Reflections

January 3, 2025 

Today's Reading: Colossians 3:12-17

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 63:1-14; Luke 2:21-40

“…my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:30)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Simeon is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. He was not a political ruler or official of the temple. He was not a man of wealth or social standing. As far as we know, Simeon held no worldly power or influence, and yet Luke tells us that Simeon was a “righteous and devout” man of God who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” This means that Simeon was waiting and watching in faith. He was a man who had lived his life on the lookout, and – through the Spirit – he had been given a special revelation that he would not die until he had seen the promised Christ.

There must have been days when Simeon questioned and maybe even doubted the Holy Spirit’s promise. “Is my mind playing tricks on me? Is my age finally catching up? What about my sins? How can God reveal the Messiah to a scoundrel like me?” And there, amid this storm of expectation and doubt, of anticipation and disbelief, of hope and despair, the Spirit acted again. Luke writes that “(Simeon) came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God” (Luke 2:27-28).

In a knowledge that could only have been divinely revealed, Simeon recognized the Christ. His eyes were opened, his forgiveness was assured, and his hope was confirmed. In unimaginable joy, he took this baby boy out of his mother’s arms, and there, in the temple courts, Simeon shared the Good News that he had waited his whole life to experience: “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples” (Luke 2:29-31). These famous words of praise, called the “Nunc Dimittis,” illustrate with poetic and prophetic clarity the Good News that the Scriptures were written to proclaim: that in this baby boy, “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Without God’s action, we are left like Simeon to wait and wonder while life slips away. Without God’s action, we are left to fend for ourselves in a world where the strong survive and the weak are trampled. Without God’s action, we continue to walk blindly in the way of our sin, and it is a way that can only end in death. But through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God acts and our eyes are opened, our sins are forgiven, and life begins.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, thank you for revealing salvation in Jesus to our eyes by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

-Rev. Thomas Eggold, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, IN.

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 2, 2025 

Today's Reading: Catechism: The Second Commandment

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 62:1-12; Luke 2:1-20

“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch.” (Isaiah 62:1)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In today’s Old Testament lesson, the prophet writes, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet” (Isaiah 62:1). This Word of God was spoken at a time in Israel’s history when life had been devalued, when God’s Word had been ignored, and when it would have been much easier to simply be silent and let evil have free course instead of speaking out. But, in complete contrast to the culture of his day, Isaiah spoke God’s Word. He proclaimed a message of life and a promise of deliverance, even as the destruction of his nation and the judgment of God knocked at the door.

In the safety of our sanctuaries, we can talk about the sanctity of human life, but how are we to respond when faced with a world that devalues life and ignores God’s word? The answer to this question is found in today’s reading. Isaiah said, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.” In these words, Isaiah calls us as the Church to announce the truth of God’s Word and the salvation He came to bring. You see, even in a world gripped by death and the delusions of the devil, the call of Jesus Christ remains: “Go make disciples of all nations,” and, my friends, we can only speak the Word of God when we have first listened to it.

We cannot give what we do not have, and listening to God’s voice is the only thing that can properly prepare us to speak. Our message cannot come from a political agenda or a radio show; it cannot come from a generic moral imperative or from a social gospel or theology of glory. Our message of life can only come from the Word of God because only when we have truly listened to God do we clearly understand that it’s our sin that is under judgment, that it is for our transgressions that Christ suffered and died, and that it is for our salvation and our eternal life with God that Jesus was raised from the dead. The demands of God’s Law are for me! And the Word of God’s judgment is for me! And the promise of grace is God’s promise to me! And once I have listened to the Word in this way, I can then listen to someone else whose broken and sinful life is equally sacred to God.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord, help me to listen to your word of Law and Gospel so that I can speak it to others.

-Rev. Thomas Eggold, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, IN.

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 1, 2025

Today's Reading: Luke 2:21

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 61:1-11; Luke 1:57-80

“And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” (Luke 2:21)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The new year always begins with a festival called “The Circumcision and Name of Jesus.” This part of the Christmas story is celebrated every year on the Church calendar, but since we usually aren’t in church on New Year’s Day, it can easily slide by unnoticed, and when you consider the length of today’s text, it’s no wonder. This is the shortest reading in the entire lectionary, and this one-sentence lesson simply reads: “And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”

This reading may be brief, and yet the truth it contains is vast. You see, in this succinct Scripture, the infant Jesus is subjected to life under the Law of God, and for the first time, His blood is shed as a foreshadowing of the ultimate shedding of His blood on the Cross. In this important event from the life of Christ – on the eighth day of Christmas – we see Jesus keeping the Law in our place while, even as an infant, He begins His redeeming work for us, and all of this is captured in the name given by the angel:

“Jesus,” which means “Yahweh – the Lord – saves.”

This name takes us completely out of the equation. This is important to note because as much as our sinful nature likes to tell us otherwise, God’s Word is never simply a call for us to get busy or to get better! Instead, it is first and foremost a proclamation of performative language where God is putting our sinful nature to death and then raising us to life as a new creation created in Christ Jesus to do good works. He does this through His Law, and He does this through His Gospel, and in this personal application of performative language, the LORD does something to us and in us that fundamentally changes who we are!

This week, I saw a list of the top resolutions people made to greet the New Year, and ahead of both weight loss and improved health, the number one resolution for 2025 was to “be a better person.” Well, today, we need to recognize that in the eyes of the Lord, this resolution will always be impossible for us. The things that depend on our resolve will always fail to deliver us… but in the things that really matter – in eternal things – we have a Heavenly Father whose resolve was demonstrated in the cross of His Son and delivered to us by the Holy Spirit. In the Name of Jesus, we are blessed now and forever.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord Jesus, take me and my sinful nature out of the equation and remind me that in my Baptism, I

have received your saving Name. 

-Rev. Thomas Eggold, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, IN.

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.

December 31, 2024

Today's Reading: Luke 12:35-40

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 60:1-22; Luke 1:39-56

“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Luke 12:40)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In 1914, Ernest Shackleton and 27 crewmembers left from Plymouth, England, on a ship named The Endurance. On January 18, 1915, after five months at sea, the ship became stuck in pack ice and was unable to move. Week after week, the crew lived in their stuck ship until the pressure from the moving ice finally began to crush the ship’s hull. The crew salvaged what they could and set up shelters on the ice as their boat slowly disappeared into the frozen sea.

Nearly four months after the ice had stopped the expedition, Shackleton decided their only chance for survival was to use the salvaged lifeboats to find help. After seven terrible days on the open sea, the men arrived on an uninhabited spit of rock called Elephant Island. Shackleton knew there was no chance of rescue from this remote island, so he selected five of his strongest men and announced that they would sail one of the lifeboats to South Georgia Island, where he knew they could get help. South Georgia Island was over 800 miles away.

Two weeks after leaving his men behind, Shackleton reached South Georgia Island and began planning a rescue for the crew members left on Elephant Island. Finally, on August 30, 1916, – 19 months after their ship had become stuck and four months after their leader had left for help – Shackleton arrived at Elephant Island. When he reached his men, he was overjoyed that they were all alive, and he was amazed to find them all packed up and waiting. When Shackleton asked how they knew to be ready for his arrival, one of the crew members replied, “Sir, when you left, you said you would come back for us, so we never gave up hope. Each day, we packed up our sleeping bags and reminded each other, ‘Watch friends! The boss may be coming back today.’ We were always ready for your return.”

One of the reasons the “Shackleton” story is so amazing is that the readiness we see in the men on Elephant Island is so different from what we see in ourselves. We are impatient. We are pessimistic. We doubt. And yet, as we struggle with our sin, God knows. He knows who we are. He knows about our lack of patience and our pessimism and our doubt. He knows that we are not prepared, and that is why He sent His Son. Jesus came to make us ready, and He did it by taking on human flesh, and with it, He also took our selfishness, our doubt, and our impatience. He took these sins to the Cross and did all of this so that we would be forgiven and ready for His return.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord Jesus, thank you for making us ready for Your return through Your death and resurrection for us.

-Rev. Thomas Eggold, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, IN.

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.

December 30, 2024 

Today's Reading: Exodus 13:1-3a, 11-15

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 58:1-59:3, 14-21; Luke 1:26-38

“Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem” (Exodus 13:15).

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Like any new parents, Mary and Joseph wanted to do everything just right for their newborn son. So, 40 days after Jesus’ birth, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to offer the sacrifice demanded by the Law for consecrating a firstborn male to the Lord. Luke records this act of obedience as the Holy Family travels to the Temple to fulfill the requirements of the Law.

In Exodus 13, the LORD said to Moses, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn (and) Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 13:1, 3). This command was given by God to remind His people that He had delivered them out of Egypt after the final plague in which the LORD killed all the firstborns in the land of Egypt. But this was more than a simple nod to the past.

In this requirement of consecration, God was also pointing His people forward to the Firstborn Son who would be consecrated for us. Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High, went to the Temple in accordance with the Law of Moses to begin a journey of obedience that would lead to a cross. There on Calvary, in the ultimate sacrifice, our Lord received what we deserved, and by the sacrifice of the sinless Son of God, we have been consecrated - set apart - for the Lord.

Jesus Christ is the “firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15) and the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18), and, as Paul reminds us, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:1-6). This firstborn son of Mary is also the Firstborn and only Son of God, who fulfilled the Law in our place and died our death to lead us out of our slavery to sin and our heavenly Promised Land.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord God, thank you for giving your only begotten Son to die for us so that through His obedience, we might live. 

-Rev. Thomas Eggold, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, IN.

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.

December 29, 2024

Today's Reading: Luke 2:22-40

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 55:1-13; Luke 1:1-25

“…so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

I have worked with kids for 35 years. I’ve been a high school teacher, soccer coach, drama director, youth minister, and now, a pastor. In these roles, I have dealt with some of the flakiest and most frustrating kids imaginable– kids without a clue or care and completely self-centered in their focus. Based on my experience, I would have told you that these kids were hopeless. But God is always working, and even when someone seems like a lost cause, the Lord isn’t finished with them. 

A few years ago, I had an email from one of these former students. This kid was as flakey as they come, and I saw his immaturity and selfishness play out in several settings. He was disrespectful to authority figures, cruel to teammates, and oblivious to the needs of others. As a 16-year-old, this young man was on a road to nowhere and couldn’t care less.

Fast forward 20 years. I had been out of teaching and coaching for a generation, and most of the kids from that part of my life had faded into memory when, completely out of the blue, I received an email from the past. “Do you remember me? I hope you are doing well. I live on the East Coast with my wife and two kids. I have a great job and serve as a volunteer at my church. Thank you for the values you instilled in me.” My jaw hit the keyboard as I stared in disbelief at the words on the screen in front of me. 

On our own, we are all without a clue or care and hopeless in every way. But the Lord never gives up on us. He continues to send out His Word of grace with the promise that He will always accomplish the purpose for which He sent it. In Christ Jesus, we know that God’s purpose is always to save, and even when we resist and rebel, He will persist, and the Spirit will succeed in bringing the forgiveness and life Jesus died to secure. The Word always works; whether we can see it or not, the Holy Spirit is creating faith and changing hearts through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord, thank you for working in your Word to accomplish Your purpose in my life. 

-Rev. Thomas Eggold, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, IN.

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.

December 28, 2024

Today's Reading: Matthew 2:13-18

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 52:13-54:10; Matthew 2:13-23

“‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.’” (Matthew 2:18)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Where was God when Herod’s soldiers went house to house slaughtering toddlers? Why does He seem so far away? It seems deep down like we spend more time defending God than He spends defending us. It seems like tragedy is where we need to protect the idea of God, not where we actually expect Him to protect us. Here’s a fortune cookie slogan about God’s plan that makes it not sound so horrible. Here’s something besides His word to make us seem content when we aren’t. Some poem about footprints and sand. Some parable about blind folks and an elephant. All of them attempt to answer the issue behind any religion that claims its god is loving. Why is there evil?

