The Throne of God -- Part 1
Isaiah 6:1-2
05/28/2024
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord
sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the
train of his robe filled the temple.
2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings:
with two he covered his face, and with two he
covered his feet, and with two he flew. (ESV)
This past Sunday marked the beginning of the Church half of
the Church Year. During the first few weeks of the Trinity
Season, we review that which defines the Church, the teachings
that make the Church more than merely a social club. On Trinity
Sunday we confess the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Father created us. The Son redeemed us. The Holy Spirit
calls us to faith in the Son by giving us the very means by which
we know of His love, acknowledge that love, and trust that love.
In the Old Testament reading from Isaiah we see a vision of
the throne of heaven. With Isaiah, we behold the majesty of God.
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord
sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the
train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood
the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered
his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with
two he flew.
Isaiah saw the full majesty of the Triune God. In so doing,
Isaiah also came to know the gracious God who forgives the sins
of those who repent. This week we will join Isaiah as he relates
his call to be a prophet, even as each week we join in the hymn
of praise raised by all of the heavenly hosts to the Triune God.
May our Lord grant that we know of Him, acknowledge Him, and
trust in Him above all things. Amen.Category: Moments of Meditation
Daily devotions as heard on KJOE 106.1 FM
Memorial Day — May 27, 2024
Memorial Day 2024
Proverbs 14:34
05/27/2024
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a
reproach to any people. (ESV)
Today this nation takes time to remember those paid the
ultimate price while defending our freedoms. Thomas Jefferson,
the third president of the United States wrote: ``The tree of
liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of
patriots and tyrants.'' Ever since the first patriots took up
arms to secure our liberties, we have honored the memories of
those who refreshed the tree of liberty with their blood.
King Solomon wrote: ``Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin
is a reproach to any people.'' We pray, therefore, for righteous
leaders and faithful citizens who place the good of their
neighbors over personal gain. When our leaders are moral and
just, the entire nation is blessed. When our leaders seek their
own good over others, we all suffer. Therefore we pray for this
nation, remembering those who sacrificed themselves that others
may live in freedom.
Lord of our Land and Life, Over two centuries ago,
shortly before the British hanged him, the American
hero Nathan Hale said he regretted he had only one life
to lose for his country. Today we can see things Hale
could not: we see America's flag, her history, and the
democratic truths upon which she has been built. We
give thanks that our country remains: ``One nation
under God.'' Knowing that, we proudly echo his words in
saying, ``I have only one life to invest in my
country.'' The Bible says doing right exalts a nation
and sin disgraces her. For that reason, we pray for
America, right or wrong. When America is right, dear
Lord, keep her right. Allow the good people, the God-
fearing people of America to loyally continue their
vigilance and struggle for those things which are
pleasing to You. And, if our nation ever wanders or
goes wrong, dear Lord, turn her and gently bring her
back onto the path You would have her walk. In Jesus'
name, we pray. Amen.The Tower of Babel — Part 5: May 24, 2024
The Tower of Babel - Part 5
Genesis 11:9
05/24/2024
9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there
the LORD confused the language of all the earth.
And from there the LORD dispersed them over the
face of all the earth. (ESV)
Last Sunday the Church celebrated God's gift of the Holy
Spirit as we remembered the sound of the rushing wind, the
tongues of fire, and the disciples speaking in languages which
they had never had the opportunity to learn. The message of
salvation from sin, death, and the power of the devil because of
the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is for all people.
At the tower of Babel the Lord caused work to cease as
communication became impossible. ``Therefore its name was called
Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the
earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of
all the earth.'' By confusing the languages, the descendants of
Noah were forced to do that which God commanded, namely subdue
and fill the earth, properly using the resources He had created
for the good of all people.
On Pentecost, the many nations and language groups are
joined together with the common message of God's rich grace and
mercy. Although the pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks
came from all over the world, the Gospel was the same for all
people.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have
eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the
world to condemn the world, but in order that the world
might be saved through him.[3]
Please join us at Trinity Lutheran Church at 9:00 a.m. on
Sunday to hear more of this good news of God's grace and mercy.
May our Lord continue to bless you. Amen.
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3. John 3:16-17 (ESV)Tower of Babel — Part 4: May 23, 2024
The Tower of Babel - Part 4
Genesis 11:8
05/23/2024
8 So the LORD dispersed them from there over the
face of all the earth, and they left off building
the city. (ESV)
After the great flood, God blessed Noah and his sons.
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them,
``Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. ... And
you, be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and
multiply in it.''[2]
In defiance of God, the descendants of Noah congregated
together and built a large city with a tall tower reaching high
into the heavens. God, in His mercy, confused the language of
the people so they could not continue this great project. ``So
the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the
earth, and they left off building the city.''
The sin of the people was defying God by seeking to gain
glory and lasting recognition. Pride in their accomplishments
replaced trust in the Creator of heaven and earth. With the
wealth of the whole world waiting, with the opportunity to tend
and properly use all of creation, they selfishly looked for
others to admire their work.
The sin of Babel still effects the world. Because we cannot
easily communicate with others, we fear them. Different
cultures, people of different languages, are unfamiliar and
terrifying. Therefore, we daily sin against those we do not
understand, forgetting that each person is created by God and
loved by Him. Jesus died for all people of all nations and of
all languages. Our task is to fill the world with the good news
of salvation by grace through faith for the sake of Christ Jesus
alone.
May our Lord grant us the will to do His will, to tell
others of Jesus Christ, who bore our sins upon the cross, giving
to us redemption from sin and death. Amen.
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2. Genesis 9:1,7 (ESV)The Tower of Babel — Part 3: May 22, 2024
The Tower of Babel - Part 3
Genesis 11:5-7
05/22/2024
5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the
tower, which the children of man had built.
6 And the LORD said, ``Behold, they are one people,
and they have all one language, and this is only
the beginning of what they will do. And nothing
that they propose to do will now be impossible for
them.
7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their
language, so that they may not understand one
another's speech.'' (ESV)
The descendants of Noah were instructed by God to leave the
site where the ark had landed, to travel, and to fill the earth.
Instead, they traveled eastward until reaching the plains in
modern day Iraq between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. There
they decided to build a large city with a tower in defiance of
God's desire that they go and care for all the earth. The ruins
of this city, later called Babylon, are still evident in the
desert.
God had other plans.
And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower,
which the children of man had built. And the LORD
said, ``Behold, they are one people, and they have all
one language, and this is only the beginning of what
they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will
now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and
there confuse their language, so that they may not
understand one another's speech.''
Just a century earlier, in response to rampant sin, God had
destroyed all but eight people by causing a world-wide flood.
Later He would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone
for their great sins. Yet, in love and mercy, God determined not
to destroy those who rejected Him, but to cause circumstances so
that His will would be done.
Our Lord showed the same compassion three millenia later
when He sent His Son to bear the sins of the world rather than
destroying all who opposed Him. He does not desire the death of
the wicked, but that they repent of their sinful ways and return
to Him.
May our Lord grant us the grace to see His love, to receive
His mercy, and to set aside our selfish desires so to do His
will. Amen.The Tower of Babel — Part 2: May 21, 2024
The Tower of Babel - Part 2
Genesis 11:3-4
05/21/2024
3 And they said to one another, ``Come, let us make
bricks, and burn them thoroughly.'' And they had
brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
4 Then they said, ``Come, let us build ourselves a
city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and
let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be
dispersed over the face of the whole earth.''
(ESV)
In the third chapter of Genesis we learn that original sin
is the desire to be like God, to replace Him. Over the course of
the years, people rejected the truth of God's Word. Sin became
so rampant that God destroyed all but eight people. Yet, 100
years after the Flood, Noah's descendants once again determined
to ignore God's Word and His command to fill the earth.
And they said to one another, ``Come, let us make
bricks, and burn them thoroughly.'' And they had brick
for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said,
``Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with
its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for
ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the
whole earth.''
More important than God's command to properly care for
creation was the desire for fame and legacy. To build a city and
tower was to defy God and His desire that mankind cares for all
of creation. This same arrogance is evident today as people
reject God's Word and determine to do things their own way.
Defying God brings consequences. Ignoring the truth of His
Word brings fear, loneliness, and the uncertainty of the future.
We may not build large cities or towering temples, but we seek
our own way to heaven, a way of works which is doomed to fail.
By rejecting God's offer of love, grace, and mercy as found in
the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we find no comfort
when our world collapses.
May our Lord grant us the wisdom to learn the lessons from
ancient history, lessons which are important today. Amen.The Tower of Babel — Part 1: May 20, 2024
The Tower of Babel - Part 1
Genesis 11:1-2
05/20/2024
1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same
words.
2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a
plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
(ESV)
Last Sunday the Church celebrated Pentecost, fifty days
after Easter, the day upon which the Holy Spirit visibly came
upon the apostles and those who trusted in Jesus Christ. The
work of the Holy Spirit is to call people to faith in Jesus as
their Redeemer from sin, death, and the power of the devil. In
order to accomplish this work, the Holy Spirit has provided the
Church with both the written Word of God, which is the Bible, and
the sacraments.
The second chapter of Acts tell us how the Holy Spirit came
upon the apostles with the sound of the wind, and tongues of fire
adorned their heads. Saint Luke, the author of the book,
recounted how the disciples proclaimed the good news of salvation
by God's rich love and mercy for the sake of the death and
resurrection of Jesus. Speaking in known languages, Peter and
the rest of Jesus' followers brought the Gospel to all people.
