Podcasts about LSB

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 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.

June 18, 2025 Today's Reading: John 17:1-26Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 20:5-25; Proverbs 21:1-31; John 17:1-26“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,” (John 17:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.” The hour has finally come for the Son to be glorified. Apparently, that wasn't when 5000 folks were willing to follow Him days out into the middle of nowhere just to listen to Him talk. Or in feeding all of them with five loaves of bread and two fish. Or in the water turned into wine that made Jesus the hero of the party. Or in walking on water. Or in the calming of the storm. Or in resisting the devil in the wilderness in a 40 day trial of wills. Jesus wasn't glorified in making everything look easy. He wasn't glorified in power. The hour where the Son of God was glorified was about the third hour, as He hung from the cross to be mocked by His enemies. Not in strength, but weakness. Not in being admired, but humiliated. Not in the things the world respects and we sinners covet, but as He was despised and we esteemed Him not. When He was stricken, smitten, and afflicted for you. There, He won for you eternal life. There, He reveals something of God we'd never otherwise see. Because that's what glory really means.Glory is a loaded word in the Bible. It doesn't just mean cool stuff. When the Bible says glory, it's a word for God's presence. It means God is actually there. The glory of the Lord is the presence of the Lord. So when angel choirs sang “glory to God in the highest” to shepherds, it was because God was present on earth, lying in a manger. When the glory of the Lord dwelt on Sinai, and a cloud covered it, and Moses entered the cloud, it was to talk to God who was present there. Where God locates Himself, His glory shines. God can work everywhere and anywhere, but that His glory shines in certain places means these are where He works with purpose for you.  The Son was glorified on the cross, and the word glory takes a new shape. This is where God wants to be present, not just everywhere, but for you. Not just in power, but in mercy. This is where the fullness of His will is revealed. Look at the Son of God suffer for you. He bears your sins. He bears your weakness today. And He wins for you a victory that none of these things can rob from you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Go to dark Gethsemane, All who feel the tempter's pow'r; Your Redeemer's conflict see, Watch with Him one bitter hour; Turn not from His griefs away; Learn from Jesus Christ to pray. (LSB 436:1)- 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 17, 2025Today's Reading: Acts 2:14a, 22-36Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 17:1-28; Proverbs 18:1-20:4; John 16:17-33“this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” (Acts 2:23–24)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Peter preaches the best sermon I've ever heard. Jesus saves sinners. You're sinners. It's beautiful in its simplicity, but it completely shapes how to read the Old Testament. The plan and foreknowledge of God was to crucify the Son. For all the prophesy we look through in the Old Testament to find fulfilled in Jesus, there should be no surprise that Jesus dies and rises. David says concerning Him, “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life…” (Psalm 16:10-11) Through the cross. Out of the tomb. No other conclusion was possible. David spoke about the resurrection of Christ as if it was a given, even though it hadn't played itself out in time yet. The resurrection was a given. All the sins are atoned for. The wages of sin is death. So there can be no more death. Of course, there's a resurrection. This Jesus, you crucified, too. Foretold in the Old Testament, He bore your sins. Had there been no David, no Moses, no Patriarchs or faithful kings, Christ would have chosen to save you by bearing the same cross. It's a truth we know. But it also means the Old Testament is for you. Read it to find Jesus there. It's more than just a history of what happened before Christianity. It is the religion of all who have faith in the triune living God. The same religion. The same hope. The forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. That's yours now, too, because this Jesus, whom you crucified, is risen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Jesus lives! The vict'ry's won! Death no longer can appall me; Jesus lives! Death's reign is done! From the grave will Christ recall me. Brighter scenes will then commence; This shall be my confidence. (LSB 490:1)- 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 16, 2025Today's Reading: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 16:1-24; John 16:1-16“‘To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man.” (Proverbs 8:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is an eternal Wisdom, begotten yet in existence before anything was. That's kinda hard to get one's head around. This Wisdom, involved in creation, is called a she by one known for wisdom. Which is kinda hard to get one's head around. I honestly think the weirdest part of it all is that this Wisdom who found such joy in creation actually wants to call out to us who wrecked it with sin. Wisdom calls to us. To untangle the web, we run to the simpler, less weird stuff when Scripture gets too weird. Scripture interprets Scripture. If our interpretation of Scripture from Scripture disagrees with the Nicene Creed, we messed up somewhere and made a heresy instead. That's bad. Let's start with the simplest stuff. God so loved the world that He sent Jesus to die on the cross and rise from the dead to save you from your sins. This Jesus is God of God, light of light, very God of very God. God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. The cross was never a plan B. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This all means there is a pre-incarnate Christ. Before Christmas, the second person of the Trinity was still active. His will was always to save sinners. Before the foundation of the world, the Lamb was slain.  All this isn't just to wrinkle your brain at God being more complicated than we can understand. All this is to wrinkle your brain at God being simpler than we can comprehend. He loves you. Nothing you do can change that. He who made you in love knew you would sin, rebel, and hurt not only yourself but the rest of His creation, His children. He still loves you with unchanging and unchangeable love. This love was manifest when He died on the cross to bear your sins to save you. But if all the past can't change His love, it also means the future can't either. Number yourselves among those saved by the Wisdom that calls out to man in love. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Creator of the stars of night, Thy people's everlasting Light: O Christ, Redeemer, save us all And hear Thy servants when they call. (LSB 351:1)- 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.

