The current quote, is on our Home Page. May each quote pique your interest and help you to draw near to God. The Bible, James 4:8, tells us if we do so God will draw near to us.
Sunday, January 3, 2021
“When we reach out to God in prayer, we always make immediate personal contact. We are heading toward a personal meeting with our God, who guarantees His full attention and His loving understanding. He anticipates our conversation and will welcome us with open arms. He is ready and willing to hear whatever we have to say. In fact, before we ever address Him, He tunes into our thoughts and feelings, gets involved in our lives behind the scenes, and is just waiting for us to notice Him and speak to Him. That is how seriously He takes us. That is how much we mean to Him.”
(Rudnick, 18)
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Sunday, January 10, 2021
“People often think that worship is about what we do for or toward God. The reality is quite different. In the Divine Service, God is providing His service for us. In the reading, the preaching, and the proclamation of His Word and in His Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, God comes to us. In worship, God gives His grace and then we respond with thanks and praise.”
(Kinnaman, 4)
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Sunday, January 17, 2021
“Paul knew that for Christians the Law was no longer a thing that comes from the outside but is now embedded in us by the Holy Spirit. Paul expected these words would take root in our hearts and shape our lives. God would change us through them and conform us to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29).”
(St-Onge, 49)
Read Romans 8:29
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Sunday, January 24, 2021
“The resurrection of Jesus is God’s grand statement that life is the goal of this creation. The resurrection of Jesus proclaims that all creatures find the goal of their existence in life. Just as God raised Jesus from the dead, so we learn that God treasures life over death.”
(Harrison, January 24, 2021)
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Sunday, January 31, 2021
“It follows self-evidently that, since everything that we possess as well as everything in heaven and on earth is daily given, sustained, and preserved by God, therefore we in turn certainty owe it to Him to love, praise, and thank Him without ceasing and, in short, to serve Him wholly and completely, as He requires and enjoins us to do in the Ten Commandments.”
(Luther, LLC, 69)
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Sunday, February 7, 2021
“Luther realized that God’s righteousness was the joyous gift of faith. Faith produces devotion, not dread. Following Jesus comes through faith, not fear. Luther called this gift passive righteousness. Our standing before God is not earned or merited by any human effort. Rather, our standing before God (coram deo) depends on Christ’s righteousness gifted to us through the Holy Spirit. We do nothing to deserve it. It is purely by the grace of God.”
(Sutton, 35-36)
Sutton mentions coram deo and coram mundo on pager 36. “Lutheran Theology: An Online Journal” says, “The church coram deo lives from the Word of God, and coram mundo it lives to deliver the Word of God to others.” See the article here
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Sunday, February 14, 2021
“Sin is much more than thinking, saying, and doing things that are wrong. It is a terminal disease. We are all conceived and born in sin; we inherit it from our first parents, Adam and Eve. The disease of sin can be overcome, but only by one medicine: the cleansing, healing, and forgiving blood of God’s own Son.”
(McCain, 31)
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Sunday, February 21, 2021
“Jesus is the arm of the Lord and the right hand of God. The heavenly Father gave all authority to Jesus (Matthew 28:18); “in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). … Lent is a time of returning. It should also be a time of thanks. We can return only because the arm of the Lord has grasped us and turned us back toward Himself.”
(Rottmann, 9)
Read Isaiah 52:10 Read Isaiah 53:1
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Sunday, February 28, 2021
“To live by faith is to look first to God for all good and then to look to serving your neighbors. ‘Whatever your hands find to do…do it with your might (Ecclesiastes 9:10), simply because your neighbors need it done, and God put you here to do it and would love them through you.”
(Sias, 73)
Read Ecclesiastes 9:10
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Sunday, March 7, 2021
“The 32nd psalm is an exemplary psalm of instruction that teaches us what sin is, and how we might be freed from it and be righteous before God. Our reason does not know what sin is and tries to make satisfaction for it with works. But the palmist says even saints are sinners. They cannot become holy or blessed except by confessing themselves sinners before God, knowing that they are regarded as righteous only from the grace of God, apart from any service or work.”
(Luther, Reading, 78)
Read Psalm 32
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Sunday, March 14, 2021
“Faith in Christ Jesus replaces your mangled heart with a new one. He replaced your inwardly curved one with one that is aimed straight at God. He opens your relationship with God and restores the image of God within you. Eyes opened by Jesus. Ears open to hear God’s Word. Heart open to God’s will. Hands open to receive His mercy. Mind opened to care for others. Mouth open to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus opens you back up to God.”
(Sutton, 7-8)
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Sunday, March 21, 2021
“Jesus used His scars after His resurrection to tell a story. Yes, the scars of Jesus reminds us of our sin that put Jesus on the cross in our place. Yet the scars of Jesus were also proof of His resurrection. Thomas was told to touch the scars of Jesus (see John 20:26-28). A ghost does not have a body or scars. But a physically resurrected body does. It is the living, resurrected body of Jesus that also assures us of our forgiveness and eternal life in our resurrected bodies.”
(Portals of Prayer, No. 450, January 31)
Read Luke 24:36-43
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Sunday, March 28, 2021
“It may be helpful to reiterate the urgency and need for our Christian witness in this world. By mid-2025 the Christian population in the world may be 2,616,670,052 (33.4 percent) and by mid-2050 3,051,564,342 (34.3 percent) in 238 countries. Statistics suggest that Christianity will not make substantial inroads into the non-Christian population. That, however, should not diminish our resolve to share our faith with others in the context and vocation in which God has placed us.”
(Schulz, 79)
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Sunday, April 4, 2021
“O blessed and joyous day! We of all people are most blessed, for if Christ has risen from the dead, so shall we! If Christ has triumphed, His people rejoice in the victory. Because the tomb has been found empty, we no longer need fear the enemy called death, for he holds no power over us. Christ has risen; He has risen indeed, and therefore, so shall we!”
(Pulse, 120)
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Sunday, April 11, 2021
“According to Jesus’ words, the bread is His body. This is not a parabolic or metaphysical use of language. ‘Is’ means ‘is.’ The giving of His body with the bread is just as real as giving of His body into death on the cross. The body of Jesus given in the Supper is the same body of Jesus into death on the cross, buried, and raised on the third day (Luke 23:52, 55; 24:3, 23). How can this be? It can only be a miracle (a mystery--μυστήριον), greater than the exodus miracles of manna and quail in the old covenant. Jesus is the new prophet in fulfillment of Moses, but greater, as Moses himself promised (Deuteronomy 18:15, quoted by Stephen in Acts 7:37), this is the new covenant that embraces and overtakes the old one.”
(Just, 226)
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Sunday, April 18, 2021
“Jesus intends for the new covenant to replace the old. Gone are the sacrifices, the temple, the Passover meal, the priests, and all the ceremonial laws of Moses. In their place is the taking and eating of the body and drink of the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. This new covenant between God and His people is supposed to endure. How do we know this is true? Jesus established it in the Lord’s Supper when He called it a ‘new testament.’ It is an expression of His eternal will, and this last testament establishes it forever.”
(Wolfmueller, 136)
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Sunday, April 25, 2021
“Preaching the Law to someone who is anguished over sin kicks that person when he’s down. And preaching the Gospel to someone who’s unrepentant empowers a sinner to life licentiously. But when communicated properly, the Law kills the sinner so that he might be raised to life by the power of the Gospel. The Law diagnoses the sinner so that he might receive the remedy in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The law exposes the sinner so that the Gospel might expose the Savior.”
(Grunewald, 43)
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Sunday, May 2, 2021
“The fear that Israel felt at Sinai is the kind of terror people will always feel when they are faced with God’s perfect demands and must reckon with their own sin. We can’t comprehend how fully we’ve failed to do want God wants us to do till we’ve tried our hardest and still fallen short.”
