Reflections

August 24, 2026

Today's Reading: Luke 22:24-30 or John 1:43-51

Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 5:1-18; 1 Kings 6:1-7:50; 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:17

“A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.’” (Luke 22:24–28)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Is it greater to serve or to be served? Throughout the world, the answer is obvious: it is better to be served. Kings exercise lordship, and it's good to be the king. But the King of Kings has a different answer. He is the King who says, “the first shall be last” and “Blessed are the Poor.” He is the one who came down from the heavens to serve. The eternal Son took on flesh and dwelt among us, not as a conqueror but as a servant. This continues to be a comfort to us because our God is the one who gave his life on the cross to cleanse us from our sins and did not stop there. Our God continues to sanctify his people, and He has created Good Works for us to do as fellow servants and Children of God. However, God has not stopped serving us. He continues to serve us every Sunday when the saints on earth gather together to receive the Word and Sacrament from our pastors. God’s work began for us and continues to be for us as our generous King gives freely to his people for all eternity. Jesus shows that the greater one is the one who serves. If God Himself serves us, we, as His people, continue to serve our neighbor.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, Your Son, Jesus Christ, chose Bartholomew to be an apostle to preach the blessed Gospel. Grant that Your Church may love what he believed and preach what he taught; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Jonah Clausen, seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

August 23, 2026

Today's Reading: Mark 7:31-37

Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 3:1-15; 1 Kings 3:16-4:34; 2 Corinthians 1:1-22

“And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” (Mark 7:33-36)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Our God works through means. Jesus could have only said “Ephphatha,” and the blind and deaf man would have been healed. But our God puts His holy spit into the mouth of the man before He commands him to be opened. God is not afraid to get down and dirty with His creation. He not only commands this man’s ears to be opened and his tongue to be released, but this man was spiritually opened and released. While only his ears were opened and his tongue was loosed, Jesus also opened this man's eyes to see his savior. On his own, he was spiritually blind, but through God’s working, he confesses the goodness of Jesus. In a similar way, we too were spiritually deaf and mute. We could not hear the Word or confess our Lord until the Holy Spirit opened our ears to the Word of God and loosed our tongues to confess with saints all over the world. We can join the proclamation of the healed man and zealously proclaim what God has done for us. We are opened by Christ’s salvific work to proclaim His life, death, and resurrection. God puts His words into our mouths when we proclaim the truths of the Bible. Just as the healed man spreads the Word, God uses you as one of His means to bring more people into His kingdom. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty and merciful God, by Your Gift alone, Your faithful people render true and laudable service. Help us steadfastly to live in this life according to Your promises and finally attain Your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Jonah Clausen, seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

August 22, 2026

Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity 12 - Psalm 70:2b, 4a, 5b; antiphon: Psalm 70:1-2a

Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 2:1-27; 1 Corinthians 14:1-16:24; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

“You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!” (Psalm 70:5)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Psalm 70 expresses a prayer that every believer in God has prayed: “Help!” “Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!” (v. 1). It is the most basic and sincerest prayer.

What the exact situation of David, the author of the Psalm, was, we do not know. David had his sworn enemies. He had conquered rivals within Israel and many from other nations as well. The number of men slain by him was in the thousands. As a result, many people were out to get him. People who, as he put it, “delighted in my hurt.” (vs. 2)

Some might think that a man like King David wouldn’t need any help taking care of his enemies. Remember how quickly he dispatched Goliath? David could handle himself. Who would David have been afraid of? But David knew that his successes in battle were only a gift from God.

For example, when they tried talking him out of fighting Goliath, he told them, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And during the pre-battle trash-talking, David told Goliath, “You come to me with a sword … but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down…” (1st Samuel 17:45-46). David didn’t trust in his own strength, but he relied on God, his help and deliverer.

You probably haven’t had anyone plot to kill you (and hopefully, you never will!) Yet, you can still relate to the need to be rescued from your enemies. Have you had kids put you down to build themselves up? Have they said unkind things? Made fun of you in front of others? Mocked you behind your back? Teenagers can be cruel. While going through these situations is no fun, take heart, cry out to God for help, and the Lord will deliver you, too. 

