Reflections

Today's Reading: Introit for the Second Sunday in Lent

            (Psalm 25: 1-2a, 7-8, 11; antiphon: v. 6, 2b, 22)

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 15:1-21; Mark 5:21-43

Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Let not my enemies exult over me. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. (From the Introit for the Second Sunday in Lent)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We generally think of remembering something as a purely mental activity. When it comes to God's remembering, however, it's more than a mental exercise. When God remembers, God acts. When Israel was enslaved in Egypt, God remembered and sent ten plagues followed by the rescue through the Red Sea. When Hannah prayed to God for a son, God remembered and acted. God gave Hannah a son, Samuel. 

So the psalmist cries out, "Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old." When God remembers, He acts. We join the psalmist in praying these words by asking God not only to remember in His eternal, merciful mind, but also to act. To rescue. To save and deliver. And He does. God remembers. God acts. God sends His steadfast love incarnate. The God whose mercy is "from of old" becomes an infant just a few days old. The God who redeemed Israel with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm from Egypt, stretches out His arms on the Cross to redeem you. The God who remembered and acted to save Israel time and time again, remembers and acts to save you once and for all.

Do you remember what the thief on the cross said as they were hanging there dying? "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Remember me. Act. Save and deliver me. That is our prayer in our sin as well. That is our prayer in the hour of trial and distress. In our time of despair and doubt. In the face of death. Remember me, O Lord. Forgive me. Lord Jesus, Son of God remember me in your mercy. 

And He does. God remembers. God acts. Jesus is crucified for you. Risen for you. Ascended for you. Seated at the right hand of God for you where He lives and rules and reigns to remember, that is, to act eternally on your behalf. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we are to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 13:1-18; Mark 5:1-20

The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever." (Genesis 13:14-15)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday we heard how God called Abram. Today we hear how God gives to Abram. Even though Lot chose the proverbial greener grasses, God reveals that He is also the God who gives. 

God tells Abram to look in every direction on the compass, north and south, east and west. "You see all that land, Abram? It's all yours. It's your inheritance and your descendants' inheritance."

God is the God who gives. God gives Abram a son: Isaac. God gives Isaac a son: Jacob. God gives Jacob a new name: Israel. God's gift and promise to Abram was starting to unfold. But God wasn't done giving yet. God gave Jacob many sons, one of whom was Joseph, who was eventually sold into slavery.

And then, about 400 years years later, God gave His children Israel His promise to rescue and deliver them out of bondage and slavery in Egypt. God gave them victory over Pharoah and a path through the Red Sea. God gave them the tabernacle and sacrifices for sin. God gave them the Promised Land where one day, many, many years later, God would give His own Son to keep and fulfill the promises He made to Abram so long ago.

God gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life. God is the God who gives. Jesus gives His perfect life in exchange for our failures and sins. Jesus gives His death on the Cross in exchange for the punishment we deserved. Jesus gives us His body into the grave and out again in the resurrection. 

Jesus is still the God who gives. Jesus gives you a new name and makes you an offspring of Abram by faith delivered in water and Word by the Spirit. Jesus gives you His holy, saving Word of Absolution. Jesus gives you His Body and Blood in the Supper. Jesus gives you His Word and promise just like He did to Abram. And just like Abram, God is the God who gives His gifts to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, we thank you for making the earth fruitful, so that it might produce what is needed for life: Bless those who work in the fields; give us seasonable weather; and grant that we may all share the fruits for the earth, rejoicing in your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 11:27-12:20; Mark 4:21-41

The Lord had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God is the God who calls. In the beginning God called out, "Let there be light," and there was light. God called Noah and saved his family in the ark. God called Israel out of Egypt and rescued them in the Exodus. God called David to be His anointed king and foreshadow the true Anointed King, Jesus. God called prophet after prophet until He finally called His only begotten Son. 

All of this was foretold to Abram when God called him to leave his own country and go to the place God would show him. God is the God who calls. Here in Genesis 12, God calls Abram to faith. God gives him a promise: "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. . . and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

God's promise to Abram is fulfilled and kept in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection for you. That's right. God's promise to Abram is also God's promise to you. The God who called Abram also calls you. God is the God who calls.

