March 22, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Lent 3 - Psalm 5:4-8; antiphon: Psalm 1:6

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 27:1-29; Mark 8:22-38

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. (Psalm 5:7)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

The world has forgotten to fear God. Christians, too. We’ve managed to turn God into a milquetoast deity who makes threats that no one really believes he’ll carry through. The god of postmodern imagination has a bark that far surpasses his bite. Instead of the righteous judge who holds the power to condemn or to save, we have an image of a god who nods approvingly at all of our faults and blunders (which we don’t think are that bad anyway) and accepts us for whatever we are.

We’ve lost the fear of God.

But we can’t regain the fear of God by making God angry again. This, too, is a god of our own imagination who swings his hammer of judgment without a hint of mercy. True, the God of Scripture often becomes angry, and sometimes that anger ends in an act of judgment or punishment, but this is alien to His nature of love.

To learn the proper fear of God, turn to the Psalms. No other book of the Bible speaks of fear as much as the Psalms. But the Psalms do not try to soften God’s judgments, nor do they intensify His anger. The fear of the Lord first recognizes God’s righteous anger over sin and His threats of punishment: “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.” (Psalm 5:4). But it also recognizes that His anger is always tempered by His mercy and His steadfast love.

“But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.” There is no entrance into the house of God, into the presence of God, apart from an abundance of His steadfast love. He is not permissive; He is merciful. 

Psalm 5 also highlights another aspect of the fear of God. To fear God doesn’t mean to quake in His presence, nor does it mean to disregard the ongoing severity of our sin. It means to worship God. 

“I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.” The fear of God is the worship of God, and the worship of God is to receive His Gifts. That’s the way of the righteous.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Blessèd Jesus, at Your Word We are gathered all to hear You. Let our hearts and souls be stirred Now to seek and love and fear You, By Your teachings, sweet and holy, Drawn from earth to love You solely. (LSB 904:1)

-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

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

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