“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry” (Matthew 4:1-2).
Just when we are seeing signs that spring is coming soon, as the days are getting longer and warmer, we begin what may seem to be a darker, colder journey—the journey of Lent. We follow Jesus into the wilderness.Read More »Into the Wilderness
Fairchild lies thirty miles southeast of Eau Claire at the junction of Highways 12 and 10 among the woods, hills, and farmland of northwestern Wisconsin.… Read More »Morning Star Lutheran Church—Fairchild, Wisconsin
The Transfiguration:
The last painting by the Italian High Renaissance master Raphael. Commissioned by Cardinal Giulio de Medici (the later Pope Clement VII [1523-1534]) and conceived as an altarpiece for the Narbonne Cathedral in France, Raphael worked on it until his death in 1520.
He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matthew 17:2).
Suddenly Jesus was dazzling—His face, His clothes! Then, He was speaking with Moses and Elijah, prophets of long ago! Astounding! Why was this happening?
I. Was it for Jesus’ benefit? Yes. Did not angels minister to Him after Satan tempted Him? Did not an angel strengthen Him in the Garden of Gethsemane while He earnestly prayed to His Father? Surely it was for Jesus’ benefit that Moses and Elijah came to speak with Him about His “decease,” His departure, His end. Moses and Elijah had labored among God’s people many years earlier to point them to God’s merciful and gracious atonement through the Messiah to come. Salvation through Christ was their “work.”
II. Was the transfiguration of Jesus for the benefit of the disciples (Peter, James, and John) who were with Him? Yes. They had heard Jesus speak wonderful words of forgiveness and compassion. They had seen Him work miracles of love and of might. They had heard Him soundly refute the Pharisees. Jesus was their Messiah, the “Christ,” the “Anointed One!”Read More »The Transfiguration of Jesus Is Your Glory!
…the same potential for disaster that faced the Israelites in the wilderness also faces us today.
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’” Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Hebrews 3:7-15).Read More »A Roller Coaster in the Wilderness
Down through the centuries, the human relation of friendship has been greatly valued and cherished. Many are the quotes from the secular and religious world… Read More »Jonathan and David—What a Friendship!
Johann Gerhard As we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we take a brief look at the lives of some of the most influential… Read More »Johann Gerhard
Several of the pastors who have served Messiah Lutheran Church (Left to Right): Prof. John Ude, Prof. David Lau, Pastor Michael Eichstadt (current) and Prof.… Read More »Messiah Lutheran Church—Hales Corners, Wisconsin
TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941;
WS = Worship Supplement 2000;
SC = Martin Luther’s Small Catechism;
[ ] = Minor Festivals or commemorations in the Christian Church Year
Feb 2 Luke 2:22-40 TLH 137
[The Presentation of Christ]
Joseph, Mary, and Jesus heed the Law of Moses, and Simeon and Anna get to see their Savior close up.
Feb 3 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 WS 713:1, 3
May our lives help bring others to Christ rather than lead people away from Him.
Feb 4 1 Corinthians 3:1-11 TLH 493
We are God’s field-workers, but it is He who makes things grow. We are thankful that’s His responsibility!Read More »Bread Of Life February 2015
To our Readers: The compiler of these Daily Devotions is David Schaller, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, CLC, Sister Lakes, Michigan. The devotions will appear month by month in 2015 (excluding Sundays, as in the past). We heartily thank Pastor Schaller for providing this spiritual menu for our subscribers. Dear readers, as the Lord directed His prophet: “…Eat what you find; eat this scroll…” (Ezekiel 3:1)—and you will surely be blessed.January 2015
TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941;
WS = Worship Supplement 2000;
SC = Martin Luther’s Small Catechism;
[ ] = Minor Festivals or commemorations in the Christian Church Year
Jan 1 Luke 13:1-9 Psalm 121
Our Savior mercifully grants us another year. May we bear fruit to His glory.
Jan 2 Luke 12:1-12 TLH 96
There’s no need to be afraid to confess Jesus before others. He will watch over you.
Jan 3 Romans 3:21-26 TLH 377:1, 6
The year is new, but this truth remains: We are sinners and saints.
Jan 5 Luke 2:40-52 Psalm 119:97-104
The boy Jesus shows His appreciation for the Word of God—and grows in it.Read More »Bread Of Life January 2015
DEVOTION –
Epiphany
“This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11)
“Now that was a glorious sight!”
That’s what we might say after viewing a magnificent natural landscape or the star-filled sky on a clear night. Nature can be glorious because it is the handiwork of God (Psalm 19:1). Something of His divine glory shines in it, even if many who gaze in awe at the Grand Canyon do not acknowledge it.
The glory of God that we see in His creation is that of His power and wisdom, and even His goodness to mankind (Acts 14:15-17). But His glory is also seen in His other attributes: that He is holy, just, all-knowing, present everywhere, and eternal. Furthermore, His glory is especially seen in His grace and love, which are revealed on the pages of Scripture.
In the season of the church year called Epiphany, we learn of the glory of God as it was revealed in Jesus. In His miracles, the almighty power of God was revealed in Him. By these acts of power it could be seen that Jesus was the Son of the living God. The first of these took place at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11), where Jesus turned water into wine. With this work Jesus “manifested His glory” by doing something that only God could have done. His disciples saw it and believed in Him.Read More »A Glorious Sight
