Reflections

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Second Article, part 3

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 23:4-28; Luke 22:47-71

…that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true. (Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Second Article)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. These words in the catechism offer sweet comfort. They follow on what you read earlier in the explanation to the Second Article of the Creed. There you heard how Jesus is true God and true man. You heard that He redeemed you when you were lost in sin and condemned to death and damnation.

Jesus purchased and won you from sin, death, and the power of the devil. He paid the price to set you free from condemnation. Christ has defeated the deadly enemy, Satan--you are free from his tyranny. All this Jesus did at the cost of dying on the Cross, shedding His blood to rescue you.

He did this because He loves you. He wanted to make you His very own. He wanted you to have a life where you are protected and free to serve Him and others in His love. He rose from the dead so you will rise in Him. He lives forever so you will have eternal life. He reigns forever to be your King. He protects you from the evil in this world and brings you home to heaven. There are evil powers in this world. Satan is all too real. There are many people and institutions on earth that are influenced by him.

But Christ your Lord is King. When Satan or the world intends evil against you, He protects you. It doesn't mean that everything that happens to you will be good, but it does mean that the evil end that Satan intends for you is thwarted. Christ can take even that and turn it to good.

Stop for a moment and think about how amazing it is to be loved like that by God! How amazing that God would pay such a heavy price to rescue you in Christ. How amazing that He lives to watch over you, protect you, and give grace and peace to you--now and forever. You can know with absolute certainty that this is true, through God's promise in your Baptism and by His Word which is never broken.

Christ is your King. Let us pray together that the Spirit will draw more people into the Kingdom of Christ while there is still time. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, You have called Your Church to witness that in Christ You have reconciled us to Yourself. Grant that by Your Holy Spirit we may proclaim the good news of Your salvation so that all who hear it may receive the gift of salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: John 10:1-10

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 22:21-23:3; Luke 22:24-46

"When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." (John 10:4,5)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today we continue our celebration of Pentecost as we hear that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Here is another reading for Pentecost that doesn't mention the Holy Spirit by Name, but still teaches us so much about His work.

In this text, Jesus teaches us that He is our Good Shepherd. He is risen from the dead and lives to guide His little flock, the Church, to heaven. He does this with His voice. Jesus speaks love and forgiveness to us in the Word of God as we read the Bible and hear the Gospel preached in Church. Jesus speaks love and forgiveness to us in Baptism and in the Supper--the Sacraments He established for us. We hear the voice of Christ in the catechism, as we are taught good doctrine from the Bible, so that we know how to avoid the voices of strangers (false teachers).

Jesus gives these gifts. At each step the Holy Spirit is the One who brings these gifts to you and causes you to believe in Jesus, so you receive His gifts by faith. Without the Holy Spirit, you would never have heard of Jesus, nor could you have believed in Him. You would have been lost forever.

But thanks be to God that the Spirit loves you and does His work! The Spirit brings the voice of Jesus to you through the Word and the Sacrament. The Spirit causes you to believe that when Jesus promises you forgiveness, it is truly yours. When you face times of trial and temptation, fear and doubt, the Spirit brings the peace and comfort of the Gospel to you and keeps you in Christ.

When you hear the voice of Christ say in the Scripture that you are His little lamb and you are safe with Him, it's the Spirit who causes you to trust that Jesus speaks the truth. The Spirit causes you to trust this Word of Christ so thoroughly that you base the safety of your whole life in this world and the next on Christ your Shepherd. The Spirit does this work with great strength, with tender gentleness, with patience and wisdom. He gives you the treasures that Christ won for you on the Cross and at the resurrection.

We thank the Holy Spirit for His gracious work, and praise Him with the Father and the Son, now and forever! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The King of love my shepherd is, whose goodness faileth never; I nothing lack if I am His and He is mine forever. ("The King of Love My Shepherd Is" LSB 709, st.1)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: John 3:16-21

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 22:1-20; Luke 22:1-23

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost. Now, for two days after Pentecost, the Church focuses on readings that help us remember important things about the Holy Spirit and His work. The Gospel reading for Pentecost Monday is the much-loved Gospel proclamation from John 3. We hear anew that God the Father gave His only Son, Jesus, and that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Thanks be to God!

But did you notice something? In this reading, the Father and the Son are mentioned directly, but not the Holy Spirit. Is the Spirit missing in John 3:16? By no means! The Holy Spirit is here in this beautiful verse, because He and He alone is the One who creates faith in the heart of a believer. When it says, ". . . that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life," the Holy Spirit is right there. For only the Spirit can create this faith in a believer and keep it alive day in and day out until a believer is in heaven.

