Reflections

July 15, 2023

Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 7: Psalm 103:15-19; antiphon: Psalm 103:8

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 2:1-24, Acts 8:26-40

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Psalm 103:8

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today’s text from Psalm 103 is what I typically call a “commercial passage” of Scripture. What I mean by this is that we typically see this kind of passage from Scripture  plastered on t-shirts, inspirational calendars, water bottles  and bumper stickers.  We love it, we love the sound of it. “The Lord is merciful and gracious” Whatever that means, it means nice.  But when you ponder this passage in light of yourself, you probably don’t find it so “inspirational”. . We don’t really use this word “mercy” or “gracious”  alot today, but we like that the Lord acts this way toward us. 

But what about you?  Have you shown mercy or compassion and understanding to those around you?  Have you been the first in line to help those in need, especially those who you don’t know or maybe aren’t comfortable with you?  Where is the mercy that God has first shown you?    What about graciousness?  Are you quick to be forgiving of each other?  Are you ready to put the best construction on everything and show grace to those who have offended you?  Where is the grace of God in you that He has first given to you?

“The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love”  This is a passage we all read with a collective sigh of relief.  Thanks be to God He is not swift to punish me in anger for what I did in my sins.   Yet how many times have you been angry?  Heated anger pouring out of every vain against your parents, siblings, friends or others.  Anger that is directed right at them and quickly served up.  What about steadfast love?  That word “steadfast” means unwavering or always firm.  Scripture says “We love because He first loved us” (another commercial passage). Yet John later says “If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4). Suddenly you want to burn that t-shirt, throw the inspirational calendar away and recycle the water bottle.   

There are always two sides of the coin with the Scriptures, we call them Law and Gospel.  This Psalm is comforting for sure, but it's not because you can somehow follow Jesus’ example. Only Jesus can be merciful, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  When you hear Psalm 103 tomorrow at church look at the cross of Jesus.  On the cross of Jesus you will see HIs great mercy, grace and love.  The righteous anger was poured out on Jesus fully so you would not have to endure it eternally. Rather than a cute water bottle, t-shirt or bumper sticker, wear a crucifix, put one in your car or wherever it can be seen by you and others.  In Christ on the cross you see not a commercial Jesus, but a merciful, gracious, always loving Savior who pours Himself out freely so that you might be saved, but also to show mercy, grace and love to those around you, all by His blood shed for you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Thy love and grace alone avail  To blot out my transgression; The best and holiest deeds must fail To break sin’s dread oppression. Before Thee none can boasting stand, But all must fear Thy strict demand  And live alone by mercy. (LSB 607:2)

-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.

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.

July 14, 2023

Today's Reading: 

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 1:1-18, Acts 8:1-25

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.  Joshua 1:5

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our English Bibles don't lead us down the path of understanding what's going on in the Old Testament and how it is connected to the New Testament.  However, in today’s reading we have a good glimpse of that connection between the old and new.  Today we hear about Joshua.  In the Greek language, the name Joshua is Jesus.  Joshua is what we theologians call a “type of Christ.  

After Moses died, the Lord gave authority to Joshua to lead the Israelites into the promised land.  With the help of the Lord, Joshua conquered the land of promise for God’s people and boldly stood up to their enemies.  Likewise, Jesus conquered the forces of evil, both human and demonic, as well as the grave itself, so that His people would inherit an eternal land of promise, the new heaven and the new earth.

The Law of Moses with its threats and promises could not bring God’s people forgiveness or eternal rest.  The blood of lambs and bulls was not enough, because they only pointed to a greater Lamb to come.  The plagues upon Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea, fantastic and powerful as they were, pointed to even greater realities to come: the plagues of God’s wrath against sin.  That wrath was placed onto the greater Joshua, Jesus Christ on the Cross.  In your Baptism you have passed through the sea of death and sin and hell and have been preserved safe.

Jesus, the greater Joshua, grants you  eternal promise of life and salvation..  We cross the Jordan in Baptism, and will soon take possession of that promised land we have been given, when Jesus returns to resurrect all flesh.   

