March 11, 2025 

Today's Reading: Romans 10:8b-13

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 7:11-8:12; Mark 3:20-35

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.” (Romans 10:8b)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

St. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 30:14 to remind us of our proximity to the Word of God. “It is not in heaven,” Moses writes. “Neither is it beyond the sea.” Though it is indeed a heavenly Word and a foreign Word, that does not make it inaccessible. “The word is very near you.” (Deuteronomy 30:11-14).

How did this Word get so close? St. Paul gives a parenthetical remark: “‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim).” The Word comes near by proclamation. The heavenly, foreign Word of God comes to us on earth from preachers sent by God to every nation. The prophets of old brought the Word of God near to His people of old, and now His Word is brought to every nation by the apostolic ministry of the Church.

But the center of it all is Jesus Christ. He is the Word made flesh (John 1), the one to whom the prophets pointed and the one who sends out His chosen apostles and their successors. In Christ, the Word has come very near to humanity by joining Himself with our humanity. No matter where He went or what He did, it was always accompanied by a Word. 

When someone speaks, his words usually land in the ear, but with this Word, it’s different. “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,” writes St. Paul as Moses had written before him. This Word lands not only in the ear but also in the mouth because this is the Word made flesh. “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (John 6:55). 

Since you can’t eat a word (even a Word made flesh) like other bread, Jesus gives us bread along with this word: “Take, eat, this is my body.” In the Sacrament, He puts His Word in our mouths. And since this is no ordinary food, it does not travel to the stomach only to be expelled; it travels to our hearts and plants a new creation. 

From a new heart, then, comes new words from our own mouths. He puts His Word in our mouths to speak sanctified words of our very own. The Word is near you, very near indeed.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord, open now my heart to hear, And through Your Word to me draw near; Let me Your word e’er pure retain; Let me Your child and heir remain. (LSB 908:1)

-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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