Reflections

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Seventh Petition

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 18:10-30; Acts 27:27-44

But deliver us from evil. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Seventh Petition)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's dark down here. There's a lot of evil in the world. It's one of the rare places we can agree with the atheists. The difference is that we can find an evil one, the devil, stirring the pot. We can label the roots of so many of the evil things men do to each other in the Ten Commandments. Even if you don't know the name of it, though, the prayer stands. We want to be free from it. Deliver us from evil. Deliver us from everything that works for our harm under the kingdom of Satan.

We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.

If you make this a future event, Christianity becomes nothing more than a race to the end, which is why so many Christians talk about life in heaven more than life today. If you see God delivering you from evil everywhere His name is hallowed, everywhere His kingdom is manifest, and everywhere His will is done, there can be comfort today, too. You were delivered from evil where God brought you His Holy Name and given You His Holy Spirit. You can find deliverance from evil in God's Church. Here, your sins are forgiven, and you are given an identity not rooted in shame and vice. Here, you are tied to the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting in a way that even the prince of this world cannot undo.

Here, you are kept safe and secure until at last you join the Church triumphant at rest. In all of it, the comfort lies in the source of deliverance, not the distance you happen to be from the evil. God remains the source of every good, even in the face of death. He has already worked a blessed end for you upon the Cross, that even in the darkest of days when evil seems to pervade everything, you can look to your victory in Christ's death and find certainty that you are already delivered. The difference between the Church triumphant and the Church militant, the saints in heaven and the saints on earth, isn't that one has been finally delivered and the other is still waiting for it. All of us are delivered from evil, it's just that some of us who are at rest can see it a little clearer. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

From evil, Lord, deliver us; The times and days are perilous. Redeem us from eternal death, And, when we yield our dying breath, Console us, grant us calm release, And take our souls to You in peace. ("Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" LSB 766, st.8)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:48-18:9; Acts 27:9-26

Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. (1 Samuel 17:51)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You are not David. Your challenges are not Goliath. This is not a promise that if you just believe enough, you'll conquer anything you put your mind to, no matter how big it is. That's called works-righteousness. We don't do that here.

Be honest with yourself. Nobody prays that they would be weaker so that God's strength would be magnified. We want to be superheroes. We want to be the one who conquers. We want to overcome challenges. We want to be Goliath. That desire has to die. This isn't you vs. the world. This is true God against false gods. Christ against my idols, like power, wealth, and might. Only the true God can stand. The false gods will all turn to dust eventually.

You are not David. Jesus is. He kills Goliath, your sin, the death-bringer. He doesn't do it as we expect, in an epic end game battle with cameos and powerful music. He doesn't grab a mythical weapon used by mighty beings in an awe-inspiring moment. He doesn't watch too many movies. He overcomes not by strength, but by weakness. Christ, the Son of David, conquers sin on the Cross. Goliath died. Old Adam died. Sin died. Jesus won by weakness. Death is swallowed up in victory.

Then He cuts off Goliath's head with his own sword. Death is destroyed by death. Christ's death undoes your own. Our hope becomes centered not in superhero movies and idolatrous might, but in a weakness that overcame the strength of the world. It scattered the forces of darkness. It undoes the accusations of the evil one. Point to the Cross, where your David, Christ, overcame your sin, Goliath. The evil warrior is fallen, and nobody can stand behind him and threaten you.

The head becomes the trophy, the mark that death was destroyed by death. It's why we cling to the crucifix. We hang them on our walls and wear them on our necks. This is our trophy, because our sin was brought to nothing there. We are old Adam, slain Goliath, and we are the new man. United to Jesus in death. United to Him in resurrection. The Cross is our hope and trophy. Christ has conquered, and you get the spoils. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Morning Star, how fair and bright! You shine with God's own truth and light, Aglow with grace and mercy! Of Jacob's race, King David's son, Our Lord and master, You have won Our hearts to serve You only! Lowly, holy! Great and glorious, All victorious, Rich in blessing! Rule and might o'er all possessing! ("O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright" LSB 395, st.1)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: 2 Samuel 22:26-34

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:20-47; Acts 26:24-27:8

With the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. (2 Samuel 22:27)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. To know God by the Law alone is to know a tyrant. It's a picture of a God who waits in heaven for the chance to send people to hell. He comes across as distant to those in need and only present to punish. Using the word "Father" only twists the knife. It isn't just an adversarial relationship. It's a hopeless one. That kind of bitter hopelessness only twists sinners even further in upon themselves. With the crooked you make yourself seem torturous.

