Reflections

Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

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

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. (1 Corinthians 1:26)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How insulting. Imagine your pastor walking out on Sunday morning and addressing your congregation like Paul addresses the Corinthians here, going so far as to call the majority "foolish," "weak," "low and despised," and even "not noble" (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). How rude. Right?

The story is as old as Cain and Abel. You can read in Genesis about the accomplishments of their families. Cain's has all the high achievers. Earth is clearly their home. Abel's? It's as if his people are pilgrims here, strangers and aliens. Their thoughts seem to be elsewhere.   

With his offering, Cain was shocked when God didn't recognize his amazingness. In contrast, Abel trusted that God would remember the coming sacrifice of His Son on the Cross for the sins of the whole world, including his own. Heaven is clearly his home.

There is a Cain in all of us, sticking his chest out, imagining that God's got the best pickup team of all time since he has us on His side. The old Adam within doesn't always have a tail and a pitchfork. Sometimes he sports a halo and wears a crown.

Repent of that Cain within. And repenting, hear the promise and joy of the Gospel again: "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).    

Not because of you, but because of God--His doing, His water, His Word, and His Supper--you are in Jesus now. That is, you are in God's wisdom now, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. You are saved not by the aid or help of grace, but entirely by grace. Insulting? Sure. But for the "foolish," the "low and despised," who have only sins to offer God? What good news! 

Luther says he needs to hear the Gospel every day, because he forgets the Gospel every day. Great confession! Because it's not our smarts, our grip, or anything about us that saves us. It's all God. It's all grace. It's all Jesus. Call that our shame, fine. We call it our boast. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Thy works, not mine, O Christ, Speak gladness to this heart; They tell me all is done, They bid my fear depart. To whom save Thee, Who canst alone For sin atone, Lord shall I flee? ("Thy Works, Not Mine, O Christ" LSB 565, st.1)

-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Isaiah 42:1-7

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

"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, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness." (Isaiah 42:6-7)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What if I told you that God has a picture of you on His refrigerator in heaven and it makes Him smile every time He passes by it? What if I told you that God sees no sin at all in your past that diminishes that smile? That you are completely holy and righteous in His sight, even right now? What if I told you that God promises you nothing will change His mind about you tomorrow, that this same judgment will be yours all the way through to the Last Day and beyond?

I know. "That's not true for me," you say, "because you don't know me." At least, not like God does, right? Well, that's my loss, not God's. Because here's what you're forgetting: God promises never to deal with you apart from the prism and promise of Calvary. That's the promise He made to the whole world the day Jesus suffered and died for us on the Cross. It's the promise He made with you personally the day you were baptized. And it's the promise He keeps putting into your ears with every Absolution and sermon you hear from your pastor and every time He prepares His Table before you with Jesus' Body and Blood. "For you, for the forgiveness of sins." 

You are the prisoner whom Jesus sets free every day, from every sin. You are the one Jesus brings forth from the darkness. Your blind eyes are the eyes God opens by making Jesus His forever promise to you. 

And even if you are "a bruised reed" right now, or a "faintly burning wick," God always promises you Jesus: He's got this, now. He's got you, now. And He's never letting go. 

That's the covenant, the promise, that God makes with you in Jesus. And He's not at all discouraged about it. It's why, because of Jesus, He smiles every time He passes His refrigerator. Your face is on it, after all. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand; I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light. Take my hand, precious Lord; lead me home. ("Precious Lord, Take My Hand" LSB 739, st.1)

-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Matthew 3:13-17

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

John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" (Matthew 3:14)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John thinks man should be the confidence of his own life before God. Jesus thinks He should be. John thinks if there is to be forgiveness, it must be because of our own works. Thinking from above, Jesus knows that if there is to be forgiveness, it must be up to His works. It's why Jesus is baptized today.

And John does not say, "We were beginning to wonder about you, Jesus, and whose side You are on. Thanks for clearing that up for us." Jesus knows that Baptism is not something we do for God, but something God does for us. It's for the forgiveness of sins. It's why John balks at the thought of baptizing Jesus. 

But Jesus is baptized because God sent Jesus for us, to be  our righteousness for us. It is why Jesus answers, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15). Jesus will sacrifice His own sinless life for you on the Cross. It's why He places Himself into the water, today. For you. For in the water, Baptism washes Jesus and all His righteousness onto you as it washes you and all your sin onto Him. 

