August 19, 2024
Today’s Reading: Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18
Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 11:1-27; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods (Joshua 24:16).
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
To be honest, the people’s response here seems laughable. ‘Far be it from us…’? Seriously!? The Israelites were the worst. They. Kept. Sinning. They would repent and follow the Lord, only to be led astray by another people group, another king, another god… They would suffer, crawl back to God, and repent. The Israelites were not faithful. Frankly, they weren’t even honest. They made this statement, but really, they were going to stray again. This statement seems silly. Good thing I’m not like…oh…wait…
Sinners sin. We are the worst. We perpetually fail. Maybe we’ll try again, but it’s hard. Sometimes, we seem to make a bit of progress, but then we mess up again. We chafe against the boundaries that God calls good. We see our neighbors as competitors or nuisances. We suffer the consequences of sin. Maybe we aren’t so different from the faithless Israelites.
Thanks be to God that He remains faithful when we are faithless. Thanks be to God that He continued as the Israelites’ God, even as they would stray and follow idols. Thanks be to God that He gives us the same mercy. We feel the consequences of sin, but we are not defined by them. We drag the Old Adam around with us, but we are identified by our Baptism and are saints. We are loved and forgiven. The Israelites hoped for and looked to the coming Savior. We look back to Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, knowing that it happened for us. We remember our Baptism and know that we are washed in Jesus’ Blood. We go to the Divine Service, receiving His Body and Blood for us. We rest in God’s promises, made and kept for us.
When we wake up to a new day, hopeful that today will be different…we cling to the assurance that every day is a day that we are covered by our Baptism. We can, in faith, declare our desire to love and serve our neighbor– to show them the forgiveness we have in Jesus. But when we fail, like the Israelites, and go back to the same sins and idols, we rest in Jesus. We claim His faithfulness as our own; we live in our Baptism, hear from His Word that we are forgiven, and cling to His promises.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Sin, disturb my soul no longer: I am Baptized into Christ! I have comfort even stronger: Jesus’ cleansing sacrifice. Should a guilty conscience seize me Since my Baptism did release me In a dear forgiving flood, Sprinkling me with Jesus’ Blood? (LSB 594:2)
-Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.