The Spirit is the One who inspired the apostle John to write these words of Jesus. The Spirit is the One who caused these words to be preached to all nations. And the Spirit is the One who led translators to provide these words of Christ in your language so you can read them and know accurately what Jesus said.

From the moment these words were spoken by Christ, the Spirit has been working to make sure that what He said would be brought to you (and to all the Church around the world), that these words would strengthen your faith and build you up in Christ. And He continues to do this work in you throughout your life. When you sit down in your old age to read John 3 once more, the Spirit will work through that Word yet again to build you up in Christ. As you hear Christ in this text you know your sins are forgiven and you have eternal life. It is the Spirit who brings this Word to you and causes you to believe it and who keeps that faith alive.

For all these things we give thanks to the Holy Spirit and praise Him for His work! We turn our attention where He directs us in this text, to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom the Father sent to save us. Thanks be to God! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God would not have the sinner die; His Son with saving grace is nigh; His Spirit in the Word declares how we in Christ are heaven's heirs. ("God Loved the World So That He Gave" LSB 571, st.3)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A joyful and blessed Pentecost to you! Today we celebrate the day that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Church. We rejoice that He caused the Gospel to be preached--starting in Jerusalem and then to the ends of the earth--all the way to us in our day.

We have so much to be thankful for today! In John 14:27, Jesus gives His peace to the disciples. He goes to the Cross to make that peace possible. On Easter Sunday Jesus again says to them, "Peace be with you" (John 20:19), and peace is theirs by grace through faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit caused them to hear Jesus's words and believe that they truly had peace with God.

But this peace wasn't just spoken to them. It's also spoken to you and to all people. On Pentecost, we rejoice that this peace is here for you in Christ Jesus. Think of all the things the Spirit has done to make it possible for you to hear the Gospel!

He strengthened the apostles to preach Christ. He inspired them and the evangelists to write down what Jesus said and did. The Spirit oversaw the gathering together of all the books of the Bible. He made sure this Holy Word was protected and preached from generation to generation. He blessed the work of translating the Bible into different languages so that you could hear the Word and read it in your own language.

It's a miracle of the Holy Spirit that the words Jesus spoke are even available for you to hear. But the Spirit works another miracle. Through the Word He has created faith in your heart. Through the washing of Baptism, He has cleansed away your sin with the blood of Christ. It's a miracle that when you hear the words, "Peace be with you," you hear and believe that Jesus gives you peace this day. Apart from the Spirit, you could never believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him.

The Spirit has brought the Gospel to you and drawn you to faith in Christ by this Gospel. This is worth celebrating! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty and ever-living God, You fulfilled your promise by sending the gift of the Holy Spirit to unite disciples of all nations in the cross and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ. By the preaching of the Gospel spread this gift to the ends of the earth; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Pentecost)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: John 14:15-21

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:22-21:9; Luke 20:45-21:19

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth." (John 14:16-17a)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We are on the verge of moving from the season of Easter to the season of Pentecost, which begins on the 50th day after the resurrection of our LORD! What an exciting day! It is the day when the LORD kept His promise recorded by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-29). On that great day our heavenly Father and our LORD Jesus Christ poured out upon the Church the Holy Spirit who leads Her to fulfill the Great Commission of The LORD Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20).

Sometimes people get confused about this. They ask, "But didn't God's people have the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament?" Yes, they did, but in a different way. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was especially connected to God's house in the form of the tabernacle and later to the temple, run by specially appointed priests who conducted holy sacrifices for the people of God. But do you recall what happened to that temple when Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary? The curtain of the temple was torn in two (Matthew 27:51). This meant that the holy sacrifices performed in the temple were no longer necessary because the final sacrifice for sin had just been rendered by Jesus on the Cross.

The Holy Spirit was now "moving out of" the Old Testament houses, so to speak. It was time for the Holy Spirit to "move into" the house called the Church. And what is that? The Church is not a building made with physical materials, but consists of all Christians--new priests, "royal priests" (1 Peter 2:9)--who confess Jesus and who gather around His Word and Sacraments. Upon this Church the Holy Spirit has been poured out.

