Following historic practice, this lectionary presents a continuous reading through the books of the Bible, often associating certain books with particular seasons of the Church Year. The goal is not to read through the entire Bible each year. Rather, two readings of 15-25 verses each are provided for each day — one from the Old Testament, the other from the New Testament. Under this plan, nearly all of the New Testament and approximately one-third of the Old Testament are read each year.
The Daily Lectionary is found on page 299 in the pew edition of Lutheran Service Book.
Today’s Readings
- February 22, 2012 - Ash Wednesday
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to appear to men to be fasting. Amen, amen, I say to you, they receive their reward.” (St. Matthew 6:16)
Glory be to Jesus! In the name of Jesus. Amen. Whose glory are you seeking? Is your religion and faith all about you or it all about Jesus?
You’d sure like to think it’s about Jesus, wouldn’t you? That’s the right answer after all. But today is Ash Wednesday. It’s time to set aside pretenses and acts, to stop trying to convince the Lord and those around you that you are somehow better than you actually are. It’s sackcloth and ashes day!
Time to be honest with God —truly and brutally honest. You say every Sunday that you are a poor, miserable, sinner, but most days you think that you’re really a pretty good person. All things considered, you aren’t thatbad —not as bad as some people. At least you are trying. Shouldn’t that count for something?
No, it doesn’t. Not before God. God is holy. With God, you are either perfect like your heavenly Father is perfect, or you are out. If you’re perfect, you’re in. If you aren’t, you go straight to hell. That’s harsh, but true.
That’s why Lent isn’t about your sacrifice, what you give up, or how much ashes or repentance you have. It’s about Jesus. Lent is about Jesus’ holy life lived for your sinful life and His suffering and death, making the payment for your sins and the sins of the whole world.
Repent of your sins. Turn from them. Sackcloth-and-ashes turn. Then believe all the more that because of Jesus’ sacrifice for you, you are forgiven.
That’s why we are in Lent! The glory of God is Jesus —His sacrifice for you. Glory be to Jesus! In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
“Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” (Collect for Ash Wednesday)
Previous Readings
- February 21, 2012 - Tuesday of Quinquagesima
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends … For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:7-8, 12)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The problem with people is that they are so often too near-sighted — not in an optical sense, but about their future. St. Paul identifies that near-sightedness when he says "we see in a mirror dimly."
In his day, mirrors were pieces of polished bronze, nowhere near as sharp or clear as modern mirrors. If you have ever used a polished metal mirror, you know what St. Paul means — you can' t see your reflection as well as you' d like, so you' ll never be quite sure if you got that piece of broccoli out from between your teeth.
So it is with your faith and hope. No matter how much you want to know what the future holds, and what your future with Jesus will look like, you only have a vague idea — a faint reflection given in God' s Word.
But just like modern glass mirrors, the truth will shine in sharp, distinct lines on the Last Day. It will be clear and unclouded, and there will be no question about its beauty and glory.
Love IS the greatest in the triumvirate of faith, hope, and love. Love is that which assures you even now that, though the future is clouded, it' s certainty remains.
You only need to look at the cross of Christ to see that love in action, that love working for you and for your salvation. How does God love the world? How does He love YOU? He loves you in this way: His Son accepts your punishment, dies your death, and raises you to life again. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
In the day this world is fading Faith and hope will play their part; But when Christ is seen in glory Love shall reign in ev' ry heart: May love be ours, O Lord. (LSB 695:4)
- February 20, 2012 - Monday of Quinquagesima
Job 15:1-23,30-35
John 6:60-71But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It sure must have surprised Jesse and his sons to learn that it wasn' t necessarily the biggest and strongest among them who would be chosen to be king of Israel. Instead, it was David, the baby of the family — the young kid left to mind the sheep and do the chores while his older brothers prepared for a sacrifice and meal with the visiting prophet.
But that' s the way God so often works. He has a different grading scale than the rest of us. He sees what can' t be seen by you. It was much the same way on another journey to Bethlehem: Mary and Joseph, just another couple heading south for the census with nothing to distinguish them from anyone else. Yet the Savior of mankind took on flesh and was born to this average couple from Nazareth.
God our Father has a way of doing that over and over again. People who seem so average on the outside wind up being the ones through whom He works: Moses, David, Peter, Paul. All average folks on the outside, yet God called them to do wonderful things for His people.
It is just as true today. Their work might not have quite the same level of awesomeness as dividing the Red Sea or being the greatest king the nation has ever known or defending the faith before hostile governors, but there are plenty of people marked with the sign of the cross who are doing God' s work among you.
Yes, even you. You may not be the most remarkable person among your circle of friends and acquaintances, yet God Almighty has seen within your heart and He knows the plans He has for you and your gifts. Not sure? Look back to your Baptism. He saw it there. Marked with His holy Name, y ou are worthy of His attention. He sees in you a great future — one with Him for all eternity. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
O’er ev’ry foe victorious, He on His throne shall rest, From age to age more glorious, All blessing and all-blest. The tide of time shall never His covenant remove; His name shall stand forever — That name to us is Love. (LSB 398:5)
- February 19, 2012 - Quinquagesima
And taking the twelve, he said to them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise." But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said . (Luke 18:31-34)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Denial. It is a state that many people live in, usually by choice. The Twelve are in that state, too, but there is also a supernatural reason for them to deny the future: It is being kept from them for the moment.
They certainly knew the power that their Rabbi had. T hey had seen Jesus perform miracle after miracle, and perhaps they just couldn' t comprehend someone with so much power allowing such an awful death to happen to Him.
But that is exactly what Jesus was going to do. The Lamb of God would go uncomplaining forth to His cross. He would willingly let Himself be taken prisoner, be beaten and shamed, and then allow the nails to pierce Him so He could be lifted up to draw all mankind to Himself.
The religious authorities in Jerusalem also knew who Jesus was — they knew they couldn' t allow Him to continuously critique their Law-centered religious structure. They knew He was the Messiah of God, but they didn' t understand how He would reign.
For the authorities, death would remove their problem. For the Twelve, the death of Jesus would be just the beginning of their problems. They couldn' t wrap their minds around that "rising from the dead" part yet.
Regardless of what any of them thought, Jesus was in control the whole time. Jesus had the game won before it even started. Jesus knew that He would have to repeat that truth over and over, but that didn' t make the truth any less true.
He would be delivered over and die shamefully, but He would also rise from the dead, and in that rising, His victory over death would be proclaimed. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
O Lord, mercifully hear our prayers and having set us free from the bonds of our sins deliver us from every evil; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Quinquagesima )
- February 18, 2012 - Saturday of Sexagesima
Into your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, God of truth. (Psalm 31:5, from The Introit for Quinquagesima)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Certainty isn' t something that has been at the top of anyone' s list for the last couple of years. Asteroids may (or may not) pass very close to Earth. S omeone in your family or circle of friends might be experiencing employment uncertainty. Y ou aren' t sure if that one particular someone really even notices you.
With all that uncertainty, it isn' t surprising that people yearn for some stability in their lives. We want to know that some things will never change, that there will be a solid rock to always cling to, and a place we can always go that will be a safe refuge when the world spins with unrestrained change.
There is such a place, and the psalmist identified it. It is our God and Lord who is that rock, that cornerstone and sanctuary for us when so much around us is so distressing.
When you go to the Divine Service tomorrow, you will be certain. God' s Word will proclaim to you with certainty that He has you in His hands. The Lord' s Supper will remind you that He has redeemed you. And it will be given to you by your pastor.
Your pastor will proclaim the truth that your Baptism committed your spirit into His hands. He will proclaim the truth that absolution is yours for every sin — even those of worry and uncertainty. He will proclaim the truth that the Body and Blood of Jesus is given for you, for your forgiveness, life, and salvation. All of that certainty is yours, given to you by your God in His Holy Word.
After all, it was Jesus who first prayed the words of this psalm, and His Father answered His prayer. Because He answered Jesus' prayer, He will certainly answer your prayer when you call out to Him, too, because He sees you in Christ. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
I trust, O Lord, Your holy name; O let me not be put to shame Nor let me be confounded. My faith, O Lord, Be in Your Word Forever firmly grounded. (LSB 734:1)
- February 17, 2012 - Friday of Sexagesima
Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. (John 6:4-6)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There' s an interesting signpost in John' s Gospel that shows up here. Every time John says that "the Passover is near," a significant event in Jesus' life happens.
He changes water to wine at Cana, He is anointed by Mary at Bethany, He washes the feet of the twelve, and in this passage here He feeds the five thousand. What is significant is that each of these actions marks Jesus as not only the Savior, but also as the Messianic King.
Isaiah promises that wine will flow down the sides of mountains like rivers in the messianic age, and Jesus miraculously provides 180 gallons of fine wine at Cana. Isaiah also promises abundant food in the messianic kingdom, which Jesus provides to the thousands in the form of first-century fish sandwiches.
Mary' s anointing is an echo of the anointing of the High Priest in the Old Testament, setting Him aside for the service of offering a sacrifice, and the washing of the disciples' feet has to do with baptism and absolution.
All of these actions mark Jesus as not just some random wandering preacher, but as the true Messiah, chosen by God to break into creation and usher in the salvation of His people.
Of course, each of these events is significant enough on its own, but putting them all together really drives the point home to you that this Jesus is the One for whom God' s people have been waiting since God first promised Adam and Eve a savior in the garden.
He truly is the Passover Lamb who will be sacrificed for the people — and for you — so that they may be saved and live in God' s glorious kingdom for all eternity. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Praise the One who breaks the darkness With a liberating light; Praise the One who frees the pris' ners, Turning blindness into sight Praise the One who preached the Gospel, Healing ev' ry dread disease, Calming storms, and feeding thousands With the very bread of peace. (LSB 849:1)
- February 16, 2012 - Thursday of Sexagesima
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. One of the things that probably frightens people most about God our Father is His omniscience. It is just a bit alarming to think about God knowing everything about everyone at all times.
But no matter the downside of an all-knowing God, there is a tremendous upside. He knows everything about you, and He STILL loves you! He has seen the absolute best and worst of you, but He still calls you His child in Christ.
His Word has the same effect on you, but it works to show you yourself, too. This is no dead, stale, text we' re talking about here — the Word of God is a living thing, an active gift in your life, working for you and on you to strengthen you in your faith.
It performs radical surgery, laying you open to the bone with the brutal truth of God' s Law, but then binding you up again and healing you with the sweet, sweet words of His Gospel.
No, you can' t hide anything from the all-seeing God, but when those things that you wish you could hide from Him happen, He reminds you with His Word that those sins are forgiven in Christ — every one of them, every time you call out in repentance.
Will all be laid bare on the Last Day? It doesn' t really matter, does it? You know that God has seen it all already, and that in Christ, you are already made new, His beloved child washed clean in baptism and dressed in Christ' s righteous robes for the eternal feast. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness; At Thy speaking it was done. For created light we thank Thee, While Thine ordered seasons run. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to Thee who light dost send! Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end! (LSB 578:1)
- February 15, 2012 - Wednesday of Sexagesima
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks. (The Small Catechism, Second Commandment)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It' s easy to think that you' ve got this Commandment covered as long as you don' t use "those" words, You know the ones. And not only the four-letter ones, but the ones that also have "God" as one of the syllables.
But it' s not as simple as that. There' s almost an overlap with the Third Commandment here. Misusing God' s name can happen in the misuse of His Word, too, because His name is at stake in the way His Word is used. God' s reputation is on the line, as it were.
"When you tell a lie it makes Jesus cry." Jesus doesn' t appreciate lies of course, but is there a more brow-beating way of using the Law than this? "Jesus only rose from the dead in our hearts." Or "Grandma will live on in your memory." How dare the Gospel be so violently gutted of its truth and comfort!
