Today's Reading: Introit for Lent 5 - Psalm 43:3-5; antiphon: Psalm 43:1-2a

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 49:29-50:7, 14-26; Mark 14:1-11

“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!” (Psalm 43:3)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Tomorrow we enter Passiontide - the final two weeks of the Lenten season. The light and truth of God’s Word have guided us through this season, reminding us of all that Jesus has done for us as we prepare for the joy of Easter. But before we get there, the light and truth of the Word lead us to the holy hill of Calvary—to the cross of Jesus. To see the horrible consequences of our sin, but even more, to see the incredible love of Jesus in laying down His life for us.

So, the light and truth of God’s Word first show us our sin. And we confess, I am a poor, miserable sinner. I am by nature sinful and unclean. I have sinned in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone. I am not good. Without Jesus, I am dead in my trespasses and sins. That’s why Lent starts with the ashes of death and ends with the cross. The wages of sin is death.

But the light and truth of God’s Word doesn’t leave us there, cast down in death! The ashes of death are washed off us by Baptism, and we go to the altar of God with exceeding joy, because the Body and Blood that once hung on the cross rose from death and are now given to us for forgiveness and life. Even during Lent, we do not go about mourning. No, we praise God even as we confess our sins, for by so doing we are confessing the one whose forgiveness we take refuge in. Whose resurrection won the victory over sin, death, and Hell.

So it is the light and truth of God’s Word that lead us to Lent and through Lent to Easter. And it is the light and truth of God’s Word that leads us through this life to the great and final Easter when Jesus comes again in glory. Until that day, Jesus defends us, delivers us, and leads us, and we take refuge in Him, praise Him, and hope in Him. For He is our salvation and our God.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

My son is love unknown, My Savior’s love to me, Love to the loveless shown That they might lovely be. Oh, who am I That for my sake My Lord should take frail flesh and die? Here might I stay and sing, No story so divine! Never was love, dear King, Never was grief like Thine. This is my friend, In whose sweet praise I all my days Could gladly spend! (LSB 430:1, 7)

Today's Reading: Catechism: Tenth Commandment

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 47:1-31; Genesis 48:1-49:28; Mark 13:24-37

Urge them to stay and do their duty. (Small Catechism)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

I have found it helpful when trying to understand a word or concept to try to consider its opposite. So what’s the opposite of coveting? Contentment. Instead of an unhealthy obsession with what I do not have, to be content or satisfied with what I do have, with what I’ve been given. Such contentment is a gift. And something many people want.

A good picture of this might be of children on a playground. They are free to play, run, pretend, and have fun because Mom and Dad are there and provide all they need. That’s true for us as children of God! Because we have a Father in heaven who created us and gave us life, His Son who redeemed us and forgives us, and the Holy Spirit who gives us the Gift of contentment. As a child of God, I am free to live and enjoy life!

But sadly, we don’t always live that way. We listen to a culture that encourages us to want more and more, bigger and better. To not be satisfied with what you have. What happens then is that we become slaves to our desires, unhappy, and caught up in pursuing what we don’t have. That’s why St. Paul calls coveting idolatry (Colossians 3:5), that is, something that takes the place of God in our hearts. And with that, Paul has “closed the loop” on the Commandments that also begin with idolatry. The First Commandment teaches us that we have a God who wants to be our God and Father, and the Tenth Commandment teaches us that we have a God and Father who wants to provide everything for us and for our neighbor. I don’t have to covet what God has given my neighbor because I know He has good He has planned for me and wants to give to me.

So just as I can support my neighbor in every physical need, help him to improve and protect his possessions and income, and protect his reputation, I can also urge my neighbor’s wife, workers, and animals to stay and do their duty, because I know God has given them to him and will provide for me. For if God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for me and my spiritual life, I can be sure He will also graciously give me all I need for my physical life as well (Romans 8:32). He promised!

