Today’s readings: Isaiah 65:17-25; 2 Timothy 3:1-17; Luke 12:13-31 Jesus Christ said, “Do not be anxious about your life.” Martin Luther said, “Pray and let God worry.” The French writer Victor Hugo said, “Go to sleep in peace. God is awake!” Yet it does not seem to matter who tells us not to worry; we do

Today’s readings: Isaiah 65:1-12; 2 Timothy 2:14-26; Luke 11:53–12:12 My mother would make yeast rolls, especially during the holidays. The aroma of them baking filled the whole house with deliciousness. From time to time, the rolls would not rise as they were supposed to, and my mother would throw that batch out and start over. The

Today’s readings: Isaiah 63:15–64:9; 2 Timothy 1:15–2:13; Luke 11:37-52 What can we be sure of? Of what can we be certain? “Death and taxes,” says the old adage. But maybe the adage is too old. And maybe the people who think that way — seven-year-olds — are too old as well. That’s when they start believing

Today’s readings: Isaiah 63:7-14; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 11:24-36 The seminarian knelt upon the chancel steps, anticipating the moment ahead. A life spent studying the Holy Scriptures, a life filled with encouragement from family and teachers, suddenly reaches the moment of ordination. Through the laying on of hands, the Holy Spirit equips, empowers, and calls this

Today’s readings: Isaiah 11:1-9; 1 Corinthians 2:1-13; John 14:21-29 In 1 Corinthians 2, we hear the words of Paul, who after a personal encounter with our risen Savior, became the most productive communicator of the Gospel message. Paul writes that he came to the Corinthians “in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.” Paul had been

Today’s readings: Ezekiel 43:1-12; Hebrews 9:1-14; Luke 11:14-23 The Lutheran Church, like many others, is one of tradition. If you doubt this, ask a member of any congregation why it is they do something in a particular way. You will likely be met with the response, “This is how we have always done it.” Suggest making

Today’s readings: Ezekiel 34:17-31; Hebrews 8:1-13; Luke 10:38-42 Have you ever been to a party where the host was so busy with all the little details that you left the party thinking, “That was a lovely party, but I wish I could have spent more time with the host!” I imagine Jesus feeling the same way

Today’s readings: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-32; Hebrews 7:18-28; Luke 10:25-37 In the telling of the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus asks, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” Just three? I count four men in this story who had the opportunity to care