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.⸻

June 14, 2025 Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity - Psalm 16:8-11; antiphon: Liturgical TextDaily Lectionary: Numbers 32:1-6, 16-27; Luke 24:1-27Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity. Let us give glory to him because he has shown his mercy to us.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The doctrine of the Trinity is not revealed by God simply to confuse or imply that God isn't great at math. It's given that we may know that God draws near to save us. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three gods, but one God. And now God is not simply a being far away in heaven. Christ is God, who came to earth to die on the cross and conquer death. The Holy Spirit is God, who is present in word and sacrament in your church for you.  “I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”In the doctrine of the Trinity, the creed simply explains the introit. You know where to find God at your right hand. Place it in the font and know you're baptized, and as sure as water is wet, you have put on Christ and are saved (1 Peter 3). Because Christ is risen from the grave, your flesh dwells secure in the resurrection even now. God has promised it belongs to you as sure as you're baptized. You know the path of life. Through the grave and out again. To be at the communion of the saints is to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who have already passed through the veil and know pleasures forevermore. Doctrine is heaven. Life is earth. But God uses His truth to confront the lives we live in sin, error, discord, labor, and sorrow with hope. The Trinity shows mercy to us sinners.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Triune God, be Thou our stay; O let us perish never! Cleanse us from our sins, we pray, And grant us life forever. Keep us from the evil one; Uphold our faith most holy, And let us trust Thee solely With humble hearts and lowly. Let us put God's armor on, With all true Christians running Our heav'nly race and shunning The devil's wiles and cunning. Amen, amen! This be done; So sing we, "Alleluia!" O Lord, have mercy on us. (LSB 505:1)- 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.

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.

