A Little While - Part 4
John 16:21-22
05/15/2025
21 ``When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow
because her hour has come, but when she has
delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the
anguish, for joy that a human being has been born
into the world.
22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you
again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one
will take your joy from you.'' (ESV)
The Royal Air Force and the state of Kansas have similar
mottoes. While the Royal Air Force says, ``Per ardura ad
astra,'' Kansas intones, ``Ad astra per aspera.'' Those in the
blue suits with silver wings say ``Through adversity to the
stars,'' and the Sunflower State replies, ``To the stars through
difficulty.'' Both would appreciate Jesus' words as He taught
His disciples.
``When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because
her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby,
she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a
human being has been born into the world. So also you
have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your
hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from
you.''
While we are in the little while between Jesus' Ascension
and His return, we indeed have sorrow. Each person knows the
grief of separation, the fear of the unknown, the concern for our
daily bread and shelter and clothing. Christians and non-
Christians alike suffer tragedies and setbacks. For those who
have rejected God's gift of love, grace, and mercy, the pains and
sorrows of this life seem unending. They have no hope. For
those who have faith in Jesus, these same pains and sorrows are
but a little while, something which can be tolerated because
there is a positive end in sight. Jesus is coming to take His
people to live with Him forever.
The joys of this world are fleeting. Even as we bask in the
sunlight while on vacation, we know that work awaits, thus our
earthly joys are tempered with the cares of this life. But in
Christ Jesus we have the hope of the resurrection and life
everlasting, that joy that can never be taken away. May our Lord
grant us the hope which brings us the true joy of His grace and
mercy. Amen.Category: Turn Your Radio On 2025
Daily devotions for 2025
A Little While – Part 3
May 14, 2025
A Little While - Part 3
John 16:20
05/14/2025
20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and
lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be
sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.''
(ESV)
The words Jesus spoke to the disciples the night He was
betrayed are also given to the Church.
Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament,
but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but
your sorrow will turn into joy.''
Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after Easter. The
Church no longer physically sees Him and longs for His return.
While we wait, the Church is at odds with the world. When the
world and the Church agree, the Church as taken its eyes off of
Jesus, turning to the secular god of popularity and acceptance.
Only as the Church confronts the world, accuses the world of
the selfishness of sin, does the Church truly prepare the world
for hearing the Gospel. Only as we know that we are sinful, only
as we weep and lament that our own wisdom and strength cannot
reconcile us to God, are we prepared to hear the good news of
Jesus Christ.
The good news is this. Jesus died on the cross to pay the
price of your sin and mine. Jesus rose on the third day, proving
that His sacrifice is acceptable in the Father's sight. The
forgiveness of sins earned by Jesus as He died and rose is given
to you as a gift, unearned and undeserved. As you believe this,
you have the assurance of eternal life. The faith, the trust,
which allows you to believe that Jesus died and rose again for
you is also a gift from God, not your own work.
May our Lord turn our lament over our sin into the joy of
His salvation. Amen.A Little While – Part 2
May 13, 2025
A Little While - Part 2
John 16:19-20
05/13/2025
19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said
to them, ``Is this what you are asking yourselves,
what I meant by saying, `A little while and you
will not see me, and again a little while and you
will see me?'
20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and
lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be
sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.''
(ESV)
The disciples were confused. They were walking with Jesus
to the Garden of Gethsemane after the dinner where Jesus
instituted the Lord's Supper. Although Jesus had done and said
many things that evening, His words about leaving and returning
were the most perplexing.
Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to
them, ``Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I
meant by saying, `A little while and you will not see
me, and again a little while and you will see me?'
Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament,
but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but
your sorrow will turn into joy.''
All of the things Jesus taught, all His prophecies, were
revealed to be true. Within a few minutes, Jesus was arrested
and taken before the High Priest, Pilate, Herod, and back to
Pilate. He bore the wood of the cross for His execution. His
followers gave Him a hasty burial, one they intended to complete
in a little while, after the Sabbath day.
The disciples wept and lamented because Jesus was dead. The
chief priests and rulers of the Temple rejoiced for the same
reason. Pilate was relieved because he had avoided another nasty
confrontation with the Jewish leaders.
This changed on the third day. Although the realization
took a while, the truth of the resurrection and the promised
coming of the Holy Spirit brought joy to the disciples.
May the presence of Christ Jesus, who comes to us today in
Word and sacrament, bring you the joy of knowing your sins are
forgiven for His sake. Amen.A Little While – Part 1
May 12, 2025
A Little While - Part 1
John 16:16-18
05/12/2025
16 ``A little while, and you will see me no longer;
and again a little while, and you will see me.''
17 So some of his disciples said to one another,
``What is this that he says to us, `A little
while, and you will not see me, and again a little
while, and you will see me'; and, ``because I am
going to the Father?'''
18 So they were saying, ``What does he mean by `a
little while'? We do not know what he is talking
about.'' (ESV)
During the forty-nine days of the Easter Season, the Church
focuses on Jesus' words of comfort which He gave His disciples on
the night He was betrayed. We are preparing for His Ascension
where He is no longer visibly present. The Gospel reading for
this week, part of the conversation Jesus had with His disciples
as they walked from the upper room to the Garden of Gethsemane,
speaks both of Jesus' death and resurrection, and His Ascension.
``A little while, and you will see me no longer; and
again a little while, and you will see me.'' So some
of his disciples said to one another, ``What is this
that he says to us, `A little while, and you will not
see me, and again a little while, and you will see me';
and, ``because I am going to the Father?''' So they
were saying, ``What does he mean by `a little while'?
We do not know what he is talking about.''
Within a few short minutes, Jesus would be met in the Garden
by Judas and the Temple guards. There He would be forcibly taken
away from the disciples, tortured, crucified, and buried. For
three days the disciples could not see their Lord, for He was in
the tomb.
Even at this point of Jesus' time on earth, His disciples
expected that Jesus would restore the temporal kingdom of David
and Solomon. They did not know, they did not understand, that
Jesus' kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, an eternal kingdom which
is not of this world.
This week we will examine Jesus' words, finding hope even in
the turmoil of our own days.
May our Lord grant you the joy of knowing your sins are
forgiven for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.The Good Shepherd – Part 5
May 9, 2025
The Good Shepherd - Part 5
John 10:16
05/09/2025
16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold.
I must bring them also, and they will listen to my
voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
(ESV)
When Jesus told His followers that He is the Good Shepherd,
many thought that He came only to the people of Israel. But God
so loved the world that He gave only-begotten Son to live, die,
and rise again for the salvation of all people. Jesus said:
``And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring
them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one
flock, one shepherd.''
Jews and gentiles, male and female, young and old, of all
races and languages, are part of the Good Shepherd's flock. When
the Shepherd cried out from the cross, ``It is finished,'' He
paid the price of sin for each person. He desires that all
people come to Him to receive the gift of life everlasting.
One small part of the Good Shepherd's flock meets each
Sunday at 9:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church. Please come and
hear the good news that the Shepherd died to redeem you from sin
and eternal death. The gift of life has already been given to
you. Jesus asks that you take what He has earned on the cross
and sealed with the empty tomb.
If you are a lamb who is weak of faith, sick in your soul,
injured by the lies and demands of this world, come and hear of
the Good Shepherd. Receive from Him the gifts of comfort and
peace.
May our Lord continue to bless us with the knowledge of the
Good Shepherd, the wisdom to accept the good news of His love,
and the faith which trusts in Him alone. Amen.The Good Shepherd – Part 4
May 8, 2025
The Good Shepherd - Part 4
John 10:14-15
05/08/2025
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own
know me,
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I lay down my life for the sheep. (ESV)
Jesus told His followers:
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know
me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, knows each of His sheep intimately
and completely. This is not merely recognition, but true
knowledge of our flaws, our strengths, and our needs. Indeed, He
is more aware of our true selves than we possibly can know. Yet,
in spite of our flaw, our weaknesses, our sins, He lays down His
life for His sheep.
Because Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves, we
come to know Him as our Savior, our Redeemer from sin and death.
In giving His life for us, He sacrifices Himself for our eternal
blessing. Only through Him are we reconciled to the Father.
Only through Him can we have the peace of knowing our sins are
forgiven. Because He is both true God and true man, Jesus knows
our needs, and daily provides for our hope and peace.
The bond between Jesus Christ and His people is as strong as
the bond between the Father and the Son. We know what the
Shepherd has planned for us, life everlasting with Him. We know
what it takes to receive His gift of salvation, nothing on our
part, for our redemption from sin and death is a gift bestowed
long before we knew Him.
The Good Shepherd is pleased as we respond to His love, as
we reflect His love to others. We love our neighbors because the
Shepherd first loved us.
May our Lord grant us His grace to know His love and mercy,
which brings us the peace which the world cannot give. Amen.The Good Shepherd – Part 3
May 7, 2025
The Good Shepherd - Part 3
John 10:12-13
05/07/2025
12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who
does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and
leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches
them and scatters them.
13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares
nothing for the sheep. (ESV)
Jesus warned us about the hirelings, the false shepherds who
deceive the flock.
He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not
own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the
sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and
scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and
cares nothing for the sheep.
How can we recognize a false shepherd? What do they teach?
If the shepherd claims the Bible is not completely the Word of
God, that it contains stories and myths which are simply object
lessons, such as the creation account, that is a false shepherd.
If the shepherd claims that all religions lead to God, so it does
not matter what you believe as long as you are sincere, that is a
false shepherd. If the shepherd claims that you must do
something to attract the attention of God, that is a false
shepherd. If the shepherd claims that you must earn your
salvation, even a little bit, that is a false shepherd.
You can also recognize a false shepherd if they demand some
sort of payment, or claim special knowledge known only to a few.
The false shepherd demands respect and titles and obedience. Yet
the false shepherd is not available when you need help, when you
are facing a crisis. False shepherds also make demands to
control the sheep, demands such as prohibiting certain foods or
demanding certain clothing.
The Good Shepherd is gracious and merciful, desiring to care
for all the sheep without the thought of reward. He gives His
life, not because the sheep are lovable, but because they are
not.
May our Lord give us wisdom to flee the false shepherds and
to return to the Good Shepherd. Amen.The Good Shepherd – Part 1
May 5, 2025
The Good Shepherd - Part 1
John 10:11
05/05/2025
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep. (ESV)
There are two Bible passages with which most people are
familiar. The first is John 3:16, ``For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life.''[1] The other
is the Twenty-Third Psalm, ``The LORD is my shepherd I shall not
want.''
In this week's Gospel reading, Jesus ties the two passages
together in order to bring comfort and hope to all people. Jesus
said, ``I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his
life for the sheep.''
When we look at the Twenty-Third Psalm, we realize that we,
the sheep of God's pasture, are very dependent of the Shepherd.
He feeds us, He gives us water, He comforts us when we are
afraid, He binds our wounds when we are injured, He gives us a
safe and secure home with protection from those things which
would hurt us.
God's sheep are far from show quality, far from being
perfect examples of the flock. They are weak, sick, injured, and
helpless. They like to stray away, they like to leave the
Shepherd to seek new adventures. Yet the Shepherd loves them
enough to die for them, to take upon Himself their guilt, the
stain of their sheepish ways.
May our Lord grant that we see the Good Shepherd as our
Savior from sin and death, and in Him dwell securely. Amen.
____________________
1. John 3:16 KJVThese Things are Written – Part 5
May 2, 2025
These Things are Written - Part 5
John 20:30-31
05/02/2025
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of
the disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these are written so that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in his name. (ESV)
Saint John wrote:
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the
disciples, which are not written in this book; but
these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you
may have life in his name.
Why does the Church exist? Is it to demand that you live in
a certain way, that you perform certain actions, that you refrain
from certain activities? Does the Church exist to lay down the
Law, to look over your shoulder to make sure you walk the
straight and narrow? If so, please don't join.
But the Church is not about laying down the law, but
proclaiming God's love. God does not demand that you fear, love,
and trust in Him above all things, but He invites you to become
part of His family. By being part of God's family, you receive
the inheritance of life everlasting because trusting in Jesus
Christ brings us the forgiveness of our sins. The Church
proclaims the good news: ``If you confess with your mouth that
Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved.''[1] Even the faith which believes
that Jesus is the Christ is a gift from God given to you through
His Word and sacraments.
The name of Christ Jesus reveals who He is and the work the
Father sent Him to accomplish. Please join us this Sunday at
Trinity Lutheran Church at 9:00 a.m. to hear again of God's love
and mercy as found in Jesus. This may be a life-changing
experience which brings you the peace which the world cannot
give. May our Lord bless is with faith in Jesus as our Redeemer
so that we may have life in His name. Amen.
____________________
1. Romans 10:9 (ESV)These Things are Written – Part 4
May 1, 2025
These Things are Written - Part 4
John 20:30-31
05/01/2025
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of
the disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these are written so that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in his name. (ESV)
Saint John wrote:
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the
disciples, which are not written in this book; but
these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you
may have life in his name.
Is the Bible written to be a list of rules and regulations?
As Christians, must we follow a certain dress code, refrain from
eating certain foods, and avoid certain activities? Are we
redeemed from sin, death, and the power of the devil because of
our own works, or are we saved because of God's rich grace and
undeserved love?
We believe, teach, and confess, in accordance with the clear
Word of God, that our salvation from sin and death is by God's
love alone, not a result of our works. Jesus died, not because
we are nice people, but because we are not nice people. His
death is payment for our sin. Our good works pay nothing on the
debt we owe to God and neighbor because of our sin.
The Bible, including John's Gospel, is written so that we
may know that Jesus is the Son of God. That is the message of
the Bible. The Bible is not about our good works which earn us
heaven, not a list of dietary rules or Christian clothing
fashions. The Bible is the message, ``Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of the living God.''[1]
May our Lord open our hearts and minds to His Holy Word to
see that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Christ, who bore our
sins for our salvation. Amen.
____________________
1. Matthew 16:16