Reflections

Today's Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 38:1-23; Romans 7:1-20

he says:

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant

    to raise up the tribes of Jacob

    and to bring back the preserved of Israel;

I will make you as a light for the nations,

    that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the second “servant song” in Isaiah, the Lord speaks about His servant to come.  In verse 3, the Lord says, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” It is impressive to be the Lord’s servant, and it is a big deal that God will be glorified in this servant.  But this servant isn't just a run of the mill hero or world leader.  The servant is ultimately fulfilled not in any human governor nor in the people of Israel but in Jesus.  Jesus doesn’t just lift up the tribes of Jacob and the people of Israel.  Jesus, God in the flesh, brings salvation not only for the people of Israel but for all people.  He is the light of the nations and brings salvation to the end of the earth.  This is the same Jesus who declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)  It is Jesus who was called forth from His mother and worshiped by Gentile Magi because He is their Savior, too.  

Jesus has come so all people, Jewish and Gentile alike, know the salvation of God.  God isn’t the Creator of only some, nor is He the Redeemer of only a few.  The Lord loves all people, just as Jesus died for all people.  He calls all people to repent and confess the holy name of Jesus.  Those who repent and believe are those who will be saved. When in Luke 13, someone asked Jesus if those who would be saved were few.  Instead of answering with a simple, “No,” Jesus calls His disciples to focus on their own faith and on His work for them.  Jesus is the Savior of all, yes, but He is your Savior.  Not only is He the glory of Israel and the Light of the Gentiles, but He is your Lord as well.  He came to shed His precious blood for you and to rescue you from sin, death, and the devil. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

This is the Savior of the world,  The Gentiles’ promised light,  God’s glory dwelling in our midst,   

The joy of Israel.  (Lutheran Service Book 937, stanza 2)

-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.

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.

Today's Reading: John 1:29-42a

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 37:15-28; Romans 6:1-23

And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:34)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Who is Jesus?  The answer to this question changes everything.  In the reading today, it changes everything for Simon and Andrew, just like it changes everything for John the Baptist.  If Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, He is worth following and worth believing.  That means that He is not just another teacher, or just someone with wisdom and insights.  If Jesus is the Son of God, like John the Baptist declares, then everything is different.  Jesus has come to change everything.  The One who was baptized by John when John saw the Holy Spirit descend on Him is the same One who calls Simon and Andrew to follow Him.  

Why should Simon and Andrew follow Jesus?  Because He is the Son of God who takes away the sin of the world!  If He was anything less than that, following Jesus might lead to a better life or a path of wisdom.  But that’s not worth following Jesus completely and totally.  Jesus doesn’t call you to a project or a side-project.  Jesus calls you to a life of devotion, because Jesus has devoted Himself to you.  He is the One who unites Himself with you in the waters of baptism.  You have a death like His, and you have a resurrection like His because you are baptized into Him.  

Jesus is certainly the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world, but never, ever lose sight of the fact that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away your sins.  Jesus isn’t a Savior “in general” but He is a Savior for you. Jesus is the Messiah who invites you to “come and see” all His goodness.  Is He your Savior?  Come and see!  Does He forgive your sins?  Come and see!  Does He love you?  Come and see!  He came for real people with real names, like Simon and Andrew and you.  He has called you His own when He claimed you in the waters of Holy Baptism.  There, He placed you in His name, and He will never give up on you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, who governs all things in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the prayers of Your people and grant us Your peace through all our days; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.

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.

Today's Reading: Introit for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 36:33-37:14; Romans 5:1-21

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,

 O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

The heavens declare the glory of God,

 and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours out speech,

 and night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words,

 whose voice is not heard.

Their measuring line goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

 In them he has set a tent for the sun.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

 and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning,

 is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,

 O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.  (The Introit for the Second Sunday of Epiphany, Psalm 19:1-4, 14)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Text of the Reflection. In Psalm 19, David and the Church pray that God would let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in the sight of God.  That’s in Psalm 19:14, but earlier in the same psalm, all the talking isn’t done by you or by David.  The heavens declare God’s glory.  In the daytime, speech pours out.  All creation does the talking, from the sky and the sun.  After that comes God’s law and testimony and precepts.  There is nothing in all creation that isn’t made by God.

That includes you.  You have been made in the image of God, not merely because God breathed the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils, but because the crucified and risen Jesus breathed the breath of the new life of forgiveness into His disciples and into you.  The words of your mouth and the meditation of your heart are acceptable to God, not because you’re alive but because you have been recreated and restored from sinfulness. The image of God was lost when Adam and Eve fell, but you are in the image of God because Jesus has restored the image of God for you.  When you were an enemy of God, Christ Jesus died for you.  Jesus’ act of righteousness in death and resurrection rescues you from death and condemnation and makes you alive again.  