To know God by the Law and the Gospel is to know a Father. With the purified He deals purely. With the blameless, He shows Himself to be not a tyrant, but blameless. It isn't that God isn't so bad if you happen to be so good. The Law which shows us our sins wasn't given as an obstacle to overcome. It's just reality. Sin breaks stuff. That's not okay. You don't have to like it, but as we are bent in on ourselves, loving our sin more than our Lord, we can only see a game to be won or a tyrant to overthrow. That's not a battle you're going to win. God is bigger than you are.

His way is true. We just happen to be on the wrong side of that. But He does not sit in heaven waiting to damn. He descends into the pit to save. He is a shield for those who take refuge in Him. He makes you blameless by taking your sins upon Himself to bear the Cross for you. He makes you pure by the waters of your Baptism that give you an identity in His mercy, not in your works. The Law will either drive us to the grave or to the Gospel. God does not want us lost in the darkness of death. He is your lamp that lights up your darkness. He is the shield that protects you, even from yourself. God is the One who has made your way blameless. That way is the Cross. He bears the torture your sins warrant. He insists on being a refuge, not to the good, but the sinners. To know God as good isn't to know yourself to be good first, but to hear the Gospel, the forgiveness of sins, and the light that shines in the darkness. It is to know Christ crucified for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen

Jesus, refuge of the weary, Blest Redeemer, whom we love, Fountain in life's desert dreary, Savior from the world above: Often have Your eyes, offended, Gazed upon the sinner's fall; Yet upon the cross extended, You have borne the pain of all. ("Jesus, Refuge of the Weary" LSB 423, st.1)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Luke 16:1-13

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:1-19; Acts 26:1-23

The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. (Luke 16:8)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's easy to take a look at God's Law and assume that we're more loving than He is. We take a lot of pleasure in assuming we're more loving than God Almighty, except then we get really upset that life's not fair. We look around at who gets hurt. Punished. Who sits alone. Who loses everything. And who gets a freebie. It's not just that it isn't equal. If we were really concerned with that, we'd give what we have to the people who don't. It's more that it isn't fair. Some of the ones getting way too much are sinners we don't like.

But God commends the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. By shrewdness he means theft. The manager makes his retirement at the master's expense. He trades on his name, his wealth. What's the master going to do? Just ignore it and demand the original amount? He'll look like a tyrant. He'll be forced to be generous. But God seems pretty pleased, too. What if He actually wanted to be generous the whole time? What if God was even generous to sinners? Not by pretending they're not sinners, but by loving them anyway. Ignoring sin is not the same as forgiving it.

I can ignore the sin of those I love. It's harder to actually call it what it is and love them anyway. It's easy to love your friend when he hurts other kids: Just don't care about the other kids. God knows all the ways sin breaks stuff that we don't want to see. He calls it horrible and loves you anyway.

God calls right "right," and wrong wrong," but then forgives sinners out of mercy, not by pretending there are no debts to pay, but by paying for their sins Himself. This is what kind of God we have. He's not concerned with fair, just with love. Mercy. Forgiveness. He gives it to you. We trade in dishonest wealth here. Unfair mercy. We didn't earn it. It's not about what we deserve. It isn't about how sneaky the steward was, but how merciful and generous the master is. This is what the unrighteous manager trades in. He expects mercy and is commended for it. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Let Your merciful ears, O LORD, be open to the prayers of Your humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please You; through Jesus Christ, You Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Introit for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity

(Psalm 54:1-3, 7; antiphon: vs. 4-5)

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 16:1-23; Acts 25:13-27

For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. (From the Introit for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The psalms are of little present worth if you can't pray them along with David. When you reduce Sunday school stories to history or trivia, your prayers will falter when you actually need them to do something more than thank God for stuff. These words given to David are shaped by the Holy Spirit, and that same Spirit passes them on to you. These are godly prayers, even if they aren't cheerful. They're full of desperation, fear, and a plea for vengeance: in short, all the stuff Bible trivia teaches us to pretend we don't feel. You have these feelings. The psalms give you a place to put them. God gives you the psalter so you can pray along with David.