(Braun, 167)
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Sunday, May 9, 2021
“There is no better way than to start your day than with prayer. Knowing that our dear Father has heard His baptized child speak into His ears sends us on our way confidently and joyfully. As Luther says after we have prayed we can ‘go joyfully to work, singing a hymn, like that of the Ten Commandments, or what your devotion may suggest’ (Small Catechism Morning Prayer).”
(Hiller, 30-31)
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Sunday, May 16, 2021
“Sin is a departure from God, a transgression of the divine Law. Sin is the opposite of what is right. Christians neither willing depart from God nor transgress His commandments nor commit unrighteousness. Their desire is that Jesus would live in them and that the Holy Spirit would rule them. However, because they cannot at all times perfectly achieve this, they must fight against sin.”
(Starck, 159)
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Sunday, May 23, 2021
“Luther’s battles for better schools won many victories. And in 1530 he could happily write the elector this note: ‘Boys and girls are growing up so well instructed in the catechism and Scriptures that it makes me feel good to see how young boys and little girls can now pray, believe, and speak to God of Christ.’”
(Nohl, 155)
Read Proverbs 22:6 Read Isaiah 54:13 Read Matthew 19:14
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Sunday, May 30, 2021
“The answer of the Twelve established a principle for all Christians for all time. What God’s Word commands, we must do, even when forbidden to do so by human authorities. What God’s Word prohibits we must not do, even when commanded to do so by human authorities.”
(Balge, 62) Balge is teaching on Acts 5:29
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Sunday, June 6, 2021
“When expounding Psalm 118, which Luther declared to be one of his favorite psalms, Luther made clear that the righteous, the godly, the believers must expect nothing in this life except tribulation and persecution from the devil and those fighting for him. The godly will suffer and die in the eyes of the world; but in their faith and in their utter dependence on God, they will receive and rejoice in the only thing that ultimately matters. For Luther, the future life offered the supreme, in some senses the only, reward for the true Christian.”
(Cameron, 11) Read Psalm 118
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Sunday, June 13, 2021
“Gerhardt’s hymn [LSB 683] is a fervent plea to God to keep our faith firm and alive, with His love burning in our souls like heavenly fire. The sum total of all the stanzas is amazing—Gerhardt wants nothing more than to be totally the Lord’s. What a model to emulate!”
((Portals of Prayer, No. 450, June 10) See Gerhardt's hymn here
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Sunday, June 20, 2021
“Since Christ loves you, you are to love others. Christ’s love is the model for your love—unconditional, sacrificial, and selfless. … Even when your love is lacking, when you selfishly turn in on yourself instead of reaching out in love to others, His love remains constant. He loves and He forgives, and He empowers you to love.”
(Bauman, 188) Read Psalm 51:1-12 Read John 15:12-27
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Sunday, June 27, 2021
“Our Lutheran Confessions commend the seeking of public remedy for injustice. ‘Public remedy, made through the office of the public official, is not condemned, but is commanded and is God’s work, according to Paul (Romans 13)’ (Ap XVI 59). Our God-given right to act as citizens is very important, especially now.”
(Harrison, March 11, 2021)
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Sunday, July 4, 2021
“The First Amendment never intended to separate Christian principles from government. Yet today we so often hear the First Amendment coupled with the phrase ‘separation of church and state.’ The First Amendment simply states: ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’ Obviously, the words ‘separation,’ ‘church,’ or ‘state’ are not found in the First Amendment; furthermore, that phrase appears in no founding document!”
(Barton, 13)
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Sunday, July 11, 2021
“[G]ive me grace to hear thee calling on me in thy word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and peace to the saving of the soul in the day of the Lord Jesus. Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it with meekness, mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me, Gracious God, the good work for which thou has sent it. Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our God & guide this day and for ever for his sake, who lay down in the Grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”
(Washington’s Prayer Journal)
Note: This is the closing section of George Washington’s Sunday Morning Prayer.
