May 22, 2025

Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer - The Fourth Petition

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 24:1-23; Leviticus 25:1-55; Luke 12:54-13:17

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.

Have you ever wondered why there are people who aren’t Christian, even who are opposed to Christianity, yet who acquire a great deal of worldly wealth and success? That’s actually a common theme in the Bible. If you read the Psalms, you see the psalmists asking regularly how long their enemies will have success over them. So, you’re in good company for asking the question. It’s a logical question, too. If these people are opposed to God and even harming God’s Church, why doesn’t God cut them off from the money or things they have available to cause this harm?

Jesus gives us some commentary when He tells us that God “makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). So, what does Jesus say there? Well, in the words around this statement, Jesus tells His disciples to love even their enemies and to pray for those who persecute them. So, when you see these evil people receiving these good Gifts, it’s a reminder to still love them, even if they’re persecuting the Church, for you to pray for them.

But how could that be? How can we love our enemies and pray for those who seek our harm? Because God has first loved us. Because when we were still God’s enemies, He sent His Son to die for the very sins that had put us at enmity with God in the first place. God is the One who loves and has even loved us. In fact, God loves those enemies that He’s providing for, too.

Does this mean that there will be no justice? No, those who sinfully harm the Church because of their willful rejection of God’s Word will not enjoy the eternal benefit of what Jesus has done. They are not saved by grace because they have rejected the faith that receives this grace. But God still loves them. And He loves you, too. May that knowledge draw you to receive all of His Gifts, even the bread on your table with thanksgiving.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God you provide for all our needs of this body and life: clothing and shoes, house and home, loved ones, good weather, good government, friends, and all of the earthly Gifts we receive. Thank You for Your gracious care for us every day. Thank You most of all for the care You give to us in Jesus that will last forever. Amen.

- Rev. Matthew Zickler, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Western Springs, IL.

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

Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God’s people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May 21, 2025

Today's Reading: Luke 12:35-53

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:23-44; Luke 12:35-53

“Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” (Luke 12:51)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Every year at Christmas time, I hear those familiar words of Handel’s Messiah: “And His Name shall be called… Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” Of course, this is a quote from Isaiah 9:6, and it’s clear that, ultimately, it’s referring to Jesus. So with that, we rightly call Jesus by the title “Prince of Peace.”

But in Luke 12, we read Jesus saying that He didn’t come to bring peace but division. Isn’t that a contradiction? All the more, when we talk about Jesus in our day and age, if people know of Him, they think of Him as being really “nice.” So, what is this He’s saying about not bringing peace but division?

Let’s start with how He does bring peace. Paul tells us that the peace Jesus brings is with God (Romans 5:1). Our sin puts us in enmity with God, and so when our sin is forgiven, that enmity is overcome by peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace because He makes our peace with God for us.

So, what about this division? That is between us and the world. Having been born anew in Baptism, in that washing of rebirth and renewal of water and the Spirit, we are different from the world. We no longer live for ourselves, for the truth of the world, but we live in the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

As we look at that, we see that there are a lot of places in the teaching of Jesus where He describes a separation. There is the separation between the wheat and the chaff, the sheep and the goats, the wise and foolish virgins, and the list keeps going. This separation is ultimately the church and the world. Yes, we ought to try to keep peace with those around us as much as we can. However, we have to realize that there are a lot of times when the world won’t want to hear the Word of Jesus. They won’t like hearing that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. All the more, they won’t want to hear that they, too, are sinners. It’s this that causes the division.

Thankfully, we see that Jesus is the One who made peace with the Father so that we could enjoy unity with Him. That does not make the divisions now unimportant. It means that they are a sad reality. But in Jesus, the joy of His peace will overcome the sadness of this time and bring us to eternal communion with Him and the Church throughout all days. Amen.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Blessed Jesus, in You we find our peace. We pray for Your coming that our sad divisions would cease and we would know the perfect unity of Your eternal Kingdom. Amen.

- Rev. Matthew Zickler, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Western Springs, IL.

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

Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God’s people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May 20, 2025

Today's Reading: Revelation 21:1-7

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:1-22; Luke 12:13-34

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.’” (Revelation 21:3-4)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Where is God? Everywhere, right? He’s omnipresent, it’s true. But here in Revelation, it says that the “dwelling place of God is with man.” How is that? On the one hand, we can acknowledge that it’s a mystery. On the other hand, we can also recognize that throughout the Scriptures, we see God seeking to be with man. When Adam and Eve fell into sin, there was God, seeking them in the cool of the garden. When God visited Jacob, revealing to him the ladder to heaven, that place became “Bethel,” the “House of God.” When Moses was given the instructions for the Tabernacle, God said of the tent in it, the “Tent of Meeting,” “There I will meet with the people of Israel” (Exodus 29:43). So, this is not a new idea at the Resurrection of the dead at the end of time that we see in Revelation 21.

But what are we to make of this? To begin, as we often need to, we have to realize that the issue is sin. It’s because of sin that we can’t see God face-to-face. As God says to Moses, we can’t see God and live (Exodus 33:20). That’s why this is hard for us to understand. However, God came and met with us in Jesus. He came into a body. He came to a place, Judea and Jerusalem. In that place, He carried our sin to the cross so that by the life in the resurrection of His body in that place, now we have life and the victory over sin won by this forgiveness. Now, God meets with us in His Word, in the Waters of Holy Baptism, in His Holy Supper. He does this to deliver that forgiveness to us, to make us holy so that we can dwell with Him forever in that place.

What does this ultimately mean for us to understand how God is everywhere but in a place? Once again, we still have to say it’s something of a mystery, but we can understand more of it in light of Jesus. Yes, God is everywhere, but He’s made us to be in a place and He wants to be with us, which He does in Jesus in a very specific way. Through Jesus, then, we see that the fullness of God dwells in a man bodily (Colossians 2:9). It’s Jesus that we’ll see on that Last Day, and when we do, it will make a lot more sense. It will also be the greatest comfort as He promises to be with us and even wipe away our every tear.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord Jesus, thank you for meeting us in Your Word and Sacraments to cleanse our sin and prepare us to live with you forever on the Day of Your Return. Amen.

- Rev. Matthew Zickler, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Western Springs, IL.

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

Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God’s people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May 19, 2025

Today's Reading: Acts 11:1-18

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 21:1-24; Luke 12:1-12

“And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’” (Acts 11:7-8)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

That we would restrict our diets is not a weird thing in our day. We have gluten-free diets, we have keto diets, we have vegetarian and vegan diets, we have carnivore diets, and…. and… and… For the Jewish disciples of Jesus, their diet was restricted as well. They were constrained to keep Kosher as Moses instructed in the Old Testament Law. This included things like not eating pork (like bacon or sausage) or shellfish (like two of my favorites, shrimp and scallops). Why? Because God wanted to keep His people distinct. He wanted it clear that they were His and they were holy, and with that, they were unique.

But then Peter received this vision from the Lord in Acts chapter 11. The Lord was saying that Peter was to eat some of this “unclean” food. Peter, as you read, was upset at that thought. He had never let anything “common or unclean” enter his mouth. And then God said that this wasn’t the way it was anymore. This was not common food; it was not unclean but clean. How could that be?!

Jesus gives us insight into this, for example, in Matthew 15. He tells the disciples there that it is not what “goes into the mouth,” that is, it’s not what they would eat that would make them unclean. So what was it? Was there no more uncleanness? Well, not in the sense the Jews thought of, which required them to keep Kosher in order to worship God at the Temple (their church). Also, there is not in the sense we might think about things like washing hands or vegetables before we eat them (although that’s still a good and healthy thing to do), but there is still uncleanness, and that is the uncleanness of sin. As Jesus said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.”

Hopefully, you can see what is happening here. Jesus is making the point that our diet isn’t what makes us sinful or not. It’s not what makes us unable to stand before God. But what does make us unable to stand in God’s presence? Sin. The sin that comes out of our hearts and shows how sinful those hearts are by our thoughts and actions. But all of this is to show that on the cross, sin had been atoned for, taken care of, and defeated by Jesus. Now, by the cleansing of the cross, by the cross given to sinners in Baptism, in Absolution, in the Supper, now that cleanness comes to you and makes you clean. Thanks be to God.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord Jesus, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. You have cleansed us by the washing of your Holy and precious blood and innocent suffering and death. Guard and keep us to walk in the life of righteousness, innocence, and blessedness in You in all things. Amen.

- Rev. Matthew Zickler, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Western Springs, IL.

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

Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God’s people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May 18, 2025

Today's Reading: John 16:12-22

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 20:1-16, 22-27; Luke 11:37-54

“When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (John 16:21-22)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

As each of our children was coming into the world, I remember the labor process well. I remember the easiest natural birth when my wife and I were walking around the hospital waiting for the contractions to bring the birth. Especially I remember my poor, obvious, and generally unsuccessful attempts to distract her from the labor pains. I also remember the planned C-Section, which seemed oddly effortless as far as the actual birthing process went. Then I remember the long labors when my wife expressed her pain and fatigue. Most of all, I remember how every time there was joy in the new life my wife held in her arms when the work was finished.

This is life in the world as Christians, isn’t it? Sometimes our life in the world is relatively painless, and we get to see the joy easily. Sometimes, it’s difficult, but we can still get through it relatively unscathed. Then there are those times when we have no idea how we’ll finish the course.

Jesus’ warning here tells us that the end is attainable, and it is attainable by the joy that is to come. In fact, what we see is that He is our joy. He is the One on whom we fix our eyes, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross and scorned its shame. What do I mean?

I mean that as Christ has loved us, He has carried our sin to the cross to redeem us. He has desired that we would be with Him in the joy of His Eternal Kingdom, and so He has suffered what our sin deserves. He has experienced with that the suffering of death. But in His resurrection on the First Easter is the promise that all suffering has been overcome.

So why still the birth pangs and the suffering now? Because through this, He forms us as those clinging to Him and to His promises of eternal life alone. Through this, He promises us, promises you that as you are His baptized child, as you have been born that child out of the water and the Spirit, you will have eternal joy with Him. But it’s that baptismal promise that becomes the way He also strengthens you to endure it. It’s hard now, but the light of that life with Him is the light shining at the end of the tunnel of this suffering. It’s shining and brightening your life even now so you would know He will never leave you nor forsake you in it.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O God, You make the minds of Your faithful to be of one will. Grant that we may love what You have commanded and desire what You promise, that among the many changes of this world, our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

- Rev. Matthew Zickler, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Western Springs, IL.

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

Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God’s people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May 17, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Easter 5 - Psalm 98:2-6; antiphon: Psalm 98:1

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 19:9-18, 26-37; Luke 11:14-36

“Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.” (Psalm 98:1)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus speaks to His lamb: My dear lamb, I made you with ears to hear so you can listen to My Word. I gave you a mouth to confess your faith. And I gave you a heart so you can have joy that overflows into songs of praise.

We will sing Psalm 98 in Church tomorrow. For hundreds of years before I was born of My mother, Mary, My people would pray this psalm as they waited for the Father to send the Messiah (me).

My flock rejoiced to sing these words, “Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.” They didn’t yet know the wonderful way Psalm 98 would be fulfilled. For I AM the LORD from eternity, but I became man and was born to work salvation to give to you.

I left My place at the right hand of the Father and was humbled so I could lift you up. I was born with a physical right hand and a holy arm, the tiny body of a little baby. I used all my strength to love my Flock. When the time came, my hands were nailed to the cross, and I died for you. They pulled the nails out of my corpse when I was laid in the tomb for you. You can still see the marks of those nails in my hands and feet, for I was raised from the dead for you.

I am still both God and man and always will be. I sit in glory at the Father's right hand, watching over you, my lamb, and waiting to bring you home.

So, dear lamb, pray this psalm with joy! Sing together with all My flock! Your salvation has been won!

Jesus’ lamb responds: Amen! Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen! “For He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Alleluia. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. Alleluia. I Am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. Alleluia. (Alleluia Verse for the 4th Sunday in Easter LSB Altar Book p. 794)

- Rev. Jeffrey Horn, pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA.

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

Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God’s people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May 16, 2025

Today's Reading: Luke 11:1-13

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 18:1-7, 20-19:8; Luke 11:1-13

“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-13)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus speaks to His lamb: My dear lamb, I will teach you to pray like I taught my disciples to pray. Read closely what I told them here in Luke 11. What I taught them is for you, too. Pray to the Father in My name; He will hear you and give you good.

When you pray to your Father in heaven, think about a father here on earth. Fathers on earth are not perfect. They struggle with sin like every human being.

But we know that fathers want to give good things to their children. If a son asks his father for a healthy meal like a fish or an egg, what father would be so evil that he would give his child a painful, venomous serpent or scorpion instead?!

If an imperfect father on earth knows how to give good gifts to his children, how much more will your perfect Father provide you with something good when you pray?

Your heavenly Father loves you. He gives you good gifts every day. He gave you the best Gift of all, Me— your Savior, your Good Shepherd. So when you pray, you can be confident that He will give you the Holy Spirit, who will create and strengthen your faith through My Word every day until you are safe in heaven. (And remember to tell Him, “Thank You.”)

Jesus’ lamb responds: Dear Jesus, thank you for teaching me to pray and showing me how much the Father loves me. Thank you, Father, for hearing my prayer and answering with the best of Your Gifts. You give me Your Son. You pour out Your Spirit. And you save me and keep me as your own.

Please give me faith to believe that You are good and that You answer my prayers, just as Jesus taught. Forgive me for the times I do not pray—for when I forget, am lazy, or don’t believe you can or will help.

You are good. Thank You for the good you always give me in Christ.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Neither life nor death shall ever from the Lord His children sever; Unto them His grace He showeth, and their sorrows all He knoweth. (LSB 725:3)

- Rev. Jeffrey Horn, pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA.

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

Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God’s people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May 15, 2025

Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer - The Third Petition

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 17:1-16; Luke 10:23-42

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

What does this mean? The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.

How is God’s will done? 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.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus speaks to His lamb: My dear lamb, I give you the Lord’s Prayer. Learn it well and pray it often. When you pray this prayer, you pray along with all My baptized lambs in the Church. We pray together and ask for the Father’s will to be done.

We ask that Him that My Gospel would always be taught purely and that the Spirit would draw people to faith. We ask Him that the lambs in my flock would follow My Word and not fall away. We ask that that Father would keep My flock on earth safe from Satan and the world and all temptations to sin. We pray that all My lambs would come safely to heaven.

Your Father’s good and gracious will is for you to have these blessings.

Jesus’ lamb responds: Dear Jesus, Amen! Thank You for teaching me this prayer and making me Your own in Baptism. Please forgive me for the times I forget to pray. I am distracted by many things. Please keep teaching me to pray.

This world can be so hard. People do things that are not what the Father would want. The evil ways that Satan puts into the world are hurtful and hateful. But Jesus, You are my Good Shepherd. You have overcome the world. You will not leave me or forsake me. Strengthen my courage to pray Your prayer in faith. You taught me to ask the Father that His will would be done on earth even in these days. He will graciously do this in Your name. Thank you!

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Dear Father, Your will be done, not the devil’s will or our enemies or anything that would persecute and suppress Your Holy Word or hinder Your kingdom. Grant that we may bear with patience and overcome whatever is to be endured because of Your Word and kingdom, so that our poor flesh may not yield or fall away because of weakness or sluggishness. (Large Catechism III 67)

- Rev. Jeffrey Horn, pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido, CA.

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

Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God’s people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.