The psalms are of little present worth if David can't pray them with Christ. David's desperation and fear are met with the promises of the Lord to help, but the true comfort of the psalms is not a far-off answer to present enemies, but a present God who suffers even these for us. Christ prays these words, too. He prays for those who plot against Him and who scourge Him. He prays upon the Cross for a victory over the last great enemy, death, and He is delivered through it for you. He is risen to look in triumph on sin, death, and the power of the devil. That Christ prays these psalms, too, means God isn't just Someone who answers prayer, but Someone who becomes the answer to our prayers. He connects His suffering to your redemption. He joins His death to your life. His all-atoning sacrifice gives us not only words to pray, but boldness with which to pray them. What can our enemies do to us when we are already joined to the resurrection?

David prays the psalms and the help is already there, even as ruthless men seek his life. These aren't merely the journal entries that correspond to David's story. They're inspired words that transcend time because God joins these prayers to Himself. The names of the enemies might change, but all of them come undone when Jesus becomes both the helpless and the helper upon the Cross, upholding our life even as He loses His own. David's answer is in the crucified and risen Lord. So is yours. They're prayers Christ prayed for us all, so that David can find comfort in them, and so can you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Christ, You walked the road Our wand'ring feet must go. You faced with us temptation's pow'r And fought our ancient foe. ("O Christ, You Walked the Road" (LSB 424, st.1)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Acts 20:27-38

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 15:10-35; Acts 24:24-25:12

And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:32)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul writes to pastors, overseers of the flock, about the dark days to come. Wolves will come and will not spare the flock. Some pastors will speak twisted things. Paul was leaving and wouldn't see them again on earth. Paul was martyred. Even to the faithful, he has to insist that he did not shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God to them. That's because there are parts of it that folks didn't want to hear. He may not speak with happiness, but he speaks with confidence.

The Church on earth wasn't promised a cheery existence. Despite what people tell you about how much better things used to be, there were no glory days. There really never have been. The generations of Christians just had different dresses to put on the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh. That's the reason Paul's so confident. Those three enemies that always seem like they're on the verge of defeating us were already vanquished on the Cross.

This isn't about Paul. This isn't about those pastors. This isn't about you. It isn't our job to keep the Church going. This is about the Word, which is able to build up and give the inheritance of the holy ones. Confidence comes from the promise of Christ, not from today's circumstances. Paul lists all sorts of things that will assault Christians. In the face of them, the Word is still able to give that inheritance to them. Nothing else can do that, so nothing else can stand. The Church has already been obtained by the blood of God. If She has the Word, She need not be afraid.

That's why it's so important to be steadfast in the Word. Paul insists that he declares the whole counsel of God, not just the parts people want to hear. The whole counsel, even the scary truths about the world, even the Law that condemns each sinner. The whole counsel calls us not to seek help and hope in that which cannot stand, but in that which gives the inheritance, and so gives true comfort.

Yes, you are a sinner. Yes, Christ died for you. You will be near the Cross. It will hurt, but it will save. It has already defeated the enemies who scare you. These might be dark and latter days, but the Word that still builds you up gives you the inheritance that cannot be taken from you. In the Name T of Jesus. Amen.

