wicked, that “record of debt” stands before God’s face (Hosea 7:2). He remembers their iniquity (Hosea 8:13). It is even engraved on the tablet of their heart (Jeremiah 17:1) as their sins remain heaped high as heaven (Revelation 18:5). David prays in Psalm 109, “May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!” 

But you, dear Christian, find that in Christ, that record of debt is canceled, those legal demands are fulfilled, the injustice is forgiven, and your sins are atoned for. Your debt is forgiven in its entirety! It is taken away from you. God sets it aside, nails it to the cross, disarms your enemies, shames the devil, and triumphs over Hell itself. “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). God remembers the sins of the wicked, but he will never remember your sins. They are forgiven, removed, forgotten, and drowned in the depths of the sea, never to rise again. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Seek whom you may To be your stay; None can redeem his brother. All helpers failed; This man prevailed, The God-man and none other, Our Servant-King Of whom we sing. We’re justified Because he died, The guilty being guiltless. (LSB 557:2) 

Rev. David Woelmer, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Smithville, Texas.

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

Join author R. Reed Lessing helps with this chapter-by-chapter exploration of the Book of Numbers in Hope in the Wilderness. With helpful maps, diagrams, and connections to the rest of the Bible, you’ll be able to understand the beauty of Numbers.

September 21, 2025

Today's Reading: Matthew 9:9-13

Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 5:1-16; 6:1-9, 15-16; 1 Timothy 4:1-16

“As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him” (Matthew 9:9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

If you have seen the popular TV Series, “The Chosen,” then you know that the producers use artistic license when they portray Matthew as quirky, uptight, anxious, and obsessed with numbers. While his character adds fun humor to the series, it also helps demonstrate that the Twelve disciples were men, just like we are, with all their foibles and failures, their quirks and quibbles. 

However, we would miss the point if we stopped there. God’s Word teaches us to look further into the lives of these men. It reveals the spiritual kingdom that they, and we, have been called into! And this is where Matthew plays such a significant role in the revelation of God’s kingdom. 

His name, “Matthew,” gives it away. He is “a gift” to the kingdom, “a gift” to Christ’s Church. One thing to notice about our reading from Matthew 9 is that Matthew’s house becomes the location of Christ’s kingdom! It is a place of hospitality for Christ, for other tax collectors, and for other sinners. Jesus has come not to call the righteous, but sinners. Matthew is a sinner, and he is the one whom Jesus calls. 

So it is that this sinner becomes a gift, this sinner’s house becomes God’s house, and this sinner’s life is used by God for more gift-giving. What a “gift” Matthew is to us! He was called not only to follow Jesus but to write the Holy Gospel for the upbuilding of Christ’s Church. His Gospel is truly the gift that keeps on giving, and through him, Christ still speaks his message of forgiveness for sinners. Through Matthew, Christ still calls men to “Follow me,” and Christ still reclines at table, though now in the houses in which we gather! The holy wounds of our Physician are the balm that heals our wounded heart, it is the peace that flows from sin forgiven, it is the joy that lifts our soul to heaven, and his Body and Blood give us the faith and hope to walk with God, so that we, with Matthew and all the saints who have gone before us, might be a “gift” to others. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Son of God, our blessed Savior Jesus Christ, You called Matthew the tax collector to be an apostle and evangelist. Through his faithful and inspired witness, grant that we also may follow You, leaving behind all covetous desires and love of riches; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 

Rev. David Woelmer, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Smithville, Texas.

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

Join author R. Reed Lessing helps with this chapter-by-chapter exploration of the Book of Numbers in Hope in the Wilderness. With helpful maps, diagrams, and connections to the rest of the Bible, you’ll be able to understand the beauty of Numbers.

