The Lutheran Herald

Monday, December 2: Jeremiah 33:14–18 (1st S. in Advent)

There is a parallel passage in Jeremiah 23 which also begins, “Behold, the days are coming…” (v. 5). The two prophecies are very similar, but chapter 23 focuses more on the King, and chapter 33 focuses on the kingdom. Jeremiah 23:6 and 33:16 are almost identical, except for a single pronoun. Chapter 23 declares, “this is His name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.” But today’s text says, “this is the name by which she will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.” “He” is the Lord Jesus Christ. “She” is the faithful Church, composed of all believers from the Old and New Testaments. The Christian Church is called “The Lord Our Righteousness” because the Christ has put His name on her and applied His righteousness to her, through His Word and Baptism. His righteous people in the time of the Old Testament and the saints in the Christian Church are one kingdom by the power of His Holy Spirit and faith in the only true Savior, our Lord Jesus.

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Monday, November 4: Mat. 10:16–23 (23rd S. a. Trinity)

We are inundated in our society with warnings about treacherous and ignorant people that are about to destroy our way of life. Beyond the fact that it is never good to feed oneself a steady diet of outrage and fear, it is also the opposite of what our Lord tells us. Jesus tells us that persecution will come, but we are not to worry about it. He says: “do not worry about your life” (Matt. 6:25). And again, our Lord says: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you” (Matt. 5:11).

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Monday, October 7: Colossians 3:1–10 (19th S. a. Trinity)

St. Paul exhorts the Colossians to “seek those things which are above.” He is encouraging them to turn from their old sinful way of living to a life lived as members of Christ’s Body. It is a reminder not only to the Colossians, but also to us. We can so easily be swayed by sin that we forget who we are. It is in this daily struggle between “the old man” and “the new man” that we, as members of Christ’s Body, endure life in this world. We are tempted to sin and often succumb to the temptations of the devil, the world, and “the old man.” We can easily become discouraged as we find ourselves failing again, and again, and again.

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Monday, September 2: John 5:1-15 (14th S. a. Trinity)

“Do you want to be made well?” That sounds like a silly question. Who wouldn’t want to be made well, especially if he had been unwell for 38 years!? But our Lord is wise, and He was asking the man to think and be honest. It is the same idea when He asks us to repent of our sins. God knows our hearts and minds. He doesn’t ask questions because He is trying to get unknown information from us. He is asking us to tell the truth, and to think about the question and the answer.

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Monday, July 29: Luke 12:32–48 (St. Olaf)

At many times and in various ways, Jesus teaches that our treasure is not of this world. We must always be vigilant lest our proper considerations of our earthly responsibilities to our families and neighbors distract us from our trust in God providing for us. Although this world is what we see and know, we look forward to something far greater—Jesus Christ has promised to return in glory, at some point in the future, like a thief in the night.

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Monday, July 1: Acts 5:27–32 (5th Sunday A. Trinity)

Th e Apostles were placed in a difficult situation. Th e council which was censuring them was chaired by religious and political authorities, including Pharisees, Sadducees, and the high priest. Th e authorities were appointed by God and thus were owed honor and obedience. Jesus declared on one occasion: “Th e scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat” (Matt. 23:2). Also, St. Paul writes: “whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God” (Rom. 13:2). When the council commanded the Apostles to cease teaching the name of Jesus, they were causing the Apostles to make a choice between two ordinances of God. Th e Apostles were not disturbed by this conflict. They knew that when the decrees of men contradict the decrees of God, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”

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