November 25, 2024

Today's Reading: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

Daily Lectionary: Daniel 5:1-30; Daniel 7:1-8:27; Revelation 21:9-27

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. (Daniel 7:13)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The scriptures are the inspired and inerrant Word of God. They are infallible, meaning they cannot be wrong. They are the way in which God reveals Himself to us, as well as His redemption of our fallen world. Another thing, though, is this: the Bible is flat-out cool. The more you study the scriptures, the more I am convinced you would agree. Many people think about the Bible, and their opinion is that it’s an old book full of rules. Even many Christians rarely crack open their Bible that is collecting dust because the reality is they see it as too challenging, or even worse, boring. The Scriptures are anything but boring! They are a divine masterpiece. The Scriptures are cool.

Why use a word that is almost underwhelming? Because it’s true. The way the scriptures are constructed and written will never cease to amaze. An example is here in Daniel, where a prophecy is written. A prophecy which is written hundreds of years before Christ is born. A prophecy that doesn’t point to Christ’s birth, death, or even His resurrection, but a prophecy that points to His return. A prophecy that Christ speaks of before the Jews when He is arrested and a prophecy that He will one day fulfill. We have the privilege of reading the scriptures as people who live in the Last Days because we can be certain that the Bible is all about Jesus. Every page is dripping with Christ and His love for us—Old and New Testament.

The scriptures point to Christ and Him crucified. They reveal God’s love for you in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Let them become a part of you. Be diligent in reading them, not as a law or a way to become more Holy, but because they reveal Christ. They reveal that on account of Christ, you are holy and righteous in His sight. This has been God’s plan from the beginning. God created with the end in mind. There are no mistakes in these scriptures. Instead, they perfectly reveal Christ, who saves you, and that is cool.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Thy strong word did cleave the darkness; At Thy speaking it was done. For created light we thank Thee; While Thine ordered seasons run. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to Thee who light dost send! Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end! (LSB 578:1)

-Rev. Caleb Weight, associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.

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

Spend time reading and meditating on God’s Word throughout the Church Year with the Enduring Grace Journal. Includes scripture readings, prayers, prompts, and space for journaling. The Church Year Journal, Enduring Grace, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

November 24, 2024

Today's Reading: Mark 13:24-37

Daily Lectionary: Daniel 4:1-37; Revelation 21:1-8

Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. (Mark 13:35-36)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

I was recently looking at my calendar. It is a busy time of year. I was looking at the weeks and months ahead as Advent approaches, then as Christmas comes, then the new year. There are a lot of things to do in the near future. Things are planned even months or years ahead. Vacations, life milestones, graduations, you name it. Here’s the thing: if you are like me, you are certain those days will come, that they will happen, and there is no doubt that tomorrow the sun will rise. We’ve gotten comfortable. It’s almost as if we as a church have fallen asleep or, at the very least, dozed off.

The hard truth is that for many, the imminent return of Christ is not prevalent in how life is lived. Most people do not think that Christ will return tomorrow or that Christ will return soon. Instead, it is some far-off event that will happen years after our lifetime. This is understandable—the church has been waiting for the return of Christ for nearly two thousand years. By our standards, that is a long time to stay watchful, to stay waiting, and to stay vigilant. It is easy to doze off into a slumber when boredom sets in. So, allow this to be a wake-up call. Stay awake.

The day is drawing near. Every time we wake up to a new day, we are one day closer to the Last Day when Christ will return, a day that is not to be feared but to be excited about. Instead of waiting in boredom, wait in anticipation, for the day Christ returns, all things will be made new. The day Christ returns, death will be swallowed up forever. The day when Christ returns, there will be no more sorrow but eternal joy. The day when Christ returns, all believers will be raised to Paradise. That sounds exciting, doesn’t it? It’s hard to sleep when you are excited. So, look to Christ’s return as something to look forward to, and that will make it hard to fall asleep.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, so govern our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that, ever mindful of Your glorious return, we may persevere in both faith and holiness of living; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

-Rev. Caleb Weight, associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.

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

Spend time reading and meditating on God’s Word throughout the Church Year with the Enduring Grace Journal. Includes scripture readings, prayers, prompts, and space for journaling. The Church Year Journal, Enduring Grace, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

November 23, 2024

Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 27 - Psalm 39:4-5a, 7-8, 12a; antiphon: 2 Peter 3:13b

Daily Lectionary: Daniel 3:1-30; Revelation 20:1-15

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! (Psalm 39:4)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

When my wife and I had our first child, we received all sorts of advice. Some advice we asked for, some we didn’t. People are funny that way. They like to give advice as if to bring meaning to their experiences, but I realize something now as my first child turns five and is preparing for kindergarten: they were right. The advice we often received was, “Don’t blink; they grow up fast,” and they were right. I wonder now if their desire to give advice came from a place of regret or grief. They blinked, and their children were grown, just like I blinked and my oldest prepares for Kindergarten. The psalmist gives words to this. God shows us in many ways how short our lives are, how quickly time passes, and how soon death approaches. One thing is certain: regardless of how old you are, dear reader, life is fleeting.

While it seems like this is simply a reality you must face, it can serve a greater purpose in the life of the Christian. Allow it to be a call to you, a call to repent and to turn back to the Father who loves you. Why? Because all sinners have the propensity to get distracted and caught up in trivial things. Time is wasted on reading news articles about Fantasy Football, hours slip by while you scroll on your phone to look into people's lives whom you do not know, and days drift away while you attend your children’s tournaments that consume their entire childhood. The list goes on. We waste a lot of time on trivial things. There is this sense that there is time for the important things, but right now isn’t that time. There is time to hear God’s word, but it can wait for now. There is time to receive His Gifts, but it isn’t today. There is time to confess Jesus as Lord, but not until you're older and death is more real.

Don’t be a fool. Life is truly fleeting. Life is short. God is near. Do not waste time on trivial things. Don’t misunderstand what I am saying: it is okay to play some sports, enjoy some entertainment, and even play some Fantasy Football, but don’t let it consume you. Don’t let it become your god. Carve out time in your life for the more pressing things. Do not put God in the “to be done later” pile of things on your schedule. Honor the Sabbath by going to church to rest in His care and receive the Good News of Jesus dead, resurrected, and ascended for you. Rest in the presence of God and His mercy. Feed on his word day after day. A day will come (if it hasn’t already) when God will remind you that your life is truly fleeting, and on that day, you will cry out to the Lord, and He will answer. His answer is in Christ, the crucified one. He will hear you. And He will speak words of comfort and life to you. For in Him, life is not fleeting; it is everlasting.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Death's power holds us still in thrall And bears us toward the tomb. Death’s darkening cloud hangs like a pall That threatens earth with doom. But You have broken death’s embrace And torn away its sting. Restore to life our mortal race! Raise us, O Risen King! (LSB 552:4)

-Rev. Caleb Weight, associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.

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

Spend time reading and meditating on God’s Word throughout the Church Year with the Enduring Grace Journal. Includes scripture readings, prayers, prompts, and space for journaling. The Church Year Journal, Enduring Grace, now available from Concordia Publishing House.