September 20, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 15 - Psalm 119:137-140, 142; antiphon: Psalm 119:144

Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 4:7-23; 1 Timothy 3:1-16

“Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules. You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness. My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words. Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it. I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true. Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight. Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.” (Psalm 119:137-144)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Do you delight in God’s Commandments? So often, the Commandments and precepts of God can feel like a weight we carry in this life, a burden that keeps us from what we really want to do. And part of that comes from how we often see the Law and what we read and hear about it. The Law is almost always talked about in “do’s” and “don'ts” based on how we have failed to keep God’s Law. We are told how we have given in to temptation, how we have hurt our neighbor and not loved them properly, how the Law says that without Jesus, we deserve death and Hell. These things are true, of course, but they don’t bring to mind the same words of the Psalmist, who delights in the Law of the Lord. The truth is, as much as the Law shows us our sinfulness, it really, truly shows us the goodness of God! From the very beginning of the world, God set His Law in place in the universe. Before the Fall into sin, the Law was simply the way things were. Our God is a good God who desires an ordered creation, a world in which His creatures do not kill one another or steal from each other, where husbands and wives love each other as Christ and His bride, the Church, love one another, and where His people are righteous and close to Himself. When we “delight” in the Laws of God, we recognize that our Lord wants what is best for us and desires to be near to us. We know that God uses this Law, even in this broken world, to guard and defend us from evil. In these verses of Psalm 119, the Psalmist speaks against those who have forgotten the Law of the Lord, but praises Him for His righteousness that guides His creation and promises to remember God’s Words and precepts. As baptized Christians, we are given freedom from the fear of the law through the death and resurrection of Jesus. In this freedom, we have the ability to, like the Psalmist, delight in the goodness of the Law and work to keep it, not out of fear or a desire to earn salvation, but out of love for God and our neighbor. God has kept the law in all fullness for us, and that is something we may truly delight in.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The Law of God is good and wise And sets His will before our eyes, Shows us the way of righteousness, And dooms to death when we transgress. (LSB 579:1)

Rev. Benjamin Heinz, pastor of Athens Lutheran Church in Athens, TN.

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

Join author R. Reed Lessing helps with this chapter-by-chapter exploration of the Book of Numbers in Hope in the Wilderness. With helpful maps, diagrams, and connections to the rest of the Bible, you’ll be able to understand the beauty of Numbers.

September 19, 2025

Today's Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-6

Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 2:11-20; 4:1-6; 1 Timothy 2:1-15

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:1-6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Following the teachings of Scripture is not always an easy task. We are encouraged, and even commanded, to pray, think well of, and even give thanks for people we might not necessarily want to. In the book of 1 Timothy, Paul writes that we are to give thanks and pray for our leaders and others who rule over us. At the time of this writing, that would have been the government of the Roman Empire, the very same empire that was actively persecuting Christians. Yet, God still placed the rulers in charge, even if His reasons are unknown to man. Through rulers, good and bad, the Lord provides for His creatures. We are to give thanks to God for the things he accomplishes through them, and to pray that God would guide them away from evil deeds. But we are to pray for them in a different way, as well. We are told in our reading for today that we are to pray for our rulers and for all people because the Lord desires for all people to believe. We pray for the good and the evil, for the people we agree with and the people that we disagree with, for the people we know well and people who are strangers to us, that all may know and call upon the name of our Lord. When we are faced with enemies in this world, we are called to remember that they, too, were created by God and that He desires to be reconciled with them. It is not an easy task to love your enemy or to pray for the one who persecutes you, but it is what we are called to do as ones who have already been reconciled with God. We do all of this only through the grace of Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed for all people.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Teach us the lesson Thou hast taught: To feel for those Thy blood hath bought, That ev'ry word and deed and thought May work a work for Thee. (LSB 852:3)

Rev. Benjamin Heinz, pastor of Athens Lutheran Church in Athens, TN.

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

Join author R. Reed Lessing helps with this chapter-by-chapter exploration of the Book of Numbers in Hope in the Wilderness. With helpful maps, diagrams, and connections to the rest of the Bible, you’ll be able to understand the beauty of Numbers.

