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On Today's Show:Scripture Reading from the Legacy Standard BiblePrayers from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer Reading from Daily Readings From the Life of Christ by John MacArthurFederalist Friday! Federalist No. 83Five Day Bible Reading Plan - https://fivedaybiblereading.com/ The full LSB Bible, Old and New Testaments, are now available online, on the Literal Word app, and on Accordance!https://nasb.literalword.com/mobile/index.htmlhttps://read.lsbible.org/http://accordancebible.com/LSB/ 2019 Book of Common Prayer downloadable here - https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/ Theme music: Enfield's recording of “Crown Him With Many Crowns” © 2010 by Resolved Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com
July 31, 2025 Today's Reading: Catechism: What is Confession?Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 16:1-23; Acts 25:13-27Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven. (Explanation of What Is Confession, Luther's Small Catechism)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. One of the simplest ways that we learn to do things, for example, learn our ABCs and count our 123s, is when someone says them and then turns to us and says, "Now it's your turn. Repeat after me." Something like that happens when we come to God's gift of confessing our sins. When we open the Catechism and God's Word, one of the first things we learn is that there's a problem within each of us. We all have sin. Capital “S” sin. And we commit sins because of our sinful flesh - what Luther calls our Old Adam. So the Commandments teach us the truth, echoing God's word of law throughout the Scriptures. And what do they say? They say, “You are a sinner.” And what do we say back? Yes, you're right. I am a sinner. Lord, have mercy on me, a poor, sinful being. This is one of the things that happens whenever we confess our sins. We are simply saying back what God's Word says about our capital “S” sin and all our little (and not so little) sins we commit because of our sinful flesh. Thankfully, this isn't the only thing that happens when we confess our sins. As St. John reminds us, when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The same Lord who, by the working of the Holy Spirit, convicts us of our sin and moves us to confess that sin is the same Lord who, by his Son, Jesus, also forgives sin, both Capital S sin and all our sins. And because God is a gracious giver and an abundant forgiver, he gives His Gifts of forgiveness in more than one way. He washes away our sin in Baptism. He feeds us with forgiveness in the Lord's Supper. He speaks his forgiveness in his word. And he sends pastors as his messengers to deliver Good News: I forgive you all your sin. And that is the good news that Absolution brings: forgiveness of all your sin. And should you ever doubt God's forgiveness, or worry that your sin is too great, simply repeat the words your pastor says on Sunday, or ask him to repeat them for you: I forgive you all your sins, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, on You I cast my burden - Sink it in the deepest sea! Let me know Your gracious pardon, Cleanse me from iniquity. Let Your Spirit leave me never; Make me only Yours forever. (LSB 608:4)Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
On Today's Show:Scripture Reading from the Legacy Standard BiblePrayers from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer Reading from Daily Readings From the Life of Christ by John MacArthurStudy-Bible-Level Bible Study of Isaiah! Isaiah 24Five Day Bible Reading Plan - https://fivedaybiblereading.com/ The full LSB Bible, Old and New Testaments, are now available online, on the Literal Word app, and on Accordance!https://nasb.literalword.com/mobile/index.htmlhttps://read.lsbible.org/http://accordancebible.com/LSB/ 2019 Book of Common Prayer downloadable here - https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/ Theme music: Enfield's recording of “Crown Him With Many Crowns” © 2010 by Resolved Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com
July 30, 2025Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 15:10-35Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 15:10-35; Acts 24:24-25:12“Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.'” (1 Samuel 15:24-25)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Saul had sinned. He had failed to hear and heed the Lord's words when facing God's enemies. And Saul's sins had consequences. Because he rejected the Lord, the Lord would remove him from the throne, and eventually give the throne to David. When Saul sinned, God sent him a preacher to hold up the mirror of God's law and show Saul his sins. Samuel was the preacher God sent to Saul.God does the same for us, too. We sin. So often we fail to hear and heed God's word. So often we give in to God's enemies of sin, death, and the devil. Quite often, our sinful actions - though forgiven and absolved in Jesus and by your pastor - have consequences in this life too. God sends us preachers as well, to hold up the mirror of God's law and show us our sin - they're not Old Testament prophets like Samuel, but they do speak God's word like he did. God gives us pastors to preach God's word, to show us our sin, and to give us pardon.And that's one of the great differences between us and Saul. Saul was rejected from being king of Israel. But so that we would never be rejected, the true King of Israel, the Son of David, Jesus, was born, lived, suffered, died, and rose from the dead so that we would never be rejected. On the cross, he was forsaken and cut off so that in our sin we would never be forsaken or cut off from God's presence. He suffered his passion on the cross so that he would pardon our sin. For all the times we've failed to hear and heed God's word, Jesus perfectly obeyed the Father's will and did that for you. For all the times we've transgressed God's Commandments, Jesus kept every one of them for you. All God's commands are fulfilled in Jesus. He perfectly feared, loved, and trusted the Father, and he did that for you, too. All the punishment for sin, Jesus took on himself. Even sin itself, he bore for you on the throne of the cross, under the crown of thorns, all so that he could crown you with glory, grace, and goodness, now and forever.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, may Your wounded hand impart Your healing to my broken heart; Your love alone can form in me A heart that serves You joyfully. (LSB 616:3)Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
July 29, 2025 Today's Reading: Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19)Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 14:47-15:9; Acts 24:1-23“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As you approach the first drop-off on one of my favorite Disneyland rides, Pirates of the Caribbean, the animated skull and crossbones overhead roar out those famous, ominous words: “Dead men tell no tales.” According to St. Paul, there's something else dead men don't do - in fact, cannot do, and are unable and incapable of doing - and that's saving themselves. This is the reality of sin and our sinful flesh. Apart from Jesus, we're all the walking dead. We don't lie on the ground yelling out, “I'm not quite dead yet!” Not at all, says St. Paul. Apart from Jesus, we are dead in our trespasses. But did you notice what verb tense Paul uses to talk about our sin and death? Listen to it again. You who were dead. Past tense. It's true. Apart from Jesus, we were all dead men walking. But that's not the whole story. Something else happened in the past that changed our past, present, and future. It just so happens that God loves taking things that are lifeless and bringing them back to new, filling them with new life, and making them alive again. Remember the darkness and void of creation? God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light. Remember Sarah and Hannah's barren wombs? God gave them both life where there was no life, and Isaac and Samuel were born. Remember Lazarus, dead in the tomb for four days? Jesus spoke the words: “Lazarus, arise!” And he walked out of his tomb. He was made alive again. So it is for us in our Baptism. We were all dead as a doornail in our trespasses and sin. But God made us alive together in Jesus. Want to guess how he did that? That's right, by going into death on the cross and entering the lifeless place of the tomb, and then, by rising again in resurrected new life on the third day. And in your Baptism, you are buried with Christ and raised with Christ. Apart from Jesus, we're dead, and we tell no tales. But in Jesus, we are made alive, and we sing for joy in Jesus, crucified and risen.After all, he's the one dead man - and risen from the dead man - who does tell tales. And the tale he tells is true. He is crucified and risen for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.We thank You Christ; new life is ours, New light, new hope, new strength, new pow'rs. This grace our ev'ry way attend Until we reach our journey's end. (LSB 562:6)Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
On Today's Show:Scripture Reading from the Legacy Standard BiblePrayers from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer Reading from Daily Readings From the Life of Christ by John MacArthurMonday Meanderings!Five Day Bible Reading Plan - https://fivedaybiblereading.com/ The full LSB Bible, Old and New Testaments, are now available online, on the Literal Word app, and on Accordance!https://nasb.literalword.com/mobile/index.htmlhttps://read.lsbible.org/http://accordancebible.com/LSB/ 2019 Book of Common Prayer downloadable here - https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/ Theme music: Enfield's recording of “Crown Him With Many Crowns” © 2010 by Resolved Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com
July 28, 2025 Today's Reading: Genesis 18:(17-19) 20-33Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 13:1-18; Acts 23:12-35“Then Abraham drew near and said, ‘Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” (Genesis 18:23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Watch any police TV show or courtroom drama, and sooner or later you'll hear the phrase, “If you do not have, or cannot afford a lawyer, the court will appoint one to represent you.” The defendant is then given an intercessor to act on their behalf. In the Roman tribunal, citizens had the right to appeal to another magistrate who would intercede on their behalf. But neither Hollywood nor the Roman Empire invented the idea of an intercessor. This idea of intercession is as old as the book of Genesis. There's a long list of God-appointed intercessors in the story of the Scriptures, for example: the Prophets, the Judges, Nathan, Samuel, the Levitical Priests, Joshua, and Moses.One of the first intercessors we meet in the Bible is none other than Abraham. The Lord and judge himself had seen what sinful corruption had done to Sodom. His verdict was in. Guilty as charged. Sentenced to death. And even though no one in Sodom made an appeal, an intercessor was appointed all the same. That intercessor was Abraham. Genesis says, “Abraham stood before God,” and “drew near to God.” Abraham interceded for Sodom. He pleaded to God on behalf of any righteous that might be left in the Old Testament sin-city. Abraham tries to make a plea deal with God on behalf of Sodom. Suppose fifty righteous people are there, will you not spare the city? What about forty-five? Forty? Thirty? Twenty? Ten? God the Judge is lenient - patient with sin - to a point. “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” Tragically, we know how the story of Sodom ended, in destruction, although not before God rescued Lot, Abraham's nephew. Abraham may have been one of the earliest intercessors in the Bible, but he is not the last, nor even the greatest. Abraham's intercession saved Lot and his family, but Abraham's greatest son, our Lord Jesus, came to intercede on behalf of the whole world. He came to save not ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or even fifty righteous, but lay down his life for the unrighteous and by his righteous intercession, declare righteous all who believe in him. Abraham made intercession for one city, while Jesus made intercession for the life of the world and for all who believe in him. And not only does the Father appoint his Son as your intercessor, the Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son is also appointed to intervene on your behalf, interceding for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:27). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The God of Abr'ham praise, Whose all sufficient grace Shall guide me all my pilgrim days In all my ways. He deigns to call me friend; He calls Himself my God. And He shall save me to the end Through Jesus' blood. (LSB 798:3)Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
