Category: Moments of Meditation

August 7, 2025

Broadcast

                          Compassion - Part 4
                               Mark 8:9
                              08/07/2025


        9    And there were about four thousand people. And he
             sent them away.  (ESV)

        Jesus had compassion on the hungry crowds.  For three days
   the crowds had followed Jesus into the wilderness to hear Him
   proclaim the grace, love, and mercy of God.  For three days,
   Jesus taught that the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.  This kingdom
   is the love of God which caused the Father to send His only-
   begotten Son to pay the price of your sins and mine.

        These crowds had not expected to stay in the wilderness.
   Eventually their food ran out and they were hungry.  There was no
   earthly way to feed the crowd in the wilderness.  Jesus taught
   where there were no markets, no bakers from whom to purchase
   bread, no fishermen from whom to purchase fish.

        Yet the crowd desired to stay and listen to Jesus rather
   than leave when their provisions were exhausted.  They acted
   according to Jesus' words, ``Seek first the kingdom of God and
   His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto
   you.''[1]

        Each day, maybe several times a day, when we pray the prayer
   given to us by Jesus, we ask, ``Give us this day our daily
   bread.''  We fear, love, and trust in God to provide all we need
   to sustain this body and life.  Even when tragedy strikes, be it
   fire or flood or storm, God provides for our physical needs.
   When the sorrows and troubles of life overwhelm us, He provides
   for our spiritual comfort.

        ``And there were about four thousand people. And he sent
   them away.''

        May our Lord grant that we receive His grace and blessings
   for our eternal benefit.  Amen.














   ____________________

   1. Matthew 6:33

August 6, 2025

Broadcast

                          Compassion - Part 3
                               Mark 8:8
                              08/06/2025


        8    And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up
             the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.
             (ESV)

        Jesus had compassion on the hungry crowds.  Not only did He
   nourish their souls by teaching them about the love of God for
   three days, he nourished their bodies by multiplying seven loaves
   of bread and several small fish to feed over 4,000 people.  His
   love extended from their eternal well-being to their physical
   well-being.

        God richly and daily supplies all we need to sustain this
   body and life.  This is why Jesus taught His disciples to pray,
   ``Give us this day our daily bread.''  What does this prayer
   mean?  Martin Luther explained:
        God gives daily bread, even without our prayer, to all
        wicked men; but we pray in this petition that He would
        lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with
        thanksgiving.[1]


        What was the result of this miracle?  Saint Mark recorded:
   ``And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken
   pieces left over, seven baskets full.''  These seven baskets were
   not small picnic baskets, but large containers.  Mark uses the
   same word for basket that Luke used to describe the container in
   which the apostle Paul was lowered from a window in the wall of
   Damascus.[2] These baskets, according to scholars, could hold up
   to fifty loaves of bread.  To say the least, Jesus provided for
   the crowd because He had compassion.

        May our Lord grant that we recognize His abundant gifts and
   blessings given to us because of His love.  Amen.














   ____________________

   1. Small Catechism, Lord's Prayer, Fourth Petition

   2. See Acts 9:25

August 5, 2025

Broadcast

                          Compassion - Part 2
                              Mark 8:4-7
                              08/05/2025


        4    And his disciples answered him, ``How can one feed
             these people with bread here in this desolate
             place?''
        5    And he asked them, ``How many loaves do you
             have?'' They said, ``Seven.''
        6    And he directed the crowd to sit down on the
             ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having
             given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his
             disciples to set before the people; and they set
             them before the crowd.
        7    And they had a few small fish. And having blessed
             them, he said that these also should be set before
             them.  (ESV)

        Jesus saw a problem and had compassion on the crowd.  These
   Gentiles had been listening to Jesus teach in the wilderness for
   three days.  All the supplies that the crowd brought were gone,
   their food baskets were empty.  Without divine intervention, the
   crowds would be in distress as they traveled back to their homes.
   Jesus desired to feed the crowds before leaving them.

        And his disciples answered him, ``How can one feed
        these people with bread here in this desolate place?''
        And he asked them, ``How many loaves do you have?''
        They said, ``Seven.''  And he directed the crowd to sit
        down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and
        having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his
        disciples to set before the people; and they set them
        before the crowd.  And they had a few small fish. And
        having blessed them, he said that these also should be
        set before them.


        In compassion, Jesus provided for the crowds by multiplying
   seven loaves of bread.  As the disciples served the people, bread
   and fish miraculously grew to fill each person until they were
   completely satisfied.  There was no limit on the blessing of food
   given to those who hungered to hear the good news that the
   Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

        Mark, in saying that Jesus gave thanks, uses the same words
   as he later used to describe the institution of the Lord's
   Supper.  Here Jesus gives us His body and blood under the bread
   and wine in the same abundance as in this miracle.  There is no
   lack to His compassion.

        May our Lord grant us grace to receive our daily bread and
   our spiritual blessings with thanksgiving.  Amen.

August 4, 2025

Broadcast

                          Compassion - Part 1
                              Mark 8:1-3
                              08/04/2025


        1    In those days, when again a great crowd had
             gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called
             his disciples to him and said to them,
        2    ``I have compassion on the crowd, because they
             have been with me now three days and have nothing
             to eat.
        3    And if I send them away hungry to their homes,
             they will faint on the way.  And some of them have
             come from far away.''  (ESV)

        The two most familiar verses of the Bible, Psalm 23 and John
   3:16, speak of God's love, grace, and mercy.  This week's Gospel
   lesson, the Feeding of the 4,000 as recorded by Mark, builds on
   the theme of Jesus' words, ``I have compassion on the crowd.''
   This miracle, which is similar to the Feeding of the 5,000, took
   place in the region of the Decapolis, Gentile territory.  Unlike
   the more famous miracle, which led to the famous ``bread of
   life'' discourse, the focus of this account is simply Jesus
   feeding all people.

        In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered,
        and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to
        him and said to them, ``I have compassion on the crowd,
        because they have been with me now three days and have
        nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to
        their homes, they will faint on the way.  And some of
        them have come from far away.''


        In the same way Jesus fed the 5,000 Jewish followers in
   Galilee, He had compassion on the Gentiles in the Decapolis.  As
   Saint John wrote, and this miracle demonstrates, ``For God so
   loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son.''[1] It
   didn't matter if the crowds were the children of Israel or
   Gentiles, Jesus gave them the good news of salvation by grace.
   He showed His deep love and compassion, both for their physical
   and spiritual well-being.

        May our Lord show you His compassion as you receive your
   daily bread and as you hear His holy Word.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. John 3:16

August 1, 2025

Broadcast

                    Fulfilling God's Word - Part 5
                            Matthew 5:17-18
                              00/01/2025


        17   Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law
             or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them
             but to fulfill them.
        18   For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth
             pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from
             the Law until all is accomplished.  (ESV)

        Jesus told His disciples:
        Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
        Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to
        fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven
        and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass
        from the Law until all is accomplished.


        Because Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, what is
   our relationship to God's Law?  Insofar as we are sinners, we
   need God's Law to act as a curb against sin.  We need God's Law
   to act as a mirror to drive us to repent of our sin and to cling
   in faith to Jesus and His righteousness.

        Insofar as we are saints, we delight in God's Law, for it
   clearly shows us those things which are pleasing to Him.  Jesus
   once told one the Pharisees:
        And he said to him, ``You shall love the Lord your God
        with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
        your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.
        And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor
        as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the
        Law and the Prophets.[1]


        Please join us each Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. at Trinity
   Lutheran Church to hear the good news that Jesus fulfilled the
   Law and Prophets for your redemption from sin and eternal death.
   Come to hear that our only hope is in Christ Jesus, not our own
   goodness.  Depart in peace, knowing that your sins are forgiven.

        May our Lord grant us wisdom and faith to hear His Word, to
   join with those who are saved by His grace alone, for the sake of
   Jesus Christ alone.  Amen.








   ____________________

   1. Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV)

July 31, 2025

Broadcast

                    Fulfilling God's Word - Part 4
                            Matthew 5:17-18
                              07/31/2025


        17   Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law
             or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them
             but to fulfill them.
        18   For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth
             pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from
             the Law until all is accomplished.  (ESV)

        Jesus told His disciples:
        Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
        Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to
        fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven
        and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass
        from the Law until all is accomplished.


        There are two answers to the question, ``How do you get to
   heaven?''  The first answer, which is the basis of every religion
   except Christianity, an answer based on logic, says we must live
   to balance the evil we do by doing good works.  The problem is
   simple, we can never do enough good to balance the evil.

        The second answer, the heart of being a Christian, is
   redemption from sin and death because of God's rich love, grace,
   and mercy.  When Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, when
   He cried out from the cross, ``It is finished,'' that fulfillment
   was complete.  Our relationship with God changed, for we can, in
   faith, point to Jesus' righteousness as our own.

        As people declared holy in God's sight for the sake of the
   death and resurrection Jesus, what is our relationship to the
   Law?  Now it becomes a guideline, a way of life in response to
   God's love.  Because we have received God's grace, we honor Him
   above all things even as we reflect His love to our neighbors.
   Our good works do not earn us a place in heaven, but are the
   result of having a place in heave.

        May our Lord grant that we receive His grace, love, and
   mercy for our eternal life with Him.  Amen.

July 30, 2025

Broadcast

                    Fulfilling God's Word - Part 3
                            Matthew 5:17-18
                              07/30/2025


        17   Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law
             or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them
             but to fulfill them.
        18   For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth
             pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from
             the Law until all is accomplished.  (ESV)

        Jesus told His disciples:
        Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
        Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to
        fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven
        and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass
        from the Law until all is accomplished.


        If Jesus indeed came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets,
   this means that Jesus accepted the Old Testament as
   authoritative.  He accepted the Old Testament as God's Word,
   revealed by the Holy Spirit to men who wrote as they were
   inspired.  This is why Jesus, in debating with the scribes and
   Pharisees, said, ``Scripture cannot be broken.''[1]

        Jesus is not a new Moses, bringing new and different laws
   which the Church must follow.  The Law of God is perfect.  The
   promise of the Law is simple, ``do this and you will live.''[2]
   There is no need to see Jesus as a new law-giver, but one who
   teaches the truth of the Law.

        While Jesus taught, He spoke of the proper fulfilling of the
   Law.  We are to be perfect in thought, word, and deed.  The
   mirror of the Law shows us our failings, that we have not lived
   perfectly.  Therefore the Law prepares us to hear the Gospel, the
   good news that Jesus Christ bore the guilt of our sin

        If the Word of God cannot be trusted, then we have no hope.
   But if, as Jesus taught, the Word of God stands forever, then we
   can hold firmly in faith to God's rich promise of the forgiveness
   of our sins and life everlasting.  May our Lord grant us faith
   which holds to the truth of His Word for our eternal comfort and
   joy.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. John 10:35b

   2. Leviticus 18:5; Nehemiah 9:29; Ezekiel 20:11

July 29, 2025

Broadcast

                    Fulfilling God's Word - Part 2
                            Matthew 5:17-18
                              07/29/2025


        17   Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law
             or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them
             but to fulfill them.
        18   For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth
             pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from
             the Law until all is accomplished.  (ESV)

        Jesus told His disciples:
        Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
        Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to
        fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven
        and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass
        from the Law until all is accomplished.