So our enemies are conquered, even though it does not always seem that way.  The world is still full of evil that threatens us.  Death terrifies us sometimes.  The devil is as deadly as always, even though he is mortally wounded by our Jesus.

In Jesus be strong and courageous as you go through this world.  Yes, you are vulnerable to the attacks of many enemies.  But with Christ our new Joshua, He will lead us in order that we can be strong and courageous.  Thanks be to God for Joshua’s courage by the mighty Hand of God.  Thanks be to God for our Joshua, Jesus,  Who has faced down our strong foes so that we share the victory He purchased with His suffering and death and resurrection. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Mighty Victim from the sky, Hell's fierce pow'rs beneath You lie; You have conquered in the fight, You have brought us life and light. Alleluia! (LSB 633:5)

-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.

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.

July 13, 2023

Today's Reading: 

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 31:10-31, John 21:1-25

Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Gospels speak about two charcoal fires that have some pretty significant meaning.  As Jesus is being put on trial Peter is warming himself by a charcoal fire in the courtyard.  It is there where he is questioned about following Jesus and he denies it three times.  The second charcoal fire is in today's reading.  It is after Jesus’ resurrection, shortly before His ascension. Jesus bids his disciples to come and eat with Him after their second great catch of fish.  Jesus would go on to ask Peter “Do you love me?” Three times.   At the first fire, there is darkness, it is cold, the Son of God was betrayed and abandoned by His disciples.  There is a feeling of emptiness, cold darkness, no unity around the fire, fear and lack of faith.  At the second fire there is light, warmth, a miraculous catch of fish, calming of fears, and the resurrected Jesus bringing the disciples unity and strength and even something to eat.  Jesus still stands by his charcoal fire, calling all of his denying, deserting, fallen disciples to come to him and be forgiven and fed.

You have denied Jesus just like Peter did.  This isn't a case where you know better than Peter. Every day we deny Christ by words and actions, surrendering to the pressures of the world. Denying him also by failures to speak, and by inactions. Like Simon Peter, you and I have denied our Lord Jesus more times than we can count. Some, in particular, may stand out in our minds and memory, like those times in the courtyard did for Peter.

But the good news today is this: Jesus is calling you over to himself, maybe not to a charcoal fire, but to the fire of His love. A fire that purifies, cleanses and does not burn.  This fire is the Light of the World that the darkness cannot overcome. Not only that but Jesus also feeds you.  Jesus has it already laid out for you. It is His holy Body and Blood, given for you to eat and to drink in his Blessed Sacrament. Come and eat. Come and be forgiven. Come and be restored. Jesus is with you in the Divine Service dear friends, and the holy fire of forgiveness is still burning all for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Come Holy Fire, comfort true, Grant us the will Your work to do And in your service to abide; Let trials turn us not aside. Lord by Your pow’r prepare each heart, And to our weakness strength impart That bravely here we may contend,  Through life and death to You our Lord ascend. Alleluia. (LSB 497:3)

-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.

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.

July 12, 2023

Today's Reading: Luther’s Small Catechism, Apostle’s Creed: Second Article Part 2

Daily Lectionary:Proverbs 30:1-9, 18-33, John 20:19-31

“purchased and won me from all sins, from death and the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood, and with His inno­cent suffering and death.”

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Christian God speaks of the creator becoming the created.  “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” (John 1)  No other world religion speaks of their god or gods this way.  Jesus is truly God, but He is truly human. Jesus ate, drank, slept, walked, talked, and wept, just like you and me.  Think of the great consolation that Jesus, true God, and true Man, experienced and knows everything you and I know. Jesus had real flesh on his skeleton of bones and real blood flowing through His veins.  

The whole Old Testament teaches us what Hebrews 9 summarizes for us in the New Testament: Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. If a sinner is to be forgiven, then blood must first be shed. In other words, death must first occur as a substitute for the end of a sinner who deserves to die. In the Old Testament, it was animal blood, an animal’s death, that the Lord accepted, but only because He was teaching Israel that a much more precious death had to occur.  The blood of Christ, the end of Christ, true God and true Man, was the total atoning price for the sins of the world, the entire payment for all sins, so that God can and will forgive any sin to the one who claims the atonement made by Christ, to the one who believes in Him as the Redeemer.