June 13, 2025Today's Reading: Acts 2:1-21Daily Lectionary: Numbers 27:12-23; Luke 23:26-56“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.” (Acts 2:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus conquered death, and we figure everything's got to be different now. The Pharisees were still running the temple. Caiaphas still offered sacrifices there as High Priest, refusing to believe he had already sacrificed the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. The city was still under Roman occupation. The crowd still didn't do anyone any favors by paying attention to them. Remember who this crowd is. They cried for a revolution when Jesus rode into town on a donkey. They cried for a cross when He didn't deliver. On Pentecost, the Twelve didn't seek a crowd eager to hear them; the crowd heard a great noise and went to add to it. Pentecost wasn't the sanctioned and safe beginning of an enthusiastic church that took over the culture that we imagine.   We know the miracle of Pentecost—that tongues of fire danced over the apostles' heads while they preached in languages they never knew. The disciples were brought by God, not to preach to those who gathered together cheerfully after making all the right choices in the middle of it. They preached to the sinners who cried out for the death of God. They preached to the terrified. They preached to the confused who did their best and second-guessed it every step of the way. They preached to those who heard what God would call good and mocked it, then called the messengers drunk for it. They preached to us.  This is the crowd God sends preachers to. Peter preaches hope, not in an action plan for the future. Not in being on the side that made the right choices. Not even in being the ones who boycotted Target the first time things got weird. He preaches to the ones who put Jesus to death. He tells them Jesus died because of them and for them. Of the sins of all the sinners gathered that day, the selfishness, the arrogance, the anger, the idolatry are covered in the blood of God, which pays the price for the evil they work. The sinners are forgiven. The path forward is, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” It gives a new identity. Every nation gathered in Jerusalem was given a new identity that joined them together. Baptized. Christian. Those who called upon the name of the Lord and were saved.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord, With all Your graces now outpoured On each believer's mind and heart; Your fervent love to them impart. Lord, by the brightness of Your light In holy faith Your Church unite; From ev'ry land and ev'ry tongue This to Your praise, O Lord, our God, be sung: Alleluia, alleluia! (LSB 497:1)- 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 12, 2025Today's Reading: Genesis 11:1-9Daily Lectionary: Numbers 24:1-25; Luke 23:1-25“Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.” (Genesis 11:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Everybody wants a perfect little life. We all have a picture of it. This is how it needs to be so I can be content, happy, whole, and safe. Everybody wants the Tower of Babel. Those people were on to something. Look, there is nothing they couldn't do. Until God showed up and kicked over their sandcastle. We've been trying to rebuild the thing ever since. Every campaign promise and every daydream – unity – progress – greatness – utopia. We still want Babel. Because we think, “Here is peace. Here is where good happens, where God would be.” Then, your own little Tower of Babel crumbles behind your unfulfilled dreams, your candidates are not living up to promises, and your home life turns upside down. So we sit down here in the mess, depressed, hopeless, because all our plans of building a tower to heaven fell apart. Here's the thing. Heaven isn't just “up”. Which is good. If heaven is just “up,” then we're always going to be just short of it. If you have to build up, there's no hope at the bottom. You see it in how amazing your lives are here compared to how many others, and yet how miserable you are. Here's why God muddied up our language. Here's why He won't just give you your daydreams of a perfect life. It's not enough. There's always more to climb, and heaven isn't just up. He loves you too much to want you to spend your whole life with hope just out of reach. He didn't want you to think that a perfect life is the only place good things can happen. He isn't the kind of God who waits for us to figure out how to come up to Him. He comes down to us. Even us sinners. Us selfish, willing to climb over our neighbor in pursuit of our tower. Us idolaters, who find more hope in a new home than a living God. Us coveters, who ignore our lives as they play out in front of us, who keep lists of things we want to buy. For everyone who builds and ends up shy of heaven. For everyone who finds out the hard way sin never actually builds up but only tears down. For me, for you, Christ descended. To die. To rise. To save. It means there's hope at the bottom. It means God won't stay away from the mess. Even on your worst day, Jesus can't be uncrucified. His promise is still true. It is finished. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Savior, rend the heavens wide; Come down, come down with mighty stride; Unlock the gates, the doors break down; Unbar the way to heaven's crown. (LSB 355:1)- 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 10, 2025 Today's Reading: John 10:1-10Daily Lectionary: Numbers 22:21-23:3; Luke 22:24-46“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When folks look around the sheepfold, it's a lot easier to find the robbers than the Lord. Jesus says, “The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy.” That part, I see. That part we can't miss. The death. The destruction. The evil that doesn't just persist in a world of chance where storms and plagues come and go. There are the evils men do to each other. Sometimes even in the name of religion. Our Lord never contends the robbers being present. He warns us about them. Expect them. They're actually a sign you're in the right place. That He won't chase them out is the cause of all kinds of frustration, but He promises something even more peculiar.  Jesus doesn't stand back from what's wrong. He doesn't demand we earn His favor to fix it. He doesn't promise a perfect world. He promises the cross. He promises to come to the sheep. To rescue them. To carry the lost and bind up the wounded. He comes to make the dead live. He comes to bear the cross, not for the righteous, but for sinners. He came to die for you and for me. He came to be the lightning rod for everything wrong so we could finally stop pretending things were fine, blaming each other for what's wrong, and desperately trying to fix it without success. We cast each sin and evil upon the cross, where God bears them to the bitter end for us. And we hear the voice of the shepherd. It is finished. Your sins are forgiven you. Death is destroyed. And Jesus is risen from the grave.  Understand what the resurrection means. It is an apologetic of hope. Evil raged as hard as it could and still failed to keep Jesus dead. This is a religion carried forward on the backs of martyrs, not afraid to die because they saw someone prove it's not so permanent. They died alone and afraid. They saw what the robbers and thieves could do. And they sang hymns about the shepherd while they died at the hands of the thieves. And even here, Jesus leads them through the door. From the cross to the empty tomb. He rose. They live. And that's beautiful. And it's something that we can still hear today. The shepherd still speaks. He sends his undershepherds. They preach the gospel. There will still be others. Robbers. Don't hear them. They speak of not Jesus. But we'll sing hymns no matter what because the measure of our hope is still the voice of the risen shepherd.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love He sought me And on His shoulder gently laid And home rejoicing brought me (LSB 709:3)- 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.