That means, if heaven stands open to Jesus at His Baptism, it stands open now to you at yours. It means that as the Spirit descends and remains on Jesus, and the Father smiles and says, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," these same treasures belong to you in your Baptism. 

So, when sin gets the better of you, and you don't measure up, and you wish you were a better Christian, make the sign of the Cross and remember your Baptism into Christ. You are not your own confidence before God. You are not your own righteousness with God. Jesus is, for you. 

And guess what? God can't imagine a better righteousness than that. So smile. Your Baptism promises that God is always smiling on 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. (Collect for the Baptism of our Lord)

-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Introit for the Baptism of Our Lord (Psalm 89:1, 26-28; antiphon: Liturgical Text; Psalm 89:20)

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

I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. (From the Introit for the Baptism of Our Lord)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday came the happy cry, "Arise, shine, for. . . the glory of the LORD has risen upon you" (Isaiah 60:1). That's because for God's children there is always much to do every day: learning to confess our own sins, trusting the promise of Jesus' Cross in our Baptism, in His Word, and at His Supper, helping to lighten the load a little for those around us with the good works we can do for them. 

And before we even give a thought to any of it, God has already declared all of it, and you, holy in His sight. "Arise, shine, for. . . the glory of the LORD has risen upon you!" 

This is why, like tomorrow's psalmist, the baptized will gather in the house of the Lord and sing not of their steadfast love, but of God's. In the liturgy, the hymns, and the prayers, our mouths will echo the forgiveness and the salvation God has spoken to us in the Absolution, preached to us in the sermon, and delivered to us at the Supper. Like tomorrow's psalmist, the baptized will confess that it is the forever faithfulness of God that makes Jesus "the Rock" of our salvation (Psalm 89:26).        

The psalm from tomorrow's Introit is all about Jesus. "He shall cry to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation'" (Psalm 89:26). Hear Jesus crying this for you, as He is conceived and born for you. Hear Him crying it, for you, as He lives for you and as He suffers and dies for you. Hear Jesus crying this for you as He rises from the dead for you and ascends "to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God" (John 20:17). Hear this cry every day in your Baptism. Hear it tomorrow in the Invocation, in the Absolution and sermon, in the Supper and Benediction. For this cry is now your cry, too. From Jesus' lips to yours lips, all the way to the Father's ears.  

And because the Father always hears Jesus, rest assured, He always hears you, especially when it's the words of Jesus that are on your lips. It's the promise of the Gospel. "You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation (Psalm 89:26). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Take my voice and let me sing Always, only for my King; Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from Thee. ("Take My Life and Let It Be" LSB 783, st.3) 

-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6

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

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Up and at 'em!" my father would call out from the doorway as I tried desperately to catch a few more Zs. But Dad wasn't having it. It was Saturday. There were chores to do. Things that needed to be done. "Up and at 'em!" came the cry, at the crack of noon. 

For years, I wondered what in the world "Adam" had to do with Saturday mornings. I didn't realize, until years later, Dad was saying "at 'em," not "Adam." Still, with a grin on his face, born no doubt more of the pain on mine than over any confusion over who "Adam" might be, Dad cried out, "Up and at 'em!" Sometimes it was just, "Rise, and shine!" Either way, I was nowhere near ready to rise and "whatever," especially on Saturdays. "Come on, Dad. There's nothing in me, from me, about me that wants to. Can't you just leave me alone, Dad? At least until I feel more like being at 'em or rising and shining"?

Dad didn't cry out to me because he knew how bright and cheery I was, especially on Saturdays, but because he knew, even then, that I was his. It's the same with God in today's reading from Isaiah. He knows our sin, and all the darkness and burden our sin, and the sin of the world, has brought. He also knows there is nothing in us, from us, or about us that wants to "rise and shine." But He also knows that we're His, now, no matter what, because that's the promise of the Gospel.

That's the promise of Jesus' sacrifice for you on the Cross. It's the promise Jesus washes onto you every day in your Baptism, speaks to you through your pastor every Sunday, and feeds you with at His Supper. God will even claim you again with Jesus on the Last Day. 

