Podcasts about Higher Things

Solomon's marriage alliance with Egypt and his allowance of a multitude of high places for worship reveal cracks in the foundation of Solomon's kingdom. However, Solomon's love of the LORD is real, and even more importantly, the LORD's grace to Solomon is real. While Solomon worships at Gibeon, the LORD promises to give Solomon the answer to his prayer. Solomon prays for wisdom, and the LORD promises not only wisdom, but also riches, honor, and long life. The reality that the LORD answered this prayer is revealed quickly in a difficult case in which Solomon's wisdom is displayed in his goodness and preservation of life.  Rev. Harrison Goodman, Executive Director of Mission and Theology for Higher Things, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Kings 3:1-28.  "A Kingdom Divided” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through 1-2 Kings. The division in the kingdom of Israel in this part of history was greater than a matter of north and south. The biggest division was between the people and their God. Yet even as the people rebelled against the LORD as their King, still He remained faithful to call them back to Himself through His prophets, working through history to send the good and gracious King, Jesus Christ. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

Does your love for God make your heart sing?The psalms, many of them, were written as songs of worship. King David in particular loved to sing praises to His Lord. Whether he was tending his flock under a night sky, or sitting in his palace in Jerusalem, David had a heart for the Lord.Psalm 104:1 says, “Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.”In this kind of worship, we feel especially close to God. It is then we focus on His majesty and His power. We feel close to Him, and we're able to speak freely with Him.This kind of intentional meditation on Higher Things also puts us in our place, and we mean that in the best sense of the phrase. Hierarchy in true religion is very important, and when we consider that the God we sing praises to loves us eternally, and always wants the best for us, well—it releases us to worship God with all of our being. And it is then we are free.Take time today to praise the Lord for who He is, not forgetting the great things He has done for you. Because…He is very great!Let's pray.Lord, you are awesome in ways that we can barely understand. Even with those limitations, God, we love you with abandon. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

Why is it important to provide young adults with a space to grow in theological understanding? The Rev. Harrison Goodman (Executive Director of Mission and Theology for Higher Things) and Crysten Sanchez (Executive Director of Operations for Higher Things) join Andy for our Set Apart to Serve series to discuss the upcoming HT Beyond: Eyes to See - A Young Adult Event from Higher Things, including what HT Beyond is, the significance of this space for young adults, what young adults will learn about art and architecture through the event, the topics liturgical artist Ed Riojas will present on, and how events like these inspire young adults to consider church work vocations. Learn more and register here. Christ's church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers. Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations. Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS: 1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers. 2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers. 3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation. To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.

February 1, 2025Today's Reading: Introit for Epiphany 4 - Psalm 10:16-18; antiphon: Psalm 10:12Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 11:4-17; 2 Timothy 4:1-18Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. (Psalm 10:12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Text of the Reflection Even though I forgot where my keys are for the 4th time this week, I'm pretty comfortable telling God He should do a better job remembering the afflicted. Especially when it's me. A little bit, it's because I'm a sinner. A little bit, I think it's how God wants it. He knows we forget. We forget our to-do lists. We forget to help each other. We forget to pray when things aren't falling apart. But when everything's a mess, it feels like God forgets us, too.   So God gives us this psalm to pray. It's a reflection on His character. The LORD hears us in our affliction. He strengthens our hearts. He does justice to the fatherless and the oppressed. His character isn't something the Psalmist worries about. Of course, God is good. Which is why it's easy to wonder if He forgot about us when nothing around us is as good as a good God should make it. Which is the real reason we pray this psalm.  It's an exercise in remembering. In calling to God, we can be sure He hears us and responds in mercy. He doesn't forget. But even in praying, we remember who He is. What He has already done. What He has promised to do. In the midst of all we forget, the character of God is the most important thing to remember, reflect upon, and call to mind and heart in the midst of trial.   The things that are falling apart? They are not things Your God has no care for. He loves you enough to die for you. The things falling apart? They are not bigger than your God. He has conquered death itself. And when we remember who He is and how He's done that, it gives hope to the mess. God destroyed death through a cross, not a day when nothing was wrong, but a day when everything was falling apart. God can and does work mercy for you even in the midst of all that's wrong. Just like Good Friday, things don't need to be apart from sin or disorder or fear for Him to save you. When it's all falling apart, remember who your God is, and remember He won't forget you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The will of God is always best And shall be done forever; And they who trust in Him are blest; He will forsake them never. He helps indeed In time of need; He chastens with forbearing. They who depend On God, their friend, Shall not be left despairing. (LSB 758:1)-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 31, 2025Today's Reading: 2 Timothy 3:1-17Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 10:1-11:3; 2 Timothy 3:1-17“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” (2 Timothy 3:16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Bible doesn't contain God's word. It is God's word. All of it. The clear parts. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. The quirky parts. John needs you to know he's a faster runner than Peter. The weird parts. A prophet called down a bear attack on the young men who called him bald. The parts I don't like. The 10 Commandments that paint me as a sinner in many and various ways. God wants it all in there. He is the one who used the various writers with their various personalities, flaws, sins, and quirks to say exactly what He wanted said.  It's a Gift, though. Now, it's not our job to sort through the Bible and pick out what's actually God's word and what's just pretending to be. It's funny how when that's our job, God's word always seems to agree with us. It's a cold look in the mirror when we realize that if we are who determine what is and isn't God's word, that's not just cleaning up after apostles who were ignorant because they lived before iPhones. It's making yourself God. If you're the one who chooses what God says, that sort of makes you in charge. Like God.  It's hard enough to believe it's all God's word. It's harder still to believe it's all profitable for you. Because the whole Bible, the narrative, the history, the law, and the gospel, they are for you. They testify of Christ, of hope, and of how things should be. It's easy to carve up the Bible into what is and isn't God's word. It's also easy to carve out all the things we think don't actually relate to us. But all Scripture is for you. To call you away from the things of death. To point you to the things of life. To give you hope because if God can save sinners like those we read of, He can save you, too. When you read the Bible, it doesn't just teach you what good is; it equips you to be good. By faith, you receive the very holiness the law demands, and a clean conscience willing to be corrected, always with the hope that your salvation rests on Christ, whom the whole Bible attests is your savior. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous; Bright with Thine own holiness, Glorious now, we press toward glory, And our lives our hopes confess. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to Thee who light dost send! Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end! (LSB 578:3)-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 30, 2025Today's Reading: Catechism: The Sixth CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Zechariah 9:1-17; 2 Timothy 2:1-26You shall not commit adultery.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This commandment comes with baggage. It's the one assaulted by the world. It's the one that hurts to talk about if you're a product of a broken home. It's the one we fail with our thoughts, our web browsing, and worse. Lord, have mercy.  But here's the thing: if you don't believe marriage is worthwhile, why bother? Just like the First Commandment, if you do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things, why would you pay attention to His laws? Marriage is a Gift worth guarding. It is an image of the love shown between Christ and the church. It is a body knit together purely by God's giving of good Gifts. It is the foundation of family.  So we should fear and love God so that we lead a chaste and pure life in word and deed, and husband and wife love and honor each other. We're using the old explanation on purpose. Not only because it's hard to explain “sexual purity” to the 7-year-old the Catechism was written to, but because ‘chaste' is a word that is almost altogether free from baggage outside of jokes from old movies. Chaste is a word we should take back. The meaning is simple. What if, either today or someday in the future, God wanted you to have a healthy, happy marriage? The things that help you, either today or in the future, have a healthy, happy marriage are chaste. The things that make it harder to have a healthy, happy marriage, either today or in the future, are unchaste. You can teach that to a 5-year-old, a middle schooler, or a married person. The word chaste grows with us in our vocations. It is a word that surely walls off the things that tear down marriage. But it's also a recognition of the Gifts God gives in marriage, the value that we ought to esteem marriage, and so the lengths we should struggle to go to defend it.  Struggle here, but start from the fact that God gives good Gifts. Marriage is not yours to defend. It's Christ's, who uses it to paint a picture of the forgiveness of sins He gives to sinners. Even the ones who have not upheld the Sixth Commandment. Even you. Jesus died to forgive all the places where this commandment has been broken. He works good through marriage, even in the face of so much sin. And He calls us to rejoice because even though this commandment is not one we can fulfill, it still paints a picture of Christ and the church, where Christ still forgives us, presenting us to Himself without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“Be faithful to your marriage vow; No lust or impure thoughts allow. Keep all your conduct free from sin By self-controlled discipline.”  Have mercy, Lord! (LSB 581:7)-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 29, 2025 Today's Reading: Luke 4:16-30Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 8:1-23; 2 Timothy 1:1-18“And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.” (Luke 4:24)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus wouldn't do miracles in His hometown. It gave everyone big feelings, so they tried to throw him off a cliff. It's maybe a little easier to stomach Jesus saying no to the people who throw tantrums and try to throw Him off a cliff than when He does it to us. That might be a thing to wrestle with. But instead everyone takes the hometown verse as the thing that matters.  No prophet is acceptable in his hometown. I get why I can't go back to my hometown. I did stupid stuff in high school. People remember. But sinless Jesus wasn't known for stealing road cones from construction sites and closing down public streets for fun. So it's not about reputation. It's not even about the town, either. Elisha didn't go on a healing tour but saw only Naaman, who visited him at home, like, three chapters after he had shebears kill young men for calling him bald. His reputation was probably… at least something to take note of.  This isn't actually about the prophet. It isn't about the town. It's about the expectation. The thing we didn't want to talk about in the first place when all the bad people who Jesus said “no” to tried to de-cliff Him. The reason we're really not okay when He says “no” to us. The expectation is, “Hey, you work for us.”  That's a problem. God is for you. But not under you. It's bigger than just who's in charge. God is merciful and good. The great danger in assuming you need to be in charge and not Him is really that you think you need to be. If you need to be in charge and not God, there's an assumption that God isn't merciful and good, so you need to be in charge. The kind of Christianity where you need to be in charge is the greatest burden and the least hope. It is a false doctrine, a lie of the devil Christ will not allow to stand because that is a Christianity where you get to receive nothing and are forced to take everything. You don't get to trust God; only figure out how to make Him dance. Crosses aren't involved in that kind of Christianity. But Jesus died for you. It's not only the proof that He is merciful and good that we need when our desperate prayers seem to be met with “no.” It's the place He gives the answers we really need. Your sins are forgiven. You are already delivered from death and the devil. Rejoice.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Hail, Thou once despisèd Jesus! Hail, Thou Galilean King! Thou didst suffer to release us; Thou didst free salvation bring. Hail, Thou universal Savior, Bearer of our sin and shame! By Thy merit we find favor: Life is given through Thy name. (LSB 531:1)-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 28, 2025 Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31aDaily Lectionary: Zechariah 6:1-7:14; Romans 16:17-27For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I sort of wish I could see Paul's facial expressions as he wrote to the church in Corinth. He had more than a couple of frustrations. Even though bickering over who's the most important honesty seems trivial compared to some of the other stuff they were doing, this one's pretty serious. Imagine just conveying, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the truth of the gospel of Christ Jesus, that apart from anything you could ever do by works of the law, you were saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, who died and rose for you and for all. No one in the church can save themselves by works, and nobody has to. But they'll still fight about who's the most important based on what they can do anyway. If we are the body of Christ, you are the appendix. Why are you even here? If the whole body were a nose, how would you pick it? It isn't just a call to repentance for all who think too much of themselves. This desire to be the most important isn't just dangerous for the ones convinced of how much they do. It's the ones who think they go unnoticed. Overlooked. Forgotten. The feeling of worthlessness that permeates any culture rooted in works. Ironically, it's the one thing the people who think too much of themselves and the people who think too little share in common. They can only think of themselves. But the whole body is not a nose. And, much more importantly, you are not worth simply what you can do. The body of Christ, knit together, works as God has ordered it. But the true worth of each part is not in what it can do but in the cost that was paid to knit us together under Him who is our head, Christ. Our Lord died and rose to give you your worth. It doesn't have to rest on you doing enough, and it can't be diminished by you not doing enough. You are worth what was paid for you. So, if you happen to be the appendix, the nose, or the finger, what matters most is that you're attached to the head who has redeemed and saved us all the same and works good through us, the body, each day. Suffer together. Rejoice together. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.In what You give us, Lord, to do, Together or alone, In old routines or ventures new, May we not cease to look to You, The cross You hung upon - All You endeavored done. (LSB 853:4)-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 27, 2025Today's Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 4:1-5:11; Romans 15:14-33For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:9b-10)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The people wept as they heard the words of the Law because it paints a picture of how things are supposed to be. It paints a picture of good. And we aren't good. The consequences of being not good are…well…not good. Sin breaks stuff. You hurt the people around you. The law points it out, even when you'd rather not look. It threatens punishment. God's allowed to be angry when you hurt His kids. He's even allowed to be angry when you hurt yourself. The law is a black-and-white picture. There's no room for shades of grey, either, from best intentions or blame. The people heard how far from good they were.  But something strange happens. The people who deserve to be sent away in wrath, condemned to eat of the damnation they sow, are instead sent to eat the best portions of meat and drink sweet wine. They're to share the Gift they don't deserve with anyone and everyone around them. Sinners receive something unfair. Love. Because even though, in our sins, we are not good, God still is. We hear His word and in faith even come to see that the law paints a picture of Jesus, who fulfilled it, and in mercy, forgives us who do not. Because even though, in His righteousness, Christ is good, He dies on the cross bearing the weight of the wrath over every sin. It's unfair, but it's love. Jesus died for you. Your sins are forgiven. The day where He hands out forgiveness is holy. Go to church on that day. Eat and drink a measure of God's mercy in Communion. And rejoice. We who ought to shed a lot more tears over our confrontation with the law are only measured by the gospel. Christ's death on the cross paints a picture of you. You're worthy of love. Jesus says so, then invites you to take and eat.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.God's Word is our great heritage And shall be ours forever; To spread its light from age to age Shall be our chief endeavor. Through life it guides our way, In death it is our stay. Lord, grant, while worlds endure, We keep its teachings pure Throughout all generations. (LSB 582)-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 26, 2025 Today's Reading: Titus 1:1-9Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 2:1-3:10; Luke 10:1-9“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.You should have a pastor. There's a big list of things he should be. They make him above reproach. The list is a comfort to you. It's terrifying to your pastor because most of us are white-knuckling at least one of those on a good day. It's way easier for him to be a pastor if his life is in order. He has the bandwidth for all the places your life isn't that way. It will be his job to hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. He should have a firm faith and point you to truth, both to point you away from the sin that breaks stuff and to forgive you for when you broke it anyway. It's hard enough to trust your pastor when he has to tell you a law you don't want to hear. It's sometimes impossible when you can see all the places the law makes him a sinner, too. That's the reason for the list of things he should be. It's not that Jesus didn't die for your pastor. It's that sin breaks stuff. And sometimes that gets so distracting it's hard to hear Jesus from him. So Paul tells Titus not only the list of things he should strive to be but also the reason why so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.  Your pastor's job is to point you to Jesus and point you away from the things that just pretend to be Jesus. The idols. The false comforts. The lies of the evil one, the world, and the lies of your own heart. Because for your pastor, just like for you, there are two things we want. We want faithfulness and godliness. And we also want the lies to be true. Both can't stand, so we need Christ in truth and purity. And we need to be called out of everything that is not Christ. So God gives you a pastor to point. We are sinners, all of us. It's all the more reason to hold firm to Jesus. Hear Jesus. Hear the cross. Hear the resurrection. Receive The Sacraments. And there's finally a place where it's alright to be white-knuckling it. Hold fast to Jesus. He is the forgiveness for everywhere everything else is falling apart. He is the hope that exists through all the things that tear down. Let nothing distract from Jesus. Especially not the sins He forgives.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, You called Titus to the work of pastor and teacher. Make all shepherds of Your flock diligent in preaching Your holy Word so that the whole world may know the immeasurable riches of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