About 2,200 years before the birth of Jesus, after Noah's
flood, God had commanded Noah and his descendants, ``Be fruitful
and multiply and fill the earth.''[1] Yet, rather than dispersing
to receive God's blessings of the fruits of the earth, for the
next hundred years the people remained in one large tribe. ``Now
the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as
people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of
Shinar and settled there.''
This week we will look at the rebellion of the flood
survivors, and God's method to cause mankind to fulfill the task
of filling the earth. We also will see how the Holy Spirit
brings one message of hope to all people.
May our Lord richly bless you with the good news of His
great love. Amen.
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1. Genesis 9:1b (ESV)I Will Be Your God — Part 5: May 17, 2024
I Will Be Your God - Part 5
Ezekiel 36:28
05/17/2024
28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your
fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be
your God. (ESV)
We celebrated Jesus ascending into heaven eight days ago.
Saint Luke recorded:
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up
his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he
parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And
they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great
joy, and were continually in the temple blessing
God.[3]
Jesus Christ is present with His Church through His Word and
Sacraments. We believe, teach, and confess that He is at the
right hand of the omnipresent Father, thus He is also with us
physically, though we cannot see Him. Finally, our Lord and
Savior is with His Church through the holy office He bestowed
when He sent His disciples to spread the good news of salvation
by grace through faith for the sake of His suffering, death, and
resurrection to all the earth.
This is to fulfill the promise given through Ezekiel the
prophet:
You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your
fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your
God.
Today, the Church on earth is in God's presence. He calls
us to be His people, and has promised that we will have
everlasting life in His holy mansions. The land in which we will
dwell eternally is like the Garden into which our Creator placed
the first man and woman.
While on earth, we have the opportunity to join with angels,
archangels, and all the company of heaven as we gather to hear of
God's rich love and mercy, that Jesus died and rose again for
your redemption. Please come to Trinity Lutheran Church on
Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. to hear this marvelous news. May our
Lord grant you the peace of knowing your sins are forgiven for
Jesus' sake. Amen.
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3. Luke 24:50-53 (ESV)I Will Be Your God — Part 4: May 16, 2024
I Will Be Your God - Part 4
Ezekiel 36:26-27
05/16/2024
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit
I will put within you. And I will remove the
heart of stone from your flesh and give you a
heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you
to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my
rules. (ESV)
During forty days after Jesus rose from the dead, He taught
His disciples:
And he said to them, ``Go into all the world and
proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever
believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever
does not believe will be condemned.
What is the Gospel which Jesus entrusted to the Apostles?
Nothing more than what Ezekiel wrote centuries before the birth
of Jesus:
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I
will put within you. And I will remove the heart of
stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to
walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
The result of the faith which the Holy Spirit gives through
the Word and Sacraments are a complete change in our lives for
the better. Because of God's love, of His redeeming us from sin
and eternal death, our perspective changes. No longer are we
content to focus on our wants and desires, coldly ignoring the
need of our neighbor. Rather, we desire to love our neighbor as
ourselves, helping them in every way possible, especially
inviting them to know the peace which we have from being marked
as God's children.
Ezekiel shows us that the new heart, the new spirit, and the
desire to walk in God's ways are not because of our own work or
desire. The new heart, the new spirit, the new love we reflect
are a gift, given because of His love and mercy.
May our Lord grant that we come to know of His grace, first
poured out on His people at the beginning of creation, and shown
to us by Jesus Christ. Amen.
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2. Mark 16:15-16 (ESV)I Will Be Your God — Part 3: May 15, 2024
I Will Be Your God - Part 3
Ezekiel 36:24-25
05/15/2024
24 I will take you from the nations and gather you
from all the countries and bring you into your own
land.
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall
be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all
your idols I will cleanse you. (ESV)
For forty days after Jesus rose from the dead, He taught His
disciples:
And [He] said to them, ``Thus it is written, that the
Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the
dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins
should be proclaimed in his name to all nations,
beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these
things.[2]
His words showed how God fulfilled the promise made through
the prophet Ezekiel.
I will take you from the nations and gather you from
all the countries and bring you into your own land. I
will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be
clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your
idols I will cleanse you.
The promise was fulfilled first as the children of Israel
were restored to Jerusalem and Judea following the Babylonian
Captivity. More so, it is fulfilled in the Church as the Holy
Spirit, through the Gospel and Sacraments, calls us from the
darkness of sin into the light of God's love and grace.
How does the Holy Spirit create the faith which acknowledges
and trusts the Word of God? We believe, teach, and confess that
the water of Baptism, combined with the promise of Jesus Christ,
marks us as God's own children, buries our sinful nature with
Jesus in His tomb, and bursts forth as the resurrected child of
the almighty.
May our Lord grant that we hold firmly to the promise of
life and forgiveness given to us through the water and the word.
Amen.
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2. Luke 24:46-48 (ESV)