But how do you know that YOU share in the great gift of The Holy Spirit? You know because in the Church you were baptized into Jesus! Titus writes, "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 3:5-6). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty and ever-living God, You fulfilled Your promise by sending the gift of the Holy Spirit to unite disciples of all nations in the cross and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ. By the preaching of the Gospel spread this gift to the ends of the earth; through the same Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:1-21; Luke 20:19-44

[Jesus] said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." (Luke 20:25)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Living as Christians in the world means that we live in the two kingdoms God has made for us. One kingdom is called the "Kingdom of the Right," otherwise known as the Church, and the other kingdom is called the "Kingdom of the Left" and refers to the state. The Church is also known as the kingdom of grace, while society (or whatever word we choose) is where earthly power lies. The Church emphasizes the Gospel, whereas the civil government must use laws to properly function. Both kingdoms are of God. God leads both kingdoms. We just need to remember that they serve entirely different functions and purposes.

But wait a minute. How can we say that God is in charge of both kingdoms when Jesus in Luke 20 says, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's"? It sounds like Jesus was saying that when it came to the Left, that Caesar was in charge. Well, the answer is that we have a classic "both-and" situation here. Caesar was indeed in charge of the state at the time, but only because Jesus let him be. In other words, Jesus has ultimate authority even in the realm of earthly power, but He has chosen to permit the governing authorities that He has established (Romans 13) to run the government. He's okay with that and doesn't worry about it, because God is the One who is always in control of the big picture. That's why Jesus said what He did when Pontius Pilate was interrogating Him. Pilate said to Jesus, "Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" Pilate spoke truth, but then Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above" (John 19:10b, 11a). And Jesus spoke truth.

So when you honor the governor or the president, and you should regardless of their shortcomings, you are really honoring Christ, the King of kings, the One who guards and keeps you in this world and into life everlasting. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Living God, Your almighty power is made known chiefly in showing mercy and pity. Grant us the fullness of Your grace to lay hold of Your promises and live forever in Your presence; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:41-17:13; Luke 20:1-18

"When then is this that is written, 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him." (Luke 20:17-18)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It starts to mess with our prideful sinful nature when other people receive praise and honor while we do not. Well, no one gets more praise than Jesus. The Father has given Him the position of all power and authority. People are therefore easily offended by Him. In fact, Jesus is so important that He is described as the "cornerstone." This is a fascinating word and usually refers to a foundation stone. In fact, whenever we sing the hymn, "The Church's One Foundation" we are reminded that Jesus is indeed our foundation and we build upon Him, our Rock (Matthew 7:24-25).

However, there is another sense of "cornerstone," and that is a keystone that is not below us on the ground, but above us in the ceiling. It is a stone towards which all other stones are aligned. This stone determines the integrity of the building. So the cornerstone might be below you, by your feet, or above you, over your head.

In this light, God warns against pride and rebellion, especially when people reject the Word of Christ.

Depending on the extent of our rebellion against Jesus, we might either stumble and fall over our Savior, or even worse, be crushed by Him in judgment. Christ is Savior and He is also Judge. If we reject Him, we reject God's building, God's holy place, God's house. Thank God that He in His great love and mercy, has led you through His Word and Sacrament not to reject His Word, not to be like those in the vineyard who rejected God's prophets and Jesus. Instead you embrace Christ who has made you one of His living stones (1 Peter 2:5), built up with your brothers and sisters into His spiritual house, a royal priesthood. Through faith in Jesus, you do not stumble over Him, but you bow before Him. You are not crushed by Him, but you are raised up by Him. Jesus gives you a firm foundation and a perfectly aligned shelter. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

LORD Jesus, You are the stone that the builders rejected. But on the third day, You became the cornerstone. By Your Word and Spirit, open our hearts to receive You as the beloved Son sent from the Father so that we might always embrace suffering as the means by which we enter into Your glory; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Second Article, pt.2

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:23-40; Luke 19:29-48

[Christ] has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and earth. (Small Catechism: Apostles Creed, Second Article)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Luther wrote the above explanation for the part of the Creed describing what Jesus did to save us from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Luther was just being Luther, relying on Scripture as his guide. Luther knew, for example, 1 Peter 1:18-19: ". . . knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." A wonderful and very biblical way of teaching how Christ saved us is expressed in this idea of redemption.

