TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941; WS = Worship Supplement 2000; LSB = Lutheran Service Book, 2006
| Date | Hymn | Scripture | Comments |
| 2022-10-01 | TLH 629 | 2 Timothy 1:1-12 | Suffering scorn from unbelievers and imprisonment in Rome, Paul nonetheless is not ashamed of the Gospel. Let us also follow that example when we face the relatively inconsequential derision of today’s world. We can proclaim with Paul, “I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed.” |
| 2022-10-03 | WS 768 | 2 Timothy 2:1-13 | Paul counsels Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” The Greek word translated as “be strong” is literally “be invested with power.” Significantly, he then points out that as soldiers for Christ, we must endure suffering. For now, we are members of the Church Militant, and as soldiers we are to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” |
| 2022-10-04 | TLH 535 | Philippians 4:6-23 | Here we have some of the most precious words of scriptural advice. Do we suffer anxiety? Take it to the Lord, and—believing His promises—we will have peace. What sorts of things occupy our thoughts? Here’s a list of what we should think about—no, what we should meditate on! The result, again, is personal peace. |
| 2022-10-05 | WS 781 | 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 | The Bible is not human religious speculation, it is God’s Word. As such, it is the only sure basis for what we believe and what we do. This is especially important for us to remember in our day, when so many people have “itching ears,” and choose to believe charlatans who tell them whatever they want to hear. |
| 2022-10-06 | TLH 447 | 2 Timothy 4:6-22 | This is Paul’s valedictory statement. May God graciously grant that we too may be able to fight the good fight and keep the faith. Our eternal welfare is a matter of what Christ has done for us, not of what we do. Nonetheless, being saved by grace through faith, we are called to practice faithful discipleship unto the end. |
| 2022-10-07 | WS 767 | 2 Peter 2:1-10 | False prophets—those who claim to speak God’s Word but in reality proclaim the devil’s lies—are nothing new. Sometimes it may seem to us as if everything is going their way. But make no mistake, their doom is certain, severe, and everlasting. |
| 2022-10-08 | TLH 261 | 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 | “Stand fast” in unchanging truth. God’s enemies present compelling and eloquent assertions and reasoning designed to create widespread falling away from genuine Christian faith. Who is in danger of falling away? Those who “did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” Continually study the saving Word of God, through which the Holy Spirit will sustain and strengthen your faith. |
| 2022-10-10 | TLH 387 | Romans 3:19-28 | The first use of the Law is to show us our sins and sinful nature so that we are not deceived by the lie that we can earn salvation. It is only through Christ’s perfect life and vicarious death that our sins have been blotted out. The benefit of what Jesus has done for all mankind is received only through faith, not works. |
| 2022-10-11 | WS 783 | Luke 15:1-10 | Was there anything in the lost sheep or the lost piece of money that made them of greater worth than the other ninety-nine sheep or the other nine coins? No. What differentiated them was that they were lost. The Pharisees and scribes complained that Jesus ate with sinners, so He told these parables to illustrate the seeking love of God. We were lost. Jesus sought us out and saved us. |
| 2022-10-12 | TLH 279 | Luke 15:11-32 | Have you ever acted as though your own ideas about how to achieve happiness were better than God’s plans for you? The father in this parable represents God, and the younger son represents those who choose to go their own way. The father allowed his younger son to discover the folly of his own ideas, and to return, chastised, to his household. How blessed we are that for Jesus’ sake, we are received back. |
| 2022-10-13 | TLH 438 | Luke 16:1-13 | Does God commend dishonest dealing? Certainly not. Note that the commendation of the unjust servant comes from his master, not our Lord. Our Lord’s exhortation begins in v. 9. It is not the steward’s dishonesty that God commends, but rather only the man’s prudence as an example for us to follow. As Christians, we too often fail to be “wise as serpents,” as Jesus exhorts us in Matthew 10:16. |
| 2022-10-14 | TLH 290 | Luke 16:19-31 | Wherein lies our hope? The hearts of unbelievers can be set only on the things of this world. The “rich man” of this parable is merely one example. His wealth is not the problem; his unbelief is. He is contrasted with the beggar Lazarus (whose name is a rendition of a Hebrew name meaning “God is my help”). Is our focus on worldly matters, or on God? |
| 2022-10-15 | TLH 396 | Luke 17:1-10 | Pietists and legalists are proud of their rectitude and adherence to moral codes, as though that’s praiseworthy. That’s like someone who wishes to be praised because he found a lost wallet with much cash and returned it to its owner. That’s not praiseworthy; a failure to do that would be theft. So also, our Christian sanctification is merely our duty which, as unprofitable servants, we fulfill only imperfectly. |