On this episode we're talking about Humanism and the philosopher EF Schumacher because it just so happened they popped up in our lives at the same time as each other. Is that all? Certainly not! There's loads more including Jesus Lizard, Atomic Habits, Gratitude journals and an update on the man with his poo poo pipe.

Even after the judgment spoken in the previous chapter, Isaiah now turns to praise the LORD as his God. The LORD has done wonderful things in faithfulness to His promises made long ago. He is a stronghold for His people, providing shelter from the storm and shade from the heat. On His mountain, He prepares His feast for His people because He has swallowed up the greatest enemy, death. The LORD has accomplished what He promised through Isaiah in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Isaiah 25:1-12.  "The Fifth Evangelist” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through Isaiah 1-39. The prophet proclaims to the people of his day and throughout history that the Holy One of Israel alone is exalted. Those who put their trust in the strength of man will be brought low, but those who trust in the LORD will see that He is their Immanuel. Jesus is God with us who reigns over the kingdom of God forever and ever! Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

December 28, 2024Today's Reading: Matthew 2:13-18Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 52:13-54:10; Matthew 2:13-23“‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.'” (Matthew 2:18)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Where was God when Herod's soldiers went house to house slaughtering toddlers? Why does He seem so far away? It seems deep down like we spend more time defending God than He spends defending us. It seems like tragedy is where we need to protect the idea of God, not where we actually expect Him to protect us. Here's a fortune cookie slogan about God's plan that makes it not sound so horrible. Here's something besides His word to make us seem content when we aren't. Some poem about footprints and sand. Some parable about blind folks and an elephant. All of them attempt to answer the issue behind any religion that claims its god is loving. Why is there evil?Rachel weeps for her children and refuses to be comforted because they are no more. This is not the time for the footprints poem that isn't actually in the Bible. I don't have any good excuses here. Not because God doesn't explain it. Because we don't like the answers He gives. We want a God that gives us free will. Freedom from suffering. It was everything Herod sought. He prayed to the god of security and made rite sacrifices. He wanted to be in control, not face hardship or hurt. So, if I'm being honest, I can relate more to Herod than to Christ, who left the glory and security of heaven to be born in a manger, smuggled across borders only to die on a cross.  We'd rather a Herod than a Christ, as long as he's on our team. We want security from God every bit as much as we want security from God. We can recoil at the price Herod was willing to pay for it, but we all play the same game on a smaller scale. You might not sacrifice thousands of lives, but statistically, more women enter planned parenthood for an abortion identifying as Christian than not. And men, spared from having to sacrifice this way to the god of choice, still find plenty of other ways to chase the same securities. All we're doing is quibbling over the price we're willing to pay for them. So He acts.  Jesus didn't stop Herod from massacring children. He worked salvation in the middle of it. He entered to face it and carve a path through death to resurrection. It makes the object of our salvation closer to us when things fall apart. That's where God puts Himself for you. When we have no good answer, God gives you His cross, not a trite explanation or a poem about footprints. God isn't with us to be strong when we are weak. But to be weak too, for us. It gives us hope for those lost. And it gives us forgiveness for those sins we dare not speak out loud. Even your abortion is forgiven. Because explanations are resigned to how things are now, but the cross looks forward to an empty tomb.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Amen.  -Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

December 27, 2024 Today's Reading: John 21:20-25Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 51:17-52:12; Matthew 2:1-12“So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?'” (John 21:23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John died of old age, exiled on Patmos. I wonder if it flavors the way he wrote his gospel. He calls himself the apostle whom Jesus loved. He's clearly brilliant. Especially compared to Peter. He runs faster, too. I used to think John thought a lot of himself. The more I get to know him, the more I wonder if it was the opposite. John was spared the martyrdom that the other eleven received. At one point, I would have assumed John counted it as a mark of favor. Maybe, though, to John, it wasn't. It's great faith that stands steadfast in the face of torture. Unwavering in the face of death. We all like to think we'd do the same, but pray we'd never have to. We all pledged to remain steadfast in this faith and face all, even death, rather than fall away from it, but enough kids stop going to church the week after they make this promise with the help of God at their confirmation that it's a trope. As John grew old on Patmos, I wonder if the apostle whom Jesus loved was the apostle who was afraid he wouldn't.  Bravado often masks insecurity. And sometimes, it's even more terrifying to disappoint someone than to die horribly. Do the subtle boasts John makes really just show how afraid he really is? But he's a fast runner. Way faster than Peter. And he's wicked smart, too. I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong. There are marks of John throughout his book, but motive is a tricky thing. We don't even understand ourselves sometimes. Today, the church remembers St. John, who had a personality I can't help but speculate about. But the thing he clings to is clear. Christ. His letters are not remembered for his wit or his spats with Peter but for confessing the crucified and risen Lord. This Jesus died and rose not only to cover over John's sins, but to give him courage in the face of his fears. John died of old age but already conquered death in his Baptism. That Baptism gives us the freedom to see him in joy as someone who gives us permission to maybe be afraid, but someone holy nonetheless because of the Christ who washes us clean. One day, you'll die, too. I'm not sure how people will remember you or what credit they'll give to your motives and actions. But you'll go into the grave Baptized, covered. And you'll rise, too.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Merciful Lord, cast the bright beams of Your light upon Your Church that we, being instructed in the doctrine of Your blessed apostle and evangelist John, may come to the light of everlasting life; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

December 26, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 23:34-39Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 49:22-26; 50:4-51:8, 12-16; Matthew 1:18-25“‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. They killed Stephen. They threw rocks at him until he was dead. He prayed for their forgiveness while they did it. Stories of martyrdom get… more creative from there. Flaying. Burning. Quartering. Beheading. Also, people are mean to us on the internet sometimes.  When the martyrs come up, Christians today bicker over what actually makes for genuine persecution. There are modern-day martyrs. People really killed for the crime of faith. The thing is, I don't think Jesus warns us about it so that we can lean into how bad it is, finding martyrdom in every comment section.  The church is left with Christ's words here, along with the story of Stephen, for two reasons. First, so that we would not be surprised if it happens. It is not a sign things are broken. It is not a sign of God's absence. It is a sad reality that Christ Himself bore for us. Secondly, though, it is to point us toward what to look for should we find it. Stephen didn't lament those who stoned him. He prayed for their forgiveness. Jesus didn't ignore Jerusalem. He wept over it, knowing Stephen and all the rest of the prophets and martyrs, and then rode into the city to conquer. Not by outkilling the killers. By bearing their sins unto death. He knew they'd reject Him. He still died for them. The focus doesn't seem to be on resistance. Or even lamenting every barb the church has taken. It's always been the forgiveness of sins that grants us certain life in the face of death. We live in uncertain times. We know now the future. So we're told to cling to a love so strong it would weep for Jerusalem, who would not believe, yet die for her anyway. Stephen is remembered as a martyr. But Jesus is remembered as the God made man who died and rose again to grant Stephen's prayers. In Christ, the martyrs live. And in Christ, there is forgiveness, even for those who throw stones.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Heavenly Father, in the midst of our sufferings for the sake of Christ grant us grace to follow the example of the first martyr, Stephen, that we also may look to the One who suffered and was crucified on our behalf and pray for those who do us wrong; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

December 25, 2024Today's Reading: John 1:1-14 (15-18)Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 49:1-18; Matthew 1:1-17“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There's a curated charm about Christmas Eve that just doesn't transfer over to the morning. Christmas Eve is prettier, but it's fragile. If you speak, you can break the moment. Christmas Eve will always be the bigger deal, but Christmas Day dares to ask, what if it all actually meant something after the candles are blown out? What does it mean for you who sing about stables you've never knelt in outside of towns you've never visited? On Christmas Eve, we make a pilgrimage to Bethlehem but find no nativity. Just words. On Christmas Day, we find out that's how it's supposed to be. On Christmas Eve, the words describe shepherds and angels and a baby Christ child in years past. On Christmas Day, the words take shape in the now.  We like baby Jesus more because He doesn't do anything obnoxious. Like talk. So, when Jesus is introduced as the Word and not the infant, it makes us nervous He'll open His mouth and break the charm of last night, even though we know it's well on its way to fading already. It's why we need the word. It's what gives the shepherds in the field meaning. It's what connects the miracle of then to the quiet desperation of now. A religion divorced from meaning is quaint, like turning off LEDs and lighting candles, but doesn't combat the darkness. It doesn't save. It just lets us pretend for a little while, which is our go-to solution to problems we can't actually fix. But it's dark today. So today, we are given the Word. You don't have a God of charming moments. You have a God who speaks. You have a Word made flesh. The living, breathing promise made to you. It tells you, “You have the right to become children of God, born of His will.” It means He saved us, not by works done by us in righteousness, but by incarnation. By making the promise real. With the infant Christ, Words don't stay words. They become flesh. They don't just call us to try harder, be more, love. They wrap themselves in weakness that cannot. It's what real light looks like. Not a time free from problems or a world free from darkness, but a God bearing them to their end for us. A light that even the darkness cannot overcome. The Word made flesh can bleed. God made man can die. And He promises it's for you. Christ crucified is the light that darkness cannot overcome. We celebrate the birth of a savior; we sing of the God made flesh to be light even when all we can see is darkness, because the darkness cannot win. It has already lost. Merry Christmas. May you have the peace of Christ Who became like us that we would be like Him. And indeed, we already are.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, grant that the birth of Your only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free from the bondage of sin; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. -Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

December 24, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 1:18-25Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 44:21-45:13, 20-25; Daniel 10:1-12:13; Isaiah 48:1-22; Revelation 12:1-17“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. Mary was engaged to Joseph, but she got pregnant. From the Holy Spirit. From hearing the Word. She's totally still a virgin. And Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. That means he didn't believe her, which is probably not unfair. You have to admit how it looks.  Maybe that's why the world doesn't understand the reason for the season. Nobody was converted by Christmas decorations. Look at the nativity and tell me someone could look at it and proclaim, “Hey, look, that baby is fully God and fully man, Son of the Father, born of the virgin. He's going to die on the cross and rise from the dead to forgive us our sins.” You have to admit how it looks. You're not going to figure this out on your own. It has to be revealed. So an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and explained it. To all of Nazareth, Mary looked unfaithful. And a little crazy because she stuck to the story. Yet she is blessed among women because she is the mother of God. Joseph looked like an old fool, yet he believed where so many didn't. The more they believe, the worse they look.  Especially to the Pharisees, who look so amazing all the time. They weren't perfect, just good at hiding what was wrong. Excusing it. Blaming others. Anything but confessing what's wrong to be sin and hoping God would be merciful to sinners, which is sort of the whole point of the religion. The believing Mary and Joseph looked like sinners and fools. The unbelieving Pharisees looked righteous.  We love to measure how things look. But how does Jesus look hanging on the cross where He saved the world that couldn't save itself? This is foolishness to the wise. He became the same. To dwell in creation, alongside us, in sin and misery. God almighty became an infant. God with us. He knows what He looks like. It's ok. Nobody figures it out on their own. It's always been revealed. Because faith comes by hearing, not looking. Look at the manger. Look at the cross. It doesn't look like much. No wonder the world mocks us. Christ came to assume your weakness and carry your sins. The ones others belittle you for. The ones you hide so well. The ones that prove you don't measure up. The ones that make you look like a bad Christian. The ones it's easier to hide or excuse. He saves you from your sins. All of them.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. O God, grant to us ears to hear Your promises that our eyes may perceive Your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

December 23, 2024Today's Reading: Micah 5:2-5aDaily Lectionary: Isaiah 43:25-44:20; Revelation 11:1-19“And he shall be their peace…” (Micah 5:5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Bethlehem. House of bread. There's peace there. Pay attention. Not just to look back but to look forward, too. It's easy to sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” to read a verse out of context in Micah, and connect the dots that Jesus was born to fulfill a prophecy. He is the one who, after hundreds of years of silence from prophets, appears to speak. He is the one promised from days of old. He is the one who shepherds the flock of the LORD. He is our peace. But if all you see is a Jesus who fulfilled the prophecies of old, where is He now? Where is the peace He is supposed to be? Your pastor holds it up on Sunday mornings and tells you. He sings, “The peace of the Lord be with you,” as he holds up the chalice and the host, the Body and Blood of the very same Christ. Bethlehem. House of bread. There's peace here. For you. The Christ born in the house of bread doesn't just fulfill old promises. It makes new ones. You'll see them fulfilled every Lord's Day. Every feast day. Honestly, whenever you ask your pastor to feed you.  Because we still need shepherding. We still need Immanuel. We still need God with us, even to the ends of the earth. We need the place to dwell securely. We don't just need prophecies fulfilled. We need them fulfilled for us. So you can find your peace in bread. Christ is present there to forgive you your sins, to tie you to the victory over the grave, to grant to you the security that sin, death, and the power of the devil are dashed to pieces against. Go to Communion. Eat and drink the Body and Blood of the Christ born in Bethlehem. There's peace there. And it's for you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin, and enter in, Be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Immanuel! (LSB 361:4)-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

