Daily Devotional Thought--For the Family

Luke 18:15-17

¹⁵ Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.  ¹⁶ But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.  ¹⁷ Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

Devotion

In the name of + Jesus.

We use different English words to describe  children: new-born, infant, toddler, and preschooler.  Greek, the language of the New Testament, also has different words for different types of children.  So what sort of children is Jesus calling to himself?  And to what sort of children does Jesus say belongs the kingdom of God?

Infants.  The littlest of children.  Those who are unable to make decisions for themselves, but must be given to by a parent, grandparent, or someone else who will love them and provide for them.  Jesus calls these receiving infants to himself, for it is to them that the kingdom of God belongs.  Infants simply receive what is given them.  That’s called faith.

Our Lutheran Confessions describe justifying (saving) faith with these words: “Faith is the divine service (latreia) that receives the benefits offered by God” (Ap IV (II) 49).  Since Ephesians teaches that faith is a gift given by God (so that no one would boast!), faith is that which simply receives the gift.  God gives His gifts.  Faith receives the gifts.

But Jesus does not desire His Father’s kingdom only to be given to infants.  He desires all to receive the gifts He freely gives.  Which is why, He desires all to be present in His Father’s house, where the gifts are being given.  It is there that infants, and toddlers, and even youth, and young adults, and those who have stopped counting their age act like children, and receive what their Father gives through His own Son.  In order for you to be like a child, and to receive His Kingdom, our Lord established the ministry of Word and Sacrament.  “Through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given (John 20:22).  He works faith, when and where it pleases God (John 3:8), in those who hear the good news” (AC V, 2). 

People often ask if we have “Children’s Church.”  I understand what they are asking?  And I know from where that question arises.  I’ve learned to simply respond that “this Church is the Children’s Church.  For it is the Church where Jesus gives His gifts to His children.”  So let us all encourage young parents with the littlest of children.  Let us help that mother who has her hands full.  And even when those children are making noises that would tempt us to hinder them from being in the Divine Service, let us remember, that Jesus desires us to receive the kingdom like them.  Jesus desires us to receive, by faith, the gifts He gives.

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed.  Alleluia!

Prayer

Give us grace to receive Your kingdom, O Lord, as babies welcome and trust their parents’ loving arms (TLSB, p. 1754).

Peace Be With You (Sermon preached April 7 for Easter 2-C)

Sermon text: John 20:19-31

O Sons and Daughters of the King, the joy of the empty tomb continues today, as the risen Lord lives, and you share in His victory.  One week after that most holy day of days, your jubilee and praise to God has not been silenced, but your Alleluias confess the glorious truth which you are blessed to believe.  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed! Alleluia! 

Please pray with me: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of (our) heart(s) be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, (our) rock and (our) redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

            The disciples had locked themselves in a room for fear of the Jews.  They were huddled together, despairing in apparent defeat, when all of a sudden, the crucified Lord was standing in their midst.

            I’m not so sure this was an immediately cheerful sight for those despairing disciples.  You may remember, that last week, St. Luke’s account of Easter morning reported that when Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James had told all the disciples that the tomb was empty, and that Jesus was indeed alive, just as He had said, each and every one of the disciples had refused to believe it.  We always remember that Thomas was slow to believe—and we will get to Thomas—but when the risen Lord miraculously enters that locked room full of despairing disciples, He is entering a room full of disciples whose biggest problem is not their fear of the Jews, but their refusal to believe that Jesus was alive.  Death without resurrection, is just death.

You can well imagine, then, that when they looked up and saw the crucified Jesus standing right in front of them, it was not an immediately happy occasion.  Being afraid that the Jews might come after Jesus’ followers, and make the disciples their next victims was reason enough to be afraid, but now, that idle tale of resurrection those gullible ladies had reported in the morning—that all important news which each and every one of the disciples had refused to believe—had been confirmed by Jesus, who was standing in the midst of them.  They had been wrong.  And the person about whom they had been wrong was right there in front of them.