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!

June 6, 2025 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost - Psalm 104:24, 27-28, 30; antiphon: Liturgical TextDaily Lectionary: Numbers 20:1-21; Luke 20:19-44“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love. Alleluia.” (Liturgical text)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What's in your heart? If you're honest with yourself, most of it's not pretty! There's a good chance there's some anger toward your parents or teachers in there. Probably also some jealousy toward your friends or classmates who have newer cars, or bigger homes, or are smarter or more athletic than you. And I'm sure if you dug deep, you could find much uglier stuff than that.Not that this should surprise us. God's Word has plenty to say about our sinful hearts. Do you remember what God said before He told Noah to build the ark? “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Or how about Jesus, when He said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander,” (Matthew 15:19)? There's plenty of sin in each of our hearts.Thankfully, God has promised to put something else into our hearts. “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them” (Ezekiel 11:19). That new spirit God promises to put in our hearts is none other than His own Holy Spirit!This is why Pentecost is such a big deal! The Father and the Son send forth the Holy Spirit so that God Himself can come and fill our hearts, just as we pray in the Introit for the day. Here, we learn that all three Persons of the Trinity work in perfect harmony and unity to grant us salvation. The Father sends His only-begotten Son. The Son lives, dies, and rises for our salvation. And the Father and Son send us the Spirit through Jesus' Word and Sacraments to create and sustain faith in our hearts, a faith which clings to the promise of forgiveness in Jesus.So even though our hearts are filled with sin and will be as long as we live, we don't despair. The Holy Spirit resides in our hearts, too! This means that we live as redeemed children of God, knowing that Christ has washed away our sin and won't count them against us.And if that weren't enough, the Holy Spirit changes our sinful hearts as He dwells in them. By His power, we learn to truly love. “We love God because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). And, because we learn to love God, we also begin to love one another (1 John 4:7). No wonder the Church prays, “Come, Holy Spirit!”  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord, with all your graces now outpoured On each believer's mind and heart; Your fervent love to them impart. (LSB 497:1)- Rev. Aric Fenske, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church in Bear Creek, WI.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God's people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. Apologies for not introducing myself in the audio! I struggled a bit to take on this topic at a high enough level to keep it to about a half hour, because every subtopic is nuanced and the details are always technical. Not sure how well it worked out but my intention was to focus mainly on the 2 most common examples - hiding messages in text and in images. Topics I mentioned: encryption vs steganography who uses steganography and for what purpose? hiding text in text hiding data in images using LSB encoding hiding data in other places steganalysis If you want to leave feedback, consider saying whether you think it would be more useful to talk about: using the most popular tools and software detailed look at specific steganographic techniques case studies in the unlikely case that I do a followup episode (I doubt there's a strong interest in this topic) Provide feedback on this episode.