December 22, 2024Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-45 (46-56)Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 43:1-24; Revelation 9:13-10:11“for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;” (Luke 1:48)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Blessed are you among women To be called the mother of God by the small whispering wordAnd so much worse by those without ears to hear.The virgin shall conceive and bear abuse. But she named it all Immanuel.God with us. For the belittled and the befouled The mocked and reviled, the virgin gives a hymn.He has regard for the humiliated. who in their shame would prefer sticks and stones to wordsused to cause much deeper hurt He sheds precious blood and names the least of these holy.  Exalting what has been profaned,and blessing what others only curse.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  -Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

December 21, 2024Today's Reading: John 20:24-29Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 42:1-25; Revelation 9:1-12Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (John 20:21)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We call Thomas by his nickname even though it's never in the Bible at all. This story isn't walking-through-a-wall-risen-from-the-dead-peace-giving-Jesus. This is doubting Thomas. Except it's not just Christian shorthand that describes the Bible story. We say more than we really mean to. We say Thomas' sins were died for on the cross. Forgiven… but not forgotten. Forgiven… but he should be remembered for all eternity by his sin of wanting to boop the Lord. Forgiven… but… not really. Then we take this fun new idea out with us and talk about each other the same way because talking about forgiveness is all well and good, but we still remember. Whatever else happens for the rest of their life, we know them by their weakest moment. That is an interesting take from the text that literally gives us the Absolution of sins.  What if this story isn't about one guy who expresses doubt in his weakness and is marked for the rest of us as a warning of what happens when we accidentally confess to being sinners, too? What if it's about Jesus? What if it's about a God who loves us so much that after dying for all of these sins we carry around, all of the labels we wear, all of the scars we bear, He rises from the dead to show that they really are brought to nothing? What if this same Jesus actually loved sinners enough to show up not for the worthy but for sinners and doubters? What if He said stuff like, “Peace be with you?” Jesus didn't show up to guilt trip Thomas but to give the peace Thomas was so desperate for.The marks on Christ's hands are not just the proof of His love and forgiveness and peace. They are Christ's burdens to bear. Those scars Jesus bears for you are the scars of all of your sins that He bled for, paid for, and died for. He still has those scars because He doesn't just take your sins from you to die on the cross and then give them back to you afterward for you to deal with. They aren't your scars to carry. He doesn't give them back. So be at peace. Stop trying to wrestle your old scars out of Jesus' hands. Jesus won't let go of them. All you get instead is peace.  This is why we speak confession. God wants you to have the very same peace He gave in that room. He sends pastors bearing it, speaking forgiveness, pointing to He who forgives sin by bearing Himself. We confess because now we hear Absolution. Peace be with you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.That night the_apostles met in fear; Among them came their master dear And said, "My peace be with you here." Alleluia! (LSB 471:4)-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

December 20, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Advent 4 - 1 Samuel 2:1b, 2, 5b-7; antiphon: Luke 1:46b-47 Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 40:18-41:10; Revelation 8:1-13The LORD kills and brings to life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. (1 Samuel 2:6)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord Kills and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. If you can't first see those things fulfilled in the Son, you can never receive them as Gifts when He does them to you, too.  It isn't just because it's easier to account for what's taken than what's given or because it's easier to find things to complain about than to thank God for. It's because what the Lord takes, we can't get back on our own, and deep down, we know it. All our best plans and efforts can fall apart in minutes. A life can end in the blink of an eye, and no amount of preparation, fitness, or cautiousness can change that fact.  And He has every right to do it. To kill. To cast down. To take. Lay your justifications aside. The wages of sin is death. At the core of your heart, where you hide the anger, the lust, the greed, God sees who you really are. He sees someone destroying His creation and harming His children, often in secret. Some things that are broken can't be fixed. They can't be balanced out by trying harder at something else. So the best we can do is run from death, run from loss. But these were first borne by the Son. He was killed and made alive. He descended into Hell and rose from the grave. He who was God was stripped of all honor and glory for you to enter a creation made sinful by men in order to save the very same sinners. You. Me. And in His loss, death, and resurrection, He has not only forgiven you all your sins but carved a path through death and loss for you as well.  It means we don't have to escape anymore. And it means what's taken is not gone. When you see things taken, you can know not just that they can be given back, but that they will. Christ is risen. We will rise. And more, it isn't arbitrary. It isn't callousness that drives our Lord. It's purpose. It was purpose that sent the Son to the cross. And so too with you. In your loss, there is purpose. In your gain, there is purpose. Even in your death, there is purpose, and you can look forward to your resurrection. Blessed be the Name of the LORD because that's the thing that's been stable this whole time. He doesn't change. He is always working for your salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The will of God is always best And shall be done forever; And they who trust in Him are blest; He will forsake them never. He helps indeed In time of need; He chastens with forbearing. They who depend On God, their friend, Shall not be left despairing. ( LSB 758:1)-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

December 19, 2024Today's Reading: Catechism: The First CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Isaiah 40:1-17; Revelation 7:1-17You shall have no other gods. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This commandment shouldn't actually be that hard. There's only one God. He's literally the only God there is. There was a piece of fruit on a tree, and we made a god out of it. The fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was not God, but we imagined it was so that we could not need Him anymore. It didn't work, but we've never stopped trying to get rid of the real God who loves us to chase after the fake ones that don't.  This commandment is at the root of every other sin. We do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things. If we did, we'd stop taking the good Gifts He gives us and turning them into replacements for Him.  This commandment might be at the root of our sinful desires, but the root of this commandment is that God actually wants to be God to you. He insists on being the God of sinners. He insists on giving you good Gifts. He insists on calling you back to Him over and over. He calls us not to treat the things that can't save us like they can. Don't trust in imaginary gods. Don't trust in creation as if it was the creator. Don't trust in yourself to save yourself. None of that works. None of it needs to, though; He already has. He bore the cross to forgive your idolatry. He insists you have no other source of salvation than Him. Trust only that. Love only Him. From there, even the fear part comes into right understanding. Fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Fear doesn't just mean healthy respect. We downplay it because it seems like it doesn't go along with love and trust. Fear means realizing you can't control God. That's the First Commandent all over again. The desire to control God is the desire to be God. To fear God is to recognize that we can't control Him but to love and trust in Him is to recognize that we don't need to. He wants to be God to you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O LORD God, Dear Father in Heaven, You have given us the Law for our good, calling us to fear, love, and trust in You above all things. Rejoicing that You would insist on being God to us, help us to cast aside all idols and follow you alone, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. -Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

December 18, 2024Today's Reading: Revelation 6:1-17Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 34:1-2, 8-35:10; Micah 1:1-7:20; Revelation 6:1-17Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” (Revelation 6:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The four horsemen of the apocalypse. 450 words. Cool. Books have been written speculating what each horseman symbolizes. Because there's so much wrong here that it's hard to pick out just one thing that it could be. And that speaks volumes to the idea that what's coming might be even worse. But it was the Lamb who opened the seal to them. And that's even more concerning. After the sixth seal, everyone, slave and free, hides in caves, begging mountains to fall on them to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. The daily lectionary doesn't quite line up with “Silent Night.”The might behind the angel chorus that sang to shepherds attests to the power of the God made man who will be born on Christmas. That power, that glory, that urgency for justice is found in the Christ child, too. When we pray for God to advent, we prefer the weakness of baby Jesus to the wrathful Lamb sending horsemen of death and destruction. Repent. Both pictures are the same Jesus. We live in the end times and pray, “Come, Lord Jesus.” Spare us from more tribulation. Rescue us from ourselves and the power of the foe. But the tribulation is God's tribulation. The devil is God's devil. All creation serves His will because creation has already been won back from the devil. Christ has died and risen to claim the victory. Evil is still evil, but God commands it now that it would do more than just sow tears. The evil points us to a need for salvation, and the cross not only answers the need but paints a picture of a God amidst the fray, wearing a crown of thorns, conquering death itself to save you.  Now even death and destruction simply point to the cross where the God made man, the Lamb who sits on the throne, was slain for you and for all. The catastrophes of the Revelator pull us from the fantasy that we can conquer God and His horsemen even as they drive us to the hope that the Lamb has conquered to save us. And the presence of God marks a silent night, peace on earth, not by measure of the earth, but by measure of God's Advent to save us from it. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Glory to the Father sing, Glory to the Son, our king, Glory to the Spirit be Now and through eternity. (LSB 332:8)-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

December 17, 2024Today's Reading: Philippians 4:4-7Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 33:1-24; Revelation 5:1-14Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. (Philippians 4:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Somehow, “rejoice” has come to mean “put on a happy face” to Christians today—especially this time of year. But when everyone else is happy, sad feels just that much sadder. Loss feels that much sharper, and calls to rejoice when you'd rather just cry make one of two things feel fake: either you for pretending for the sake of piety or the religion for not being able to lift your spirits.  I could tell you joy isn't the same as happiness. Joy is a deeper contentment, while happiness is a surface-level elation. That's true, but even joy seems to run dry sometimes. It's almost always because of which word we focus on. I wonder if the most important word isn't “in.” Rejoicing endures all things only in the Lord. And for that to happen, He has to show up. We can rejoice always because God advents. The Lord is at hand. He who guards us from sin, death, and the devil is so near He surrounds us. We are in Him. Hear this. Because anxiety isn't something we can shut off. It's a brain that can't stop thinking. So, Paul gives us something to think about. Christ advents to save sinners. Even now. You are baptized. You have put on Christ. His death. His resurrection. His victory for all who believe. You wear that now. That doesn't mean “pretend to be happy all the time.” It doesn't mean “shut your brain off whenever anything bad enters it.” It means that when you feel anxious or low, sad or depressed, hear the promises of the God who draws near to you and find comfort. When you can't shut your brain off, hear the gospel so it can focus instead on the promises of Christ. They drive us to reasonableness. Not just being levelheaded, but thinking about our problems in light of Christ's victory. Even death can't overwhelm you now. Jesus will just raise you up again. So whatever else that's ripped joy from you, is it bigger than death? Be reasonable. God is here to wipe every tear from your eye. Your heart is guarded by Christ Jesus.  It drives us to prayer. Let your requests be made known to the God who does not abandon you down here. He draws near to save. He might not give you everything you want, but in Him, nothing can be taken from you that His victory does not restore one hundredfold.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.By grace! On this I'll rest when dying; In Jesus' promise I rejoice; For though I know my heart's condition, I also know my Savior's voice. My heart is glad, all grief has flown Since I am saved by grace alone (LSB 566:6)-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