September 18, 2025

Today's Reading: Catechism: Daily Prayers: Asking a Blessing & Returning Thanks

Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 1:1-2:10; Haggai 1:1-2:23; 1 Timothy 1:1-20

The children and members of the household shall go to the table reverently, fold their hands, and say: The eyes of all look to You, [O LORD,] and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. (Ps. 145: 15–16) Then shall be said the Lord’s Prayer and the following: Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these Your gifts which we receive from Your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

All things come from God, and it is good to thank Him for them. Many Christians can relate to the experience of gathering around the dinner table with their families, folding their hands, bowing their heads, and thanking God for His gifts. But so frequently, growling stomachs and eager mouths will speed through their words of prayer to get to the meal. Martin Luther’s mealtime prayers, perhaps unintentionally, can help slow things down for us. In the Scripture from Psalm 145, we are reminded that everything that we have in life, down to the last crumb, is a gift from God, intentionally given to fulfill our wants and needs. In this Scripture, we are told that we not only receive the things we need, but the things that we desire as well! God gives to us as He sees fit, without any merit or worthiness on our part, out of the goodness and mercy of His heart. People work hard to earn money to provide for themselves and their families, but this, too, comes from God Himself as a means to take care of His creatures! As we know in the explanation of the Lord’s Prayer, He doesn’t just give Daily Bread to the people who ask Him and thank Him for it, but to each and every person on earth, even to evil people! Even the animals and plants of this world receive their fill directly from their creator. In this mealtime prayer, we thank God for all that He has given to sustain our bodies, not as an obligation, but as grateful children of God thanking Him for the gifts he has given us. We also give thanks to God as a reminder to ourselves of the daily goodness of God that we receive through God’s love and mercy alone. When we pray before our meals, we fill our bodies with thoughts honoring our Lord and the words of His promises before we fill them with the gifts He has provided for our daily lives. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Be present at our table, Lord; Be here and ev'rywhere adored; Thy creatures bless, and grant that we May feast in paradise with Thee. (LSB 775)

Rev. Benjamin Heinz, pastor of Athens Lutheran Church in Athens, TN.

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

Join author R. Reed Lessing helps with this chapter-by-chapter exploration of the Book of Numbers in Hope in the Wilderness. With helpful maps, diagrams, and connections to the rest of the Bible, you’ll be able to understand the beauty of Numbers.

September 17, 2025

Today's Reading: Luke 15:1-10

Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 36:1-23; Philemon 1-25; Colossians 4:1-18

“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’So he told them this parable: ‘What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:1-7)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Be honest. What would you do in this situation? If you were the shepherd from this parable, would you have gone to find the lost sheep? This shepherd had ninety-nine perfectly good sheep and a single one that went away. The ninety-nine sheep were perfectly safe and healthy with the shepherd, but to find the one, he’d have to leave them all behind in open country, where wolves, bears, lions, or robbers could come and take them for themselves. Not to mention, going alone into the wilderness, the shepherd could run into these predators as well. There wasn’t even a way for the shepherd to know if the lost sheep would still be alive by the time he found it! For all he knew, it was already dead. And besides, it was that sheep’s own fault that it had wandered off! From a practical perspective, seeking out the one lost sheep doesn’t make logical sense. But that doesn’t matter to the Shepherd. This Shepherd, Jesus Christ, was willing to put His life on the line for the sake of a single sheep, for you. Yes, you fall into sin constantly, you stray from the Lord who loves you, but every time, He comes to find you. His death on the cross pays the price for your wandering and retrieves you from the clutches of the devil, the world, and your very own sinful nature. The shepherd of this parable is so unlike us all and what we creatures would choose to do precisely because He is our perfect Savior, our Creator and Redeemer, who denies Himself for the sake of us, His creation.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

We are Yours; in love befriend us, Be the guardian of our way; Keep Your flock, from sin defend us, Seek us when we go astray. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Hear us children when we pray. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Hear us children when we pray. (LSB 711:2)

Rev. Benjamin Heinz, pastor of Athens Lutheran Church in Athens, TN.

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

Join author R. Reed Lessing helps with this chapter-by-chapter exploration of the Book of Numbers in Hope in the Wilderness. With helpful maps, diagrams, and connections to the rest of the Bible, you’ll be able to understand the beauty of Numbers.

