April 20, 2026

Today's Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 33:1-23; Luke 7:1-17

“I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep.” (Ezekiel 34:15a)

In the Name of Jesus.

Shepherds. Israel’s history is full of them: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When Jacob moved his family to Egypt, they were segregated to Goshen because Hebrew shepherds were considered an abomination to the Egyptians (Genesis 46:34; cf. 43:32). Moses and David were shepherds (Exodus 3:1; 1 Sam 17:34-36). Joshua would shepherd Israel so that “the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd” (Numbers 27:17; cf. 1 Kings 22:17; Ezekiel 34:5). Additionally, the prophets, particularly Ezekiel, speak of Israel’s kings as shepherds. Most of these king-shepherds abused the flock. King Ahab was one of the worst in the Northern Kingdom, and Manasseh was one of the worst in the Southern Kingdom. The children of Israel were like sheep without a shepherd. These king-shepherds did not strengthen, heal, and bind up the weak and sick. Instead, they ruthlessly subjected them. Preyed on them. Exposed them to wild beasts.

Ezekiel correctly makes the case that Judah’s shepherds consumed their flock instead of feeding it. Instead of protecting, they slaughtered. Instead of gathering, they scattered. Consequently, the LORD takes His stand. He will “destroy” and “feed” the voracious-feeding-themselves “fat and strong” unfaithful shepherds “in justice.” They will get what they want as their punishment for their stubborn unbelief, corruption, and unrepentance. In addition, the LORD Himself promises to do what Israel’s predatory shepherds will not and cannot do. He will be Israel’s shepherd. “I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out … I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep.” He will rescue and gather the scattered. He will “feed them with good pasture” – even on the mountain heights. He will “seek the lost … bring back the strayed … bind up the injured, and … strengthen the weak.”

Connect the dots. Ezekiel 34 is to the Old Testament what John 10 and Luke 15:3-7 are to the New Testament. Jesus— Immanuel / God with us— is the Good Shepherd of Ezekiel’s prophecy! God the Father sends His only-begotten Son “to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). David was both “shepherd” and “prince” of Israel. As such, David prefigures Jesus, who is the greater salvational Shepherd-King! So, when Jesus identifies Himself as “the good shepherd,” He categorically proclaims Himself as the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. And in Good Friday sacrificial love for you, His sheep, He “lays down his life” (Jn 10:15) and then takes it up again on Easter Sunday (Jn 10:17-18) to win your salvation by His blood as the sacrificial lamb who “takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Good Shepherd Jesus, continue to shepherd and pasture us in Your kingdom as we live in and from our Baptism as You repent, faith, and lead us in Your Word. Amen.

April 19, 2026

Today's Reading: John 10:11-16

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:15-35; Luke 6:39-49

“I am the Good Shepherd.” (John 10:11a)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Sheep need a shepherd. Sheep depend on a shepherd who will lead, provide, and protect. Otherwise, sheep wander, get lost, and in their lostness can be easy prey for the wolves.

Isaiah says: “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way,” (53:6). It is as if we were in a race to see who could rebel and sprint from God the fastest! Green pastures? Still waters? Soul restoration? Righteous paths? Guiding presence in the very deep shadow of death? Comforting rod and staff? A banquet table? A divine home? No thanks! We will go it alone! We will be independent and self-sustaining. We will follow every false path. We will chase down every poisoned weed and lap up every polluted puddle.

And to top it off, we will put ourselves under a hired hand, who doesn’t give a farthing about us. He will let us do anything that floats our boats. And we won’t even notice the hireling as he hightails it as the wolf creeps, snarls, and attacks. This scenario of sheep insisting on their own waywardness will not end well. It will end hellishly! Damnationally!

So it is time to repent. Turn from such sinful straying. Turn from going our own independent way. And then be turned to THE GOOD SHEPHERD – the Lord Jesus Christ in faith who does what it takes to salvationally find and rescue us, His wandering sheep, so that we will be totally dependent on Him. Why? Because “the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep … I lay down my life for the sheep.” He is preaching His Good-Friday-on-the-cross death. This is the only death that atones for all sin, including yours.

Here is the bottom line. Your salvation as a sheep all boils down to dependency. Or to put it quite bluntly: you cannot save yourself, no matter how hard you try. You need THE GOOD SHEPHERD, Jesus, the Bishop of our souls (1 Peter 3:25), who laid down His life into death – His Good Friday death on the cross FOR YOU. Dependent on Good Shepherd Jesus, we listen to His voice that categorically proclaims: “I died and rose FOR YOU. At My Table, I give you My Body and Blood, and I promise all your sin is forgiven. You’re in my flock. I’ve got you.” To which faith-full sheep say: “Amen. Thank you. Thank you, Jesus!”