June 4, 2025Today's Reading: Luke 19:29-48Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:23-40; Luke 19:29-48“Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes,” (Luke 19:42)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The people of Judea were welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem with shouts of joy, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38). The people were excited because they expected Jesus to bring them peace. But while they were shouting for joy, Jesus was weeping for them. He wept because even though the people were expecting peace, many of them weren't going to get it.Why? Because they didn't know the “things that make for peace.” You see, the Jews were only looking for worldly peace. They were longing for a new king like David, who would free them from Roman oppression. And they had hoped that Jesus was that guy. But He wasn't. At least not in the way they thought. Jesus didn't come to be an earthly king, to rule in an earthly kingdom and bring a worldly type of peace.Jesus came to bring us the “peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). That is, peace with God. And just what are the things that make for this peace? The death and resurrection of Jesus, of course! Through Jesus, for the sake of His innocent suffering and death, we are reconciled to our heavenly Father, and we live with the hope of everlasting life in the Father's kingdom. That hope cannot be taken from us, no matter what happens in this life.As Jesus rode into Jerusalem to win that peace for us, He knew that many of the Jews He encountered that day weren't going to receive it. They rejected Him because they were so obsessed with earthly things that they didn't want the peace that He brought.  We've got to be careful that we don't do the same thing. God has given us so many wonderful gifts, such as our families and friends, money, the ability to play sports, and the intelligence to get into a great college. While these can all be great blessings from God, we shouldn't think that these blessings are the source of our peace, at least not true, lasting peace. Sadly, friends can betray us; money can be taken from us. Popularity, looks, and health will all fade away. True peace only comes from Jesus. Thankfully, He wants you to have it, and He offers you what you need to have it. He gives you His Word along with His crucified and risen Body and Blood in the Sacrament of the Altar. When you receive the Word and Sacrament in faith, you receive the things that make for peace. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Thy work alone, O Christ, Can ease this weight of sin; Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, Can give me peace within. (LSB 567:3)- Rev. Aric Fenske, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church in Bear Creek, WI.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God's people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

June 3, 2025 Today's Reading: Revelation 22:1-6 (7-11) 12-20Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:1-22; Luke 19:11-28“No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.” (Revelation 22:3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When you think about heaven, what are the things you look forward to the most? Is it having your resurrected body? Maybe it's being reunited with your believing family and friends for all eternity. I, for one, am looking forward to that feast of rich food that God promises to Isaiah (Isaiah 25:6)!  Or maybe you look forward to not having the things that will be missing. When St. John was given his vision of heaven, he saw that there was nothing “accursed” there. There won't be anybody in heaven who hates you. You won't have all those terrible thoughts or do or say wicked things because your sinful nature will be gone, along with all other temptations. There won't be any sickness or disease or danger. No sin of any kind!These are certainly all wonderful things to look forward to. But St. John reminds us today that there's one thing (or one Person, rather) in heaven that should be our main hope. “The throne of God and of the Lamb” will be there. God the Father will be there. The Holy Spirit will be there. And Jesus will be there. God isn't some kind of door prize that comes along with heaven; He is what it's all about.Besides, what could be better than basking forever in the presence of the God who made you and loved you so much that He took on your flesh, suffered and died for you, and then came to you in the Word and Sacrament to grant you saving faith? Remember the 1st Commandment? “You shall have no other gods.” Hidden in this commandment is a wonderful promise. When you have the Triune God as your Lord, you have everything you could ever need and more! You don't need any other gods. There is nothing better than being in the gracious presence of God.Thankfully, we don't have to wait until heaven to enjoy the blessings of God's presence! Even now, God comes to us through His Means Of Grace, the Word and Sacraments to bless us. He comes to us to give us everything that we need to join Him in heaven. That would include especially the forgiveness of sins won by Jesus. But God also comes to us to give us the fruits of the Spirit, like patience, strength, repentance, and every Gift that we might need as we wait for the day that God gathers us to heaven.There truly is nothing better than being in God's presence—now and forever!In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Christ, do Thou my soul prepare for that bright home of love. That I may see Thee and adore with all Thy saints above. (LSB 673:6 )- Rev. Aric Fenske, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church in Bear Creek, WI.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God's people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