God the Father calls you to faith in His Son Jesus by the Holy Spirit. And the same Lord who called His twelve disciples to follow Him calls you out of death and into life. You are called God's child in your Baptism. You are called out of darkness into Christ's marvelous light.

And just like Jesus' disciples, you are called to follow Him in whatever vocations He gives you throughout your life. God may not call you to leave your home country and family like He did Abram. But wherever He calls you to serve and love your neighbor, He will always be with you, just as He was with Abram. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O God, Who did cause the children of Israel to traverse the Red Sea dryshod; Thou Who did point out by a star to the Magi the road that led them to Thee; grant us we beseech Thee, a prosperous journey and propitious weather; so that, under the guidance of Thy holy angels we may safely reach that journey's end, and later the haven of eternal salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Fourth Commandment

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 8:13-9:17; Mark 4:1-20

Honor your father and mother. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them. (Small Catechism: Fourth Commandment)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When it comes to the Ten Commandments, there are a few basic questions that we can ask ourselves every time we read them, whether in the Scriptures or in Luther's Small Catechism. Today's reading gives us the first basic question that follows each of the Ten Commandments. It's the quintessential catechism question: What does this mean? Thankfully, the catechism unpacks what it means to honor father and mother. 

That leads us to the next helpful question: What gift is God giving us and protecting for us in this commandment? We might not think of God's commandments as gifts, but they certainly are. God's commandments diagnose our sin. They do damage control on a fallen world. And they discipline us, His people, in His ways. And behind all of that, the commandments also reveal God's divine, Fatherly goodness. 

You see, God's Law is given because living in His ways and Word is how He gives us what is best for us. So, in the Fourth Commandment, God is giving us the gift of authority and vocation, and the gifts of family, parents, and other authorities. No matter where we go, no matter what we do, now matter who we are, we will always be under some kind of authority. Sadly, we know, sinful, fallen humanity has made a mess of God's gift of authority in every part of life, in the home, society, government, and even in the church. Why? Because every one of us is a sinner. Every one of us fails to honor father and mother. Every one of us breaks the Fourth Commandment.

This leads to the third, and most important question of all: How has Jesus kept this commandment for me? For every time we've broken the Fourth Commandment, Jesus perfectly honored, served, obeyed, loved, and cherished not only Mary and Joseph, but also His heavenly Father. He did this for you. Jesus kept the Fourth Commandment for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God our heavenly Father, you declare your glory and show forth your handiwork in the heavens and in the earth: Deliver us from the service of self alone, that we may do the work you give us to do in truth and beauty and for the common good; for the sake of him who came among us as one who serves, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 7:11-8:12; Mark 3:20-35

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When is the day of our salvation? Was it when Jesus died on the Cross and rose again? Was it the day of your Baptism into Jesus' death and resurrection? Is it when you hear God's Word and receive His Holy Sacraments? The answer, Paul says, is "Yes. All of the above! Now is the day of salvation."

Ponder that for a moment. Your salvation happened the day Jesus was born for you. Your salvation happened when Jesus lived perfectly for you. Your salvation happened as Jesus died on the Cross for you. Your salvation happened when He rose from the grave on that first day of the week. Your salvation happened when He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. In God's gracious mystery revealed in Scripture, your salvation happened before the foundation of the world. And yet, Paul says, it also happens today. Now is the day of your salvation.

That means that your salvation happens, right now, as Jesus pleads for you, prays for you, and intercedes for you at the Father's right hand. Your salvation happens when you read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest His Holy Word. Your salvation happens when your pastor declares, "In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sin." Your salvation happens on the day of your Baptism and every day until our Lord returns in glory and raises us from the dead. Your salvation happens when you kneel and receive Jesus' Body and Blood for the forgiveness of your sins.

When God's Word fills your ears, now is the day of salvation. When you remember your Baptism, now is the day of salvation. When you eat and drink Jesus' Body and Blood, now is the day of your salvation. 