So for now? You got it. "Up and at 'em!" For you are not your own light anymore. You are not your own righteousness, or hope, or brightness, or anything else with God. Jesus is. Jesus always is. And that's mighty Good News, especially on those "Saturdays." "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Arise and shine in splendor, Let night to day surrender. Your light is drawing near. Above, the day is beaming, In matchless beauty gleaming; The glory of the Lord is here. ("Arise and Shine in Splendor" LSB 396, st.1) 

-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Matthew 2:1-12

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 66:1-20; Luke 3:21-38

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. (Matthew 2:10)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Why not rejoice with "exceedingly great joy"? Though they came from so far away, the wise men were certainly included in the angelic announcement made at Jesus' birth: "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11).   

Rejoice, all of them. And, rejoice, you, too. For God scoops you up with the birth of His Son and includes you, too, in that promise. Here, in this Child, is God's answer to all of your sin, whoever you are. Here, Jesus, is God's answer to your own unbelief. Here is God's answer to all the darkness and misery of yesterday's, today's, and tomorrow's sin and unbelief. For here, in Jesus, is the Good Shepherd who "lays down His life for the sheep" (John 10:11) that they, the wandering and unimpressive, now have eternal life. 

It's no ordinary joy, then, that God splashes onto you every day in your Baptism. It's "exceedingly great joy." It's Jesus joy. Jesus is born to live for you, perfect faith in God and perfect love for neighbor, He not only sacrifices for you on the Cross, He now washes it over you every day in your Baptism. Your past? Holy in God's sight. Your present? Holy. Your tomorrow? Holy. Your last day? You guessed it--holy now in God's sight. So great is this joy. 

No, this is no ordinary joy. It is exceedingly great joy. So great, God gives you a pastor to deliver it to you every Sunday in the Absolution and in the preaching of the Gospel. So great, God even prepares a Table of this joy with Jesus' own Body and Blood, "for you, for the forgiveness of sins." 

No matter the distance, then, no matter how far away you feel from God, the star, the wise men, the Cross, and the Word, water, and Supper of Jesus all announce: "Fear not. The promise is for you, too. Always for you, too." In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O God, by the leading of a star You made known Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles. Lead us, who know You by faith, to enjoy in heaven the fullness of Your divine presence; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for the Epiphany of our Lord)

-Rev. Bradley Drew is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Table of Duties, to Employers and Supervisors

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 65:8-25; Luke 3:1-20

Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. (Ephesians 6:9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely," wrote Lord Acton at the end of the 19th century. Lords know about power. In fact, the definition of lord is "one who wields power, authority, or influence." It can also be a verb that means to wield power in a domineering way. Lord Acton recognized the problem that comes with lordship--you tend to lord it over people. It's a common human trait. Power tends to go to your head. Once you get a little taste of it, you want more and more. 

Jesus once said to His disciples, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them" (Matthew 20:25). The way of the world is to exercise lordship in a domineering way. "It shall not be so among you," Jesus continues. "But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:26–28).

In the upside-down, topsy-turvy kingdom of God, lordship means becoming a servant, a slave, and to give your life for the sake of another. The nature of God's kingdom, then, impacts the way that Christians act as masters or lords. Masters and lords must not threaten—that's wielding power. Instead, they should serve. Masters and lords are not authorized to take from those they manage; they are placed in a position of authority to give. 

Even the most powerful masters and lords on this earth must admit that they are at best middle management in light of the lordship of Jesus. He is the Lord of lords and every lord on earth derives his name and office from Christ. Servant, slave, and master alike all benefit from our Master in heaven, who shows no partiality, but gives His life for the benefit of all. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Dear Father in heaven, You are the Lord of lords and Master of all, and You show no partiality. Thank You for removing the threat of punishment by the grace given us in Your Son. We confess that we love to lord our power over others, and for that we need Your forgiveness. Give us hearts willing to serve, even as we have received from Your Divine Service. For the sake of Jesus. Amen.

-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 64:15-65:2; Luke 2:41-52

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:14)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's not always fun being a Christian. Sometimes it's embarrassing. Sometimes people make fun of you. Sometimes they insult you. They may even raise their hands in violence against you. 

In the first centuries of the Church, Christians were routinely punished with death. In the ancient world, execution was not by lethal injection, but by sword, by saw, by lion, by cross, and by pyre. Christians today rarely face such inventive executions, thanks be to God. But we behave as if even the slightest insult against our faith is a sign that God has abandoned us. We strike back with bitter words and insults of our own, the spirit of the world resting upon us.

For as long as the Name of Christ has been around, people have insulted those who bear that Name. But in Jesus' inaugural sermon on the side of the mountain, He inverts the insult. Far from being a curse, Jesus declares insults for His Name to be a blessing. "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11–12).

We can bear insults and even injury for the sake of Christ because He bore insults and injury for our sake. No matter how vicious or inventive the insult, it all ends up as blessing because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us. He is Baptism's gift, who guarantees that all suffering turns to joy, death turns to resurrection, and insult turns to blessing.

But it's still not easy to bear insults. It's not easy to suffer. So we pray. For ourselves. For others. For those who must bear insult and so much more for the sake of the Name of Christ. But we take heart that Jesus acknowledges every insult and every injury as His own. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Comfort, O God, with Your Holy Spirit all who are in trouble, want, sickness, anguish of labor, peril of death, or any other adversity. Grant courage and steadfastness especially to those who suffer for Your name's sake that they may receive and accept their afflictions in the confidence that You will acknowledge them as Your own. Amen. 

-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Genesis 46:1-7

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 63:1-14; Luke 2:21-40

I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again. (Genesis 46:4)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. God is everywhere. "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" declares the Lord (Jeremiah 23:24). He was in Canaan. He was in Beersheeba. He was already in Egypt. Yet He says to Jacob, "I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again." 

God fills heaven and earth, but He promises to be with Jacob and his family and his descendants in a special way. He will lead them on their journey into Egypt and back out again. The latter promise isn't fulfilled until about four centuries later, though. It is indeed God who leads His people out of Egypt in a visible, tangible, and powerful way, clothed in the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. The Lord Himself leads His people Israel from Egypt's slavery back to Canaan's promise.

As the Lord leads Israel down to Egypt, His presence is not as spectacular. Yet it is no less tangible. Jacob's journey is connected to sacrifice. "So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night" (Genesis 46:1–2a). The sacrifices were the ministry of the Old Testament. Each animal offered on each altar demonstrated that God Himself was with His people in a unique way. God Himself went down with Jacob and his family in the Office of the Holy Ministry. 

God is indeed everywhere, Martin Luther once observed. But He is not everywhere for you. God fills heaven and earth. But that's not yet good news. Perhaps God is present to judge, punish, and avenge. His presence in the pillars of fire and cloud was most certainly not good news for the Egyptians who found themselves drowned in the sea. 

The sacrifices of Jacob show how God is present for you. He is present to sacrifice Himself. He offers Himself on the altar of the Cross as the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. And He does it for you. 

Life is a journey from birth to grave. Jesus Himself makes that journey. But death is not the end of that journey. "I will also bring you up again," He promises. In death and in life, Christ is with you and for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

While I am a pilgrim here, Let Thy love my spirit cheer; As my guide, my guard, my friend, Lead me to my journey's end. ("Come, My Soul, with Every Care" LSB 779, st.5)

-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Matthew 2:13-23

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 62:1-12; Luke 2:1-20

And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. (Matthew 2:23)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Nathanael asked Philip (John 1:46). Philip had just told him that he had found the fulfillment of Moses and all the prophets in Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Nazareth was quite a surprise. It wasn't a very prominent city. No great deeds were done there. It wasn't Jerusalem, the city of kings and the temple. It lacked the history of Bethlehem. In fact, Nazareth was never even mentioned in the Old Testament.

So what prophecy is Matthew referring to? He doesn't give a specific prophet or a specific reference. Biblical scholars have proposed several answers to this riddle, but one stands out. In Isaiah 11:1 the prophet writes, "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit." The Hebrew word for "branch" is netzer. The image is of a dead tree with new life growing from an unexpected root. Sounds a lot like Nazareth.

The foundations of Israel had become bankrupt. The political and spiritual institutions that God had given His people were not just ineffective, they were actively turning people away from God. John, who baptized, who was the last prophet of the Old Testament, preached, "Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 3:10). 

But off to the side, away from the center, a new Branch rises from the stump. Jesus was likely labeled "Jesus of Nazareth" as a term of dismissal or even derision. But it's a Name that perfectly describes His benefits. The Branch from Nazareth is planted on a dead tree on the outskirts of Jerusalem. But from this Branch grows the fruit of forgiveness, life, and salvation. 

Can anything good come from Nazareth? Everything good comes from Nazareth. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, You have poured into our hearts the true Light of Your incarnate Word. Grant that this Light may shine forth in our lives; through the same 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 Second Sunday after Christmas)

-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch