June 4, 2024

Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:5-12

Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 12:1-14; John 11:1-16

Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:10 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You only have to escape the things that can beat you. Nobody runs from puppies. Unless they’re allergic, I guess. It’s hard to find something in this world that someone’s not afraid of. I guess that’s the point. There’s lots of affliction. Lots of things that leave you at a loss for words. Persecution on a large and small scale. Too many struck down. Even puppies are scary to someone. Let alone cancer, calamity, and the plain old-fashioned evil we do to each other, with or without self-righteous excuses. 

Paul tells us ours is a religion of endurance, not escape. We will be afflicted in every way, but not crushed. Perplexed but not driven to despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Struck down but not destroyed. Christianity will not help you escape those things. Anyone telling you otherwise is lying. But you only have to escape the things that can beat you. None of those can. You carry the death of Jesus in your body, so the life of Jesus is also being manifested in your body. You are baptized. You are united to Christ in His death, and so you are united to Him in His resurrection. Now. You’re already safe from all you want to run from. Escape sounds better because of the lack of suffering. It isn’t, though, because as long as the world’s this sinful, and quite frankly, as long as you’re this sinful too, you’ll always be running in a religion of escape. Always afraid. But those things can’t beat us anymore. We already wear the victory. So we don’t run. We endure. Not by willing ourselves forward and talking about courage or effort. We endure by gathering everything that overwhelms us and taking it to our church where our pastor confronts it with the same promise Paul gives Corinth. We hear the Gospel. We receive the Sacraments. And there, we are united to what cannot but endure, and it drags us along as well. Death might be at work in us, but life is at work in Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Despised and scorned, they sojourned here; But now, how glorious they appear! Those martyrs stand, A priestly band, God's throne forever near. On earth they wept through bitter years; Now God has wiped away their tears, Transformed their strife To heav'nly life, And freed them from their fears. They now enjoy the Sabbath rest, The heav'nly banquet of the blest; The Lamb, their Lord, At festive board Himself is host and guest. (LSB 676:2)

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

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

A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.