In Christ, we have full communion with God as we partake of Jesus’s real body and precious blood in the Holy Eucharist. In this meal, God does not make demands of you or simply gives you a memorial.  He comes to you and places into you His body and blood that were given into death, now become one with you in body and soul.  As St. Paul writes, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  Take heart, you have been purchased by the precious blood of Jesus, which redeems you, but that now also pulses in your veins as He currently lives in you and you in Hm. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Blessed Savior, Jesus Christ, You have given Yourself to us in this holy Sacrament.  Keep us in our faith and favor that we may live in You even as You live in us.  May Your body and blood preserve us in the true faith to live everlasting.  Hear us for the sake of Your name.  Amen.  Prayer for thanksgiving after receiving the Sacrament, (LSB page 308 (157))

-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey.

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.

July 11, 2023

Today's Reading: Romans 7:14-25a

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 27:1-24, John 20:1-18

“For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”  Romans 7:15

In the Name of Jesus, Amen. I’m sure you are like most people who hear the word “sin” you think of the things you have done. In our reading today, Paul does mention the sins he hates, but he also says the power of sin, which is, you guessed it, sin.  What does this mean?  We can’t stop sinning because sin is at work and lives within us. Does that mean we can blame sin for our sinning and somehow squirm our way out of blame?  Not at all; the Law of God still stands and reminds us of all that we have thought, said, and done in our sins under the power of sin.

This is similar to addiction.  At the beginning of addiction, the person freely chooses to become interactive with that addictive substance. Drugs, alcohol, porn, food, you name your favorite addiction; it can wreak havoc on all of us.  However, within addiction, soon that substance controls the individual, whose life becomes dominated by seeking the next fix. When that happens, you’ve bought into the habit at one level while overwhelmed by it at another.  And so “it is a sin that dwells within me” that is both the power at work in you and the addiction you always return to.  

What does this mean for you as a Christian?  Well, simply put, you are simultaneously a saint and a sinner.  In other words, you are at war, not only with sin but yourself and your addiction to sin.  In other words, as Paul says, we are very much with ourselves.  It's “the law of sin that dwells in my members” that takes us captive.  There is a war going on, and sin is taking its prisoners!  The result is hopelessness.  “Who will rescue me from this body of death?”  And the answer?  “God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Christ Jesus is your victor in the circular battle against sin, the devil, and your flesh. 

Apart from Christ, the victor you are hopelessly lost and defeated.  “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor. 5:21.  Your sins are great, but Jesus is greater.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, repent of your sins, and plead the blood of Jesus to your heavenly Father, who hears you.  There is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood.  Christ knows your addiction to evil and yourself, and He desires to kill you by the Law so that you may be made alive in Him, forgiven, restored, and clean. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

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. (LSB 579:6)

-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.

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

July 10, 2023

Today's Reading: Zechariah 9:9-12

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 25:1-22, John 19:23-42

“Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you.”

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What a weird statement from Zechariah today, “prisoners of hope”.  What does it mean to be a prisoner of hope? Remember that the people of Israel had been in the habit of groaning about their captivity. They were used to whining about the fact they had been exiled from Jerusalem, from everything they had held near and dear, particularly the temple.  They would groan and whine, the Lord would set them free and the cycle would repeat.  The same goes for us.  We are prisoners to our sin, but prisoners of hope.  

Zechariah calls the people to face the fact their hopes had been dashed, because their hope had been misplaced. It was a false hope that, once the messiah showed up on his war horse, everything could go back to the way it was. But the way it was meant turning away from God, rejecting God’s promises. 

This is your daily battle with life as well. St. Paul reminds us:  “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. (Romans 7). 

Like the Israelites in Babylon, we have to face the fact that we constantly sin but we are also called the saints of God. This is why the prophet Zechariah says “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!”  We may be prisoners in our sin but our hope is in the Lord your God. Repent of your sorrow and lament, and rejoice in the salvation accomplished for you in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Ride on, ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die. Bow your meek head to mortal pain, then take, O God, your pow'r and reign.  (LSB 441:5)

-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.

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.

July 9, 2023

Today's Reading: Matthew 11:25-30  

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 24:1-22, John 19:1-22

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed by all that is thrown at you?  Family, school, friends, social media trends,  or other things.  What about being overwhelmed with how God might view you and what you have done in your sins against Him and others.  Jesus says today “Come to Me, all you who labor and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” What is it, then, to labor and be heavy laden, to be weary and burdened? What does Jesus mean by that? Jesus speaks to those who are weary of trying to please God by their own efforts. He gets to the heart of the matter if you are burdened with the weight of sin?  Is family, school, or friends etc, heavy and burdensome?  Sure!  But with most burdensome and heavy things we tend not put the best construction on what's going on.  We become weighed down with the weariness and burdens that life in this vale of tears lays upon us. Jesus speaks to those who are heavy-laden with loads they are unable to carry. To those who realize their weariness and burdened state, Jesus says today, “... I Will Give You Rest.”

Jesus’ words were directly aimed at the people who were under the weight the Pharisees would load on people’s backs. They thought, and they taught, that the Law was something–if you worked hard enough–you could keep. That was how you could be accounted righteous before God–by your works. But when you add all that typical sinful human beings encounter each and every day we know we cannot please God or treat our neighbors with love.  

This is why Jesus speaks of giving us rest.  That rest is found in Sunday’s in the Divine Service, in regular reading and participating in the Word of God and evening the life of prayer.  Jesus speaks of all that being rest for us because when we take that time it is Jesus who forgives us and renews us and feeds us His forgiveness and mercy with His real presence with us.  Not only does He forgive and feed us, He also takes on your weights, your burdens and places them onto himself as your Redeemer and Savior; all so that you may be set free, no matter what you face.  His rest is for you, His comfort is for you, He will carry your weights and burdens now and into eternity.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Gracious God, our heavenly Father, Your mercy attends us all our days. Be our strength and support amid the wearisome changes of this world, and at life’s end grant us Your promised rest and the full joys of Your salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.

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.

July 8, 2023

Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 6: Psalm 91:2, 9-10; antiphon Psalm 91:1

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:22-28:12, John 18:15-40

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. (Psalm 91:1–2 ESV)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You live in occupied territory. You live behind enemy lines. You are a citizen of a great kingdom, but you live in a place that does not recognize you or  your king. You live in a place that seems to be permanently at war with your king. Things are not as they appear. The great battle is over, the war is won, you king now rules over all but the victory parade has not yet reached you. This is the reality of being a Christian. You live in the now and the not yet. Jesus is king  now, eternal life is yours now but His reign and your place in it  has not yet fully manifested itself. 

The world you live in continues on a day to day basis as if Jesus does not reign, as if the battle was still going on. Even worse it is engaged in an active disinformation campaign telling all who would listen that there is no kingdom and no king.  In the face of the constant onslaught of the already defeated sin, death, and the devil you have a place to take refuge in. God himself is your fortress. Your local congregation gives you sanctuary from the forces arrayed against you and God himself is present there with His gifts that give a glimpse of what will be at the full coming of His kingdom. 

This is what the Word and Sacrament ministry of the church is. Every time the Gospel is proclaimed it is a declaration of God’s victory. Every Baptism is a little more new creation taking over the old. Every celebration of the Lord’s Supper is a foretaste of the feast to come. Every worship service is a manifestation of the kingdom that is coming, a kingdom that you already belong to, a kingdom that this world cannot and will not stop. The very king who is coming is the very king who is your fortress and your refuge. He is here now and He will guard you and keep you until the full coming of His kingdom.   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

A mighty fortress is our God, A sword and shield victorious; He breaks the cruel oppressor's rod And wins salvation glorious. The old satanic foe Has sworn to work us woe. With craft and dreadful might He arms himself to fight. On earth he has no equal.( A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, LSB 657:1) 

-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.

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.

July 7, 2023

Today's Reading: 

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:1-21, John 18:1-14

“Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” (John 18:4–6 ESV)

In the Name + of Jesus. The Pharisees and Sadducees who plotted the arrest of Jesus probably thought that all their back room machinations were finally bearing fruit. You can almost hear them say, “I love it when a plan comes together.” They had received inside information on where Jesus was going to be absent from the crowds that had been preventing them from acting.  One of Jesus’ own inner circle was willing to betray him. At last they would be rid of this interloper that was challenging the status quo. They were wrong on all accounts.

What was going on in there in the Garden on the night in which Jesus was betrayed was not the coming together of the plans of those who plotted Jesus' arrest. Rather what was coming together was the plan that God had set in motion from the very creation of the world. The Sadducees and Pharisees thought that they were conspiring against a man. Jesus the son of Joseph and Mary. Jesus who until now had avoided all their other set ups and traps. Instead Jesus was in full control of everything that was happening because it was His plan all along that was coming together. Look at His answer to His question about who they were looking for. He does not say ‘that is me’ so much as He says ‘I AM’. He identifies Himself as the creator God. He was not the son of Joseph, He is the incarnate Son of God. Nothing happens to Him by surprise. His betrayal and arrest in the garden had to happen because it was part of the plan. Creation was broken and could not fix itself. The creator had to enter His creation to fix it and His plan was to become incarnate, to become man, to die on the cross and fix everything that had gone wrong. They fall to the ground because they understand who Jesus had said that He is. 

At this point in the passion narrative it looks like the Jewish authorities are the ones in control, but as the story unfolds it becomes more and more clear that Jesus is in control of all the events of his arrest and interrogation. The way of the cross was the plan from all along. Jesus is doing the very thing that He came to do and He is doing it for you.  The plan of God from all eternity to save His people was the plan of God to save you. What happened to Jesus was all part of the plan.  The great I AM came seeking you.  Amen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

He sent no angel to our race, Of higher or of lower place, But wore the robe of human frame, And to this world Himself He came.  (O Love, How Deep, LSB 544:2) 

-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.

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.

July 6, 2023

Today's Reading: 

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 20:5-25, John 17:1-26

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20–21 ESV)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  The words of Jesus in John 17 are known as the High Priestly Prayer. Here Jesus prays for His disciples, He prays for those who would come to faith through their preaching, and He prays for the unity of all Chrisitans everywhere. Jesus is often spoken of as being prophet, priest, and king. Here He is exercising His office as priest. Indeed the author of Hebrews will go on to call Jesus the great High Priest of our confession. In Jewish tradition, under the Mosaic covenant, the High Priest was the one who could go into the very presence of God on behalf of the people on the Day of Atonement. The people had no direct access to God. The priest had to go for them.

All this changed because of Jesus. His death on the cross ended the Old Testament priesthood. People no longer needed a priest to go to God on their behalf. They themselves had access to God. There was no longer any need for a mediator. Luther would refer to this as the Priesthood of All Believers. What this means is that all God’s people have access to him in prayer. They can come into His presence without fear. Everytime you go to church, everytime you receive the Sacrament of the Altar, you are in the presence of God. You are a priest. 

You have direct access to God in prayer. You don’t have to go through any kind of mediary. That is your privilege as part of the priesthood of all believers. You can go straight to God in prayer on your own behalf as well as on behalf of others in your life. This means that you can pray for yourself but other Christians can pray for you just as you do for them because they too are part of the priesthood of all believers.  All the while the one who made all this possible continues His prayers for all His people including you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Son of God, eternal Savior, Source of life and truth and grace, Word made flesh, whose birth among us Hallows all our human race: By your praying, by Your willing That Your people should be one, Grant, O grant hope’s fruition: Here on earth Your will be done. (Son of God Eternal Savior, LSB 842:4) 

-Pastor Grant Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, California.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.

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.