Reflections

February 2, 2025

Today's Reading: Luke 2:22-32, 33-40

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 12:1-13:9; Titus 1:1-2:6

“For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel." (Luke 2:30-32)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Simeon saw with his eyes what the ancients of Israel longed to see, and he saw with his own eyes what many have no idea they need; that is salvation itself. Salvation embodied in the tiny infant, Jesus. A light of revelation to the Gentiles, to those whom Paul says were “at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” (Eph. 2:12). But this salvation is also glory to the people of Israel whom Paul says in Romans have “fallen short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23). Simeon cradles that very salvation in Jesus and essentially says, “I can die now peacefully. No regrets. No sorrow. No fear. All in joy, faith, and hope.” Why? Because salvation is here in Jesus. To those who know not the True God, the light of Jesus reveals the Divine Grace and tender mercy of the God who remembers our sins no more, all through the wisdom of the cross. To those who know God, He is the glory of God. The crowning fullness of the mystery of our faith, God truly manifested in the tenderness of a baby. The fulfillment of prophecies and even time and history itself. It’s no wonder that we join the blessed Simeon in his song every Divine Service because we, too, in the Body and Blood of Christ, receive the light of Gospel revelation and the glory of Israel. For as the venerable Martin Luther would say in his Christian Questions with Their Answers, “Why should we remember and proclaim His death? ...Third, so we may find joy and comfort in Christ alone, and through faith in Him be saved.” (LSC 39); just like Simeon.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, by the voice of Your servant Simeon, You have taught us that joy, comfort, and salvation are of Christ alone. Cause us, by faith, to receive these promises in Your Holy Word and Sacraments, that whether we live or whether die, we may do so in Your perfect peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, ever One God, now and forever. Amen

-Rev. Matthew Synnott, associate pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Peoria, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

February 1, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Epiphany 4 - Psalm 10:16-18; antiphon: Psalm 10:12

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 11:4-17; 2 Timothy 4:1-18

Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. (Psalm 10:12)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Text of the Reflection

Even though I forgot where my keys are for the 4th time this week, I’m pretty comfortable telling God He should do a better job remembering the afflicted. Especially when it’s me. A little bit, it’s because I’m a sinner. A little bit, I think it’s how God wants it. He knows we forget. We forget our to-do lists. We forget to help each other. We forget to pray when things aren’t falling apart. But when everything’s a mess, it feels like God forgets us, too.  

So God gives us this psalm to pray. It’s a reflection on His character. The LORD hears us in our affliction. He strengthens our hearts. He does justice to the fatherless and the oppressed. His character isn’t something the Psalmist worries about. Of course, God is good. Which is why it’s easy to wonder if He forgot about us when nothing around us is as good as a good God should make it. Which is the real reason we pray this psalm. 

It's an exercise in remembering. In calling to God, we can be sure He hears us and responds in mercy. He doesn’t forget. But even in praying, we remember who He is. What He has already done. What He has promised to do. In the midst of all we forget, the character of God is the most important thing to remember, reflect upon, and call to mind and heart in the midst of trial.  

The things that are falling apart? They are not things Your God has no care for. He loves you enough to die for you. The things falling apart? They are not bigger than your God. He has conquered death itself. And when we remember who He is and how He’s done that, it gives hope to the mess. God destroyed death through a cross, not a day when nothing was wrong, but a day when everything was falling apart. God can and does work mercy for you even in the midst of all that’s wrong. Just like Good Friday, things don’t need to be apart from sin or disorder or fear for Him to save you. When it’s all falling apart, remember who your God is, and remember He won’t forget you. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The will of God is always best And shall be done forever; And they who trust in Him are blest; He will forsake them never. He helps indeed In time of need; He chastens with forbearing. They who depend On God, their friend, Shall not be left despairing. (LSB 758:1)

-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 31, 2025

Today's Reading: 2 Timothy 3:1-17

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 10:1-11:3; 2 Timothy 3:1-17

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” (2 Timothy 3:16)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

The Bible doesn’t contain God’s word. It is God’s word. All of it. The clear parts. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. The quirky parts. John needs you to know he’s a faster runner than Peter. The weird parts. A prophet called down a bear attack on the young men who called him bald. The parts I don’t like. The 10 Commandments that paint me as a sinner in many and various ways. God wants it all in there. He is the one who used the various writers with their various personalities, flaws, sins, and quirks to say exactly what He wanted said.  

