July 29, 2026

Today's Reading: Acts 24:1-23

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 14:47-15:9; Acts 24:1-23

“So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.” (Acts 24:16)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

There Paul stood, a prisoner before the Roman governor Felix. Jewish opponents stood spewing all kinds of false charges against Paul, all nasty things about his supposed guilt. The Roman governor was set to determine whether these charges were true or not. This was the situation Paul was to speak of the Christian faith! No safe audience there! Nonetheless, Paul was not afraid. He spoke boldly because he had the spirit of boldness. There were no real charges against Paul. The false charges could not stand. And his confession of the faith could not be dismissed by the governor.

In a way, you and I are like Paul. We stand on trial before God. And we have opponents who accuse us of all kinds of charges. The devil spews out his accusations against you for breaking God’s Law. The world accuses you for not joining in with them in their godless actions and ways. And your sinful nature accuses you for times where you were too weak to withstand your temptations. Whether they are true or not, these accusations are brought up before you to God so that you might be punished.

But do not be afraid. There is another who has stood trial under the accusations of the Law. No, not Paul, but Jesus. Yet when all number of evil charges were raised against Jesus, He did not open His mouth. He did not defend Himself, so that He might defend you. He took on your sins and punishments, that you might take on His innocence and honor. Just as boldly - or more likely, even more bold than Paul, Jesus stood His ground and spoke to a different Roman governor. Paul was spared, Jesus was sentenced. But Jesus was sentenced that Paul might be spared, and you too! Spared before God by simple trust that Jesus did this for you.

Paul also said that he took pains to have a clear conscience before God and man. Faith in Christ gives you a clear conscience before God. For it holds onto Christ’s righteousness that cleanses you of all your sins, as well as the sins done against you and the hurts you bear. Faith in Christ responds in good outward works, which gives you a clear conscience before men. For your conscience does not flare up when you show love to your neighbor. All of the Commandments are summed up by the word ‘love.’ So since Paul strove to have a clear conscience and this happens by faith in Christ and a God-pleasing life according to the Commandments, you also strive to have the same. For you are redeemed by God, and by your life you are invited to show it.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God grant us strength, a clear conscience, and boldness in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Rev. Robert Mayes, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church, Beemer and Wisner, NE.

July 28, 2026

Today's Reading: Acts 20:27-38 or Romans 8:12-17

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 13:1-18; Acts 23:12-35

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Were your ancestors slaves? Believe it or not, everyone should say yes. It doesn’t matter who your parents are, or your family lineage, or where your ancestors came from. All people, since the Fall into sin, were born as slaves of sin. Just as a child born to slaves on a plantation was also a slave, so a child born to sinners is also a slave to sin. And that means everyone except Jesus. You included.

A slave does the will of his master. In the case of sin, the slave continues to sin. Willfully, intentionally, or simply because he can’t help himself, the slave to sin feeds his sinful nature and sets his mind on the things of the flesh. That includes pornography, revenge, sinful pride instead of humble helping of others, rebellion against proper authorities, and self-righteousness. One cannot set his mind on doing such things and live before God. He is a slave, chained to his sin, and gladly serving it.

Jesus, however, came to set slaves of sin free. To do this, He first had to break the chains of sins. He had to live as the substitute in the place of sinners, and yet give up this perfect life to suffer the punishment for all sin. Christ Jesus has taken your place in death, which your sins deserved, and now is risen from the dead and proclaims you right with God. This is not because of how deserving you are, but simply out of God’s great mercy and love to redeem sinners, a mercy rooted in Jesus.

To set slaves free from sins, Jesus also sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings Christ’s righteousness to us and creates faith in the heart that receives this righteousness. From faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit also leads and compels believers to what the Lutheran Confessions call “the new obedience.” Yes, we are to do good works. The phrase “good works” is not inherently bad. We just realize that good works are the fruits of faith, not the cause of faith. The Holy Spirit given to us allows us to set our minds on the things of the Spirit, which includes all of faith and a godly life. Therefore, we are adopted by God as His dear children, whom we cry out to in our prayers. What slave to sin can do this? But you are not a slave to sin. Therefore, set your mind on the things of the Spirit.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Though He giveth or He taketh, God His children ne’er forsaketh; His the loving purpose solely To preserve them pure and holy. (LSB 725:4)

Rev. Robert Mayes, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church, Beemer and Wisner, NE.

July 27, 2026

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 23:16-29

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 12:1-25; Acts 22:30-23:11

“I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.” (Jeremiah 23:21)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Years ago, a man began attending my home church. He was enthusiastic, appreciated the Word that was preached, and it seemed like he was a potential new member. However, after the third time coming when the pastor was going to ask if he wanted to take adult instruction, the man jumped the gun. “Preacher, again, I really appreciate what you’ve said. But next Sunday, I want to preach. The Holy Spirit has given me a word to say, too.” The pastor informed the man that in the Lutheran church, only the called and ordained preacher was to preach. The man left annoyed, and never came back. So be it. The pastor did the right thing.

Just because someone thinks he should publicly proclaim a Word because of the Holy Spirit doesn’t make it true. Man’s feelings are not a reliable way to say whether the Holy Spirit wants him to publicly preach. What is needed is the training, the call of a congregation, certification, and ordination of a man. Otherwise, the man runs in the way of the false prophets of Jeremiah 23, who were not sent, yet went anyway, and who did not listen to the Word of God, yet spoke as if they had.

The early Lutherans warned that any man who publicly proclaimed God’s Word without being called to the Office of the Holy Ministry would soon fall into error. Such a man would soon lead people astray, even if he seemed faithful at first. For God only sends immediately and directly, like the apostles who were sent by Jesus (Matthew 28:16-20). Or God sends proclaimers mediately and indirectly, like He did for Timothy, Titus, and all pastors since. God calls these pastors through the Church as though through an instrument. And just because someone is called to be a parochial school teacher or a DCE does not give them any call to publicly preach and teach God’s Word. Those who do are also in danger, according to Jeremiah 23:21.

Now, certainly, some who are called and ordained men fall into false doctrine. But the problem is not that God didn’t call such men to preach. The problem is that they themselves set out to proclaim a different word. The true Word, however, is centered on the crucified and risen Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, true God made man, whose word and sacraments work, who saves all who trust in Him, and who guides our feet in the way of righteousness. Give to Your Church more faithful, called preachers, O Lord!

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Lord, bless the preaching of all called and ordained pastors, that these men may proclaim Your Word purely. Amen.

Rev. Robert Mayes, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church, Beemer and Wisner, NE.

July 26, 2026

Today's Reading: Matthew 7:15-23

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 10:1-27; Acts 22:17-29

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

A wolf that looks like a sheep is deceitful. He passes himself off as if he were just like everyone else in the flock. Yet beneath that woolly coat lies a predator. A wolf dressed like a sheep is expecting a big lunch. He can get in unnoticed and do great harm. But there is a way to detect a wolf even if it dresses like a sheep. Observant sheep can flee to their real Shepherd.

When Jesus says this, He is referring to false prophets. False prophets cling to what is false and reject what is true. God’s Word alone is truth (John 17:17), so false prophets teach an anti-Word against what Scripture says. They hammer these anti-Word words over and over against the truth and purity of Holy Scripture. And this is how wolves destroy the sheep. They call evil good and good evil. They justify wickedness and destroy those grieved in heart. Proclaiming Law as if you can do it and Gospel as a gift that’s yours if you try hard enough, false prophets cannot do anything but put sheep to death.

Since sheep cannot always tell a faithful preacher by how Christian of a man he looks, since even sheep’s clothing makes one look like a faithful sheep, the sheep need another way to recognize a true shepherd from a wolf. Fortunately, that way is given to you. Read Scripture. Grow in learning it. See how it proclaims Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. See how everything that is needed for your salvation is already done, taken away by a bloody Lamb dying on a cross. See how death itself has been defeated by a slain Lamb who came back to life. See how the Word of this Lamb’s gospel is proclaimed so that all who hear it and believe it will be saved. And learn from the Word of truth how sheep are to live, how we demonstrate that we are the people of the Lamb and not companions of wolves. Learn from the Word how our lives outwardly are to be modeled after the Ten Commandments, even while our souls are set free from the curse of the Law through faith in Christ. The more you learn the Word, the easier you can tell a faithful shepherd from a wolf dressed like a sheep.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Grant to us, Lord, the Spirit to think and do always such things as are right, that we, who cannot do anything that is good without You, may be enabled by You to live according to Your will; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Rev. Robert Mayes, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church, Beemer and Wisner, NE.

July 25, 2026

Today's Reading: Mark 10:35-45

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 9:1-27; Acts 21:37-22:16

“but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’” (Mark 10:40)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The sons of thunder don’t know what they’re asking for. “Let us sit, one at your right hand, and one at your left, in your glory.” I guess their nickname makes sense. It sounds like they want to be tag team champions of the world. They want the glory to be revealed in terms of power, not mercy. But the Son of Man is not glorified on a cross for sinners. To be at His right hand and His left in His glory is to be crucified with Him. That was an honor bestowed to thieves. It was prepared for them.

Sounds terrible, until you consider what it means. It was prepared for them to hear mercy right from the Lord’s mouth. It was prepared for them to hear a sermon at the right hand of God. Paradise was prepared for at least one of them, too. They deserved to die because of their sins, but God prepared it so that they would receive mercy, even if He had to die between them to give it.

The sons of thunder would have hard lives that looked like Christ’s. It was prepared, too. Eventually, they would drink from the cup of suffering. But it was prepared that Jesus die for them first. That way, they’re not alone in it. They were already brought through it. They were baptized, not just into Jesus’ pain, but His death, and so His resurrection. You were, too. Do you not know that in baptism, we are united with Him in His death? We will certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His, too. The sons of thunder went to death in boldness, not because they were the greatest tag team duo to grace the squared circle, but because they first received the gift of life. It was prepared for them. And it was prepared for you. You drank from it, too. In baptism, you die with Jesus. In baptism, you rise with Jesus. You might suffer more yet, but you are already raised with Him. Focus on the mercy, and know He’ll bring you through that, because He already died to accomplish it. It is prepared.

That shapes authority, too. Authority is a burden to the Christian. It’s not about power, but mercy. It’s not to be served but to serve. Authority is a gift. These are the places God prepared to serve you. The cross. Then even through your neighbor too.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O gracious God, Your servant and apostle James was the first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the name of Jesus Christ. Pour out upon the leaders of Your Church that spirit of self-denying service that they may forsake all false and passing allurements and follow Christ alone, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Rev. Harrison Goodman, Executive Director of Mission and Theology for Higher Things.

July 24, 2026

Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity 8 - Psalm 48:1, 3, 11, 14; antiphon: Psalm 48:9-10

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 8:1-22; Acts 21:15-36

“As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness.” (Psalm 48:10)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

“Praise” gets met with hesitancy too much in our little pocket of Lutheranism. Yesterday’s reflection was about the dangers of enthusiasm. There are places where an insistence on praise goes awry. Measuring praise as a feeling and insisting that the only right expression of faith is joy and gratitude is dangerous. There are Psalms of lament, too. Faithful Christians hurt, worry, and weep this side of glory. It isn’t a question of whether or not we should feel these things. It’s a question of whether or not there’s a place to take them. Bring them to Jesus. This is actually right praise.

Praise is not measured by how much you feel gratitude. Praise is an expression of judgment. God has done something good. Here’s the thing about praise, and why we hesitate too quickly when it comes to praise. You can’t praise God unless He’s first done something for you. To praise God is to first recognize what He has done. God only does that which is good. So everything God does is praiseworthy, even when you also need to lament something. Praise doesn’t mean everything around you feels good. Praise means God has worked good in everything around you.

And the only way this is possible to see is through the lens of the cross. Nothing looks praiseworthy there, but it’s the most praiseworthy act of all time. The cross is the reason God is always working good for us. He has redeemed you. He is not punishing you or casting you off. Even if you hurt now. He has promised to work all things for your good. So there is reason to praise Him even if we don’t feel it, and even if it needs to be joined to a psalm of lament.

As God’s name goes out into the ends of the earth, it brings praise, because His right hand, where Christ is seated, is filled with righteousness. He who is seated at the right hand of the Father makes you righteous by His death. He has died for all. So let His name and so His praise reach the ends of the earth.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host: Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. (LSB 805)

Rev. Harrison Goodman, Executive Director of Mission and Theology for Higher Things.

July 23, 2026

Today's Reading: Catechism: The Sacrament of Holy Baptism - 2

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 6:19-7:17; Acts 19:23-21:14; Acts 19:1-22

What benefits does Baptism give?

It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.

Which are these words and promises of God?

Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The devil wants you to think of your Baptism as a symbol, insisting that you place your faith in Jesus and not in water. It’s because the devil wants to make Jesus impossible to find when you need Him. A Jesus whom you trust to save you but can’t when you need Him to is pretty terrible. Because if you can’t find Jesus in the water, you have to find Him in your heart.

On your good days, that’s not so bad. When everyone sings the hymns, and you sing along and feel uplifted, strong, and steadfast, that’s great. On the bad days, it’s demonic, though. Because on the bad days, when you need Jesus the most, when you don’t feel uplifted or strong or steadfast, if you try to measure Jesus in your heart, He feels missing. When you look in your heart for Jesus, whenever you need Him the most, He feels the farthest away. It’s called enthusiasm, and I hate it. You should, too.

Instead of looking in your heart for Jesus, look in the font. Jesus saves. But it isn’t that Jesus saves so Baptism doesn’t. It’s that Jesus saves you through Baptism. The Bible says Jesus alone saves you. The Bible also says Baptism now saves you (1 Peter 3:21). Instead of insisting that God contradicts Himself and dismissing the sacrament, recognize HOW God saves you, and even why.

It’s not from your heart or measured in your heart. It’s for your heart. Now, when you wrestle with guilt and shame, when you feel low and far from God, you have the promise of something near. You were drowned in salvation. You exist today as the Scriptures say. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In Baptism we now put on Christ— Our shame is fully covered With all that He once sacrificed And freely for us suffered. For here the flood of His own blood Now makes us holy, right, and good Before our heav'nly Father. (LSB 596:4)

Rev. Harrison Goodman, Executive Director of Mission and Theology for Higher Things.

July 22, 2026

Today's Reading: John 20:1-2, 10-18

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 5:1-6:3, 10-16; Acts 18:1-11, 23-28

“They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’” (John 20:13)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Folks have spilled a lot of ink over Mary Magdalene’s chastity. Especially since the scriptures don’t ever name the prostitute who anoints the Lord’s feet with her tears. I think it’s on purpose. The blessed evangelists name and leave nameless according to the Spirit. It’s on purpose when someone is named. It’s on purpose when someone is not. I don’t believe the woman who anoints Jesus' feet is left nameless so that we can assume the worst in someone Jesus calls a saint. I believe it’s because if Jesus takes away your sin, your sin isn’t tied to your name anymore.

To be known by your sin is the opposite of Christianity. You are known by your Christ. He bled and died for you. They become His, and your sins are forgiven. You become His, and you are known by your name, washed clean even as you wear His in your Baptism. Your name is redeemed with the rest of you. Your name is sanctified with the rest of you. Jesus insists.

It is the same Jesus who pursues Mary. Throughout her sins, her confusion, her disbelief, and her despair. He greets her by name. Mary. And here, she sees who He is. He is the one who gives us clean names again. This is who she is. Mary. Chaste. Faithful. Pure. But most of all, met by a risen Lord. She is witness to the victory over death, the forgiveness, and all the hope that it brings. I don’t know if Mary was at one point a prostitute. I do know that her tears are wiped away in any case, and names tied to old sins are forgiven and penned in the book of life. Like yours.

You are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Your identity is tied to this, not your sin. Jesus insists. When He pens your name into the book of life, it is through this Baptism, this redemption. Your name doesn’t have an asterisk (*) by it, with all your sins listed out. Those are left at the cross. Jesus meets you in the resurrection and calls you by name. Rejoice with Mary.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, Your Son, Jesus Christ, restored Mary Magdalene to health and called her to be the first witness of His resurrection. Heal us from all our infirmities, and call us to know You in the power of Your Son's unending life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Rev. Harrison Goodman, Executive Director of Mission and Theology for Higher Things.