July 27, 2025 Today's Reading: Luke 11:1-13Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 12:1-25; Acts 22:30-23:11“Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.'” (Luke 11:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When you learned your ABCs, someone took a crayon and showed you how to draw the letters. When you learned how to tie your shoe, someone taught you, “Over, under, around and through, Meet Mr. Bunny Rabbit, pull and through.” When you learned to drive, a parent or instructor taught you where your hands go on the steering wheel. As we grow up, life is full of moments where we are taught.The same is true in our lives as God's children. We are always learning. And our Lord is always patiently teaching us. When Jesus' disciples saw him praying, what did they do? They said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” And what did Jesus do? Did he let them fumble around trying to figure it out on their own? No. Did he send them a link to a YouTube video? No. Jesus patiently taught them how to pray first by praying with them. Then, he taught them how to pray by giving them the words to use.Jesus teaches his disciples, past and present, how to pray by giving us the prayer we call the Lord's Prayer. It's short. Easy to memorize. It has everything we could possibly pray for all in one place. And best of all, it's God's word. Jesus knows that we don't always know what we should pray for, and that quite often, if we're honest, we don't always pray for the things we should, and that sometimes we're simply at a loss for words.This is another reason why Jesus teaches us and gives us the Lord's Prayer. Every word of the Lord's Prayer is given by Jesus to you. Every word of the Lord's Prayer points you back to Jesus and his love and grace for you. Praying for daily bread or any physical need? It's God's gracious provision that gives you all you need. Ever find yourself struggling to forgive someone who has sinned against you? The Lord's Prayer gives you forgiveness and helps you to forgive others, too. Ever wrestled with your own sin and temptation? Jesus teaches us to pray for deliverance from the Evil One in the Lord's Prayer. And the same Lord Jesus who teaches us to pray, promises to hear our prayers, answer them in his good and gracious will, and deliver you from every evil in body and soul. This is why, as God's children, there is always more to learn whenever we pray, “Our Father.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Our Father, who from heav'n above Bids all of us to live in love As members of one family And pray to You in unity, Teach us no thoughtless words to say But from our inmost hearts to pray. (LSB 766:1)Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
July 26, 2025Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 7 - Psalm 119:145-149; antiphon: Psalm 50:15Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 10:1-27; Acts 22:17-29“Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O LORD, according to your justice give me life.” (Psalm 119:149) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.What is God's justice, and how does one gain life from it? The Psalmist would seem to know the answer, and God grant that we would come to know the same. But we must be on guard! For when we, or those dear to us, are hurt by another, or when we have worked hard toward some great accomplishment where others have not, we crave the kind of justice which reigns in this fallen world; justice which dictates that everyone get what they deserve. We desire to see payment commensurate with the amount and quality of one's work, and punishment of wrongdoers befitting the harshness of their crime. A desire for such justice in this world is not wrong. The Scripture speaks often of curbing evil and promoting good (e.g., Leviticus 19:15, Proverbs 18:5, Is 1:17, Amos 5:15, Romans 13:1-7). However, may God preserve us from coveting such justice against any wrongdoer's status in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus makes the danger of this clear when he says, “… with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:2)In God's kingdom, nobody gets what they deserve. In God's vineyard, the worker who labored but an hour receives the same pay as he who toiled the whole day. In God's household, finding one lost coin or sheep is celebrated with absurd lavishness, and the wretched, ungrateful, rebellious, wasteful son, who deserves nothing more than enslavement, is welcomed home and restored as an heir. In God's kingdom, he who is so indebted to the king that he cannot possibly atone for it in a lifetime is completely forgiven of it. Yet, anyone who would exact punishment rather than bestow mercy upon one indebted to them cannot abide in God's kingdom, where nobody gets what they deserve.What is God's justice, and how does one gain life from it? The answer to both questions is the same. God's justice is the broken body of Christ nailed to the course wood of the cross. God's justice is the blood and water flowing from the spear-gouge in Christ's side, pouring into the font of your Baptism and into the cup of the New Testament for the forgiveness of sins. To look for justice anywhere but Christ crucified is to look for justice to be visited upon oneself. And you can't handle the justice that God gives any more than those whom you are tempted to condemn. Look to Christ crucified and see God's justice such that you, and even those by whom you have been harmed, are given life from the author of life; life where all conflict, division, pain, and sin are put to death forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Since Christ has full atonement made and brought to us salvation, Each Christian therefore may be glad and build on this foundation. Your grace alone, dear Lord, I plead, Your death is now my life indeed, For You have paid my ransom. (LSB 555:6)Rev. Jeffrey Ries is the pastor of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tacoma, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
On Today's Show:Scripture Reading from the Legacy Standard BiblePrayers from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer Reading from Daily Readings From the Life of Christ by John MacArthurFederalist Friday! Federalist No. 82Five Day Bible Reading Plan - https://fivedaybiblereading.com/ The full LSB Bible, Old and New Testaments, are now available online, on the Literal Word app, and on Accordance!https://nasb.literalword.com/mobile/index.htmlhttps://read.lsbible.org/http://accordancebible.com/LSB/ 2019 Book of Common Prayer downloadable here - https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/ Theme music: Enfield's recording of “Crown Him With Many Crowns” © 2010 by Resolved Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com
July 25, 2025Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 9:1-27; Acts 21:37-22:16“For whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43b-45) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.When James and his brother John ask to sit beside Jesus as He enters His glory, they don't realize that Jesus will enter that glory with hands and feet nailed to the rough wood of a cross, and so will the two who are granted to sit at his right and left (the two thieves), all three lifted up before the people as worthless transgressors.If only James and John knew what they were asking – what was to come – they might flee from Jesus too soon, before being witness to His suffering and death. Every day we are reminded of what it means to live by God's grace. Every time we suffer any trial, every thorn piercing our side, we are reminded, “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)James and John will indeed know what it means to drink from the same cup as Jesus; to be baptized with His Baptism. For John, exile and isolation from his people. For his brother, James (the one being honored this day), death by the sword of Herod (Acts 12:1-2). But even before they drink from that cup, the trials of taking up one's cross and following Christ will teach them what it is to live by God's grace.Who is the greatest? The greatest in the kingdom of heaven is The One who came not to be served, but to serve. The greatest is The One who, “though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave.” (Philippians 2:6-7)When you are tempted to think yourself greater than others, look to Jesus and be humbled by His greatness. When you worry about who might be greater than you, take comfort in the greatness of Jesus. Be drawn into His greatness, proclaim His Gospel, serve your neighbors when they need you, and allow others to serve you when your need is greatest. Rejoice that you are baptized with the same Baptism as Jesus. Gladly drink from the same cup as Jesus, which has become for you the cup of salvation. In it, you have a seat of honor awaiting you at the table of the marriage feast of the lamb, whose kingdom has no end.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. O Lord, for James we praise You, who fell to Herod's sword; He drank the cup of suff'ring and thus fulfilled Your word. Lord, curb our vain impatience for glory and for fame, Equip us for such suff'rings as glorify Your name. (LSB 518:21)Rev. Jeffrey Ries is the pastor of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tacoma, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
July 24, 2025Today's Reading: Catechism: The Sacrament of Holy Baptism - FourthDaily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 8:1-22; Acts 21:15-36“We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's like a murder mystery! What killed the old man? Faith did! Faith looks to Christ and what He has done in His death and resurrection. Faith has no use for what the old man thinks he can do. The problem is, some semblance of the old man still has control of your will, and still thinks he has something to do with pleasing God. This struggle between God given faith and the will of our old sinful self continues for as long as we live. Luther reminds us, “The Christian life is nothing else but a daily baptism, and continuing ever after. For we must keep at it without ceasing, always purging whatever pertains to the old Adam, so that whatever belongs to the new creature may come forth … our Baptism is the very root of the Gospel in our lives.” (LC, 4)What killed the old man? The Word of God and the water did! The pouring of water over your brow, “In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” and the old man was dead as a doornail! Through Baptism, the old man was crucified with Christ – the whole body of sin with Adam, the head was drowned out. Only the lie of Satan makes the old sinful self appear alive to your heart and mind.Who killed the old man? Jesus did! Each nail that pierced the flesh of Christ likewise pierced the old sinful self. The old man is dead and buried with Christ in Baptism.Christ Himself was raised from the dead. For you, however, a grave with your name on it awaits. Will the risen Christ leave you there for dead? Certainly not! Baptism into Christ means Baptism into His death. Not any old ordinary death, but a death like His. Baptism into Christ means burial with Christ. Not any old ordinary burial, but a burial like His, from which the dead come back to life! Baptism into Christ means that you will be raised with Him! Not any old ordinary resurrection, but a glorious resurrection like His. United with Christ, you walk in newness of life.Within that newness of life, the Holy Spirit works. He works through the Church of God, His Word, and sacraments, expelling the last recesses of that old sinful self. The attacks of Satan via that old man continue. But make no mistake; you are covered with Christ so that the attacks you experience from that dead old man (propped up by Satan) do you no real harm. They are nothing more than the feeble, futile assaults of a dead old man controlled by an angry, frustrated, defeated, dying devil. You are baptized, you are loved, you are Christ's and His alone. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is nothing worth comparing to this lifelong comfort sure! Open-eyed my grave is staring: even there I'll sleep secure. Though my flesh awaits its raising, still my soul continues praising: I am baptized into Christ; I'm a child of paradise! (LSB 594 v.5)Rev. Jeffrey Ries is the pastor of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tacoma, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
July 23, 2025Today's Reading: Colossians 1:21-29Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 6:19-7:17; Acts 19:23-21:14; Acts 19:1-22“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” (Colossians 1:21-23) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Being reconciled to God in Christ's death is not a metaphor. His body of flesh was nailed solidly to the rough wood. His broken body bled to death. In this, you were reconciled to God. Like the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, by your sin, you were hostile in mind and doing evil deeds, alienated from your eternal Father. Sin is what broke the relationship (“Sin breaks stuff!” -Rev. Harrison Goodman), and sin is what kept it broken. You could not repair your relationship with God any more than the Prodigal Son could have restored his relationship to his father (the best he could hope for of his own accord was slavery to his father's household). The best you could do of your own accord is slavery to sin, and you were already there. But, like the Prodigal Son, your eternal father has restored you to Himself, making you an heir to His household, restoring you by His mercy. More than the fattened calf's broken body merely signifying the reconciliation of the prodigal to His father, Christ's broken body of flesh is your reconciliation to your heavenly Father! “Not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death,” (SC, 2nd Art) you, dear sinner, are presented, “holy and blameless and above reproach before (God).” (Col 1:22)Begun (and continuing) in your Baptism, and by Christ's work through His Church, you are kept stable and steadfast in this Gospel which you have heard and continue to hear. This is why you can, with Paul, rejoice in the sufferings inherent in the Christian life. The devil plants seeds of ungodly desire into your hearts and minds, making idols for you of the cares and goods of this fallen world. He tempts you to believe that suffering from any lack of earthly pleasure or treasure is cause for lament. In fact, while God's created gifts do serve you in this life, the only lamentable suffering would be a life lived apart from Christ. But you have the riches of “Christ in you;” the “hope of glory” (Col 1:27) and a mystery made clear in the light of God's Revelation in Christ.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What is the world to me, with all its vaunted pleasure When You, and You alone, Lord Jesus, are my treasure! You only, dearest Lord, my soul's delight shall be; You are my peace, my rest. What is the world to me! (LSB 730:1)Rev. Jeffrey Ries is the pastor of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tacoma, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
July 22, 2025 Today's Reading: John 20:1-2, 10-18Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 5:1-6:3, 10-16; Acts 18:1-11, 23-28“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?' Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.' Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.' She turned and said to him in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!' (which means Teacher).” (John 20:15-16) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mary Magdalene knew the suffering of demon possession and the joyous relief of being healed from them, and she was a loyal follower of Jesus (Luke 8:2-3). From our text in John 20, we know that she knew the pain of losing a dear loved one to death; a trial with which everyone can (or one day will) identify. When a loved one dies, it never feels right; it is difficult to accept that we can no longer hear that voice or see that face. This was Mary's struggle as she stood outside of Jesus' empty tomb. She had witnessed every last horrific moment of His death right up until His last breath. She knew He was dead, but she struggled to accept it. It wasn't right, and even worse, now His body was gone!She didn't know what to do, so she just stood there and started to cry. Death wounds those it takes from us, and it wounds us who are left behind. This was Mary's experience as she sobbed, looking back into the tomb. But something was different now. There were angels there, and though Mary's sorrow could never shake or destroy their joy, they were concerned for her. “Woman,” they ask, “why are you weeping?” She replied, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” (John 20:13). Worse than Jesus' death was not being able to tend to His body as tradition dictated.Mary's grief is so deep that even a conversation with angels isn't bewildering. So, she straightens up, and turns … and almost runs into the One who had never been far from her, even in her grief, even as she didn't recognize Him. Finally, her eyes are open to Him as He says one word; He calls her by name, “Mary.”“‘I have called you by name, you are mine,' declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 43:1). “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27). Imagine Mary's heart racing at the sound of her name spoken by the risen Christ. She stares in joy, rising like a flood and cries, “Rabboni!” It was really Him! Beyond all hope, it was the flesh and blood, wounds still visible but transfigured, shining in glory, Jesus! Her Jesus. The joys were only beginning. Jesus sends Mary, first to His apostles, with the message that He lives. Death was not the end of Him; thus, it will not be the end of Mary, nor of the disciples, nor will death be the end of you. Mary was the first witness to Jesus's changing forever how we live, grieve, and die. Death still hurts us and separates us from loved ones, but Jesus has made it something we need never fear!In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We sing Your praise for Mary who came at Easter dawn to look for Jesus' body and found her Lord was gone. But, as with joy she saw Him in resurrection light, may we by faith behold Him, the Day who ends our night! (LSB 855:11)Rev. Jeffrey Ries is the pastor of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tacoma, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
On Today's Show:Scripture Reading from the Legacy Standard BiblePrayers from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer Reading from Daily Readings From the Life of Christ by John MacArthurMonday Meanderings!Five Day Bible Reading Plan - https://fivedaybiblereading.com/ The full LSB Bible, Old and New Testaments, are now available online, on the Literal Word app, and on Accordance!https://nasb.literalword.com/mobile/index.htmlhttps://read.lsbible.org/http://accordancebible.com/LSB/ 2019 Book of Common Prayer downloadable here - https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/ Theme music: Enfield's recording of “Crown Him With Many Crowns” © 2010 by Resolved Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com
July 21, 2025Today's Reading: Genesis 18:1-10a (10b-14)Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 4:1-22; Acts 17:1-34; Acts 16:23-40“[Abraham] ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, ‘O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.' … The LORD said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, “Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?” Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.'” (Genesis 18:2b-3, 13-14) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Who is serving whom? Genesis 18:1-14 is a beautiful example of the relationship between faith and works. It shows the fruits of faith in God's promise sprouting forth and bearing fruit in the works of Abraham.Ordinarily, upon seeing the approach of sojourners, one as wealthy as Abraham would have given instructions to his servants and let them do the work involved with hospitality. But Abraham himself runs to them, begging them to be his guests, insisting that their presence would be to his benefit (“if I have found favor in your sight …”). He invites them to rest in a place of comfort, shaded by trees, and provides for them. He himself chose the calf (among his best!) and has it served lavishly with milk and curds. He requests Sarah to make bread from fine flour in amounts (3 seahs = 42lbs), allowing for such an abundance of bread that it will not run out. Abraham's hospitality toward his visitors is extravagant.What motivates Abraham to be of such high service to these sojourners? Whether or not he knows them to be God from the outset, it is God who motivates his generous service. Even before God's promise to him of a son is given a second time (thus emphasizing its certainty and importance) Abraham's faith has blossomed from its first pronouncement (Genesis 17:16), and his faith bears fruit in this lavish service which calls to mind Jesus' parable of the sheep and the goats, “‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'” (Matthew 25:40)Who is serving whom? As lavish as Abraham's hospitality is, that of his visitor (God Himself) is greater. In the context of this extraordinary meal, God reiterates His promise to Abraham of a son, which foreshadows the Son who will be the fulfillment of the promised offspring of the woman, promised since Genesis 3. We are sojourners in this fallen world. It is God (incarnate) Himself who runs to us, begging us to be His guests, insisting that our presence among Him would be to our eternal benefit, and serving us – inviting us to rest in a place of comfort shaded by His countenance. He Himself prepares the meal by His crucified body and shed blood, a lavish meal with such an abundance of His mercy, it will never run out.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There dwells the Lord our king, the Lord our righteousness, triumphant o'er the world and sin, the Prince of Peace. On Zion's sacred height His kingdom He maintains, and glorious with His saints in light forever reigns. (LSB 798:7)Rev. Jeffrey Ries is the pastor of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tacoma, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
July 19, 2025 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 6 - Psalm 119:57-60, 64; antiphon: Psalm 119:105Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 2:18-36; Acts 15:22-41 “I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.” (Psalm 119:58)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever been given a weird gift? Like a dead bird by your dog? A rock from a younger sibling? A feather from a toddler? Maybe a sloppy kiss from a baby? You understand the sentiment… but what are you going to do with a dead bird? You are probably going to wipe the slobber off your face after that messy kiss. And yet, you can't help but be grateful; you know that the gift was given with love. I imagine myself as the dog or the sloppy baby giving myself up to God: Here I am! I'm a mess. I'm covered in sin, guilt, and shame. This hour/day/week/month/year/existence has been… rough. What is worse, though, is that I am not a cute little toddler giving something out of love— I am a dead enemy of God. Before Baptism, I am unable to come to Him (dead things can only be dead), let alone give Him a gift. And yet, along with the Psalmist, I am fervently asking Him for His favor. It is the second part of this verse that is such tremendous comfort; in our prayers, we get to point to the promises that God Himself has made. In the Garden of Eden, He promised a Savior, and He kept that promise. On the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished,” and it was. In our Baptism, He promises forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation— and they are ours. He promises to give us the Holy Spirit to create faith within us, and we have Him. In the Lord's Supper, He promises to feed and nourish us in His grace, and we receive the Bread of Life. When we pray, He promises to hear us— and He does. So, when I come to him as a mess, I can remember and be comforted by His promises. It's true. We come to God as broken sinners, day after day and week after week, and He meets us with forgiveness, mercy, and grace. We come to Him as beggars, and He treats us as His Beloved Children. He is gracious. He does remember His promises. And what's more? He forgets our sins! He covers our shame, guilt, and deadness—Jesus paid for that; it is gone. He keeps His promises and gives us His favor abundantly. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Wait, then, in quiet confidence, Your anxious thoughts at rest. God knows your needs before you ask And works for what is best. (LSB 771:3) - 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.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
On Today's Show:Scripture Reading from the Legacy Standard BiblePrayers from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer Reading from Daily Readings From the Life of Christ by John MacArthurFederalist Friday! Federalist No. 81Five Day Bible Reading Plan - https://fivedaybiblereading.com/ The full LSB Bible, Old and New Testaments, are now available online, on the Literal Word app, and on Accordance!https://nasb.literalword.com/mobile/index.htmlhttps://read.lsbible.org/http://accordancebible.com/LSB/ 2019 Book of Common Prayer downloadable here - https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/ Theme music: Enfield's recording of “Crown Him With Many Crowns” © 2010 by Resolved Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com
Olivia Connors fills in with Deaconess Dehlia as they discuss the last couple of sermons.Preacher: Pastor Adam SteinbrennerSubmit sermon questions by emailing podcast@stjohndublin.orgLink to Sermon on Peter & PaulLink to Sermon on Trinity 3Thinking Fellows Podcast Episode on AbsolutionChurch Website: stjohndublin.orgChurch Center: stjohndublin.churchcenter.comThank you to Higher Things Inc. for permission to use their recording of LSB 834 “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth”. (leader.higherthings.org)Thank you for listening to the Post-Sermon Podcast.Text Your Questions & Comments Here!