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who call us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

April 18, 2026

Today's Reading: Introit for Easter 3 - Psalm 33:1, 18-20; antiphon: Psalm 33:5b, 6a

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:1-14; Luke 6:20-38

“Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,” (Psalm 33:18)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! Alleluia! “Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”

The Lord looks down from heaven. He has visited His people, and He has seen your struggles, and heard your cries. He is not a God who watches, but a God who steps in and cares for His creation. Our prayer is that God would continue to bring His enemies to nothing.

The Psalmist’s petitions are heard and answered by God, and our prayers are heard and answered also. In the beginning God spoke, and it came to be. God came down from heaven and visited His people. God is not absent from creation. He hears you, and His eyes are upon you. You are one whom God the Father created in His image. One whom God the Son, Jesus, died and redeemed by His blood. You are a new creation of water and the Spirit in your Baptism.

We endure the days and times of this life because God has conquered His enemies, and our enemies we have only for a time. We wait for the Lord. We call upon His Name, which He has revealed to us. He is our help and our shield. Let your heart be glad in Him. You can trust in His holy Name. “​​Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Christ, who shared our mortal life And ended death’s long reign, Who healed the sick and raised the dead And bore our grief and pain: We know our years on earth are few, That death is always near. Come now to us, O Lord of Life; Bring hope that conquers fear! (LSB 552:1)

April 17, 2026

Today's Reading: Luke 6:1-19

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 31:1-18; Luke 6:1-19

“And Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?’” (Luke 6:9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus takes them to task. The scribes and the Pharisees throw the Law in His face; they try to catch the One whom the very words concern that they might accuse Him. When you try to trap God with the Law, you will only leave withered and defeated.

The scribes and Pharisees leave angered. The man with a withered hand leaves restored.

Jesus restores the fallen creation. This being revealed in the withered man’s hand. Jesus isn’t a savior of symbolic brokenness or object lessons. He’s the savior of sinners, who cannot save themselves. Jesus confronts the Pharisees with the law, challenging them to face the reality that they cannot save themselves according to it. They hardened themselves against Him and sought to find a way to deal with Jesus even more.

The man with a withered hand comes as he is. No way to hide his suffering. He goes to where God’s word is read, and where the One who is the fulfillment of that word happens to be.

Go to where God has promised to be. In His Word preached, for you. Church is where we who are broken by the Law come before God, not seeking to trap Him to our demands or convince Him we’ve done our best. It is where we lay ourselves bare and say, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

Through absolutions proclaimed, sermons preached, water poured, and bread and wine distributed, the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given for you. The God of sinners restores them, heals them, binds them to Himself in His Son Jesus, and the means He initiated to call, gather, and enlighten you to saving faith, and keep you in the one true faith until He comes again.

No tricks or traps with Jesus. He heals your diseases, binds your wounds, and forgives your sins. Thanks be to God, He has died, He has risen, and will come again.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

“You shall observe the worship day That peace may fill your home, and pray, And put aside the work you do, So that God may work in you.” Have mercy, Lord! (LSB 581:4)

April 16, 2026

Today's Reading: Catechism: Creed First Article

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 25:1-22; Exodus 25:23-30:38; Luke 5:17-39

“All this He does only out of fatherly divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.” (Luther’s Explanation of the First Article of the Apostles Creed)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God does all of it. ALL OF IT. Only out of fatherly divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.

Stop trying to take the workload from Him. He’s got the whole world in His hands. He gives daily bread to everyone, yes, even to all evil people. He sent His Son to be God and man that we would be like God. There’s nothing you could give to God, or complete for God, that would even compare.

The problem is that we give half-heartedly, and our merit is worthless. Our mercy is half-hearted and short-term, and goodness is brief.

God gives all that we need to support this body and life. All of it. God is the giver, and the doer, and the fulfiller because he knows that we cannot give, and do, what He desires. God is the merciful Father who makes up for our fathers' failings, and our own. We don’t deserve Him, and He doesn’t deserve us.

Yet He sends His Son to die for us poor, miserable sinners, without any merit or worthiness in me.

Thanks be to God that He does all of it. ALL OF IT. His Fatherly divine goodness and mercy is revealed in His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. He is my heavenly Father, and I am His dear child. Remember this, dear baptized child of God. You are His, and He will not leave you, nor forsake you. He has done everything for your good that you would know you have a merciful God, a Father in heaven, a Son who saved you, and the Spirit who comforts you.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

We all believe in one true God, Who created earth and heaven, The Father, who to us in love Has the right of children given. He in soul and body feeds us; All we need His hand provides us; Through all snares and perils leads us, Watching that no harm betide us. He cares for us by day and night; All things are governed by His might. (LSB 954:1)

April 15, 2026

Today's Reading: Exodus 24:1-18

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 24:1-18; Luke 5:1-16

“And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, ‘Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.’” (Exodus 24:8)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Why talk about the blood of the covenant during Easter? That’s how the people of Israel could approach God. They were sinners, and God is holy. God cannot dwell where unholy sin is. So He instructed Moses to cover them in the blood of the covenant that their sins would be covered. And all God’s people said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” Amen.

