May 12, 2026

Today's Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-6 or James 1:22-27

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 9:1-23; Luke 16:1-18

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In Genesis 18, Abraham made intercession to Yahweh. He petitioned God for the sake of the righteous (that is, believing in Yahweh’s promises) people in Sodom. Abraham pleaded God down from fifty to ten. Only Abraham and his family, Lot and his family (well, minus his salty-pillared wife) made it out of Sodom before its destruction. Another mediator was needed.

In Exodus and Leviticus, Yahweh instructed Moses and Aaron to consecrate a priesthood and construct the tabernacle. The priests and the place they served in were to be a place of intercession, redemption, atonement, and mediation. Sins were confessed. Sacrifices were slain. Blood was poured out. Day after day. Holy feast after holy feast. Year after year. These servants and the sacrifices were good. They did what God gave them to do. But the priests were far from perfect. And the sacrificial system was one of wash, rinse, and repeat. Another mediator was needed.

In Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, Moses pleaded and interceded on behalf of Israel numerous times when they failed, faltered, and were faithless in the wilderness. But so did Moses. He failed, faltered, and was faithless, too. He fell into the same infidelities of faith that Israel did. Moses, like so many of his generation, died in the wilderness before crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land. Once again, another mediator was needed.

So, in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son. Jesus is the One Mediator who redeems them all. Abraham, Aaron, and Moses were all small “m” mediators, each pointing the way to and paving the way for the capital “M” Mediator, Jesus. God’s final mediator is God himself. Jesus is the best of both worlds. True God. True Man. Bearing Adam’s humanity, yet without Adam’s sin. Jesus is the go-between, reconciling us to God the Father. Jesus is our mediator bearing mercy and steadfast love. Jesus is our redeemer who pays our ransom with his holy, precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. And Jesus did this for Abraham, Aaron, Moses, and for you.

In Jesus, you have the One Mediator who is perfect, eternal, everlasting, never-ending, always present, ever-gracious, and abounding in steadfast love for you.

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Since Christ has full atonement made And brought to us salvation, Each Christian therefore may be glad And build on this foundation. Your grace alone, dear Lord, I plead, Your death is now my life indeed, for You have paid my ransom. (LSB 555:6)

Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.

May 11, 2026

Today's Reading: Numbers 21:4-9

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 8:5-26; Luke 15:11-32

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.’ So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.” (Numbers 21:8-9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Snakes usually have a bad reputation. And for good reason. The Slytherin house in Harry Potter is famous for dark wizards. Medusa, with her serpentine hairstyle and stone-cold stare, isn’t exactly the woman that little girls long to be when they grow up.

It’s no different in the true story of the Scriptures. There’s the serpent, the ancient dragon, Satan, back in Genesis, who tempted Adam and Eve with his craftiness, cunning, and calumny. The Lord tells Jeremiah to preach to Israel, but warns that he’s sending him among serpents that cannot be tamed. Jesus admonishes the Pharisees that in their hissing fits of self-righteousness, they’re a brood of vipers.

And just like it did with our first parents, Adam and Eve, Satan’s lies, along with sin’s poison, came creeping and crawling, slithering and sliding, into the hearts and out of the mouths of Israel in the wilderness. “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”

So what did God do? Tell them to pound sand right back into slavery? No. He did what he does throughout Scripture. He brought punishment, yes, but also promise. Warning, but also a way of rescue. Judgment, but also a sign of justification. Those fiery serpents were instruments of God’s work of repentance and restoration.

And then, the Lord took the serpent, a sign of temptation, evil, sin, and death, and turned it into a sign of salvation, goodness, righteousness, and life. Moses made a bronze serpent. Set it on a pole for all to see. And anyone who looked at it lived.

