December 10, 2025

Today's Reading: 1 John 4:1-21

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 26:20-27:13; 1 John 4:1-21

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

False prophets don't come with warning labels. They do not advertise that they are wolves dressed as sheep. They may not even intend to do harm, but that doesn't stop the harm they cause. There are a lot of things in this world called 'Christian.' And yet, they do damage to Christians and threaten to take away their hope found in Christ. If we are not careful, we may even find ourselves as one of the wolves.

This is why it is so important to be in God's Word regularly. Scripture is where God talks to us. He teaches us what is right, what is His. It's God's Word that tells us of our sin and fallen nature. It's God's Word that tells us how God made a plan to save us from the beginning through Jesus.

God's Word shows us the world that we really see. Things are difficult here. Things hurt here. There are crosses here, especially when we confess Christ. Anything that tells us these things will not bother you if you have enough faith, does not come from God. Our hope comes from something far better. Our hope is found in Jesus.

There is sin in the world. We have sin ourselves. But Jesus bears it in our place. Dies for it on His cross. You know what God thinks of you by looking at what He did on Good Friday for you. He takes your sin away. He forgives you. He saves you. He makes you part of His family. He feeds you. He washes you. He is present even now with you. Now might not be without pain, but with Christ, there is more hope than all the world's comfort apart from Him. Included in this hope is resurrection for you. Eternal life for you. A world without sin for you, those you love in the faith, all believers, and God Almighty Himself. These are all promised in that Word.

False prophets, even unwitting ones, put those things in doubt, take those things away. But Christ has given you His Word to test these things by. Be in His Word often. For He is with you always.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

"Comfort, comfort ye My people, Speak ye peace," thus saith our God; "Comfort those who sit in darkness, Mourning 'neath their sorrow's load. Speak ye to Jerusalem Of the peace that waits for them; Tell her that her sins I cover And her warfare now is over." (LSB 347:1)

Author: Rev. Eli Davis, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, OR.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Work through the first ten chapters of Matthew and learn more about who Jesus is. As you move through this study, you’ll ponder the theological, practical, and historical considerations of the text. With ample room for personal notes, this study will have you feeling confident in your understanding of Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew 1:1-11:1 of the new Concordia Commentary Bible Study Series is available now.

December 9, 2025

Today's Reading: Romans 15:4-13

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 26:1-19; 1 John 3:1-24

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

I've sometimes heard people say they like Jesus pretty well, but that Old Testament God sure sounds mean. As tempting as it is to point out that Jesus isn't always smiles and sunshine (Hello, cleansing of the temple!), it's better to find out why. If not, we won't understand why He tells His people to conquer a land and get rid of the people who were in it before. Not understanding that when God's people fall into the same idolatry as those before, the Lord has many harsh things to say and do to them, too.

Why is God angry? Because they hurt those whom God loves. They weren't just going about their own business, and then one day got smited by the Lord out of the blue. The Canaanites were offering their own daughters as prostitutes for their idols. They slaughtered their own sons for a mute statue's favor. Wouldn't you get angry if the people around you demanded the most vile things imaginable from your own family members in order to get an inanimate object to love them? Or worse, so they could prove to themselves how good they were?

Sin isn't just the breaking of arbitrary rules. Sin hurts those whom God loves. Sin hurts your neighbors, your relationships, your self, your own body, your own soul. Wouldn't you expect the Lord to get angry over such things? And yet, what do we do when that sin is ours? What do we do when God has every right to be angry with us?

We give those sins to Him. The Lord's anger isn't like ours. It's not like anything else in this world. God's anger is focused into action. Focused on righting the wrong, healing the wounds, making whole what is broken, taking our sin away. And that doesn't mean that our sin gets ignored, as if it weren't real. It is carried by Christ. Christ, our ram caught in the thicket, who dies instead of us on God's altar. Christ, our brother, who goes ahead of us into death in order that we might live, fed by His Body and Blood. Christ, who parts the sea of sin and death that we may cross over by the Baptism He gives us into a new kingdom. Christ the suffering servant, who bears the sins of the world, including all yours and mine. All the anger over sin has been poured out upon Jesus at the cross for your sake. And He did it for you.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Once He came in blessing, All our sins redressing; Came in likeness lowly, Son of God most holy; Bore the cross to save us; Hope and freedom gave us (LSB 333:1)

Author: Rev. Eli Davis, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, OR.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Work through the first ten chapters of Matthew and learn more about who Jesus is. As you move through this study, you’ll ponder the theological, practical, and historical considerations of the text. With ample room for personal notes, this study will have you feeling confident in your understanding of Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew 1:1-11:1 of the new Concordia Commentary Bible Study Series is available now.

December 8, 2025

Today's Reading: Malachi 4:1-6

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 24:14-25:12; Obadiah 1-21; 1 John 2:15-29

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes." (Malachi 4:5)

"On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true." (End of the Explanation of the Third Article)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

We look forward to the coming of the Day of the Lord. A day when all evil will end. A day when those arrogant, who are sure they know better than to believe in God, will come face to face with Him. A day of fire for the sinful world. So that sin, death, and the devil have roots to take hold any longer. On that day, we will go out leaping with joy at the resurrection, the forgiveness of sins, our salvation, and eternal life with God. And all that's left which is wicked will be ash under our feet.

We are ready for the Last Day, to be sure. But there is another day that has already happened. A day where evil ended, because it was conquered. A day when the arrogant, who were sure they knew better than God, saw God face to face. A day of fire, as the wrath of God over the world's sin burned brightly. And by this day, by the death of God on this day, sin, death, and the devil have no way for roots to take hold any longer.

On that day, that great and awesome day of the Lord, Jesus Christ died on His cross. We call that day Good. What Jesus won for us on that day causes us to go out leaping with joy. Joy over the forgiveness of all our sins. Joy that He has saved us. Joy that eternal life has been made ours. Joy, because resurrection is coming. All promises made by the God who keeps His every promise. Elijah was indeed sent before that day. Jesus Himself will show us that John the Baptizer is the Elijah who was to come. And that same John the Baptizer has likewise made the way ready for Jesus to come to us.

From God's perspective, these two are the same day. And we can see them that way as well. We look forward to the coming Day of the Lord. We look back at the already arrived Day of the Lord. And on both days, we rejoice that Jesus Christ has paid for our sin, conquered our death, defeated that devil, and saved us forever.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Behold the Lamb of God That bears the world's transgression, Whose sacrifice removes The devil's dread oppression. Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away our sin, Who for peace and joy Will full atonement win. (LSB 346:3)

Author: Rev. Eli Davis, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, OR.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Work through the first ten chapters of Matthew and learn more about who Jesus is. As you move through this study, you’ll ponder the theological, practical, and historical considerations of the text. With ample room for personal notes, this study will have you feeling confident in your understanding of Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew 1:1-11:1 of the new Concordia Commentary Bible Study Series is available now.