The sacrifice must not have taken. Those sinners did not do all that the Lord has spoken, and they were not obedient. Neither have we. We deal with the same rebellious streak that the people of Israel did. God is still holy, and we are still sinners. God cannot dwell where unholy sin is.

So God provides the sacrifice, His Son, His only Son, whom He loved, Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus takes the sins of our sinful, rebellious idolatry, becomes that sinful rebellious idolatry, and covers them in His blood of the New covenant poured out on the cross as the once and final sacrifice. The people of Israel received the blood, heard the words and promises of God, and, while imperfectly trusting in them, God is merciful. He forgives, He gives life, and He saves them from themselves, their enemies, death, all of it. God does it all by the blood, and proclaims in the life-giving promise of the One who would shed His blood for the sins of the whole world.

The Blood of Jesus satisfies the Law's demands, and God’s wrath dies with Jesus the crucified. Where all sin dies. God raises His Son from the dead, bearing the marks of His once for all sacrifice that all would believe and be made sons and daughters of the King who took His throne of the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven to His Father’s right hand. That His blood would be on us and all the people, and that by it we would have life in the One who died.

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Sin, disturb my soul no longer: I am baptized into Christ! I have comfort even stronger: Jesus’ cleansing sacrifice. Should a guilty conscience seize me Since my Baptism did release me In a dear forgiving flood, Sprinkling me with Jesus’ blood? (LSB 594:2)

April 14, 2026

Today's Reading: 1 John 5:4-10

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 23:14-33; Luke 4:31-44

“For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.” (1 John 5:7-8)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

What testimony is this that John writes? What testimony are the three, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, in agreement? This is not concerning manifesting faith within us, or that we accept the Lord Jesus into our hearts.

Rather it is this, “The holy Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul write: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.” In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

The Spirit points to the One who died, whose side poured out water and blood that brings life for all who receive them. You receive this life-giving testimony in your Baptism and are given a new identity through the washing of the water and the Word. In Baptism, you receive the Holy Spirit, who brings you who were dead to faith in the testimony concerning your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Through water and the Spirit, you are given new life and a Savior who is with you through all weakness, pain, and even death. There with you, leading you from this life, through death, to eternity.

He gives you His Body and Blood, which is given to you through His Word, and bread and wine. To strengthen and keep you all the days of your life. That’s what these three are for. Because it is not by your reason or strength that you are saved, that you have faith, or that you endure. Rather, it is by these three that unite you to the One who endured and has overcome death and the grave, and so shall you. These three testify, and these three agree. By them, you are united with your Lord Jesus now, and just as He died and rose again, so will you. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Water, blood, and Spirit crying, By their witness testifying To the One whose death-defying Life has come, with life for all. (LSB 597:1)

April 13, 2026

Today's Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 22:20-23:13; Luke 4:16-30

“Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:4)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

We cannot imagine the horror Ezekiel felt in the valley of dry bones. God dropped Ezekiel there in that valley of despair, well past being clean among all that death. Ezekiel followed God, listened, and proclaimed the Word of God to those dry bones.

Jesus still does this today.

He takes a son of man and drops him where the church has called him to serve. Some in the valley, some on a mountain or hilltop, some in the city, suburbs, or country. Different scenery, yet as the son of man is led around, he notices all the dead, dry bones. In fact, he feels this dryness in his own bones as he dwells among them.

This son of man, horrified at the death within him and with the death witnessed around him, is led by God to care for and serve those who are at that place. These sons of men are God’s pastors and preachers, just like Ezekiel, and they listen and proclaim the Word of God to those dry bones.

“The Lord says…so I prophesied as I was commanded.” The preachers see bone to its bone, and flesh and skin come upon them. Word preached, water poured, Body and Blood given under bread and wine. Breath prophesied, and the breath came into them, and they lived.

The son of man God sent into that valley of dry bones does this work week in and week out, that God would raise these dry bones and strengthen them to stand and live according to the Word of their God, who gives them breath and life. This is the life of the church. This is your life, how God kills and makes alive. God preaches through His man called to you, and through that proclamation, through the Gospel joined to simple means, you have life and salvation. “And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Alleluia, alleluia! Oh, to breathe the Spirit’s grace! Alleluia, alleluia! Oh, to see the Father’s face!
Alleluia, alleluia! Oh, to feel the Son’s embrace! (LSB 491:4)