Reflections

"So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." (Matthew 18:35)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yikes! The words of Jesus at the end of today's reading devastate my old sinful and self-righteous self. I know it is the same for you. We shouldn't be surprised that we will need to forgive others and receive forgiveness, too. Jesus embedded this truth in the prayer He gave for us to pray, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."  

As much as I'd like to soften Jesus' words about the consequences of withholding forgiveness from a fellow sinner, I can't. The words say what they say. Forgiveness between fellow believers in Jesus isn't an optional thing. It will be a necessary reality as long as we live in close proximity to fellow sinners. It may be that the hurts caused by sins done against us may take years to heal and we may need frequent confessions and Absolutions. 

The powerful words of Jesus move us to recognize that our life is sustained by the forgiveness that flows from Him to us in the word of Absolution, the remembrance of our Baptism, the preaching of the Gospel and our reception of the Holy Supper. Our debt of sin has been released in the flood of Jesus' blood. This alone is the reason we can forgive those who have sinned against us. We can forgive because God, in Christ, has forgiven us. So we are then called to forgive one another unconditionally and always. To refuse to forgive puts you in the position of the pitiless servant in Jesus' parable. To persistently refuse to forgive is to be unjust and wicked. It is to live in denial of the forgiveness given to you in Jesus. 

That is not how it shall be with you. Repent of your desire to withhold forgiveness to the brother or sister who desires it (or even if he doesn't). Receive forgiveness from Jesus, the forgiveness that He won at the Cross and delivers to you by Word and Sacrament. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

And he opened his mouth and taught them saying. . . "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:2,4)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In the Revelation to John, the apostle is given to see what we can now only trust to be real. He sees an ever-expanding vision of heaven starting with the throne of God, heavenly creatures, 24 elders, the Lamb who was slain, thousands and thousands of angels, and then an uncountable multitude of those who died but now live in Jesus. The vision John sees provides the fulfillment of Jesus' promise given in Matthew 5 and the words of the text today. "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted."   

Some of you reading this devotion have experienced the deep sadness that death brings. Perhaps you've lost a grandparent or even your mother or father. It is a terrible thing to stand at the grave of a loved one and realize that they are gone from this life. We can be overwhelmed with grief. And then Jesus comes with His Word, "They shall be comforted." Our comfort is found only in Him. It was Jesus who went into death for us. He, who is our source of life, gave Himself to suffering and a crucifixion death for the whole world. On the Third Day He kicked in the gate of death and the grave by rising again and He brings the whole world with Him. 

You have been died for by Jesus. You have been baptized into His death AND resurrection. Those we remember today, who have died in the Lord Jesus, now rest from the craziness of this life and rejoice before the throne of God. They, and we, are comforted always and only in Jesus. "Christ has wiped away their tears forever; they have that for which we still endeavor. By them are chanted songs that ne'er to mortal ears were granted." "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:56-57). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, You knit together Your faithful people of all times and places into one holy communion, the mystical Body of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us so to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that, together with them, we may come to the unspeakable joys You have prepared for those who love You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for All Saints)

The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. 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, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Romans 3:22–25) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ask your non-Lutheran Christian friends what they would identify as the core of their faith. I'm confident most would answer, "Jesus," and God be praised for that! If you were to ask them to describe how someone might connect to Jesus, the answers may sound something like this: "You have to make a decision for Jesus," or "You need to invite Jesus into your heart and make Him Lord of your life."  

That is confused language and distorts the beautiful Gospel proclaimed so clearly in the Word of God. "For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Romans 3:28). The faith that justifies doesn't come by way of our heart-felt decision but as a gift. God diagnoses the condition of every human heart. "For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:22b-23). In another place, Paul describes our condition apart from Christ this way: "When we were dead in our trespasses, (God the Father) made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4). 

We have been gifted with a rescue from our death with the news that we "are justified by grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). There it is! Your redemption and rescue from sin is in Christ Jesus alone! His death alone redeems you from the death penalty that your sin would merit. His resurrection guarantees your own resurrection of the Last Day and eternal life right now!  Faith, grace, gift, redemption are words that define our faith and describe how we are connected to Jesus. We give thanks and praise to God for His saving work! It's all from and in Him. No boasting our part. Grace alone. Faith alone. Christ alone!! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty and gracious Lord, pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people. Keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant to Your Church Your saving peace; 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 Reformation Day)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Tomorrow the Lutheran church celebrates Reformation Day. The first Lutheran confessors were brave men. They lived in the confidence that the words of Psalm 119:48 were true. Were they to confess the truth of God's Word before the rulers of their age, they believed that they would not be put to shame. And what truth did they confess? How about this from the Introit for Reformation Day? "The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned."  

We take our refuge in the redeeming work of God's only Son, Jesus. He has redeemed our life by exchanging His life for ours. His death on the Cross destroys the power of sin and death. In Jesus we are free from the shame and guilt of our sin. So, we might be tempted to do some fist-bumping over our great heritage as Lutherans. After all, we believe we get the whole salvation thing right--righter than anyone else. 