Because Jesus was born, lived, was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again in the past, God's gifts to you are always present tense. Yesterday's sins, today's griefs, tomorrow's burdens. They are all answered and borne by Jesus crucified for you. And not only on the Cross, but also today. For now is the day of your salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O God, by your Word you marvelously carry out the work of reconciliation: Grant that in our Lenten fast we may be devoted to you with all our hearts, and united with one another in prayer and holy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: Genesis 3:1-21

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 6:1-7:5; Mark 3:1-19

Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. (Genesis 1:21)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What's the first sacrifice in the Bible? Is it when Noah steps out of the ark onto the dry land of the new creation? Is it the animals or offerings of the field that Cain and Abel brought to the Lord? Those are all sacrifices, but they are not the first. 

If you listen to the words of Genesis 3:21, it appears that the first sacrifice to cover sin follows closely on the heels of Adam and Eve's fall into sin. It seems like such a small verse. Like a small town you pass on the interstate. Blink and it's gone. The Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed Adam and his wife.

Clothing made of animal skins could only have come from one place. An animal gave its life to clothe naked, guilty, ashamed Adam and Eve. After the curses. After the promise of the Seed of the Woman who would crush Satan's head (Genesis 3:15). God goes to work as a gracious tailor, exchanging Adam and Eve's fig leaves for a robe of sacrificial righteousness. They were covered by the death of an animal. A substitute. A sacrifice.

In the Scriptures, atonement for sin is always a bloody business. This unnamed animal here in Genesis 3. The sacrifices of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The countless sacrifices of Aaron and the Levites in the tabernacle and later the temple. It all points us to the great sacrificial death of Jesus on the Cross for Adam and Eve and all creation, and for you. 

Jesus, the innocent, holy, spotless Lamb of God is bruised, beaten, and bloodied on the Cross to save you. Like Adam and Eve you are clothed in the sacrifice of another. It wasn't an animal, but the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is your substitute. Your sacrifice. 

Jesus dies that we might live. Jesus hangs naked on the Cross to clothe us in the robes of His righteousness. Jesus exchanges our filthy, sin-ridden garments with His holy, spotless garments of salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan; Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: Matthew 4:1-11

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 4:1-26; Mark 2:18-28

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus is tempted three times. Tempted to turn stones into bread instead of relying upon the sustenance of God the Father's Word. Tempted to throw Himself down to His death instead of dying on the Cross. Tempted to bow down in idolatry instead of fearing, loving, and trusting in the Father above all things. Each and every one of Satan's lies and empty promises are met by Jesus' rebuke: "It is written." It is the Word of God made flesh and the Word He speaks that silences and chases away the devil. 

Jesus is tempted three times. Sound familiar? Adam and Eve were tempted three times as well. Only they failed. They fell. They sinned. They swallowed the devil's lies. So do we. God's Word reveals that, like Adam and Eve, we're tempted, and fall into sin. Not just three times, but daily. We're tempted by our passions while at our computers. We're tempted with doubt and despair of God's promises when we have terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days. We're tempted by our pride to live as if God did not matter and as if I mattered most. And like Adam and Eve, we fail, we fall, we sin.

This is why Jesus goes into the wilderness to be tempted, not for His own sake, but for yours. Jesus was tempted three times for all the times we are tempted. Jesus withstood temptation for all the times we fall into sin. Jesus overcame the devil's lies for all the times we have failed. Jesus was faithful for all of our unfaithfulness.

Where Adam and Eve, and each of us, have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, Jesus withstood temptation each and every time for you. 

The battle Satan wages with Jesus in the wilderness is won in crucified victory on the Cross. And in Jesus crucified, all of our temptations, failures, and sins, are washed away in the blood of Jesus. For it is written, "It is finished." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Lord God, You led Your ancient people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide the people of Your Church that following our Savior we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday in Lent)

-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: Introit for the First Sunday in Lent

            (Psalm 91:1-2, 9-10, 13; antiphon: v. 15a, c, 16)

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 3:1-24; Mark 2:1-17

I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." (From the Introit for the First Sunday in Lent)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Tomorrow, on the First Sunday in Lent, many Lutheran churches will sing Martin Luther's famous Reformation hymn, "A Mighty Fortress." At first, you might think this hymn is being sung a little out of season. After all, we typically sing it on Reformation Sunday in October. Strange as it may seem at first, "A Mighty Fortress" is a perfect hymn for the First Sunday in Lent.