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Sunday, July 18, 2021
“You should not imagine that the life of a Christian is something stationary and inactive. On the contrary, it is a transition and a progress from vices to virtues, from brightness to brightness, from goodness to goodness. And do not consider him a Christian who is not engaged in this transition.”
(What Luther Says, 234-235)
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Sunday, July 25, 2021
“Children need to be brought into God’s family. They are infected with sin from conception (Ps. 51:5), and their mortality proves that they receive the wages of sin (Rom. 6:23). Although passages such as Matt. 18:3 or Luke 18:15–17 do not speak directly of Baptism, the words of Jesus that we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of God do state his expectations clearly. Not adult achievement or commitment but the passive reception of newborn infants marks our passage into God’s kingdom. ”
(Kolb, 224)
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Sunday, August 1, 2021
“When the Iron Curtain fell in 1991, it appeared that Communism, or its ideology—Marxism, had died the death it deserved. But it is far from dead, and Christians must take note and understand its virulent anti-Christian doctrine. In fact, we Christians are presently witnessing our civil government, schools, and the media bewitched by this anti-Christian doctrine and “philosophy and vain deceit” (Colossians 2:8). Marxist doctrine not only opposes our nation’s cultural, legal, economic, and social norms, but more importantly, it is an open and bold attack upon Christ’s doctrine, moral life, and church.”
(Wyoming District Round-Up August 2021)
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Sunday, August 8, 2021
“Christians who first read this Epistle face the same temptation as Christians do today. Having received God’s blessings, they were tempted to remain by themselves and not gather together to worship. Not only is such a Christian failing to recognize God’s faithful promise to bless them in worship, but they are also depriving their fellow believers of the full fellowship of the Church. God calls Christians to gather together to hear His Word preached, receive the Sacraments, pray, sing, and give thanks (cf. Rm 10:14; Lk 22:19; Ac 2:38, 42; Rm 15:30; Ps 30:4). Those who despise the Church and neglect to come together more easily fall from the faith.”
(Mueller, 132)
Note: By “Epistle,” Mueller, in context, is speaking to Hebrews 10:25.
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Sunday, August 15, 2021
“The prophet Isaiah writes that ‘the righteous man is taken away from calamity; he enters into peace’ but ‘the wicked are like the tossing sea . . . There is no peace’ says my God, ‘for the wicked’ (Isaiah 57:1, 21). This is what we typically think of when we think of heaven and hell, the two possible locations for the soul after death.”
(Heaven and Hell, 5-6)
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Sunday, August 22, 2021
“Some religious people in Isaiah’s day, as in our day, were eager for God and other people to witness and praise their piety. But what God wants to see from His people are humble and loving acts of kindness and charity rather than lip service. God desires that our light would shine on Christ rather than on ourselves.”
(Portals of Prayer, No. 452, August 22)
Read Isaiah 58:1-11 Read Psalm 146
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Sunday, August 29, 2021
“Sin did not originate with God or man. The devil was the first to sin. ‘The devil has been sinning from the beginning’ (1 John 3:8); the very first recorded sin was caused by the devil. Even before that time he has rebelled against God. Although created good and perfect (2 Peter 2:4; John 8:44), the devil and other angels transgressed some commandment of God, and thus evil originated.”
(Koehler, 47-48)
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Sunday, September 5, 2021
“Lord, it’s so easy to start comparing ourselves to others in the church: She’s not as faithful; he has not put in his time or paid his dues. But when we fall into that, we’re looking at ourselves and not You. Forgive us. Help us remember and live the fact that no matter who, where or when, You are the one who called each of us to new life. Then, Lord, help us find ways to celebrate that new life together.
Dear Christ, help us experience the joy You have in each of us. In Your name. Amen.”
(Davenport, 25)
Note: This prayer follows Davenport’s teaching on the Laborers in the Vineyard from Matthew 20:1-16.
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Sunday, September 12, 2021
“Because Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12), He illuminates all by giving us what we need to know about God and His divine treasures. Just as the sun illuminates the world and gives glorious light so that we can see what is around us, so the Son of God gives light to the sin-darkened world and enlightens the eyes of the blind so we can see what He wants to reveal to us.”
(Murray, 184)
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Sunday, September 19, 2021
“We Believe: The office of the Keys is a special God-given way of applying the Gospel to the individual. ‘God is surprisingly rich in His Grace: First through the spoken word, by which the forgiveness of sin is preached to the whole world, which is the function of the Gospel: second, through Baptism; third, through the holy Sacrament of the Altar; fourth, through the power of keys; and also through the power of mutual conversation and consolation of brethren’ (Smalcald Articles III.IV).”
(Engelbrecht, 377)
Note: Additional information on the Office of the keys can be found in Luther's Small Catechism, or online (along with info on the Smalcald Articles) here.
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Sunday, October 3, 2021
“There can be no room for self in faithful stewardship. Those are powerful but true words. This is true because there is no room for self in the Gospel. Jesus was at no point concerned only for Himself, His comfort, His fame. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. When that treasure was found, He paid the entire price in the currency of His holy, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. He did this for enemies, not friends! He put Himself in peril of the cross and death to give life to those who were only focused on themselves.”
(StewardCAST, 1)
From the article: The Good Samaritan: A Lesson in Stewardship.
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Sunday, October 10, 2021
“Now if all heathen are to praise God, this assumes that He has become their God. If He is to be their God, then they must know Him, and give up all idolatry. One cannot praise God with an idolatrous mouth or an unbelieving heart. And if they are to believe, they must first hear His Word and thereby receive the Holy Spirit, who through faith purifies and enlightens their hearts. One cannot come to faith or lay hold on the Holy Spirit without hearing the Word first, as St. Paul has said (Rom 10:14): ‘How are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?’ and (Gal. 3:2): ‘You have received the Spirit through the proclamation of faith.’ If they are to hear His Word, then preachers must be sent to proclaim God’s Word to them; for not all the heathen can come to Jerusalem or make a living among the small company of the Jews. Therefore the psalmist does not say: ‘Come to Jerusalem all heathen!’ He lets them stay where they are and calls upon them, wherever they may be, to praise God.”
(Luther, Works 14, 9)
Note: Luther is teaching from Psalm 117, at two verses, the shortest psalm:
1 Praise the LORD, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!
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Sunday, October 17, 2021
“A Christian’s love for neighbor is not the result of Christian obligation. That’s not love—it’s obedience. A Christian’s love for neighbor is the result of the love of Jesus overflowing and transforming the heart of the Christian into the heart of a servant.”
(Grunewald, 109)
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Sunday, October 24, 2021
“Proud people trust themselves, sing the same old songs about themselves, and discover sooner or later that do-it-yourself blessings are illusions that lead them astray. The man who is otherwise hopeless but trusts God discovers that God does it all, including giving him something new and limitless to sing about. To top it all off, He gives us Jesus, who gives us the perfect example of trust that He likewise gives us by His grace.”
(Biermann, 24)
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Sunday, October 31, 2021
“Finally, God showed me mercy. After wracking my brains for days, I suddenly noticed the correlation of the words in the verse: ‘For in it the righteous of God is revealed from faith for, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” At that point I began to understand the righteousness of God: namely, that the person who is justified because of a gift of God, lives by it and, in fact, by faith. At that point I felt as if I were completely born again. I felt like I had stepped through an open gate into paradise. Suddenly all of Scripture opened up to me seamless into a brand-new light.”
