July 16, 2024

Today's Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14

Daily Lectionary: Judges 16:4-30; Judges 17:1-21:25; Galatians 4:12-31

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him… (Ephesians 1:3-4)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “What was God doing before creation?” the confirmation student asks his pastor. The pastor leans back and replies, “Well, St. Augustine answered that question like this: ‘He was preparing a punishment fit for those who ask such trifling questions…’” I think we can all hear the sarcasm in that answer… But in all seriousness, our lesson today gives us some insight into the mind and heart of God. “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” (Ephesians 1:4). Now, before we get carried away, let’s make a few careful observations about this reading. First, when Paul talks about election/predestination, he’s always talking about “us.” It’s a conversation of comfort and joy for Christians– not a statement about those who don’t believe. Re-read the lesson, and notice how many times “our,” “we,” and “us” pop up! Second, pay close attention to that little preposition “in Him.” We’re not the elect of God apart from Jesus but IN HIM. It’s crucial for us to see that any time Paul’s talking about those who are saved, it’s always IN CHRIST. This corrects that error that some folks slip into when they teach that if you’re elect, you’ll be saved– one way or another– as if there could be a possibility of salvation apart from Jesus! Finally, pay attention to when all this stuff takes place. (It may be helpful to go back and read it one more time!) You’ve got God saving us in Christ from before the foundation of the world; you’ve got God giving us redemption through the blood of Jesus shed on Good Friday; and you’ve got God sealing us with the promised Holy Spirit when we heard the word of truth and believed it. This little section of Ephesians is packed full of blessings for you, dear Christian. If you ever doubt that God could love a sinner like you, flip to Ephesians 1 and take comfort in the knowledge that, before God said, “Let there be light,” you were on God’s mind: He has blessed us in Christ to the praise of His glory! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty Father, in Your Son You loved us when not yet begun Was this old earth’s foundation! Your Son has ransomed us in love To live in Him here and above: This is Your great salvation. Alleluia! Christ the living, To us giving Life forever, Keeps us Yours and fails us never! (LSB 395:4)

-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.

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

Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 15, 2024

Today's Reading: Amos 7:7-15

Daily Lectionary: Judges 15:1-16:3; Galatians 3:23-4:11

Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ (Amos 7:14-15)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I don’t envy Amos. If you haven’t read the book lately, I’ll briefly remind you of what this minor prophet was given to proclaim to God’s people. The book is nine chapters long. There are five verses of Gospel promise given at the very end of the book. For 136 verses, the full force of God’s law and judgment pour forth from Amos’ lips. Like most of us, I can’t imagine that Amos relished his calling to be the bearer of such. bad. news. And yet, this was his calling from the LORD. In our reading today, he makes it plain that none of this was his idea! God called him to leave behind his sycamore fig trees and his flocks in Judah. His ministry would be in the Northern Kingdom, pruning the calloused hearts of Israel, who had, in large part, forsaken the LORD. You may remember hearing about the “sin of Jeroboam” throughout the pages of 1 and 2 Kings. Jeroboam set up “high places” for the Northern Kingdom to worship (instead of traveling to the Temple in Jerusalem). If that weren’t enough, he created two (that’s right, two!) golden calves in Israel, instructing the people to worship the LORD at these. This is the state of things when Amos sees his vision of the plumb line. This tool is essentially a string with a weight at the bottom. Its job is to show whether or not something is pointing straight up and down. Going to build without one? You might wind up with a leaning tower of Pisa. When God showed Amos the plumb line, the message was clear: Israel was out of plumb. Such a structure must be torn down and rebuilt! But, you know…the Gospel promises in Amos speak to this very image: “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old…” (Amos 9:11) The LORD Himself will rebuild His people through the resurrection of His Son, David’s heir! In Him, we are built up, straight and true, a plumb delight in the eyes of God! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Anoint them prophets, men who are intent To be Your witnesses in word and deed, Their hearts aflame, their lips made eloquent, Their eyes awake to ev’ry human need. (LSB 682:2)

-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.

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

Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.

July 14, 2024

Today's Reading: Mark 6:14-29

Daily Lectionary: Judges 14:1-20; Galatians 3:1-22

But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” (Mark 6:16)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. While John the Baptist was the first figure to appear on the scene in St. Mark’s gospel (Mark 1:4), his ministry and witness were abruptly halted when Herod had him arrested. We wouldn’t have even known that John had been arrested, except that Mark reported it as a timestamp for the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (Mark 1:14). In today’s reading, John has already been beheaded, and the body of the text recounts the events of his martyrdom at the hands of Herod. We should note from the start that Herod didn’t know what to make of Jesus. He was more open to believing that John had risen from the dead than the possibility that there could be another preacher following after him! This is a timely reminder that, in St. Mark’s Gospel, no one in the account really understands who Jesus is until the centurion sees Him dead on the cross and confesses Him to be the Son of God! But let’s get back to John. From Herod’s guilty conscience concerning John, the narrative steps back in time to John’s arrest for his preaching against Herod’s adulterous marriage to Herodias. Herod is here depicted as conflicted with regard to John. Sure, he imprisoned him, but he held him to be a prophet. It apparently never resulted in repentance, but he was, for a time, unwilling to put him to death. All of that changed on Herod’s birthday when a risqué dance and a foolish vow revealed just how spineless Herod truly was. John was reduced to a party favor for a puppet king. But Jesus says, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18). Jesus promises Christians that we “…will be hated by all for [His] name’s sake, but the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Mark 13:13). Persecution would be a terrifying prospect if our hope weren’t rooted in the death and resurrection of Christ! Since Christ is risen, we know our lives have been hidden away in Him through the waters of Holy Baptism. Death has no dominion over us! God grant us to joyfully pray: “Lord, it belongs not to my care Whether I die or live; To love and serve Thee is my share, and this Thy grace must give. If life be long, I will be glad That I may long obey; If short, yet why should I be sad To soar to endless day?” (LSB 757:1-2) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Lord, You granted Your prophets strength to resist the temptations of the devil and courage to proclaim repentance. Give us pure hearts and minds to follow Your Son faithfully even into suffering and death; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.

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

Your favorite study Bible is now available in a simple, intuitive app on your device! Distinctively Lutheran notes on the full ESV text, helpful articles, and custom user settings offer an engaging experience in God’s Word anywhere you go. Download The Lutheran Study Bible App.