Now, your mouth opens and your lips declare the praises of God who has called you from darkness into His marvelous light.  You join all creation, not because you want to, but because Jesus has died and risen for you and you have eternal life in Christ Jesus your Lord.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

From all that dwell below the skies  Let the Creator’s praise arise;  Alleluia, alleluia  Let the Redeemer’s name be sung Through ev’ry land by ev’ry tongue.  Alleluia, alleluia!  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! (Lutheran Service Book 816, stanza 1)

-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.

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Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.

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.

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 36:13-28; Romans 4:1-25

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,  fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.  That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”  (Romans 4:20-22)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Abraham was a man of faith.  God gave Abraham a promise, and Abraham believed God.  God counted that faith as righteousness.  But sometimes, reading the New Testament (like Romans) about people who lived in the days of the Old Testament (like Abraham in Genesis) makes us think, “There was a lot of time between Abraham and Paul.  How does Paul know that Abraham didn’t waver?”  After all, today we face all manner of challenges to our faith.  The world condemns us as outdated, the devil tells us that we misunderstand God, and our own sin-fallen flesh and mind says that we’re irrational.  That makes us sound very different from Abraham who didn’t waver concerning the promise of God.  Is Abraham our Father?  Do we have the same faith that Abraham did?

Stop!  Thinking like that takes your eyes off Jesus.  Abraham isn’t saved because he was so good at believing.  Abraham is saved because Jesus died and rose for him.  When you worry that your faith is weak or that you might waver or that you might not be able to withstand the devil who prowls around you like a roaring lion, your concerns are all about yourself – are you strong enough, good enough, faithful enough?  You’re not.  If you hope to be righteous because you are good enough, you have no chance.  You aren’t saved by the quality of your faith, but by Jesus whom your faith rests in.  The Holy Spirit calls you to believe the promises of Jesus.  Your faith might waver.  You might doubt.  Certainly, you will not be able to commit to perfect faith.  Your Lord, the Holy One, makes you holy.

Abraham isn’t saved because He was so good at believing.  Abraham is saved because God took on flesh to die and rise for him.  You aren’t saved because your faith is so good, or because you have done such a good job of being faithful, or anything like that.  You are saved because Jesus died and rose for you and because the Holy Spirit has called you by the Gospel, enlightened you with the light of Christ, gathered you with the Church, and sanctified you in God’s holiness.  Your faith isn’t about you, but in Jesus who is the resurrection and the life for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The God of Abr’ham praise, Whose all-sufficient grace  Shall guide me all my pilgrim day,  In all my ways. He deigns to call me friend; He calls Himself my God. And He shall save me to the end  Through Jesus’ blood. (Lutheran Service Book 798, stanza 3)

-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.

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Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.

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.

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 34:1-24; Romans 3:19-31

For there is no distinction:  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22b-24)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.  That’s a stark word of judgment.  God’s Law tells you this.  You haven’t kept the Ten Commandments.  You haven’t loved the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind.  You haven’t loved your neighbor as yourself.  But that’s not the end of this passage, or even the end of the sentence.  The same “all” that have sinned is also the “all” that are justified by God’s grace as a gift.  Jesus died for all sinners.  Everyone is covered by Jesus’ shed blood.  Not everyone believes, but Jesus has come in the flesh to die and to rise for all sinners.

That matters to you because you can never say, “I’m such a terrible sinner that Jesus shouldn’t care about me.”  It isn’t true to think, “My sin is so great that Jesus won’t forgive me.”  Certainly, the devil, the world, and your sinful nature might try to convince you that Jesus doesn’t forgive you, but consider the source!  Christ declares that He has shed His blood for you.  Your guilt is covered over by Christ.  You are justified by the One who is just.  God brings justice, not on your terms but on His terms.  Is God’s grace fair?  You might not think so.  You might not think it's fair for someone who has hurt you or who has lived a certain way to be forgiven.  But God acts in His justice and mercy, not just for you, but for everyone.  He brings His justice through faith and by faith to all people.  There is no distinction, and that means that you aren’t beyond God’s desire or ability to forgive.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord, I believe Thy precious blood, Which at the mercy seat of God Pleads for the captives’ liberty, Was also shed in love for me.  (Lutheran Service Book 563, stanza 3) Text: Public domain

-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.

