October 31, 2024

Today's Reading: John 8:31-36

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 32:28-52; Deuteronomy 33:1-29; Matthew 20:17-34

The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:35-36)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Today, we give thanks to God for the Lutheran Reformation, for like an angel flying in midheaven (Revelation 14:6), God used Luther and the Lutheran Reformation to restore the promise of His gospel to a fallen and broken world.

Fallen and broken, everyone is a slave to sin. Jesus says so. “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” If you have committed sin today, and you certainly have, then you are a slave to sin. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:8). Truth is, you and I will be slaves to sin all the way to the final breath we take in this life.

But, as also taught by Luther and the Lutheran Reformation, it is also every bit as true you and I are free now. Jesus says so. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Not kind of free. “Free indeed.” “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Truth is, all the way to the final breath we take in this life, you and I are no longer owned or defined by our sins anymore. Jesus has set us free from that.

“But I still sin!” Yes, you do. But Jesus still remains in the house forever, so forever, you still remain free. That is the promise of Jesus’ death for you on the cross. It’s the freedom God washes you with in your Baptism every day, speaks to you in His Word every day, and delivers to you at the Altar with Jesus’ Body and Blood.

Your sins do not own you. Your sins do not define you. Your sins will never tell God who or whose you are. You are His now. And you are declared by God Himself to be free, eternally holy, and righteous in His judgment. 

Abide in His Word, freed one! From cover to cover, Jesus is the truth that sets you free. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Almighty and gracious Lord, pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people. Keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant to Your Church Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

-Rev. Bradley Drew, pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.

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

Spend time reading and meditating on God’s Word throughout the Church Year with the Enduring Grace Journal. Includes scripture readings, prayers, prompts, and space for journaling. The Church Year Journal, Enduring Grace, now available from Concordia Publishing House.