December 16, 2024 Today's Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 32:1-20; Revelation 4:1-11The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. (Zephaniah 3:15)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Zephaniah writes three chapters to a church convinced they are above reproach. Which, before you roll your eyes at them, feels great. If you're above reproach simply on account of your membership, that means everything wrong is someone else's fault. God is mad at them, not you. It's not surprising people like that are whiney. Nothing's their fault, and nothing's their responsibility. They just heap blame on the world and wait for God to punish wrongdoers and fix it. Did I say them? I meant us. Me. You. See how easy the language shifts?  Captivity comes not for the unbelievers but for Israel, and if that's just a punishment for other people's sin, there's no hope while there are still sinners, and worse things for the world mean better things for you. The only hope is a world without them. And hatred festers. Zephaniah preaches woe that doesn't just whine. He promises captivity and calamity as condemnation for incredulity, but here, he leaves Israel with hope. Even after promising terrifying things for Israel, who thinks they're above reproach, He promises to advent. The mark of hope is not measured in the state of the world but the presence of the LORD, who created, redeems, and cares for it. Is God present or not? There are signs of His presence. Zephaniah tells you what to measure. Don't start with the world. Start with you. Are your judgments being taken away? Are you being saved? Are you given something to hold onto that removes even fear?If hope is measured in a perfect world, all we have is whining about why it isn't perfect yet and blame for what we're unable to fix ourselves. If hope is measured in a present God, it might be worthwhile to see what He does when He shows up. He dies. Jesus comes to Israel, captive to sin and fear, ego and death, and frees us. You. Me. He dies for our sins. Yours. Mine. This is why the language matters. Christ shows up and feeds sinners. His Body and Blood are for you. They save you, strengthen you, forgive you, and grant you hope not just for a world with no problems but for a God present in the midst of them to bring you through them to the last great day when all the world will look as it ought. Resurrected. The last great day will come, but even now, God gathers the outcasts and the captives alike and turns the shame of all we can't fix into the praise of all He's conquered in His death and resurrection.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Where the paschal blood is poured, Death's dread angel sheathes the sword; Israel's hosts triumphant go Through the wave that drowns the foe. Alleluia! (LSB 633:3) -Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

December 15, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 7:18-28, 29-35Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 30:27-31:9; Revelation 3:1-22…And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Luke 7:23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's easy to overlook just how hard it is for most people to come out and say what they're feeling. I hurt. I doubt. I'm dying here. We can bury an awful lot before it finally bubbles over into some kind of truth. “Are you the one who is to come, or should I look for another?”John is in prison, doubting and trying to find the words because Jesus is the one who's supposed to give sight to the blind, make the lame walk, cleanse the lepers, and free the prisoners… and John's in prison, wondering where his help is. He did what he was supposed to. A voice cried in the wilderness to prepare the way of the LORD, but John's still in prison. Is this not the guy? Is any of this stuff even real? More than a prophet, John still struggles. But we're afraid to. I don't know how long it took John to finally send his disciples for an answer to his doubt or how often you grasp for the right words and come up short, but I know why it's happening. Things don't look like they're supposed to here. You're not the only one struggling for the right words.Jesus pierces through what we mean to say and speaks peace—not just with signs and wonders but with the sure and certain word and promise of God. The poor have Good News preached to them. This can endure the poor still being poor, even when some of the blind can't see yet and not all the lame can walk. John isn't called to find comfort in the signs themselves but in the word and promises of God. Jesus saves sinners. He bears the cross for those struggling and doubting and dying. Blessed is the one who is not offended by Me. Not by how He saves. Or who. Or what it looks like while He does it. You're allowed to struggle with it. The poor need the Good News preached to them because they need Good News.  Doubt isn't good, but if we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in this stuff, then this is something that has to be answered. So Christ sends preachers. Even John's doubt in prison prepares the way of the Lord to answer it. This Word of the Lord unites our voices and gives us the words we can't quite find. The Good News preached to you. God became everything we wish we weren't. Lowly. Sinful. Alone. Afraid. Dead. And in doing so, He saved you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

A new Christmas program is available from Higher Things! The Rev. Harrison Goodman (Content Executive for Higher Things) and Paige Rebber (Assistant Editor for Higher Things), join Andy and Sarah to talk about “Christmas FOR YOU.” Tune in to hear about the inspiration for this Christmas program, how kids will learn about and share the Christmas story, what's included, and how to use it. Download the program for free at higherthings.org/christmas. As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let's be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

In the twelfth stanza of Psalm 119, we confess the eternal nature of God's Word. Even as His Word stands fast in the heavens, He brings it to us so that it gives us joy and life. Apart from God's Word, we would perish in the traps of the wicked; therefore, God keeps us as His by His grace.  Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Psalm 119:89-96.  "God's Word Is Our Great Heritage” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through Psalm 119. As this longest Psalm takes us through an acrostic journey through the Hebrew alphabet, our God teaches us to find joy, refuge, strength, and life in His Word, which is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. 

Concordia University students studying to become church workers had the chance to share about church work vocations at Higher Things Conferences this summer. In Part 2 of 2, Young Adult Representatives (YARs) Hannah Weaver, Jakob Nath, and James Pape join Andy and Sarah to talk about why they wanted to serve as YARs, stories about their experiences talking with Higher Things participants at all three conferences, what they loved about this experience, and their advice for anyone considering church work vocations. Learn more about Higher Things at higherthings.org. Christ's church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers. Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations. Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS: 1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers. 2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers. 3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation. To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.

August 24, 2024Today's Reading: John 1:43-51Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 5:1-18; 1 Kings 6: 1-7:50; 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:17Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (John 1:45-46)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The many blunders of the disciples seem overwhelmingly comical. First, Philip says to Nathanael (Bartholomew) that, ‘We have found him…' Really, Philip? Jesus *literally* just found you and called you to follow Him. But, okay– you, with Peter and Andrew, ‘found Jesus.' Next, when Philip excitedly tells Nathanael about it, he replies with judgment:  ‘Can anything good…?' As if Nathanael knows what good even is. These guys are hilarious! Honestly, we would have been better disciples than these guys… right? Sinners tend to make everything all about them. We filter that which we see or hear through our own experiences. Nathanael was unimpressed when he first heard about Jesus - a guy from Nazareth? That doesn't seem all that good. He knew all about Nazareth, and this ‘Jesus' couldn't be that impressive.Sinners' low threshold of ‘good' is even more apparent when Nathanael meets Jesus and is blown away by the fact that Jesus knew he had been sitting under a fig tree; that was all it took for Nathanael to be impressed. It seems a bit silly that this guy was chosen as a disciple– he seems kinda lame and underwhelming. And yet ‘good' is truly seen in how Jesus interacts with Nathanael and all His followers. Jesus chooses regular, kinda lame, underwhelming people to be His own. He would take that which makes them imperfect (their sin) and makes it His to carry and His to pay for. Jesus loved Nathanael. Jesus died and rose again to save him from his sin. Nathanael is a saint because Jesus' Death and Resurrection was for him.You and I? Well, we can be kinda lame and underwhelming too. We have sin, and it causes problems. We make ourselves the center of the story and declare our own version or understanding of situations ‘good.' We need to be called out of our self-centered deadness and given new life. Thanks be to God that in Baptism, that happened. We are saints through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. We, like Nathanael, are counted as Jesus' followers. We receive His Word preached, His Body and Blood in the Supper, and Absolution spoken in the Divine Service. Thanks be to God that He sent His Son Jesus to save and redeem the whole world– including those who might be kinda lame and underwhelming.   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The band of the apostles in glory sing Your praise; The fellowship of prophets their deathless voices raise. The martyrs of Your kingdom, a great and noble throng, Sing with the holy Church throughout all the world this song: “O all-majestic Father, Your true and only Son, And Holy Spirit, Comforter – forever Three in One!” (LSB 941:2) -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

Concordia University students studying to become church workers had the chance to share about church work vocations at Higher Things Conferences this summer. In Part 1 of 2, Young Adult Representatives (YARs) Brianna Pike and Josh Rueter join Andy and Sarah to talk about their church work programs, how they were chosen to be YARs, the conversations they had with Higher Things participants at the Wisconsin and Portland conferences, and how this experience shaped how they view their own future vocations as church workers. Learn more about Higher Things at higherthings.org. Christ's church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers. Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations. Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS: 1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers. 2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers. 3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation. To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.

August 23, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 14 - Psalm 26:1-2, 6-7; antiphon: Psalm 26:8Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 3:1-15; 1 Kings 3:16-4:34; 2 Corinthians 1:1-22O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. (Psalm 26:8) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's been a long week. Sin made stuff hurt. Work was hard. Living with fellow sinners was hard. Seeing your own insecurities was hard. The devil pokes at all the bruises that we try to hide. We know that we aren't enough, but we try to keep trying. The world is an unkind place to be. We see ‘better' all around us, and yet we can never quite achieve it. Indeed, every morning, the Old Adam gets up with us, chained to us, even as it is daily drowned in our Baptism. And yet, this Psalm invites us to rejoice that Sunday is coming; the Divine Service is coming! We get to be in God's House! We get to be where He promises to be. We get to be forgiven alongside our neighbors (those other sinners) and breathe a sigh of relief. We get to be reminded that sin, death, and the devil have been defeated. We get to receive assurance that our identity is found in Jesus; He is enough, and so we are enough. We join David in this declaration– we love the habitation of God's House! We love that we get to be where His glory dwells! And what is that glory? God's glory is His perfection given to you through Jesus' Death and Resurrection. God's glory is His plan of salvation– to redeem you. God's glory is the unfailing love and faithfulness in His creation and adoption of you. God's glory is the Gifts we receive in His Word, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. Maybe today was a tough day. Maybe today was a decent day. In either case, you get to take a moment and remember, like David, that you are a child of God. You get to be reminded of your identity found in your Baptism. You get to join your thankful voice and declare that you, too, love God's House and rejoice in the place where His Gifts are for you. Sin breaks us down and causes pain. And yet, we have relief, joy, and hope because our Lord always keeps His promises and delivers them exactly where He said they would be. Look forward to the Divine Service in His House, where you will be reminded that you are forgiven, loved, and redeemed. Have hope that your God always keeps His promises– and that includes giving you grace, life, and peace. Thanks be to God that we get to continually go to God's House! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Here stands the font before our eyes, Telling how God has received us. The altar recalls Christ's sacrifice And what His Supper here gives us. Here sound the Scriptures that proclaim Christ yesterday, today, the same, And evermore, our Redeemer. (LSB 645:4) -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 22, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: Daily Prayers: Morning PrayerDaily Lectionary: 1 Kings 2:1-27; 1 Corinthians 14:1-16:24; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. (Morning Prayer) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This little sentence delivers so much comfort. ‘Into God's Hands.' The very hands that bore nails during His unfair, yet very good, crucifixion. The very hands that are marred with scars from His sacrifice. Those are the hands about which this prayer is speaking. ‘Commending myself.' To be honest, there is nothing commendable about me (and all sinners). In fact, on our own, we are dead. We sinners are not great caretakers. Our every decision is marred with sin. We are inherently selfish and short-sighted. So, commending myself - presenting myself before God - sounds a bit terrifying. But this prayer has already reminded us that the hands into which we are presenting ourselves are Jesus' hands. They are hands that showed their love in this way: bearing our sins and defeating our enemies. So, commending ourselves before God does not have to be terrifying but is relieving. We are Baptized. We are covered by Jesus and get to remember that every time we pray. ‘My body and soul, and all things.' A lie that sinners tell ourselves is that our bodies are our property to do with as we choose. We think we stand independent and want to be segregated from our neighbors. Lord have mercy. In this prayer, we are reminded that our bodies, our souls, and all things are tied together. And, they are commended - presented - to God. Into Jesus' nail-scarred hands, all things are presented, are declared good through Baptism, and are redeemed. There is comfort and assurance in this little sentence in a simple morning prayer. As you pray, using this prayer, the one that our Lord taught, or your own simple words, slow down and think about the amazingness of Who you are talking to and how He loves and cares for you. Prayer doesn't seem to make sense:  the perfect God of all things would desire to hear from us? And yet, that is exactly what we have. We get to bring all of our cares and concerns - even our whole selves - to Him and be cared for in His loving and merciful Hands. As you pray and after you pray, be confident and sure that your Savior has heard you, loves you, and will continually show you mercy. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy, Whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy: Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,  Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day. (LSB 738:1)-Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 21, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:14-31Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 1:1-4, 15-35; 1 Corinthians 12:14-31But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. (1 Corinthians 12:18-20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is such a profound statement that Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes. God, in His perfect wisdom, arranged all the members of the body. He put together the human body with perfect care, intentionality, and purpose. In context, these words describe the Body of Christ– the Church. Again, the profoundness is amazing! God created every single person with intentionality, purpose, and care. He gifted each person with their abilities, opportunities, skills, and strengths. This is awe-inspiring! You are you– created uniquely and special. And yet, well, why does my sinful nature chafe at this…? In our sin, we despair at being unique or different. In our sin, we really would rather be the foot instead of the elbow. In our sin, we would rather be ‘important' instead of merely attached. In our sin, we would rather be ‘that person' and not ourselves. Sinners are constantly comparing, competing, minimizing, or attempting to be ‘better' by our own merit. We struggle against the boundaries of who we are. We are sure that if we could just be fill-in-the-blank (faster, thinner, taller, smarter…), we would be fill-in-the-blank (enough, happier, content, accepted). ‘If only we could…' is how we think. Lord have mercy. Today, rejoice in your Baptism– that you are clothed with Jesus. Remember that you were created with a purpose and have been given Gifts that God chose for you. Look at your neighbor with admiration and wonder: God gifted them differently, and how amazing is that! Consider the settings in which you have been placed– your vocations. Are you a sibling? Spouse? Parent? Student? Teacher? Friend? Thanks be to God! You were created, chosen, redeemed, and mercied by a Loving and Faithful God. You are clothed in Jesus, redeemed by His Blood, and have been given life. Your life is uniquely yours. The abilities and talents you have are meant to show care and love to the neighbors you have been given. Most of all, remember and rejoice that you are part of God's Family. You belong in the Body of Christ. You are connected to Jesus. The Old Adam that you drag around with you is going to keep wanting to compare and despair. But remember, even in those moments, the Truth is that you are loved, forgiven, and intentionally created by your Heavenly Father, Who did not spare His perfect Son but sacrificed Him for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The gifts Christ freely gives He gives to you and me To be His Church, His bride, His chosen, saved and free! Saints blest with these rich gifts Are children who proclaim  That they were won by Christ And cling to His strong name. (LSB 602:1). -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 20, 2024 Today's Reading: Ephesians 5:6-21Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 12:1-25; 2 Samuel 13:1-19:43; 1 Corinthians 12:1-13Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do not be foolish. That seems like a pretty easy suggestion by Paul. Who likes to be foolish anyway? However, context matters. The entirety of Paul's sentence matters: understand what the will of the Lord is. Now we have something to consider. The will of the Lord is foreign to sinners. We sinners like to compare ourselves to others and come out on top. We sinners like to win. We sinners like to scrap and fight and work towards being the best. But in all of that, the definitions of ‘better' and ‘best' are according to our own sinful standards, and that is, well, foolish. We sinners see ‘now' and think ‘only.' We must succeed at all that we do right now. We must be enough by our actions, work, and choices. We must accomplish all our self-made goals. Do you notice what (who) is at the center of all this work? Yep– we the sinners. This is foolish. In contrast, God created His people for relationships with Him and with one another. God gives us neighbors to care for and by whom we are shown care. Most importantly, God's will is that all people know that He is their God; He sent their Savior Jesus; He has forgiven their sins. God would have all people know that they are forgiven, loved, and mercied; this is God's will. This is what we sinners foolishly forget or ignore. Repent of your short-sightedness; repent of your foolishness. Go to the Divine Service, make the sign of the cross and remember your Baptism, hear the words of Absolution, hear God's Word spoken to you, and eat and drink Jesus' Body and Blood. In these Gifts, we sinners are saved from our foolishness. In these Gifts, we are told God's will and are reassured that we are enough in Jesus. In these Gifts, we are covered by Jesus' Death and Resurrection. Through these Gifts, we can love and see our neighbors as blessings. Thanks be to God that He is merciful to foolish sinners - all foolish sinners - including the one looking back at you in the mirror. Rejoice that you are a Baptized Child of God and that you are not left in your foolishness but are found in Jesus.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love He sought me And on His shoulder gently laid And home rejoicing brought me. (LSB 709:3) -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 19, 2024 Today's Reading: Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 11:1-27; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods (Joshua 24:16). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.To be honest, the people's response here seems laughable. ‘Far be it from us…'? Seriously!? The Israelites were the worst. They. Kept. Sinning. They would repent and follow the Lord, only to be led astray by another people group, another king, another god… They would suffer, crawl back to God, and repent. The Israelites were not faithful. Frankly, they weren't even honest. They made this statement, but really, they were going to stray again. This statement seems silly. Good thing I'm not like…oh…wait…Sinners sin. We are the worst. We perpetually fail. Maybe we'll try again, but it's hard. Sometimes, we seem to make a bit of progress, but then we mess up again. We chafe against the boundaries that God calls good. We see our neighbors as competitors or nuisances. We suffer the consequences of sin. Maybe we aren't so different from the faithless Israelites. Thanks be to God that He remains faithful when we are faithless. Thanks be to God that He continued as the Israelites' God, even as they would stray and follow idols. Thanks be to God that He gives us the same mercy. We feel the consequences of sin, but we are not defined by them. We drag the Old Adam around with us, but we are identified by our Baptism and are saints. We are loved and forgiven. The Israelites hoped for and looked to the coming Savior. We look back to Jesus' Death and Resurrection, knowing that it happened for us. We remember our Baptism and know that we are washed in Jesus' Blood. We go to the Divine Service, receiving His Body and Blood for us. We rest in God's promises, made and kept for us. When we wake up to a new day, hopeful that today will be different…we cling to the assurance that every day is a day that we are covered by our Baptism. We can, in faith, declare our desire to love and serve our neighbor– to show them the forgiveness we have in Jesus. But when we fail, like the Israelites, and go back to the same sins and idols, we rest in Jesus. We claim His faithfulness as our own; we live in our Baptism, hear from His Word that we are forgiven, and cling to His promises.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Sin, disturb my soul no longer: I am Baptized into Christ! I have comfort even stronger: Jesus' cleansing sacrifice. Should a guilty conscience seize me Since my Baptism did release me In a dear forgiving flood, Sprinkling me with Jesus' Blood? (LSB 594:2) -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 18, 2024 Today's Reading: John 6:51-69Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:18-29; 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:16It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (John 6:63)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. These words speak of the reality that all Baptized Christians know all too well. In the Divine Service, we rejoice in the Words we receive. Our sins are forgiven. Jesus died and rose again for us. We eat Jesus' Body and Blood for the forgiveness of all of our sins. We are redeemed and forgiven, mercied and loved. God's Word gives life. It does what it says it will. The problem, though, is that we still have this flesh - and ‘it is no help at all.' The battle of the sinner and the saint happens every morning. We wake up, by God's Grace, and are given another day to live redeemed and love our neighbor. But the Old Adam drags itself along, needing to be daily drowned. We sin and are sinned against. We hurt our neighbors instead of helping them. We receive pain instead of help from our neighbors. It hurts living in and with this flesh. We have hope, though. We have The Word - Jesus Himself - as our Advocate, Savior, Friend, and Redeemer. We are not seen in our sin but are covered by our Lord. We cling to God's Word that declares us His in our Baptism. We live another day Baptized– with the hope of the Resurrection as our reality. We remember that Jesus paid for our sins and the sins of our neighbor on the cross and defeated them by rising again. We remember that in the Divine Service, we eat and drink Jesus' Body and Blood in the Lord's Supper and truly are forgiven. Indeed, the flesh is no help at all. But, you are not defined by your flesh. The Spirit has given you life. Jesus' Words hold and declare you loved, mercied, forgiven, and redeemed. You have life in Christ, your Savior, Who is with you now and always. You have the identity as a Baptized Child of God. You live in Christ, and even while you struggle in this flesh, you have the assurance of life everlasting.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, whom to know is everlasting life, grant us to know Your Son, Jesus, to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow His steps in the way that leads to life eternal; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 17, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 13 - Psalm 111:1-5, 9; antiphon: Psalm 111:10Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:1-17; 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:22Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. (Psalm 111:2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Creating the intricate and yet wholly expansive world with His Word. Destroying His entire creation with water and yet preserving life through one family in one big boat. Parting bodies of water for His people's safe passage. Feeding His prophets with the help of birds. Using the small and weak to defeat the large and strong. Bringing the dead back to life. Calming nature. Feeding a lot with a little. Healing the sick with Words. Dying on the Cross and Rising again. Great and delightful. Studying the great works of the Lord is beautifully overwhelming and delightfully humbling. Consider the fact that the Creator of all, the Author of perfection, also created you. Sin broke God's perfect plan. He created a world for His people, but doubt and mistrust ruined it. And yet, before His creation even came to be, He had a plan for the redemption of His people. He promised Jesus even as the perfect and holy creation was marred. God continually provided for His people and weaved together the story of their, and our, salvation. We, Baptized children of God, get to look back and marvel at all that our Lord has done. We, His Beloved, get to read, learn, study, and remember all the mighty and amazing works that God has done. And the awe-inspiring fact about studying the works of our Lord is that their amazing qualities continue to bring about jaw-dropping wonder. Today, consider the works of the Lord. Remember that the Lord Who designed the hummingbird, the hammerhead shark, and the banana tree also made you. Remember that you were dead in your sin, lost in damnation, but God, in His mercy and faithfulness, sent His perfect Son Jesus to die in your place. Remember that He breathed new life into you at your Baptism and continues to sustain your body and life. Remember that you get to attend the Divine Service, receive Absolution, hear about the great works of the Lord, receive Jesus' Body and Blood for you, and have hope for today and tomorrow. We, God's Beloved, delight in studying about God's works, for we know that through His abundant love, grace, and mercy, these works are for us and for our salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him! All that has life and breath, come now with praises before Him! Let the Amen Sound from His people again; Gladly forever adore Him! (LSB 790:5)-Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

How does a young man explore the possibility of pursuing a future pastoral vocation? Ninth-grader Emmit Ohlde, who recently attended a Higher Things conference, joins Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve series to talk about his experience at Higher Things, what he enjoyed about the worship and learning experiences, how Higher Things helped him consider what a pastoral vocation would look like, and how he lives out his faith along with his passion for athletics. Learn more about Higher Things at higherthings.org.  Christ's church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers. Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations. Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS: 1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers. 2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers. 3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation. To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.

August 16, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism: Who receives this sacrament worthily?Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 6:1-19; 1 Corinthians 9:1-23But that person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” (Small Catechism, Who receives this sacrament worthily?) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. ‘Truly worthy' is an interesting phrase. In my broken mind, I immediately wonder, can I be ‘kinda worthy' or ‘mostly worthy?' How much ‘unworthiness' can be included before I lose the ‘truly worthy' status? What if I was worthy yesterday but am not worthy today? This seems really tricky. Should I *not* take the Lord's Supper? I mean, I can't say that I am truly worthy all the time, right? Wait. Maybe this isn't as ‘all about me' as I think it is…We sinners love to measure. We want to be the fastest, the tallest, the prettiest, the most successful… if there is a comparison or a measurement, we want to achieve the best. So, to our sinful minds, we also want to be the worthiest. ‘If I am more worthy than *that sinner,* I'm doing pretty good.' We tend to approach these words as a challenge to prove our worthiness. However, that is not how God's grace works. These words are in the part of the Small Catechism that is about the Lord's Supper. Jesus' Body and Blood are beautiful, freely given Gifts. There is no ‘achieving' worthiness by trying. The sinner in me, though, is still unsure. If we admit that we are truly unworthy, even dead, in our sinfulness, how can anyone actually receive the Lord's Supper? We remember our Baptism. In Baptism, every sinner was drowned, and a new creation was born. In Baptism, we were covered with Jesus. In Baptism, we are clothed with Jesus' Death and Resurrection; we are good, holy, perfect, and yes— truly worthy. These words point to Jesus. He is truly worthy, and He has covered you in your Baptism. These words tell us that Jesus died and rose again FOR YOU. These words are believed by faith, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit and sustained by eating and drinking Jesus' Body and Blood. These words point to Jesus; He breathed you back to life in your Baptism, He paid the price for your sins, He defeated sin, death, and the devil, and He continues to sustain you now and into eternity. Yes, Baptized Child of God, in Jesus, you are truly worthy.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Salvation unto us has come By God's free grace and favor; Good works cannot avert our doom, They help and save us never. Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone, Who did for all the world atone; He is our one Redeemer. (LSB 555:1) -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 15, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-45, 46-55Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 5:1-25; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy (Luke 1:54) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever considered the memory of God? He was before there was time. He literally created everything that is in this world. He is All-Knowing. He, well, knows every moment of sin, pain, and suffering that His creation has caused and endured. He watched the perfection break. Sin grieves our Lord. And yet, before the moment that Adam and Eve sinned, God had a plan to redeem His people. God promised a Savior Who would pay for the sins of the whole world; in every moment of sin and brokenness, God chooses to forget it. Instead, our Lord remembers His promise to be merciful and give forgiveness. The Old Testament includes a lot of accounts of sinners sinning and God remaining faithful. There is a continuous cycle of warning, sin, hurt, repentance, and forgiveness. The Old Testament is pointing sinners to the Promised One— He is coming! There will be a child born of a virgin! He will pay for the sins of the whole world! God is faithful and merciful. In today's reading, Mary is singing about the amazing miracle that she has experienced. The angel of God came to HER and declared that she will carry Jesus, the Savior of the Nations! She visits her cousin Elizabeth; baby John, still in Elizabeth's belly, knew Who was growing within Mary. There is great rejoicing! Mary sings a song of praise. In this song, she witnesses to what she knows about God and about God's character. And she, like others who had read and knew the Scriptures, trusted that God is merciful. God does keep His promises! God is patient with His people and remembers them with mercy. We, too, have a very similar pattern as those in the Old Testament— we know God's Law, we sin anyway, we suffer hurt and pain, we are called to repentance, and we are forgiven. We, like Mary, sing God's Word in faith; we come to the Divine Service, we receive absolution, we hear God's Word preached, and we eat His Body and Blood. We, too, rejoice that God's memory is merciful; He remembers His people and always keeps His promises. Today, we rejoice with Mary, the Mother of our Lord. We, like her, are reminded of God's faithfulness and mercy. We, too, give thanks that God does not remember our sin but remembers His mercy. We, too, receive His Gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O sing of Christ, whose birth made known The kindness of the Lord, Eternal Word made flesh and bone So we could be restored. Upon our frail humanity God's finger chose to trace The fullness of His deity, The icon of His grace. (LSB 362:1) -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 14, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:25-40Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 1:1-27; 1 Corinthians 7:25-40I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:35) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We sinners become easily distracted. We think we can multitask, but usually, we end up starting too many projects and finishing too few of them (or we complete them, but they are not done well). This spills over into our vocational roles, too. We are excited about a new job/home/relationship and fixate. We replace the time we have to receive Jesus with work or effort for something else. Vocational roles are Gifts, but we sinners tend to create idols out of Gifts. Paul is teaching the Corinthians (and us) that we should not replace God with anything or anyone. The First Commandment reminds us that there is only One True God, and we are to worship Him only. Paul is pointing back to God and teaching that vocations are good, but they are not God. Being a husband, a wife, or remaining single— are all good roles to fulfill. But none of them redeem you or save you. Our identity is in our Baptism. We are washed in Jesus' Blood and given a new life; we are holy, redeemed, and part of God's family. Our identity defines us now and into eternity. We get to love and serve specific neighbors in our lives. Think about those around you: parents, siblings, spouses, friends, teachers, classmates, etc. It is good to love and care for those around you. But we sinners need the reminder that God is first, and He is the Good and Right Recipient of our love and devotion. And it is only from His love that we can even begin to know how to love and care for those other neighbors. Boundaries and vocational roles are good Gifts from a Gracious God. Rejoice that you have God's love and mercy and are claimed as His Child. Share His love with those around you and continually remember that God is God, Gifts are Gifts. When you make the Gifts your god, repent. Come to the Divine Service and receive Jesus' Body and Blood. Hear the Gospel. Remember your Baptism. Then, go back to your neighbors - those Gifts - and tell them about God and His love for them.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.So use it well! You are made new – In Christ a new creation! As faithful Christians, live and do Within your own vocation, Until that day when you possess His glorious robe of righteousness Bestowed on you forever! (LSB 596:6)-Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 13, 2024 Today's Reading: Ephesians 4:17-5:2Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 31:1-13; 1 Corinthians 7:1-24Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. (Ephesians 5:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What does it mean to imitate God? The sinner in me would enjoy having the ultimate power. I could call down fire on people who I don't like - those sinners (not me) - those *other* sinners. It seems great to think about having all the knowledge, all the power, and all the authority. I could do whatever I wanted! But maybe that's actually the problem. As sinners, we work by the Law. We want things to be fair. We want others to get punished. We want to ‘get away with something.' In general, we are the worst. In fact, we are dead in our sins. And yet, God comes to us while we are dead and breathes new life into us. In Baptism, He washes us in Jesus' Blood and claims us as His own. We humbly receive more than our sinful minds can even understand. So, what does it mean to imitate God? Well, the rest of the verse gives us some context— we imitate God as beloved children. We get to witness to others what it means to be beloved! We get to share the Gospel— the Good News that Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world and that we are truly forgiven. We have God's love. We have God's mercy. We have God's Name. We have God's kept promises! We have the best message ever! As sinners, we have to be reminded that we are the worst— we would prefer to live and die by the Law. But as Baptized saints, we rejoice in being the Lord's beloved. We rest securely in our identity as children of God. We go to the Divine Service and receive in our ears, on our lips, and in our mouths the assurance of Jesus' love and forgiveness. That is what we get to imitate. That is what we get to reflect to those around us. And when we fail, as we will, we remember: we are beloved children. We come back to God and receive His forgiveness anew. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, ‘tis not that I did choose Thee; That, I know, could never be; For this heart would still refuse Thee Had Thy grace not chosen me. Thou hast from the sin that stained me Washed and cleansed and set me free And unto this end ordained me, That I ever live to Thee. (LSB 573:1)-Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 12, 2024 Today's Reading: 1 Kings 19:1-8Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 28:3-25; 1 Samuel 29:1-30:31; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. (1 Kings 19:4b-5a)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Elijah did some amazing things through the power of God: he declared a drought to an evil king, helped a widow eat, raised a dead son (1 Kings 17), confronted that evil king, called down fire against false gods, and killed their prophets (1 Kings 18). Those sound like amazing mountaintop experiences; it seems as though Elijah should be feeling nothing but excitement! But then we get these verses… he wants to die, declares to God that ‘it is enough,' and takes a nap.  These words are so relatable. How many of us have had a great or fine or awful or just okay day and decided that it's been enough? We're done. We want to get off the ride, call a ‘life timeout,' and just stop. Things hurt. People are mean. Our own weaknesses stare us in the face. It's more than enough— it's too much. Maybe we want to die. Maybe we need a nap. But everything hurts. After Elijah lays down to sleep, an angel - a messenger from God - comes to him, wakes him up, and invites him to eat. There was food and water for Elijah. After he eats, he rests. Again, God's angel wakes him up to eat and encourages him to travel on. There is care for Elijah's body and spirit. The depth of God's mercy is boundless. When Elijah declares to God that he is done, God meets Elijah with grace. Have a nap, Elijah. Have some food and water for strength, Elijah. Listen to my messenger and live, Elijah. God is the same with us. He is with us in the deepest, darkest moments we experience. He sent His Son Jesus into our sinful world to show us mercy. Jesus declared, ‘It is finished' from the cross—He was enough to fulfill the Law and pay for the sins of the whole world. God gives us rest in the Divine Service— come and receive. Hear your forgiveness declared. Hear the promises that I have kept for you. Hear about your Savior Jesus. Eat His Body and drink His Blood. Go back into the messy world, forgiven, loved, and knowing that you are not alone. We, like Elijah, have dark moments. But take heart, Jesus defeated the dark for you. And, in your Baptism, you are never alone and always have God's peace. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lamb of God, pure and holy, Who on the cross didst suffer, Ever patient and lowly, Thyself to scorn didst offer. All sins Thou borest for us, Else had despair reigned o'er us: Have mercy on us, O Jesus! O Jesus! (LSB 434:1)-Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

August 11, 2024Today's Reading: John 6:35-51Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 26:1-25; 1 Samuel 27:1-28:2; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” (John 6:41)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. To be honest, it seems astonishing that the Jews in this reading would DARE to grumble about Jesus and His announcement that He is the Bread of Life. I mean, He is JESUS! And, honestly, they had previously heard about or experienced various miracles He had done. All this talk about bread came after Jesus fed over 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. In fact, the Jews were ready to make Jesus the King! So, where in the world do they now get the idea that they can grumble and complain that Jesus isn't who they think He should be? Oh. Wait. Jesus is teaching about Who He is and what He will do. He is the Bread of Life. He is the One Who will pay for the insatiable hunger that the Law demands. He is going to starve death and breathe life into the whole world. But that isn't what the Jews are interested in. They want their immediate needs met. They want full bellies, and they want them now. How dare they? But wait..have I ever grumbled over something that was actually a Gift? Oof. We sinners are very short-sighted. We see the now, we see the immediate problem, we feel the pain, and we want a solution. Thanks be to God that His mercy is for the now and for the not yet. He cares about our pain and our immediate needs; He invites us to pray about them daily and promises to hear us. And yet, He is also the Bread that will cease all hunger. He will feed His people for eternity. In our pain, weakness, and, yes, even grumbling, we have a merciful and loving God Who gives us Himself. Jesus went to the cross to pay for our sins and rose on Easter, defeating all of our enemies. In the Divine Service, He gives us Himself - His Body and Blood - for our forgiveness, life, and salvation. When you (like me) feel the pain of your current moment, you get to look back to the cross and forward to the Lord's Supper. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Jesus is the One Who loves and cares for you now and for forever.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Gracious Father, Your blessed Son came down from heaven to be the true bread that gives life to the world. Grant that Christ, the bread of life, may live in us and we in Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. -Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

Find this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3t98_ghU2JcStephen Roach of the Makers and Mystics podcast joins the show to talk about artistry, how to be comfortable with the paradox that Christianity calls people towards, and developing the arts as a language to talk about the higher things. Makers and Mystics is a podcast exploring the intersections of faith, culture, and art. It is tied to the wonderful The Breath and the Clay creative arts gathering in Winston Salem, SC.Makers and Mystics: https://www.makersandmystics.com/ The Breath and the Clay: https://www.thebreathandtheclay.com/Visit us at https://first-things.org/2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org for more information.Like the podcast? Join us for more on Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/Telegram: https://t.me/firstthingsfoundationDiscover community at Keipi Restaurant

The LORD brings forth His chosen and beloved servant. Although Israel and others have been called the LORD's servants, the Servant described here is finally Jesus. St. Matthew and the other evangelists quote from this text and allude to it so that we might see Jesus fulfilling it in His Baptism, in His ministry of healing and preaching, in His crucifixion, and in His resurrection. As the One who bears the Spirit, Jesus serves us by sustaining us under the weariness of our sin in order to bring the justice of His justification. The LORD gives this to us by speaking His Word to us. Jesus is the LORD's covenant promise made to sinners, so that in Him, we would have freedom from sin eternally. Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for the Lutheran youth organization Higher Things, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Isaiah 42:1-9. "The Fifth Evangelist” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through Isaiah 40-66. Though Isaiah lived one hundred years beforehand, he writes to the people of God in exile in Babylon to assure them that their God reigns and will rescue them through the work of His servant. These promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, whose work Isaiah proclaims vividly seven hundred years beforehand.

Does your love for God make your heart sing?   The psalms, many of them, were written as songs of worship. King David in particular, loved to sing praises to His Lord. Whether he was tending his flock under a night sky, or sitting in his palace in Jerusalem, David had a heart for the Lord.   Psalm 104:1 says, “Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.”   In this kind of worship, we feel especially close to God. It is then we focus on His majesty and His power. We feel close to Him, and we're able to speak freely with Him.   This kind of intentional meditation on Higher Things also puts us in our place, and we mean that in the best sense of the phrase. Hierarchy in true religion is very important, and when we consider that the God we sing praises to loves us eternally, and always wants the best for us, well—it releases us to worship God with all of our being. And it is then we are free.   Take time today to praise the Lord for who He is, not forgetting the great things He has done for you. Because…He is very great!   Let's pray.   Lord, you are awesome in ways that we can barely understand. Even with those limitations—God we love you with abandon. In Jesus' name, amen.  

How do men from various backgrounds become LCMS pastors? Rev. Harrison Goodman, Content Executive for Higher Things, and Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher, Vice President of Higher Things, join Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about their paths to the pastoral ministry, how pastors serve in many and various ways in the church, who encouraged them to become pastors, and how Higher Things encourages youth to consider church work through their conferences and large amount of other resources. Learn more about Higher Things at higherthings.org. Learn more about the Set Apart to Serve Initiative at lcms.org/setaparttoserve. Christ's church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers. Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations. Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS: 1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers. 2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers. 3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation. To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.

Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. St. Paul teaches concerning the reality that the Holy Spirit works for the Church. Through the one Baptism, though we are many members, we are joined together into the one Church, the body of Christ. Because this is the reality of the Church, individual members should not despair within themselves, thinking they have no place within the body. Nor should members compete against each other, as if some members are more necessary than others. Rather, the entire Church mourns and rejoices together in the various offices that God has given, exercising all of these gifts according to the more excellent way, which is love. “Nothing But Christ Crucified” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the epistle of 1 Corinthians. In response to correspondence from the Christians in Corinth and reports about matters arising in the congregation, St. Paul writes to address various matters of Christian faith and life. Throughout it all, he directs our attention to the power and wisdom of God for our salvation: Christ crucified.