Reflections

April 27, 2023

Today's Reading: 1 Peter 1:17-25

Daily Lectio nary: Exodus 38:21-39:8, 22-23, 27-31, Luke 8:1-21

“for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:24–25 ESV)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You live in exile. You live as an outsider in the world. Sometimes it would just be easier to be an unbeliever. You wouldn’t catch quite so much grief from the political and celebrity elites that dismiss Christians as being dumber than the average bear. You also would not have to worry about being targeted as an extremist by federal law enforcement officers. In addition, Sunday mornings could be reserved for sleeping in. It wouldn’t solve all of life’s problems; you would still have to do homework and fulfill all your other commitments and responsibilities. Life would not be perfect, but it sure would be easier. At the very least, you would no longer be living in exile. 

This is exactly the kind of temptation that presented itself to the people that Peter writes to in our reading for today. He calls them exiles, not so much because they had been removed from their homeland, but because their faith had made them outsiders. The people they lived among had no respect for the faith or the faithful. Good citizenship and Christianity were considered incompatible. It would have been easier for them if they had just given into the things their culture was expecting from them and renounced their beliefs and blended in.  

In the face of cultural persecution Peter reminds his readers who they are. His words to them are also his words to you. You have been ransomed by the very blood of Christ. You have been washed in the eternal Word and fed with the very body and blood of that Word made flesh. You have an eternal status as a child of God. Nothing in this present world can compare to that. Nothing that our culture offers you has any lasting value. That which is  tempting you away from the faith is fleeting and transitory. It, like the grass and flowers, withers and fails. The Word of the Lord, the good news that was preached to you, the very new creation that you are will remain forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord, Your words are waters living When my thirsting spirit pleads. Lord, Your words are bread life giving; On Your words my spirit feeds.  Lord, Your words will be my light Through death’s cold and dreary night; Yes they are sword prevailing And my cup of joy unfailing. “Speak, O Lord, Your Servant Listens” LSB 589, st 3. 

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

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.

April 26, 2023

Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism, Table of Duties: Fifth Commandment

Daily Lectionary:Exodus 34:29-35:21, Luke 7:36-50

The Fifth Commandment.:  You shall not murder.  What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. At first glance this commandment would seem pretty easy to obey. It is not difficult to live your day to day life without having to resort to the act of murder.  Many of the other commandments, particularly the eighth, are much more difficult to keep.  Luther’s teaching on this commandment shows that its meaning goes far beyond the simple prohibition to not murder. In fact, this commandment is not so much about avoiding the act of murder as it is about acting to protect your neighbor from harm and danger. 

In helping to care for your neighbor you become part of the wall that God has erected around them to protect their bodily life.  Much of what we would call acts of mercy are actually fulfillments of the command not to murder. The command not to murder cannot be obeyed passively; it carries with it the expectation that you will act on behalf of your neighbors needs.  

For Luther these actions are the product of meekness. Not the meekness that we might practice before our friends and family but the meekness that is shown to our enemies. The meekness that does not seek revenge. The meekness that prays for those who do evil to us. This kind of meekness can only be the product of faith. The keeping of this commandment does not earn or create faith–it is the product of faith. You can only act on behalf of others because someone has already acted on behalf of you. You can only protect another's life because you have been given life. 

You can only act with this kind of meekness because Jesus became meek for you. While you were still His enemy he acted on your behalf and gave His life on the cross. He did all that was necessary to protect your bodily life. He moved you from death to life and has made you an agent of life not a bringer of death. Your care of  the life of your neighbor has its genesis in the Gospel because that is the source of your life with Christ. It is because He is with you that you can act to protect the life of your neighbor.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

You shall not murder, hurt, nor hate; Your anger dare not dominate. Be kind and patient; help, defend, And treat your foe as your friend. Have mercy, Lord. “These Are the Holy Ten Commands” LSB 581, st 6.

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

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.