Yet it just might be time for a bit of garment rending and godly repentance. We, too, often take our Lutheran birthright for granted and allow the pride of self to gain the upper hand. We fear, love and trust in many things to the exclusion of God.
 
In repentance and faith, we turn to that which is most sure. We confess with our forefathers in the faith, "Then what becomes of our boasting?  It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works?  No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Romans 3:27-28). 

This gives us the confidence to stand and confess the truth like our spiritual fathers. We, too, have confidence to confess justification by faith, for Jesus' sake. And we will not be ashamed in the doing of it. "And take they our life, goods, fame, child, wife, though these all be gone, our vict'ry has been won; the kingdom ours remaineth" ("A Mighty Fortress is Our God" LSB 656, st.4). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a word of power and peace to convert those not yet your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip, and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You send it; through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen. 

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Moses was tired. Like a 120-years-old kind of tired. He had been a faithful saint and sinner servant of the LORD his God. From his leading of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, to Mount Sinai and the giving of the covenant, through the 40-year wandering in the wilderness, right up to the edge of the Promised Land of Canaan and the river Jordan. Moses would not be the man to lead the people of God into the land flowing with milk and honey. That would be the job of another saint and sinner servant named Joshua. Moses must give way to Joshua. 

Perhaps you know already that Jesus' Hebrew name is Joshua. Moses must give way to Jesus. The Law of God spoken through Moses serves to drive us to repentance and a sense of hopelessness in the face of our sin. Paul wrote, "Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:20-21). Moses can take you to the edge of the Promised Land, but he can't get you to the other side of the Jordan. We need Joshua to do that for us. 

Jesus is our Joshua. He is true man, sharing the same flesh with Joshua, Moses, and you, yet was without sin. He took our sin upon Himself and died with it. His resurrection is the testimony of His saving work. Jesus is the perfect Joshua who carries us through the water of Holy Baptism and into the promised land of forgiveness and a life that has no end. 

Moses' words of encouragement to the people are glorious. He spoke of what he knew to be true. God is faithful to His promise to deliver and save. Hear His Word and take it to heart: Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of death and the devil for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

As true as God's own word is true, Not earth nor hell's satanic crew Against us shall  prevail. Their might? A joke, a mere façade! God is with us and we with God--Our vict'ry cannot fail. ("O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe" LSB 666, st.3)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you." (John 15:16)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Faith bears fruit. The fruit of which Jesus speaks is first the confession of His saving Word to the world and faith that prays with boldness and confidence. That fruit bearing cannot happen without life flowing from the vine. Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). So it was that Jesus chose Simon and Jude to be apostles. They would carry out their appointed task to bring the message of salvation in the Name of Jesus to many lands. Churchly tradition indicates that Simon and Jude travelled together as far as Persia (modern day Iran) proclaiming the Gospel all along the way. While in Persia they were both killed (martyred) for the sake of their confession of Christ. We don't know anything more about these two men. Perhaps that is the way it ought to be. 

We do know what is most important concerning these two. They were chosen by Jesus, filled with faith, and sent to bear the fruits of faith in this world. That is the best that can be said of anyone. 

It is what we can say about you!  While you do not share the unique apostolic calling of Simon and Jude, you do have a share in their Lord. It is Jesus who called you by His Word, most of you first in the watery Word of Holy Baptism. You were filled with faith and are continually strengthened in that faith as you receive His rich Word of forgiveness each day, and His Body and Blood on the Lord's Day. 

And you are sent to bear the fruits of faith in the places where God the Father sends you. Simon and Jude are pretty much anonymous saints. What a great thing to say of any Christian. We are nothing. Jesus is everything! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, You chose Your servants Simon and Jude to be numbered among the glorious company of the apostles. As they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so may we with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for St Simon and St. Jude)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

But that person is worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins."  (Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar)
 
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In his teaching on worthy reception of the Sacrament of the Altar in the Large Catechism, Luther writes: "Whoever now accepts these words and believes that what they declare is true has forgiveness. But whoever does not believe it has nothing, since he allows it to be offered to him in vain and refuses to enjoy such a saving good. The treasure, indeed, is opened and placed at everyone's door, yes, upon his table. But it is necessary that you also claim it and confidently view it as the words tell you. This is the entire Christian preparation for receiving this Sacrament worthily." 
Faith receives what Jesus gives. It is as simple as that. Unbelief blocks the path of those gifts. Who in the world would refuse such a gift as Jesus' Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins? Well, your old Adam would. He would rather nurse and nurture his sin. He would prefer to withhold forgiveness from all those losers who have sinned against him. Along with the Pharisee in Jesus' parable in Luke 18, the old Adam says, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector." 

Yet the "treasure indeed, is opened and placed at everyone's door."  Jesus died for the Pharisee and the tax collector alike. His desire is for the life, not the death, of sinners. So, Jesus comes for the broken and repentant sinners to rescue them. He feeds you with His precious Body and Blood and fills you with faith to receive that gift as the words tell you. To receive the Sacrament worthily is to trust the words of Jesus. Mistrusting the words of our Lord or trusting in our own righteousness makes us truly unworthy. 

God be praised that He sends the Word of the Law to bring us to repentance and the Word of forgiveness that brings us life. And best of all, thanks be to God that such forgiveness is placed in our mouths in the Holy Supper of our Lord! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, life-giving bread, May I in grace possess You. Let me with holy food be fed, Your wounded hand now feed me. Though weary, sinful, sick, and weak,
Refuge in You alone I seek, Give me Your grace and mercy. ("Lord Jesus Christ, Life-Giving Bread" LSB 625, st.1)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-11)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I spent eight months in the country of Afghanistan as a United States Navy chaplain. Nearly every day for those eight months I had to put on a 17-pound protective armored vest and a three-pound Kevlar helmet. Many times, I wondered if I could just dispense with wearing that cumbersome gear and lighten my load. But soon enough, the sound of enemy fire or the thought of my wife and three young children at home motivated me to hoist on that armor for another day. It would have been foolish to cast aside the protection that had been issued to me. I was given the armor to protect me from danger in a dangerous combat zone. 

So it is for you. Whether you recognize it or not, you are fighting on a great and terrible battlefield. The enemy is mostly unseen but nonetheless real. The spiritual forces of evil and Satan are constantly scheming to find a way to separate you from the Lord your God. You even must battle your old sinful self with its deadly desires. 

The great news is that you are not alone in this fight. Christ, the victor over death and the devil, fights for you. He lords His Cross, death, and empty grave over the evil one and He provides you with the armor to ensure your survival in body and soul. The armor comes from Him. You have the belt of truth, the Word of God. You wear the breastplate of righteousness: the righteousness of Christ that covers your sinful self. You have been given the Gospel of peace, that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).You have received the shield of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), the helmet of salvation, and the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit. All these gifts are from God and are bestowed on you by God's grace in Christ. You are united to Jesus. You are baptized! His strength and might are yours (Romans 6:3-4)!  It is pure gift. You are safe and sound in Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

So wield well your blade, Rejoice in its pow'rs, Fight on undismayed For Jesus is ours!
Then in Him victorious Your armor lay down, To praise, ever glorious, His cross and His crown. ("Be Strong in the Lord" LSB 665, st.5)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Everything that is, was created by God. You must take this personally. You are not an accidental being. The God who by His Word spoke creation itself into existence and marked times and seasons, created you. Every part of your being is the creative work of God. Your mind, your emotions, your physical self, are all a gracious gift from God the Father. He says of you as He did of the created order, "very good."  

However, our experience in this life is not always "very good." The rebellious sin brought into the world by the man and the woman has altered our reality. Our "very good" bodies betray us. We endure depression and anxiety. Cancers and viruses take away our loved ones in death. We sin daily in thought, word and deed, abusing others made in the image of God. Something must be done to reverse the downward slide into death that dogs all of humanity. 

The Son of God, through whom all things were made (John 1:3), the One who is God of God and Light of Light, came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man (Nicene Creed). The eternal Son of God suffered on the Cross and was buried in death. On the Third Day He rose again to bring 
resurrection life to all who believe in Him. You must take this personally, too. You have been joined to the death and life of Jesus in your Baptism. The God who created the heavens and the earth has given you a new creation in His Son, Jesus. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again (re-created) he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). You have been re-created by the water and the Word. Your sins have been died for by Jesus and the way to a never-ending life has been opened for you. In Jesus, God the Father once again speaks over you these amazing words, "Very good."  Yes, you are!  In Jesus you are very good indeed. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

We all believe in one true God, Who created earth and heaven, The Father who to us in love Has the right of children given. He in soul and body feeds us; All we need His hand provides us; Through all snares and perils leads us, Watching that no harm betide us.
He cares for us by day and night; All things governed by His might. Amen. ("We All Believe in One True God" LSB 954, st.1)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Two miracles occur in the reading for today. The first is obvious: The son of an official is brought from the point of death by the Word of Jesus. The second miracle is seen by faith: A fearful father is rescued from his faithlessness. I'm sure the father of the dying boy didn't think much about his wobbly faith as he approached Jesus that day in Capernaum. He had faith enough to come to Jesus, yet he believed that Jesus could not heal his son without being physically present for him. Jesus sets him straight with a promise that only He can make: "Go; your son will live." With that promise echoing in his ears, the anxious and faithful father heads for home. On the journey home he hears the great news that his son is recovering. His trust in Jesus was confirmed and he and his whole household believed. 

The connection for us is clear. Jesus receives us gladly, even with our wobbly faith. We come to Him asking for humanly impossible things with the confidence that the One who can change water into wine and bring a young man back from the brink of death can rescue us. We have God's promise. Jesus said, "I am the living bread that comes down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh" (John 6:51). We feast on Jesus by faith. We trust His Word when He says, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die" (John 11:25-26). 

We feast on the Bread of Life each time we come to the altar and receive the very Body and Blood of Jesus in the Holy Supper. In the Supper Jesus grants us the forgiveness that delivers us from death. With His Body and Blood He says to you, "Go: You, son or daughter, will live."  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Lord, keep your household, the Church, in continual godliness that through your protection she may be free from all adversities and devoutly given to serve You in good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the 21st Sunday after Trinity)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch