Category: Moments of Meditation

April 17, 2025

Broadcast

                      Holy Week - Maundy Thursday
                           Matthew 26:26-29
                              04/17/2025


        26   Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and
             after blessing it broke it and gave it to the
             disciples, and said, ``Take, eat; this is my
             body.''
        27   And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he
             gave it to them, saying, ``Drink of it, all of
             you,
        18   for this is my blood of the covenant, which is
             poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
        29   I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of
             the vine until that day when I drink it new with
             you in my Father's kingdom.''  (ESV)

        This evening at 7:00 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, you
   have the opportunity to hear some of the events of the Thursday
   of Holy Week.  Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Passover,
   during which Jesus gave the Church the Lord's Supper.
        Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after
        blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and
        said, ``Take, eat; this is my body.''  And he took a
        cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them,
        saying, ``Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood
        of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the
        forgiveness of sins.  I tell you I will not drink again
        of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink
        it new with you in my Father's kingdom.''


        After supper, while Jesus was praying in the Garden of
   Gethsemane, Judas Iscariot led a group sent by the chief priests
   and elders to arrest Jesus.  The remaining disciples scattered in
   fear.

        Sometime during the night, Peter denied knowing Jesus.  Our
   Lord endured several mock trials before the chief priests, the
   Sanhedrin, Pontius Pilate, and Herod.  He remained silent.

        Jesus endured the scourging, the humiliation, the lies, the
   betrayal, the denial, and the abandonment as foretold by the
   prophets.  Silently, He accepted the burden of guilt to pay the
   price of our sins, to redeem us from eternal death, and to give
   us the gift of life.

        May our Lord give us faith to hold to Him, to recognize that
   in His suffering He has given us the fullness of God's grace.
   Amen.

April 16, 2025

Broadcast

                      Holy Week - Holy Wednesday
                           Matthew 22:17-21
                              04/16/2025


        17   ``Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to
             pay taxes to Caesar, or not?''
        18   But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ``Why put
             me to the test, you hypocrites?
        19   Show me the coin for the tax.'' And they brought
             him a denarius.
        20   And Jesus said to them, ``Whose likeness and
             inscription is this?''
        21   They said, ``Caesar's.'' Then he said to them,
             ``Therefore render to Caesar the things that are
             Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.''
             (ESV)

        Although the Gospels are silent about the activities of
   Jesus and His disciples on Wednesday of Holy Week, the rulers of
   the Temple were still upset over Him avoiding their verbal traps.
   Their verbal contest simply added to the desire of the chief
   priests to put Jesus to death.  Judas, the one who betrayed
   Jesus, may have made his deal with the chief priests either on
   Wednesday or Thursday.

        One of the questions asked by the Pharisees in an attempt to
   discredit Jesus concerned taxes paid to Rome.  If Jesus said,
   ``Pay taxes,'' He could be considered a traitor to the Jewish
   people.  If Jesus said, ``Don't pay taxes,'' He could be accused
   of usurping the Roman authority.

        ``Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay
        taxes to Caesar, or not?''  But Jesus, aware of their
        malice, said, ``Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?
        Show me the coin for the tax.'' And they brought him a
        denarius.  And Jesus said to them, ``Whose likeness and
        inscription is this?''  They said, ``Caesar's.'' Then
        he said to them, ``Therefore render to Caesar the
        things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that
        are God's.''


        Other groups tried different questions to besmirch Jesus'
   reputation in the sight of the people.  Each group failed.  Jesus
   clearly proclaimed the truth of God's Word.  Therefore Matthew
   recorded, ``Nor from that day did anyone dare to ask Him any more
   questions.[1]

        May the truth of God's Word, may the truth of Jesus'
   teaching, continue to guide us as we hold to Him in faith.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Matthew 22:46

April 15, 2025

Broadcast

                       Holy Week - Holy Tuesday
                            Matthew 24:1-2
                              04/15/2025


        1    Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his
             disciples came to point out to him the buildings
             of the temple.
        2    But he answered them, ``You see all these, do you
             not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left
             here one stone upon another that will not be
             thrown down.''  (ESV)

        In the days following Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, He and
   His disciples spent many hours in the Temple.  On Monday Jesus
   drove the money-changers out of the Temple, saying, ``It is
   written, `My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you
   make it a den of robbers'''[1]

        On Tuesday, Jesus again was teaching in the Temple, even as
   the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees were trying to catch
   Him in a contest of words.  Time and again these rulers asked
   impossible questions which had no correct answer, but Jesus
   avoided the verbal traps.