| 2022-10-17 | TLH 36 | Luke 17:11-19 | The blessings of Christianity are so abundant and constant that we tend to take them for granted and fail to be properly thankful to God for His unmerited benevolence. The ten lepers must certainly have been astounded by their healing, yet only one came back and thanked Jesus. Let us think daily on our blessings, and be like the one rather than the nine. |
| 2022-10-18 | TLH 457 | Luke 18:1-8 | The judge, who cared not at all about God or the opinions of man, nonetheless finally granted this widow’s request merely because of her persistence. If even a bad man will yield to such persistence, how much more so will our gracious God be prevailed upon by our persistent prayer! Do not fail to continue in prayer, even when the answer seems not to be forthcoming. |
| 2022-10-19 | TLH 371 | Luke 18:9-17 | Self-righteousness is the antithesis of the Christian faith. This Pharisee singled himself out as better than all others on the basis of his religiosity. The publican recognized his sinfulness, and sought God’s mercy. Jesus says that the sinful publican was justified (declared righteous in God’s sight), and the Pharisee was not. We are to be humble, recognizing the truth about ourselves. |
| 2022-10-20 | TLH 324 | Luke 19:1-10 | How many like Zacchaeus—perhaps merely curious about Jesus—end up being called by the gracious Savior into the household of faith? Zacchaeus then made open confession of his previous wrongdoings, and voluntarily promised to give half his goods to the poor and to repay to others more than what he had wrongfully taken. Contrast this with another rich man (Luke 18:22-23) who was too attached to his wealth to follow Jesus. |
| 2022-10-21 | TLH 377 | John 8:13-36 | All will eventually recognize Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah, the Redeemer of fallen mankind. Tragically, however, for many that recognition will come too late, and they will die in their sins. Others, however, will come to faith in this life. They will abide in the saving truth of the Gospel, and thus be free indeed. God grant that we abide in His Word unto the end. |
| 2022-10-22 | TLH 381 | Habakkuk 1:1-2:4 | Habakkuk (630 B.C.) could be describing our world today. Wrongdoers prosper. Those in power ignore and violate the law with impunity. Wicked people hold down the righteous. But God’s response then is still the same today: He is in control. He will unfailingly work things according to His good and gracious purpose, and in His time. Have faith in the Word of Him Who cannot lie, and live by that faith. |
| 2022-10-24 | TLH 464 | Ruth 1:1-19 | Ruth, a Moabitess and thus not a Jew, had married a Jew from the tribe of Judah. After the death of her husband, Ruth returned from Moab with her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem, promising that Naomi’s people would be her people, and Naomi’s God her God. The Jews were God’s Old Testament people, but even in the Old Testament, salvation by faith in the one true God was open to all. |
| 2022-10-25 | TLH 342 | Isaiah 1:1-18 | Judah had rebelled against God, and their “worship” was merely empty ritual rather than genuine worship and obedience. God told them that He has no pleasure in perfunctory sacrifices, and called them once again to repentance and reformation of their lives. He promised that even though their sins were great, He would forgive. May He also grant a true revival of Christian faith throughout our nation, which has largely fallen away from Him. |
| 2022-10-26 | TLH 283 | Psalm 119:89-96 | We live in turbulent times, yet we have an unfailing source of stability and calm, if only we take advantage of it. God’s faithfulness is certain and everlasting. No matter how the world around us rages, no matter what afflictions we may face, no matter our circumstances, He is faithful and His promises cannot fail. Let us cling to God’s precepts and testimonies, and we will not be shaken. |
| 2022-10-27 | TLH 266 | 2 Kings 22:1-20 | Josiah became King of Judah and was one of the few who sought to do what was right in the sight of the Lord. When the re-discovered book of God’s Law was read to him, he diligently sought to restore true worship to Judah. God blessed Judah while Josiah reigned, and punished the nation for its apostasy afterwards. May God graciously grant to us good and faithful leaders. |
| 2022-10-28 | TLH 297 | Revelation 14:1-13 | Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the 144,000 of Revelation 14 is the literal number of all those since the time of Jesus who will be in heaven. Revelation 7:5-8 makes it clear that the 144,000 is a figurative number, representing all who are saved. That the number of those saved is not limited to the twelve tribes of Israel mentioned in chapter 7 is made clear in verse 6: the Gospel is for all people. |
| 2022-10-29 | TLH 264 | Joshua 1:1-18 | After the death of Moses, God commissioned Joshua to lead His people to the land He had promised them. God told Joshua to be strong and courageous and to faithfully follow all that God had told Moses. Doing that, God promised, would result in the blessings of God and sure success. So also with us. We can be bold and confident of God’s blessings in our lives as we faithfully follow His Word. |
| 2022-10-31 | TLH 262 | Psalm 46 | “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” the Battle Hymn of the Reformation, is based on this Psalm. No matter how tumultuous the circumstances of our lives, no matter how strong the foes arrayed against Christ and His people, no matter how our enemies rage—God is with us, and we will not be overcome. Be still, and know that He is with us and is our refuge. |