April 25, 2023

Today's Reading: Luke 10:1-9

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 34:1-28, Luke 17:18-35

“Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” (Luke 10:3)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mark would have been a terrible televangelist. Those guys for the most part promise you a successful stress free middle class life with an attractive spouse, well behaved children, and a three car garage. Mark, on the other hand, makes it clear in his Gospel that suffering comes before glory in the Christian life.  If, as one strain of church tradition tells us, Mark was one of the seventy-two, then he heard it straight from Jesus, “I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 

This is the truth of your baptismal identity. You came up out of the waters of the font marked as one redeemed by Christ the Crucified and that mark functions as a target for Satan and his minions.  Belief in Jesus is not a shortcut to a life of  private jets, and yachts where the world bows to your every whim. Instead your life as a Christian is lived in a world that is hostile to your very existence. The world that rejected him also rejects His followers. This is part and parcel of the mystery of theology of the cross. Your very life with Christ is tied up in the mystery of his suffering on the cross. 

Mark’s entire Gospel points to the cross and he does not want Jesus to be understood apart from the cross. Jesus is not to be understood as a worker of miracles, or as a great teacher. He is to be understood as the one who suffered and died to give his people victory over sin and death. Many times in this life that victory is hard to see. If the cross is a mystery, then so is the life of faith. This means that you can suffer and still be a Christian. You can live as lambs in the midst of wolves because Jesus the Crucified One is with you. 

Your life as a Christian will be full of peaks and valleys. The here and now will always be full of wolves seeking to separate you from Christ, but His victory is your victory, and His Resurrection points to your own resurrection. Your present may contain darkness, but your future contains only light. In Jesus the kingdom of God has come near to you and remains near to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

For Mark, O Lord, we praise you, The weak by grace made strong, Whose labors and whose Gospel Enrich our triumph song. May we, in all our weakness, Reflect your servant life And follow in Your footsteps, Enduring cross and strife. “By All Your Saints in Warfare” LSB 518, st 15.

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

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.

April 24, 2023

Today's Reading: Acts 2:14a, 36-41

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

“And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”” (Acts 2:38–40)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's amazing what a little water can do, especially when it is combined with the Word and promise of God. In our reading for today the law has had its way with the people Peter is preaching to. They have come face to face with the reality of their sin. They have rejected the promised Messiah. They have crucified the Son of God. How can you possibly atone for a sin like that? How can you pay back God for the life of HIs Son? Nothing in the law of Moses, nothing in the traditions of the Pharisees gave them any recourse. They are left only with the question, “What shall we do?” 

In the face of the accusations of the law and the reality of their sin Peter gives them the Gospel. The solution is Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. What they could not do, God will do for them. The atonement they could not make has been made for them. The law they could not fulfill, has been fulfilled for them. In the waters of Baptism they will find release from their sins and be given the gift of the Holy Spirit. In the waters of Baptism they will be given faith in the one that they rejected. In the promise of the Gospel they will be saved from their crooked generation. 

The promise that was for them was not limited to them. It is a promise that was for their children, and all who are far off. It was a promise that covered all sins for all people for all time. In other words, it is a promise that is for you. In the waters of your Baptism you received the forgiveness of sins and God called you to himself.  No accusation of the law even if brought by Satan himself can take away what God has done for you. In the promise of the Gospel you have been saved from this crooked generation. You are a child of the promise and have nothing to fear from the accusations of the Law.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Satan, hear this proclamation:  I am baptized into Christ!  Drop your ugly accusation, I am not so soon enticed. Now that to the font I’ve traveled, All your might has come unraveled, And, against your tyranny, God, my Lord, unites with me!  “God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It” LSB 594, st 3. 

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

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.

April 23, 2023

Today's Reading: Luke 24:13-35

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

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27 ESV)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There are any number of Christians that will tell you that the Bible is the Word of God. They take what it says seriously and want to apply it to their lives. The problem is that despite having the best of intentions, these people don’t know how to read the Bible. They treat it like a Magic 8 Ball. They ask a question and then open the Bible to a random passage, place their finger on the page, and what they read becomes the answer to their question. That is not how it works, that is not how any of this works.