        Matthew recorded:
        Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his
        disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the
        temple.  But he answered them, ``You see all these, do
        you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left
        here one stone upon another that will not be thrown
        down.''


        There, while resting on the Mount of Olives, Jesus spoke of
   the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened in 70 A.D.  He also
   told of the signs of the end times, signs which certainly seem to
   be coming true even today.  However, Jesus warned the disciples:
   ``But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the
   angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.''[2]

        May our Lord find us ready, believing the words He spoke to
   His disciples, as we await for His return.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Matthew 21:13 (ESV)

   2. Matthew 24:36 (ESV)

April 14, 2025

Broadcast

                        Holy Week - Palm Sunday
                            Matthew 21:7-9
                              04/14/2025


        7    They brought the donkey and the colt and put on
             them their cloaks, and he sat on them.
        8    Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road,
             and others cut branches from the trees and spread
             them on the road.
        9    And the crowds that went before him and that
             followed him were shouting, ``Hosanna to the Son
             of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of
             the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!''  (ESV)

        What started in early December, the celebration of the
   coming of Jesus Christ to redeem each person from sin, death, and
   the power of the devil, comes to an end this week.  The Church
   traditionally hears of Jesus coming into Jerusalem on the First
   Sunday in Advent.  Yesterday, the last Sunday in Lent, our
   processional Gospel was the account of our Lord's triumphant
   entry.

        Matthew recorded that Jesus asked two disciples to obtain a
   young donkey from the town of Bethphage.
        They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them
        their cloaks, and he sat on them.  Most of the crowd
        spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut
        branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
        And the crowds that went before him and that followed
        him were shouting, ``Hosanna to the Son of David!
        Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
        Hosanna in the highest!''


        The crowds acknowledged Jesus as the ``Son of David,'' a
   title for the promised Messiah.  They prayed to Him, ``Save us,
   we pray, O LORD!  O LORD, we pray, give us success!''[1] the
   words of the Psalmist.  ``Hosanna!''

        Jesus, who wept over Jerusalem[2] while riding into the
   city, came to fulfill that prayer.  Although He would be rejected
   by the Chief Priests, the scribes, and Pharisees and the rulers
   of the Temple, Christ desired that they also come to the
   knowledge of the truth.

        May our Lord bless you this Holy Week as we follow Jesus
   during the last week before His crucifixion.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Psalm 118:25 (ESV)

   2. See Luke 19:28-44

April 11, 2025

Broadcast

                          Worldview - Part 5
                             John 8:56-58
                              04/11/2025


        56   ``Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see
             my day. He saw it and was glad.''
        57   So the Jews said to him, ``You are not yet fifty
             years old, and have you seen Abraham?''
        58   Jesus said to them, ``Truly, truly, I say to you,
             before Abraham was, I am.''  (ESV)

        Our senses are constantly bombarded with input, sounds and
   sights and tastes and sensations which we cannot properly
   process.  Most of what our senses perceive is filtered out as
   unimportant.  Our worldview does the same filtering on that which
   we read or are told.  ``That can't be true,'' we say because of
   our worldview.

        Jesus was debating with the rulers of the Temple.
        ``Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my
        day. He saw it and was glad.''  So the Jews said to
        him, ``You are not yet fifty years old, and have you
        seen Abraham?''  Jesus said to them, ``Truly, truly, I
        say to you, before Abraham was, I am.''


        Did Abraham rejoice only because he trusted in God's
   promises?  If Jesus is who He claims to be, and if the God of
   Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is indeed the God of the living, then
   Abraham saw Jesus come down to earth to redeem all people from
   sin and death.

        In Exodus, God revealed His name to Moses, ``I Am Who I
   Am.''[1] When Jesus said, ``before Abraham was, I am,'' He
   claimed to be the God who spoke to the Patriarchs, the God
   through whom all was created.