It's a Gift, though. Now, it’s not our job to sort through the Bible and pick out what’s actually God’s word and what’s just pretending to be. It’s funny how when that’s our job, God’s word always seems to agree with us. It’s a cold look in the mirror when we realize that if we are who determine what is and isn’t God’s word, that’s not just cleaning up after apostles who were ignorant because they lived before iPhones. It’s making yourself God. If you’re the one who chooses what God says, that sort of makes you in charge. Like God.  

It's hard enough to believe it’s all God’s word. It’s harder still to believe it’s all profitable for you. Because the whole Bible, the narrative, the history, the law, and the gospel, they are for you. They testify of Christ, of hope, and of how things should be. It’s easy to carve up the Bible into what is and isn’t God’s word. It’s also easy to carve out all the things we think don’t actually relate to us. But all Scripture is for you. To call you away from the things of death. To point you to the things of life. To give you hope because if God can save sinners like those we read of, He can save you, too. When you read the Bible, it doesn’t just teach you what good is; it equips you to be good. By faith, you receive the very holiness the law demands, and a clean conscience willing to be corrected, always with the hope that your salvation rests on Christ, whom the whole Bible attests is your savior. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous; Bright with Thine own holiness, Glorious now, we press toward glory, And our lives our hopes confess. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to Thee who light dost send! Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end! (LSB 578:3)

-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 30, 2025

Today's Reading: Catechism: The Sixth Commandment

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 9:1-17; 2 Timothy 2:1-26

You shall not commit adultery.  

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

This commandment comes with baggage. It’s the one assaulted by the world. It’s the one that hurts to talk about if you’re a product of a broken home. It’s the one we fail with our thoughts, our web browsing, and worse. Lord, have mercy.  

But here’s the thing: if you don’t believe marriage is worthwhile, why bother? Just like the First Commandment, if you do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things, why would you pay attention to His laws? Marriage is a Gift worth guarding. It is an image of the love shown between Christ and the church. It is a body knit together purely by God’s giving of good Gifts. It is the foundation of family.  

So we should fear and love God so that we lead a chaste and pure life in word and deed, and husband and wife love and honor each other. We’re using the old explanation on purpose. Not only because it’s hard to explain “sexual purity” to the 7-year-old the Catechism was written to, but because ‘chaste’ is a word that is almost altogether free from baggage outside of jokes from old movies. Chaste is a word we should take back. The meaning is simple. What if, either today or someday in the future, God wanted you to have a healthy, happy marriage? The things that help you, either today or in the future, have a healthy, happy marriage are chaste. The things that make it harder to have a healthy, happy marriage, either today or in the future, are unchaste. You can teach that to a 5-year-old, a middle schooler, or a married person. The word chaste grows with us in our vocations. It is a word that surely walls off the things that tear down marriage. But it’s also a recognition of the Gifts God gives in marriage, the value that we ought to esteem marriage, and so the lengths we should struggle to go to defend it.  

Struggle here, but start from the fact that God gives good Gifts. Marriage is not yours to defend. It’s Christ’s, who uses it to paint a picture of the forgiveness of sins He gives to sinners. Even the ones who have not upheld the Sixth Commandment. Even you. Jesus died to forgive all the places where this commandment has been broken. He works good through marriage, even in the face of so much sin. And He calls us to rejoice because even though this commandment is not one we can fulfill, it still paints a picture of Christ and the church, where Christ still forgives us, presenting us to Himself without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing.  

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

“Be faithful to your marriage vow; No lust or impure thoughts allow. Keep all your conduct free from sin By self-controlled discipline.”  Have mercy, Lord! (LSB 581:7)

-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 29, 2025 

Today's Reading: Luke 4:16-30

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 8:1-23; 2 Timothy 1:1-18

“And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.” (Luke 4:24)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Jesus wouldn’t do miracles in His hometown. It gave everyone big feelings, so they tried to throw him off a cliff. It’s maybe a little easier to stomach Jesus saying no to the people who throw tantrums and try to throw Him off a cliff than when He does it to us. That might be a thing to wrestle with. But instead everyone takes the hometown verse as the thing that matters.  

No prophet is acceptable in his hometown. I get why I can’t go back to my hometown. I did stupid stuff in high school. People remember. But sinless Jesus wasn’t known for stealing road cones from construction sites and closing down public streets for fun. So it’s not about reputation. It’s not even about the town, either. Elisha didn’t go on a healing tour but saw only Naaman, who visited him at home, like, three chapters after he had shebears kill young men for calling him bald. His reputation was probably… at least something to take note of.  

This isn’t actually about the prophet. It isn’t about the town. It’s about the expectation. The thing we didn’t want to talk about in the first place when all the bad people who Jesus said “no” to tried to de-cliff Him. The reason we’re really not okay when He says “no” to us. The expectation is, “Hey, you work for us.”  That’s a problem. God is for you. But not under you. It’s bigger than just who’s in charge. God is merciful and good. The great danger in assuming you need to be in charge and not Him is really that you think you need to be. If you need to be in charge and not God, there’s an assumption that God isn’t merciful and good, so you need to be in charge. 

The kind of Christianity where you need to be in charge is the greatest burden and the least hope. It is a false doctrine, a lie of the devil Christ will not allow to stand because that is a Christianity where you get to receive nothing and are forced to take everything. You don’t get to trust God; only figure out how to make Him dance. Crosses aren’t involved in that kind of Christianity. But Jesus died for you. It’s not only the proof that He is merciful and good that we need when our desperate prayers seem to be met with “no.” It’s the place He gives the answers we really need. Your sins are forgiven. You are already delivered from death and the devil. Rejoice.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Hail, Thou once despisèd Jesus! Hail, Thou Galilean King! Thou didst suffer to release us; Thou didst free salvation bring. Hail, Thou universal Savior, Bearer of our sin and shame! By Thy merit we find favor: Life is given through Thy name. (LSB 531:1)

-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 28, 2025 

Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 6:1-7:14; Romans 16:17-27

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

I sort of wish I could see Paul’s facial expressions as he wrote to the church in Corinth. He had more than a couple of frustrations. Even though bickering over who’s the most important honesty seems trivial compared to some of the other stuff they were doing, this one’s pretty serious. Imagine just conveying, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the truth of the gospel of Christ Jesus, that apart from anything you could ever do by works of the law, you were saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, who died and rose for you and for all. No one in the church can save themselves by works, and nobody has to. But they’ll still fight about who’s the most important based on what they can do anyway. If we are the body of Christ, you are the appendix. Why are you even here? 

If the whole body were a nose, how would you pick it? It isn’t just a call to repentance for all who think too much of themselves. This desire to be the most important isn’t just dangerous for the ones convinced of how much they do. It’s the ones who think they go unnoticed. Overlooked. Forgotten. The feeling of worthlessness that permeates any culture rooted in works. Ironically, it’s the one thing the people who think too much of themselves and the people who think too little share in common. They can only think of themselves. But the whole body is not a nose. And, much more importantly, you are not worth simply what you can do. 

The body of Christ, knit together, works as God has ordered it. But the true worth of each part is not in what it can do but in the cost that was paid to knit us together under Him who is our head, Christ. Our Lord died and rose to give you your worth. It doesn’t have to rest on you doing enough, and it can’t be diminished by you not doing enough. You are worth what was paid for you. So, if you happen to be the appendix, the nose, or the finger, what matters most is that you’re attached to the head who has redeemed and saved us all the same and works good through us, the body, each day. 