This isn’t the last time God takes a sign of sin, suffering, and death and turns it into a sign of salvation, reconciliation, and life. Only this time, it wasn’t in the wilderness, but on a hilltop outside Jerusalem. And it wasn’t a pole, but a wooden cross. And it wasn’t a bronze serpent, but the Lord himself in the flesh. Jesus died for you. Defeated the Serpent at his own game. For just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Your cross I place before me; It’s saving power restore me, Sustain me in the test. It will, when life is ending, Be guiding and attending My way to Your eternal rest. (LSB 453:7)

Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.

May 10, 2026

Today's Reading:John 16:23-30 (31-33)

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 3:1-16, 39-48; Numbers 4:1-8:4; Luke 14:25-15:10

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. ‘So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.’” (Numbers 6:22-27)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

There was an unwritten code in my college dorm room kitchen. If you didn’t want someone absconding with your leftover microwave pizza or swiping those tasty homemade cookies mom sent you, you had better put your name on it. The name was a signal to my roommates. “This is mine. This belongs to me. This is something important and precious to me. Step away from the pizza!”

Something similar, though in a far greater and gracious way, is happening when the Lord instructs Moses to declare to Aaron and his sons His words of blessing. We call it the Aaronic Benediction because it was given by God to Moses. And from Moses to Aaron. And from Aaron to his sons, the priests of Israel. And from the priests to the people of Israel.

This benediction is more than a greeting, like sending someone a “get well” card or shooting off a quick text to your friend when they’re sick: “Feel better, bro!”

No. This is far better. For what the Lord says, he gives. What he promises, he delivers. When he tells Moses and Aaron to speak these words, his people are blessed as they hear them. The Lord’s words bring His blessing, grace, and peace even while they're being spoken. You see, when our Lord wants to preserve, protect, and bring his promise to someone or something, He puts his name on it.

The words and promises of this benediction are the Lord’s way of sending a signal to Moses, Aaron, to all Israel, and to you. Our Lord poured his liquid benediction over you on the day of your Baptism. By water, word, and the Spirit, God placed his Holy Triune name upon you. And now, whenever you hear these words of benediction, the Lord says to you what he said to Israel: “You are mine. You belong to me. You are important and precious and beloved in my sight. You are holy. And you have my word and my name to back it up.” “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

I the Lord will bless you and keep you And give you peace; I the Lord will smile upon you And give you peace: I the Lord will be your Father, Savior, Comforter, and Brother. Go, My children; I will keep you And give you peace. (LSB 922:4)

Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.

May 9, 2026

Today's Reading: Introit for Easter 6 - Psalm 66:1-2a, 17, 19-20; antiphon: Isaiah 48:20b

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:21-33, 39-44; Numbers 1:1-2:34; Luke 14:1-24

“Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!” (Psalm 66:20)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Amen. Our God is a God who wants to hear our prayers. The psalmist confesses his iniquity and knows that his heart has turned from God. Even in the darkest times, God has heard his cries for help and pleas for mercy. It is not God that is far off; rather, it is man who has abandoned God in his sin. He has turned his back on God and sought after the desires of his sinful heart.

In this world, the attacks from sin, satan, and the world are relentless. The temptation to follow our own desires of the flesh is always before us. Satan does not take a day off or the world a vacation when it comes to pulling us away from the one true God. In sin we seek after the lusts of the flesh. In sin, we want to work out our problems on our own. We rationalize God to be far off and out of touch with the realities that confront us. We meditate on our own wishes and reason our own solutions to the struggles that confront us.

God has not abandoned us. He has not forsaken us. Our God is a God of mercy and compassion. He is a God who desires our prayers. He wants nothing more than for us to lift our prayers and petitions to Him. He hears our prayers. As the Psalmist writes, “...He has not rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me.” In humility and humbleness, we petition our Father that His will may be done through us. He shapes and forms us as the potter shapes the clay. We are His vessels to serve in the vocations that He has equipped us for from before the foundations of the world.

As we journey towards the end of the Easter season, we are comforted by the words of the Psalmist in knowing that our Father in Heaven always hears our prayers. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are pointed back to our Baptism where we are marked with His word and water. We are drawn to the Communion rail where He feeds us with His healing balm of His Body and Blood. In His Holy Word, the Savior is revealed, and the message of forgiveness is placed upon our ears. In faith, we lift up our prayers to an ever-loving God who does not reject our prayers.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

To God the Holy Spirit let us pray For the true faith needed on our way That He may defend us when life is ending And from exile home we are wending. Lord have mercy (LSB 768:1)

Rev. Timothy Davis, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.

May 8, 2026

Today's Reading: Luke 13:29-30

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 26:1-20; Luke 13:18-35

“...And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”(Luke 13:29-30)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Amen. Jesus teaches His hearers that in Him salvation is for the world. The mindset of the first-century Jew was that salvation was on account of their lineage. The appeal of the church leadership was to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for their assurance that God would save them. The idea that salvation would be for the Gentile was folly to the Jew. The teaching that the message of salvation was for the world was foreign to the Pharisees and the church leadership. The Messiah was for the Jews to free them from a tyrannical and oppressive foreign government.

Jesus flips the narrative that was being taught upside down. A teaching that the first would be last and the last first did not agree with the current leadership. Jesus was chastised for the people He called as His disciples. The individuals who benefited from His miracles were from all walks of life. He sat with sinners and tax collectors. He proclaimed comfort and hope to the destitute. He healed the blind, the deaf, and the mute. The outcast, the beggar, the half-breed Samaritans, He healed and restored them. His message was contrary to the message that the Pharisees had been teaching. He brought a message of forgiveness and mercy.

Our world today advocates for self-reliance. We are to seek out our own desires and fulfill those desires regardless of whether they are contrary to the Scriptures. The message of the Scripture is still contrary to what the world would have us believe. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is offensive to the world. The world says to rely on yourself, fulfill your wants, and serve yourself. Christ’s message is a message of repentance and forgiveness. The Savior has come into this world and paid the price for your sins. He has fulfilled the law on your behalf. You are set free to live in your Baptism. He did not look at your last name or who your parents are. He did not look at your history or where you are from ethnically. God has called you out of His unfathomable love for you.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Today Your mercy calls us To wash away our sin However great our trespass, Whatever we have been However long from mercy Our hearts have turned away, Your precious blood can wash us And make us clean today. (LSB 915:1

Rev. Timothy Davis, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.

May 7, 2026

Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 24:1-23; Leviticus 25:1-55; Luke 12:54-13:17

The Second Petition. Thy Kingdom come. What does this mean? The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.

How does God’s kingdom come? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Amen. As Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, they are reminded that the kingdom of God is not merely a location here on earth or some existential place that is beyond our understanding. The kingdom of God is present in Christ. John the Baptist proclaimed, “The kingdom of God is at hand,” when Christ was at the Jordan River. In Christ is also the reign of God. We say that in Christ is the “kingdoming” of God. He is the rule and reign of all things.

As we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come,” we are reminded that the rule and reign of Christ is taking place right now. His reign is not something we are waiting to take place. Luther defines that the Kingdom of God comes through the Holy Spirit, when, by His grace, we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here and in eternity. In the life of the church and her people, there is the kingdom of God. When we receive the true Body and Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ in the Holy Sacrament, His kingdom is at hand. Christ comes to us for the strengthening of faith and the forgiveness of sins.

As the Holy Spirit lives and dwells within us, we are sent out into the world to lead holy lives reflective of our Baptism.

The world would like us to believe that the only kingdom is the kingdom here on earth. Our culture insists that there is nothing beyond this world and that there is nothing other than this world. We are encouraged to live lives that feed our flesh and our desires. The world, sin, and satan say that we are in charge of our own destiny.

Scriptures teach otherwise. Scriptures point us through the lies of the world and point us to Christ and His kingdom. Scriptures point us to the work of Christ, and in those works is His “kingdoming.” He has fulfilled the law on our behalf. He has paid the price for our sins. He has conquered death. He reigns now and for all eternity. In His reigning we pray, “Thy Kingdom Come.”

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

May Christ our intercessor be And through His blood and merit Read from His book that we are free With all who life inherit. Then we shall see Him face to face, With all His saints in that blest place Which He has purchased for us. (LSB 508:6)

Rev. Timothy Davis, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.

May 6, 2026

Today's Reading: Luke 12:35-53

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:23-44; Luke 12:35-53

“‘Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.” (Luke 12:35-36)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Amen. Jesus’ words for the disciples were a little concerning for them. They wanted to know if these words were for them or for all the people. The “managers” are in the crosshairs of Christ’s admonishment. The ones entrusted with the work of overseeing the administration of the gifts that have been given to them. The local church had abused its power by burdening the consciences of the people. The leadership continually advocated a law of salvation for the people. God’s forgiveness was contingent upon the obedience to the laws made by man. The church had grown into apostasy.

The leadership failed to see themselves as servants, but rather as those who were in control and “calling the shots.” The life they advocated was not about God’s unfailing mercy and forgiveness but rather about obedience to their laws. Christ saw their hardened hearts. Christ came as the suffering servant who dies on the cross and conquers death. His ministry is a ministry of servitude for His people. In His service, His people are made ready for the Master’s return.

He prepares His people through the Gift of Holy Baptism. In your Baptism, you are made ready for His glorious return. Christ reminds His hearers that they know neither the day nor the hour when the master will return. He merely encourages them to be ready. You are ready in your Baptism. In your Baptism, you received the name of Jesus. In your Baptism, you received the sign of the cross both upon your forehead and upon your heart to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified. You are baptized into His death, and you are baptized in His resurrection. You are dressed for the return of Christ as His robe of righteousness has been placed over you. You are ready for His return.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The gifts flow from the font Where He calls us His own; New life He gives that makes Us His and His alone. Here He forgives our sins With water and His Word; The triune God Himself Gives pow’r to call Him Lord. (LSB 602:2)

Rev. Timothy Davis, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.

May 5, 2026

Today's Reading: James 1:16-21

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 23:1-22; Luke 12:13-34

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:16-17)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Amen. The epistle of James does not mince words when it comes to the life of the Christian. James makes it abundantly clear that in our sanctified lives, we live as children of God. It is no surprise that many of the reformers reluctantly went to James. Even Luther struggled with James, but Luther also knew that God's word is unchangeable.

In Exodus, God gives the promise to Moses to share with the people, “I will be your God and you will be my people.” (Exodus 6:7) God declares that He is the one who is bringing them out of slavery in Egypt and into a land of freedom flowing with milk and honey. Later, when they are in the wilderness, God delivers the Decalogue and reminds them again that He is their God and they are His people. His people do not live like the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, or the Egyptians, but His people live like children of God. When the people of the Old Testament do not live like children of God, He says to them, “You are not people and I am not your God.” (Hosea 1:9)

In our sinfulness, we live like the world. We indulge in the pleasures of the flesh. We feed our minds with fantasies of immorality and ungodly conduct. We seek ways to massage God’s word so that we can justify our behavior or someone else’s behavior. In James, the mirror of the law exposes our sin and accuses us of not being God’s children. In that behavior, we are not His people, and He is not our God.

James does not leave us in despair. He reminds his hearers that all good things come from God. He writes in chapter 1:17, “....every perfect gift is from above,…” The perfect gift is a “complete” gift. The reader cannot help but connect what James writes here and what Christ says on the cross. It is “finished.” It is complete. The work is done, and it has come from above. Christ has fulfilled the law for us so that we are no longer slaves under the law. We are set free to live as children of God. He is our God, and we are His people. He gives to us His holy law, and we are free to live in His holy law without fear of the world’s condemnation.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

To Jesus we for refuge flee, Who from the curse has set us free, And humbly worship at His throne, Saved by His grace through faith alone. (LSB 579:3)

Rev. Timothy Davis