Rachel weeps for her children and refuses to be comforted because they are no more. This is not the time for the footprints poem that isn’t actually in the Bible. I don’t have any good excuses here. Not because God doesn’t explain it. Because we don’t like the answers He gives. We want a God that gives us free will. Freedom from suffering. It was everything Herod sought. He prayed to the god of security and made rite sacrifices. He wanted to be in control, not face hardship or hurt. So, if I’m being honest, I can relate more to Herod than to Christ, who left the glory and security of heaven to be born in a manger, smuggled across borders only to die on a cross.  

We’d rather a Herod than a Christ, as long as he’s on our team. We want security from God every bit as much as we want security from God. We can recoil at the price Herod was willing to pay for it, but we all play the same game on a smaller scale. You might not sacrifice thousands of lives, but statistically, more women enter planned parenthood for an abortion identifying as Christian than not. And men, spared from having to sacrifice this way to the god of choice, still find plenty of other ways to chase the same securities. All we’re doing is quibbling over the price we’re willing to pay for them. So He acts.  

Jesus didn’t stop Herod from massacring children. He worked salvation in the middle of it. He entered to face it and carve a path through death to resurrection. It makes the object of our salvation closer to us when things fall apart. That’s where God puts Himself for you. When we have no good answer, God gives you His cross, not a trite explanation or a poem about footprints. God isn't with us to be strong when we are weak. But to be weak too, for us. It gives us hope for those lost. And it gives us forgiveness for those sins we dare not speak out loud. Even your abortion is forgiven. Because explanations are resigned to how things are now, but the cross looks forward to an empty tomb.  

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. 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.

December 27, 2024 

Today's Reading: John 21:20-25

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 51:17-52:12; Matthew 2:1-12

“So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?’” (John 21:23)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

John died of old age, exiled on Patmos. I wonder if it flavors the way he wrote his gospel. He calls himself the apostle whom Jesus loved. He’s clearly brilliant. Especially compared to Peter. He runs faster, too. I used to think John thought a lot of himself. The more I get to know him, the more I wonder if it was the opposite. John was spared the martyrdom that the other eleven received. At one point, I would have assumed John counted it as a mark of favor. Maybe, though, to John, it wasn’t. 

It's great faith that stands steadfast in the face of torture. Unwavering in the face of death. We all like to think we’d do the same, but pray we’d never have to. We all pledged to remain steadfast in this faith and face all, even death, rather than fall away from it, but enough kids stop going to church the week after they make this promise with the help of God at their confirmation that it’s a trope. As John grew old on Patmos, I wonder if the apostle whom Jesus loved was the apostle who was afraid he wouldn’t.  

Bravado often masks insecurity. And sometimes, it’s even more terrifying to disappoint someone than to die horribly. Do the subtle boasts John makes really just show how afraid he really is? But he’s a fast runner. Way faster than Peter. And he’s wicked smart, too. I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong. There are marks of John throughout his book, but motive is a tricky thing. We don’t even understand ourselves sometimes. Today, the church remembers St. John, who had a personality I can’t help but speculate about. But the thing he clings to is clear. Christ. His letters are not remembered for his wit or his spats with Peter but for confessing the crucified and risen Lord. This Jesus died and rose not only to cover over John’s sins, but to give him courage in the face of his fears. John died of old age but already conquered death in his Baptism. That Baptism gives us the freedom to see him in joy as someone who gives us permission to maybe be afraid, but someone holy nonetheless because of the Christ who washes us clean. One day, you’ll die, too. I’m not sure how people will remember you or what credit they’ll give to your motives and actions. But you’ll go into the grave Baptized, covered. And you’ll rise, too.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Merciful Lord, cast the bright beams of Your light upon Your Church that we, being instructed in the doctrine of Your blessed apostle and evangelist John, may come to the light of everlasting life; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

-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.

December 26, 2024 

Today's Reading: Matthew 23:34-39

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 49:22-26; 50:4-51:8, 12-16; Matthew 1:18-25

“‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

They killed Stephen. They threw rocks at him until he was dead. He prayed for their forgiveness while they did it. Stories of martyrdom get… more creative from there. Flaying. Burning. Quartering. Beheading. Also, people are mean to us on the internet sometimes.  

When the martyrs come up, Christians today bicker over what actually makes for genuine persecution. There are modern-day martyrs. People really killed for the crime of faith. The thing is, I don’t think Jesus warns us about it so that we can lean into how bad it is, finding martyrdom in every comment section.  

The church is left with Christ’s words here, along with the story of Stephen, for two reasons. First, so that we would not be surprised if it happens. It is not a sign things are broken. It is not a sign of God’s absence. It is a sad reality that Christ Himself bore for us. Secondly, though, it is to point us toward what to look for should we find it. 

Stephen didn’t lament those who stoned him. He prayed for their forgiveness. Jesus didn’t ignore Jerusalem. He wept over it, knowing Stephen and all the rest of the prophets and martyrs, and then rode into the city to conquer. Not by outkilling the killers. By bearing their sins unto death. He knew they’d reject Him. He still died for them. The focus doesn’t seem to be on resistance. Or even lamenting every barb the church has taken. It’s always been the forgiveness of sins that grants us certain life in the face of death. We live in uncertain times. We know now the future. So we’re told to cling to a love so strong it would weep for Jerusalem, who would not believe, yet die for her anyway. Stephen is remembered as a martyr. But Jesus is remembered as the God made man who died and rose again to grant Stephen’s prayers. In Christ, the martyrs live. And in Christ, there is forgiveness, even for those who throw stones.  

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Heavenly Father, in the midst of our sufferings for the sake of Christ grant us grace to follow the example of the first martyr, Stephen, that we also may look to the One who suffered and was crucified on our behalf and pray for those who do us wrong; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

-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.

December 25, 2024

Today's Reading: John 1:1-14 (15-18)

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 49:1-18; Matthew 1:1-17

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

There’s a curated charm about Christmas Eve that just doesn’t transfer over to the morning. Christmas Eve is prettier, but it’s fragile. If you speak, you can break the moment. Christmas Eve will always be the bigger deal, but Christmas Day dares to ask, what if it all actually meant something after the candles are blown out? What does it mean for you who sing about stables you've never knelt in outside of towns you've never visited? On Christmas Eve, we make a pilgrimage to Bethlehem but find no nativity. Just words. On Christmas Day, we find out that’s how it’s supposed to be. On Christmas Eve, the words describe shepherds and angels and a baby Christ child in years past. On Christmas Day, the words take shape in the now.  

We like baby Jesus more because He doesn’t do anything obnoxious. Like talk. So, when Jesus is introduced as the Word and not the infant, it makes us nervous He’ll open His mouth and break the charm of last night, even though we know it’s well on its way to fading already. It’s why we need the word. It’s what gives the shepherds in the field meaning. It’s what connects the miracle of then to the quiet desperation of now. A religion divorced from meaning is quaint, like turning off LEDs and lighting candles, but doesn't combat the darkness. It doesn't save. It just lets us pretend for a little while, which is our go-to solution to problems we can’t actually fix. But it’s dark today. So today, we are given the Word. 

You don’t have a God of charming moments. You have a God who speaks. You have a Word made flesh. The living, breathing promise made to you. It tells you, “You have the right to become children of God, born of His will.” It means He saved us, not by works done by us in righteousness, but by incarnation. By making the promise real. With the infant Christ, Words don’t stay words. They become flesh. They don’t just call us to try harder, be more, love. They wrap themselves in weakness that cannot. It’s what real light looks like. Not a time free from problems or a world free from darkness, but a God bearing them to their end for us. A light that even the darkness cannot overcome. The Word made flesh can bleed. God made man can die. And He promises it’s for you. Christ crucified is the light that darkness cannot overcome. We celebrate the birth of a savior; we sing of the God made flesh to be light even when all we can see is darkness, because the darkness cannot win. It has already lost. Merry Christmas. May you have the peace of Christ Who became like us that we would be like Him. And indeed, we already are.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, grant that the birth of Your only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free from the bondage of sin; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 

-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.