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Heavenly Father, You have made me Your child in Baptism and made me an heir of all Your gracious promises in Christ Jesus. By Your Holy Spirit, strengthen me to forsake all covetous desires that my heart cling to You alone for all I am, all I need, and all my joy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Today's Reading: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 45:1-20, 24-28; Mark 13:1-23

“So that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled.” (Matthew 2:23)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

This was the second time an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. The first was after Joseph discovered that his betrothed, Mary, was having a child that was not his. He resolved to divorce her quietly until the angel explained that Mary had not been unfaithful to him, but faithful to both him and God. And Joseph did what the angel commanded him, though it wasn’t easy.

Then, after Jesus had been born, an angel of the Lord came again. The child’s life is in danger. Take the child and your wife and flee to Egypt. For how long? A few weeks? Months? Years? Until I tell you. And Joseph did what the angel commanded him, though it wasn’t easy.

Then, when King Herod was dead, the angel returned one more time to tell Joseph to go back home. Once again, Joseph uprooted his life and family and did what the angel commanded him, though it wasn’t easy. St. Joseph, Guardian of Jesus.

But he is not Saint Joseph because of all he did as Jesus’ guardian and all the ways he kept the word of the Lord spoken by the angel, though it wasn’t easy. We admire him for that. I know I’ve failed to do many things God has told me to do that are far less difficult than all that! But he is Saint Joseph not because of all he did for this child, but because of all this child did for him. Before Joseph began looking after Jesus, the Son of God was looking after him. Before Joseph left his home, the Son of God had left his. And though Joseph gave up much for this son, the Son of God gave up much more for him when He laid down His life on the cross for Joseph. To make him - and us - saints by grace through faith.

So perhaps we could say of Joseph and Jesus, not like father, like son, but the opposite: like son, like father! What Jesus did was not because of what Joseph did, but what Joseph did was because of what Jesus did. Jesus came to fulfill all the words and promises of God, the words and promises Joseph believed. And by faith alone in those words and promises of the promised Messiah, Joseph believed what he believed and did what he did. Trusting that even though it wasn’t easy, it was good. It was of God. For us and for our salvation.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, from the house of Your servant David You raised up Joseph to be the guardian of Your incarnate Son and the husband of His mother, Mary. Grant us grace to follow the example of this faithful workman in heeding Your counsel and obeying Your commands; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Today's Reading: Mark 12:28-44

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 44:1-18, 32-34; Mark 12:28-44

“She out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:44b)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

When you think of role models, poor widows are not the first thing that pops into your mind. Maybe a teacher, someone who goes out of their way to help others, or someone who leads in the face of danger. In Jesus’ day, the scribes would be the kind of people you looked up to. Yet Jesus says to beware of them. They are not good role models. Because while they looked good, did all the right things, and knew all the right answers, it was all a show. Their hearts weren’t in it. They prayed long prayers with their lips but not their hearts. The widows they should have helped, they instead devoured. Sometimes we do that, too. Outwardly, we look good, but our hearts are filled with sin.

But Jesus points to this widow. Maybe they hadn’t even noticed her. She didn’t look like much. But inside was the most beautiful faith! Faith that took her last two coins, all she had to live on, and gave them to God. Had she not gone to the Temple that day, no one would have missed her or her offering. But it mattered to her. So she went. And she gave. And she mattered to Jesus.

As do you. That’s why Jesus gave all He had for you. Not just giving all He had to live on, but His very life itself. And He gave not only more than anyone else, but more than everyone else put together, and what no one else could give—a perfectly sinless life to atone for all the completely sinful lives of the world. And while just one life for the countless lives that have lived since the creation of the world may seem as small and insignificant as the offering of the widow, the two small coins that make just a penny, like the offering of the widow, that one life was more than all other offerings. For it was given in the most beautiful faith and love. With perfect faith in His Father, and with perfect love for you.

And now, Jesus gives you two little things—a little piece of bread and a little sip of wine, that don’t look like much to the eye, but nothing could be bigger. There is Jesus’ Body and Blood. There is Jesus and His forgiveness and all His Gifts. All you need to live eternally.

So if you’re looking for a role model, here’s one for you! No one may notice you, and what you do may not seem to matter. But you matter to Jesus. You are precious to Him.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus, thank You for giving all You are for me. Help me live in faith like this widow, knowing that You give me all I need to live on. Amen.

