Reflections

4,6 (9)
Religião e espiritualidade
Diário

Join HT for a reading of the days Higher Things Reflection. A short devotion directed toward the youth of our church, written by the Pastors and Deaconesses of our church, clearly proclaiming the true Gospel of Jesus Christ! Find out more about HT at our website, www.higherthings.org

há 10 h

Friday of the Week of Holy Trinity

June 5, 2026 Today's Reading: John 11:17-37 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 1:8-33; John 11:17-37 “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you’ve been to a Lutheran Funeral, you have likely heard those words. In the Funeral order, the pastor speaks the words, the congregation speaks the Nunc Dimittis (Lord, now you let your servant go in peace), and then the pastor repeats them. What a blessed comfort. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Of course, as Jesus said these words, He proved how true they were by raising Lazarus from the tomb just moments after speaking them. Lazarus had been sick, and the people came to tell Jesus so that He could heal the poor man. Jesus dawdled, Lazarus died. And now Martha, to whom Jesus said this confession, calls Jesus on his delay. “Lord if you had been here my brother wouldn’t have died.” “Lord if you had come when we called you, I wouldn’t be in this sorrow right now.” “Lord, if only you had done what we asked, this would all be a lot easier.” But then Jesus comes to the tomb of Lazarus, and what does He do? First, He weeps. Why? He’s already told Martha who He is. He’s already made the point to Martha that He’s going to raise Lazarus. What is this? It’s sorrow at death. Death isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. Death is the consequence of sin and Man not doing what God has told him to do. So death hurts. And Jesus feels it in that moment. He feels it to His core. As I’ve spoken those words at funerals, I’ve spoken them in the hearing of loved ones who feel death to their core. I’ve spoken them to children who have lost parents who have been suffering for years and so are relieved, but still hurt to their core. I’ve spoken them to parents who lost children far, far too soon, and were rocked to their core. And in all of the cases, the words were still true. This Man who called Lazarus from the tomb entered the tomb for us that first Good Friday, carrying the burden of our sins to that tomb so that He could leave them there on the First Easter, and we could have victory over death by His resurrection. Christian, when death hurts you to your core, know that it is defeated. Christ is the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Him, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in Him will never die. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christ, the life of all the living, Christ the death of death our foe, Who, Thyself for me once giving, To the darkest depths of woe; Through thy sufferings, death, and merit, I eternal life inherit, Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, Dearest Jesus, unto Thee! (LSB 420:1) Rev. Matthew Zickler, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Western Springs, IL.

7 min
há 1 dia

Thursday of the Week of Holy Trinity

June 4, 2026 Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer 3rd Petition Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 12:1-14; John 11:1-16 God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will. (The Small Catechism, The Lord’s Prayer, The Third Petition) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Those are words you hopefully speak daily at least. But when it comes to the will of God, do you actually reflect on it? How often do you act or even pray for things without reflection on God’s will? It’s pretty easy to go through our day-to-day activities without thinking much about what God’s desire is for us. Or we can overcomplicate it. We can pray about every minute detail as though if we make a left turn instead of a right turn because we left our house at 8:35 instead of 8:37, we have deviated from God’s will and now He must be angry with us. But what is God’s will? As Luther explains it so well, he shows that it relates to breaking and hindering every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature. And what do these enemies do that is deviant from God’s will? They seek that we would not hallow His Name, nor let His Kingdom Come. They seek that the Word of God would not be taught in its truth and purity, and that we as Christians would not lead holy lives according to the Commandments. Likewise, they seek that God’s Spirit would not bring faith in God’s Word to those people in order that they would lead holy lives here in time and there in eternity. So what are we praying for? We are praying for God’s defense of us in the faith. We are praying that God would guard and keep us from the devil, who would seek to destroy our faith, and our own sinful temptations, which would be drawn to unholy living contrary to God’s will revealed in the Ten Commandments. So, how does God work this protection? Thankfully, by how He operates in the world. However, we can certainly be assured of protection in His Word. It is in that Word where He continues to speak faith into ears, to feed faith to us in His Supper. By these, He strengthens us in our daily struggles with sin, and gives us rest always in the forgiveness of the cross of Christ. Amen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Your gracious will on earth be done, as it is done before Your throne, That patiently we may obey, Throughout our lives all that You say. Curb flesh and blood and every ill That sets itself against Your will. Amen. (LSB 766:4) Rev. Matthew Zickler, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Western Springs, IL.