In fact, the Lord God Almighty has already delivered you from your greatest enemies: sin and death. Jesus, the Son of David, fought Satan and defeated him. He gave Himself up for you on the cross, and His victory over the grave in His resurrection is complete and final. Now all who are in Him are delivered and will be forever. Therefore, rejoice and be glad in Him and say evermore: “God is great!” (vs. 4)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

 Seek Him alone Who did atone, Who did your souls deliver. O seek Him first, All you who thirst For grace that fails you never. In ev’ry need Seek Him indeed; To every heart He will impart His blessings without measure. (LSB 557:3)

Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

August 21, 2026

Today's Reading: 1 Kings 1:1-4, 15-35

Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 1:1-4, 15-35; 1 Corinthians 12:14-31

“The Young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king…” (1 Kings 4:4)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

We read some very weird things in the Bible; the story of Abishag is one of them. 

At this time, King David was old and advanced in years. He is described as bedridden and in need of constant attention. This is a far cry from the warrior king who, as a young man, killed Philistines by the thousands. So, his servants decide to find a young, beautiful woman to “…wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm.” (3) 

This was long before modern medicine, and some have supposed that the servants believed that by lying in David’s arms, some of Abishag’s youth and vigor would get passed on to him. Others suppose that, given David’s lust for women, they thought a young, beautiful virgin might get the old king excited and acting like a young man again. Maybe he would even take her on as another wife or concubine. 

In antiquity, polygamy was widely practiced. Their logic was: married women are provided for by their husbands; rich men can afford to provide for many women; therefore, rich men can have multiple wives. Further, there were concubines. These were not illicit mistresses, but more like “lesser wives.” All of this is logical, perhaps, but not good because it goes against God’s design of one woman for one man. Whatever their thinking, it was disrespectful of Abishag, who got treated like a blanket in all of this! “[Abishag] was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended him, but the king knew her not.” (4) –That last part, about “knowing her not,” is a euphemism meaning they did not have a sexual relationship.

What is the point of this story? Some speculate that the story highlights David’s change and repentance; now, even with a beautiful woman in his arms, he is so pious that he will not take advantage of her, having truly learned from his sins with Bathsheba. Others think the story is told to describe how sickly, frail, and weak King David was and why an heir needed to take his place. 

What else can we learn from this? Some men have always viewed women as merely objects existing to serve them. We’ve come a long way, but sadly, this view still exists. If you found this story disturbing, remember that our true worth is not found in how useful we are to someone who wants to use us for selfish reasons; rather, our true value lies in being a child of God for whom Christ died. Incredibly, Jesus, the Son of David, came not to use people and have them serve Him, but rather to serve us and to give His life as a ransom for all.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Thank you, Lord, for serving us with your death on the cross and opening the kingdom of heaven. Amen.

Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

August 20, 2026

Today's Reading: Catechism: What sins should we confess?

Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 12:1-25; 2 Samuel 13:1-19:43; 1 Corinthians 12:1-13

“Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!’” (2 Samuel 12:7a)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Put yourself in Nathan’s shoes. How’d you like it if God sent you to confront the most powerful man in the nation to call him out for a sin –a man who was a warrior who killed thousands of his enemies and had recently been involved in a murder? Nathan had tremendous courage, but also wisdom from on high.

Nathan’s approach to David offers a master class in how to rebuke sinners. He tells David a story about a rich man and a poor man and gets David angry to the point he exclaims that the rich man is guilty and deserves to die for stealing the poor man’s beloved little lamb. Nathan has him right where he wants him, then he springs the trap: “You are the man!” and he unloads on David for his great sins.

Nathan not only reveals all the evil David tried to cover up, he also begins to pronounce the punishment that God told him would ensue. Because he used the Ammonites to kill Uriah, they would never cease attacking him. The Lord would also raise up discord in David’s own house, and his wives would cheat on him, and it would be widely known.