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Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.

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.

Today's Reading: Table of Duties: To Wives

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 33:1-20; Romans 3:1-18

“And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’  Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 33:10-11)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord hates sin.  Scripture is clear about this.  The Lord judges sin, and the unrepentant, unbelieving souls are judged too.  But the Lord isn’t like a schoolyard bully, sneaking around waiting to beat up sinners with judgment.  He Himself warns sinners to watch out, to turn, to repent.  Sometimes, when people are warned about a terrible thing that might happen, they get hopeless.  If you’ve heard about that algebra test, you might just think, “Well, what’s the point of studying, since I can study for days and I’ll still fail?”  That’s what the people that Ezekiel was prophesying to said.  “How can we live?”  The Lord spoke through Ezekiel to call them to repentance.  God wanted them to leave behind their wicked ways and live.  

1 Peter 3:1-6 speaks in a similar way.  Go check it out, then come back.  Peter writes to wives that even if they are married to a nonbeliever, they prophesied in their actions to the truth of God’s mercy.  Peter writes to women who were married and then became Christians.  They weren’t to divorce their husbands, but to continue being married to them, submitting to them in love even though the men weren’t Christians.  These faithful wives, adorned with a gentle and quiet spirit, might win their husbands to the Christian faith.  But these words apply to you if you’re not married, and even if you’re not a woman.  The quiet and gentle spirit of faith testifies as a watchman, giving the hope of Jesus Christ to believers and unbelievers alike.

You are full of hope because Jesus Christ has died and risen for you.  He submitted in quietness and gentleness to death so that you won’t die.  Because He lives, you also will live.  He has won you to faith in Him.  You are part of the Church, the bride of Christ.  There is no hopelessness for you.  The Lord has turned you from the wickedness of unbelief so that you have everlasting life with Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Come, join in Cana’s feast,  Where Christ is honored guest. He welcomes all who come to taste,
The wine His hands have blessed. (Lutheran Service Book 408, stanza 1)

-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.

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Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.

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.

Today's Reading: Romans 6:1-11

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

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:5)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It seems pretty normal to think about your baptism in the past tense, like it’s something from which you’ve moved on. But no Christian ever moves past their baptism.  Baptism into Christ Jesus isn’t something that you move on from.  It’s not something that you grow out of, like a set of clothes you wore when you were younger.  Your baptism into Jesus is something that you grow into.  It is the very truth of eternal life, and you will live forever in your baptismal grace.  Jesus says so!  Since you are connected with Him, you will live with Him forever.  

The eternal life that you have with Jesus makes you free from sin.  Now, you are a holy saint of God, not suffering from the curses of sin or death or your sinful nature anymore.  Those problems have been answered through the baptismal waters that Jesus has washed you into.  But it wasn’t the water that did such great things, it’s the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for you that did it.  Jesus delivers His shed blood and His own death and His glorious resurrection for you in that baptism.  While it didn’t look like much other than some splashes of water from a font of water, it is there that Jesus made you His own.  That’s what makes the gift of baptism so great – it is the work of Jesus for you.  Just like His death on the cross and just like His resurrection from the dead, He did it for you and delivers you from all your sins, now and forever.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God’s own child, I gladly say it: I am baptized into Christ! He, because I could not pay it, Gave my full redemption price. Do I need earth’s treasures many? I have one worth more than any
That brought me salvation free.  Lasting to eternity! (Lutheran Service Book 594, Stanza 1)

-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.

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Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.

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.

Today's Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9

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

“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;

    I will take you by the hand and keep you;

I will give you as a covenant for the people,

    a light for the nations,

7     to open the eyes that are blind,

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

    from the prison those who sit in darkness.

8 I am the Lord; that is my name;

    my glory I give to no other,

    nor my praise to carved idols.

9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,

    and new things I now declare;

before they spring forth

    I tell you of them.”  (Isaiah 42:6-9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord spoke about the One that He would send into the flesh to save humanity, to save you.  The Lord said that He called His Son in righteousness, to make the blind see and to free the prisoners.  He would fulfill everything that He had promised.  The Lord’s word never refers to Him empty or void.  The Lord keeps His promises, so we shouldn’t be surprised that the words of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah and the voice from heaven at Jesus’ baptism are so similar, even though about 600 years separate the two sets of words.  