Suffer together. Rejoice together. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In what You give us, Lord, to do, Together or alone, In old routines or ventures new, May we not cease to look to You, The cross You hung upon - All You endeavored done. (LSB 853:4)

-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 27, 2025

Today's Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 4:1-5:11; Romans 15:14-33

For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:9b-10)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The people wept as they heard the words of the Law because it paints a picture of how things are supposed to be. It paints a picture of good. And we aren’t good. The consequences of being not good are…well…not good. Sin breaks stuff. You hurt the people around you. The law points it out, even when you’d rather not look. It threatens punishment. God’s allowed to be angry when you hurt His kids. He’s even allowed to be angry when you hurt yourself. The law is a black-and-white picture. There’s no room for shades of grey, either, from best intentions or blame. The people heard how far from good they were.  

But something strange happens. The people who deserve to be sent away in wrath, condemned to eat of the damnation they sow, are instead sent to eat the best portions of meat and drink sweet wine. They’re to share the Gift they don’t deserve with anyone and everyone around them. Sinners receive something unfair. Love. Because even though, in our sins, we are not good, God still is. We hear His word and in faith even come to see that the law paints a picture of Jesus, who fulfilled it, and in mercy, forgives us who do not. Because even though, in His righteousness, Christ is good, He dies on the cross bearing the weight of the wrath over every sin. It’s unfair, but it’s love. Jesus died for you. Your sins are forgiven. The day where He hands out forgiveness is holy. Go to church on that day. Eat and drink a measure of God’s mercy in Communion. And rejoice. We who ought to shed a lot more tears over our confrontation with the law are only measured by the gospel. Christ’s death on the cross paints a picture of you. You’re worthy of love. Jesus says so, then invites you to take and eat.  

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God’s Word is our great heritage And shall be ours forever; To spread its light from age to age Shall be our chief endeavor. Through life it guides our way, In death it is our stay. Lord, grant, while worlds endure, We keep its teachings pure Throughout all generations. (LSB 582)

-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 26, 2025 

Today's Reading: Titus 1:1-9

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 2:1-3:10; Luke 10:1-9

“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

You should have a pastor. There’s a big list of things he should be. They make him above reproach. The list is a comfort to you. It’s terrifying to your pastor because most of us are white-knuckling at least one of those on a good day. It’s way easier for him to be a pastor if his life is in order. He has the bandwidth for all the places your life isn’t that way. It will be his job to hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. He should have a firm faith and point you to truth, both to point you away from the sin that breaks stuff and to forgive you for when you broke it anyway. It's hard enough to trust your pastor when he has to tell you a law you don’t want to hear. It’s sometimes impossible when you can see all the places the law makes him a sinner, too. That’s the reason for the list of things he should be. It’s not that Jesus didn’t die for your pastor. It’s that sin breaks stuff. And sometimes that gets so distracting it’s hard to hear Jesus from him. So Paul tells Titus not only the list of things he should strive to be but also the reason why so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.  

Your pastor’s job is to point you to Jesus and point you away from the things that just pretend to be Jesus. The idols. The false comforts. The lies of the evil one, the world, and the lies of your own heart. Because for your pastor, just like for you, there are two things we want. We want faithfulness and godliness. And we also want the lies to be true. Both can’t stand, so we need Christ in truth and purity. And we need to be called out of everything that is not Christ. So God gives you a pastor to point. We are sinners, all of us. It’s all the more reason to hold firm to Jesus. Hear Jesus. Hear the cross. Hear the resurrection. Receive The Sacraments. And there’s finally a place where it’s alright to be white-knuckling it. Hold fast to Jesus. He is the forgiveness for everywhere everything else is falling apart. He is the hope that exists through all the things that tear down. Let nothing distract from Jesus. Especially not the sins He forgives. 

 In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, You called Titus to the work of pastor and teacher. Make all shepherds of Your flock diligent in preaching Your holy Word so that the whole world may know the immeasurable riches of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 25, 2025 

Today's Reading: Acts 9:1-22

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 1:1-21; Matthew 19:27-30

But the Lord said to [Ananias], “Go, for [Paul] is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:15-16)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

It must have been a troubling thing for Ananias to hear that Paul was to be set aside to proclaim the Gospel to Gentiles. Before this time, Paul was an enemy of Christ. He sought to arrest and convict Jewish converts of blasphemy, a charge that would most certainly put their life in jeopardy. And before his conversion, Paul couldn’t have dreamed that salvation was ever meant for the Gentile.

But the Lord’s way is not our way. He sees things a little bit differently than we would. Where we would most certainly have chosen somebody, anybody, other than Paul, God deemed it good and right and salutary to use this mortal enemy of Christ to then proclaim the very same Christ into the world.

Paul will later admit that he is unworthy of such a task: “The least of all the apostles,” he will title himself. But what better way to proclaim the weakness of the cross to the sinner than to use the weakest and most unworthy of all vessels? But this is the way of our Lord: When we are weak, then He is strong.

For the Gospel isn’t about the sinner who is being used to proclaim it, but it is about the sinless Son of God who has come to make that sinner, and all other sinners, righteous…  We don’t look to our pastors to be perfect, but we look to our pastors to proclaim the perfection of Christ. It is in that way, then, that Christ is made known: through the lips of unclean pastors into the ears of unclean sinners.

So we give thanks to our Lord above for the conversion that He wrought in St. Paul. If the Holy Spirit can bring about faith in a murderous blasphemer, then He can certainly bring faith and sustain that faith in me, in you, in all. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, You turned the heart of him who persecuted the Church and, by his preaching, caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world. Grant us ever to rejoice in the saving light of Your Gospel and, following the example of the apostle Paul, to spread it to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

-Rev. Eli Lietzau, pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 24, 2025 

Today's Reading: 1 Timothy 6:11-16

Daily Lectionary: Joel 3:1-21; Matthew 24:42-47

I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Timothy 6:13-14)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Paul writes this Epistle to his friend and colleague, Timothy. If you remember from the Book of Acts, Paul first meets up with Timothy at the beginning of his second missionary journey. He takes off, along with Silas, to visit the congregations that were established during his initial journey. Timothy is in Lystra, a member of the congregation, brought up in the faith by his mother and grandmother. There is even a good chance that Timothy saw Paul stoned and left for dead outside of the city walls his first time around.

So Timothy knows what is at stake. He knows the dangers that he is going to undertake as he sets off with Paul and later becomes a pastor of congregations who need to hear of Christ and Him crucified…  Paul also knows what immense struggles and burdens await Timothy as he is called to stand in the stead of Christ, and so he sends him at least two pastoral letters to encourage him in his vocation.

The job of a pastor is to speak the Word. Listen to him as one who is set before you to stand in the stead of Christ, not despising preaching and the Word, but holding it sacred and gladly hearing and learning it. For your pastor is called to proclaim the Law in all of its severity and then proclaim the Gospel in all of its sweetness to you… Temptations will arise to commingle the two, to let the Law not be as severe as it should be, and to speak of the Gospel as anything but a pure and complete Gift. So Paul encourages Timothy, and in the same way, then, your pastor, to hold to the Confession of the cross for the sinner because that is what we poor sinners need to hear.

So we give thanks to the Lord above for Timothy and his faithful proclamation of the Word and the way in which he rightly administered The Sacraments. And then, in the same way, we pray for our own pastors that they would remain steadfast so that we might receive the forgiveness of sins through the preaching of the Word that comes from their lips.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, You have always given to Your Church on earth faithful shepherds such as Timothy to guide and feed Your flock. Make all pastors diligent to preach Your holy Word and administer Your Means Of Grace, and grant Your people wisdom to follow in the way that leads to life eternal; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

-Rev. Eli Lietzau, pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.