(Dömer, 34-36)
Note: this quote is from Luther’s Tower Experience
Note: this translation of Luther’s words comes to us from Nickolas Proksch and Christian Tiews
Note: for more on this subject, see Pastor Bryan Wolfmuller's video (here)
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Sunday, November 7, 2021
“Jesus confirms the Old testament understanding of original sin in His description of a tree and its fruit in the Sermon on the Mount. What kind of fruit does a bad tree bear (Matthew 7:18)? What is the consequence for a tree that bears bad fruit (v. 19)? In the same manner, sinful flesh can only bring forth sinful flesh. The consequence of sinful flesh is death.”
(Das, 9)
Matthew 7:18-19 tells us: “A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
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Sunday, November 14, 2021
“Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. on the cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For his cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes. There is his commission, his work.”
(Bonhoeffer, 17)
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Sunday, November 21, 2021
“[T]he Last Day will be not only a day of judgment, but also a day of salvation, as God has promised: ‘I will remove the iniquity from this land in a single day’ (Zechariah 3:9). And iniquity was indeed removed in a single day called Good Friday when Jesus died on a cross. Now, God promises to return on a single day, called the Last day, when we will be taken to be with the Lord. And so we pray for that single day. We pray, ‘Come, Lord Jesus.’”
(Bauman, 345)
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Sunday, November 28, 2021
“[W]e must beware of naive and ignorant enthusiasm! It is telling how often Christ and the apostles, when they touched on spiritual warfare, urged us to be 'sober' and 'vigilant' in the journey of faith. Satan promotes a reckless kind of spiritual intoxication with the offer of heady experience, mind-blowing ecstasy, and disembodied spiritual highflying. We therefore need to remain 'sober' so as not to confuse spiritual darkness with light and lose our sense of spiritual reality (1 Thessalonians 5:8; 2 Timothy 4:5; 1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8). Spiritual sobriety comes from reliance on Christ and obedience to His Word.”
(Kleinig, 220)
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Sunday, December 5, 2021
“God kills in order to make alive, He humbles in order to exalt, etc. And this is what the apostle [Paul] glories in when he says he knows nothing except Jesus Christ, and Him not glorified but crucified (see 1 Corinthians 2:2). He bears on his body the marks of his Lord (see Galatians 6:17). For to bear Christ crucified in oneself is to live a life full of trials and sufferings, and for this reason he becomes for carnal men ‘a sign that is spoken against’ (Luke 2:34). Therefore one should resolve to receive with open arms every trial, even death itself, with praise and joy, just as one should receive Christ Himself.”
(Luther, Day by Day, Dec. 3)
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Sunday, December 12, 2021
“Where does hope reside? … hope resides in our heart, where the Holy Spirit dwells after being poured into us. Hope resides in the part of us that provides life and substance to the rest of the body. Hope resides in our heart and fills our being as surely as our blood flows throughout our bodies, even to the extremities of our fingers and toes and back to our heart to be replenished before making another circuit. Hope is founded upon the love of Christ that moved Him to die for us while we were still sinners. As long as our heart beats, hope endures.”
(Portals of Prayer, No. 453, December 11)
Read Romans 5:1-9 Read Psalm 65
Romans 5:5 says, “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
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Sunday, December 19, 2021
“That the son of God becomes like us would be quite enough. But that is not all. Not only does He become flesh and blood, etc., but your Savior. You are subject to death, sin, and the devil. He wants to redeem you from them. Who will believe this? Ah, heavenly Father, You put Your Son at a maiden’s breast to nurse Him and then let Him be hung upon the cross to die — and all this takes place for our sakes. Who will not rejoice at this?”
(Luther, Unto You)
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Sunday, December 26, 2021
“Memorizing and praying the Psalms will result in a fuller, richer prayer life. My personal practice is to get to know one psalm a week. I pray it every day, whether that psalm fits my current situation or not. By praying psalms that do not fit my currant attitude, I am reminded that the Psalms are bigger than me and that prayer is about God’s will being done. Further, this practice helps me familiarize myself with all the psalms so that when I want to pray a psalm of lament or praise, I know where to turn.”
(Hiller, 76)
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