June 2, 2025Today's Reading: Acts 1:12-26Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:26-45; Numbers 15:1-41; Luke 18:35-19:10“So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.After Judas' betrayal and gruesome death, his spot among the apostles was empty. It didn't take long for the remaining eleven to recognize that this spot needed to be filled. After all, Jesus chose twelve for a reason.I'm sure there were many different qualifications that the remaining eleven considered when the time came to select someone to fill that vacant spot, qualifications like those that St. Paul would later mention in his letters to Timothy and Titus (able to teach, above reproach, respectable, and so on; see 1 Timothy 3 or Titus 1). And yet, Peter points out one qualification that stood out among all the others. The man who would fill Judas' place among the Apostles needed to be an eyewitness of Jesus' ministry. It had to be someone who, like them, saw Jesus be baptized, heard Him preach, watched Him cast out demons and heal diseases, and most importantly, saw Jesus alive after His crucifixion.Why was this so important to Peter? Why couldn't a more recent convert to the faith take Judas' place? To put it briefly, Peter wanted you to know the things you've learned about Jesus, especially His resurrection, actually happened! As Peter would later write, these things are not “cleverly devised myths” (2 Peter 1:16). Those who first shared the Good News and then wrote it down for later generations, like us, saw Jesus do everything that was necessary for our salvation with their own eyes.   And that means that you can be absolutely sure that Jesus has accomplished everything that was needed for your redemption. Whenever the devil, the world, or your own sinful nature tempt you to doubt the things you've learned about Jesus, remember that multitudes of people saw it all happen. Your faith in Christ is not founded on made-up stories or on events that may or may not have happened. Your faith is founded on the historical events of Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection for sinners.So, you can be certain that Jesus was baptized into your sins, that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for those sins, and that He rose again from the dead, defeating death and assuring you that the Father has accepted His sacrifice on your behalf. And if you can be sure of all that, you can also be sure that you will be raised with Christ to life everlasting.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.We know that Christ is raised and dies no more. Embraced by death, He broke its fearful hold; And our despair He turned to blazing joy. Alleluia! (LSB 603:1)- Rev. Aric Fenske, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church in Bear Creek, WI.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God's people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