As far as we know, this is the first time anyone tried to confront David for his sin. What would David do? Would he respond in rage and lash out at Nathan? David is an exceptional man in that, even though he had been deluded and engaged in so much evil, he also can now clearly see his sin and is ready to be done with it. Many people will double down and deny and retaliate when confronted, but to his credit, David humbles himself and confesses. And Nathan responds right away: “The Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die.”

God sent Nathan to David, not to put him down, but to save him. David was stuck in sin and living in unrepentance. That is the way that leads to death and damnation. God used Nathan to humble David and lead him to confess. Confession and humility is the way that leads to life. “But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Sinners who turn from their sins and seek help from God will receive forgiveness, and because of Jesus, we will live even though we die. But take note: forgiveness and eternal salvation does not mean we suffer no consequences for our actions in this life. God punished David severely for his actions. We, too, must face the consequences of our sins in this life, but Christ promises a day when we will be free from even this, when we will be like the angels in their innocence, and He will wipe every tear from our eyes.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Amen.

Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

August 19, 2026

Today's Reading: 2 Samuel 11:1-27

Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 11:1-27; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

“But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.” (2 Samuel 11:27b)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

How could this happen? God said that David was a man after His own heart: David trusted God and was a model of faithfulness, honoring God in both word and deed. But in our passage today, we read how this same great king slept with the wife of one of his trusted warriors, impregnated her, and tried to cover it up with lies. Then, when deception wouldn’t work, he turned to murder. So, again: How could this happen? 

The same way it almost always does. “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15) It started with just one look. He saw a beautiful woman naked, and instead of looking away, he kept looking and started thinking. He started to wonder about and delight in the idea of something wicked. At some point, he also came up with a justification for himself. I imagine it went like this: I am the king. I should get to have any woman I want. I deserve this! And at that point, he said to his servant, Bring her to me.

David had several wives and concubines. He wasn’t starved for sexual attention. Though it may have started as lust, the real sin is greed (failing to be content with what you have been given). If he justified his actions the way I think he did, then it was ultimately driven by pride, accompanied by a sense of entitlement.

As we will see tomorrow, the consequences of David’s sins were enormous. So learn from his downfall. Don’t excuse small sins. Look away from those images on the screen. Do not delight in wicked things. Be content with what you have and do not think you are entitled to more. You, too, are capable of great evil if you let sin go unchecked. For King David, what started with one look later grew into murder. So, take heed lest you stumble. (1 Cor. 10:12)

The story of David’s fall is an important warning, but here’s something much more comforting: Christ Himself was tempted in every way as we are, yet was without sin. (Heb. 4:15) Where we and so many others have failed and given in to desire, Christ stood strong. He kept Himself holy and pure so He could offer Himself up as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. And that perfect sacrifice on the cross covers all sins -big and small- for those who trust in Him. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Should some lust or sharp temptation Fascinate my sinful mind, Draw me to Your cross and passion, And new courage I shall find. Or should Satan press me hard, Let me then be on my guard, ‘Saying Christ for me was wounded,’ That the tempter flee confounded. (LSB 421:2)

Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

August 18, 2026

Today's Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10 or 1 Corinthians 15:1-10

Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:18-29; 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:16

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…” (Ephesians 2:8)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lutherans love to say we are saved by grace through faith. But, as Luther would ask in his catechism, What does this mean? No text explains this better than Ephesians 2. 

