January 26, 2026

Today's Reading: Luke 10:1-9

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 2:1-3:10; Romans 15:1-13

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:2)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The Church needs workers. The Lord has ordered His kingdom in such a way that people bring His Word of peace to other people. This is one particular work, but there is a lot of work that goes into supporting this work, too. When Jesus sent out the seventy-two ambassadors to speak peace, He also appointed the sons of peace who received them to support their work by providing housing, food, and drink so that the ambassadors of peace could continue their proclamation.

The Church needs workers. Titus was one of those church workers, a laborer in the Lord’s harvest. We recognize Titus as a pastor and a confessor. St. Paul called him “my partner and fellow worker for your benefit” (2 Corinthians 8:23). St. Paul also describes his work in more detail in his letter to Titus: “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you” (Titus 1:5). The Church also needs administrators.

The Church needs workers. What work are you able to do? Can you preach? Can you teach? Can you comfort? Can you serve? Can you make music? The Church has many needs and a variety of professional offices, each with its own qualifications and requirements (your own pastor is an excellent resource for discovering these opportunities to work in the Church).

The Church needs workers. But the Church also needs sons and daughters of peace to receive these workers. The Church needs workers, and those workers need the Church to support them. Make sure your pastor and other professional Church workers get paid a decent salary, “for the laborer deserves his wages” (Luke 10:7b).

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few,” says Jesus. “Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” The Church needs workers, and both the Church and the workers need your prayers.

Whether you work or receive, support or pray, know that the Lord Jesus is the Lord of the harvest. He is the one who sends workers to the Church, so that the kingdom of God may come near you.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, You called Titus to the work of pastor and teacher. Make all shepherds of Your flock diligent in preaching Your holy Word so that the whole world may know the immeasurable riches of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

January 25, 2026

Today's Reading: Matthew 19:27-30

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 1:1-21; Romans 14:1-23

“But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Matthew 19:30)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Has anyone ever made such a complete 180-degree turn in life as St. Paul? Writing to Pastor Timothy, St. Paul confesses, “formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” of the Christian faith (1 Timothy 1:13). He lists “persecutor of the church” as one of his bonafide to prove his zeal in the flesh (Philippians 3:6). He presided over the murder of the first martyr, St. Stephen (Acts 7:58).

It took a miraculous appearance from the risen Lord Jesus Christ in His glory to convert Saul, to pick him up from the Damascus road, and turn him from the way of death to the way of life. Blinded by the light, Saul fasted and prayed until God sent him a minister to baptize him, absolve him, and feed him. No one converts themselves, after all.

St. Saul didn’t opt for a quiet life of faith. Following his conversion, the book of Acts says, “Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 9:22).

St. Saul (later known as St. Paul) was the first to preach Jesus in many places during his several missionary journeys. But he also bears another peculiar distinction that explains his new zeal for preaching—he was the last eyewitness of the resurrection. After rattling off some other witnesses, he tells the Church at Corinth, “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me” (1 Corinthians 15:8).

That’s the way things run in the kingdom of God. “Many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Although St. Matthew wrote these words of Jesus, St. Paul personified them. “For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:9-10a).

Your conversion may not have been as noteworthy as St. Paul’s; in fact, it may have just been a splash of water on your forehead with a few dozen people looking on. But God’s grace is never in vain, and by His grace you are what you are: a child of God and a fellow saint with St. Paul.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, You turned the heart of him who persecuted the Church and by his preaching caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world. Grant us ever to rejoice in the saving light of Your Gospel and, following the example of the apostle Paul, to spread it to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

January 24, 2026

Today's Reading: Matthew 24:42-47

Daily Lectionary: Joel 3:1-21; Romans 12:14-13:14

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?” (Matthew 24:45)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In the space of just a couple of verses, Jesus plays the part both of a midnight thief and a delayed master. This fits with the broader context of Matthew 24, where Jesus preaches concerning the end times. He jumps from the things that will happen in the next few years to the things that will happen upon His return on the Last Day. He switches His similes just as abruptly: Noah’s flood (Matthew 24:37–39); men in the field and women at the mill being taken away (Matthew 24:40–42); a thief who breaks in at an unannounced hour (Matthew 24:43–44); a master who returns after a long trip (Matthew 24:45–51).

No shortage of false teachings have come from people trying to parse these sayings of Jesus and assign specific and definite meanings to the figures in His speech. But it’s an impossible task. No one knows exactly what Jesus means here. But the point isn’t to figure Jesus out. “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36).

Whether it’s a delayed master, a sneaky thief, a disappearing mate, or Noah’s flood, the point is that you should never be unprepared for Jesus to return. “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44).

How do you prepare for Jesus to return? The last simile points you in the direction to look. “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?”

Since His departure, the Lord has ordered His household to prepare for His return. This includes appointing faithful servants to oversee the household and ensure everyone gets fed. In other words, Jesus has established the ministry of the Church.