        How does Jesus relate to Moses and the prophets, the Old
   Testament Bible, which is the only source the Apostles had to
   teach in the early church?  The Word of God, which is written in
   both the Old and New Testaments, will stand forever.  Jesus, even
   with His death and resurrection, did not abolish the Law, the Ten
   Commandments.  The threat of punishment given by the Law still
   keeps us from overtly bad behavior.  Because the Law acts like a
   mirror, we can see where we have sinned and why we need a Savior.

        Jesus fulfilled the Law by His perfect obedience.  Jesus
   fulfilled the prophets by doing exactly what they said,
   suffering, dying, and rising again to take upon Himself the guilt
   of our sin.  In fulfilling the Scriptures, we have a different
   relationship with God, one that looks to Jesus as our Redeemer
   from sin, death, and the power of the devil.

        May our Lord grant us faith to see Him as the fulfillment of
   the Old Testament for our salvation.  Amen.

July 28, 2025

Broadcast

                    Fulfilling God's Word - Part 1
                            Matthew 5:17-18
                              07/28/2025


        17   Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law
             or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them
             but to fulfill them.
        18   For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth
             pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from
             the Law until all is accomplished.  (ESV)

        The past several weeks we have been looking at the way that
   Christ Jesus calls people into His Church.  We are called out of
   this world and into God's presence to receive the gift of the
   forgiveness of our sins which brings us everlasting life.  Before
   we can receive the gift of forgiveness for the sake of the
   suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we need to know that
   we are sinners.

        There are two great teachings in the Bible.  God gives us
   His Law to curb our behavior, to act as a mirror to show us our
   sins, and to be a guideline for living according to His good
   will.  The Law holds out the promise that we can keep it
   perfectly, which is false and misleading.  We are born in sin
   which means that, long before we know the difference between
   right and wrong, we choose the wrong.

        God gives us His Gospel to show us our Savior.  Jesus told
   His disciples:
        Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
        Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to
        fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven
        and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass
        from the Law until all is accomplished.


        Jesus fulfilled the Law on our behalf.  When we confess our
   sins before God, we are forgiven because Jesus bore our guilt on
   the cross.  In turn, we are credited with His perfect obedience.

        This week we will begin looking at the righteousness of our
   faith, that we are declared holy in God's sight, even while we
   continue to sin, to act against our own desires.

        May our Lord grant us faith to see our sin and to see our
   Savior.  Amen.

July 25, 2025

Broadcast

                       Fishing for Men - Part 5
                               Luke 5:11
                              07/25/2025


        11   And when they had brought their boats to land,
             they left everything and followed him.  (ESV)

        Jesus uses unlikely men to serve as pastors and evangelists
   in His Church.  Consider Simon Peter.  We know that he was not a
   Biblical scholar, one who spent long hours debating the Word of
   God with fellow Rabbis.  He was a fisherman by trade, a partner
   of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.  All three of these men
   were called by Jesus to proclaim the truth that the Kingdom of
   God, the grace of God, was at hand.

        Simon Peter, James, and John all witnessed the miraculous
   catch of fish.  Although Simon Peter confessed to Jesus that he
   was a sinner, unworthy to be in the same boat, Jesus called him
   to be a fisher of men.  No more would Peter toil to catch fish,
   but he would bring people into the safety of the Church.

        Being a fisher of men requires faith.  Not only do you need
   to be convinced of the truth of the message of salvation from sin
   and death because of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, you
   also need to be convinced that God will provide for your physical
   needs.

        Saint Luke tells us of Peter's reaction to the call of
   Jesus.  ``And when they had brought their boats to land, they
   left everything and followed him.''

        The message the Jesus entrusted to Simon Peter, to James, to
   John, and the other disciples, is the same message of God's grace
   and forgiveness which you will hear each Sunday at Trinity
   Lutheran Church.  Come join us each Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.
   We don't promise it will improve your success at fishing, but you
   will hear of God's love, grace, and mercy for the sake of Christ
   Jesus.

        May our Lord grant that an overabundance of people hear His
   Word and come into the boat of His Church.  Amen.