Reflections

June 8, 2024 

Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 3 - Psalm 28:7-9; antiphon: Psalm 28:6

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 5:1-23; Proverbs 6:1-7:27; John 12:20-36a

The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; Psalm 28:7a 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The psalm starts with God’s identity before it ever addresses what needs doing. It isn’t just propriety that beckons Christians to pray “our Father, who art in heaven” before petitioning Him. The answers to the prayer are found in the identity of God, not the world around us.  

I’m worried about today. But my comfort comes from who God is, not what’s wrong or right with today. The LORD is my strength and my shield. That part doesn’t change with today. It answers today. So I am helped because He is my shield. When my heart trusts in Him, it exults. The only thing that can change isn’t His identity, just the focus of my heart. So I’m given this psalm to pray to remind me of who God is so that I can exult with David.

I’m worried about tomorrow. But my comfort comes from who God is then too, what might or might not come. The LORD is our Shepherd. He will carry us forever. We will be saved. It’s not up for debate unless He stops being our Shepherd. And He won’t. He bore the cross. That part is done. He rose from the grave, and in your Baptism, you are already united in the victory. The Shepherd can’t stop being the Shepherd, so you can’t stop being saved. 

We start with God’s identity before we list what’s wrong. If we did the opposite, I guess we could convince ourselves we can find salvation without God as long as we’re good problem solvers, but that won’t last forever. There are problems we can’t solve, and as long as they stay messed up, salvation looks out of reach. So, instead, we start with God, who has already died and risen, who is already victorious, and whose identity doesn’t change. There’s more comfort in a good God that won’t change than wishing everything we don’t like would. God’s identity is the comfort that never yields, even if the things around us won’t stop shifting. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord, be our light when worldly darkness veils us; Lord, be our shield when earthly armor fails us; And in the day when hell itself assails us, Grant us Your peace, Lord  (LSB 659:3)

- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.

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

A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 7, 2024 

Today's Reading: John 12:1-19

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 4:1-27; John 12:1-19

For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” John 12:8 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This side of glory, the poor, you will always have with you. And for some reason, it’s used as an excuse. Ironically enough, it seems to apply even though we don’t have Jesus with us anymore the way He is in the text. But hey, why work on what you can’t fix? Feigned helplessness is the best. Why work out if you’ll always be overweight? Why struggle against sin if you’ll fall back into it? Why donate to a charity that feeds the homeless if it won’t feed all of them? Helplessness feels great to sinners because it’s a chance to free ourselves from the burden of viewing love for neighbor as a sacrifice instead of just a wish for better. It will just be this way. So, let’s go back to what feels good enough to distract us from it. Double points if it feels virtuous, like calls to action on social media or pointing out other people’s problems.  

Jesus stops Judas from taking the ointment from Mary and selling it. He says to save it for the day of His burial. But it didn’t fix that either. He still rode into Jerusalem and died. Which was a good thing, remember? Maybe the ointment wasn’t given to fix anything at all, only to point to what actually could. Christ’s death for Mary and her devotion, for Judas and his sin, and even for the poor, who would still be poor after He breathed His last. The death and resurrection of Jesus is for you in your helplessness, not so you can shove aside the burden of addressing what’s wrong in front of you, but for you to know that you don’t hang hope on the other side of fixing it. Even the least of these can receive it. 

It will be fixed in the resurrection, but until then, you still have the same Christ who saves you from yourself and from the world. You still have a life death cannot destroy, and treasure thieves cannot break in and steal. You have His love, manifest in Word and Sacrament, and you have the love of your neighbor too. And it frees us to love each other without the burden of solving every problem. Wishes for better sacrifice nothing and won’t be satisfied until things are fixed, even though that won’t happen on this side of glory. They leave nothing but angst. Love is a sacrifice, even if your sacrifice won’t make things perfect. Christ already did that. Relax. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  

Draw near and take the body of the Lord, And drink the holy blood for you outpoured; Offered was He for greatest and for least, Himself the victim and Himself the priest. (637:1)

- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.

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

A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 6, 2024

Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord’s Prayer - The Conclusion

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 3:5-24; John 11:38-57

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.* Amen.

What does this mean? This means that I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven, and are heard by Him; for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us. Amen, amen means yes, yes, it shall be so.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We’ve memorized what amen means. Yes, yes, it shall be so. We rarely contemplate how much it says. We know amen doesn’t mean prayer is over now. But we rarely focus on the fact that amen doesn’t mean “maybe this won’t happen, even though deep down I don’t know how to pray without that reservation.” When we say amen, we’re not just certain Jesus is our guest and all His gifts to us are blessed; we say we’re certain our aunt’s incurable cancer will be cured by God’s merciful hand. We say we’re certain there will be peace going forward, even though there’s only been war going back as far as the Fall. We say the impossible isn’t just possible. We say it’s outright going to happen. Yes, yes, it shall be so. And that’s insane. 

Then again, it’s insane that someone would die and then rise from death to live again. It’s insane that He would face this suffering for the ones who sin against Him to save them from themselves. The cross is insane. The love that drives God to bear it willingly to save you is insane. And the hope that comes from it defies all reason, too. Christ is risen. All who trust in Him will rise. In Christ, cancer has claimed 0 lives. They’ll just rise again. In the resurrection, we expect with all certainty there will be no more war or sin. The impossible isn’t just possible. It’s outright going to happen. So when we say amen, we tie it to the love that bore the cross and conquered death. It isn’t trust in an event, but in the one who will work it. So it isn’t a trust in the timing or method you’re thinking of, but the one who works all things for good. Even if it isn’t until after the resurrection, you’ll get that Godly prayer. And if that seems too far, the same love will carry you to that day when you can’t get there alone. So let your amen be insane. Let it defy your reason and strength. Let it defy your fear. It doesn’t rest on anything other than God’s love, which is greater and more certain than all those things anyway. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

No blinding sign we ask, No wonder from above. Lord, help us place our trust alone In Your unswerving love (LSB 424:3). 

- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.

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

A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 5, 2024 

Today's Reading: John 11:17-37

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 1:8-33; John 11:17-37

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. John 11:21 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I think John made sure to get this in the story, not to leave us with a bad impression of Martha marked on one of the hardest days of her life, but I think it’s to give us the words to speak on our own. It’s bitterness and genuine anger rolled up in a confession of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. It isn’t just an accusation. It’s a recognition. It doesn’t ignore the problem because of Jesus. But it doesn’t dismiss it either.

Something wrong happened. God could have stopped it. There will be a resurrection someday. But today, hope feels far off. Because we tend to root hope in the answer to prayers, not the God answering them. So, hope is a Lazarus who isn’t dead. But that leaves hope very far away when he’s four days in the tomb and rotting. Hope is an alternate reality or someday too far away. Out of reach.  

Every time the followers of Jesus put their hope in something He can control but not in Him, it falls apart. Because hope is not found in God answering prayers. Hope is found in God. So Jesus answers, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”

It's not a call to see what God can do. It's a call to see who He is. Even Martha sees what can be done. It almost makes it more frustrating. “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” But that Last Day isn't here yet.  

It's a call to see where God is. Standing at the entrance to the tomb, weeping over the loss. Not far. And so where God is, there is hope. And Jesus draws near to dead Lazarus. Hope is not measured in anything other than the presence of Jesus. The story stops here, but you know how it ends. Today, it stops with Jesus being near. That's a good place to stop. Because if Jesus is near, there is hope. Jesus doesn't give resurrection. He is resurrection. If He is near, have hope.  

Which may be why He gives us His Body and Blood in church. So that hope can be measured in more than “Did I get what I wanted?” or “Did I die and go to heaven and on the Last Day rise?” It’s measured in “Is Jesus here for me?” and the answer is Yes. Amen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Then is our comfort this alone That we may meet before Your throne; To You, O faithful God, we cry For rescue in our misery (LSB 615:2)

- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.

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

A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 4, 2024

Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:5-12

Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 12:1-14; John 11:1-16

Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:10 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You only have to escape the things that can beat you. Nobody runs from puppies. Unless they’re allergic, I guess. It’s hard to find something in this world that someone’s not afraid of. I guess that’s the point. There’s lots of affliction. Lots of things that leave you at a loss for words. Persecution on a large and small scale. Too many struck down. Even puppies are scary to someone. Let alone cancer, calamity, and the plain old-fashioned evil we do to each other, with or without self-righteous excuses. 

Paul tells us ours is a religion of endurance, not escape. We will be afflicted in every way, but not crushed. Perplexed but not driven to despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Struck down but not destroyed. Christianity will not help you escape those things. Anyone telling you otherwise is lying. But you only have to escape the things that can beat you. None of those can. You carry the death of Jesus in your body, so the life of Jesus is also being manifested in your body. You are baptized. You are united to Christ in His death, and so you are united to Him in His resurrection. Now. You’re already safe from all you want to run from. Escape sounds better because of the lack of suffering. It isn’t, though, because as long as the world’s this sinful, and quite frankly, as long as you’re this sinful too, you’ll always be running in a religion of escape. Always afraid. But those things can’t beat us anymore. We already wear the victory. So we don’t run. We endure. Not by willing ourselves forward and talking about courage or effort. We endure by gathering everything that overwhelms us and taking it to our church where our pastor confronts it with the same promise Paul gives Corinth. We hear the Gospel. We receive the Sacraments. And there, we are united to what cannot but endure, and it drags us along as well. Death might be at work in us, but life is at work in Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Despised and scorned, they sojourned here; But now, how glorious they appear! Those martyrs stand, A priestly band, God's throne forever near. On earth they wept through bitter years; Now God has wiped away their tears, Transformed their strife To heav'nly life, And freed them from their fears. They now enjoy the Sabbath rest, The heav'nly banquet of the blest; The Lamb, their Lord, At festive board Himself is host and guest. (LSB 676:2)

- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.

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

A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 3, 2024

Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 5:12-15

Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 11:1-10; John 10:22-42

Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Deuteronomy 5:12

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The key word in the commandment is holy. God calls us to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy: clean, pure, holy as the LORD your God is holy. So it probably has to have more to do with what He does on it than what we do. You can’t clean a table with a dirty rag. Unholy people who do unholy things can’t sanctify a day. So on the Sabbath, God commands us to be near Him. Hear His word. Hold it sacred. Gladly learn it. Receive His sacraments. Rest in His promises that cleanse us from all that is unholy and make us clean ourselves.  

It is not a day set apart for Christians to show God how much they praise Him. It is a day even commanded to be given to sojourners and servants. God does not dangle rest on the other side of work as a reward for the worthy. God wishes to be a God of the unclean, making them clean in Himself. He sends His Son to die on a cross to make you that way. Jesus died for you. In His blood, you are made clean. In your Baptism, you are washed and made holy.  

That holiness is not just for us but for all of creation. Even the animals are called to the Sabbath. Jesus' love for you is such that He does not just redeem you, but all of creation for you. All creation groans with eager expectation of the life to come. But until then, we rest each week. We go to church, and even invite others who need rest, too. We hear His Word that gives even as it promises. We eat and drink His Body and Blood that forgive even as they tie us to the life where we will finally be free from all that makes us need such a blessed meal of rest. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Come unto Me, ye weary, And I will give you rest. O blessèd voice of Jesus, Which comes to hearts oppressed! It tells of benediction, Of pardon, grace, and peace, Of joy that hath no ending, Of love that cannot cease. (LSB 684:1)

- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.

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

A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 2, 2024 

Today's Reading: Mark 2:23-28 (3:1-6)

Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 10:1-20; John 10:1-21

And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Mark 2:27

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Pharisees confront Jesus about the disciples eating on the Sabbath because they plucked the heads of grain themselves. That’s too much work. Arguments about doing work on the Sabbath don’t make sense to me. Not because of the New Covenant; but because the place I feel the least amount of rest is usually when I’m left with nothing to distract me from my own thoughts. Doing absolutely nothing on a day is a great way to make sure that I feel no rest at all.  

Jesus won’t bicker with them over how much work counts as rest. Instead, He points to starving David. To the man with the withered hand. Should they have rest, or should they be left alone with what’s wrong and do nothing about it? Their answers don’t matter. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath is to give rest, not measure it. So Jesus feeds. Jesus heals. Jesus defends those confronted by the accusations of the law by standing and bearing the attacks Himself so that those found guilty might instead just be those who have been given rest.  

It's good to do less work on the Sabbath, but only because it’s very good to receive the true rest that is in Christ. Go to church. Find forgiveness for your sins in a Christ who defends you from the accusations of the Law. Find a meal that nourishes the soul, the Body and Blood of Him who died that you would live. And there, find healing, not just from the diseases of today, but from death forever. The Sabbath is rest because on it, we receive the Gospel. We hear it, we eat it, and in it, we live.  

It will never satisfy those who want to live by the Law. They’ll always want something else to measure, but on the Sabbath, Jesus only gives rest to the weary who can’t be left alone. Leaving me alone with nothing to do but sit with my thoughts is no rest at all, so leave me with the words and promises of God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Eternal God, Your Son Jesus Christ is our true Sabbath rest. Help us to keep each day holy by receiving His Word of comfort that we may find our rest in Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 

- Rev. Harrison Goodman is the content executive for Higher Things.

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

A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

June 1, 2024 

Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 2 - Psalm 62:5-8; antiphon: Psalm 62:1

Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 9:1-17; John 9:24-41

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,  for my hope is from him.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.  On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah (Psalm 62:5–8)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Who can you trust? Perhaps the list is very long for you. Trust is not something one should give out very easily. This is especially true if you’ve been the victim of injury or wrong by other people. Maybe you’ve lived a life where you can trust people and give it out freely and easily, for better or for worse. Maybe someone who was supposed to be trustworthy hurt you. Maybe a parent. Maybe a boyfriend or girlfriend. Maybe a teacher. Maybe your friends at the lunch table aren’t acting like friends should. Maybe someone told everyone something only they were supposed to know. The trust is broken, and it’s harder to trust them in the future. Maybe you’ll never trust them again. This is sin and its consequences. It poisons families, it destroys relationships, it shatters trust. 

But who then can you trust? For sure, you should not adopt a hermit mindset, where you can trust nobody, and so you withdraw from society. That will make you go crazy (and you’ll become depressed pretty quickly). But recognize that there is One who sits above the swampy bog of lies and sin. That One is God. The same God who saves you, the same God who knows you, the same God who called you by name; He is a rock and fortress, a mighty refuge from sin and death. When nobody else can be trusted, dear Christian, flee to God. Remember that He has called you in your Baptism and feeds you at His table. In Him can you trust. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord;  Peace in our time, O send us! For there is none on earth but You, None other to defend us. You only, Lord, can fight for us.  Amen. (LSB 777:1)

-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

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

A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 31, 2024 

Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-45 (46-56)

Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 8:1-17; John 9:1-23

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:41–43)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Isn’t it interesting that creation cannot help but acknowledge who Jesus is and what He has come to do for them? I think it’s wild that the first person to acknowledge who Jesus was was a baby who wasn’t born yet. The whole creation cries out for the birth of the King. The Visitation of St. Mary to St. Elizabeth is a prime example of this. John the Baptist knew this even before he was born. Isn’t that amazing? 

We can learn another thing from the story of the Visitation. We can learn that faith is entirely the work of God. John the Baptist had not even been born yet, and yet he knew who he was greeting when Mary came around with Jesus in her womb. Nobody could have taught him. This was not someone at the “age of reason.” But this baby, still in the womb, was granted the Gift of faith by the Holy Spirit. In the same way, Elizabeth is given the same faith! Right as Mary rolls in, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (verse 41), exclaiming with “a loud cry, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (verse 42). Elizabeth was given faith from the Holy Spirit to recognize Mary and Jesus in her. Thanks be to God for that same faith and that same Holy Spirit. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.

For He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden.

For behold, from this day all generations will call me blessèd.

For the Mighty One has done great things to me, and holy is His name;

and His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. (Magnificat)

-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

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

A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

May 30, 2024 

Today's Reading: The Lord’s Prayer - Seventh Petition 

Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 7:11-29; John 8:39-59

The Seventh Petition

But deliver us from evil.

What does this mean? We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Evil is ugly. And evil is something we must contend with here on this fallen earth. Ever since the Fall into sin (Genesis 3), evil has been stalking humanity. And what is evil? Evil is not just a cartoonish phrase, as if evil is some man with an eyepatch and a twirly mustache plotting world domination. Evil is death. Evil is sin. Evil is what stalks us, tempting us. Evil is certainly manifested in the person and work of the devil and all his minions, but as sinners, we have evil within us, too. Concupiscence (now there is a fancy word) is the inborn desire that all humans have, that is, the inclination to evil. It is what St. Paul writes about when he says, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. (Romans 7:19) 

Evil is something we must be rescued from, and fortunately, Jesus is in the business of rescuing. That is what we pray in this Petition of the Lord’s Prayer. We pray that our Father would give us delivery and safety from all the things that a fallen world throws at us. But we Christians ultimately do not need to fear evil. Regardless of what this tired, evil world throws at us, our God delivers us from them all. Even the final plan of sin, that is death, is transformed in Jesus from everlasting torment to a blessed sleep awaiting the sure and certain hope of the resurrection. Will evil come? Absolutely. But Christ will deliver you from it. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Though hordes of devils fill the land   All threat’ning to devour us, We tremble not, unmoved we stand;  They cannot overpow’r us.  Let this world’s tyrant rage;  In battle we’ll engage.
His might is doomed to fail;  God’s judgment must prevail! One little word subdues him.

God’s Word forever shall abide,  No thanks to foes, who fear it;  For God Himself fights by our side  With weapons of the Spirit.  Were they to take our house,  Goods, honor, child, or spouse,
Though life be wrenched away,  They cannot win the day. The Kingdom’s ours forever! 
(LSB 657:3,4)

-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

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

A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.