And then, Jesus began to speak.  And if you’ve ever been caught with your hand in the cookie jar, and you knew that your punishment was coming; if you’ve ever been caught in a lie, and knew that you couldn’t avoid the consequences of the lie; if you’ve ever been running your mouth about someone when all of a sudden that someone was standing in your presence and you knew they would not be happy; if you’ve ever been completely guilty and found yourself in the presence of the one who had the power and authority to carry out the worse punishment imaginable, then you can begin to understand why the risen Lord’s appearance to those fearful disciples on that first Easter evening was not an immediately cheerful sight.  But then he began to speak.

And the words He began to speak were not what they expected.  Judgment. Wrath.  Maybe a little admonishment like they had heard so many times before, “Why are you so slow to believe?”  But there was none of that.  No heaping on to an already guilty party.  No pounding with the Law those who were already convicted of their sin by Jesus’ mere presence.  He just opened his mouth, and spoke holy absolution: “Peace be with you.”  He just opened His mouth, and by speaking peace to those fearfully guilty disciples He was forgiving them of all of their unbelief, and telling them that there was nothing that stood between them and God.  Not death; not sin; not even their refusal to believe.  None of it.  It was all gone; forgiven; absolved.  Peace be with you.  And then, his unexpected words, were accompanied by His marks.

Peace was theirs, you see, because of the marks.  The nails in hands and feet, the spear in His side, those were the marks He had earned in paying for their sin.  The disciples were probably wondering how in the world they could get off Scott Free, but Jesus shows them His hands and his side because those marks were the payment for their sin.  It’s as if, the peace that he offered, could only be accepted when the disciples were reminded why Jesus had died in the first place.  It’s as if, in showing them His hands and His side, he was saying, “Don’t you know, that I died for all your sin?  I knew you were weak.  I knew would fall away.  I knew you would be slow to believe.  Those are the sins for which I died.  Remember! But now, I’m alive!  Peace be with you.”

You see, the scars in Jesus’ hands and side were the payment for sin, but his resurrected flesh and blood were the proof that the payment had been accepted.  One plus one equaled joy!  The marks in His hands and His side, along with the living and breathing Jesus standing in their midst, went together to turn their frowns upside-down.  Where there had been fear and despair just moments before, there was now joy and peace.  Jesus was crucified to pay for sin, but he was raised to give peace.

And peace He would give.  First to those fearful disciples who refused to believe, and then to Thomas who always gets a bad name, but was really just like all the rest.  Without Him seeing the marks in the hands and side of the risen Lord He would not believe that there was any peace to be had.  Apart from the very same Jesus who had been crucified and laid in that tomb standing in front of him so He could put his hands in those blessed wounds, there was no way that Thomas would accept that they could again have confidence, and comfort once again.  If Jesus was alive, then there would be peace that passed all human understanding, but Thomas wasn’t about to fall for it, without seeing the risen Lord for himself.

And so he did.  And there was—peace.  Eight days later, the disciples were locked together again—and again, the risen Lord miraculously entered the room and stood in the midst of them.  And there he was, marks and all, inviting Thomas to do just what Thomas said he would need to do.  “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side.  Stop refusing to believe.  Believe it.”  There are the marks.  It really is me, who they crucified.  I’m alive and well.  And you.  I forgive you.  Be at peace.”  And he was.

Thomas had now seen what the other disciples had already seen.  Now he knew that the miraculous had indeed occurred.  Jesus was not dead.  He was alive.  There was peace after all.  And Thomas can only confess what he now knows to be the case:  “My Lord, and my God.”

All of the disciples, including Thomas, needed to see Jesus alive in order to believe that they could have peace with God.  They knew that they head feared, and fallen away; they knew that they had despaired of apparent defeat; they needed to know that the Jesus who was crucified was, in fact, the very same Jesus who was raised from the dead.  It had to be the very same person—the very same body that was placed in the tomb—or there wouldn’t—there couldn’t—be peace at all.  And while we might give Thomas and his fellow disciples a bit of a hard time for refusing to believe without seeing, it is good for you today, that they did, in fact, demand to see.  And that they did see—along with 500 others.  For while the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is much more than a mere historical fact, if it is going to bring you peace with God, it must be an historical fact.

Christianity is not some theory of philosophy that has seemed to work well for a few thousands years.  Christianity is not just another one of the world religions that demands its adherents to follow the golden rule.  Christianity is not just another religion.  It is the faith that believes the fact that a fully human man named Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, was also the Son of God, who was crucified, died, and was buried because of mankind’s sin.  But it’s also the faith that believes the historical fact that the same Jesus who was taken off the cross and placed in the tomb, was standing the midst of His disciples on Easter morning, and again one week later, alive and well.  Because all of that is true, not only did the disciples who saw Him standing there with their very own eyes have peace and comfort and joy, but, I pray, so do all of you, who by the power of the Holy Spirit, have not seen the risen Lord with your eyes, and yet, have believed.

Peace be with you.  It’s what Jesus said to the disciples when they had refused to believe.  Peace be with you.  It’s what Jesus said to Thomas when he had refused to believe.  Peace be with you.  It’s what Jesus gives the apostles to speak to all who would live in fear, and despair because of their sin.  “If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven.”  Not because the apostles had any power to forgive sin, but because Jesus’ marks prove that payment has been made for all sin, and His resurrection proves that the payment was accepted.  Peace be with you.  It’s what I have been called, and ordained, to speak to you.  Not because I have seen the risen Lord, but because those disciples did.  Not because I have authority to forgive sins, but because Jesus does.  And Jesus does forgive sins.  He has forgiven your sins.  How do you know?  Well, because Thomas, and those other disciples demanded to see the proof.

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed! Alleluia!  Amen.

Daily Devotional Thought--From the Lutheran Confessions (Small Catechism)

Today, I’m double dipping, in a way.  I’ve promised that Fridays would bring a devotional thought from the Lutheran Confessions.  And today’s devotional thought will keep that promise; but it will also speak directly to the Christian family, and I pray the Holy Spirit would use it to encourage all of us in the Way of Christ.

Deuteronomy 6:6-8

⁶ And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

Small Catechism

At the beginning of each section of the Small Catechism, Martin Luther includes this phrase: As the Head of the Family Should Teach Them in a Simple Way to His Household.

Devotion

In the name of + Jesus.

Parents (and grandparents) do much for their children, there is no denying that.  They get up early, they work long hours, they prepare meals, they repair the house, they discipline, they console, they explain.  They load them into the mini-van and drop them off at school, or at piano lessons, or at soccer practice, or to go hang out with friends.  They spend their money on school clothes, and sports gear, and entertainment, and food, and even more food.  Parents do so much for their children that it would be impossible to list everything that is done by parents for the sake of their children.  I’m afraid, however, that in many of our homes, the most important thing parents (and grandparents) could ever do for their children is being lost.

Amidst the busyness of our modern-day schedules, and with many homes having mom and dad both working full time (or with only one parents in the home), and with the pressures of society to have our children participating in sports, and music, and scouts, and whatever else “everyone else is doing,” even Christian parents find it difficult to squeeze into their busy schedules the most important thing that they could ever do for their children.

I know this, because it happens to me, too.  You see, pastors and their families aren’t immune from these temptations.  Pastors are Called and Ordained servants of the Word, but if the Lord has blessed a pastor and his wife with children, that never-ending list of things which parents do for their children applies to them as well.  He got up early to make breakfast for the kids, and then took them to school.  And since he’s spent the day studying Matthew for a Bible Class, and translating John in preparation for Sunday’s sermon, and coming up with a creative way to teach the Small Catechism for those confirmation kids, and delivering Holy Communion to a shut-in, and sitting with a grieving family who has lost a loved one, and writing up a report for that night’s board meeting, and reading a passage of Scripture to one of God’s children in the congregation who is hurting, when he gets home for dinner, he’s tired.  And since he has 45 minutes before he has to head back to church for that night’s meeting, you can imagine, that lighting the candles on the family altar and opening the Bible and the hymnal for family devotions when the kiddos don’t look like they’re in the mood to sit much longer, is not what he is most desiring to do.