We lost and condemned ones were "purchased and won" by Jesus. Jesus paid for us to be forgiven and saved. So, okay, but what currency did Jesus use to purchase us from death to life? He didn't pay with gold or silver. That would not do. Not good enough. Instead, He paid with what is more valuable than anything in the universe: His blood, God's blood (Acts 20:28). Alright, but who did He pay? Did He pay the devil? No, that would have been giving the devil far too much credit! Only God has the power to release from death to life, so God paid God. Jesus paid His blood to the Father, and our heavenly Father accepted His Son's payment. It was enough. It was more than enough to purchase us back to life. It was the payment that was necessary to get us out of the clutches of death. It was that strong and powerful a payment.

We learn from Leviticus 17:11 that life is in the blood. Well, the life of God was in Jesus' blood, so yes, that blood has the greatest purchasing power in the universe! It's true: You have been "purchased and won" from "all sins, death, and from the power of the devil; not with silver or gold, but with [Christ's] holy, precious blood!" In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O King who comes in the name of the LORD, through Your birth and death, earth and heaven were joined together in peace. May your coming as King into Jerusalem in humility on the donkey help us to see that You continue to come to us as our King hidden in humble water, humble words, humble food; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: 1 Peter 4:7-14

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:1-22; Luke 19:11-28

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A long time ago in the 20th century, a rock band called The Beatles wrote a very famous song called, "All You Need Is Love." People have fun analyzing this idea. The bottom line is that it is absolutely not true, and absolutely true at the same time.

How do we sort this out? By defining what kind of love we are talking about. If we mean romantic love, desire, or affection, then the statement falls flat and can't be backed up. People need more than these loves, as important as they might be. However, if what you mean is "agape" love, the sacrificial and committed love of God for you in Christ, now you're cooking.

Why is this verse true? Because this love was and is the love of God the Father that drove Him to send His Son Jesus to save us from sin, death, and the power of the devil. In other words, this love is responsible for our lives. Without this love, we would not know life. Take away this love, life doesn't exist. This love was what moved God to create the heavens and the earth, and this love is what moved God to give Jesus to restore the heavens and the earth. This love is GIFT love. And here's the rest that God wants us to know: Once we receive this love of Christ, we aren't supposed to keep it to ourselves. We are to share it with others. God calls us to love others and when we do we cover, with this love, "a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8).

True love covers sin and that means true love covers death, like the death of hostility. People can offend us and hurt us, and this can cause terrible rifts in relationships, but love can restore. Love can forgive, cover, and bring life back even into broken relationships. When this happens, a multitude of sins get covered, like all of yours are covered through the love of Christ for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

LORD God, heavenly Father, as we struggle here below with divisions among us, searching for peace among men, remind us daily of the peace of heaven purchased through the bloody death and triumphant resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our LORD, who with You and the Holy Spirit is one God, now and forever. Amen.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Today's Reading: Ezekiel 36:22-28

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:25-45; Luke 18:35-19:10

"[God says] I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . " (Ezekiel 36:24-28)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Eight times. . . EIGHT times God describes in just five verses what HE will do for His people, and you know what? What God does covers EVERYTHING! He does the work not only for our justification, but He also does the work for our sanctification. He is 100% responsible for our ENTIRE lives in Christ.

Every aspect of our Christian faith--our new lives, our love, our ability to pray, to serve, to worship, to engage in witness, our certain hope, our ability to forgive, heart-felt endurance, compassion, the fruit of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, our ability to confess our sins, to hold to Christ, to remember our Holy Baptism, to thirst for the Holy Supper--EVERYTHING is from God's "I will." We are so blessed in our biblical Lutheran confession to know this and to constantly confess this.

Many people who identify themselves as Christians miss this crucial teaching. Even many Christians think that our new lives are a 50/50 co-working with God. They wrongly believe that God does His part, and we must do ours. God reaches down to us, and we must raise our hand to reach Him. He invites and we must accept. He comes and we must open our hearts, etc. etc. etc.

No! We can't reach up because on our own we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). We can't accept without the Holy Spirit's instigating faith in us. We cannot open our hearts because without Christ our hearts are hard and sick. If not for God's "I will," we would be lost, completely lost.

God says, "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness" (Ezekiel 36:25). Think Holy Baptism. God does the cleaning. God does the saving. "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules" (Ezekiel 36:27). This is sanctification, the new life. Who makes it happen? God does.

On account of His gracious "I will," you are now counted among His people: "You shall be my people, and I will be your God" (Ezekiel 36:28b). The One who says to you, "I will" makes it happen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O LORD, stir up the hearts of Your faithful people to welcome and joyfully receive Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, that He may find in us a fit dwelling place; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch