April 24, 2025

Today's Reading: Isaiah 65:17-25

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 17:1-16; Hebrews 11:1-29

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” (Isaiah 65:17)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

He is Risen! His is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Amen. A new creation sure sounds like a great idea. The people of the southern kingdom were certainly wanting a new creation as the creation that they were living in was not ideal. The Babylonians had ransacked the kingdom. The temple was destroyed. The deportation had taken place. The land flowing with milk and honey had been ravaged by the Baal worshippers. A message of a new creation resonated in the ears of God’s people. A new creation where the old things are not remembered sounds even better—no memory of the calamity and desolation that was experienced under Babylonian rule. God’s people were anxiously waiting for a restoration to take place.

We, too, are waiting for a restoration. Right now, we live in a world that is full of chaos and uncertainty. The Holy Law of God is redacted to almost oblivion. People bend the knee to the various gods of this world, from wealth and power to self-indulgence and selfish behaviors. The concept of “love thy neighbor” is transactional. I will love my neighbor only if I can get something out of it. What’s in it for me is the way we live our lives with our neighbors. The world today seeks ways in which to exploit God’s creation, especially the crown of His creation: mankind. We post comments on social media platforms that hurt and harm our neighbor’s reputation. We share information that was meant to be private and confidential in order to make ourselves look better. Hope seems lost, and we are left feeling abandoned, lonely, and destitute in this world.

The words of Isaiah are for us, too. As God writes through the prophet, He points His people not only to the immediate restoration of the kingdom of Judah but also to the return of the Messiah. In the end, God will restore the entire creation to how He had made it. He will declare once again that it is very good. He will send His son, our savior Jesus Christ, as the final sacrifice. He will rise from the dead. Death will be conquered. We hear the words of Isaiah and are pointed back to the cross and resurrection, while at the same time, we are pointed forward to the return of Christ. As the people of Isaiah’s time waited anxiously for their restoration, we, too, anxiously wait for the return of Jesus. Our hope and focus is not of this world but in the promises given to us that we will rise from the grave and stand upon a new earth. He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Sing with all the saints in glory, Sing the resurrection song! Death and sorrow, earth’s dark story, To the former days belong. All around the clouds are breaking; Soon the storms of time shall cease; In God’s likeness we awaken, Knowing everlasting peace. (LSB 671:1)

-Rev. Timothy Davis, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.

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

Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God’s people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.