Certainly, God' s name is to be used reverently and properly, like Mom' s fine china that isn' t used for making mud pies, but for Easter dinner. God' s name is to be praised, called upon in thanksgiving, and cried out to in times of need. It is not to be used to confuse its hearers, to twist the truth to suit the cause-of-the-month or to support outright blasphemy and lies.
The name of God gives life. The name of God saves. It causes the dead to spring to life, the deaf to hear and the blind to see. The name of God is that in which you rejoice day and night, for it is your source of salvation, forgiveness and life.
The name of God is what baptized you, washed you clean, and robed you in the righteousness of Christ. May it always be seen as this positive and wonderful gift in your life! In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
"Do not My holy name disgrace, Do not My Word of truth debase. Praise only that as good and true Which I Myself say and do." Have mercy, Lord! (LSB 581:3)
- February 14, 2012 - Tuesday of Sexagesima
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It seems so contradictory to say that when you are weak, that' s when you really are strong. Yet that is exactly what St. Paul says. He has been at the mercy of the world around him for so much of his ministry — beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, hunted down and more.
But in all of that pain and suffering, there was one constant: God' s grace was always upon him. His Lord and God was beside him through it all and never failed him.
Even when St. Paul begs for his "thorn in the flesh" to be removed, God reminds him that perfection and comfort in this life aren' t the real goals of the Christian. God tells him that His grace is enough, that His mercy will see him through whatever comes his way.
Sure, St. Paul COULD boast about his visions, he COULD demand a place of honor because of the special way he was called to be an apostle, but he realizes that that will get him nowhere in God' s eyes.
The paradox of Christianity is that when Jesus hung helplessly on the cross He was at His strongest and most mighty. For in going willingly to His death, He defeated death itself. He submitted to His Father' s will and won eternity for you.
In the same way, being mindful of your weaknesses brings glory to God and actually strengthens you. In recognizing that you can' t make it through this life alone, you preach to the world with your attitude that God alone can save and that Christ' s power alone upon you will carry you through the gates of Paradise.
You may not have a thorn in your flesh like St. Paul did, but there are plenty of things that distract you and pull you away from focusing on your Lord and God. When that happens, remember how you were completely helpless and at God' s mercy at the font, and how His power was perfected in your death in those baptismal waters. If He strengthened you then, He will not stop now. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast Save in the death of Christ, my God; All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood. (LSB 425:2)
- February 13, 2012 - Monday of Sexagesima
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:10-11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Some things are seemingly inevitable. A runaway train will crash, it will get cold in the winter, and seed planted will always give a crop.
But it doesn' t always work out that way. Sometimes a drought kills the crop, or it is unseasonably warm at Christmas, or the runaway train coasts to a stop. What seems inevitable isn' t always so.
Not so with God' s Word. The Word of God is a force that cannot be stopped or curbed or wished into impotence. It is the formidable power that called the universe into existence, that heals the sick and raises the dead, and that seeks out the lost to bring them salvation in the means of grace.
The Word of God WILL do that which God sends it out to do. The greatest thing His Word did was to take on flesh and bear your sins to His death on a Roman cross. Then, that Word rose from the dead to proclaim to you and all creation that salvation belongs to those who hear His Word and keep it.
Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, did not go out from God the Father' s mouth on a useless errand. He accomplished that for which He was sent: Death was destroyed, mankind was redeemed in His blood, and sin was forgiven.
Because of this, you can rejoice and give thanks that you are among those for whom the Word of God was sent out. You are one of the redeemed. How do you know? Look at the baptismal font at your church. In that font, or one like it, you were changed by that same Word of God. Washed, redeemed and made holy by simple water tied to that Word: "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Thine over all shall be the praise And thanks of ev' ry nation; And all the world with joy shall raise The voice of exultation. For Thou shalt judge the earth, O Lord, Nor suffer sin to flourish; The people' s pasture is Thy Word Their souls to feed and nourish, In righteous paths to keep them. (LSB 823:2)
