Category: Lectionary - Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry

Mark 8:27-35 - Lectionary for Confession of Peter

1/22/2021

1/22/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Peter's confession of Christ is recorded for us in Mark 8:30. Answering on behalf of the other disciples, he says that they believe Jesus is the Christ, not, like many others would say, a reincarnation of John the Baptist, Elijah, or an Old Testament prophet. Jesus is the Christ.

Mark's Gospel has been understood since the earliest times to be strongly influenced by the preaching of Peter, who had Mark as a companion. It's significant that Mark goes on immediately to refer to Jesus as "the Son of Man" in verse 31. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Mark is saying that Jesus is the one who represents Adam and all the human race. His role, then, which is a matter of necessity, is to suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise on the third day. As a representative of you and of me, then, Jesus suffers, dies, and rises from the dead, just like Adam, as a representative of you and of me fell into sin, died, and remained dead.

The apostles understood that Jesus did all he did for them, for their benefit. This is extraordinary good news. Especially the part where he rises from the dead shows us that we will also rise from the dead to eternal life and blessedness with Jesus.

Knowing that Jesus is the Christ, then, rescues us from sin and death. It places us into God's kingdom as partakers of the resurrection. With Peter, we have no need for fear. We are persuaded that Jesus is no normal (or abnormal) prophet. He is the one who has taken our place and leads us to an eternal home.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

2 Peter 1:1-15 - Lectionary for Confession of Peter

1/21/2021

1/21/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

The apostle Peter prays that his readers would have grace and peace multiplied to them in the knowledge of God in Christ (v. 2). As long as we live in a world full of sin and evil, strife and turmoil, we are in critical need of peace. For many years my nation and its government has spoken about the need for peace and harmony, while at the same time engaging in warfare around the world, while seeing increasing levels of division and dissent among different groups within the country. It seems we want peace, but we have little good way of finding that peace.

The root of our trouble finding peace is that we are looking to the wrong sources. When we look deep within ourselves, we find turmoil. When we look to the natural world, we find a place of beauty but also of forbidding danger and destructive power. When we look to others in our lives, we find they are approximately as likely as we are to have found peace. When we look to governments, we find an organization which collects all the characteristics of the citizens and/or leaders. Good and bad are mixed together. We will not find peace there.

Where does Peter direct us? He directs us to the knowledge of God in Christ. Jesus has come to bear our sin, to be our savior, and to break down the wall of separation that divided us from God's love. He has won peace for us, by conquering sin and despair on our behalf. This is where we can find true peace. It's in the grace of God.

Peter goes on to describe character qualities that will grow out of having peace with God. They don't create peace, but they come from it. When we dwell in the peace of God, we grow in the gracious attributes he describes for living in this world. Christians will normally sum it up by saying that we learn to love and serve our neighbor, living and acting for the good of those around us.

Our prayer, then, is that we may experience the grace and peace which come from God in Christ, and that we may bring that grace and peace to our world. This is the work of God, but it is accomplished in us and delivered through us. We look to Christ. He takes care of the rest.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Psalm 118:19-29 - Lectionary for Confession of Peter

1/20/2021

1/20/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

For many people, Psalm 118 is known primarily for saying, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (v. 24, ESV). That's a great reason to be aware of the Psalm, but I'd like to give us some more reasons.

In this Psalm, the Psalmist identifies an individual who is the means of God's grace. We thank the Lord for being the gate of righteousness. Our entry into God's kingdom is through him, the person of God. As we read on, we see that he is our salvation, and is the cornerstone upon which we can be built. The temple of God in this world is built on the foundation of God, the one through whom we enter the kingdom.

The oddity in all this comes to the surface in verse 23 when it is the Lord's doing. God has invited us to enter his kingdom through himself, but here it looks almost as if the Father is not the actual gateway. The Psalm hints that there is something more complex than that happening. The Lord is the one who has provided a sacrifice, one appropriate for this day, and it is a "festal sacrifice" bound to the altar.

The Christian recognizes that Jesus himself, the Lamb of God, is the one who has given himself, God almighty, to become a sacrifice for us. He has placed himself on the altar and has made himself the way for all who believe to enter into God's kingdom. This is how he has opened the gate of righteousness, because he himself is our righteousness, the gate which has opened to usher us into eternity.

It is indeed the Lord's day, a time for rejoicing.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Acts 4:8-13 - Lectionary for Confession of Peter

1/19/2021

1/19/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

On January 18 the Church remembers Peter's confession, the time when the apostle Peter articulated the idea that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. This was certainly a bold statement, as it went against all the Jewish sensibilities of fiercly guarding the orthodox and true statement that God is one. He had no way of understanding the idea of God as three persons of one substance, one in essence and being. Yet he knew Jesus was saying and doing the things that pertained to God.

In Acts chapter four, when Peter and John were being tried before the Jewish court of elders and chief priests, Peter's confession remained the same. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, who has performed the work of healing on a disabled man. Peter and John didn't do it. Jesus did it.

It seems every time I turn around someone is saying that the early Christian leaders were grasping for power and authority, seeking to govern people's lives, and creating a climate of oppression that would bring glory and honor to themselves. That's an interesting theory, but it falls flat when it works with passages like this one. Peter and John specifically affirmed that they were not the men in power. They didn't want power. They claimed no responsibility for God's goodness poured out through them. Whatever the good deed, they didn't do it. Christ, working through them, did it.

As Christians, called to confess that Jesus is the Christ, God the Son, the savior of the world, how should we live in light of this attitude held by Peter and John? We also confess that we are simply obedient servants, praying for those in need, hoping to rejoice in God's provision for their needs. Whatever our abilities, whatever our resources, whatever our position of authority, we recognize that God is the one who is working all the good that may be done in this world.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Matthew 3:13-17 - Lectionary for Baptism of Our Lord

1/18/2021

1/18/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Baptism is a challenging issue. Especially in the last five hundred years or so it's caused dissent within Christianity, as some have rejected the application of baptism to those who are not already making a credible testimony of Christ as savior. We don't have a clear Old Testament practice of baptism per se, though there are ceremonial washings, and those seem to point to reconciliation with God. Many are even done in conjunction with a blood offering, which points to Jesus' sacrifice for us.

While we might have some debates about the efficacy of baptism, to whom baptism is appropriately applied, and even the mode of baptism, our passage from Matthew chapter three sidesteps all of those debtes.

Here Jesus presents himself to John, who has been calling people to repentance and then baptizing them based on their repentance. John is initially reluctant. Through the Holy Spirit he recognizes Jesus as the one who should baptize him, not the other way around. He understands Jesus to be the holy one who is in no need of repentance.

Jesus tells him to allow it so as to "fulfill all righteousness." Again, we have a cryptic statement. How should we understand it?

Whatever Jesus was saying, John understood it to be all right, and the action was ratified by God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the beloved Son, God the Son, the one who is able to fulfill all righteousness.

Many theologians over the generations have said that by Jesus' act of being baptized, then his subsequent command to baptize, he made a washing with water into an effective means of delivering God's grace to sinners. This would imply that when he fulfills "all righteousness" he is making it work so as to deliver righteousness to others.

Just a word about baptismal regeneration. If baptism washes us from sin, then we proceed to enter into sin as unrepentant people, baptism doesn't help us at all. If baptism washes us from sin, and we then live our lives as people who have been cleansed and set apart for God's purposes, remembering that we have been washed by God, it is exceptionally helpful. If, as some people say, it has no effect but to remind us that Jesus washes us from sin, if we take that reminder to heart, it still brings a benefit. There's no reason not to be baptized. There's no reason to live as one who has not been washed by God. There's every reason in the world, no matter your view of baptism, to live a life of purity before God.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 - Lectionary for Baptism of Our Lord

1/17/2021

1/17/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Not many were wise. Not many were powerful or noble. The apostle Paul here essentially states the obvious. There are relatively few outstandingly wise, powerful or noble people in the world. It's a minority, and we shouldn't be surprised at that. The observation is a little like saying that only five percent of people fall into the top five percent of income earners.

Paul is calling the Corinthians to be conscious of who they are and what their standing might be. Some are wise. Some are not. Some are powerful. Others are not. Some are noble. Sadly, others are not. We don't idolize those who are poor, weak, and ignoble. We don't idolize anyone. But we need to be aware of who we are in Christ - heirs of all the riches of heaven. Compared to that, all your earthly riches won't accomplish anything. What if we have very little except a loving family? No matter how happy that loving family makes us, it is nothing compared to God's love in Christ. What of our family pedigree, or our lack of it? The greatest family in the world can't compare with the family of God. And the least of us, through faith in Christ, is adopted into God's family.

One of the criticisms made of the early Christians was based on the fact that some of their bishops and elders were also slaves. It was considered culturally inappropriate for a free person to take orders from a slave. However, when the slave is the bishop and the emperor is not, the emperor takes orders from the slave, in spiritual matters at least.

God has raised up in His Church an amazingly varied mix of people. Rich and poor, intelligent and unintelligent, good at this, good at that, all with different types of gifts and abilities. In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul calls the congregation to remember their place, their role, the way they can best serve in Christ's kingdom. All together, as those adopted by Jesus, we love and serve our neighbors, using the gifts He has given us.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Psalm 85 - Lectionary for Baptism of Our Lord

1/16/2021

1/16/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Psalm 85:8-9 speaks of the Lord's goodness to his people. Yet at the same time it issues a word of caution. God speaks peace to the people, but they are not to "turn back to folly" (ESV). God has drawn near to his people. We see this very clearly in the New Testament accounts of Jesus, and particularly in his baptism. He has associated with us, even though we are sinful people.

It's easy to mistake someone's presence for approval of everything we think, say, or do. This is one of the reasons why I, as a pastor, won't attend some events which I think are strikingly outside of the bounds of historically acceptable practices. Like the early Christians who would distance themselves from sacrifices made to idols, I would choose not to engage in some activities, simply because my attendance or engagement could be seen as a tacit approval.

As God is present with his people in verses 8-9 of Psalm 85, he also warns them to avoid folly. He is not approving of the sins of the people, though he is ready to show care for them.

God's righteous presence in our lives does not approve our sin. It calls us to account for sin, then it points out that, in Christ's vicarious death, our sin has been atoned for. This doesn't give us license to sin. It gives us license to live in the peace that is created by God's faithfulness.

This, not some sort of moral code or set of rules and regulations, is the heart and center of Christianity. It's about trust in God through Christ. It's about living in light of Jesus' forgiving love. He has associated himself with us, so as to change us and to bring us into his grace. This is God's goodness at work.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Joshua 3:1–3, 7–8, 13–17 - Lectionary for Baptism of Our Lord

1/15/2021

1/15/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

In Joshua chapter three God intends to raise Joshua's profile and standing in Israel. He's going to be the next leader, taking the place of Moses. Joshua has known this for some time, but God exalts him publicly.

As this is the Old Testament reading for the Baptism of Christ, I want to make a few observations that tie the two together.

First, and most obviously, Jesus' name is a variant of Joshua's name. In essence, they bear the same name. Both are being raised up by God to complete the work of Moses. Though some aspects of their work will obviously differ, I'm going to ask my friends who are not as enthusiastic about the continuity between Old and New Testament to bear with me for a while. I know Jesus isn't the new Moses, lawgiver, and that Jesus brings Gospel life, rather than death by Law. Yet in a very real way, it is a continuance. Jesus and Joshua alike are engaged in the work of delivering God's people from their place of bondage into the place of promise and life.

Where does this happen? It happens at the Jordan River. We are more accustomed to think of the crossing of the Red Sea on dry land when we think of God's people being brought through the water of death safely, but this was just as much a miraculous crossing. The Jordan was at flood stage. It could certainly have hindered the people. In such a mass crossing, some would be swept away and drowned, others would lose many or all of their possessions. God rescues his people, bringing them through water, and out of the desert, a place of death, into the land of promise.

The significance of the water and the baptism of Jesus should not be missed. As the water of baptism buries us, washes us, and lets us rise to newness of life, Jesus, having been baptised by John in the Jordan leads us in that new life. It's a life according to the promise of God, just as the life Israel has in the promised land.

Is our life in God's promise completely safe? Not in an earthly view. As partakers of God's promise, the people of Israel will still face warfare, conquest, attack by enemies, trials by illness and famine, and all the other trials which are common to humanity. Likewise, those who have been rescued from death into life through baptism into Christ will face trials. Yet in all of this we know that God's power is present to bring us into our true and lasting home.

The presence of God in the ark of the covenant goes before the people of Israel. In this figure, God stands in the midst of his people as they cross into the land of promise. He still leads his people into the promise, through the exalted Jesus, the one who delivers his people from sin and death.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Matthew 2:1-12 - Lectionary for Epiphany

1/14/2021

1/14/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

About a month ago we had a rare occurrence of two planets being in close alignment as seen from Earth. It made a very bright spectacle in the southwestern sky just after sunset, browing brighter as the alignment increased, and then growing dimmer again. Predictably, people were calling it a "Christmas star" and enjoying talk about how it's a sign of alignment, peace, and all sorts of good things.

Christians confess that the planets, stars, moons, and whatever other items I've not mentioned, moving "out there," have little or nothing to do with earthly peace or prosperity. Granted, it brings a sudden loss of peace and prosperity when a huge meteor buries a continent the sea and sparks a new ice age, but thankfully that really only happens in movies.

It's a great opportunity, however, when we see some sort of cosmic event, to reflect on the fact that God has created it and sustains it all. He has created the universe with order, and sees that it continues to operate in an orderly way.

What of this star the Magi saw? There's something special about it. Though we think the Magi were probably some sort of astrologers and were clearly noticing something in the sky, what they saw was not a planetary phonomenon. They specifically say they saw the star rising and that it was visibly moving so as to point them to a particular location. Yet if you observe the sun, moon, or stars while you are in motion, they seem to move along with you. They don't point you to a destination. They point you to themselves and their position relative to you. This thing the Magi saw could not have been even a comet. The observation simply wouldn't work.

The Magi saw a sign, from God, pointing them to aparticular location, a place they knew would be special because there they would find the one born to be king of the Jews. There they will find the Messiah.

God reveals himself, in the person and work of Jesus, to all nations. He makes sure we can notice him. And he shows himself to be present, in particular places, in particular ways, to do a work of salvation. He announced himself to the Magi. And he made it possible for them to bring gifts which predicted his work - gold (riches of heaven), frankincense, and myrrh (substances used in anointing a body for burial). From his childhood, Jesus was clearly identified as the one who would live and die for others, bringing us to God.

Whether we see signs in the heavens or not, we recall that Jesus was announced as the Lord from the time of his birth, made known to the nations, made known to us in these last days, as the one who would come to save us. As we believe that message, we join with the Magi in worshiping God in Christ.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Ephesians 3:1-12 - Lectionary for Epiphany

1/13/2021

1/13/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Ephesians 3:1-12 identifies the Gospel as a "mystery." Specifically, it says that the heart of the mystery is that even the Gentiles are made heirs of God through belief in Christ.

There are several levels to this mystery, as you can easily imagine. One of the greatest at the time of Paul's writing to the Ephesians is the realization that the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Christ was for Jews and non-Jews alike. This was a precious realization to the Ephesians.

Ephesus was a place of both great commercial and religious interest in the middle of the first century. It was the home of a great temple to Artemis, as well as the home to a thriving industry, creating idols of Artemis, who was the patron goddess of Ephesus. The city was one of the largest and most urbane in the Greco-Roman world of the time.

It would have been very easy to hear about Christianity and come to a conclusion that Jesus was the Messiah who rescued the Jews from sin. He was the savior from the root of David, fulfilling the promise to Abraham, which seemed to be a promise pointed at the Jews. He would certainly do a lot of good in Jerusalem. But in Ephesus?

If we were Ephesians it would be likely that we would hope for rescue in Jesus, but deep down assume that Artemis was our best chance. And Artemis wasn't a very good prospect. All the Greek deities were capricious, self-centered, and vindictive. What if we did something wrong? And what if Artemis was jealous of the fact that we had entertained thoughts of Jesus possibly being on our side? We wouldn't want her to find that out, for fear of sudden and painful death.

The mystery of the Gospel, though, is centered in the promise of God to Abraham. Abraham would be a blessing to all nations, through his offspring. And that offspring we are looking for is none other than Jesus, God the Son, who has made salvation available, not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles. People like me. People like my neighbors in Ephesus.

The Gospel is for the Ephesians. It is also for everyone everywhere who believes. Jesus is the one who has done all that is necessary to rescue us from sin, death, and the devil. This great mystery can make even me an heir of God. It can make you an heir of God as well. And it accomplishes all this through faith. All it takes is believing in Christ. That's the greatest good news of all time.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Psalm 24 - Lectionary for Epiphany

1/12/2021

1/12/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Psalm 24:1 boldly describes the entire world as belonging to the Lord. It is not ours to use as we desire, but it is his to use as he desires.

Christians are regularly accused of not caring for the planet. And we should grant that in some times and in some places, Christians have not been the best of friends to our ecosystems. We have sometimes wound up in partnerships with those whose policies and practices could lead to breakdown of the environment and endangering some animal species, even driving some to extinction. This is a sad truth.

Yet when we look at past history, all people can be accused of the same practices. We all have a history of being pretty rough on the planet.

A better question to ask is whether we are realizing what our planet is for. The Bible describes it as existing for the Lord's purposes. And we find throughout Scripture that God's good pleasure is not to maintain the environment for its own sake. It is subsidiary to something else, and that something is the needs of humanity, from one generation to the next, as long as the Lord keeps us here. He is working to reconcile humanity to himself. This process has gone on for many generations.

What do Christians do in light of this stated purpose? Several things. I'll list three that come to mind, in no particular order. It isn't an exhaustive list, but hopefully it will give us something to work with for the time being.

First, we take care of human need. We were initially given the task of populating the planet, taking dominion over it, and tending the garden where we were placed. That command has never changed. We're able to produce food, shelter, and other needs for billions of people, many more than live on the earth just now. Our ability to produce that food has increased substantially in recent generations, as has our ability to be sure the environment isn't damaged in its abiltiy to sustain future generations. So we care for the things around us and make the most of them, trying as well as we can to distribute them to others as well.

Second, we recognize that all good gifts come from the true and living God. We give thanks to Him, not to ourselves, to our natural systems, or to whatever organizations we have set up and assume will protect us. God is the one who receives the glory, including the honor for giving us the fruit of our labor.

Third, we realize that our desires are not the ultimate good. Nor is the planet. All this is made to be used and to be passed on to others. God in Christ is the ultimate good.

Our role in this world is to be stewards of the gifts God has entrusted to us. We give God the glory, using it for the good of those people he has placed here under our care.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 60:1-6 - Lectionary for Epiphany

1/11/2021

1/11/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

2020 was a year characterized, in many people's minds, by bad news. Thus far, there's been a good bit of bad news in 2021. In our Old Testament reading for Epiphany, though, we have some good news. Very good news. I think we will benefit from it.

The passage in Isaiah 60:1-6 makes a sharp division between darkness and light. In the Bible the darkness is pictured as a place of sorrow and despair. If you've ever been misplaced in the dark, you know why. It is disorienting. And you really can't tell if you are going to drop into a bottomless hole in that dark cave or go crashing into something dangerous in that dark basement.

Darkness is over the earth, covering the peoples. All the nations are wandering around in the dark, with no clear path. It's a time of discouragement.

What is God's promise? In the day of restoration, which he pictures as coming - sometime - hopefully soon - certainly at the right time, the light of the Lord will come to you and show the way for all nations to come into the light. This is a promise of hope and deliverance.

But when is it going to happen? At some undetermined point in the distant future? The New Testament would understand this to be a prophecy with two fulfillments. Yes, in the very last day, at the end of the world, it is a picture of the reconciliation of all nations, drawn to the Lord. But in the meantime, Jesus, pictured as the light of the world, has come.

During this season of Epiphany, then, as we look to Jesus, we expect to see true light. It is in Christ that we can make sense of our world. It is in Jesus that we find our way out of darkness, bondage, and even death. We look to Jesus to enlighten our eyes. He is the light who shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. He is the one who enlightens all who trust in him. His light has come.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 2:21 - Lectionary for the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus

1/10/2021

1/10/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Our Gospel reading for the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus is extremely short, at just one verse. But what an action packed verse!

