Psalm 52; Leviticus 24:1-23; Luke 12:54-13:17

Notice the confidence the psalmist has in the name of YHWH: "I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly" (9). We usually don't like to wait for people, and people for whom we wait usually don't elicit our praise. Yet, to wait for YHWH is to trust in his promises. He will deliver on what he has said. The bread sacrifice that YHWH commands in the Leviticus reading leads us to think of the Lord's Supper, where we eat the forever sacrifice–Jesus himself. The reading from Luke leads us to think of Jesus inaugurating the new creation. We are to be ready for that day for we are in the end times already. The call is clear: repent. Ultimately, Jesus healing on the Sabbath shows us that he is the Sabbath. He embodies the new creation and will establish it forever when he comes to make a new heaven and earth.

Psalm 116:12-19; Leviticus 23:23-44; Luke 12:35-54

The Psalm begins with words we sing in the Offertory in the Divine Service, settings one and two. Interesting are the words in verse 16: "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." Yet in Luke Jesus says, "Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him." The two ideas must not be read in opposition but additionally: he does both. God is the source of life and gives life to all living things. Yet, he gives and he takes away (cf. Jb 1:21). Again, the Leviticus passage presecribes many ways to remember what LORD has done for his people, as v. 43 says: "...that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt." In the Gospel reading Jesus says straight-up: "You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." While this phrase may invoke fear, look at it from the opposite persepctive. Let it invoke excitement and joy: like waiting for your spouse coming off the plane. You are ready. You want to see Jesus, for you know that when you do it is the beginning of all things new!

Psalm 31:1-5; Leviticus 21:1-24; Luke 12:1-12

The psalm contains one of the great visuals in the psalter: YHWH inclining his ear to the psalmist. Picture a mother leaning over to listen to what her child is saying to her. That is the image here and its sentiment. Knowing that YHWH listens emboldens the psalmist and you. We commit our spirit to Him, for He listens to us. The passage continues to press the issue of being holy, set apart. Significanly, it is YHWH who makes you and me holy (vv., 8, 12, and 23). This holiness is a matter of the heart–the core of who we are–not of what things appear to be. Because YHWH does makes us holy through Christ, we have nothing to fear and joyfully serve as his witnesses in the world. 

Psalm 119:1-8; Levitucus 18:1-7, 20-19:8; Luke 11:1-13

These opening verses of the Psalm begin the 176-verse meditation on the Word of God. In nearly every verse  words like commandments, precepts, ways, statutes, testimonies lead us to consider the dynamics of God's Word. These verses tell us that the person is "blessed" who lives according to the Word of god. Leviticus teaches about propoer sexual relations for the purpose of distinguishing the people of God from other who do not bear his name. Important for Christians is that our sexual relationship reflects God's faithfulness to his Bride, the Church (cf. Eph 5:22-33 and Rev 19:610). In Luke Jesus graciously teaches us how to pray. We always have a prayer "in our pocket" with the Lord's Prayer. We can never say it too much. Jesus tells us that the Father knows what to give us. What he gives is what we need!

An Elderly Man in Prayer, 1660 Painting by Rembrandt van Rijn

Psalm 17:7-15; Leviticus 17:1-16; Luke 10:23-42

The psalmist pleads that the Savior (YHWH) would keep him as the apple of his eye–that which commands his attention (cf. Gn 3:6). The reading from Leviticus reminds us that life is in the blood, a statement that we understand to be true in scientific terms today (cf. v.14). Of course this has importance for the New Testament, in that Jesus gives us his blood in the Lord's Supper. The Way, the Truth, and the Life (cf. Jn 14:6) gives us his blood, his life, in the Lord's Supper. In the Luke reading Jesus challenges you and me to think about who is our neighbor. He is the Good Samaritan for us, binding us up and providing our security. 

Prayer - Lord, you protect and provide for us. You are the source of life. Help us to share life with others, to you with others, that they, too, may be made whole! Amen.

Psalm 25:1-10; Leviticus 10:1-20; Luke 9:37-62

All three readings reveal the down-to-earthiness of YHWH (the LORD, all caps). The psalmist speaks directly to YHWH, recognizing his presence in his life: Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old" (v. 6). In the Leviticus reading Moses becomes angry with Aaron's sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, for not eating the sin offering in order to bear the sins of the people (Lv 6:26, Lv 6:29). Jesus heals the boy who convulses and foams at the mouth because of an unclearn spirit. He then bids his people to follow him at all costs: once we take the plow in hand, we can't turn back. It's all or nothing in following Jesus! The ultimate down-to-earthiness in the reading is that the Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men–for you and me! Sinners kill Jesus. Jesus save them!

Psalm 119:129-139;Leviticus 9:1-24; Luke 9:18-36

Again, the Psalm comes from the great "Word" Psalm, in which nearly every verse contemplates an aspect of God's Word in our livevs. The Leviticus reading records the priestly practices of offerings in signfiicant detail. The reading includes the powerful verse 23: "And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people." The glory of the Lord echoes throughout the Old Testament–a constant reminder of this creation's disconnect with God. Whenever considering the glory of the Lord, John 1:14 proves helpful for today: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." The glory of God is found in Jesus, who reveals himself to his creation through His miracles (Jn 20:31). Ultimately, this glory appears most significantly on the cross, where Jesus becomes the Savior of all creation. "In the cross of of Christ I glory!"