July 26, 2024

Today's Reading: Catechism: What is the Sacrament of the Altar?

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 10:1-27; Acts 22:17-29

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What is it?! That’s the question I hear children ask their parents at the Communion rail all the time. I’ll admit that I’ve heard a wide range of answers whispered into those little ears in response. There are a few I’ve heard that have left me thinking, “Don’t cringe!” Recently, I heard an answer that actually made me grin. “He’s right here,” said the little boy’s grandma, as she held the host in her hand, “and in heaven, too.” Perfect. I love it. Praise God. We shouldn’t budge an inch on this. “What is this bread?” one of our hymns asks… “Christ’s body risen from the dead!” comes the answer! We have here, from our Lord Jesus, the food from the table He prepares before us— the meal from the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom. When Jesus instituted this Blessed Meal, He did so that we might receive the great benefits of His Gospel in a tangible way through one of the most common experiences we can imagine: eating and drinking. Bread is a nearly universal staple of mankind; this began with Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden. “By the sweat of your brow, you will eat bread,” God told our first father. Bread is the food of the Fall. It requires multiple steps, processes, and preparation to create, and it is fleeting. Israel learns that man can’t live by bread alone in the wilderness, and the manna God gave them spoiled in a day’s time! But Jesus takes this food and repurposes it. Just as man lives by the Words that proceed from the mouth of the Lord, we are given daily bread that will never spoil but endures to eternity! Just as Christ’s body is given for us Christians to eat, so also is His precious blood poured out for us to drink, trusting His words. Paul reminds us that eating and drinking the bread and the cup is a participation in the Body and Blood of Jesus. We are connected to Christ through eating and drinking in faith. So come, dear Christian, to the altar. It is Christ. It is for you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Lord, our God, in Holy Baptism You have called us to be Christians and granted us the remission of sins. Make us ready to receive the most holy Body and Blood of Christ for the forgiveness of all our sins, and grant us grateful hearts that we may give thanks to You, O Father, to Your Son, and to 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.

July 25, 2024

Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 9:1-27; Acts 21:37-22:16

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I think it’s fair to say that James and John act and behave in the way that we likely would if we had no filter. What I mean by that is most of us would have a little restraint before we asked Jesus something like James and John did in Mark 10. They effectively ask, “What’s in it for us?!” Most of us were raised better than that! Right?! Maybe the sons of Zebedee’s raising should be called into question since, in Matthew 20, in a very similar situation, James and John’s mother made the same request of Jesus, only on their behalf. If we’re being honest, I think we all want some sense that what we get out of something will be “worth it” in comparison to what we’ve put into it. It only makes sense that the result and reward would line up with the sacrifice required. But that’s why the Christian faith is earth-shatteringly different from every other religion in the world. What you put into it doesn’t have any bearing on what you get out of it. All of your works, whether wicked or righteous, are filthy in the eyes of God. But the same is not true of Jesus. His works are perfectly pleasing to God. His works are exactly what God has commanded of His creation. And His works are exchanged to all who trust in Him for salvation. Jesus wasn’t concerned with giving out seats at His left or His right. He was concerned with preparing places at His wedding banquet. And that’s the beautiful thing about our Lord! He came to serve US! We all too often get things backward. Jesus sets things straight by coming not to be served but to serve. To give His life as a ransom for many—even for all! What’s left is for us to look all the more to Jesus, not asking for more, but trusting that He has in store for us exactly what’s best for us. Lord, give us such eyes of faith to see! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O gracious God, Your servant and apostle James was the first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the name of Jesus Christ. Pour out upon the leaders of Your Church that spirit of self-denying service that they may forsake all false and passing allurements and follow Christ alone, Who lives 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.

July 24, 2024

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 8:1-22; Acts 21:15-36

“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. One of my favorite introductions in the Bible belongs to King David. You probably remember the scene. Saul had been rejected by the LORD, and Samuel was sent in secret to Bethlehem, to Jesse, and each of Jesse’s sons passed before him. None of them were pleasing in God’s eyes. “You have any more of those sons, Jesse?” You can almost hear the worry in Samuel’s voice…this was supposed to be the place, right?! But there was one more—he was watching the sheep. That boy would become the King of Israel. He would shepherd God’s people, and he would own the words of the 23rd Psalm, taking comfort by confessing, “The LORD is my Shepherd!” By the time the prophet Jeremiah lived, Israel had been ruled by a long line of kings who were anything but shepherd-like. So God intervenes. God Himself would step in to shepherd His people. He would gather them from the places they were scattered. He would lead them and feed them. But then He would raise up other shepherds. Better shepherds. Well, One Shepherd in particular. Jesus came as the fulfillment of this prophecy, and where David and the rest of the kings of Israel failed by sinning, Jesus didn’t. He came to bring righteousness to all who believed in His name. He came to be the righteousness of God through His perfect life, innocent death, and glorious resurrection. All of this He did for YOU! Think about it like this: God surveys the scene of those who have been set apart to serve as His shepherds. One by one, He sees that their lives are marred by sin, and they themselves have wandered like sheep! God’s great love sent Jesus to be the last and ONLY shepherd we’ll ever need. He has been through the valley of the shadow of death. He has emerged on the other side, alive again forever…and you, His dear sheep, will live in His house forevermore! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Savior, like a shepherd lead us; Much we need Your tender care. In Your pleasant pastures feed us, For our use Your fold prepare. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, You have bought us; we are Yours. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, You have bought us, we are Yours. Amen. (LSB 711:1)

-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.