September 16, 2025

Today's Reading: 1 Timothy 1:5-11, 12-17

Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 35:1-7, 16-25; Zephaniah 1:1-3:20; Colossians 3:1-25

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:15-17)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Saint Paul knew about living a life of sin. Before he had been brought to Christ, the man who was once Saul persecuted and murdered Christians for a living. Without a doubt, he preached to people who knew of his past, and may have even known other Christians whom Saul had destroyed. The memory of his life before coming to Christ likely never left Paul. When Paul writes, referring to himself as the foremost of sinners, he means it. These words come from deep in his heart. But these words do not apply to Paul alone; they apply to us as well. While we may not have persecuted Christians or murdered, we have all strayed far from the Law of God. No sin is less damnable than another. Every offense we have ever committed, no matter how inconsequential they may often seem, condemns us. We deserve death and Hell for the sins that we have committed. Yet, Saint Paul finds great comfort and shares it with all of us: though we are all sinners of the worst regard, Christ has still won mercy for us. The Gift of redemption in Christ Jesus comes to us even in our undeserving state, each one of us being a chief sinner in our own right. Paul knew the true sweetness of the Gospel because he knew the true depths of his sin. Paul knew how severe his offenses against God were, but in receiving the promises and Gifts of our Lord, he also knew the lengths to which Christ’s forgiveness and redemption extend. When we examine ourselves and know our sin, we do this not to beat ourselves up to earn God’s favor, but to truly repent before God of all we have done against Him. When we recognize the depth of our sinfulness, we do not despair, but instead are driven back to Christ. When we receive God’s mercy, we understand how beautiful a Gift is won for us in Christ’s death and resurrection. These words from First Timothy help us to see the truth of our sinfulness, but the richness of the Gospel that we receive from our loving Savior. 

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, lived that I might never die. As the branch is to the vine, I am His and He is mine. (LSB 611:1)

Rev. Benjamin Heinz, pastor of Athens Lutheran Church in Athens, TN.

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

Join author R. Reed Lessing helps with this chapter-by-chapter exploration of the Book of Numbers in Hope in the Wilderness. With helpful maps, diagrams, and connections to the rest of the Bible, you’ll be able to understand the beauty of Numbers.

September 15, 2025

Today's Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-24

Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 34:1-4, 8-11, 14-33; Nahum 1:1-3:19; Colossians 2:8-23

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 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. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 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.” (Ezekiel 34:11-14)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Jesus’ promise to be our Good Shepherd is one of the most memorable and comforting words in our Christian faith. Our Lord has promised to claim us, to feed us, to lead us, and to protect us. But God’s promise to be a Good Shepherd to His people was not something that our Lord Jesus pulled out of nowhere. Throughout the Old Testament, the Lord God promises to shepherd His people Israel. Jesus’ promise to be the shepherd of His people would be familiar to them, as similar words had been brought by the psalms and prophets of old. In the book of Ezekiel, God tells the people of Israel that He Himself would search for His sheep, that He would seek out those who were lost. Surely, God does this time and time again in Scripture when He delivers His people from evil, like His deliverance of Israel from exile in Assyria and Babylon, but His promises are all the more realized and completed in the person of Jesus Christ, who Himself, in flesh, comes to deliver, lead, and care for His people. The Lord, our Shepherd, came to dwell among us and to shepherd us directly. Through His death and resurrection, He rescues His sheep from sin, death, and the power of the devil. In the work of the Holy Spirit, our Lord Jesus gathers together all those sheep who had been scattered by the Fall and brings them to Himself in his generous love. Though we scatter and stray, falling into our sin, our Lord seeks us out, brings us to repent, forgives us, and renews us through His unending mercy and goodness. Finally, when our last hour comes, we will be brought to new pastures, to Paradise, where we will remain as His sheep forever and will scatter and stray no more. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love He sought me and on His shoulder gently laid and home rejoicing brought me. (LSB 709:3)

Rev. Benjamin Heinz, pastor of Athens Lutheran Church in Athens, TN.

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

Join author R. Reed Lessing helps with this chapter-by-chapter exploration of the Book of Numbers in Hope in the Wilderness. With helpful maps, diagrams, and connections to the rest of the Bible, you’ll be able to understand the beauty of Numbers.