But even pastors are fathers; and their wives are mothers.  And that means they’re just like you.  That means that, just like you, there is one thing that our children need from us more than any other.  More than any other thing that we can do for them—yes, even more than food on the table, and clothes on their bodies—our children need from us to give to them the faith.

You might think I’m talking about parents bringing their children to church, or making sure their little ones are in Sunday School.  I’m not.  Those issues are related, to be sure, but there’s something even more basic about what parents can do for their children.

You see, that passage above from Deuteronomy wasn’t written to priests, or to pastors.  It was written for parents—fathers, specifically.  And in that passage the LORD calls a father to be sure that the first thing he is giving to his children, is the Word of God.  And what about mothers?  Well, mothers in households where the father is making sure to give his children the Word of God, will serve as the partner she was created by God to be.  But unlike piano lessons, and dance class, and chaperoning the weekend trip with the boy/girl scouts, teaching the faith to your children by giving them the Word of God is not something to be delegated to others.

All around us, we lament the breakdown in society, and all the while, the Word of God is heard in the home less and less (again, attendance in Church is for another day).  We say that we trust in God, and that we believe His Word, and that we want our children to stay in the church when they’re older, but then our schedules reflect that we would rather give them many other things before we give them the most important thing.

So what are we to do?  Our jobs aren’t going to lighten up, and our children won’t need any less of us?  What is the solution, if we actually do desire to be doing what the Lord has called us to do as parents?

Well, first of all, repent.  It’s okay, that’s not a dirty word.  Simply repent.  Confess that you’re not a perfect parent.  Confess that you haven’t been the best father, or the best mother, or even come close.  Confess that you’ve allowed many things to squeeze out God’s Word from your home.  Confess that you need Christ’s forgiveness.

And know, that you have been forgiven already.  Jesus died two thousand years ago, and paid the price even for the sins we commit as parents.  And because he rose on Easter, we know that the Father accepted that sacrifice, and that our sins are gone.  Satan’s accusations are now as empty as the tomb!  And that’s good news!

Ah, but there are your children.  They’re not going anywhere, now are they?  So live as a renewed, forgiven, father or mother.  Get home tonight, and pray before dinner.  When your children are going to be, grab your Small Catechism and lead them in Luther’s Evening Prayer.  When you’re able to fight your fatigue, and your schedule allows you to be together, make every effort to read that day’s Bible Story after dinner, and ask your children if they have any questions.  Have a commandment of the week that the whole family will learn and see which stories on the news keep that commandment, or break it.  And most importantly, when your child sins against you, don’t tell them, “it doesn’t matter,” or “that’s okay,” tell them, “I forgive you, because Jesus forgives you.”

There’s no magic formula for this, and you might not even do it with a happy heart, or a joyful sprit.  Like so many other things you do for your children, you will just have to do it because you know it is what they need.  But I promise you that when your children start to speak the Lord’s Prayer with you, and when they begin asking questions about Jesus’ death and resurrection, or when they ask you to forgive them, there will be no lack of joy in your heart then.

Father’s that give their children the Word of God, are giving their children Jesus.  It really is that simple.  And when homes are filled not only with parents and children, but with the risen Lord Jesus Himself, then our homes will be beautiful, no matter how long it has been since the carpet was cleaned!

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed.  Alleluia!

Prayer

Visit, O Lord, the homes in which Your people dwell, and keep all harm and danger far from them. Grant that we may dwell together in peace under the protection of Your holy angels, sharing eternally in Your blessings; through Jesus Christ, our Lord (LSB, p. 315).

Daily Devotional Thought--From the New Testament

1 Corinthians 15:19-26 (Epistle for Easter Sunday)

¹⁹ If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.  ²⁰ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  ²¹ For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.  ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.  ²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.  ²⁴ Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.  ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Devotion

In the name of + Jesus.

My kids and I love grapes.  They’re one of the staples of the menu at the Truwe household.  Jamie and I can always count on grapes being eaten, and since it is important to serve something that we know will be consumed, grapes are served regularly.  But one bunch of grapes can be quite different from another; which is why tasting the first grape in a new bunch is so important.  If that grape is sour, the whole bunch of grapes is looked at with suspicion.  But if that first grape is plump, and juicy, and sweet, the rest of that bunch of grapes is looked at by hungry eyes with longing desire.  Although, admittedly, that first grape is not always a trustworthy indicator as to how the rest of the grapes will taste, but this analogy can help us to understand what St. Paul means when he refers to the risen Christ as the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (v. 20).

St. Paul is using an agricultural analogy with which to teach the Corinthian Christians about the resurrection of the dead.  Would this year’s crop be good?  Would the vineyard produce rich, juicy grapes?  Would they be good for wine?  These questions were answered by the fristfruits, which were the earliest portion of the harvest.  Israel would collect the firstfruits and sacrifice them to God in thanks for the full harvest to come (TLSB, p. 1974).  Those firstfruits gave them an accurate indication about what sort of harvest they could expect.  If the first fruits were big, and juicy, and good for wine, the people knew that the harvest would be the same.

We know that there were some in the Church in Corinth who were saying that there was no resurrection of the dead (see 1 Cor. 15:12ff).  But St. Paul addresses this misunderstanding by pointing them to Christ’s own resurrection.  By calling Jesus the firstfruits, St. Paul is teaching His reader that the risen Lord shows us what to expect in the resurrection.  Sure, Jesus died, along with the rest of us humans.  But Jesus burst from His tomb, alive and well.  Jesus rose from the grave, with flesh and bones.  And if St. Paul says that Jesus is the firstfruits o those who have fallen asleep.  Then we are to draw great comfort from the empty tomb, and Jesus’ own resurrection.  For in it, we see what will be our own future on the last day—in the harvest.

For now, death stings us.  We’re separated from our loved ones, and death seems to be reigning.  But in Jesus’ resurrection, you have an accurate indication of what will happen to you in the resurrection.  You will be raised, in a new and glorified body, never to die again.  For if the first grape of the bunch I buy at Kroger tells me what to expect from the rest of them, how much more is the risen Lord to be trusted.  If the risen Christ is the fristfruits, then you who have been baptized into Christ, and believe in Christ, know what will be yours.

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed.  Alleluia!

Prayer

Risen Lord, by your death you have destroyed death, and by your resurrection, you have opened the door to everlasting life.  May I draw strength from your resurrection, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, let it be my own expectation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Daily Devotional Thought--From the Old Testament

See source here.

Isaiah 65:17-25 (Old Testament Reading for Easter Sunday)

¹⁷ "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.  ¹⁸ But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.  ¹⁹ I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.  ²⁰ No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.  ²¹ They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.  ²² They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy¹ the work of their hands.  ²³ They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity,¹ for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them.  ²⁴ Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.  ²⁵ The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain," says the LORD.

Devotion

Pastors are often asked about what heaven will be like.  Children and adults alike are curious what we will, in fact, receive as our eternal inheritance on the Last Day.  Sometimes the questions are silly: “Will there be baseball there?”  Sometimes the questions are more serious: “Will my loved ones know me?”  Some of the questions can be answered: “Will we have bodies?” (Yes, in fact—see Phil. 3:21 & 1 Cor. 15).  And some of the questions can’t be answered: “Which version of my body will I have?”

It is good that we desire to know what heaven will be like.  For Christians, this desire flows from a trust in God’s promise to give to His people an eternal dwelling place.  And the Scriptures do give us glimpses into the new creation.  God’s Word reveals pictures of what the new heavens and the new earth will be like.  The Bible allows us a glimpse of what remains hidden today, but what will be fully realized in the resurrection.

The above passage is one of those pictures.  And like any picture, it provides some of the information, but not all of it.  You might think of it like searching for a new house.  You can read the MLS fact sheet.  You can research the home’s history.  Most sellers make numerous photographs available for you to look at.  And who would purchase a home without having it inspected?  All of these sources of information provide some detail about the house.  Each will reveal something about the home you are considering.  But until you have moved in you won’t have all your questions answered.

That’s how it is with heaven, and the promised new creation.  In Isaiah 65, our LORD gives us a glimpse of what our eternal home will be like.  It’s a picture, so it doesn’t reveal everything; but what it does reveal is wonderful.

·         We will not be troubled with memories of the current, sinful and broken world (v. 17).

·         It will be a joy, and those who inhabit it will be glad (v. 18).

·         There will be no pain and sorrow (v. 19).

·         Death will not exist.  Nobody—young or old—will ever taste its sting again (v. 20).

·         Our work will be blessed: we will have a house, and the land will produce (v. 21-22).

·         We will be one family, the Children of the LORD (v. 23).

·         We will be in perfect communion with our LORD, with perfect conversation (v. 24).

·         Those who were aggressive (the Lions) and took advantage of the weak (the Lambs) will dwell together in peace (v. 25).

In short, the paradise of our Lord’s first creation, will be restored in the new creation.  And all of it is true, we know, because the resurrected Jesus is the first of many brothers (and sisters) to receive this inheritance.  Jesus is the first-fruits of those who will also inherit this new creation.

If you desire to know what heaven will be like?  Our Lord has given us a wonderful glimpse.  And while He waits to reveal all the details, you can be sure, that what you discover when you arrive, will only continue to be more of the same: a new creation, a perfect existence, a life which will be yours with the risen Lord forever.

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed.  Alleluia!

Prayer

Lord God, You who are quick to hear and answer the prayers of Your people, hasten the day when we will in enjoy the fullness of Your new creation (TLSB, p. 1197).

Rev. Gregory R. Truwe

Concordia Lutheran Church

Jackson, TN 

pastortruwe@gmail.com

Daily Devotional Thought--From the Psalms

Psalm 16 (The Psalm for Easter Sunday)

^{ESV 1}A MIKTAM OF DAVID.

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

² I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord;

I have no good apart from you."

³ As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,

in whom is all my delight.

⁴ The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;

their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out

or take their names on my lips.

⁵ The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;

you hold my lot.

⁶ The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

⁷ I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;

in the night also my heart instructs me.

⁸ I have set the LORD always before me;

because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being¹ rejoices;

my flesh also dwells secure.

¹⁰ For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

or let your holy one see corruption.

¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Devotion:

In the name of + Jesus.

With the Psalmist, we have often cried out for our Lord to preserve us (v. 1).  The Holy Spirit has taught us that God is our true Father, and that we are His true children by virtue of our Baptism into Christ, His Son.  And as the Father’s true Children, we know from whom comes all good, and we trust that we would have nothing good if it were not from Him (v. 2).  The opening cry of this Psalm, is the cry of all God’s people.  It is the cry of faith.

The saints who have trusted in the Lord serve as an excellent and encouraging example for all of us (v. 3).  With them, we delight in God’s promises, even in the midst of our cries for help.  It is not so for those whose trust is elsewhere (v. 4).  Those who run after other gods, those who pray to false idols, those who trust that some creaturely thing will provide their help, will have sorrows which multiply.  The object of their fear, love, and trust simply cannot deliver, and they remain in want.

But like a son who receives an abundant inheritance from his father, the psalmist reminds us that we are heirs of an incredible estate.  The LORD, who holds all things in His hands, is the one who also holds our lot; our inheritance is beautiful (v. 5-6).  And this promised inheritance is certain to be yours because it is the LORD himself who has promised it (v. 7).  The LORD gives His counsel, and instructs our hearts to believe that we—His children—will be given all things.  When the LORD is before us, and His promises are with us (v. 8), no matter what it is that has us crying out to the LORD, we will not be shaken.

This solid promise gladdens our hearts, and is enough to make our whole being rejoice (v.9).  Our flesh and blood dwell securely in the hands of the Father, and Jesus’ resurrection is that proof.  He appeared to be abandoned—indeed, He was abandoned, forsaken by the Father (Matt. 27:46)—but Jesus’ resurrection is proof that we will not be abandoned.  We will not see corruption (v. 10).  The empty tomb is the destination for our path of life (v. 11).  With the LORD, our joy is full, and in His presence, there are pleasures forevermore.