This is the same issue that Cleopas and his friend in our reading had. Well, maybe not the Magic 8 Ball thing, but they still did not know how to read the scriptures. Look at what Jesus says to them, he calls them foolish and slow of heart because they did not believe all that the prophets have spoken. In other words, he castigates them for not understanding how to properly read the Scriptures.  Jesus then gives them the key to understanding the Bible. He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Jesus showed them that He is the key to reading the Bible. He showed them that the Bible is primarily about Him. 

This is not something that they could have known prior to this. This way of reading the Bible only comes in the light of the Resurrection. Prior to Easter many of the things that Jesus said and did remained a mystery even to his closest followers. After His Resurrection, His actions and words became more clear and the Scriptures became a new book. The Bible did not change, but their ability to read and understand  the Word of God was changed. The ‘do this’ of the law was changed into the ‘for you’ of the Gospel. 

This is the way that Lutherans still read the Bible today. We read the Scriptures with what is known as a Christologica Hermeneutic, which is just a fancy way of saying that we believe that Jesus is the key to understanding the Bible. We believe that the writings of the prophets and apostles are about Him and from start to finish point to His life, Death, and Resurrection as the key to understanding God’s Word. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joys; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. 

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

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.

April 22, 2023

Today's Reading:Psalm 84:1-4; antiphon: Psalm 84:5

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

Blessed are those who dwell in your house,ever singing your praise!  Psalm 84:4

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen! In the Old Testament, the children of Israel were very familiar with where God was located.   Psalm 84 celebrates the temple of God in Jerusalem. It begins, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of Heaven’s Armies” (Ps. 84:1). This is a reference to the temple, as is made clear in the following verse: “I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD” (Ps. 84:2). Moreover, the psalm-writer adds, “What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises” (Psalm 84:4).  Later in this Psalm we hear of the sheer joy of being in the temple versus anything in this world “A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else” (Psalm 84:10).

As we read this psalm today, we might pause and say, this is nice, but is there anything here for us? Where are God’s courts today? Where is the temple for us today?

Many Christians today will emphasize that God’s temple is now your heart. Ask Jesus into your heart, and He and His father will make it your temple. This leads to Christianity solely focusing on the individual and their prayers and devotions. Because God has made himself known to us in Christ, and because the Spirit of God.

Yet, Psalm 84 shows us that God’s presence is not just for the individual but for the entire Body of Christ to participate together. This happens in the Divine Service, where Jesus meets us with His gifts of forgiveness, life, salvation, and heavenly presence.  Jesus says, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it in three days.”  The temple for us today is the flesh of Jesus, that flesh that was crucified, resurrected, ascended, and given each Lord’s day in the holy eucharist. Because Jesus is our living temple, He makes His home with us. In fact, according to the New Testament, the local church is the new temple of God: “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Thus, Psalm 84 encourages us to celebrate the presence of the Lord Jesus as we gather with God’s people.  Jesus Christ, with His Word and Sacraments, is the ultimate dwelling place of God on earth, the Word made flesh. Through Christ, we dwell in the house of the Lord forever and sing His praises.  Christ is risen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In His temple now behold Him; See the long-expected Lord! Ancient prophets had foretold him; God has  now fulfilled His word. Now to praise Him, His redeemèd Shall break forth with one accord.  LSB 519 vs. 1

- 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.

April 21, 2023

Today's Reading: John 14:18-24

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

 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Christ is Risen“John 14:18  

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Amid a world of death and decay, it is straightforward to feel alone, lost and abandoned. The world doesn’t have an answer for death, so many want to celebrate the life lived in the valley of the shadow of death. The world’s inability to have an answer to the end, the devil prowling around you like a roaring lion, and our over-confidence in ourselves leads us to despair and feel alone.  Yet Jesus reminds us today, “I will not leave you as orphans.”  Jesus did not say that He will never leave us, but that He will not leave us... as orphans. To leave behind an orphan is to abandon a child, to give it up, and give up caring and loving for it. It used to be that the church took in orphans in communities. The church was not only told to pray for orphans but also to foster these children and care for them. A lower birth rate and an increase in the killing of unwanted children have led to fewer and fewer orphans around us. Yet there are still unwanted children, for whatever reason, and it’s unsuitable for the children or the parents.

