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.

November 22, 2024

Today's Reading: Daniel 2:24-49

Daily Lectionary: Daniel 2:24-49; Revelation 19:1-21

And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever (Daniel 2:44)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

History reveals that even the mightiest nations, no matter how long they reign, no matter how much they prosper, rise and fall like waves raging in a sea. It seems that no kingdom is immune to one day crumbling. The great nations of history are proof of this. The Mongols, Romans, Ottomans, and Persians are all examples of this. There was a time when it was said that the sun didn’t set on the Roman empire, but eventually, it would. The once mighty Rome would crumble and become simply a footnote in the annals of history. This is how it goes with kingdoms made by the hands of men. Just like everything, sin infects and causes even the firmest of foundations to decay. Leaders become corrupt, those who serve to keep order abuse their authority, and greed gets a stranglehold on the best of us. Eventually, the infection kills.

Daniel speaks of such things in this dream that he interprets. While it talks about a specific group of nations, nothing has changed. But with this word of law comes a promise that in a world where nations rise and fall, where sinners rule and reign, there will come a kingdom that will conquer all. There will come a kingdom that is holy and righteous, and this kingdom will have no end but instead will endure forever. This kingdom is the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom that Christ will bring with Him, the one that He begins to usher in at His incarnation, the kingdom which He fights for in His death, the kingdom He secures in His resurrection, and the kingdom He rules since His ascension.

This kingdom has yet to be fulfilled. It will come to completion when Christ returns on the Last Day. This kingdom will be a kingdom where there is no more death, pain, or tears. It will be glorious. Until that day, though, the kingdom of God is established through Christ’s church. It rules with the Gospel, the preaching and teaching of Jesus, who died and was resurrected. It wars against sin, death, and the devil through Word and Sacrament. Christ’s church brings about this kingdom one Baptism at a time. One day, Christ will return, and all who believe will dwell in His kingdom forever.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O sweet and blessed country, The home of God’s elect! O sweet and blessed country That faithful hearts expect! In mercy, Jesus, bring us To that eternal rest With You and God the Father And Spirit, ever blest. (LSB 672:4)

-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.

November 21, 2024

Today's Reading: Catechism - Table of duties: To Youth

Daily Lectionary: Daniel 2:1-23; Revelation 18:1-24

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you (1 Peter 5:6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

When you are a “youth,” it can be a difficult time of life. There is a lot going on in your world. You strive to navigate the ever-changing world. You go through changes emotionally and physically. You try to navigate the halls of schools, the social scene, and then, of course, the sort of coming of age in finding yourself, whatever that means. The world will heap expectations on you and upon your shoulders. You will carry the weight of the future with you every step of the way, and it can be a heavy load to bear. There are a lot of expectations for the youth of every generation. There can also be a lot of arrogance.

Generational conversations often look like this: the older generations tell the younger generations how wrong and lazy they are, and the younger generations tell the older generations how they screwed up the world they are entering into. It is easy to think that as a youth, you know better than your elders; after all, you understand the latest trends, you understand technology and its advances, and you understand the new lingo that is being used in conversation. You feel like you can accomplish anything you put your mind to, and once you are in charge when you’re older, the world will finally be the way it ought to be.

This isn’t everyone's experience, but there is a warning. It can be easy to fall into arrogance when you are young. You may not think you need the words of those who are older than you and who have lived life longer than you. You might not think you need God’s word, that you will be just fine on your own. My dear brothers and sisters who read this do not believe this lie. Instead, humble yourselves before God, to His Word of law and instruction, and the word of his freeing Gospel. Find yourselves in Him, in who He has declared you to be, His child. Walk in His ways and learn the scriptures. Instead of following your heart, follow Jesus because when you follow Jesus, it leads to eternal life and eternal joy. When you follow the ways of the world, it leads to death and torment. So, humble yourselves before God, and he will lift you up.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The Law of God is good and wise And sets His will before our eyes, Shows us the way of righteousness, And dooms to death when we transgress. (LSB 579:1)

-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.