Today's Reading: 1 Peter 2:11-20

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 10:1-20; Luke 9:37-60

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Three hiking trails traverse the United States from south to north: The Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. All three trails allow the hiker to go from some of the most southern areas of our country to the most northern areas. Each trail delivers breathtaking views in three different regions of our country from east to west. As one travels these trails, he becomes a sojourner, someone who is merely passing through. Experienced hikers may claim that they "live" on the trail, but generally speaking their home is somewhere not intrinsically connected to the trail. 

In this world, as God's children, we are sojourners. We are travelers. The world around us is not our true home. It is our home insofar as we have a bed on which to lay our head, we have tables that we eat around, we have families, and we have a structure that provides shelter from the elements but it is not our permanent home. It is temporary. As Peter writes to his audience, he reminds them that they are merely travelers in a foreign land. In this foreign land there are deceit and temptation that have come about because of man's fall into sin. The world wants to draw us away from our walk in our Baptisms and move us into a walk with itself. The Old Adam in us draws us to the desires of the flesh and encourages us to engage in behaviors contrary to the will of God. In the end, the world does not care about your wellbeing or your spiritual health. It merely wants you to indulge and gratify those sinful desires.

In God's Holy Word we are drawn back to our Baptisms. We are reminded that we carry a mark that is not of this world but of God. Our focus is not on this world but on the world to come. The world around us is temporary and we are merely sojourners in this world. Our lives have been pointed beyond this world to the world that is to come. In the restored world, the new Jerusalem, we will not be sojourners but dwellers. We will have the classification of permanent citizens. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Jesus Christ, do not delay, But hasten our salvation; We often tremble on our way In fear and tribulation O hear and grant our fervent plea: Come, mighty judge, and set us free From death and ev'ry evil. ("The Day Is Surely Drawing Near" LSB 508, st.7)

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

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.