In this hymn, we sing against the devil. As we did at our Baptism, we continue to renounce all his works and all his ways. Satan is a liar and the father of lies. So, we pick up this hymn as our Lenten war cry. When the devil throws our guilt and sins back in our face, or when he hurls his fiery darts of temptation our way, we sing, "A mighty fortress is our God!" In Jesus, our crucified and risen King, the devil is done. The ancient dragon is defeated. The serpent's head is trampled under the foot of Jesus crucified.

In this hymn, we echo the psalms: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1). Usually shadows are a bad thing. Dark deeds happen in the shadows. We live in the valley of the shadow of death. But the shadow of the Almighty is the shade of Jesus' Cross. Let sin, death, the devil, and this fallen world rage around you: In the wounds and words of Jesus, you are safe, secure, and saved.

In this hymn we also sing of God's sure and certain protection. The imagery of this hymn reflects the rich imagery of Scriptures, the psalms in particular. Throughout the psalms we find such beautiful, good, and true words like the ones we hear in Psalm 91. God is our mighty fortress. Jesus crucified is your refuge. His saving gifts of water, Word, Jesus' Body and Blood are our safe haven. His Holy Church is your ark and your shelter from the storm. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan; Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 2:4-25; Mark 1:29-45

For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Even though the season of Lent has just begun, think back to Christmas. Imagine sitting around in a circle with family or friends at a Christmas white elephant gift exchange. There's always that one person who forgets the instructions and brings an expensive gift to a clean-out-your-closet gift exchange. You brought junk, but Uncle Fred over there brought treasure. 

There's a glimpse of the Gospel in this famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) Christmas tradition. It's what Martin Luther called the blessed or sweet exchange. Luther said it this way: "God is rich in divine grace to sinners: wherein by a wonderful exchange our sins are no longer ours but Christ's and the righteousness of Christ is ours. He has emptied Himself of His righteousness that He might clothe us with it, and fill us with it. He has taken our evils upon Himself that He might deliver us from them."

This is what Paul proclaims when he writes in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Jesus takes on all our sin, unholiness, and unrighteousness, and in exchange, gives us His forgiveness, His holiness, and His righteousness. Jesus takes the punishment we deserved, the death we had coming, and the wrath of God that we had earned, and in exchange, He sets us free, raises us from the dead, and showers us with His steadfast love and mercy.

Sounds awfully unfair, doesn't it? And it is. But thank God He is unfair! Thank God we don't get what we deserve, but rather, that in Jesus crucified we get the opposite of what we deserve. We receive God's grace. Thank God for His outrageous forgiveness for undeserving sinners. Thank God that Jesus, who was perfect and sinless, became sin for us, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth your right hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: Joel 2:12-19

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 1:20-2:3; Mark 1:14-28

"Now, therefore," says the Lord, "Turn to me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." (Joel 2:12)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Repentance is one of the watch words of the Lenten season. "Turn to Me," says the Lord. In other words, repent. Repentance means to turn away from sin and return to the Lord. Repentance means, "You were walking the way of sin and death; but now in Jesus' life and death and resurrection, you walk in His ways." As we learn and confess in Luther's Small Catechism, we live a life of repentance and forgiveness by daily dying to sin and rising to new life in Christ.

Repent. Return. Turn to Me. Sounds good. But how do we do that? How do we repent, turn away from sin and turn to God? We don't. We can't.

Wait, what? It sounds strange at first. But think about it. How do we know our sins? God's Word reveals them through His Word of Law. How do we see our sin for what it is and ask for forgiveness? The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. How do we return to God when all we really want to do is return to our sin? It is God who "repents" you, who turns your heart back to Him.

You see, God's work for you isn't done when He calls you to faith in Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work to save you and repent you as well. God shows us our sin so that He might all the more clearly show us our salvation in Jesus. 

Repentance, then, isn't work we do to please God, but the work God is pleased to do in us through His Word by the Holy Spirit. Repentance isn't God's arcade game prize shop where we trade in our good works of repentance for a shiny trinket. No. From start to finish, repentance is God's work. 

And wherever you find God's work of repentance, His Good News of redemption is there to save you. Confession leads to Absolution. As the prophet Joel declares, "Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm" (Joel 2:13). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and, finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Learn more about your favorite hymns and find the deeper meaning behind the text with Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns. The book includes devotional commentary and historical facts from forty different contributing authors on fifty different hymns. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.