Reflections

Today's Reading: 1 Kings 19:11-12

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 23:1-16; Acts 12:1-25

And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. (1 Kings 19:12)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Elijah is hiding in a cave waiting to die. He forgot how to be disappointed, because he forgot how to hope. That's bad. Hopelessness is not natural. We were created to hope. God made us to worship Him, to fear, love, and trust in Him. Children are born trusting in their parents' voices. They look at the world in wonder and pretend to be the things we've long given up on. Hope only goes away painfully--by having it beaten and crushed and kicked until it's ground down to nothing. One of the hardest things in the world is to see children who aren't disappointed by their parents anymore. Elijah is hiding in a cave, not because he doesn't believe God exists, but because he doesn't think he can depend on God.

The reason so many of us have given up hope is that we look for God in places He isn't. It's a trick the devil uses to grind down hope. Even fallen sinful man loves to put hope in the wrong thing. It's called an idol. So Satan points us to where God isn't and asks why He isn't there. That makes more sense than we want to admit. God is not in the power of the fire or the earthquake. The small whispering word doesn't seem too impressive. I cannot by my own reason or strength believe that God works in mercy and not in power. That has to come from somewhere else. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the low whispering Word of Christ.

And He still speaks. What are you doing here? Why are you hiding? Why are you afraid? You're not as alone as you think. God would not limit Himself to your good days or your good attitude. He passes by Elijah, whispering words of peace and hope, and He passes by you, too. Not to rush past, but to dive into the valley of the shadow of death, that hope would live where there rightly should be none.

There were great earthquakes and sham trials by firelight that pierced the darkness where they accused our Lord of blasphemy and worse, as Peter hid in the courtyard. There was wind that blew as it wished, and the gale of the crowd who cried for His death. But the words worth hearing were whispered from a Cross: "It is finished." He has died for you. The sun came back to the sky, the earth stopped shaking, but it's still finished. Hope. For Christ is risen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

To hope grown dim, to hearts turned cold Speak tongues of fire and make us bold To shine Your Word of saving grace Into each dark and loveless place. ("Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide" LSB 585, st.3)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Luke 5:1-11

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 10:1-25; Acts 11:19-30

. . . Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." (Luke 5:10)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We see the boat sinking and the nets ripping, so we figure we need to fix them. The Church is falling apart: If we don't do something it won't be here for long. How do we catch the fish? I know it's a miracle, but this still seems like it should be our job. Lure ‘em in. We need charisma. Programs. Something other than people too old and funny looking to be in TV commercials. This is what ego does. After making everything all about you, it looks in the mirror and realizes that's a mistake.

The devil whispers to us our insecurities, our fears. The old Adam builds chapels to them instead of to God in the vain hope that those fears will leave him alone. We dump baskets of cash on the altars of our fears as offering, and then pray fervently that things won't look exactly like Jesus says they look. It's dark. It's late. We're tired. The boat is sinking and the nets are ripping.

Of all the stuff we're convinced is wrong here, what makes it your job to fix it, and more, what makes you think God can't work until you do? You miss the point. God is present on a sinking ship. Let it be His job to catch the fish, keep the boat floating, and keep the nets from ripping to shreds. Disappear into the net. Not as worthless, but as one whom God intended to catch.

He backs it up by action. You matter enough to bring Him to the Cross. You matter enough for Him even when your ego thinks it must get in the way. The Church is not a group of people burdened with a pyramid scheme. It is the sinners who have been dragged into the boat and kept in hope. It will stand, not because of us, but simply because God's Word calls it into existence from nothing and sustains it. "But at Thy Word" was and is enough.

The nets are still ripping. The Church will be full of schism and suffering and sin and pain and fear, but it will hold because God spoke and still speaks. Even now, God works in a sinking ship to bring life to you and all whom He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies and keeps with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, the Church's head, You are her one foundation; In You she trusts, before You bows, And waits for Your salvation. Built on this rock secure, Your Church shall endure Though all the world decay And all things pass away. O hear, O hear us, Jesus! ("Lord Jesus Christ, the Church's Head" LSB 647, st.1)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

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

(Psalm 27:1a, 11-12, 14; antiphon: vs. 7, 9b)

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 8:1-28; Acts 11:1-18

Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (From the Introit for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Only a prayer focused on the character and promises of God can pray the word "wait." "Wait" is not in the vocabulary of fear. Or need. Or threat of violence. When the focus of our prayer is our fear and not our God, "wait" doesn't work because we need help now. When our prayer can only be answered by our enemies disappearing and their plans coming undone, help isn't actually measured in the presence of a good God, just in a lack of evil around us.

If your prayer can only be answered by a lack of evil, God will seem very silent. When God's silence in the face of these prayers sounds like you are being forsaken, pray Psalm 27. Each verse is a reflection on His character and ability to combat the fears and enemies that surround us. You have a gracious God, a God who gives good gifts. How could He not hear and answer? Your Lord is light and salvation. Who can undo what Christ has declared finished? The way of the Lord is also the truth and the life. It is a level path that enemies cannot make treacherous. So even surrounded by adversaries, false witnesses, and violence, we can wait in strength and courage, because we wait for the Lord.

Even as we wait for Him, we start to see Him at work, not in the absence of evil, but working good in the midst of it. Prayer that focuses on God can find Him working where He promised to be, among and for sinners. He is with us in the valley of the shadow of death. He makes the rough places plain. He daily and richly forgives your sins. He richly and daily provides you with all you need to support this body and life. He defends you against all danger and guards and protects you from all evil. Start with His fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, especially if you're having trouble seeing God's goodness simply because there's evil around. God's divine goodness and mercy was what put Christ on the Cross to win you a salvation that no evil could take from you.

Prayer focuses on the character and promises of God. That means if we have to wait to be free of an evil, we can do so knowing with all certainty that we have already been given the victory over it, as surely as Christ is risen from the dead. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Be still, my soul, before the Lord; On God in patience wait. God's love, unseen, surrounds your life; God's help will not be late. ("Be Still, My Soul, before the Lord" LSB 771, st.4)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-56

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 7:1-26; Acts 10:34-48

And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. (Luke 1:50)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Nobody likes it, but at least we understand when sinners get hurt by their sin. But what about when you can't figure out whose fault it is? The "church answer" is that the world was broken by Adam's sin. It's true. It just doesn't do much to address that hollow feeling in your stomach that comes from not being able to do anything about it. Or the anger from trying to believe in a God who says He can do something, but doesn't seem to. For all the talk about His love, His forgiveness, His miracles, things still look pretty much the same.

This Christmas text doesn't seem helpful. Today, we step back to a Mary who would have gotten pregnant around the end of March in order to give birth around the end of December. She's pregnant and visiting Elizabeth, probably right around the beginning of June. The Visitation which we celebrate today is carried out by the same God who shaped creation with a Word. Even while being knit together in Mary's womb, He is on a mission to right what has been wronged. Mary sings it in the Magnificat. It's not about what's fair. It's about help for those wronged by sin. Mary sings hope for you.

You. Wrecked one. Damaged by sin that goes so deep it's in the air we breathe and ground into the earth we stand on. You will find a God who looks upon those who are humbled and gives mercy. Who fills the hungry and helps His servant Israel. Those who are knocked down and scattered aren't getting their karma, this isn't economic redistribution. The difference between those brought down and those lifted up is one thing and one thing only. His mercy is on those who fear Him. His mercy is for you and all who believe.