Paul explains to his readers that before coming to Christ, spiritually, they were dead. Not neutral or pretty good, or able to help themselves if they tried harder or anything like that. No. Spiritually, they were dead, and they were damned. Like the rest of mankind, they were following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air- that spirit now at work in the sons of disobedience, and carrying out the desires of the flesh. (v. 2-3) These are the three great enemies of God: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The world is the pressure we feel from outside of ourselves, coming from our friends or what is advertised to us as a good time. We want to fit in and be accepted, so we listen to these voices instead of listening to God. The flesh is our own personal weaknesses. We all have temptations to which we are prone, but they aren’t all the same. Some people are particularly tempted by pride, while others are driven by envy, and still others by lust, and so on. Lastly, there is “the prince of the power of the air,” or as he is better known, the devil. He is real, and as Luther said somewhere, he never takes a vacation. He’s like a roaring lion prowling around, waiting to devour you. (1 Peter 5:8) He suggests evil thoughts to you, like he did to Adam and Eve, and like he did to Jesus. And except for Jesus, he has a perfect record of getting people to sin! 

The world, the flesh, and the devil have made us, along with the rest of mankind, objects of God’s wrath. With these things stacked against us, constantly leading us to sin, we are dead. What chance does anyone have given this situation?

“But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved…” (4-5) Why are some going to make it to heaven? Not because they were good enough. Not because they didn’t sin, but because God is merciful and Christ our substitute was good enough. Amazingly, God loves sinners in spite of their sins. What’s more, even though sinners are dead in their trespasses, He made some alive in Christ. That’s what the Bible calls grace –God’s undeserved kindness, His Gift of new life given to people who deserve to be dead.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

By grace! On this I’ll rest when dying; In Jesus’ promise I rejoice; For though I know my heart’s condition, I also know my Savior’s voice. My heart is glad, all grief has flown Since I am saved by grace alone. (LSB 566:2)

Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

August 17, 2026

Today's Reading: Genesis 4:1-15

Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:1-17; 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:22

“sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7b)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Cain and Abel both presented offerings to the LORD. Abel brought his best; Cain did not. The LORD regarded Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s. Cain was shown up by his little brother! “So Cain was very angry…”

It’s not wrong to get angry. Even Jesus got angry with moneychangers. But when Jesus was angry, He never acted inappropriately. That wasn’t the case for Cain, and it often isn’t the case with us. When someone else gets the recognition we wanted or thought we deserved, envy and anger are stirred up in us like they were with Cain. Pay attention, therefore, to what God says to him: “Why are you angry? If you do well, will you not be accepted?”

The LORD encourages Cain by saying he can improve his situation. It isn’t over for him; he can do better next time. So can we. When things don’t go our way, we don’t have to get angry; often, there’s a way to fix the problem. Unfortunately, rage clouds our judgment, and we can’t see it. Neither could Cain.

The LORD explains that Cain is in a dangerous position: “If you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Like a predator waiting to pounce, sin wants to devour him. The LORD commands him to rule over it. Sadly, that command was ignored, and Cain murdered his brother.

“What have you done?” said the LORD, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” And from there, he cursed Cain and condemned him to be a fugitive. God could have killed Cain. Instead, He exiled him. But Cain thought it was a trap: that he was being set up, “Whoever finds me will kill me!” he cried. But it wasn’t a trap. God is really that forgiving. He proved it by putting a mark of protection on Cain to spare his life.

I hope your anger never causes you to sin like Cain, and that the Holy Spirit will instead work in you the strength to overcome it. But when you do sin, know this: you also have a mark of protection on you. In Holy Baptism, you have been marked as God’s own child. He will not abandon you or forsake you, even if the consequences of your sin cause you to suffer for a while. There’s no sin you have committed that will cut you off from God. In the book of Hebrews, the author reminds us that in coming to Christ, we come, “to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (12:24) Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance. But the precious blood of Jesus declares grace and full forgiveness to all who trust in Him.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Abel’s blood for vengeance Pleaded to the skies; But the blood of Jesus For our pardon cries. (LSB 433:4)

Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

August 16, 2026

Today's Reading: Luke 18:9-14

Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 6:1-19; 1 Corinthians 9:1-23

“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

One of the many problems with being a sinner is that we are turned in on ourselves, or self-centered. We tend to talk too much about ourselves and only think of our own problems and desires. As religiously serious people, we may even become impressed with ourselves and compare ourselves to others. The Pharisee in our text is an example of this. 