May glorious truths that we have heard, The bright sword of Your mighty Word, Spurn Satan that Your Church be strong, Bold, unified in act and song. ("Lord Jesus Christ, With us Abide" LSB 585, st.4)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 14:47-15:9; Acts 24:1-23

"Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." (1 Samuel 15:3)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Context matters, especially in the Old Testament. The Israelites weren't meant to have a king. They insisted on having one anyway, to be like all the cool nations. God warned them. If all the other nations jumped off a bridge. . . Nevertheless, they persisted. God gave King Saul as punishment to Israel. It probably doesn't feel great to be the human embodiment of punishment to an entire nation. He's in over his head. He usually tries to do the right thing, but he does it the wrong way. It's the same for us with the Law. We want good intentions to count, even though we make a mess of everything.

The Amalekites had a history with Israel. They picked off the weakest of the people as they left Egypt, nipping at their heels, taking the ones who couldn't defend themselves. They were a plague upon the people of Israel that God promised Moses He would blot out.

And scene: Samuel speaks to Saul. "Thus says the Lord, kill them all." And not just the men, but the women and the children, too. Also the animals. Devote everything of the Amalekites to destruction. Saul shows mercy to the Kenites. He doesn't spare the women and children, but he keeps their stuff. He kept Agag their king alive, and kept all the best animals. He wanted to use those animals as a sacrifice to the Lord. While their king watched, humiliation style. The prophet Samuel is furious. This is not what was called for.

Because God doesn't glory in destruction, even of the wicked. He will not take sacrifice from the blood we spill upon each other. He doesn't want anyone devoted to destruction. He sends His Son for that, for you, for all. That is to be the sacrifice. There can be no salvation in any other place. As terrible as these things are, recognize the picture they paint. There is destruction apart from the Lord. The Amalekites insisted on not only being apart from God, but on preying upon His children. If they lived, wealthy, until age 100, what would still happen? We are given a physical picture of the spiritual condemnation apart from Jesus. He warns even as He protects His people. Don't be apart from Jesus. No sacrifice but Jesus can cover your sin, but that sacrifice has already been made for you. It is enough to save and protect you. Recognize what happens here as horrible. Being apart from Christ is horrible, but being under Him is salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Not all the blood of beasts On Jewish altars slain Could give the guilty conscience peace Or wash away the stain. ("Not All the Blood of Beasts" LSB 431, st.1)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Sixth Petition

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 13:1-18; Acts 23:12-35

Lead us not into temptation. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Sixth Petition)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. After "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," God teaches us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation." I wonder if it's to remind us that Christian life isn't linear. You can take the Fifth Petition and run in a straight line one of two ways. The first is the idea of onward and upward. "I'm forgiven and now I build and that only goes one way. Constant improvement until perfection. Until I basically don't sin. Christian life is only measured in progress."

The second is continuing straight on in what we were doing in the first place. "Since I'm forgiven, might as well keep sinning. Shall we sin that grace may abound. . . " then quick, stop reading before it says, "BY NO MEANS." Since I know I'm forgiven I'll just do whatever I want. "Don't worry about who your sins hurt, don't worry about the God who calls you to strive against those desires. Christian life is measured only in freedom to do whatever I want while yelling stuff about grace."

Both are wrong. You're given this petition so you remember not just that you're forgiven, but that you're still in a bad spot. There's temptation there. So we pray, "Lead us not into temptation." It's not onward and upward or right on in sin. It's death and resurrection. Over and over. We are constantly in need of the Cross' forgiveness, and constantly strive to live in the resurrection's freedom from sin. We constantly beg to be free from temptation because we're constantly falling into it. It's war against old Adam, but it's fought in Christ, not in you. So even while we pray, we find comfort that He already won the victory.

