June 26, 2026

Today's Reading: Acts 8:1-25

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 1:1-18; Acts 8:1-25

“Now when Simon [the magician] saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 8:18–19)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Simon the magician likes a spectacle. He profited from the deeds and signs he performed. The people called him “the power of God that is called Great.” It seemed, outwardly, he possessed great power. When the disciples came, preaching the Good News of Jesus, Simon the magician and many others believed and were baptized, having been amazed by signs and wonders. To magic Simon, this was power! Peter and John came to lay on hands, that the people might receive the Holy Spirit, and it was then that Simon came with money to purchase this power. Peter rebukes him harshly, warning of destruction for Simon if he does not repent. Simon believed he could buy the gifts of God with money. Simon then asks Peter to intercede with the Lord on his behalf. But the truth is clear: God and His gifts cannot be bought.

The sinful flesh and world seek power and will take it by whatever means necessary. We see this in the account of Simon the magician, but we see it in ourselves as well. We want power over others; we want control. Simon’s desire to literally buy power is the most obvious depiction of our inner desire to be God and use that authority our way.

Thanks be to God, His ways are not our ways! Instead of having to pay anything to receive God, He gives Himself freely to sinners who believe. We should repent when we seek to wield the love of God as a means to our own ends. God’s power cannot be bought. His love cannot be taken by force. It is only given, and this is Good News to you and me. Instead of withholding life and salvation or His own Spirit from sinners who misuse it, God, in His mercy, pours out Himself that sinners may be forgiven and the dead and dying may live. Jesus paid the price, in His death and resurrection, so we may be given life-saving grace, free of charge. Simon mistook the power of God as a tool for him to wield. He was wrong. The power of God is freely given to forgive sinners. It cannot be bought and does not need to be. It is yours, dear Christian, that you may have life in Christ now and always.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

What costly sacrifice to cover human sin! Who but Christ Jesus had the right to enter in? His blood, that sprinkled price, so we might be assured that our inheritance in light has been secured. (LSB 564:4)

Deac. Emma Heinz, registrar for Higher Things.

June 25, 2026

Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer - 6th Petition

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 31:10-31; John 21:1-25

And lead us not into temptation.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Prayer is chiefly for comfort. It is not a way to barter with God for what we want, like a cosmic vending machine. It is a Gift our Heavenly Father gives to us to be a balm in a hurting world. When we pray the words Jesus gave us, they are meant to remind us of God’s many promises. The words, “lead us not into temptation,” are not merely a request. They are a repeating back of God’s promise, but not because He’s forgotten you. God does not need a reminder, but you and I do. Praying the same words day after day is to remind you, dear Christian, that God has already promised and granted these things. He sees you, knows you, and hears you. So pray the Lord’s Prayer, not because it is the only way to get God’s attention, but because He gave us prayer that we might cling to the promises therein, as dear children go to their dear father for comfort.

The Sixth Petition is about our ongoing struggle with sin—sin we have inherited from Adam and Eve. The truth is, we cannot evade temptation because of our sinful nature. Apart from God, we are naked and vulnerable to the assaults of the devil, the world, and our own flesh. Without the Lord, we fail each and every time. So as God’s people, we flee to Him for protection. Luther’s explanation is clear: God tempts no one. But He doesn’t simply watch us blindly stumble in the dark, either. Instead, God gives us guard and protection: Christ Jesus. Jesus was tempted just as you and I are, but He did not falter. Having kept the law perfectly, He suffered, died, and rose from the dead to impart His perfection to you. In Baptism, you were washed clean and were given robes of righteousness. So when you are tempted, you lean on Jesus and His saving work. And when you fall into temptation, you may receive the forgiveness won for you and freely given to sinners. We pray that God leads us not into temptation but rather to the great victory that is ours in Christ, our Lord, because He has already promised to do so. And there is our comfort.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Transcendent Comfort in our every need, help us neither scorn nor death to heed that we may not falter nor courage fail us when the foe shall taunt and assail us. Lord, have mercy! (LSB 768:3)

Deac. Emma Heinz, registrar for Higher Things.

June 24, 2026

Today's Reading: Luke 1:57-80

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 30:1-9, 18-33; John 20:19-31

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people” (Luke 1:68)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Everything John the Baptist did pointed to the Messiah. His father, Zechariah, prophesied John “would go before the Lord, to prepare His way to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins.” John preached in the wilderness, calling the people to repentance. He prepared them for the Gospel. He directly pointed to Jesus as “the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” when Christ came to be baptized. John, even in his doubts, when he sent his disciples to Jesus, bore witness to Christ. Jesus tells John’s disciples to tell him, “the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them” (Matthew 11:5). John did not point perfectly, but he pointed to Jesus. And finally, in his martyrdom, John pointed to Christ as he preached the truth to unlistening ears. John the Baptist pointed to Christ - that's the job of a hypeman.

What’s worth hyping up that much, though? Zechariah’s words at his son’s birth say it clearly: God visited His people and redeemed them. The Second Person of the Trinity took on human flesh (even at John’s birth, Jesus was already in Mary's womb) and not only visited God’s people but dwelt among them. And while He dwelt among us as Immanuel, he suffered and died that He might purchase, or redeem, us with His precious blood. This was the promise God made first to Adam and Eve in the Garden and reminded His people over and over again. The Messiah is coming. God even added that one would come to prepare the way for the Messiah to clue in the people that their Redeemer was coming soon. John gave a Baptism of water only, prefiguring the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to come. He, as a faithful way pointer, directed the hurting towards their Redeemer and Lord.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

To Jordan came the Christ, our Lord, to do His Father’s pleasure; Baptized by John, the Father’s Word was given us to treasure. This heav’nly washing now shall be a cleansing from transgression and by His blood and agony release from death’s oppression. A new life now awaits us. (LSB 406:1)

Deac. Emma Heinz, registrar for Higher Things.

June 23, 2026

Today's Reading: 1 Timothy 1:12-17 or 1 Peter 5:6-11

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 27:1-24; Prov 28:1-29:27; John 20:1-18

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Timothy 1:15)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

St. Paul is not looking for sympathy. When he says he is foremost or chief of sinners, he is not self-deprecating. He is not looking for Timothy to say, “Oh, Paul, no, you aren’t that bad. There are worse people than you. Don’t talk about yourself that way.” By no means! St. Paul is not looking for sympathy. Paul is not telling Timothy he is the chief of sinners to boast in himself. In fact, Paul's claim that he is the chief of sinners says more about Jesus than it does about Paul. Paul is proclaiming the gospel. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners - even him, who persecuted Jesus and His church.

God sought to be reconciled with His fallen creation. He sent His only son, Jesus, to do the reconciling. Jesus Christ did not wait until sinners worked hard enough to save themselves. He did not wait until they proved themselves worth saving. God stepped in because we can’t save ourselves. And in this, St. Paul boasts and declares it trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.

This gospel is for you as much as it was for St. Paul or Timothy or anyone else. When your conscience is burdened by the knowledge of your sinful condition, take heart. Jesus came into the world to save sinners. When all seems lost and you have failed in your vocations, take heart. Jesus came into the world to save sinners. When death draws near, and you come face to face with your own frailty, take heart. Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He came into the world to save you.

Jesus took on our frail human flesh to redeem our inability to fulfill God’s commands. Jesus fulfilled the law of God perfectly, that we might be restored. He died and rose, that sinners might die and rise as well, in Holy Baptism. He came into the world to forgive you of your sins and to rescue you from the power of death and the devil. It is trustworthy and worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, to save you.

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)

Deac. Emma Heinz, registrar for Higher Things.

June 22, 2026

Today's Reading: Micah 7:18-20

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 25:1-22; Prov: 26:1-28; John 19:23-42

“He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:19)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Satan’s head is crushed by the bruised heel of Christ. That is where your iniquities lie - crushed into dust under the feet of a victorious God. Rotting in the belly of a great fish in the depths of the sea - that is where your sins are. The compassion of our God would put His Son in our place. We should be dead in the grave, punished for our sins. We should be dead in the belly of a fish. But we are not. Instead, Christ takes our iniquities and sins and rids us of them, taking them upon Himself. In His death, he destroys death, and in His rising from the dead, he brings you with Him. The wages of sin is death, but you have been brought into new life. Death cannot hold Christ, and it cannot hold you. God will again have compassion on us. He takes on what we cannot carry. He defeated sin, death, and the devil. He, the God of life and light, shines forth into the darkness of sin and death and cannot be overcome. Those things that seek to crush and drown us have come undone. In Holy Baptism, water, which would kill us, unites with God’s Word to make us alive. Old Adam is drowned and dies, and the New Man is dragged out of the water, leaving the wages of sin to sink to the depths of the sea.

God looks upon sinners with compassion and love. We deserve to be crushed under His feet and thrown into the sea because we are sinful by nature. But instead, our sin and iniquity, which we have never lived without (in sin did my mother conceive me), is now dust and sand, cast into the sea. God looks upon us in love. He looks upon us and sees His Son. He does not consider your sin or iniquity. He forgives you and renews you. He is steadfast and immovable. He has made you His own, and He will not forget you.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In a wat’ry grave are buried all our sins that Jesus carried: Christ, the Ark of Life, has ferried us across death's raging flood. (LSB 597:3)

Deac. Emma Heinz, registrar for Higher Things.

June 21, 2026

Today's Reading: Luke 15:1-10 or Luke 15:11-32

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 24:1-22; John 19:1-22

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

You would expect a father to be furious with his son. First, this son asks for his inheritance while his father is still living - implying that his father is better to him dead than alive. Then, he wastes all of his father’s possessions and has the audacity to come home to his father. It’s worth noting that the son wants to beg to be his father’s servant rather than demanding his place as a son, but it is still insulting. You would expect the father to be angry with his son. But this is a parable told by Christ Jesus, and so it should be no surprise that things go differently than expected.

Notice what has happened. “While he was still a long way off,” —the father kept an eye out for his son, waiting for him to return as if he knew the man would come back. The father looks for his son. We might think he’d be waiting to give his son a piece of his mind for trashing the good things he gave him. That’s what we expect. But when the father sees his son, he feels compassion for him, not anger. He looks upon this starving, hurting son with mercy and love. And then the father runs to him. He does not wait for the wayward son to reach the house but meets him with love, hence the hugging and kissing. That’s not the expectation. No self-respecting landowner would run, especially to a disgraceful son. But to the father, this is a joyous reunion and one of celebration. The father sends for fine clothes and a feast and for merriment because his dead son is alive again; he was lost and now is found.

Our Lord tells a parable full of unexpected actions to show how God is. God sees a sinful world full of sinners who take His good gifts and abuse them. He sees a world so broken it would kill His Son. But even while we were far off, not even seeking Him, He ran to us and sent for fine clothes, reinstating us as His children. You are made a son of the Father because He has compassion on you. You are clothed with righteousness won by Christ Jesus on the cross. In your Baptism, you were made His child. You were dead in your sins, and He has made you alive.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord God, heavenly Father, we all like sheep have gone astray and have allowed ourselves to be led from the right path by Satan and our sinful flesh. We implore You, graciously forgive us our sins for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Enliven our hearts by Your Holy Spirit, that we may abide in Your Word in true repentance and steadfast faith, and so continue in Your Church to the end and obtain eternal salvation; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Deac. Emma Heinz, registrar for Higher Things.

June 20, 2026

Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity 3 - Psalm 25:1-2a, 5b, 15, 20; antiphon: Psalm 25:16, 18

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:22-23:12; John 18:15-40

“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.” (Psalm 25:16, 18)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Loneliness hurts. Suffering hurts. Having troubles hurts. Knowing I’ve sinned hurts. Being sinned against hurts. There is a lot of hurt in this broken world. Life can often hurt.

It is such a gift, then, to realize that God gives us the psalms to pray, sing, and meditate upon. In today’s verses, we have the words we need to cry out to God. We get to admit that we are alone and bothered. We get to be honest about what is hurting us and causing us pain. We can share all that burdens us; we can call out when we feel troubled and are in need of forgiveness. We can say that we need help.