He sees you. Your struggles. Your humiliation. This mess referred to as "your estate." He regards you in mercy. John knows it and rejoices even as he, too, is being formed. God doesn't work by stepping back from creation to do something different, but steps towards you, whom He loves. What is wrong is made right again in bearing that destruction Himself upon the Cross and rising whole and new. In a world that doesn't look like it should--yet--we can know what's coming and sing Mary's hymn, too. Our souls magnify the Lord because even now while we wait, our Lord regards us in mercy, and He acts. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

My soul now magnifies the Lord; My spirit leaps for joy in Him. He keeps me in His kind regard, And I am blest for time to come. ("My Soul Now Magnifies the Lord" LSB 934, st.1)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Romans 12:14-21

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 6:6-27; Acts 10:18-33

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. (Romans 12:14)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I can tell you something is a sin because it's in the Bible. Fine. If you want to know why, wait till it's been done against you. It's called wrong because it hurts. Sin breaks stuff. It's easy to see why something is a sin when it's done against you. It's harder when you're the one hurting others, accidentally or otherwise. We get so wrapped up in our passions that we lose sight of the damage we wreak, but when someone hurts us, things get cleared up real quick. It can leave you wanting a God who punishes others more than a God who forgives you, spending each day watching those who hurt you, waiting for them to get theirs. Sometimes they do, but more often than not it looks like they don't. Even if they do, it doesn't give you peace.

If all you can really hope for in life is to see someone else hurt, you don't want peace for yourself, and you'll never get it, either. There's too much sin in this world to keep track of. Even more, it says something about the kind of God you expect. He says He treats all sinners the same. That includes you. Either He forgives you and those who sin against you or He doesn't. They're connected, even into the prayer we pray each day. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

It's not God dangling your forgiveness in front of you for you to earn by coming up with something of your own. It's a reminder that all forgiveness, for you and for those who sin against you, comes from the same place: the Cross. Remember that Jesus died for your neighbor. "Vengeance is mine," says the Lord. He doesn't ignore what was done against you. He pays for it Himself on the Cross. There's nothing left to repay because Jesus has already paid the price. You can even go look at it. See the crucifix. It's God's justice for every pain caused by someone else, for every pain you held onto, and for every pain you've caused, too.

Vengeance is the Lord's. He paid it to His own Son. He overcame evil with good. Start there, and there is a place for kindness and love for your enemy to be sustained, and even to grow. Bless those who curse you. Call them sinners whom Jesus died for. Heap burning coals on their heads. Show them the source of all that's pure. Show them the censer full of burning coal that touched Isaiah's tongue and put away all his sin. Show them what forgiveness looks like. Show him where it comes from: not your heart, but the Cross. That's forgiveness that overcomes evil with good. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Amen.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

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

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 5:1-6:5; Acts 10:1-17

Thy kingdom come. (Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Second Petition)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We expect the kingdom of God to be separate from the world. God's kingdom must be a place where no bad things happen, where no sinners do sinful things, where we want for nothing. We figure we can pray this to hasten the Last Day. We try to imagine what it will look like. We lose sight of what the Word says.

Jesus said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." At hand means not far away. Not someday. Here. Now. Where Jesus is. We don't pray, "Thy kingdom come," to help or encourage God to show up, but so that we would see that the kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, and we pray in this petition that it may come to us also. Then we can look at how it does come.

God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity. The kingdom of God is where the King is working. And God is working here for you. This petition calls attention to the fact that God doesn't need things to look perfect in order for Him to dwell with us. It points to the Lord who brought heaven to earth as angelic choirs sang of His birth, as He healed the sick and forgave the sinners, as He conquered death upon the Cross and rose from the grave, and as He feeds you with His Body and Blood to bring the same to you. The same God works where His Word is preached and He calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, and keeps the whole Christian Church on earth, daily and richly forgiving your sins, and the sins of all believers.

This petition is a gift because it points to the places where God is already doing these things. That turns the prayer from a burden into a gift. Now you don't have to hasten God's kingdom. He's bringing it by His Holy Spirit where His Word is preached and His Sacrament is administered. You can know where it is and pray that it is given to you, too. You can find comfort in receiving the gifts. Now you don't have to imagine the resurrection to finally be near God. You can find Him brought near to you. The kingdom of heaven is at hand where the Holy Spirit works repentance by God's Word, that by believing it, you would find comfort in praying to Your Father in heaven, and have life in His only Son. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Your kingdom come. Guard Your domain And Your eternal righteous reign. The Holy Ghost enrich our day With gifts attendant on our way. Break Satan's pow'r, defeat his rage; Preserve Your Church from age to age. ("Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" LSB 766, st.3)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Matthew 16:13-20

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 4:1-24; Acts 9:23-43

Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Who do you say that the Son of man is? We're still asking the same question. We're past the days when people haven't heard the name Jesus, but if you listen, you will hear that we all seem to be talking about someone different.

