Reflections

December 6, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Advent 2 - Psalm 80:1, 3, 14, 17; antiphon: Isaiah 62:11b; 30:30, 29

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 14:1-23; 2 Peter 3:1-18

“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your salvation comes.’ The Lord will cause his majestic voice to be heard, and you shall have gladness of heart. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and se...

December 5, 2025

Today's Reading: Isaiah 11:1-12:6

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 11:1-12:6; 2 Peter 2:1-22

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

“Salvation” is a powerful word, but you might not use it every day. We’re more familiar with the verb “to save” and with the noun “savior,” but to say that God is our salvation is unique. Salvation is what God accomplishes and brings. The Sa...

December 4, 2025

Today's Reading: Catechism - Table of duties: To Employers and Supervisors

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 10:12-27a, 33-34; 2 Peter 1:1-21

“Masters, do the same to [your bondservants], and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.” (Ephesians 6:9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Well, this is an awkward bit of the Catechism to discuss in reflections geared toward youth, isn’t it? The “bondservants” described in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians can also be unde...

December 3, 2025

Today's Reading: Romans 13:(8-10) 11-14

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 9:8-10:11; 1 Peter 5:1-14

“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:11-12)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Perhaps you remember the story of Paul Revere, the Boston silversmith who warned the...

December 2, 2025

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 23:5-8

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 8:9-9:7; 1 Peter 4:1-19

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

These days, there aren’t very many kings...

December 1, 2025

Today's Reading: Matthew 21:1-9

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 7:10-8:8; 1 Peter 3:1-22

“And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, 'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’” (Matthew 21:9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Wait, how did a Holy Week reading break into December? Palm Sunday happened the week of Good Friday and Easter, not four weeks before Christmas. Maybe the Bible-reading calendar (the lectionary) goofed up! Don’t worry. This is not a...

November 30, 2025

Today's Reading: John 1:35-42a

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 6:1-7:9; 1 Peter 2:13-25

“One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which means Christ)” (John 1:40-41)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Andrew told his brother that they had found Jesus, the Messiah. It seemed that way. They believed the Old Testament prophecies that the Messiah would come. Now, they had found Him! Except that Jesus hadn’t b...

November 29, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Advent 1 - Psalm 25:4-5, 21-22; antiphon: Psalm 25:1-3a

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 5:1-25; Amos 1:1-9:15; 1 Peter 2:1-12

“Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.” (Psalm 25:22)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Advent strikes a truer chord in the Psalms. We wait for the God who has made great promises. Let me not be put to shame. By the devil, who prowls about like a lion seeking to devour me. By the world, who finds little worth in everything I call preci...

November 28, 2025

Today's Reading: Catechism: Table of Duties - To Workers of All Kinds

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 2:1-22; Isaiah 3:1-4:6; 1 Peter 1:13-25

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, wh...

November 27, 2025

Today's Reading: Luke 17:11-19

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 1:1-28; 1 Peter 1:1-12

“[the lepers] lifted up their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’” (Luke 17:13)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Today, we celebrate the blessed and historic feast of American Thanksgiving and try to keep the sarcasm off our faces. Pilgrims and Indians ate together, got along perfectly, and avoided arguing about politics. If you sprinkle some Jesus on it, there’s a sermon in there about who you’re thankful to. The problem is, I’m bad at it. All I ca...

November 26, 2025

Today's Reading: Revelation 22:1-21

Daily Lectionary: Daniel 6:1-28; Daniel 9:1-27; Revelation 22:1-21

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” (Revelation 22:14)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The Bible ends with hope. Christ will return soon. The faithful pray, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus,” and the grace of the Lord Jesus is with them all. If there’s that much hope, it can endure even when the evildoe...

November 25, 2025

Today's Reading: Colossians 1:13-20

Daily Lectionary: Daniel 5:1-30; Daniel 7:1-8:27; Revelation 21:9-27

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

This is what God looks like. Jesus. And you’ll only see it here. On account of the “image of the invisible God” part. We rush to creation to find evidence of God, but can’t see anything, even if we know that even there Christ was working. Psalm 19 is right. Creation shows there is a God. It...

November 24, 2025

Today's Reading: Malachi 3:13-18

Daily Lectionary: Daniel 4:1-37; Revelation 21:1-8

“You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts?” (Malachi 3:14)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

It doesn’t seem to be going any better for the faithful than they were when Malachi wrote. We aren’t marked as the richest or most successful. We aren’t the healthiest. We don’t avoid natural disasters. It hurts down here...

November 23, 2025

Today's Reading: Luke 23:27-43

Daily Lectionary: Daniel 3:1-30; Revelation 20:1-15

“One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you w...

November 22, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 24 - Psalm 134; antiphon: Psalm 33:8

Daily Lectionary: Daniel 2:24-49; Revelation 19:1-21

“Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,  who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord! May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!... Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!” (Psalm 138:1-3, Psalm 33:8)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Psalm...

November 21, 2025

Today's Reading: Daniel 2:1-23

Daily Lectionary: Daniel 2:1-23; Revelation 18:1-24

“Daniel answered and said: ‘Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;  he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might...

November 20, 2025

Today's Reading: Catechism: Table of Duties - To Children

Daily Lectionary: Daniel 1:1-21; Matthew 28:1-20

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and your mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise—’ that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life in the Earth.’ Eph. 6:1-3” (Catechism, Table of Duties: To Children)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

How does the Lord take care of you in this world—not just in your life of faith where you are...

November 19, 2025

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 38:1-28

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 38:1-28; Jeremiah 39:1-44:30; Matthew 27:57-66

“So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.” (Jeremiah 38:6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Put yourself in Jeremiah’s shoes. Wait, maybe don’t do that. Jeremiah is standing in mud. At the bottom of a cistern. Waiting to die. <...

November 18, 2025

Today's Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:(1-5) 6-13

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 37:1-21; Revelation 17:1-18; Matthew 27:33-56

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. … For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.” (2 Thessalonians 3: 6, 11)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

“I...

November 17, 2025

Today's Reading: Malachi 4:1-6

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 33:1-22; Jeremiah 34:1-36:32; 45:1-51:64; Matthew 27:11-32

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

The prophet Malachi promises an Elijah. But what was Israel’s problem that they needed an Elijah? 

Isr...

November 16, 2025

Today's Reading: Luke 21:5-28 (29-36)

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 31:1-17, 23-34; Revelation 16:1-21; Matthew 27:1-10

“[Jesus said,] ‘And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,  people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to ta...

November 15, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 23 - Psalm 121:1-2, 5, 7-8; antiphon: Luke 21:33

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 30:1-24; Revelation 15:1-8; Matthew 26:57-75

“The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.” (Psalm 121:5)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

“The Lord is your keeper.” Wow! Now that’s a promise to grab onto. Not just any lord, but The Lord is your keeper, and his keeping covers your entire life, past, present, and future. 

If we’re honest, we often go through the day totally unaware of ho...

November 14, 2025

Today's Reading: Matthew 26:36-56

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 29:1-19; Revelation 14:1-20; Matthew 26:36-56

“Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?’” (Matthew 26:53-54) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus is praying, the disciples are sleeping, and Judas is coming, leading a great crowd carrying clubs and swords. It’s happening; the hour is at hand. It feels like a climactic scene fro...

November 13, 2025

Today's Reading: Catechism: Table of Duties - To Parents

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 26:1-19; Revelation 13:1-18; Matthew 26:20-35

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Thank God for our parents. Without them, we wouldn’t be here. It pleased God to continue his work of creation by giving you life through a mom and a dad. God continues to care, provide, and protect us through the parents he gives us. Th...

November 12, 2025

Today's Reading: Matthew 26:1-19

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 25:1-18; Matthew 26:1-19

“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” (Matthew 26:2)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The hour has come; the time is at hand. The Son of Man is hours away from his cross. Jesus knew this, yet his disciples refused to believe it. The Scriptures pointed to this, and this is the reason Jesus was born: to die that he might save his peop...

November 11, 2025

Today's Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 23:21-40; Matthew 25:31-46

“To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:14)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God has made a decision for you. Do you realize that? God has made a choice for you and has called you to Himself. Do you slow down to stop and take time to think about that? You are a miracle of God’s divine grace. God came to you throug...

November 10, 2025

Today's Reading: Exodus 3:1-15

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 23:1-20; Matthew 25:14-30

“God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: “The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:15a)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

We have a God who hears us; he never plugs his ears to our cries for help. We have a God who remembers; he never forgets but is faithful to keep his promises. We have a...

November 9, 2025

Today's Reading: Luke 20:27-40

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 22:1-23; Matthew 25:1-13

“Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” (Luke 20:38)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Dead men don’t rise. That’s what common sense will tell you. Dead is dead! That’s what the Sadducees would have told you. Even though they were a Jewish sect, they did not believe in the afterlife and certainly not in the resurrection of the dead. As a matter of fact, they limited th...

November 8, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 22 - Psalm 115:2-4, 8, 17-18; antiphon: Psalm 115:11

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 20:1-18; Matthew 24:29-51

“You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. “ (Psalm 115:11)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

“Stop! Don’t do it!” Wouldn’t you scream those words if someone you cared about was about to make a bad decision that you know they would regret later? Wouldn’t it pain you to watch a person choose to believe a lie and then act on it, if you abs...

November 7, 2025

Today's Reading: Matthew 24:1-28

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 11:1-23; Jeremiah 12:1-19:15; Matthew 24:1-28

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

One of the perks of being a disciple was that you could ask Jesus questions when you had some alone time with him. Jesus was sitting down on the Mount of Olives, which provided the opportunity for his disciples to ask a burning question about the end of the age and the sign of his return. Jesus tells of s...

November 6, 2025

Today's Reading: Catechism: Table of Duties - To Wives

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 8:18-9:12; Matthew 23:13-39

“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:22)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God’s gifts come in all sorts of packages. Think about Adam; the first gift God gave him was the gift of life. Adam was then given a garden to take care of, and from it, he received the gift of daily food. But then God gave Adam a very special gift fit just for him—a wife. Go...

November 5, 2025

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 7:1-29

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 7:1-29; Matthew 23:1-12

“So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you.” (Jeremiah 7:27)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God called Jeremiah to speak some hard words to hardened hearts. God was persistent. He kept sending His messengers to His people, yet they did not listen. God called them to repentance, and they did not answer Him. Instead, they followed their own plans; they...

November 4, 2025

Today's Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-5 (6-10) 11-12

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 5:1-19; Matthew 22:23-46

“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.” (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Paul was persistent. He was a man on a mission, literally, and his mission plan was simple: go into a city and find a synagogue, open up the Scriptures, and preach Christ from them. Some would beli...

November 3, 2025

Today's Reading: Isaiah 1:10-18

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 3:6-4:2; Matthew 22:1-22

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18).

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Have you ever put on clothes thinking they were clean only to find out they are not? What about getting dressed up in your nicest clothes for a special occasion, looking in the mirror, and then, to your comp...

November 2, 2025

Today's Reading: Luke 19:1-10

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 1:1-19; Matthew 21:23-46

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

For whatever reason, Zacchaeus sought to see Jesus. And in an ironic turn of events, it is actually Jesus who seeks after Zacchaeus. He spots him up a Sycamore tree and calls out, “Hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” Jesus was going to have church with Zacchaeus. He joyfully received...

November 1, 2025

Today's Reading: Matthew 5:1-12

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Matthew 21:1-22

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Imagine the disciples and the huge crowd gathered around Jesus for the Sermon on the Mount. They nod to each of the Beatitudes, maybe with a little less boldness as Jesus continues. Perhaps they even look around to see how the other 11 are reacting. “Maybe I’m not perfect, but I’ve been pretty good at this one or that.” “I think I’m goo...

October 31, 2025

Today's Reading: Matthew 11:12-19

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 32:28-52; Deuteronomy 33:1-29; Matthew 20:17-34

“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence” (Matthew 11:12)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

“Lord, I thank you that I am not like other church bodies: Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, the Baptists…” Sound familiar? Just a few days ago, we heard Jesus tell us about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The sinful pride of the Pharisee clouded his thoughts on all things spiritual, and he ended up thinking...

October 30, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 21 - Psalm 50:1-2, 14-15; antiphon: Psalm 50:23

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 31:30-32:27; Matthew 20:1-16

“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; the one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” (Psalm 50:23)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

You know our situation. As human beings, we are conceived and born sinful; there is no good in us to do anything right. None of us could ever offer thanksgiving that is perfect in God’s eyes. No one could sacrifi...

October 29, 2025

Today's Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 31:1-29; Matthew 19:16-30

“No one came to stand by me, but all deserted me… But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed.” (2 Timothy 4:16,17)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Even St. Paul felt isolated at times. While standing in court, defending the faith, where were his friends, other pastors, and Christians whom the Holy Spirit brought to faith through his preaching? Anyone who could have been supporting was scattered like th...

October 28, 2025

Today's Reading: John 15:(12-16) 17-21

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 30:1-20; Matthew 19:1-15

“I chose you out of the world.” (John 15:19)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

As we remember the Apostles of our Lord throughout the year, we might feel sorry for a few of them. Poor Simon “the Zealot” and Jude (a.k.a. Judas, or Thaddeus). They are some of the more obscure of Jesus’ disciples. They definitely don’t get the attention of Peter, James, and John. They don’t even get the word count for Saint Andrew or...