It is easy to feel that we have been left behind and forgotten, orphaned by the Lord. Has He forgotten us? Are we orphaned? He has left us for a time, but not as orphans. That is where the Resurrection of Jesus comes into full force—the world. It cannot give you an answer for death; it leaves you to your own devices and the temptations of the devil. We spend seven weeks during Easter to be reminded that because Christ is risen, we too shall rise. We will enter into that place our heavenly Father has prepared for us.  This is why he tells his followers after Jesus’ Resurrection, "​Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father!​“ Now that He has ascended, and sent the Spirit, the Helper, we see Him in His fullness, not with mere eyes, but with great faith and love, enthroned as God and Man.

He has left us, not as orphans, but baptized, adopted children, given up, and abandoned by death! We live and shall live because He lives. Your heavenly Father has sent Christ as your Savior, Redeemer, and brother, and the Spirit reminds us that wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, there He is, all so that where He is, we may be found.  Not found as orphans but beloved children.  Christ is risen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Now I will cling forever To Christ, my Savior true; My Lord will leave me never, Whate'er He passes through. He rends death's iron chain; He breaks through sin and pain; He shatters hell's dark thrall;  I follow Him through all.   LSB 467 vs. 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.

April 20, 2023

Today's Reading: Luke 5:17-39

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

Quotation for the Reflection (citation)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen! The church, at all times, has longed to have new members joining the Body of Christ.  Who doesn’t love to see the church grow?  It used to be that the church would evangelize through works of mercy and care for anyone in need.  Today it seems as if we look for church members who won’t cause problems, messy people, people who will volunteer more or even give more money.  Jesus tells His disciples to “let down your nets for a catch” today. This image of Jesus is a familiar one to us.  The disciples have tried fishing all night with no results. Jesus tells them to drop the nets in the heat of the day, and there is the miraculous fish catch. This imagery is given to us about the disciples who would become “fishers of men” for the church.  However, Jesus doesn’t fish for specific fish.  He is not going over largemouth bass or walleye. He’s not going for catfish; He wants them all. Jesus doesn’t use a pole with line and bait; He uses a net.  A net is something that brings everything together at once.  Big fish, little fish, dying fish and newborn fish, predator fish, and prey fish, the list goes on and on.  Watch a YouTube video of fishermen using nets in the sea.  When the net comes up from the water, there is a massive variety of fish and creatures. The fishermen begin to sort out the fishing. Keep only what is good and throw out what is bad.

What we hear of in the miraculous fish catch today is the perfect picture of Jesus’ church. Jesus does not mention what kind of fish He is looking for; none are to be cast aside. This seems crazy to us in the church.  It might even seem irresponsible, uncomfortable, or even inconvenient for whom we want to see in the church. This is the initial call of the church. To seek and welcome the lost, the last, and the losers of life so that they might be redeemed and restored by Jesus just like us.  But it's not enough to dump the net on the floor. Jesus also calls us to show mercy and love to all who enter His church's doors.  This might seem daunting; it might seem uncomfortable or awkward, but remember that He has also sought you out. His blood has redeemed you.  Blood that washes away your sins and pulses through your veins as you receive Him in the Holy Eucharist. Blood that strengthens you to welcome anyone caught up in the net of Jesus placed before HIs church. Christ is risen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Grant, then, O God, Your will be done, That, when the church bells are ringing, Many in saving faith may come  Where Christ His message is brining: “I know My own, My own know Me. You, not the world, My face shall see. My peace I leave with you.  Amen.”  LSB 645 vs. 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.

April 19, 2023

Today's Reading: Luther's Small Catechism Table of Duties: The Fourth Commandment

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

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first com­mandment with a promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3.”  Luther’s Table of Duties - the Fourth Commandment

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ is risen! I was blessed to have Christian parents who raised me in the church.  However, I still rebelled against them as most kids do.  The older I got, the dumber they seemed to me.  It was always hard to hear my parents or pastor say, “do you remember the fourth commandment?”  My response was usually an eye roll. You have heard it before, and you may have the same reactions.  However, the Lord takes this commandment very seriously.  It is no small thing that this commandment sits atop the second table of the ten commandments, which speak about loving our neighbor.  Honoring and obeying God is always first, but the parents and all authorities always come second.

We are not only to love our parents but also we are to honor them.  Honor is greater than love; this command still stands despite what we think of our parents or even their faults and sins.  We are to honor and love our parents despite their failings and inadequacies. God commands that we obey our fathers as He is our Father. Fathers, likewise, are expected to be like our heavenly Father. After all, He is the origin of what it truly means to be a father.  Fathers have a high calling from God to be in His stead in the family.  St. Paul writes directly to fathers when he says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:1-4

Your parents are God’s instruments, not to raise you as children but as adults. They are the masks of God in your life, and the only way they can fulfill this duty is by the grace of God given to them as well. Jesus forgives you for failing to love and honor them, and He also forgives your parents for failing to love and raise you according to His commands; in the end, that is what it means to live out your life with your parents and family. Living in the love Christ has first shown to us and living in His gifts he continually gives us in our parents. But always remember you as well are a tremendous gift to your parents. Christ is risen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

“Our works cannot salvation gain;  They merit only endless pain. Forgive us, Lord! To Christ we flee, Who pleads for us endlessly, Have mercy Lord!”    LSB 581 vs 12

- 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.

April 18, 2023

Today's Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9 

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

1Peter 1:3   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Christ is risen! I love birthdays, especially when it's the birthday of one of my kids.  I love the joy they get to see and celebrate and the memories and emotions I have of recalling the day they were born. We all have birthdays, but none of us can remember what that particular day was like.  Not only that, none of us chose to be born (thanks be to God your parents went through with it!). Yet your birthday is not just a one-time-a-year event.  When you think about it, every day you live, you get to live out your birthday!  Peter said that God caused us to be born again today. We didn’t do it. God did. It wasn’t you “making your decision for Jesus,” as though you could cause yourself to be born again. No, God caused us to be born again, and he did it through his life-giving Word. Later Peter writes in chapter 3, “Baptism now saves you.” Jesus does the work for us as we are born again.  And each day, you live out your Baptism as Jesus forgives you in the name of the triune God that gives Baptism its saving power! 

This Baptism is also connected to Jesus’s Resurrection, where Scripture talks about him being the “firstborn” of the new creation.  Your Baptism connects you to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Peter says just that. He says God “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Christ was dead, and now he is risen. And therein lies the decisive act in all of history. Christ’s Resurrection from the dead gives substance to the excellent news, connects us to Christ in Holy Baptism, and forms the basis for the hope of our resurrection.

Just like our birthday, there will also be our death day.  We do not die without hope the day we leave this earthly life.  Peter tells us about this future in our text. He says we have been born again to a living hope, “to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” “Inheritance”–that is what you receive. God gives you the gift of an “imperishable” inheritance–it doesn’t have an expiration date. An “undefiled” inheritance–nobody can mess with it. An “unfading” estate–that won’t get weaker or watered down. And this inheritance is being “kept in heaven for you,” where it will remain safe and secure.  You have been born again to a living hope.  Christ is risen!

Gracious Lord, we give you thanks that in Holy Baptism we receive forgiveness of sins, deliverance from death and the devil, and eternal salvation.  On our baptismal anniversary continue to bless us by your Word and Spirit that we faithfully keep the covenant into which we have been called, boldly confess our Savior and finally share with all your saints the joys of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  (Prayer for Anniversary of a Baptism - modified - LSB page 310

- 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.