        Our worldview at Trinity Lutheran Church says that the Bible
   is true, that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He suffered,
   died, and rose again to deliver us from sin and death.  Please
   join us on Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. to learn more about this
   truth which God has revealed in the Bible.  May our Lord bless
   your study of His Word as you seek the truth of His grace and
   mercy.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Exodus 3:14

April 10, 2025

Broadcast

                          Worldview - Part 4
                             John 8:51-52
                              04/10/2025


        51   ``Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my
             word, he will never see death.''
        52   The Jews said to him, ``Now we know that you have
             a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet
             you say, `If anyone keeps my word, he will never
             taste death.'''  (ESV)

        Our worldview, our preconceived notions, our understanding
   of the universe often gets in the way of recognizing the truth.
   The first stage of grief is denial, which says we do not believe
   the truth that we have lost someone or something precious.  Such
   loss turns our lives upside down because the loss does not fit
   with that which we think we know.

        Jesus was speaking the truth of God's Word to the rulers of
   the Temple.  Remember, Jesus said nothing which was not already
   taught in the pages of Moses and the prophets and the writings,
   that which we now call the Old Testament.

        ``Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word,
        he will never see death.''  The Jews said to him, ``Now
        we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the
        prophets, yet you say, `If anyone keeps my word, he
        will never taste death.'''


        Is this true?  Behind the east side of the church, the
   funeral home is doing a brisk business.  How can Jesus say, ``he
   will never see death''?  Is it a coincidence that the Bible does
   not typically use the word ``death'' for those who faith faith in
   God?  ``Fallen asleep,'' ``gathered to his ancestors,''
   certainly.  But Jesus, again speaking with the rulers of the
   Temple, recalled God's words recorded by Moses, ``I am the God of
   Abraham, Issac, and Jacob,'' yet God is the God of the living.[1]

        May our Lord grant us faith to hear the truth of His love
   and to trust in His mercy.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Matthew 22:32

April 9, 2025

Broadcast

                          Worldview - Part 3
                             John 8:48-49
                              04/09/2025


        48   The Jews answered him, ``Are we not right in
             saying that you are a Samaritan and have a
             demon?''
        49   Jesus answered, ``I do not have a demon, but I
             honor my Father, and you dishonor me.''  (ESV)

        Because we have different worldviews, different ways of
   looking at the same situation, we have trouble communicating.
   This is especially true when we look at the important,
   fundamental questions of life.  Depending on your beliefs, your
   worldview, your answer to ``What happens when we die?'' will be
   different than your neighbor's.

        Often, when we cannot come up with a good answer to the
   arguments presented, we attack the person with whom we are
   speaking.  Jesus was not immune to this debate strategy.
        The Jews answered him, ``Are we not right in saying
        that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?''  Jesus
        answered, ``I do not have a demon, but I honor my
        Father, and you dishonor me.''


        There was no greater insult the Jews could have given.
   Samaritans were hated, and a demon-possessed Samaritan was
   particularly to be avoided.  Those were fighting words, but Jesus
   did not rise to take the bait.  He simply pointed His accusers
   that they not only were dishonoring Him, but the One who sent
   Him, God the Father.  Throughout this discussion Jesus claimed to
   be sent from the Father.  Throughout His ministry, Jesus made the
   claim, as Saint John recorded: ``For God so loved the world that
   He gave His only-begotten Son.''[1]

        Dishonoring the Father, dishonoring God, is not something
   taken lightly.  Yet, if one does not recognize God, it is easy to
   dishonor Him, to speak ill of Him, and to dismiss the message of
   His love.

        May our Lord grant that we honor Him in all things, thus
   bringing honor to God our Father.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. John 3:16

April 8, 2025

Broadcast

                          Worldview - Part 2
                             John 8:46-47
                              04/08/2025


        46   Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the
             truth, why do you not believe me?
        47   Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The
             reason why you do not hear them is that you are
             not of God.  (ESV)

        Jesus and the rulers of the Temple simply were not
   communicating.  When Jesus said, ``If you abide in my word, you
   are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the
   truth will set you free,''[1] those who heard Him said, ``We have
   never been a slave, how can we be set free?''  Jesus was speaking
   of our slavery to sin, our rebellion against God, our desire to
   be like God and to replace God with our own selfish desires.
   Those who heard Him were thinking of a political freedom, freedom
   in this world to act as we want.

        Why was there the disconnect between Jesus and the ones who
   listened to Him?  He explained: ``Which one of you convicts me of
   sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?  Whoever is
   of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear
   them is that you are not of God.''

        The teachers had strayed from the Word of God and taught
   human traditions and wisdom as God's truth.  Today, many question
   the existence of truth itself.  When the pastor exclaims, ``Thus
   says the Lord,'' he often hears, ``That is presumptuous of you to
   say you know God's will.''

        Our prayer is that we open our hearts and minds to hear the
   Word of God, to know that He desires all people to be saved and
   come to the knowledge of the truth.

        May our Lord grant that we come to know the truth of His
   Word, that we are redeemed from sin and death by the blood of
   Jesus Christ.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. John 8:31b-32 (ESV)

April 7, 2025

Broadcast

                          Worldview - Part 1
                             John 8:46-47
                              04/07/2025


        46   Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the
             truth, why do you not believe me?
        47   Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The
             reason why you do not hear them is that you are
             not of God.  (ESV)

        Teaching is both fun and hard work.  You get to share
   something of value, something important, something you took years
   to learn and understand.  Students don't always respond the way
   you desire, the way you think they should respond.  Sometimes,
   they completely miss the most interesting detail, something that
   is the key to the lesson.

        Why don't students simply learn what is being taught by the
   expert?  You and I have different filters, different ways of
   looking at things, different vocabularies and experiences.  When
   we learn, we move from something we know to the unknown.
   Teachers and students have different starting points, so often
   the student and the teacher don't really communicate.

        Jesus was speaking with the scribes and Pharisees about six
   months before He was crucified.  ``Which one of you convicts me
   of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?  Whoever
   is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear
   them is that you are not of God.''  The scribes and Pharisees had
   a certain idea about the need for a Savior, about the nature of
   sin, and about the promised Messiah.  Jesus and His teaching did
   not match their idea of the world, their worldview.  When Jesus
   said, ``Repent,'' they answered, ``We have nothing to repent, for
   we keep the Law of God perfectly.''

        Today we have the same disconnect as Christians proclaim
   Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life.  Those who do not see
   the need for a Savior, those who have a different worldview, may
   not hear the message at all.  That is the topic we are going to
   discuss this week.

        May our Lord give us the wisdom to hear His Word and the
   understanding to know of His love.  Amen.

April 4, 2025

Broadcast

                        Feeding 5,000 - Part 5
                             John 6:14-15
                              04/04/2025


        14   When the people saw the sign that he had done,
             they said, ``This is indeed the Prophet who is to
             come into the world!''
        15   Perceiving then that they were about to come and
             take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew
             again to the mountain by himself.  (ESV)

        Each morning we pray, ``Give us this day our daily bread.''
   God answers our prayers with blessings of food and clothing and
   shelter and other resources to sustain this body and life.  For
   this we give Him thanks and praise.

        But the Church is not about God's temporal blessings, but
   about our eternal salvation from sin, death, and the power of the
   devil.  Those who ate the five loaves of bread and the two fish
   recognized that Jesus is more than just a good teacher.  This
   miracle demanded a response.

        When the people saw the sign that he had done, they
        said, ``This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into
        the world!''  Perceiving then that they were about to
        come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus
        withdrew again to the mountain by himself.


        The people wanted Jesus as a secular king, one who would
   satisfy their temporal desires.  They recognized Jesus as the Son
   of God once foretold by Moses.  Their idea of the promised
   Messiah was not the One who earns for us the forgiveness of our
   sins, but the One who blesses us with secular goods.

        Jesus is indeed the King of creation.  He came to live, die,
   and rise again to earn for us redemption from sin, death, and the
   power of the devil.  Our daily bread is merely a blessing of love
   given graciously by God, not the reason we gather to praise Him.

        Come join us each Sunday morning at Trinity Lutheran Church
   at 9:00 a.m. to receive God's good gifts of the forgiveness of
   your sins and the assurance of life everlasting.

        May our Lord give us faith to seek first His kingdom, and to
   trust in Him for all things.  Amen.