On this day of remembrance for St. Timothy, we remember not just the man but his service. St. Timothy, along with St. Paul and all the ministers of the Church who have faithfully proclaimed the Holy Gospel and administered the Holy Supper, are the faithful servants of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:1) who have kept the food on the table, so to speak. Thanks be to God for his faithful servants and for His food.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, You have always given to Your Church on earth faithful shepherds such as Timothy to guide and feed Your flock. Make all pastors diligent to preach Your holy Word and administer Your means of grace, and grant Your people wisdom to follow in the way that leads to life eternal; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

January 23, 2026

Today's Reading: Introit for The Transfiguration of Our Lord - Psalm 84:1-2a, 4, 10-11; antiphon: Psalm 77:18b

Daily Lectionary: Joel 2:18-32; Romans 11:25-12:13

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!” (Psalm 84:1)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

When Peter saw the Lord Jesus transfigured on the mountain with Moses and Elijah standing beside him, he offered to build three tents (Mark 9:5). Perhaps this was a purely practical response, to provide some shelter for an extended visit. Perhaps, though, perceiving the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus and the appearance of the Law and the Prophets, Peter was transported back to the earliest days of the people of Israel, when the glory of the Lord dwelt in a tent, or the Tabernacle.

The Tabernacle was a lovely dwelling. God Himself had designed it and had chosen the artisans to build it. It was made with the finest materials and craftsmanship to reflect Him whom it housed. Further, its design was oriented around its purpose, not only as a dwelling place for God, but also as the place where God dwelt for the forgiveness of His people. The Tabernacle was the place of sacrifice.

King David (who did not appear at the Transfiguration) was not happy that God dwelt in a tent when he dwelt in a lovely house of cedar (2 Samuel 7:2). David wanted to build a permanent house for God, but God objected—He preferred to dwell in His tent. But God relented, and David’s son built the house David longed for. The Temple was a lovely dwelling place, perhaps even exceeding the luxury of the Tabernacle. But it, too, was lovely because it was a place of sacrifice and forgiveness.

In the course of history, this lovely Temple was destroyed, rebuilt, expanded, and destroyed again. One problem with a Temple built with hands is that it does not go with the people, as the Tabernacle had. A further problem is that the Lord of heaven and earth does not live in temples made by man (Acts 17:24). Neither the Temple nor the Tabernacle before it could contain the glory of God, nor could the tents Peter offered to build.

Instead, God has pitched His tent, so to speak, in human flesh. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” writes St. John (John 1:14). There, in the flesh of Jesus, all the fullness of the Deity dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9). It is a lovely dwelling place, not for gold or cedar or beautiful garments, but because Jesus is the place where God is present for the forgiveness of sins. The flesh of Jesus is the new Temple, the new Tabernacle, the dwelling place of the Lord of hosts. And how lovely it is!

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

To Your temple, Lord, I come, For it is my worship home. This earth has no better place, Here I see my Savior’s face. (LSB 981:1)

Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

January 22, 2026

Today's Reading: Catechism: Second Commandment

Daily Lectionary: Joel 2:1-17; Romans 11:1-24

“To confuse the devil, I say, we should always have this holy name in our mouth, so that the devil may not be able to injure us as he wishes.” (Large Catechism I 72)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Have you ever considered that the first person in the Bible to invoke the name of God was the devil? “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1). It’s not God’s peculiar name, the name He reveals to Moses from the burning bush, but the devil has God’s name in his mouth nonetheless.

But He uses God’s name not for prayer or praise or thanksgiving to the one who created him and the creation around him. He uses it to confuse the issue, to cause injury. Out of envy, he twists God’s Word ever so much and thereby profanes His name. Questioning God in such a way makes Him a liar and drags His name through the mud.

The proper response to the devil’s misuse of God’s name would be a proper use of God’s name. How is God’s name properly used? “We should…call upon it in every trouble…” (Small Catechism, Explanation to the Second Commandment). Eve and Adam were certainly in trouble at that moment. Rather than engage the devil in a debate built on a false invocation of God’s name, they should have immediately turned to prayer.

Furthermore, God’s name is used properly when it is used to apply right teaching (Large Catechism I 64). When the devil says, “Did God really say…?” the proper response according to the Second Commandment is, “Thus says the Lord.”

When you have the words of Holy Scripture in your mouth (for there is where you find what the Lord says), you have the holy name of God in your mouth. This confuses the devil because he is used to people simply taking him at his word. But his word does not support the truth. His word is not oriented towards the good. His word is not a living, active, creative word. His words are empty.

The devil wants to injure us with his word, and we still bear the wounds of his first injury in the sin that has been passed down to us. But God’s Word heals, and whoever calls upon His name will be saved.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds In a believer’s ear! It soothes our sorrows, heals our wounds, And drives away our fear. (LSB 524:1)

Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

January 21, 2026

Today's Reading: Ephesians 5:22-33 or Romans 12:6-16

Daily Lectionary: Joel 1:1-20; Romans 10:1-21

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Love does not exist apart from those who love and those things they love. Love is intentional; that is, it is always aimed at something. Love finds delight in that which is beloved and is drawn to it. Love is not simply an emotion; love motivates action.

It’s possible to do things that look loving, but with the wrong intentions. So St. Paul exhorts us, “Let love be genuine.” More literally, St. Paul writes that love should not be hypocritical. Typically, people think of hypocrites as people who believe the right things but do the wrong things. Think of the regular charges of hypocrisy that the secular world makes against Christians: “You believe in Jesus, but you don’t help the poor!” Hypocrite!

A hypokritos in Greek culture was a play-actor who covered his face to play his part. This means that a hypocrite is someone who makes a public display of something he is not. Someone who acts the part, but is something different under the mask. It’s the opposite of what the secular world calls hypocrisy.

The world is filled with hypocritical love. People do loving acts to hide their true selves. They do things that appear loving, but their intentions are misdirected. So St. Paul clarifies his exhortation: “Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” A hypocritical love behaves well but holds fast to evil and abhors what is good. Genuine love is oriented to that which is good.

St. Paul then lists some indicators of genuine love: brotherly affection, showing honor, fervor of spirit, service to the Lord, joy in hope, patience in tribulation, constant prayer, and, yes, contributing to the needs of the saints and hospitality (Romans 12:10-13).

St. Paul’s exhortation to genuine love, then, is not that you should do these things, but that you should be the kind of person who does these things. How can you be this kind of person? “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Romans 12:3). Genuine love begins with the grace of God and a generous measure of faith.

Genuine love does not mask cruel intentions, but under the mask of good works is the pure love of God alone.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O grant that nothing in my soul May dwell, but Thy pure love alone; Oh, may Thy love possess me whole, My joy, my treasure, and my crown! All coldness from my heart remove; My ev’ry act, word, thought be love. (LSB 683:2)

Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

January 20, 2026

Today's Reading: Exodus 33:12-23 or Amos 9:11-15

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 47:1-14, 21-23; Romans 9:19-33

“Moses said, ‘Please show me your glory.’” (Exodus 33:18)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Moses has a request for the Lord. “Please show me your glory.” It is an odd request, considering that Moses had already seen the Lord’s glory. In the burning bush, Moses saw the Lord’s glory. In the Exodus, the Lord’s glory went before them and behind them in fire and cloud. It enveloped the mountain. It descended on the tent of meeting when Moses spoke to the Lord as a friend. What more is there to see?

The Lord’s face. When Moses saw the burning bush, he had to hide his face for fear (Exodus 3:6). Now he grows bolder. “Please show me your glory.” “Please show me your face.” The Lord responds, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But, you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Exodus 33:19-20).

God’s holy face is a death sentence for sinful man. Even the great prophet Moses could not endure the judgment of that revelation. If the Lord were to emerge from the fire or the cloud, it would not be a gracious face shining upon you but a stern countenance darkened by anger.

Yet, the Lord will be gracious. He will show mercy. But not by stepping out of the fire or the cloud to show His face. Not at this moment. But as a promise of things to come, the Lord offers a glimpse. He hides Moses in the cleft of the rock and shows him His back. Even this compromise changes Moses, though. His own face begins to shine with the reflected radiance of God’s glory, with a brilliance such that he has to wear a veil.

At the end of Moses’ story, the book of Deuteronomy says, “And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10). This is an ironic summary of Moses’ ministry, considering how the Lord explicitly denied him the sight of His face.

But it’s not the end of the Moses story. Moses again makes an appearance. “And [Jesus] was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him” (Matthew 17:2-3).

The face of Jesus masks the darkened countenance of God and presents the gracious face of God. This gracious face of God also shines upon you in the ministry of the Church. Having put on a face of flesh and blood, the Lord says to you, “Look on my face and live.”

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. (Benediction, LSB p. 166)

Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

January 19, 2026

Today's Reading: John 2:1-11

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

“On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee” (John 2:1a)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

“On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee…” Starting John’s Gospel at 2:1 needs a little more context. Third day of what? We need to go back a chapter.

Three days before the wedding, Jesus called Philip and Nathanael. “The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’” (John 1:43). Wait, the next day after what? Back again.

Jesus calls more disciples (Andrew and Simon Peter), and John (the baptizing one) makes a declaration. “The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’” (John 1:35-36). Oh, another next day. Gotta read back further.

“The next day he (John—the baptizing one) saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Another next day!

“And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’” (John 1:19). If you go back any further than this, you don’t get a day, you just get the beginning. “In the beginning was the Word…” (John 1:1).

John begins his Gospel with a week. The first week in the Bible was a week of creation (Genesis 1:2-2:3). But that first week was ruined by the advent of sin in the world. Now the New Testament begins a new week of new creation, starting with the Baptism of the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.

The first week of the Bible ended with a wedding. God brought Eve to Adam and instituted holy matrimony. The New Testament also ends its first week with a wedding at Cana. The bride and groom of that wedding aren’t important; it’s the presence of Jesus that’s important. His first sign, the water into wine, creates faith in His disciples.

But the last day of this week is also introduced with an unmistakably Easter phrase: “on the third day…” You just want to finish with, “He rose again from the dead.” But that’s really the point. The resurrection of Jesus on the third day is a recapitulation of all creation and the beginning of the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Gather us together, we pray, from the ends of the earth to celebrate with all the faithful the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Amen. (Prayer of Thanksgiving, LSB p. 161)

Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.