There is no comfort in beating the drum of the Law or in claiming that your actions should have no consequences while everything else falls apart because you keep doing dumb stuff. There is comfort in the Lord who tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory. We pray that we would see the victory we already have in Christ and cling to Him until we see it face to face. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lead not into temptation, Lord, Where our grim foe and all his horde Would vex our souls on ev'ry hand. Help us resist, help us to stand Firm in the faith, a mighty host, Through comfort of the Holy Ghost. (Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" LSB 766, st.7)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 23:16-29

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 12:1-25; Acts 22:30-23:11

"Am I a God at hand," declares the LORD, "and not a God far away?" (Jeremiah 23:23)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There are preachers who aren't sent by God. The word for them is "false." Preachers who are sent don't just tell you about God. Anyone can do that. Preachers speak for Him. They speak from the mouth of the Lord. He has words He wants you to hear. He doesn't want them lost to people who claim to speak for Him. He doesn't want to be known by words that aren't His. He doesn't want to be spoken for. He wants to speak. It's no less ridiculous than the God who speaks out of the sky, but it might be harder to believe. There aren't a lot of voices speaking from the sky claiming to be God. There are lots of preachers, though. Determining the real ones from the false ones seems important.

Jeremiah seems to leave us with a simple test. False preachers preach to itching ears. Itching ears want to be affirmed, not repented. If your preacher never says anything to make you feel like a sinner, he's false, or you need to listen more closely. If you're a preacher and can do this stuff without offending anyone, you're doing it wrong. The Word breaks rocks into pieces.

Sent preachers speak for God, so the words they speak agree with the rest of Scripture. True preaching does not build up those who despise the Word of the Lord, but it saves those lost to their sins. Simply put, real preachers preach the Cross for sinners.

Don't worry about false preachers. God seems to be plenty focused on them. He'll handle them. Pray you're not one of them. Don't listen to them. Listen to your sent one. Cling to the Word. It promises a God close at hand. He is not just a God who the false preachers can't escape from. He's a God who will be near to you. He's a God who insists you hear His Word and promise. He insists on being the one who cares for you. He insists on being near to you in this way, to comfort, to forgive, and to save. Where your preacher speaks, God is near to help you. The Word breaks the rock into pieces. It breaks down sinners, but it does more. It crucifies the Rock, which is Christ. It forgives sinners. God has words that forgive you, and He sends you a preacher so He can tell them to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The sower sows; his reckless love Scatters abroad the goodly seed, Intent alone that all may have The wholesome loaves that all men need. ("Preach You the Word" LSB 586, st.3)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 10:1-27; Acts 22:17-29

"But to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." (Mark 10:40)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Sons of Thunder don't know what they're asking for. "Let us sit, one at your right hand, and one at your left, in your glory." I guess their nickname makes sense. It sounds like they want to be tag team champions of the world. They want the glory to be revealed in terms of power, not mercy. But the Son of Man is glorified on a Cross for sinners. To be at His right hand and His left in His glory is to be crucified with Him. That was an honor bestowed to thieves. It was prepared for them.

Sounds terrible, until you consider what it means. It was prepared for them that they would hear mercy right from the Lord's mouth. It was prepared that they would hear a sermon at the right hand of God. Paradise was prepared for at least one of them, too. They deserved to die because of their sins, but God prepared it so that they would receive mercy, even if He had to die between them to give it.

The Sons of Thunder would have hard lives that looked like Christ's. That was prepared, too. Eventually, they would drink from the cup of suffering. But it was prepared that Jesus die for them first. That way they're not alone in it. They were already brought through it. They were baptized, not just into Jesus' pain, but His death, and so also His resurrection. You were, too. Do you not know that in Baptism, we are united with Him in His death? We will certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His, too. The Sons of Thunder went to death in boldness, not because they were the greatest tag team duo to grace the squared circle, but because they first received the gift of life. It was prepared for them. And it was prepared for you. You drank from it, too. In Baptism, you died with Jesus. In Baptism, you rise with Jesus. You might suffer more yet, but you are already raised with Him. Focus on the mercy, and know He'll bring you through that, because He already died to accomplish it. It is prepared.

That shapes authority, too. Authority is a burden to the Christian. It's not about power, but mercy. It's not to be served but to serve. Authority is a gift. These are the places God has prepared to serve you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

 He brings me to the portal That leads to bliss untold, Whereon this rhyme immortal Is found in script of gold: "Who there My cross has shared Finds here a crown prepared; Who there with Me has died Shall here be glorified." ("Awake, My Heart, with Gladness" LSB 467, st.7)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch