January 19, 2025

Today's Reading: John 2:1-11

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 44:1-16, 23-29; Romans 9:1-18

The master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people had drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” (John 2:9b-10)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

This whole darn account is a weird one. What’s the number one rule at a wedding? Don’t upstage the wedding couple… Well, here is this magnificent wedding without a single mention of the happy couple. The only thing that we know about them is that their wedding is about to be the talk of the town because they have run out of wine and none of the guests have run out of party. So here comes Jesus… And I know, I know, Jesus wants to keep things on the down low. He asks His mother why she is trying to get Him involved in their problems, but she doesn’t listen.“Do whatever He says,” she tells the attendants, “because whatever He says is going to be good.”

And so jugs and jugs of wine are made, miraculously, water transformed. And it's the good stuff, too. The top shelf stuff: a 1945 Romanee-Conti, but not just one bottle, a whole vat of the stuff! Jesus is a “save the best for last” sort of guy, coming in at the end to save the day and keep the wedding party happy.

But is this all there is to it? If so, it seems a little bit shallow. One would think that His first miracle would be one with a little more substance. Maybe He is just warming up, making sure that He has all the kinks out before He goes on the road… Or maybe there is something more…

Perhaps Jesus’ first miracle says less about the actual wedding, and even the miracle, and more about Him and who He is. Maybe this water into wine thing is a sign of something greater, pointing to a wedding feast that has no end, that the Church gets a foretaste of every week in fleshy bread and bloody wine from here until the Last Day. Maybe, just maybe, Jesus is making it known to the entire world that He is the Bridegroom, that He has taken a Bride for Himself, you and me, the Church. And He is going to provide for Her everything that she could ever need.

Yeah… that’s probably it…

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, who governs all things in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the prayers of Your people and grant us Your peace through all our days; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

-Rev. Eli Lietzau, pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

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

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 18, 2025

Today's Reading: Mark 8:27-35 (36-9:1)

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 40:1-4; 43:1-12; Ezekiel 40:5-42:20; 43:13-27; Romans 8:18-39

“And He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ.’” (Mark 8:29)

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus is concerned about what His disciples think about Him. Therefore, the Church should be concerned about what people think about Jesus and be bold to say, “You are the Christ.” Furthermore, we know from our Creeds that Jesus, the Messiah, is true God and true man, the “Word made Flesh” Who would save by giving His life only to take it up again on the third day. Faith believes this, and faith makes this our confession.

In our society, there’s no shortage of false gods. False worship is everywhere with gods ranging from money to the self. “Who is Jesus?” is a question we can’t ignore. Gone are the days of assuming church membership and the influence of basic Christian doctrines. The Church must confess so people hear and, by the grace of God, believe. After Peter confesses Jesus to be the Messiah, Jesus teaches the content of that confession by explaining His salvific work. He will suffer many things, be rejected by religious leaders, die, and rise after three days. Peter’s rebuke of this teaching is well-known and warrants Jesus’ rebuke, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Mark 8:33). The things of man are many, and include our quest for glory and riches, not suffering and death. The anointed Christ sent to save must die, a point Peter doesn’t want to hear in Mark 8. However, to confess Christ demands confessing His crucifixion and death, as well as His resurrection. It’s the Church’s task to confess this about our Savior unapologetically.

Finally, we’ve all sinned in failing to make this known. We’ve hidden the light when afraid the truth would hurt. We’ve failed to seek heavenly things over the things of man. We’ve shirked away from taking a stand when we should’ve been bold. Lord, have mercy. Repent and hear again the Gospel of Christ, crucified and risen from the dead. These are the things of God: life and salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord. This we believe, this we confess. In Him, we live, and in Him, we find comfort for sins like Peter when we dropped the ball and failed to understand and speak. Thankfully, God is merciful and doesn’t leave us in our sin. He sent the Christ, the Son of the living God. It’s in the things of God we have salvation, and that’s what we are to confess, not the things of man.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

God, grant us faith to believe in Your Word and set our minds on the heavenly things above, not the earthly things below. Grants us the mouth to speak, courage to stand, and hearts filled with faith always receiving Your bountiful goodness through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-Rev. Ryan Ogrodowicz, associate pastor and headmaster at Grace Lutheran Church and School in Brenham, TX.

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

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

January 17, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Epiphany 2 - Psalm 36:5-9; antiphon: Song of Solomon 2:4

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 39:1-10, 17-29; Romans 7:21-8:17

“His banner over me was love” (Song of Solomon, 2:4)

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Banners make statements. Schools have them, as do churches, whose banners may boast passages from Holy Scripture. Parades are never shy of banners with pithy messages communicating the beliefs of a group. Banners are meant to make a point and be seen by others. You don’t hide them in a closet.

“His banner over me was love.” The complete manifestation of God’s love for the sinner is in Christ crucified and risen from the dead. For anyone looking for that “banner” of God’s love, look to Jesus, and there you will find it. And it’s more than a banner, for Jesus’ blood does something. Christ atones for the sins of the entire world. His sacrificial death is divine love to purchase sinners from everlasting condemnation and make them children of God. Faith trusts in this promise, and by faith, one is saved because it’s keeping faith that grabs Christ, and we live as He lives. This banner is a promise we shouldn’t hide but confess it before others, praying by the grace of God that people will hear and believe.

Another term in today’s reading is the word “refuge,” which occurs often in the Bible. It’s in the love of God manifested in Christ where we take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings. This raises the question, “from what do we take refuge?” We face storms of all sorts that wreak havoc on our lives. Unexpected suffering can flood us with pain. Neighbors aren’t always kind, and too often, their words and actions are like an archer’s arrows penetrating the flesh. The devil accuses us in ways meant to distract us from God’s love, accusing us of our sins to convince the soul we’re unworthy of God’s love and destined to Hell. Persecution for the faith also befalls saints throughout the world who still lose their lives for the sake of the Gospel they hold dear.

Christ is our refuge, a very present help in every trouble. He is our banner, our seal from God of His undying love towards us. This love is steadfast and immovable, for not even Hell’s gates overcome the Church. Far from being a love that allows sin is this love of God that covers it in Christ. Repentance and faith mean life with this Banner of love, Life in His Name that means ultimately eternal life with our Savior.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

“In suffering be Thy love my peace, In weakness be Thy love my pow’r; And when the storms of life shall cease, O Jesus, in that final hour, Be Thou my rod and staff and guide, And draw me safely to Thy Side!” (LSB 683)

-Rev. Ryan Ogrodowicz, associate pastor and headmaster at Grace Lutheran Church and School in Brenham, TX.

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

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.