First, the date given is eight days after Jesus' birth. We recall that everything was created in six days and that God commended the seventh day as a day of rest. Work started up again on the eighth day. This is probably why God has people circumcised on the eighth day. It's time to rise up and get back to work! Here, in Luke 2, Jesus, the Son of Man, is brought out and shown to be busy about his work, even though he is still an infant.

Jesus' work is twofold. First, he is circumcised. He is counted as part of God's covenant people. He takes his role as the Son of Man. Second, he is given the name Jesus, which means "God Saves." This is the name which was appointed for him. Every time someone uses his name, there's a proclamation of God's ability to save us from sin.

God the Son is no longer a stranger to us. He has come to carry on the work of God, a work of redeeming the world, presenting us to God without sin or stain. In our lives, then, we pray the Lord would continue what he has begun, redeeming us together to be in God's presence.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Galatians 3:23-29 - Lectionary for the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus

1/9/2021

1/9/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Galatians 3:23 speaks of our life as captives until we are freed by the Gospel. This idea of enslavement and freedom is a common motif in the Bible. It's also one of the easiest to misunderstand.

Are we in jail under the law? Is that the idea Paul is getting at? And if we are in jail, why is that? People can be imprisoned for all sorts of reasons. They may be paying a penalty for crimes. They may be incustody so they don't harm anyone. They may be there so they don't hurt themselves. They may be in protective custody so nobody kills them. We really can't predict it based on the location.

Paul says we were captive under the law. Maybe we were more like a child is a captive. The toddler might still use a crib to prevent midnight toddles. The child with a tricycle or training wheels is not ready for the motorcycle. The young teen with a small bank account is learning about finance in a safe environment.

We, in captivity under the law, could learn about God's principles and values. We could see how the world works. We could see what Jesus cares about and what he saves us from. We had Jesus as our guardian.

What happens as we grow up in faith? We become like adult children of Jesus, children who are pleasing to him. We have taken on his values, his concerns, his character, so we can walk in his truth even if we don't think he is watching.

The Christian, then, learns to be a child of God by faith. This is itself a gift of God. It is for the good, both in us and our neighbors. It brings glory to God.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Psalm 8 - Lectionary for the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus

1/8/2021

1/8/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Most children go through a time period of fascination with the world of wild animals. I remember my daughter and one of her friends spending hours catching insects, mostly ants, and putting them into a little screen box, then watching them with magnifing glasses. And what child (or adult) isn't pleased when a butterfly lands on a finger? You always used to see aquariums in the waiting rooms of physicians and dentists, so you could watch the fish doing nothing in particular. This has sadly been replaced by television screens where you can watch Hollywood personalities doing nothing in particular. I'll take the fish any day.

What does this have to do with Psalm 8? In Psalm 8, the man, the son of man, has been placed a little lower than the angels and has been given dominion over all nature. As this passage speaks of the role of Jesus, God the Son, it also reminds us that we have innate interest in doing what He did. Like my daughter, Jesus doubtless went through times in his youth when there was hardly anything more fascinating than to watch ants or worms. My other daughter, when we went on a vacation trip once, said her favorite thing was that she saw a duck on a pond. We could have done that free.

Jesus cares about this world, about the wildlife, and about our life. He is the one who has been given dominion over it all. How much more does he care about you than he cares about the flock of turkeys that come by my office and look in the window? He really does care about you and me in a special way. His name is majestic. And he has chosen to watch over you and see that you are all right.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Numbers 6:22-27 - Lectionary for the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus

1/7/2021

1/7/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Numbers 6:22-27 is a passage of blessing we frequently use, especially at the end of a church service. Specifically, the threefold blessing in verses 24-26 comes out of our mouths regularly, usually accompanied by making the sign of a cross over a congregation.

We don't often think about the impact of such passages, but it pays to do so at least once in a while.

First, the passage is Trinitarian in nature. There are three specific movements in it, all having to do with the acts of the Lord. Any time we see a group of three in the Bible, we want to consider whether it is a sign of the Trinity. Here there is little doubt. The Lord's title is repeated very deliberately.

Second, we want to realize that Hebrew poetry is normally based on some sort of parallelism. Here, each of the lines has two elements. It's a triangle of parallels. Often when we see parallelism, it's in couplets - groups of two. Here, however, we have a group of three.

Notice the first element of each is very similar. Blessing, making his face shine, and lifting up his countenance, all are the same action. When God looks upon his people, he brings good. He is the God of blessing. He looks at us to see what would be good to do for us. This should give us great comfort.

The second element of each of the three lines shows a strong similarity as well. God keeps us, is gracious to us, and gives us peace. These are the ways he blesses us, and they are very similar to each other. How does he keep us? He keeps us in his grace. He keeps us in peace.

Apart from the Lord's blessing, we have no light of God shining on us. We have no confidence that we will be guarded in all our life by his presence. But with the Lord's name being placed upon us in blsssing, we can trust that he will be with us, watching over us, giving us all his blessings, all our life.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 12:35-40 - Lectionary for Eve of the Circumcision of Christ

1/6/2021

1/6/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Always be vigilant! In Luke 12:35-40 Jesus tells his disciples to make no mistake. The coming of the Lord is like a thief. He cane the first time as the infant King of all, announced to shepherds, some foreign sages, and, of course, fully expected by Mary and Joseph. Yet in that coming, he was neither the kind of person expected nor in the place you would hope to find a king.

Those who needed to know about his first coming were notified. They recognized what they saw. And it's significant that someo f those who knew were plain, ordinary people and some were representatives from another people group far away. Jesus' coming is for those who would not always be included in "good society."

What of his second coming? Jesus compares it to the coming of a master who comes home at some indeterminate time. The servants are to be ready and watching. Even in the dark, they recognize the master. They will be on the lookout.

When Jesus comes back, he will be like the thief breaking into Satan's dominion, to rob it. What kind of plunder is he after? He's coming to gather all who will believe in him. He's coming to rescue us, for we have been held hostage in darkness. He's going to come and call. I want to be among those watching and waiting.

In the meantime, as with the servante metaphor, we have our marching orders. We know what we're supposed to be doing. We'll just keep at it while we wait for him to come. We are not idle. He has given us each a work to do, for the good of our world, as we await his coming. Therefore, we dig into our work, always rejoicing in the hope that he will come and find us well occupied.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 8:31b-39 - Lectionary for Eve of the Circumcision of Christ

1/5/2021

1/5/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

What can separate the Christian from God's love in Christ? Not even the year 2020. The eve of the circumcision of Christ is also civil New Year's Eve, a time when many people, Christians and non-Christians alike, consider new beginnings. Things that went wrong in the past? Well, maybe we can do better in the future.

Christians may face disappointment. No, actually, Christians are no strangers to disappointment. We endure turmoil, cycles of poverty, loss of income and businesses, loss of wealth, and death of family members and friends just like everybody else. But there's a special hope the Christian has.

All the troubles Paul mentions in Romans 8? We face them, but we know that Jesus has faced them already, for us. He has not only faced them, but he died for them. Then he was raised from the dead, victorious over all of them.

The Christian has a living hope of resurrection. No matter the trials, and Paul lists an impressive pile of trials, Christ has overcome them and he can bring us right through them to the end, our resurrection.

We are not just conquerors. We are more than conquerors, because Jesus has loved us. Nothing will separate the Christian from God's love in Christ. Nothing.

We remember that when our Lord was circumcised on the eighth day, he was named Jesus, the one who saves from sin. Compared to that, nothing else is a problem for him. The Christian stands in Christ's love. Beloved and rescued. That's us. It's all the hope we need.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Psalm 90:1-12 - Lectionary for Eve of the Circumcision of Christ

1/4/2021

1/4/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Psalm 90 draws a stark contrast. God is the eternal one, from everlasting to everlasting. A thousand years to him is kind of like yesterday or, even shorter, a watch in the night. This is a brief time, though it seems long to us. A night is generally divided into three different watches. God can sweep generations up like grass clipings.

How long do we last? In contrast to God's eternity, in verse ten we live perhaps 70-80 years. Human life expectancy has grown a little bit in the last few generations, mostly because of little things like plumbing, vaccines, and antibiotics. But really, it's not that common to live significantly beyond 70-80. Virtually everybody in that age bracket is slowing down considerably.

We recognize, in contrast to God, we are very temporary. What hope is there, then? Ae we simply condemned to a short and unhappy life? Not at all. As God considers the ages, he looks loving ly at each one of our days. Though we may toil and sigh, He sees what each moment of each day can be redeemed for. He knows that they all have purpose. Some have significant purposes for us, some for others. Some are not seemingly important but God can use them anyway.

Our Lord is watching over us. He has the wealth of experience that comes from his everlasting and comprehensive knowledge of all that happens. And he cares for us. Therefore we ask him to teach us to care for our days in the same way He does. He is faithful to do it. He can walk with us through each one of those days. It's no trouble to him.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 30:15-17 - Lectionary for Eve of the Circumcision of Christ

1/3/2021

1/3/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

On the eve of the circumcision of Christ we often read Isaiah 30:15-17. Here God points out to Israel that they have no need for fear. They will be kept by God. "In quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (v. 15). It isn't our quietness, though, nor our stability, nor even the strength of our trust.

The safety of God's people is part and parcel of the strength of God. It is his strength, his majesty, in which we trust. We are weak, generally incapable of accomplishing any of our own security. But God is the strong one.

I picture this very much like a small child being taken on a long trip. The infant, who can't walk or talk, dress himself, or take care of other basic grooming needs, is taken by loving parents aboard an airplane. The child didn't buy the ticket. The child doesn't understand the ticket or even the trip. The child is with the parents, as the airliner goes through its safety checks, receives instructions and clearance, then takes off. The airplane may climb to an altitude at which the outside air is extremely cold and not breathable. The infant doesn't know where he is going, nor how to get there safely. What happens? Given enough time, the pilot reaches the destination, decreases altitude, slows the airplane, lands it, drives it to the right place, and the infant with parents leaves through the airport. Mission accomplished! All calm!

We trust in the great and mighty God. He is able to carry us through situations which would certainly prove our undoing. If we trust in him, we are perfectly safe from eternal harm. Then again, if we trust in ourselves, if we panic, if we try to put our infant hands on the airplane controls and fly the thing, if we pop the emergency hatch and leap from the airplane at 40,000 feet, we will surely die.

The God of Israel is able to keep his people. Like the infant on the trip, we rest in God's arms, fed by His Word, kept by His Holy Spirit. Here is our comfort and our strength.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Matthew 2:13-18 - Lectionary for Holy Innocents, Martyrs

1/2/2021

1/2/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Our Gospel reading for the Holy Innocents is from Matthew 2:13-18. Here, after the wise men have departed, Joseph is warned by an angel in a dream. He takes his little family at night and departs to Egypt.

Matthew speaks of two prophecies which are fulfilled in these events. One is a very brief statement, "Out of Egypt I called my son" (Hosea 11:1). Jesus had to participate in several very specific events so as to fulfill all the prophecies. He was to be born in Bethlehem. He was to be known as someone from Nazareth. He was to be called out of Egypt. All of this took place.

The other prophecy, from Jeremiah 31, is a much sadder one. Herod, having learned from the wise men that they had seen the signs in the sky about the birth of a king about two years before, treated all male children two years old and younger from the area of Bethlehem as his enemies. In a very real way, they were the first people to die on account of Jesus. It brings greater sorrow than it might, since they didn't know what Jesus was all about. They had no experience of him. Unlike many other martyrs, they had not personally taken any sort of stand for Jesus. Yet Herod had them killed.

Why didn't this show up in secular histories? Herod was violent enough and the population of the area was small enough that this slaughter was not among Herod's larger scale crimes. However, thanks to the Gospels, we know about the event and we can commemorate it.

It is always a very sad thing when someone dies without reason. Christians are frequently charged to defend life. All humans, as we see in Genesis 1-2, bear the image of God. We have an inherent dignity. This is why Christians defend the unborn, the born, the young, the adult, the elderly, and even those who are on their deathbed. For that matter, this is why Christians treat the body of a dead person with respect. God has made every living human with dignity. It is part of our calling before God to defend that dignity.

Even as Joseph took his little family to Egypt for a place of safety, we guard our families. We know that God is the Lord over all, and that he has made the family as a good thing, to be nurtured and cherished. This is most certainly true.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Revelation 14:1-5 - Lectionary for Lectionary for Holy Innocents, Martyrs

1/1/2021

1/1/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Remember the idea that you have to take up playing the harp when you die? Revelation 14:1-5 could give you that idea unless you looked carefully. But first, this is the New Testament reading for the Holy Innocents, Martyrs. Why would someone pick this passage? Not because the small children had not defiled themselves with women. Rather, because their sin had nothing to do with their death. They hadn't engaged in criminal activity. Two year olds may act in a criminal manner at times, hiding things and defacing other things. But they are just acting like any other human - self-centered. They aren't as sophisticated as adults about their crimes. And their crimes are generally less harmful to society than those crimes of adults.

The small children were taken away and killed. It wasn't their fault. They bore a sinful human nature, but even that didn't lead to Herod's abduction and execution order. Herod did it because of his sin, not because of theirs.

These people who have died are presented before the Lord in heaven. They are singing a song that only they are allowed to sing. In fact, this is a time when, though the angels are certainly present, they are not singing. The humans are singing. Their song is about the Lamb of God who has redeemed them. It's a beautiful song. It tells about life, real life.

To wrap us up, though, what's the thing with the harp? I'll counter with a question. Why do people have a problem with harp playing? The harp is a simplified version of a guitar. Rather than having to adjust where we put our fingers down, we choose the right strings to pluck. Would you feel better if you needed to take up playing the guitar after you died? Here, though, notice that the voice sounds like harps. It's the song, not the accompaniment. The description is of beautiful, wonderful music. That's what we get to participate in and hear in eternity. So you can stick that into your capo and strum with it a little.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Psalm 54 - Lectionary for Lectionary for Holy Innocents, Martyrs

12/31/2020

12/31/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Yesterday, today, and the next two days our lectionary posts deal with Scriptures typically used for the Holy Innocents, sometimes called the Slaughter of the Innocents. Yesterday I talked a little bit about the enormity of the problem of abortion in my country, since that is a clear example of children being killed without adequate protective intervention.

Today, what do Christians do about situations such as abortion? For that matter, with an increasing number of political voices suggesting that it is all right to execute survivors of abortion, to participate in active euthanasia, or to deny treatment to terminally ill patients, even if they aren't heading toward immediate death, we need to ask how we will respond. How do we protect these people who bear the image of God by their very existence as humans? What is an appropriate reaction?

I have been accused of being "like the kind of person who would . . . " Go ahead and fill in the blank. It's an unfair accusation, and was already an unfair accusation when the author of Rhetorica ad Herennium suggested this was precisely the kind of accusation the prosecutor should make when nothing else is ready to stick. You want women to suffer. You want children to be forced to grow up in homes that don't provide love. You don't care about quality of life issues. You don't care about poverty. Or this one, which is more closely related to Psalm 54. "You are like those people who would try to blow up or set fire to an abortion clinic, then."

Actually, I think the Scripture would take a rather low view of arson or explosive attacks which would deomolish private property, possibly harm people, and certainly create a public safety hazard for those in the neighborhood. This is the kind of attack which is carried out in certain clearly-defined circumstances. It's an act of war against an enemy who recognizes it as warfare. Innocent bystanders have had an opportunity to leave. The property is destroyed after asking that the property be turned over without a fight.

How does this relate to Psalm 54? In verse five it says that the Lord is the one who will return evil to my enemies. God is the God who rejects evil and who protects his people. He cares about those who bear his image in their human nature. He cares about those who are unjustly persecuted, including being put to death. But outside of the very specific circumstance of warfare, and nobody is likely to ask me to join in that military action (being a grandpa and an academic, not exactly suited to active duty), I leave vengeance to the Lord. I can pursue legal means, I can try to persuade people, I can try to create incentives to protect human life, but it isn't within my vocation to torch the abortion clinic. It isn't even within my vocation to put sugar in the gas tanks of the people who urge active euthanasia for elderly people.

The Lord will take care of it. He will guard his people. He will return evil onto the heads of those who have practiced evil. I'll keep on trying to persuade them not to do evil. They need a warning. Meanwhile, let's try to do good in our world.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Jeremiah 31:15-17 - Lectionary for Holy Innocents, Martyrs

12/30/2020

12/30/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

We're surrounded by sorrow. The readings for this and the following three posts are used for the commemoration of one of the saddest events recorded in the Bible, the occasion of the execution of the male children two and under in the area of Bethlehem, at the order of Herod.

Scholars differ on their estimates of the extent of the slaughter of the innocents. Most agree that Bethlehem was not a heavily populated place and that there were likely not all that many male children two and under at the time. It was not a large enough event to prompt comment from sources outside the Bible. It didn't provoke a revolution.

The fact remains, though, that in Jeremiah 31:15-17, the proper response to these sorrows, to the loss of children who have been taken away, is weeping. It is a time of sorrow.

My native country is one of the few in the world which allows the legal execution of unborn children, for any reason or for no reason, up to the time of birth. By some estimates, and they are estimates because political authorities have not considered it worth their time to gather statistics about this legalized homicide, between 15% and 30% of unborn children are killed in the womb. We are a heavily populated place. There are a lot of pregnancies in this country. Though the statistics lag behind the current date by a couple of years, and though numbers of abortions are not reported by some of the most populous states, a modest estimate is that about 860,000 unborn children were killed in the United States in 2017. Our current pandemic death toll is dwarfed by the death toll caused by the execution of unborn children.

Yes, the proper response is weeping. Is there any hope? These people seem lost to us. For many we don't even have a reasonable hope that they will be participants in the resurrection to life. What hope is there?

Verses 16-17 say that we can have hope. The children of the righteous who have been taken away in the acts of warfare instigated by the Babylonians will be returned in the restoration of all things. We don't know precisely what that means. We can't say that all children who have been lost to their parents will be returned to them. We can't make any guarantee of their resurrection to life. We don't know exactly how God works. But we do know, for those who have been hearing the Gospel in faith, even those who are cruelly taken away have still been given the precious gift of the Gospel, which leads them to eternal life. Will they depart from the faith? We don't know. Will they remain in the faith? We don't know. But we do know that God is merciful.

While we pray to end the acts of warfare and abuse which result in killing others, particularly in killing children, we can also have hope that God, in his mercy, will show himself to be the God of restoration. So we fight the slaughter of the innocents. And we refuse to give up hope.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

John 21:20–25 - Lectionary for St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

12/29/2020

12/29/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

In liturgical artwork the apostle John is normally pictured as a very young man. There's adequate reason to think this is correct, since we have credible witnesses who speak of his living in Ephesus in the late 90s or even into the early second century. This would mean he lived around seventy years after the resurrection. That's a long time. He would have to be pretty young when walking around with Jesus.

John is also pictured as being quite old when he wrote the Gospel, the Epistles, and the Apocalypse. This has led many to attempt an identification of a different author, a bishop or elder, who is responsible for those writings. I won't try to get into that debate just now. It isn't the point of the post. If anyone wants to study it and reach an informed opinion, have at it.

John 21:22-23 suggests that when he wrote the Gospel, John was older than most people. He recalls that Peter had asked about John's future demise. Jesus said that it didn't matter. If John was to remain until the Lord's coming, it would be fine. Rather, Jesus told Peter to follow him. This led some people to suggest that John would not die.

They really would not have made that suggestion unless John was outliving a lot of people. We get the idea from the passage in John 21 that John is saying he is mortal, just like the other apostles, and that Jesus had simply not called him home yet. This isn't the kind of statement we would expect from an apostle who was 25 when Jesus said this to him and who is now 45 years old writing a Gospel. It sounds more like something that a man in his sixties, seventies, or even eighties would say.

Regardless of the age of John, what do we learn from this passage of the Gospel? Jesus lovingly calls his disciples to follow him. He is able to keep them, to guard them wherever they go, whether they are going to death at a young age due to persecution or whether they are going to die at a very advanced age of natural causes. He can keep his people no matter what. We can trust that the Lord will keep us as well. Jesus can do whatever he sets out to do. This is the great good news of the Gospel. It's the lesson we take with us from John, the apostle and evangelist.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.