January 3, 2026

Today's Reading: Introit for Second Sunday After Christmas - Psalm 8:1, 4-6; antiphon: Psalm 8:2

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

“Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.” (Psalm 8:2)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Christmas provides us with a unique lens to contemplate Psalm 8:2. Almighty God stills the enemy and the avenger. To still in the Hebrew is “lehashbit.” It is where we get the word “sabbath.” It means to cease or to put rest. In the context of God’s enemies, it means He stops them dead in their tracks. Those wicked forces at work by the demonic or our own sin (think Herod) are stopped dead in their tracks from derailing the Lord’s plan of redemption. But how does He do this? Through the mouth of babies and infants! Not with the blunt force of angelic or earthly armies, not with an iron fist, but through the weakest and most vulnerable, babies and infants. God defeats the violent and arrogant lies of Satan, the world, and our sinful flesh with what the wisdom of the world would call “weak” or “foolish.” Think of this: While Jesus is the Son of God, rightly ordering the existence of the universe, He was a vulnerable baby dependent upon the arms and milk of His blessed mother! And this “weakness” begins the downfall of death and the devil. And the strength of weakness continues; beaten, bloody, and mocked on the cross, the gates of Heaven open to us, and the strength of Hell is slammed shut. And what does the Apostle Paul say, “God chose the weak in the world to shame the strong…so that no human being might boast before God.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29) Christ within you, and you within Christ through Word and Sacrament, your faith clings to Him alone! And that faith which hangs on the Gospel causes the accuser and the powers of darkness to quake. Not because you are strong, but because you are as weak and helpless as a baby, and your strength is in the God-man born, crucified, raised, and ascended for you, our Lord Jesus! So at Christmastime, learn from St. Mary, “magnify the LORD and rejoice in God Your Savior.” Join with the blessed St. Paul and boast all the more gladly in your own weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon you (2 Corinthians 12:9). 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

You still the wicked’s very boast, Establish strength to the utmost, By babes and mouths of infants small, Our enemies in silence fall. (Metered version of Psalm 8:2 to the tune of Vom Himmel Hoch found in LSB 358. Stanza written by Rev. Matthew Synnott)

Author: Rev. Matthew Synnott, associate pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Peoria, Illinois.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Work through the first ten chapters of Matthew and learn more about who Jesus is. As you move through this study, you’ll ponder the theological, practical, and historical considerations of the text. With ample room for personal notes, this study will have you feeling confident in your understanding of Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew 1:1-11:1 of the new Concordia Commentary Bible Study Series is available now.