6 min
há 2 dias

Wednesday of the Week of Holy Trinity

June 3, 2026 Today's Reading: John 10:22–42 Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 11:1-10; John 10:22-42 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’” (John 10:27-30) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “I and the Father are one.” What does Jesus mean by those words? As we are reflecting on the Triune Nature of our God, is this one of those places where Jesus is pointing us to the reality that He and the Father are homoousias, one in substance? Well, substance is what a thing is. Jesus says that He and the Father are one, so just by the words alone, we have to understand that Jesus is talking about their unity of substance. But as He is talking about that unity, what is He talking about? He’s talking about security. He is telling His people that they are His sheep and He is their Shepherd. He is telling them that as He is their Shepherd, they are protected and secure. They are secure because no one can snatch them out of His Hand. In fact, the Father has given these sheep to Jesus, and no one can snatch them out of the Father’s Hand. At this point, if we think too hard about the unity of substance, about the oneness of the Trinity, we can get really confused. How can the Father have a hand and the Son have a different hand if they’re one? Back to that question of how can one be three? Idunno. But in this case, that’s not the main point. The main point is to tell you, His beloved sheep, that you have no need to fear. You are safe in the hands of your God. You are safe in the hands of the Son. You are safe in the hands of the Father. Which hands, the Father's or the Son's? It doesn’t matter, you’re safe. Your One God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit cares for you, guards you, and protects you. You can see this in the Son, who is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life on the cross to defend you from the wolves of sin, death, and the devil. You can see it in the Father who sent His Son into this world that you would be saved. You can see it in the work of the Spirit who has called you by the Gospel, enlightened you with His gifts, sanctified, and kept you in the true faith. This God has pursued you with His rod and staff, and He has picked you up in His ever-loving hands. The whole world around you might appear to fall away, but this unified God is working monolithically to save, guard, and keep you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Have no fear, little flock, for the Father has chosen to give you the Kingdom, have no fear little flock! (LSB 735:1) Rev. Matthew Zickler, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Western Springs, IL.

6 min
há 3 dias

Tuesday of the Week of Holy Trinity

June 2, 2026 Today's Reading: Romans 11:33-36 Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 10:1-20; John 10:1-21 “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. This week is the week of the Holy Trinity. This week we meditate on what is perhaps the most unsearchable things of God. How can God be one and yet also be three? When I was in college, I had some friends who said He couldn’t. They said you really have what we would call the Father as God, but then the Son is maybe more than human, but not quite divine—at least not like the Father. Then the Spirit, well, He is sort of just God’s activity. I really wrestled with this. A God who is one and three isn’t very logical. And every time I found a verse that I thought really proved that Jesus was God, they had a response. Of course, this whole conversation is just what happened with the Arians at the Council of Nicea in 325 (where we get the Nicene Creed). They said the same thing, that Jesus isn’t quite God like the Father. In the end, the Council said that Jesus IS God like the Father. He is homoousias (homo – same, ousias – substance) with the Father. He’s of the same divine stuff. But He’s also man, too. How does all of that work? I always tell my confirmands that I have a very technical term for that: idunno. But how, then, did I become convinced that Nicea was correct? Ultimately, it was John 8:58: “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’” At first, it was just because Jesus said that He existed before Abraham that I found it convincing. However, it was pointed out to me that 'I AM' is the Name that God tells Moses to call Him at the burning bush. “God said to Moses, ‘I AM who I AM… Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” This meant that Jesus was saying that He was (is) that I AM that had spoken to Moses at the bush. But here He was in human flesh. And in that human flesh, He was going to the cross to die for sins. A God-man (that is, 100% human and 100% divine, not 100% mix of human and divine), dying for sins so that we could be saved. From there, I could see the Holy Spirit was also God. This, after all, was the Name into which I was baptized: the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; one Name, three persons. How does that work? I still dunno. God’s ways are unsearchable. But they are good. I can see it in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Blessed Lord, Your ways are unsearchable. Give us faith in all circumstances to trust in you, until we live before You eternally, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Rev. Matthew Zickler, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Western Springs, IL.

7 min
há 4 dias

Monday of the Week of Holy Trinity

June 1, 2026 Today's Reading: Isaiah 6:1-7 Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 9:1-17; John 9:24-41 “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It can be easy to read Isaiah chapter six and gloss over just how intense the vision of Isaiah would have been. As the Lord called Isaiah to speak His Word, there is a lot going on. There are the Seraphim with their wings and their flying. There is the shaking of the thresholds at the voice of the One calling. There is the angel with the smoke and the coals. But what might have been the most intense was the realization of those words, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” We don’t think of holiness all that much in our day and place. For us, God is sort of a spiritual therapist. He’s there for when we might need something. He’s sort of in the background, just sort of letting the movie play out as it does. In short, He’s a buddy who’s there when we need Him, but otherwise He just sort of lets us be. I don’t think that’s how Isaiah felt standing in the presence of the angels and the company of heaven. I don’t think that was the thought floating in his head when the angel brought the coal. In fact, I know it wasn’t. How? Because of Isaiah’s own words: “And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’” Isaiah wasn’t excited to see his buddy. He was nervous. Why? Because he knew of his sin. He knew of the sin of his people. He knew that this Lord of hosts, this Yahweh Sabaoth, was holy. He was not sin. He was perfection. He was the perfection that no imperfection can stand before. And so Isaiah was scared. He needed atonement. But that’s what the angel brought to Isaiah. He brought it from the altar of the Lord Himself. This thrice holy God is good and perfect. But He is loving. This Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, He is holy and hates sin. But He is loving and desires people to have the cleansing from sin that they would become the objects of His love. You, Christian, are the object of His love. He has sent Jesus to the cross to bear your unholiness. He has sent His Spirit into your heart through the Word, through the promise of Baptism, that you would know that you are His beloved. He has taken your unholiness and poured out His wrath against it on the cross, that He could give you His holiness that you could stand before Him in His heavenly temple forever. Thanks be to God. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Sabaoth. Heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Hosanna. Save us. Bless us with your holiness, that we would ever remain your beloved and holy children. Amen Rev. Matthew Zickler, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Western Springs, IL.

7 min
há 5 dias

Holy Trinity

May 31, 2026 Today's Reading: John 3:1-15 (16-17) Daily Lectionary: Numbers 35:9-30; Acts 1:1-7:60; Luke 24:28-53 “Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When Jesus speaks of a second birth, Nicodemus is quite confused. And if we are honest, we can understand why. His response makes sense; after all, it’s not as though someone can enter a second time into his mother’s womb. But what does Jesus really mean? He explains it. He means that this second birth is different. Yes, the first birth was from the womb of the mother, but that was the birth of flesh from flesh. But is the problem that this was the birth of the human body from a human body? Not in itself. The birth of flesh from flesh, yes, occurs in the human body, but the problem isn’t that body. What is it? It’s the sinful flesh. It’s the draw to sin. It’s the guilt of our first parents. It’s our agreement with that sin every time we ourselves sin. Every thought we have contrary to love. Every doubt. Every hateful inclination. Every action opposed to love of God and neighbor. All of it is this sinful flesh. And what does this sinful flesh beget? What does it give birth to? More sin. But ultimately death. As James says, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15) This is where we see the need for this new life. It is the need of the new life begotten not of sinful flesh, but of the Spirit. You might know that in Greek, the language the Gospel of John was first written in, that the word for Spirit is the same as the word for wind and also for breath. So the Spirit breathes the wind of life into the sinful flesh. He brings that flesh out of death. How? Because He brings the death of Jesus, hanged on the cross for sin, to that sinful flesh, and raises it to new life in Jesus’ resurrection. And He has done this for you in the waters of Baptism. As the waters were poured over you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit gave you new birth in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Father, who lifted up His Son on the cross, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life, through the Spirit breathed new birth into you that you would have life as a child of God. That blessed truth guard and keep you in the newness of life in Him to the eternal Kingdom of Jesus. Amen. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank you for the new birth which you have given to me in the waters of baptism. Guard and keep me in that life until I walk with you raised in the Spirit on the Last Day, as You live and reign, One God, now and forever. Amen. Rev. Matthew Zickler, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Western Springs, IL.