Today's Reading: Galatians 4:21-31 or Acts 2:41-47

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 43:1-28; Mark 12:13-27

“So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.” (Galatians 4:31)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Abraham had two wives, Hagar and Sarah. Sarah was his first wife. And to Abraham and Sarah, God promised a son. Though they were old and past the age people usually have children, God promised. And they believed God. But as the years went by and still no son, they wavered. After all, God had promised Abraham a son, not Sarah. So they took matters into their own hands, and Abraham had a son by Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant.

But that was not God’s plan! So, after many more years had passed, and Abraham and Sarah were even older, and it was even more impossible for them to have children, God came and said, “Now.” And God did something only God could do: He gave 100-year-old Abraham and 90-year-old Sarah a son—the son of the promise, Isaac.

Paul uses these two women as examples. There is the world’s way of doing things, and there is God’s way. In the world, we are under the Law and live according to the Law. Under the Law, it’s all on you. You have to do it. You have to make things right. That’s how it is with school. You have to do your assignments. You have to earn your grades. It’s all on you.

But in the kingdom of God, things are different. In God’s kingdom, we live under grace, under His words and promises. Under grace, it’s not all on you; it’s all on Him. God does it. He makes things right. That’s what Jesus did. He was born of woman, born under the Law, to do what we could never do and to make what we made wrong, right. And He did that through His perfect life and His death on the cross.

That’s the message Paul preached to the Galatians, and they were born from above as children of God, children of God’s promised forgiveness and love. But they were also being told by others that that wasn’t good enough—they had to do more. To that, Paul said no! When God makes a promise, as He did to Abraham, He will keep it.

And that’s true for us children of God’s promise as well, children of God through the water and word of Baptism. You did nothing there, that’s all Jesus for you. And what Jesus started by grace, He will complete by grace. Jesus has set you free to live in love and joy and peace.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless; My soul, believe and doubt it not. Why stagger at this word of promise? Has Scripture ever falsehood taught? No! Then this word must true remain: By grace you too will life obtain. Amen. (LSB 566:1)

Today's Reading:Exodus 16:2-21 or Isaiah 49:8-13

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 42:1-34, 38; Mark 12:1-12

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you.’” (Exodus 16:4)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

It was supposed to be great. They were no longer slaves. God had brought them out of Egypt with His mighty arm, ten plagues, and by dividing the waters of the Red Sea. They were on their way to a better life.

Except . . . they were out of food. It had been two and a half months since they left Egypt. Now suddenly the future didn’t look so good. Slavery in Egypt was bad, but at least they had food to eat. They wished they had never left. So they grumbled against Moses and Aaron, but they were really grumbling against the Lord.

But just as we heard yesterday, that Jesus knew how He would feed the 5,000 people, so here too, God knew how He would feed Israel. He wasn’t going to let His people starve. He wasn’t going to leave them on their own after bringing them out of Egypt! He knew. Even when, instead of trusting, they grumbled in doubt and unbelief. I am about to rain bread from heaven for you. Long before Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer to pray, give us this day our daily bread, God was doing just that. It’s what God does, just often in ways we don’t expect. When He rained down bread from heaven, the people looked at it and said, “What is it?” which in Hebrew is man hu? That’s why we call it manna.

You are no less valuable and important to God than the people of Israel. He made you His child when He brought you through the water of Baptism. And He will provide for you, too, and often in ways you don’t expect. Like a cross! There, God provides life through death and forgiveness through condemnation. The disciples didn’t understand that at the time, but would later. So when people looked at the cross and asked man hu? the disciples would say, your Savior!

Lent teaches us to fix our eyes on Jesus. That when life is tough and not turning out as we thought, we know that the one who gave His only-begotten Son for us will provide everything else we need as well. Even in man hu ways!

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord God, You have called Your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

March 15, 2026

Today's Reading: John 6:1-15

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 41:28-57; Mark 11:20-33

“Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.” (John 6:11)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

I wish I had been there. Jesus fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. How great is that? The people there that day thought so. They all ate—all they wanted. Jesus was healing the sick and feeding the hungry. They recognized a prophet when they saw one. They wanted to make Him king. By force, if necessary.

But force would not be necessary. Jesus is their king. Just not the kind of king they were thinking of. What Jesus did was pretty great, and they didn’t want it to stop! But Jesus had come to do something even greater. He came to lay down His life for them. To heal them from their sin. To give them life not just here and now for a while, but eternal life. And to feed them not with bread and fish, but with His own Body and Blood.

That’s what we’ve been focused on this Lenten season. That Jesus has come to lay down His life for us, to give us life. John tells us Jesus knew what He was going to do when He asked Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” Jesus was not making it up as He went! He had only one purpose for His coming, and His feeding of the multitude that day was a foreshadowing of the even greater feeding He had come to do—to feed all people of all times and places with the Bread of Life. With Himself.

So just as He did that day, we will soon hear again how Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and gave it to His disciples. But this time, He would say, Do this - keep doing this - in remembrance of Me. And they would. From that day on and to this day, the disciples and the pastors who have come after them feed us with the bread from heaven, the food that gives eternal life in the forgiveness of our sins, the Body and Blood of Jesus.

So, while I wish I had been there that day, I then remember that I am! I am every Sunday, as Jesus feeds me through His servant, my Pastor. I have all I need.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Rev. James Douthwaite, pastor of Saint Athanasius Lutheran Church, Vienna, VA and Board Member of the Board for International Missions

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

March 14, 2026

Today's Reading: Introit for Lent 4 - Psalm 122:1-2, 6, 8; antiphon: Isaiah 66:10a, 11a

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 41:1-27; Mark 11:1-19

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD!’” (Psalm 122:1)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Guess what you get to do tomorrow? You get to go to church!

When I was younger, I’d ask my dad, “Do we have to go to church?” He’d always answer the same way: “No, but you get to go to church.” Do we have to go? Well, I suppose you don’t. But why wouldn’t you want to? You get to go to God’s House and receive His Gifts.

You get to go and confess your sins and have a pastor stand “in the stead and by the command” of Jesus Christ to absolve you! You get to join other believers as you sing the Kyrie, confess the Creed, and pray the Lord’s Prayer. You get to sit, rest, and listen to your pastor preach a sermon that he wrote specifically for you and your congregation. You get to receive the very body and blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! You get to have the Lord’s name placed upon you in the Benediction as you are sent back out into the world!

Where else would you rather be? Sleeping in bed? Fishing? Playing soccer? Those are all nice, but they won’t give you what you receive at church. You can do those things at other times. The joy you get from those things is only temporary. The joy and peace that you get at church? That’s eternal. It’s something that the world cannot give.

Not only do you receive the Gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation, but at church, you get the gift of family and friends of all ages. Look around and see the people that Jesus has brought into your church. Some are old, some are young. Some have been members of your church their whole life, and others have just moved into town. Whoever they are, God has brought them to you and you to them. Take the time to get to know them and treasure the moments you have together.

So, the next time someone tells you it’s “time to go to church,” join with King David and countless others who have prayed the words of Psalm 122: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD!’” You don’t have to; you get to.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

This day, God’s people meeting, His Holy Scripture hear; His living presence greeting, Through bread and wine made near. We journey on, believing, Renewed with heav’nly might, From grace more grace receiving, On this blest day of light. (LSB 906:3)

Rev. Daniel Burhop, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Reese, MI.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

We wander through life looking for freedom, only to realize we have listened to the devil's call to serve our selves, our pleasures, and our lusts. Instead of freedom we find ourselves enslaved to sin. We wonder if we have sinned too often, too deep to ever be welcomed back to the Father's home, back into His loving embrace. Have we lost our inheritance as children of God?

In this short book, author Bryan Wolfmueller digs into the popular parable of the Prodigal Son to bring hope and aid to our hurting conscience. Wolfmueller proclaims the freedom-giving Gospel that through Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection, our place in the Father's house is secure, and forgiveness and welcome are ours in His outstretched arms.

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