February 15, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Epiphany 6 - Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5; antiphon: Psalm 119:7

Daily Lectionary: Job 11:1-20; John 5:19-29

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart. (From the Introit for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

There is a difference between blessedness and happiness. Happiness is a fleeting emotion, while blessedness is a state of being given by God. You can start out as happy as can be, but then something will come along and ruin your day. Your happiness is now a memory.

Blessedness, on the other hand, is something that doesn’t come and go based on how your day plays out. It also doesn’t depend on you, how you feel, or your behavior. Too many people want to hear this Introit say that IF you are blameless, and IF you walk in the law of the Lord, THEN you will be blessed.

But there is a reason this part of Psalm 119 was chosen for tomorrow’s Introit. Look at the Gospel reading from St. Luke 6. Jesus speaks the Beatitudes and not once says you are blessed because of your actions. It is all passive. You are declared blessed by God.

So also with this psalm. The Word of God has had its way with you; it has reshaped you into God’s child. You hear him calling you and teaching you, and you are glad to walk in his ways. He has made you a blesséd one. He has blessed you in your Baptism, and out of deep love and respect for what he has done for you, you are glad to seek him, to keep his testimonies, to be one who lives as he has called you to do because he has re-made you as his own child.

Good or bad, happy or sad, nothing can change the fact that God your Father has declared you blessed because of Jesus. When your day goes badly, when you feel that things aren’t working, remember these words of the psalmist and Jesus’s words of truth. You are blessed by God. You are his child. You are safe in his hands, no matter what this world does to you.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O holy and most merciful God, You have taught us the way of Your commandments. We implore You to pour out Your grace into our hearts. Cause it to bear fruit in us that, being ever mindful of Your mercies and Your laws, we may always be directed to Your will and daily increase in love toward You and one another. Enable us to resist all evil and to live a godly life. Help us to follow the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to walk in His steps until we shall possess the kingdom that has been prepared for us in heaven; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Collect for obedience to the Word)

-Rev. Duane Bamsch, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.

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.