7 min
há 6 dias

Saturday of the Week of Pentecost

May 30, 2026 Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity - Psalm 8:1-2a, 3-5; antiphon: Liturgical Text Daily Lectionary: Numbers 32:1-6, 16-27; Luke 24:1-27 Blessèd be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity. Let us give glory to him because he has shown his mercy to us. (Antiphon for the Introit on Trinity Sunday) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Tomorrow, we celebrate Trinity Sunday. It’s very likely that you’ll confess the Athanasian Creed in church tomorrow. The Athanasian Creed describes (in not a few words!) the relationship between the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit – the Three in One and One in Three. And while it may be hard to understand how God can be three Persons in one God, we can believe it by faith, knowing that this is exactly what Jesus has revealed to us. Not only can we believe it, we must believe it. As the creed says, “whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith…And the catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity.” There is no salvation without faith in the Trinity, because there is no God beside Him. Which also means there is no salvation apart from Him. And that’s really where the rubber hits the road. We must believe and trust that God is triune, but we do not come to that faith by learning about God’s omnipotence or His eternal nature, or even that He is Three in One. We come to faith through the Gospel, by hearing what God has done for us in Christ. In fact, I would argue that it is through the Gospel that we learn about the Trinity most clearly. Perhaps that’s why Trinity Sunday was placed here at the end of the festival half of the Church Year. The year began with Advent and the Christmas season, in which we are reminded that the Father’s love for His creation compelled Him to send His Son, the second Person of the Trinity, to become flesh and blood for us. Next came the Epiphany season in which we heard of Christ’s Baptism, fasting, temptation, and Transfiguration – all things He underwent on our behalf to fulfil God’s will for our salvation. Then came Lent and Easter, which focus our attention on Jesus’ suffering and dying to atone for our sins, and His victorious defeat of death and the devil. Finally, we celebrated the Ascension and Pentecost - Christ’s enthronement at the Right Hand of the Father, and the giving of the Holy Spirit who creates and sustains faith in us so that we can believe in Jesus and be saved. Only after learning of all these things that God has done to have us as His people can we truly see who God is. That is, we see beyond the outward characteristics of God (His omnipotence, omniscience, eternal nature, etc.) and we begin to see God’s very heart. We see from the Gospel that God, the Three in One, is more than a mysterious power in the heavens, but is in fact our loving Lord, united in nature and essence as well as in our life and salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Almighty God, our heavenly Father, because of Your tender love toward us sinners You have given us Your Son that, believing in Him, we might have everlasting life. Continue to grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may remain steadfast in this faith to the end and finally come to life everlasting; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Rev. Aric Fenske, Executive Director of Lutherans for Life.

7 min
29 de mai.

Friday of the Week of Pentecost

May 29, 2026 Today's Reading: Acts 2:1-21 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 27:12-23; Luke 23:26-56 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Act 2:21) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, and they went out and began to preach the Gospel in languages that they’d never learned. That’s amazing! Not just the fact that they instantaneously learned new languages, but the fact that they went out and spoke at all! Remember, these are the same guys who had locked themselves in a room because they were afraid of the Jews (Jn. 20:19). They were barely willing to be seen in public, and now they’re standing in a huge crowd proclaiming that Jesus was God and that He had risen from the dead. What changed? It wasn’t the ability to speak new languages that gave them this newfound courage. It was their faith in Jesus. That’s what the Holy Spirit does; He creates faith in Jesus. The apostles had spent three years with Jesus. They watched Jesus do countless miracles. They listened to Him preach dozens of sermons. They even saw Him alive after He had died. They knew the facts, but none of it made any sense to them. They didn’t believe it. But then the Holy Spirit came and did exactly what Jesus promised He would. He brought to their remembrance everything Jesus had said to them (John 14:26), and guided them “into all truth” (John 16:13). Their hearts and minds were opened, and they believed. Now, they all had confidence that since Jesus had risen from the dead, their sins had been washed away and everlasting life was theirs. Which meant there was nothing left to fear, not even death itself. And they were so excited about this that they immediately went out and began preaching the Gospel, because they wanted everyone else to have the same confidence they had. And that’s how the Holy Spirit comes to you today. He comes through the apostolic preaching of the Gospel. When your pastor preaches to you, the Holy Spirit descends on you, just like He did with the apostles. And as He comes to you, He doesn’t just teach you the facts about Jesus’ life and death, He also opens your heart and mind to believe it. Now it’s your tongue that is affected. No, you aren’t given the ability to speak in languages you’ve never learned; you have been given the ability to do something even greater – call upon the name of the Lord and be saved (Acts 2:21). The Holy Spirit works the same miracle in us that He worked in the Apostles. He takes sinners who “cannot by their own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ our Lord or come to Him,” (SC, 3rd Art.), and He gives us new life by creating faith in our hearts. And by that faith in Jesus, we not only receive eternal salvation, we are emboldened to share this news with others, that they too might call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest, And make our hearts Your place of rest; Come with Your grace and heav’nly aid, And fill the hearts which You have made. (LSB 498: 1) Rev. Aric Fenske, Executive Director of Lutherans for Life.

7 min

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Great start to my day

06/05/2024

JoyfullyRedeemed

Wonderful program. Great start to my day. Reminds me of what we we have in Christ. The transcripts are much appreciated. Thank you..