July 18, 2025Today's Reading: Galatians 6:1-18Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:21-2:17; Galatians 6:1-18“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1-2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This is a tough requirement. This is a ‘daily failure' level of task. Well, not the first part. I would be all too happy to catch someone doing the wrong thing. That part is easy. Judging others, especially if they are doing worse actions than I am, is sinfully satisfying. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. The tough part? Restoring him in a spirit of gentleness. Gentleness? Where's the fun in that? I would much rather judge from my morally superior position and deign to offer guidance. And being reminded to watch myself against temptation? That doesn't seem necessary— remember, I am the one judging… I'm above all that sin stuff. But then it continues to the impossible… bear one another's burdens? Fulfill the law of Christ? I don't want to be known like ‘she is.' I don't want to be caught spending time around ‘him.' And yet. Dear redeemed sinner, these words are a gift. They remind us, who love to focus on ourselves, that we are actually here for one another— we are here for our neighbors. A friend or family member may be caught in sin; these words remind us that we get to love them and teach them as Jesus does for us. Jesus went to the cross, without sin, and paid for the sin of the whole world. He defeated sin, death, and the devil by rising again. That is the message we get to share. We tell the truth, sin is sin, and yet we do it as a fellow forgiven sinner. Community, family, and relationships with others are Gifts from a loving God. Interacting with sinners is hard, and yet it is a joyful burden. We get to live redeemed and forgiven. We get to be reminded that we are part of God's family. God has more grace than you have sin; you get to be the one He uses to share that grace and mercy with others around you. Rejoice in your vocations even as your Lord and Savior rejoices that you are His Child. Share His mercy, grace, forgiveness, and love; not as a work, but as an outpouring of what you have received in your Baptism, in the Words of Absolution, in the Lord's Supper, and through God's daily care of you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.God would not have the sinner die; His Son with saving grace is nigh; His Spirit in the Word declares How we in Christ are heaven's heirs. (LSB 571:3) - 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.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
July 17, 2025Today's Reading: Catechism: The Sacrament of Holy Baptism - ThirdDaily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:1-20; Galatians 5:1-26How can water do such great things? Certainly not just water, but the word of God in and with the water does these things, along with the faith which trusts this word of God in the water. (The Sacrament of Holy Baptism - Third)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever stopped to think about how intricately and delicately God created and sustains His creation and everything within it? Take water, for example. While I am not very smart in science, I remember that H2O means two hydrogen atoms with one oxygen atom. Any other combination is not water. It seems so simple, boring even. And yet, it is incredibly delicate and necessary that those two elements be present for something to be water. God has put unfathomable depth into the Gift of Baptism. Consider just the words quoted above; Baptism is water and God's Word. We just discussed what makes water water. And we know that it is God Who created water, including the element of water. In Baptism, God is using a tangible element that He created for His creation. And, the power of Baptism is the Word of God. Who is the Word of God? St. John tells us that Jesus is the Word of God. So, we learn that Baptism is the combination of His created element, water, with the 2nd person of the Trinity: Jesus. We have the Father and the Son present in this. And yet! The explanation continues— it is the faith that trusts that Jesus (this word of God) is in the water! How are we given faith to believe and receive? Through the power of the Holy Spirit! Do you see it? In this simple, boring Gift, God gives us Himself: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.You matter. You have great value. You belong. How do I know? In Baptism, God names you as His Own: He marks you with His Name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He sustains you in this identity. He continues to give you what you need for this body and life. In the Divine Service, you receive the words of Absolution: you are forgiven. In the Lord's Supper, you receive Jesus' Body and Blood for you. You have been redeemed, adopted, and covered with Christ. Water seems pretty boring. Baptism can look pretty boring. And yet, consider the intricacies and the intentionality with which God gives His Gifts— to you. He created and sustained the world— for you. He sent His perfect Son to die and rise again— for you. He gives you the Holy Spirit to create faith that clings to and rests in His hope. Take comfort in this promise for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The gifts flow from the font Where He calls us His own; New life He gives that makes Us His and His alone. Here He forgives our sins With water and His Word; The triune God Himself Gives pow'r to call Him Lord. (LSB 602:2)- 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.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
On Today's Show:Scripture Reading from the Legacy Standard BiblePrayers from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer Reading from Daily Readings From the Life of Christ by John MacArthurReflections on John MacArthur's Life and LegacyFive Day Bible Reading Plan - https://fivedaybiblereading.com/ The full LSB Bible, Old and New Testaments, are now available online, on the Literal Word app, and on Accordance!https://nasb.literalword.com/mobile/index.htmlhttps://read.lsbible.org/http://accordancebible.com/LSB/ 2019 Book of Common Prayer downloadable here - https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/ Theme music: Enfield's recording of “Crown Him With Many Crowns” © 2010 by Resolved Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com
July 16, 2025Today's Reading: Galatians 4:12-31Daily Lectionary: Judges 16:4-30; Judges 17:1-21:25; Galatians 4:12-31“Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Good news is fun to share. Compliments are fun to give. People tend to enjoy having you around when you say something nice or positive. And yet, it seems that when times of trials, sin, or struggles come along… people are less likely to enjoy hearing about that. “Don't connect God's Name to things He hasn't said or hasn't promised.” “Stop hurting your neighbor.” “Gossiping is lying.” “A baby is a gift from God.” “Marriage is a reflection of Jesus and His Church.” It seems as though the saying “don't blame the messenger” does not apply when speaking what someone doesn't want to hear. Paul, in this letter to churches in Galatia, is wondering at their treatment of him and his words; he suggests that they are seeing him as an ‘enemy' now. What changed? Well, sin taints everything. The recipients of this letter, and we today, do not like hearing messages that hurt our feelings or speak against our favorite sins. And yet, look at what Paul says is the ‘reason' the Galatians are treating him as an enemy… he is telling them the truth! But, what is The Truth? The Truth is you are not enough on your own; you are sinful, dead, and selfish. The Truth is, you are lost. And yet, there is more! The Truth is that you were rescued from your sinfulness and selfishness. The Truth is that in Baptism, you were brought to life, covered by Jesus, forgiven, and redeemed. The Truth is that you have a Savior, Jesus, Who paid for all of your sins and covers all of your hurts. The Truth is you are enough in Christ; You are in God's family and are loved. So, why is this message (The Truth) not well received? We sinners love control and really would prefer to live by our own works. We, like the Galatians, want to mix a little of our own efforts with the Gospel of Jesus. We want to define, adjust, or decide what is right or wrong. Repent, dear forgiven sinner. The Truth of your sinfulness and your rescue is what we daily cling to and confess. Receive the message of your ‘sinner status' with humility and rejoice that it is for sinners that Jesus died and rose again. Rest in your Baptism. Receive Jesus' Body and Blood. Hear the Truth with joy. And when you are sharing the Truth with those around you, whether they receive or reject it, know that The Truth rests on Jesus and not on us (or others). It is with great assurance that we live in grace and speak to others with hope. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.He canceled my offenses, Delivered me from death; He is the Lord who cleanses My soul from sin through faith. In Him I can be cheerful, Courageous on my way; In Him I am not fearful Of God's great Judgment Day. (LSB 724:3)- 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.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
July 15, 2025Today's Reading: Colossians 1:1-14Daily Lectionary: Judges 15:1-16:3; Galatians 3:23-4:11“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “The domain of darkness.” What a chilling description. To be where there is no light. To be where there is no hope. To be where there is no life. What a horrible place to find oneself. The depth of evil and depravity would have no end. On our own, that is our only place to be. In the darkness is where sin, the devil, and death abide. As sinners, infected with the depraved Old Adam, we do not have or even want anything but darkness. And yet, there is great joy, hope, relief, and comfort in the rest of these verses: we have been transferred out! We have been snatched out of this hopeless, dark place and brought to the place with The Light! Before we get too proud about ‘transferring ourselves out,' we remember that we were rescued from the darkness. We did not work for, assist with, or participate in being moved. This is a Gift. This new life, this ‘change of address,' this forgiveness of sins came to us in water and The Word. It comes to us in the announced Absolution— our sins are forgiven. It comes to us in the Body and Blood of His Beloved Son. We rest and are covered by Jesus. We were transferred out of the darkness and into the Light by the only hope there is: Jesus, the Son of God, the Incarnate Word, the Savior of the World. God had a plan even before the foundation of the world to rescue and redeem you. He did not spare His Only Son, but sent Him into the darkness to bring you out of it. You now abide in the kingdom of God. You now live in The Light. You have been rescued, redeemed, named, and kept in Jesus. You, dear Baptized Child of God, are loved, forgiven, and given mercy. There will be moments of darkness in your life. For you still live in this sinful, broken world. You still daily battle the Old Adam even as the New Man, given to you in Baptism, desires the Light. And yet, even in these moments, you do not belong, nor do you live in the domain of darkness. You belong to the Light; you have been purchased and won by the Son of God. Even in moments of trial, cling to that hope. You are safe and redeemed in God's kingdom. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.As true as God's own Word is true, Not earth nor hell's satanic crew Against us shall prevail. Their might? A joke, A mere facade! God is with us and we with God Our vict'ry cannot fail. (LSB 666:3)- 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.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
On Today's Show:Scripture Reading from the Legacy Standard BiblePrayers from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer Reading from Daily Readings From the Life of Christ by John MacArthurMonday Meanderings!Five Day Bible Reading Plan - https://fivedaybiblereading.com/ The full LSB Bible, Old and New Testaments, are now available online, on the Literal Word app, and on Accordance!https://nasb.literalword.com/mobile/index.htmlhttps://read.lsbible.org/http://accordancebible.com/LSB/ 2019 Book of Common Prayer downloadable here - https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/ Theme music: Enfield's recording of “Crown Him With Many Crowns” © 2010 by Resolved Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com
July 14, 2025 Today's Reading: Leviticus (18:1-5) 19:9-18Daily Lectionary: Judges 14:1-20; Galatians 3:1-22“You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:10b)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As you read these verses in Leviticus, perhaps you (like me) nod your head along with God's commands: “Yes - that is absolutely the right thing to do! Leave some for the poor. Tell the truth. Pay fair wages. Great rules, I concur!” These rules (The Commandments) are great on paper. They are absolutely the right way to engage with those around us. Well, until I am one of the poor, or the outsider, or the deaf, or the blind… then I would rather be in control, thank you. I can *handle* this. I don't need your or anyone's help; I. Am. Fine. Do you ever find yourself automatically assuming the role of the ‘doer?' You have, you don't need. You understand, you aren't confused. You give, needy ones receive. And yet, can you honestly say that you have never been the one in need? That you have never been the one ‘on the outside?' Why is it so hard for us to admit that we are dependent and poor and lost and in need? God is giving rules to His people to curb their sinfulness, yet He is also showing mercy. The Ten Commandments are indeed gifts; these are listed in Leviticus and show us the vocational roles and the boundaries that we have with one another. Also, though, they connect to Who God is: “I am the LORD your God.” We have this God! We have this merciful, loving, providing, forgiving God! Even when I won't admit my need, He fills it. Even when I think I am ‘in charge,' He shows me I am not. How do I know? In Baptism, God takes the dead man and breathes new life. On Good Friday, Jesus declared, “It is finished” as He died the sinners' death to redeem all of the world. Every Sunday, in the Divine Service, we hear, “I forgive you in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.” Sometimes, you might get to be the ‘doer' who serves their neighbor and gives of what you have; thanks be to God. And sometimes, you will be the poor and the outsider in need of relief, sustenance, love, and forgiveness, and others will care for you; also, thanks be to God. In both cases, though, you are covered by and made new through your Savior Jesus; you are connected to our merciful and gracious God. Thanks be to God.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Oh, how great is Your compassion, Faithful Father, God of grace, That with all our fallen race In our depth of degradation You had mercy So that we Might be saved eternally! (LSB 559: 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.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.
July 12, 2025 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 5 - Psalm 136:23-26; antiphon: Psalm 136:1Daily Lectionary: Judges 7:1-23; Judges 7:24-12:15; Galatians 1:1-24“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Thanksgiving has become “turkey day” in the United States (or tofurkey day if you are vegetarian or vegan). Thanksgiving in Canada is in October (that's different). Some people eat cranberry “stuff” from a can, and others make fresh cranberries (you will know them because they will tell you incessantly how good their fresh cranberries are). I would say that mashed potatoes are a must, but people differ in their love or hate of lumps in their mashed potatoes (even if they have never mashed a potato in their life). I could go on, but I won't. The only thing that we all agree on is that we are thankful when it is over. Dealing with family can be exhausting. Getting ready to go shopping on Black Friday can be even more exhausting. We gather together under the guise that we are thankful but really want to control the situation to our liking. We are thankful for things being our way. But that is not what God intends.God intends for us to be thankful all the time, not just seasonally or when it suits us. God is good all the time, not sporadically or when He feels like it. God is good when the sun shines, and the rain falls. God is good when the temperature is above 100 degrees and when it is 20 below. God's love is ours when we are at our best and when we are at our worst. We give thanks to God because He is good, not because good things are happening to us, and certainly not because we are good, because we are not good enough. So we give thanks to God on the good days and the bad. We give thanks to God then we are hungry and when we are full. We give thanks to God when we have no money and when we have plenty. We give thanks to God from the time we are born to the time we die because He is good. Eat turkey and give thanks. Celebrate Thanksgiving in October and give thanks. Eat whatever kind of cranberries and give thanks. Give thanks at Christmas, Easter, Veteran's Day, and the 4th of July. Give thanks today because God is good.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Now thank we all our God with hearts and hands and voices, Who wondrous things has done in whom His world rejoices; Who from our mothers arms has blessed us on our way With countless gifts of love and still is ours today. (LSB 895:1)- Rev. Roger Stites, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Sequim, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
On Today's Show:Scripture Reading from the Legacy Standard BiblePrayers from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer Reading from Daily Readings From the Life of Christ by John MacArthurFederalist Friday! Federalist No. 80Five Day Bible Reading Plan - https://fivedaybiblereading.com/ The full LSB Bible, Old and New Testaments, are now available online, on the Literal Word app, and on Accordance!https://nasb.literalword.com/mobile/index.htmlhttps://read.lsbible.org/http://accordancebible.com/LSB/ 2019 Book of Common Prayer downloadable here - https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/ Theme music: Enfield's recording of “Crown Him With Many Crowns” © 2010 by Resolved Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com
July 10, 2025Today's Reading: Catechism: The Sacrament of Holy Baptism - SecondDaily Lectionary: Judges 6:1-24; Acts 14:19-15:5“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16) Second – What benefits does baptism give?It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Praise God! It works. Baptism works. This is God's grace to us. It is not us doing the work; it is God Himself through the sacrament of holy baptism for you. God forgives you. God rescues you. God saves you eternally. It is all God, not us. That is how it works. As you grow up, you will probably get a job. When you get a job, you have to do that job; you might have to “go to” that job…In other words, it might not be at your house. A job is work, your work. That is why you get compensated for it, usually with money and benefits. And you have to work for so many hours to get so much money. That is how you work. If you don't work, you don't get paid. That is also how you work. If you cannot be at your job for a day or a week, you have to take sick days or vacation days. You have to earn sick days or vacation days so that you can take time off. That is, again, how YOU work. However, in Baptism, God does not work as the world works. Baptism is God's Gift to you. In the waters of your Baptism, God chose you. You did not decide for Jesus to come into your heart; God placed his mark on you. The world will try to tell you. That it is about the work of your hands. The stuff your hands do will break. Your work will fall short. In other words…it will not be good enough. The devil himself will torment you with this and make you question the efficacy of God's work by making you focus on your own. Satan will make you think that you do not deserve God's love and that you cannot merit eternal salvation by the work of your hands. And you know what? He's right. So next time, tell the devil what made you right. God did.Baptism does what you cannot. In baptism, God forgives you, rescues you, and saves you. This is God's grace to us. Baptism works. IT WORKS! Praise God! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Satan, hear this proclamation: I am baptized into Christ! Drop your ugly accusation, I am not so soon enticed. Now that to the font I've traveled, All your might has come unraveled, And, against your tyranny, God, my Lord, unites with me! (LSB 594:3)- Rev. Roger Stites, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Sequim, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
On Today's Show:Scripture Reading from the Legacy Standard BiblePrayers from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer Reading from Daily Readings From the Life of Christ by John MacArthurStudy-Bible-Level Bible Study of Isaiah - Isaiah 24:1-6Five Day Bible Reading Plan - https://fivedaybiblereading.com/ The full LSB Bible, Old and New Testaments, are now available online, on the Literal Word app, and on Accordance!https://nasb.literalword.com/mobile/index.htmlhttps://read.lsbible.org/http://accordancebible.com/LSB/ 2019 Book of Common Prayer downloadable here - https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/ Theme music: Enfield's recording of “Crown Him With Many Crowns” © 2010 by Resolved Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com
On Today's Show:Scripture Reading from the Legacy Standard BiblePrayers from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer Reading from Daily Readings From the Life of Christ by John MacArthurMonday Meanderings!Five Day Bible Reading Plan - https://fivedaybiblereading.com/ The full LSB Bible, Old and New Testaments, are now available online, on the Literal Word app, and on Accordance!https://nasb.literalword.com/mobile/index.htmlhttps://read.lsbible.org/http://accordancebible.com/LSB/ 2019 Book of Common Prayer downloadable here - https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/ Theme music: Enfield's recording of “Crown Him With Many Crowns” © 2010 by Resolved Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com
July 5, 2025 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 4 - Psalm 19:2, 4-6; antiphon: Psalm 19:1Daily Lectionary: Joshua 23:1-16; Acts 12:1-25“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When Jesus, the bridegroom, comes for His bride, the church, the heavens, and creation itself will not hold back praise. On that day, all will be restored, and creation will dwell with its Creator again forever. What a vivid scene. Come, Lord Jesus! While the psalmist writes, our minds read, and our hearts declare, “How long?” Indeed, how long will it be until that glorious day when the Bridegroom comes to take His Bride to the wedding feast and celebrate that glorious consummation of the age that will never end?While waiting is depressing and this life can feel meaningless, we run our course with joy. Christ has come and will come again. Until then, He has given us every promise and blessing, including the assurance that we will stand with Him on that Last Day. How can I be so sure? I am baptized, and you, the baptized, will be with your Jesus, the one whose Name you were baptized into.Though this course is long, and we grow tired and weak, we are strengthened by the wedding feast of the Lamb, given by the Lamb Himself for us, His bride, to eat and to drink. Jesus gives His Body for the feast and His Blood for you to drink to strengthen and sustain you until He comes to dwell with us fully.On that day, we will be with Him in glory, with the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, hearing the heavens declare the glory of God and the sky proclaim His handiwork. What a glorious day that will be, as we continue to pray with the psalmist, the saints of old, and saints to come, “Come, Lord Jesus.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.All creation joins to praise You; Earth and sky Your works display. Art and music, gifts You lend us, We return to You today. Alleluia! Alleluia! God, Creator, source of life! (LSB 795:2)- Justin Chester is a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
July 4, 2025 Today's Reading: Acts 11:19-30Daily Lectionary: Joshua 10:1-25; Joshua 10:28-22:34; Acts 11:19-30“and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” (Acts 11:26)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Man needs a preacher—someone to proclaim the Law that kills and the Gospel that makes alive. A man sent by God to that place to preach and teach the Word and administer The Sacraments. Antioch was no different, and St. Saul (Paul), although different, was that preacher.Ever since Pentecost, the church had been growing among the Jewish people. Outreach to the Gentiles was not exactly the church's area of expertise. Luckily, they had just the man for the job who had already been on the move preaching the Gospel in the synagogues in Damascus and Tarsus. Remember what God Himself said concerning Saul, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:15).Set Saul's faults aside; God has made him His preacher to the Gentiles. In the same way also, God sends you His preacher. He, like Saul, might have some quirks and might not do things the way we always want, but God has sent him to you to give you Jesus. Your pastor, like Saul, will sit with you, bear your cross and suffer with you, laugh and cry with you. In times of greatest doubt and despair, your Pastor is the one God has sent to you to proclaim that your sins are forgiven. Like Saul, pastors are not perfect. They rely on God's grace just as much as we do, and that grace sustains us even in the hard times. Saul would be no stranger to suffering for the sake of Christ. He had already been snuck out of Damascus in a basket and sent away from the apostles for his reputation. God was with Saul throughout his ministry and service to the church.Saul and all pastors in Christ sent to serve His people in that time and place are sent to do what the church has always done. Care for you by preaching the Gospel that you are one of God's elect, claimed in the waters of Baptism. God has not forgotten you; His words are written down for you and proclaimed to you by your pastor. Thanks be to God for men like Saul, your Pastor who teaches, preaches, and cares for you.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, help us walk Your servant way Wherever love may lead And, bending low, forgetting self, Each serve the other's need. (LSB 857:1)- Justin Chester is a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
July 3, 2025 Today's Reading: Catechism: The Sacrament of Holy Baptism - FirstDaily Lectionary: Joshua 8:1-28; Acts 11:1-18Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God's command and combined with God's word. (The Sacrament of Holy Baptism - First)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you were to look at the baptismal font without context, what would you see? An eight-sided font, perhaps, with a bowl and some water. It is nothing special and is pretty mundane when you think about it. Yet on that Sunday morning, there at the font, it is as if we were there, right back in the beginning.Because it's there, in the beginning, where such mundane, chaotically ordered things were made into good, very good, living things and people. In the beginning, you have the waters and the Spirit hovering over the waters. You have the Father ordering and crafting creation, and you have the Son, the Word itself, giving depth and shape by those words.At that font in the beginning, the Spirit hovers over the face of the waters, and that little one (or even a not-so-little one) approaches. It is there the pastor, the man who stands in Christ Jesus, the Word's stead, proclaims words that have given life since the beginning. “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.” The water applied, the Words uttered, and the Father looked upon the one to whom His Word has been proclaimed and His Spirit has entered and says, “Very good.”There at that font, the chaos of sin and death in that little one has died with the Word made flesh who died for all. You and I, that little one, and all who have come to that font young and old shall die and rise daily. Rising to new life by the Spirit, shaped by the living Word who was raised up by the order and glory of His Father.There at the font, we see not just plain water but the Water included in God's command and combined with God's life-giving Word, just like in the beginning.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O hear and mark the message well, For God Himself has spoken. Let faith, not doubt, among us dwell And so receive this token. Our Lord here with His Word endows Pure water, freely flowing. God's Holy Spirit here avows, Our kinship while bestowing The Baptism of His blessing. (LSB 406:2) - Justin Chester is a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
July 2, 2025 Today's Reading: Luke 9:51-62Daily Lectionary: Joshua 7:1-26; Acts 10:34-48“And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.'” (Luke 9:60)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus has set His face toward Jerusalem, fully intent on His procession to Golgotha. The Samaritans refuse to accommodate Jesus and His disciples on account of His unwillingness to take His face from Jerusalem. James and John seek vengeance. This is Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. How dare some Samaritans deal with Him this way! But Jesus calls no fire and brimstone and instead rebukes them, and they go elsewhere.Still on the road, Jesus encounters three men eager to follow Him. The answers Jesus gives seem harsh, but they serve a point. Jesus was moving and orienting Himself towards Jerusalem—not for political gain or religious zeal, but to walk into Jerusalem to die.This world had no place that could receive Jesus from His purpose in Jerusalem. These three men wanted to follow Jesus for their own gain, and for the sake of following Jesus, the man who does the miracles, speaks with authority, and puts the religious rulers in their place.Jesus is more than just a man; He's the Son of God, who leaves behind His Father, His glory, and any place to rest His head. Jesus leaves it all behind because that's not why He took on our flesh and came into this world. Thanks be to God for that.The disciples James and John show the shallow depth of their discipleship at this point, which, by the time they reach Jerusalem, won't be any better. The 72 will be down to Twelve, but all Twelve will abandon the One. Jesus is the One who leaves the world, fulfills the Law to the will of His Father, and instead of taking what is His, He takes what is rightfully ours—our shame, our sin, our death, and punishment—and takes it up with Him on the cross at Golgotha.On that cursed tree, Jesus, seeing all that He had done, finally breathed His last and laid His head to rest.Jesus presses on toward Jerusalem, toward the cross, where we today rejoice in the cross that leads to the empty tomb. We rejoice that we can find our rest in Him who had no place to rest His head, who gives His body for the feast. It is His very crucified, risen, and ascended body that we are united to in our baptisms.May we all lay down our idols, our pride, and our purposes. May we, by the work of the Holy Spirit, deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Yea, Lord, 'twas Thy rich bounty gave My body, soul, and all I have In this poor life of labor. Lord, grant that I in ev'ry place May glorify Thy lavish grace And help and serve my neighbor. Let no false doctrine me beguile; And Satan not my soul defile. Give strength and patience unto me To bear my cross and follow Thee. Lord Jesus Christ, My God and Lord, my God and Lord, In death Thy comfort still afford. (LSB 708:2)- Justin Chester is a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
July 1, 2025Today's Reading: Galatians 5:1, 13-25Daily Lectionary: Joshua 6:6-27; Acts 10:18-33“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Galatians just couldn't quit the Law cold turkey. They needed a fix, something to claim as theirs, and God would understand, right? God can't really be the one who does it all—the one who forgives all my sins and sets me free—certainly not my sins. There has to be more. I have to do something. I must be the author of my salvation.Dear friends, stand firm as St. Paul says and do not submit again to the Law and its yoke of slavery.Your sins may be great, or many, or awful. You may tell yourself you are unforgivable, unlovable, and unworthy. The truth is, I am all of those things. We are poor, miserable sinners who, under the Law, are bound to its yoke and punishment. Christ has set you free. Your sins are forgiven. There is nothing left for you to do. Your life under Christ is not because of any work you have done; this freedom is applied to you. It was applied to you in the waters of your Baptism, where your sinful man died to the Law, and the New Man emerged. You live each day in that baptismal grace, dying and rising to new life, free in Christ to love God and love your neighbor.Living in that daily reality, facing that daily struggle, you will fall. We all do. Living by the Spirit points us back to the one who frees us, Christ Himself, so that we do not curve into ourselves and seek a yoke of slavery. Instead, we see Christ, and we hear the Absolution: “Your sins are forgiven, you are free. Go and sin no more.”Living the baptized life, the Spirit produces those fruits St. Paul speaks of above within you. You share them with your neighbor, not for a fix, not out of obligation to any yoke, but out of love that comes purely from freedom in Christ.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Holy Spirit, ever living As the Church's very life; Holy Spirit, ever striving Through us in a ceaseless strife; Holy Spirit, ever forming In the Church the mind of Christ; You we praise with endless worship For your gifts and fruits unpriced. (LSB 650:2)- Justin Chester is a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
June 30, 2025Today's Reading: 1 Kings 19:9b-21Daily Lectionary: Joshua 5:1-6:5; Acts 10:1-17“And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper” (1 Kings 19:12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah is at the end of his rope. He's been a good and faithful servant. He outran his persecutors, cared for a widow and her son, and even performed miracles. The boxes on his prophet to-do list are nearly all checked off. You can imagine what he must have been thinking, after the lengths he had gone to approach God on Mt. Horeb, for God to say, “What are you doing here?”Elijah makes his case for retirement. Telling God that He's fought the good fight, run the race, and can't go on any longer. Yet, in that silly question God asks Elijah, we see that God is not done with his prophet. There's more to do. Just as Elijah was jealous for the Lord, the Lord is jealous for His people. Elijah's work is not finished. There are still words to proclaim, people to serve, and places to bring the Word of the Lord. Elijah is not alone. There is a faithful remnant—a remnant that he must go to so he may pass on his mantle to the next prophet who will serve them.Life can be overwhelming, and we, too, can feel like Elijah did in this world. Take comfort and know that even Elijah was alone and desired nothing more than the end of his ministry to God's people and, quite frankly, the end of his life. God heard him and answered him—not in mighty acts and wonders, not in the natural world around him, but God answered Elijah and comforted him with a word.In the same way, God comes to you in your distress with His living and active word. God's “What are you doing here?” is that extraction that God does all too well. It leads Elijah to confess his sins, worries, doubts, and anxieties. God hears them, acknowledges them, and proclaims to him the Absolution. The same is true for you. God sends you your pastor so that you might go to him as often as you are jealous for that Word of God as Elijah was, that you would confess your sins that burden you to him, and he would proclaim that Absolution that your sins are forgiven. He reminds you that you are a child of God whom your heavenly Father loves. You can rest in the arms of their crucified and risen Savior.Elijah would go and find Elisha and continue the work God had for him. God is with you and is present in His Word, in your Baptism, and in His Supper. As often as you have need, if you ever doubt, remember your sins are forgiven and covered in the blood of Jesus. God sees you—yes, you who are standing before Him, and doesn't say, “What are you doing here?” but instead says, “This is my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Make them apostles, heralds of your cross; Forth let them go to tell the world of grace. Inspired by You, may they count all but loss And stand at last with joy before your face. (LSB 682:5)- Justin Chester is a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
June 28, 2025 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 3 - Psalm 85:8-10, 13; antiphon: Psalm 85:7Daily Lectionary: Joshua 3:1-17; Acts 9:1-22“Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.” (Psalm 85:7)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When God feels far away, how would you pray to Him? What do I do when God is angry with me?The sons of Korah ask these questions of God in Psalm 85.Israel has endured the exile, and no one wants to endure that again. The future looks unclear, and history shows that for Israel the days of David and Solomon were not coming back. Life can be equally as anxious for us. Times have changed. Friendships come and go. Relationships end. Opportunities we hoped for never turn out, and life never seems to slow down. It can seem like we never quite have a handle on things.The life of the Psalmist and for the people of Israel was not about getting the upper hand. It certainly was not about going back to how things used to be, no matter how grand they appeared. We often romanticize the past and hold on to nostalgia. Those days aren't coming back, though.The life of the Psalmist is knowing where our peace and salvation come from. It comes from God Himself. Israel was passed around like a nobody to the nations. It wasn't that they didn't deserve it; it was that they did, and God heard their cries, remembered His promises, and brought them back.You may be mourning a loved one, unsure of where to go next in life, or suffering from illness in the mind and body. When you reach the edge where doubt is near, and God feels far away, remember what the sons of Korah demanded of God. “Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.”You have a God who loves you and sent His Son to die for you. Whose word tells you the steadfast love God has for you through our Lord Jesus. In Jesus, your salvation is near—it is yours. It's not a matter of what I have to do to earn it, but a matter of your sins being forgiven. Nothing will take you away from the love your Father has for you. Not political uncertainties, not momentary crises of life, not sickness, and not death.God's salvation is revealed to you in your crucified, risen, and ascended Lord Jesus. You have your Baptism to remind you of that day you were made a child of God—united to your Savior so that as you endure these final things in these last days, you find comfort in the Word, knowing your identity is sealed in the water. You are strengthened in the eating and drinking of His Body and Blood under the bread and wine. Come, Lord Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.All glory to the One Who lavishes such love; The triune God in love Assures our life above. His means of grace for us Are gifts He loves to give; All thanks and praise for His Great love by which we live! (LSB 602:6)- Justin Chester is a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
Deaconess Dehlia runs the show this week as she reflects on the last couple of sermons from the last couple of Sundays.Preacher: Pastor Adam SteinbrennerSubmit sermon questions by emailing podcast@stjohndublin.orgLink to Holy Trinity SermonLink to Trinity 1 SermonChurch Website: stjohndublin.orgChurch Center: stjohndublin.churchcenter.comThank you to Higher Things Inc. for permission to use their recording of LSB 834 “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth”. (leader.higherthings.org)Thank you for listening to the Post-Sermon Podcast.Text Your Questions & Comments Here!