It is amazing to realize that just as God gives us these words to pray and use, He also promises to hear us when we talk to Him. In fact, He longs to hear our hurts and cares. He loves us and desires for us to bring all that we carry to Him. In fact, He would not have us carry our sins and our burdens at all. He gives them to His Son, our Savior Jesus. And Jesus willingly carries them all to the cross, where He pays for them with His life. He defeats all that is broken by defeating death. He pays the price for our sin and reconciles us to the Father. We died and rose with Jesus and are now mercied, loved, and forgiven. We pray with confidence and hope. We are not alone.

Every day, we live under the weight of sin. Luther’s Small Catechism teaches us that our Old Adam must DAILY be drowned and die; we continue to struggle with sin and sadness. And yet, the grace that we have from our loving and merciful Heavenly Father is new every morning. We remember our Baptism and cling to the promises that we have in Jesus. We have an attentive, loving, and compassionate God. He hears our prayers and fulfills His promises. We go to the Divine Service and our hope is renewed; we hear our sins forgiven, we hear of the promises and works of God, we eat Jesus’ Body and Blood. We are given good Gifts from our loving, Heavenly Father, who hears our prayers and promises to never leave us nor forsake us.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Sing praise to God, the highest good, The author of creation, The God of love who understood Our need for His salvation. With healing balm our souls He fills And ev’re faithful murmur stills: To God all praise and glory! (LSB 819:1)

Deac. Sarah Longmire, Curricula Curator for Higher Things and Director of Family Life at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lee's Summit, MO.

June 19, 2026

Today's Reading: John 18:1-14

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 22:1-21; John 18:1-14

“So Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?’” (John 18:11)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Whenever Peter is involved, I usually end up cringing, feeling embarrassed on his behalf, or trying to justify his choices (because I see myself in them). Here’s the thing. Peter always seems to try. He walks out of the boat and onto the water to Jesus…only to look down and start to panic. He declares that Jesus is the Christ…and then suggests that Jesus shouldn’t go to the cross. He’s so sure that he is going to boldly claim his connection to Jesus…only to deny Jesus three times (just like Jesus foretold). And here, in this moment in the garden, he ‘tries again.’ He cuts off the ear. Of a servant. Yikes, Peter.

And here is where I would love to try and justify Peter’s actions - all of them. ‘At least he’s trying.’ Or ‘he did his best.’ Or ‘he didn’t get things all the way wrong…all the time.’ Yeah, I don't believe these excuses either. And here’s the thing - the reality is, sinners trying…usually results in failure. We sure do try our best (well, some of the time), and yet nothing works out perfectly. Life is still usually messy. And hard. And awkward. And not quite right. Yeah, now we are starting to get it...

Look at the rest of the statement that Jesus says to Peter: Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me? Here’s the thing. God had a plan for salvation, and it doesn’t involve us trying. There is no ‘cooperation’ or ‘partnership.’ God’s plan. God’s work. For us.

When we ‘try,’ specifically in our salvation, we are always going to be wrong. In fact, the idea that we even could try is wrong. God’s Word clearly teaches us that we were dead in our trespasses - dead things can’t try. So, what does this mean? Are we just stuck being a bunch of awkward Peters - trying and (usually) failing?

Rest, dear redeemed one. Your salvation is perfectly complete in Jesus. God the Father poured out His wrath on Jesus, and Jesus took it. Jesus died. Jesus rose. Jesus lives. For you. There is no trying or needing to try as you look in faith to Jesus. You have been reconciled. It is a gift. It is yours in your Baptism. It is yours in Jesus’ Body and Blood. So now, you do get to try - but it’s for your neighbor and it isn’t to earn anything. Out of the love and mercy that you receive from God, through Jesus, you try, and you love those around you. It won’t be perfect on this side of glory, but it will be redeemed. Thanks be to God.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Be of good cheer, for God’s own Son Forgives all sins which you have done; And justified by Jesus’ blood, Your Baptism grants the highest good. (LSB 571:4)

Deac. Sarah Longmire, Curricula Curator for Higher Things and Director of Family Life at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lee's Summit, MO.