June 1, 2025Today's Reading: John 17:20-26Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:1-25; Luke 18:18-34“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.” (John 17:20)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.To me, these are some of the most amazing (and humbling!) words uttered by God in the entire Bible. In what we call the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prays these words in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before He dies. And just look at what Jesus is praying for before He goes off to be tortured and die. He prays for “all who believe will believe in Me.” That means He was praying for you!Jesus was about to be betrayed by one of His closest companions and abandoned by the rest. He would be arrested and beaten and face unimaginable physical pain. He was going to bear the weight of every sin from every sinner. He was going to face the terrors of Hell itself as His own Father would forsake Him on the cross. Jesus knew that He had to face all these terrible things in the next few hours, and still, He took the time to think about and pray for you! Wow!And what did Jesus ask the Father on your behalf? He prayed that you would be one with Him along with all the other believers so that you would always be with Him. Jesus wants to be with you always, in this life and in eternity!Have things at home or at school ever been so messed up that you've felt like God has forgotten about you? Have you ever felt so ashamed or guilty about a sin that you've doubted if God could really ever love you? Do you ever wonder how you're going to make it through another day? When these doubts and fears come, just look at this Highly Priestly prayer again! Jesus didn't forget about you, even in His own most desperate hour! And He never ever wants to be apart from you.In fact, Jesus wants to be with you so much that He didn't stop at simply praying for it. He did what was necessary to make it happen. He willingly and gladly suffered, died, and rose again to defeat sin, death, and the devil for you. Then He sent out His apostles and built His Church so that He might come to you today in His Word and with His very Body and Blood to forgive, strengthen, and preserve you in the faith so that you would remain in Him and with Him forever. All this means that you can live (and die) in the confidence that you will always be with Christ, our Lord.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.For us He prayed; for us He taught; For us His daily works He wrought, By words and signs and actions thus Still seeking not Himself but us. (LSB 544:4)- Rev. Aric Fenske, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church in Bear Creek, WI.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God's people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May 31, 2025Today's Reading: Luke 1:39-45 (46-56)Daily Lectionary: Numbers 13:1-3, 17-33; Luke 18:1-17“In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.” (Luke 1:39-41)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  “With haste.” That means she went quickly. Mary didn't dawdle. She didn't waste her time. She got out of town and went to see her cousin. How long did it take? It was about 90 miles of a journey, so even going at a slow pace, she would have gotten there in a few days of travel. Even if she had taken a few days to pack and prepare for the journey, she would have gotten there about a week after the Angel Gabriel had visited her.So, with the Little Lord Jesus (one week from conception!) in her womb, Mary greets Elizabeth. At the sound of her greeting, St. John (six months from conception) leaps within his mother's womb because he is in the presence of His Lord! How big was Jesus at that time? Well, at four weeks, a baby is about .04 inches and .04 ounces. So, at one week? Not big at all! But there was God in the flesh, and John worships Him. The One who is mighty makes Himself weak. He scatters the proud but lifts the lowly. As He came to the lowly Virgin Mary, He still comes down to us, filling the hungry with His Body and Blood and clothing us with His righteousness. Your Savior is not a Savior who reigns from high above. He is a Savior who comes down to us. He is not a Savior who doesn't understand you or get what it's like to be in your place. Jesus knows you. He knows your pain and your weakness. He knows what it is like to grow up, to learn to read, to get hurt by nature and hurt by people, even close friends. He knows what it's like to be a child in the womb. He knows what it is like to be an infant, a toddler, a teenager. He knows what it's like to die and to rise again.Jesus comes for you. He comes to die that you might live.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Before he yet was born, He leaped in joyful meeting, Confessing Him as Lord Whose mother he was greeting. By Jordan's rolling stream, A new Elijah bold, He testified of Him Of whom the prophets told. (LSB 346:2)- Rev. Daniel Burhop, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Reese, MI.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God's people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May 30, 2025Today's Reading: Introit for Easter 7 - Psalm 61:3, 5-8; antiphon: Psalm 61:1Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:24-29; 12:1-16; Luke 17:20-37“So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.” (Psalm 61:8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  If you've gone through the Rite of Confirmation, you've made some vows. If you haven't, you're likely preparing to. During the Rite, the Pastor asks: “Do you intend to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord's Supper faithfully? Do you intend to live according to the Word of God and in faith, word, and deed to remain true to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even to death? Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it?”  Those are not simple questions. These vows are made to God. Solomon warns us in Ecclesiastes 5:4-6, “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, ‘My vow was a mistake.'”Vows aren't something to say because someone else wants you to say them. Making vows that you don't intend to keep is a dangerous habit to get into. When you go through the Rite of Confirmation, you vow that you intend to be in church to hear God's Word, that you intend to live your life outside of church according to that Word, and that you will continue in this way to your death, even if someone were to kill you for it!So, what did, or what will you vow? “I do, by the grace of God.” Left on our own, we would fall away at the first sign of discomfort. But you are not on your own. The Lord who comes to you through His Word and Sacraments will continue to strengthen you in your faith as you go through life. This is why we don't want to stop hearing it! If you want to fulfill these vows, don't forget to do what David says, “So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.” As you fulfill that first vow, to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord's Supper faithfully, He will cause you to live according to that Word and to continue in that Word. Listen to Solomon, and do not delay in fulfilling it!In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, I my vows to Thee renew; Disperse my sins as morning dew; Guard my first steps of thought and will And with Thyself my spirit fill. (LSB 868:4)- Rev. Daniel Burhop, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Reese, MI.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God's people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May 29, 2025Today's Reading: Luke 24:44-53Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:1-23, 31-35; Luke 17:1-19“And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” (Luke 24:50-51)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Think about those hands. Hands that were knit together in the womb of St. Mary. Hands that pressed up against that womb as they grew. Hands that grasped His mother's finger as she cradled Him in her arms. Hands that held St. Joseph's fingers as He learned to walk. Hands that did chores around the house. Hands that reached out to touch the lepers, the blind, the deaf, and the mute. Hands that reached out to grab Peter as he sank into the water. Hands that stopped a funeral procession in its tracks, touching the coffin of a young man and then taking that young man and giving him back to His mother. Hands that blessed the little children.Hands that overturned the tables in the Temple. Hands that dipped a towel in the water and washed the feet of His disciples that would run away, or, even worse, deny Him that night. Hands that broke bread and said, “Take and eat.” Hands that raised the cup and said, “Take and drink.”Hands that were pierced with nails. Hands that went limp in death. Hands that were laid in a grave. Hands that were shown to the Disciples on Easter Evening and to Thomas the next week.Now, as Jesus ascends into heaven, those nail-scarred hands are raised and lifted in blessing. Those hands were taken into heaven and seated at the Right Hand of the Father. Those hands, hands of the One who is True God and True Man, have a place in heaven.Those same hands now come to you in blessing. They work through the hands of your pastor who baptized you, who forgives, who delivers the Body and Blood of Jesus to you each week, and who raises His hands in blessing and says, “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord makes His face shine upon you be gracious unto you, the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Crown Him the Lord of love. Behold His hands and side, Rich wounds, yet visible above, In beauty glorified. No angels in the sky Can fully bear that sight, But downward bend their wond'ring eyes At mysteries so bright. (LSB 525:3)- Rev. Daniel Burhop, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Reese, MI.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God's people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

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!

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!

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!