June 27, 2025Today's Reading: Acts 8:26-40Daily Lectionary: Joshua 2:1-24; Acts 8:26-40“And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.” (Acts 8:38)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Ethiopian Eunuch was missing something. He had worship; He had the scroll of the prophet Isaiah (Is. 53), and yet it did not make sense to him.Now, to be clear, Philip is not the pastor who can unlock the secrets of Scripture with his wicked interpretation skills. Philip is the pastor who gets to proclaim the key to all the scriptures—the key that opened up the scriptures to Philip and all the disciples. This key, of course, is that perfect Sunday School answer type of key. I'm talking about Jesus!Philip, brought by the Spirit, had to be ecstatic when he saw he could talk to this guy about Jesus. The eunuch hears the Gospel. He hears of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who was led to the slaughter and did not say a word. That Jesus who died for sinners by taking their sin and making them His own. The Lamb Jesus who silently takes our punishment that brought us peace, and by His wounds, we are healed.This Gospel, the Good News that God justifies sinners by the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, is that Word of the Lord that does not return empty. The Holy Spirit, through Philip, the pastor, preaches the Gospel that creates faith in the Ethiopian Eunuch.Then, water comes into the scene. Faith and Baptism go hand in hand. The Holy Spirit works faith by the hearing of the Word, and the Word that works faith is joined to the waters of Baptism. The eunuch understood and was brought to faith by the work of the Holy Sp,irit who called him by the Gospel. That faith in Christ saves, and he wanted to be united to the Word made flesh that went like a lamb to the slaughter to save Him. Philip, the pastor, baptizes him, and the rest is history.Rejoice in the daily reality of your Baptism, where the Holy Spirit created faith in you, and in those words and promises of God in and with the water, you were united to Christ, your Savior. Surely as He died, you died. Surely as He has risen from the dead, so you also will rise again. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.It sets the Lamb before our eyes, Who made the atoning sacrifice, And calls the souls with guilt oppressed To come and find eternal rest. (LSB 580:2)- Justin Chester is a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
June 26, 2025 Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer - The ConclusionDaily Lectionary: Joshua 1:1-18; Acts 8:1-25This means that I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven, and are heard by Him; (The Lord's Prayer - The Conclusion - What does this mean?)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have you ever thought, “What if God doesn't like what I pray for?” or “Does God really hear my prayers?”Don't worry—you're not alone. Doubting whether or not God hears our prayers or answers them is what Dr. Luther is getting at in his meaning for the conclusion of the Lord's Prayer. God commands us to pray. Not in a “do it or else” kind of command. God invites us to pray to Him just as you would ask your parents for things you want or need.Your heavenly Father desires to give you all that you need in this life. That doesn't mean that every petition will be “Yes.” God's “no” is good. We might not be content with that wherever we are in life at that time. But know this: God's “no” is not disappointment in you or your prayers. If something is bothering you, or if there is something you want more than anything, pray that God would give it to you if He wills. If you can't think of what to pray for, pray the Lord's Prayer; it is the prayer for the baptized Christian that teaches us how to pray.Trust that the Father hears your prayers, and be comforted that you have the Son and the Holy Spirit interceding for you. God continues to give you daily bread and care for you in your daily life against sin, death, and the devil. Remember your Amen. Amen is that final word where you confess that this is your prayer and that you know that your Father in heaven hears it and will answer it just as He has promised. God truly hears your prayers, and your heavenly Father invites you, His child, to pray for Him about everything. We give thanks to God that we can come to Him in prayer and that He sees you as His dear children. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Amen, that is, so shall it be. Make strong our faith in You, that we May doubt not but with trust believe That what we ask we shall receive. Thus in Your name and at Your Word We say, "Amen, O hear us, Lord!" (LSB 766:9)- Justin Chester is a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
June 25, 2025Today's Reading: Galatians 3:23-4:7Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 31:10-31; John 21:1-25“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Did Paul just say I don't need to listen to my parents anymore?No-no. Paul said we don't need to live captive under the Law anymore. What does that mean? For us foolish Galatians, it means we must stop trying to make the Christian life a life under the Law. Jesus did that for you. Jesus was born under the Law and perfectly fulfilled it. There is nothing that you and I could do to make that better. In fact, to do so would be to reject what Jesus has done and accomplished for us.This is what Paul is trying to make absolutely clear to the Galatians. You are free from the Law and its guardianship. You are freed by the one who fulfills the Law. Jesus' obedience to the will of His Father, even to the point of death, is given to you as a Gift. We are purely passive in this.How can you be sure of this? You are baptized. In your Baptism, when those words were proclaimed and the water was poured, you were no longer a slave of the law but a son of God. You are a son by faith and an heir of eternal life. There is no reason to return to the Law to establish yourself before God. God has put His Name upon you and claimed you as His beloved child, who He sent His Son Jesus to die for. There is no partiality here, not to the Jew or the Greek. To the man or woman. For we are all one and are free to be in Christ Jesus.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.In Baptism we now put on Christ—Our shame is fully covered With all that He once sacrificed And freely for us suffered. For here the flood of His own blood Now makes us holy, right, and good Before our heav'nly Father. (LSB 596:4)- Justin Chester is a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
June 23, 2025 Today's Reading: Isaiah 65:1-9Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 27:1-24; Proverbs 28:1-29:27; John 20:1-18“I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, and from Judah possessors of my mountains; my chosen shall possess it, and my servants shall dwell there.” (Isaiah 65:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Israel's children had no idea how good they had it, and they had it all. They thought it would last forever. After all, they have everything going for them that the world did not. They had Abraham as their father; they had the temple, and, oh yeah, God had already prevented Assyria from overtaking them (Isaiah 37).They took the presence of God and the blessing of being the people who bear His Name for granted. It was a band-aid over the gash of their idolatry. God says no more. Assyria will come and take Israel away; the sins of the fathers and the children will be accounted for.It's easy to belittle the children of Israel. To measure them against God's law, as God Himself does. We see the specks of sin in everybody, yet we don't see the log in our own eyes. Maybe life hasn't been easy lately, and you're mad at God about that. Perhaps you think that you deserve more and that God would want you to be happy. We can be rebellious people and take God for granted, too. In fact, we can fall into the sins of our fathers and tell ourselves our own sins are fine because God will make it all okay anyway.And yet God does not abandon His people, even when they are unfaithful or when they take Him for granted. Israel is hauled away by Assyria. Judah, to Babylon. Sin has consequences. The band-aid is ripped off so that the wound might be cared for properly.God sends an offspring from Jacob's son Judah—His own Son to be the one who bears the crushing weight of the Law and its punishment for our unfaithfulness. He does this so that we might repent from our idolatry and believe that God is faithful even when we are not. We cling to His Son Jesus. We endure the consequences of our actions, the effects of living in a fallen sinful world. Do not think that because of this, your God has forgotten you.In Jesus, you have it all. Not in a worldly reflection of wealth and happiness but in a way that the suffering and sadness of this life cannot overcome. In the waters of Baptism, we are washed and given the garments of salvation—a new identity, united to Jesus' death and resurrection, bringing us back to our Father, whole and content. We receive our daily bread from our Father's hand, living in this world strengthened by the God who gives us everything without any merit or worthiness in me.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Chief of sinners though I be, Christ is all in all to me; All my wants to Him are known, All my sorrows are His own. He sustains the hidden life Safe with Him from earthly strife. (LSB 611:4)- Justin Chester is a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
June 21, 2025Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 2 - Psalm 71:20-24; antiphon: Psalm 71:3Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 24:1-22; John 19:1-22“You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.” (Psalm 71:20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The psalmist sees something beautiful. God caused him to see troubles. Thanks for the calamities, Jesus! I will sing praises to you with the lyre. It's hard to pray that without a sarcastic tone of voice. But it's at least honest. If God is in control of all things, that includes the disasters. The stuff we tend to blame on others. They who sought to do me hurt have been put to shame. Because God did a way better job at it. He chastises in a way that absolutely gets my attention. It leaves all my idols in shambles around me, and every hope I've built, not in Him, crumbled to dust. And that's beautiful, too, even if I hate it. The psalmist, in great faith, finds joy in a God who works all things for good, even the painful ones. Because it doesn't stop with the hurt, the trouble, the tragedy, or the death. There's a resurrection. You can know it for sure. Jesus did it first. He willingly bore the troubles and calamities. He willingly bore the cross. He did it for you, to save you. He rose from the grave and, in doing so, has proved that death is no longer permanent. Because Christ is risen, you will rise. It's beautiful because now we don't need to run anymore. The way is forward, never away. Through the tomb and out again. Fear not the terrors of the world. That's way better than spending your whole life running from bad things. They who sought to do me hurt have been put to shame because you can't stay dead. You can't stay hurt. The Lord, who has made me see many troubles and calamities, will revive me again. God brings about some things we hate. We're still allowed to hate them at the end of the psalm. But now we also have the victory, and so also the character of God. He doesn't bring trouble in wrath. That's finished on the cross. What He does to you is never arbitrary; the cross shows His love for you. Now, even trouble bears a promise. More than just an excuse as to why it happened, God leaves you with a present victory over it. From the depths of the earth, you will bring me up again. 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, Higher Things Executive Director of Mission and Theology.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
