Today's Reading: Introit for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity

          (Psalm 55:1, 4-5, 16; antiphon: v.16a, 17b, 18a, 22a)

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

I call to God, and he hears my voice; He redeems my soul in safety. (From the Introit for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Object fixation is when a kid rides his bike into the tree he doesn't want to hit because he can't stop looking at the thing he wants to avoid. I'm fine, if you were wondering. Object fixation is when Christians are so afraid of something summed up under "sin, death, and the power of the devil," that they lose sight of everything else and it becomes their only prayer, which ignores the Cross of Christ, even though the things summed up under "sin, death, and the power of the devil" are the very things undone by the Cross of Christ.  

 The Introit begins out of order, but not. It grabs verses 16, 17, 18, and 22 and knits them together to teach the Church to begin to pray with the same Cross that is woven throughout this and every psalm. We pray based on the redemption won in Christ Jesus. I call to God, and He hears my voice; He redeems my soul in safety. It confronts our object fixation with the Jesus who wasn't afraid to run into the thing we're trying to avoid but keep crashing into. He dives into the mess of sin, death, and the power of the devil and conquers them by His death for you. Read the Introit, and start with the redemption, the victory, and the burdens, the pleas for mercy, the fear, and trembling that are met by a God who will hear your prayer as surely as He has already redeemed you back from the things you pray for refuge from. Your salvation isn't measured by whether or not you find yourself running into some form of those ugly three things anymore. It's measured by whether or not Jesus ran into them for you. He did. So if you find yourself barrelling towards death like I theoretically ran into a hypothetical tree (really, I'm fine), start with the Cross, and find the victory over that thing that's bigger than you. Christ has guaranteed your safe passage into the resurrection by His death. You are redeemed. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

In faith and confidence draw near, Within the holiest appear, With all who praise and pray; Who share one family, one feast, One great imperishable Priest, One new and living way. ("No Temple Now, No Gift of Price" LSB 530, st.3) 

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

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.