Reflections
Join HT for a reading of the days Higher Things Reflection. A short devotion directed toward the youth of our church, written by the Pastors and Deaconesses of our church, clearly proclaiming the true Gospel of Jesus Christ! Find out more about HT at our website, www.higherthings.org
Friday of the First Week After Trinity
June 12, 2026
Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer - 4th Petition
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 10:1-23; Proverbs 11:1-12:28; John 14:1-17
What does this mean? God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
We need to be reminded to be grateful. Ouch. A quick ‘thanks,’ is su...
St. Barnabas, Apostle
June 11, 2026
Today's Reading: Mark 6:7-13
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 9:1-18; John 13:21-38
“And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.” (Mark 6:7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Disciples are followers of Jesus - literally. Before Jesus’ ascension, the disciples went where He went. They did what He did. He taught, they listened. In this account in Mark, Jesus sends out the Twelve apostles. These men wer...
Wednesday of the First Week After Trinity
June 10, 2026
Today's Reading: John 13:1-20
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 8:22-36; John 13:1-20
“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Do you get anxious before a big event? Maybe you get really excited; all those butterflies of anticipation are fluttering in yo...
Tuesday of the First Week After Trinity
June 9, 2026
Today's Reading: 1 John 4:16-21
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 8:1-21; John 12:36b-50
“We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
I have to admit, I like to be first. In school, I liked it when I was done with my homework first, and I liked it when I ran a race and got first place. Even now, I like it when my favorite team gets first. I want to win. I want to be...
Monday of the First Week After Trinity
June 8, 2026
Today's Reading: Genesis 15:1-6
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 5:1-23; Proverbs 6:1-7:27; John 12:20-36a
“But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’” (Genesis 15:2)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Perhaps Abram has a point. At age 75, he was called by God to leave his home and travel to a new land, but life has been fraught with problems. There was a famine...
First Sunday After Trinity
June 7, 2026
Today's Reading: Luke 16:19-31
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 4:1-27; John 12:1-19
“He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Luke 16:31)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
At first glance, today’s reading seems to suggest that life is the luck of the draw. The rich guy had it good during his earthly life, while Lazarus had it rough. And, because it is only...
Saturday of the Week of Holy Trinity
June 6, 2026
Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity 1 - Psalm 13:1-4; antiphon: Psalm 13:5-6
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 3:5-24; John 11:38-57
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, ‘I have...
Friday of the Week of Holy Trinity
June 5, 2026
Today's Reading: John 11:17-37
Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 1:8-33; John 11:17-37
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
If you’ve been to a Lutheran Funeral, you have likely heard those words. In the Funeral order, the pastor speaks the words, the congregation speaks the Nunc Dimittis (Lord...
Thursday of the Week of Holy Trinity
June 4, 2026
Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer 3rd Petition
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 12:1-14; John 11:1-16
God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will. (The Small Catechism, The Lord’s Prayer, The Third Petition)
Wednesday of the Week of Holy Trinity
June 3, 2026
Today's Reading: John 10:22–42
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 11:1-10; John 10:22-42
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’” (John 10:27-30)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
<...Tuesday of the Week of Holy Trinity
June 2, 2026
Today's Reading: Romans 11:33-36
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 10:1-20; John 10:1-21
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
This week is the week of the Holy Trinity. This week we meditate on what is perhaps the most unsearchable things of God. How can God be one and yet also be three? When I was in coll...
Monday of the Week of Holy Trinity
June 1, 2026
Today's Reading: Isaiah 6:1-7
Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 9:1-17; John 9:24-41
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
It can be easy to read Isaiah chapter six and gloss over just how intense the vision of Isaiah would have been. As the Lord called Isaiah to speak His Word, there is a lot going on. There are the Seraphim with their wings and their flyi...
Holy Trinity
May 31, 2026
Today's Reading: John 3:1-15 (16-17)
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 35:9-30; Acts 1:1-7:60; Luke 24:28-53
“Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
When Jesus speaks of a second birth, Nicodemus is quite confused. And if we...
Saturday of the Week of Pentecost
May 30, 2026
Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity - Psalm 8:1-2a, 3-5; antiphon: Liturgical Text
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 32:1-6, 16-27; Luke 24:1-27
Blessèd be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity. Let us give glory to him because he has shown his mercy to us. (Antiphon for the Introit on Trinity Sunday)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Tomorrow, we celebrate Trinity Sunday. It’s very likely that you’ll confess the Athanasian Creed in church tomorrow. The Athanasian Creed descri...
Friday of the Week of Pentecost
May 29, 2026
Today's Reading: Acts 2:1-21
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 27:12-23; Luke 23:26-56
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
(Act 2:21)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, and they went out and began to preach the Gospel in languages that they’d never learned. That’s amazing! Not just the fact that they inst...
Thursday of the Week of Pentecost
May 28, 2026
Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer - 2nd Petition
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 24:1-25; Luke 23:1-25
“What does this mean? The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.
How does God’s kingdom come? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.” (Small Catechis...
Wednesday of the Week of Pentecost
May 27, 2026
Today's Reading: Genesis 11:1-9
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 23:4-28; Luke 22:47-71
“Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.” (Genesis 11:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
When Noah and his family left the ark, God sent them forth with the blessing He had first given to Adam and Eve; “And you, be fruitful and multip...
Pentecost Tuesday
May 26, 2026
Today's Reading: John 10:1-10
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 22:21-23:3; Luke 22:24-46
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In the Small Catechism, Luther names the sources of temptation as the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature (Lord’s Prayer, 3rd Petition). Very often (if not always), these temptations to sin come as the promise that y...
Pentecost Monday
May 25, 2026
Today's Reading: John 3:16-21
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 22:1-20; Luke 22:1-23
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Why did Jesus come down from heaven to dwell on the earth? Easy, right? To die for the sins of the world. The familiar words of John 3:16 tell us that. “For God so loved the world, that he...
Pentecost
May 24, 2026
Today's Reading: John 14:23-31
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 21:10-35; Luke 21:20-38
“Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’” (John 14:23)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
“Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’” (John 14:23)
Pentecost Eve
May 23, 2026
Today's Reading: John 14:8-21
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:22-21:9; Luke 20:45-21:19
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Let’s be honest. At first glance, this is a diffic...
Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter
May 22, 2026
Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost - Psalm 68:1, 4a, c, 11a, 33b, 35a; antiphon: Liturgical Text; Psalm 68:3
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:1-21; Luke 20:19-44
“God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him!” (Psalm 68:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Have you ever done one of those eating challenges? “Finish this 144oz steak in 5 minutes and your whole bill is free!” If you can eat this 44lb burrito in 15 minutes, we’ll pu...
Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter
May 21, 2026
Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer - 1st Petition
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:41-17:13; Numbers 18:1-19:22; Luke 20:1-18
“God’s name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also.” (The Small Catechism, The Lord’s Prayer- First Petition)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
What’s in a name? What is a name? It’s a label. It’s the way in which we are known. It carr...
Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
May 20, 2026
Today's Reading: Numbers 16:23-40
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:23-40; Luke 19:29-48
“If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.” (Numbers 16:29-30)
In the Name...
Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
May 19, 2026
Today's Reading: 1 Peter 4:7-11 (12-14)
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:1-22; Luke 19:11-28
“‘All shall be done,’ said Aslan. ‘But it may be harder than you think.’” –C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
“The end of all things is at hand.” (1 Peter 4:7). Peter knew the trials involved with living as God’s child in this world, and he sought to encourage us in Christ. We trust that Christ’s return is certain, but the timing i...
Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter
May 18, 2026
Today's Reading: Ezekiel 36:22-28
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:26-45; Numbers 15:1-41; Luke 18:35-19:10
"O Lord, command what you will and grant what you command." (Confessions, St. Augustine of Hippo)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
People often put their names on valuable belongings, even items they treasure solely for sentimental reasons that are unfathomable to others. One’s name is tantamount to possession and value. God’s name upon His people, Israel, equals His possession of them as well as the...
Seventh Sunday of Easter, Exaudi
May 17, 2026
Today's Reading: John 15:26-16:4
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:1-25; Luke 18:18-34
“…now we cultivate the fear of God, justice, kindness, faith, and the expectation of the future given us through the Crucified One… The more we are persecuted and martyred, the more do others in ever increasing numbers become believers.” ~Justin the Martyr (100AD – 165AD)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Most of Jesus’ words to His disciples are intended to prepare them for His departure via the cross, where He would...
Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
May 16, 2026
Today's Reading: Introit for Easter 7 - Psalm 27:1, 11a, 12; antiphon: Psalm 27:7a, 8b, 9a
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 13:1-3, 17-33; Luke 18:1-17
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Some of our favorite stories are filled with majestic, mighty, and magnificent castles. Think of Hogwarts Castle in Harry Potter. Cair Paravel in The...
Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter
May 15, 2026
Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer - Introduction
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:24-29; 12:1-16; Luke 17:20-37
Our Father who art in heaven. What does this mean? With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father. (Lord’s Prayer - Introduction and Explanation)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Ascension Day
May 14, 2026
Today's Reading: Mark 16:14-20 or Luke 24:44-53
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:1-23, 31-35; Luke 17:1-19
“And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” (Luke 24:50-51)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
If your hands could talk, what story would they tell? They might tell a story of aching, cramping pain after taking a long test...
Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
May 13, 2026
Today's Reading: Numbers 10:11-36
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 10:11-36; Luke 16:19-31
“And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, ‘Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.’ And when it rested, he said, ‘Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.’” (Numbers 10:35-36)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In the Scriptures, God is locatable. Not the way you type a location into Google Maps. And it’s not...
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
May 12, 2026
Today's Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-6 or James 1:22-27
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 9:1-23; Luke 16:1-18
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
In Genesis 18, Abraham made intercession to Yahweh. He petitioned God for the sake of the righteous (that is, believing in Yahw...
Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
May 11, 2026
Today's Reading: Numbers 21:4-9
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 8:5-26; Luke 15:11-32
“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.’ So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.” (Numbers 21:8-9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Snakes usually have a bad repu...
Sixth Sunday of Easter, Rogate
May 10, 2026
Today's Reading:John 16:23-30 (31-33)
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 3:1-16, 39-48; Numbers 4:1-8:4; Luke 14:25-15:10
“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. ‘So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.’...
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
May 9, 2026
Today's Reading: Introit for Easter 6 - Psalm 66:1-2a, 17, 19-20; antiphon: Isaiah 48:20b
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:21-33, 39-44; Numbers 1:1-2:34; Luke 14:1-24
“Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!” (Psalm 66:20)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Amen. Our God is a God who wants to hear our prayers. The psalmist confesses his iniquity and knows that his heart has...
Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter
May 8, 2026
Today's Reading: Luke 13:29-30
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:1-20; Luke 13:18-35
“...And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”(Luke 13:29-30)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Amen. Jesus teaches His hearers that in Him salvation is for the...
Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter
May 7, 2026
Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 24:1-23; Leviticus 25:1-55; Luke 12:54-13:17
The Second Petition. Thy Kingdom come. What does this mean? The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.
How does God’s kingdom come? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and t...
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
May 6, 2026
Today's Reading: Luke 12:35-53
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:23-44; Luke 12:35-53
“‘Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.” (Luke 12:35-36)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Amen. Jesus’ words for the disciples were a little c...
Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
May 5, 2026
Today's Reading: James 1:16-21
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:1-22; Luke 12:13-34
“Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:16-17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Amen. The epistle of James does not mince words when it comes to the life of t...
Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter
May 4, 2026
Today's Reading: Isaiah 12:1-6
Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 21:1-24; Luke 12:1-12
“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.
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Amen. The people of Judah were in a precarious position. They had watched the Northern Kingdom be completely destroyed by the Assyrian army...