Even when he “prays” in the temple, all he really does is talk about himself to God. If you can believe it, he lets the Almighty know how great he is! And if you are honest, I bet you can believe it because you’ve probably done the same thing. We all have. If we aren’t careful, our prayers can also become self-centered attempts to justify ourselves, rather than humbly thanking and praising our Maker and our Savior. 

The main underlying problem with the Pharisee is the sin of pride. He is so proud that he cannot do anything but brag about how great he is and condemn those whom he thinks are beneath him. He thanks God that he is not like them! 

Contrast this with the tax collector. That man cannot even raise his head. He has sinned terribly, and he knows it. When praying to God, he is full of anguish and shame. He beats his chest. He doesn’t brag about how good he is. Instead, he goes before the Lord and barely spits out the only prayer appropriate: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” 

What a contrast: a pious, upstanding religious Pharisee, and a filthy, broken tax collector. If we had seen them that day, we would have certainly thought the one who had it all together, the polished, conservative religious man, was the kind of man God would approve of. But Jesus tells us otherwise. That man was too proud to receive God’s grace or mercy. He thought those things unnecessary since he was so convinced of his own goodness. But not so the Tax Collector. 

Although his sin was great, Jesus tells us that the one who is truly humble, broken, and relies on God was the one who went home justified. Learn from this man whom our Lord praises and learn from him to look to God to have mercy on you and forgive you all your sins for Jesus’ sake.

Further, ask yourself: How do I pray? With humility or pride? In your conversations with others, how often do you talk about yourself versus listening and learning from others? How might you, as a fellow broken and humble sinner, let others know about the mercy of God in Jesus?

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

I lay my sins on Jesus, The spotless Lamb of God; He bears them all and frees us From the accursed load. I bring my guilt to Jesus, To wash my crimson stains Clean in His blood most precious Till not a spot remains. (LSB 606:1)

Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

August 15, 2026. 

Today's Reading: Luke 1:(39-45) 46-55

Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 5:1-25; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (Luke 1:45)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lutherans honor Mary—not because she rules in heaven or manages our prayers—but because of what God did through her. Jesus’ humanity is real—He took flesh from Mary. Second, all but two recorded humans die. If Mary had been taken bodily, assumed into heaven, Scripture would clearly say that — as it does about Enoch in Genesis 5:24 and Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11. Scripture is silent on what happened with Mary later in her life; what we do know is that the Bible never implies that Mary was sinless or deserving of our worship. Instead, Holy Scripture presents her as a faithful servant, uniquely chosen, and consistently points to God’s saving work in Christ.

We honor Mary because she herself said, and Scripture records, “All generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). She’s the Mother of our Lord, the one who heard the word of God from Gabriel and believed it. We honor Mary because God honored her—but we do so in the way she teaches us: not by magnifying her, but by magnifying the Lord.

God chose an ordinary, humble woman to bear His Son. Jesus grew like we do, lived in the world we live in, suffered in all the ways we do, was tempted as we are, yet without sin, and He did so as a man. This perfect and sinless body He offered on the cross for our salvation. This is the “great thing” God did to Mary—and the great thing He did to and for us. Mary’s greatness is not in or of herself. Her greatness is that she received everything from her Savior. She says she’s “lowly,” not special or powerful, and so, her humility is part of the miracle. (Luke 1:29)

This is our story. God has done great things to and for us. In Baptism, He claimed us as His children. In the Lord’s Supper, He feeds us with His Body and Blood, giving forgiveness, life, and salvation. He puts Himself into us—just as He once put Himself into Mary (Luke 1:35). Our response, like Mary’s, is awe: “He has done great things to me.” (v.49)

We rejoice with Mary—not in Mary. We rejoice in the Lord who became flesh for us, who poured out His blood to forgive us, who keeps His promises, and who loves us by His death that gives us life.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

We pray: Almighty God, You chose the Virgin Mary to be the mother of Your only Son. Grant that we, who are redeemed by His blood, may share with her in the glory of Your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.