June 20, 2025Today's Reading: John 18:15-40Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:22-23:12; John 18:15-40“The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, ‘I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret.” (John 18:19–20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Nobody pays attention to statistics. Something in us refuses to see ourselves with the crowds. We are always the outlier. People who live together before calling themselves married are 33% more likely to get divorced. 94% of teen drivers acknowledge the dangers of texting and driving, but 35% admitted to doing it anyway, and 21% of teen drivers involved in fatal accidents were distracted by their cell phones. Fine. Maybe. But… not me. So, we tell stories. That's the way to make people identify with what's going on. The mother who didn't abort. The refugee family struggling to make ends meet. We find ourselves in these people. Compassion takes over. They become souls, not numbers. And when it comes to this story, we know it so well, and more, we can see ourselves in it. Who hasn't been wrongfully accused? Taken issue with the government? Been betrayed? Abused? Humiliated? Who hasn't suffered? Of course, we see ourselves with Jesus. Technically, we know everyone's a sinner, and I know I'm not perfect, but if you saw what we do in context, you'd know that we always have a reason. You only steal from work because they don't pay you enough. You only yell because you've said it 100 times, and nobody listened. You only gossip because pretty sure it's true. You only spend every day self-indulging because of how unfair the world is. All of us have our reasons, and they become our everything. It's there that we can finally see ourselves in the scriptures. Jesus gave no excuses. It's everyone around Him. If you want to see your reflection in the story, look to Barabbas, the insurrectionist. The freedom fighter. Independence lover. Murderer. But if you knew why, you'd understand. Convinced he rebelled for all the right reasons, he self-justified. Look at Barabbas and know the truth: sin will always mask itself under the guise of righteousness. We will always find excuses for the ones we care about, most of all for ourselves. And so the crowds let Barabbas go free and cried to Crucify our Lord. The self-justifier is always easier to deal with in the long run than the brutally honest. If you want to find yourself in the scriptures, here you are. Barabbas is all of us. The sinner that goes free because Jesus is crucified. Jesus goes in his stead to be stricken, smitten, and afflicted. By Jesus' wounds, even Barabbas is saved.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth, The guilt of sinners bearing And, laden with the sins of earth, None else the burden sharing; Goes patient on, grows weak and faint, To slaughter led without complaint, That spotless life to offer, He bears the stripes, the wounds, the lies, The mockery, and yet replies, "All this I gladly suffer." (LSB 438:1)- Rev. Harrison Goodman, Higher Things Executive Director of Mission and Theology.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
June 19, 2025 Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer - The Seventh PetitionDaily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:1-21; John 18:1-14But deliver us from evil. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's dark down here. There's a lot of evil in the world. It's one of the rare places we can agree with the atheists. The difference is that we can find an evil one, the devil, stirring the pot. We can label the roots of so many of the evil things men do to each other in the 10 Commandments. Even if you don't know the name of it, though, the prayer stands. We want to be free from it. Deliver us from evil. Deliver us from everything that works for our harm under the kingdom of Satan. We pray in this Petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven. If you make this a future event, Christianity becomes nothing more than a race to the end, which is why so many Christians talk about life in heaven more than life today. If you see God delivering you from evil everywhere His name is hallowed, everywhere His kingdom is manifest, and everywhere His will is done, there can be comfort today, too. You were delivered from evil where God has brought you His holy name and given You His Holy Spirit. You can find deliverance from evil in God's church. Here, your sins are forgiven, and you are given an identity not rooted in shame and vice. Here, you are tied to the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting in a way that even the prince of this world cannot undo. Here, you are kept safe and secure until, at last, you join the church triumphant at rest. In all of it, the comfort lies in the source of deliverance, not the distance you happen to be from the evil. God remains the source of every good, even in the face of death. He has already worked a blessed end for you upon the cross, that even in the darkest of days when evil seems to pervade everything, you can look to your victory in Christ's death and find certainty that you are already delivered. The difference between the church triumphant and the church militant, the saints in heaven and the saints on earth, isn't that one has been finally delivered, and the other doesn't get that yet. All of us are delivered from evil; it's just that some of us who are at rest can see it a little clearer.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.From evil, Lord, deliver us; The times and days are perilous. Redeem us from eternal death, And, when we yield our dying breath, Console us, grant us calm release, And take our souls to You in peace. (LSB 766:8)- Rev. Harrison Goodman, Higher Things Executive Director of Mission and Theology.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.
Seminarian Brian Schneck fills in for deaconess as we discuss the sermon from Pentecost and get an update on seminary life.Preacher: Pastor Adam SteinbrennerSubmit sermon questions by emailing podcast@stjohndublin.orgLink to SermonChurch Website: stjohndublin.orgChurch Center: stjohndublin.churchcenter.comThank you to Higher Things Inc. for permission to use their recording of LSB 834 “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth”. (leader.higherthings.org)Thank you for listening to the Post-Sermon Podcast.Text Your Questions & Comments Here!
https://youtu.be/4qvoP86yDdUDiscover the deep comfort of the Triune God in this Holy Trinity Sunday sermon: “The Word That Death Cannot Silence” from John 8:48–59. Preached in the tradition of C.F.W. Walther and grounded in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), Pastor Balla proclaims the eternal power of Christ's Word—stronger than sin, louder than the grave, and shining with divine beauty. This Gospel-centered message explores the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the glory of the incarnate Word, and the lasting victory over death that is yours in Jesus Christ.Celebrate the Te Deum through LSB 941, confess the Athanasian Creed, and behold the beauty of God through the lens of theological aesthetics. This sermon is ideal for those searching for LCMS sermons, Trinitarian preaching, Holy Trinity Sunday reflections, or rich Law and Gospel proclamation. Strengthen your faith through the Word that cannot be silenced—even by death itself.✅ Subscribe for more confessional Lutheran sermons, weekly devotions, and Christ-centered content.⸻
The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-fourth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.' Hosted by the Task Force Senior for the TF Sustainment (BSB / CSSB), LTC Bruce Roett on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG). Today's guests are three seasoned medical professionals with 1st Mobility Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division. LTC Justin Bowmen is the Battalion Commander for the 426th Light Support Battalion of the 1st Mobility Brigade Combat Team in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). MAJ Ryan Morris is the Brigade Support Operations Officer (SPO) for 1st MBCT of the 101st ABD (AASLT). CPT William Breedlove is the S-3 Operations Officer for the 426th LSB of the 1st MBCT of the 101st ABD (AASLT). The 426th Light Support Battalion (LSB), formerly the 426th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB), serves as the sustainment backbone of the 1st Mobility Brigade Combat Team “Bastogne,” 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Known by its Hollywood call-sign “Taskmasters,” the battalion carries the proud motto “Taskmasters Can!” and has a long lineage of support excellence dating back to its origins in World War II. Initially activated as part of the 101st Division Support Command, the unit provided critical logistics support during key operations in Europe, including Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. Reorganized as the 426th BSB in the modular force era, the battalion has since deployed in support of multiple contingency operations, including Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, as one of the Army's first Light Support Battalions under the Division Sustainment Brigade model, the 426 LSB is pioneering new methods of distributed sustainment, mobile logistics, and command post survivability in support of LSCO as part of Task Force Bastogne's transformation-in-contact initiative. This episode delivers an in-depth discussion on the employment of the Light Support Battalion (LSB) within the new Mobility Brigade Combat Team (MBCT) framework, using 426th LSB for 1st MBCT of the 101st Airborne Division as a case study. The episode explores the structural transition from a traditional Brigade Support Battalion (BSB) to an LSB under the Division Sustainment Brigade (DSB), including the reorganization of support companies into more mobile and modular Combat Logistics Companies (CLCs). These companies are purpose-built for direct support to light infantry battalions in LSCO environments. Key topics include changes to task organization, reductions in personnel and equipment, and the resulting impacts on mission command and sustainment support. The LSB's experimentation with a three-cluster BSA configuration was highlighted, emphasizing survivability through dispersion, redundancy in support capabilities, and operational flexibility. Best practices included deliberate MDMP planning cycles, the integration of emerging technologies such as Skydio drones for BSA security and route reconnaissance, and the execution of detailed sustainment rehearsals using physical props to visualize commodity flow. Friction points were numerous and centered around command and control challenges created by dispersed nodes, difficulty in maintaining a shared common operating picture (COP), digital system limitations, and underutilized analog backups. Suggested improvements included co-locating SPO and staff leadership for planning synchronization, building greater analog COP redundancy, improving digital communications through more widespread fielding of TSM/MUOS radios, and formalizing a more mobile and survivable C2 infrastructure. The episode concludes with a recognition that while the LSB construct is still maturing, it provides a more adaptive and threat-informed sustainment capability suitable for LSCO. Part of S05 “Beans, Bullets, Band-Aids, Batteries, Water, & Fuel” series. For additional information and insights from this episode, please check-out our Instagram page @the_jrtc_crucible_podcast. Be sure to follow us on social media to keep up with the latest warfighting TTPs learned through the crucible that is the Joint Readiness Training Center. Follow us by going to: https://linktr.ee/jrtc and then selecting your preferred podcast format. Again, we'd like to thank our guests for participating. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch your podcasts — and be sure to stay tuned for more in the near future. “The Crucible – The JRTC Experience” is a product of the Joint Readiness Training Center.
Deaconess Dehlia gets us caught up as she reflects on the last three sermons from the Easter season.Preacher: Pastor Adam SteinbrennerSubmit sermon questions by emailing podcast@stjohndublin.orgEaster 6Easter 7Church Website: stjohndublin.orgChurch Center: stjohndublin.churchcenter.comThank you to Higher Things Inc. for permission to use their recording of LSB 834 “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth”. (leader.higherthings.org)Thank you for listening to the Post-Sermon Podcast.Text Your Questions & Comments Here!
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