Who do people say that the Son of man is? Some go for the high road and say He is just the example. He's the guy you follow when you feel bad about being bad. He helps you behave better until you don't want to be bad anymore. But most of the time He just ends up being the guy used to bash you over the head when you don't do what someone else wants you to.

Some go for the low road and say He is a bigot. That He calls people sinners in a hate-filled book which does nothing but set the scene for hate crimes in the name of religion. Bigot-Jesus picks the sinners who sin differently than I do and says there's no forgiveness for them until they change, never mind that I've been here confessing the same sins week after week for years.

Have you noticed a common theme yet? Grab hold of the Law, ignore the Gospel completely, then weaponize religion. It's what the people wanted from Elijah. It's what they wanted from John the Baptist and Jeremiah, who were ridiculed and hated by the world and the religious alike, not because they were wrong, but because they called everyone to seek mercy in the Lord, who not only calls sin wrong, but loves sinners enough to forgive them.

But who do you say the Son of man is? This is not a "What does Jesus mean to you?" essay. That's where all of those other ideas went wrong. Not one is a confession of who God is, just speeches about how we'd use Him. You can try to use the Law, but you can only receive the Gospel. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

It makes it look like everyone who hates Him was right all along. Yours is a God who bleeds. Yet He did it for them, and for you. He did it to forgive every standard you fell short of. Every demand of the Law. He died for every sinner who is sinking in despair and hate and pain. He did not wield a weapon, but took up a Cross. He did not come bearing only Law, but brought with it the Gospel. Yours is the God who gives mercy. Yours is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and you have life in His Name. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O love, how deep, how broad, how high, Beyond all thought and fantasy, That God, the Son of God, should take Our mortal form for mortals' sake! ("O Love, How Deep" LSB 544, st.1)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Genesis 50:15-21

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 3:1-17; Acts 9:1-22

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." (Genesis 50:20)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Joseph's brothers are afraid. What if life is fair? What if Joseph's mercy is for their father, but not for them? They know what they deserve. They beg him for mercy, and he weeps. Maybe he's remembering all he went through, or is still mourning his father. Maybe he's humbled. Maybe he's just heartbroken that his brothers still don't understand. That's the problem with speechlessness. It leaves us trying to understand the response based on our own feelings. It leaves us to fill in our own answers. We do the same before the Lord. Since His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways, predictably, we usually get it wrong.

God doesn't want us to fill in the silence on our own. Joseph, full of the Holy Spirit, answers his terrified brothers with a promise that comforts us all. "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today."

He tells them the truth. They meant evil for him. Then He points to God, who has a power that nothing in all His creation has. God meant it for good. He took all of their evil and wove a web that would bring good out of it. That doesn't make the evil acceptable or justify those who commit it. Only the Cross can do that. But it highlights the God who will not leave us to the damage we do to each other and ourselves. He works good from our evil. Only God can take something already ruined and bring about something perfect. Look to the passion of our Lord. Evil everywhere, yet God meant it for good, that many people would be justified, kept alive through death, as they are today. The evil is still evil, but it cannot derail God's purpose: that many would be saved. You can see that in the Cross, too. Now evil is forgiven. You are forgiven.There are times we don't see what God is doing yet, and places He's speechless. It's okay to say that. We go first to the Cross, where God speaks. It is finished. You are saved. At the Cross we can understand the places He's silent.