Some of those pleasures are ours already today.  And some of them are yet to come in the resurrection.  Until then, when we cry out for the LORD to preserve us, we will do so as the Father’s Children, and those who have the promise of an eternal inheritance.

Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia!

Prayer

Lord, keep us in Your presence throughout our earthly pilgrimage, that we may come to the fullness of Your joy in heaven; through Jesus Christ, our resurrected Lord. (TLSB, p. 858).

Daily Devotional Thought--For the Family

Psalm 68:4-6

⁴Sing to God, sing praises to his name;

                Lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;

His name is the LORD;

                Exult before him!

⁵Father of the fatherless and protector of widows

                Is God in his holy habitation.

⁶God settles the solitary in a home;

                he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,

                but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

In the name of + Jesus.

From the beginning, it was not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18).  It was not good for man to be a single, solitary person.  And so, already in the beginning, the LORD made a helper fit for the first man, and together, the man and the women were the first household.  From the beginning community was a gift given by God within the family: Man, Wife, and children on the way!

All around us we have opportunities for “community.”  Social media “communities” such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the like, promise to connect you with friends, family, and more.  It should be said that, all of these platforms do provide some sort of connection with other humans; I have witnessed these media platforms being used in profound ways to love and serve the neighbor.  But…

But none of these social media platforms can replace the gift our LORD has given us in our family.  The psalmist writes, “God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity.”  In our search for connections, and community, and to be networked with others, we need to look no further than those with whom we live.  Prisoners of isolation, and those who are starved for community, have a prosperous and lively community among those whom the LORD has given right there in their own homes: spouses, parents, children, even extended family and dear friends (the psalm includes the fatherless and the widow, too!).

And all the while, our society laments the breakdown of the family.  But how many times haven’t we told our children, or our friends, to “wait just a minute,” while we craft a clever Facebook update?  What might happen in our families, and within our communities, if we would tell Facebook to “wait just a minute,” while we took our spouse out for dinner—and left the phone on silent J.

I’m not advocating that we shut ourselves off from media tools which can be used to love and serve the neighbor.  I’m just encouraging all of us, not to forget where the LORD has given us real community, even from the beginning.  And while you may be able to talk with your friends and family across the world because of a computer screen, remember, that they are there because two people were blessed to become a one-flesh family in the first place.

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Amen

Prayer

Visit, O Lord, the homes in which Your people dwell, and keep all harm and danger far from them. Grant that we may dwell together in peace under the protection of Your holy angels, sharing eternally in Your blessings; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Daily Devotional Thoughts Returning

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"Bye Bye" Pujols, Part 2

Just thought you all should know, that not all the males in the Truwe household responded to the Pujols signing so well.  At lunch when I broke the news to (three-year-old) Micah, there were tears.  At dinner, however, he announced that his new favorite Cardinal would be Lance Berk-"man."

Pujols Goes "Bye-Bye"

Cards offered what they thought they could afford AP, who had the finest 10-year- start to a career in baseball history. I would have loved to watch AP play with the birds on the bat for another 10 years, but, I'll admit I was not comfortable with a 10-year contract at that rate. His numbers may or may not continue to decline in the next five years; he's never failed to astonish us. But, the ev...idence is overwhelmingly against AP being worth $25/year the last 5 years of a 10-year deal. He is the best baseball player I've ever watched, and Cards fans are furtunate to have had him for 10 years. I wish him well in Anaheim, and like most everyone else, am glad he won't be in the NL (Central).

But for those of you who say this decision was about greed, consider this. Money is a blessing; it is not sinful by itself. (It is the love of money that is sinful) When the Lord--who gives all good gifts--gives someone more $$, that person has an opportunity to use that $$ in service to his neighbor and to the glory of God. If you think AP made this decision based on greed alone, I would challenge you to do some reading about AP's foundation, his record of charity work, and his overall approach to serving whatever communities he has an opportunity to benefit. My guess is that he'll continue to serve his neighbor with the gifts of God, he'll just be doing it more regularly in a different community.