January 14, 2025
Today’s Reading: Romans 6:1-11
Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 36:33-37:14; Romans 5:1-21
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (John 6:4)
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
It’s easy to make snap judgments on what we see. We’ve heard the phrase “seeing is believing,” and to a degree, the eyes have played a role in the spread of Christianity. Think about the Resurrection. This isn’t a myth but a real-time event recorded as history in Scripture. Many eyewitnesses attest to having seen the risen Christ. Therefore, every occurrence of a name in the New Testament is significant. On the other hand, seeing alone is no help in divine matters. The Israelites saw the miraculous parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army. But it’s no time before they’re grumbling against God. People saw the crucifixion and mocked the dying Christ. The eyes saw blood, gore, and death—just another corpse and crucifixion for the books.
Romans 10:17 teaches faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ. The senses aren’t the cause of faith. That comes by the Holy Spirit through the Word. Snap judgments in divine matters can be devasting for how we think about God and His Gifts. Baptism, for example, doesn’t look like much, only some water by a man in robes on a baby’s head. The baby does nothing during the rite of Holy Baptism except maybe cry and fill a diaper. But St. Paul’s inspired Words in Romans 6 teach us what Baptism does without human aid and cooperation. Something happens, something affected by God, when someone is baptized in that triune Name, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One is “buried with Him.” One dies with Christ. The Old Adam dies, and “just as Christ was raised…we too may walk in newness of life.” This is a reality for the baptized given by God in Jesus. It’s not earned by human merits, decisions, emotional pleas, and movements in the heart. It’s God’s work that faith receives. Since faith is a Gift, it’s not dependent on intellectual capacity. Baptism doesn’t look like much, but according to Scripture, it means life in Christ, being dead to sin and alive to God. It means sins forgiven in the Name above all Names, the only Name under heaven and earth by which man is saved (Acts 4:12). These promises don’t go away over time, something faith sees when the eyes don’t.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Heavenly Father, grant us faith to daily repent and turn to you. Preserve us from evil, and comfort us with Your promises in Holy Baptism to make us Your dear child robed in the righteousness of Jesus, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.
-Rev. Ryan Ogrodowicz, associate pastor and headmaster at Grace Lutheran Church and School in Brenham, TX.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.
What makes a church “good?” Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.