The fact that the words are similar isn’t enough to change your life, though.  What is enough to change your life is what the words say.  These words that describe Jesus are life-givingly important to you.  The Lord Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, has come to free the captives and to make the blind see.  The old things have passed away and new things are coming.  He is the Lord enfleshed.  That changes everything for you, because it is you that He forgives.  It is you that He loves.  It is you that receives the promise of eternal life.  You don’t need to hope or wish that Jesus likes you.  Instead, He makes you confident that you are someone He has forgiven.  You are someone that He has baptized.  You are someone that He calls by His own name.  It’s certainly not fair, but it is gracious, and your Lord is nothing if He is not gracious to you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Go, My children, sins forgiven,  At peace and pure. Here you learned how much I love you, What I can cure. Here you heard My dear Son’s story; Here you touched Him, saw His glory.  Go, My children, sins forgiven, At peace and pure.  (Lutheran Service Book 922, Stanza 2)

-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.

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Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.

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.

Today's Reading: Matthew 3:13-17

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

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”  (Matthew 3:13-17)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John the Baptist was right.  According to human reason and understanding, Jesus didn’t need to be baptized.  He was perfect, being that He is God in the flesh.  On the other hand, John the Baptist, as a sinner, did need the waters of baptism and the grace that it gives.  The reality is that sinners need baptism.  According to what sinners know and understand, God’s Law condemns them as breaking the words and commandments of God.  Or, more specifically, God’s Word of Law convicts YOU of breaking His commands.  You are a poor, miserable sinner.  When you look at Jesus, it is right for sinners like John the Baptist and you to recognize that you have nothing to offer Jesus but that He has everything to offer you.

According to human logic, that might be true that Jesus doesn’t need to be baptized.  Thanks be to God that He doesn’t let you do His thinking for Him!  According to His divine wisdom, He does need to be baptized.  It is there, in those baptismal waters, that your Lord Jesus is united with you in those muddy waters.  Better yet, it is in the waters of baptism that He is washed into and that you are washed into that you and Jesus, God in the flesh, are united.  In your baptismal unification, you receive the unification with His cross and with His empty tomb.  When you are united with Jesus, His perfection and His righteousness and His peace become true of you as well.  From your perspective, He doesn’t need those baptismal waters.  On the other hand, you need those baptismal waters, and from His abundant grace, your Savior gives them to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Father in heaven, at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, You proclaimed Him Your beloved Son and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized in His name faithful in their calling as Your children and inheritors with Him of everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.

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Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.

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.

Today's Reading: Introit for the Baptism of Our Lord

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

I will tell of the decree:
 The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
 and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
 and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
 be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
 and rejoice with trembling,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
 Blessèd are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:7-11, 12c)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Reading these words probably makes you ask, “Who are these words about?”  Are these words about you?  Are you the Lord’s son?  Will the nations be your heritage and will you possess the ends of the earth?  Will you use an iron staff to break the nations like clay pots?  Will kings and rulers listen to you?  If you’ve ever thought, “If I were the king of the world, I would do this!” These words are hopeful!  But sadly, taking these words from Psalm 2 and applying them directly to yourself isn’t how we read this Scripture.  It’s not all about you.

Instead, these words are about Jesus.  He is the only begotten Son of the Father who has not come to condemn the world but to save it.  (John 3:16-17)  He has all authority in heaven and on earth, and at His name every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.  (Matthew 28:19, Philippians 2:10-11)  No king or ruler or government official has more power or authority than Jesus.  No nation can claim that Jesus doesn’t triumph over whatever they think is best.  Every nation is like a fragile clay pot, and every ruler and all people should be warned that God’s wrath is coming.  Everyone should take refuge in Jesus Christ, the all powerful one.  

This all powerful One was revealed to the Magi and submitted Himself to baptism in the Jordan river.  There, the words of Psalm 2 were echoed by the heavenly voice that declared that Jesus is God’s Son to whom all people must listen.  When you listen to the words of Jesus, that’s when the words of Psalm 2 start to apply to you.  Because you are baptized into the baptism of Jesus, you are also God’s son.  You possess the heavenly inheritance of God.  You triumph over all things. That’s not because you are just awesome, but because Jesus the all-powerful One to whom you listen has died and risen for you, and He gives you every good and perfect gift from above.  Are these words about you?  Because of Jesus' grace for you, they are indeed! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

This the baptism that our Savior, Greatly longed to undergo; This the crimson cleansing needed So the world God’s love might know; This the mission of Messiah,  As He stepped from Jordan’s stream,He, the chosen and anointed, Son of God, sent to redeem.  (Lutheran Service Book 404, stanza 3)

-Pastor Peter W. Ill is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Millstadt, Illinois.

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Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.

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.