The greatest thing Joseph can tell his brothers is that they aren't the main actors. God is. It means God did this to Joseph. But again, we can find Him nearby--on the Cross. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Be of good cheer; your cause belongs To Him who can avenge your wrongs; Leave it to Him, our Lord. Though hidden yet from mortal eyes, His Gideon shall for you arise, Uphold you and His Word. ("O Little Flock, Fear not the Foe" LSB 666, st.2)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Luke 6:36-42

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 2:1-24; Acts 8:26-40

"Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you read it on its own like it's usually quoted, "Judge not lest ye be judged," is the only command that gets easier the less you care. The less you care about your neighbor, the less you care what they do. The less you care about God's Word, the less you care to talk about uncomfortable things like sin. It's the religion of today, but it's a lonely and bitter one. It can't cope with tragedy. It can't find the source of pain. It can't fix it. It can only lift itself up above someone else who broke its chief commandment. Thou shalt not judge.

There is a second like it: Thou shalt not be a hypocrite. It's catching, even among us. We bring God's Word to bear whenever we notice something our neighbor can't do, so we won't get accused of judging them. We bring it to bear whenever there's something we can't do either, so we don't get accused of being hypocrites. The only thing we're showing is that we care more about what our neighbor thinks of us than what they're going through. This leaves nothing to offer anyone in pain. It speaks only to sinners, but never to victims. It lacks mercy. And that's the whole point of this.

It begins with a promise. Your Father in heaven is merciful. You are of mercy now. Be merciful. It ends with a speck in your neighbor's eye. This is not a call not to ignore your neighbor in pain, but to help them, even if you have to confront your own sin and receive forgiveness for it first. Actually, that's a good plan either way. There is a log in my eye even as there is a speck in yours. The question is, should we leave it there and go on ignoring each other in pain, or should we talk about mercy? Don't worry about judging. Focus on mercy.

Mercy comes from only one place. Jesus gives real mercy. Not just empty words. He backs His by deed and truth. He gives it only to hypocrites who hope in something greater than themselves. It's bad to be a hypocrite, but Jesus saves sinners. He bears the damage sin does and names you forgiven. He calls your neighbor forgiven, too. The more you deal with your neighbor as someone for whom Jesus died, the more peace you find in seeing his sins forgiven. Start with Jesus. End there, too. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Lord, grant that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by Your governance that Your Church may joyfully serve You in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

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

(Psalm 27:3-4a, 5; antiphon: vs. 1-2

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 1:1-18; Acts 8:1-25

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (From the Introit for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The young man had been taught the faith from the Bible and the Small Catechism. He'd stood before the congregation and confessed that faith as his own. He was confirmed and this verse was given to him as a blessing: "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)

God made a promise to the young man. He Himself would be the light that would guide him through the world. He would give salvation to the young man by grace through faith in Christ. He would be a stronghold of peace and wisdom and protection all his life.

And yet since that day the young man has never been in a church. It's sad that the promises he made were forgotten so easily.

But far sadder is that this verse, and the whole of Psalm 27, conveys a promise that God spoke to the young man which he has never valued. No one could ever buy the blessing which God rejoiced to give him freely in Christ. The comfort that comes from this promise could have been with the young man every day of his life. Every time he came to church to hear more of God's Word and partake of the Supper, he would have come to appreciate more and more the light of Christ and His salvation.

Lord, have mercy on him, and bring him back to the grace you gave him in Baptism and the promise he made in confirmation. Amen!

Why share his tale? Because it is the tale of so many people. Do not forget the promise you make in your confirmation. God remembers. The Church remembers. So should you. But most of all, do not abandon the light and salvation that God gives to you in Christ. Today is a day to remember the salvation of Christ. Don't let it go by. The Spirit calls you to repent and believe.

And to those who love a person who has forgotten their Savior: Don't give up hope. While there is yet breath, the Spirit calls to them to repent. Pray. Christ prays with you. All the Church does, too. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

(Your name), the almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given you the new birth of water and the Spirit and has forgiven you all your sins, strengthen you with His grace to life everlasting. Amen.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch